#also he apparently doesn't fit the requirements

[noona-verse]

Call me naive, but I actually don't believe Hui would abandon Pentagon to go rogue and join Boys Planet. Yeah, there is pressure on idols to act like they're close with their group members, but there are some things you can't fake. Look how Hui spends his most finite resource: his time. During enlistment, he still chose to live at home with the guys. He went to their MV shoot, showed up at Jinho's musical, got up at ungodly hours to attend prerecordings for Feelin' Like stages. He works out with Shinwon pretty much daily. And before Invite U came out, when something so upsetting was going on behind the scenes that Yuto cried, Hui showed up to get them through it. Even during enlistment, he was still their leader. If everything was fake, he could have had two years off on his own, but he chose to spend it glued to the other members. Even if he thought Pentagon wasn't going to make it, I firmly believe he'd go down with the ship rather than stealing away in a life raft alone. (Also, they're doing well!) I'm just going to sit here and wait for the record to be set straight, thanks.

#hui #also he apparently doesn't fit the requirements #he still belongs to Cube and he was literally at an awards show during part of the training camp #if I'm in denial so be it #denial is way more fun #🦉

[linkspooky]

So I was genuinely surprised last week when we were finally shown Megumi's mental state inside Sukuna and he was predictably at his lowest point ever, and instead of sympathy from the fans most of the responses on twitter I saw were people mocking him.

Which I am going to assume comes from a misunderstanding as his character. You see Megumi doesn't fit into the role of the black haired supporting protagonist / rival well. He's not Sasuke, he's not Uryu Ishida, he's not Yuno but he's not meant to be a rival or even a typical shonen character who's progress is only measured by a series of power ups. Megumi is perhaps one of the most subtly written characters in the manga, and perhaps he's hard to sympathize with because he doesn't fit into easy to udnerstand shonen tropes. Which is why I will try to explain his arc below and why Jujutsu Kaisen does it like no other manga currently running.

1. Meet Potential Man

Let me introduce you to the worst meme on twitter.

Megumi's inability to live up to his potential to reach his full power as a sorcerer is probably his biggest flaw, one that is rightfully called out by the narrative again and again, but apparently an intentionally written character flaw is bad writing.

It's covered in Gojo's "Swing for the fences" speech.

Gojo notices Megumi bunt in the baseball game and decides to confront him about it later. He highlights that while bunting is alright in baseball, and it's good to sacrifice yourself so your teammates can advance in a team sport that being a sorcerer is a solo sport. No matter what Megumi is going to reach a point where he's forced to fight alone, and instead of trying to push himself to be as strong as he can be he intentionally limits himself to cooperate with the sorcerers around him.

Basically, the opposite of Gojo who literally cannot fight with other sorcerers because he won't be able to fight at full strength as they just get in the way.

It's not just that Megumi can't use the ten shadows to its full potential, something pointed out by Sukuna, and then later again by Gojo, it's also that he always prioritizes either the group or someone else above himself when trying to decide how to act. Megumi is a semi-decent strategist so this is not necessarily a bad thing, but because of Megumi's tendency to care more about trying to live up to other people's expectations towards him, and what other people need of him rather than his own needs he doesn't have the attitude necessary for sorcery, especially since the strongest sorcerers don't take others into account at all and act like living calamities.

Megumi doesn't look at himself, he looks at the people around him. He judges himself based on what the people around him want from him, not what he wants. This is going to be a continual theme in his arc.

Sukuna is a living calamity, the definition of the attitude a strong sorcerer has, Gojo Satoru wields sorcerery only for himself, and is a sorcerer because he finds exorcising curses and using his god given talents to be fun for him.

Megumi's reason for fighting, his self worth, are all much, much less than the strongest characters in this series which is why he continually fails to live up to his potential. It's not because Gege is not good at writing or Megumi is a disappointing character, but rather he's been written as someone with tremendous potential under the pressure to live up to that potential but who continually fails to do so. Megumi's low self-esteem, low self-worth, and lack of self-identity explains both his failure to progress as a sorcerer something that requires selfishness and self-identity to reach greater heights in, but also his tendency to pick the suicide option with Mahoraga because Megumi genuinely believes compared to the others even just his classmates his life is simply worth less.

So potential man, is an intentionally written character flaw already called out in canon. The more interesting question is why does Megumi fail to live up to his potential.

2. Meet The Original Potential Man

So, I said that Megumi is not like a lot of characters in Shonen Jump but that doesn't mean he's entirely unique. To help explain Megumi's inability to live up to his potential I thought it would be helpful to compare him to a character he's clearly inspired by.

Killua Zoldyck, is the deuteragonist of a manga called hunter x hunter. You may have heard of it, Gege certainly has. Killua is born into a family of assassins who all have supernatural powers. The assassins inflict incredibly harsh training on their children from birth in order to raise them into assassins because their potential as assassins is all that matters. They also start with a "Z".

Killua is apparently the most talented Zen'in... I mean Zoldyck of this generation, though he's still young so he's weaker than his father and brother he's expected to easily surpass them one. Which is why Killua's family has already decided for him that he's going to be the next one to take over the family, Killua's opinion doesn't matter. Illumi and Silva are both setting him up for success by forcing their "help" upon him. Several other members of the family even point out that Killua probably doesn't have the attitude to be the head of the family, but what does it matter when he's got such great talent?

Killua is a complicated victim. He's a victim of many things, familial abuse is the most obvious one because the Zoldyck have a nasty habit of torturing their children, but the less obvious one is grooming. Not in a sexual sense, but rather the adults in Killua's life have decided to use their authority over him to manipulate him into becoming what they want him to be - the next head of the family.

What's insidious about this is the Zoldyck's don't just torture or beat Killua into submission, they will use any tool in their arsenal, familial love, emotional blackmail, threats, all to undermine Killua's agency and choices in order to make him not only do what they want to do but make him think he has to grow into the person they want him to.

Grooming not in a sexual sense, but definitely in a psychological sense, an adult using their authority as an adult over a child and their maturity to manipulate that child into becoming what they want them to be instead of letting that child grow naturally. When it's used in a sexual sense it's when an adult establishes a connection with a minor, and then uses that connection in the long-term to manipulate them into having a relationship and lower the child's inhibition. Think of that, but without the sexual part - an adult using their relationship with a child often in a long-term manipulation to lower the child's inhibitions and make them more malleable and raise them to do what you want them to do.

Killua has not been sexually groomed, but he has been groomed by both his parents and his brother to make him more suggestible to becoming the family head which is something he explicitly does not want to do. Not only did Killua's family only raise him for the purpose of becoming an assassin and taking over the family one day (raising him as a child into an adult, his emotional maturity, his health and well being are all secondary priorities to what Killua can do for his family) they also manipulate him into thinking he has no choice other than being an assassin.

Killua is a kid put through extremely harsh training from a young age, to do a horrible job that is being an assassin that doesn't let him make normal friends or have a normal life. On top of the physical abuse he's already endured, whenever he expresses a desire to do something else in his life, his parents send Illumi to emotionally manipulate him into thinking that not only is he a natural born killer, and therefore a bad person who deserves all the abuse he's been put through, to further convince him that his only path forward is to be an assassin.

Killua is a character who has a lot of power, but little agency. Agency, in fiction is the ability a character has to take action and make decisions for themselves. Despite Killua starting as a more powerful and more savvy character than Gon, he has little agency and is often very passive. He doesn't act, he reacts. Even running away from his family is a reaction. We don't really see what he wants in life, we just know that he looked at his family and went "NOT THAT". However, his entire identity is still formed in response to his family's abuse. Even when he gets farther away from them, Killua doesn't really do what he wants, he does what Gon wants, and follows around Gon.

However, it's very understandable why Killua doesn't act with a lot of agency, when Killua does try to make decisions his family always shows up to undermine him and make another attempt to emotionally manipulate him into doing what they want. It's not always Illumi showing up to spook him. Silva pretends to be a loving dad for five minutes and has a heart to heart conversation with his son, and lets his son go adventuring with his friends but that too is a manipulation. He only did so to make sure Killua would eventually come back, by giving Killua more positive memories that would make it harder to make the decision to leave the family.

With the extent that Killua's family goes to sabotage any decision he makes, it's no wonder Killua is so passive and afraid to make his own decisions. It's almost like a character flaw he's gotta work on.

Now here's where I'm going to blow your minds. Megumi is an incredibly similar character to Killua, they are both the victims of longterm grooming however people don't like to acknowledge Megumi's victimhood. That's because in Killua's case, his abuser looks and acts like this.

Killua's abuser Illumi is a creepy guy who looks like the girl from the grudge, telling him he's not allowed to make friends and giving off such rancid vibes that he's obviously a bad guy. Whereas, Megumi's groomer this this guy.

Gojo Satoru who is one of the most popular characters in the series, and who also gives speeches about how he wants to let children be able to live out their youths, which is why it's hard for the fandom to see that he has taken advantage of Megumi and stolen his youth away from him pretty much the same way that Silva / Illumi has for Killua.

Megumi, like Killua has no choice in who he wants to be when he grows up, or what kind of person he wants to grow into. Megumi, like Killua has been groomed for a young age and forced into an incredibly dangerous and life threatening job that he does not want to do, that denies him the chance of a normal life, and that does not really allow him to make many friends. Megumi is railroaded onto this path, not by his choice, but by Toji's choice, and later Gojo's choice... because he has potential. Megumi like Killua cannot leave his family and stop being a sorcerer, otherwise his little sister who is the only family member he cares about will be hurt.

Gojo doesn't show up with an evil aura looking like the grudge girl and telling Megumi that he doesn't have the right to make friends, and that he's inherently evil and a puppet that only exists to kill people though so it's harder to tell that Megumi is a victim of the same kind of grooming that has hurt Killua so thoroughly.

This is what I mean when I say a lot of Megumi's characterization flies over your head because his victimization is written really subtly. Gojo does the same thing that Illumi / Silva does to Killua, he may seem like a stand up guy compared to those two but Megumi has about as much choice about what he can do with his life that Killua has.

Not all grooming is Illumi showing up with his spooky eyes to intimidate and coerce Killua into submission. Silva shows up to give Killua the first fatherly talk he had in his life, and lets him go from the mansion.... not because he realized he was wrong for restricting Killua's life choices and giving him no choice but to become heir.

No, it was a ploy to guilt trip him into coming back because he knew if he held Killua there by force he'd just run away the next chance he got. Fear and intimidation wasn't working at keeping Killua in line, so they switched to love instead.

Gojo can encourage Megumi to make friends, let him hang out and spend time with Itadori, even honor his wish to save Itadori and in the end still be manipulating him into becoming a sorcerer and not letting Megumi choose what he wants to do with his life. Gojo just prefers the carrot to the stick.

This is something the databooks confirm, that Gojo hunts prospects like Yuta, Yuji and Megumi not out of the goodness of his heart, but because they are talented students he can recruit to his cause with the added bonus that by appearing as their savior, they "owe" him.

Megumi is also a character lacking in agency, he is someone who's had no agency his entire life and what little agency he did have was stolen away from him by the adults in his life.

Let's analyze Megumi's situation for a second. As soon as Megumama dies, Toji gives up on the idea of fatherhood entirely, and decides to sell his son, literally, like in the sense of human trafficking to be raised by the highly abusive Zen'in Clan.

However, before the deal could be completed his father died in the middle of a mission. Megumi apparently saw his father so little that he didn't recognize him on coming face to face with him years alter, which says a lot about what kind of role Toji played in Megumi's life before he was outright abandoned.

Not only does Megumi believe his father just left him to run away with his new wife (Megumi's stepmother and the mother of Tsumiki) but now he and Tsumiki had to live together in a household without supervision for an indeterminate amount of time and watch their money slowly run out.

When it looks like they're about to start starving, Gojo Satoru shows up to save the day.... or not.

Gojo seems like he's offering Megumi a choice, but it's a loaded one. There's no choice in this scenario where Megumi gets to be a normal kid. The option of calling social services so this orphaned child does not starve doesn't occur to him.

Megumi's options are a) go to the Zen'in Clan and be a sorcerer where Tsumiki will be abused, or b) be a sorcerer under me where Tsumiki will be safe. The unspoken part is that if Megumi rejects his offer not only will he just let the Zen'in Take him, he'll also probably just let Megumi starve. Megumi the uh six or so year old child at this point has to sign away the rest of his life as a sorcerer, and work in order to earn money to eat.

No adult is taking care of Megumi, no one is raising him, even the food and shelter Megumi is given comes with a price tag that he has to pay back by being a Jujutsu Sorcerer and attending Jujutsu High as a teenager. Gojo even kind of subtly uses Tsumiki as a hostage to get Megumi to join with his agenda, because his offer isn't really much better than the Zen'ins but he needs Megumi on his side because he needs to raise kids to be future allies to his political agenda.

At the tender age of six Megumi signed his life away to be a sorcerer and he hasn't looked back since. Considering his severe behavioral problems getting into fights constantly at school, I think it's safe to say Megumi is about as reluctant to be a sorcerer as Killua is an assassin.

Honestly, if Megumi had phrased it like this:

"I'm so tired of being a sorcerer, I just want to be a kid."

Megumi would have a lot more fans, and Gojo would have a lot of explaining to do, but I think the brilliance of Megumi's grooming is that it's not really as blatant as Killua's. Megumi doesn't talk out loud about how he wants to be a normal kid, he's just angry at the whole world, and prone to fits of violence because he's mentall unwell.

Another way in which he parallels Killua, by the way.

Megumi does not talk about his lost childhood out loud. Instead of knowing his thoughts on the matter, instead we are shown his behavior, the effects of having his childhood taken away from him and how unstable it makes him and left to ponder as the audience what Megumi himself thinks of this.

The same way that Illumi steals all of Killua's agency away, robbing him of the chance to be anything other than what the Zoldycks want him to be, so to does Gojo. It's just instead of Gojo using the stick, he uses the carrot. He is Megumi's benefactor, he's the savior, for whose help Megumi owes him, sort of like repaying a loan with interest.

Gojo tries to shape Megumi into Gojo Satoru 2.0. Or maybe a second Geto. That's more likely as it's Geto defection which inspires Gojo to go looking for him after neglecting to do anything about Megumi until a year after finding out about his existence. Gojo says that Megumi is going to have to work hard or else he'll be left behind, just days after Geto had left him behind. Megumi is helped by Gojo, he is protected from the clans by Gojo, he has been taken on missions alongside Gojo his entire life, Maki even refers to Megumi as a treasure that was raised carefully by him.

Gojo invests a lot of time and effort into Megumi and because of that Megumi is expected to "perform." However, he doesn't.

That's the thing, Megumi is supposed to be either Gojo or Geto 2.0 but he just can't be. THe reason why again is Agency. If Killua is limited because of his inability to decide for himself, then so to is Megumi b/c Nen and Cursed Technique Development both depend on things like imagination, ego and self-image to raise them up to their full potential.

However, Gojo has shot himself in the foot with regards to Megumi. Becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer requires a strong identity, but Gojo by sabotaging Megumi's agency and ability to decide for himself every step of the way has robbed Megumi of the chance to form that strong identity.

Megumi, just like Killua has no sense of self and instead both judges himself according to others, how he meets their expectations, how he measures up to them - he also glorifies others while constantly putting himself down.

Megumi doesn't give speeches about how Yuji is like pure light, but he also refuses to let Yuji out of his sight post Shibuya, and even says it'd be better to be killed by Sukuna alongside Yuji if Sukuna does take over.

In the Chimera Ant Arc Killua defines all of his self-worth around being useful to Gon, and beats himself up for not being able to measure up to him - because Killua has no sense of self his selfhood has always been undermined by his family who wanted to make him more suggestible to what they wanted.

Megumi is flippant with his own life and very willing to lay down his life for another's sake, because Megumi has very little agency in his life and has been taught by both Gojo and his circumstances that he himself and what he wants does not matter. Megumi doesn't fight fate, and fight for what he wants because he's already been shot in the kneecaps by both Toji's abandonment, and Gojo Satoru, and he's having a difficult time just trying to stand with bullets in his knees.

Maybe, the reason Megumi is so willing to risk his life to summon Mahoraga and sacrifice himself if he thinks it will help his allies is because Megumi has been forced into a job where he's gonig to be expected to sacrifice his life for the greater good since the tender age of six years old and therefore everything in life has conspired to tell him his life is worth less than others.

Yuji isn't the first person in story to think of himself as a cog, that's Megumi. He doesn't even need Shibuya to beat him down to accept the cog mindset, Megumi is already there at the beginning of the story.

I think a lot of misunderstanding of Megumi's character comes from the fact that his grooming is more subtle and insidious, and not as blatant as Killua's, and also that it's done by a character well-liked by the fandom. However, if Megumi has all the same symptoms of Killua then it's logical to deduce that they share the same trauma

Even Megumi's summoning of Mahoraga has a tie to Killua.

There's a pattern of KIllua running away from stronger opponent that's established in HXH that's eventually revealed to be because of a needle that Illumi inserted directly into Killua's brain to mind control him to run if he faced someone that was too much of a threat.

Obviously, that's just continuing the metaphor of the fact that Killua isn't able to believe in himself to face people who are stronger, because Illumi has been constantly putting him down his entire life.

Isn't this essentially what Megumi does as well?

When Megumi is faced with an opponent that's too strong or a hopeless situation, instead of running like Killua he summons Mahoraga. He does this because he doesn't believe in his ability to surpass his limits and fight, because he doesn't believe in himself or his own potential.

When is actually able to think more freely and picture a version of himself who can surpass his limits and who can do these things - these are the moments he is shown to grow.

Megumi however, for the most part isn't free. He can't think of himself as free and he can't free himself, because not only does he still have no choice about what he wants to do with his life (even if he becomes the msot powerful sorcerer in the world Gojo won't let him quit, he's gotta pay off those student loans), but he's also internalized the idea that he's not free. Not only has Gojo raised him to be a cog, Megumi has also accepted the fact that he is a cog and what he wants does not matter - the most he can do is hope that his actions will protect the people he loves and give them a little bit of happiness.

Megumi doesn't need a needle in his brain to control him and make him run away from fights and more obedient, because Megumi has already done all of that to himself with the toxic and self-harming ideas he's internalized.

Megumi and Killua having given up on themselves, try to make others happy, the same people they put on pedestals in order to make themselves feel even worse in comparison.

However, from this point Megumi and Killuas arcs go in opposite directions. You see after the Chimera Ant Arc when Killua hits his lowest point and his codependent friendship with Gon is exposed for what it is, Killua returns home in order to try and rescue his sister Alluka who is probably the reason he ran away in the first place.

Alluka and Tsumiki are both at the start of the story taken away from Killua and Megumi respectively, and with them the only genuine familial affection they ever enjoyed in their lives is taken too.

However, Alluka and Tsumiki are inversions. Alluka finds her freedom and agency, and Killua is able to reform his connection with his sister by accepting both pats of her, Alluka and Nanika. Afterwards the two of them finally leave their family home together and go off on a journey together.

If Alluka finds her personhood, Tsumiki remains a plot device. She never awakens from her coma, she's possessed instead and then murdered.

Now, here is where I point out how unfair the audience is being to Megumi. If you're a hunter x hunter fan remember all the character development that Killua gained by reforging his relationship with Alluka, how much confidence it gave him to connect to the one person who's even unconditionally loved him as a family member.

Now imagine that Alluka is brutally butchered right in front of him, and Killua has a first person point of view, because somehow in this scenario Illumi used a needle to mind control him into killing Alluka.

Do you really think Killua would be able to stand after that?

Sukuna is really just the last in line of a long line of people who've stolen Megumi's agency away from him, in order to benefit themselves. Sukuna even saw the same "potential" in Megumi that Gojo did.

Sukuna physically posessing Megumi's body, is just what both the Zen'in Clan, and Gojo Satoru have been trying to do to him in the most literal way possible. Gojo wants to remake Megumi into Gojo Satoru 2.0 with no regards to who Megumi is as a person, what Megumi's wants and needs are. No he just wants to raise someone as strong as him and pass the burden of protecting society onto Megumi, this starving orphan Gojo decided to exploit.

People have always used Megumi as a puppet for their own agenda, Naobito wanted to make him the head of the Zen'in Clan because he had the technique, Gojo wanted him to become the next strongest sorcerer / Gojo Satoru and also to replace the elders with Gojo's political agenda. They all want Megumi's "potential" for themselves to use to their own ends. Sukuna just takes what Gojo did one step further by literally stealing Megumi's body away from him and using him as a literal puppet instead of a metaphorical one. Gojo took Megumi's childhood by making him work as a sorcerer, Sukuna kills the physical embodiment of Megumi's childhood innocence by murdering Tsumiki, the only thing Megumi had in his life besides being a sorcerer, his only family, the only person he grew up with in his childhood years, the only person who loved him for who he was.

Megumi coped with what Gojo did to him the same way Killua did, by building himself around his use to others, and by building his identity around protecting others but now that's all gone. Tsumiki is gone, Megumi is trying to kill his friends, and he's already butchered Gojo Satoru.

Yet the fans are surprised that Megumi doesn't immediately get back on his feet.

However, and this my slightly optimistic ending to the post. Perhaps, Megumi is going the complete opposite of Killua, because what Megumi needed to learn was not to grow strong and confident enough to protect his sister but to learn to fight for himself.

At this point Megumi has nothing else left. It's sink of swim. He either develops a strong enough identity to regain control of his body and push Sukuna out, or he loses and the anti-Sukuna team will just have to resort to killing Megumi along with Sukuna.

Even in that case.

Megumi not being saved by Yuji is a good thing.

Because a victim who gets rescued by a hero still has no agency.

Megumi told Yuji that he needs to start by "saving me."

However, it might just be the opposite. Before Megumi can save anyone else, before he can become a protector, he has to find his own power and save himself. He has to both accept thathe's someone worthy of salvation, and at the same time he can't just passively accept the hand that Yuji's offered to him he has to actively be the one to break free of Sukuna and save himself.

Megumi can't become the strongest sorcerer by becoming the next Gojo Satoru or being what Gojo or Sukuna wants him to be. THe only way Megumi can become the strongest, is by being himself.

#jjk meta #hxh meta #megumi fushiguro #killua zoldyck #gojo satoru #illumi zoldyck #ryomen sukuna #jjk spoilers #jujutsu kaisen spoilers

[hezuart]

Thoughts on the “Look my Way” music video? For context if you don’t know, this is a fan song that’s just animated. Paranoid DJ had written this song awhile back, though Viv did take out some lyrics and switch them up a bit. What I personally don’t like is that there’s a line in the original where Stolas mentions the “impish play thing” line, as well as acknowledges that Octavia is hurting, and Viv cut that out. The song itself also doesn’t help for the show narratively really regarding the ship of Stolitz.

OMYGOD Okay so much to talk about here. It's a BEAUTIFUL song, amazing song, and I even loved the original of it. The animation for this AMV is breathtaking, everyone did an AMAZING job on it. This is what Helluva Boss songs should sound like. I was annoyed with that one scene, albeit very pretty where Stolas and Blitz have a string attached to the pinky finger, which is an indication of soulmates. This bothers me because a soulmate is either A. someone you have been reincarnated with over the years to love or B. Someone you click with- someone who completes you. You meet in every lifetime or they are the perfect person for you. This does not fit Stolas X Blitz AT ALL. They are not perfect for each other, they are complete opposites and the entire appeal and beauty of their relationship was the fact that they were fuckbuddies! They weren't even friends! They were tied up in manipulations, classism, and power imbalances. Their relationship required a lot of growth, a lot of work, and a LOT of learning on what love actually was, how to maintain it, and how to right their wrongs like-They needed to actively explore and learn what love means. They needed to find a real connection that would actually give them chemistry. Being soulmates is a complete cop-out. (Soulmates don't rely on reincarnation, but some do- and reincarnation is not a thing for demons???) You could say I'm overthinking it and being nitpicky with this visual, but this is exactly what it is! That is a soulmate string!!! He even says "I'll grant you this mercy, this bind on our souls-" LIKE BRUH wHAT !!! I'm so mad about what their relationship has become. They were toxic but not doomed. Now they're nothing Anyway..... still very beautiful and pretty

I have friends who actually know this guy and work closely with him. Apparently, Viv was the one who asked to change the lyrics of the song because it didn't "fit her story"???????? The lyrics changed: OG: "Come now, my little impish plaything, we both made our choice" Viv: "But dearest, I know better now I must give you this choice" It makes sense why she would want this changed since this song is about Stolas actually finally being in love. But it's still very sus because we still have not addressed Stolas's classism problem that seems to fluctuate episode to episode. OG: "Is this how she'd feel? Abandoned, all alone and left to fend For herself, for some semblance of happiness that doesn't have to end?" Viv: "Is this what you feel? Scorned by a realm that cannot comprehend, What you are, so I'll grant you this mercy this bind- on our souls needs to end" Again I can understand this change because we are going off-topic with Octavia here. However, I do find these changes very suspicious, especially if she wanted the song to better "fit her story". Because these circumstances are things that I have accused Viv of retconning before. Where Stolas wasn't actually in love with Blitz from the start and only saw him as a shiny toy, an "impish little plaything". Where Stolas was actually shady in cheating on his wife and not being there for his daughter nor really understanding her. "Home doesn't feel like home anymore. You ruined it." I can understand in the context of the song why these lines would be removed, but in the context of the overall story, I'm very suspicious of it, because those are very important contexts that people try to insist are "just people's headcanons" when they literally aren't. This could be considered active proof of Vivziepop retconning her story, but I will go with the latter and stick to my logical explanations for why the lyrics were changed- gonna try to have some faith here.

~~~~

Apparently, Cherri and Angel's AMV Addict was also a fan song. In THAT video, this is the description. Fully acknowledging it was a fan song, and giving clear credit to the person who made the song.

THIS. IS THE DESCRIPTION FOR "JUST LOOK MY WAY"

NO acknowledging this is a fan-made song. NO credit for Paranoid DJ. No thank you, no praise for the original, no links to the original song- He is at least in the credits, but not the description! This is insanely shady! I don't know if this was just a mistake or not, but this is really uncool. Again, he's at least in the ending credits, but... the description would make it more obvious. Vivziepop has a history of not crediting people for their work- I don't know if she was the one who made this mistake nor not.... this is not the worst it could have been, but at the very least whoever runs the youtube should fix the description out of respect.

#vivziepop critical #helluva boss critical #ask #long post #text post #just look my way

[absolutely-esme]

Monster!Tim Coraline au part 3

I had more thoughts on the au from here and here.

First off, It's called Hungry Monster Tim au unless and until I come up with a better name.

That's the tag that will help you find related content. I titled the post the way I did so that people who found the au before it had a name could recognize it. I'm hoping this will minimize confusion.

...

Now, I figure I'll talk a bit about how others view Tim.

The most of the earlier additions to the Batfam have mostly interacted with Tim in Emotional Support Tim mode.

Emotional Support Tim is pleasant and comforting. He is not overly exuberant and joyful in a way that would grate on fresh grief. He is also not joyless in a way that might make a hero feel obligated to worry about him. He is gentle and competent. His patience seems nearly endless. He can tolerate both being coddled and being leaned on. He can tolerate both being clung to and pushed away. He can tolerate switching back and forth at unpredictable intervals.

Tim approached Nightwing in his standard state of "tired, low on patience, and possibly about to do something stupid," once before Tim realized he was also grief-stricken and in no fit state to get Batman under control. He might have an inkling that Emotional Support Tim is an act, or he might just think Tim was having a bad day.

Bruce thinks Emotional Support Tim is what Tim is actually like. By the time Bruce was functional enough to not need so much managing, he'd gotten attached enough to the facade for Tim to have concerns about dropping it.

Alfred can tell that Tim is putting on a facade. He can tell that the role Tim has taken on is wearing on him. He doesn't like it. He feels guilty for allowing it to continue. He can't bring himself to put a stop to it when it's keeping his adoptive son alive.

Barbara initially meets Emotional Support Tim, immediately clocks the act, and pulls him aside to make sure there isn't something sinister afoot. Babs has reservations about every aspect of Tim's involvement, but agrees that something had to be done about Bruce. She lets him carry on for now, but she's ready to pull the plug if it seems like it's getting too much for him. She insists that Tim drop the act when it's just the two of them.

Babs doesn't know about the supernatural stuff specifically, but she knows there's more going on with Tim than what she knows about. She may learn that he has some hereditary health stuff that requires him to be extra careful about his food intake. She makes a point to not be weird about it because people being weird about her wheelchair annoys the crap out of her.

I like to imagine that Babs and Tim have a certain amount of solidarity over being the sensible ones who keep all these unhinged, dramatic bitches in line. They also have solidarity over ignoring the fact that they are just as dramatic and unhinged as the rest of the Bats.

Steph meets Tim in Regular Tim mode because Bruce isn't with him. Instead of trying to discourage Spoiler, he introduces her to Babs. Steph knows Tim as a tired smartass who kind of always seems like he's a bit hangry and trying not to take it out on anyone, but apparently he's just like that.

They don't date, but do become friends. Part of this is because grouchy, eternally hungry, constantly done-with-this-shit Tim isn't attractive to Steph but is kind of hilarious. Part of it is because Babs points out that there is no possible timeline where the kind of power imbalance from only one member of a couple knowing the other's secret identity doesn't turn toxic.

When Steph eventually encounters Emotional Support Tim, it creeps her out. She uses the term "pod person" when asking what the heck that was.

Steph's disastrous stint as Robin doesn't happen because she's already got her own thing going. She already has a mentor and appropriate protective gear. Babs and Steph actually get along better because they start their mentorship as Oracle and Spoiler without any of the complicated emotions of taking up a mantle.

I like Steph as Spoiler the best because it always seemed a little messed up to shove someone who already had their own original Identity into two legacy mantles. Let her do her own thing. She doesn't need to be a successor to Babs or Dick when she's already the OG Steph. Instead of giving her the Robin gear or the Batgirl gear, get her some upgraded, Bat-quality Spoiler gear.

Steph doesn't start a gang war or fake her death in this timeline, because the circumstances that caused it do not exist here.

Jason initially encounters Tim in Feral Cryptid mode, then writes that off as a fever dream after waking up to Emotional Support Tim. Once free of the Lazarus parasite, Jason makes it his mission to be a good big brother to Tim. Tim seemed a little stand-offish at first, but warmed up to him. (As soon as Tim realized that food was part of Jason's love language, he rearranged his meal plan to let Jason feed him without triggering supernatural problems with his metabolism.)

Jason eventually manages to earn Tim's trust enough to meet and get to know Regular Tim. Jason is both honored and concerned. Putting on such an extensive facade for the comfort of others has got to be exhausting, and Tim seems so worn down underneath it. Well, he doesn't have to do it for Jason anymore. Jason will happily hang out with and support any version of Tim.

When Damian shows up, he mostly sees Emotional Support Tim. Then he starts trying to kill him. Eventually, Tim's patience with the pint-sized murderer wears thin (possibly due to Damian hitting a PTSD trigger), and Tim goes Feral Cryptid mode. This freaks Damian out. There is no video evidence (which the rest of the Bats assume to be because Damian tampered with the security system in an attempt to get away with murder).

It doesn't happen again.

Tim doesn't bust out his powers or cryptid form against Damian again, but now that he's seen it, Damian sometimes sees traces of Feral Cryptid Tim lurking below the surface. Various little things he'd ignored that hadn't seemed significant on their own now seem to stem from the nature of what lurks inside the human skin.

Damian stops the murder attempts early. It's not because of ethics (which will take time to learn). It’s because he has no idea how to kill whatever sort of unearthly thing Tim is, and he recognizes how unwise it would be to continue attacking something he cannot kill. For now, Tim seems content to leave him be whenever he's not directly under assault. Damian doesn't want to risk becoming enough of a pest to be worth the effort of swatting.

...

I also had thoughts about Tim's post-Robin period.

When Tim goes on his quest to retrieve Bruce from the time stream, he doesn't take the Red Robin suit. He's going to be outside of the Bats' scrutiny, so he gears up with a suit and equipment he'd secretly made with his supernatural nature in mind. It's got Bat-standard armor and padding, but modified to accommodate a bit of form shifting without compromising protection. It's got a patchwork thing going on.

Tim sewed it himself, which allows him to manipulate it. It's also got buttons sewn in strategic locations to eliminate blindspots. (Taking down the beldam gave him the ability to control things he made and see through buttons he sewed).

His utility pouches are full of both Bat-standard equipment and things relevant to Tim's abilities. Also, he makes his pockets bigger on the inside, so he can carry a lot.

Tim isn't around the other Bats, so he's not being Emotional Support Tim. He's not using the minor illusion powers he got from the beldam to make himself look pleasant. He only makes the effort to be comforting when dealing with victims. He's just being the semi-feral scrungly dude he is.

...

Tim keeps in touch with Jason, Babs, and Steph while he's off on his quest to find Bruce. He occasionally pitches in with stuff that can be done from a distance.

Tim didn't say that Bruce was still alive before he had evidence. It's not because this version managed to predict that they wouldn't believe him, but rather because he thought he might have to do some supernatural stuff to get him back and didn't want witnesses. He just told the other Bats he needed to investigate something and would tell them more once he had figured out enough to know what to tell them.

This means that the other heroes don't think he's crazy, and Tim can use hero resources for his investigation.

I haven't decided yet if Tim will interact with the League of Assassins at all. On the one hand, I think this Tim might not need to work with them. On the other hand, Hungry Monster Tim terrorizing the League of Assassins and fighting the Lazarus Pit would be funny. Maybe Ras doesn't try to recruit him. Maybe Tim just shows up, fights the Lazarus Pit, and leaves without explaining anything to anyone.

Either way, I think that Tim is pretty much done with keeping up the Emotional Support Tim facade by the time he comes home after saving Bruce. It's been long enough to justify the change.

Babs, Jason, and Steph are happy for Tim because they can see how much better he's doing without the added strain of keeping up the act. They are also glad that he feels comfortable enough to just be himself.

Bruce and Dick are more in the horrified/concerned neighborhood because, from their perspective, Tim started off gentle-natured and glowing with health, got fired from Robin, disappeared for a while, and came back gaunt and world-weary.

...

I'm thinking about whether or not Tim should tell Babs, Jason, and Steph about the supernatural stuff he's got going on.

It would have come out at some point. If he tries to keep it secret forever, you can bet some kind of dramatic, high-stakes threat would force the reveal. That's just how the Bats' lives are.

What I am debating with myself is whether or not to have Tim choose to share a secret he's been keeping for as long as he can remember for fear of the danger discovery might bring with the people he trusts most without something forcing his hand.

If he does, I think he would tell Jason first. Jason has seen that side of him, and Tim allowed him to think it was a nightmare. Tim wouldn't want to risk Jason hearing about it from someone else. Tim would probably be scared. He doesn't know if Jason will still like him once he knows that Tim really is the Monster from his nightmare. He doesn't know if Jason will forgive him for lying about it.

I think this would happen after Tim comes back to Gotham after saving Bruce.

#Hungry Monster Tim au #dc #batman #batfamily #cryptid tim drake #feral tim drake #Eldritch au

[flower-boi16]

the thing is with viv's fat "rep" she could've actually done something good with it if she put THOUGHT behind as to WHY these characters act that way. she has such a large audience she could've impacted them in a meaningful way but as we all always say, it's viv. so that dream goes down the drain.

as someone who is overweight *because* of eating disorder issues, someone who fits the stereotype of "eating too much" and thus being heavier, i am the punching bag for people and "jokes" and harassment because of that. i remember watching the beezlebub episode, being excited for the design, and maybe just a LITTLE representation - and then boom! It's just furry bait 2.0 with lava lamp hair and the same build like every female character in the hellaverse. you can make asmodeus horny, you can make mammon greedy, but you can't make beezlebub a glutton? she literally summons FOOD. if you're gonna represent nothing but stereotypes, why not stick to it?? same went for mimzy. only character i was excited for and she's just another asshole and hated for it, even though the main cast isn't better in any way, but that's H*H and H*B for you, hypocrisy.

maybe adam got severely depressed when lilith left, and thus, he started stress eating, or that mammon does it because he feels like he never has enough (greed). just a half-assed explanation would've sufficed.

anyways, much much love to the beezlebub redesigns out there.

All of what you said would require Viv to actually put effort into her fat rep, which she clearly doesn't care about. She'd rather make all of her fat characters one-dimensional stereotypes than have actual depth, while she tries to put effort into her skinny-ass characters and give them depth, the fat ones are all just one-dimensional assholes with little depth.

I don't hate Beezlebulb's design as much as others do but the fact that Viv made a GLUTTON look skinny af is very weird, but then again, that's probably because then Viv would be forced to make a fat character that's more than just a one-dimensional asshole, so she made her skinny instead.

Also, the fact that Adam is apparently supposed to be fat despite STILL LOOKING SKINNY AF. Like, if you want to make a character fat, do the bare fucking minimum and ACTUALLY MAKE HIM LOOK FAT!!!!! But that would take effort, now would it? And that's the thing, Viv doesn't put effort into her fat characters; she always makes them one-dimensional assholes with no depth, none of them are actual characters, they all have the same fucking personality.

Oh, and I'll also never forget the fact that Viv had a fat character, Mammon, fat shame fucking FIZZAROLLI OF ALL CHARACTERS. Fizz looks skinny as hell! Yes, fat people can be fatphobic but like wouldn't it make more sense for Mammon to fat shame an actual FAT CHARACTER? But again, doing that would take effort, and Viv clearly doesn't want to do that.

I used to think that Viv can't be fatphobic because she herself is fat - until someone in my replies pointed out that fat people can still be fatphobic so...

...ya, judging by Viv's writing, she's very fatphobic. Until Viv actually makes a fat character with actual effort put into them, my mind is not going to change. Honestly, when I become a writer when I grow older I'll look at Hellaverse as a clear lesson of what NOT TO DO when making a fat character.

#vivziepop critical #hazbin hotel critical #helluva boss critical #helluva boss criticism #vivziepop criticism #hazbin hotel criticism #anti fatphobia #tw: fatphobia

[ghostofskywalker]

Congrats on your amazing accomplishment! I'd like to submit a request for your event. I was thinking of a fic for a female reader and either Wolffe or Cody. My idea was that the reader works with either the 212th or 104th and has feelings for her Commander. Unbeknownst to the reader, her Commander has feelings for her as well. For whatever reason (winning the war, undercover mission, or whatever you're feeling), the battalion has to attend a black-tie formal event, and everyone (especially your Commander) is blown away at seeing you in a gorgeous floor length dress and all dolled up. That evening, the pining is unreal, and feelings are finally revealed🥰🥰🥰 Congrats again, and thank you for sharing your amazing work!!!❤️😁👍

thank you so much!! here is the fic, i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i did writing it :)

words: 1,808

summary: there's only one thing that makes an event like this worth going to, and wolffe doesn't realize what that is until he sees you walk by in a bright red dress.

clone troopers masterlist || join my 3k celebration!!

Hard to Breathe

If Wolffe got to choose a way to celebrate the bravery and honor of his troops, he definitely would not have picked a gala like this. They had recently returned from a mission that apparently caught the attention of the Senate and the Chancellor, and now the entire company was wearing their officer’s dress uniforms and awkwardly shuffling through a ballroom while people tried to make small talk to them about the horrors of the front lines. 

“Do we really have to go to this thing?” he had asked the general the day before, the scowl on his face only growing when the Kel Dor nodded. 

“The Republic would like to acknowledge the bravery of this battalion. We may wish their support came in a different manner, but it is important that we put our best foot forward tomorrow evening.” 

Wolffe could read between the lines. He knew that meant he was required to attend, no matter how much he didn’t want to. It also meant that they were doing this partially to keep the Senate on their good side, and that even the General saw the uselessness in this kind of celebration.

And so far, Wolffe was feeling incredibly bored. The food and drinks were high quality, but that was the only good thing about this whole event. Or at least, it was until he saw you walk through the doors. 

He didn’t usually forget how to breathe. Wolffe was a seasoned commander who had served on the front lines of the war from the moment he left Kamino, and he had been on more life threatening missions than he could shake a stick at. He also had a reputation for being calm and collected, no matter what the galaxy threw at them, even when they were faced with certain death. 

But of the sudden, as he stared at you in a bright red dress, he felt like the entire world stopped. His brain had to metaphorically slap him back into function, because he had genuinely forgotten how to breathe. 

He was a goner, he knew that now. 

There was only so many times he could deny his feelings for the battalion’s civilian secretary when being questioned by Sinker and Boost, and now, there was really no way around it. You hadn’t noticed him yet, and he was perfectly fine with that, because he would prefer if he got himself under control before he interacted with you for the first time tonight. 

If it took him a while to remember how to breathe, it took even longer for him to tear his eyes away from you in that dress. Floor length and bright red, the bodice was fitted but the skirt flared out at your waist, making it seem like you were floating over the floor as you took steps across the room to get a drink. 

He had never seen you like this before. War wasn’t exactly the most conducive environment to this kind of dress code, and usually you wore sensible pants and a simple shirt, a symbol of your place on the front lines and your employment by the Republic. You had gone to battle with them before, and even wielded a blaster (something Wolffe was still not happy about). In his mind, you deserved to exist in a world where nothing bad ever happened to you, where you could live your days doing whatever you wanted, and where you could wear dresses like this one every evening for the rest of your life. 

“Not so keen to leave now, huh?” Wolffe knew that voice, and he turned around to give Sinker a disapproving look. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Oh really? So you’re not still scraping your jaw up off the floor because you watched her walk by in that dress?” 

Wolffe huffed. Sinker was right, but he didn’t want to admit it. “Shut up.” 

“You can lie to yourself however much you want, but you can’t deny the fact that your body language tells a different story. Maker, why do neither of you seem to realize that the other is just as disgustingly in love as you are?” 

Wolffe desperately wanted to believe the words of his brother, but he tried not to show it. “You may be right about me,” he said lowly. “But you’re certainly wrong about her, so why don’t you just give it rest before she hears about this and requests a transfer to get away from me.” 

To Sinker’s credit, he didn’t push the topic, but he did give Wolffe a look that clearly displayed his disapproval in how the conversation was going. 

The real moment when Wolffe wanted to strangle his brother began when Sinker called your name and waved you over to them. 

Kriff, you were even prettier up close. 

“How are you enjoying the gala?” Sinker asked. 

You shrugged. “It’s okay, but I think I’d rather have celebrated in more low-key way. Taken the cost of this ridiculous event and given it to you all in gift cards to 79’s, let everyone spend their nights in whatever way they wanted. Or given you an extra week of leave, something more meaningful than this.” 

Wolffe nodded. “I agree,” he said. 

Sinker rolled his eyes. “You both are no fun, perfect for each other. Why don’t you go dance a little, and then maybe you’ll change your mind about all this.” 

Immediately, Wolffe knew what Sinker was doing. He and Boost had also been less-than-excited to have to attend this event tonight, so now he was just lying through his teeth. 

But before Wolffe could apologize for his brother and assure you that you were under no obligation to dance with him, you spoke. “I suppose we could,” you said, extending your hand to Wolffe. “May I have this dance, commander?” 

Not trusting himself to speak, Wolffe just nodded as he followed you to the center of the room. The song was slow, one very clearly played for lovers, and couples swayed together all around them. 

Wolffe’s hands rested on your waist, and he could feel the soft material of your dress. He desperately wanted to run his hands across your back, feeling the way your skin shivered under his calloused fingertips. 

He didn’t really know how to dance as well as some of the other Senators and their partners (it wasn’t really something they covered in basic training on Kamino), but he put all his focus in trying not to step on your toes, and so far, he was successful in his endeavors. 

“I’m sorry you had to waste leave time attending this event,” you said sincerely, looking up at him with a kind expression on your face. 

Wolffe chucked. He would never admit it, but seeing you in that dress and being able to dance with you right now had made this entire experience worth all the trouble. He would do battle a million times over if it meant he would be thanked by you in a dress like that. “It’s okay,” he said. “I suppose it’s better than letting our actions go without acknowledgment.” 

“But still, I wish-” 

“Mesh’la,” he said, the pet name escaping his lips before he could think twice about pulling it back. “I’m serious, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Alright,” you responded. “I’ll let it go.” 

The song ended, and Wolffe let go of your waist, instead reaching down to take your hand. “Do you want to take a break from all this?” he said, leaning down to whisper the words in your ear. “I need some time away from all the stares and smalltalk.” 

You nodded, leading him out the doors of the venue and into a small garden area. Secluded and quiet, Wolffe immediately felt more at ease now than he had for most of the night. 

A comfortable silence settled over the two of you, and Wolffe couldn’t help the way he stared at your dress, the lantern lights in the area dancing across the fabric with every shift of your body. 

Eventually, you spoke. “What does that word mean?”

Puzzled, he looked at you. “What word?” He had an inkling you were asking about what he had called you in the ballroom, but he wasn’t going to admit to anything before knowing if that was indeed what you wanted to know. 

“The one you called me before, mesh’la?” you asked. “I didn’t recognize it.” 

“It means beautiful,” he admitted, voice much more quiet than it had been all night. He was baring his heart to you, and now you would either accept or spurn his affections. 

“You think I’m beautiful?” 

To him, that was the dumbest question he’s ever heard, because of course the answer was yes. But he was no stranger to a spotty self esteem, so he just nodded. “I always have, but tonight only made me more sure. I forgot how to breathe for a while when I saw you walk through the door.” He squeezed your hand. “And I tried so hard not to make things weird when we were dancing, because I don’t want you to transfer.” 

Now it was your turn to be puzzled. “Why would I transfer?” 

“Because you don’t return my feelings,” he said, a twinge of sadness in his voice. “I know-” 

But you cut him off before he could finish. “Who said I don’t return your feelings?” 

“What?” There was probably a better way he could have voiced that thought, but oh well. 

“Wolffe, I’ve had a crush on you from the moment we met. If anything, I thought you were too good for me.” 

“You could never be too good for me, cyar’ika.” Rather than go back and forth for any longer, Wolffe leaned closer to you, and soon your faces were only inches apart. “Can I please kiss you?” 

“Yes,” you breathed, and when his lips landed on yours, Wolffe learned the real meaning of “forgetting how to breathe.” 

He had kissed people before, but no one else could hold a candle to the way your lips felt as they moved against his. His hands found your waist and you pulled away for a split second, eliciting an honest-to-maker whine from the commander. You very clearly got the message, and the two of you remained in that garden, bodies pressed together and lips locked in passionate exploration, separating only to breathe when absolutely necessary. 

There were only thoughts in Wolffe’s mind at this point, and they were: 1) how much he wanted to keep kissing you until he literally had to be dragged away from here, and 2) how much he hoped none of his brothers decided to come looking for the two of you, because he wanted to keep you to himself for just a little while longer. 

- the end -

i no longer have a taglist! if you're interested in being notified when i post, you can follow my library blog @ghostofskywalker-library and turn on notifications!

#3k celebration requests! 🏖 #commander wolffe #commander wolffe x you #commander wolffe x reader #wolffe x reader #commander wolffe x female reader #clone trooper x reader #clone wars fanfiction #star wars x reader

[ninjakk]

I'm the anon who's been reading ur SWaK fic! Thank you for answering the qi deviation question. it's making me see mdzs in a whole new light. I recently saw a post (askSythe on here) about the significance of the blood pool and how throwing bodies in there removes them from the reincarnation cycle and that's what the clans did to the Wen Remnants and JC is rumored to have led this siege and my heart HURTS. continuing this in next ask - 

Hey there anon 👋🏻

I'm glad you're enjoying my fic ☺️

As for the post you are referencing, I had not come across this until you mentioned it in your ask and have since went in search of it in order to reply. From what I can gather from the notes, it seems to have garnered a lot of controversy and subsequent backlash against the person who posted it originally.

I don't want to criticise other people's posts (especially when they have already received so much negativity from it), but with all due respect, I don't feel this was MXTXs intention with the blood pool. There's no mention of it in any version I have and I've also had my friend check the entire original novel for the phrase '永不超生', which is quoted in the original post, and we can't locate that in the Chinese text either. Regardless of that, I don't feel such a claim fits with the rest of the novel.

I could be completely wrong, as it's not something I've really thought about, nor do I have the cultural knowledge of the specific concept the original post is referring to. But, if the Wen remnants were forever barred from reincarnating due to their corpses being thrown into and essentially trapped in an apparent 'unbreakable prison' (which they managed to escape), why would WWX set an array around the blood pool to stop corpses escaping when he lived there back in his first life? 🤔 How were all the corpses able to crawl out and run amok the minute a rampaging WN broke the seal around the pool? It just doesn't make much sense to do that if the fierce corpses residing within are already trapped there.

There's also the fact WWX uses the blood pool as well. Which makes me question this theory even more so. It goes against WWX's character and ethics to stop souls from reincarnating, when his very cultivation method involves empathy and 'spending' resentment so the entities can move on. Granted, WWX used the blood pool to nurture corpses resentment so he was able to harness it and direct it where required - in this case, I think it's most likely to replenish those guarding the base of the burial mounds and keeping the Wen remnants safe. In theory, the corpses residing there would eventually use up their resentment and their souls would move on. Hence the need for a supply of new fierce corpses he can utilise - which he helps move on in turn. I really don't think WWX would do such a thing if the blood pool was anything other than a collection of water that held strong resentment due to being contaminated by the many corpses already present in its depths. If anything, it's a similar situation to when he found the sword in the Xuanwu of Slaughter's stomach, which had been practically marinating in all the resentment of the beast's past victims.

Obviously the Wen remnants were unable to move on after being mercilessly slaughtered, but that is simply because they were denied a proper burial and unjustly murdered in what was a most violent, unprovoked attack. Once the blood corpses had spent their lingering resentment, saving the very people who had killed them and the man who tried so hard to protect them, they finally moved on and turned to ash - which WN promptly collected to ensure they could finally be put to rest respectfully, as they should have been long ago. I see no indication that they would not move on because they were left in the blood pool specifically.

Of course, the way the cultivators involved in the siege not only murdered innocent people, but then treated their victims corpses with such disgusting disrespect is utterly appalling. Even though there is no evidence that the blood pool acted as a type of supernatural prison of sorts, it does not subtract from what the cultivators did. They still made sure the Wen remnants could not rest in peace by their heartless actions regardless.

As for JCs involvement in the siege, it's not actually a rumour that he led the siege, he most certainly, unequivocally did. It's actually outright stated a few times in the novel. Even when WN mentioned as such, WWX did not correct him on that specific accusation. Later still JGY also mentions JCs involvement, right in front of the man in question no less, with no argument to the contrary. Finally, MXTX has also spoken about JCs involvement in leading the siege and confirmed he had indeed formulated a plan based on WWX's weaknesses, as the text suggests. He was very much the driving force of the whole thing, despite knowing the Wen remnants consisted of innocent people who were either weak, old, or a toddler. He is responsible for many people being brutally murdered and shows no remorse for it either - which speaks volumes about his character.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #mdzs novel #wen remnants #canon jiang cheng #burial mounds #anon ask #answered ask

[keelanrosa]

started reading the cass review because i'm apparently just Like That and i want everybody crowing about how this proves sooooo much about how terfs are right and trans people are wrong to like. take a scientific literacy class or something. or even just read the occasional study besides the one you're currently trying to prove a point with. not even necessarily pro-trans studies just learn how to know what studies actually found as opposed to what people trying to spoonfeed you an agenda claim they found.

to use just one infuriating example:

Several studies from that period (Green et al., 1987; Zucker, 1985) suggested that in a minority (approximately 15%) of pre-pubertal children presenting with gender incongruence, this persisted into adulthood. The majority of these children became same-sex attracted, cisgender adults. These early studies were criticised on the basis that not all the children had a formal diagnosis of gender incongruence or gender dysphoria, but a review of the literature (Ristori & Steensma, 2016) noted that later studies (Drummond et al., 2008; Steensma & Cohen-Kettenis, 2015; Wallien et al., 2008) also found persistence rates of 10-33% in cohorts who had met formal diagnostic criteria at initial assessment, and had longer follow-up periods.

if you recognize the names Zucker and Steensma you are probably already going feral but tldr:

There are… many problems with Zucker's studies, "not all children had a formal diagnosis" is so far down the list this is literally the first i've heard of it. The closest i usually hear is the old DSM criteria for gender identity disorder was totally different from the current DSM criteria for gender dysphoria and/or how most people currently define "transgender"; notably it did not require the patient to identify as a different gender and overall better fits what we currently call "gender-non-comforming". Whether the kids had a formal diagnosis of "maybe trans, maybe just has different hobbies than expected, but either way their parents want them back in their neat little societal boxes" is absolutely not the main issue. This would be a problem even if Zucker was pro-trans (spoiler: He Is Not, and people who are immediately suspicious of pro-trans studies because "they're probably funded by big pharma or someone else who profits from transitioning" should apply at least a little of that suspicion to the guy who made a living running a conversion clinic); sometimes "formal" criteria change as we learn more about what's common, what's uncommon, what's uncommon but irrelevant, etc, and when the criteria changes drastically enough it doesn't make sense to pretend the old studies perfectly apply to the new criteria. If you found a study defining "sex" specifically and exclusively as penetration with a dick which says gay men have as much sex as straight men but lesbians don't, it's not necessarily wrong as far as it goes but if THAT'S your prime citation for "gay men have more sex than lesbians", especially if you keep trying to apply it in contexts which obviously use a broader definition, there are gonna be a lot of people disagreeing with you and it won't be because they're stubbornly unscientific.

Also Zucker is pro conversion therapy. Yes, pro converting trans people to cis people, but also pro converting gay people to straight people. That doesn't necessarily affect his results, i just find it funny how many people enthusiastically support his findings as evidence transitioning is… basically anti-gay conversion therapy? (even though plenty of trans people transition to gay? including T4T people so even the "that's actually just how straight people try to get with gay people" rationale for gay trans people is incredibly weak? and also HRT has a relatively low but non-zero chance of changing sexual orientation so it wouldn't even be reliable as a means of "becoming straight"? but a guy who couldn't reliably tell the difference between a tomboy and a trans boy figured out the former is more common than the latter + in one whole country where being trans is legal but being gay is not, sometimes cis gay people transition, so OBVIOUSLY that means sexism and homophobia are the driving factors even in countries with significant transphobia. or something.) anyway i hope zucker knows and hates how many gay people and allies are using his own study to trash-talk any attempts to be Less Gay. ideally nobody would take his nonsense seriously at all but it doesn't seem we'll be spared from that any time soon so i will take my schadenfreude where i can.

Steensma's studies have the exact same problem re: irrelevant criteria so "well someone ELSE had the same results!" is not exactly convincing. This is not "oh trans people are refusing to pay attention to these studies because they disagree with them regardless of scientific rigor", it's "one biased guy using outdated criteria found exactly the numbers everyone would expect based on that criteria, i can't imagine why trans people are treating those numbers as relevant to the past criteria but not present definitions, let's find a SECOND guy using outdated criteria. Why do people keep saying the outdated criteria is not relevant to the current state of trans healthcare. Don't we all know it's quantity over quality with scientific studies. (Please don't ask what the quantity of studies disagreeing with me is.)"

Steensma also counted patients as 'not persisting as transgender' if they ghosted him on follow-up which counted for a third of his study's "detransitioners" and a fifth of the total subjects and. look. i'm not saying none of them detransitioned, or assuming they all didn't would be notably more accurate, but i think we can safely treat twenty percent of subjects as a bit high for making a default assumption, especially when some of them might have simply not been interested in a study on whether or not they still know who they are. Fuck knows i've seen pro-trans studies which didn't make assumptions about the people who didn't respond still get prodded by anti-trans people insisting "the number of people claiming they don't regret transitioning can't possibly be so high, some of the people who responded must have been lying. (Scientific rigor means thinking studies which disagree with me are wrong even if the only explanation is the subjects lying and studies which agree with me are right even if we need to make assumptions about a lot of subjects to get there.)"

and this is not new information. not the issues with zucker, not the issues with steensma, not any of the issues because this is not a new study, it's a review of older studies, which in itself doesn't mean "bad" or "useless" -- sometimes that allows connecting some previously-unconnected dots -- but the idea this is going to absolutely blow apart the Woke Media, vindicate Rowling and Lineham, and "save" ""gay"" children from """being forcibly transed""" is bullshit. At most it'll get dragged around and eagerly cited by all the people looking for anything vaguely scientific-sounding to justify their beliefs, and maybe even people who only read headlines and sound bites will buy it, but the people who really believe it will be people who already agreed with all its "findings" and have already been dragging around the existing studies and are just excited to have a shiny new citation for it.

the response from people who've been really reading research on transgender people all along is going to be more along the lines of "……yeah. yeah, i already knew about that. do you need a three-page essay on why i don't think it means what you think it means? because i don't have time for that homework right now but maybe i can pencil it in for next semester if you haven't learned how to check your own sources by then."

#cass review #lgbt #transgender #transphobia #science #'tldr': *writes three-page essay* 'but i don't have time for a three-page essay rn' #also: holy run-on sentences #but seriously this is not going to change the mind of a single person who would be influenced by reading scientific studies #the studies already existed and have BEEN being used by terfs who think ZUCKER of aLL PEOPLE #is a good gotcha against anyone saying 'reputable studies indicate detransitioning is pretty uncommon actually' #but the responses i find truly fascinating are the ones along the lines of #'ohohoho i bet all those people who criticized jkr will be reeeaal quiet now' w. why. #if past studies didn't convince them the Special Collector's Edition of past studies won't #y'all don't have a monopoly on Scientific Knowledge just because y'all think your Fisher-Price level Gender Definition is the best #sometimes. other scientific information exists. and trans people and allies can even read that scientific information. #i know a weird number of y'all think we run on vibes and liberal propaganda but i promise a ton of us are absolute DORKS

[partywithoutsmiling]

Here's a fun idea you said that if he wanted to branch could make his own tribe. well what if he did, where do you think the tribe would live? I'm thinking something like the lash caves from minecraft because underground, and what if that was hundreds of years ago? What do you think folk trolls would evolve to look like? What about their culture? Would the leader position be passed down through bloodline or successes? What would their leader even be called? I feel like it has to be chief. Aaaahahahhah this ideas so funnnnn

Hi!

Sorry for late answer, I had a late shift at work, and that didn't leave me with much energy to do anything but have midnight dinner and then sleep XD

The thing about Branch, and his Folk String- yes, he could form his own Tribe and his own genre of music, but I am unsure if he would. Not at least while he travels, and while the events of the first and second movie are taking place.

First it comes down to the fact that he has no idea that the Strings exists and what they even are- and that knowledge would probably change somewhere around when World Tour happens. Even as he travels through the other territories, the topic of Strings just... doesn't come up, so he has no idea what power he holds in his hands (paws XD).

He also just still feels very connected to his own Tribe, no matter how badly they treated him. Especially after he realizes that Poppy actually missed him and was devastated to see him gone. (And sorry to say but my Branch will always be a bit of a simp for her, he is a lost cause in that)

BUT, all that said, entertaining the possibility of him forming his own Tribe...

Him straying underground once more would be very in character- especially as apparently Rock Trolls are subterranean people, in that most of their dwellings are underground and I do headcanon Branch as having a rock troll blood. So he would have never felt comfortable high in the trees like a full blood Pop Troll, but he also wouldnt want to be without any access to sunlight or plantlife.

The Lush Caves are a good idea certainly- and I raise you the possibility of their dwelling be more like the Hidden World from HTTYD XD

Not to the full fantastical extent as in the movies- but with the definition on whimsy and calm, some bioluminescence and giant crystals would be a great conversation piece XD

Chief being the title of the leader also fits- that, or more specifically Chieftain. Branch definitelly doesnt think of himself as coming from line of kings and queens (He is wrong about that in my headcanon buuut that's for another post XD), and so he would never think to use those titles. I think the position would be hereditary- but definitelly not going to the 'firstborn of the firstborn', but based on suitability. Culturaly, I think that would also be most familiar to any troll who who migrates from the large Tribes, where the leadership is definitelly a hereditary position (I think even Country Trolls, despite the Fandom calling Delta Dawn a mayor, do regard her as their queen).

Now for the fun part, the physical changes XD

Honestly that by itself requires a whole another post, since this need to encompass all of the Trolls tribe by tribe, but let me sum it up based on the Major Genres:

Pop: - Colourful little menaces as we know them from the movies XD - Largely arboreal- that means long tails that compensates for balance, and paws with retractable claws used for gripping onto tree bark - All trolls- apart from Classical and Techno- are in possession of fur, or (as one AO3 fanfic writer called it) in possession of 'flocking' XD - Pop Trolls grow thicker pelt in winter and shed it with the coming summer- but in general, it still grows rather fast for some so those trolls took to shaving it down to keep it need (Poppy is one such with unlucky ancient genes when it comes to that) - Before they evolved to use their Hair to the exten they do now, they largely counted on their own agility and ability to jump from branch to branch, and chipped away burrows into the trees - so powerful leg and arm muscles, and comparativelly amazing strenght for beings so small -They definitelly used to be taller than any non-funk trolls, slightly shorter than Biggie, but with the Pop String creation, their hair abilities and the selective survival of the smallest (after all, smaller trolls hid from Bergens' better), they've been getting on average shorter - They do have small hint of fangs, but are largely leaning towards non-meaty diet, though still very much omnivorous

Country: - Centaur-ish; I know movie depicted them with horse bodies, but I headcanon them more in the way unicorns are in old medieval illustrations, ie Artiodactyls - Long tail hair, almost as luscious as their own hair - Pointier ears, clear fangs on top of their large front teeth (since meat seems to be large part of their diet), but not really paws and claws; I would say they are the most carnivorous of all the trolls, raising livestock both for milk but specifically for meat - (diving into the territory of evolution, if they were hunters of prey, they probably chased them and kicked them to death XD) - All in all, not that different from how movie showed them

Classical: - More fairy-like/Hummingbird-like than in the movies - Definitelly still smaller and glittery, but with the idea their skin is not actually glitter like with Glitter Trolls, but either some kind of scale like feathers, or more durable version of the scales like butterflies have on their wings -Two pairs of wings instead of one, and definitelly beating faster to keep them up in the air - No tail- a rarity out of all the Trolls- and their hair is more like bird feathers/crest, in that it can puff up or lay flatter depending on situation - Most likely nectarivous and herbivorous? Making something like 'honey' from their farming efforts XD - The gemstone in their belly is an accessory and not something they all grow naturally- meant to show the troll is grown and ready to join the Orchestra XD

Techno: - Not much to change there- I just imagine their neon and digital looks came much later after decades/centuries being influenced by their string, they used look a little bit down to earth before that - Omnivorous, with crustaceans and molluscs making up for the majority of their animal protein- and probably necessary source of compound their bodies need to be bioluminescent

Rock: - Being looks wise the most similar to Pop Trolls, there was probably some speculation they both came from the very first same ancestor- before the Strings were created - Their flocking/fur is thinner and sleeker, and they don't grow a thick undercoat in winter, but similar to Pop trolls they have paws with claws- only theirs are not retractable - Their tail is also shorter and not as luscious in fur, used more for display than for balancing - Pointier ears for sure, more visible fangs; as mentioned, I think they are supposed to be subterranean? So most of their dwellings is underground- probably to avoid the volcanic ash on top- but I imagine living so close to the sea, they are largely focused on fishing (their angler ships suggests that they have no issue going underwater), probably hunting whatever critter lives in the cavern bellow, and maybe they are using the advantage of volcanic soil to grow some hardier crops? - Living underground with no direct sunlight for days probably gave them killer nightvision while their colours dulled to make hiding in the caves easier

That said, Branch is half and half. Despite his ear deformity, I would imagine they would always be a little pointier than on any other Pop Troll, and he cannot retract his claws (and thus took to filing them down to keep them blunt for safety sake- still sharp enough to help him climb, not sharp enough to hurt) Even if he grew up with his true colours, I'd imagine they would dull as he grew older, going vibrant only if he indulged in the poppiest of songs (or if he performed on stage) He has the tail and the luscious tail-hair of a Pop troll, but his flocking never grows a thick undercoat so he is almost always chilled to the bone in winter, forced to wear padded clothing to keep warm

With the Folk String coming from him, and representing him.... I imagine some of these things would change He'd grow hardier- more temperature tolerant at least- and similar to Rock Trolls, his night vision would grow better. Would any potential Folk Trolls change the same? Maybe? Perhaps more bioluminesce similar to that of Techno Trolls, while their general basic colouring grows more grounded- more into muted pastels and leaning towards greens/aquamarine tones

Culture is hard to pinpoint, as it would be evolving from various established cultures of all the other Major and Minor tribes; who knows what hodge podge it would end up as XD

My mind is full of various headcanons pft- ones that are blanket for all my AUs and ones that are just part of that one specific one- so be on lookout for more regarding that

#trolls #dreamworks trolls #trolls fandom #trolls branch #wanderer!branch au #ask

[gabessquishytum]

been wanting to send in some Immortal Throuple asks and figured I'd combine some of them. so:

Omegaverse War Prize verse where throuples are considered normal and necessary, with each one having an Alpha, Omega, and a Beta. (couples still happen but it's a bit odd and have their own sets of issues).

Alpha Dream and Beta Calliope are married and have a young child, Orpheus. It was a rough pregnancy and childbirth, but they made it through, though it's unlikely Calliope could ever carry again. The stress of the current war doesn't help, doubly so since her husband insists on fighting in it personally.

And then the war ends and Dream comes back with an enemy soldier in chains behind him. An omega enemy soldier, glaring and snarling and growling at everything, dirty as can be, and smelling absolutely delicious in spite of it.

Calliope understands, then. He's to be their Third. She can smell it. There won't be any more questions as to their ability to rule, no more attempts at getting her and Dream to take in another they don't want... and perhaps, in the future, there can be more children.

One day, she thinks.

Though it seems they'll have to tame him first.

She's looking forward to it.

----

"He's a virgin," Dream says as he thrusts into her later that night, "untouched. All of their Omega soldiers are required to be."

She knew this, of course. Knew from the uniform their new Omega- Hob, apparently- was wearing. Knew where he was from and what that meant.

Knew what that meant for them.

She's pretty sure Hob knows it too.

This thought, along with Dream's fingers on her clit, make her cum harder than she has in months.

I've literally been thinking about immortal throuple as the perfect alpha/beta/omega triad so much recently!! The joys of playing around with gender here, and of course the joy of Hob being the perfect natural submissive for both Dream and Calliope.

Hob is taken to the Royal bedroom where he's personally bathed by Calliope herself. To calm him down he's also introduced to Orpheus, who is still only a toddler, and oh Hob absolutely melts. The snarling stops and Hob is cooing over the little one, asking Calliope for permission to hold him. Soon Hob is cautiously scenting Calliope and being scented in return, until Dream finally joins the little family cuddle pile. Hob has to begrudgingly admit that he is definitely the puzzle piece that fits perfectly between Calliope and Dream.

Hob is still growly, even vicious. He's nearly taken off Dream’s fingers a couple of times, and the courtiers who try to get near him come out even worse! But when he's in his nest he's a totally different creature altogether. Begging and needy, demanding to be touched, he'll throw a tantrum if he feels like he's not getting enough attention. If he's not being knotted then he wants Calliope's whole hand inside him. And he always gets what he wants, because both of his mates are absolutely whipped for him.

Especially when Hob is pregnant, standing in the bedroom, holding little Orpheus in his arms and laughing. Calliope and Dream look at each other and they both flush with the pleasure of completeness. Maybe they have to sneak off and tumble into bed together, waiting ultimately for Hob to come in and slot in between them where he belongs.

#the sandman #immortal throuple #dream x hob x calliope #nsft #cw omegaverse #cw pregnancy

[daily-linkclick]

What is the theory abt lg being from an alternate timeline? I’ve been seeing a lot of ppl talk about it and idrk where it comes from, and what are your thoughts??(have a nice day!!)

this ask magically appeared in my inbox just today but apparently it was sent weeks ago, holy shit! thank you for waiting op LMFAO

anyways, it's a theory that's been around before season 2, iirc! mostly because we had little to nothing lore wise around their powers, and its just fun thinking about while we waited for anything canon. there were a few things that did hint at lu guang being from an alternative timeline, being that we don't know his age and backstory, and his weird hair color (not a lot of people sporting full white hair, or any unnatural hair color in link click, at least)

those aspects don't necessarily point to him being from an alternate timeline, but they also could be hints towards it! but there's new content that makes this theory potentially canon! it's from this music video played during Bilibili World. it features an alternate mv for vortex, which is interesting because we see lu guang falling first:

in it, there are several shots with cheng xiaoshi wearing completely different outfits, some injured and one seemingly dead? Plus a frame that shows four cxs's merging into one. maybe it's just ooo pretty visuals, but there's a looot of imagery that implies different timelines (shard fractals, reflections, mirror images, etc)

There's also this shot, with lu guang wearing an alternate fit we've never seen - and he's wearing more black in this one?? his s1 fit also featured a dark shirt and pants but his flannel color was more dominant. this leads me to believe that this is lu guang but less experienced (another timeline).

maybe all of this is just non-canon for marketing, they did market lu guang as dead for all of pre-s2 lol, but i like to believe this is them teasing lu guang's past! even if he's the main character, he's someone who's past we know the least of. i'd argue we find out more about side characters than we do about him actually - which makes me (and a lot of other people) think he's from an alternate timeline!

that's the gist; i'll put my own thoughts under a read more so this post won't be insanely long

my own thoughts on the theory is that i think lu guang is from multiple alternate timelines. the frame with multiple cheng xiaoshis, and the one where four merge into one makes me believe lu guang met cheng xiaoshi in his timeline, but cxs either died or had a miserable life. he kept going into different timelines in an attempt to save him / be in a timeline where cheng xiaoshi is actually safe and happy, and finally got to the timeline we see in the show.

though that part requires him having more than just the power to look into what happens in a photo. but there's been proof of lu guang hiding what he knows / has with cheng xiaoshi (re: him hiding the fact emma died, and him hiding the photo that liu tianchen gave him). he's also an incredibly private person. if he hides from his closest friend, who's to say he isn't hiding something from the audience either?

we also don't know how they got their powers. if lu guang originally had the power to dive back into pictures, then it would make sense on how he's able to go to different timelines. also, studio lan clearly emphasizes the fact that the pair are two halves of a whole, and the show is more interesting because of that dynamic.

as an extra: lu guang's doting nature makes a lot of sense too, he just doesn't want to see cheng xiaoshi miserable again! it's a pretty known fact that cheng xiaoshi didn't have any friends (besides qiao ling) before lu guang, and his life insantly got better when they finally were a trio (interesting that it was mainly because of a mysterious person that popped out of nowhere). here's a fun twitter thread by t3mp0s about the trio's dynamic

lastly, i just think it'd be fun if at one point cheng xiaoshi slowly discovers what lu guang did in his past for him. and how hypocritical lu guang would sound after saying "past or future, leave them be" if he never applied that to cheng xiaoshi! either way i still want to see a cxs saving lg arc man... they keep teasing it EVEN IN THE MV

that's it!! i know link click's best quality is the trio going through other people's stories, but i think they're preparing us for the biggest one: lu guang's.

#link click #link click spoilers #dlc asks #i draw cheng xiaoshi a lot but listen i love thinking about lu guang more . he is so mysterious #HOPE THIS WAS UNDERSTANDABLE LOL #i didnt say anything abt the two as a ship in this post bc im someone who could do with or without it #but my god studio lan is not helping their case when they say 'yeah theyre two halves of a whole character' #i love doomed gays #lmk if there was anything i cld say more honestly i wrote this in a haze #because its my favorite theory #lu guang

[aroaceleovaldez]

Speaking of their depiction of Will's anxiety- the Stymphalian birds were specifically chosen for him, because in the myths they can only be taken down by archery. But they're saying here that Will had a traumatic experience at the hands of monsters who have historically been defeated by archers. And then he didn't dedicate himself to archery at all? For the 5+ years he's been at camp? Reverse superhero origin story where instead of vowing to fight crime as the result of a loved one's death they just never leave the house ever again

Yeah! Or music/sound (which his satyr is specifically noted to be skilled at - Woodrow teaches the music class at CHB in The Hidden Oracle), which Will also doesn't do anything with besides his sonic whistle or healing hymns (which apparently are actually just his mom's songs and not hymns) at all until that gets retconned in TSATS. Like, we know he has a sonic whistle and healing hymns, but it's kind of a specific thing that he's not as musically or archery inclined as his siblings. So why half-retcon half of that, make these birds that can specifically only be defeated by sound and archery a major part of his backstory, and then... we never get any payoff for it? He faces them again, but it doesn't go any better than it did the first time? There's no building of his character there.

Also, Stymphalian birds are actually sacred to Artemis. Yknow. Apollo's twin.

I get that TSATS was trying to cameo a lot of monsters we've seen before, but making Stymphalian birds specifically part of Will's backstory feels kind of weird and doesn't make a ton of sense? Because when we see them in SoM it's implied they were specifically sent to CHB, so why would they try to maim the random kid? Especially a son of the sibling of the goddess they're sacred to?

The only explanation I would accept is that the Stymphalian birds that attacked Will in New York were actually the ones from CHB in Sea of Monsters after they flew away, and Will just got really unlucky. But timeline-wise that actually doesn't work, cause SoM and TTC are the same year, and Nico and Will are the same age, so Will should be 10 or 11 in SoM/TTC (depending on if you accept Nico is 13 or 14 in HoO). And TSATS tells us Will arrived to CHB at age eight, which would mean he's been at CHB longer than Percy has and so the birds couldn't be the same ones from SoM. (Yes I'm still mad about the absolutely broken timeline there.) Also if they're dissuaded by noise, there's no way they're going to land in the middle of New York City of all places.

There's just other monsters they could have picked that would have made more sense. Or even mortal animals! We know from previous books that there's a thing about mortal animals sometimes having vendettas against the children of gods associated with their species for curse reasons or etc! Apollo actually has a lot of those! And it can become enough of a problem even to young demigods that it can require them to come to camp early before monsters can begin tracking them (ex.: Annabeth with spiders - monsters seemed to only become a problem after she tried coming back home the first time). Why not have it be Will being attacked consistently by normal mortal crows, because he's a son of Apollo? Or snakes - in the first book Percy even mentions fighting off two snakes when he was a baby because they were sent to kill him. I mean, Will's from Texas! We can absolutely scrounge up some snakes for him to fight. And it would fit more with acknowledging how he's from Texas specifically, just like how much the book tries to emphasize that Nico is from Venice.

It feels like one of many dropped plot points that make me say I wish TSATS had been worked on longer so that these types of things could have been ironed out and maybe turned into something consistent.

#pjo #riordanverse #will solace #tsats #the sun and the star #the sun and the star spoilers #tsats spoilers #ask to tag #ask #Anonymous #fun fact based on TSATS' timeline for Will he'd only have been at camp about two fewer years than Annabeth #which means he DEFINITELY should have become cabin counselor after Lee instead of Michael #which is further evidence as to why the timeline for him in TSATS makes absolutely no sense #heck for all we know there's a possibility TSATS!Will should logically be cabin counselor rather than Lee based on seniority #we dont know when Lee joined or how old he was. but if he had fewer years than Will then Will should be cabin counselor #and apparently if Will has been there for like two years already by the first book it wouldn't be difficult for him to outrank his siblings #this is exactly why we dont usually see demigods who join chb before 12 - it throws everything off #unless it's like cabin 9 doing their weird game of hot potato or Nico who's on his own #you need to acknowledge that you're gonna end up with a cabin with a 12 year old in charge (like Annabeth/cabin 6) #not that cabin 7 didnt end up with a 12 year old in charge anyways in TLO but they only had 3 different 12 year olds to pick from #so its different. limited options and all when the rest of your cabin is dead #long post //

[dilatorywriting]

(Edit: I think this is the longest text wall I've ever sent you. I'm so so sorry - Reaper) so! about the selkie ask from the other anon

Funny thing is, I was clearing out my old tumblr blog a few days ago, and stumbled across that very post as I was mass deleting everything I'd ever reblogged. Unfortunately, I can't link it to you, because I misjudged how tumblr saves things in your likes. Apparently, if you like a post on your own blog, that you yourself reblogged, then delete the post, it also deletes the like. I did not know that. RIP all those posts I wanted to save, including that selkie one.

Anyway, at the time, that post gave me brainrot for an Azul AU that could maybe fit with your Monster Mayhem series? But I sat on it because: A) I have already cursed you with Rook brainrot. I have done enough damage B) I was aware that you were doing your exams this past week. I do not wish to be distracting C) I am invested in your Leona and Rook stories at the moment. On the off chance that this new brainrot would infect you as well, then I would be shooting both of us in the foot

But then. Mystery selkie anon comes from somewhere in the blind eternities and speaks about the exact post that inflicted my brainrot? I will take this as a sign from the gods to spill the Azul brainrot, for better or worse. I apologize in advance.

So.

Azul is some description of very old, very magical, eldritch horror sea beast. He was asleep for centuries, somewhere in a deep, dark, forgotten part of the ocean. And then some idiot woke him up.

Azul wakes to find that humanity has changed so much since last he saw it. The lower lifeforms (read: short-lived mortals) had flourished in a way that he and other beings like him had never expected. Speaking of others like him, he also finds that he's alone - he can't sense of any of the other eltdritch horror beings he remembers from long ago. He can't tell whether they're asleep somewhere, like he was, banished, or dead. He doesn't quite care either, it's not as if he was friends with any of them.

Instead he observes the humans. He's always been fascinated with humans. Their determination and what they could achieve despite their fleeting existence. It was a human, who'd put him to sleep all those years ago, after all.

Eventually, he's not satisfied anymore with watching from afar, and decides he wants to walk among them. To see them closer, perhaps even rise above them, have them revere him as they once did others of his kind, as they should have done to him in the old days but didn't. It's also lonely, so far down in the deepest darkest ocean depths. Not that Azul would ever admit that.

So Azul turns to his collection and knowledge of ancient magicks. Twsiting spells with odd rules and loopholes that he loves so much. The same tricky spells that the humans used to come to him for, while they worshiped the others. He chooses one that will allow him to shapeshift his body into that of a human, but it has a rather pricey trade off. In order to convert a being such as him into something so small and solid, there's a tiny issue of matter and energy displacement, conservation, and condensation and such. Very complicated things. In short, the spell requires that a physical object be imbued with his displaced essence, to maintain the human form. It's a very old and quite common shapeshifting spell, and the humans have many myths about it, not seeming to realize that it all comes from the same spell. Myths about creatures whose power is bound to an object. Dragons and their gemstones, Selkies and their coats, Foxes and their tails.

But it's a risky trade. Should another being come into possession of that imbued object, and take ownership of it, they would too take control of its true owner. Azul knows this well, he'd used that loophole to his advantage many times in the past. Considering this very carefully, he chooses his object. A trinket would be too shiny, too noticable, too easily misplaced. It must be something plain and common. Something no-one really thinks of taking, something one would normally have on them at all times as a human. He chooses a coat.

And Azul goes ashore.

Meanwhile, our MC runs modest little magic shop in the village. It's nothing incredibly fancy and their own magic abilities are nothing really to brag home about. They deal in common "entertainment" magic mostly. Talismans that change water to juice, or bread to chocolate. Little poppers that make tiny indoor fireworks. A potion that instantly makes a few daisies grow. Little things, mostly geared towards those that aren't able to perform magic. No-one else in the village is especially magically inclined and the general opinion of the little shop is that it's charming. And so is it's keeper!

Publically that is.

Behind MC's thickened with sugar customer service facade is someone who's running on 95% spite. Because here's the thing about magic users: they tend to judge other magic users on magical aptitude alone, and MC never had much of that. Being snubbed by every wizard, warlock, or elf you ever meet leaves one quite bitter. And from that bitterness came the decision to run a store, selling your "not real magic" to the masses, because it makes those wizards seethe, and seeing their soured faces as you "sully the name of magical arts" brings you so much joy.

Recently, however, you have a rival.

There's boy who comes to the market every Sunday, peddling flashier tricks and talismans than yours on a small folding table. Normally, you wouldn't mind, given he only comes one day a week, but that nonchalance ended the moment a sheepish customer came into your store a following Monday, trying to return a faulty item they'd bought from the boy to you. When asked, they'd adverted their eyes and claimed the boy said he worked for you and that you would handle all customer complaints.

Well.

You'd smiled very brightly, politely informed the customer of their mistake, and accepted the declaration of war.

You've been at it for awhile now, and your latest scheme to one up the mystery market scammer was to get a familiar to help you in the shop. A cute one. A sweet one. Something pretty to draw in customers and perform a little pest control. And what luck it is that you know a mage in a nearby town that deals in such familiars. Sure, Cater was a bit of a flirt, but he'd never snubbed you, or tried to cheat you, and would know exactly what you meant when you stormed in and said "I want something so cute it'll destroy someone."

On your way to Cater's, you stop at a quaint little tea shop. You buy some rosehip to take with you, since you don't come to this town often, and on your way out you notice a man quitely reading at a table. His coat had fallen to the floor and, without thinking, you pick it up. This catches his attention and, startled, he blinks up at you. You can't help but notice how pretty he is - it's almost hypnotic. Soft pale hair that frames his face in waves and bright blue eyes. The mole by his mouth draws attention to his lips. You smile at him, like it's the most natural thing in the world, and apolgize. You tell him his coat was on the floor, and that you're just returning it. As you do, you place it on the back of his chair. Your hand brushes his shoulder and there's a sharp jolt of what feels like static electricity. The strength of it almost makes you jump. Instead you shiver, shake your head, apologize again, and leave.

You don't think about it again until later, when Cater tries to place an open binding sigil on your arm to bond you with a cute, fuzzy familiar, and it fizzles out immediately. Three times in a row. Then Cater says that the only reason the binding sigil would fail, would be if you'd already bonded to something. You blink in confusion, and Cater goes on to say (now with concern colouring his tone) that it would've felt like a strong jolt of static electricity. Some strange object someone might've passed you, or perhaps an animal that might've wandered up and brushed-

A man, you say, thinking of the tea shop. Cater chokes.

Your brain runs a mile a minute, picking over every detail you could remember about the mystery pretty man in the shop, focusing on him intently. Cater goes through various stages of panic as you do so ("a man?!? that's not familiar binding that's practically marriage! You're telling me you accidentally got married on the way over here?!?"). Eventually he tries his scrying mirror, to find the culprit, only for the mirror's glass to turn ink black and shatter. Cater does not take this well.

Eventually he lets you go home, but only after you agree to take his assistant, Deuce home with you for the night. Deuce, the sweetheart that he is, glares at every man who walks past like he wants to punch their lights out. You, conversely, are almost completely inside your own head. You can't bind to other people with bonding sigils - they're meant for familiars or contracts, they don't work on people - so what does that mean? That the man you met wasn't human, and instead some magic creature? But why would you bind with him just by touching his coat?

Meanwhile, Azul does not immediately notice that he'd bonded with MC. He'd registered the sharp jolt of magic, sure, but simply brushed it off as static runoff due to a magic user being in close contact with him and his coat. Nothing to worry about. Nothing would ever happen from someone just touching the coat - that was ridiculous. No, in order to actually take control & create a bind, they'd have to know the correct ritual spell. The one he personally ripped up every copy of nearly a millenia ago when he was last awake.

Then he goes to the seashore, later in the evening, to return to the ocean for the night, and finds that he can no longer revert to his true form. Or to any form other than his current one.

Oh dear.

It's easy for him to trace the culprit. In in the water of a tidepool he sees MC, deep in thought, focusing intently on him as he'd appeared to them, and thus keeping him tied to this form. Azul watches, with a mixture of contempt and fascination, as it becomes clear that this human has no idea what they've done, how they've done it, or who and what he is. Well. This'll be an easy fix at least.

He spends the night planning. He settles for the apologetic approach. An "I'm so sorry, I believe you may have accidentally set off a sigil I had in my coat pocket when you picked it up and it's linked us somehow. I'm sure it's a bother - don't worry I'll just remove it" and the whole mess should be finished.

Except it isn't. Because the moment he steps foot in your shop, your smile drops like a stone and you point an accusing finger at him. You're demanding to know what he's done to you, and Azul finds a whole millenia of patience, plus last night's planning, going down the drain in an instant as he stoops to argue with this human. Because this isn't his fault, thank you, it's clearly yours.

You shout at eachother for a bit, and come to the conclusion that it's best for both parties if this magical bond is severed immediately. But it doesn't dissolve, no matter what you or Azul try, and both of you slowly come to accept that this is going to be a little more complicated to sort out.

In your exasperation, you mutter "So that's it? I'm basically married to you now?" only to see Azul's face go the colour of a ripe apple. Instantly, you decide you will only be referring to Azul as your beloved husband going forward. It's only fair, if you're going to be stuck with him. (I apologize again for the sheer length of this monstrosity. I hope your exams went well!)

-Reaper

Oh, don't mind me over here in the corner just absolutely FROTHING AT THE MOUTH OVER THIS CONCEPT FOR MONSTER!AZUL. Reaper, my friend, you have some absolutely stellar brain worms my dude. 11/10. Never misses. My brain is going brrRRRRRRRR because I had plans! I swear I did! I had sorted Azul's lil story all into a nice, internal, filing system and was ready to lay it out whenever I finally found the time. But this selkie vibe is just so !!!!!! So!!!!! !!! I want to wrap it up in my head and never let it go. Maybe I can swipe the concepts while maintaining the og plot, or perhaps a hybrid, or maybe maybe ack! This is wonderful i want to EAT it

#Asks #Monster Mayhem #Azul Ashengrotto

[space-mermaid-writing]

The witchling and the god [Loki x Witch!Reader] Chapter 1

Summary: The Avengers were looking for someone to help Loki fit in with the team. To become socially acceptable, so to speak. He had been given the choice of sitting in a cell in Asgard or serving some sort of community service probation on Midgard. The Avengers and Shield both felt that as long as Loki was on Earth, he should be under supervision.

This is now your job. Why? Because you’re a witch. You’re not sure why this qualifies you, but here you are, giving it a shot. What could possibly go wrong?

Tags: Witch!Reader, Magic, Witches, slow burn, everybody lives in the tower, character development, Loki‘s redemption, Stephen Strange is a friend, Loki and Stephen are frenemies, Tony Stark is a good bro, kids love Loki, Tony has stupid nicknames for everybody, eventual smut

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Read it on AO3 | Next Chapter

Chapter's Note: Well, here it is! A brand new Loki x Reader series. It's finished on paper and will be updated regularly. New chapters every Saturday. As always: thanks to my lovely beta @zaria-04

Chapter 1: You have my attention

You flash your brand new work badge at the SHIELD agents that greet you after you step out of the elevator. They also take a look in your bag, but find nothing they don’t like and let you pass.

The next door leads you into one of the large suites of the Avenger Tower. It’s an open room concept: a luxury living room with a kitchen, a dining area and a bar. There, one of the walls is one giant window with a magnificent view over the city.

There are several doors into the private rooms. The two Asgardian princes live in the suite, but you see neither of them. You take a quick glance at your watch, and see that you are on time.

"Hello?" you call out questioningly to the room as you walk through it. There's no answer.

You place a bag from a bakery on the coffee table. Everyone likes pastries, right? And it's still early enough that it could count as breakfast.

Then you sit down on the couch and wait. For this occasion you've chosen a smart casual outfit with pants and a beautiful blouse. Not quite the style you normally prefer, but it fits the job and the city.

You somewhat wonder what you are doing here.

A few days ago, Stephen Strange contacted you with a request for a job. They were looking for someone to help Loki fit in with the team. To become socially acceptable, so to speak.

He had been given the choice of sitting in a cell in Asgard or serving some sort of community service probation on Midgard. Probably neither option had appealed him much, but as far as Thor had let slip, ‘unworthy people were still more bearable than the stern presence of father’ – Loki’s words

In any case, the Avengers and Shield both felt that as long as Loki was on Earth, he should be under supervision.

Strange asked you because they were looking for someone from outside, preferably someone with skills. The Sorcerer Supreme himself doesn't have the time or inclination to deal with this. But he recommended you because he seems to think you're quite good at dealing with people.

This elicited an amused snort from you, because you've spent the last decade in a small cottage in a remote part of Europe, meeting people only when work requires it.

But apparently the Avengers were desperate enough that they invited you in for an interview anyway. You got a plane ticket emailed to you, which merely elicits another laugh from you.

On the day of the interview, the door to Tony Stark's office suddenly lit up as you stepped through.

"I take it you're the witch Doctor Wizard told us about?" He greeted you with raised eyebrows.

"And you are the flying tin man," you replied just to tease him.

He took an instant liking to you and that was a good foundation for this job interview. He explained to you the details of what this was all about.

"We need someone who tries to understand him, if that is even possible. Some kind of responsible contact person. Preferably someone who won't be easily intimidated by him."

"A babysitter," you summarized.

"Babysitter, friend, chaperon. Call it what you will, Sabrina. So far, Loki has been too unpredictable and therefore a threat. Thor can't be by his side 24/7. Besides, the relationship between the two isn't always the best either. If you're successful, we'll be all eternally grateful. And, of course, there's hard cash money in for you."

"I don't know if I can make a difference," you admitted, "You can't change people just like that."

He didn't seem to hold it against you and merely shrugged.

"It's worth a shot. I won't hold it against you if it doesn't work. We're just running out of options here."

That did make you a little curious.

"What else did you try?" you asked.

"A lot. So… yeah. It can only get better."

He offered you a drink, but you declined. You took the job, because you were curious. It was not everyday you get the chance to meet Norse gods.

If they would show up, that is.

You wait an hour before you get up and leave. You leave the paper bag, otherwise there is no evidence of your visit. As agreed, as soon as you're back in the elevator, you call Stark to give him a report.

"You lasted longer than I thought, Sabrina," he greets you, right after the first ring, as if he had waited for your call.

"That would probably be more impressive if Loki had actually shown up," you reply, giving him a brief summary of your less than eventful meeting.

"According to Jarvis, Loki hasn't left the floor," Tony notes after a brief pause. "It's a game for him. Everything is."

"Well, I've got time. And honestly, I'm not complaining when I get paid for just sitting there," you say with a shrug.

"That's the spirit. See you tomorrow, Sabrina." You guess Tony really likes giving nicknames.

You leave the elevator and walk through the corridors. Tony has given you the key card to a room where you can make yourself at home. Not that you plan on staying here outside of your job hours, but it's nice to have a retreat where you can be undisturbed. Plus, you can set up a permanent portal to your home there. It's easier and faster than having to open a new one every time.

The door to your room is in the middle of the hallway and you can recognize it only by its number, because they look all the same. You hold the key card in front of the scanner and with a short ‘beep’ the lock opens.

You step inside. The room looks like a spacious hotel room. In the front there is a small sitting area with several armchairs. A work desk is facing the wall. Further back is a queen sized bed and on the wall opposite is a dresser with a TV. Everything is in neutral colors.

You see two more doors. One leads to a modern, bright bathroom, while the other to a walk-in closet. You choose the latter to set up your portal. You take chalk out of your bag and draw runes on the door frame, muttering words softly. It's a complicated pattern, but over the years you've memorized it. You always know your way back home.

After you have made the last line and said the last word, the chalk lights up briefly and burns into the frame. You touch a specific rune and open the door. On the other side you see the kitchen in your cottage.

Satisfied with your work, you step home.

~~

The next morning you walk at the same time into the suite of the Asgardian princes. And you are greeted by the same picture as the day before: a seemingly empty apartment.

"Hello?" you call out questioningly, announcing your arrival. Even if you are sure that you haven’t gone unnoticed.

Again, you get no answer.

On the coffee table is still the baker's bag you picked up yesterday and when you look inside, you see that the contents are untouched. As if no one had been here in the meantime.

"It’s very nice of Stark to send me a new pet toy," you suddenly hear a deep voice. It sounds like a dark velvet cloak wrapping around your shoulders. Not comfortable and relaxing, but heavy. As if it wanted to capture you and never let go.

The voice sounds so close behind you that you whirl around in surprise, your hands clenched into fists.

In front of you stands Loki, grinning amused at you. This is exactly the kind of reaction he wanted to evoke. He wears Asgardian clothes: dark trousers that seem to be made of leather or a similar material and a wraparound dark green tunic , decorated at the edges with fine golden lines. Everything fits perfectly, as if it were tailor-made for him.

You draw your brows together and your expression turns cool. You hate being startled like this.

"I'm not a toy," you clarify. Thankfully, your words sound more confident than you feel. Your heart is still pounding up to your throat, but you try to calm it down with a deep breath.

"My name is-…"

"I don't care," Loki interrupts you, seeming almost bored. "You won't be here for long anyway."

What a nice greeting.

Loki's eyes scrutinize you closely, wandering down your body and back up again. Outwardly, he can't see any trace of fear on you. Just maybe a hint of discomfort because he's standing in your personal space.

"You're different. What are you? Another PR agent? A SHIELD agent? A psychiatrist?"

His voice turns to liquid oil running down the back of your neck. It's like he's trying to make you slip so you'll make a mistake. He takes another step toward you, but you don’t retreat. Instead you look up at him, almost defiantly.

Your fingers next to your body are tense, ready to defend or even attack should he venture any further. But you don't intend to let him upset you so easily.

"Neither," you reply shortly, breaking eye contact now to circle the coffee table. You sit down at the same spot as yesterday and invite Loki with a gesture to sit down as well.

He ignores this invitation. "What are you then?” he demands to know instead.

"Does it matter?" You cross your legs and tilt your head. "I thought I wouldn’t be here for long anyway."

Loki eyes you again, but this time with more interest. You imagine to see the corners of his mouth twitching upward minimally as he finally sits down on the couch.

"You have my attention."

That's a start. The beginning of a normal conversation. You just have to play your cards right. You pull out a small notebook and a pen from your bag.

"Do you prefer to be called Mr. Odinson or Mr. Laufeyson?" you ask the Asgardian.

Immediately, his face darkens. "I despite both," he hisses.

You don’t press into details. "So just Loki?"

"'My Prince' or 'Your Highness' will do."

He grins slyly, showing his white teeth. It's like the smile of a snake about to lunge forward and bite. His whole attitude is like someone who is used to making everyone jump at his every command. You make a little note in your book.

Spoiled brat.

"I understand that you are Asgardian Royalty but I don't care about titles or ranks. How about Mr. Loki?"

It annoys him that you don't react to him. "How would you like it if I called you ‘my little pet’?"

"I wouldn't like that."

"If you say so, pet."

This is going to be a long day.

"I think it's quite fitting,” Loki smirks.

You look at your watch. "Well, it was certainly nice to meet you, but I'm afraid I have to go."

You actually don't but you have enough of Loki for one day. If anything his presence is draining. You heard what he can be capable of and even though you're not afraid, you're still on guard. After all, you've been walking this earth for some decades and you're not reckless.

You rise and Loki nods to yesterday's bakery bag, still untouched on the table. "Your offerings have not found favor with this god. Take them with you. I don't want them. Make an effort next time."

You are exceptionally calm as you turn around to him one last time. "I will make as much of an effort as this god deserves."

The door closes before you can hear his answer.

So that was the famous, infamous God of mischief. You don't wonder why so many people seem to have quit this job after only a few days. He is intense. But at least he showed up today and you were able to talk to him. You count that as a success.

You send a short report to Tony as you take the elevator up. There is an area that has been described to you as a general location in the tower. Curious about it, you head there.

It's on the upper floors and turns out to be a large lounge with access to an outdoor area. There are several couches, a large bar and a stunning view of the city.

Through an open passageway, you see a kitchen area. There, you look through the cabinets for a bowl to put the pastries from the bag. Just because Loki doesn't want them, it’s no reason to throw them away. You take one for yourself and put the rest at the bar for everyone.

~~

Your cottage is located in the middle of nowhere, a good distance away from the nearest village. There are a few small trees around it and it is bordered by berry hedges. In the back you have several herb beds, which you always take care of diligently.

The house itself is not very big, but it is enough for you. The main room is a large kitchen, where you spend most of your time. Even now you are standing there. Around you float several bowls and a whisk that moves by itself, stirring a batter.

You open one of the many cabinets at the wall and search the compartments for a particular jar. Most of it is sorted alphabetically, because otherwise you would lose track with all the ingredients and supplies you store here.

"Caterpillars, caramel chicken beaks… ah, cocoa."

You pull out a jar of brown powder and add a few spoonfuls to the bowl with the spinning whisk.

Cooking and brewing potions are often not so different. You just have to be careful which pot you use for what.

Today you're baking, because spurred on by Loki's words, you want to bring him something he'll like. Normally, such challenges don't interest you, but in this case it's different. Last time you brought him something from a baker. This time he will get something from your own kitchen. And you'll be damned if he doesn't like it.

-------------------------------------------------

Tag List: @lokisgoodgirl @lokixryss @itsybitchylittlewitchy @yokshi-unbeliebubble @fictional-hooman @elennair @all-envy-suyu

Tell me if I forgot you. Tumblr messages can be chaotic. Comment or dm me if you wanna be added.

#loki x y/n #Loki x reader #loki odinson #loki layfeyson x you #loki layfeson #loki laufesyon x reader #Loki x you #imagine loki #the witchling and the god #imagine marvel #mcu prompt #loki odison x reader #marvel x reader #mcu x reader #loki fanfction #slow burn

[cookii-moon]

This is my excuse to gush over Dragon form because yes.

Basically headcanon and redesign galore yayy

More under the cutoff since this is LONG. You have been warned.

The first part is an introduction, and then the second is actually talking about my designs and ideas and stuff, plus some thoughts/snippets/headcanons... help me.

SO apparently I am far more stupid than I thought, and the reason I say that is because for WHATEVER REASON, it took me ONE. YEAR. For the thought "Hey Cookie the ninja became dragons that one time" to even properly cross my mind, let alone set in. Which is surprising, because I historically freak out over dragons. You'd think that my favorite blorbos having dragon forms would make me instantly go crazy, but no, it took an entire year for my brain to even realize it was... you know... dragon related... even.though I knew they were dragon related... I just didn't... does that make sense? Probably not.

ANYWAYS

As it stands the dragon forms are forgettable because they're literally just reskins but with different element colors (which makes sense, cause yknow... Lego molds...) and then they vanish which obviously yeah. Who knows maybe they'll come back in dragons rising now that the ninja have their powers again.

BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP ME FROM GUSHING OVER THEM ONE YEAR AFTER THEY WERE RELEVANT.

Hyperfixation transcends the measly concept of time (actually that's probably not true I wouldn't know since I don't think about the very fabric of reality that often) so good luck stopping me.

ANYWAY, so uh... I might or might not have on a whim made messy concept sketches for each dragon form, made up a ton of headcanons, and chosen color scheme... no... no I didn't do that.

Okay yeah I did that.

...I was supposed to do two at a time.

How did I get here. The power of autistic brain.

Time to actually talk about the designs!!

Uhhh I'm gonna go in true potential order... because yes.

First... Zaneee!!!

Without color in case it's confusing

Also you're gonna notice a trend with this being that the drawings are not high quality or rendered or anything and are sloppily colored and that's because they're just concepts. I only did the actual "big" draconic traits because I wanted to get it finished quickly so i had an excuse to talk about it. If I ever do use them for an actual art piece then I'll fully render them n stuff obviously this is just to get across the concept.

So since Zane is a robot it.. would be kinda hard for him to suddenly get like.. organic dragon wings... or whatever...

So instead- he gets cybernetic dragon wings and a tail. Yes i know that still requires cartoon logic. The power of creation just magicked them into existence OK? It makes more sense than randomly growing scales.

The mechanic parts are mostly held together/afloat by the ice energy flowing through them (which is what the crystal-like fragments that make up most of his wings are!)

Also his horns are like a little crown... because... I dunno I thought it'd fit with his haircut and such but also ice Emperor (even though he didn't really wear a crown) look this was drawn at like 2 am I don't know what I was thinking with it or why I didn't actually draw the haircuts as well..

I imagine that he'd be very cold to the touch, especially his wings (which are pretty much sheets of ice) both Jay and Kai have ways of circumventing it, but when Cole has to deal with it (like sitting next to him or such) he gets sluggish pretty quickly. Zane is still trying to figure out a way to ease it a bit.

He also tends to make clanging noise by tapping his tail against the ground when he's upset, or make mechanical whirring noises when irritated. Nobody quite knows why since yknow robot, it's just a quirk.

His ice energy does mean he's gotten a power boost. Just like literally everyone else.

Also this is going to involve me assuming they kept these features because if Lloyd can be part dragon then so can the ninja I dare you to fight me /lighthearted

Jay!! He bird. Feather scrunchie.

"But Cookie that's not a dragon-"

Shhhh If a dinosaur can have feathers so can a dragon they're both giant reptiles OK. Feather dragon. It's a thing.

I'm going to be honest the only thing going through my mind while drawing this was vague wing shapes I can't even put a name to (they were probably from monster hunter... I think... Uh... ) and silkie chickens. Not quite sure why I thought of silkie chickens, but I did. So here we are.

So anyways I love him. HIM!! FEATHER MAN!!!

Also I just realized while writing this he can finally be fugi dove's proper equal and arch nemesis. Amazing.

So while drawing I was like "it'd be neat if he could produce static n such with his wings/feathers" so I took off to the internet and after trying a ton of different "CAN BIRDS MAKE STATIC" "ARE BIRD FEATHERS STATIC" and such search queries I finally came up with that ostrich feathers can have static and chicken feathers were used in computer components and hummingbirds can produce static from how fast they flap their wings. Is that trustworthy whatsoever? Probably not. (Surprisingly the most trustworthy one seems to be that chicken feathers were used for computer components which is funny) But rule of cool. I get to break the laws of physics and reality for my story as long as it's cool. Yay.

He's very fluffy and enjoys using his wings to snuggle up in bed :) Cole also tries to steal him as a blanket during winter. Nya and Lloyd can't because of the static but Cole can't be shocked so Jay just has to begrudgingly accept it with his hollow bones and consequentially low weight. He's also known to let sparks off when he's excited/happy, which is f u n.

Also I used the blue/yellow color palette because they seem to be leaning towards using more yellow in Jay's color themes (like how they started using orange in Cole's or blue in Zane's) and I thought it worked really well here so yeah!! It also helps differentiate him even more.

He sheds like crazy. Especially during winter where he gets EVEN FLUFFIER. (no one knows how it's even possible) Feathers everywhere. Cole and Kai also shed, but they shed skin all in one go (usually..), whereas Jay just leaves a pillows worth of feathers everywhere he inhabits, and it drives them insane.

The type of dragon he is is mostly a flight based species. They hunt in the air, live in the air for most of their lives, and such. Because of that not only does he rarely sit down, but he is FILLED with excess energy. He's also the most natural and second fastest flier, and fastest consistent flier.

Because the type of dragon he takes after is so focused on flight, they also roost up in really high places, so you'll probably find him on the top bunk, up in rafters, on the Monastery roof, etc. He loves that they're on a mountain because it means he can take a flight whenever he wants to. That doesn't stop him from being horrible at evading actual birds, though.

He also regularly makes "chirp" and clicking noises. (By chirp I mean the type a cat will do while looking at a window or such. Look up cats chirping or smthn for an example if u haven't heard it before.)

Could I have just made him a dragon with lightning bolt patterns?

Yes but that would be very boring and uncreative (in my opinion and standards I hold myself to ofc-) SO.

Jay is chicken. Jay uses wings to shoot lightning. Thank you for your time.

Cole. He crystal dragon. He's probably also gonna be a pain to draw (but also very fun) because of that. Yay.

I could of just done magma but I loved the idea of like a crystal dragon. So I made a ninjago related crystal dragon...

... again. Don't ask about the first one.

so uh I chose the colors bc like light blues/purples/white are pretty stereotypical crystal colors (plus I think they're pretty) and then orange... because. Cole. He has little crystal patches all over him and his scales also have like.. small crystals dotted all over.

I feel like whatever species of dragon he is is probably adapted to like.. mostly living in caves? Like cave bats kinda where it goes outside at night to hunt but sleeps and lives in caves, and probably goes deeper in the cave to hibernate. So because of that he can be sensitive to artificial light and doesn't really have any like adaptations for the winter, so he just tries to snuggle up with Jay or Kai to keep warm and gets really tired/sluggish when he's cold because reptile. On the other end he can sense vibrations since his species wouldn't be relying on sight as much, which is very handy.

Unlike Zane, Jay, or Kai, he can't really "fly" exactly. His wings are much smaller because the species kinda adapted to being able to use them as a sort of speed boost thing where they'd use them to get quick bursts of flight to catch prey, but since they mostly hunted on the ground and lived in caves they didn't need full on flight. However it's sorta a peregrine falcon situation where technically he is the fastest of all the ninja in flight, but only during a short burst.

He is also very well adapted to climbing vertical surfaces. His claws are REALLY good at gripping onto things since they were adapted to cling onto things such as stalactites, rock walls, etc. to traverse up ledges and deeper parts of caves, and he can also use his wings (and more specifically their claws) as a third pair of limbs to grip onto walls.

Cole tends to make more subtle noises, he growls when agitated and purrs when content or in pain (yes that's a thing, purring soothes and encourages healing, so cats will also purr when they're hurt or scared to comfort themselves) but it isn't very loud, so it's not easily noticeable.

Kai!!

Again

Could I have done magma for Cole and just given Kai flame wings?

Yes. But I'm not going to, because I find this approach more interesting.

... I joke that it's magma but not REALLy, it's still just.. fire... but his scales are brown cause I thought it fit. So. A lot of people like to draw Lloyd with the kinda dragon ears so I thought it'd be cute if Kai, as his guardian, also had them since, again, a lot of people like to see them as brothers. And I just gave him generic dragon horns. Because dragon.

It's hard to simplify it because... fire... so this is probably the worst sketch..

Look OK he gets to breathe fire. Like that's one of the most iconic medieval red dragon things, he's the fire ninja, he gets to breathe fire and blow smoke out of his nostrils when mad I don't make the rules.

I also kinda went all in on generic dragon tropes (i mean ig they're not as generic anymore because of stuff like HTTYD) because... Kai.

So like hot temper, fire breath, that type of thing.

He also has a hoarding habit, as in instead of cleaning or anything when he uses something and just tosses it aside, he puts it all in an ever growing pile of stuff that he just let's stay there until somebody else cleans it up because they were sick of it. Compared to Jay's feathers it's not the WORST thing in the world.

He's slower than Zane and Jay, but can fly for longer periods of time than Zane. His species is kind of adapted to flying closer to the land. So that they can eat some well cooked cow. Yknow generic dragon stuff.

I also think it'd be funny, since dragons are fiercely protective, if these dragons had a dragapult situation where if they didn't have a kid they'd just "adopt" (in their eyes, in reality it's abducting. Usually.) a random animal and pretend it's their child. Because. Kai.

He's also fireproof, to an extent. He can withstand intense heat (unlike Cole or Jay) and can withstand intense cold (Unlike Cole... poor guy) because fire. He can't dive bomb into a volcano though since it would eventually get through and burn him to a crisp, but in small amounts he'll be FINEEEE...

Im not quite sure if he'd make any sort of draconic noises or anything. I feel like maybe he'd growl when upset, but it'd be louder than Cole? Whereas Cole does it more frequently (probably to be passive aggressive) but it's much more silent. He also has a tendency to involuntarily raise his voice a lot.

Yeah that's about it. Also if you consider lloyd to be a dragon, or think of Nya as having dragon features from when she just became h2o that one time, then the entire group might as well be renamed to Dragon ninja. Even Wu!!

..I feel like Lloyd would be jealous- Like "Oh why do THEY get to go full dragon and have wings when I don’t?!" But he'd never say anything because Lloyd.. but everybody knows something is up and is trying to make him feel better... but it's making him feel worse because it just makes him feel more singled out... oh boy that's uh I'm gonna shut that depressing thought train down right there.

Poor pixal though... she's left out because she's too cool already.

ALSO if you ever use this or want to expand upon it/take inspiration from it PLEASE DO AND TELL/SEND IT TO ME I WANT TO SEE AND HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS PLEASE DHRJGJDJDJ I LOVE WHEN MY STUFF PROMPTS IDEAS

#ninjago #ninjago cole #ninjago jay #jay walker #jay gordon #ninjago kai #kai smith #kai jiang #ninjago zane #zane julien #ninjago nya #nya smith #nya jiang #ninjago lloyd #lloyd garmadon #lloyd montgomery garmadon #cole ninjago #zane ninjago #kai ninjago #jay ninjago #nya ninjago #lloyd ninjago #WHY CAN'T WE SETTLE ON ONE #PLEASE #ninjago thoughts #ninjago headcanons #Dragons Flight AU #Cookie’s art #Cookie’s thoughts

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OKAY SO. GOT ONE PERSON INTERESTED IN THIS SO IM GONNA TALK ABOUT IT!!! Under the cut tho

Okay so post apocalyptic au, kinda zombie apocalypse?? the Shadow virus is the main thing here, and it's got canon typical violence, child death, all that. like. it's a qsmp post apocalypse au of course there will be a lot of that kinda stuff, also lots of mind fuckery

so!! how i imagine the virus works is that it like.. has rules, but like any rules they have exceptions (this will be a surprise tool used for later) and i dont have all of them figured out but i know there will be different stages and it takes a WHILE to get to the point the actually dangerous infected in this au are, but being infected means both physically and mentally, and it really depends on who you are as a person how that change affects you, it might make you more angry (wink) or might make you forget things

it can also alter age, and like appareance, obviously, but one of the main things is. well. the thing its named after, shadows. They move through shadows and reach out and grab onto unsuspecting souls

Now for like teams and stuff i have a general idea for all of them? but it requires the knowledge that the virus came into this world almost 400 years ago, the federation was started a decade or so after that, then the Eye (a group) appeared, later the Soulfire, Green (Gay) Ninjas and Bolas Rojas were founded, in that order.

Tubbo is the youngest known leader of the Soulfire to date, at only 19 years old which is surprising to basically everyone in higher ranks because 1, he's not even 20 yet (they still show him respect because he's their leader) and 2, he wasn't originally from the group. He only arrived a year or two ago but hey, he adapts fast Tina and Bad are co-leaders, leading different departments of the group, or better said organization. Tina taking care of their public reputation and farming, while Bad is usually taken as the actual leader but just being the one to help lead attacks on different groups

GGN were founded to rebel against Soulfire, and are now led by Etoiles, who much like Tubbo, wasn't born there, but unlike Tubbo was very much known before that and they knew he'd be a good fit for their leader after killing their previous one (dont worry about that) There's no co-leaders but there are well known people that like to take charge and lead, but they always go back to listening to Etoiles

Now, Bolas Rojas, also known as the Gas Mask cult, as a group are much younger compared to the other two, but they appeared with a set leader and chaos to create out of nowhere, and the leader is called the Crowfather and seems to have stayed the same since they appeared.... Weird!! Nowdays, they have a council and a second in command, but that doesn't change anything, really. They are much more spread out, and have an intricate introduction ritual and nobody really wants to deal with that unless they're desperate enough

if you're wondering about the eggs, don't worry about it! They're safe from all of their parents!

PLEASSSEEE ASK BAOUT THIS OR LIKE. TALK TO ME ABOUT IT PLEASE...... ITS SO NEW BUT IM SO READY TO SPITBALL IDEAS

#qsmp #qsmp purgatory #qsmp au #qsmp tubbo #qsmp etoiles #qsmp philza #team bolas #team soulfire #team green gay ninjas #qsmp shadow virus au