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dross-the-fish · 3 months

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"Harry, you're going to get yourself expelled!"

I resisted the urge to laugh. Gabriel was so unaccustomed to raising his voice that it always cracked whenever he got riled up enough to shout. The flimsy mustache he was trying to grow bristled as he prepared to lay into me for my latest indiscretion.

Ever the good school boy and stickler for obeying the rules, I'd anticipated that Gabriel Utterson would give me a good and proper finger wagging once he saw the state of my nose. It was easy enough to talk him down. I flashed him a winning smile "Come off it, Gabe. Are you going to rat me out?"

"I ought to! I really ought to! You're going to be a doctor, Henry! This brawling at pubs is beneath you!"

Ah yes, brawling at the pub. Let him think that. I shrugged amiably and managed to conjure up a look of contrition for him, "It's not what you think! I ran into that Lawson bloke on my way to have a drink and the man was completely blind drunk. He took a swing at me! Don't glare at me so, I only hit him a little. I had to defend myself, didn't I?" It was a half truth. Lawson hadn't been at the pub, I'd followed him home.

And I'd hit him first.

But who was going to believe him over me?

I confess I felt a little ashamed of myself at the look of relief that came over Gabriel's face. He was so eager to believe that I was as much of a saint as he was that he ate up every lie I fed him. Maybe it was better that way. Was it so bad to keep him blissfully ignorant?

"I-I suppose that's fair. Maybe you ought to stay away from the pub, at least until we finish school. Less drinking and more studying, eh? It's about time we grow up, right?" there was an almost pleading quality to his voice that made me hate him and want to comfort him all at once.

I forced a smile, "You're right of course, Gabe, it wouldn't do to have Dr. Jekyll get a reputation as a violent thug, would it?"

The words were barely out of my lips before I felt the weight of a door slam shut. Utterson was clapping me on the back and calling me "Good man!" as far as he was concerned that was the matter settled. Dr Henry Jekyll was a man of good standing who would never stoop to violent indiscretions.

The image had it's appeal. I certainly wanted to be the kind of man Utterson thought I was.

So why did I feel as though I was split in two?

......

Had some thoughts about a young Henry Jekyll and wanted to play around with the idea that he's always been Hyde and Utterson just never picked up on it, or maybe even willingly blinded himself to it. this may or may not be canon in my AU but it was interesting to explore.

#Drabble #Henry Jekyll #Jekyll and Hyde #Young Henry #the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde

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shadowxamyweek · 9 days

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Is Shadow being immortal canon? I thought it was just a generally accepted headcanon by the fandom

...Yes?

The pause and questionmark are not directed at you, they are directed at Sega.

I confess, I'm a bit of a stickler for what lore I consider canon. If it's in the games, it's canon to me. If it's anything outside of the games, including the game manuals themselves... then it's not.

I have such a narrow-bracket view of the story and these characters due to two things:

1: There seems to be a disconnect between the different 'branches' of the Sonic Franchise. There's the Shadow we see in games, there's the Shadow we see in marketing and social media (like Twitter Takeover), There's the Shadow we see in IDW, and then there is the Shadow we see Sega write about in character profiles like on Sonic Chanel and the official Sonic the Hedgehog website. This exists with all the characters to a degree, but I feel Shadow presents an egregious case of it. 2: Sega has a tendency to retcon things or change their language or act like stuff didn't happen and... I don't like it XD But they can't change games that have already been published and played. As such, to me, in-game dialog/play/story/etc is the crowning jewel of truth within the Sonic story.

But that these are *my* paramaters. They do not have to be *your* parameters.

So while there hasn't been any mention of immortality *in game*, there has been plenty *outside* of it. Lots of different official Sega sources say Shadow is 'immortal', but no examples or specifications have been provided in game. There's also plenty of times the whole 'immortality' portion is omitted. Most noticeably, it's not mentioned in the Sonic Channel character profile, nor the character profile provided on the official Sonic the Hedgehog website. At best, it is mentioned intermittently in game manuals and external sources.

(And I know we see Shadow in stasis in 06- I'm aware- but I'll also point out we don't know *when* he went into stasis. Furthermore, I cannot help but wonder if, much like Black Doom in SHtH, Mephiles took a portion of truth and twisted it to scare Shadow. (Also, like.... Shadow was under such heavy security when GUN put him down for an ice nap the first time. Why would they just leave him out and about like was shown in 06? I doubt the truth of what Mephiles shows Shadow.))

I actually reached out to @squid-in-a-party-hat, @fyeahsonicthehedgehog (x), and @forgottensonicfacts (x), as well as some friends of mine like @shadamyheadcanons for help collecting information to provide you with as well-rounded answer/opinion as I can. In fact, Squid has a video on this very subject XD They do a great job of weaving together all the different types of canon (comic, anime, social media, etc) so if that's how you prefer to operate, I really, really recommend them.

Anyway, Here are some game manual examples in chronological order.

SA2 (2001):

Sonic Heros (2003):

And...I want to take a moment to show something interesting between the original Japanese and the English translation. The japanese translation says 'unaging and undying' which gives us narrower guidelines, but the Heros profile is the only time I've seen that.

Shadow the Hedgehog (2005):

Which OUT OF ALL OF THEM you'd think it would be mentioned in his title game but like... *gestures*

Sonic 06 (2006):

Sonic and Mario at the Olympic Games (2020):

Then there are these online examples, stemming from both Sonic Chanel and the Sonic the Hedgehog Website. They are both officially owned and operated by Sega/Sonic Team. Note they don't mention his age or the immortality at all.

Sonic Chanel, 2007:

Sonic Chanel, 2010:

Sonic Chanel, 2022:

This is the character profile put up on the Sonic the Hedgehog website 2024, separate from Sonic Channel but still official.

(In talking to @forgottensonicfacts- I had asked about times Shadow had been called 'ageless' or '50.' Turns out the 'ageless' bit was written in a Scholastic's book and, so far as anyone has found.. there is no official mention of Shadow being listed as '50 years old.' I had been so sure it had been officially listed at one point in time. Really glad to be wrong on that one, frankly, because that would have been daft XD)

So this is what we have about Shadow's 'immortality' that has been put out by Sega themselves. Not the comics, not the media team, just Sega/Sonic Team.

Now... this is where I pick apart that word 'Immortal' and broaden the scope a bit.

Not to be 'that bastard,' but I popped on to the Oxford Dictionary just to get a concrete definition for you and they define the adjective use of the word as being, "living forever; never dying or decaying."

1- Shadow's already almost died. He *would* have died were it not for Eggman saving his sorry ass. We know this. It's a whole-ass plot point in his story because it's due to this he ends up with amnesia.

2- Even though Gerald was tinkering with immortality, that doesn't mean he succeeded. We also don't know how that immortality would look/work/act like.

3- In Sonic Battle (for Gameboy), several of the characters have a healing ability. Shadow is one of them. However, Shadow's healing ability is one of if not *the worst in the game.* Also, in the story itself, he get shot and is down for the count *for a while*.

4- We have not seen any of the characters physically change in game save for the big age up/design shift that happened when Sonic went 3d in Adventure. As such, we cannot personally test/see whether or not Shadow goes through any changes at all, be them aging or just changes to their body.

So... all in all... I feel this leaves a huge amount of room for interpretation.

Maybe Shadow isn't immortal after all. Nothing spectacular, it's just that portion of the Ultimate Life Form project didn't succeed.

Maybe the 'immortality' is his healing factor, and it needs to willfully be employed. As such, if Shadow WANTS to age, they need to intentionally and willfully allow themselves to do so by NOT employing the healing factor.

Maybe the 'immortality', being the healing factor, can wear down/slow down over time, especially due to overuse.

Maybe Shadow can live forever barring any really traumatic physical harm, but their body will physically change over time.

Maybe Shadow is immortal like how Oxford puts it, but there is a way to stop that perminantly if they so choose (like genetic therapy).

Maybe Shadow is immortal in the sense that they will never physically age, grow, or change. Ever.

Truthfully, that's pretty cool! Like, this gives people a lot of stuff to work with and play around with, compare notes, talk- that's the fun part of fandom! And no singular person is right! @shadamyheadcanons has this one that's fun. I personally like the idea that Shadow's 'immortality' wears down over time and gets weird, causing their Black Arms genetics to kick off (like a third eye ooooough gimmie gimmie gimmie.)

I don't know if this was the answer you were looking for. Perhaps I've just confused things further- I've been known to do that XD

Ultimately, what I'm trying to say is- it's whatever you want it to be, and nobody can stop you <3 So go have fun!

#shadow the hedgehog #shth #sonic #sega #anon #ask #op rambles #lore #thoughts #I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you #There's been a lot going on- but I really wanted to give you as well rounded an answer as I possibly could

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david-talks-sw · 2 years

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Analyzing Qui-Gon Jinn

As I already covered here, I don't think Qui-Gon is meant to be this "'True Jedi' who's ahead of the curb and who would've prevented Anakin from joining the Dark Side had he lived". He's not "the father figure Anakin should've had". To me, that's fanon extrapolation combined with now-non-canon EU material. I can't find any evidence in any of the (many) George Lucas quotes I've read to support the idea that this interpretation of the character was the "intended narrative".

Instead, I'd argue Qui-Gon's character has three purposes.

1) Out-of-universe, functional purposes:

SHOWING THE JEDI ARE MORTALS.

In every draft of The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon dies at the end. This mirrors Ben's death in A New Hope... but not quite. When Qui-Gon dies, his body doesn't disappear. He dies like a regular person would.

There's a reason for this.

"I wanted to convey the idea that Jedi are all very powerful, but they’re also vulnerable — which is why I wanted to kill Qui-Gon. That is to say, “Hey, these guys aren’t Superman.” These guys are people who are vulnerable, just like every other person." - George Lucas, The Phantom Menace Commentary, 1999

Qui-Gon's character is there to show the audience that - albeit being very powerful - the Jedi have limits, they have weaknesses, they can't fight a war on their own. They're not superheroes, they can be killed.

DELIVERING EXPOSITION.

Originally, Qui-Gon came in much later in The Phantom Menace.

In the first draft of the script, up until the moment when the Queen gets to Coruscant, it was just Obi-Wan, alone, on the Trade Federation ship...

... meeting Jar Jar, saving the Queen, finding and freeing Anakin and presenting him to the Council.

But it became clear to George that - especially at the beginning - the dialog was gonna be tricky because Obi-Wan alone didn’t have much to react to. Like, he'd either be completely quiet or he'd only be talking to himself.

So, when Lucas rewrote the script...

... instead of having Qui-Gon enter the story waaay later (when the gang arrives on Coruscant), George put him in the film from the start. Now Obi-Wan, has a sounding board and some of the complexities of the galaxy in the time of the Prequels can be explained as he and Qui-Gon interact.

And it's an interesting dynamic too.

Qui-Gon acts on instinct. He is wise, yet can also be reckless. He's always on the move, but sometimes that leads him into danger.

Obi-Wan acts on logic. He is very skilled and prudent... but being too prudent will lead him to being a stickler for the rules.

They complement each other perfectly, yet they both still have much to learn. Which brings me to my next point:

2) Qui-Gon is what Obi-Wan will grow beyond.

Qui-Gon says it himself.

Simply put, Qui-Gon is...

THE MENTOR'S MENTOR.

"Liam Neeson is a master Jedi, the center of the movie — just like Alec Guinness was in the first movie. When you start to cast a character like this, you think, ‘Where are we going to find another Alec Guinness? Where are we going to find someone with that kind of nobility, that kind of strength, and that kind of center?" - George Lucas, The Making of The Phantom Menace, 1999

Ben Kenobi is a new, better and improved Qui-Gon.

Thanks to the latter's teachings, Obi-Wan will learn from Qui-Gon's qualities, such as acting on instinct...

... but also from his flaws, like his tendency to rush into danger.

He even takes on some of Qui-Gon's rebelliousness, instead of always being so by-the-book.

"In the beginning, Obi-Wan is at odds with Qui-Gon, who rebels against the Jedi rules. But by the end of the film, he has become Qui-Gon by taking on his rebellious personality and responsibilities." - George Lucas, The Making of The Phantom Menace, 1999

When Qui-Gon learns the secret of transcending death, he's not able to appear physically, as his training isn't complete.

"We never see the ghost of Qui-Gon; he's not that accomplished. He's able to retain his personality, but he's not able to become a corporeal ghost.” - George Lucas, The Art of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, 2005, page 40

But he's able to teach Yoda, who teaches Obi-Wan... both of whom are able to show themselves.

Even with the recent changes in the Canon continuity, with Qui-Gon being able to manifest himself physically too...

... the point still stands: what took him about a decade to accomplish, Obi-Wan will eventually be able to accomplish instantly. And it's thanks to Qui-Gon's training.

So when it comes to the argument "Obi-Wan wasn't a suitable mentor for Anakin"... I'd say he was, because - for better or for worse - he studied under Qui-Gon, who acted as...

THE TRAINING WHEELS FOR ANAKIN'S TRAINING.

Here's what George had to say about Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan...

"[Qui-Gon] is very independent, always testing the rules. And we meet young Obi-Wan, who is constantly frustrated by his Master’s refusal to go along with the program." - George Lucas, The Making of The Phantom Menace, 1999

Here's what George had to say about Obi-Wan and Anakin...

"Even though he’s the stern taskmaster and mentor [Obi-Wan] still cares about Anakin [but he's] frustrated with their relationship and Anakin’s unwillingness to go along with the rules." - George Lucas, Attack of the Clones commentary, 2002

The wording is almost the same.

In training Anakin, Obi-Wan finds himself in same situation he was in with Qui-Gon... but this time he's more prepared to take on the challenge. After all: Obi-Wan's had a lot of experience dealing with this sort of personality, he's been keeping Qui-Gon from flying off the handle for over a decade.

"One of the primary issues between this relationship between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon is that this is establishing Obi-Wan as the kind of straight arrow, the center of the movie, and Qui-Gon as the rebel, as the one who’s constantly sort of pushing the envelope. Which will switch itself in the next movie when, rather than having his master be the rebel, he has his Padawan learner become the rebel. I’m using Obi-Wan as sort of this centering device through all these movies, even as we get in with Luke and everybody else later on." - George Lucas, The Phantom Menace Commentary, 1999

3) Qui-Gon is who Anakin could've become if everything turned out okay.

I noticed this thing the other day, in The Phantom Menace, fight between Qui-Gon and Darth Maul:

Qui-Gon is pushing Maul back, he's rushing ahead... and Maul is completely in control. It's almost like he's luring Qui-Gon toward the reactor shaft and Qui-Gon is too taken by the fight to realize he's being led by the nose.

Of course, later on, Qui-Gon meditates, clears his mind, and goes back on the offensive so efficiently that Darth Maul needs to play dirty to land a blow. But that initial part? Where he's just aggressively pressuring the opponent who keeps controlling the fight by giving ground...?

That's a classic Anakin move.

A few months ago, I wrote that, as a character: Dooku is who Anakin might become if he strays from the right path.

Imma take it further and argue that, conversely: Qui-Gon is who Anakin could be if he stays on the right path.

Just like he does with Dooku, Anakin has a bunch of similar traits and parallels with Qui-Gon, and they're clearly intentional.

VISUAL PARALLELS:

From simple stuff like the length of their hair...

"George wanted Anakin to look more like Qui-Gon Jinn, to show that he was going beyond what Obi-Wan was teaching him -- hence the long hair." - Iain McCaig, The Art of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, 2005, page 45

... or the fact that Anakin and Qui-Gon are aggressive fighters who'll punch opponents in the face during a lightsaber duel...

"There's a line of training through Darth Tyranus and Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Anakin. You can follow that line, and there's an aggressive fault in that line. Mace isn't of that line, and that allows you to give him unique talents." - Nick Gillard, StarWars.com, Homing Beacon #126, 2004

... even their funerals are the same.

"The end of [Return of the Jedi] is Anakin at a funeral pyre, just like Qui-Gon is [in] here. So I wanted to keep those motifs— again, things to harken back to things that had been going on in the movie. We then have this moment, which is very important, where Obi-Wan commits, and tells Anakin that he’s going to train him, because that’s where the rest of the movie go." - George Lucas, The Phantom Menace Commentary, 1999

SIMILAR CHARACTERIZATIONS:

As mentioned in the previous section, they're both rebellious and have trouble following the rules... which can put them at odds with the Council, at times.

They're not perfect, sometimes they can be rash and impulsive. For example, George describes Qui-Gon's decision to have Anakin be trained as "controversial", "wrong" and "dangerous."

But unlike Anakin, Qui-Gon's rebellious nature isn't motivated by arrogance, like Anakin in Episode II, but by a drive to help as many people as possible. Qui-Gon is selfless, goes with the flow, trusts the Will of the Force, whereas Anakin has trouble letting go of his selfish desires and is determined to impose his will on the natural cycle of life and death.

Also, Qui-Gon is usually able to re-center himself when he slips. There's a peace and calm to him that Anakin still needs to acquire.

To be fair, Qui-Gon is a trained Jedi Master. Whereas Anakin's training was sabotaged by a Sith Lord almost every step of the way.

But the fact remains that if Anakin learned to let go of his attachments, if he can face the mirror and conquer his inner demons... he'd be what Qui-Gon is:

An incorruptible Jedi who follows the Light for the simple reason that it is the Light, no matter what.

A street-wise, kind man with a talent for spotting diamonds in the rough and listening to the mythological "Guide" archetypes.

A ferocious but extremely talented lightsaber duelist with the ability to center himself and stay on target. More quick on the draw than your average Jedi, but for all the right reasons.

Someone with a special connection to the Force, someone with the gift of foresight, who feels rather than thinking.

So that's who Qui-Gon really is. He is what Anakin could be.

And that's where Obi-Wan and Palpatine come back in (the good father figure and the bad father figure, the man who kept Qui-Gon grounded and the man who corrupted Dooku)... depending on whose guidance Anakin listens to the most, he'll either be the next Qui-Gon or the next Dooku.

#qui-gon jinn #meta #george lucas #anakin skywalker #jedi order #star wars #obi-wan kenobi #sw meta #jedi #qui-gon #qui gon/obi wan #anakin #sw #dooku #disaster lineage #lucas quotes #collection of quotes #long post #analysis

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needle-noggins · 8 months

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just a little bit on Vol. 11 thoughts. Not too much because I feel like we're at the point where Nightow is just saying the quiet parts out loud, and there is a lot going on trying to wrap things together for the final battle and all its moving parts.

ok, i wanna talk about meryl. does anyone want to talk about meryl? let's talk about meryl!!!

Not only does she give him his gun back (via Marlon), but she also gets the coins. (as well as some personal trinkets!) Vash never explained to her what they mean or any of this, but she carries it anyway and brings it to him. He doesn't have to explain why these things are important, she just understands and she cares. And Vash getting the coins back is going to be so important in a bit (I'm eyeing nervously at Legato).

It just says so much about her character and her relationship to Vash. Sometimes I feel like I'm grasping at straws compared to all the Vash/Wolfwood out there but if I'm a weird stickler for canon and VM won't leave my brain, then it has to mean something, right?

I am not Immune to the "Character learns how to ask for help" trope, oh my god. It's about the fact that taking care of yourself is compassion, both for yourself, and, if you won't grant yourself that, for those who care about you. They want to help you and they don't want to see you suffer.

What's so interesting, and wonderful tbh, about getting Livio added to the narrative is that he's the tradeoff for what would otherwise have been Wolfwood. But, Livio is different. Livio is able to look at life with newfound purpose. Wolfwood saved him. Livio knows this and is turning around to pay it forward, again. And you know what? He's excited to do it. He's excited to break the cycle of violence to protect others.

I just, really, really love Livio. He's so wholesome and good.

A rare narrator voice moment immediately after! Vash immediately takes what Livio said and reflects on it. Their shared love for Wolfwood has brought them together and now they fight together to protect what they love - Wolfwood's memory. Wolfwood did not die in vain. I love how this is zoomed out, so to speak - yeah, there are some things more profound than Vash can say, but we get to hear it for once, I think because Vash isn't shying away from it.

M...Meryl............. Vamery.......... Vash is looking for reassurance in her. He trusts her so much. He's relying on her for support and she's so scared for him. It's not explicitly shown here but I think it's Meryl who pulls him in for the hug and initiates that contact, because previously when Meryl was crying in front of Vash, he realized it was his fault and held back. And then the fist bump kiss. Oooooohhh boy. It's so sweet. Vash initiates it as a tender act of reassurance. Of, "we're in this together" and dgkljhfgdg im going to lay down actually.

last bit - who the fuck is Jasmine???????????????

#trigunbookclub

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thesovereignsring-if · 8 months

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I love unrequited love themes and if our MC will have the option to prevent their crush to be with someone else so they can just both suffer forever that will be such an interesting story. Also, got curious if there will be anyone having an unrequited crush on MC and we just won't be able to romance them for some reason?

And btw, when I was reading the demo, my theory was that MC actually is Empress' child and she hates MCs mother because of jealousy (aka Cersei Jaime vibes)

I am a stickler for pain, jealousy and longing, so I eat unrequited love like a drowning man at sea. I don't know if I'll get around to including it in the game or not, but I do think at leasts one of the RO(s) canonically have/will have feelings for the MC, even if they aren't being pursued. I don't have anything else in mind aside from that.

And I do like your theory! Hehe. The Imperial Family is so messed up, the bar is on the floor.

(and I love Cersei so goddamn much, my hot mess of a queen.)

#answered asks #tsr #maeve #the empress

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bugeyedfreaks · 5 months

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Blossom - 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 12, 16, 20, 23

A bounty of Blossom questions, yay! 🥰

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

I think at this point my blog could probably be described as both a general PPG fanblog AND a platform dedicated to defending Blossom… so I think I’ve exhausted myself on describing why I like her so much, and I feel like if I wrote it all again I'd just be repeating myself. But I mean, she's great! She's the kind of character who could (and sadly sometimes does) get easily written off as the "boring girly one," but she's so much more than that. She has a lot of very strong positive qualities and just as many interesting character flaws and quirks that I feel get overlooked by a lot of people.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

Nothing. She’s been in way too many fandom crossovers as it is and it drives me bonkers. 🤣

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

I've been told by maaany people that I seem to have a lot in common with her, but I guess at least two things we share are the innate desire to want to do good and to be perfectionists in whatever we do (and, of course, we get really irritated when we don't reach our desired level of perfection).

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

Gosh, well... I guess one thing is that she usually looks beeeeautiful in fanart. 😌 My opinions on older versions of Blossom (and those versions of the girls in general) are very nuanced, and I can be weird and picky about it, but I do really like some of the fits I've seen fanart of Blossom in (like yours for instance, her outfit is cool!). Many people make her look very fashionable, and I appreciate seeing my fave treated well like that.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

I've written a lot about the mischaracterization of her character and how the fandom sometimes treats her so... weird (i.e. with shipping and stuff.. you know what I mean... 🥴). I also don’t like it when she’s written off as just some stuck-up, bossy jerk because… okay, yeah, she can be one, but that’s not all that she is! Not that Buttercup and Bubbles don't have their share of nuance, but I'd argue that Blossom has a whole lot more nuance to her. A lot of people don't seem to pick up on that, and the result is that she's either written off as preachy and boring or completely devoid of personality (which is... more often the case, unfortunately).

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

I kind of like the idea of her growing up to be a detective (or at least doubling down on her superheroism), mostly because of this plotline in one of the chapter books where her idea of becoming "grown up" is ditching her sisters and starting her own crime-solving business.

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

PPG/RRB and any of the ones that exist outside of the world of the show. Dexter’s Lab and Samurai Jack, for example, don’t canonically exist in the world, even though there’ve been little Easter eggs in all of the shows/some CN crossover stuff, and I’m a dopey little stickler for canon (…well, most of the time, anyway!).

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

Me. I'm never onscreen but I play the role of "audience member" and so we should be besties. 😆

23. Favorite picture of this character?

Every picture of her is my favorite picture, but this one popped into my head when I started thinking about it. She looks so delightfully goofy, the queen of backyard cereal meals.

#powerpuff girls #ppg #blossom #ask game

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annabtg · 1 year

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Greetings! I really like your writing. It is always well thought out and descriptively written. Do you have a specific head-canon for Lily and James that you think shines through in all of your fanfiction stories or does your idea of their character change?

Thank you anon, you're so sweet! I'm glad you enjoy my stories!

I have a few basic things that are usually part of my headcanons:

James being a little shit xD Especially in his younger years, I like to write him teasing Lily, pranking around etc.

Being smart, confident in his abilities, even arrogant, but nevertheless hopeless with regard to Lily - awkward, unsure, self-doubting, especially in his later years when he's already been rejected (at least) once by Lily and grown up enough to know he'd been an idiot. That all changes back when he realizes she likes him. xD I don't write them much after they get together but I feel that, once he knows Lily likes him, his faith in her love is unwavering.

Another thing he's not particularly confident about is being named Head Boy. Lily definitely has more faith in him about it than he does in himself.

My headcanon is also that he has been in love with Lily basically since forever (or at the very least, since he was old enough to be able to notice girls) and is a complete virgin who probably hasn't even kissed another girl. I can get behind different interpretations, and frankly I'd like to have the versatility to write him with someone else for the ~drama~ of it all, lol, but even if I write it at some point, my headcanon is that he's never been interested in anyone else (and never will be). In my head, I call him a Lilysexual. xD

I headcanon his relationship with Sirius being also full of banter and teasing. I see them like a real life brothers dynamic, with James being the younger brother - annoying, perhaps attention-seeking, but ultimately respects, admires and adores Sirius - whereas Sirius is the older brother, who is more serious, matures more quickly, pretends to be annoyed more often than he actually is, and loves James in a literally self-sacrificing way.

As for Lily - I see her as smart, snarky, mischievous in her own way. She's not a Hermione - I'd say she's closer to Ginny. She's diligent, yes - but not that much of a stickler for the rules. She's easier to anger and very likely to tease or snap back.

She's not athletic, but she likes swimming and dancing. Perhaps I'm drawing from myself on this one. xD

I like to write her as more flirty than James. My absolute headcanon is that she fell for James much earlier than she's willing to admit and never did anything with anyone else - but I can see her having flirted or even dated someone I've written her in a fully adult relationship with Sirius too so that should tell you something. And I very often (but not exclusively, now that I think about it) write her as the one to make the first move. She's smoother and can be very aware of her feminine wiles (which she uses on James exclusively). But the degree of her flirtiness varies from story to story.

She's stubborn and doesn't change her mind about people easily. Which tells a lot about her relationship with James - and Snape, too. I love showing her slowly figuring things out.

It's also my headcanon that nah, she didn't - it's more exasperation than actual hate. I think that's the age where you can say to someone "I hate you" and it means nothing the next day when the situation has cleared up. So I imagine James and Lily not being 100% on each other's throats, but more like antagonistic - he likes to tease, she likes to snap back - with the occasional epic fight in-between but some good moments too. Like, it was never the end of the world when they had to share a desk or do an assignment together. (Never mind that it makes for fun fics! ;) )

Overall I'd say that I have a decent grasp on their characters (decent enough that my beta, who's not a Jily fan, after having beta'ed several of my stories, has figured them out enough to call me out on things that feel OOC for them!) and the characteristics that fluctuate are the ones that define the dynamic between them - whether they're more reserved or confident about their feelings and experiences, which is a matter of circumstance too.

Thanks again for the ask! And sorry if you got more than you expected - I just love talking about them!!

#jily #jple #james potter #lily evans #jily headcanons #marauders headcanons #my headcanons #lovely anon!

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breitzbachbea · 7 months

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Which characters description do you keep faithful to canon and which ones don't in your fics?

Huh, interesting question.

I do try to keep everyone as faithful as possible while also adjusting for the circumstances of the AU. I would say most of the characters are close to canon, so I'll list the exceptions instead.

England does my damn head in, because Arthur contains such multitudes in canon. He's insecure, whiny, self-depreciating, pretty pathetic, easy to anger. He's also snarky, confident in his power, reasonable, crafty, and enduring. I feel with him you have to pick the aspects that suit whatever enviroment you pluck him into. I am always drawn to the more imperial sides of aph characters that indeed used to be empires, the power and all the downsides that come with achieving it. Plus, in LFLS, he's an antagonist to my Irish kids, so a focus on ambition and endurance, plus a sense of entitlement ("I worked this hard and committed so many horrendous things, I deserve it at least paying off!") suits him well. He's still stuffy and a bit of an eccentric weirdo, but I do focus more on the ruthless and stiff gentlemanly side of his personality.

For the same focus on Imperialism, my Gilbert is not as much of a cloud-cuckoo-lander. Mind you, he is still daring and likes the sound of his own voice too much and is much less concerned about safety and carefulness than Ludwig, but modelling him on the Militarism that I always knew Prussia the state to be most famous for and him being the main reason that German qualities are 'punctuality' and 'neatness' ... yeah, that will produce a little bit of a more rules-stickler Gilbert.

Romano. Oh baby. I shamelessly admit that I am trying to give this man his dignity back. Plus, in LFLS, he's the head of the family crime business, not Feliciano, so he doesn't necessarily have the some complexes about his brother always doing better and everyone liking his brother better. Don't worry though, he still envies Feliciano for being everyone's angel and the usual older brother complex of you having to hold back bc you are 'older' and 'more mature'. He's still somewhat of a fraidycat and still likes to lean back more than working, but he fills his role as a boss well and knows the value of hard work. So yeah, he's more like the South Italians I met along the years while still retaining core characteristics like his temper.

#fraidy cat Roma really shows in my Jerusalem AU but I don't think I posted a lot of those snippets #beareplies #anon #hetalia #hws #aph #aph england #hws england #aph prussia #hws prussia #aph south italy #hws south italy #aph romano #hws romano #storie nostre #arthur #gil #lovi

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sotwk · 4 months

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Hi there! I love all the detail you’ve put into your OCs, so much so that I sometimes forget that Thranduil’s sons aren’t all canon 😂

I’ve been wondering if any of them (or any other elf OCs you’ve written) are anywhere on the LGBT+ spectrum. It’s no big deal if they aren’t! But I always headcanoned some (maybe even most?) elves to be relatively asexual, and maybe to blur gender lines here and there as well.

I’d love to hear any headcanons or thoughts you have about it!

sometimes forget that Thranduil’s sons aren’t all canon 😂

That is high praise my friend, thank you for saying so! <3 Thank you for dreaming with me!

Regarding the Thranduilions' places on the LGBT+ spectrum, I don't have hardset headcanons about 4 out of the 5 brothers! (Mirion is the exception--he's straight, and I gave him a SotWK-canon family.) That may sound strange since I go pretty deep about the other aspects of the Princes' characters, but I purposely keep their romantic interests/inclinations/preferences open for interpretation--both mine and readers of my fics.

What I have personally found in fandom is that we enjoy having at least some characters who are not canonically, specifically paired with a love interest, because it allows us the freedom to imagine different possibilities for relationships. Yes, fanfic writers can always defy canon (just as I do with Éomer), but it's just different when you don't have to. (That might make better sense to Type A sticklers like myself.) Examples of such "unattached" Tolkien canons, to name just a few, are Legolas, Boromir, Glorfindel, Bilbo, Thorin, and most of the Dwarves!

So yeah, I want fans of the Thranduilion Brothers (they have fans at this point, hopefully?) to have the freedom to play around and imagine the different ships they favor for them. I want that flexibility for myself too, although I stick to M/F pairings, since that's my specialty. My general rule is to write themes/ships/experiences/characters I am well-versed at, so I can deliver my best to the fandom.

Now regarding Elves, asexuality, and blurred gender roles, I actually think we share similar opinions on that! I'm definitely no expert on asexuality, but Elves do seem to hold less interest in sex compared to mortals. This is why I personally don't write Thranduil as a very sexual character compared to other writers, to a point where he may probably be considered asexual (see more of my HCs about that here). I tend to hold Elrond in this same view, based on his love for and relationship with Celebrian.

I hope that sufficiently answers your question! Thank you again so much for your interest and the Ask! <3

#sotwk answers #anon asks #thranduilion #sotwk ocs #sotwk headcanon #thranduil #thranduil headcanon

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lizzybeth1986 · 10 months

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Headcanon: Hana's Origins

In canon, the details we do know of where Hana is from is very little on one side, and almost nothing on the other. We know that her father Xinghai is Chinese and settled in Shanghai, and that her mother Lorelai is from a minor house in Cordonia. We know of her grandmother on her paternal side and a great-grandmother on the maternal side.

So with Hana, often you get the opportunity to start from almost-scratch. Where in China is she from - Shanghai itself or could her paternal family have come from another part of China? What about her mother? What was her province like? Who were they? What do they do? We don't know anything about that side of Hana's family besides the coat of arms (flowers) and a local ritual that involves tossing three coins into a fountain.

In Petals and Thornes, I try to fill in these gaps. A lot of this is still a work in progress, because it involves a lot more research than I've managed to wade through so far. As I get more insight that will help me build Hana, I will add it here:

China

The Lì family consists currently of Hana's năinai (paternal grandmother) and Xīnghǎi's mother, who has three children:

Xīngchen has four children: eldest daughter Mèngtáo, twin son and daughter Lùtáo and Xiaotáo, and the youngest girl, Chūntáo. Chūntáo is viewed as the rebel of the family and often spends a lot of her time with her aunt and cousins in Beijing. Xīngchen in many ways is a strict parent too, but more a stickler for time and for the traditions of their home. It isn't Xīnghǎi who is more Bertrand-like, it's Xīngchen.

Xīnghǎi, who married Lady Lorelai of the barony Bethulia. They have only one daughter, Hana. She was named so for easier accessibility to European royal courts, but her extended paternal family are fond of calling her Méihuā.

Xīngxià is the youngest, and her mother and father had very differing perspectives of her. She was often viewed as a black sheep of the family even though she wasn't as huge a rebel as her niece Chūntáo became, and often he would blame Năinai for being too permissive a parent. She now stays in Beijing with her sons (haven't named them yet). She is amazing on the piano and teaches music both at a school and runs her own piano classes at home. She was the one who introduced Hana to music, which I wrote more about here.

Xīnghǎi and his family were from Shanyin County in Shanxi, and he grew up there with his siblings. Xīnghǎi moved to Shanghai long before he met Lorelai, and started his own garment business, similar to his father but with fresh ideas and a mind towards the latest technologies. Of the three siblings, only the eldest Xīngchen stayed in Shanxi, and Năinai stayed with him. Their father passed away when Hana was 13, and Năinai a few months after her 18th birthday.

Hana grew up in Shanghai and did occasionally get to go out, but her movements were heavily restricted by her parents' rules and curfews. So obsessed were her parents with the idea that Hana should be European nobility that they didn't pay heed to any of Năinai's protests, and Xīnghǎi's younger sister Xīngxià, remembering her own father, trying to keep involved in Hana's life through Xīngchen...worrying that her older brother was pushing her niece too far.

Hana has seen some of the more flashy parts of Shanghai life, the parts that would be of interest to tourists. She realises far later, that she actually hasn't seen much of her own city.

The Barony of Bethulia

In the P&Tverse, which also includes the Eleanor's Kitchen series, I have Hana's home to be the home of a Parsi community that came from Gujarat and settled into a part of a province that hadn't yet been revitalized. The larger duchy was also run by Zoroastrians from Iran, so they were only glad to embrace the few Indian Zoroastrian families that arrived in Cordonia. The Bethulians are proficient in Farsi, but are comfortable in the language their ancestors grew up with, which was Gujarati.

Lorelai was the eldest daughter of the then-Baron of Bethulia, and was destined to be his heir. She caused a real shock to the family when she not only married a man not chosen by her family, but also a man who wasn't Zoroastrian at all. As a result the family didn't talk to her for several years. She did eventually miss the noble life, so decided to groom her daughter to be the perfect wife for a nobleman.

In her place, Lorelai's younger brother Cyrus becomes the Baron of Bethulia upon their father's death. It is Cyrus who brings her back into the family fold. Unfortunately, when it comes to Hana he follows mostly Lorelai's perspective of her and doesn't actually take much independent concern of her; when Hana leaves Shanghai the way she does, Cyrus also refuses to have anything to do with her or contact her. A lot of this changes over time, by which time Hana is already the Duchess of Krysanthe. Cyrus has three children: eldest daughter Delnaz, his son Dinyar and his youngest daughter Dilbahar.

The current barons and baronesses of Bethulia are distantly related to the priest that cares for the main agiary. They share a great-grandmother. The priest's niece, Perizaad Dastur, did create a bit of a scandal when she married an Italian man named Francesco de Rosa. Her family, though upset, accepted the couple and she often visits them, alone and with Franci. Pari and Franci don't often visit Cyrus - they are welcome to see him but they won't be received warmly.

Perizaad is thus far the only relative (albeit distant) from Bethulia who has consistently kept in touch with Hana since the engagement tour. Francesco met Hana when the court came to Italy for the engagement tour, discovered she already knew they were related, and invited her to his house so Perizaad could meet her too. Francesco and Perizaad have two daughters, Bahar and Shirin. Bahar is a programmer later helps Hana when she needs to build a career in composing...in secret.

Once she becomes the Duchess of Krysanthe and relationships between her and the Bethulian noble house become less tense, Hana does try to visit Bethulia at least 2-3 times a year. Eventually Cyrus' daughter Delnaz takes over the duchy, and by then the relationship between Hana and the new baroness is pretty rock-solid.

Being a connoisseur of baked goods, she absolutely loves the lagan nu custard and mawa cakes that are so popular in this barony.

The frontman of the extremely famous Cordonian rock band, Vasilissa*, Bomi Mars (born Boman Feniwala) is from Bethulia. Hana does get the opportunity to meet him through King Liam, who is a huge fan of the band. They bond over their love for music, esp the piano.

* Vasilissa is modelled on the band Queen. In the universe of my stories Queen exists as a band as well, and Vasilissa started out as a tribute act to them before developing their own style and becoming a great band in their own right.

Some of the faceclaims I managed to compile:

Lì Xīngxià - Faye Wong

Lì Chūntáo - Chen Li

Lady Lorelai - Mehr Jesia

Baron Cyrus Dinshaw - Homi Adajania

Perizaad Dastur-de Rosa - Perzen Patel

Francesco de Rosa - Michel Morrone

Bahar Viola de Rosa - Diana Penty

Shirin Zeta de Rosa - Sanaya Irani

Baron Cyrus' children, in order:

Delnaaz Dinshaw - Nushrratt Bharuccha

Dinyar Dinshaw - Zervaan Bunshah

Dilbahar Dinshaw - Diya Parekh

#hana lee #hanaleeappreciationweek #HLAW #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #HLAW Day 4 #HLAW Day 4: Relationships #HLAW Day 4: Homes #lizzybeth1986 #content: headcanon

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webbedphantom · 5 months

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💍our ship

Wedding Headcanons

Shock yeah! The OTP!

As a quick aside, I know we've talked about a few of these before, but I don't remember all the answers because it's been so long, so I apologize if I misremember something

Where they get married: I think we set their wedding on a rooftop? Just a small ceremony with the rest of the team, plus Sae, Sojiro, and Aaron's Aunt Mika.

When they get married: Summer, July 7th, during her second year of college. Might seem a bit fast, but when you spend everyday almost dying, you tend to try to make the most of the time you have. Besides, they were both committed to each other before she even graduated highschool. Marriage was only a matter of time.

What traditions they include: I don't think either of them are sticklers for tradition, so aside from the essentials, like the bouquet toss and that, probably not much

What their wedding cake looks like: It'd be a simple cake, since they don't exactly have the funds to go too overboard, but Aaron would make the topper himself, handcrafting a small figurine of them in their wedding outfits either swinging together, or riding the motorcycle he helped her get for Christmas in their first year together. (Was tempted to say Johanna, since she can do that now in our canon, but I imagine that bike is rather special to both of them)

Who smashes cake on who's face: Makoto on Aaron's. I don't think it was planned, or at least Aaron didn't know it was planned, because she wanted to surprise him with it. But as soon as he realizes, he just lets it happen. Made for a very cute picture that has been a staple of his work desk ever since

Who proposed first: Aaron, because it was his idea to get married so soon. Proposed to her on their anniversary of all days, on the rooftop of the hotel he'd lived in as kid. The same hotel where he'd set up a shrine to his parents, where he'd taken her on their first date to "introduce" her to them. It's a spot that means a lot to both of them.

Who walks down the aisle and who waits at the alter: I don't think we've ever decided on it, but I think it'd be interesting to have Aaron walk down the aisle (or swing maybe?) and Makoto wait at the alter. Not really sure why. I just like the reversal of the norm

What their wedding dress / suit looks like: I think we wanted to go with something similar to their masquerade outfits from that P5 Anime promo. Aaron in a red suit, maybe with a black vest or jacket over it, and Makoto in a blue dress. It's not very traditional, but something so colorful for them seems fitting.

What their wedding color scheme is and what sort of decor they have: Red with black, blue with white. AKA their colors along with an accent from their costumes (black is kinda obvious, white from her gloves). The decor would be very simple because they had a small budget to work with, but Aaron made a lot of the more intricate stuff by hand. Yusuke also made them a painting as a sort of early wedding present that helped set the scene a little better.

What flowers are in the bouquet, and what do they symbolize: Baby's Breath (Yes that is apparently a real flower, meaning Everlasting Love), Daffodils (Unequalled Love), Dills (Powerful against Evil), Goldenrod (Encouragement and Good Fortune), and Thyme (Courage and Strength). They symbolize their strong love for each other, the strength they provide to each other, a strength that can overcome any obstacle their enemies may throw at them, and the hope for a bright future together. (A hope that we know comes to pass due to their future kids, one of which they may or may not have met beforehand due to time travel shenanigans, but that's a story for another time)

What their vows are: I think Makoto originally planned to do it traditionally, but then just decides to say 'screw it,' and speak from the heart. Aaron's are also improvised, but he attempts to make a heartfelt poem out of them (which I will not be doing, at least not right now, because it's 11 pm and I suck at rhyming). And while I won't say Makoto's, as I'd rather leave the specifics up to you, Aaron's are that he will always be there when she needs him, that he will support her dreams with everything he has, that he will love her with all his heart and soul for as long as she'll have him, and that no matter what the future holds for them, he knows they'll be okay, because they'll have each other.

If anyone's late to the wedding: Aaron almost was- He did everything possible to make sure he'd be there, not wanting to ruin their big day, but as luck would have it, Shido broke out of prison an hour before the wedding. Thankfully, Akechi showed up (they'd have buried the hatchet a while ago by this point) and practically had to force him to let him handle it so he could make it on time, making a joke that it was his wedding present to them. Akechi unfortunately missed the ceremony entirely due to this (Shido is not easy to take down), but as soon as it was over, Aaron and Makoto ran over to help finish the job so he could be there for the reception.

Who's in the bridal parties / groomsmen: The entire team, along with Eiko and Mishima. Ryuji is the best man, of course, and Ann is the maid of honor.

What their bridal party / groomsmen are wearing: Given the small gathering, and with everyone present knowing their secrets, everyone shows up in their costumes, though altered slightly to fit the occasion. Even Eiko and Mishima got costumes made for specifically for this. (This is somewhat inspired by other superhero weddings in comics, where everyone there shows up in costume for... some reason. Though it's slightly more fitting here for reasons you'll see later)

Who gives speeches at the reception: Pretty much everyone except Akechi, not feeling like he deserves to given everything he did that he still feels he needs to make up for. Though, he's eventually convinced to after Aaron rightfully points out they would've had to postpone the wedding entirely if not for him. All the team members recount memories of their time together, Mika tells an embarrassing story of Aaron as a kid, as well as how found she's grown of Makoto, adding that she couldn't imagine anyone better for her "son." Sojiro gives a heartfelt speech about the two, how he sees the both of them as family even though they aren't related, and how he couldn't be prouder of either of them. Sae makes a joke about how if Aaron breaks her heart, they'll never find the body, but then giving a short, but heartful speech about just how happy he's made her sister, and that while she may not always like him, she's proud to call him family. Akechi gives a similarly short speech, feeling like there isn't anything he could say that wasn't already said. But he does focus on how good of a team they make, adding that "Trust me, I know from experience."

Who catches the bouquet: Ryuji, though he wasn't trying to. It just kinda landed on him-

What their wedding photos are like: Mostly sweet and wholesome. A couple of them kissing, one of them sitting on ledge of the roof together, holding hands and watching the sun go down, a few of them in their costumes, including one where they're posing together with the whole team, and of course, the cake smash.

What sort of food they have at the reception: A traditional buffet, something Haru insisted on paying for, as well as a giant bowl of shrimp flavored popcorn. (She does have plenty of extras thanks to Aaron, after all)

Who cries first during the ceremony: It's actually a tie between Aaron and Yusuke. Makoto's vows really moved him (which is part of why he even attempted the poem thing, in an attempt to match hers). Makoto... also cried during Aaron's vows, so he succeeded.

How wild their reception gets: It starts out tame, but gets pretty crazy towards the end. I mean, most of their guests have super powers and there's alcohol, I think you can imagine how that goes.

What their rings are like: They're actually family heirlooms, Makoto's belonged to her dad, while Aaron's belonged to his Aunt. They're fairly simple in terms on looks, a gold band for Makoto and a silver for Aaron's, but that doesn't really matter to either of them. They treasure them all the same.

What sort of party favors they have: Not much, since again they had a small budget (Haru offered several times to pay for everything, but they refused. As much as Aaron would like to go over the top for her... they don't need that. The important thing is that they have each other), but they did give out some sparklers and copies of a few of their wedding photos.

Where they go for their honeymoon: Hawaii. Might be obvious, but that is when he first realized he liked her (the two of them see that moment on the beach as their honorary first date), so there was nowhere else it could be.

Something memorable that happens during the party / ceremony: Aside from the two of them having to change into their costumes and ride off on Johanna to go fight Shido (the costume part was planned, but the fight was definitely not), mostly just how insane the party got afterwards. They don't remember exactly what happened (they were both really drunk), they just know it somehow led to them ice skating through the venue and posing with a goat. No one remembers where the goat came from-

Who officiates the ceremony: Sojiro was going to, but Yusuke insisted it be him. He actually did a pretty good job all things considered.

What song their first dance is to: Just Like Heaven by the Cure, played right off her dad's old records (which was a bit of a pain to set up, but being as sentimental as he is, Aaron was insistent that they did it that way, even doing a majority of the setup himself. Makoto definitely appreciated the gesture). In fact, a large majority of the songs played during the reception were from those records. Aaron would've made all of them be, but Makoto insisted he choose some songs too.

... He chose the Sonic R soundtrack, because he's a shocking nerd, but it was weirdly a good fit??

Who gives who away as they walk down the aisle: Sojiro gives Aaron away, I think. A bit obvious but it just seems right.

#OOC - Out of Character;#Request Received - Accepting;#Just Like Heaven (queenxfjustice)#This took so long but it was absolutely worth it #Did my best not to repeat myself which was easier than I thought it'd be because we have SOOOO much more background to work with #Love these two so much

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saintmades · 5 months

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#saintmades. 21+, est, she/her. currently semi-selectively looking for long-term writing partners for discord only. more info beneath the cut! ༘⋆🌷🫧💭₊˚ෆ

basic info, ──

⁽ ¹ ⁾ i'm a fairly active partner, especially ooc. i like being friends with the people i write with as i'm quite a chatty person and i get rather enthusiastic about ships / dynamics so i could go on and on for hours about whatever we plot. i gravitate towards people who are similar, enthusiastic about plotting and chatty. i like to do things like make pinterest boards, playlists, share headcanons, etc. so if you're similar, we'll get along great! ⁽ ² ⁾ when it comes to plotting, i really love in-depth plotting. if you're the type that replies to everything with whatever you want or up to you, we're probably not going to get along well. i will always put a lot of effort into coming up with ideas and things so i ask that the same sort of effort is given back as well. i want us to both love the dynamic we're plotting! ⁽ ³ ⁾ i write the following: canons, ocs, canonxcanon, ocxcanon and ocxoc. i have preference for ocs and for ocxoc and canonxoc. i also write mxf and fxf, inclusive of trans/nb muses. i have a heavy preference for writing female muses but i am happy to double so long as we both put in the same sort of energy into both plots. ⁽ ⁴ ⁾ in terms of content preferences, i heavily lean towards dark, mature, taboo themes. with that being said, i do also love fluffy sweetness! i'm always happy to have a good mix of both. i also do write smut and i enjoy a good balanced ratio between smut and plot. i'm happy to share kinks / limits and things in private. i don't typically like writing smut without much plot, i always at least a bit of plot. some of the themes / types of plots i enjoy are: age gaps (no minors), forbidden / secret relationships, power dynamics, dependency, toxic relationships, corruption, crime/mafia related, pregnancy plots, small town plots, mumus, celebrities, fake dating, arranged marriage, apocalypse, cheating / affairs. in terms of some of the fandoms i enjoy (this list is definitely not conclusive so we can chat about it!): criminal minds, scream, the last of us, star wars / the mandalorian, marvel / dc, twilight, peaky blinders, kingsman, top gun: maverick, triple frontier, justified, divergent. ⁽ ⁵ ⁾ i am big big big pro-communication. i am absence friendly but not ghost friendly. i will always communicate with my partner about any absences or if i just need to take a break or if i'm losing muse for something. i ask for the same from you. i've had way too many experiences recently of people just disappearing for weeks on end without a single word or just leaving servers without saying anything. all i ask is for some communication. if you're losing muse, let me know! we can refresh / rework our dynamic, try something new, etc, or we can call it a day. sometimes it just doesn't work out and that's okay! if you need to step away and take a break or just need to be absent, that will never bother me at all! i will happily sit back and wait so long as you communicate that with me. i really hope i don't come off as a stickler for this but i've been experiencing this a lot lately and it's so disheartening when i get really engaged and enthusiastic about a dynamic only for it to just either fizzle out because of disappearances or for it to end altogether without a word. this is, of course, not applicable to being away for a few days and not saying anything, etc, i'm more so referring to ghosting for weeks at a time!

end notes, ── if you've sat through that long ramble and you're interested in writing, please feel free to send me an im and we can chat! i'm genuinely a very chill partner and an enthusiastic one as well. i'm very much the type to scream about our dynamic with you all the live long day so if you're similar, we're going to get on like a house on fire! i am currently semi-selectively looking for partners because my experience lately hasn't been the best in terms of communication and ghosting, but i'm always open to chat so send me an im if you're interested! 🤍

#pinned.

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widowshill · 6 months

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3, 4, 10, 11 for the canon questionnaire :)

CANON QUESTIONNAIRE.

3. What’s the best thing about the show/series/books/comics/etc.?

silly answer: louis stirling edmonds

serious answer: it really has two separate answers, one for form and one for content, because a big part of the appeal for me is seeing the guts of the production and I don’t know that I’d be that into it if it was expensively produced and bogged down with 2020’s cgi. it was messy and rushed and taped basically live every weekday in a New York studio for 5 years, and there are lots of bleeds around the edges because of that: flubbed lines, actors walking on set with their scripts, off stage noises, flies on faces, etc. but in the same way that mistakes and unscripted moments in live theatre add a little bit of extra magic, so too with the 60’s soap opera. the effects (practical, and digital) such as they are are cheesy and silly and psychedelic, and so of their time in a charming way, it's like seeing y.ale g.racey's pirate flames, or dancing ghosts, in a television show rather than a theme park ride.

in terms of the narrative itself, UMMM is it really way too predictable if i say Women. but genuinely, this show is the only show other than avowed cultural masterpiece b.lack s.ails with quite the array of interesting, compelling female characters ( compelling characters period, really ) that are so vastly different from each other, that you care about even when they are doing horrors –– especially when ! it runs the gamut from gothic heroine, america's sweetheart, elegant milf, mad arsonist divorcee, homicidal witch sometimes-vampire, bride of frankenstein (reincarnated from 18th century lady serial killer), pastor's daughter possessed with the spirit of a British showgirl ... i could go on. there are occasionally moments where they lean fully into Marriage and Romance, but most of the time this feels wrong and bad (vicki and jeff), or its purposefully subverted into some supernatural shadow version of the nuclear family ( with the exclusion of maggie and joe, who you can consider brad and janet ). it's never silly or self-reflective or Girl Power about it, women are just a part of the fabric of its world, its power structures, and the narrative in a way you usually don't even think about. liz stoddard runs everything and her word is truth. our narrator is a girl writing letters to herself. that's just the way it is.

4. What’s the worst thing about the show/series/books/comics/etc.?

silly answer: roger davis

serious answer: unfortunately. the portrayal of race is Bad –– namely the brownface and really repulsive depiction of the romani people that went on for much longer than I expected in the 1897 sequence. white women with names like chavez or suki are otherwise as diverse as it gets. generally, they just stay in their lane writing about horrible rich white people but when they try to include any other ethnic group oh boy has it gone wrong.

10. Would you say that your portrayal is canon divergent or not?

yea :) i like to have a friendly little repartee with canon in that i think it's delightful to put the Puzzle together and fit together bits of information in fun ways, and to be an absolute stickler for historical accuracy when it comes to certain things ( see: that day wendy and I spent researching roger's collection of cars ). but with this show I couldn't be 100% canon-compliant even if I wanted to be, with its many retcons and contradictions. ( and I don't really want to be )

the biggest thing in terms of my canon-divergence is liz's affairs with betty and ned, and vicki's parents: in no world is the canon version of the story that liz was having a lesbian affair with vick's mom lol ( liz being vicki's mother is the closest thing to a canon answer that story has ). but it's also not an interpretation i purely made up for giggles, it's grounded in scene / character / thematic analysis, reflected in the broader cultural moment and what was going on when liz was becoming a mother and mistress of the house. on top of being fun and interesting for my brain. ned calder being a he/him lesbian however, has nothing to explicitly disprove it, and I will continue to think on that particular headcanon as It May as Well Be True.

11. Are there some things you dislike about how the show/series/etc. portray the character you have picked up? If so, what?

oh yes. chiefly vicki and i'm metaphorically throttling mr curtis by the throat ( for various reasons, but mostly vicki ). the difference between her character at her introduction, to when alexandra left the show, is really startling: they watered her down immensely into someone far more passive, and frankly dumb most of the time, who –– and this is the thing that fuels my spite –– cares more about her irritating, aggressive boyfriend than her found family whom she cherishes. #notmyvicki. she catches a lot of flack for stupidity from the fandom ( and from alexandra herself ) and certainly she's written that way at the very end to make her r.oger davis' perfect submissive woman ( ick ). but Platonic Ideal Vicki is not that way. struggling through strange and unfamiliar situations, yes, barred from secrets, yes, human in a world among supernatural deviations beyond her understanding, even missing regular ol social cues (#autism) but she got brains. she's a tutor ! to freakin david collins, who is smart enough to take apart car engines, dissect tide charts, and have his own darkroom at twelve. good god !

generally i get frustrated with josette wherever she's written as obsessed with count von count as he is her, when they attempt to treat it like a pure romance ( it is not ). I find her a lot more interesting in the myths and stories they tell about her before she's portrayed in 1795, or her brief ghost cameos, because they preserve her ambiguity and the ambiguity of the relationship between her and barn and her and her husband. also the fact that she um. just isn't there ? when the collins family are being tormented by malevolent ghosts of great uncles. she should be hitting quentin with a ghost rock or something. mostly i think josette would care more about protecting the girls barnacle kidnaps to brainwash into becoming her, and not that dusty crusty man.

roger and liz tend to be pretty good ( liz is often in a coma or fake dead too much for my liking but like. that's so joan can go on vacay so i support it ) and joan & louis are good enough actors to course correct shitty writing. if there's ever issues with roger it's that certain writers will occasionally forget about the Character Development and the bond he has with his sister, and those he has formed with David, and Vick. in particular 646 is my worst enemy: after vicki has almost jumped off the cliff and is paralyzed in her room with grief and he sort of brushes it off with "well whatever she needs to just do her job it's very inconvenient" and says they can do nothing for her except wait and see. it makes me want to chew glass and not in a "I think they should fuck" way. man cares her. she's a member of their family to them which he says himself. he's helped rescue her multiple times from life-threatening situations. HE WAS GOING TO GIVE HER AWAY AT HER WEDDING. if there's any defense it's that vicki herself is hardly the same character at this point, but sometimes they just make him Drink Brandy Care About No One which is like. only half true ( the drinking brandy part )

#oh man.... Longe.#honestly i was gonna put this below a read more but then i deleted it because what am i doing here #if not to expound at length about da tv monster show. turn on the dashboard feature that sizes down long posts if ur scared.#thanks for sending this in :)#mxdam #➤ answered. ┊ collinsport 4099.#➤ meme responses. ┊ boo !

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redstrewn · 6 months

Text

As inspired by Musa's inclusion of the song "Hamlet" into their Leander playlist, I have Cliffsnotes-ed the play (because I never read/studied it before) and go on a whole unedited, completely disorganized, messy ramble about it in association with Leander. (More brainstorming than coherently presenting an essay lmfao.)

Advisory

Please bear in mind I haven't read the actual text and I'm just going off summaries off of literal Cliffsnotes. So if you want to scream at me for interpreting things the wrong way or just completely getting things wrong, be kind, but I welcome you to do so lol.

Originally this was going to be part of my response to Musa's ask linking their playlist, but this got pretty long so it's a separate post now.

Now onto the actual ramble

I'm cliffsnoting this and GAD DAYM this is wild. the blurring of deception and reality is really interesting and on topic. self-fulfilling prophecy but more like self-fulfilling....persona lol? self-fulfilling visage idk self-fulfilling mask!!! yes. self-fulfilling mask. growing into the mask for real.

Also the topic of justice/honor/societal values...making me think of Leander's appearance of caring for doing "better" than the Senobium. it kind of appears simplistic, when yeah it's pretty much a given the Bloodhounds are doing some dubious shit. "Doing good" becomes a complex, muddied thing. Is it a "the end justifies the means" kind of thing? Morals morals morals. Hero of lowtown. Such a seemingly shining beacon of hope. But as they say, the brighter the light, the darker the shadow. The hypocrisy of societal values and hamlet as a focus...I think abt Leander giving me hypocrisy vibes fr. Often comes from people who deem themselves perfect lmao. Narcissists especially. On brand. Plus I'm thinking because of the magician tarot, and his behavior in the demo, he's the "psychological horror" option on the uquiz: which plays into the internal conflicts kind of thing. Conflicting ideas within a person and the struggle over that. I already rambled about that on my faustus post so i'll save you from that again lmao.

Hamlet's recklessness is the result of realizing that the moral codes he once held to be of value are no longer applicable and, perhaps, broadly irrelevant.

Leander for real sooo seems to hold on to morals, which is funny because he's a monster all the same. Speaks so disapprovingly of the groupmind and the Senobium's cruelty (again the hypocrisy). He's canonically described as a ringleader, so it's interesting to see how far he slips from his first perceived moralities and further to darkness--and how far he tries to justify everything he does maybe. I don't know. Again, "end justifies the means." I keep thinking of that Ursula K. De Guin quote, "The end justifies the means, but what if there never is an end? All we have is means." Which like...lol quite relevant with Leander's themes of endlessness. "Mages lust for power, it's always their downfall." When does it end???? It ends only when his life does.

The political corruption in Denmark deeply affects Hamlet, and he develops an obsession with physical corruption, decay, and death.

As Hamlet works to uncover the “rotten” core of Denmark, he is shocked and dismayed by both the actual deaths he comes across and the figurative deaths he stumbles upon—like, for instance, the death of honor or decency. In this way, Shakespeare implies that physical degradation is indicative of broader forms of spiritual, political, and social decay.

HUUUUHHHHH......Talented mage son that was meant to attend the prestigious but messed up academy...leaves his cushy nest to pursue his own dreams. Dislikes said academy. Leads a group of "do-gooders" that have the same feelings. States he's better than that academy. Speaks like a stickler for morals. Decorated with symbols about the cycle of life and immortality. Hm. Yeah. Interesting and fun. I keep thinking about how he gives me the vibes that he's dying and desperate. I don't know if he's actually dying but I get the vibe he's running away from something, partying and working and not resting adequately as he does. There's a "decay" somewhere, I feel like. I mean, Vere fucking hates him and he can see into souls. Hates him enough that he's the one listed in Vere's dislikes instead of Kuras. What the fuck is going on with Leander, spiritually? ROFL.

This leads to one of the play’s most important moments of reflection on the inevitability of death and decay. Hamlet reflects on how all the things he knew of Yorick in life—his wit, warmth, and physical attributes—are gone forever.He realizes that this applies to all people, no matter how great or small. He is both saddened and comforted by the process of decay, inquiring of the gravediggers how long it takes for flesh to rot off of bones.

It took me reading this paragraph to realize Leander's dislike of Ais's groupmind can be because they're technically dead. I mean, if Ais's flowers and the seemingly "last letter" notes on the Seaspring pillars are anything to go by. It's like a grave. People speculate the uptick of Ais's flowers are associated with actual more deaths happening, whether from drinking from the Seaspring or generally due to the state of their world. Jeez.

Hamlet's fixation on death shows that he feels powerless to stop what is happening in Denmark.

It took me reading this sentence to see how Leander's lust for power can be attributed to the final, insurmountable fact that is death. I mean yeah, I got the fact that he was power hungry to get to godhood and seems to be allergic to death, but my dumb ass didn't really like. Connect that the lust for power is directly specifically because of death and not just like....wanting power for the sake of doing good for all. But then again, maybe overcoming death has something to do with his idea of doing good. I don't fucking know. How much is his "do-good" is sincere and how much of it is just a front to his hidden selfish agenda? Is he even conscious of his hidden selfish agenda? Or has he near-completely deluded even himself and not just other people that he has completely pure and righteous nature?

After all this I don't have a good conclusion paragraph. I'm just stewing shit in my mind. It's good food. Thank you. I may have stretched shit completely irrelevant to Leander and still made it about him anyway, but that's my hobby babeeyyyyy. Feel free to drop some thoughts. I'd be surprised if anyone actually reads this brainvomit lmao

#redstrewn leandering

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