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randomfoggytiger · 1 year

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MULDER, The Spooky INTP

Mulder is not an INFP. He is also not an INFJ. Shocker!

And just HOW did I reach this conclusion (especially since the MBTI system has been thoroughly discredited??) Fear not! All the answers are just below~ (and the typing system disclaimer is tucked away at the bottom of the post.)

So, enough talk!! It’s time for a nerdy analysis!

(Note: Credit to whoever edited these pics-- I don’t have the Tumblr handles anymore-- let me know if it’s yours and I’ll @ you.)

MULDER

An INTP brain is divided into four “sections”; but for today’s analysis it’s easier to stick to the main “functions” of Mulder’s Mind:

The Hero Function: This function is the most effortless of the stack of eight, the “superhero” if you will. For Mulder that is his Thinking Introverted (Ti for short) Function. It serves as the most distilled version of Logos-- “if this happened, then that will happen”-- it sorts through all the facts presented and finds the most verifiable Truth. It IS the truth; and serves to cut open an infected wound in order to clean out the rot and allow healing to take place. INTPs know the importance that pain provides, even if it does deep but temporary damage.

At their most immature, INTPs can be insanely prideful about what they know, and their pride is often misconstrued as arrogance; but when tempered with wisdom, they become humble bearers of the Truth, wishing to pass on their knowledge to improve the ethics of others. Credentials are worthless to INTPs. They realize truth or “right” is not tied to a degree; and know that the most educated individuals in one subject are completely idiotic in another. (Mulder’s general disdain for those individuals who “know everything” comes to mind.)

The Parent Function: This function serves as the pessimistic but responsible parent for an INTP. Extroverted Intuition (Ne for short) sees all possible outcomes for everyone’s collective future to a near “spooky” prescient degree. Because they can “predict” the futures of those around them based on their past patterns of behavior, INTPs are easily bored. If they have no one to keep them on their toes, they become addicted to vices that attempt to distract them from their boredom (ex. the Chinga episode.) They are able to see patterns that most others miss; and when INTPs combine this with their Ti Hero they rarely ever fail at puzzling together clues and figuring out the great mysteries of life.

If underdeveloped, Ne Parent sounds like the ravings of a crazy chicken yelling that the sky is falling; if matured, they are able to temper their message for maximum effectiveness, reaching critically more people and laying the groundwork for others to carry out the plans they create. They are more of a brainstormer, uncovering new information and piecing together plans before handing them off to the footmen eager to rush off and get the job accomplished.

The Child Function: This function is the most idealistic of all the functions, and causes the deepest wounds if “bullied.” Sensing Introverted (Si for short) is past focused-- habit, security, experience-- and uses those memories to build the duties of the present and future. The miraculous sense of steadfastness, discipline, conviction, and endurance gives INTPs a truly staggering focus that is unparalleled.

In Mulder’s case, his strong memories of his sister, his strong loyalty, and his unrealistic but nostalgic childhood memories fueled his almost 30-year quest; and extended into adulthood with the lengths he would go to save Scully (and Skinner, etc.) time and again. “Child abuse” for an INTP is when others accuse them of being disloyal or prove that they are disloyal. INTPs will pour out their life’s blood if the person they loved needed just a drop. They are deeply wounded if their loyalty is exploited or disregarded (if that isn’t Mulder I don’t know what is….) They are also the MOST sensitive to bad experiences, causing almost irreparable wounds that cut deep and bleed internally.

Si Child is also the reason why INTPs are the most introverted out of all the types: they choose to avoid ALL experiences in the fear that even ONE might be painful. It’s doubly important for their loved ones to push them outside their comfort zones and tap into their adventurous “will try it at least once” side. This helps them to step outside of their warped “couch potato” existence.

The Inferior Function: This function serves as a point of aspiration and vanity. Feeling Extroverted (Fe for short) makes INTPs afraid of being a burden, even going so far as to take the blame of others’ actions on their own shoulders. They fear they are a bad person, which leads them to being easily guilted.

This can be a good thing, however, since it can easily shake them from their lazy habits or self-destructive tendencies by shaming them out of it (ex. dream Scully’s tongue-lashing in Amor Fati). More mature INTPs forgo that fear of rejection to care for their friends by warning them of the bad futures (Ti Hero, Ne Parent) that will result from their poor decisions (and it gives them a great opening for an “I told you so” one liner.) This requires courage because most friends would rather walk away than be proven wrong.

The Nemesis Function: This function is an INTP’s greatest source of worry. Thinking Extroverted (Te for short) makes them doubt the intelligence of those around them--

thereby amplifying those doubts of and in themselves. If they are mature, this spurs INTPs to intensely research all types of information, which in turn gives them a massive amount of knowledge on varying topics, depths, and scales which they rarely (if at all) forget.

The Critic Function: This function serves as an INTP’s most cynical aspect or greatest possibility for wisdom. Introverted Intuition (Ni for short) is all about willpower and desire; but for INTPs, choice scares them. They see the constant disaster of the bad decisions of those around them, which makes them hesitant to make ANY decision because of their pessimistic predictions of their own outcomes (Ne Parent.) They are afraid to want. Because of that, INTPs have “failure to launch” syndrome: stuck in inaction or at least not progressing despite feeling unfulfilled--

but then they get hypocritically upset with others for wanting something greater and striving for it. The best examples of these points are Mulder’s blinders on any goal other than finding his sister, even to the near destruction of his personal life and mental health. His fear to step outside his quest and get his true aspirations destroyed-- “getting out of the car” with Scully like she wants and settling down like he mentioned in Home-- holds him back from changing “the status quo” and almost makes Scully walk away from him to greener pastures (Ed Jerse and Daniel Waterston.) Maturity helps the Critic to put pressure on themselves, painstakingly prying them out of their unfulfilling freeze states and into more active roles in their own destiny.

The Trickster Function: This function is an INTP’s weakest function. Sensing Extroverted (Se for short) makes them unaware of what is happening around them, or even how they are perceived by others. Reality is arbitrary; and because of that, INTPs spend more time in their head than out of it. This is a strength in that they can turn their vision into a tangible reality. The problem is that they have NO idea how they come across.

During conversation, they look everywhere else than at the speaker; but they absorb everything you are saying and doing given their insane attentiveness and focus. Even more so if they are loyal to you: using their Si Child, they can quote something you said offhand five years ago back to you now to prove that they care and are always listening. (They are deeply hurt if their actions are misconstrued as uncaring.) On top of that, initiating any relationships are ALWAYS a struggle; but it’s a near horrific experience for male INTPs to initiate a romantic relationship. Their Se Trickster handicaps them to social cues (asking a girl out minutes after she has a breakup), and this leads them to getting brutally rejected. They are also afraid to want (Ni Critic), which stops even advances that are guaranteed to succeed. Most of the time they end up being pursued, usually by more aggressive or go-getter females (Phoebe, Diana, and Rain King’s Sheila comes to mind.)

The Demon Function: And lastly, this function is INTP’s strongest function-- the propensity for destruction or salvation. Feeling Introverted (Fi for short) is about personal values and worth. At its worst, it leads INTPs to dismiss their own feelings and needs, and this leads them to become doormats to be exploited, guilted, and dismissed.

When they reach their limit, INTPs become depraved and debaucherous. If no one will recognize their sacrifices and humiliations they put up with in the name of loyalty and love, then they will make themselves feel good. They implode internally, nursing their wounded feeling in debaucherous pastimes that slowly eat away at them, leading to their willful self-destruction. The only way to save them from this cycle is for someone to save them from themselves by guilting them back into good behavior (the previous example of dream Scully’s speech in Amor Fati clicks right into place here as well.) When they are mature, an INTP will realize their own value and refuse to be treated horribly, secure in their self-worth and contributions to the world and those around them.

Why Mulder is Neither an INFJ Nor an INFP

Why Mulder Is Not an INFJ

The biggest difference between an INFJ and an INTP is their respective N functions: Ni for INFJ and Ne for INTP. While both types are abstract and revolve on the same Ti/Fe Axis, they are completely different in their perspectives on and their focuses in life.

Ni’s focus is on one’s OWN future, whereas Ne focuses on society’s as a COLLECTIVE whole.

-For an INFJ, Ni is his Hero function: strongest and most effortless of all functions, it serves to hyper-focus INFJs on their OWN personal goals, map out a plan, and trailblaze it at the speed of light. For the INFJ that goal is implementing a better ethical system for humanity: their Fe parent strives for fairness and love in the hearts of all. The negative to that is forceful or authoritarian implementation of their own personal ethics: “in MY house we follow THESE RULES.” Mulder is not ethically focused: he rarely judges others on their morals, doesn’t even blink about the morally decayed lives of those he investigates, and even justifies some of the victims or perpetrators’ dubious actions. He certainly does not impose his own beliefs or values onto those around him, and even sneers at those who do (such as organized religions, for example... or Gogolak in Arcadia link here for analysis~.)

-For an INTP, Ni is his Critic function: in its immature state, it can be extremely cynical with an INTPs own personal hopes or plans for their future. They fear to mark out their own path, observing the disastrous consequences of the bad choices of those around them and concluding that it’s better to not have personal aspirations rather than catastrophic failures. Because of that, INTPs have “failure to launch” syndrome: stuck in inaction or stuck in one locked position despite its failures at fulfillment.

-For an INFJ, Ne slots itself into the Nemesis/Worry Function: they worry about others’ intentions, constantly misconstruing them in a faulty attempt at shining a light on their motives or intent. Their fear of others’ inhibiting their personal freedom causes unnecessary paranoia, which leads INFJs to permanently cut people out of their lives (Si Demon) at the slightest hint of a slight or threat, even when there is no evidence to suggest such a drastic step.

This, I believe, is the nail in the coffin about Mulder’s type: Mulder trusts, and trusts, and trusts until he is led straight into betrayal; and even then he excuses the other person’s actions until there is no justification; and STILL he believes they can become better people and hear them out every time they ask for mercy (examples: the revolving door of ex-girlfriends, Deep Throat, Krycek, Skinner, even CSM and his Consortium fellows.) He constantly beats himself up for misplacing his belief again and again despite all the warnings to the contrary, a classic example of the manipulation INTPs are so easily susceptible to.

-For an INTP, Ne slots into their Parent Function: it responsibly sees danger to society at a macro whole and does its best to warn of the impending danger. INTPs have no personal agenda to achieve other than to warn others and correct the ignorance of the willfully blind around them-- and their warnings are ALWAYS right.

This is Mulder to a T-- he is frustrated when bogged down with carrying out a system of change, but even more frustrated with a bloated, blinded bureaucracy while aliens are on everyone’s doorstep. His warnings are mostly unheeded; but he digs his heels in and continues to uncover the Conspiracy while sacrificing his “life” in the process. It’s not until The Unnatural that Dales teaches him to “look to the mystery of the heart”-- which helps him to, for the first time, focus on something HE loves to do, which is the antithesis to how higher levels of Fe functions.

I would be remiss to address one of the most important differences between INFJs and INTPs: their fashion sense. Se Inferior/Aspirational/Vanity (in good and bad ways) makes INFJs very aware of how they appear to others. This gives them the impressive ability to polish their self-expression through peak performance and impeccable fashion. Se Trickster (however) makes INTPs tragically unaware of what is happening around them and how they are coming across to others-- making them incredibly clumsy and horrible at fashion and always forgetful of small things like car keys.

Mulder’s weird hairstyles (for all but S4-5) and his weird obsessions and his weird behaviors since his Star Trek-obsessed childhood and his clutzy accidents (in Small Potatoes/Monday/etc.) and the “constant, touchstone” behavior of always losing his gun are just some small examples that come to mind. (On a bright side: all those fanfics with Mulder as a professor are canonically accurate as INTPs are the stereotype for the “absent-minded professor” trope.)

Why Mulder Is Not an INFP

INTPs and INFPs look very similar but are actually even more dissimilar than INFJs, since INTPs run on the Ti/Fe Axis and INFPs run on the Fi/Te Axis. These Axis (whatever the plural is) are pivotal to the major differences in their personal philosophies, moralities, and ethics.

-For an INFP, Fi slots into his Hero Function: they are driven by PERSONAL beliefs, specifically personal morals and principles rather than Fe/Ti social ethics. INFPs’ core values define them as a person and are stronger than any data or facts or the Truth itself. This type believes that believing-- or “manifesting”-- is enough, which is pretty self-explanatory to why Mulder is not an INFP. His core belief is “I WANT to believe”, letting one infer that he naturally disbelieves; and this is proved by his quote in the Pilot: “I’m not crazy, Scully. I have the same doubts...”, and his admonishment in Beyond the Sea: “Dana, open yourself up to extreme possibilities only when they are the truth.”

-For an INTP, Fi slots into his Demon Function: INTPs are often overlooked and overworked, driven by taskmasters who find them useful and easily guilted into carrying the burdens of others’ scutwork. When they have had enough-- which can take years because they are naturally patient-- and realize the hoops they’ve jumped through to make others feel good are for naught, they become depraved and sink into debauchery in a harmful self-soothing attempt to make themselves feel good, leading straight into willful self-destruction. Perfect examples of these times in Mulder’s life are: early S2 (with further degrading during Scully’s abduction and coma), One Son (when he gave up briefly), and even Three Words (feeling like life had left him behind and willing to get himself killed in order to find meaning.)

-For an INFP, Te slots into their Inferior/Aspirational/Vanity Function: they are afraid of what others think of their reputation. INFPs NEED others to believe good things about them, even if those beliefs are not grounded in any form of reality. This can be a powerful force for good, as it inspires them to read hard-hitting literature to constantly develop their own personal moral code; and at their best they cannot be out-academic-ed and become insanely popular by doing so. However, their focus is not on knowledge so much as the boost their reputation gets with the acquisition of knowledge. Mulder is not focused on his reputation at all, even recklessly tossing it aside in pursuit of the truth and stirring up hornets’ nests that would serve better advantage to keep undisturbed. If he’s known as “Spooky” or the crazy man howling at the moon, it will not shake his surety of self (that is what GUILT does, not reputation hits.)

-For an INTP, Te fits into his Worry/Nemesis Function: INTPs are worried that others are factually incorrect, because that will affect everyone else’s futures (Ne Parent) to disastrous degrees. If an INTP is mature, he will take new information with a grain of salt and prove his own credibility by verifying it. Once proven correct, he will then defend these ideas to his grave, and mentor others out of their faulty logic to become better at reasoning and therefore more intelligent. Mulder typifies this to its fullest from the beginning and spends the rest of the series wading through the weeds of Scully’s acquired facts to find the most accurate conclusion--which is why he needs her Te data and she needs his Ti hero. A truly symbiotic relationship (+ another analysis in future~.)

Thank you for reading this long review! If you have other types that you think or thought Mulder is or was, I love feedback and would be intrigued to add your thoughts in a future update.

Disclaimers: This is a self-assessed analysis. This information is not based on the abominable MBTI system (which has been butchered from its original Jungian typology since ~WWII); instead, it’s a combination between the works of Jung’s type psychology, Dr. Linda Berens’ Communication styles, Dr. Dario Nardi’s EEG brain scan compiled research, and others’ data and practices as compiled and simplified by CSJoseph. This system is based only on the Nature side of Nature/Nurture; and each “type” is not a “box” to fit everyone into-- simply a tool to help understand the basics of the human mind that science has only begun to fathom in its limited scope.

#txf #x-files #the x-files #MULDER The Spooky INTP #Types #analysis #meta #mine #INTP #INFJ #INFP #MBTI #but not

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dilucids · 3 years

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ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSacrificial duties, Mondstadt ver.

would they sacrifice you or mondstadt?

includes: jean, lisa, kaeya, diluc, amber, albedo and venti.

( i'm too socially inept to request for someone to do this so i took matters into my own hands. )

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 JEAN GUNNHILDR ━━ DANDELION KNIGHT 〕

━━ is this even a debate? jean would sacrifice you to save mondstadt.

━━ the question would tear her apart though, she'd spend so much time trying to find another way to save both her city and you that she'd neglect her health ( basic needs, like eating, sleeping )

━━ if it were a person or god who was demanding these terms, she'd try to negotiate anything to save both, even her own life, though if you were willing, she'd hesitantly ( literally beg you to not go through it and reassure she'll find another way ) let you go.

━━ no matter what she chooses, she'll still feel incompetent in the end, as if she isn't good enough to be the acting grandmaster and would probably overwork herself to try and focus on something.

"I'll do it," Jean looks back at you, horror flashing through her eyes though you didn't falter, still staring the entity in her eyes. The wind picks up as if feeling the ameno swordswoman's vivid emotions, she shakes her head, taking small steps towards you as she reaches out for your hand. You cringe when she fell to her knees, "no no no, please, you don't have to do this."

You don't look at her, knowing it would only make things worse for the both of you, you didn't want her to be the last thing you saw nor did you want your face to plague her dreams like a ghost. "I care about Mondstadt too, Jean." You hope she understands that you were also doing this for your city and doesn't blame herself, "it's my duty."

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 LISA MINCI ━━ WITCH OF PURPLE ROSE 〕

━━ lisa is a bit more of a wild card.

━━ lisa only oversees the library of mondstadt but it's really unclear the extent of her care for the city itself.

━━ it's impossible for one to say if she would hold a lover priority over a city due to lack of background so that's why she's more of a wild card right now, because i could see her potentially doing either.

━━ though i'm leaning a little towards sacrificing you because of her closeness with jean and her involvement in the knights of farvonius, she knows it would be morally wrong to sacrifice an entire city for one person, lover or not.

"It's okay," you reassure her, smile still gracing your face albeit the heavyweight pressure of death for your city digging it's claws into your shoulders. "I'm sorry," she apologises for the nth time and you can do no more than squeeze her hand in affirmation, knowing a hug would be too much for the both of you right now.

You feel her fingers slip through yours and your hand is embraced by the winds of Mondstadt, a sudden change from the electricity that plagued her fingertips and passed onto yours. You take a shaky breath and leave her behind you, her eyes watching your back along the way until you were nothing more than a dot in the horizon━━ ready to become a star in the sky.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 KAEYA ALBERICH ━━ FROSTWIND SWORDSMAN 〕

━━ another wildcard!

━━ unlike lisa, however, i'm leaning towards sacrificing monstadt.

━━ even with all his background knowledge, kaeya is still a character that holds a lot of secrets and it's canon that he's a mysterious figure, cavalry captain or not.

━━ don't get your hopes up though, because he still may sacrifice you ( after a talk with jean or diluc/j )

━━ kaeya lets anything happen as long as it falls into place of how he has expected to end, he really doesn't know what to do when an unknown entity shows up and demands the price of you for his city or vice versa.

━━ really hard to get a grasp on him.

━━ i could see him spending one last day with you after deciding he was going to give you up ( you obviously knew of this ) but after 24 hours with you, away from mondstadt, he might realise that, even if he regrets it for the rest of his life, he'll never be able to give you up.

━━ alternatively, if he didn't open up to you about this or went to jean or diluc, they would convince him to "do what's right" and give you up.

"No. I'm not doing it," his tone differed from the norm━━ he was never like this, not even on official knights' business. His eyes unnervingly determined, tone you were unable to refute, and words that scared you. "Kaeya, you have to," your fingers place themselves over his, which were barely touching your cheeks.

"I'm not doing it," he reaffirms, sounding as if he were trying to convince himself out of all people. "I'm━━ I'm not losing you to some city. I can rebuild a city, we can find a city elsewhere," he states, eyebrows furrowed and not taking a single breath between his words. You pry his fingers away from your cheek, holding them over your lap. "Kaeya, this isn't just 'some city', it's the city you love. The city we love." You coax, finally getting him to look into your eyes. "You're the person I love." He says, exasperated.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 DILUC RAGNVINDR ━━ DARKNIGHT HERO 〕

━━ hate to be the bearer of bad news,, and as biased as i am to this man, he would give you up.

━━ wouldn't open up to anyone about it, he'll just drive himself insane pondering both options.

━━ and although it would literally make him insane even thinking about losing someone precious to him ( again ) but his loyalty lies within the city of freedom and the city alone.

━━ even after the dispute with the knights of farvonius ( in the webtoon ), he still remains as the protector of mondstadt and i don't think nor am i able to see it will ever change.

━━ unlike kaeya though, i don't think he'll be able to see you at all once he decides to sacrifice you, he'll just be reminded that he'll never be able to see you again and the terrible decision that he's going to go through with.

━━ will also throw himself into extensive work to get you off his mind afterwards.

"You okay there?" Your eyebrows furrow, leaning against the open door of Diluc's office, seeing his hair tied back into a bun, hands in his face as he gazed deeply at his wooden desk. His head flies up at the sound of your voice, clearing his throat, "when did you get here?"

You shrug, taking steps towards him as he leans back into his chair, "being a hero taking a toll on you?" You tease him, taking a seat on his desk next to him and placing your feet on the chair, leaning forward to cup his cheek. He turns away. You're no stranger to his austere ways so you merely lean back, balancing yourself with your hands against his desk, telling him about your day.

"━━and then he wrapped it up and sent it to me, which was awfully disturbing might I add."

"I'm sorry," your eyebrow quirks when he suddenly cuts into your storytelling. You push yourself forward, reaching out for him and redirecting his gaze ( which hadn't looked in your direction even once ) onto you. "What's wrong my dear?" He only grimaces at the nickname━━ wincing almost and still refused to look at you, gaze cast upon the floor behind his bangs. You couldn't even see his eyes.

"Your guilty act is making me ponder if you've had previous relations with someone else, Master Diluc," you frown a little, using your other hand to force him to peer at you. He leans forward, placing his forehead on yours and whispers, "never."

"I just wanted to apologise for the future," you smile a little and place a kiss on his forehead. "I will always forgive you."

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 ALBEDO ━━ THE CHALK PRINCE 〕

━━ albedo's original creator hails from khaeri'ah and venti, archon of mondstadt, was one of the original seven who aided in the destruction of khaeri'ah; is that enough reason to destroy it for a lover? no.

━━ would he still do it? yes, yes, yes.

━━ we all know he considers himself a threat to mondstadt but i don't think he would've ever thought this was why he was a threat, to hold an entire city in his palms and be able to destroy it with a single word was quite a terrifying thought.

━━ it wouldn't stop him though, i really don't think albedo holds any sentimental attachment to mondstadt, he only works and lives there as of right now but he's currently heeding his creater's words and pursuing the truth of the world.

━━ he might grimace over losing a few people that he holds dear and end up rethinking his decision but in the end, will choose you.

━━ another reason i think he would destroy mondstadt is that, once albedo discovers something or the feeling of enlightenment that comes with studying something new disperses, he is quick to stop studying that and abandon it due to the "bittersweet truth" hitting him so if he grew tired of mondstadt,,,,,, rip to jean 🙏

Your eyes flicker from the sight of his back to the unknown entity, hovering just above the floor, her eyes uninterested in you as she gazed into Albedo's eyes, maybe trying to read his expressionless face. "Have you made a choice, Kreideprinz?"

Nothing is said. Nothing from Albedo nor you, you didn't seem to have a part in this private conversation but you also seemed to be an integral part of it due to the way Albedo kept looking back at you, squeezing your hand as if to remind himself that you existed. "I'm choosing them."

She peers at you now, her eyes boring into yours as she scans you for something, "are you sure about this decision?"

For some odd reason, you're not offended by her words, maybe because she didn't sound like she meant it in a rude way ( it also seemed out of her standoffish character ) but was genuine in her curiosity if Albedo would go back on his words. He squeezes your hand again, rubbing circles on the back of your hand━━ something he did to calm you but it seemed that this action was to ground him instead.

"Yes, I am."

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 AMBER ━━ OUTRIDER 〕

━━ YOU.

━━ in the most heart breaking – heart warming way ever, she'd give you up.

━━ notice how more than half of these mondstadt fuckers would give you up? yeah 🙄

━━ on a serious note, a lot of them have devoted themselves fully to protecting the city and i don't see any one of them being able to give the command to destory the city, even if their s/o was being held with a knife to their throat right infront of them and amber is the very same.

━━ even though we don't know to much about her, she is seen as a perfect example of justice by kaeya, and is extremely devoted to her work, she's just below diluc and jean in the most to least likely to sacrifice you in my opinion. it's simply overlooked due to her lack of presence in the game.

━━ i think her compassionate and kind side will make it harder for her to come to a decision because she doesn't want to have to lose one thing to keep another but in the end, she will give you up.

Amber seemed extremely distressed, immediately running into Jean's office once arriving back at the Knight's base after finishing her usual trek of Mondstadt's surroundings. You had attempted to call out her as she ran through the halls but she didn't even look your way, which was peculiar to you but you could only guess something dangerous must've happened due to her eagerness of reaching Jean's office, slamming the door wide open.

You quirk an eyebrow and Kaeya, stood beside you, whistled briskly, hands on his hip. "Someone's in a hurry," you roll your eyes at his comment and simply grab his arm, dragging him over to Jean's office, "just shut up and come."

The minute you knock and open the door however, the room is quiet. Jean sat on her chair, elbows placed on the table and concern burrowed deeply within her furrowed eyebrows and Amber, who was shaking her leg up and down in anxiety, fiddling with her nails.

Kaeya seems a little amused by the situation, unlike you, who was extremely concerned by the little actions of anxieties Amber was exhibiting, striding over to her side in an instant. Placing your hand on her shoulder, she leans into you almost instantly and begins quietly sniffling into your shirt.

You mouth to Jean that you're taking her out and Jean nods, thanking you with a small smile on her face. You guide Amber into a quiet room in the headquarters, letting her silently cry as you attempt to soothe her. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?"

She shakes her head, only repeating a small, "I'm sorry."

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 VENTI ━━ WINDBORNE BARD 〕

━━ venti is characterised as a free spirit, like the freedom that the city of mondstadt represents, he carries that within him but at the end of the day, he is still mondstadt's archon.

━━ so we all saw this coming but you 👫

━━ i don't really think there's a lot to explain, he's their archon and even if he loses everyone he's ever loved, his priority is mondstadt.

━━ he'll probably take you on that ride on dvalin he's been promising you for the past year with no explanation.

━━ you'll ask him why he's dragged you from work and he'll just say he's feeling nice or that the winds are good for a ride right now.

━━ you'll stare at him with that, 'don't–you–control–the–winds?' look and he'll wink at you, telling you to stop staring at him or he'll blush.

━━ will completely come undone when he seed you happily laughing on dvalin's back, arms spread open as your laugh echoes into the wind.

Your excited whooping is all he hears, previous nervousness abandoned with his hands placed on your waist as Dvalin pierced up above the clouds; the ground nothing more than a fleeting dream to you both. It's such a shame that young, immature Dendro Archon got his hands on you first, gifting you his gift of Earth's nature━━ if not for the God of Wisdom, Venti would've gifted you heaven's winds if he knew how simply being in the sky made you so ecstatic.

The adrenaline finally dies down when Dvalin arrives just above the clouds, wings creating new and dispersing the old. You lean into Venti who takes this as an invitation to push himself further into your side and begin playing with your fingers, allowing you time to simply relish in the situation. "You're awfully quiet today," you muse, staring at Venti with a small smile.

He hums, "it's quiet up here," in nothing less of a whisper. You nod along with his words, fighting the urge to jump into the clouds, knowing you'll pass right through them. Venti sinks into you further somehow, like you were a passing cloud; his shoulder pressed into the crack of your arm and torso, head leaning on your shoulder. "You'll be okay Venti," and you embrace him.

#genshin impact #genshin headcanons #genshin scenarios #genshin oneshot #genshin lisa #genshin jean #genshin kaeya #genshin amber #genshin albedo #genshin diluc #genshin venti #genshin x gender neutral reader #genshin x reader

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pennylaneforthoughts · 3 years

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Lokius Hogwarts AU

All right my dudes, hot take time:

I’ve seen a lot of Hogwarts AU headcanons floating around, and having thought waaaaaay too much about it, I’m here to add my two cents.

( @sortinghatchats has my favorite sorting system I’ve seen to date, since it goes so much in depth into themes throughout the HP series that good ol’ JK barely touches on in her pretty surface level commentary on the subject, so that’s the system I’m gonna use. Go to their blog to learn more about the way the system works bc I’m too lazy to go more in depth than I already have.)

This is gonna be Hella Long tho so I’m putting it under a cut.

Loki: Petrified Slytherin Primary/Slytherin Secondary - sorting: Slytherin House

Perhaps it may seem trite, but Loki really is a Slytherin Primary at heart. Yes he is ambitious and all that stereotypical stuff, but that’s not really what makes a Slytherin a Slytherin. Anyone can be ambitious. No, he’s a Slytherin because he unapologetically prioritizes himself and the people he cares about above all else.

“Slytherin Primaries are fiercely loyal to the people they care for most. Slytherin is the place where “you’ll make your real friends”– they prioritize individual loyalties and find their moral core in protecting and caring for the people they are closest to. Slytherin’s reputation for ambition comes from the visibility of this promotion of the self and their important people– ambition is something you can find in all four Houses; Slytherin’s is just the one that looks most obviously selfish.”

However, Loki’s trauma has pushed him to something this system calls Petrifying.

“Whether through death, betrayal, abandonment (from either side), or through never having had any to begin with, the Petrified Slytherin has decided that having important people is too dangerous. Having those strong ties leaves you open to pain and weakness, and the pleasure of those connections aren’t worth the despair that comes from their seemingly inevitable loss. In this way, they close themselves off to meaningful connections out of what is ultimately fear (though from the inside, it’s far more likely to be experienced as a rational, sensible decision given the circumstances of the world), and gives them a stony exterior that seems impenetrable, resolute, and cold.”

Loki wants love and acceptance so badly, but he is convinced that the kind of attachments and relationships that that comes from are far too dangerous and the risk isn’t worth the reward. He pushes people away, hides behind a mask of self-aggrandizement, and betrays others before they can betray him in an attempt to protect himself from potential pain.

In the series, however, we see him slowly unpetrify and move towards a more healthy style of attachment because of Mobius and Sylvie’s influence on him. Whereas his circle of priorities used to include only himself (and arguably Frigga and later, Thor, in the movie timeline), he proverbially “thaws” enough to let Mobius and Sylvie in, and tragically, because of that, the loss of them hurts him so deeply because by the end of season 1, they’re all he had.

His Slytherin Secondary, however, is obvious in his methodology. He’s the god of chaos. He loves improvisation, and plans only exist as long as another better idea doesn’t come along and usurp it. He’ll change and adapt (quite literally) to best fit the situation in front of him, and he takes joy in that. But beneath all the running and his many personas, he has his “neutral state” that he lets only a precious few see. Mobius gets to see it, and so does Sylvie, and as he progresses through the series, he starts to be more comfortable existing in that state where he’s no longer hiding behind everything he feels like the world expects him to be and he can just be himself.

Mobius: Slytherin Primary (Hufflepuff Model)/Hufflepuff Secondary - sorting: Slytherin House

People like to put Mobius in Hufflepuff, but honestly? I don’t think that’s where he’d be most comfortable. Yes, he is kind and caring to basically everyone, and we see this over and over again in the series. The man radiates comfort. However, like it says in Inky and Kat’s description of the Slytherin Primary,

“Wanting to help someone doesn’t mean you’re loyal to them. Wanting to help them at the expense of your comforts, your values, your commitments and sometimes even yourself–that does.”

Mobius is kind to a fault. But he is not kind at the expense of himself. Not to everyone at least. He is kind to the child in France, but he is not kind to the point of saving him from the resetting of the timeline, and he doesn’t feel guilty about that. He believes in a duty of care, but he does not believe he has any obligation to go beyond what he thinks that duty of care is. He unapologetically plays favorites, and this is mentioned on multiple occasions. Above all else, Mobius values loyalty as a virtue. Sure, he cares about the TVA and its accompanying morality, and he genuinely does believe it’s his duty to care about and be kind to others. He seems to vibe quite well with the Hufflepuff ideal of caring about people simply because they are people, but this is all secondary to his personal loyalties when push comes to shove. For Mobius,

“dropping that model in order to stand by someone you love, or in order to protect yourself, doesn’t feel like a failing. Sticking to that modelled morality at the expense of betraying or abandoning one of their own would make a Slytherin feel guilty and wrong. Being able to put the things and concepts you like aside for the sake of the people who need you feels more righteous than any moral posturing.”

It’s for this very reason that Mobius gets so angry and feels so betrayed when he thinks Loki has abandoned him for Sylvie, and when Ravonna lies to him and prunes him.

“Betraying your own is the worst kind of crime. Loyalty is precious and terrible; it makes you vulnerable. It’s given sparingly, deeply, and a Slytherin will stand by their loyalties through the same death and fire that a Gryffindor would brave for the sake of doing the right thing, or a Hufflepuff to help someone in need.”

Loki is Mobius’ own. Mobius prioritizes Loki over almost everything else, sticks his neck out for him over and over again, and is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for him. He’s even willing to abandon the whole of his former ideology and prior friendships for this relationship that has become closer to him than his own self, the highest tier of trust and loyalty a Slytherin can give.

“It’s an extreme Slytherin who would let the whole world burn for the sake of a friend, but every Slytherin Primary would be at the very least tempted.”

And Mobius very nearly does exactly that. Even says the words, “burn it to the ground” when Loki asks him what he’s going to do. And he doesn’t feel bad about it. Especially after realizing what the TVA has done to him and the people he cares about. He kicks the TVA out of his circle of care, and doesn’t look back. And he does it for Loki.

Mobius’ Secondary is where people get his Hufflepuff vibes from, I think. A Hufflepuff secondary is marked by “their consistency and the integrity of their method. They’re our hard workers. They build habits and systems for themselves and accomplish things by keeping at them. They have a steadiness that can make them the lynchpin (though not usually the leader) of a community.” And that is what Mobius is. It’s why he radiates that kindness and comfort. He quietly and carefully works at and invests in the relationships in his life to the point that people almost automatically trust him, and over time he has learned how to read people and figure out what makes them tick.

He approaches new situations with a steady head and gentle hand that Loki is unused to, and it’s this approach that eases Loki into learning how to trust and rely on people. It’s an inherently Hufflepuff approach, and it’s the key to his success as an analyst for the TVA and an understanding friend for Lokis across the timelines.

Tl;dr - Application to an actual Hogwarts AU fic:

THEREFORE! There’s a compelling narrative to be had with a tiny, first-year Loki coming into Hogwarts. He comes from a pureblood family that’s very proud of their Gryffindor heritage (they don’t talk about Hela, and Loki and Thor don’t even know she exists until later in this story), and his brother had been sorted into Gryffindor a couple years prior, and Loki has heard very little other than contempt for Slytherin House and everyone in it. Loki doesn’t want to be sorted into Slytherin. He doesn’t want to deal with the disappointment and shame from his father and the sad eyes of his brother. But the sorting hat sorts him there almost immediately, and his heart sinks. He wanders over to the table miserably but determined. If he’s gonna be sorted into the “evil” house, might as well just run with it, right? Best not to get close to people though. It’s Slytherin. Who knows when someone will betray you.

Enter Mobius, the tiny muggleborn, bright eyed, bushy tailed, and having no clue about the prejudices between houses. The hat takes a hot minute sorting him, giving him the choice between Hufflepuff and Slytherin and telling him Hufflepuff would love a kindhearted and welcoming member like him. But Mobius has been eyeing the little black-haired kid who got sorted before him and is now sitting far apart from everyone, and he can’t help but feel like he needs to be this kid’s friend. And didn’t the hat just say Slytherin is where you’ll make your real friends? Friends are what Mobius cares about, so he’d like to go to Slytherin, thank you very much, so that’s where he goes, and he happily plunks himself down right next to Loki and sticks his hand out.

“I’m Mobius. What’s your name?”

Loki looks at Mobius’ hand disdainfully and doesn’t shake it, but he does answer, “Loki.”

Mobius’ eyes go wide, and he smiles. “Loki? Like after the Norse god?”

Loki nods, eyeing Mobius suspiciously. People don’t often bat an eye at his name. Not in the wizarding world, anyway.

“Wow, that’s so cool! I loved reading about Norse mythology in school and Loki was always my favorite. Names have power, you know. If you’ve got the same name, then you must be just as awesome.”

Loki has no idea what to do with this kid, but he’s immediately aware of two things:

He’s absolutely sure that this Mobius kid is in the wrong house. No way a Slytherin can be this excited without a single hint of deception in his face.

He’s going to be eaten alive by the other students if Loki doesn’t protect him. What a pain.

Loki is completely wrong on both of these points.

#lokius #loki x mobius #wowki #loki #mobius #loki 2021 #look i've thought WAY too hard about this and i just need a slytherin mobius who subverts everyone's expectations about what a slytherin is #while still being 100% obviously a slytherin when you think about it

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theonceandfutureking6481 · 3 years

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BBC's Merlin Season 1 Episode 3: The Mark of Nimue Analysis

*SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE SHOW*

First off I always look fondly on this episode, mainly for Morgana being hilarious and epic, I mean she has the best line in the whole episode:

Arthur: You could get hurt

Morgana: So could you.... if you don't get out of my way

This episode is also fun and interesting from the perspectives of plot, characters and themes. Sorry, this is extremely long, I have a lot of opinions about Merlin.

Gwen and Merlin

This episode is in many ways about Gwen and Merlin's friendship, it is the driving force behind all of Merlin's actions within this episode and is the stepping stone for this show considering how to find a balance between acting for the greater good without suggesting that the ends justify the means.

Merlin and Gwen are first off just very sweet, their friendship is really characteristic of this show's representation of friendship overall, just genuine love and consideration for others. It is also self-sacrificing, that's one thing about the relationships in this show they are so self-sacrificing.

When Merlin says to Gwen "I didn't like to see you upset." It reveals a wonderful fact of Merlin's characterisation that I would argue stays consistent for the whole show. His motivation is always grounded in how much he cares for the people around him. He cares deeply about his friends and they are largely his reason for doing the things he does. This line is a wonderful parallel to in season 3 when Merlin decides to let Morgana die (after he accidentally trips her down the stairs), but then in the end he heals her because he couldn't watch everyone's grief. Merlin cannot separate his actions from the people he's doing them for, and he can't stand to see people hurt when he has the power to fix it because the people he loves are his motivation, they are the reason he wants a better world. This show does establish (as I'll discuss further down) that what seems immediately right (healing Gwen's father etc) isn't necessarily the right decision to make for the greater good. This is some ways always questions the validity of Merlin's motivations and his actions, but I'd argue it more seeks to find a balance. Besides a Merlin who didn't act motivated by his love for others is not a Merlin that could have helped Arthur build Camelot.

Medievalism: duty and social obligation

Quick disclaimer cause I'm touching on a more scholarly issue here that I have limited knowledge of, so I will undoubtedly make mistakes and this is my opinion. Everything I write is my opinion, but that's more obvious when I'm commenting on the themes of a fictional world rather than making a comment on actual fields of study which is what I'm doing here.

BBC's Merlin is an example of medievalism, it is an engagement with the medieval era (or ideas/images associated with it) for modern times. I honestly don't know that much about medievalism, or the medieval era, certainly not enough to make an extensive commentary on its representation in Merlin. One thing I would argue is that Merlin's representation of friendship has its roots in idealised views of the virtues of the medieval era. For many people the Middle Ages represents a time of duty and social obligation, this on one hand does lead to a stringent class divide but it also finds its idealisation in the sort of friendship represented by Merlin. The premise in most societies that place great value on social obligation is that the needs of the community outweigh the needs of the individual, that people should sacrifice themselves for the community as a whole. Every society places emphasis on this in different ways and to greater or lesser extents and our view of it as being prevalent in the medieval era is largely an idealisation based in some historical reality but also our own desires about what this era represents. There is a kind of social responsibility in the relationships in Merlin, there is a great emphasis on loyalty which is part of this idealisation. However, Merlin makes it more personal than is often depicted. We idealise social responsibility and obligation, it is often tied into the social roles of people such as loyalty to a king, or paying back debts of honour which is a form of social obligation. Merlin is more about friendship, it takes our idealisation of medieval social obligation and makes it the obligation and loyalty we owe to people who love us and who we love. I will always say that fundamentally Merlin as a show is about love, and it emphasises what we owe to people in our lives in a way I believe echoes idealisation of medieval loyalty.

This idea can also be seen in Arthur's fundamental trust of others, his fundamental assumption that everyone around him is not seeking to harm him, and that people are generally good. This ties a bit into the idea of social obligation. Arthur's idealised world is one in which people have bonds of social obligation towards each other, that people are seeking to act in the interests of the community. It's an idealisation, both of the medieval era but also an idealisation in Arthur's own head of the world he lives in.

Morgana and Gwen

Their relationship is somewhat expanded on in this episode, and they are just so sweet. Gwen gives Morgana flowers to cheer her up and its just lovely. They have a very genuine and close relationship. Morgana also has great respect for Gwen, for the work she does, and she treats her with respect.

Morgana: "If she was a sorceress, why would she kneel on the cold stone floor every morning if she could make these things happen with a snap of her fingers, like an idle king."

Aside from being one of Morgana's many quality burns towards Uther, this also illustrates one of her greatest characteristics, her empathy and genuine respect and admiration for what Gwen does everyday. She doesn't see the class divide in the same way Uther sees it or Arthur pretends to see it.

Also interesting note I heard in a Merlin podcast (I can't remember which episode), it could have been the episode about this episode. It's called Destiny and Chicken (you can listen to it on Spotify and anywhere else you find podcasts- they even did an interview of Bradley James who plays Arthur at one point), and its very good. But, they said something interesting about the paralleling between the relationship between Merlin and Arthur and the relationship between Morgana and Gwen. Both are fundamentally important and genuinely caring relationships for the character. However, for Morgana and Gwen (unlike Merlin and Arthur) the class divide remains much more in place, Gwen treats Morgana like her friend but she also treats her like her mistress in a way Merlin just doesn't with Arthur (especially not so early in the show when he's not so admiring of Arthur). This isn't to say their relationship is bad or has problems, its just different whilst still acting as a parallel. I'm not sure exactly the extent to which I agree or what this says overall in themes but its definitely interesting to think about.

Uther: "A Good and Terrible King."

This episode shows Uther at both his best and his worst which is always fun because Uther is a genuinely interesting character. I got the line from my favourite Merlin fanfiction Coronation by rageprufrock, which you should definitely read, I'll link it down the bottom, it's not too long so you can read it in half an hour. It's a character study of Arthur more than anything else and its amazing, wonderful and deeply poetic. Uther is not a huge part of this fanfic, its about Arthur's character and his relationship with Merlin and his kingdom, I'm not even sure he actually appears. This line though perfectly tapped into how I always felt about Uther so it connected:

"He's been a good and terrible father, a good and terrible king."

I often think in characterising Uther we do tend to villainise him to an extent which I personally don't find accurate. This is obviously just my opinion, and I have a tendency to think the best of people so more intensely negative views of Uther are very jarring for me. He did terrible things and I truly believe he is the ultimate villain of the show but he is very human and he could be a good king and he loved his children more than anything else. We cheapen Merlin's point if we cast Uther as pure evil, everyone is capable of evil just as much as goodness. Uther is the tragedy (like Morgana) of a person who could have been good or at least halfway decent corrupted and destroyed by his own hate and ignorance. That's the point of the parallels between Uther and Morgana, we love Morgana and she was capable of so much good, but she corrupted herself with hate.

Onto this episode, Uther shows both his capability and goodness as a king in this episode as well as his hatred and ignorance. Uther's initial reaction to the fact that the plague is caused by magic is a concern about his own authority, which isn't entirely unfounded, but does reveal a huge priority of his which is control. He fears not being able to control, that's were his cruelty as a father comes from and to some extent his opposition to magic. This does not show Uther in the best light, but his actions later in regards to dealing with the plague show a decent king who cares about his people. This scene in which he tells Arthur to shut off the lower town perfectly illustrates this:

Arthur: But what about the people who live there

Uther: Don't you think I haven't considered it? What else can I do? I have to protect the rest of the city

In this situation Uther is right, there is very little other choice, he's making a hard call but it's one he has to make, and he seems genuinely distressed at having to make it. He does care about his people's well being, and he feels the burden of their protection, he can be a good King. Much of Arthur's story is in breaking away from the legacy of Uther, and rightly so, but Uther also taught him many things and one of those things is the duty Arthur has towards his people, it's a duty he takes even more seriously than Uther, but nonetheless he learnt it from him.

This however, as I've hinted, is not the whole story of this episode, Uther is also shown at his worst, and his worst is his ignorance and prejudice towards magic. He is willing to sacrifice justice and even sacrifices logical thought to his blind persistence that magic is evil.

Arthur: She's right Father. You hear the word magic you no longer listen.

Uther: You saw it for yourself, she used enchantments.

Arthur: Yes, maybe. To save her dying father, that doesn't make her guilty of creating a plague. One's the act of kindness, of love, the other of evil. I don't believe evil's in this girl's heart

Aside from what this says about Arthur. Arthur's comment about Uther hits right to the point of things "you hear the word magic you no longer listen". You no longer listen implies its a choice, and it is. Uther has made the choice for the last 20 years to choose to go on a dogmatic campaign of hate against magic because its easier than considering the alternative, that he was complicit in his wife's death. What Uther says immediately after "there are dark forces threatening this kingdom." is the argument used by so many people throughout history, used to justify so much hate. That there is an evil out there threatening the stability of life, that the world must be controlled and people have to live a certain way or risk destroying their own lives. It's an argument that justifies campaigns of hate and makes them personal to ordinary people who usually wouldn't care, and it is always a lie, that's not how the world works.

This episode thus shows Uther at his best and his worst, both a dutiful king and a stubborn tyrant. It's a tragedy of what he could of been, and shows how twisted up people can become when they justify their decisions with hate and fear.

Arthur

This is the first episode where Arthur really opposes Uther, he directly questions Uther's indiscriminate hatred of magic, and an episode where he realises to an extent he perhaps hadn't before some of the ways in which Uther has failed as a king. He also consciously acts in deception of Uther, because he can see Uther can't see sense. Arthur shows far more nuance of view than Uther does, understanding (even whilst still accepting as he will for a long time that magic is dangerous and it corrupts) that using magic doesn't make you automatically evil. To see the world the way Uther does is a conscious choice, you have to choose to be blind to the virtues of every apparent magic user you come across, you have to believe harmless spells are the signs of greater evil. Arthur is not someone who lets his own cowardice blind himself to reality, and so his worldview can see far more nuance than Uther can.

"One's the act of kindness, of love, the other of evil. I don't believe evil's in this girl's heart."

He further has a very positive view of others, Arthur will always see the good in people and that is a great strength in my view. In a lot of versions of the story Arthur's not just inspiring because he's good but because he assumes others are good too, he trusts people to do the right thing and I do believe that, that can inspire people to do the right thing. It's funny in Merlin Arthur's trust gets betrayed so many times but it never really hardens his heart, he continues to trust people no matter how many times he gets betrayed. This can be seen in his perception of Guinevere here, he will not assume she is evil because she has made a mistake, he can see the virtue in her actions, and he will assume goodness until proven otherwise. Innocent until proven guilty, in other words. It's its own form of justice, a justice Uther is forgetting, its a tenant of many legal systems and its a tenant Arthur clearly supports.

Arthur is also seeing his role as the king of Camelot in creating a Camelot that he would like to live in.

"Yes I am yet to be king, and I don't know what type of king I will be. But I do have a sense of the type of Camelot I would wish to live in. It would be where the punishment fits the crime."

It's not the Camelot he would wish to rule, its the Camelot he would wish to live in. Arthur wants to live in a just world, he wants his people to be treated with justice just as he would like to be treated with justice. This further illustrates that unlike Uther he is not letting anger or ignorance blind him to reality, he wants the world he lives in to be fair without exception.

Finding the Balance between The Greater Good and The Immediate Good

The Greater Good is a tricky concept, you can justify any amount of cruelty if it will lead to good later on, but do the ends justify the means? It's not really a question its ever possible to provide a definitive answer for. It's easy to say that they don't, that you should just do the right thing, the nice thing, the good thing in the moment but actions have consequences and doing the good thing all the time (especially in a position where thousands of lives depend on you) is not usually possible. Merlin tackles this theme, I believe, quite well, trying to find a balance between acting for the greater good and acting with what is immediately good, and this episode is a good example.

In a just and fair world you would be able to do good all the time, but this is not the case for everything, though you should never use the worlds not fair as an argument for not doing good things but I digress. Merlin's decision to save Gwen's father ultimately backfires on Gwen because the world is not fair, the world Uther has created mean even these acts of love are punishable with death. Because, for Uther, magic is magic, and magic is evil. Gaius was, in this situation, ultimately right, Merlin can't always do what is easy and what feels right because the consequences may not be good. In other matters like closing off the lower town, Arthur's initial response is concern for the people who live their, but Uther's right he has to make this one tough decision because otherwise he risks the whole city.

However, Uther's attitude to Gwen (aside from revealing his own stubbornness and prejudice) is an example of the greater good taken too far. He has absolutely no evidence that killing Gwen will stop this plague, but he's making that sacrifice anyway because it might, that is not justice or fair or anything resembling goodness. And he justifies his decisions with what I've already said is an age old argument- "These decisions must be made. There are dark forces threatening this kingdom." This is just another version of any easy choice, acting without regard to the greater good is an easy choice but so is ignoring what is immediately right in pursuit of some ambiguous goodness. He's confusing his own weakness and ignorance for strength.

The point Merlin is, I believe trying to make is that there must be a balance. Sometimes you have to pursue the greater good, but the ends don't really justify the means.

There is a reason Arthur and Merlin will create the Camelot of legend and Uther and Gaius don't, Merlin and Arthur aren't going to sacrifice their own goodness for the sake of the greater good. Merlin for one ensures Arthur never has to, its sad but Merlin in many ways makes the harsh and cruel decisions that Arthur never has to make. However, he also often doesn't make those decisions. He reaches a point where he wants to let people die, but he never actively attempts to kill Morgana or Mordred by himself unless it is an absolute in the moment choice between them and Arthur, and even though there is plenty of moral ambiguity about that and plenty of debates you can have about that. Fundamentally the point remains, Uther would have killed them and that's why he could never be the king Arthur would be or the influence for decency Merlin would be, the ends don't ever entirely justify the means. Besides if Merlin had thought that and killed Mordred and Morgana for their possible futures he would not have been the decent person he was and he could not have helped Arthur build a good Camelot, Camelot would not have existed if Merlin had acted entirely with the greater good in mind to ensure Camelot's future.

Other Stuff

Gwen's scene in the cell is so terribly sad, she's trying to be brave and her final request to Merlin is just so sad, "Remember me." She's so young and its the injustice and cruelty of Uther's kingdom that's condemning her, his own blindness to anything involving magic. We all want to be remembered don't we, especially when you die so young that you've barely had the chance to live. -----Also Guinevere will be remembered, she is a legend so there's something very bittersweet in this. She is not forgotten, then or ever

It's funny watching back to season 1, Merlin spends a lot of the time complaining about how Arthur will never recognise him for who he is. He wants recognition. But by the end of the show, yes of course he'd like recognition but he's learnt to just put up with never getting it. His priorities have changed so much.

There's this thing that happens a lot in season 1 and 2 (and I think a bit in season 3 but its less funny then) where Morgana persuades Arthur to do things by insulting him and its the funniest thing ever, and the first instance of it is here. I like to call these her 'epic sibling powers' cause they are just such siblings and its hilarious every time

"You are one side of the coin, Arthur is the other."- Kilgaharrah--> Just, yes.

Also when Arthur gets Merlin out of when Merlin confesses to being a sorcerer—> he's obviously making stuff up on the spot—> like he might sort of believe it (the stuff about Gwen) but fundamentally he's just trying to protect him without really knowing for sure why Merlin's lying

"One day people won't believe what an idiot you were."- Gaius--> Fun little nod to the audience who know Merlin of legend (as nothing like the BBC Merlin)

Also at this point we don't know why Uther really banned magic so there is an element of moral greyness to it all. We know magic's not evil, we know Uther went too far but at this point there is still a question about 'how too far' did he go?

Coronation by Rageprufrock (seriously read it. It's amazing): https://archiveofourown.org/works/5749

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janaeekook · 4 years

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Incapable i. || {myg}

“You cant love Min Yoongi, he doesn’t know how to love. Or care for that matter. You’ll just end up getting hurt.”

pairing: assassin!yoongi x reader

word count: 2.3k

warnings: - mafia - death - masterbation -

series masterlist

prologue.

It was your 16th birthday when your father and your older brother Namjoon told you everything — their affiliation and leading of the largest mafia gang in Seoul. You always knew your family was wealthy, that's what you were raised knowing. But you never knew that for your family to obtain it's wealth, the two most important men in your life would go out and risk their lives every night in criminal activities.

You hadn't believed them at first, thinking it was just some prank, a wild joke. The idea of them having a gang made your stomach twist in knots. You had always been your fathers little girl, you saw him as your knight and shinning armor, slaying the dragons of your bad dreams.

Since that day you received vigorous training. Intelligence gathering, undercover and stealth missions, trades; organized crime soon became your life. You were endowed to it, you saw a lot of horrible things, things that never sat right with you, but it all became a twisted new normal to you. The only jobs you refused are to take someone’s life, for you fear your soul may never recover.

When you were eighteen, your father had decided to retire. Leaving the legacy of Bangtan Sonyeondan to your brother. Many of the older members went with your father leaving it fully in the hands of the youth they'd spent years training.

Now you're 21, and head of intelligence. After your father left, you and your brother purchased a new estate in the countryside which served as base camp. The extravagant building was large enough to be considered a castle with its different wings. The west wing was for the higher ups, there was 8 of you in total and you all kept business booming with your varying talents.

Namjoon was very clearly the leader, the true business man, he handled transactions and bigger things along with interigation.

Kim Seokjin, or Jin— was your brothers right hand and the more ruthless of the two, he hated conflict between members and he also specialized in interigation.

Min Yoongi; a cold assassin who never really said much just got the job done without fail, it's quick and painless, he said the screams annoy him.

Jung Hoseok, he deals mainly with illegal substance transactions. He's a sadist in his work, something you'd never guess.

Kim Taehyung, the brains; he is the eyes and ears of every operation and he's just a plain genius when it comes to the plans. He's usually the one to stay at the base camp watching monitors that display cameras he's hacked.

Jimin works along side you in intelligence. He's a complete flirt. He specializes is hand to hand, He may look small but he could take you down in a second.

Jungkook is your arms man, he handles all the weapons, he loves his guns and he's an incredible shot, he never misses a target.

Lastly there's you, head of intelligence, gathering information on enemies, often working close with Jimin. You're also an amazing shot and can be found sniping with Jungkook and Yoongi.

The east wing, on the other hand, housed many of your henchmen; the army. They were not to be trifled with, They were trained to kill. They are the most loyal followers, that's why Bangtan is on top, some even said if they died protecting the 8 they would have fulfilled their duties. They were willing to die for you and the others.

Loyalty is very important, it's drilled into their heads from the first day of training to their last breath. They all take an oath of trust and they devote their lives to Bangtan. Once an army, always an army.

•

"Y/n, can you hear me?" Taehyungs voice came through your earpiece.

"Ya." You spoke quietly as you sat at a booth in a stuffy little downtown bar.

"Ok, he's the one at the bar wearing the red suit, you should make your move now." You nodded and stood from the booth, making your way to the bar and next to the crimson clothed man.

"One Jack Daniels please." The bar tender nodded, you sat on the stool next to the man. You could feel his eyes raking your body.

"What's a pretty young thing like you doing here all alone?" His voice was thick with a Russian accent.

"My boyfriend dumped me." The bar tender slid you the drink and you took a large sip. The man continued to ogle you in wonder. He was not an attractive man, he resembled a drowned rat with his hair all greased back.

"He's quite unwise to leave such a beautiful woman." You looked to his face, scanning it before bringing a fake smile to your lips.

"You think I'm beautiful?" You asked feigning shock.

"Incredibly." His hand moved to your knee, his rat-like face forming the most unpleasant smirk. You took another sip of the strong whiskey before looking back into his beady eyes.

"Hmm." You bit you lip, which came off sexual but you were really trying not to gag, "What do you say we get out of here?" You stood from the stool, grabbing his hand. He pulled money from his pocket and placed it on the counter before standing.

You led him through the chorus of drunk people dancing, weaving your way to the door where Jin waited on the other side. They were hidden from view as you stepped into the cold night air with the rat man following close behind you. The way his eyes wandered your body, mentally undressing you, made you feel uncomfortable.

"I can't wait to see this body." He spoke lowly, placing a calloused hand on your hip. You grabbed the hand before twisting it behind his back and pushing him to the ground, you held one hand behind his back and the other you held to the concrete with your knee.

"What the fuck!?" He groaned, struggling in your grasp.

Hallow footsteps clicked along the pavement as Jin walked up, a cigarette between his the nimble fingers of his right hand, his other hand grasped a black cane that had a gold skull on top. He had injured his leg on a mission a few years ago and it never healed the same, but the cane made him all the more intimidating.

"W-what do you want?" The Russian man inquired from his position on the ground as he looked up to Jin who had placed the end of his cane to his throat.

"I want you to tell me what your boss is planning, and why you're in Seoul." Jin spoke calmly but the intensity and seriousness of his voice would make anyone cower in fear.

"I-I" He stuttered then Jin pushed his cane harder onto the mans throat and You tightened your hold, "Ok! Ok— we're working with another gang." Jins eyes narrowed.

"Who?"

"I-I don't know h-he wouldn't tell us! I'll do anything to prove it to you, I'll work as a spy!" The man crumbled after only seconds of Jins cold stare, the chuckle that bubbled from his throat was just as cold.

"You see, trust and loyalty is very important to me, and you crumbled under the slightest pressure. I hate men like you, cowardly, weak, you could never be one of us." Jin then walked away, you quickly stood and followed after Jin, the rat man scrambled to his feet.

"You whore! You played me! You're already someone's dirty bitch!" The man spoke to you and you just smiled viciously at him.

"It's just part of the game sweetheart." You turned walking away to the car with Jin.

"You're not even worth my time you tramp!" He called out, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yoongi." you heard him hum through your earpiece and a deafening shot rang out, the cold lifeless sound of body meeting pavement, and then silence.

•

The car pulled up in-front of the mansion. You exited the car followed by Jin and ascended the steps to the front doors, the guards on either side bowed to us.

Pushing the door open, you went inside, kicking off your heels instantly. The 4 others sat in the foyer to your left, discussing plans.

"I'm gonna change." You told Jin quickly heading up the left staircase and to your bedroom. You pealed the dress from your body, before tugging your sweatpants on and a long sleeve shirt. Hair tied back in a bun, you headed back out and down to the others.

You plopped down next to Jungkook, he looked to you and smiled, that smile of his never seemed to match his aura, or the array of tattoo's that covered his golden skin. Everyone began talking about random stuff and the mission. The muffled sound of a motorcycle outside told you all that Yoongi had arrived.

When the door opened and he appeared in everyone's view his face visually upset, but You could never really tell. He wore all black and held a full face helmet in his hand, a scar ran over his right brow and extended to his cheek. Your stomach fluttered when his tongue poked at the inside of his cheek. Your relationship toward Yoongi had always been strictly business, though your attraction to him grew, he was painfully attractive.

"Thanks for leaving the body to me." He spoke sourly his gaze directed towards Jin. He sat on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, his cane leaned on the couch next to him. Jin only chuckled at the younger man.

"It's your job." Jin held a fake smile upon his face, he stood using his good leg before grabbing his cane.

"Sure pin it on me." Yoongi spoke, Jins intimidating smile stayed on his face as he stepped closer to the other boy.

"I know you're not trying to start anything right Yoongi? You know how much I hate it."

He scoffed, "Whatever." He turned and headed up the stairs. Jin just sighed and went back to his original seat. Your eyes followed Yoongi as he disappeared up the stairs, You wanted to follow him but you knew he'd just shut you out.

You laid in bed that night, unable to dodge the thoughts of him. You groaned rolling onto your side and tried to lull yourself to sleep, it was no use your body longed for his hands all over you -- but your mind told you it wouldn't be wise to try to love someone who was so emotionally absent. But was he really?

Your mind and body were deeply contrasting one another, the allure he had; both nothing and something. It called you forth to let him break you, but your morals pulled you back as the dark aura also pushed you away. You chewed at your cheek as your mind was running rampant. Your imagination beginning to take hold the scenarios swirling through your headspace, bringing you into a daydream like state as your mind played out what your mind had thought of sending your cheeks ablaze.

"What do you want me to do princess?" It was Yoongi, he had your daydream self pinned between himself and a wall.

"Touch me." Your voice a pitiful whine as you begged for his hands, he smirked sensing how needy you were, and it was all his doing. Well dream Yoongi of course.

"Where?" He asked, your words failed to exist in your mouth so you grabbed his veiny hand, guiding the strong appendage between your legs. You hadn't realized you were fully naked in this scenario, but you didn't care as his hand began to explore you, treating you like some toy.

Your eyes shot open, not being able to face the crude scene any longer, Your room felt as if it were on fire, your clothes becoming unbearable as they stuck to your skin. Your mind had somehow found its way to the side of your body, running a mile-a-minute with thoughts of Yoongi and different ways his hands could pleasure you. Your face was bright red, You were thinking of extremely sexual situations about someone who probably saw your relationship as otherwise platonic. You groaned, feeling your core throb as more thoughts invaded your mind. You had grown incredibly hot and bothered you couldn't take it, you went to the bathroom starting a shower in hopes to cool down your bodies rising temperature.

The water ran down your body, as you stood under the steady streams unmoving. You shook your head, rubbing your hands over your face, as your mind wandered to the idea of him fucking you against the shower wall. You felt dizzy as you grew more aroused as you thought of the man only doors down from you. You groaned before taking in a shaky breath, you brought your hand to yourself, eyes fluttering shut as you finally did what your body begged for.

It was slow at first as you rubbed small circles over that familiar bundle of nerves, your mind wandering back to the idea of him fucking you senseless in the shower. You bit your lip before pressing your back against the cool tile, lifting your leg to rest it on the shower bench next to you, allowing your hands perfect access to every sensitive part of you. You pushed a finger past your entrance, quickly accompanying it with another. You imagined it was him, his experienced hands touching you, getting you off.

Your small noises concealed by the water hitting the shower floor, you quietly moaned his name as you silently wished it was his cock inside you. Your legs began shaking as you drew closer to your orgasm, you threw your head back in pure bliss the tension finally unraveling in your stomach-- and it was Yoongi's name on your lips, the last word you spoke as you rode out your high.

You quickly cleaned your now relieved body and your sweat ridden hair, before finally exiting the shower. You collapsed on your bed, drifting off into a dreamless sleep, relief and satisfaction running through your veins.

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primrose-path-of-dalliance · 5 years

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i think one of my favorite things about good omens (the tv show), and aziraphale and crowley’s relationship, is how cheesily slow-burn it is. the two of them have been gradually falling in love with each other over 6 millennia of accidental meetings, wiling/thwarting, and clandestine drinks. they’re classic enemies-to-friends-to-lovers: an angel! and a demon!

but good omens the show also has a field day with aziraphale’s apprehensions about the whole thing. from his side of the relationship, aziraphale is continually in flux over whether he really accepts how important crowley is to him.

aziraphale’s development throughout the show is characterized by his ambivalence.

he’s an angel, a servant of god put on earth to do good. that does not include associating with demons on his checklist of holy deeds. repeatedly, aziraphale reasserts his role as the angel, taking shelter behind the straight and narrow that’s expected of him, whenever he feels that that particular sense of his identity is being threatened by his relationship with crowley.

of course, aziraphale then tends to undermine his own assertions.

funnily enough, it’s not the demon trying to play the long game of tempting an angel to fall. it’s the angel playing the long game of dancing the line—trying to maintain the best of both worlds: his identity as an angel, his loyalty to god and heaven; as well as his friendship with crowley.

and let’s be real. crowley has been well-aware of aziraphale’s uncertainty for a long time.

unlike aziraphale, crowley’s not interested in maintaining a healthy allegiance to hell or lucifer in the way that aziraphale continually turns back to heaven, to gabriel, and to god for approval or solutions. he does the bare minimum to keep himself bodily and metaphysically intact—and perhaps glean some personal satisfaction from a job well-done, even if it’s a somewhat malicious job.

after all, the evil deeds that he favors? well...

take hastur and ligur, dukes of hell and model representatives of what the place idealizes. their deeds on the day they deliver the antichrist are tempting a priest with lust and compelling a politician to accept a bribe. hastur gleefully kills a nun and sets a convent on fire, while ligur thinks favorably upon the idea of ripping a person’s right arm off. they’re up close and personal. direct responsibility over the corruption and destruction of individual souls.

crowley doesn’t favor that style. when he corrupts, he doesn’t shove a train off its tracks with his own hands. he creates a highway that radiates waves of general ill will, or shuts down london’s mobile phone network to make everyone just a little bit more irritable. when he acts upon his duties as a demon, crowley doesn’t do any more than any other normal human might encourage as a by-product of living in the same world. his deeds are the equivalent of someone cutting you off in traffic, or your cell signal cutting out from non-occult forces.

he preserves free will. sure, he made your day a bit worse, but really, the only one making the choice of taking that out on the people around you is you.

and don’t ask crowley to kill anyone. because frankly, judging by his distaste for god’s flood, jesus’s crucifixion, being the one to eliminate the antichrist? he’d really rather not.

he gave the paintball competitors real guns but ensured they wouldn’t kill anyone. he set a bucket of holy water on top of his door to kill whichever demon chose to come after him but didn’t put any in his plant mister.

crowley doesn’t have an ounce of real dedication to hell. he was and has only ever been the fallen angel who sauntered vaguely downwards.

so in this, he’s the antithesis to aziraphale’s vacillation. crowley has no ties holding him back from committing fully to a relationship with aziraphale. time and again, crowley is the one who initiates their interactions, who does him favors first, who saves him from discorporation, for no other benefit except companionship. and this frightens aziraphale.

it takes millennia for aziraphale to let down each barrier. and crowley remains patient. he understands his reluctance to leave the welcome arms of heaven behind. even after their 1862 fight in st. james’s park, crowley reappears out of nowhere nearly 80 years later to save aziraphale and his books and rejects the thanks he tries to give. on the day of the apocalypse, aziraphale yells to him that their friendship is over, and crowley still comes back begging him to run away with him to alpha centauri.

but at the same time... crowley refuses to make it easier for aziraphale.

some of his pushback to aziraphale’s generosity can definitely be attributed to difficulties with self-esteem. he’s still done hell’s work, after all, and coming from a place with demotivational posters that are basically depression on paper won’t do wonders for one’s ability to accept compliments.

but being a demon—being a fallen angel—is still central to who crowley is. while he may not hold any loyalty to hell because of it, he’s also not interested in returning to heaven. why would he be, when they cast him down into a pool of boiling sulphur only for asking questions? when they’re just as comfortable as hell with killing innocents and starting wars?

so when the end is nigh, and aziraphale is trying to imply his own solution to saving the both of them...

aziraphale has just gone begging to heaven to put an end to the apocalypse. and they told him no. the war has to be won.

he still doesn’t have the nerve to openly disobey heaven’s commands. and in his certainty that heaven will indeed win if the apocalypse happens, the only option that will allow aziraphale to remain on heaven’s side while preserving crowley’s life is if crowley returns to the host.

this suggestion, though, is not one crowley is willing to take.

a relationship with aziraphale is something crowley deeply values. but he won’t settle for an aziraphale that hasn’t accepted the full ramifications of what that entails—whether it’s the fact that crowley is a demon, full stop, with all the implications therein; or that to love him is reprehensible to heaven.

aziraphale’s blind loyalty to heaven and his relationship with crowley are incompatible, a fact that he’s spent the last 6 millennia ignoring. crowley has been patient, trying to allow aziraphale to come to terms with it in his own time, but aziraphale couldn’t balance the knife’s edge between them forever. as the apocalypse approaches, so too does the conflict in their relationship come to a head.

crowley demands that he make the choice.

and once again, aziraphale chooses heaven’s will over crowley.

it’s only when aziraphale tries to reason with heaven one last time, talking to the voice of god themself, and has utter failure spelled out to him in the sky, that aziraphale finally accepts that heaven has no interest in the compassion and love that he and crowley value so dearly. the choice between heaven and crowley—was never really such a difficult choice after all.

good omens the show is not only a 600k slow-burn between two mortal enemies, it’s a very human tale in which it’s not the demon that struggles with accepting their desire for love and companionship, but the angel. while good omens the book is as fabulous a piece of source material as a show could wish to have, the show is the story that flips the archetypal denial of one’s love on its head. it’s the being of "evil” that offers the outstretched hand and waits patiently for the being of “good” to take it.

aziraphale and crowley face down against their respective superiors together, against lucifer, against holy water and hell fire.

and a nightingale sings in berkeley square.

#good omens #good omens meta #good omens analysis #ineffable husbands #aziraphale #crowley #prim post #prim says some things #long post #good omens spoilers #they're queer folks!#no editing; we die like men #(ngl. i really wanted to talk about the bandstand scene. i stan ''bad'' characters who are proud of their badness)#edit 7/4: i made a reblog and added more analysis on aziraphale so please look in the notes!!!

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enneagramwingmiranda · 3 years

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How I Met Your Mother: The actual enneagram types of Ted, Marshall, Lily, Barney, and Robin

The Hopeless Romantic: Ted Mosby [Type 2]

“Love doesn’t make sense! You can’t logic your way into or out of it. Love is totally nonsensical. But we have to keep doing it or else we’re lost and love is dead, and humanity should just pack it in. Because love is the best thing we do.“

Core Desire: To be loved, wanted, and needed

Core Fear: Being dismissed, discarded, or rejected

Ted’s main goal in the show is to find love and be loved in return (in almost a desperate fashion). He often does grand gestures to win love interests over and is dubbed as the most romantic guy of the friend group. Ted doesn’t really have much of a personality outside of just wanting to be loved. It is also noted that he is a bit pretentious and is also an architect. His behavior can sometimes look like a 4 but the enneagram is based on motivations rather than behavior. Ted doesn’t behave in much of a helper fashion unless there is a motive behind it (i.e. getting a girl to date him). However, type 2′s are connected to 4′s in that they can look like 4′s when in growth. It can be said that Ted is always in growth mode as he lives and learns from his failed relationships. With that said, Ted is 100% motivated by wanting to be loved, wanted, and needed. Ted isn’t the healthiest 2 and is a bit narcissistic, which clearly affects his behavior not appearing as stereotyped as a 2. He perceives himself to be the victim in a lot of situations when he has done a lot of messed up things to the girls he dated. He judges his friend Barney a lot for his behavior when he is a lot more like him than he realizes. He pressures Robin for life she doesn’t want and doesn’t respect her boundaries. However, the weakness of 2′s is pride and 2′s go into 8′s when stressed so maybe it actually does fit.

The Humanitarian: Marshall Eriksen [Type 6]

“Yeah, I’m scared, ok? But when I think about spending the rest of my life with Lily. Committing forever with no other women, it doesn’t scare me at all. I’m marrying that girl.”

Core Desire: To be secure and in community

Core Fear: Being stranded and without support or safety

Marshall is very much defined by his loyalty and duty. He gives his all to his job, wife, family, and friends. He even only has been with one woman (Lily) and doesn’t quite comprehend his friends who have many causal relationships. He feels a responsibility to do good by the universe shown in his passion for global warming which is why he became a lawyer. He is very compassionate and always strives to be prepared. He balances out the sometimes impulsive and reckless, Lily. He is very down to earth and very grounded. Marshall is very much affected by those who take his loyalty for granted, shown in his utter mental turmoil after Lily abandons him and when his boss overlooks him so he quits. He values the security his circle brings him when life isn’t always so stable. Marshall doesn’t seem to have excessive anxiety which is the extreme version of a six. He seems to be a very healthy six.

The Bohemian: Lily Aldrin-Eriksen [Type 4]

“Definitions are important.”

Core Desire: To find her true heart and feel deeply seen and known

Core Fear: Being too much or not enough

Lily is a hard character to type. She comes off as a 7 with her optimism, fun-loving, and adventuress nature. She also comes off as a 2 due to her need to always give advice and sometimes assert herself when she’s not needed. However, when 4′s go into stress they look like 2′s. The friend group does put her in a lot of stressful situations. With that said, I believe Lily is a type 4. Lily is deep, introspective, insightful, emotional, and empathetic. She is very in tune with her emotions and challenges everyone else to be emotionally open and true to themselves. She is motivated by a need to be special and unique, as well as, leave her mark on the world. She struggles greatly with her identity and making sure she is living a life that is reflective of her truest self. This is essentially what gave her cold feet at first when she was engaged to Marshall; she felt she wasn’t being true to herself by neglecting her artistic side. She was very much an individualist in high school and college, with her gothic like style. It seems Marshall rubbed off on her a bit with his dutiful nature and stability. She eventually paves her way with her art career, achieving her desire and balancing it out with her duties as a wife, friend, and mother. When 4′s are in growth, they take on behaviors of a 1 and we definitely see this with her.

The Womanizer: Barney Stinson [Type 7]

“This is going to be legen… wait for it …dary!”

Core Desire: To be free to meet his needs through finding new opportunities

Core Fear: Being trapped in pain or boredom

Barney is a classic 7 but a very unhealthy 7. He is constantly striving to fill himself up while avoiding being tied down. He essentially has a sex addiction and avoids connecting emotionally to protect himself from the emotional pain that could follow a heartbreak. He sees the bright side of every situation, in his case, inappropriately hyping up and idealizing the bachelor (fuckboy) lifestyle. Barney’s utter lack of empathy is quite concerning, though it’s just a comedic TV show so I’ll try not to look at it so seriously!

The Skeptic: Robin Scherbatsky [Type 5]

“I may not love you the way you love me, but I do love you.”

Core Desire: To be competent and self-sufficient

Core Fear: Being depleted and without resources

Robin is very isolated, logical, and introverted. She very much appears as a 3 because she constantly expresses that her career is her main priority, however, I believe Robin does this because it is the ‘safe’ thing to do rather than having a deep innate desire to be successful. She turns down a lot of potential opportunities due to fears of overextending herself. Robin also isn’t very image oriented; what you see is what you get with her. For Robin, it’s about independence and being able to meet her needs without needing others. She is extremely knowledgeable about means of self protection. She is motivated by a need to capable and competent. I believe that the trauma she faced from having a father who did not accept her for who she is and emotionally neglected her, resulted in this personality development. She believes she must to be enough for herself because her emotional needs were never met. The isolation she creates between herself and others is a survival method she developed and had to unlearn. Luckily, her friends served as a safe space for her to be vulnerable and in community.

#how i met your mother #ted mosby #marshall eriksen #lily aldrin #barney stinson #robin scherbatsky #enneagram #ennea 6 #ennea 2 #ennea 5 #ennea 7 #ennea 4

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musical-chick-13 · 3 years

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And Theon bc I love him

WHAT A COINCIDENCE I LOVE HIM TOO (this answer is gonna be a combination of books and show)

Send me a character and I’ll tell you the following:

• Did they live up to their potential? / In what ways was their potential unachieved?

-I would say yes. The only negative I have about his general arc is his death (which, see below). But Theon from the very beginning was, though not a particularly nice person, still relatable. Feeling othered, wanting to be accepted by an immediate environment that doesn’t accept you, isolated from and ostracized by your family, and the tension that comes between serving the different types of familial relationships in your life. Theon has no idea who he is, tossed aside by his blood family for not growing up with them and being “soft,” aka sort-of moral and having emotions that aren’t selfish rage or smugness (which, yep, that second part is a mood, see: my entire childhood and how no one wanted to be around an “emotional” “soft” child). And from there, he spirals out of control in a way that, while certainly not admirable by any stretch of the imagination, is still understandable in the context of the narrative and his characterization. And from there, after going through hell and quite literally losing himself (even to the point of straight-up denying rescue), he builds himself back up gradually, to the point where he expressed extreme regret for what he’s done, helps an innocent woman escape a truly horrifying situation, acknowledges that his family is generally garbage, and (in-show b/c again books aren’t finished), helping to restore his sister to power, rescuing her after his PTSD relapses while confronting Euron, and ultimately opting to protect the Starks come hell or high water in order to genuinely atone for what he’s done. He is no longer conflicted because he wants to do the right thing, and that right thing is defending the kingdom from the White Walkers and making sure Sansa and Bran are safe. And it’s no longer about fulfilling a duty or finding a family to fill the void. Because now he has found himself. I will contend that Theon has one of the best, most nuanced, most organic redemption arcs of all time. I will forever be grateful that I got to see that piece of storytelling unfold.

Although, I would love to know what he thought of Dany. A missed opportunity, that.

• How they negatively and positively affected the story.

-Positive: His arc of identity and finding where your loyalties lie ties into the overall theme of “How do you find yourself in a world where goodness, authenticity, and honesty are often punished and increasingly rare?” And it proves that governmental politics aren’t the only defining factors in decisions: familial politics can be just as difficult and dangerous, which adds yet another rich, complicated layer to the overall story. He has a genuine, honest-to-Drowned-God redemption arc, which is...not really present anywhere else in the story (no, Jaime is not on a Redemption Quest, I will die on this hill). But I think the biggest draw of Theon’s presence is that it deconstructs the whole “Character Revenge Fantasy” idea. He does bad things. We want him to be punished. But not like that. No one deserves that. How far is too far? What does retribution really look like? Given how easily that idea can be abused and go off the rails, is retribution even something to strive for? What is the point of using extreme violence/torture/mutilation/breaking someone’s psyche when it doesn’t really accomplish anything? Isn’t atonement and genuine justice a better option? It certainly was for Theon. He could only piece himself back together and do anything meaningful once he was out of his abusive environment. All of these are imporant questions that are posed by his existence in the narrative.

-Negative: Idk if I have much to say here. My biggest problem is his death (see below), but that’s not really a negative story effect so much as...being disappointing and narratively irrelevant. I gotta say, his introduction via his sister was...really weird. I genuinely have no idea why GRRM wrote that. It never came up again or had any kind of narrative ramifications and kind of cast a strange, uncomfortable light on his relationship with Asha/Yara for the remainder of the story. I can ignore and enjoy their later relationship it if I don’t think about it too hard, though, so I guess I’ll chalk it up to GRRM having a Bad Idea.

• What my favorite arc for them is.

-All of it?? Theon’s journey is kind of...one big arc, which is why I think it works so well. He has this overarching redemption plot which spans the entire series and informs every decision he makes (for good or for bad, depending on where in the aforementioned journey he is). The redemption arc isn’t bogged down with side plots or other pieces of narrative clutter, meaning it has time to grow and, thus, be gradual and realistic. If I had to choose a specific point, it’s probably when he tries to reintegrate back into society via supporting Yara. Gaining the Iron Islands’ support for her ruling, spiriting away with Euron’s fleet, and ultimately rescuing his sister after her capture. He can’t just go back into society. He’s scared. He has really bad PTSD. But he recognizes that putting his home in good hands is something bigger than just him because it’s Yara’s home, too. I just...I really love family relationships, y’all.

• What I think of their ending.

-I’m not really sure how I feel about this one. I get that the series is GrimDark™ and that people who make the right choice and fight for good die all the time, but Theon dying just felt...wrong. To me.

And, like...I get it. It makes sense to parallel his original descent into villainy (cemented by executing those two boys and pretending they were Bran and Rickon) with him dying to protect Bran himself. It ties into the whole very common trope of completing a full redemption arc by committing a completely selfless act at great personal cost. It’s kind of like the whole Missy thing in Doctor Who (which...hoo boy, that post is coming, make no mistake), where selfishness is directly opposed by making the ultimate sacrifice with no motivation for personal gain. And the fact that the last words he ever heard were “You’re a good man?” I cannot even begin to describe how much that makes me sob. But...honestly, I’m really tired of this idea that redemption has to end in death in order to be achieved or “complete.” I think it’s much more poignant to have a redeemed character live to help build a better world. Because what’s the point of telling people to be better if the “reward” is death? No one’s going to want to reform themselves if they think that’ll be the result.

I think the thing that Bugs Me™ the most is that Theon never really got to have a moment of peace when he was alive. Sansa gained the North’s love and at least had a secure childhood. Ned and Cat were happily married for years. Arya had parents who loved her and a good relationship with Jon. Jon fell in love with Ygritte and found his Night Watch Bros, and Robb (in show verse) had some very happy moments with Talisa. Davos put great stock in what he considered fulfilling friendships with Stannis and Shireen; Brienne was treated respectfully by Renly, Catelyn, and Sansa; Missandei and Grey Worm had each other and their friendship with Dany, who herself had many personal successes in her quest for the Iron Throne and saw the death of her abusive brother. Cersei even had moments with Jaime (who himself had several notable military victories and at least some time with Myrcella, as well as being gladly and deeply in love, however dysfunctional that love was), times when she successfully fought off enemies (including her dad), and some sweet moments with Tommen, as well as a huge victory via blown-up sept at the end of season 6. Theon was treated as a second-class family member by the Starks his whole life by being “traded” to them as a condition of war resolution AS A BABY, is immediately disparaged and mistreated by his immediate family when he tries to return to them, makes terrible decisions that almost cost him his conscience completely, is brutally tortured by Ramsay, is on the run with his sister from Euron almost immediately after, and has a PTSD attack that ultimatly results in him having to launch a rescue mission. And then he fights ice zombies. And then he dies. He never really...got to be happy at all? There was never any kind of “win” for him. Not even survival. The narrative couldn’t even give him that.

TLDR: Theon’s death seemed less shock-value-y than others (like, for example, Shireen or Missandei or, heck, Melisandre even), and it isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever seen. It’s narratively-informed and it makes sense as an emotional through-line, but, ultimately, Redemption Cemented By Selfless Death is a tired trope, and I honestly thought this story (which...you know...serves as a deconstruction of common fantasy tropes/book tropes in general) was better than that.

• When I wish they had died. / If I think they should’ve died.

-So here’s where we get personal™ kids.

So, it’s no secret that I am...severely mentally ill. I’ve talked about expression/presentation of mental illness in regard to Cersei a lot on this blog, and how that (as paradoxical as it may seem) helped bring a sense of comfort and emotional resonance to me. Theon, post-Ramsay, has, I think, a very clear case of PTSD. Theon is one of the few characters I’ve seen where his mental illness isn’t the cause of the bad, violent, dangerous choices he makes. It only takes root after he has made the decision and conscious effort to better himself, and it, rather than demonizing him, serve to humanize him. His trauma didn’t define him. And although a PTSD attack led to him unintentionally losing Yara to Euron’s capture, he makes every effort to rescue her, a goal he does end up achieving. It is so rare I get to see a character who goes through these things, successfully fight them and come out with positive qualities at the end. Like...switching topics a bit here, Jaime going back to King’s Landing to (try to) escape and ultimately die with Cersei made sense to me because, as Jaime says, he is a hateful man. He never made much of an honest effort to be anything else. And he never truly wanted to be good; he just wanted to be liked. He wanted to adopt some personality that would make him feel less disconnected from the rest of the world. But Theon...genuinely feels remorse for everything he’s done. He makes a concerted effort to do everything in his power to improve the lives of people he believes are good and deserve to be safe. So, just...killing him off in a Completely Selfless Sacrifice (like...you know how a lot of mentally ill people put themselves through suffering-like OCD rituals, bottling feelings, self-harm, even suicide-in a misplaced attempt to “help” or “protect other people”) seemed antithetical to everything we saw of his arc.

Ultimately, with such a humanizing, empathetic portrayal of trauma and mental health struggles, seeing Theon be killed off just...pissed me off. I am so tired of seeing mentally ill characters die. I really want to believe that I can live through and thrive in spite of the things that afflict me, and I get example after example of characters not being allowed to do that. It feels awful, quite frankly. And it makes hope that much harder.

I also just feel like...there was nothing the story gained from his death? I get the thematic parallels as mentioned earlier, but it didn’t really move the story forward in any significant way. It didn’t motivate other characters to do anything, it had no political ramifications, it didn’t serve to contribute to any kind of happy ending or commentary on society, it just...was sad. Again, I thought this story was better than that.

#theon greyjoy #got #my son #mental illness in media #meta #redemption arcs #tw: self harm mention #tw: suicide mention

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funkymbtifiction · 3 years

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Hello, Charity!! Based on your latest posts about toxic relationships with best friends, I think I might be in need of your advice. You probably won’t remember me, but I sent you a submission months ago describing my best friend’s issue regarding her own relationship with her fiancé and how I couldn’t comprehend how did she put up with all of that instead of just… you know, quitting.

[...] We hardly talk, because she has been really avoidant these past six or seven weeks (the famous 9 disappearing act) and when she suddenly starts texting me, two or three times a day, it’s to ignore my other “normal” texts and to complain ENDLESSLY about how MISERABLE and TIRED she is.

[...] it deeply pisses me off when somebody has an easily solvable problem and WON’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. She is not in love with this guy, she won’t stop texting me how much she hates him for verbally mistreating her, how much she is tired from the chores she has to do all by herself because he won’t move a finger and for having to basically provide for him, because he is not working since the pandemic started, and how she wishes she had a different like, with a different person. I know, it’s a toxic relationship, and I have tried all I could to convince her that she should just break up, but she won’t....

I’m sorry that you (and she) are having to deal with this. It’s always sad to see someone deeply miserable who won’t do anything about it or save themselves.

It sounds like your friend has a strong 6 fix; I recognize the 6 and 9 pattern of “aggressive complaining but not wanting to fix the problem and feeling like they can’t fix it.” It ties into the 6′s sense of loyalty -- it’s why a 69/96 will stay in a bad relationship that gives them nothing in return (especially if they are a 269 tritype) out of a sense of super ego “loyalty” and duty but wind up endlessly complaining about it. It’s a combination of 9ish apathy (”better get used to this, it’s all you’ll get out of life”) and 6ish anxiety (”I don’t want to be alone...”) competing with their unhappiness. Both types are separated from their emotions -- so their heart says “I don’t like this, I don’t want it” but they are ignoring it because to do otherwise will upset everything (9) or talking themselves into giving it another chance (6).

I can speak from experience because... I struggle with this a lot. Reaching a point of unhappiness in a relationship that is unequal and wanting out of it, but not knowing how to do that without causing upheaval that would cause my 9 deep anxiety -- even the THOUGHT of a confrontation / break up / fight makes me anxious enough to just ‘tolerate it’ while complaining to family and friends about my unhappiness and lack of satisfaction. Over and over, I hear “just dump their ass,” but... that seems “mean,” and what if I am being too hard on them, and maybe we can work it out (9ish idealism)? So I have total sympathy for your friend in that regard -- it’s way easier to be the friend off to the side saying, “Look, this person treats you like trash, and I am sick of hearing you complain and do nothing... so get rid of them,” and to have to be the person who looks someone in the face and says, “We are done. Get out of my house.” Because that person is going to argue, scream, cry, beg, or become verbally abusive, and cause the person doing it deep anxiety. It’s like setting an emotional bomb off in your living room, and 9s want to avoid that at all costs.

Your friend has to learn that she has POWER. To say no. To get rid of people who do not make her happy and feel no guilt in walking away (that’s hard). To recognize she has to take control over her own life, because no one else will. That being alone is better than having a relationship that is not satisfying or equal, where both people pull the weight. But you can’t tell her this, she won’t listen. It must reach a crisis point where she’s finally sick of it enough to DO SOMETHING about it. It’s really hard to break through super ego defenses (”I should...”) and allow yourself, as a super ego or compliant type, to say, “You know what? ‘I don’t like this’ is a good enough reason to quit.” Because for superego types (you know this, as a 2, you are also one) it’s hard to just quit, without coming up with reasons why you should stay.

Regarding her ignoring your texts and just focusing on her own unhappiness -- as her friend, you have a choice. To put up with it or to quit. Only you can decide if you want to tolerate this indefinitely or not. Just like she has a choice in staying with her fiance even if she doesn’t want him, you have a choice in staying her friend even if she doesn’t make you happy. I suspect that right now, this is preoccupying her, because the wedding is so close, and she knows she is tying herself to someone she isn’t sure about, and she is over-reacting and maybe even blowing his faults out of proportion (projection, paranoia, accusation, and vilifying someone you are disappointed in for not being a saint is also something 6s do)... and this may calm down in a few weeks once they’re married. Or it may not. It depends on her. She may go back to being the fun friend you love, or she might become this way permanently due to her own unhappiness.

I’m sorry. I hope things get better for both of you.

#question #enneagram #enneagram 6 #enneagram 9 #submission

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kenganwritings · 4 years

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Katahara Retsudo General + Relationship Headcanons

The Brother with a Sister Complex, for Anon! Please enjoy!

Under a cut because this got pretty long haha

General

Retsudo is completely unaware that everyone knows about his sister complex. In fact, he’s not even aware of it himself. He just thinks he’s being a good younger brother, taking care of his older sister who sometimes doesn’t have a sense of danger or limits. Which is a good thing, since it hasn’t gone too overboard... yet.

As shown in the manga though, he is extremely competent as the leader of the extermination squad. He is well received, probably because he had to earn everyone’s respect. He dislikes being referred to as ‘Metsudo’s son’, and despises when people bring up that he was a mistress’ son.

Retsudo is both intelligent and strong, and has fought most of the bodyguards and extermination at least once- including Kanoh Agito. He never won against Agito, but has made the Fang acknowledge his strength. Against the other bodyguards, however, he has either won or tied against them.

Sayaka suggested he get the tattoo, but Retsudo was the one to choose what kind of tattoo he wanted. Secretly, he’s glad Sayaka thinks it looks cool, and he finds it cool himself.

Loyalty is something he values a lot- both in others, and himself. At least once a year, he will visit the graves of the bodyguards who fall while doing missions, in order to honour them.

One of his pastimes is playing the bass. He most likely picked it up from one of his Bodyguard mentors; they taught him how to play for fun, and he ended up enjoying it enough to make it a hobby. He’s not the best of the best, but his skills are quite good.

He’s one of the kinds of people who are always busy, whether it be because of a mission, or looking after Sayaka. He doesn’t have much free time, but that’s fine for him. He is a bit of a workaholic anyways and doesn’t feel comfortable if he has nothing to do.

Like most of the bodyguards, he knows how to cook and do housework. It’s something Metsudo insisted he learn too, so that he doesn’t get lazy.

Relationship

If someone wants to be with Retsudo, there is one thing they need to keep in mind: his job comes first. It’s nothing against them, and certainly not because he doesn’t love them. It’s simply that his job is to protect his father, and he will do everything he can to do so.

He is reluctant to get into a relationship too, because of the dangers that associating with him could potentially bring. He will need a lot of convincing- and he won’t even consider it unless he is close to that person.

To be honest, I think the more he cares about the person, the more he won’t want to become official. He doesn’t feel comfortable with calling someone his partner, because his commitment is towards his job.

Maybe, if that person is a Bodyguard as well, he would be more likely to be comfortable with the thought of being in a relationship with them. He would appreciate someone who can understand that his commitment is towards his duties, and maybe share that commitment too.

Sayaka is probably the only one who can get him to admit he’s got feelings for his partner. She’ll give him advice, especially with the dilemma of if he should really get into a relationship, considering what he does. She is most likely going to urge him to give it a try. His father would probably also be aware of it; I can see Metsudo bring it up at the end of a serious conversation between him and Retsudo like, “oh, and by the way, you should totally go on a date with that person!” -end phone call-

In a relationship, official or not, he is certainly loyal and caring. He prefers showing his affections in private, but he will do little things in public that will make everyone suspect that there’s something going on. As a private person, he would probably deny a relationship- but everyone knows the truth.

It probably goes without saying, but if Retsudo agrees to a relationship and he and his partner can get through the difficult hurdles that it might bring in the beginning, he will love and cherish them deeply. If danger comes, he will protect them no matter the cost.

#retsudo katahara #katahara retsudo #general headcanons #relationship headcanons #kengan ashura #kengan omega

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inessencedevided · 4 years

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Once you're done with the entire show, could you maybe do sorting for all the characters? I usually know the house for each character, but I have literally no idea with The Untamed. WWX for example I can equally see him as a Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff and my brain hurts trying to decide.

First of all: I'm so so sorry anon! This took ages to answer! I hope you're still out there to read this! I started answering ages ago and then trailed off because I had to think about it. So here goes:

Thank you so much for this opening! I LOVE sorting non-HP characters into Hogwarts houses!! And for some of these, I’ve already done so in my head ages ago :D

Disclaimer: I’m mostly going off live action canon here, but will make some comments about the novel from time to time.

Disclaimer 2: Obviously, these are extremely subjective. If anyone disagrees, I would love to hear your counter arguments! I love discussing these things!

Wei Wuxian

GRYFFINDOR!

I know you said you weren’t sure but in my book, he’s a textbook Gryffindor. I’m not saying he doesn’t have Hufflepuff or Raveclaw traits (his sense of justice and his “out of the box thinking” kinda genius come to mind), but those aren’t the main drive of his actions imo. WWX follows his confiction and he often does so without even considering a second option or a compromise, especially before his death. And he is not afraid of deviating from the law or societal expectations to do so. This alone could also make him a Slytherin. The reason I wouldn’t place him there is the way he acts very much in the open. He doesn’t try to bring about change by quietly working in the background. He openly calls people out on their bullshit, even when it is clearly to his disadvantage and might just come back to bite him in the ass. Imo, WWX is a brilliant example of how a gryffindor might be driven to doing some very questionable shit given the "right" circumstances.

Lan Wangji

Now, he’s a different story. I have a lot more problems sorting him, maybe because he is not our point of view character. And he's the reason why it took me so long to answer this ask. My conclusion might be controversial, so let me work up to it. Slytherin? His most slytherin trait, imo, is his determination and drive, which I think stems, among other things, from a desire to prove himself. However, I believe his main reasons for this were family loyalty and (somewhat headcanon territory) the rejection he must have felt at his parents absence. And I don't see him as cunning either, as that always carries a certain level of deceitful intent, even if it's not malicious. And deceitful? That's one thing lwj certainly isn't. So, Slytherin is not a good fit for him. Ravenclaw maybe? He is certainly very intelligent, but that intelligence is more due to his studious nature and his focus, imo. And wisdom and out-of-the-box-thinking are not traits I would associate him with, especially in his younger years. So gryffindor then? He is certainly brave in many ways. He is enduring and stubborn, both gryffindor traits. But he also someone who takes his time to arrive at decisions, unless he is under extreme emotional duress (losing his mother or the love of his live). His bravery, to me, seems to be deeply rooted in his deep deep devotion. He goes through extreme, long lasting pain for the few people he holds close to his heart. In the end it all comes down to his heart, his loyalties, his devotion. Ironically, even more so in the book than in cql. And that loyalty, that steadfastness, that devotion is extremely hufflepuff.

So here you go:

HUFFLEPUFF! (There is no yellow:/)

(And now I really wanna write that AU :D on first glance, lwj would make such an unusual hufflepuff, with his cold and aloof behaviour. I want to play with this idea now!)

Lan Xichen

HUFFLEPUFF!

Aaaahhh! Now I really like the idea of the twin jades of hufflepuff. :D and Lan Xichen is a bit more obvious right? He certainly has the intelligence of a ravenclaw, but his defining characteristics are his devotion to his duty, his kindness, his fairness and his willingness to carefully consider all sides. A hufflepuff to boot. No wonder, I love him so much.

(And now I can't help but imagine lan Xichen, welcoming his little brother at the hufflepuff table, beaming with pride. And later, making sure that they eat at least 1 meal per day together because he knows his brother doesn't make friends easily, even in a house as theirs. Until there's a certain rebellious and bright eyed gryffindor, with a penchant for DADA ...)

Jiang Cheng

He, too, gave me a hard time sorting him. Ravenclaw, I discarded immediately. Gryffindor came next. He's definitely brave in his own way. Going on after the devastating loss of his entire family is brave beyond anything I can imagine, but his motivation why he did it, I believe, was a mixture of family loyalty and his competitiveness and drive to prove himself worthy. Thise are hufflepuff and Slytherin traits, respectively. I would tip the scale towards the latter, simply because his inner conflict is so defined by his feelings of inferiority, his feelings of never living up to his parents expectations. He's in that weird place of being both extremely privileged and emotionally neglected. It reminds me of Draco, come to think of it. So, my favourite angry grape, I'll place in ...

SLYTHERIN!

(He's even rockin' the snake aesthetic already :D)

Jiang Yanli

With her association with cooking and motherly love she seems to be a rather obvious hufflepuff. She is certainly brave, too, enduring her family's near destruction and moving on, or standing in front of her adoptive brother and defending his place in her family and in society. But again, it's very much tied to the people she loves. So yeah,

HUFFLEPUFF!

Nie Mingjue

The jock to end all jocks and still he's got a heart of gold. He's kinda the cliche gryffindor and I can't find a reason to not place him there. So *head barely touches him*

GRYFFINDOR!

Nie Huaisang

SLYTHERIN!

If the twist at the end didn't happen, I'd have placed him in Ravenclaw, as it is, he is such a quintessential Slytherin and also, just ... my favourite kind, especially in cql, where he just fuvjs off to paint his fans and leaves others to do the heavy lifting. He got what he wanted, revenge for his beloved older brother. It reminds me a bit of Horace Slughorn (minus the people collecting). He doesn't want to be at the top. He just wants a comfortable enough life and the possibility to reach his very specific and not at all mainstream goals. A legend. (In mdzs, where he becomes chief cultivator, he's still a Slytherin, albeit a slightly less interesting one.)

Wen Qing

Now, she is another hard one. Another fiercely loyal person (although that's a common trait in mdzs/cql), she also had to show incredible resourcefulness to survive and still stick to her principles throughout her life. But to mention that she invented and su subsequently performed the first core transfer in history. (In the book, it is specifically mentioned that the essay on this subject was written by her). In short, this woman is s genius in her field and forward thinking and incentive. All of those are textbook Ravenclaw traits. So, with her we have ...

RAVENCLAW!

Wen Ning

Puh, he is hard. I know, with his timid behaviour and gentle nature, hufflepuff comes to mind BUT ... he strikes me as a neville. As in, his bravery lies in the fact that his own insecurities hinder him constantly and yet he overcomes them every day in a hundred small ways. He is brave precisely because he is afraid of so many things. And, like Neville, when his sense if right and wrong demands it, he takes a stand. His rescue of wwx and jc extremely dangerous circumstances and the core reveal come to mind. So, even though he probably argues with the hat to place him in hufflepuff, I'll place him in ...

GRYFFINDOR!

Jin Guangyao

SLYTHERIN!

Do I have to explain this?

Luo Qingyang

I know, she's a much more minor character than the others but I love her and this is my post, so she's in it. Do i have to say it? I hate to be the "Gryffindors ftw!!!"-one (as a proud snake), but yeah, Nie Mingjue was goddamn right when he said that she's got more backbone than half the cultivation world combined. My queen snapped and removed herself from the narrative and I love her for it!

GRYFFINDOR!

Let's get to the juniors:

Lan Sizhui

Now, maybe the hufflepuff does run in his family because I do think he belongs there, too. His defining characteristics are shown to be kindness, fairness and filial piety, even though he also has a mischievous streak and does not shy away from confrontation when he thinks his warranted (politely defending "Mo Xuanyu" in front of the Mo clan comes to mind). So yeah

HUFFLEPUFF!

Lan Jingyi

His brash and outgoing nature would make him a good gryffindor fit, certainly. However, the trait I associate with him the most is his nonconformity and that in a sect where that is highly unusual. He might not be as much of a social butterfly as Luba, but he still reminds me more of the kind of eccentricity associated with ...

RAVENCLAW!

Jin Ling

Now he's hard. Maybe because he postures a lot though that's something that's true for a lot of these characters. He tries to imitate his uncle but has non of the trauma to back it up, though he is an orphan and,in his position, probably pretty lonely which leads to the kind of breakdown we see him having over his confrontation with the person who killed his parents and he can't even really blame and so he just... crumbles. And non of that really helps me in my search for a house for him. I don't really see him as a Slytherin because while he loves to posture and play his privileges, he mostly crumbles under pressure and I don't think there's conviction behind it. He's certainly not sly either. Rabenclaw? Nah. I see neither outstanding amounts of eccentricity or wisdom. Gryffindor? Maybe. He's certainly impulsive. And he displayed bravery both in Yi City and even more so in the Guanyin temple where he had to face the fact that one of his uncles, the men who raised him, would kill him to achieve his goals. Still, what left the biggest impression on me was how, after his own world had just completely changed, he send his dog away because wwx would fear him. And how he then tried to get his uncle to talk to wwx. So I'd tentatively go with

HUFFLEPUFF!

Ouyang Zizhen

Another hard one because we don't know him very well in canon. But what we do know is that he is very emotional (passionate one might say) and has no qualms going against his father in a fit of teenage rebellion. I love him for it but that's not that much to go on. Both of these point to gryffindor however, so that's where he goes. :D

GRYFFINDOR!

So ... that's where I'll leave it. I know I missed the Yi city arc but it's getting late and I'm tired. 😅 If anyone wants to add them, feel free!

Congrats of you've made it this far down! :D

Please, do come and discuss these with me!

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bitchloveskcbaseball · 4 years

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White Flag

Part 4 of Tides of Fate (I finally decided on a name for this series, guys! lol)

Part 1: Losing Resolve Part 2: Rifts Apart Part 3: Becalmed

Pairing: Edward x MC

Warnings: Language - I (fittingly) have the mouth of a sailor, so of course there’s a lot of cussing in here

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Pixelberry

“I said no such thing, Miss Bellamy.”

Peyton couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Here he was, still hovering just above her, fingers teasing the skin of her hip just beneath the hem of her blouse, still trying to keep distance between them by using her surname.

“If you don’t know how to send me home, Captain Mortemer” – she took great joy in watching his eyes narrow as she referred to him in a more formal manner – “then how do you propose I shall get there?”

He pushed himself up to his feet and started pacing across the length of his cabin. After watching him make several passes, she finally prodded, “Edward?”

“Damnation! You cannot stay here! I’ll… I’ll leave you in Tiburon if I must!”

The triumph she’d been feeling vanished as she began to realize how difficult he was going to be about her staying aboard the ship with the crew. With him.

“Please. Don’t do this. I…I only need a day to rest, then I’ll be good as new and ready to navigate. I swear, I won’t be a burden to anyone!”

Whirling around to face her, Edward’s eyes were blazing as he seethed, “Tis not about your damned injury!”

“Then let me stay!”

“My reasons for wanting you off this ship have not changed. Tis not safe for you here. It never was. I was being selfish in letting you stay so long.”

“Don’t you get it yet?” Peyton forced herself to her feet, the searing pain somewhat numbed by the fear-fueled adrenaline rush she was currently experiencing. Her only focus was convincing Edward to let her stay, so she steadied her voice as much as possible before imploring, “I want to be here. I am choosing to be here. I know the risks, that life on a pirate ship is dangerous. I know that you are hellbent on bringing the admiral to justice and the inherent risks of such an endeavor! But still, I am choosing this life. I am choosing you!”

“Why?”

Not trusting her own feet to carry her across the room to him, she held out her hands to beckon him closer. For a few seconds, she thought that he was actually going to resist, but then she saw his shoulders slump forward. Everything has to be difficult with him. When he tried to lace his fingers with hers as he came to a stop in front of her, she put his hands on her hips instead, so that she could wrap her own arms around his waist.

“Because I love you,” she finally answered his question. “And I can’t leave you. Not knowing if you were safe, if something had happened to you… I… I couldn’t take that uncertainty.”

“Peyton…”

“No, Edward. I won’t let you tell me, yet again, that you aren’t worth it. You are worth it. You are the most amazing man I’ve ever met. The honor with which you carry yourself, the loyalty to those around you. It’s incredible. You are incredible.”

Edward leaned down so that his forehead was resting against hers, and it was quickly becoming one of her favorite positions to be in. He just seemed so open and unguarded like that and it melted her heart. “Are you sure?”

She could almost feel his resolve melting, but she bit back the smile threating to break across her face. She needed to get him to swear she could stay before she started celebrating. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. And, honestly, it’s not just because of you. This ship is the first place that has ever truly felt like home to me. This crew is more of a family than the one I left back in my time. And I want to fight for them. I want to fight with them.”

He let out a deep sigh that caused the hair around her face to flutter and the corners of her mouth quirked upward. “Fine,” Edward conceded. His tone was almost bitter, but there was a certain shine to his eyes that took most of the bite out of his words. “You can stay. But you’ll not be lifting a finger until you are healed.”

“But –“

“No. Tis non-negotiable.” His hand came up to cup her cheek just before he brushed his lips against hers. “Seeing you in pain is unbearable. I’ll not be able to concentrate if I know you are up at the helm in such a condition.”

Peyton was surprised she was still upright and not a puddle of mush on the floor with his confession. She’d known what a distraction he was to her own concentration, but hadn’t dared to dream that she affected him as deeply. “Fine. I suppose I’ll allow myself to be a slouch if it means my captain will be able to focus on his duties.”

“And this” – he pulled away from her slightly to gesture between the two of them, causing a pit of dread to settle in her stomach – “cannot happen again.”

“Edward –“

“Tis the only way I’ll agree to allow you to stay aboard the Revenge.”

“Dammit, Edward. Didn’t we already get past this bullshit?”

“Miss Bellamy,” he warned as he stepped out of her embrace to start pacing once again.

She didn’t pay any heed. She was tired of running around this same circle with him. “For fucks sake, Edward. You’ve told me you love me. You’ve kissed me senseless. And now you want to go back to pretending like none of it happened? You… Don’t I matter enough to you?”

“Of course, you do! You matter too much!”

“Then don’t you see? This isn’t going to work! I can’t pretend that you are nothing more than my captain. And to be honest, based on our past behavior and the whispers I’ve heard from the rest of the crew when they didn’t realize I was close, they already know that there’s more to our relationship.”

“Who? I’ll –“

Knowing his over-protective mind was already envisioning punishments for the offenders, Peyton cut him off, “No, no you won’t. That isn’t the point. The point is that they already know, or at least suspect, our feelings run deep for each other. And yet they’ve not said a word about it outside of this ship. I can’t speak for you, but I know that I trust this lot with my life. And if I can trust them with that, I should think that I could trust them with this.”

“How can you say that? After everything -" he broke off, his eyes flashing with irritation and what she thought was fear. “You have witnessed a damn mutiny! Have you not learned yet how little trust you can place in pirates?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake Edward! Surely you are not equating the crew that is still here with those traitorous assholes! I could sense how terrible they were from the moment I got here!”

Quirking an eyebrow up, he asked, in a tone that was so deathly calm it sent a chill down her spine, “Really? All of them?”

Peyton did her best to school her expression into one of passivity, but felt her eyes widen anyway. Because she knew exactly what he was referring to. She tried desperately to come up with some sort of a response that would wipe away the point he was trying to make, but she was quiet so long that Edward pressed on, “What about Kendrick? Or Samuel.”

“Edward, please. Stop.” Her eyes were blurry from the tears she refused to let fall and her voice came out strangled around the lump clogging her throat.

“I will not. Not until you understand. We cannot risk it. No matter our feelings.” He paused then, taking a deep breath, and when he continued, his whisper was just as strained as hers had been. “No matter how much I love you, we cannot be together.”

“Is it not my life that you’re worried about?”

“Have you not been listening? Of course it is! Tis all that I am concerned with!”

“Then how the fuck do you get off making this decision all on your own? It’s my fucking life, you asshole.”

Edward came to a stop in front of her once again, one hand coming up to cup her cheek while the other settled on her hip just below her bruise. The tender move was at such odds with their discussion that it almost made her dizzy, but it still managed to settle her nerves. His voice had also softened as he murmured, “I know tis your life, Peyton.”

Refusing to be distracted by his tenderness, Peyton kept her voice firm as she asked, “Then shouldn’t I get a say in this?”

“Peyton,” Edward growled as he drove his fingers through his hair. The ferocity of it all was making her a little weak in the knees, but she refused to get distracted just yet.

“Did you mean it? When you said you love me?”

“What? Yes!”

A small grin played at Peyton’s lips at how desperate he’d sounded before she focused herself back on task. “If you love me, then you have to love me as I am. You can’t just put me in a box because you are scared something might happen to me. How do you think I feel? Knowing that the man I love is determined to take on the damned Royal Navy in order to bring one man to justice? It’s a fool’s mission, one that could very well end up fatal for you, yet I have done nothing but support you anyway! Why can’t you do the same for me?”

His eyes pleading with hers, he muttered, “I’m not as strong as you, Peyton.”

Drawing him closer within her arms, she whispered against his neck, “Then let me be strong enough for the both of us.”

A/N #1: As much as I actually loved this, I kind of struggled with it, just because I felt like I was going in the same circles as part 3. Even so, it felt right to me because these two (and especially Edward when concerned for Peyton’s safety) are so damned stubborn. So I guess this is me apologizing if this felt repetitious and/or unnecessary.

A/N #2: This was the end of my original plan for this series. However, this won’t be the end of it in general. I have a few ideas of where I want to go from here, I just don’t know that I’ll have something to post by next week.

Thank you to every one who has been reading this - writing for Edward has been a bit of a challenge (especially trying to get the dialogue right) but I have really enjoyed it. And I really appreciate all the kind words, reblogs and likes you all have given this series.

Tag List: @burnsoslow @anotherbeingsworld @mvalentine @rebel-alpaca @crazynutella @princess-geek @edgiestwinter @choices-addict

#edward x mc #edward mortemer #distant shores #choices

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snakeboistan · 4 years

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Sunflowers

Pairing: Sugino x Nagisa

“Hey, Sugino,” Nagisa called out as he jogged towards the dark-haired boy, who was on his way to the classroom.

“Oh, hey Nagisa. How have you been?” Sugino smiled, but Nagisa – being the incredible people reader he was – could easily detect the sadness that his best friend was attempting to mask. He couldn’t blame him for being upset and trying to hide it since he was there when Shindo had all but challenged 3-E’s resident baseball enthusiast, taunting him and reminding them that although they were training to be hardcore killers, they were still seen as the school outcasts, worse than the lowest of the low. It deeply saddened Nagisa to find Sugino sound so dejected during class, for him to speak of his passion with a hopeless sense of defeat instead of the usual bright-eyed zeal that he displayed during their pitching practices after school – but then, just when the class thought that the fire that Sugino had for baseball had started to die out, the boy had lifted his head with determination and the flames that kindled his love for his favourite sport had reignited into a blazing inferno as he declared that he was not going to back down against the baseball team captain. However, as confident as his speech to their class was, it was clear that he still had a lot of doubts and insecurities about his own abilities as a sportsman, having previously played alongside their opponents, but he still went to their training lesson with a smile because as their expert on the game, he considered it his duty to keep morale up and not let his fears show.

“I’m fine thanks for asking,” Nagisa responded with a grin, as he shifted his arms behind his back, out of Sugino’s view, “so you ready for another day of baseball training?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Sugino huffed, but the corner of his lips had tilted upwards, “I’m excited to play but I’m also terrified to find out what Coach Koro has in store for us this time.”

“Yeah, Koro-Sensei does get really into character when he roleplays.”

“Hey Nagisa,” Sugino furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he pointed towards the shorter male, “what’s that you got behind your back?”

Nagisa smiled and blushed, looking away as he replied, “just a present for you.”

“For me? Why? What is it?”

The light pink that had spread across Nagisa’s cheeks had darkened and the bluenette timidly held out a small bouquet of bright golden sunflowers, tied together with a thin yellow ribbon. Sugino just stared at them for a beat before feeling his own face heat up. Taking a glance at the other boy’s bashful expression – that was looking at the sidewalk beneath his feet like it held the secrets of the universe – he breathed out, “they’re lovely.”

Nagisa’s head whipped up to display his pleasantly surprised countenance, “you think so?”

“Yeah,” he tried to look reassuring despite his reddened face, “they look beautiful but - not that I don’t appreciate them or anything – what’s the occasion.”

“I pass by the florists on my way to meet up with you and they caught my attention,” was the soft reply, “I asked the lady at the desk and she told me that sunflowers can bring good luck and that they symbolise adoration and loyalty and I thought that maybe you could use a reminder.”

“A reminder?” Sugino asked in confusion, choosing not to look too much into the fact that Nagisa brought up adoration, “for what?”

“So that you know that you have nothing to worry about,” Nagisa smiled, “I know that you’re trying hard to prove yourself to Shindo and the other baseball cub members and even to yourself but even on the off-chance you fail – which will most definitely not happen by the way – we’re all here for you. Unlike the kid back at main campus, our loyalty to you isn’t dependant on your grades or how useful you are – we all admire and respect you not just because you’re an expert at baseball but because you’re our classmate and our friend and my best friend. You’ve always been a loyal friend to me and I want to show you how much I appreciate it. Sunflowers may be able to bring good luck, but I know that having you by our side, telling us what to do, we’ll beat the baseball club with our heads held high by our skill alone. Besides, sunflowers just look like really happy flowers and I thought with all of those things Shindo said to you, you could use a bit of extra happiness.”

Sugino stared at the by in front of him with his eyes brimming with tears, completely and utterly touched by his kind words, thinking what on earth had he done to deserve a friend as absolutely amazing as Shiota Nagisa. Belatedly, he realised that he had yet to accept the bunch of flowers that the other was still holding out in front of him so he carefully took them and gently placed them inside his school bag before turning to his twin-tailled peer, “thank you, Nagisa. Seriously. This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Like, no one’s ever given me flowers before.”

“It’s what you deserve,” Nagisa said, “now come on, let’s get to class. We’ve got a lot to learn before we crush your former team next week.”

#assassination classroom #sugino tomohito #tomohito sugino #sugino x nagisa #shiota nagisa #nagisa shiota #my writing

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declanwidow · 4 years

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mark blackthorn, the hybrid

“Show them what a Shadowhunter is made of; show them you aren't afraid.” (City of Heavenly Fire)

when we meet mark in cohf he is unmistakably a shadowhunter, like his sister helen, he is faced with prejudice based on his faerie blood, but he has a shadowhunter name, a shadowhunter family, he bears marks and has lived as a shadowhunter for his whole life. the clave’s decision to abandon mark to the wild hunt, illustrates how he has been rejected as a shadowhunter entirely. blinded by their hate for the fair folk following their siding with sebastian in the dark war, the shadowhunter-ness of mark (and helen) has been forgotten and they are cast out.

when jace tells mark to ‘show [the fair folk] what a Shadowhunter is made of’ and gives mark his witchlight, it sets up the hope that mark will not be abandoned for his whole life, that there is a place for him amongst shadowhunters still.

the hybridity of mark’s characterisation as a character who is both fey and shadowhunter feels deeply important here to the upcoming series. mark IS a shadowhunter, mark IS a faerie and he has been put in a position where he is despised by each side for being too much the other - too faerie for the clave to care about, too shadowhunter to be blameless for the cold peace - a hybrid and a link between the two sides

“I have ridden with the Wild Hunt. I have carved a clear path of freedom among the stars and outrun the wind. And now I am asked to walk upon earth again.”

“When they beat me for saying I was a Shadowhunter, it only made me more sure. I know what I am even if I cannot say it. [...] I am a Shadowhunter.”

“He just – Julian left, and Tavvy fell asleep on my lap.” He sounded amazed, wondering. “Of course he did,” Cristina said. “He’s your brother. He trusts you.” “Nobody trusts a Hunter,” Mark said.”

“Kieran . . . everyone who lives under this roof, whether they are bound by blood or not, we are tied together by an invisible net of love and duty and loyalty and honor. That is what it means to be a Shadowhunter.”

“I don't know where I belong, but if you let me, I will try to belong here.” (Lady Midnight)

when mark is returned to the blackthorns and shadowhunter society it is clear that he is struggling with his place. he was raised shadowhunter, true, but has spent the last five years of his life being forced to reject his shadowhunter upbringing and blood, making it a difficult readjustment.

in this book mark has two romantic subplots introduced: firstly, his relationship with the faerie kieran, who has been a source of protection, comfort, love and freedom in the wild hunt and secondly, his new relationship with cristina, a shadowhunter fascinated by faeries with a mission to bring an end to the cold peace. the pull that mark feels to each of them is a clear representation of mark’s pull to both the shadowhunters and the fey, the tension between the two sides aggravated by mark having to choose between staying with the wild hunt or returning permanently to the shadowhunter world.

eventually, following a betrayal from kieran, mark chooses shadowhunter - however he does not choose cristina (who is now in a relationship with diego) despite his feelings for her, he chooses his family, the blackthorns. his family need him and he needs them after years of separation and pain. it is a choice, but not one made with true freedom - mark needs to be a shadowhunter again, and so he can refuse his faerie heritage, but not escape it.

“For the first time, he understood how and why Mark's choice to stay with his family might not have been an easy one. For the first time he thought in wonder of how much his brother must love him after all, to have given up the sky for his sake.” (Lord of Shadows)

continuing in los, mark now has a true place in the blackthorn family again, he is accepted by his siblings and he has accepted them. this is satisfying, but as the book continues there is a longing and displacement to mark’s story as he represses his life in the wild hunt and his faerie-ness.

julian, who cares only about his family and has spent years desperately trying to bring mark and helen home, finally understanding why mark was conflicted about choosing is hugely important because it shows julian and see his brother as not only a shadowhunter, but a faerie as well. julian has always rejected this idea because that was the thinking that caused mark to be abandoned to the wild hunt and helen to be exiled, but in this case julian was enforcing the lens of shadowhunter onto mark and not allowing him to exist as both.

with julian (who represents the blackthorn family) accepting that mark is not only a shadowhunter, but a faerie as well, mark is allowed space to breathe and consider his ties to both shadowhunters and fey (with his family behind him, this is now tied to the cristina and kieran love triangle solely)

“I am no faerie. I am Mark Blackthorn of the Los Angeles Institute.”

“I desire you and love you, Cristina, and so does Mark. Stay with us.” (Queen of Air and Darkness)

simon flashing back to the last time he saw mark saying ‘i am no faerie’ contrasting with this mark, who has found a secure place in his family and is allowed to exist as both shadowhunter and faerie sets up the end to the cold peace that mark’s story (and cristina’s story) has been building towards

and now. we get this. i think a lot of us were rooting for kierarktina, the perfect relationship to echo the end of the cold peace plot wise and mark choosing to accept himself as both a shadowhunter and a faerie character wise! god.... this was so underused and rushed but the POTENTIAL!!!!!! and the PARALLELS!!!! but yeah essentially this part was hugely rushed, mark’s existence as a faerie and shadowhunter is bundled off into a shadowhunter-downworlder alliance rather than given a real ending and he deserved better

#mark blackthorn #tda #tsc #long post #kierarktina

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