#i also imagine that their personality is a mixture of their creator's personality

[ladyevol]

Haha what if someone were to write angst headcanons for sniffermyfeet and piglinmynose? Haha

...

.....

.........

So, what if sniffermyfeet and piglinmynose slowly gained consciousness the more time that went on as they developed a soul of their own? What if they originally thought that these entities possessing them (Scar, Grian, Joel, and Jimmy) were gods who would reward them once the game was over if they succeeded in defeating the dragon? What if, after the game was done, the vessels were abandoned in this world with no more gods guiding their actions and no reward, literally abandoned by their creators? They were originally created to hate each other. After all, they were competing from their very creation, and their makers would control them to kill each other. Once the game is completed, however, they only have each other, so they slowly grow closer until they realize that, maybe, the meaning of their existence isn't a reward or winning a game or appeasing gods that never cared about them, but each other. Maybe one day, their creators will make them fight again. Maybe, one will be destroyed for good, but until then, they will just enjoy the other's company and the world left for them.

#goodtimeswithscar #grian #smallishbeans #jimmy solidarity #sniffermyfeet #piglinmynose #headcanon #mcyt #i also imagine that their personality is a mixture of their creator's personality #particularly the traffic series versions of them #they are both shapeshifters as well #with their true firms resembling their creators and the creatures used to create them #aka #piglin #and #sniffer #piglinmynose changes his name to Lin #sniffermyfeet changes his name to sniff #lin is a lot more serious and the type of person who tries to get others to respect him #but in reality he is a sweetheart who isn't very good at fighting or staying alive #good thing he is an undead! #sniff acts silly and non serious most of the time #pranking lin whenever they can #but they also turn incredibly violent and murderous #especially when lin is in trouble #lin is a great cook #and an artist #sniff is a more practical and logical individual

[ellecdc]

Oooo I thought this would be a fun ask, but who are your young marauders face claims?

This IS a fun ask! Is it weird to admit I don’t have an actual person who “plays” these boys in my mind?

It’s sort of an amalgamation of a few artists interpretations that I turn into a physical human person in my mind haha

There are a few fan arts I’ve found on Pinterest that speak to me a lot as well but I’m hesitant to post them because I’m not sure of the artist so can’t give credit, but generally this is my view as I write!

! none of the following images belong to me - all credit goes to the original creators !

Remus:

Mixture of @/industrations (I know there’s a tag that says not to post but they’ve updated their rules that you can post with credit!) and @/whoisflattery

Sirius:

Pretty much the same, I lean a little further towards flattery’s with indi’s tattoos and I do imagine him with Ben Barnes build/stature and facial expressions if that makes sense. This avendell Sirius is pretty close too minus the eyes for me!

James:

He’s a wildcard for me. Every version of James I’ve been like “yup that’s him”. I tend to lean on again flattery and specifically Indi’s (in the red shirt come on 🤤) and also I found this guy on tiktok once and I- 🫢

Regulus:

I do have to say I enjoy a good Timothée fancast.

I have nothing for barty!! I don’t currently imagine him as anything…that’s weird. I’ll have to fix that. I’ve pictured him with dark hair and bright coloured eyes but idk????

#ask elle #face claims #marauders face claims

[philsmeatylegss]

please yap about dip and pip's relationship with pj, I want to know more

FUCKING YESS!!! WHOO HOO!! I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS DAY!!!

Okay so I haven’t brushed up on my PJ lore in a while, so correct me if any of this is wrong, but I’m sticking with the basics.

What gets me about their friendship is that they’ve been through it all together. Once again, correct me if I’m wrong, but him and Phil were friends before Dan started making videos, correct? It could’ve been after. Point is, he was there pre youtube era, bat shit insane era, and out era. And there’s proof they’ve stayed close through it all. I cannot imagine the pressure of maintaining a normal friendship under the circumstances they were under. I will fully admit myself I am one curious mf first thing I would ask is if they were together. And to have a bunch of 13 year olds yelling at you to do so, I can’t imagine just seeing all of that and then casually heading out to see a movie or get dinner.

I have a head cannon which I feel like I have enough reason to treat it like cannon and that’s that dnp only were close to YouTubers who didn’t care about their sexuality/relationship. You had to be there, but the 2014 british youtuber boom, dnp were making collabs with people who just were so different and it showed. And I don’t think people will understand if they weren’t there how big of a thing “phan” was. They were described usually something along the lines of “those friends with the matching hair that fans think are together.” So when you mix personalities that, to no one’s fault, just don’t blend, mix it with the pressure of five million thirteen year olds, and mix it with people who one has a lot wrong with them, that’s a really bad mixture to set up a friendship. I believe other than Louise and PJ, who dnp knew before hand (pretty sure louise, might have been at the start of their career), tyler oakley and Anthony seem to be the only creators they seemed comfortable around. I forgot why I started talking about this. Oh, the conditions in which friendship had to stand under.

I truly don’t know how to explain how insane the phandom used to be. And how widespread. As someone approaching the age they were when they started to blow up, I am amazed they didn’t leave the internet.

This whole long rant is to say that it was overwhelming to even be in the vicinity of dnp. The amount of pressure is something I truly cannot describe. And it’s hard to explain if you weren’t there, but I cannot imagine an outsider maintaining a relationship with the two of them with the pressures both within the relegation ship and outside. Because let’s also not forget Dan’s mental health and trauma was triggered every time a “phan is real” comment happened. It was truly such a chaotic time and I think the reason they didn’t have a lot of friends was because they couldn’t.

So it’s just that it must have been so fucking hard. And they must have a very close bond to have survived what their friendship endured. It was such a unique scenario to be pulled into and deciding to come along for the ride is something I find so admirable.

I also think PJ has been a part of their journey with sexuality and how public they were about being together. From what we know, Phil and PJ filmed together back when it was just millennials. To as recent as filming April Fool’s. That experience of watching that dynamic rise and fall and having to just follow and work with must’ve been crazy

If you look at a lot of the credits in dnp’s more professional videos, PJ is often in the credit and often has a big role. Really, it’s mostly the same people who dip and pip work with which gets me the most. It’s obvious they feel comfortable and genuine around him. We’ve seen behind the scenes how they discuss ideas. It’s just very relaxed, which is something dip and pip were deprived of as soon as they started blowing up. Everything had to be planned and thought through. And I think having an old friend who they were likely open to about their relationship and sexuality probably kept them sane. I do believe they are a lot closer than they put forward online and good for them. I think that’s why they’ve stayed friends for so long.

A lot of this is pure speculation. But it must be so cool to have watched your close friend go through the journey pip did, all the while being with someone he loved. But also helping them through it and helping them express themselves within their own boundaries.

That’s what I was yapping about at the start. I think the few YouTubers dip and pip remained close to Anthony, Louise, and Tyler, is because they seemed to like dan and phil because they liked dan and phil. There was no ulterior motive and they genuinely didn’t give a shit their relationship or what fans said. If I were dnp, I would have become very guarded with my emotions. But, at least from what we’ve seen, they seem very comfortable with Pj and his gf I forget her name but she’s so pretty.

When I think of friendship I think of what Peej has with dip and pip. There was so much obvious discomfort for so many years and being able to adapt to that is something special. Balancing public versus private. And just having such long history together. Once again, I’m not up to date on my lore, but I’m pretty sure Phil and Pj knew each other before Phil knew Dan. Or at least it was very close. Like they have been friends from the start. Pj was there for every stage. Every stage. And having a friend who remained neutral during it all probably really helped dip and pip not go nuts.

I truly cannot put into words how out of control the phandom was. Like I don’t even know how to phrase it. It was such a unique phenomena that I have never seen anything even close since. So it’s hard to really get across what it meant sticking with dip and pip during the height of their career, but it must have been so fucking hard on all sides.

And to just see after that chaos that they are still close, that they still film together, that they just hang out,,, I just find that very neat. And admirable. And I’m so curious to know more about it.

I’m not rereading any of this so enjoy the typos

#asks #dan and phil #phan

[chronicbeans]

Just Stuff About Wally's Voice Actor in my Story (I saw someone say they were starting to like them so I decided to write this)

I kinda dropped a bucket of paint on their head so here's my apology for their new concussion/other possible damage. Get well soon, Wally VA!

🎙️ If people haven't noticed, already, I have written it so that most characters are gender neutral and don't have names. That's because I like to give the reader as much imagination as they want when it comes to stories about pre-existing fandoms, plus characters like puppeteers, producers and such might be introduced into the cannon story. I figured it would make sense to keep them as kinda mysterious figures. So, everything in this post is just for my little story I have going on and how I imagine them. Two main things are that, in story, I am always going to try to keep them nameless and genderless, just because I feel that is the most interesting part of their mystery, but this post will be what I imagine when I write. If you want me to use this specific version of them, just let me know by referring to Wally's voice actor by the name I use in this post. OwO

🎙️ Some basic information is that Wally's voice actor is a man named Caesar Jones. He's in his late middle ages and has two kids. He has arthritis, although, the doctor's haven't figured out exactly what type it is, yet. His wife divorced and left the family on good terms, and they still keep in contact.

🎙️ He is very protective over Wally because they created him. He is scared that, once someone else is puppeteering Wally and (eventually) voicing him, the character of Wally will change and become unrecognizable to him. No one knows Wally better than his creator. At least, that's what Caesar thinks. It's actually the only reason why he doesn't like the reader in the story.

🎙️ He is a smoker, but makes sure to always go outside to smoke. Even when he is in an area that allows him to smoke inside, he goes outside. He has even gone outside in borderline blizzard conditions. Ever since he had his two kids, he makes sure to keep them safe. What started the habit of him going outside was when one of his kids started coughing from the smoke.

🎙️ He uses a wheelchair when at home. He doesn't need it all the time, but he uses it at home so he can give his knees and ankles a break after work. He bought it with his own money, as a "self-birthday-gift", AKA he bought himself a gift for his birthday. He also believes it will help slow down any joint damage he might have from his arthritis. A part of the reason for the contract the boss made between Caesar and the reader, the one that keeps them both updated on the other's health in emergencies, is that Caesar will stay home on days where his pain is especially bad. So, in those cases, he sometimes has the reader visit his house to rehearse for episode recordings.

🎙️ He doesn't know it, but he actually has a mixture of both arthritis and carpal tunnel in both wrists. He got diagnosed with arthritis and just assumes that the numbness and carpal tunnel symptoms are from the arthritis.

🎙️ Some aspects of himself have made it into Wally. For one, both Wally and Caesar have a deep desire to preserve the wonder and imagination of children. Caesar believes that wonder is what makes a person special, because it fuels the imagination. Nobody really imagines things the same way, right? Wally believes that, too.

🎙️ Caesar is interested in cults, especially religious ones. He, himself, is religious. He isn't extremely so, only really doing the bare minimum of his religion's practices, which is exactly why these cults intrigue him. He couldn't imagine bringing any of his beliefs to such a severe degree. The thought scares him. Wally, in a way, also has that trait. Except Wally is more like a little cultist, himself! With no knowledge on what a 'religion' is, though, he has unknowingly turned to you as the core of his belief. All of the obsessive, worshipping, and overall cult like behavior that Caesar researched about went straight into Wally.

🎙️ He is actually a very progressive person for his time. He doesn't care what gender or sexuality identify as, nor does he care about your racial background. As long as you respect him, he will respect you. If you interest him and he wants to get to know you better, he will approach and talk to you. It is all the same to him. People are people.

🎙️ He's a hard cookie to kill, so he probably survived that paint can. I always imagined that it hit the back of his head, which is where the part of the brain that controls sight is. He probably has some damage there, which can cause hallucinations.

#welcome home #welcome home oc #wally darling

[fatuismooches]

so i was thinking back to that post about pantalone getting the receipt of all the things dottore buys for fragile!reader. imagine pantalone, columbina, and maybe signora making elaborate plans to find out why on earth is dottore buying romance novels and tcg cards. their plans get increasingly ridiculous and the segments find it funny to see some of the most powerful people in teyvat kneeling on the ground and huddled up together, only the tops of their heads visible from behind the windows(or counter) of the lab. and when reader finds them while they're on their daily walk reader is all oh hey there :D

YESSSSS ily anon!! You know Pantalone would definitely get the others in on this... he is SELLING this story to them and gathering as much backup as he can (namely Columbina... I also hc she likes to make fun of Dottore lol) You can bet they are reading those romance novels to tease Dottore about later on lol (bina def recommends you some though)

The clones are having a field day with this whole situation. They can't blame the Harbingers though, you are so interesting and lovely... who wouldn't want to know you? Well, clearly their creator has a huge problem with the rest of the Fatui even knowing about their existence. He is adamant about them not speaking to you. Probably a mixture of it'll be a headache for him to deal with them *cough endless questions and teasing* and he's unsure if it'll cause stress to your health.

Dottore's lab is hella huge so on days you feel like being alone, you tend to go a good distance away from the center. So one day you see a few figures in the lab that you can't recognize you immediately get a bit on guard... and then you realize those are Dottore's co-workers, as he calls them. You sometimes caught a glimpse of them from far away, and Dottore always looked like was at this wit's end with them. Understandably you are rather excited to have some interaction with anyone that's not Dottore... and the Harbingers are just like 🧍‍♀️ when you start prattling on with them so causally

The funny part is that a while ago I began working on a fic with this same concept, called "The Doctor's Beloved" and I can say I have a lot of brainrot from it😭

Snippets from the fic:

The Fatui Harbingers were gathered together for a very important meeting. At least, that was what the ones who had bothered to come thought. Instead, they were greeted with that familiar, infuriating smile of the Ninth Harbinger.

“I, Pantalone, call this Fatui meeting to order.”

--

Columbina spoke up, draped over Arlecchino’s shoulder. “Ah~, I’ve seen them before. But I can never get a good glimpse of their face… they always cover their face with a veil, just like how the doctor never takes his mask off. I wonder how they look…”

“Dottore’s actually spending research funds on this [Name]?” Childe gaped. “That crazy guy hardly ever thinks about anything else besides his beloved research.”

“Perhaps there is a person who shares that spot with him,” a new voice joined the conversation. Pulcinella had now entered the room.

--

“I mean what I said.”

“So you’re saying that…” one voice began.

“This [Name] person…” another continued.

“Is Dottore’s lover?!” an exclamation echoed from a few throughout the room.

#smooches talks #fragile reader <3 #dottore love notes <3 #i love love fatui shennigans #love how we agree pantalone and columbina def gossip the most😭 #if u saw me accidentally post this unfinished no u didnt... #as for the plans they pull off... imma have to think on that lmfao

[clementine-writes-things]

Edward Nygma Gifs + Songs That Fit Them

Random gifs of Edward Nygma and songs I think match the energy because I've been obsessed with matching gifs of him with songs. So, I don't know if any of you will care about this, but here is some filler content while I work on a big upload. I also highly recommend you listen to these songs. I know this sound like I'm bragging and maybe I am, but I believe I have an amazing taste in music. I listen to everything except country (ew). I didn't get the 'good at math' autism but I definitely got the 'talent for matching music with characters/scenarios/situations' type of autism because i have A BILLION playlists and I love making playlists for specific characters and writing scenarios. If you decide to listen to these songs, please let me know if you liked them in the comments :) I wanna see if you think they match the gifs. I've noticed that Edward's 'energy' really reminds me of Hyperpop music/Heavy metal/and various Indie songs/artists.

Read Below Cut

Brian is the Most Beautiful - Memo Boy (hes so prettyyy)

NARCISSISIC PERSONALITY DISORDER - Odetari (this song fits perfectly. listen to the lyrics)

Custer - Slipknot (bro enjoyed it too much...)

See You Again (feat. Kali Uchis) - Tyler the Creator (sweet :3)

FUNKED UP - xxanteria, isq (theater kid, not joking though this song reminds me of this scene)

The Most Wanted Person In The United States - 100 gecs (bro's wanted in every state.)

warm nights - Xori (reminds me of his sensitive and vulnerable side)

Who is She? - I Monster (ominous, mysterious, beautiful, and unsettling.)

Kerosene - Slowed - fam0uz (theater kid era mixed with psychopathic behavior)

Punk Tactics - Joey Valence & Brae (picked this song cuz its goofy but also threatening and reminds me of edward)

GOOD LOYAL THOTS - Odetari (bro would so listen to this type of music)

Ride - Sir-Mix-A-Lot ( THIS IS NOT CUZ IT'S AN EDIT SONG! He seems like he literally listens to sir-mix-a-lot like fr. hes nodding to the beat of the song and thinking 'i like butts too! :D')

Aleph - Gesaffelstein (this song always gives me chills and I feel like it matches Ed's energy well. this gif below is perfect for it.)

Megalomaniac - KMFDM (I've said it before and will keep saying it. This song is my favorite song to pair with him. It reminds me of him so well. The lyrics, the beat, the drums, EVERYTHING. Imagine this song playing while he's in a fight scene, like, hello?)

Freak Show - Punkinloveee, H3artcrush (another song that reminds me of him a lot.)

The Lobotomy - Maebi (a creepy ass fkin song that reminds me of his whole transition from edward to riddler)

Daydream In Blue - I Monster (I love this song. It reminds me of how Edward still is a romantic throughout the whole show. Yeah, he gets crazy, but he still has love in his heart.)

HYPNOTIC DATA - ODECORE, Odetari (ik he's a goofy boy but he also has a slight ego. this song reminds me of that. he KNOWS he can pull and it feeds his ego.)

Bark Like You Want It - Sir-Mix-A-Lot (NO NOT CUZ OF THE EDIT...ok maybe a TINY bit. But like I said, he would def listen to this dude....also why is this gif so hot...HIS FACE AND STANCE HELLO?!?! how did no one smooch this man during this scene?)

LET ME SEE YA MOVE! - Lumi Athena (ed would def listen to this song in a club while drinking shots, like, he would look across to you from the room an wink. I'm not the only one who can see this right? This song also makes me think about how crazy Edward really is. Like we can't deny he's absolutely insane. This gif makes me feel things bro...I LOVED HIS HAIR)

Ok, let's finish it off with one more..

mos thoser - food house (at first I didn't think this song fit him...but then I realized the lyrics reminded me of him a lot. 'Think about how many people know they're gay because of me'. Like come on...It also reminds me of how he can get rlly angry and be goofy. The song just is a mixture of his seriousness/goofiness/and his 'personality disorder' i guess? Does him conflicting with his riddler side count as that? I'm not sure what to call it but I'm sure you know what I mean <3. also the beginning of the song starts with mentioning that they picked up a disturbing tweet from the guy who made the song, and i totally feel like edward would tweet someone who disagreed with him saying something like "i have your address." lmaoooo

#writers #fanfic writer #fanfic #gotham #the riddler #edward nygma #writers of tumblr #dc universe #cory michael smith

[nomorefstogive]

Hydro Archon Headcanons

Hello all, these are the headcanons I mentioned in my previous post about the Hydro Archon.

This will be a part of a series of three detailing my views on the previously unseen archons of Fontaine, Natlan, and Snezhnaya and my opinions on what roles they would play in a SAGAU story. 

These views and headcanons will be for both general SAGAU, as well as for my own aus, however they will mostly be loosely based on the universe of my ‘For Want of A Vision Au’ as they will help to elaborate on some of the world changes made during said au, and can be considered an intermission till I get around to making a part 2 of the aforementioned au. 

I will also make mention of my other aus ‘Mother Knows Best’ and ‘Twin God Au’ at some points throughout these posts as well in addition to a normal SAGAU, because I am a self indulging bastard who loves those aus too much lol.

In all seriousness please let me know if my habit of including them in stuff like this drags down their quality and if you wish for me to remove them from these headcanons as I will do so. 

The Headcanon Info will be listed like this:

Archon Name: (Origin)

Human Name: (Meaning)

Appearance Pre Shaper Death Headcanon:

Personality pre Shaper Death Headcanon:

Pre Shaper Death Quote:

What were they like during the Shaper’s reign:

What role did they play during the Shaper’s first reign:

What relationship did they have with the Shaper/Guide/Mother:

What happened to them after/what effect did the Shaper’s death have on them:

Appearance Post Shaper Death:

Personality Post Shaper Death:

Post Shaper Death Quote:

How did they react to learning of the Shaper’s coming return/How did they react to the Mother and Guide becoming active again:

What actions have they taken since learning of the Shaper’s coming return/What do they plan to do upon their return:

Appearance Pre Shaper Return:

Personality Pre Shaper Return:

Pre Shaper Return Quote:

Please note that they are styled like this without mention of the Shaper’s second death, which occurred during the events of the ‘For Want Of A vision Au,’ as they are supposed to be able to be used without context of that au, although I suppose it could also be because I feel that the amount of information is already far too much for my pistachio sized smooth brain to deal with lol. 

In all seriousness I suppose I am being somewhat lazy for omitting that part of their character info, but this is not suppose to be exclusive to that Au and can are meant to contain some of my general headcanons on the characters in question, with some aid from two of my favorite AUs to use in any of my SAGAU ideas or works, ‘Mother Knows Best’ and ‘Twin God’, on how these characters became who I imagine them to be in a SAGAU universe. 

I like to imagine that the structure of a typical SAGAU universe is that there is a time the Shaper/Prime/Creator was active in Teyvat before the events of the game where something happened that resulted in them either being slain or forced to leave Teyvat, perhaps some of the people of  Khaenri'ah decided to try their hands at deicide in their arrogance and wound up getting nuked for their sins as I like to think their cursed form was the result of them being at ground zero of the shaper’s death, similar to Havria’s death having turned those nearest to her to salt.

 After this period of their reign we get to the events that are a mixture of both before and during the game,  which culminate in the eventual return of the Shaper as a result of either the characters taking action or of something else resulting in them being brought back home to Teyvat.

With all of that said, let the show begin!

Oh, and P.S. I used these headcanons as something of guide for how to structure the story I did on the Hydro Archon and that is why the quote’s are included, I also decided to keep them to show more of what I perceive her personality was like at each interval. 

Trigger Warnings for: Self Mutilation, Eye Trauma, Religious themes, Cultish Themes, Depression, Grief, Self Loathing, Guilt, and Trauma.

First let us start with the Hydro Archon herself, also please note this was made before the reveal of her name being Focalors and so I went with my headcanon names for her Archon and Human names:

Hydro Archon:

Archon Name: Minos (Origin: Dante’s Inferno)

Human Name: Danielle (Meaning: God is my judge)

Appearance Pre Shaper Death Headcanon: 

A Stately beauty of above average height, sharp and regal features, with long sapphire hair with diamond white streaks in it and unique eyes that were a mix of gold and silver with a sapphire pupil with a diamond white design shaped like a scale of justice in the center. Her attire was often armor forged in the designs of waves and seas made of cobalt and sapphire, and inlaid with gold and silver in addition to a scaled cloak. 

The Gauntlets, done in the style of crashing waves, the rich sapphire of the metal giving way to the white of sea foam near the tips of the pointed finger tips to make it seem as though they were the tide fit to drag the one they held in their grip into their briny depths. 

And her Sabatons done in the design of the deep stillness of the ocean bottom, onyx and sapphire colors that steadily gave way to the brighter and more vibrant shades of her leggings and chestplate, as though the entire suit was done to show all of the zones of the ocean emblazoned upon steel.

Although she would also occasionally don the attire of an aristocratic lord, with black gloves. a tail coat of royal blue sat over a crisp whit dress shirt, an ascot of silver coloration that bore a gleaming sapphire pendant on it, and a pair of dark blue dress pants tucked into polished black shoes. 

She likewise was fond of carrying an executioner's blade, forged out of the silver and sapphire bones of a great sea demon she slew in her bid of conquest during the archon war, that bore the depiction of the scales of justice as it’s crossguard done in gold with a grip of ruby red leather and a pommel made from a large sapphire said to be either a demon or god’s eye.

Yet when she could not bear her blade, in particular when she deigned to attend parties or celebrations of some kind, she would choose to instead carry a cane of silver and sapphire, emblazoned with the design of some great tentacled beast reaching from stygian depth to seize fast the ship that rested at the top of the cane in its tendrils. 

Personality pre Shaper Death Headcanon: 

Minos was well known as being a brutally honest woman who was not shy in the slightest about giving voice to her opinions on a matter, even if said opinions were more than likely fit to turn those around her against her and lead to no small amount of turmoil. It was in fact more than likely that she enjoyed said reaction to her words and maintained her brutal honesty simply to indulge in her enjoyment of the reaction it tended to elicit. 

Said brutal honesty was not aided by her being of a somewhat moderately arrogant mindset, more than likely stemming from both her statues as an Archon and her position as one of the confidants and comrades of the divine one, although it could also have stemmed from the power of her eyes and her certainty that she would always know the truth of any matter regardless of whether others wished it or not.

Despite these traits she was also known for being a highly witty woman who possessed a great deal of charisma and intelligence, all of which were further tempered by the wisdom she had gained from both the Archon war and in ruling her nation.

She tended to behave with the grace of a lord or lady with her refined mannerisms and chivalrous acts around others, although more often than not she tended to lose said refined mannerisms when around her closest of friends and confidants and instead showed a more relaxed personality that was not shy about bantering with them over wine.

She was also well known for having somewhat of a need for attention, especially from those she considered close friends and confidants as she would frequently go out of her way to ensure that she received their undivided attention when they were together, perhaps this was one of the reasons she came to so greatly enjoy the spectacle of the courtroom and the attention of all present being fixed upon her as they awaited her verdict.

Yet despite all of this, there was one facet of the personality of the Justiciar of Hydro that made her no shortage of both friends and foes, and that was her boundless hunger to learn the truth of any situation or matter that came to seize her attention, even if said truth could offer no benefit to herself or to anyone else for that matter.

Indeed, were it not for her wisdom and charisma her pursuit of total truth in matters that interested her would have made her no shortage of enemies from even her fellow gods as she oft found herself becoming intrigued about the secrets they held and abusing her position as the God of Justice to learn all that she could in regards to said matters.

Yet beyond her hunger for the truth she tended to be quite adverse to the idea of revealing any of her own secrets, a hypocrisy which tended to be made fun of by those who knew of it as they found the idea of the Goddess of Truth keeping secrets and even resorting to abusing her position and power to keep them, to be equally infuriating and amusing. 

Although there was one person who could pry her secrets from her, one person that she could never hold herself back from doting upon whenever they would meet, and one person whom she kept her greatest of all secrets from; The Shaper.

Pre Shaper Death Quote:

 “My eyes shall ever behold only the truth of this world and of your radiance. Know well that you are eternally safe by my side, for my gaze shall ever know the intentions and flaws of all of whom it rests upon.

 By my right as your Divine Judge and your Eyes shall no harm come to you so long as I stand by your side, your eminence. Now, how about we retire to my estate, your grace?

 I have recently come into possession of a rather fine vintage I would like to share with someone other than the God of Drunkards. We can enjoy it while we talk about that fool's taste in colors because I swear to you that painting almost made me ill.”

What were they like during the Shaper’s reign:

During the first reign of the Shaper, Minos was notorious amongst her fellows for having a whit every bit as sharp as the cleaving edge of her blade, a whit that tended to be paired with an exceptionally blunt and brutally honest disposition that many times lead to her fellows gritting their teeth at her words. 

Yet, this brutally honest demeanor and her whit worked quite well when paired with her knowledge of human nature and the wisdom she had gained over her long life prior to, and during, the Archon War as it made for her being exceptionally effective at coercing the truth from individuals without resorting to her eyes special abilities.

She was also quite infamous for being every bit a wine connoisseur that a certain bard was…granted she was able to reign in her love of the drink to control just how much and how often she tended to indulge her love of the drink so that she was able to function throughout the day without accidentally serenading a statue and then becoming quite upset when it did not respond to her queries of if it enjoyed the song or not. 

In addition to her fondness for wine the Justiciar of Hydro was also well known for being a bibliophile who would regularly coerce Rukahdevatta into aiding her in both locating old tomes and scrolls that endured the archon war and in acquiring new tomes and scrolls that were being published in the aftermath of the war. 

Yet her greatest and most well known of traits was her great appreciation for the arts, a trait which tended to have a somewhat love/hate relationship with her propensity for brutal honesty given the amount of times artists were left in tears after she gave an exceedingly harsh critique of their work. 

And yet it could be argued that her propensity for brutal honesty and harsh critiques became one of the chief reasons for the cultural renaissance that engulfed her land after the Archon war which would endure even after the Shaper’s demise countless years later on despite having diminished to but a mere trickle of what it once was, as it served as a means of weeding out those who were not truly committed to their passions and works as artists of their varying fields. 

It was often said that those who could endure the executioner's blade that was the tongue of Minos and rise from the wreckage tended to either grow to be amongst the greatest artist of their lands due to her harsh and yet also fair critique, or were driven mad attempting to live up to the god’s expectations and that is assuming they did not abandon their craft altogether after she dismantled them with but her words alone. 

Her love of the arts was matched but by two other loves, the first of which was her seemingly endless yearning to learn the truth of all things that interested her, be they the affairs of her people or the affairs of her fellow gods. More often than not this hunger for the truth and information would lead to conflict with Barbatos as he tended to view her blatant use of her divine powers to pry secrets from her own people as an infringement of their freedoms, even occasionally leading to him calling her the “Tyrant of Truth,” during some of their more heated arguments.

Though it was not just Barbatos that came to find her hunger for the truth vexing, as more often than not she would find herself in heated debates and arguments over the facts of historical events with Morax, often kept from using the power of her eyes upon him by the threat of facing the eldest of the Archons fury and by the intervention of the Shaper.

And it was within the Shaper that the second of the things which eclipsed her love of the arts could be found, a love that she kept under lock and key even as she longed above all else to set it free and revel in it as freely as the Cryo Archon reveled in her own adoration and love of the Divine One. 

Yet despite this longing to lay bare her heart afore the most holy one, she kept it secret and instead chose to be the ever present and ever faithful confidant to the divine one, although she would come to greatly regret her decision to hide her love when the day came for them to be parted.

What role did they play during the Shaper’s first reign:

There were many roles that the Hydro Archon played during the days when the Shaper walked Teyvat during their first reign, be it that of the leader of a nation rising from the ashes of her violent clashes against the gods and demons that had called the region of Fontaine home before her ascension to the throne of Archon, the warrior who still had cause to keep her blade sharp due to rampant banditry and yet living non human threats, and the fledgling god of justice who had to bring law and order to the land of her people before spreading her vision of it across the lands entirely. 

And yet, it could easily be said that her most important role during this time would arise after she spent many long days and nights conversing with the Shaper and their kin alongside of her fellow newly crowned archons debating what would come to be the first code of laws to govern Teyvat since the Archon war set the old codes to burn amidst the flames of it’s chaos. 

And with this new code of law established it was necessary for there to be one among the archons who would take up the torch of these new laws and use their light to banish the darkness of lawlessness and chaos that had seized the yet ruined lands of Teyvat, and it was so that Minos was granted the title of Divine Judge in addition to her appointment as the new God of Justice and was given the duty of enforcing these new laws across the lands of Teyvat.

Another of her roles was as a scout for her comrades and the Shaper and their kin in finding allies to aid them in establishing order over the fractured world in the wake of the war, as her unique ocular ability and her keen mind served well in locating those who would grow to be great allies of the coming age, and at the same time likewise aided in locating and eliminating potential threats before they had the chance to truly take root and spread their influence. 

All of these roles were made vastly easier by the power she had been blessed with as the Goddess of Justice, the ability to see the truth of anything she gazed upon, be it their true intentions or their true feelings, all were laid bare before her gaze. 

Said power would give rise to the title that she would proudly bare until the day of tragedy that would bid her part from the Shaper-

The Eyes of God.

What relationship did they have with Shaper/Guide/Mother:

The relationship present between Minos and the Shaper was that of an advisor and aide lending their wisdom and guidance to their liege most of the time, however there were moments when their relationship seemed to reflect something other than liege and servant and god and faithful as the two bonded over their interests in arts and culture and could often be found touring newly made galleries and art exhibits across Teyvat when they were not working towards establishing order in the aftermath of the Archon war or aiding the other archons after said conflict in regards to establishing law within their own lands. 

Indeed the two seemed to share a bond more akin to that of exceedingly close confidants and friends that only seemed to grow as they spent time in one another’s company, most evidence of this seen in how they spoke with one another with smiles and laughter and yet other examples were hidden behind closed doors for when the atrocities she had seen committed and the carnage she herself had committed robbed her of sleep Minos would oft find herself with the Shaper serving as a silent comfort, not needing to be told what was wrong as they gingerly stroked her hair and aided in her returning to slumber. 

Perhaps Minos did love her Shaper, and perhaps there was genuine desire to kneel afore them and offer them the most wondrous ring that she could craft with her own hands for them, and yet it is also likely that if that was indeed she viewed herself as too sullied by blood and filth and to jaded by the sins she had seen to be worthy of standing beside on as radiant as the one who had shaped their world oh so long ago. 

If such love was indeed present, concealed in scrapped romantic poems and confessional notes and unspoken words that were slain upon her tongue before she dared to speak them aloud, then perhaps the fact that she was never able to open herself up to the Shaper and speak to them in regards of it made their passing all the more bitter for them. 

For not only was their god slain afore her eyes, but she likewise lost a dear friend, a friend who might have told her that the weight of sin and filth she claimed clung to her meant nothing to them and that they would have been happy to accept her in courtship provided she did not mind being with a somewhat naive god as they were at the time and potentially having to share them with their other amorous followers once their mother gave them her blessing. 

Perhaps it is this lost love, or chance at such a thing, that instills in her a sympathy and kindred spirit towards the archon of cryo and many of her other compatriots who shared in her desire to stand beside the radiance of the one they loved until not remained of their universe sans ash and dust within the breeze of the cosmic vacuum afore the mother remade it anew.

In contrast to this relationship was the one she held with the Guide, for few and far between were their meetings and yet each one etched into her mind a respect for the unending labor that the ‘Shepherd of The Dead’ had upon their shoulders taken, a respect that showed in her greeting her with a bottle of wine and an ear to listen to the reaper’s words when she would break the comfortable silence that was oft their only companion during such meetings.

At times they would meet after trials and the subsequent executions, and Minos would not quite be able to suppress the flicker of guilt that threatened to surge into a bonfire of the same emotion as she foisted more work upon the Guide’s shoulders by sending her more souls to ferry to their due punishment. And so it was that during these times she would treat the guide to the delicacies of her land as they sat in either a comfortable silence or indulged in conversation in either matter of philosophy or in regards to their mutual acquaintance in the Shaper and the antics they had gotten up to recently.

     In conclusion it can be said that their relationship was a less close version of that shared between the Shaper and Minos herself, one built upon mutual respect for each other and for an understanding of the burden that each of them had taken upon their shoulders for the world they called home.  

In regards to The Mother, their relationship was that of a distant admiration in regards to how Minos viewed the ancient almighty, and a fondness born of happiness at the joy brought out in her children by the Hydro Archon, though the 2 did not meet in person directly until long after the Shaper had been slain for the second time and left Teyvat behind where upon the Mother appeared before her and granted her purpose anew with a most tempting prize as her reward for her service in the form of a chance to at last give voice to her feelings for her beloved Shaper when they returned with The Mother’s own blessing. 

What happened to them after/what effect did the Shaper’s death have on them:

In the wake of the Shaper’s demise the Hydro Archon would vanish from the public eye for many a long year, only appearing to be present at the funeral of the divine one and then once more vanishing into the labyrinthian depths of her home, from whence all that could be heard of her were wailing cries of anguish and the shattering of bottles and glasses against the walls of said home. 

For many years she lingered within the confines of her home, only requesting for more and more wine to be delivered to her as she let herself fall into the ever murky depths of despair and depression, her despair reflected in the way that she had ordered that all mirrors and windows of her home to be covered in black cloth so that none may see the one who failed to see the threat to their god, and so that she would not be made to lay eyes upon herself either. 

For so long she had prided herself on her ability to see the truth of all that surrounded her, for so long she had been the eyes of the god she had vowed to stay beside until all was bid return unto nought but ash and dust in the endless void.

And in her solemn duty as the ‘Eyes of The Divine,’ she had failed beyond all measure.

To accurately sum up the effects the shaper’s death had upon her, I suppose the most concise way of saying it is that the once boundless oceans of righteousness and pride and will that had been her driving forces to aid in shaping the world into the paradise envisioned by her beloved god, had all been drained away till not remained of them but the murk and silt of grief and guilt and failure.

Murky depths of fetid silt that she would fall into the deepest depths of, the grief and guilt and sorrow and despair fusing into an abhorrent madness that took hold of her in her darkest moments and culminated in her tearing from herself that which had gained her the title of the Eyes of God.

Appearance Post Shaper Death:

For many years after the shaper had passed would she let herself fall into the depths, her hair, rendered white as snow by shock and grief filled stress, growing longer and more unkempt as she idled away her time sobbing and weeping in the dark corners of her personal chambers.

And when she occult no longer weep or sob, she would fall into fitful sleeps that were ever plagued by nightmares and memories of the day that had robbed the one she cherished from her in such frequency and intensity that nearly all semblances of sleep were lost to her for many years to come. 

Her skin grew pallid from the lack of sun, and once statuesque frame was made to seem so much vastly smaller as she denied herself food to the point of her ribs being visible beneath her mourning gown, and instead filled her stomach with wine and ale, eating but when her servants would beg her upon hand and knee to do so, and even then would she eat only rarely. 

The gauntness of her skin and its near bone white complexion were made all the worse by her choice of wearing attire of dark grays and blacks, a black suit and tie replacing the vibrant sapphire and silver of her previous attire. 

Her armor likewise bore many a change as she changed its appearance to reflect not the entirety of the ocean and it boundless beauty, but the sublime darkness of its most stygian depths, the cloak of feathers and scales replaced with a black cloak that bore a mourning veil attached to it to complete the change. 

Yet the greatest of changes to her appearance came forth in the form of a blindfold made of thick gauze and bandages that would come to be wrapped around her face, hiding away the deep sockets that had once held her wondrous eyes. 

No longer did she bear her cane out of fashion and style, but rather as a means to aid her in wandering the streets she once knew oh so well when the time came for her to at last leave behind her dimly lit home and regain her role as the ruler of her nation, spurned forth but by the notion that her languishing in the darkness bereft of sight was nowhere near enough of an act of atonement to make up for her previous failing, and that she must instead take the reigns and guide her nation both as a means of atonement and as a means of honoring the many promises she had made to her parted beloved in regards to their shared dreams of Fontaine and the world as a whole.

Although her reign would ever be but a pale shadow of what it once was, a reign that no longer aimed at true justice and order but rather upon a perversion of the ideals brought about by the hydro archons desire to escape her grief and guilt in wanton hedonism of indulging in the spectacles of the courtroom. 

It was safe to say that to her people she appeared less as the great and indefatigable justiciar of hydro that she had once been, and indeed bore more of a resemblance to a wraith or banshee risen from the deepest and most antediluvian of  graven depths to haunt them as a memento mori of their fallen Creator. 

Personality Post Shaper Death:

Yet greater still then her change in appearance was the changes to her personality and to her very ideals as a result of being unable to stop the death of the one she cherished more than any other, a death which weighed upon her as the greatest of her personals failures as she blames herself for being unable to see the intentions of those who wished to end her beloved Creator’s life. 

This feeling of failure that bore down upon her shoulders such that she could no longer hold her head high and proud, an arrogant smirk upon her face and the gleam of pride within her jeweled orbs, instead she could only ever cast her unseeing gaze upon the earth she trod upon, her shoulders ever slumped and her once haughty and proud voice that had once been as the crashing of waves now reduced to not but the most meek trickle of a river.

Gone was her arrogant revelry in the reactions of others spurned forth by a yet still present sense of brutal honesty, and instead there was nothing but a an almost hungry look to her face as people stammered and raged and wept at her scalpel like words, made all the more sharper by the grief and guilt which swirled and churned within her veins, their reactions serving to aid her in burying her own pain as she basked in their reactions. 

Although she could never escape her own grief and guilt, try as hard as she might to bury it under delight, for her cruelest words were ever reserved for herself, always coated in fresh poison and venomed barbed words to rend and tear at her heart and mind whenever she found herself with nothing to distract her mind from contemplating her own failures. 

Indeed there would come many a night when the servants of her home would hear her wailing and shriekeing and cursing and howling at herself as she smashed aside all that she could lay her hands upon, the seas of Fontaine raging with spiteful malice outside of the walls to match their ladies self loathing. 

The ears of the servants assailed by both the smashing of glass bottles and windows and mirrors, and the tearing of paper from books and scrolls that the archon had once treasured oh so dearly, but in the wake of her grief had been left to rot and mold were it not for the care of but a handful of her more faithful servants and those who would take their place when they were bid pass from the mortal plane to their due rewards. 

Yet more terrifying to them then her boundless loathing for herself and her fits of grief fueled manic rage, were the days where she would wander the halls of her home with a bottle clutched tightly in her hands, the slick of sweat and blood coating her body as she searched for more bandages to conceal her newly mutilated eyes, her shrieks of grief and madness having alerted them all to a particularly fierce fit of mania that lead to her tearing at the yet mending sockets in frenzied grief and madness. 

Many a servant would flee from her manor in horror as they saw the ichorus tears of blood flowing from the empty sockets of the Archon’s eyes as she blindly groped for cloth and gauze to hide away her newly emptied sockets, their own eyes wet with tears as they saw their archon’s mind shatter more and more with every passing day.

And those servants who would yet dare to remain out of loyalty or pity, would soon find their own tears spilling down their cheeks as they would hear her sob and scream out the name of the most holy one that she had so dearly cherished in her sleep, her words contradictory pleas to be forgiven and hated, loved and despised for her failure to protect them as she thrashed in her bed. 

Eventually there would come a day when the fear and pain and grief would drive her to submerge her grief, not just in wine and liquor, or in mere light dalliances into hedonistic delight at spectacles but in complete and absolute wanton hedonistic indulgence as she began to revel more and more in the spectacles of the courtroom, her eyesless sockets crinkling at the edges in mirth as she sipped her wine and basked in the chaos of each trial, often time making effort of her own to make the trials more…festive for her to indulge in.

Perhaps it was fate that decreed that her escape into hedonism and wonton indulgence would come to be on the anniversary of the day her beloved left the world they had both called home, a night when nightmares and memories oft left her in hysterical tears with delirious sobs mixing with maniacal laughter as she laid in the darkness. 

Or perhaps it was merely a roll of the die that left her finally casting herself to into the only escape she had left to her aside from the sweet release of death after a particularly horrid nightmare shattered the last vestiges of her restraint. 

Gone were the last lingering remnants of her facade of a refined and noble gentlewoman, and in their place were those of a sharp tongued and manipulative serpent, who lived but to indulge her desires for attention and chaotic spectacles as a means of escaping from the grief and guilt that had consumed her as a wildfire. 

No longer did she care for right or wrong, justice or injustice, they all meant little more than a temporary escape from the mire of despair she found herself sinking into as she basked in the chaotic spectacles that came forth from each of them. 

A trial of a killer became even more heady than wine to her as she listened to both sides scream and yell their arguments at each other, the calm of the courtroom vanishing with a victim’s families cry of rage as they lunged across the barriers to take justice into their own hands as they wept in rage and grief.

And even as her justiciars tried to keep order she watched in with a smile on her face and a wine bottle in her hand, drowning the screams and cries of her own grief in the sounds coming from before her.

How many times did she alter laws on a whim, just to revel in the confusion and chaos that would come from people trying to adjust to them?

How many times did she sabotage either side of a courtroom’s arguments simply to bask in the desperation and frustration?

How often did she obscure or fabricate the very truth that she had once held to be so holy and wonderful so that she may partake in the frenzied chaos of the masses searching for it?

She lost count so long ago.

Law and order, right and wrong, none of it mattered to her if the one she cherished most was not there to enjoy the fruits of their labor with her. 

It was not as if she would ever see them again, so why not allow herself this small enjoyment before the whispers of her nightmares started up again?

Post Shaper Death Quote:

“Useless!Useless!Useless!Useless!Useless!Useless!Useless!Useless! THESE DAMNED EYES ARE USELESS! How could I not See-!? How Could I not-!? I’m sorry your grace…I…AHHHH!.......These eyes…These eyes do not deserve to see the world you crafted any longer…let this…let this be my first act…of atonement…AHHHHHHHHHH!”

How did they react to learning of the Shaper’s coming return/How did they react to the Mother and Guide becoming active again:

When first she heard the whispers of most high and holy becoming active again, when she heard the word of the Falling Star which bore an aura of divine grace as they traveled across the land in search of their missing kin, Minos dismissed the words as mere hearsay and rumor, idle chatter from the masses who had nothing better than to gossip to one another as they awaited a particularly lengthy trials verdict.

And yet there did persist in her mind a lingering sense of intrigue as she pondered over the words and their validity for some time, even allowing for herself to miss some of the marvelous spectacle she had been waiting for so long, to indulge in contemplation over the validity of the words.

Eventually her intrigue over the truth of the words would peak when she reached out to her fellow archons, keen to hear their own opinion on whether or not the rumors were merely that, or if there was indeed even the most minute grain of truth to them.

Although it would not be from one of her peers that she heard the truth of the matter.

So long ago they had sat and shared wine and conversation, so so very long ago, and yet there was no doubt in her mind as to who it was that sat in her room on that moonlit night, for though her sight was no more there was within her an undeniable feeling, a certainty that stemmed forth from her very soul as to the identity of the intruder that had awoken her with the clinking of glasses being sat upon a table and the pop of a cork. 

Although the third presence she felt was a new addition to this once humble tradition shared between the two of them it bothered her little, for who was she to deny a grieving mother a chance to speak with the one who had failed her child more than any other? 

And so Minos rose from her bed, heedless of the sharp gasp that left the Mother’s lips as she gazed upon her ruined sockets, sanguine tears leaking from them as a broken and watery smile formed across the archons face, and further heedles still of the way the Guide’s own eyes became slick with tears as they saw her ragged form approach them with a broken and watery smile on her face as she took a free seat and reached out for a glass of wine.

Idly she wondered whether she should hope it would be the last one she would ever have or not.

And so she sat with two of the those she had failed so greatly so very long ago, her hand trembling as she lifted the glass of wine to her lips, wondering just what punishment they would bestow upon her, for surely it was only so that they may be the ones to meet out due wrath and retribution that they had come to grace a failure such as herself with their company.

She wondered if their presence lent true validity to the rumors she had heard, that her beloved was soon to return to the world and walk its surface once more, and if that were indeed the case then why it was that they had waited so long to remove one of the reasons that said beloved had been wrongly stripped from the world they had called home so very long ago. 

And while there was a part of her that was saddened at the thought of being unable to be there to cast herself at the feet of the one she had failed and plead and beg for their judgment to be met upon her so that she may at last be punished for her failings as opposed to being allowed to live and wander the base earth of Teyvat as she had been, there was yet a greater part of her that was glad that she would not be there to sully her beloved’s return with her presence when the time came for them to once more walk upon Teyvat.

So she raised the wine glass to her lips and savored what she felt would be her final drink as she pondered over just how her beloved would judge the nation of the woman that had failed them oh so very long ago.

And so it came as no small surprise to her when she was greeted not with scathing word and razored blade by the two holy ones, but by sadness filled words and tearful embraces as they spoke with her for the first time in oh so long.

Of what was said that moonless night it is safe to say that only 3 people will ever know the full truth of the matter, for none of the servants heard a word drift down the halls of the palace as they fell into a deathly sleep, awakening but to the rays of dawn and the ringing chime of great clock towers announcing the time to awaken. 

They could never know of how a single night seemed to last for an eternity, nor could they ever have known of the crying and yelling and the screaming, and they could likewise have never known of the way two beings had taken the broken form of their lady into their arms as they held her and comforted her. 

They would never know of the gentle words and embraces as the most high and most holy ones held her close and comforted her as they worked to mend her shattered heart and soul back together as they assured her of the coming return of her beloved Shaper, and of just how much the Shaper would wish for her faithful eyes to once more alight upon the world and for the Justiciar of Hydro to return to their side when the time came for them to return to Teyvat.

All the servants who had dared accept the offer to work within the estate of the Archon of Fontaine could ever know of that night, was of the profound effect it had upon their lady, effects which would echo across the entirety of their nation. 

The first sign that greeted them with the indication that something had changed overnight was when their lady had torn through the estate as a woman possessed, tearing down all of the thick curtains which had for so long shrouded her halls in sepulchral shadow as she ordered the estate to be aired out and cleaned from top to bottom. 

The second indication of the great change which had overtaken her the night prior was when she called forth for all of the Justiciar captains to gather within her estate for her to speak with them regarding changes that were to occur within their nation as soon as possible. 

And soon the nation of Fontaine would see the fruit of this meeting as the Justiciars once more donned armor of sapphire and silver as opposed to the mourning black they had borne upon them for generations, their fire and fervor reignited after having been dormant for oh so very long as they began to sweep across the nation with noose and blade clenched tight in their hands as their archon worked to rewrite the laws of their nation once more.

Again and again there came signs of some great change having seized her tightly as the Archon of Hydro moved to rebuild the nation that had fallen into disarray over her descent into the chasm of grief-fueled madness. 

And soon these changes came to reach a boiling point as Minos vanished within her personal shrine, the great stone doors of which having not seen one enter or leave the blessed site for so long that the shine of their inlays of precious metals and gems had been lost beneath a layer of dust so thick it made the doors appear as but faded mural on the wall, amd remained within for most of a day.

When at last she emerged from her shrine she did so bearing with her a gift that brought gasps and cries to all those who beheld it as she lifted up her head and revealed her newly restored eyes, and with them a newly restored sense of purpose. 

Perhaps in a world where there was but the Shaper and no Mother or Guide it was instead the fateful meeting with a distant Star that yet searched for the truth of the world that instead instilled in the broken Justiciar a newly rekindled flame that would lead her down the path to retaking her mantle as the Justiciar of Hydro once more. 

What actions have they taken since learning of the Shaper’s coming return/What do they plan to do upon their return:

As news of the Shaper’s impending return began to seize the nations of Teyvat it would be safe to say that there were fewer nations where change was more visible than within the borders of Fontaine as the Hydro Archon and her Justicars began their work anew. 

Laws were repealed and rewritten with such speed and precision that many were left wondering if they had even existed as they had previously at all, judges and lawyers and legal advisors were coast into a frenzy as they had to hurriedly rewrite the books and codes that they had followed for so long into something that their newly reinvigorated Archon deemed more worthy of the nation of Justice. 

And it was not just laws that began to change, as the Archon of Justice soon began to call forth all of the artists and inventors of her nation to begin their work with greater fervor and yet also greater care, for soon there would be a time when the one she cherished most of all would wish to see not a nation of polluted waters and vainglorious wastes of paint and parchment and marble, but a land of progress and culture as it had been long ago.

Besides, she was not about to allow for the Cryo Archon to seize their Shaper’s attention with the advancement of her nations technology and arts without a fight, her nation had been the most cultured and advanced one of the archons in the past and she would see it become it once more or she would at least give it effort enough to startle the Cryo Archon into doing the same. 

She felt she owed the woman for all of the stunts she had been able to pull without her gaze here to hold her accountable for her actions.

At the same time as she began to send for all of her nations artists to begin their work on either restoring some of the greatest works of her nation that had long since fallen into disrepair, she had likewise began to order for them to begin construction on newer sites of worship and galleries of their greatest artwork in addition to commanding her brightest minds to insure that the brilliance of Fontaine’s technology was second but to Celestia itself. 

It was sufficient to say that she had begun to whip her nation and herself into a frenzy as she began to make herself and her land ready for the return of her beloved Shaper.

As she looked out over her nation from the top of her estate, perched as it was to overlook the nation from the top of a great waterfall, she could only hope that her nation would be ready to meet the standards of the Shaper’s gaze when they returned to their domain. 

She knew that when the time came for her beloved to once more walk the freshly cleaned streets of cobbled stone, when the time came for her beloved to cast her gaze to the newly made lantern posts, styled as the tendrils of a great kraken with electro slime resin acting as light sources, and when the time came for her to at last stand before her and cast her divine gaze upon her unworthiest of forms she would accept even the cruelest and harshest of judgements from the one she had failed so greatly. 

She knew that she would never deny the wrath and judgment of the one she had failed so long ago should she wish to visit her divine fury upon her base form. She knew that she would not lift a single hand to defend herself should her beloved come to raise her hand against her, that she would merely bow her head and accept whatever punishment her beloved wished to grace her with. 

But if she was met not with wrath and fury, not with nail and blade, and with tooth and hateful gaze, then she knew very well what she would do. She knew that she would take her beloved’s hand into her own and place a kiss to it as she had done so long ago, that she would offer her arm for her beloved to grasp onto as she had done long ago as she took her beloved on a tour of her reborn nation once again. 

She knew that she would once more guide the shaper down the streets of Fontaine, happy to point out the new inventions that her engineers had concocted over the years, to point out the new statues and paintings and sculptures made by the great artists of her land in preparation for their coming return. 

Likewise she knew that she would be all too happy to guide her beloved to her estate, careful to take them into her arms as she did so, both so that she could savor the warmth of her beloved so close to her and so that said beloved did not slip on the ivory stones of the stairway, which oft found themselves becoming slick with water from the twin waterfalls that broke off from the great waterfall her estate was built near. 

And most of all she knew that she would be happy to sit her beloved down in their favorite armchair, she had kept it under layers of blankets in a sealed guest room, and set them down on the chair as she poured them a drink before she took hero own seat and poured herself a drink before she finally gave voice to those feelings that had been tearing her apart for oh so long. 

It would be no grand and over the top romantic display like what she imagined the Tsaritsa would pull, but that was quite alright to her, a quiet intimate moment between the two of them shared over drinks in the confines of her home after spending the day and night together wandering the streets of her nation and taking in all it had to offer was all she could ever ask for and more.  

Appearance Pre Shaper Return:

Gone were the dark mourning dresses and suits, the blacks and grays of stillness and decay and mourning grief were cast aside in place of her sapphire and silver attire once more, although she did deign to keep some of the dresses and suits for she would inevitably have need of them when she began her campaign to make sure all was well and ready for her god’s return. 

That and she did quite like some of the designs on them. 

Once more she donned armor and clothing of silver and sapphire, her jewel like eyes gleaming as they took in the nation before them once more as the Justiciar of Hydro contemplated the lengths that she would have to go to in order to cleanse her nation of the lawlessness and filth of corruption that had come to take up residence within it during her spiral into despair. 

Already she could see the rivers of her land regaining their clarity as her powers surged forth to spirit away their corruption into the deepest recess of vaults carved to hold close the filth and detritus of her nations march forward, and yet she was left wondering if it would be a better idea to wait to cleanse the rivers until she was done with her internal audit of her land.

After all, it would be rather redundant to remove pollution from machinery and mining only to replace it with pollution from the blood and bile of corpses now wouldn’t it. 

Personality Pre Shaper Return:

Pulled from the mire and muck of her despair much of who she was before the demise of her cherished Shaper has been returned to her, from her thirst for knowledge and hunger for the truth, to her refined and elegant demeanor.

Although that is not to say that the darker parts of her personality had completely vanished, for her tongue was yet a venomed guillotine ready to fall upon the necks of any who dared to displease her in any way as she set about rebuilding her nation into something that she and her beloved could enjoy. 

And there was within her a lingering joy at the spectacle of the courtroom, though now it was more geared towards the verdict and to the desperate cries of the sinners and heretics and corrupt fools that had come to infest her nation like maggots would a rotting corpse while she languished in her grief and melancholy fueled madness, and even more enjoyment she soon found when she decided on whether it would be the noose or the guillotine that the guilty party found themselves meeting.

And indeed it was her sense of justice that had been more affected by the darkness she had found herself falling into amidst her grief and self-loathing and madness than anything else, for she found herself evelling more and more in the process of…ridding her land and indeed all of Teyvat of the faithless and the lawless heretics that had come to infest the world during her depression.

A task that she found to ever grow in scale and scope as she soon she found herself needing the comfort of her wines and books more and more as she uncovered ever deeper webs of corruption and heresy that had spread not just throughout her own domain, but the domains of her fellows, even to that seemingly omniscient Tsaritsa’s own nation. 

And so it was that she gathered her fellows and laid bare before them all of her findings, and after an argument, that seemed to last for the very eternity that Beelzebub was so determined to obtain, she was given the clearance she needed to begin her most ambitious undertaking yet, a feat that would help in making the lands of Teyvat and their people ready for the coming day of reunion with the most holy.

Now all she needed to do was to select a proper time and location for the speech she would give before she began her great endeavor. 

Afterall, shouldn't the start of a crusade be something done in a spectacular manner?

Pre Shaper Return Quote:

“Behold, for by the grace of the Mother, The Guide, and The Shaper am I once more the Divine Judge! Once more do The eyes of God behold this world and see well how its beauty has been tarnished by the filth of the guilty and abhorrent who dare to blaspheme the radiance of the most holy! 

Let the gallows be readied and the blades of the guillotines be sharpened! Let the Justicars don their armor and take up their arms anew for once more shall we bring law and order to this world! 

Let the rivers run crimson and the oceans turn sanguine, let their blood and flesh be an offering to the most high and holy! May the guilty find atonement in death for no longer shall their lives be tolerated! 

Now go and spread forth law and order to this world once more, from Snezhnaya to Mondstadt shall we march till the trees are full and the crows upon faithless and heretic feast! 

May the Guide be ready with their scythe for the time has come for the crops of the rotten souls of the faithless to be reaped and set to suffer eternally amidst the wailing darkness of the abyss as the souls of the faithful are elevated unto the heavens!

May the Mother turn upon their homes her wrath and fury and lay them low until not even their foundations are left to sully the world of the Shaper’s design with their contaminated presences!

And may the gaze of the Shaper be upon us as we wipe clean the filth and detritus of the heretic and the apostate and the infidel from their masterpiece! 

Your holiness watch over us and know that never again shall my eyes fail you, for soon shall they once more see your radiance. 

Let our crusade begin!”

#Genshin #genshin impact #genshin impact sagau #sagau #genshin self aware #genshin self aware au #self aware au #genshin impact headcanons #headcanons and theories #sagau headcanons #hydro archon #hydro archon headcanons

[thatscarletflycatcher]

I have started watching the 1990s Doctor Finlay series recently, and it's been such an interesting experience. Such an odd mixture of interesting choices and trite writing, touching domesticity and horrors juxtaposed in the most jarring way imaginable, intentional stock characterization and accidental nuanced characterization, all at once.

The character of Doctor Finlay originally belongs to a series of stories written by family doctor turned novelist, A.J. Cronin. The difficulty of using them as source is that there's little to no continuity or consistency between the different sets of stories, and the quality of their writing also varies wildly. To complicate things further, the BBC had made an adaptation of sorts that had been very popular (getting to a run of seven seasons, most of it being lost media to us) in the late 60s and early 70s. The creators of this series managed this difficulty pretty cleverly: they picked up the most popular constants of its predecessors (Dr. Finlay, his older medical partner Dr. Cameron, their housekeeper Janet, the setting of the small Scottish town, Tannachbrae) and set this new series after wwii, loosely tying the continuity to the first compilation of stories through the standing engagement of Finlay and a local nurse (Peggy Angus in the stories, Brenda Meitland in the series).

This choice opens so many interesting directions for the series to explore. In the original setting, Finlay was still very much the youngish doctor under the wing of his older partner. Here we have a man who has spent the last 7 years of his life in the Army and is now in his early 40s. The NHS is about to be founded and turn upside down the practice of medicine as it had been known in Britain for a very, very long time. There's post war rationing and post war depression and post war just... grappling with life for so many people.

The writing has a general idea that these are ideas to take advantage of for engaging plots and nuanced characterization, and then it takes them in trite directions, and accidentally stumbles upon a good character bit through them.

So, for example, on the first episode, they set this cyclical aspect of the older-younger medical partner: Dr Cameron retires, tricking Finlay into taking in Dr Neil, a young, headstrong, cocky, irritating man as his partner, the same way Cameron took Finlay in before. But then, you see, Ian Bannen is such a star, and people like the character so much, so he keeps hanging around and butting in in the practice and giving his opinion in cases so much so that sometimes you are staring at the screen like "didn't this man retire on the first episode of the series?". But this pragmatic choice leads accidentally to more realistic characterization, because we all know the kind of person who rants about how much they want to retire, and then once they do they are itchy and become nosy and try to tell people how to do their former job.

The introduction of Dr Neil is another clever choice. You get ample space to develop an interesting dynamic between two people that begin very antagonistically, but that must assume mentor-mentoree roles and in the process warm up to each other and learn from each other. But don't worry! The series chooses to basically keep their storylines separate, succeeding into having Dr. Neil leave the series for good by the end of s2, his personal relationship with Finlay being not very different from the one they had at the very beginning, and having as character development that... apparently he's too sensitive for general practice (nevermind that his first pronounced character trait as shown in the series is... having a callous every man for himself attitude).

I'm not going to deny that he provides some emotional moments, and some chuckle worthy sense that he had more chemistry with nurse Maitland's actress, who was 10 years his senior, than she had with Finlay's, who was in turn 8 years older than her.

Nurse Maitland, though. What a mismanaged character. It's not an uncommon tale, that of people coming to the other side of war so changed that they are unrecognizable to those who were their close intimates. Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries manages this trope excellently in the character of Jack Robinson. This series does not.

Doctor Finlay and nurse Maitland were engaged before the beginning of the war. It's now the middle of 1946, and Finlay is finally being demobbed from the British occupied zone in Berlin. They have been engaged for 7 years. The series wants you to assume they somehow had no opportunity to marry or break up in all this time, as if Finlay would have always been abroad and never on leave home during all that time. But, reader, there's more. She's abandoned him for an American officer, down to being engaged to said officer, and has not told him.

Why, do you ask? well, on one hand to maximize the angst of Finlay coming home, expecting to see her at the train station to welcome him, and she's not there. Asking to people about her and looking for her and not finding her. Having to hear it in person from her, onscreen, when he's running towards her to hold her and kiss her. On the other hand it was a lazy attempt at a break-up-to-make-up plot, because we are not giving up on having that sweet sweet romance plot. Of course this creates a tiny little problem called "oh, wow, this character sucks and I'm not interested in seeing her get back together with him" in the audience. And then, what's this, "these two actors have no onscreen chemistry romantic or otherwise whatsoever" with a chair!

The series tries all through season one. It really tries. It even does the "Character must make a decision to either leave for their new life or stay on" routine, down to the last minute stay behind because she feels she cannot leave her people and the town that loves her so much. But it cannot be helped. It is not working. The first episode sets it up very tropely. He protests that they loved each other enough to want to spend their lives together. That there was love and passion. She insists that it was only inertia and convention. Conventional audience wisdom tells you that he'll be proven right in the end. He'll be miserable. She'll be reminded of all she loved about him and the flame will be rekindled. Reader, he's fine. He's devastated for 5 minutes on the first episode and then it never comes up again until pretty much the end of the second season when it is brought up as a provocation in a brawl. He's fine. She was right.

BUT what this accidentally does is provide depth of characterization for Finlay! He lacks emotional self awareness (he thinks of himself as very much in love and very heartbroken, but his everyday reactions moving forward prove otherwise), but he's a faithful, conscientious, devoted, generous and forgiving person! He's been writing to her for quite a while, taking time from his busy day while probably receiving no or very vague and tepid responses, because that's what a loving fiancé does. He's coming home and planning first and foremost on seeing her, because that's what a loving fiancé does. He's very sad and hurt at her betrayal, but he doesn't grow violent, or vengeful or spiteful towards her, and treats her with all professional respect when work brings them together, without special coldness or stiffness. Nevermind that the writers wrote it this way to smooth out their romance plot; they just accidentally gave him endearing virtues that are not dissonant with his real defects of character (lack of self awareness, professional pride, gruffness, being prone to getting himself on tight spots, laser focus on something to the detriment of everything else, black&white assessment of people's characters).

It doesn't always succeed upwards, though. On episode 5 of the first season, we get a subplot of Dr Cameron helping at the German POW outside the town. It would have been an excellent opportunity to contrast Dr Cameron's (likely a wwi veteran) thoughts and feelings about Germany and the Germans with how Finlay, a wwii veteran sees them, and develop some conflict out of it with the chosen subplot. Alas, Finlay cannot be reached by this plotline because he's having an affair with a patient. The butcher's wife. Affair he fell into after she became emotionally distressed at a consult. His own conscience aided by Janet and Dr Cameron helps breaking it off before it goes way too far, but not before the butcher catches wind of it. Somehow Finlay still has a practice at the end of it. Meanwhile during this episode Dr. Neil... *checks notes* hangs around and attends an NHS promotion thingy in Finlay's place.

Wouldn't... wouldn't it make much more sense for dr Neil to have an affair like the one in this episode? you know, a doctor who can pack and leave whenever he wants? A young man that we have started to see gets easily emotionally involved with his patients? One who wouldn't notice how far into the mess he is until it is too late? Wouldn't it make for better storytelling if we found Finlay pressed between the drama of Dr Cameron's POW plot and Dr Neil's affair, trying to mediate and manage both, and maybe exploding a little in the end?

It's not that it doesn't make sense for Finlay to have a moral and emotional fall at this point in his life: he's been horribly betrayed by the woman he hoped to marry -she loved him less than she loved her American man, and she loved her American man less than she loved her patients and neighbours, so where does that live poor Finlay in the love scale-; he's "lost" 7 years of his life. He's having to readjust to civilian life and the small scale of his new-old work. His mentor has "retired", his junior partner is of little help and in need of guidance. His housekeeper, several years older than him, is on the brink of marriage. What doesn't make sense is that the narrative doesn't use any of these motivations for that end, and relies on naiveté and distraction and pity to try and keep the character sympathetic. But it doesn't work because he's old enough and experienced enough to know better.

These are just some of the many fascinating things about the writing of the first two seasons of this peculiar series.

#doctor finlay #it gets better on s3 #but boy the first two seasons #I needed to talk about them #I've been rotating all these confusing decisions in my mind since I watched those episodes #pondering them even #long post

[coolchevistianofficialsite]

What are your thoughts on Disney TVA's upcoming lineup (Primos, Zombies The Re-Animated Series, StuGo, Cookies & Milk, Rhona Who Lives By The River, Sam Witch, Dog & Frog, SuperStar, The Witchverse, InterCats, Fantasy Sports, Neon Galaxy, La Familia Avenunes, Journey and the Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin reboots by Seth Rogen?

1- Primos

Mira mijo para mí toda la polémica estuvo bien pendeja, ya que todo el crew del show fue puesto en el mismo saco de boxeo por las declaraciones de Myrna Velasco, como persona que conoce a Natasha Kline desde su trabajo en Big City Greens te puedo asegurar por Dieguito Maradona que no es un demonio como otras personas en el internet la están poniendo.

El show NO es sobre la cultura mexicana es sobre la cultura chicana en Los Angeles y como persona que se vio el piloto filtrado antes de que un chistosito lo subiera para crear bardo te digo que es lo mas harmless y inocentón del mundo, los que se están quejando son gente que solo lo hace para crear ragebait y farmear vistas.

2- Zombies The Re-Animated Series

Not really my thing since the movies where "eh" for me but those days i was sick, so i recall the songs, happy for Aliki and the team tho, probably will watch it when i rewatch the films.

3- StuGo

Really interested for this one specially since this one is slated to be Disney TVA's 100th Series, so im curious if Disney will have some kind of event planned besides that, the synopsis is interesting also this show had multiple people of Jellystone! and the crew from the axed CN movie Driftwood on board, so i think it will be interesting as the show saved this people from being jobless.

Just realized that is called "STUGO" beacuse they are STUdents stuck three months on a wild tropical island, so they need to "GO".

Heh. It's like a pun or something. Heheh.

4 - Cookies & Milk

Apparently this is the second project from the Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur EPs, i wonder how will they handle a down to earth slice of life series, imagine if they hire Flying Bark again becoming their first slice of life project with the Rise/LEGO/MGADD animation lol

5- Rhona Who Lives By The River

I like how the concept art has a Cartoon Saloon vibe and wondering how will translate to stop-motion which is interesting, i like Karen Gillian for her role as Nebula on GOTG trilogy, what i wonder is how Disney will handle the show with the Elfman scandal, will they quietly drop it without any mention of Elfman like MAX did with Fired on Mars EP or finding a new composer for Season 2.

6- The Witchverse

I played the VR short recently and OMG is so cute and adorable, the world they created has a big potential for multiple storylines, hoping S1 is more focused on Magda, Sasha (Yeah they have to change her name) and her mother, their relationship was so adorable, hope Daisy Ridley returns for the full series.

7- InterCats

Apparently this will be Disney's first workplace comedy series for YA audiences and it sounds cute, apparently is co-created by one of the Nimona screenwritters Pamela Ribon, so that's a plus.

8- Fantasy Sports

Super looking forward to this one, i loved the original novels and hoping Disney makes justice to Sam Bosma's world and characters, i can see Wiz and Mug becoming perfect additions to crosspromotion events at ESPN.

9- SuperStar

BTW just like to mention that i named it SuperStar as a placeholder title, the show dosn't have a name as of yet, based on the cast call we can see that Alejandra is latina so maybe it's a mixture between MGADD and Hannah Montana, wonder which person created the show.

10.- Journey

Since we don't know it's creator is very hard to tell what to expect BUT the synopsis is interesting kinda a awnser to LEGEND OF VOX MACHIMA but more family friendly, im wonder if this is the project created by Amy Hudkins, Ian Mutchler and Jonathon Wallach since they like Dungeons and Dragons, Legend Of Zelda and Magic The Gathering.

11- La Familia Avenúñez

It's a spin-off of The Proud Family Louder And Prouder with a latino cast pues suena chido la vdd, esperemos que cuando se anuncie no ocurra lo mismo que Primos.

12 - Dog And Frog, Neon Galaxy, Sam Witch

They don't have creator or synopsis as of yet besides a title revealed via a trademark, so it's hard to give overall thoughts

13- Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin Reboots

After TMNT Mutant Mayhem, The Boys, The Boys Diabolical and Invincible im confident that Rogen's team will do Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin justice and wishing good luck to the crew behind them.

#question #anonymous #disney television animation #disney tva #dtva #disney tv animation #Primos #Disney Primos #StuGo #Disney StuGo #Cookies And Milk #Darkwing Duck #Darkwing Duck Reboot #The Witchverse #Witchverse #Journey #Sam Witch #Dog & Frog #Neon Galaxy #SuperStar #Fantasy Sports #La Familia Avenúñez #TaleSpin #TaleSpin Reboot

[redeyeflyguy]

Wonderful Things That May Or May Not Be Wonderful I have written about many things on this wonderful blog but one thing I have not written about and had no intention of writing about is people. Outside of a few R.I.P.s, I wanted to stay away from praising people themselves and focus on the work that those people have given us. But, now, I’m breaking that rule. Why? Well, for a couple of years, I’ve known about a YouTube channel called Schaffrillas Productions run by a man named James Phyrillas. I’ve watched many of his videos or had them playing in the background while I’ve worked or drawn, especially nowadays. His videos introduced me to musical theater, re-introduced me to how great the Shrek franchise actually is (minus the Third), his YouTube Poops made me laugh so gosh darn hard and much more. Heck, I even respect how after his big Disney Ranking video, he started highlighting other creators with differing opinions to his. That’s pretty admirable. I was excited to see what he’d do next. And then, last night, after seeing a thumbnail that said “So about Schaffrillas…” I decided out of paranoia to check the guy’s Twitter and…I found out that just that day, he was in a car crash. A car crash that put him in critical condition and killed both his best friend and co-creator, Chris, and his brother and collaborator, Patrick. Last time, I checked James is currently alive and stable but ...that stings. I…have difficulty processing it. I can’t even imagine what he must be going through. I can scarcely imagine what those closest to him, Patrick and Chris must be going through. I do not know James personally but through me consuming the content he has created, I feel that I’ve formed a bond with him and I know that the mixture of shock, fear and sadness that I am feeling is real. I’m sure that millions could say the same thing about James or any other content creator they’ve watched. I hope he gets better. I hope his loved ones get better. I truly, truly hope everyone involved in this tragedy gets better regardless of what happens after. I know this may not mean much but James, you are wonderful and so were Chris and Patrick. Rest in peace and my deepest condolences. As for what video I wish to link, I’m going to go with the first video of his that I ever watched: Why Shrek 2 is a Perfect Sequel. Watch if you’d like and if you do like, there are many other videos to check out.

After some thought, I'd also like to link the video "Why Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is a Perfect Adaptation" since it's a video that James and his brother did together.

#wonderful #schaffrillas productions #james phryillas #spacechris 7 #chris schaffer #pappy g #patrick phryillas #rest in piece #shrek 2 #perfect sequel #car accident #if it's true #Youtube

[writtenjewels]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

5. Ritual Children (Fatal Frame 2) Fatal Frame 2 was my first exposure to the series and I absolutely fell in love with it. I loved the mixture of tragedy and horror and all the world-building of this village and its rituals. This fic focused on the Kiryu twins (Akane and Azami) and follows from their birth to death. It's years old now but I'm still proud of my first real dip into the horror/tragedy genre. I debated between this and "Vita e Morte" as number 5, but I like this one a bit more since I got to experiment with horror and really flesh out the tragedy of the story.

4. The View from Here (The Greatest Showman) From the first time I saw The Greatest Showman in theaters, I loved it. It's a very tough call between this and West Side Story on which is my favorite movie musical. The music, the choreography, the story, and the celebration of dreamers really touched me. This fic focused on the relationship between Philip Carlyle and Anne Wheeler, going a little beyond the story in the musical. I put this at #4 because I really enjoyed converting the musical numbers into written dialogue. Plus I got to develop Anne and Philip's relationship beyond what we see in the movie.

3. Inside Eternity (Heroes) Heroes was one of the first fandoms I remember really getting into when the internet became commonly used for such things. I love superhero stories so this one about more ordinary people gaining powers was cool. This fic focused on Peter Petrelli and Gabriel "Sylar" Gray while they were trapped in Sylar's mindscape in season four. Even at the time, I saw that episode as fan-service (Pylar was a VERY popular ship in the fandom) so of course i took advantage. This is a unique one since I didn't really have a plan for where the story was going at first, but as people commented on the chapters I took their suggestions as inspiration. It was a really fun collaboration between me and my readers.

2. Someone (Mass Effect) I was a little late to learning about Mass Effect, only playing it once all three games were out. Now it's one of my favorite video game series. Who doesn't love a space adventure story that takes inspiration from so many other space adventures? This fic is focused on Kaidan Alenko and John Shepard (Paragade Earthborn War Hero) as their relationship develops over the trilogy. I'm ranking this so high because it's my go-to romance whenever I play. Kaidan is my favorite character and I love his relationship with Shepard. I also like it because I got to write a slow-burn that really developed their friends-to-lovers dynamic

Living with Ghosts (House of Ashes) Like most people, I got into the DPA because I enjoyed Until Dawn and wanted to see more from the developers. Little Hope is my favorite but House of Ashes captured my imagination with its well-written characters. This fic follows the aftermath of Jason being infected by the dead alien he inhales. This is my #1 because without even meaning to, I put a lot of myself and my own processing into it. It has personal, special meaning to me because of that.

So those are my top 5 favorite fics I've written. Sorry I don't know who to pass this on to, but if you are a content creator (writer, artist, etc) feel free to list your top five favorite pieces anyway. We are our own worst critics so it's important for us to acknowledge the things we're proud of.

[thegreaterlink]

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season 3 Overview

This photo looks really awkward for some reason.

Anyway, three seasons down, four to go.

Y'all know the drill by now - every episode goes into good, bad or mediocre categories, followed by favourite and least favourite episode of the season then ranking the whole thing out of ten.

You might also have noticed that some 6/10 episodes are still marked as mediocre. That’s because these are based on a mixture of both an episode’s objective quality and my personal enjoyment of them.

For example, “Transfigurations” is objectively a decent episode, as reflected in its 6/10 score, but my actual enjoyment was more on the 4 or 5 range. Hope that makes sense.

Obligatory link to my ranking system.

"MAKE IT SO!" - THE GOOD

Evolution

The Ensigns of Command

The Survivors

Who Watches the Watchers?

The Bonding

The Enemy

The Vengeance Factor

The Defector

The Hunted

The High Ground

Déja Q

A Matter of Perspective

Yesterday's Enterprise

The Offspring

Hollow Pursuits

Sarek

The Best of Both Worlds - Part 1

"SHIELDS UP!" - THE MEDIOCRE

Booby Trap

The Price

Sins of the Father

Allegiance

Tin Man

The Most Toys

Ménage à Troi

Transfigurations

"ABANDON SHIP!" - THE BAD

Captain’s Holiday

THE BEST EPISODE

While Déja Q is probably my favourite episode of the season, Hollow Pursuits is objectively the best.

I never would've imagined an episode focused on a character we'd never seen before could be so compelling, but that just goes to show how great this series can be with the right effort put in.

Barclay thankfully never slips into the kind of snivelling little shit stain behaviour that I first feared, instead being the easier-said-than-done archetype of "clumsy but means well" that you can really root for. I hope we see more of him (and more episodes of this quality) in the future.

THE WORST EPISODE

Golly gee, so much choice.

But yeah, you all knew this was coming. It's Captain's Holiday.

You want to do a fun breather episode? Fine. This season has two of those, and the other one is a solid 8/10.

The key difference is that episode is actually funny, and wasn't just the creators trying to find an excuse to have scantily-clad women on set. Unless you count John de Lancie entering the episode completely naked and showing bulge for the rest of it, but that's matter of opinion. Think of it like your favourite anime doing a beach episode and trying to pretend it serves a purpose outside of fanservice.

I guess if you want to be pedantic about it, Vash apparently shows up again in both a later episode and an episode of Deep Space Nine, so this could be seen as essential viewing for her little arc. Because out of all the side characters we've had so far, clearly she was the one begging to be brought back.

I'll at least give this episode credit for the entertainment value of the whole crew tricking Picard into taking a day off as well as some fun time travel shenanigans, but that's about all it has to offer.

Still, if you ever find yourself home alone with like 40 minutes to kill... then there are a ton of better episodes in this season alone to help you pass the time.

FINAL RANKING

7/10 - Pretty good.

Considering we only had a single truly bad episode in the entire season, I'd say we're definitely improving. Unfortunately a lot of those other episodes were still floating around the 4-6 range, so we’re not quite there yet.

Previous Episode | TNG Masterpost | Next Episode

#star trek #star trek tng #star trek the next generation #star trek review #star trek tng review #season overview

[madstars-festival]

Creative Spotlight : Pascal Cubb

Self made entrepreneur and creativity expert Pascal Cubb is the President of IAA France, and the CEO/Founder of the events agency Sunglasses, Pascal is also the Producer of the "Chatons d'Or" creativity festival. We sat down with Pascal to find a bit more about his profile.

Pascal tell us….

When did you find out you were a creative?

I still haven't found out! I think I'm more of a "creator" (of content, event, concepts,...) than a creative. The difference? I often have ideas but I only sometimes try to accomplish them. A creative person mainly has ideas. He imagines, draws, without necessarily accomplishing his "dream".

If you hadn’t become a creative, what might you be doing now?

I would become a "creator" (laughs). More seriously, without a doubt I would have become some sort of "artist".

Who were your childhood heroes?

I've never really had a "hero"... I have a kind of admiration for personalities like Albert Einstein, Nelson Mandela, Simone Veil, Mother Theresa... but I've never ordered a "super hero" costume for Christmas.

Your main strengths as a creative person?

I never give up... "if I lower my arms, they'll cut off my head!"

 Your main weakness as a creative person?

 Perhaps I'm lazy... I like to procrastinate, way too much

 What industry trends are you most pumped about?

 The collective awareness... the need to change the paradigm, to commit, to take our responsibilities and to try to go in the right direction. The road is still long... our paradoxes are still too many.

You founded Sunglasses in 2014 an events and production agency, what can you share with us about your entrepreneurial journey?

 I created Sunglasses (a content and events production) after losing my company (Cübb)... and losing everything personally too. I've created more than 10 companies in my professional career, with ups and downs, but I think Sunglasses won't be the last... One thing is for sure, I have a lot of experience now!

As an entrepreneur, I expect you have hit some drawbacks as well as major successes. How do you handle the pressure? and how do you transform failures into successes?

I don’t really have a magic solution but I learned a lot from my failures. I believe this is essential.  Stay curious, brave and always move forward even if the situation is difficult.

In terms of pressure, I think that an entrepreneur must know how to master it. Otherwise, it is better to avoid starting a business or leaving one where you are employed…

You were a jury for MAD STARS 2022, do you have any advice for junior creatives who are trying to impact the industry?

Engage yourself! Be curious, take risks, dare!!

What’s the next big thing in advertising according to you?

As I often repeat, advertising is a powerful weapon, let's use it, together, to change the world!

You are president of IAA international Advertising Association of France, what’s your hot take on the creative industry in France? How does it differentiate from other markets?

The French creative industry is incredibly strong, I think, without being chauvinistic, that it is one of the largest and most influential in the world. French creative agencies are among the most rewarded each year at the Lions. The French Creatives are recognized worldwide. There is undoubtedly a particular French history, a different positioning... Between the influence of the "Enlightenment", of the "Renaissance", this mixture of our Latin roots and the current predominant Anglo-Saxon tendencies in our industry, I think the famous French Touch is the French markets key differentiating factor.

As president of IAA, your role is to facilitate the growth of the creative industry in France, could you tell us a little about how the IAA helps with this?

The IAA's mission is to be the "Global Compass" of our industry. The entire advertising industry.

We have a very influential international and transversal network.

We exchange a lot, it's a large global community. We share the same values and vision. We inspire the leaders by showing the best practices, we share our experiences (positive and negative) with personalities, we collaborate with our members (4.000 in the world) and the various players in the advertising industry. 

In 2023 the creative industry is expected to undergo a downturn, do you agree with these forecasts? What's your take on how 2023 will be for the industry?

We are the compass of the industry, not the crystal ball! ;)

There are many uncertainties, fears and rather worrying economic factors. How this will evolve in 2023... time will tell.

The world is in full mutation. These periods are always difficult to grasp. But our industry is inherently creative and very innovative.

I hope that 2023 will make us evolve towards meaning and commitment that our industry takes its responsibilities and plays its role, fully.

[deaniiqn258]

The Best Kept Secrets About business names for sale

1. Make use of aconyms

Utilizing a collection of initials is actually a prominent technique for calling your organization. A great deal of significant firms use acronyms rather than their full labels-- it is actually less complicated to bear in mind. Take UPS (United Package Company) or even BBC (British Transmitting Corporation), for instance. If your company is actually called 'Pearce Advertising and marketing Firm,' consider going by PMA.

2. Generate mash-ups

One of the very most imaginative techniques to generate fantastic company title concepts is to utilize a mash-up. A label like "SaladGo" promptly shows that you are actually running a restaurant that focuses in salads-to-go ... all in merely three speech sounds.

3. Pull inspiration coming from folklore as well as literary works

Nike is just one of the most legendary labels as well as in Classical mythology, she is actually the deity of victory. Other prominent firms like Oracle, Hermés and Mars possess mythological names, too. If you are actually thinking about just how to call a business using mythology, our company advise performing some study to observe if there's a mythological amount that relates to your business.

Perhaps you manage a red or white wine store -is actually there one thing you can do along with 'Bacchus' to call your label? Or, allow's claim you are actually receiving prepared to introduce a make-up brand name -possibly you can easily channel Aphrodite, the siren of charm.

4. Make use of international terms

Another artistic method to find up with organization label concepts is actually to incorporate a non-native language. This can make your organization seem to be exotic and impressive, along with unforgettable for potential clients. Maybe it is actually a salon business names for sale along with a French name or even a herbal tea shop with a Japanese one.

Photo of calling cards: 1. Usage phrases, 2. Produce mash-ups, 3. Attract creativity from mythology as well as literature, 4. Make use of foreign phrases

5. Use your own label

It's your business ... why not combine your personal title? Lots of prominent companies use the maker's name-- like Ben & Jerry's gelato (named after BenCohen and Chamber Pot Greenfield), or even Boeing (named after creator William Boeing).

6. Look at a chart

Get encouraged due to the globe-- we're supposing you've listened to of Amazon, the Internet retail giant. It takes place to become called after the biggest river on earth.

7. Mix things up

Try mixing ideas 5 and also 6-- can you incorporate component of your title along with component of an area, like IKEA owner Ingvar Kamprad? He mixed his label along with his home town, Elmtaryd Agunnaryd.

8. Companion with another firm

Whether you're partnering with another business owner or even combining with an additional company, mixture items from each titles to produce a new one. When Twentieth Century Pictures and also Fox Movie Corporation combined, they just ended up being 20th Century Fox.

Picture of organization cards: 5. Utilize your personal title, 6.

9. Leverage labels.

Have you gone by 'Ali' your whole life? Use this as your firm's title for a private touch. Or even, utilize your child's name or nickname for an emotional (as well as impactful) trademark name. Mercedes was called after the creator's child.

10. Make use of an icon.

One more method to come upwith a business title is to attract inspiration coming from a symbol or crucial element of your work. A label like Naturol connects the company as well as is actually very easy to consider. (Small company win-win!).

11. Make it descriptive.

When you deal with your company, whatare the words that describe it greatest? Document all of your choices, and imagine how these phrases may suit your brand-new company logo or banner. Think about 7-Eleven: the title right away informs you what's unique concerning their company (they level coming from 7AM-11PM everyday).

12. Make use of latin.

Possibly you presumed Latin lesson in institution was actually a waste of opportunity ... but suppose you could utilize your learnings to craft a label for your business? This foreign language is actually an excellent resource for service title ideas, like Volvo (" I roll") as well as Acer (" sharp," "capable"). Opt for a term in Latin that represents your business, like Luxus for a luxurious retail brand name or Sanus for a health-food store.

Image of calling card: 9. Utilize nicknames, 10. Utilize an icon, 11. Produce it descriptive, 12. Make use of latin.

13. Take a look at your item coming from an additional slant.

Take a go back coming from your item and observe if it advises you of anything else. Possibly you're beginning a cosmetics firm, and notice that your make-up combinations resemble flowers. Why certainly not use that in the brand?

14. Abbreviate.

[letsloveimagines]

Title: Crush II

Pairing: Corpse Husband x fem!youtuber!reader

Collab with: @the-winter-sxldier-posts

Requested by: Anonymous

Request:  You HAVE to write a part 2 of crush where they meet! It would be so cuteeee!

Word Count: 1667

Warnings: a little swearing but mostly fluff

Note: The images doesn’t belong to me, all the credits go to the respective creators. I only made the collage. Also, I will not make anything to make Corpse uncomfortable, if he ends saying he doesn’t like fanfiction about him, I will delete this.

Part I: Here

                                                           ♦⋅☆⋅♦ Y/N pressed her left foot on the clutch pedal, turned the car key and heard the engine roaring loudly afterwards. She added the address on the GPS, looked at herself in the mirror for a moment taking a deep breath, trying to stay calm and focused. She put the car in first gear, and started driving from her apartment complex's private parking lot to the main road.

As her small and comfortable car drove through the streets of Los Angeles, the girl kept listening to what was on the radio. Every now and then, her stomach would churned with nervousness but she would take a deep breath and smile uncertainly to herself, trying to convince herself that everything would be okay.

Fed up with the podcast she was listening to, turned her car's Bluetooth on when she had to stop at a red traffic light, she switched to her current favorite Playlist.

Distracted by the music and humming softly accompanied by Rihanna's voice, she put the first gear back on, moving the car forward when the traffic light turned green, quickly shifting to the second and then putting on the third.

Her mind was racing, however.

Life had gone well since that specific day... since Y/N and Corpse confessed their feelings to each other. Their mutual friends that they played with knew the truth and were extremely happy for them, which was wonderful and soothing. Outside of them, no one else knew what had happened.

Corpse and Y/N talked every day, stayed on the phone every night until one of them fell asleep unfortunately, the girl always fell asleep first, and saw each other through FaceTime whenever they could.

In other words, the two could say that they were basically dating already... Even though there was never a real question. But perhaps that was about to change, for the day had finally come when they would meet physically.

A sound of receiving a phone call invaded the car and interrupted her thoughts. With a smile on her lips already knowing who was, Y/N clicked on the answer button and waited while entering a roundabout.

"Hey." That characteristic deep voice was heard.

"Hey you." She replied while looking briefly at his name written on the car screen.

"Are you on your way yet?"

"Yes, I just left the house. I'll be there In about two hours, depending on the traffic today."

Corpse cleared his throat and Y/N almost visualized him playing with his rings, and messing with his dark curly hair. "Are you sure you haven't forgotten anything?"

"Well, I hope not. I’ve had my bags packed for two days, but I think I have everything that is necessary with me. If not, there is no problem really." She replied.

"This is going to... This is really going to happen isn't it?" She could hear the smile in the man's voice.

"Yes, Corpse, it is. We will finally meet in person."

"I can't wait to see you." He whispered.

Y/N felt her cheeks warm for a moment, and she knew that if she looked in the mirror she would see a dark pink tone on her skin. She bit her lower lip in an attempt to stop the huge smile. "I can't wait to give you a big hug and tell you everything face to face."

Corpse laughed deeply, his tone was warm and full of emotion. "I know... I am anxious, and I am not going to lie about it. I'm super nervous. My hands are shaking so much that I don't even know how I haven't dropped my phone yet."

"Oh, Corpse..." Y/N whispered with a heavy heart, but was attentive to the road at the intersection where she was. "There is no reason to be nervous, it's just me. It’s just us."

"I know..." He sighed softly. After a few minutes without speaking, enjoying the comfortable silence between the two and listening to the sound of the Y/N’s car motor, he continued. "Well..." Corpse cleared his throat. "I will let you concentrate on your driving. Be careful and pay attention to the road."

"I will, I’ll see you later."

"Bye."

"Bye, Corpse."

The call ended but the anxiety and nervousness did not. However, only the sound of his voice and the small conversation they had was able to make Y/N smile all the way to San Diego.

                                                          ♦⋅☆⋅♦ 

Y/N pressed the turn signal, the green arrow flashing to the right, and parked the car in an empty parking space in front of the building. The woman's neutral and almost robotic voice came from the GPS saying: You have reached your destination. Shaking in her place, the girl put on the brake and turned off the car, taking a deep breath trying to calm herself once more.

It was now or never... Should she send him a message to let him know she was already there? Should she just knock on the door? Her hands were shaking so much, and her heart was beating so hard and so fast that it almost hurt.

She sat in the driver's seat for a few more minutes, so nervous she might pass out. It is better to just go there, she thought, the longer it takes the more nervous I will become.

She took a deep breath, unbuckled her seat belt, removed the keys from the ignition and quickly got out of the car, closing the door behind her, and going to the trunk to remove the pink suitcase. When it was on the floor next to her, she closed the trunk and locked the car safely, looking at the intimidating building in front of her.

Without further ado she approached it, opened the entrance door, climbed the stairs with some difficulty to his floor, and trembling, she shyly knocked on the door with her knuckles.

That door was opened so fast that it even scared her.

They were both looking at each other almost stunned... Finally they were there, in person, just a meter away and with a spine of the door separating them. Corpse was even more beautiful in person, and Y/N found herself lost in his dark eyes for a while.

"Hi..." She said sheepishly.

Corpse looked at her examining her from head to toe as if he couldn't believe she was real. Finally he smiled so beautifully that she almost forgot to breathe. "Hi." He replied.

Y/N dragged the suitcase a little closer to her, uncertain how to proceed. She didn't have time to think, however, as Corpse seemed to get tired of the waiting and shyness between them, crossed the space between the two and took her in his arms. His body was warm against hers, extremely hot, and his embrace was loving and passionate. Y/N inhaled his attractive scent - a mixture of soap, men's perfume and something else - and Corpse laughed through her hair.

"You’re here!" He exclaimed loudly, laughing deeply, spinning in circles with her still in his arms laughing out loud like he was.

When the two were inside the apartment, Corpse released her and pulled her suitcase inside as well, closing the door to prevent any curious neighbor from trying to see what was going on.

The two of them stayed there with smiles so big on their faces that their cheeks hurt… But it was definitely a good pain.

"I don't even know what to say..." Y / N confessed, practically shaking with excitement in her place.

Corpse smiled again, taking her hand timidly and gently, caressing her skin and interlacing their fingers and pulling her closer to him. "Me neither."

They were silent just enjoying the moment, and enjoying the fact that they were there, together... that it was real. How many times had they imagined this? How many times had they dreamed of that moment?

Corpse lowered his head slightly looking into her eyes intently, but his brows furrowed as if something troubling was going through his mind. "I…"

"What is it?" Y/N questioned worriedly.

Corpse made a shy expression. “Can I… Can I kiss you?”

Y/N's cheeks caught fire but her smile was so big, and she was so happy that she felt like she was going to explode at any moment. "Yes! Yes, of course you can…"

The young man approached, with his hand on Y/N's waist to pull her closer and the other one climbing up her arm, her shoulder, then her neck and resting on her burning cheek, where he was caressing the hot skin. Their fresh, labored and nervous breaths mingled, closing the distance until their lips touched, finally in what felt like an explosion of fireworks or an explosion of magic. Corpse's lips were soft and warm against hers, kissing her tenderly, as he brought their bodies together even more almost as if he was afraid that she would disappear at any moment.

The kiss was a mixture of lips and tongues, longing, passion and mostly love. It ended faster than they would have liked, but they stayed in each other's arms, sharing passionate smiles.

After a moment, Corpse whispered, "I still think this is a dream, and that I'm going to wake up after the normal three fucking hours that I can barely sleep."

Y/N laughed with her heart leaping and butterflies in her belly, playing with the laces of the black sweatshirt he had worn that day, wrapping it around her fingers and looking him in the dark eyes. "Me too, I've pinched myself hundreds of times today just to make sure this was real. But if this is a dream, I don't want to wake up anymore."

"I will punch the face of anyone who tries to wake me up." Corpse joked making Y/N let out the laugh he liked so much to hear.

"I love you." She whispered dizzy with emotion.

"That’s good, because I love you too."

                                                         ♦⋅☆⋅♦

Tag List: @breathygasps​ @unicornblood4ever  @mintchip17  @jay-jay-love

#corpse husband #Corpse Husband Fandom #Corpse Fandom #corpse fanfiction #fanfiction #imagines #one-shot #corpse husband imagine #corpse husband oneshot #corpse x reader #corpse x y/n #corpse husband x reader #corpse husband x you #corpse husband x y/n #corpse husband x female reader

[gakkubi]

Ame Trio Analysis: Konan

I want to share some thoughts on the Ame Trio/Ame Orphans because I do think they have one of the most complex, interesting and beautiful arcs in the Narutoverse. I will discuss their personalities and thoughts. This post is about Konan, there are also Yahiko and Nagato. (3/3): I'll end with Konan because she's the one who lives the longer and is impacted by both Yahiko and Nagato's death.

KONAN:

Also available in Russian: ссылка на русский перевод

Konan is possibly the hardest character to analyse because her stand-alone arc is the last one to appear, and the story doesn't dwell on her ideals and motivations until the very end - despite that, it's my personal belief she's one of the best female characters developed in the series. With a few exceptions, female characters in the Narutoverse will usually take the position of supporting the male characters - but unlike most of the other women, Konan's position of support actually makes sense with her character.

A person not being the "original creator" of the philosophy they follow or joining other characters to achieve a common goal does not mean they don't have a mind or will of their own; Konan is just as free to make her own decisions as the other characters.

While Yahiko takes the role of "fallen hero" and Nagato is the "unwilling protagonist", Konan is the ever-present observer; she's the last one to take the spotlight in the Ame Trio storyline, and with her, the last open ends are closed. Konan is the element which endured throughout all of the Ame Trio's different phases, from their start to their brightest and darkest points until the very end. She's the Angel, the one who will carry and reinforce the will she has received.

Konan has a moral trait which makes her strikingly different from Yahiko and Nagato; she is not loyal to abstract ideals, but rather concrete ones. Even though Yahiko and Nagato eventually digress on their philosophies, both dedicate their lives to the pursuit of peace and give up their lives to guarantee the survival of their goal, as abstract as it may be.

Konan, on the other hand, is loyal to people; of course she had beliefs of her own, but they mostly come from a local perspective, not a universal one. She's loyal to Amegakure; to her country, to her people, her citizens, her friends.

It's heavily implied in the story (more in the anime than the manga) that the people of Amegakure held her in high esteem (perhaps even more than they held Pain himself). This shines a new light on Konan, who early on the story was just an unknown villain of the Akatsuki - in fact, we come to learn most of the important aspects of her personality lie outside of the classic, evil Akatsuki.

To understand Konan it's important to understand the Ame Trio's dynamic as a whole; it's fundamental to consider that, just like Nagato, Konan owes her life to Yahiko's fierce will of surviving- her backstory alone with Yahiko is never shown but it's heavily implied that she was just as dependent on him as Nagato was. Like Nagato, her personality is much more passive and quiet until provoked.

Both Konan and Nagato were Yahiko's followers, and they were happy that way - they believed in his dream and his philosophy and found in the Akatsuki the meaning of their lives. It's important to understand that Yahiko's goals are also her goals, regardless if she was the one who created them or not; it's better to say he first inspired her into creating such dreams for herself.

Many other (very popular and loved) characters in the Naruto universe follow dreams and philosophies not originally created by themselves and are not perceived as mere "followers without opinion" like Konan sometimes is.

A common reason for the misunderstanding of Konan's character to claim she has no will of her own is that she continued to support Nagato even though he suffers an immense personality and philosophical shift after Yahiko's death. It's often wondered why Konan decided to stay by Nagato's side after Yahiko's death despite his radical change, and it's often associated with her having no ideas of her own. This is not true; the story builds a very logical and realistic reason for her to continue supporting him regardless of her truly agreeing with his new peace philosophy.

Very much like Nagato, Konan saw the people she loved and her reasons to live be taken away from her twice. The first time, it was Yahiko who gave both of them meaning and direction; the second time Nagato and Konan found themselves having nothing again - all they had was the legacy Jiraiya and Yahiko left behind.

Konan's life was saved by Yahiko twice; first when he helped her survive and second when he sacrificed himself so she could escape Hanzo's trap. It's important to realize the reason why Hanzo could trap Yahiko and Nagato is that they captured her first; although we have no evidence for this, it's possible Konan also felt guilt for "giving" the enemy a token to which they could manipulate Yahiko into obedience.

Yahiko being a key factor on her survival (both physical and mental) and her feeling responsible for his death are both factors that could result in her feeling immense guilt and a sense of debt with him. Like Nagato, Konan couldn't just let Yahiko's death be pointless after giving up his life for them.

Any reasonable person would have their hope shaken after seeing Yahiko get killed after his "non-violence, mutual understanding" philosophy failed. It would take an enormous endurance and faith to lose a person who she loved and keep on trying the same thing with the hope that "next time things will work as intended." Perhaps, things would never work as Yahiko imagined - perhaps his original plan needed adaptations.

However, unlike Nagato, Konan hadn't been conditioned by either Jiraiya or Yahiko to think that she was the one who would find the key to peace; she didn't spend her life pressured by the responsibility of coming up with a plan. Nagato was the one who the former leaders trusted would find the answer to end all the wars - and he stepped up to continue the "plan to peace" with his new ideas of how to get there.

And there's yet another important factor in all this; Yahiko had left her with a mission - the mission of supporting Nagato. The conversation where Yahiko entitles her with the responsibility of being by Nagato's side is highlighted in her fight against Obito to tell us, the audience, why Konan is so determined to help Naruto now - her mission of protecting the "savior of the world", originally given by Yahiko, had been transferred from supporting Nagato to Naruto.

Once we see the perspective of her feeling like she was in debt with Yahiko for saving her life twice - and adding love and guilt to the mixture, which makes it much harder for reason to overpower emotion -, it's easy to see why it could be hard to nearly impossible for her to dismiss the last mission she could actually complete; following Yahiko's will was a way of still being connected to him after he was gone.

Both Nagato and Konan nearly lost the meaning of their lives when Yahiko was killed and the original Akatsuki destroyed - both clinged to what they had left. Neither ever had a proper environment to deal with the grief they felt, a grief that echoed a childhood trauma that shaped all of their lives.

All of these factors are reasons why it would be hard for Konan to look objectively at what she was doing by supporting Nagato's new philosophy; however, Konan wasn't just guilt trapped into being by his side.

Konan, as I stated before, is much more pragmatic than her counterparts; she's loyal to what is hers - her friends, her nation. Even if we ignore the guilt or the "mission", it's safe to assume she would have stayed by his side anyway; Nagato was all the family she had left, and she was loyal to what was hers above all else.

Perhaps, if the mental conditions weren't so harsh, Konan could have resisted or opposed some of Nagato's new radical ideas more than she already did - debated with him, perhaps they could have convinced each other to stay in Yahiko's path. In the anime, Obito even says he relied on Konan for "calming" Nagato, which tells us that she reasoned with him to some extent - however, neither of them were able to keep their pain from overriding the morals they previously had.

Konan has a mind of her own, and it's shown to us in the moments where she disagrees either visually or verbally with Nagato's actions; Jiraiya's death, Konoha's destruction and the conversation with Naruto are moments where she confronts him. She is shown disagreeing with Nagato on multiple instances, which is proof that she felt she could voice her discontent with him - that she didn't feel completely trapped by guilt or that all she had to do was simply obey him; she was not just a voiceless "Angel" obeying her "God." We're also shown that Nagato disregards many of her opinions - by the time he becomes a villain, he is extremely narcissistic and confident in his hability to make the right choice - but that doesn't keep her from voicing her disagreement anyway.

It's not clear to us, the audience, how much Konan was hurt by Nagato's disregard (we're shown she is uncomfortable to some extent); it's the combination of her guilt, Yahiko's "mission" and her own faith in Nagato's plan that keeps her following their goal.

All the members of the Ame Trio value the search for peace above everything else, each in their own particular way.

Unlike Nagato, Konan has a much clear and objective way of thinking, interested only in what will serve them to achieve their goal and dismissing everything else that will not be useful.

Konan is never shown having any interest whatsoever in the other members of the Akatsuki (she never engages in the conversations they have), in the people of Konoha (which is why she condones wasting energy on being violent with them) or even in what Naruto has to say. All that she cares about is what is hers - her nation, her family; she's completely indifferent to everything else.

(That being said, I must note we don't know how her relationships with the other Akatsuki work as it would be impossible for her to spend almost 20 years without interacting with the other members. One of Konan's most important traits is her kindness, so it's "in character" to assume she would treat them respectfully and kindly, being fond of them to some extent; it's also safe to assume she didn't care about them at all, given her behavior in the manga. I think both interpretations are equally canonical because they lean on different aspects of her personality to fill a backstory we're never shown).

Although Konan is never shown being especially inclined to violence, her indifference and disergard for everything that is not hers - together with her own belief on Nagato's plan and the suffering which she endured - allows her to be the cold-blooded leader and killer she eventually becomes.

Konan believed in Nagato - like both Jiraiya and Yahiko did - while recognizing his flaws. When Naruto received recognition and acceptance from Nagato, he was incorporated to Konan's definition of what is "hers"; she aligns him in a sequence of "saviors" who she believed, a sequence that began with Yahiko and continued with Nagato. She makes the conscious decision of giving up her life for her dream of peace as Yahiko and Nagato have done before her.

Obito is the example of a person who Konan never incorporated on what is "hers" - this is clear on their fight where she says she studied his moves and his powers all the years they have worked together, and also clear on the passive-aggressive conversation they have after Jiraiya's death (Chapter 407). The way their relationship works - especially considering that she spent approximately half of her life working with him - also shows that Konan doesn't blindly support other characters for the sake of supporting them; for all we know, she trusted him much less than Nagato did.

It's also in Konan's fight with him that we see her analytical intelligence at full bloom - I dare say she is the most intelligent of the trio when it comes to strategy; first, for not ever truly trusting Obito to begin with (possibly because Yahiko also didn't), and second for being able to set a strategy that effectively killed him (hence why he used Izanagi - he was killed by her) with information based on her own observations.

Konan is extremely careful and precise; she pays incredible attention to detail, being able to draw accurate conclusions after analyzing just a little information.

Konan isn't ever shown to be hateful or angry, with the exception of her encounter with Jiraiya, where she treats him with spite, taunting him with the idea that following Orochimaru's suggestion could have avoided all the trouble he was going through with the Akatsuki. It's one of the few times we see Konan treating anyone in a way that is not kind or neutral, as if she held some type of resentment against Jiraiya - I like to think she blamed him, in a way or another, for not preparing them well enough for the cruelty of the world; for letting them be so naïve that Yahiko could be killed in a trap easily avoidable. It's obvious that Konan still held Jiraiya in some regard as it's easier for people to lash out on those who they like the most - after many years interacting with people to whom she was completely indifferent (outside of Nagato), Konan was finally talking to a person she had feelings for.

She is also - as described by Jiraiya and also viewed on the characters memories - a very kind, gentle, caring person; the very fact that she chose to save Nagato by sharing food with him shows her predisposition to helping others. Her kindness wasn't lost after Yahiko's death, but mostly replaced by the indifference she felt at everything that did not contemplate her goals, her family or her nation. After she accepts Naruto as being "one of her own" and sharing goals with him, she's quick to display kindness towards him and indirectly make amends with Jiraiya in the process.

As quiet, introspective person, Konan is very self-sufficient; although she is a member of the Akatsuki, she only interacts with them when necessary, probably spending most of her time alone or caring for Amegakure's business (as she shared both Akatsuki and Amegakure's leadership with Nagato and he was more active with the Akatsuki, it's safe to assume she cared for the other half). Her quiet, calmer nature matches that of Nagato; they could find understanding by having similar thought processes and also having a harder time processing their feelings, finding sympathy and comfort in each other.

Although I have mentioned that Konan might have felt a sense of debt towards Yahiko for saving her life, I want to highlight I see this feelings as possible only after his death because of its traumatizing circumstances; I don't think she felt she owed him anything while they were all alive, especially because it's never shown that he ever demanded such recognition. Yahiko and Konan have very distinct energies and personalities that complete each other, their relationship has a strong foundation because they share the same core beliefs and traits; loyalty and faith. I can see her falling in love with him for many reasons and one of them being by her admiring how hard he works to achieve the goal of peace.

Konan is a person that feels gentle and kind towards life as a whole; she doesn't seem to need much to be happy - as a child she made origami to pass time and have fun (and eventually used her intelligence to turn her passion into power); as an adult, the anime dedicates a scene to show her smiling to the rain while thinking of happy memories - happy for the sake of being in peace with the new direction she was taking her life after she and Nagato found someone to believe in again.

(Edit: Unfortunately I could not add another image to the post to illustrate this comment, but I wanted to talk about one aspect of Konan's personality that I like a lot and also forgot to mention. Despite her collected and serious demeanor, she also has a tendency to taunt people, a bit similar to Nagato's taste for ironic jokes. This is shown just a few times. In chapter 373, when Yahiko says he will save Nagato the next time something happens, Konan makes fun of him by remarking that Nagato is actually stronger than him, and she laughs when he gets annoyed. As I showed before, she also provokes Jiraiya with the hypothesis of things being better if Orochimaru had killed them. In her fight with Obito, despite his clear disinterest in what she was saying, Konan goes on to explain why Nagato and her betrayed him, and why he will never win. During the Water on a Frog's Face Training with Jiraiya she's also shown laughing at Yahiko's clumsiness. In my opinion, the way she evidently enjoys herself when she mocks people is strikingly contrasting to her generally unaffected personality, and personally I like that most of those times Yahiko was involved. Both in the anime, because of the animation, and in the manga because of Yahiko's surprise, I'm also under the impression that she was the one to initiate their kiss).

All of the Rain Trio's characters have very distinct and interesting psychologies; personally, I find Konan to be the most complex one because of the extreme discrepancies she displays, sometimes warm and kind, sometimes extremely cold and indifferent. I think the way she seems to only care about a very limited aspect of things is very attractive, as it shows how focused she is on her goals - as a nonviolent person, the most cruel act of Konan as a villain comes from her apathy to everyone else that is not part of what is "hers." Unlike Nagato and most of the other members of the Akatsuki who actively indulge in vile acts, she simply pursues her goals, removing anything and anyone on her way.

When he watch Konan's childhood, we see a child that is kind and light-hearted despite of all the pain she has endured, and only after being inflicted by yet another wave of suffering Konan's empathy and hope are shaken to the core; however, we learn her feelings were not dead but rather dormant, and it's by reconnecting to her core traits and beliefs that she finally finds peace in the very end.

#konan #meta #mymeta #naruto #naruto meta #character study #character analysis #analysis #amegakure