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sabertoothwalrus · 23 days

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do you think Falin's chimerism would affect her lifespan and behaviors? or just her body? maybe she can make more animalistic noises or has vague dragon-like instincts?

that’s a really good question! I think we could probably figure this out by taking a look at what we know about Falin, what we know about red dragons, whether these things would apply to Falin, and go from there.

The obvious external changes Falin has are: her eyes, her teeth, and her feathers.

It’s hard to pin down what Falin is like! Throughout the duration of the manga, she wasn’t really a character so much as a plot device. We have almost nothing told from her point of view, and the majority of her unbiased (as in, we’re seeing her through a neutral lens and not another character’s perception of her) characterization is from the post-canon omake.

Even Falin believes that her wanderlust might come from her dragon side, but she's not sure. Personally, I think it’d make a lot of sense if it kind of does, in the sense that she has 20/20 vision now, haha! For most of her life, she could probably only see clearly within a relatively small sphere surrounding her, and now she can see everything. She can look up and around freely in a way she couldn’t before. Fuck man, if I had magic lasik I’d probably go out more too.

Some other quirks that are really unclear whether it’s typical for Falin or chimera-influenced:

she enters rooms through windows, sometimes. And given the leaves in her hair, I think it’s reasonable to assume this is not the first floor 💀 But who knows! Maybe that’s not new for Falin.

She points out that Laios’s scent could deter monsters. Maybe she has enhanced smell. But again, it isn’t unreasonable to think this is something she would have said before. (I think even Chilchuck and Izutsumi, whose senses of smell are enhanced, can’t identify scents well. Kuro, however, can.)

VIOLENCE! But again, we’ve seen her beat shit with her staff before, and she also used to wield a flail. It IS a trait for red dragons to fight any large threat, so if anything, she’s got even better monster fighting instincts than before. I don't think this would carry over to people. Falin has always been better with people, and I'm personally not a fan of seeing her depicted as territorial or possessive. Marcille is already the possessive one, and didn't need dragon blood to be like that.

Ultimately, I don't think her dragon traits extend much farther beyond this. Especially when you consider How Little the dragon is represented as in her conscience.

it's not like it's a 50/50 split. She's like a person with a dragon ratatouille. I don't think she'd be able to make dragon noises. I don't think her body is built for that. I know there's like, a set list of tropey characteristics that are given to almost every non-human character in fiction. and sure that's FINE but they tend not to be especially personalized to the character, and tend to just be an excuse to write them OOC. Like, sure, dragons may have instincts regarding sleep habits, hunting, courting, raising young, etc etc, but so do humans! And we don't compulsively act on every instinctual whim we have. I don't see why it'd be any harder for her new dragon instincts.

If anything, I think she'd feel more affected by the fact that she has part of the demon in her.

I don't think Falin's in any sort of trouble. All the demon was was a way to communicate with people. Here, it's representing Falin's tether to the infinite realm, to mana itself. The winged lion no longer has the desire to consume anymore because, yknow, Laios has that now. This is very likely why she no longer needs to chant to cast magic.

But what else does this mean for her? She already had unusually high reserves of mana + an innate connection with spirits, but is her mana essentially limitless now? How would that affect her lifespan? I'm leaning towards, it wouldn't really?? But is she immune to mana sickness now? Is it more like her magic is just sort of amplified like it would be in a dungeon?

We can infer that having more mana doesn't increase your lifespan, because-- while elves and gnomes have both naturally high levels of mana and longer lifespans-- dwarves live longer but have lowest levels of mana of all.

So to answer your question! Maybe a little bit?? But I don't think she'd change a whole lot.

#dungeon meshi #dungeon meshi spoilers #long post #falin touden #laios touden #chilchuck tims #marcille donato #my art #comic

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da-floof · 4 months

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Poppy Playtime Chapter 3. (Spoilers)

Did anyone else feel that despite being given such individualised characteristics-the smiling critters were underutilised?

The fact that they only even showed up in the playhouse as small enemies aside from a VERY brief cameo from Dogday was annoying.

This leads me to MAJOR missed opportunity in the use of Dogday as an immediate opposing force to Catnap: having HIM be the one guiding us instead of this random kid named Ollie who we STILL know nothing about (Poppy apparently does but neglected to so much as give us a hint). I just feel that trying to get the lights on would have it perfectly into Dogdays element and worked against CatNaps sleep/night element. It would have at least given us more character to Dogday as a leader and how he goes about it.

Also we were NEVER even made aware there WERE bigger body versions of the other critters. They went on and ON about poor Theodore nearly dying and the protype saving him (by letting him be transferred in to a body anyway, which is the in game version of ‘my job here is done’ ‘but you didn’t do anything’) but we didn’t hear so much as a PEEP about DogDay or the other Bigger body versions of the critters he references. Massive missed chance for story and gameplay by not having them as antagonists, or even warring factions (half with catnap, half against etc) even a few notes detailing craftycorn painting with kids resulting in half a wall becoming a mural, Dogday being kind and bringing Stella coffee or being a general helper, hoppy stealing Stella’s coffee and going on a bender.

Catnap himself was pretty underutilised despite having creepy moments and the boss battle was just plain repetitive towards the end.

Hell, Miss Delight felt more like a ‘stalking in the night’ predator then Catnap.

There was a LOT more that could have been done with them, or even just Dogday.

#poppy playtime #chapter 3 #smiling critters #catnap #dogday

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lolli-popples · 4 months

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The Missing Link in Scott's Characterization

(Wrote this in a random document and I think it's good so I'm loosely transcribing it here)

These are some of my thoughts on a crucial facet of Scott's character in the Life Series that I think is overlooked by the fandom.

From my personal viewpoint, people put a lot of emphasis on Scott's caring about his allies over everything else. I think this is an important characteristic. However, I think this being shown as the most central trait is a detriment to how people read his involvement with the overarching narrative. It might be less of a problem if he wasn't directly involved with the final fight of nearly every Life Series.

Because of this combination of things, his main interaction with fans' reading of the final fight is being willing to do anything to make sure his friends win. It gives people the tendency to attribute some victories partially to him, which upsets people who want main read of the story to focus entirely on the winner. But this also has meant that one of Scott's main traits is overlooked.

Just as much, and often, more than Scott values his allies, he values fairness. To showcase this, let's look at Limited and Last Life, where he had the most control on how the final fight took place.

In Last Life, when it's down to the final four, Scott *could* have teamed up with Pearl, his ally all season, to kill Martyn and Ren. That aligns with wanting either your or your allies to win, no? But he doesn't. He suggests they split to the 4 corners of the map and have a fair fight on equal footing. Very fair.

With Limited Life it's even more apparent. Scott and Martyn have an impressive amount of time. They could both still die multiple times. Impulse is running out, and there's a numbers advantage. They could have killed Impulse and Scott could have let Martyn win, or Scott could have given Martyn his time to fight Impulse alone. But instead, he suggests they all go down to the same amount and have a fair fight.

In both situations, Scott puts fairness *over* an alliance victory. Even though Limited Life didn't end up ending fairly, that had nothing to do with Scott.

Double Life certainly has the strongest claim on Scott "letting someone win". That his death is an apology for abandoning Pearl.

But if you listen to what Scott says in the finale, he never apologizes. He says he didn't think they'd get this far, he says she deserves this more than him, and then he says the iconic "Tilly death do us part."

Scott didn't fight Pearl. But I don't think it came out of remorse. I think that too, came from a sense of fairness. Which is that Pearl, by all accounts, DOES deserve this win. If they fought it would basically be up to a draw. To chance. Scott has every chance of winning. But if you go over the events of Scott's final episode, he mostly runs. He survives. While Pearl 1v2'd two separate pairs and won! The only reason Pearl hasn't killed Scott already, who has been her enemy all season, is because they were randomly assigned to be soul-linked. A concept Scott has fought since the very beginning. He knows that while he never hurt their chances, Pearl is the reason they are here, and Pearl is the reason he is here. It wouldn't be fair for Pearl to lose to what is basically a coin flip. So, he doesn't leave it up to random chance.

So yes, Scott is loyal and does care about his allies, he proves that again and again. But the way he is involved in how the series end shows that his sense of order and fairness are equally important. Also, I think viewing his contributions from this angle help remedy some of the reasons people don't like his usual characterization because of how it effects the agency of other characters.

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tozettastone · 4 months

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I think there comes a point at which a fandom is large enough that you get fans in it who aren't actually even slightly interested in the canon, let alone fans of it. And one of the bizarre symptoms of this size of fandom is that they become loyal fans of characters who aren't really characters in canon.

For example, there are so many characters in Naruto who have almost no page time, very little evident personality, and weirdly intense fans. Usually, in fandoms of all sizes, fans love characters and ships that feature relatively defined characteristics. We've all met the But Sasuke Did Nothing Wrong people, listened to the the Kisame girls, or nodded along to that one friend who has fallen down a Minato/Kushina rabbit hole and can't get up. These are all characters with characteristics (although we could argue for days about their quality—that's a post for another time). You would get that kind of fan activity anywhere there was fandom.

But then, when the fandom is big enough that there's a mass of content that actually concerns extremely minor characters with few characteristics, you get something else. In Naruto fandom... you get the person who is dedicated to any given Izuna ship. You know, Madara's brother who looks like Sasuke and whose primary role in the manga is being dead? You get the person who insists Shisui is "a joyful flirt." There's more than one person who appears out of nowhere to ask: I am sick with my longing for romance fics about Rasa, can you write more about Rasa?

Ra... Who? Gaara's dad? Yes, Gaara's dad!

We have all encountered these people. And I say "people," because I've encountered more than one of each of the above examples.

I think this is the same phenomenon as people who get really into, like, Regulus Black. You have to like, wrap your head around the idea that they're not actually fans of the canon material. They're fans of the fandom.

The fandom is so large, and so many layers deep, that it gives characters who are really just answering a little question in the canon storyline ("Where did Gaara get that demon?" "Who put the locket in the Black townhouse?" "Why is Madara like this?") much more significance and, well, character. So now ...they get fans too!

#I was trying to figure out which word in the question about Madara to <em> and then I realised it was all of them #tozette.txt #fandom #fandom culture #naruto #harry potter #this is poorly written #why is the conclusion to a thought in one paragraph meandering off into the next #but i guess that's what a blog is for #poorly written commentary

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tmagpposting · 4 months

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So, about TMAGP Ep 4

Some theories based on this newest episode. Major spoilers under the cut, so please go listen to it first.

I know there have been a lot of popular theories up to this point that Augustus would be Jonah Magnus, and episode 4 puts a lot more evidence out there that would seem to support this idea.

Here's what I thought was relevant to this theory after listening through the episode twice this morning:

Augustus is voiced by an older man who I don't think we've ever heard before, and we've never heard Jonah's actual voice either, since he's using Elias's voice throughout all of TMA as far as I'm aware. He sounded vaguely like Jurgen Leitner to me, although I think this is just on account of the fact that the VAs sound similar and not indicative of them being the same person or being meant to voice the same character (I didn't catch who voiced him in the credits and I couldn't find it online, if you all know please tell me and I'll update this)*

The incident report is a very old document, with a writing style and tone reminiscent of the old statements/letters to Jonah in the early days of the institute. It seems like it'd be right up Jonah's alley.

The episode revolves around a man succumbing to a dark power and eventually dedicating himself to it (the freaky bloodlust violin vs the Eye) and recruiting a younger man, in this case his relative, to serve this violent power (though probably after his death in this case, unlike with Jonah), which has some parallels to Jonah's recruitment of Jon and the rest of the staff in TMA.

We don't know much about the universe of TMAGP yet, but we know there is a Magnus institute that has aldready been linked to Eye-esque characteristics like paranoia, suspicion, (fatal) curiosity, and eyes as of Ep 1. It is possible that Augustus could be a version of Jonah from the TMAGP universe, rather than the same Jonah we dealt with in TMA.

.JMJ error could stand for some combination of Jon, Martin, and Jonah's initials, given that Chester and Norris also have Jon and Martin's voices.

In the TMA finale, Jon, Martin, and Jonah (though I assumed he was dead at that time) were close to where the fears were sucked out of the world and sent somewhere else, and Jon and Martin may also have ended up in the OIAR's computers in some form.

On the other hand, here's some evidence against Jonah being Augustus:

The other Jonah theory I've seen posits that Jonah took over RedCanary's body when they went down to investigate the ruins of the magnus institute, assuming that "canaries should stay above ground" and the gory photo of eyes was meant to represent RedCanary's eyes having been ripped out and presumably replaced with Jonah's. If you interpret things this way, it makes it less likely that Jonah is in the computers, unless you think both TMA Jonah and a hypothetical TMAGP Jonah are both around at the same time, though this theory is also a little shaky itself since it seems to be based on only a couple pieces of evidence so far. I first saw a post about this from @thermodynamic-comedian though that post says she saw other people discussing it, so please lmk if you know any major contributors to this theory and I will add them in here too.**

The fact that, to take over as the Eye's pupil, it was implied that Jon had to actually kill Jonah, and he was seemingly dead as of the TMA finale. Death was usually a very hard line in TMA except for a few avatars of the End and near-deaths where characters lost some of their agency (and/or humanity depending on your interpretation) to become an avatar instead (which Jonah already was), so him being back after seemingly already having been killed off isn't super plausible unless it's revealed that he didn't actually die in the first place.

It seems like there's enough evidence at this point that this theory definitely feels viable, though there is nothing definitive that I'm aware of, and there are some things that point to other explanations.

I personally (this is now entering pure opinion territory, tread lightly) don't love the idea of Augustus being Jonah, because I'd prefer it to be someone or something new to the series or something otherwise more surprising, rather than the same central antagonist as last time. There certainly are ways they could pull this off well, and bringing him back definitely doesn't tarnish the story on its own, especially since he was a pretty great villain with a lot of his character left more or less ambiguous or untouched by TMA, but it still feels a bit like relying on nostalgia for TMA to flesh out TMAGP's plot and conflict, at least to me. However, all the evidence pointing to it being Jonah could be some kind of red herring to specifically mislead past fans of TMA and set up for a later twist, or we could just be running our minds in circles and drawing conclusions that won't turn out to be relevant to TMAGP so early on. Only time will actually tell, and regardless, I'm really eager to see what happens.

* UPDATE: Augustus is voiced by Tim Fearon, thank you to @lokicat5 for finding that out! We haven't heard him before on this podcast, so he could be either Jonah Magnus's original voice, or a new character entirely.

** UPDATE: I found and reblogged what seems to be the original theory that Jonah killed and took over RedCanary, it's by @vertigala and @doomatix, check out their post it's pretty cool.

#tmagp #the magnus protocol #tmagp spoilers #the magnus protocol spoilers #the magnus archives #tma #the magnus archives spoilers #magpod #tma spoilers #tmagp speculation #tmagp theories #tmagp 04

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starsreminisce · 8 months

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Let's delve into the matter of the necklace.

I, for one, cannot comprehend why the necklace isn't a significant issue for E/riels, as it essentially signifies the end of this ship.

"What's wrong with a regifted necklace?"

My confusion lies in their willingness to overlook key character traits to make their ship plausible.

Azriel is renowned for his reserved nature. Consequently, every word he utters carries substantial weight, and he does not feel compelled to sugarcoat his statements.

Azriel is highly unlikely to oppose Rhys, especially after Rhys asserted his authority. Rhys rarely interferes in the affairs of his inner circle, trusting their judgment implicitly.

Rhys even advised Feyre to leave the complex Mor/Cassian/Azriel dynamic alone.

This is why it is crucial to consider why he felt compelled to intervene. Whether it's for political reasons, empathy, or preventing his friend from making a mistake, his intervention carries significant weight.

On the other hand, it's possible that Rhysand forcefully affirmed Azriel's choice to move on from his feelings for Elain.

The distinction lies in how Azriel approached Elain and Gwyn regarding the necklace.

What stands out in Elain's section of his chapter is the heightened sexual tension in the text.

He mentioned nothing about searching for the necklace for Elain, pondering whether he should give it to her, or any feelings of longing—a characteristic often highlighted in SJM's depiction of mates.

Consider Lucien's absence from the Solstice celebration the previous year.

Where is the yearning that he couldn't spend time with her as he did the previous year? The bitterness of being reminded that she can never be fully his? The fact that this female who finally helped him move on from Mor after 500 years is has been mated to someone else? Or that he's closely associating with his brothers, as though he's already part of his family? There's nothing about how hard he tried to select the perfect gift for her, the worry about whether she'd like it, or the pride that his present might outshine her mate's.

All we get is his aversion to their bond, his desire to pleasure her, and his feeling of unworthiness to touch her.

Of particular note is his vivid imagination of Elain's reaction as he enters her.

Was Rhys wrong to suggest finding a pleasure house when Azriel's thoughts about Elain were consistently sexual?

When given an opportunity to explain himself to Rhysand, regardless of Rhys's apparent disinterest, what did Azriel offer?

He expressed his unfiltered thoughts about how he felt regarding Elain.

"Why wasn't the third sister given to me? What if the Cauldron is wrong?"

Azriel didn't even bother to use her name, which makes it all the more significant. After all, his two brothers found mates in the two sisters, so why wasn't the third sister given to him, the third brother?

Yet, there was no mention of her progress, his feelings when he's with her, or their compatibility.

While Azriel is entitled to question the Cauldron, in that sentence alone, he undermines his brothers' bonds due to his own doubt.

In contrast, Feyre's stance has evolved. She no longer advocates for Azriel and Elain. Instead, she encourages Elain to give her bond with Lucien a chance and asks Lucien to be patient with Elain. This implies that her question to Rhys has been answered—Lucien and Elain are well-matched, even after observing Azriel and Elain interact during Solstice.

Lucien was willing to risk his life to protect Feyre from Rhysand on two occasions. He argued with Feyre to take him to his mate.

Why couldn't Azriel argue with Rhys about why Elain should have been his mate when he had opposed and defied Rhys on other issues?

The most telling aspect is that Azriel couldn't provide an answer when Rhys asked, "what of Mor?"

Mor was Rhys's reasoning for why he didn't think Elain and Azriel would work, as Rhys believed that Azriel had been waiting for their bond to snap. Mor even mentioned that Azriel had had lovers while he pined for her.

Azriel allowed his cold rage to surface, a rage he only ever revealed to Rhysand, knowing that his brother could match it, but he couldn't respond to any of Rhys's questions.

Lucien didn’t back down from Rhys, Cassian and Azriel until Rhys explained to Lucien that all of this was Feyre’s choice.

Now, moving on to Gwyn.

It's regrettable that we can't compare how he converses with Elain to how he interacts with Gwyn. I'll be fair and assume their brief answers stem from their awareness that they're about to engage in something they perceive as wrong.

So, let's emphasize that he never thought he was tarnishing Gwyn's body with hands that had committed unspeakable deeds when he was teaching her. Both acknowledged what he had done to save her, without shame. They understood and then continued their conversation, with Azriel adding more words after his initial one-word response.

Furthermore, he's the one who keeps attempting to engage Gwyn in conversation, even when she mentions that she's trying to cut the ribbon. He lied to Gwyn about his reason for being there, but he couldn't deceive Elain about why he needed to leave?

Elain made him laugh once. How many times did Gwyn make him laugh during their brief interaction?

He felt inadequate around Elain, but he's at ease with Gwyn. He respects Gwyn and truly sees her for who she aspires to be, just as Gwyn sees him for his true self—the side he tries to conceal. She thanks him for it.

And here's the kicker: while he imagined how Elain's face might look when he enters her, he thought about how Gwyn's teal eyes might light up upon receiving the necklace.

His arousal was evident when Elain wore the necklace, but he felt a spark in his chest when he imagined Gwyn receiving it.

He described the necklace as a thing of secret, lovely beauty, and that's how his bonus chapter concluded as he walked away, envisioning how Gwyn would react when she received it.

I will acknowledge that several Elriel moments did occur, but they were not further explored in ACOSF. Azriel made it clear that he believed staying away from Elain was the right choice, and this decision happened without a proper conversation between them to explain why.

Azriel himself asserted his decision on what Elain should do with her feelings toward him.

Notably, Elain returned the necklace Azriel had given her, and he subsequently gifted it to someone else, signifying a shift in their connection. Elain accepted Azriel's declaration that their connection was a mistake.

Although there were moments where Azriel and Elain were in the same room after solstice, their interactions didn't lead to significant developments. It's important to consider that character dynamics can evolve unpredictably in a story.

While the author may have expressed mutual interest in a bonus chapter, the observations made by Cassian and Nesta in the regular edition about Azriel's interactions with Gwyn added complexity to the situation. Ultimately, it's up to the author to decide how they want to develop the characters and their relationships, even if it doesn't align with some fans' expectations.

#anti elriel #pro gwynriel #gywnriel #am I done saying what I need to say?#not sure haha #long post #oop oop #antie/riel

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punkpandapatrixk · 2 months

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[PPA Masterlist] [corresponding PAC]

🪷Sacred Lotus Within You ★ Concept Affirmations

🪷Sacred Lotus🪷

I AM a Sacred Lotus born with fragments of the Universe. I AM a divine expression of God’s Creativity. I am lovely, and I belong. In this world I’ve incarnated into, I can be myself. I’ll gladly see myself grow until I fully blossom with the fragrance of the Sacred Lotus. I am strong and beautiful as the ancient Lotus. In spite of muddy waters, I am pure, I remain good; I am kind, I am gentle and compassionate. I love the fact that I am good in spite of everything that’s happened to me. I AM a Sacred Lotus born from fragments of the Universe.

🪷Divine Human🪷

This world continues to become good because I AM in it. Because I am developing myself to become the greatest version of myself—to become an embodiment of Divinity in Human form. I AM a force of good. I AM LIGHT. With full consciousness I co-Create a future that’s GOOD for ME and all of Humanity. I liberate myself from impure intents. I liberate myself from berating myself. I liberate myself from any and all things that aren’t in support of my Divine Expression. As I continue to liberate myself from all sicknesses of the mind, I create ripples that heal all of Mankind. This world continues to become good because I AM a part of it.

🪷Elysian🪷 – relating or pertaining to characteristics of heaven/paradise

I AM a human personification of an Elysian vision on Earth. My time on Earth is blissful. I attract happiness by resonance. I am surrounded by kind-hearted people. My closest friends are loyal and supportive of me. I find beauty in everything I do. I make peace with ugly things I sometimes do and I forgive others for their shortcomings as well. They are learning; I am learning; we’re all learning to make it in this often-unideal world. When I accept unpeacefulness, that is when I become peaceful within myself. I AM a human personification of an Elysian vision on Earth.

🪷Commandment🪷 – a divine rule/order

I command authority over MY Life. I am at the wheel of my ship, sailing towards my Great Destiny. A shower of Light rains down on me and I awaken to my true purpose. Answering my Divine Calling, I turn all losses to victories. I am guided by my intuition. I refuse to be misled by my fears. I stop at nothing to pursue my Higher Calling. I believe in me. I put my faith in my Higher Self and team of Spirit Guides. I am safe to walk this Earth. I am the authority of my own Life. I AM THE MAIN CHARACTER AND THE NARRATOR!

🪷Great Care🪷

I take great care of my mental and physical health. I take it very seriously that health is the first wealth. I am so deserving of being well taken care of. I can and will take care of myself to the highest degree. I manifest plenty of money to support my health. I make the right choices to maintain my health. My health is very important to me and everyone else agrees. In any situation I always prioritise my wellbeing first. That way, I function at my best and can easily make the right choices at any given time. My mind is always clear. My heart is stable. I am in control of my emotions and reactions. My mental and physical health is greatly taken care of.

🪷Great Learning🪷

My Life is a process of learning, all about me, my place in the world, and about everyone else and the roles they play in this Cosmic Drama. I am in love with Life. I greatly enjoy my time on Earth. I make the best of my time here on Earth. I create a beautiful Life for myself. Even after hardships and heartbreaks I fall in love all over again with Life. It is because I love MY Life. It is because I love the fact that I’m here. I LOVE ME. There’s still so much to learn about me. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT MY EXISTENCE. I’m still on my way to figuring out all there is to know about ME. I discover the Great Mystery through discovering MYSELF.

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

[Patreon] [Paid Readings]

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davidfarland · 1 year

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Writing a Passive Protagonist?

(by @septembercfawkes )

One of the most common pieces of writing advice given in regards to protagonists, is that the protagonist needs to be active. In fact, the origin of the word “protagonist” comes from the Greek words “first” and “one who contends for a prize, combatant, actor.” Nonetheless, many writers struggle with passive protagonists—they may not understand why passive protagonists are a problem, what a passive protagonist even is, or how to make them active. In this article, I will give you some tips.

Characteristically Passive Protagonists

Not everyone is an innately motivated go-getter. In fact, some people want nothing more than to stretch out in a hammock with a cold beverage and watch the world go by. Others may even be considered lazy. A protagonist may have these same characteristics. They have little interest in getting anywhere else in life, and they’d rather other people solve society’s problems.

They may only act when the stakes get serious enough—when they want to avoid a big bad possibility, or when something threatens their carefree lifestyle, or when an opportunity comes along that is too good to pass up.

When this happens, they often turn into reluctant heroes.

Just because a protagonist prefers to be a passive bystander, doesn’t mean they actually are in the plot.

When people advise against passive protagonists, they are advising against protagonists who are passive in the plot—not protagonists who would prefer to do nothing.

Protagonists Who are Passive in the Plot

A protagonist who is passive in the plot is one who is largely letting the story happen to them, and they aren’t doing anything to make the story happen.

The protagonist doesn’t take any real action to address the main conflict. He doesn’t have wants or goals, or, if he does, he doesn’t make concrete, measurable plans for how to obtain those things. He doesn’t take action to get something.

Instead, he is simply a target of the next attack from the antagonistic force.

All he does is wait for the conflict to pass (or maybe for the antagonist to show some mercy).

Many beginning writers find themselves writing passive protagonists, thinking that this passivity somehow makes the character more likeable by making them more sympathetic.

In reality, the most sympathetic pains and conflicts come as a cost to getting a goal. It’s the struggle to get somewhere, despite the antagonistic forces, that is most meaningful.

We all have bad things happen to us, and it’s unfortunate.

But when someone chooses to pursue something that requires hardships as a cost . . . that pain is more meaningful.

A passive protagonist is also more difficult to get invested in.

It’s hard to care about someone who does nothing.

In contrast, it’s easy to care about someone who is struggling to do “everything.”

Is My Protagonist Too Passive in the Plot?

If a bystander character swapped roles with my protagonist, would the direction of and outcomes in the story change?

Is my protagonist making decisions that influence what happens next?

Does my protagonist make choices that affect the main conflict?

Is my protagonist creating meaningful changes to almost every scene?

That last one may seem a little over-the-top to some people, but trust me, if you have consistent, solid scene structure, your protagonist should be making significant choices in nearly every scene.

Turning Passive Protagonists into Active Protagonists

Give the Protagonist a Goal.

Goals are the first ingredient of plot, because if the character isn’t trying to accomplish anything, then what happens doesn’t really matter all that much.

Almost always, the protagonist should have a want that manifests in a concrete goal. But the goal needn’t be huge and aspirational. It just needs to be significant and attainable. A goal such as drinking water can feel important if the character is at risk of dying from dehydration. A want or goal that isn’t attainable—that the character can’t take action to get—is little better than having no goal.

It should be a goal that the character can make and carry out plans for. Otherwise, it’s really just a wish.

At the most basic level, there are just three types of goals.

Obtain something

Avoid something

Maintain something

And if you pick the last one, something has to disrupt the maintaining for there to be a story (at which point, the character then tries to return things to “normal”).

Include Significant Stakes.

Stakes are what are at risk in the story. But I find it most helpful and most accurate to think of them as potential consequences. What good things will happen if the character gets the goal? What bad things will happen if she doesn’t? These are some questions to ask to come up with relevant stakes.

If you are struggling with a passive protagonist, there is a good chance that the stakes aren’t big enough yet. Almost anyone will take action when the potential consequences get serious enough. A self-absorbed protagonist may not stick his neck out to save his neighbor from bandits, but if the bandits were threatening his life, he’d take action and carry out a plan.

If the stakes are already significant and the character still isn’t acting, chances are that you have the wrong stakes. You need to think about what matters to the character. What can you offer her that will get her to act? What can you threaten to take away?

Pressure the Character to Make Important Choices.

Passive protagonists often aren’t exercising their agency. Active protagonists are. Once there is a goal, with stakes, the story should put pressure on the protagonist to make important choices about how to move forward. Often the character will be pushed into a crisis. A crisis is where the character has to decide between two opposing paths, and the decision is difficult because each option has significant stakes.

For example, say the character’s goal is to find a cure for her best friend’s fatal illness. She takes action by visiting a prior enemy who knows where the cure is. The enemy says he can get her the cure, if she swears herself to him. Our character is now in a crisis. Get the cure to save her friend, and be a slave to her enemy? Or don’t get the cure and have her best friend die?

Whoever your protagonist is, makes sure they are active in the story by implementing these elements.

Learn more at https://mystorydoctor.com/

#writing tips #writing tips and tricks #writeblr #writing helps #writing references #fanfic #oc

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monsterblogging · 21 days

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So this post I reblogged has got me thinking about humanity loss as a trope and the way it's treated. And just to clear things up for anyone who might be confused, I'm talking about stories that involve some amount of physical transformation (with possibly some amount of mental transformation), not just "losing your humanity" in the moral sense. (Though the idea that compassion = human is itself incredibly flawed, but we're not getting into that right now.)

So like, there is media where portraying loss of humanity as a bad thing actually makes sense - specifically, where it's a metaphor for something that's actually bad. The first example that comes to mind is where turning people into robots or cyborgs is used as a metaphor for the dehumanization of laborers. Rich fucks in real life want to treat workers like machines, so it's kind of a natural step to write fiction where it's presented a bit more literally. Or there's stories like Resident Evil 4, where transformation is an allegory for religious radicalization, because the bummer truth is that people who've been radicalized are more often than not impossible to reason with and either want to make you one of them or kill you. When the major bad guys turn into giant monsters, it's an allegory for wielding corrupt power.

(And for those of you out there going, "but people can be deradicalized???", I am with you! And this is why I think a lot of these narratives need to lighten up on the "oh no once you hit Certain Stage of Change there's no going back!!!" stuff.)

But then there's like... the people who miss the metaphor or have very chauvinist views, and oop - there is no allegory now (or at least, not much of one), and we get stories that effectively inform us that becoming too Other means we're no longer deserving of compassion, respect, autonomy, or even life. Like, you can tell that you're dealing with the kind of person who just doesn't really believe in universal human rights, or in people exercising too much autonomy. And I think it's very natural to have an "oh, fuck you" kind of response to this kind of thing.

And then sometimes there is an allegory, and the author is targeting queer people, communists, foreigners, or anybody the establishment isn't really a fan of. Once you realize that the author is just bullshitting, I think it's only natural to think that there could be another side to this story.

And I think it's also fair to ask ourselves if transformation into Something Else could be an allegory for something that isn't actually bad. Maybe getting in tune with some aspect of nature triggers changes; like you grow gills and fins after hanging out in the water for so long. Maybe this upsets the sensibilities of the people back home, but quite frankly it's none of their business where you choose to spend your time and what you allow to happen to your body. Or maybe the cult leader turned you into their perfect weapon, and maybe that process was traumatic, but what happens when you regain your autonomy? Are the abilities you gained inherently bad, or does it come down to what you choose to do with them? Do you really deserve to die just because your body has a different shape now and there's no way to undo it?

And sometimes transformations brings on various forms of disability, or the experiences the characters go through are very similar to the experience of being disabled in some way, which can make them very relatable to some people. When you see something about yourself in these characters, it's only natural to want them treated as a person who deserves compassion and accommodation, rather than nothing more than a dangerous monster.

Add into this that nonhuman characters in general are constantly given characteristics associated with autism, ADHD, and even trauma. Factor in that the temptation of turning into a creature who isn't expected to act "human" (read: neurotypical) so you can be released from burdening expectations. Factor in the desire to be free from anything considered "human," period. And don't forget the whole otherkin/alterhuman thing. Then of course there's the thrill of the idea of experiencing a novel form, of seeing how it feels to move in a differently-shaped body and exploring what you can do with it. And the temptation of stimming with a tail. And also the fact that people's bodies and minds will change throughout their lives and that's fine, actually. Nobody owes it to you or anyone to be the same forever.

So yeah, works of fiction that depict "losing your humanity," as in changing your physical body and rewiring your brain in a way that people find strange as inherently bad and morally wrong are crap. Change is nature, and if somebody wants try out life as a dragon that should be none of anybody else's fucking business.

#transformation #humanity #losing humanity #media #tropes #monsters #monster

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jennandblitz · 1 year

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Borderline!Sirius Black

I’ve been meaning to write a post about Borderline Sirius for the longest time, but this is partly inspired by my posting a snippet of a BPD!Sirius fic a while ago and the fact I’ve had this headcanon for over two years now. My Sirius is often written as being Borderline, whether explicit or not. Borderline Sirius is something I’ve become increasingly attached to recently. The more I look at his personality and actions in canon, the more I can see him attached to the criteria of BPD/EUPD. A lot of my feelings about Sirius are from my own personal canon, especially during the First War where the pressure pot of existential dread is an untold stress on all members of the Order, but I think especially Sirius struggled under this pressure due to his personality disorder.

I think the easiest and most structured way to talk about Sirius’ Borderline—which is a complex and deep set of characteristics rooted in trauma and a consistently disrupted childhood, as all Borderline is—is through the diagnostic criteria from the DSM V. To be diagnosed with BPD, one needs to show at least five of the criteria. For ease of reading and to avoid a 3k word text post, I’m going to expand on the ones I think Sirius shows the most and leave others as a few lines.

This should go without saying but here we are, these opinions are my own and do not invalidate or disprove any other headcanons anyone else may have—everyone’s Sirius and their interpretations of him are all valid! If you don’t like my headcanons, DNI and move on!

A note on Bipolar Disorder v Borderline Personality Disorder: I’ve seen both use the same acronym and for ease I’ve taken to saying Borderline rather than BPD, or using the new acronym of EUPD (Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder). This post is also partly inspired by seeing @soloorganaas’ posts on Bipolar Sirius on my dash in that we need more psychological deep-dives into these characters, looking at their mental illnesses and neurodivergencies outwith canon. That is to say I love Natasha’s posts on Bipolar Sirius and you should all go and read them! Bipolar and Borderline aren’t mutually exclusive and, of course all headcanons exist at once, but in my own experience both Bipolar and Borderline have many overlaps, especially in Sirius’ character.

If you have things you want to add to this post, please feel free to reblog. Though I would kindly discourage any Borderline-bashing, if you have nothing nice to add, DNI. My dream would be to open a discussion about Borderline Sirius and other Black family members who we may headcanon as having BPD—because let’s be real, it’s a family heirloom.

***

Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.

I think this is the most painful thing to think about because of all the abandonment Sirius has suffered throughout canon. What I think of first are the two-way mirrors; Sirius and James are so very intertwined that they want the ability to communicate at any given moment, even during school. Frantic efforts to avoid abandonment can be demonstrated in several ways, both in clinging to the person, or abandoning the person first in order to paradoxically avoid the hurt of eventual abandonment. I think this is part of Sirius’ reaction during OotP, when he pulls away from everyone due to their perceived abandonment of him—he is alone in the house of his childhood and his friends are leaving to go and do the work he wishes he could do.

2. A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.

For me, this is the peak of explaining Sirius’ behaviour throughout canon.

I hesitate to call it the Prank because that word isn’t used during canon at all, but for ease of understanding, I will. Borderline patients can have episodes of hypomania, and I do think an episode of mania contributed to Sirius’ actions here, but I also think Sirius split on Remus—ie, his perception of Remus switched from idealised to demonised and devalued. This could be over something so seemingly trivial to an outsider, even something like choosing to sit next to James and not Sirius at the dinner table, or not replying to a note Sirius passed to him. I can see Remus doing something that makes Sirius devalue him to the point of Sirius not seeing how the following events will affect his friend and he sends Snape to the Shack in a moment of impulsivity (more on that later), without truly being cognisant of the consequences of his actions, because he, in that moment, did not see Remus as a person of value.

He absolutely idealises and idolises James Potter (he is Sirius’ Favourite Person—something I could write a whole other post on) and Sirius’ idealisation blinds him to any more sensible actions especially regarding the Fidelius charm. He will go above and beyond to protect James and his family by extension. Peter, and also Remus, are so idealised by Sirius that they are able to do no wrong—perhaps this is why Sirius is able to overlook any slight clues as to Peter’s true allegiances and entrust him as the Secret Keeper.

Harry, by extension, is hugely idealised by his Godfather. Sirius believes he is perfect and that Harry can accomplish anything. When Harry sends his letter in GoF saying his scar hurts, Sirius immediately flies back to protect him, and also breaks into a Wizarding house to use the fire to communicate with Harry. Harry is not above being devalued by Sirius, however: in the Floo-call in OotP, Sirius tells Harry ‘you’re less like your father than I thought’, and to me it’s clear in that moment that Sirius sees Harry as having fundamentally missed the bar of high standards Sirius holds him to.

3. Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self.

As we know, Sirius was the first Black not to be sorted into Slytherin. I think part of that comes from Sirius’ unstable sense of self, which, according to several studies, comes from the inability to integrate positive and negative traits. Sirius was simultaneously idealised by his parents and family as the scion of the House Black, and then, when he began to not meet their standards, was devalued as a blood traitor. I believe that Sirius developed some dissatisfaction with his life before he was sorted into Gryffindor, which was only heightened by his sorting and then devaluation by his family. This gives Sirius a markedly disturbed sense of self, which I think we can see during PoA where Sirius’ entire personality becomes getting revenge on Peter, then swiftly switches to being Harry’s Godfather once Peter has been caught.

4. Impulsivity in at least 2 areas that are potentially self-damaging. (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating)

Sirius’ recklessness is well characterised in canon, imo. Simply put, he spends recklessly—the Firebolt for Harry—and we are well aware of his substance abuse during OotP. We see his recklessness during PoA also, where he comes to Hogwarts despite knowing that there are Dementors and Aurors looking for him, because he wants to find Peter. He also breaks into a Wizarding house during GoF in order to Floo-call Harry, which obviously could potentially end badly.

As above, I also think The Prank is a symptom of Sirius’ impulsivity. Borderlines often say and do things in the heat of those splitting moments which can be self-damaging in more than the physical ways listed above, such as ending friendships or starting arguments, and I do think the Prank is damaging to Sirius’ view of himself, his position within the friend group of the Marauders and especially his view in James’ eyes, regardless of whether the Marauders forgave Sirius quickly or not.

5. Recurrent suicidal behaviour, gestures or threats, or self-mutilating behaviour.

Okay, this isn’t explicit in canon, but I do think Sirius’ actions at the Department of Mysteries are part and parcel of his suicidal ideation. This passive devaluation of his own life leads him to put himself in danger for Harry—who becomes his FP in James’ absence—and his recklessness goes beyond the above criteria. His escape from Azkaban in PoA is similarly reckless. No one has escaped Azkaban yet Sirius, who has spent twelve years punishing himself for the death of his FP, is willing to try, such that he values his life so little.

Admittedly, this criteria is also largely based around my own headcanons especially during the First War. I believe Sirius’ recklessness with his own life is marked during this time, especially if anything should happen to the other Marauders, Sirius’ internal monologue may often turn to suicidal ideation.

6. Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days).

Ooh, this is a big one. I instantly think of Sirius’ immediate, marked happiness when Harry says he would like to come and live with him at the end of PoA—everything else is immediately unimportant when Sirius’ Godson (and Favourite Person) is talking to him. When Harry first arrives at Grimmauld Place in OotP, Sirius is jovial if a little concerned about Harry, but playful nonetheless. This changes very abruptly when Molly raises concerns about Harry being brought up to speed about Voldemort. We also see Sirius in a depressive state when he is told not to accompany Harry to his hearing.

7. Chronic feelings of emptiness.

How else would he survive the emptiness of Azkaban if he didn’t already know how that emptiness felt? Welp, I’m giving myself feelings.

8. Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights).

*gestures vaguely at the whole Shrieking Shack scene*

Beyond that, Sirius’ fury during OotP when he and Molly argue is also important here. I want to note also the difference between hot anger and cold anger, in that I think Sirius is very much feeling cold anger in this moment when he is arguing with Molly. Although I largely headcanon Sirius as experiencing a lot of ‘hot’ anger—that is to say, shouting and yelling, red-faced and furious—especially during the First War, I do think that being in Grimmauld Place in OotP makes Sirius lean towards ‘cold’ anger—more calculating, more biting and sharp—like his anger when Harry questions him about the Family Tree and when he and Snape argue over Harry’s Occlumency lessons. Perhaps we don’t see ‘hot’ anger from Sirius often during OotP, but we do see plenty of ‘cold’ anger from him, as well as a healthy dose of resentment and bitterness.

9. Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms.

Sirius’ actions and reactions in OotP are classic, imo, dissociative symptoms, specifically being back in the house where large amounts of his childhood trauma and the seat of his personality disorder took root.

***

Overall, I think looking at our favourite characters through these psychological lenses really changes how we interact with them, both in canon and fandom settings. There are so many great takes about what it means for these characters to be neurodivergent in many different ways, and I’m sure there is a whole host more to say about Sirius’ mental health, whether he be Borderline or not, that I won’t cover here because this is going to be over 2k words.

If you made it to the end, I salute you! Thank you for listening to me ramble about Borderline!Sirius and how dear he is to me! 🖤

#borderline Sirius Black #Sirius Black #sirius #hp meta #hp #harry potter #house of black #bpd sirius #bpd!Sirius #Borderline!Sirius #borderline sirius

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tkfanz428 · 6 months

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Dudes, I am bored as I currently work on another drawing. So I might as well give you all my Scott Pilgrim, Seven evils exes head cannons.

Matthew Patel

Lee: despite being the lowest ranked ex, he’s not really weak in this manner compared to others. But he’s a target for the rest due to his overly dramatic reaction to tickles. Friends he’ll let tickle him until his limit, for strangers and enemies he’ll try and fight back, regardless of that they all share one characteristic, it completely restrains him from using his powers. From how I see it, he needs to be fully focused on what power to use and it seems he can only summon some powers with specific hand movements. One, moving around like that will require him to expose his worst spot( the sides), and two, he becomes more irrational once tickled and takes a lot of ignoring to get his powers back on. His main lers are Roxie, Gideon, Todd and the twins.

Ler: oh boy, you better pray he doesn’t choose you as a target, because he can and will summon his demon servants to assist him. And he is surprisingly skilled without needing to tickle often, likely memorizing other’s techniques. His main targets are Roxie, for being besties, and Todd to get even with.

Lucas Lee

Lee: this guy is certainly something else, he can hold in his laugh all he wants, but the rest of his face shows his real reaction. He never laughs so he doesn’t “break character”. But surprisingly enough, he trained to not laugh, not to tear up, yes he tears up when you hit a good spot. Weakest spot would be his shoulders, I see that the buff guys are typical weaker to tickling. He doesn’t fight back since he likes looking tough. Main lers are Todd and Gideon, the two string enough to get him.

Ler: He’s the kind of guy that only tickles his close friends and partners. He’ll definitely be all cocky after he’s done, and continues on with how he’ll do it all over again. He’s a teaser, he likes playing games that include this, because even Romona doesn’t notice his liking to being a tickler. Main targets would be Gideon he may be ruthless as a Ler, but he still respects boundaries, so he’ll keep close eye out for anyone’s limit.

Todd Ingram

Lee: doesn’t trust most people when the topic of tickling comes up. The last couple of people didn’t know the term boundary, and ever since then made him extremely cautious about something ridiculous. You’d have to have known him for a good while before you can lay a tickly stroke on him. The first two knew him first, which gives them some opportunities to tickle him, maybe like two minutes until he stops them. Any other person and he’s gone like that, vegan portal, and woosh, gone. If you were somehow able to tickle him, he’d jump, like literally, but be warned that his arms are strong AF, one slip up and he’ll send you to the next life. I’m really not joking.

Ler: in reality, he knows nearly nothing about being a Ler, since he was given the chance to as a kid. Only one he feels comfortable tickling is Matthew, for being his first friend, secondly since he knows Matthew won’t be a hypocrite about this topic. He mainly aims at the belly since he doesn’t know if he can hurt people in other places, he’s honestly a little dull, saying nothing. After one ask to stop, he immediately acts like nothing happened.

Roxie Ritcher

Lee: She lets her guy friends tickle her, but only for a maximum of three to five-ish minutes. And she’ll let her girlfriends tickler her all they want, the reason for this, is cause… well, it’s more of a turn on for her, and she can weird afterwards. She’s lucky that her weak spot is her knee, cause then her lers always avoid that spot. When this one knows tickling is in the picture, you better be a national seeker champion to find her, either that or look in the more unlikely places. Matthew is one of her main lers since the two are so petty about Pirates and a Ninjas being better than each other.

Ler: she is the all time champion when it comes to tickling, despite being tickled quite a lot, every tickle game she’s been part of, she’s won, period. Outside of that she likes to startle her prey by lurking in the dark, her ninja like attributes make it impossible to detect her before she surprises you. She likes to pin down her lees with ninja stars, one for intimidation, two as a point that she’s better than her lee *cough* Matthew *cough* . Main lees are Matthew, girlfriends and best friends.

Katayanagi Twins

Lee/r/s: the two are very different from one another in this manner. Ken is really ticklish everywhere really, and Kyle is more known for being dead, figuratively. Ken isn’t really tickled much since he gives off an aura saying “I hate this game, don’t bother.” But he can feel jealous since Kyle is often chosen over him. The two often play fight a lot. Kyle typically starts it, when he feels like Ken outdoes him in front of a date or friend, he tickles him to show the weaker side of Ken, making him look better in a way. Ken can feel embarrassed about this, since it’s a very common tactic than Kyle uses to boost up his reputation. I can see Ken eventually developing some type of ninja sense that allows him to detect danger in unlikely places, making it harder to catch him off guard. Kyle can hate this for the reason that Ken has a funnier reaction when he’s caught off guard. As Lers, the two like ganging up on one person, as it’s easier to pin them down. The two like do this, sneak attack, it starts with Kyle putting his arm around the victim, Ken then follows after Kyle signals him. Ken and Kyle then subtly cross over one leg to trap the victims lower half. To alert the victim about what will happen then, Kyle leans in for a hug, squeezing their side, when the victim attempts to leave, then they’re screwed. They use their twin telepathy often for such situations, to when and where they plan striking next. After building their robot, I kind forgot his name, they wanted to test out the possibility of an AI sharing five senses, so they began the tickle topic more for research really. When it’s one on one, that’s more for fun. Main lees are nearly every evil ex, besides Todd. And main lers are each other.

Gideon Graves/Gordon Goose

Lee: he is the real weakest one out of all of them. His sensitivity is just higher since he wasn’t really tickled much and was a very rare occurrence. People barely found out about this when he lost his company, Julie would often tickle him to both cheer him up and to be a b!+ch. Lucas ended up finding out after accidentally stroking a finger up his back after Gideon got hurt with the skate ramp. He never knew how sensitive he was really, since this kind of topic he brushes off or has no experience of it.

Ler: he may not have been tickled much, but he is a talented Ler, he can read people like a book, already telling where their weak point is. He could tickle anyone if he wanted, but unfortunately with little time on his hands, most he can get is during a fight.

#scott pilgrim #tickle #scott pilgrim tickles #matthew patel #todd ingram #roxie richter #katayanagi twins #ken katayanagi #kyle katayanagi #gideon graves #gordon goose

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goodqueenaly · 7 months

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Do you think that Aegon IV had dragon dreams? Given everything that is all too trite, mundane and terrible about Aegon IV, I’ve pondered whether there was another layer that would add some complexity, beyond the loss of his mother and a confrontational relationship with his father. Specifically, I wonder if he was also dreaming about the return of dragons and if that in any way influenced his decision to legitimize the great bastards? Aegon IV being characterized by his selfishness and sense of resentment reason enough for his actions. That said, if he was dreaming that the return if dragons would come from his line. I don’t think he saw the great bastards in his dreams, more than he decided to indulge his own confirmation bias to the fullest degree.

Number one, I am personally someone who likes to limit the amount of speculated Targaryen prophetic dreamers as much as possible. The problem for me is that the more characters you or I or anyone else adds to the list of potential prophetic dreamers, the less special it becomes for any one character to have had prophetic dreams; if everyone or virtually everyone can do it, then it's no longer notable or extraordinary for any specific person to do it. I am not saying it is completely impossible for the author to decide that Aegon IV also had prophetic dreams, but I am saying that at this time the author has provided no evidence of this conclusion and that I would personally find it both an unnecessary addition to the story and an undermining of the remarkable quality which having prophetic dreams is.

Number two, I disagree that Aegon IV as a character lacks interest or understanding without adding some sort of supernatural element to his development. The world of Westeros has seen any number of petty, selfish, and cruel figures, motivated not by some magical abilities but by simple human characteristics. Too, if Aegon IV was not truly the Henry VIII of Westeros (ugh), there are nevertheless plenty of examples in our own world of kings who prioritized their own greed and personal desires above the welfare of their realms. Indeed, to explain away Aegon’s life choices with some sort of external superpower I think removes the sense of very human evil which Aegon’s decisions reflected. Aegon IV did not act with such appalling callousness to so many figures in his life because prophetic dreams told him to do so; Aegon was a terrible person who had the power and ability to make terrible decisions.

Number three, and related to that point, Aegon's mass legitimization of his bastards does not, I think, require some sort of supernatural explanation, and indeed I think makes more sense without one. At the end of his life - and remember that this declaration happened on his deathbed - Aegon would have realized that he had failed in his petty campaign to humiliate and undermine Daeron. Everything he had done to needle Daeron, to ruin the lives of Daeron and his mother, to antagonize Daeron’s Dornish supporters, to remove Daeron as his heir, to promote Daemon (even to the extent, potentially, of naming Daemon King of the Stepstones) - all of these efforts had amounted to nothing. Daeron was, as far as Westeros was concerned, the king's only legitimate son and heir, the obvious successor once the king breathed his last.

So Aegon IV, I believe, decided to make his last act on earth a final "fuck you" to Daeron. If he had to admit that Daeron was his legitimate son, he removed the unique benefit that legitimacy bestowed on Daeron; now all of his children, no matter how grand or humble their maternal ancestries, were made equal in their dynastic standing within House Targaryen. His decision not only provided a final snub to the ghost of Naerys (treating the children he had so openly fathered outside their marriage as equal to her own son by him), but also burdened Daeron with a legacy he could never have reversed or undone: Westerosi legitimization is permanent and irreversible, granting any of Aegon’s extramarital children a legal claim they might have potentially pursued in the future (and did, in the case of Daemon and his descendants). From hell’s heart Aegon stabbed at Daeron, so to speak - the last, posthumous insult he could offer to the son whose existence and succession he could no longer oppose.

By contrast, ascribing Aegon’s blanket legitimization to some prophetic destiny feels rooted in neither his known actions throughout his life nor his spiteful, malicious personality. Why would a man who so clearly cared about no one but himself, who had no problem sidelining or ignoring his bastard children (especially after he had grown tired of their mothers) have given two hoots about trying to fulfill a prophecy allegedly concerning his descendants, such that he would have issued an unprecedented general legitimization to all his offspring? Indeed, how can it have been the case that Aegon both cared so much about this prophecy that he would have taken such a dramatic step and yet done seemingly nothing else to effect it in the decades he had been fathering extramarital children? I think it far more likely that Aegon did not have either an interest or special insight into any prophesied future for House Targaryen, and I trust (my fears for Fire and Blood Volume 2 notwithstanding) that the author has the ability to make Aegon IV an interesting, if no less evil, figure without prophetic foresight.

#asoiaf meta #aegon iv targaryen

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ctheathy · 1 year

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Yandere The Angel headcanons

Yandere The Angel x Reader

Yandere Headcanons [SFW]

It may come off as slightly out of character to those who have dove deeper into his persona, but I wish to tell you; that was exactly what I was going for. I could easily just write him down as some barbarian who does nothing more than take the lives of those around you, but where’s the fun in that? That might as well be his neutral form without any of the romance included. I enjoy writing for unique aspects in yandere aus, and this just so happens to be my own.

Potential ⚠️TWs⚠️ :

General toxicity • Yanderes • Depression • Descriptions of Insanity • Su!c!de mention • Slight death+murder detail • Sadistic behaviour [Only from the Angel ,, Not directed torwards darling] • Possessiveness • Superiority complex • Narcissism • Fascination with death • Guilt tripping • Worship

At first glance, the Angel seems like a very ... Complex character. He’s sadistic, cruel, barbaric and very much disrespectful to those who have passed on to the next life; showing no sorrow in their deaths and feeling the need to mock those who are on the verge of it. Much of the characteristics that would be considered a whole lot more reasonable for quite the opposite than the angelic form they take on. All of that and proportionally for little to no reason behind it either. He simply enjoys the things that he does for the thrill of it, having zero remorse in the matter whatsoever ... But there’s an aspect I haven’t seen anybody remorselessly think nor talk about just yet. One that not only has the capability of breaking some of those inhumane personality traits down, but in causing his yandere tendencies to show up. It’s time we take a look far into the future, one much further than any given screentime could ever be.

Over the years he starts to grow bored of his targets. As there's heavily implied that the Angel is very much self aware and has the capability of interacting with future victims of either suicidal reasonings, near death experiences, due to them being on the verge of the afterlife to begin with or himself simply shooting the brains out of them out of satisfaction; any potential survivors after having met the Angel would have likely lost their lives by him not all too long after or have fallen into complete insanity by the relentless and nonstopping disturbing presence alone.

Most assumptions on meeting this considered holy being would likely either move torwards fearing it for their lives, the realisation setting in that it holds the power to literally end anyone’s life they desire to take; or instead going as far to worship the divine appearance, viewing it as a sign of hope and good luck, doing anything it requests in order to keep this mere delusion of themselves living and holding no limits in order to do so, to the point where in the end the only considered thing blessing for them would be the mental institution taking them in. And although these occurrences used to be delightful for him, The Angel has rarely ever experienced anything else. All it takes is one little difference in behaviour what would be more than enough to set him off. Foreignness filling his veins and a feeling of curiosity and desire starting to bloom inside of him.

I cannot help but enjoy the thought of the Angel craving nothing but normality for once in a while. Messing with people on the boundary of life and death is fun. Heck, even toying with the mortal’s emotions shall remain enjoyable and very much so entertaining for the Angel, but it’s important to remember that it’s all he’s ever used to. The Angel holding younger//childish characteristics and curious desires makes it only obvious their ways shall become atleast somewhat boring to them over time. He gets tired of everything being in constant repeat. He wants--no he needs something else to keep his own cravings intact eventually.

Am I implying that the Angel has been a ticking time bomb all along?

Yes, that’s exactly what I’m going after.

When treating him as some equal, neutral entity; almost like he didn’t just take somebody’s life right in front of you, he’s close to feeling offended in a way. He understands he speaks and looks like any other human being would minus the common angelic features, but surely you should have gotten the hint by now that he’s on a much higher level than any of you mortals could ever be. But instead you ... Don’t. Or either just do not care about the Angel’s position as the assistant of literal Death himself in the slightest, which both wouldn’t be all too far out of reach for your case, but this instead makes him feel absolutely outraged and severely taken aback; rather close to just making the presumption that your sanity levels had already been long gone to begin with. No other human has ever treated him the same way you have, so what was the deal with you here? You’re definitely on the border of weird in his opinion, but also intrusively compelling, which is exactly where this unwanted obsession of his would make a start.

No matter how the two of you would have met, the Angel wouldn’t want you dead like he might have had in plan beforehand. Due to how dull his life had been, it’s only obvious he would have easily noticed how much more alive he’s gotten after your sudden arrival in his life, it’s likely been hundreds of years since he’s felt this way--no- Even generally speaking, he felt better than he’s ever had. If anything, all those damned years can go to waste for all he cares. You’ve become his main and likely only source of happiness at this point, and although he would never show nor admit to this in any case, he’s been just as miserable as those occasional mortals suffering from depression in all those years.

Yet would the one struggling with similar issues be his darling, he’d be a whole lot less reasonable among his entire circle of life perspective, casting it aside in hopes of them listening to his childlike, yet genuine pleads for their beating heart. Quite literally guilt tripping you in the process, having zero problem nor shame in forcing out a few crocodile tears in order to keep you on your feet properly. He’s had a mindset that could usually only be considered as insensitive and apathetic; finding any kinds of suffering viewed as pleasant, and although he still truly is torwards any other human being out there, he could never wish the same upon his darling, no matter how natural it may feel for him.

Despite how the normal Angel would be fairly careless with his victims, just trying to get the job done with and not feeling any particular way when doing so, yandere Angel gains a habit of becoming a whole lot more ... Aggressive torwards any rivals of his that might pop up. Despite having a seemingly small image and usually just going for the gun to do the job for him, the Angel would have no problem literally ripping apart whoever with bare hands, tearing off the chunks of flesh of anybody unlucky enough to grab your attention. And may they have the convenience to survive? Well- A few or thirty stabs and knife wounds on the body would surely do the trick instead. Although he’d usually be one to show these through childish acts and mannerisms, his possessive nature has become him to be a whole lot more emotionally expressive with his true emotions among the circumstances of the situation.

For something more on the romantic side, I can see him being a severely overprotective, teasing, cunning and sarcastic, yet perhaps somewhat needy being torwards his darling. On a more immature note, he’d likely also be one to throw childish fits when not getting what he desires, even lack of attention for the day causing his mood to sour greatly. He’s an entity that’s lacked any kinds of normal connections, as some would say it, so having gained one through you would make him quite the clingy saint; always hovering around you throughout your usual routines and holding your side close at the seemingly worst moments along the day. He’s also one to wrap you around in his wings, who unsurprisingly, are fairly soft, feeling much like those of doves would, yet also fluffy in a way. He’d also use this technique when feeling particularly jealous in any of your daily moments together. Any potential threats and unwanted observation being given shall learn what it’s like to have a bullet be shot through their foreheads.

The Angel has chosen you as the muse of his life and he’ll go to severe extends to show the entire world that if he has to, feeling the need to wrap you up and keep you away from any of their horrendous behaviours and thinking that could potentially rub their ways off on you. You’re the true angel in his eyes. You’ve saved him of a lifelong fate that no other could have considerably freed him from. He finds himself being an unstable wreck before all that and it’s only then when just the wrong darling shows up

who knows how long he has the capability of following them around before he’ll snap?

#the angel x reader #angel x reader #angel of death x reader #avogado6 the angel x reader #avogado6 angel #avogado6 #yandere angel

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deadendtracks · 4 months

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Response to @divinekangaroo's further thoughts on my ask about Tommy and sex:

I haven't properly structured an argument around this; I feel a lot of T's approach to sex has that almost woman-coded thing to it, as signifiers of an even-further-disadvantaged man. It nags at me and feels that this also ties into this subaltern, semi-'Orientalist' / exotic layer he has as 'lower than the lowest class' / 'actually so low class he's outside of class' Romani character -> less of a stereotype, more of a conscious consideration of "if you have nothing, you will use everything you can, and sometimes that includes your own body, and guess what here's the bind: that kinda puts you even *lower* in the hierarchy, because women are lower than men and only women use their bodies that way!"

Gut instinct, barely unpacked: there's an imperialist/cultural/ethnic trauma that feels like it can't be detached from Tommy's sexuality/approach to sex any more than the hints of childhood trauma or abuse can be, either.

This is a very interesting approach that I don't think I fully disagree with, but where I hesitate is that Tommy's the only character in his family or extended kin group who uses his body like this.

I do think the show does intentional things with Tommy's ethnicity and the impact of the bigotry he and his family faces (Alfie even points it out, re: Tommy being from an oppressed people the way Alfie is) -- whether a Romani person would have major critiques of how the show handles it is another issue; but it seems clear to me the show was trying to be aware of that social position and how it might have formed Tommy, etc.

What do you make of the fact that Tommy is the only "subaltern" character we see who uses himself sexually the way we're more used to seeing a woman do?

Because of this, I can’t ever see him permitting himself to perform that ‘hungry to totally surrender his control and desires to someone else’ role so frequently given to him in fanon. What happened with Tatiana was an exception, not a rule. It’s nice to read for various reasons, but I'm unlikely to personally lean into this take. Not to say he's dominating or must be fully in control during sex, either, just that I think he'd avoid leaning into surrender because it'd be like losing total control of a transaction and becoming far too vulnerable.

Yeah I don't see him as a submissive, the way fandom can often frame him (especially with Alfie). I don't see him as someone who wants to be dominated and controlled. I also don't see him as interested in dominating during sex.

When I was thinking about this I kept coming back to the first two sex scenes we have with Grace, though -- where imo we do see him leaning into surrender, intimately and sexually. I don't know if it's a total loss of control, but he's certainly not avoiding it in my view. I think the whole reason he fell for Grace is that he *did* feel that surrender of intimacy with her, that vulnerability. And it's in distinct contrast to every other sex scene we get from him after that.

some of these might be considered trauma responses but my preference is to think he is/was always going to be this way *somewhat*#because he is this way.the particular traumas he went through were able to be framed in ways that allowed him to continue…for a while

Also curious about this -- what do you think are the characteristics he has that were "always going to be this way" (apologies for how awkwardly that's worded, hopefully you get my gist.)

#peaky blinders #divinekangaroo

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masquayla-the-splendid · 4 days

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Some things from Twitter I grabbed from the limited amount of time SatAM was trending.

Thank you, team SatAM Reanimated. This is why I took 4 parts in that collab.

I think some need to realize localization does not equal bad. I can get behind "he's almost like a fairytale creature in that regard," but AM's "rad dude" contrasts more heavily with Mario at the time, I feel.

[More below cut]

Ex of localization: In Splatoon's Salmon Run, Mr Grizz is supposed to be the shady boss of the job you're working. The characteristics of a shady boss differ between cultures. In JP, he is characterized as overly nice and forgiving. In AM, he is characterized as ruthless, unforgiving, and rough, with the occasional compliment to keep you motivated. Either way, both cultures get the idea that something is fishy with this guy.

Bringing it back to Sonic, in both continuities, he is characterized as a carefree do-gooder with an attitude, more or less. He is cool. However, like the Splatoon example, he is given multiple ways to portray this to the right audience.

People have their aesthetic preferences, and it is incredibly convenient that we are able to communicate information across the globe, so we now know of these different interpretations, and can pick which one we like. It'd be one thing if that weren't the case, then I'd understand why people would be upset, because these interps would be gatekept from everyone else.

This one I thought was funnier than the original. It's generalized. (That's the Archie comic font iirc. 🤓)

It reminds me of how many Sonic copycats there were around the mid-late 90s because of how successful of a character he was.

The drawing on the left reminds me of some arcade collection games I played on my Xbox as a kid.

That also reminds me how many people who defend SatAM are 90s kids. This was their first impression, and they love it. I'm the oddball youngin who so happened to prefer this version after typing "Sonic Cartoon" into YouTube in the year 2013, but it makes me wonder how old are these lil petty babies who have nothing better to do than complain about a cartoon animal? (Trust me, you are going to look pathetic regardless of your answer.)

This one took me by surprise! Talk about sabotaging a Sonic story! I don't like this guy too much, but he is occasionally a credible source. I feel like that's the case in more recent times than say at least 10 years ago. This one you can take his word for, as there are mutple pieces of evidence to support this. (Im not your mom, do your own research. The feds wont be after you if you type "SatAM production history" into your search bar.) The first sentence is a full on mood. It felt like Lily Orchard's "Steven Universe is Garbage, Here's Why" video, and 90% of it is them struggling with story comprehension and changing their opinion every 5 minutes.

Anyway, I'm gonna go draw various localized characters, and there's nothing you can do to stop me! >:D

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic satam #sth #satam #masq squinks

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