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#so that when a character does something related to the theme it doesn't come out of nowhere
yasmeensh · 8 months
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Angsty Neanderthal teenager and his blind little sister. I gave them names but I'm too timid to share yet lol. I'm developing their story arc far more than the main character's 😳 they took over my mind ever since I thought of them existing.
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saintsenara · 4 months
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What is your rationale for disagreeing with the fanon that the horcruxes affected Voldemort's sanity?
that it's literally canon that they don't!
i obviously don't have an actual problem with people using the idea that the horcruxes affect voldemort's sanity as a trope, if that's what works for their story, but what irks me is that this idea is often repeated by voldemort enjoyers as canon fact, when the impact of horcruxes on cognitive function is spelled out clearly in half-blood prince:
Harry sat in thought for a moment, then asked, “So if all of his Horcruxes are destroyed, Voldemort could be killed?”  “Yes, I think so,” said Dumbledore. “Without his Horcruxes, Voldemort will be a mortal man with a maimed and diminished soul. Never forget, though, that while his soul may be damaged beyond repair, his brain and his magical powers remain intact. It will take uncommon skill and power to kill a wizard like Voldemort even without his Horcruxes.”
in half-blood prince - as in every book prior to deathly hallows - dumbledore functions as the "word of god" character, which is to say that the information he provides us - as long as it relates neither to harry nor himself - isn't up for interpretation, it's understood within the narrative as correct. we can also be sure that he's done his research on horcruxes, knows exactly how they work, and is speaking as an expert when it comes to their impact on the mind - and we can also note that slughorn [who also seems to know what he's talking about when it comes to horcruxes and their function] doesn't mention them causing any cognitive damage when discussing them with the teenage tom riddle.
but nobody has ever made as many horcruxes as voldemort! maybe one doesn't affect the mind, but seven certainly could.
except this doesn't align at all with how the series understands the relationship between the soul and the will.
one of the central themes of the harry potter series is the value of choice. all of its main characters have narrative arcs which hinge - in some way or other - on them making a choice, very often the choice between what is right and what is easy. ron chooses to leave and then chooses to come back; hermione chooses to stay. sirius chooses to take a stand against the life his family expect of him. snape chooses to repent of his sins and work forever to atone for them. harry chooses to walk into the forest and die. lily chooses to ignore voldemort's request for her to stand aside.
all of these choices are made of the character in question's own free will - and the same applies to everything voldemort does in the series. he chooses to kill and to keep killing of his own free will, with the full capacity to understand his actions, and he refuses, right until the very end, to show the slightest bit of remorse for what he's done - and it is this, in the narrative's view, which makes his behaviour so heinous and which causes his behaviour to have such an impact on the state of his soul.
if we assume that voldemort's grasp on rationality declines with the number of horcruxes he makes, we are also assuming that his capacity to understand the full wickedness of his actions also declines - but his motivation for killing myrtle to make a horcrux and his motivation for killing frank bryce to make a horcrux are exactly the same: he wants to, and he doesn't give a solitary fuck about the life he's just taken.
and this stands in contrast to something else we see in canon - the idea that killing does not automatically have an impact on the soul:
“And my soul, Dumbledore? Mine?” “You alone know whether it will harm your soul to help an old man avoid pain and humiliation,” said Dumbledore.
this - the set-up to snape's mercy-killing of dumbledore - suggests that your soul is not harmed if you know without question that the death you cause is justified.
snape kills dumbledore of his own free will, but this suggestion also implies that it would be perfectly possible for the soul to remain unharmed if a killer was understood to be non compos mentis. that is, if someone lacked the capacity to understand their actions were not justified, then their soul would see them as "not guilty by reason of insanity" and not splinter.
voldemort's ability to make so many horcruxes in the first place, then, must depend on his capacity to understand exactly what he's doing - to know he could choose not to kill and then still do it anyway.
and we do actually see in canon that - while he's shown to be someone who kills with the slightest provocation in the films - the voldemort of the books is clinical and methodical in his violence:
“Nice costume, mister!” He saw the small boy’s smile falter as he ran near enough to see beneath the hood of the cloak, saw the fear cloud his painted face: Then the child turned and ran away... Beneath the robe he fingered the handle of his wand... One simple movement and the child would never reach his mother... but unnecessary, quite unnecessary...
the canonical voldemort's known kill count is actually surprisingly low, and each of his victims is clearly selected with a rational [in the "does he have a disorder of thought?" sense, not in the "is this morally justifiable?" sense] motivation driving his decision to attack them - even if his actions are also affected by an emotional trigger [he does not, for example, kill his father or massacre the goblins who tell him that the cup was stolen for reasons which are irrational or delusional - incandescent fury or fear that your secret is out are not insanity].
voldemort kills and makes his horcruxes out of choice, and the series is clear that his capacity to understand that choice does not degrade across the course of his life.
ok, but you have to admit that he's definitely not... all there, personality wise...
sure. but i don't think this has anything to do with the horcruxes...
the idea that voldemort runs around shrieking and cackling to himself is an invention of the films. the canonical voldemort is shown to be lucid and thoughtful even in deathly hallows, he remains a formidable strategist right up until the end - and i think it's also worth noting that the films really gloss over just how successful his takeover of the government is - and his prodigious intellect and magical talent are acknowledged by the order throughout the series.
his more volatile personality traits - his fondness for monologuing, his rapid switching between being superficially charming and feral, his tendency to get lost in his own obsessions, his emotional brittleness - are all ones the eleven-year-old riddle is shown to possess, and i think it's much more interesting to explore the idea that they remain aspects of the person he once was which the adult voldemort cannot hide behind the mask he has constructed.
but - yes - its certainly true that the resurrected voldemort of order of the phoenix onwards is more paranoid, harder to soothe, crueller to his death eaters, more inflexible in his thinking and so on than he is implied to have been in the 1970s, and so i understand why many readers interpret this as evidence that his last two horcruxes [harry and nagini] - plus the arcane horror of his resurrection ritual - might have sent him round the bend.
but i think that the implication of canon is that this behaviour has much more mundane causes.
in october 1981, all the evidence we have is that voldemort is about to win. he is an unassailable terrorist kingpin with an army of highly-trained, highly loyal minions and - we can assume - widespread popular support.
and then only four of these supporters try to find him.
it's clear - as we can tell from the fact that barty crouch jr. is so shocked to discover that he didn't massacre the reassembled death eaters where they stood - that voldemort is livid that none of his "loyal" servants came to rescue him from the tree in albania his soul piece was hiding in, choosing instead to pretend they were under the imperius curse and that they'd never have been seen dead supporting him had they been in their right minds. it's also clear that he has no choice but to welcome these death eaters back to the fold once he's resurrected because he'd have no core supporters otherwise.
but it's also clear that he doesn't trust any of them one single bit once their commitment is proven to be so fragile - and that it is this, this evidence that he's just a human being with human feelings, rather than a creature of pure magic whose mind has been warped by that magic, which provides a much, much more interesting explanation for his increasing volatility as the war draws to its conclusion.
voldemort is at his most interesting - in my opinion - when his humanity [and his failure to outrun it] is foregrounded. this isn't incompatible with his creation of the horcruxes at all. but it is, i think, incompatible with the idea that they warp his mind.
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aida-sparks · 4 months
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Eddie liked Buck from the start, but where are we now?
I've convinced myself that Eddie liked Buck from the very beginning - but only subconsciously. I mean, look at how he's watching Buck in 2x01, even as Buck is being bratty as they work out.
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Even though Buck has been anything but kind to him up to this point, Eddie's more miffed than angered by it. Maybe a little disappointed too.
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We all know by the end of 2x01, Eddie wins Buck over, and they both quasi promise to have each other's back. And then the rest of their story so far has many important and telling moments, but what if we fast forward to season 6 episode 15 and that loaded graveyard scene? Is this scene the moment where Eddie Diaz finally *consciously* realizes that his feelings for Buck are not only platonic? It was such a layered scene. Of course, there is Eddie's shellshocked reaction to Buck's proclamation that Natalia, the death doula who he just met, really sees him (bites lip in agitation), but beyond that...
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It's clear that Eddie goes on to have a profound revelation after Buck says that. But what does it mean?!
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He tells Buck, "You haven't been the same since it happened. But how could you be?" as he turns away and processes something internally. Perhaps something about himself as well. Eddie actually looks a little startled. A few seconds later, he reassures Buck that he doesn't have to be anyone for anybody and that experiences like this change them. He goes on to ask Buck what changed in him. I think the moment Eddie admits Buck hasn't been the same, he realizes that he has changed too. Exactly how is not made clear. Even Buck's own response to Eddie's question is vague (he says he feels like he cheated death). How did Eddie change? How did Buck change? The writers don't commit Buck and Eddie's feelings clearly in dialogue, so fans are forced to speculate, and it's why the general audience members, who don't rewatch scenes and lean in hard to the characters, think us buddie shippers are clowning half the time. *deep sigh*
But being left to my own speculation, I do think Eddie's revelation here is at least partly related to Buck. He looked disappointed when he learned Buck was starting something with Natalia. He looked hurt when Buck said she "sees him" -- and maybe those reactions surprised something in Eddie. I don't think the man he was raised to be would have recognized those feelings; he wouldn't have admitted to feeling them on a conscious level. But of course, that's why "change" is a theme in this scene and Eddie has looks like he's putting 2 and 2 together. Part of me feels Eddie was in touch with his feelings for Buck well before this episode, but then I don't know how else to interpret what the graveyard scene was meant to be if not Eddie coming to terms with the fact that he may be in love with his best friend, even as said best friend proclaims he has a new love interest in the picture. This take could set up Eddie secretly pining over Buck in season 7 quite well, though. Oh, my angst-ridden heart. I'd love to read others' thoughts on this! I'm glad I joined tumblr to read all the buddie and 9-1-1 meta out there. Forgive me if it looks like I don't know what I'm doing. I don't. I'm still new around here.
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buggachat · 1 year
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I'm so curious to hear your thoughts. do you think Gabriel will ACTUALLY die? Or Nathalie? or will they both get healed??? Will Emilie actually get revived? The latter was always something I thought the show would do, but I also feel like this show is hard to predict sometimes. If Emilie does come back, I can't imagine she'd be too thrilled when she learns what Gabe's been up to that the two of them would go back to being a happy loving couple. #eminath2022
honestly it's SO HARD to predict how this series could possibly end. Adrien's story is so clearly set up as a tragedy, completely doomed by the narrative, and there's sufficient foreshadowing that he could possibly die/be sacrificed.... but I also believe that IF that happens he'd be revived and will ultimately receive a happy ending, because he's a main/beloved character of a children's show (also future-chat noir was alive in timetagger). So how will Adrien get a happy ending? Who will parent this child? UHHHHH
Personally, I really hope they don't revive Emilie, even if that's maybe the most obvious way for Adrien to have a happy ending. I think it'd maybe be a little questionable for kids who watch the show and relate to Adrien's struggles of losing a parent, and also I think that it'd kind of... prove Gabriel right? I think Gabriel would happily sacrifice ANYTHING, including his own life, to save Emilie, and I think him essentially doing that, sacrificing EVERYTHING to revive Emilie, and then everyone in the show being better off for it and it being the "happy ending" would kind of mess with the themes. Gabriel isn't supposed to be right. He's supposed to be wrong, he's supposed to be deluded that Emilie can be saved, he's supposed to be wrong in refusing to mourn her properly and move on, and with those themes in mind I don't think it'd make sense for her to be brought back. Maybe temporarily, but not permanently, y'know?
As for the fate of Gabriel and Nathalie.... I DON'T KNOW.... I DON'T KNOW!!! I feel like I almost want to say that Gabriel will just flat out die, but can they do that??? It's a kids show??? WOULD they kill Gabriel??? I don't know!! I DON'T KNOW.... but also there's something so poetically beautiful about Gabriel being the cause of his own demise, y'know? He did this to himself. This is his punishment. Ladybug and Chat Noir don't even have to decide his fate, he decided it himself, and I love that. And even if they find a way to heal the cataclysm, would it heal his mind after being driven mad by all the miraculouses? I...... I don't know that they can do that. How weird would it be, if the series ended with Gabriel suddenly healthy in body and mind again? And then what? He goes back to raising Adrien like nothing happened? It's almost easier to picture him flat out dying, or going to prison with an implied shortened lifespan or something. Gabriel should not continue to have custody of Adrien after all is said and done.
Nathalie would make more sense to survive, I suppose, because even if her fate has been sealed for longer and more solidly, she's a more redeemable character. In fact, I'd say Passion implies that she's very redeemable now, and is even actively trying to step in and be a mother-figure to Adrien now, which makes her a solid contender for being Adrien's post-plot guardian... but it still doesn't feel quite right, because just like Gabriel, Nathalie did this to herself, and her illness is her poetic punishment for her crimes, and we have no reason to believe that her illness can be cured, and we know it's fatal because of Emilie. That, and even if she regrets it now, she still aided and abetted Adrien's abusive father.... so........ I................... .....?
I'm really at a loss here, because I can't predict at all where this could all possibly go. If not Emilie, Gabriel, or Nathalie, who will take care of Adrien?
I know a lot of people use Gorilla for this role, and I don't blame them because there's really no other option, but I've never bought it. Gorilla is.... essentially just.... Some Vaguely Decent Man™ who works for Gabriel, and I really don't get anything from him or from his relationship with Adrien beyond that. Like yes, he's nice to Adrien in a way that probably any Vaguely Decent Man™ would be, and Adrien likes him fine in the same way that Adrien likes everyone, but that's... kind of it? Fanon takes Gorilla and Adrien's relationship and runs with it, and that's fun and all, but in canon there's virtually nothing there, and I'm sure that if Gorilla adopting him was the intended ending, they'd be developing their relationship more than the nothing that we've gotten.
All that really leaves is Amelie, his aunt, who lives in a different country? That seems the most logical, but also would have a huge affect on future seasons of the show if Adrien left the country. Maybe there's some interesting plot stuff they could do with that, and with Adrien and Félix living together, but it almost feels too AUish for me to comfortably predict that it would happen in canon.
sorry this turned into a long ramble where my conclusion is basically a big "I don't know". But anyway, I'm actually really excited to see where this all ends up! I love how unpredictable this show can be.
My only semi-Serious prediction is: I can just picture an episode where Gabriel actually wins, where he recreates his world, and maybe Adrien isn't in it, like Adrien was the one transferred to the casket in the basement (or maybe Adrien was the one who made the wish, and willingly chose to sacrifice himself, because of Adrien's established sacrificial tendencies? idk), and Emilie denounces Gabriel and walks out on him and Gabriel realizes that everything that he's done has been for nothing, that his dream was never real and never could be, and then they somehow undo that timeline and bring everything back into the regular timeline. Idk how any of that would happen, but I'd like it so :)
("It's just bad writing" No Fun Allowed responders DNI)
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hetrosjistin · 3 months
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All of you talking about how Alastor is bound to Lilith are sleeping on Zestial.
Seriously, all of you are ignoring ALL the signs. Been talking this over with a friend several nights in a row, and it's such a better theory than assuming that Lilith owns him (that's not to say that Alastor and Lilith aren't in cahoots SOMEHOW, but that's something for another post)
Now there's not a large sample size, but let's start with this one. Alastor's contract chains do not match his emissive colors at all, nor the colors of his magic. He has red and black as his demonic magic motif. Why does this matter? Well the only other sample we have for contract magic is Valentino with his smoke chains on Angeldust, which is identical to his magic.
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Above you can see Valentino's emissive color, the color of his magic in full force, and the color of his contract magic. Now let's do this with Alastor
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Emissive colors, magic colors when he's personally about to fuck someone up without calling on his shadow minions... and... his contract magic... huh...
Extra ones of him doing deals with charlie as a bonus:
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So a bit of wild theory crafting now.
What happens if you are bound to someone else and you go around and get someone to sell their soul to you? What if your soul contracts roll up to the guy who owns your soul? So your contract magic uses THEIR colors?
Okay, then who DOES have the same emissive colors (those used for magic in almost every case).
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Zestial is the only one who comes close, even if he's more yellowy, I blame that on the overall lighting of the scene.
Further evidence?
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The ONLY time Alastor looks even REMOTELY frightened is when he's speaking with Zestial. Even when he's with other overlords he's irreverant and playful, NOT with Zestial, he's cagey, he's polite, he's watching what he says.
Further, during this conversation the subtext is CONSTANTLY on a back and forth of 'oh I know where you've been, and YOU know where you've been, but we're in public so we have to speak in code' plus the scene CONSTANTLY focuses on the fact of how they are under observation either by direct persons or through electronic means (but stealthily elides this by implying it's just the impact 2 overlords walking around in public would have on society)
Oh, and did you notice? The demonic stitching that appears on Alastor's body? Same style as the stitching we see Zestial's hat and other bits of clothing.
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Then there's the fact that he's one of the only characters with consistent COLOR THEMING to his songs, whenever he does songs, (ESPECIALLY those having to do with deals or trying to maintain his deals), he's got green and... purple?
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Why the fuck purple? Purple doesn't turn up anywhere. This is where the theory falls apart a little, but if I had to guess? It's an allusion to something. What could it be?
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But why then is his contract magic showing in these songs? Does Zestial have some deep interest in the hotel?
I think not, but Alastor has very DEEP contract related reasons for his interest.
Let's take a quick aside to another of Alastor's song pieces. Let's consider the pit as Alastor prepares to leave his tower during his breakdown song in the season finale. The center of Alastor's power is his broadcast tower, it's painted everywhere in his colors, from top to bottom. The last time he sang in here, all of his emissive colors were black and red... hell, even when he ENTERED it, it was HIS colors.
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but now with him beaten, broken, and focused on the deal he so desperately wants to escape...
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Oh look, Zestial's colors again.
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Alastor's power is a shadow cast by Zestial's light. He is chained to it, it's what keeps him alive and gives him his power... but all the same, he wants out.
He's looking for a loophole. A way out of the deal.
If you get to heaven, can a Overlord still own you soul?
This helps explain why Alastor was willing to come out of hiding fo the hotel, why he's so nervous around Zestial, why Zestial is poking for reasons, subtly, about what the fuck Alastor is doing in their conversation with one another going to the overlord's meeting.
So smart money says that Alastor made a deal with Zestial before he died, and became Zestial's catspaw. How was he able to fuck up everything and everyone he came across the moment he turned up? Because he had a tutor and a big old battery backstopping him. Zestial is the most subtle of the overlords, he wants to remain in the background, he wants to play things safe and is always happy to be underestimated and underrated... so he comes along and takes the hammiest, loudest, most attention grabbing soul he has in his portfolio the moment they get down to Hell, and puts him to work CLEANING HOUSE.
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linawritestwst · 6 months
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HI LINAAAAA YAYAYAYAY
I'd like to request something masquerade related, if you don't mind! (The masquerade thoughts won't leave) Can I ask for Riddle, Azul, Rollo, and Neige and their reactions when the person they like is happily dancing with someone else? Tyty and take your time!! Don't forget to take breaks! <3
"i'd hold you as the water rushes in, if i could dance with you again" (gn!reader)
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(divider link)
OH TARU... THIS IS A GOOD ONE. THIS IS A GOOD ONE and yes glomas supremacy!!
(and yes the title is a lyric from dancing with our hands tied <3)
characters: riddle rosehearts, azul ashengrotto, neige leblanche, rollo flamme
genre: angst
warnings: this is a sad one. yeah. so if you're not a fan of angst, i suggest you skip this one! (+ a description of what can sound like a panic/anxiety attack in the azul part and yandere themes in the rollo part)
riddle rosehearts.
♡ riddle.. wasn't happy to see you dancing with somebody else. he was ashamed of feeling this way. he knew that you don't belong to him, he knew that you two aren't even dating, he wasn't sure if you even like him back. and still, there he was, standing and watching you two dance and feeling like he just got stabbed in the heart and all he could do is just pretend that everything is fine while he's bleeding out.
♡ it's just.. he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't excited about the idea of dancing with you. he'd be lying if he said that it wasn't hard for him to take his eyes off you once he saw you in your masquerade outfit. but he will still lie. he will still try his best to ignore you and act like he didn't just get his heart broken in the worst way possible. because that's what a good and responsible dorm leader does. the queen's rules should always be more important to him than his own feelings.. right?
♡ when you're done dancing and go back to riddle, you notice that something about his behavior is.. weird. you ask if everything's okay and he tries so hard to smile at you and say that it's nice of you to worry about him, but you shouldn't since everything is fine. but for some reason, he still can't look you in the eyes. and he can also feel his despair and sadness slowly turn into anger. if it wasn't a different school, riddle would probably burn this place to the ground, but that's rollo's job. so for now, he'll just wait until he can go back to nrc. he has no idea what to do with all these emotions though. and he doesn't know who to ask. just why did you do this to him?..
azul ashengrotto.
♡ "y/n, here you are! what do you think about this new mostro lounge-" but before azul could finish this sentence, he saw you. and not just you. he saw somebody else too. dancing with you, holding your hand, looking into your eyes, smiling at you. and what's even worse than all of that, you were smiling back. and you two looked happy. so genuinely happy that azul just stood there, not being able to move or say a word. he couldn't believe his eyes. and he couldn't believe his ears as he heard you two laugh. just.. what happened while he was gone?
♡ no, no, it's rude for him to stare. he should leave. he should talk to somebody else. he should focus on something else. anything. literally anything else. but it hurts. and he has only one thought in his head, which is "what's going on?". but azul knows well what's going on. his eyes are becoming wet because of all the tears, his head is spinning, his hands are shaking, everything is too loud, everything is too confusing, everyone is too happy. he can't smile anymore. but he should.
♡ look at him. he's never changed. he is still the same crybaby that he always was. look at him trying to leave this place while everyone is too busy dancing and talking to each other. it's okay, nobody will notice anyway. they'll just go "ah, he's probably trying to come up with more ideas for mostro lounge or something". except you do notice that he's gone and apologize to your dance partner and promise that you will be right back. and when you finally find azul, you see that this man has already become a sobbing mess, but the moment you say his name, he suddenly goes back to normal. "ah, y/n, what's wrong? have you been looking for me?" or at least looks like it. you can still see the tears in his eyes though.
neige leblanche.
♡ "y/n!~ hmm, where could they possibly go?.. y/n!-" oh. he finally found you, but.. haha, he really did not expect to see you dancing with somebody else already. no, no, don't get him wrong! he's happy to see you having fun! as long as you're happy, that's all that matters to him, really. he's just glad to see you're okay. so he breathes out and tries to calm down, but for some reason he feels a little bit weirder than usual. just what could this feeling be? his heart feels.. kinda heavy? and it's actually a little hard for him to breathe. a-ah, maybe he's just tired, that's all.
♡ no, seriously, he's happy for you! and someone like him couldn't be jealous! like, he just.. he just can't be jealous, come on! like, sure, he can totally understand when others feel this way and he's always told others that jealousy is not a bad feeling, but when it comes to him.. u-uh, it's bad, okay? and it's kinda selfish, like, he doesn't own you! and you two are not even dating! and seriously, this just feels wrong. he's a popular guy. he has so many fans and admirers. so many people have a crush on him. and he feels sad because one person is dancing with somebody else? that's just stupid.
♡ it's actually very hard to say that something is wrong with neige. out of these four, he's the calmest one about it. he's still smiling, he's still laughing, he's still having fun and being his usual self. and when you come back to him, his eyes shine even brighter and he's very, very happy to see you. it's all because you're his dearest, most precious, most important friend after all! wait, no, all of his friends are equally important to him.. but then why does he feel especially happy when he sees you? and why does seeing you with somebody else hurt him so bad?..
rollo flamme.
♡ rollo would be lying if he said that he wasn't looking for you, but he really was curious to see what you were doing. it would be nice to talk to you one more time, even if it's just simply saying hi to you, before you have to go back to nrc. but.. it looks like you're a little bit busy right now. he shouldn't bother you. it's okay, he has things to do as well. he's the student council president, he doesn't have time for this anyway. so he just tries to distract himself, but even when somebody is talking to him and he tries his best to focus, he can't help but look at you dancing once more.
♡ of course, it was naive of him to expect you to fall in love with him so quickly. it's been three days. and you also came with people who you know much better and rollo really, really hates to admit it, but it's possible that you actually already like one of them. listen, it's not his fault for falling in love with you right after meeting you, it's those mages' fault for casting a spell on you and making you believe that they are the right choice. for now, he'll just pretend that he hasn't seen it and even if he has, it doesn't bother him. he already has not the best reputation among nrc students anyway..
♡ well, he'll act like this for now. it's okay, he knows you'll be his anyway. who cares if you dance with somebody else? he doesn't even like dancing. and who cares with somebody else, if in the end he'll be the only one who gets to hold your hand when you're scared, protect you when you're in danger and kiss your soft beautiful lips when you are all alone? so for now, he'll be here, imagining a perfect life with you, without all these people. he won't let anyone harm you or steal you from him. he's the only person who actually deserves to be with you. why? he simply knows.
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lunareiitic · 1 month
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HSR 2.1 SPOILERS AHEAD BE WARNED.
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Okay now that everyone who hasn't caught up has left: let's talk framing of the IPC.
When Topaz released, a lot of you were ragebaiting and telling people you hoped their jobs exploited them when people were like "oh I like her as character." Notably, I personally haven't seen that kind of ragebaiting with Aventurine's backstory and the answer isn't just misogyny, but it is related to how little some of you pay attention.
Topaz and Aventurine are peers, and are clearly juxtaposed as two sides of the same coin. While Aventurine was a literal slave, his people wiped out Aventurine eventually gambling his way into the IPC to become a Stoneheart, his backstory doesn't actually differ that much from Topaz's. Remember: both of these characters are antagonists to our Crew when the audience learns their histories.
Topaz lost everything to the IPC. She's a kind of scary career woman nowadays, but you have to remember that her world was on the brink of collapse and her world's leaders sold their entire population to the IPC. While Topaz may come across as more well adjusted than Aventurine is, the IPC's main strategy is putting their victims in a position where they can't reasonably refuse. It's why Aventurine is such a good lapdog of theirs: since he's willing to bet everything in order to win. He's adept at playing desperate and risky. A lot of discussion of Topaz's character misses this coercion aspect of her backstory because of how it's framed.
The Topaz Interlude is less focused on Topaz herself and more on showcasing the dark side of the IPC. Topaz herself is put in a murky light: friend, foe, and unlikely ally all in one. Her arc in that interlude puts the theme in neon lights "IPC bad, they're solutions aren't necessary if people work together" and Topaz as the "villain" is then "Defeated" and she withdraws and takes the L, leading to her arrival in 2.1 alongside Jade for Aventurine's plan.
Arguably, Aventurine is worse than Topaz in a lot of day-to-day regards: he doesn't have Topaz's sense of compassion and desperate desire to do good, he's openly lying to the cast and doesn't care particularly about their safety, and is actively trying to put Penacony back in the hands of the IPC so they can turn it back into an interstellar prison. (We don't have time to explain why Prisons Are Bad. Go listen to Angela Davis and get back here.) His goals don't feel as evil because of several factors: the first being that HSR knows he has a tragic backstory and is milking it for all that it's worth. Dead parents? Dead sister? Dead culture? Enslavement leading to indentured servitude leading to a deathwish? They give him the game's first perspective shift so you're even more willing to empathize and sympathize with him and his plight, something they'd never do for Topaz, a character whose morality is considerably more conflicted and put on the spot.
Penacony is also a much darker locale than Belobog: when Topaz arrives on Jarilo-VI, we've already solved all of their conflicts (theoretically. we're trusting that bronya can fix all of the shit her mother wrecked), so Topaz arriving is a unifying force of characters we already know an like. Penacony is a lot darker, and you're already primed to distrust and dislike them since they're well. The Family. People who might be just as bad as the IPC. This creates a weird moral flip in the eyes of the audience if you're not paying enough attention: the plot isn't "Penacony bad, therefore IPC good now" it's pretty clearly "Penacony bad, IPC possibly even worse" and the fact that Aventurine has set them up to win should send shivers up the spines of the viewers. Does the Dreamscape deserve to exist? If the IPC gets their way, it won't matter what the answer is. And Aventurine has gone all in to make sure it's so.
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viviennevermillion · 1 year
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Spending Valentine's Day with him
notes: i just noticed i haven't written anything for cater yet except for my dystopian au. also if you guys like my writing, comments in the tags or anon asks are appreciated! feedback motivates me to write more!
contains: character x gn!reader, established relationship in some but not all
characters included: cater diamond, leona kingscholar, jade leech, malleus draconia
warnings: mention of gruesome death in jade's part (this is about a mushroom he grew and talks about), accidental marriage proposal
dark content creators and consumers dni
Cater, of course, is more than familiar with Valentine's Day. He's always up to date with the latest trends and on this day, Valentine's Day is trending on Magicam. Every year, Cater participates in this holiday even though he didn't have a crush on anyone for the past few years. He at least always posts some themed photos and sends chocolates to his friends. Sometimes he also does little events on his Magicam page where he prompts people to ask him Valentine's Day related questions or post their own stories they've had with this day and he'll comment on it.
But this year was different.
Having fallen for you quite a few months ago, Valentine's Day was the perfect opportunity to finally ask you out on a date. Cater knew so too but Trey was the one who had to convince him. "You're always so flirty with them, why don't you ask them out already?", Trey smiled and shook his head in confusion. "Well, that's different...", Cater replied awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. "How exactly is that different?", Trey chuckled and proceeded making a Valentine's Day cake for the Heartslabyul dorm.
Indeed, Cater had flirted with you quite a few times but given his usual demeanor, there was no reason for you to suspect this wasn't just what he was like in general.
Cater eventually asks you out with a box of chocolate from Sam's store. He's happy when you say yes and the two of you agree to go to the cinema together.
Cater buys the two of you colorful drinks and a box of nachos. He takes a picture of the food and asks you if you'd like to take a photo with him as well, which he'd post on Magicam with the caption "Spending today with my valentine ❤️ #cinemadate #valentinesday #nightravencollege ❤️" if you let him. He'd tag you in the picture as well. Cater loves to take pictures but there's a couple of them that's just you two laughing together and having fun and he decides that even though they'd probably get a lot of likes, they're special to him and he just keeps them on his phone to remember this day with you fondly.
He originally intends to take you to a romance movie and bought tickets for it....but life had other plans for you.
"This uh....this doesn't look like the movie we asked to watch", Cater sunk back into the seat and had to be careful not to drop his 3D glasses when the horrifying forest creature from the screen seemed to charge directly at him. You fished the movie tickets out of your pockets. "Uh yeah I think the employee mixed something up...we have tickets for something called 'The Unspeakable Horrors'", you explained before looking back at the screen. "Oh god I don't like or subscribe to this", Cater lets out a slightly distressed sigh. He wondered whether it was too late to watch the other movie and get the actual tickets he wanted but you taking his hand in yours when he seemed scared changed his mind. Maybe watching the unspeakable horrors was indeed a way to get closer to you.
"I'm going to have vivid nightmares of this for days to come", Cater chuckled awkwardly as the two of you left the cinema, still holding hands. "Maybe I can help with that", you chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
Cater asks you to be his significant other after your date. He explains how he had a crush on you for a while now and how all the attempts he had made at flirting with you were actually genuine. "Oh yeah I knew", you smirked and pulled him into a hug, "and yes... I'd love to be your valentine every day from now on."
"How about we finish this date with a kiss?", he suggests, nervousness now having left his voice. You nod and he cups your cheek and presses several soft kisses to your lips; the horrors from the movie already forgotten.
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If Leona didn't have have a deep-rooted distaste for a lot of celebrations his older brother hosted in his homeland, Valentine's Day would be right up there on the list of Leona's least favorite holidays. He really doesn't like anything cheesy and seeing people being all lovey-dovey gets on his nerves. For Leona, it's pointless to dedicate an entire holiday to appreciating your lover when you could just be doing that whenever.
You enter Leona's room on Valentine's Day, finding your boyfriend sleeping in bed. You smile and sit down beside him, gently rubbing his ears and watching him instinctively snuggle close to your lap and his tail swishing back and forth. "Pspspspsps Leona", you whisper and poke his cheek.
His eyes open slowly and he looks at your face with a confused expression before stretching his limbs like a cat and sitting up. "Why'd you wake me up, herbivore?", he asks calmly and rests against your shoulder. To anyone else he would have said this with an annoyed tone and a frustrated facial expression but with you his tone was gentle and like he was actually interested in the answer.
"I got you something", you say and pull out a small yellow box from your bag, tied neatly with a black ribbon. "Did you get me one of those Valentine's chocolates Sam sells around this time of year?", he asks as he takes the box from you. "Well, not really. I know you don't really like Valentine's Day so I got you this instead", you explain and Leona lifted the cover of the box, instantly snorting and letting out a laugh. Instead of chocolate hearts there were pumpkin-shaped chicken nuggets in the box and the inside of the cover was decorated with a sparkling, cursive "Happy Halloween!" surrounded by stickers of ghosts and bats. The little greeting card that came with it had a distorted "Congratulation!" written on it that started in the middle of the card and the letters became more and more squeezed the closer the writing got to the edge, to make sure that the whole word still fit on it.
Leona was wheezing and patted your head. "Okay that's funny, you got me", he chuckled and plopped one of the nuggets into his mouth, pleased that you had given him meat instead and attempted to make him laugh rather than trying to feed into convention and giving him a red box of Valentine's chocolates.
He ate all of the nuggets in the box and then put it aside, pulling you into his arms and laying down in bed with you. He mumbled a "thank you" and buried his face in your shoulder. You started gently caressing his ears and kissed his forehead.
Leona would just hold you in his arms for a while and maybe spend the day in bed cuddling with you or playing chess with you.
If Valentine's Day is important to you, Leona would adapt and actually try to celebrate it with you. But in general, as your relationship grows, Leona learns of all the things you like and dislike and he takes you out on dates once in a while when he feels like you'd appreciate it. Whether that's Valentine's Day or just any other day. After all, who would he be if he didn't put in any effort after you were the one to put him first?
He definitely keeps your affectionate gestures in mind and who knows? He might take you out a couple days later to have a nice walk on the beach and have a picnic there as the sun sets.
Jade is relatively new to Valentine's Day as it's not a holiday that exists under the sea. They have a similar holiday that's dedicated to celebrating the union of the mermaid princess and her human lover but it's not quite the same as Valentine's Day on land.
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"What a curious custom", Jade thought at first when he heard about it during his first year. Ever since the twins and Azul knew about it, they've been using the opportunity to sell overpriced Valentine's gifts and specials at Mostro Lounge.
Ever since he started dating you, Jade has wondered whether he'd be celebrating Valentine's Day with you this year. He gets you some rare flowers he grew himself (actually making sure none of them are poisonous) and if he feels like you'd like it, he'll make you a terrarium like the ones he has. He puts a bunch of plants and small sea animals in there that he collected himself while scavenging the ocean around Sage's Isle. He makes sure to include everything he thinks you might like. He promised you to take you to the Coral Sea and show you his home one day but for now the opportunity hasn't arisen yet so he wants to show that you're part of his world by giving you a part of his.
He puts psathyrella aquatica in your terrarium which is the first and only known underwater mushroom.
Jade shows you how to take care of the terrarium and sometimes the both of you take care of it together.
For Valentine's Day, Jade takes a free day from work and reserves a table at Mostro Lounge for you and himself. He gets the special Valentine's Day mocktails and dishes for half the price so you're in luck. "It took you this long to prepare it?", Jade teases his twin brother as Floyd brings you your meals. Floyd glares at his brother angrily and then turns to you. "Jade used to be scared shitless of the sun when he was a kid. He thought it was gonna fall out of the sky and kill him", Floyd snickered, now being the one to earn a glare from his brother. You laugh at the mental image of a small Jade being scared to swim to the surface of the ocean because the sun was there. "We'll sort this out later, Floyd", Jade replies with a bright smile on his face. The shady, threatening kind.
"For the record, Floyd was the one who told me that the sun was going to fall out of the sky and kill me", Jade explained and sighed, "he kept that prank up for 2 whole years." You chuckle. "Somehow that makes it even funnier", you took his hand on the table and held it in your own, "did you think you were safe underwater?" Jade nodded. "I thought it was just going to go out when it falls into the water", he chuckled, "looking back on it, it was quite curious what we'd come up with to explain what was above the surface and on land before we started going to school and learnt the real facts."
He makes sure to inquire whether you enjoyed your meal or not and gives Azul his feedback. He wraps an arm around your shoulder as he walks out of the restaurant with you.
He later takes you to the greenhouse after all classes have ended for the day and no one was in there anymore. "I have to show you something", he explains and leads you to the window where several plants were standing, "this is an entirely new mushroom species I've created. It's very fascinating. I named it after you." You look at the mushrooms that were moving slightly in a way that looked almost threatening. "Let me guess, they're poisonous?", you ask and lean against Jade. "Probably the most poisonous ones we have on this entire island. Actually they'd make your organs explode within a couple of hours of eating them." He said that with such a joyful smile on his face that it was almost unsettling. But don't worry, Jade naming the creepy mushrooms after you is a sign of his love for you.
You're like "is this even allowed?" and Jade is like "that depends on how you interpret the rules :) "
Valentine's Day with Jade ends with some comforting cuddles in his room and few sharing chocolates after stopping by at Sam's shop and buying some.
Malleus is completely unaware of Valentine's Day. Straight up didn't know what it is.
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You've liked him for a while but you were quite unsure whether the two of you could even work out because he's the crown prince of a whole country and meant to be king one day and you're a commoner. Nevertheless, you hoped he would become aware of your feelings for him and give you the answers you needed. You considered just telling him and talking to him about this but you didn't know how appropriate it was to just confess your love to Briar Valley's heir apparent and you were also worried it might make your friendship awkward.
So you decide to take your chances on Valentine's Day. If he rejected the idea of being involved with you romantically, you could always say you gave him flowers and chocolate because he's a great friend.
You get him a personalized bouquet with flowers you associate with him and a box of Valentine's chocolates. He doesn't get why you're giving him gifts and he's just like "thank you, my dear friend :) "
He's really happy about it but he only learns about the intention behind the gifts when Lilia educates him later. "Valentine's Day is a celebration in human society that is dedicated to appreciating the one you love", he explains. "Oh...like a best friend?", Malleus smiles. Lilia sighs. "Uh...sometimes...but I think y/n wanted to express that they're in love with you", he puts Malleus out of his misery. Cue the surprised Malleus face™.
Malleus is so unfamiliar with romantic relationships that he doesn't notice he has a crush on someone until someone else makes him aware of it, in this case Lilia.
So Malleus, with his newfound clarity about his feelings for you, decides to make the best out of the rest of Valentine's Day and get you some gifts in return to attempt to court you. Lilia recommends that he stops by the Mystery Shop, since Sam is selling a lot of typical Valentine's gifts today. So Malleus heeds the older fae's advice and buys 3 bouquets of red roses, which Lilia told him are the ones most associated with romantic love, along with a box of chocolates for you too.
There's also a stand in Sam's shop with a bunch of silver rings in ring boxes. The picture above it shows a man going down on one knee and presenting the ring to his significant other. The caption on it says "Give your loved one the ultimate proof of your love". And Malleus finds one with a subtle dragon-themed design and he's like :)
So he goes to you after classes and presents you with the bouquets and the chocolate first. "Y/n....perhaps it took me some time to realize, but I love you. Would you allow me to court you?", Malleus asks. The three bouquets are a bit much but he's got the spirit. You accept and put the bouquets aside for a moment, pulling him into a hug.
Then he pulls out the ring and gets down on one knee in front of you, presenting it to you. You're shocked for a moment, not knowing how to even process what is happening. Three students walk by and stare at the two of you in bewilderment as you frantically try to gesture to them "this is not what it looks like".
You guide Malleus to stand up again and take his hand in yours, squeezing it gently. "I love you, Malleus. But we've only started dating a couple of minutes ago...I can't possibly agree to marry you yet...", you explain softly. Malleus is like "wait what?"
He explains to you how the rings were advertised in the shop and you laugh, putting one on your finger and the other one on his. "Well, an accidental proposal was not on my list of things I expected to happen today, but I will never forget about this", you snicker and Malleus laughs along with you, glad you're taking his awkward mistake with humor, "let's take these rings as a promise of our love for now. We'll worry about the future when we get there."
You gently cup his cheek. "May I kiss you?", you ask and Malleus nods, leaning close until his lips meet yours in a soft and loving kiss. He holds you gently in his arms and looks into your eyes with a happy smile. "I love you, my dearest. Next year you should show me all about celebrating Valentine's Day."
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utilitycaster · 7 months
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VERY glad that Evontra’vir said “the titans are dead” because like there are currently living beings that will suffer if Ludinus’s plan succeeds and they just don’t seem to matter compared to titans that died a millennia ago??? (After trying to wipe out mortals themselves)
Hey anon,
Agreed. The thing about the titans coming up is that it does, actually, make a lot of sense for the two characters who have been most vocal about it - Ashton and Laudna - to feel this way! But it doesn't come from a rational place; it comes from profound trauma and loss about which they can't be objective.
Taliesin talked about this on 4-Sided Dive: Ashton is grabbing on desperately to the one piece of information they know now about their missing childhood and is "leaning into it...probably before he should." We know this about them; Ashton's been emblazoning themself with the Hishari and Dunamancy symbols without having a single clue what they were. The titans are part of that. Did you notice how he keeps saying "things are changing" and didn't actually like...provide any meaningful information? Again to quote 4SD: "...there's not a lot of judgment happening about whether or not that's a good thing or not, and what it actually means." Like, I think that, based on Ashton's past position of "don't kill everyone for your goals, that is shitty" if they did stop, and process, and set aside that strong emotional factor that's in play (which is not something I'd expect them to be able to do easily!) They'd realize that the titans returning, were that possible, would be cataclysmic. But that's not what they're thinking about right now. I think Evontra'vir bluntly stating that the titans are dead was a needed splash of cold water on that line of thinking.
My thought re: Laudna is that it's slightly more metaphorical. Consider her backstory: a conquering force swept in and destroyed most of what had been there before. She is a relic both of that earlier time and of that conquering force, and the subjugation she experienced never truly stopped, even though Whitestone has moved on. Of course she'd see herself in the titans in the telling of stories about the titans! People like Percy get to return and revitalize and build a new family and grow old and happy and die, despite their trauma, and she's caught between life and death forever. Of course she'd relate to some half-buried thing that people call monstrous and ancient and displaced! But that doesn't actually help her do anything about her situation and it's not a philosophy that really is useful in understanding the larger geopolitical (and, frankly, cosmic) reality happening right now, because, yeah, if you let the titans back, people will die.
For both these characters - who have spoken to each other about being physically altered and left for dead, alone, in ways no one else can quite understand, I think there's something immensely seductive about the idea of something older than the gods, something defeated but could rise again, which both is relatable to their own situations and comes neatly packaged with a reason why it didn't save you when you called out. But it's still a fantasy. It's not real, it's not going to happen, and so it's important that Evontra'vir, who as Jirana said, does not mince words, called it out for what it is. The titans are dead. Something of their essences does remain for you to use to make a choice. You are going to have to do this using your own judgment; you are doing the saving; stop worrying about the dead and start thinking about what you will do to serve the living.
I think an emerging theme of this campaign - and arguably a secondary theme of the past campaigns, and really, the theme of D&D if you think about it, is that the person you developed into because of your trauma, and the coping mechanisms and behaviors and presentation you developed as a result may eventually cease to serve you once you find a support network and begin to be given more and more agency within the world; and indeed, if you cling to these things they will begin to hurt those around you, and eventually you as well. I think "The Titans are dead" is one way to very, very bluntly and effectively communicate that.
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deftosweet · 7 months
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GoW Headcanons!!
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✩ For now, I will continue writing things related to Kratos (He is not my favorite character at all/j 🙄) So here we go! ✩
Author's note: Before continuing I must clarify that I have not played the entire GoW saga, so these ideas are based on part of what I have seen. If I leave out any details from the canon, please be patient and let me know in the comments! I love learning new things about my hyperfixations!
...
So today's theme is...Cooking! What does he like to eat? Does he like to cook? If so, what are Kratos' cooking skills like?
I honestly think that Kratos is not the most open person to trying new flavors, much less if it is food from someone he doesn't know very well.
Still, I think because of his homeland and the customs there in Greece, I guess it's not too difficult to get him to eat vegetables (This is based on the diets of the Spartans and the information I could get about them). But considering his physique, training, and the cold environment of Midgard meat will be his first choice when it comes to eating something simple.
Ngl, I don't think he likes to cook
If someone asks Kratos to cook something, (And if they manage to convince him) he will probably go reluctantly and mumbling (Something like the deleted scene from GoW 2018: "I'm the fucking god of war..." maybe he would say something like that lmao).
Even so, considering that Kratos, Atreus and Mimir live alone, the most obvious thing is that Kratos must cook what they hunt during the day.
Very simple meals, Atreus and Mimir are already used to it (If Atreus complains, Kratos will probably tell him he'll cook next time 💀).
The type of person who eats slowly. The other people sitting at the table may have finished their plate and Kratos is still there eating.
Picky eater (medium level). If he sees something he doesn't like on his plate he will simply leave it there on the plate, even if he has never tried it in his life (He just like me fr).
Author's note: That's all for today! Thanks for the support, that motivates me to keep writing (I insist on apologizing for any grammatical mistake or errors in the language) See you later in another post!
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nekropsii · 4 months
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Ask Game Speed Round!!
[For the Unpopular Opinion Ask Game!!]
These are all a bunch of smaller ones I thought would be too cumbersome and spammy to post on their own... Enjoy!!
Content Warning: Long.
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While I do really like Dave's character as it exists in the comic- no clue what version of Dave most of the fandom is talking about, but I don't know him- I kind of like the themes in Davesprite's character more than I do Dave's. It's another Hal situation.
Dave's character tackled a lot of things very personally relatable to me in ways I'd never seen illustrated before, but Davesprite is more interesting to think about, and seems a little more fun to write. Dave was great representation for me, as someone who grew up in a very bad home, but Davesprite just has that extra oomph with his talk of humanity and individuality. Really like that guy.
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@lupinecalibrator
This may come across as crass, or stepping out of my own lane, but I don't think giving them either multiple sets of pronouns, neopronouns, or both actually rids them of the bigotry in their characters. Lipstick on a pig situation. It just seems like a lazy, incurious fix. Yes, trans headcanons are great, but more and more often I see people use it as a cure-all to the issues a character has, either in a Doylist or Watsonian way. Queer friendliness does not eliminate racism. If a character is a bigoted caricature of a specific group of people, then slapping on a leftist layer of paint by saying "actually they're a minority icon in this other way" doesn't actually... Get rid of the problem. It's just kind of... Tone deaf.
We see this often with Transmisogynistic Caricatures getting claimed as Gay Icons, and people just saying that because they've just claimed them as a campy gay queen, the transmisogyny has been nullified- you can't talk about it anymore, they're the real good leftist in the room, you're a killjoy, and they've defeated bigotry. Not how it works.
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Kind of tired of how some act like her only character traits are Silly Ditzy Furry Girl. Jade is an incredibly, incredibly intelligent young girl, an excellent marksman, and so, so deeply lonely. We need to talk about Jade's chronic loneliness more.
Also, I think she's some kind of Psychotic. One of the flavors. It just feels right to me. It feels canon-adjacent. Or, at least, a textually valid way to read her character. I have a whole post about it somewhere. Mituna and Jade shaking hands on the Psychosis.
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Taking this opportunity to defend Aranea. Some people really need to stop acting like she's worse than Vriska. We all know what Aranea did was justified. Maybe not correct, but justified. And fucking awesome to watch.
Like, look. She spent an unfathomable amount of years being shot down and ignored and belittled by people who were supposed to be her friends... Aranea had to literally pay Meenah, her own best friend, to listen to her infodump, and even then Meenah couldn't afford to give her own best friend enough respect to just listen to her talk about something she's passionate about for 5 minutes.
I need you to think to yourself, genuinely. If you spent thousands- and I mean thousands upon thousands- of years getting ignored and walked on by everyone around you, even your own friends... If you spent thousands upon thousands of years getting called boring and a doormat to your face by even your own friends... Wouldn't you go crazy, too? Wouldn't you snap? Wouldn't you want to do something drastic just to get people to look at you? Just to be seen as something other than weak and boring? Just to be seen as worth even an iota of interest, a shred of someone's time? Wouldn't you? Because I think any normal person wouldn't take thousands upon thousands of years. I don't think you would last a decade. I wouldn't either, and I'm a pretty patient person.
Y'all are just jealous you can't play billiards with planets using your mind when you're mad. That shit was so awesome.
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@searedtroutpeacharugula
This is not an Unpopular Opinion, or even an Opinion, I'm just pointing this out. Do you ever think about the fact that we hardly got any conversations between Rose and Jade? I do. This haunts me. This fucks me up so bad. We get plenty between John and Dave, and Dave and Jade, and Dave and Rose, and Rose and John, and Jade and John... But hardly anything between Rose and Jade!! This is so fucked up. We were robbed. I need to watch them hang out.
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Okay, this is less of an Unpopular Opinion, and more of an Unpopular Fact, but... Mituna doesn't just throw slurs at people. That's one of the things people jump to when they're talking about Defanging Mituna- they always say something about how he "calls people slurs every two seconds". He literally doesn't. That is legitimately not a thing he does. If you heard that before and believed it, you were literally lied to. That is straight up demonstrably not true.
Like, if you're trying to think of something Mituna does every two seconds unprompted, it's either sex jokes or apologizing. Slurs aren't a thing he just slings around casually. He said a grand total of one slur... To Meenah... And it's a fake troll slur. And then we get it defined to us... Aaaand it's the troll equivalent to "Cracker". That's it. That's the crime he's committed- calling someone a word that is immediately after defined to us as "Someone who is at the top of and benefits from the furthering of the oppressive Fuchsia-Down power structure, and the Lowbloods that help enforce it." That's the slur he used. That's what made people start declaring that "he would totally say the N Word" with full and complete confidence. Absolutely ridiculous. He's called no one else any kind of genuine slur. He just called Meenah a Wader once, and then she and Kankri got upset about it, because they are both, by definition, Waders.
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Leijon Hot Take Party Pack: If you think Nepeta shipping her friends together is fine, or even adorable, but then sneer at or get grossed out by Meulin doing the same thing, you're a hypocrite. I don't care if you say "Meulin's writing Friend Fic, though, that's weird!!" the problem with Shipping Your Friends and Writing Romantic Fanfiction Of Your Friends is at the same root.
The problem with these things isn't the presence of writing, it's the presence of, you know, shipping your friends? If you're fine with Nepeta doing it, you've gotta be fine with Meulin doing it. Be fine with both or neither. It's the same damn thing. I'm pretty sure both friend groups are fine with it, too, so it's not like this is a boundaries issue or anything. Both or neither. Pick one.
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Observation: I do think it's cool how Jane and Jake are related and have similarly opposing relationships with their gender. Jake's oft presented with Feminine themes and imagery, and Jane with Masculine themes and imagery. Very cool. Wish more people made that correlation.
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Okay, that's all for now!! Thank you for reading, if you did. Have a nice rest of your day. :)
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the-astropaws · 2 months
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Hello everyone and welcome to something we've wanted to do since joining the coining community. This is an event dedicated to give the spotlight to all the poc out there who coin or make edits. So often we're overshadowed and barely gain a following or reach, especially when it comes to culture themed things. This is something we'd love to do again so we hope it doesn't flop.
1. Anyone who is a poc can join, this includes mixed poc because we're often even more overshadowed or treated like an uncomfortable middle ground of not poc enough and not white enough. No need to ask "what if I'm" if you're a poc! It's a yes. But absolutely NO transid race shit. Do not touch my blog or any other blogs with that.
2. White people and poc who don't want to participate can still spread this. It's heavily encouraged actually! Please help share both this event and any blog ran by poc you see. Traction is how we build a platform.
3. If you're mixed and want to make multiple flags to include each culture you're apart of you can. Mixed specific flags are absolutely welcome as well.
4. While we want to share as many poc owned blogs we can find. We won't reblog or interact if you're pro endo, anti good faith, proship/radqueer, or if your blog is super inaccessible to us.
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When does this event start? March 1st. Since timezones are a thing it's whenever March 1st is for you, so those a day ahead of us are still free to start. You can choose one prompt for the day, both separately, or combine the two. It's up to you.
Flags/coinings:
Day 1 - Your culture + Dolls or Horror.
Day 2 - Your culture + Angels or Demons.
Day 3 - Your culture + an Orientation or Gendersystem.
Day 4 - An animalgender that's important to your culture.
Day 5 - A cultural emoji gender.
Day 6 - A gender based on cultural food you find comfort in or grew up with.
Day 7 - A cultural exclusive term you can use. An example being something like two-spirit or a term in your native language (example being समलैंगिक)
Day 8 - Presentation labels, examples being bear, twink, butch and others along those lines.
Edits/layouts:
Day 1 - A human character who is from the same culture as you.
Day 2 - A non human character who is from the same culture as you.
Day 3 - A poc character you feel is underappreciated or underused.
Day 4 - A non human character (for example something like an fnaf robot) you headcanon as a poc.
Day 5 - Cultural mogai flag icons of a character you like or find comfort in. (basically those character icons with flags but using specificly poc/culture related ones).
Day 6 - Bonus day. We don't make edits so ideas are really hard to think of.. do whatever you want for this day! It could be to show off your skills or simply something silly.
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tagging most mutuals incase any want to join or share it ( _ _) <3
@champagne-face , @dpdangel , @coingirlbxy , @phantasverie , @torturedartiste , @baxtrrd , @haunted-thing , @yourdarlingness , @kandi-fox , @eerieangels
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love-too-believe · 1 year
Text
Why Namor x Shuri makes sense in terms of story structure
So if we go off context, Nashuri was already planned by the writers, as seen in interviews and the og script. Which isn't surprising because viewers picked up on their chemistry and romantic undertones in the movie already. The only reason this was changed is because they wanted to focus on the theme of grief and dealing with loss. Which has been the main theme for phase 4 in general since we're moving on to new heroes.
Also not sure if people are aware of this but the choice to kill Ramonda was more or less a last minute decision by Ryan. Angela only agreed to it after Ryan brought up how often it is for characters to come back.
So this could mean Ramonda's coming back to life or will continue to make appearances. If she does come back to life this more or less weakens the "but he killed her mom!" Argument.
Now let's talk about Shuri's story and Namor's role in it. Because at the end of the day this is Shuri's story.
Shuri's story in WF is her journey from childhood to adulthood. Tenoch has said this is his favorite thing about her story.
In the beginning she is a girl by the end she is a woman.
The particular kind of story structure Ryan used is called "The Heroine's Journey" a popular method to use in storytelling with female leads.
You'll find similar stories following this method in movies like "Star Wars, Labyrinth, The Hunger Games, The Wizard of Oz etc."
"The Heroine's Journey" is a female version of "The Hero's Journey" which is used for male leads. T'Challa actually goes through his hero's journey during "Civil War" and "BP" so im not suprised Ryan used the female version for his sister.
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If you look at the structure of the heroine's journey Shuri pretty much hits all of these.
Distancing herself from her mother, venturing out of Wakanda (both in America and in Talokan) aka leaving the nest, and having her time to shine.
Both the hero and heroine's journies are a method to mature your lead in a way that makes sense and is relatable since hey, we all gotta grow up some times.
Also a subtle thing Ryan incorporated was how both Ramonda and Okoye treat Shuri like she's a child while Namor treats her like an adult, because she is.
Now something that is not always included but is common in both, is the hero or heroine's being presented with sexual incitement, at times for the first time. This signifies them coming into sexual maturity which is why you won't see it in every story or may just get subtle hits of it.
Now if it wasn't obvious Namor is ment to be Shuri's expirence with sexual enticement. Possibly her first encounter since we don't know her history.
And this isn't a "maybe" situation he literally just is. Firstly, this role usually is presented when the hero leaves the nest, not to mention Namor takes up every single trope of this role.
-Invades the hero's space (hut scene)
-whispers to them (again hut scene)
-touches or caresses them (First holding her hand then putting his mother's bracelet on her)
-shows them something new and exciting (Talokan)
-Is usually older then the hero (20s vs 500)
-Often times wears clothing that is either tight fitted or very little clothing (bro is literally walking around in nothing but jewelry and booty shorts)
Secondly, sometimes you'll straight up get subtle hints and/or introductions of sex it's self.
-In Star Wars there's a scene where Leia has to sit on Han's lap and the ship starts bouncing up and down...
-Again, in Star Wars Kylo Ren wipes his mouth which we see has water on it after meeting with Rey through the force...
-With Shuri in Namor, their fight has a weird amount of grappling and holding, not to mention the back scratching...
Namor treats and speaks to Shuri like she's a grown woman. He doesn't handle her with kid gloves like everyone else, he respects her as an adult who can make her own decisions.
In a dark sense even when it comes to either raging war after Ramonda's death or the alliance. He leaves it up to her to decide.
Also Riri, just isn't this to Shuri. This is not to say people can't ship it cause you can ship whatever you want, their all fictional. But Shuri refers to Riri as "a kid", "a child" or "a girl" depending on what translations you watch. This is to show the audience that Shuri does not view Riri as an adult. They're confirmed to have a sisterly bond. Shuri lost a sibling and gained a sibling.
But back to Namor, he also is noticeably kinder to her then he is to literally anyone else in the movie besides his people. Not to mention it's canon that he finds her charming and interesting. He also likes her smile.
It's confirmed by Ryan that he never wanted to kill her even during their fight which some fans noticed, he never tries to kill her even when he has an obvious chance.
And lastly, he sees Shuri as an equal by the end of the movie, showing he has respect for her as a protector of her nation and possibly even views her as a god now but we have to wait and see on that one.
As quoted by Ryan, Namor is ment to be a Peter Pan archetype and when you think about it he really is. He's black and white way of thinking is very childish, he's incredible stubborn, he's arrogant and cocky, yet at the same time, curious and charming. Like Peter he's a father to his people (he literally refers to them as his children) and their sole protector.
There's innocence to his character that's very compelling and shows how young he is in mind.
-he collects (maybe steals, very Killmonger of him) Mayan artifacts from the surface since he never got to see Ancient Maya.
-speaking of collecting things, he even collects random surface world stuff. He has 2 gramophones in his hut, which he most likely got from a ship back in the day.
-he's suprised and charmed by Shuri's kindness. Which makes session since she's the first surface person he's ever spent time with.
-and hey, he got his love of drawing from his mama.
Now what does all this mean for Namor and Shuri in the future? Well for one you got a good amount of back up for them no longer being enemies.
1. Shuri's heroine's journey is over now.
2. Namor was the one who forced her into womanhood.
3. We concluded the story at her finalizing her grief
4. It's canon that Namor was humbled by Shuri after their fight.
5. Wakanda and Talokan will be working with each other.
6. Namor may play a mentor like role with Shuri
7. Dispite many romance scenes being removed they still chose to keep enough hints for people to pick up on.
8. Their fight is described as "intimate" by both writers.
9. Namor and Shuri are described as "two sides of the same coin" and "twin flames" (these are the same descriptions that were used for Rey and Ben Solo in Star Wars)
Why does them having a possible relationship make sense? Well the most basic answer? They're the only two people that can understand what the other is going through.
Their both protectors of great nations that are centered around a resource unique to their land and have a culture and ancestry untouched by colonization. They both know grief of losing people they love. (Namor's mother and his two handmaids, Shuri's brother and mother) Their both EXTREMELY intelligent. (Namor build a vibranium sun underwater and I don't remember where I read it but he learned English in a week.) They both find each other interesting. They both see each other as equals. They both have alot of growing to do.
So will they have some kind of relationship? Most likely. Will it be romantic or platonic? Who knows. But we know they won't be enemies so we have to wait and see.
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ranchthoughts · 8 months
Text
various thoughts and musings on Only Friends and ephemerality, inspired by @waitmyturtles and @lurkingshan's thoughts here
In her post, @waitmyturtles pointed out how the theme of ephemerality in time and life has popped up in the show so far: in Ray, who blacks out and can't remember the previous night; in Boston, king of the one night stand; in the atmosphere of the show (Cheum telling Mew to get with Top, because they are facing COVID, airborne particles, and radiation); in Mew who bucks the paradigms of his friend group (doesn't take shots, remains a virgin, etc.), who wants to take his time/get Top to stick around, to reject ephemerality, unlike his friends.
This all got me thinking about how time and ephemerality show up in elsewhere in Only Friends and in the other characters' lives.
We have, of course, the ephemeral and short-term one night stands contrasted against the non-one night stands (Boston's whole deal vs. what Mew wants from Top), but even the question of "ephemeral" one night stands is getting complicated here. Boston has lots of one night stands, but also he wants another go with Top, and he returns to Nick several times. What does Boston think about "letting things age like plum wine" as it were? Why isn't he interested in longer-term relationships?
We also learn this episode that Sand has his fair share of one night stands too. In the preview for the next episode, Sand says he's never slept with someone who is not his lover more than once. Here we see a contrast between short-term/ephemeral hookups and longer-term relationships - Sand has both one night stands and lovers, temporary and lasting. Sand and Ray are not lovers/boyfriends, therefore the sexual element of their relationship (and perhaps even their friendship itself) must be temporary, according to Sand. Why does Sand draw these distinctions, why is he placing Ray in the category of short-term hookup and not relationship material (if he is actually doing that)? How does his view of short term vs. long-term relationships differ from Boston's?
Mew wants longevity with Top and doesn't want a one night stand, but as waitmyturtles pointed out/we saw in this second episode, he also wants to go back to the beginning and have Top hit on him again. He wants something permanent, but there is this also this thread of ephemerality, of going back in time, of starting again/forgetting what came before, present in his story line just as there is in Boston's.
Boston and Nick are "temporary" lovers (despite Boston returning to Nick several times, enough that Nick is surprised and wants the relationship defined), Sand and Ray are "temporary" lovers (despite Ray wanting to continue a friendship through it), Mew and Top are "lasting" lovers (though Mew clarifies that he only accepted Top as his boyfriend because he felt embarrassed by the public question, and asks if they can start at the beginning again).
Waitmyturtles and lurkingshan got into the idea of "seize the day," "live now because we won't live forever," and that is reflected in a lot of these characters' story lines. Nick recognizes Boston when he comes into the phone store and decides to seize the day, take advantage of this once in a lifetime chance to get with him. He has to move fast not to lose it. Sand and Ray throw caution into the wind and sleep together, despite Sand's warning that they can no longer be "just friends" after this. Boston wants Top one more time, even if that means getting Top to cheat on his boyfriend. There's a carpe diem vibe, a recklessness, even a disregard for consequences, to their actions (and I think we know we are going to spend a lot of time dealing with the fallout from these decisions).
In my messages with waitmyturtles and in lurkingshan's response on this post, we both latched onto how this carpe diem mentality and ephemerality of time and life relate to queer history. Queer people have historically faced difficult and shortened life spans due to HIV-AIDS, hate crimes, criminalization, and other threats to the community - life must be lived quickly and all at once, because it may not last long. Lack of marriage equality and other legislation also means queer relationships have not been offered the permanency and weight of heterosexual relationships. Queer people couldn't wish for a long-term, permanent happily ever after for a very long time (this makes me think about queer futurities - linking @chickenstrangers' post on this in Bad Buddy - and @waitmyturtles talking (here and here) about how queer automatically = pain and tragedy in media, especially earlier queer media). Therefore, to queer people throughout history and now, we see the "life fast die young," "we aren't going to live forever" mentality that permeates Only Friends.
On another note - I am interested in the idea of ephemerality and permanency as it relates to money and class in the show. Sand is not in a good place financially (he has to take on multiple jobs, live carefully within his means, etc.); he is unable to achieve the longevity and stability that comes with financial security. Ephemeral in another way. But we see also that money doesn't necessarily mean stability or permanency (or happiness) either - Ray has lots of money but is alone. His friends don't stick around, he pays for the temporary company of Sand, he spends his money on drink that makes him forget the night before - ephemerality yet again.
@waitmyturtles also brought up the idea of plum wine (which sweetens as it ages) and drew parallels to I Promised You the Moon, slowing down, lingering in relationships, etc. I couldn't help but notice that Sand's plum wine is carried in a bag that reads "You only live once" - the lasting and the ephemeral, the slow and the fast, the permanent and the temporary.
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some-beans · 1 year
Note
Hey! I saw your gyomei post, and wondered if you could do one with Tengen? I feel like his flamboyant energy would be so funny with the twst characters.
jabdjshshs absolutely !! sorry it took a while to come out, life is crazy and the horrors aren't helping
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✎...pairing: twisted wonderland x tengen!reader ✎...themes: chaos, flamboyant reader, can be seen as platonic or romantic, ace slander [ affectionately ] ✎...notes: can you tell which characters are easier to write for, male implied reader !! ✎...enjoy !!
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𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐔𝐋
𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐋𝐄
riddle cannot catch a break from these tall ass people
truly
sure, you don't squeeze the shit out of him like floyd does, but you're probably just as loud
actually, scratch that
you are
BUT
at least you know when to shut up ― except when someone insults you or your wives
which btw, wtf?? three whole wives??
god, you're gonna make riddle have a heart attack
𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐘
tbh he kinda vibed with you
especially when you constantly tasted complimented his baking abilities
doki doki goes trey's heart
but overall, i do feel like trey would sometimes get tired/exhausted from you being loud ― typically when deuce or ace annoy the shit out of you
was bluescreening when you casually mentioned you had three wives back home, who you deeply miss
mans needs a moment to sit down
𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑
another person for him and his fans to simp for??
um yes pls !!
i feel like cater, alongside rook, would end up being your biggest fans
albeit platonic or homoerotic
you decided !!
but besides the simping, i feel like cater would 100% use you as a shield from riddle's or anyone else's wrath
mainly riddle tho
. . .
don't tell riddle that
i also feel like cater would love to just talk about your wives ― may have written some fanfics about you and your wives 👀👀
𝐀𝐂𝐄
oh ace
sweet stupid ace
he really tries to sneak up on you and fails every time, and then has the audacity to act surprised and call you a cheater
what part of you being a former ninja does ace not understand??
a lot apparently
also gets his ass folded a lot, yet he never learns his lesson
especially after finding out, you have three wives
mf is jealous as hell
goes all mopy and shit
𝐃𝐄𝐔𝐂𝐄
similar to epel, deuce idolises you but it's much more wholesome
he definitely goes to you whenever he needs help dealing with something
especially if doesn't want to ruin his model student imagine
the poor boy is lost whenever you talk rapidly
got his head spinning
definitely uses any chance he has to train with you
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𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐖
𝐋𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐀
your loud and that's gonna fly with him
actively avoids you so he can nap in peace, but you always manage to find him
how??
he has no clue and he's starting to think you're somehow related to rook
grumbles when you wake him up for class
has hissed at you when you picked him up so causally, threw him over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and took him to class
he was pissed but also shookth
𝐑𝐔𝐆𝐆𝐈𝐄
he's on edge
why??
bc you always manage to catch pulling some sneaky shit
even with his unique magic !!
like how?!
quickly learns of your past and relationship status, and everything just clicks into place
you and your ninja ways, and stupid good hearing
. . . and stupid smirk and muscles
𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊
did someone say, training partner??
cuz that's what you turn into
however, jack was nervous to ask to train with you at first, but steeled his nerves and asked ― which received a quick up-and-down look from you before agreeing to train with him
jack has never been more excited and embarrassed as he tried to calm his tail down
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𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄
𝐀𝐙𝐔𝐋
*sigh*
why did you have to be so muscular??
and good at detecting lies and shit
why couldn't you be another naive soul and sign his contracts??
azul is at a loss for words
however, he is thankful you can easily manage the twins and other students that give him grief
lowkey sees a halo around for that
𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄
tbh i feel jade wouldn't bat an eye at you
for the most part
that was until you effortlessly hiked a mountain jade was on
great, now you have two eels on you
asks to go hiking with you whenever he's free
will talk your ear off about mushrooms on the hike
𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐘𝐃
a new jungle gym to climb??
*buzzer noise* wrong
has tried to squeeze but ended up getting squeezed instead
huh, so this is what it feels like??
n o i c e
bugs you every chance he gets for you to squeeze him
tad bit masochistic of you, floyd
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𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐀
𝐊𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐌
kalim rinds of that kid with the demon sister back home with how goddamn cheery he is
will shower you with gifts, especially after seeing you wear jewellery and hearing about your wives
he doesn't really bat an eye at that
bby boi doesn't care as long as you're happy
loves giving hugs
just a very affectionate boi
you do allow him to hang off your arms when he's around
𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋
sure you're loud, but you're responsible
meaning, he doesn't have to worry about you
however, does worry when kalim's involved
it's like a sixth sense
somehow when you manage to occupy kalim, jamil uses this time to get chores done or relax
truly is grateful for this opportunity
will make you food as payback
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𝐏𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐅𝐈𝐎𝐑𝐄
𝐕𝐈𝐋
at first, he thought you were annoying and brash
i mean, you loud as hell and for what??
however
that changed when he saw just how flawless your skin was, the tidiness of your painted nails and the flawless eye makeup you wore
and that you strive for flamboyance??
vil can see the appeal
but quickly gets whiplash when you announce you actually have three ― very beautiful ― wives back in your world
what in the great seven??
𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊
homie here is quaking in his cadavers
but from excitement
because great seven, does he enjoy trying to sneak up on you
does he succeed?? no
does he still try?? yes
most definitely has a mini shrine of you ― along with some other students
. . .
don't tell vil
writes endless amounts of poetry for, even after you tell him you've got three wives, which he just loves bc obliviously you have so much love to give
and di―
𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐋
pls for the love of great seven. . .
PLS TEACH HIM HOW TO FIGHT PLS
legit idolises you
it's a tad bit concerning but it feeds your ego and annoys vil
also
gremlin epel is always on whenever you're around ― even more so when he can let his accent slip when it's just the two of you
however, his world pauses when you mention in conversation that you have three wives
tbh he doesn't know how to feel bc he grew up in a somewhat traditional household
and you having three wives??
w a c k
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𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐇𝐘𝐃𝐄
𝐈𝐃𝐈𝐀
nope
nah uh
no way pal
idia cannot deal with another loud extrovert
especially someone who's tall as hell, muscular and someone who sparkles whenever they say flamboyant
almost had a heart attack when you managed to sneak into his dorm room
and how in great seven are you fast and quiet for?!
oh
you're a former ninja?
. . .
ok maybe you can stick around
listen, he's watched countless anime and read, if not more, manga to know how fucking cool ninjas are
surprisingly isn't phased when you say you're married to three badass women
idia's watched his fair share of shit, so you only having three is not a big deal to him
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𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐍𝐈𝐀
𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐔𝐒
your loud nature and openness surprised malleus greatly
happily listens to whatever nonsense you spout
is curious about how you have such incredible hearing, considering you're magicless and a human
finds your relationship status also intriguing
may or may not be jealous
finds your jewellery very pretty
*cue dragon hoard noises*
𝐋𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀
you two definitely trade battle stories
may or may not have asked to join your marriage
what??
lilia may be a fae but that won't stop him
was not phased when you said you had three wives
that just made him even more intrigued by you
𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐑
may and may not have used you as a pillow by accident
he just gets sleepy
and you seem to somehow always know when he's about to fall asleep when you two are together
you tend to hang around him because his sound is the least annoying ― you told him this and silver just nodded
𝐒𝐄𝐁𝐄𝐊
look
y'all are both loud mfs
and 100% get into screaming matches
about what. . . probably something to do with malleus and your ego
he reminds you a lot of that boar kind back home
has tried to fight you
has lost every time
may or may not have gained respect from those fights
still salty tho
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239 notes · View notes
kerubimcrepin · 17 days
Text
Dofus: The Production - reviewing the Xa and Tot interview
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pictured: 7yo Joris, 10yo Joris, 60yo Joris, and 584-585yo Joris.
Funnily enough, this interview will touch onto something already mentioned in the artbook I already reviewed.
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The origins of Joris as a character.
Sadly, it is machine translated, but I think we'll understand it well enough.
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Here we learn that Joris was inspired by Vivi from Final Fantasy. I am sad to report I had never played Final Fantasy, and all my knowledge of him comes from hearsay at best, but Id do find there to be some very funny and twisted parallels between Vivi and Joris, beyond their troubles with lifespans (Vivi's being extremely short, Joris's the opposite...)
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Like lol. Lmao even. (laughs fondly at the memory of having drawn fanart of Kerubim and Joris cannibalising one another as symbolism for Kerubim's selfish exploitation of Joris for his own emotional needs and regrets, — and Joris growing to derive pleasure from being exploited by Kerubim, and being a willing participant in the mixture of parentification and infantilization he experiences after the 600 years of living with his dad.)
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Anyway,
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Joris's progression as a character being "joke character -> character Xa created to be cool and awesome in a moment of inspiration, despite Tot's brief -> he bewitches them both fully" is so funny to me.
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I always found it funny that Tot doesn't really see the forest (dofus aux tresors de kerubim) for the trees (child neglect and the psychological horror of Joris Jurgen's entire existence).
Not even going to comment on not knowing what the hell "epic-burlesque" is supposed to mean.
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Now we move onto my favourite part of this interview: Tot's thoughts on Joris as a character.
I'm glad he said that they've worked on his life story through multiple centuries. Gives me hope that Tot has given thought to Joris's experiences during Leorictus Sheran-Sharms silly, perhaps even whacky reign.
I want to note the word choice here, — Joris isn't mysterious, but jaded. All of his caginess and "mystique" is attributable in equal part to his distrust of others, cynicism, and exhaustion with the horrible things he has seen throughout his life.
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Which would very likely include being cagy even about his class, considering the whole "huppermage gencocide" thing that happened after Leorictus Sheran-Sharm.
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The thing about Joris is that it is hard to appraise him from our own point of view. I had always liked how this franchise treats immortal characters, — they are beings with feelings, who make mistakes, who have issues.
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But it does not make them any less incomprehensible.
In a way, he is so compelling to me, because I find his existence terrifying — Joris is someone who started out with all these ideas of kindness and justice, but can someone who is 600 years old really uphold them?
Judging from Waven, we know the answer to this question.
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I think that with Joris's character, as well as Kerubim and Atcham, one of the major themes is stagnation.
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While at times their immortality, and the freedom it provides, is referred to in a bit of an "optimistic nihilism" way,
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Especially with the themes and motifs referenced in Aux Tresors de Kerubim, (especially with the ending directly referencing Diane Ardant's monologue,)
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It's such a painful mixture of stagnation and endless freedom. There's a horror of never being able to escape, — not from having to experience the horrors of history, not from your own childhood house.
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And then there's the horror of moving on from everyone you ever loved. While Kerubim and Joris share this one, I associate it more with Kerubim simply because he is so obsessed with the stories of his youth. It feels as if what was two hundred years ago is just yesterday, to him...
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While with Atcham it's just speculation and my own headcanons, the sort of immortality, stagnation related horror I associate with him is dependency. He is not the same, strong person he used to be when he was alone. If he had to go back to Brakmar after all this time, he wouldn't be able to adjust. It's like all this time has declawed him.
Joris never really knew a life outside the all-consuming relationship he has with Kerubim and Atcham, but for Atcham it's different. And with every unchanging year that passes, he settles more and more into this peaceful existence, — and if he were torn away from it, just like Joris and Kerubim, he would not be able to function.
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I think that the theoretical endpoint of where Kerubim, Joris, and Atcham could end up is whatever is going between Qilby and Shinonome.
Being one another's only meaning, in a world devoid of meaning, for better or for worse. Probably for worse.
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