#i adore the egg metaphors
Note
Without kidding, the cover where Athy appears in the white dress and with a swan is one of the most beautiful covers of all the manhwas out there. Not only because Athanasia looks too beautiful but also because the swan is supposed to be Diana and that makes it so beautifully sad.
Right? I know I'm biased (duh, this is a WMMAP blog), but I really think Spoon draws the absolute best covers out of all manhwas. The covers for volumes 1-3 are very beautiful, but they don't reflect any deeper themes. But from volume 4 onwards, all of the covers are full of symbolism, creative composition, etc.
I agree with you 100%. Volume 7 is my favorite by far, it's just so breathtaking. Athy looks straight out of a fairy tale. The branches of the World Tree in the background representing how Diana and Athy were able to meet in the manhwa. Swan!Diana, as a reference to how she was reborn "incompletely" because of the piece of her soul that stayed behind. The way in which her wings embrace and shelter Athy... Something interesting is that daffodils, the yellow flowers in the cover, signify rebirth and new beginnings in some cultures.
I also love the chibi Lucas in the back of the book holding the branch of the World Tree, it matches so well with the book's mood.
This is also a good opportunity for me to ramble about the chibi Athy used in this volume (if I haven't done so before).
Diana (along with Claude) has been associated with swans before, and in the panels shown above Athy is represented as their egg, the "fruit of their love", so to speak. I believe Spoon used this symbolism because swans supposedly only take one mate in their whole lives, they bond for life, and it's common for one of them to die of a "broken heart" after their partner dies. In fact, swans are particularly known for their ability to grieve for a dead mate or offspring. This is obviously a metaphor for claudiana's tragic romance.
The chibi Athy used in volume 7 holds an egg. This is probably a reference to Athy being Claude and Diana's precious child. But I also believe it represents reincarnation in general, of both Diana and Athy, as eggs are a common visual metaphor for "being born" or "being born again".
Volume 7 is just perfect in everything, aesthetics, symbolisms, making me cry...
#has anyone here read Demian by Hermann Hesse?#i adore the egg metaphors#you know i liked this lil post so im going to use the tags#who made me a princess#i suddenly became a princess#suddenly became a princess one day#wmmap#sbapod#sbap#athanasia de alger obelia#athanasia#athy#diana wmmap#wmmap diana#wmmap meta
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"the room in the outer wall was originally going to have flowers that bloom and grow out of the vase on the table as the game moved forward but they dropped the idea"
#thats so cute#metaphor for friendship innit#castlevania thoughts#I ALSO DIDNT REALIZE THE BIRD NEST STARTS AS ONE BIRD THEN HATCHES EGGS i assumed all three birds were there from the start#this room is adorable#symphony of the night
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(SPOILERS) Ashley, self-esteem, and starvation
So, I adore Ashley. She's this intensely toxic, vicious, cruel, manipulative girl, and her psychology gives me hella brainworms. Andrew's not the only one whose head I wanna crack open and root around lol. She's thrown away the world just to keep her brother by her side, and she'll continue to do worse and worse for the same reason. She's pretty awful! I've been thinking about why, though. How did things get so bad? How did her soul get so dark?
We don't know everything (I'm waiting for those new eps patiently aND CLAWING AT THE WALLS AND FROTHING AT THE MOUTH but whatevs y'know whatevs I'm normal. I'm fine), yet what information we have been given is bumping around my brain like a DVD screensaver on hyperdrive
It's clear from the start that the roots of Ashley's issues lie in her horrible, neglectful upbringing, but it's hinted that even those outside of her family felt the same abt her. I'm lowkey even betting we'll learn later on that she was ostracized by her peers somehow. However, what's most disconcerting, I believe, is how little she was when the results of this alienation are first made apparent to us (bc kids aren't dumb; they notice this stuff oftentimes instinctively, impossibly young, before they even know what it means to be hated), and how devastating the consequences were.
(There's something decidedly childish abt her dream sequence in the "questionable" route—filled with crayon scribbles and rabbit plushies, the metaphors simplistic yet profound—which really hammers in how these sentiments are things that have made a home in her since childhood. Formative subconscious truths.)
Growing up unloved and noticeably unwanted by virtually everyone around her likely left her with a gaping hole in her heart that she'd spend the rest of her life trying to fill. She'd make friends, but she'd always worry that they'd leave her, that they'd betray her, nothing tangible or weighted enough in their connection to trust in its persistence. Why should she expect otherwise? Not even being bound by familial ties ensures affection if her parents are any indication.
Every lesson she'd ever learned had always taught her this: you are easy to abandon. You cannot love and be loved by virtue of your own worth.
You have to rip their affection from their clenched hands if you want it so bad.
This understanding carries with it an undercurrent of degradation, instilling within Ashley a constant, biting inferiority complex which will never fail to be a source of insecurity. She will always be put last. She was difficult to raise, so her parents gave up on raising her. She was difficult to get along with, so her friends gave up on getting along with her.
It's an odd cycle. She's difficult bc she needs to be to get attention, but bc she's difficult, she can't keep it. Not without having whatever fondness she's managed to cultivate within someone fray at the seams, volatile and prone to collapse, bleeding toxicity.
Hence, her relationship w/Andrew.
By being the only reliable constant in her life, caring for her and keeping her company, Andrew essentially became her only source of happiness, and she's since learned not to bother with anyone else. Still, it's dangerous to keep all your eggs in one basket; since he is all she has, she must protect her place in his life with even greater ferocity, which becomes a torturous ordeal when coupled with her damaged self-esteem.
It's apparent in her quarrels with Andrew that she needs constant reassurance that she is wanted in some capacity or perceived in some positive light (getting pouty when Andrew says he's "stuck with her", needing to hear that she's pretty, needing him to "choose her", wanting him to say he loves her back, etc. etc.), yet her insecurity remains, bc unlike her, he's got options. She doesn't think he needs her like she needs him. He's got a gf, their parents love him, her friends love him. Why would he settle for her? What if someone better comes along? Someone she can't scare away?
Wouldn't he just leave her like everyone else?
Even before getting locked in the coffin of their apartment, starvation's been a constant theme in Ashley's life. She's constantly aching for love, and Andrew's the only one who can feed her. When you're forced to fight for a bite to eat or suffer every moment you hunger, you become ravenous—covetous—when faced with food; you don't want the hunger to return, so you lock down the source of your sustenance, wary of its retreat. Ashley's in a permanent state of intense insecurity, always anxious that the love that gives her life will leave her.
Andrew knows Ashley better than anyone else in the world, and it's obvs to everyone and him how desperate Ashley is for him, but I don’t think Andrew has truly, consciously processed the depth of that desperation. It's there buried in his head somewhere no doubt, but rn, he doesn't operate w/the direct awareness that he is everything. He is brother, mother, friend, and soulmate. He is life and love, air and water, everything that is good in the world—everything that there is to justify existence.
It's heartbreaking, in a way, that it's so difficult for Andrew to convince her of his loyalty. This goes further than his tendency to hide his true feelings, bc when push comes to shove, he's at her beck and call. Objectively, he's hers. She doesn't see that bc all she sees is all the ways she can lose him.
So, she gets bratty. She gets pushy, possessive, territorial. Manipulative. Gets under his skin, guilts him to exhaustion, bc she can't see him staying any other way, bc he doesn't get it, bc it works. He bends to her will, for her sake. For now. It's always "for now", bc he'll start slipping away again, and then it'll get worse. She does worse.
Becomes worse.
#honestly??? it's bc he's everything to her that the decay ending where she shoots him is so messed up#so much sadder#I've got something abt that in my drafts somewhere#it might not see the light of day so I'll just say:#imo she isn't shooting Andy‚ she's shooting Andrew#bc if he's so far gone he'd kill her#then her beloved is already dead#the coffin of andy and leyley#tcoaal#ashley graves#coffincest#character analysis#txt post#this is all my interpretation btw hope no one presumes I'm pushing these analyses as fact#to the ppl who read these ty.... you have my heart...... 🫶
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Still thinking about how “Mâlum” is the Latin noun for Apple, and “Mālum” is the Latin noun which means Evil- which is derived from the adjective “malus.” Recently, we’ve been seeing Crowley’s adoration and focus on the apple trees in the courtyard (and comparing them to his students overall), and how the youngest tree grew before he knew it. Malus…Malleus. (Screenshot translation credit to Otome Ayui!)
And how there’s a “flower of evil” to Crowley in the Prologue. Crowley seems to use several different terms to imply the similar metaphor- like with eggs/fledglings, apples, and flowers. On his vacation shirt, we can see a raven resting on an apple, and the head of Crowley’s cane heavily resembles a raven resting on an egg
I also just randomly thought about the Poison Apple, and idk I’m just making stuff up at this point LMAO, but many have pointed out that the shell of Malleus’ egg resembles blot. But when looking at the image of the poison apple, the dripping quality of it also reminds me a bit of the egg. This scene in particular also makes me think that Meleanor’s “Princess Glow” staff heavily resembles a flower as well.
It gives me…thoughts 🧍🐦⬛
#apologies if I’ve been a bit more quiet lately SNFJXJJD I’ve been feeling sick again! 🤣 same story with me lmaoo#twisted wonderland#twst#dire crowley#twst analysis#malleus draconia#kallistopost#crowley is levan theory
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I'm conflicted about the whole Las Nevadas stream format.
To be clear, I absolutely adore the series. I think Quackity put a lot of thought and care into the story he was telling and how he was going to tell it. For me, the fast-paced editing—which ramps up with every stream—actually enhances the image that c!Quackity is trying to portray: a classy, professional production for a classy, professional character. It only has a short amount of runtime to fill, so it's selective with what it shows the audience, just as c!Quackity is selective with the sides of himself he shows the other characters. And that selectiveness helps to streamline the story into structured and impactful narrative beats.
Yet that same editing style also comes with some real weaknesses that other lore streams don't suffer from, and I think it comes down to oversimplification. The simple fact is that c!Quackity has too many parallel storylines to resolve (and even begin, in some cases) in just five streams. Now, MY understanding of why he introduced the c!Slimecicle storyline, especially so late, is that it was supposed to act as a kind of metaphor for c!Quackity's overall "villain arc". It's essentially c!Quackity's way of talking to his past self and telling him not to make the same "mistakes", or "weaknesses", that he did, to which his past self then proceeds to shove him off a building. Metaphorically. I think Quackity's aim was for the prison arc to symbolize his character's descent, and then for c!Slimecicle to symbolize his redemption, to facilitate his "look at what you've become" moment.
In theory, I think this is great—perfect, even. But unfortunately, you just can't tie up that many stories with another unrelated (in any way besides thematic) story. The c!Slimecicle plot begins to overshadow the narrative. You can't abandon the prison arc. You can't abandon Kinoko, or the burger van, or the other Las Nevadas members. You can't abandon the Egg—although that one was wrapped up better than most. All of these storylines were set up as important, and a failure to give them the screen time you set up is going to lead to failure overall. (And I know a lot of this stuff was out of the content creators' hands, everyone was busy, but still.)
Portraying Las Nevadas as a well-produced, easily-digestible, self-contained storyline is great for the way it represents Quackity's character, but it's not great for exploring the complexities of of the character that it sets up.
#c!quackity#las nevadas neg#just in case#I really don't mean this in a neg way though—those streams are my children#lore thoughts
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Ao Lie
referencing posts like; baby Ao Lie meeting the bimawen, and Ao Lie wants to be a godfather.
I thought it would be pretty adorable if part of the reason Ao Lie is able to act a horse so well was because they were like his favorite animal as a little hatchling and while it was considered kinda weird among dragons ("Not even a seahorse? Just a... land horse???") it was fully embraced by a certain celestial stablemaster - Bimawen Sun Wukong.
Ao Lie would run off and "to be a ""play horsey" whenever he wandered away from his dad or brothers when they went to the Jade Palace for summits or banquets. He was too small to actually transform himself into a horse, but he'd turn into his noodley-snake dragon form and slink away into the stables.
Wukong likely came across the white baby dragon as he was riling up the curious horses (they all saw Ao Lie as a snake), and was like;
Wukong: "Damn, how did a baby dragon get in here? Ok little guy best get you back-"
Ao Lie, hissing: "No!!! I'm horsey! I stay in stable!"
Wukong, trying not to laugh: "Ok? I guess I was wrong. You're clearly a skinny white foal. My apologies."
Ao Lie: :3
Even if Ao Lie doesn't remember the encounters that well, it did leave him with a positive opinion of horses, stablehands, and monkeys for some reason.
When the dragon is a teenager by the time of the Journey, all he knows about Sun Wukong is that 1: His dad and uncles don't like him, 2: He steals stuff, and 3: He's in jail. His brain doesn't make the mental connection until much later when Zhu Bajie calls Wukong a "useless bimawen!" during the Gold and Silver demons arc.
When Ao Lie first met Wukong in the stone egg au, he basically had the mental journey of; "Huh. The monkey king is kinda chubby- OMG its an egg!! Why is he walking?! Get off my back Tang monk! Don't you know mothers need plenty of rest?!"
After meeting the steed for the first time Tripitaka wonders why the "Bai Longma" is super insistent on letting Wukong ride him specifically. Remembering that the Monkey is "carrying a stone egg" (Tripitaka only knows that part and thinks its a metaphor), the monk in turn tells Wukong that he should ride instead.
Wukong, tired but still wanting to stretch his legs after 500 years under the mountain is like; "Huh? No way! I'm fine! You ride him."
After a while of Tripitaka insisting that the Monkey rides instead of him, Ao Lie gets annoyed and just sits down, causing the monk on his back to slide off into the mud. Holy cassock now muddy. Wukong gets the message but insists he'll only ride until the next village/when they get a second divine-given horse.
Zhu Bajie tries to ride Bai Longma *once* and he gets bucked off so hard he gets tossed into a lake. He swears the horse has it out for him.
I hc that this was around the time Ao Lie's older sister was having a baby, and he was really bummed out that he wouldn't be able to attend to his uncle-duties cus of his "community service" [ie. the Journey]. So he redirected some of that excitement onto Wukong, who was carrying the Stone Egg. Eggs are a huge cause for celebration among dragonkind either way since they only produce a few in their long livespan.
Wukong was a little surprised/confused by Ao Lie's doting behavior at first, but started to understand why the dragon-horse was acting that way when he spoke to Ao Moang later on during the Tuolong incident.
Prince Moang: "I must pass on congratulations. It's not common among either of our kind to behold future kin."
Wukong: "Oh really? When's the last time you've seen a dragon egg?"
Prince Moang: "Last year actually! Our sister Zhūlong's egg hatched around the time of your release."
Wukong: "Oh. that explains why Ao Lie spoils me."
Prince Moang, excitedly: "My little brother is here!? I have to tell him everything! I have woodblock paintings of the baby!"
Ao Lie, running over still in horse-mode: "Show me! Show me!"
Zhu Bajie, watching: "Weirdos. Its just babies. Everyone's having 'em."
And Ao Lie continues to be super doting and attentive to Wukong as the Journey continues, though he does ask after a few years when the Egg is supposed to be laid. Wukong doesn't have a clear answer for him.
After a while, Wukong says almost in jest; "With how well you've been tending to me and the Egg, I might as well make you their godfather!"
Ao Lie just *shrieks* with joy!! Yes yes yes! He would be so honoured!
Wukong doesn't even have time to explain it was a joke when the dragon hugs him, heavy tears falling on his fur.
Ao Lie: "I'm sorry. It's just that... no one at home has really trusted me with anything so important before. I know that you might... get really hurt when your Egg finally arrives and I am so glad that you trust me to care for them if you have to leave us."
Wukong realises in that moment... Ao Lie knows about Stone Eggs. He eavesdropped on a conversation held between Wukong and the Bodhisattva Guanyin early on, and silently held onto that knowledge until Wukong was comfortable sharing it with the others.
The Monkey King decides in that moment that he doesn't want to trust anyone other than the dragon prince to care for his future child. He's already proven his kind nature - and if the future Stone Monkey were to truly be born an orphan, Ao Lie would gladly help to raise them in secret away from the prying eyes of Heaven.
Unfortunately the Samadhi Fire made it so that Ao Lie would be unable to fufill this duty either...
#bai longma#lmk ao lie#sun wukong#jttw stone egged au#slow boiled stone egg au#pregnancy tw#jttw#journey the west#stone egg talk#the monkey king and the infant#the monkey king and the infant au#lego monkie kid#lmk#lmk aus#gif warning
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Weaponized Incompetence
Weaponized Incompetence 2/?
John ‘Soap’ MacTavish x Reader
Warnings: none? other than my near endless supply of stupid shit that can be said to make men think you’re stupid. Sfw
Part 1
You were entirely blameless for the next incident. Truly, you had been minding your business, avoiding responsibilities like any good non-commissioned officer. Secluded in one of the far off storage rooms on the west side of the complex, counting boxes of paper towels - far enough out of the way that Sgt. MacTavish had to have come looking for you, specifically. Adorable man, you thought giddily, watching him situate himself in the metal fold out chair next to you.
He wasn’t a tall man, maybe the shorter end of average, but you figured he made up for it by being the general size of a wide-load tractor trailer. Which was to say, when he slid the chair - legs scraping against the concrete ground - closer to you, he invaded like the tide. “Listen, lass,” he started, like you couldn’t smell his cologne over the stale, dusty air. Tobacco and vanilla, maybe. A little slutty, combined with the eyes and the facial hair and the accent.
Maybe you were just projecting.
“Ah get that you come from tae city,” he continued, phone in one hand while he braced the other one on the back of your chair. A part of you wondered if you should be worried; cornered in a far off room by a commanding officer wasn't the best start to happily ever after, but whatever. You were here to drive him up a metaphorical wall, not a white picket fence. “And ye probably never had tae deal with farm animals, but ye can’t go ‘roond spoutin’ nonsense like the other day.”
Was he still on that? You had hit him with that well before the weekend, and he hadn’t wasted time with cornering you. It was Monday. God, you thought, I am blessed to live rent free in the Scottish Highlands.
He wiggled the phone entreatingly.
Staring back from the screen was Google, “are eggs dairy” typed into the search bar. Pressing your lips together, you slanted a sideways glance at him. He looked back, expectant.
The nice thing would be to let him win this, you knew. A little tee hee, so sorry sergeant, let it die down before you hit him with some other out of pocket shit. But you hadn’t gotten this far in life by letting men win, even pretty ones.
Especially the pretty ones.
“Ohh,” you breathed, nodding to yourself like you’d had a world breaking - egg cracking, even - revelation. Sgt. MacTavish smiled, broad shoulders relaxing as he leant back, dipping back out of your personal space. “I get it now.”
“An easy mistake,” he placated. You both knew it wasn’t.
“No, yeah. You still think birds are real.”
An atom bombed dropped slower than his smile did; there one moment, gone the next. Total annihilation. You would have to play this one carefully. Not laughing hysterically would be a herculean effort, but so worth it.
“What tae fu -”
“No let me explain,” you cut in, flapping your hand at the wrist. It annoyed men, for some reason, a floppy wrist. Like a weak handshake, it triggered their little neanderthal brain. “I get that it sounds weird out of context. But like, okay. So in the, like, 1970s, in America? They had this President, right, Ronald Reagan?” Wrong. “And he, like, hated birds. So he formed the CIA,” made even funnier by the Task Force tangentially being CIA controlled, “And had them capture and kill all the wild birds, right? Except obviously people would have noticed if all the birds just disappeared, so he had them replaced with robots.”
You stared at him for a moment, waiting to see if he was keeping up. He stared back, lips pressed together and nostrils flared. “Or androids? I don’t really know. Are they different? I think they’re synonymous. Anyways, he had robot birds made so that he could spy on the American people during the Cold War. And, like. He couldn’t do it with domesticated food birds, so he had them sterilized. And cows evolved to make eggs because birds couldn’t.”
You nodded, and smiled, empty. Vacant. Not a thought in this head. “So I guess you used to be right,” you finished, patting his arm like it was a consolation.
MacTavish opened his mouth, closed it. Let out a breath through his nose like an angry bull. For a moment, you wondered if this was it. Was this really all it took? The Birds Aren’t Real Conspiracy? You had so many more. GMOs. Bananas. You could be a very convincing Flat Earther. Buffalos. God, you loved the buffalo bit.
“Who,” he stopped. Started again. “Who told ye that?”
“My Governments teacher,” you answered immediately. “Mr. Schumacher. I loved his class, he taught us soo much.”
“He lied.” MacTavished butted in, voice low. You bet he sounded like a blender in the morning, all gravely bass. You wanted to coo at him, at how cute he was, all ruffled. Instead, you did your best sure, Jan and shrugged.
“I mean, I think a teacher would know better than the internet, but if you say so, sergeant,” you agreed placidly.
Stressed, he rubbed a hand over his mohawk. And then, phone still in hand, he pointed at you, and left.
You watched him go, agreeable with the way his jeans sat on his ass. You wondered if he ever wore those bedazzled Buckle jeans. You wondered if you could ever get him into a pair either way. The door slammed behind him, shaking a layer of dust off the ceiling tiles. After a moment, when you were sure he wouldn’t be coming back, you tossed your package of paper towels into the nearest box.
You needed a new hiding spot.
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Book Review 43 - Even Though I Knew The End by C. L. Polk
Oh this was fun. Never would have heard of it if it hadn’t been nominated for a Hugo, and devoured it in the course of a computer-less Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t exactly reaching for the stars, but it knew what it was about and it executed it well; there’s a real virtue to that. Also I adore slightly cheesy but self-serious noir and the early 20th century really is the ideal setting for classical urban fantasy.
The story follows Helen, a private investigator and warlock in 1930s Chicago. Ten years prior to the story, she sold her soul to a demon to resurrect her younger brother from a car crash that would have otherwise killed her entire family – for her trouble, she was cast out from the magical brotherhood training her as a mystic and forced to make a living as a cut-rate diviner and gumshoe in Chicago. The plot kicks off three days before the deal comes due and her soul’s forfeit, and she takes one last consulting job to add a bit more to the nest egg she’ll be leaving for her girlfriend Edith when she’s torn from the mortal coil. And then, of course, she finds out that a) her employer is a demon, b) the case she’s consulting on is someone ritually murdering other poor souls who’ve made deals, days before they come due, and c) if she solves it she’ll get her soul back, along with enough money to make to San Francisco with Edith and start a new life free and clear.
So this is not a book that sets out to surprise the reader. The storytelling is efficient and the foreshadowing is reasonably honest – you can guess just about every twist well ahead of time with even the slightest bit of effort. I’d say the book isn’t trying to break any new ground, but actually it’s the only example I can think off hand of this sort of genre emulation period piece that both has a queer protagonist and doesn’t either elide or edit out the homophobia of the their environment, so there is that. Anyway, ‘genre emulation’ is the right term I think – snappy, tightly written noir plot that doesn’t outlast its welcome (this was absolutely a novella-sized story).
I really don’t know the author or their work well enough to know how intentional it is, but the ending very much felt like a comment on the whole Bury Your Gays/Tragic Lesbian trope. Essentially, Edith gets herself heroically sacrificed saving Helen’s life in the climactic showdown. Then, once the dust has settled and Marlow (her demonic client) has given Helen her soul back she…immediately sells it again to bring her back. Better ten years of Californian bliss with her true love then an eternity in heaven (and besides, that brother she’d saved the first time had just killed an angel, so someone’s going to need to keep him company in hell). The book’s title is in no way subtle or metaphorical, it is a line of the protagonist’s internal monologue.
The story’s universe is a folk-Christian one, and it is absolutely imperative that when reading it you don’t poke at the underlying metaphysics at all. Angels and demons are real and magicians are the distant descendants of Nephilim and some of the Grigori still haunt the earth, and we have it on good authority that God doesn’t actually care about being gay and everyone seems very frightened of the idea of summoning the Archangel Michael to earth, but start asking any followup questions about angels and world events during the Roosevelt Administration and you’re ruin the story for yourself. Just don’t worry about it.
As a final note, I really did love Marlowe – or properly, she’s one of my favorite types of demons in these sorts of stories. Epitome of high class beauty, lives in a palatial penthouse waited upon handed and foot by layers of servants, eats the best food and wears the best clothes and has the best lovers, even a generous employer and creditor as long as you do what she wants and give her what she’s owed. The sort of demon who seems like falling out of heaven was worth it, and one you can imagine actually convincing someone to sell their soul. She’s fun!
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Ohh we’re being evaluated huh?
My favorite scenarios are ones involving curious giants and tinies that desperately want to run away but can’t
A tiny is trapped and a giant finds them, helping them out of the trap and offering safety, food, even letting them go. The tiny is suspicious— what could this giant possibly want? There’s no way that they’re just being kind for the sake of it, everything they’d ever been told suggested that all giants were evil and they should be dead or in a jar right now. The tentative curiosity and choice to stay of the tiny toasts my eggs and scrambles my bread. The initial terror turned confusion turned curiosity turned delight. Mwah, chef’s kiss.
Also the reverse, where a giant who hates tinies gets stuck with one and slowly comes to realize that they absolutely adore them. I love those equally as much.
Dying to know if this says anything about me, assuming you’re still doing these ^^ /nf
BACK IN OFFICE BABY
This is quite the interesting scenario to discect.
So the main theme of note would be subverted expectations- interestingly, this tends to crop up quite frequently in G/t media.
Typically, this can imply some sort of projection of the self, or some reframing of another.
The main thing I would suggest to consider are the traits associated with the giant, as well as what the tiny/and possibly others think of the giant.
Even if you are more tiny aligned, I would still take the time to consider what traits are shown, and ask yourself if any of those reflect personal feelings.
A regularly occurring theme is to project ones own attributes that we see as misunderstood or overlooked onto the giant. Being shy, or intimidating can lead to us feeling unapproachable, and plant that seed in our subconscious that "If only someone got to know me, they would see that I'm [Defining Trait]"
Though that is certainly not the only route. There is another common trend in G/t, and fantasy as a whole, to reframe negative emotions- even fantasizing a different resolution. Do the "scary" traits of the giant remind you of a time you were wronged by someone? It might be that your brain is trying to reframe it to help with coping. The reframing allows for fantastical leeway to suggest they were not actually wronging you- their intentions were just misunderstood. Those thoughts help the mind to feel more in control because it shifts the blame from someone not liking you or intentionally hurting you to being a misunderstanding- a far more comforting concept that being malicious.
Reframing doesn't have to just occur with the giant archetype either. The tiny holds bias and preconceived notions of how they anticipate someone "dangerous" to act. Does the tiny remind you of anyone? perhaps someone that judged you over something you could not change?
As weird as it may be to say, the brain likes metaphors. There is a great deal of meaning within our subconscious imagery. Peeling back the layers and trying to determine what each character represent is quite the peak into the inner workings of our psyches.
Theres also another very interesting projection that could be occurring on the tiny. Do they share any negative or mistaken traits? Are these traits mirroring traits of your own?
The fact the tiny cannot comprehend why someone would be nice for the sake of being nice to them could be very telling about our own internal self reflection- and its important to analyze what traits of our own we might see of as unworthy of unconditional love/kindness.
I hope this breakdown could offer you some insight into the inner workings of this dynamic trope!
Thank you for attending this session, please see my secretary on the way out to book any follow up appointments.
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Revolutionary Girl Utena - S1 E2 "For Whom The Rose Smiles"
Everyone. Is. So. Gay.
How was this aired in the 90s? Seriously
I feel like I heard this egg breaking it's shell thing before, but where?
End of the world sends letters? neat.
I've heard mentions of a potential time loop, so is the "revolution" the ability to be the next loop's looper?
KILL SAIONJI AND EVER OTHER DUELER NOW! ANTHY IS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL!
They're kinda adorable! I have no clue how to interpret this!
Saionji has an exchange diary, with who I wonder? Also, I can see the George parallels now.
Utena, why must you be so oblivious, if you lose Anthy goes back with her abuser!
Does Anthy control the shadows? Please don't answer, just theorizing!
I think that white rose that borderline censored the screen was showing real magic was happening? Sick soundtrack btw. And she won! Kinda a quick change in her tune, but yay!
I have no clue how to take Utena saying it was for Chu-chu but not for Anthy. To me, Chu-Chu seemed to be a metaphor for Anthy's freedom and... Id, for lack of a better term. How would that not be for Anthy? Unless Utena thinks Anthy wants to be caged? We'll find out I guess!
Sorry, but no episode 3 until two days, but will try to get episode 4 in too!
#rgu liveblog#rgu utena#rgu#revolutionary girl utena liveblog#revolutionary girl utena#anthy himemiya#utenanthy#utena tenjou#utena la fillette révolutionnaire#utena revolutionary girl#Confusion!#liveblog
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Yuletide Ramblings
While I'm not religious by any measure, Christmas in Norway is honestly a decently secular experience once you tune out all the songs about Jesus and roses springing from barren fields and whatnot. This is to say that the holidays have always been about family and the people close to me. I may be overstepping my bounds a bit, but let's include my dear tumblr moots and general tumbl-o-sphere in the proceedings and talk a little bit about my 2023 on Tumblr.
If I'm going to be frank, and I want to unless the opportunity to be earnest should present itself, 2023 was a tough year for me. My ongoing journey to finding treatment for my depression stalled out, and my job search has similarly been quietly moved from the "top priority" box to the "it'll happen when it happens"-pile. I've been able to do this much thanks to the welfare systems in my neck of the woods, and although the process has kind of sucked along a number of axises, I do acknowledge it has helped me.
What has also helped me, though, is you guys. After starting using the platform in June of this year, I have found replete friendship and support, an almost overwhelming torrent of commisseration, enthusiasm and the particular brand of weird that seems to be the first language around here. Y'all have helped me get writing and stay writing, and really have honed my "take it easy, but take it" approach to a razor's edge.
While many parts of the internet are slowly but surely content-ifying themselves into a desolate wasteland of human connection, Tumblr keeps going with actually trying out the "social" part of this whole social media thing. Granted, that may be because of incompetence in trying to follow the trends on Tumblr's end. Still, I want to thank all y'all for keeping it personal, for keeping it weird, and keeping it as free of the scourge of "personal branding" as one could conceivably make a site full of artists and freelancers.
Cheerleading social media sites isn't really my bag, but I will concede that I've grown quite attached to the way Tumblr does things, and the weird arbitrary ways it prods us into acting. It's all down to the people, of course, and I've found quite a batch of good eggs on this here site. I almost don't want to shoutout specific users because I'm afraid I'm going to forget someone truly marvelous and even though there's every chance they'll never notice, I will know and the snub will eat at me.
That said, I do want to shout out a couple of people who've made my first half a year of tumblr great. @toribookworm22's timely asks have certainly helped me keep track of the weekdays, as well as helped me with a bunch of worldbuilding and minutiae. @dyrewrites and @teacupsandstarlight have both been great to talk to, and I would be in dereliction of my duties if I didn't at least mention the illustrious @scifimagpie in this context as well. @jeahreading and I seem to mostly pass as ships in the night, but sometimes the distant sound of a foghorn can be just the thing, to torture the metaphor a little. @that-weird-kid-from-your-school is also a joy to talk to, and her palpable enthusiasm is great.
Now for some people whose work I follow who I don't speak to much because I am intimidated by their skills. @canisalbus and their adorable gay dog-men never cease to fill my heart with love. @secondlina and their crows similarly also make me smile. @mlm-blues and @were--ralph have both done wonders for my self-esteem, and it is nice to see and share the enthusiasm for lads on occasion. @shyroism is mostly off-site what with the streaming, but they're definitely an underrated streamer who could do with some more eyeballs on their work. @fidgetspringer is an awesome punk, an awesome artist (shoutout @fidgetspringer-art,) and has a truly magnificent beast of a bird hound. @everythingfox is an endless source of cute animals which is an obvious lifesaver, @bearotonin-international is Important, @raccoon-central similarly does some heavy lifting for my mental health with their lil' grabby hands. @bodhrancomedy is a good lad who does good videos and do the acting real good. @sootchild has good art and I like it.
I'm running out of steam, which is a shame because there are a lot of people who deserve just heaps of praise heaped upon them on here. Hell, if you're still reading at this point, rest assured I think you're at the very least awesome and deserve good things happening to you.
In closing, I would like to once again express my delight and joy for how Tumblr has been in my first half year, and I hope the however long until I get maudling again is just as good if not even better!
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Adore You
Or rather, let him adore who he wants.
The Adore You video is about how his fans treat Harry's partners. To Rolling Stone Harry said:
“This time I really felt so much less afraid to write fun pop songs. It had to do with the whole thing of being on tour and feeling accepted [...] It came late in the sessions: “Lights Up,” “Treat People with Kindness,” and “Adore You” were written in the final week this spring, in a burst of inspiration.
TPWK, Lights up and Adore You each have a message to fans:
Adore You's video asks fans to not make it impossible for him to date his partner(s) of his choosing
Lights up, Harry said it is about "stepping out on his own" the lyrics include "I'm not ever going back" (I infer to 1D)
TPWK is asking his fans to do just that, including him and the people he chooses to date.
Music Video
When asked by Capital FM (4:33) if Harry was the boy in the video, Harry first said it was a metaphor and he acted the part, then when followed up he said "it's a music video everyone!" The start of the video tells of superstitions and silly ideas. Everyone frowns, Harry has a brilliant smile. He is peculiar, the voiceover says:
No one ever meant to be mean towards him, but in a town grown used to how things were, no one knew what to do with something different.
Harry bottles up his rage, is depressed and goes to drown himself. He sees a fish and saving it saves Harry.
Who is the fish? When asked on SiriusFM, (3:00) Harry said, “Is the fish even a fish? Is the fish a metaphor? Who is the fish?” an Olivia is an emotion style answer to say the fish is a metaphor. The fish is interesting, it's an image more than one fandom will engage with:
Taylor Swift has a famous Koi Guitar, called the Koi Living Jewel. the artwork reflects Taylor's guitar and the TVs refer to the fish as a Jewel Coat (Junior Jewel), However
The fish is grey like the salmon in a 1980 Children's book Louis the Fish. The book is about a vegetarian butcher who is turned into a fish. The book has an anti-vegetarian message.
Harry is making a comment his fans make it hard for him to date. He is asking is fans to help and not attack the very real people he dates.
The fish constantly get's bigger, Harry does everything but the fish literally doesn't fit in his life. In the end he has to let the fish go and be alone because it is too hard for it to be with him.
The fish starts thrashing when the fisherman chops another fish. To me this is a metaphor for how the music industry and fans treats them. Harry repeats this in Music for a Sushi Restaurant where the shop only keeps him while is singing brings customers.
Seaview Cottage at 88 Seagull Lane is an easter egg for Harry's House (H= 8th letter) and Keep Driving: 'Choke her with a Seaview'. Seagull lane is a reference to Taylors shirt on the cover of 1989. And a townsperson receives a Message in a Bottle.
Harry eventually sails off alone powered by his screams. :(
When was it written
Harry said to Zane Lowe he played Liam Gallagher Fine Line in March 2019 but that Lights Up, Adore You and Treat People were all written later, in the last week. It was written with Amy Allen, who is based in LA. That places it after the Met Gala around 20 May 2019. He was in the studio on 15 May 2019.
Lyrics
Walk in your rainbow paradise (paradise)
Strawberry lipstick state of mind (state of mind)
I get so lost inside your eyes
Would you believe it?
'Walk in your rainbow paradise' responds to Me!'s "Like a rainbow with all of the colors". Both refer to Out of the Woods "The rest of the world was black and white / But we were in screaming color.” Harry and Taylor refer to each other as all the colours. Me was released 4 weeks before Harry wrote Adore You.
Strawberry lipstick state of mind refers to Taylor's signature lip colour, referred to in Style 'Red Lip Classic thing you like' and Two Ghosts 'Same lips red, same eyes blue'.
You don't have to say you love me
You don't have to say nothing
You don't have to say you're mine
In Little Freak Harry expressed a similar idea of caring but not in a possessive way or asking for anything from her "I'm not worried about where you are / Or who you will go home to". This makes is clear they are not in a relationship.
Honey (ah)
I'd walk through fire for you
Just let me adore you
Oh, honey (ah)
I'd walk through fire for you
Just let me adore you
Like it's the only thing I'll ever do
Like it's the only thing I'll ever do
Walk through fire means he is willing to go through the difficulty of fans not liking his relationships, he will lose fans, if his partner will just let him love them. In If I could Fly Harry said he would give up fame to be with his muse "I think I might give up everything, just ask me to"
Taylor sung about this difficulty dating Harry in:
Slut! "If they call me a slut / You know it might be worth it for once", and
Gold Rush "I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch / Everybody wants you / Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you"
They also described this as guns or bullets in I know places and Sign of the Times.
You're wonder under summer skies (summer skies)
Brown skin and lemon over ice
Would you believe it?
This verse is describing a summer romance, (Brown skin, Lemonade, Summer Skies) which Taylor also did in this period in Cruel Summer.
Harry talks about his muse as summertime and butterflies in Olivia. He also said he would brown his skin while they waited for him in the Sky in Golden.
You don't have to say you love me
I just wanna tell you somethin'
Lately you've been on my mind
A similar line is in Little Freak: " I'm not worried about where you are / Or who you will go home to, I'm Just thinkin' about you"
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sao characters + where their names come from
i got an anon asking me this about lis BUT i love all this stuff so i wanted to just make a big post about sao characters who were named after someone/something
lisbeth
reki very intentionally left it vague but said lisbeth was named after "some european queen" and after HOURS of research literally the only possibilities i can come up with are queen elizabeth or queen elizabeth the second - i now also have an intense knowledge of scandanavian royalty.
please note, reki (in the same interview) said that he named lisbeth after lisbeth salander, the character from the girl with the dragon tattoo book series. however, those books were published after sao, and he corrected himself later by saying he wanted to give her a european/scandanavian name, and named her after a queen.
alice
alice is, very obviously, named after alice from alice in wonderland, originally called alice's adventures underground, which is where reki got the name for the underworld.
humbert
in one of my favourite references in sao (bc i love the easter egg in the dvd menu), reki wrotea portion of the alicization arc inspired by the book lolita by vladimir nabokov. humbert is named after the narrator and main villain of the book, humbert humbert - interestingly (to me, at least) the sword art online anime uses a different pronunciation of the name than the original lolita book did. vladimir's humbert is pronounced as hum-bert, whereas reki's humbert uses the french pronunciation, um-bear.
oberon and titania
the second-most obvious ones, behind alice, oberon is named after the character from william shakespeare's a midsummer night's dream, the play that the fairy dance arc is based on. oberon, the fairy king, is the husband of titania, the fairy queen, and one of the play's plotlines follows their troubled marriage. sugou references the play throughout the arc, so i think most people know about this one.
while i'm here, i think it's interesting to note that oberon's nickname for asuna (little bird, tori-chan) might also be a far subtler reference to midsummer. during the third act, bottom (the character kirito takes the role of in sao) sings a song all about birds at the specific moment that titania wakes up and falls in love with him. the song is meant to be a joke, asking who would trust a cuckoo bird (something with little intelligence). it's possible oberon's nickname for asuna is a reference to this song, though i'm including it here just as a fun fact.
vassago
this is explained in sao itself, but i've still seen people ask about it, so. vassago is named after a minor demon from the ars goetia. the demon is known as the prince of hell, which is where vassago got his username of poh.
charlotte
charlotte the spider is named after the spider in the book (and adorable childhood movie) charlotte's web. charlotte helps her friend wilbur the pig avoid getting killed on the farm they live on. if we extend this metaphor, reki was indirectly calling eugeo and kirito pigs. the more you know.
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Fortuna's ML Analyses Master List
Look, I had to do something with my Humanities degree.
Ep. 26 Recreation:
A perfect world and a fake victory
Wrapping up the "running out of time" theme
In defense of s5 finale: the finale was supposed to feel wrong
Ep. 25 Conformation:
The ultimate fight location: the kitchen
Ep. 23 Revolution:
Adrinette love as act of revolt
Ep. 22 Collusion:
Ms. Sans-Culotte and the French Revolution symbolism
Collusion and the political victory of Gabriel/Monarch
Ep. 19 Pretension:
Season 5 and the symbolism of pancakes: Gabriel's illusions of choice
Two designers: Marinette vs. Gabriel
Ep. 18 Emotion:
On Felix, Revolution and Anarchism
Ep. 17 Adoration:
Marinette's healthy relationship message
Ep. 16 Protection:
Meta joke on ml fans
Marinette/Adrien and Gabriel/Emilie parallels (visual storytelling)
Hints that Kagami is a sentibeing too
Ep. 14 Derision:
3 beliefs Marinette acquired due to the prank and how it impacts her relationships
Accepting Chat Noir & Adrien parallels (short)
Adrien's pov on Marinette's anxiety (short)
Ep. 10 Transmission:
Duty vs. Love: how Ladybug and Chat Noir chose love over duty
Metaphor between disease and superpowers: the weight of responsibility
Adrien & Gabriel parallels (short)
Separation and reconciliation of civilian and superhero identities
Ep. 9 Elation:
the Marichat kiss image analysis (l don't have anything better to do)
Marinette and the impossibility to be in a relationship
Monuments' symbolism in season 5
End card: Chat understands that his love to Marinette is impossible (short)
Ep. 8 Reunion:
Post-truth in Miraculous
Ladybug // Joan of Arc parallels: heroes' antagonisation
Ep. 7 Passion:
Marinette and control vis-à-vis Adrien and Chat Noir
Ladybug/Chat Noir roles reversal (short)
Nathalie's discourse analysis and how it reflects her relationship with the Agrestes
Ep. 6 Determination:
Determination in the light of Derision: why Marinette falls both for Adrien and Chat Noir
Marinette crying at the end of episode explained: the duality of Marinette and Ladybug
Adrien falling for Marinette at her worst, loving her as is
Marinette and self-acceptance
Contrast between Adrien and Marinette in understanding their love
Jubilation // Determination speech parallels
the love square is becoming a circle (short)
The symbolism of the museum Grévin? (overanalysis)
The symbolism of wax heroes? (overanalysis)
Ep. 5 Illusion:
Gabriel's emotional exploitation of Adrien
Nino's Resistance: a reference to French Résistance during WW2
Ep. 4 Jubilation:
The importance of rain in Jubilation
On Adrien/Chat Noir and control, aka why is Adrien depressed in Jubilation?
Easter egg in the episode
The power of Jubilation (short)
Reconciling the real Chat Noir and the one in Ladybug's dreams (short)
Ep.3 Destruction:
Parallels between Chat Noir and the Monarch's destructions
Chat Noir vs. the perfect Chat Noir Ladybug wants (short)
General s5:
Miraculous Ladybug is actually a Greek tragedy
Schrödinger's love square (short)
Gabriel and Adrien being each other's obstacle to be with their love (short)
My one and only salt about the scientific error in Ephemeral
I'm doing this list mostly for myself (it was starting to get hard to keep track of some points I previously made when I wanted to link).
I'll keep this updated, and if I have forgotten something (Tumblr's search function has disappointed me once more...) feel free to lmk :3
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Istredd recs
Here are some Witcher recs of Istredd with Geralt and a few stories with Yen 'cause I love Istredd a whole lot!
Geralt/Istredd
Alright, let me tell you about @brighteyedjill 's series Collaborative Scholarship, because this is 100000% my jam.
Research Methods (5,302w. Explicit) features Istredd enlisting Geralt to retrieve some arachas eggs. Of course Istredd discovers Geralt’s unorthodox method of collecting the eggs via oviposition. What you need to know about this fic is that Geralt and Istredd are complete and utter NERDS. And adorable. The story is also incredibly sweet and endearing and god, the banter is so good.
Advanced Study (5,589w. Explicit) is where Istredd gets fisted by Geralt and it’s so fucking cute and dorky and nerdy and hot. The Istredd POV is just absolutely exquisite the entire way through. Denial, cute horny thirst, nerdy. Geralt is dry and funny, but also nerdy and sweet. This fic really does have everything for these two.
The Scholar in the Ruins by @bittylildragon. (9,944w. Explicit). Istredd enlists Geralt’s help with some wraiths at some elven ruins. THIS IS SO SOFT. Like!!! Geralt has such low self-esteem but he ends up having such a good fucking time with Istredd. They're so soft. I adore the way Geralt tries to understand Istredd’s motivations about the elves and how Istredd manages to surprise and disarm Geralt with his sincerity and charm. This fic is a joy to read. (Also it is incredibly hot!!)
The Giant Bumblebee (1661w. Teen) by C_hawk. Istredd saves Geralt from bleeding out and Geralt returns the favor by helping Istredd look for a monster of interest. This is a cute, banter-y fic that sends me in a happy tizzy because their dynamic is hilarious and lovely. I'm smitten with how Istredd doesn't really know what to do with Geralt.
The Thing You Loved (1057w. Teen) by @brighteyedjill. Istredd gets kidnapped! ISTREDD WHUMP. ISTREDD WHUUUUUUMP and Geralt. I adore thiiis fic, I ADORE THIS. This is more Istredd whump than just slash but it just sets off happy firecrackers in my brain because their dynamic!! Is so good!!
points of the same star (468w. Mature) by and_a_dash_of_Angst. This is a great smutty ficlet with some bondage and d/s vibes. The twist at the end is AMAZING!!
If You Go on Like This (4582w. Teen) by @brighteyedjill. Geralt rescues Istredd and they learn a little about each other along the way. I. ADORE. THIS. God… I could just eat up this pairing all day long forever. Jill manages to build up their dynamic so subtly, slowly, delightfully and I am in LOVE. This is more of a Geralt & Istredd situation instead of the slash but ooooh, so delicious.
as flies do by flirtygaybrit (7020w. Teen). Geralt shows up to the conclave of mages on Thanedd and finds an potential ally in Istredd. The ongoing metaphor in this is superb, and Geralt’s humor is just absolutely spectacularly hilarious and dry and witty. ALSO. Omg! Istredd’s first line in this fic: “I can’t say I’d be any richer for being accused of ogling a witcher’s backside.” It only gets better from there. Their dynamic!! is top fucking incredible! If you love delicious imagery and prose, please check out this fic. It’s mindblowingly good.
Yennefer/Istredd
One Last Thing, Before I Go (3283w. Mature) by @arse-blathanna. Alright, so this is a sad Istredd and Yen get back together and breakup again, so it’s painful and ache-y in the most exquisite way. I love this Yen POV and it’s so difficult to let go of that first love. They don’t really fit together in the same way anymore, but they’re trying...even though it’s not enough. So if you’re in the mood for some angst, this is a fic you want punching you in the heart. 😭❤️
A Little Chaos (1223w. Mature) by @brighteyedjill. Istredd and Yennefer. Whumpily sweet sex pollen that is so lovely and emotionally satisfying.
Come Back For You (2:52) by me, @kuwdoravids. This is my Yen/Istredd, Istredd/Geralt, Istredd/History fanvid. Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I say I would be the one to make you feel this way. The love and pain of caring for another person (and about history!). Moving through the shit to be there because that's just what you have to do. Even though people aren't really listening to you. Come for Istredd's gorgeous face, stay for the vibes and feelings!
#istredd#geralt x istredd#istredd x yennefer#the witcher#the witcher netflix#twn#geralt#geralt of rivia#yennefer#yennefer of venegerberg#witcher recs#my witcher vids
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If Nerissa was a separate character from Chelsea, what if Chelsea had a father?
he'll lowkey be either-
A) A complete dilf with a slight pudge. (Hehe)
Or
B) he looks like he's twenty and could be mistaken for Chelsea's older sibling.
And in terms of personality? He's probably the cliche "supervillain who loves their kid." Oh and he's probably Arthur nemesis like Nerissa is to Agatha except-
"Well...Well...Well~ looks like someone's Kid got tossed into a cliff and destroyed a sea turtle beach in the process as well? While fighting a little monstro mermaid. D'aaww gonna spout some stupid motivational metaphor? You dumb stupid cephalopo-"
Proceeds to get powerhose off the boardwalk and into the water.
"Shut up Lucas."
Chelsea immediately getting embarrassed of her father's adoring affection.
"Hey Chelly sweetie! Heard you were going to smack the lips of Ruby and Connor? Sounds odd but need me to drive you there?"
"DAD WHAT THE FLIP!"
I always go back and forth whether or not she'd have one. Because I think it's entirely funny that Nerissa just has some random merman to help her lay an egg as it's literally a last-second thought before going to war like 'Yeah, yeah I'm gonna show those krakens who's boss--OH WAIT. What if.....what if I die? Oh my god, no. I...I should have a kid just in case. That way they can avenge me.' And that's how Chelsea was born. Literally as just a back-up plan in Nerissa's head.
He should be category A so he can be Arthur's arch-enemy. He looks all tough and imposing but he's just a talker with no bite and the poor guy is always henpecked by his wife. He does genuinely love his little girl though and it's the only reason he continues to stay with Nerissa, her personality is not worth the title of king (In name only) a;lkjas;LKASDF
His name is Lucas now. Lol
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