51 + 59 for Wren - let's keep this train rolling! :P
51. What element of their backstory are you proudest of?
I honestly kind of love that Wren's Aasimar ancestry is fucking useless. It's got some flair mechanically, but its really minor. They got built up and built up that they were special because they've got feathers and wings on their head, but really their power and worth comes from their sheer force of personality. I can't count the amount of times Wren's charm and CHA rolls have facilitated diplomatic solutions because they're genuine and hella adorable (with animals and people alike). Who needs divinity when you look this damn cute?
59. What's an element of their philosophy that you disagree with?
Because of fun backstory stuff, Wren has some strong opinions on Gods and their role in people's lives. They were "Sheyln's little bird" and supposedly brought to the monastery by the grace of the Goddess to bless those that visited. They were subsequently exploited and put in a very dangerous situation that led to their disfigurment and flight from the place, but Wren seems to hang just as much blame on Sheyln, and sometimes more, than the actual people that committed the acts. By their reasoning, how can the Gods be good if they let bad people run the churches and do bad things to people? It's probably a combination of their upbringing and the complete upheavel of what they knew that caused a disconnect on where to place the blame.
Wren will overlook the bigger systemic problems that come with power and can be quick to judge Gods before they judge people. They tend to forget that people have choices, and some choose to be awful - and those kinds of people usually like to hurt weaker ones. What they need is a mug of ale with Cayden Cailean to come to the realization that Gods make dumbass mistakes and can't micromanage people into being good. That and not to trust every person they come across.
sleeping arrangements (not sure tara would ever actually deign to sleep in the same 20ft radius as shovel but who can resist those big shiny insectoid black eyes 🥺)
People talk about how “overpowered” and freaky some of the physical feats in PJO and HOO are but I think people forget that all demigods inherently have enhanced, speed, agility, and strength. So at lot of these physical feats actually make a lot of sense in their “power scaling.”
And I know a lot of people like talk about the Lois Arc jump because that is insane but there are a lot of other feats that show off the enhanced attributes some of the other demigods have.
Like, Hazel ran after a Arion, the fastest horse alive for a WHOLE day. Hours upon hours on end. And even if Arion WASN’T the fastest horse he’s still. A horse. That Hazel was able to keep up with. And then run all the way home.
Reyna EASILY knocks away giant werewolves with a knife and used her javelin like a pole vault. Annabeth managed to fight Kronos, a whole ass Titan, to a standstill. And she’s been shown to perform moves only professional acrobatic and gymnast can do. Piper threw a fifty pound shield at Medea and was described to move fast as a viper.
Jason had dodged arrows that have appeared out of no where, no warning, and Percy has side stepped bullets. BULLETS.
Not to mention that with the Lycaon and werewolves they were all out running and keeping up with WOLVES.
Today my therapist introduced me to a concept surrounding disability that she called "hLep".
Which is when you - in this case, you are a disabled person - ask someone for help ("I can't drink almond milk so can you get me some whole milk?", or "Please call Donna and ask her to pick up the car for me."), and they say yes, and then they do something that is not what you asked for but is what they think you should have asked for ("I know you said you wanted whole, but I got you skim milk because it's better for you!", "I didn't want to ruin Donna's day by asking her that, so I spent your money on an expensive towing service!") And then if you get annoyed at them for ignoring what you actually asked for - and often it has already happened repeatedly - they get angry because they "were just helping you! You should be grateful!!"
And my therapist pointed out that this is not "help", it's "hLep".
Sure, it looks like help; it kind of sounds like help too; and if it was adjusted just a little bit, it could be help. But it's not help. It's hLep.
At its best, it is patronizing and makes a person feel unvalued and un-listened-to. Always, it reinforces the false idea that disabled people can't be trusted with our own care. And at its worst, it results in disabled people losing our freedom and control over our lives, and also being unable to actually access what we need to survive.
So please, when a disabled person asks you for help on something, don't be a hLeper, be a helper! In other words: they know better than you what they need, and the best way you can honor the trust they've put in you is to believe that!
Also, I want to be very clear that the "getting angry at a disabled person's attempts to point out harmful behavior" part of this makes the whole thing WAY worse. Like it'd be one thing if my roommate bought me some passive-aggressive skim milk, but then they heard what I had to say, and they apologized and did better in the future - our relationship could bounce back from that. But it is very much another thing to have a crying shouting match with someone who is furious at you for saying something they did was ableist. Like, Christ, Jessica, remind me to never ask for your support ever again! You make me feel like if I asked you to call 911, you'd order a pizza because you know I'll feel better once I eat something!!
Edit: crediting my therapist by name with her permission - this term was coined by Nahime Aguirre Mtanous!
Edit again: I made an optional follow-up to this post after seeing the responses. Might help somebody. CW for me frankly talking about how dangerous hLep really is.
PONYDOODLES IS DOING AN ART RAFFLE TO SUPPORT THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE!
Win art of your characters AND support Palestine at the same time! This is an art raffle, where tickets are given out based on how much you donate to the linked causes! Can't donate? Share our post around and encourage others to donate instead!
A $5 donation to one of the causes will earn you one entry. Higher donations = More entries! Provide proof of your donation & contact info in the form below to get a chance to win 5 pieces of art from our mods of a pony character(s) of your choosing!
Full info and donation details here:
https://forms.gle/VRL3SV7hGL4u4dkA8
Danny is a Justice League member as Phantom. They know about ghosts and stuff, as Danny has taught them things.
Danny, Dani, and Dan are all relatively grown. In their human forms (Dan inhabits a clone body) they all look VERY similar. The Ghost forms of the D's don't exactly look the same, per se, but they do look very similar and it's not because they are all technically clones (though that helps)
There are more than a few days where Danny doesn't want to do JL stuff, and he figures, the JL know about his operations outside the JL, they should know about his siblings, right? Right? Wrong.
Dan, Danny, and Dani constantly swap out for JL activities and no one has noticed. They all think either A. Danny is gender fluid, B. Danny has mood swing and or multiple personalities, or C. Nothing is wrong, what are you guys talking about everyone has their off days!
The Dannies find out and OBVIOUSLY have to make a game out of it because I mean - how does the JUSTICE LEAGUE of all people not notice the difference between THREE DIFFERENT PEOPLE
we only ever talked about HALF of why these scenes were a big deal, like I just realized this today and my heart is going insane.
It’s not just that Crowley’s pissed at Gabriel for treating who he thinks as Aziraphale this way, the last thing he says to the people about to kill him is a benign and peaceful wish to see them again.
And like- this is Crowley trying to replicate Aziraphale to a T. So he legitimately just sees him as this endless well of compassion, someone who is always warm and accepting. It’s not just their friendship throughout the years, he remembers Aziraphale’s kindness on the Eastern Gate. When the angel had absolutely no reason to trust this random demon who just slithered up next to him. Crowley knows that he’s loved. Maybe not like that quite yet (although he’d be very wrong), but he knows that around his friend he’s always welcome and safe.
And Aziraphale?
Well he just thinks Crowley’s the coolest fucker alive, like he is laying it in THICK and enjoying every second. Listen to that charisma, look at that smirk. These are traits that are typically only appreciated in the context of how good it makes Crowley at tempting, a job he hates. But Aziraphale doesn’t see someone manipulative or regard this persona as signs of his “demonic nature”, he just sees Crowley. Someone charming, fun loving, and cute.
This is when we get to know precisely why they love each other, what exactly they see in the other.
edit: this is now my most popular post, good work team, lol
ngl, I'm beginning to take issue with how in conversations about anti-intellectualism almost automatically, the face of girls and women will be slapped on the problem.