#I'm asking respectfully

[victor-cartoons]

I genuinely need an explanation about what happened with Jimmy Urine because I'm not someone who is against listening to music with shit creators who did bad deeds EVEN if the music is a reflection of them (which you can't know unless the creator themself said so btw) and also I heard that MSI's songs are specifically "shock rock" (or something like that) that WANT to have offensive lyrics to shock the audience.

But, going back to Jimmy, I heard that his grooming accusations were real, that they were a case but were proven false, I heard different things, what intrigues me to know is if the thing is real or not, because I see several fan-people loving Jimmy and I don't know if they are just romanticizing a famous person or if they are genuinely showing their affection towards him even with real legal issues against him.

Just, idk, nothing against his fans or the music fr, for me the music is worth listening to even if the creators are shit, but what scares me is the jimmy fanart n all that if the grooming accusations are real

[owlheartt]

Something I really like about timebomb is that Ekko actually knows what he's getting into.

I'm not really seeing it get talked about but in season 1 they mention that Ekko and the firelights help people addicted to shimmer get off it and lead more fulfilling lives within the community. I should probably rewatch the scene for the exact wording (might be misremembering tbh) but that comment implies A LOT.

First: Ekko's mission is helping people where he can, he would probably try and help Jinx even if he wasn't in love with her

Second: He has experience dealing with severe mental illness as that often goes hand in hand with drug abuse, namely depression/suicidal ideation like what Jinx was exhibiting

Third: He's probably mapped out best course of action FOR dealing with this and has already figured out his own limits/boundaries. Meaning he knew what he was getting into trying to talk Jinx out of suicide, and was thus more equipped to deal with the aftermath

Fourth: He's probably helped ex members of Silco's gang. The firelights seem to have a theme of healing and repairing and recovering, so they've probably also learned to forgive. If they're mission is to rebuild the lanes into a safe space, they can't exclude people they don't like, they have to make room for them. I think they fought Silco out of necessity, and I doubt Jinx would be the first person they help who's killed one of them.

These all might be a bit of a stretch but I think it really fits. Beyond that, it shows that Ekko can ACTUALLY help Jinx. As much as unconditional love can do, Ekko has the tools for Jinx's recovery and a path ready for her. He also probably knows that her "healthy" will look different from AU Powder's "healthy." On top of that, I expect he knows how to respect her even in the middle of psychotic breaks and won't agitate her already frail mental state

[kantbeloved]

[frowerssx2]

One of the problems I personally have with Asha is that she asks Magnifico to return ALL the ungranted wishes and gets angry/upset when he refuses. But yet, at the first opportunity she had to do that herself (which is what she kinda wished to do) she only asks Star to free her Saba's and mother's wishes. She only thinks about freeing the other wishes when Magnifico gets corrupted by the evil book and begins to destroy them. So, why couldn't she and Star free all the wishes when they broke into the Wish Chamber? Why did she say she was only going back for her mother's at her house and not all of them now she knows she can free them? She even says that Star won't go back to the sky until all the wishes are free so why didn't she do it in the first place?? She had all that time Star was looking for the two wishes she specifically wanted, to free them all. So why didn't she?

[loquarocoeur]

YOURE GERMAN???? WHYD I ASSUME YOU WERE AMERICAN 😭

First of all fuck you, I'm offended. Viva la kilometer

Second of all yeah, culturally, but I'm not born or raised or from Germany at all if that means anything to you👀

[necrotic-nephilim]

i recently remembered DickTim Week 2024 is happening very soon and i looked at the prompts again to see if i could get anything out for it and. the Hades & Persephone AU prompt for day 1 has got me really thinking so here's a vague concept i plan to write.

i've been pretty burnt out on modern Hades & Persephone retellings because of how they always seem to fall into the same generic "innocent wide-eyed girl runs from her evil mean mother into the arms of a dark mysterious man because actually she went willingly and chose to marry him" which has gotten repetitive for my tastes. (for clarity i don't care if this retelling is your cup of tea personally, so long as you're not actively trying to rewrite the original myth and claim untrue things about it, if this is your favorite flavor i sincerely hope you enjoy the buffet i just have little interest in it since it feels overdone for me and exhausted of it's supposed commentary atp)

but? but. biblically accurate Hades & Persephone AU has me all kinds of interested. because wait listen so hear me out right. Hades!Dick and Persephone!Tim, obviously. i feel it'd be more loosely inspired by with themes and imagery (though playing with death and nature powers could be interesting, i haven't decided) rather than explicitly making them gods and all. but. something dark and fucked up where Dick and Bruce are especially estranged. maybe to do with Jason's return, maybe to do with them just clashing and having their usual explosive arguments. and Bruce knows the peace needs to be kept, if he and Dick are at odds then everyone starts to pick sides and things just fracture so he needs a peace offering.

and the peace offering is Tim.

Bruce (the stand-in for Zeus) offers up Tim. agrees to have Tim move to Bludhaven and be Dick's... whatever Dick wants him to be. knowing that with the implication comes the likelihood of Dick grooming Tim. and Tim has no real say and is hesitant to put up a real fight. he doesn't want this, he knows what this is going to imply Dick will do to him, but he also knows if he says no things have the possibility to just... fall apart. so he's the unwilling bride, dragged off to the metaphorical underworld (Bludhaven) with Dick, away from his family, his friends, the life he built.

and on the flip side, i think weirdly enough, your best pick for the Demeter stand-in is *Jason*. just, hear me out on that. not necessarily on the side of it being motherly, but on Jason being just estranged enough from the Batfamily to be the one willing to call it out for being bad and wrong and raising bloody hell to get Tim back. maybe it's because Jason wants Tim for himself, maybe it's truly out of a concern for Tim to have autonomy, i'm toying with the idea of it primarily being Tim's POV and him genuinely not knowing which of these is true. (and the truth possibly ends up being a complicated middle ground) and because i like Helena, i think you can use her as the Hekate stand in, the one who strikes a tentative alliance with Jason and tries to go find Tim and bring him back. Tim stuck with Dick, getting groomed and hyperaware of it, possibly even getting fucked the whole time as well, knowing he can't go back without causing massive issues for Dick and Bruce because well, Bruce did promise him to Dick. so he has to adjust his whole life, try to figure out being a vigilante in this new city with Dick breathing down his neck the whole time.

and then much like the ending of the myth, a sort of compromise is struck that's a shaky deal for everyone involved. Tim is put on an essential timeshare, going back and forth between Gotham, where he has friends and family and a support system, then getting dragged right back to Bludhaven with Dick in this brutal cycle that he slowly gets used to and stockholm'd into even liking it. Dick isn't so bad, once he gets used to the quirks of their unbalanced 'relationship'. the sex is even something he can adjust to as well. not quite a happy ending but one that sits in this realistic grey area that becomes Tim's life.

i will write this, eventually, but i don't know if i'll get to it before DickTim Week ends so by posting the idea i'm essentially putting it out into the world so the peer pressure holds me accountable. i just. really like the potential of making Hades/Persephone AUs as fucked up as they can be simply by adhering to the source material and making it a raw story of being stolen away and forced to like this new home you didn't ask for.

also a less fleshed-out aspect of this idea i have ties into Persephone becoming the Queen of the Underworld when she's taken and how the transition from Kore to Persephone could be reflected in Tim. how he makes the best of the worst situation and becomes something far more dangerous and dark when he's in Bludhaven, possibly takes on a new vigilante name/identity and leans into the worst quirks of his personality he tries to tamper because there's no point in not going full tilt Obsessively Weird if he has no choice anyway and it being one small way he takes back his autonomy, and that inevitably making Dick *more* into him, because he gets to see Tim finally just. let loose.

[fisheito]

@trainto1925 and now u got ME thinkin!!!

wondering when eiden would have gotten good enough at plushie making to create his entire harem in doll form. ...possibly around the time blade showed up. eiden got a lot of practice making thousands of Eiden Plushies as gifts 🤣

imagining how eiden starts to do a lot of impromptu "visualisation" exercises when blade joins the roster

BLADE: but why was lil yakumo embarrassed when i showed garugaru the box in front of-- EIDEN: (sighing goodnaturedly) ok, say..um *grabs the nearest two items* pretend this cup is garu, and this spoon is yakumo---

after some repetition, eiden wonders if blade will understand better if he just has dolls representing everyone thus begins the plushie brigade

[httpiastri]

RALF'S INSTA POST OMGGGG I'm sorry to fangirl but likeeee he's fine. Respectfully. The arms, the hair, the everythingggg. I am looking respectfully. It's getting hot in here for us Ralf girlies (don't get me wrong, I love Paul sm, but I do have a slight preference for Ralf sorrryyy)-❤️

them them them!!!!!!!!

such a cute picture aaaaaa all of them !!!! but yes yes ralf is especially fine....... i love the hair looking so slightly curly? almost getting near anna and paul's hair? 🥺 and god the armsssssssss i'm SO respectful!!!!

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

I have to ask: solavellan or solrook?

Nah, secret third option: Rookvellan.

Rook and Lavellan get together to spite Solas—they're turning that regret prison into a cuck prison.

I'm just saying, I think the idea of "solavellan vs solrook" is missing out on the potential MESS of a love triangle with Lavellan at the center. Why pit Rook and Lavellan against each other for Solas—who, let's be honest, doesn't deserve either of them—when they could kiss instead? Hmmm??

What's Solas gonna do about it? Cry?? Good!

Okay, I'm mostly kidding.

But seriously? I have no foot in that race. I'm not a solavellan girlie, and my current Rook is Carver who bullies Solas as much as the game will actually allow him to, so...

I have read fics for both, though. I have this thing where I'll get curious about certain ships, especially ones I see pop up a lot while I'm browsing. Then I read a bunch of fics on AO3 for "research" ...term used loosely, it's mostly just for fun and to see what the hype is about, what tropes writers attach to the characters/ship, etc.

But yeah, I'm still not the best person to ask about that. I'm just an observer.

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

Age of Khonshu, or as I like to call it: Oh no. Oh no no no no.

Age of Khonshu, written by Jason Aaron. 2018.

Who is Jason Aaron? A big writer at Marvel, he is best known for PunisherMAX (the ultras violent and non-marvel universe version of the Punisher), some runs of Thor (the one where Jane Foster becomes Thor), and certain runs with Wolverine: Weapon X. He also wrote Southern Bastard, which is a big name over in Image comics.

Another important fact? He was raised Southern Baptist that has since become an atheist.

That history out of the way, let's look at the sort of comic this is.

I have been putting off reading this little doozy for YEARS. Why? Three reasons.

This was not a good year for me personally. In fact, this was the start of some REALLY bad years to follow for the next 4 years.

I missed the original release and when I tried to find it to read it, no one had it. Not even the library. (This should have been my first clue).

This is a Marvel tie in event.

Now, I have ranted about these before and I'm going to rant about it again.

What is a tie in event? It's a big Marvel World event that attempts to do a large story-line that involves a lot of other big names (usually the avengers).

In Events, you have the main story line that involves the main character. So say, DareDevil is fighting a super ninja. You have the main story that takes place in DareDevil's comic "DareDevil vs. the super ninja" and in that comic, it's such a big fight that the avengers have to get involved, and maybe Dr. Strange and perhaps Brother Voodoo is getting a movie next spring so they want to showcase Brother Voodoo working with familiar faces so he's involved now too.

BUT. All these people involved also have their own comics running. They don't just want to keep going and ignore this big ninja fight that's happening. So then we have side event tie ins that pause their normal story-line to respond in some way to the event that is happening.

So Let's say Ms. Marvel has her story line going where she's been fighting some evil mob boss. She's suddenly going to pause that story. She'll suddenly come up on a hole hoard of evil ninjas and have to fight them for a single issue. But they don't want to loose steam with her evil mob boss because they have to get back to that in the next issue! So it turns out her evil mob boss HIRED those ninjas in some sort of attempted partnership with the evil super ninja. Just to highlight how evil the mob boss is!

Oh, and if you haven't been reading DareDevil or the Avengers or ALL THE OTHER COMICS INVOLED good luck trying to keep up with what's going on. So by the end of the event, you have to compile a LOT of comics together in a particular order so that you can fully understand what's going on.

Even worse? Sometimes the responding tie in comics that aren't really involved with the main story line try to solve the issue. So, going back to my example, Ms. Marvel not only defeats the ninja gang, but she discovers something amazing that will in the end help defeat the Super Ninja! She has single handedly helped bring it down! …In her own comic. It makes her look like the big hero and like she was crucial to the event….When in truth, she has nothing to do withthe main story line over in DD world and her little discovery won't have anything to do at all with how to bring down the Super Ninja in the end.

With me so far?!

If this sounds familiar to you, then congratulations, you may have read "Moon Knight Shadowland", which was infinately better than the main story line of Dare Devil Shadowland. (I'm still bitter about that one). Or the original Civil War saga. Or Seige. Or Dark Reign. Or Age of Khonshu.

Today, I'm here to talk about Age of Khonshu.

In which Moon Knight gets his own special event under an Avenger's title.

So how did they compile this event under an Avenger's title? We start with something that makes no sense to someone that has not been following the Avenger's comics.

Stepping further into it? This event follows directly after the 2017 BEMIS run. So we are moving from the worst run in MK history into Aaron's Age of Khonshu. The next comic after this didn't come out till 2021! That's a three year gap!

What's the story?

Mephisto (I hate Mephisto. He has been made basically into Marvel's version of the Christian Devil.) is messing with the time line and is going back in time to amass soul contracts with people and is slowly taking over the world or destroying it or building up hell. It isn't ever properly explained, but most evil things like this usually aren't.

For some reason Khonshu has seen the future of a world where Mephisto has destroyed it and done terrible things. So he puts these images into Marc's head. Marc, thinking Khonshu is out to fuck with him again (when isn't he?) tracks down Khonshu in one of his Moon Cult temples.

Khonshu tells Marc that he's terrified of Mephisto and Marc realizes that Khonshu isn't just fucking with him this time.

So he teams up and decides to…STEAL ALL THE POWERS OF THE AVENGERS AND GIVE THEM TO KHONSHU.

That's right. As someone told me, it's like watching a ten year old talking about how their character is the most powerful and can beat up all the other characters.

Moon Knight beats up Dr. Strange with the power of Khonshu and steals his magic. Then he beats up Danny and steals the Iron fist. Then steals the GHOST RIDER'S fire of vengeance. He goes after Thor on the MOON. Turns out Thor's hamer is made out of moon rock so Moon Knight laughs as he steals the hammer because he has the power of moon. He goes after the Black Panter and T'challa is just like "LOL No. My power comes from my ancestors. You can't steal that."

So they lock up T'challa in a pyramid.

YOU KNOW WHAT MARVEL MOVIE WAS COMING OUT IN 2018?! That's right, the first Black Panther movie.

So in this comic, it's going to feature heavily that Black Panther is super powerful and the hero of the story.

Giving Khonshu all these powers, he remakes New York into Khonshu World and imprisons anyone that fails to worship him, because he's an all powerful god that will stop Mephisto.

And he does fight Mephisto and kill him, but there are so many versions of him now, because he's the devil and you can't kill the devil.

And throughout this, Moon Knight worships and prays to Khonshu, calling him his god and how he's a follower, and believes that Khonshu is a powerful god.

The Avengers keep asking him to stop, that he's off his meds or something and mentally ill and they can help him stop Mephisto if he stops Khonshu.

Eventually Moon Knight realizes that Khonshu can't stop Mephisto and he's gone too far.

He prays to a different god and THE PHOENIX fire shows up and he becomes Moon Knight Phoenix.

He betrays Khonshu because now he is his own god I guess? Helping them take Khonshu down, he gives back all their powers and they lock Khonshu away in Asgard.

Now he expells the Phoenix from his own self before he becomes Dark Moon Knight and destroys the world.

Now the Avengers story moves on to them dealing with Mephisto in a later run, but Khonshu is defeated and that's the important part!

T'challa offers Moon Knight a place in the Avengers, rather than a jail cell in Wakanda for his crimes. Moon Knight turns him down and returns to a small part in Manhattan that he'd rather protect.

And that's how it ends.

Aside from the main story aspect of this particular volume of MK avengers, here are the MAJOR problems:

Throughout the entire run, there is HEAVY christian imagery and language.

They talk about the devil and how scary the devil is. They talk about Hell. They talk about angels. They talk about gods.

They especially show Moon Knight worshiping and PRAYING to Khonshu or Phoenix.

Moon Knight himself discusses fighting the Devil and going to Hell as a construct of the horrors he has seen and done.

2. Throughout the run, Aaron tries to pull out bits from Lemire. Referencing him and doing callbacks. It falls SO flat.

There is a scene early on where he does the "I am Marc Spector. I am Steven Grant. I am Jake Lockley. And we are Moon Knight" bit. But it's followed by a prayer to Khonshu because he is the Moon God's accolyte.

Later he talks about how Marc expelled Khonshu from his mind and had healed and was his own man again. He talks about how Khonshu had put horrors in his mind that made him ill.

He then talks about how he frequents a certain mental hospital.

Not only is he referencing Lemire, but he's taking it in the wrong context. This man read it and went "Yeah sure I got it" when he clearly didn't.

In Lemire's run, we see Marc dealing not just with how KHonshu used and abused him and how messed up he was, but we also see him coming to terms with his own mental illness and trying to understand himself. To understand that he himself had been abusive towards himself. His self harm attributes. His pushing people away. We see him learn to embrace the 'what if' aspect of after mental illness. We see doubt and we see room to heal.

In this it's just "Khonshu did it."

3. We're back to the mental health topic. While they DO acknowledge Steven and Jake twice, offhandedly, we don't see them. It's just MARC. And I find it hard to believe that either of them would either let Marc go this far off the rails to hurting his friends, but that they would go along with it without having a discussion or working as a team if they found it to be the only solution.

They also have NUMEROUS remarks from the others about "We all know Moon Knight is crazy but I didn't think he was this crazy". It carries on the old conversations that everyone in the Avengers and so on all see Moon Knight as mentaly unwell. Unfit. Crippled, even. He's not well enough to do things. He pretends to be a hero but we all know he's likely to melt down any minute and do something crazy, attitude.

And repeatedly he's told to take meds, go to the hospital, check himself in… Even T'Challa tells him "Wakanda has made great strides in Mental Health. We can cure you!"

Cure him from what? Trauma? Take away his DID? Or implying that he's some sort of other unwell causing him to not think straight?

It's these three things combined that just really set me off.

The absolutely disgusting use of Christian vocabulary and idealism to portray a Jewish character. Even if Marc isn't observant of Jewish beliefs, he is culturally Jewish and raised by a Rabbi. Unless he blatantly converted, he would not find himself worshiping and praying to another god. He wouldn't believe in the devil or use such language to describe Mephisto. He wouldn't talk about Angelic idealations or even Hell.

Then the blatant use of his mental illness to further how it's easy for Moon Knight to fall into such ways. Of course he did this. He's crazy. He'll do anything!

Of course he made his god Khonshu into an over powered dick.

I've discussed this before with a good friend, but there is a difference between following Khonshu and worshiping Khonshu.

I love the use of Yehya Badr to show this in MacKay's run. One has converted and religiously believes and follows Khonshu. The other follows a path that he himself set down as a result of his experiences and own needs.

Moon Knight never outright worships Khonshu (when properly written). Even in Moench's old run, he believed that he had been resurrected by Khonshu and therefore his power and life was in Khonshu's hands. This was more following Marc's thinking that he himself was nothing more than a ghost. Without Khonshu, it was more of an existential dread that he was nothing. Not that Khonshu was a god figure.

In later runs this translated into a sort of worship and it never should have. In Moench's run, Khonshu was some unknown force. Perhaps a god, perhaps a spirit, perhaps some form of something ancient that represents the moon and protecting those who travel by night. Considering the Marvel universe and such loose terms of applying all powerful beings under the phrase of 'god', it makes sense. Thor is technically a god. But he is not a god to be worshiped.

Moon Knight takes his own Jewish upbringing. He is here to cherish all life. To protect those who fall into the margins and cry for help.

What's most insulting is that this comic directly followed the run by Bemis. The one that was so laced with antisemitism and blatant disregard for mental health topics.... So we jump from blood libel and Nazism into fighting the actual Devil and praying to gods and worship.

This is not a good look, Marvel.

Here's the thing, we need a Jewish writer.

I don't mean someone that was formerly Jewish that converted to some other following. I don't mean an atheist that has a special interest in other religions (as Aaron claims he is). We need a born and raised practicing Jewish writer.

We need someone to use the proper terminology that isn't Christian based. We need Jake to speak more Yiddish. We need Steven to be seen putting money into the Tzedakah box. We need Marc to discuss his conflict with his Orthodox Rabbi father and his current path in life and how, like it or not, he has become the epitome of the Jewish struggle to exist.

I appreciate Mr. MacKay, but when his run is done and Marvel looks for the next Moon Knight writer, I'd really like to see a Jewish voice step in and not only respect their own people (despite what Marvel may tell them to do) but to also continue to represent and respect the mental health aspect of Moon Knight.

Maybe I'm asking too much? But this issue...

TLDR: Do not read Bendis, Bemis, and Aaron when it comes to Moon Knight.

[stackthedeck]

i impulsively bought a spider-man suit (best purchase of my life) but I asked my gf if she wanted to do a couples costume shortly after mentioning it to her and what she heard was "we should dress up as spider-man characters for Halloween" but she got really hung up on the hair color thing and there's really no notable brunette Peter love interests... so I'm going to be Spider-Man for Halloween and she's going to be Peter Parker and it's a couples costume

[son1c]

The thing about jakks is when that even if they ship more than just sonic, do you really think Terrence Jacob Samson, who is going through his 3rd divorce and hasn't played a game since ring around the rosie would see a box of sonic toys and think to grab more than just sonic while restocking the shelves. And no one buys the leftover sonics on the shelves cause i dont need Sonic, but this time, he's doing his taxes or sonic but he's holding a chili dog

what in the world are you talking about

[iniziare]

do you write?

Mel semi-dared me to type: “No, leave me alone.” So I have to include it. But in all seriousness, I'll respond this once, because it does allow me to update people a little bit. Though please know that your notification did have me pause mid-writing. Now, I want to politely, and respectfully direct you to my description on both dash-only and on my blog's theme, I also want to point your attention to my pinned post, and I believe that it's even in my rules, but I could be wrong. Though let me repeat it here:

The depictions you'll find here are canon-strict, and so you can expect many analyses of all kinds here, as dissecting the characters that I write is what I'm passionate about, and what I'm here for (and to write, of course!)

I admit, usually I aim to write more threads/asks consistently even if I'm excessively slow, and though I haven't updated the dash about my circumstances for a while (as I'm decently private about my life), know that writing meta has simply come a lot easier lately when time has permitted me to be on Tumblr. Now, that doesn't mean I don't value people's interest in writing with me, and I will live up to the promises that I've made that I will get to that (as I have occasionally done lately, and was in process of doing again)— but when meta comes easier to me, then I prioritize that as of late, simply because stress' best counter is the distraction that comes the easiest. Now this isn't by any means a waste of time, as it plays into what I quoted above. Because ultimately, here's my thing: I make it exceptionally clear everywhere on my blog that I am canon-strict (or as Tumblr, sadly, disrespectfully seems to call it nowadays: a 'lore purist'), and that this leads me to write a lot of analyses left and right on the characters that I write, but these are fundamental to understanding my portrayals of them. If that isn't your cup of tea, sir, or ma'am, then maybe this isn't the blog for you, and I don't mean that with malice, or in disrespect, but simply as a simple rebuke. In that, I greatly appreciate you checking in on behalf of my writing partners, but I'm also quite certain that they have the capacity to approach me themselves if they have any concerns. Have a nice day or night, wherever you are!

[tiffanybluesclues]

Every week someone makes a post about how annoying it is that Dick Grayson fans don't acknowledge his flaws, and every week someone replies with an explanation that the flaws OP listed are entirely fanon and inconsistent with canon as it actually happened and at this point I have to assume that none of those explanations are ever going to stick because clearly some people just want the fanon to be true.

Anyway, I'm just putting this here for me to edit and add relevant-to-the-topic links later so I'll have them nicely at hand to read and sooth my frustrations when it gets real bad out there. (Echo chambers are good when we use them to drown out character mischaracterizing fanon.)

[brinehater]

I finally did it guys! Arisen + Pawn Intro (template by @arisenreborn)

(Answering these as though before endgame+postgame, more fun for me)

♛ THE ARISEN:

NAME: Wildrose AGE: 20-21 (plot takes at least 1 year because first run was like 300+-ish days, exact number not screenshotted because surprised, shame; his birthday is in the spring) RACE: Human PRONOUNS: He/Him PREFERRED VOCATION: Trickster, Mage, Sorcerer FAVORED GIFTS: Noonbloom, Moonglow, Ferrystone (+100); ANY jewel (+50); ANY spell tome (+25); seashells, cool beads and buttons, colorful pieces of glass, other colorful/shiny rocks (+10) FAMILY: Chicory (mother, deceased), Mint (main pawn adopted sister)

POSITIVE TRAITS: Friendly, gentle, polite, compassionate, determined NEGATIVE TRAITS: Gullible, forgetful, head in the clouds, evasive (mainly about his own feelings), can also get a bit petty when pushed LIKES: Plants, magic, sweets, tea, shiny rocks, rain (especially the sound of it at night on the roof), getting the chance to be clean and dress well DISLIKES: Cruelty to others, excessive violence, overly hot and humid weather, loneliness (please don't leave him alone), failing to meet expectations

1. What was their life like before becoming Arisen?

Fairly quiet. Chicory, his mother, brought him to Vermund with her when he was very young (~3 years old), and they lived in a small house in the woods outside of Melve for as long as he could remember. He spent the majority of his life assisting her, as she became sort-of known as a witch after this move; she preferred isolation in the woods outside of Melve due to intense agoraphobia, but hated leaving people in need and was a genuinely talented healer. People knew they could come to her if they were in need of medicines and treatments, but it was difficult to get her to leave her home and the few times she actually went to Melve took tolls on her health. Once he was old enough to make the walk, it wasn't uncommon to see Wildrose in Melve making deliveries for her as well getting what she couldn't grow or make for them herself. When he awoke to his magic (~10 years old), she was the one who taught him also as a healer, though he did come to take a broader interest in the subject and often picked up any spell tomes he could get his hands on. About a year prior to events in Melve (~18-19 years old), Chicory's health quite suddenly became poor and rapidly deteriorated. Wildrose cared for his mother through it all to the very end, and her death was not easy to deal with though he had the means to handle it well. He was in plenty comfortable circumstances, and he was far from lonely with the friends he had in Melve even if they weren't particularly close, and there was some freedom too in being able to pursue his interests a bit more freely. It wasn't uncommon for him to even travel a little, but he never went particularly far from home, content with his quiet life. It was chance that he happened to still be in Melve the evening the dragon attacked, having gotten caught up in conversation before he set out for home. It was not like he was going to abandon people in need, or a friend to engage the dragon alone after others burnt, even when he burned too.

2. How do they handle being Arisen, and the responsibilities that come with it?

Messily, initially. The curse removing his memory did quite a number on him to begin with even without the dragon burning before that. After escaping the excavation site, there was a lot of confusion as while he still understood the basics, a great deal of Wildrose's finer understanding of the world outside of particular niches was compromised, and even a lot of his personality was rather muted at first as he tried to mask having such problems to avoid causing worry. Mint quickly started to call him on it, and returning to Melve so soon and not recognizing people that clearly knew him made it something important to him to work on quickly, if only for the sake of not wanting to hurt their feelings. From there, while he takes a long time to truly recover his memory, Wildrose was able to refocus, and likes the whole Arisen thing as a means to be able to help people. He wants to be of aid to everyone he can, and if he recovers his heart along the way to making sure everyone can sleep more soundly, that's just a lucky bonus. Even when the road gets exhausting and frustrating and he forgets what their immediate plan even was to begin with, he knows with full confidence that this at least is always his goal.

3. What are their thoughts on Pawns in general?

He's always had positive feelings on them, though before becoming Arisen it was more curiosity based. There was a point of time where his interest in magic saw him wondering about its connections and interactions with the Rift, and if he lucked out to meet a pawn, they certainly had to put up with a young him chattering away with questions naïve and too broad to truly learn anything. Further than that, he didn't want to trouble them as they had to be busy and have better to do. After becoming Arisen, when he finally has a chance to get to know pawns better, to him they're just people who are a bit awkward but very steadfast. All of them have their quirks despite what everyone else thinks of them, and he's seen them learn, change, and grow both traveling together and after parting and meeting again. To him, they should be cared for just as much as anyone else, and seeing others mistreat them or simply just think of them as things angers him.

4. What’s their relationship like with their main Pawn?

Mint is his sister. Wildrose knows people claim pawns don't have feelings, that many might call him a fool for thinking such, but for him it's simply just so. They care for each other and annoy each other to no end, they're ferociously protective of each other even when they squabble whether that be playfully or with actual sincerity, and always have the other's back. He could never think to ask for a better sibling in the entire world, looking up to her courage and ability to cut through to the point. Sometimes, usually when trying to fall asleep at night, it strikes him that it'd probably be better if their roles were reversed, if she were the Arisen and he was the pawn. There's a part of him that is able to admit that he envies her easy confidence as much as he appreciates it. It also makes him hope that he's very much able to live up to her belief in him one day, to make everything they've done worth it.

5. Do they have any interest in being Sovran? What are their opinions on the politics of the world in general?

No. He wants everyone (pawns are part of everyone for him) to suffer less, for them to be safe, and Vermund's court is very obviously messy and needs change, but he knows he's not the person to do that. While he can take initiative in a small group of people, and he's fine-ish at asking the pawns to do things, Wildrose is together enough to know that doesn't translate to being a leader of a country. Even with Brant and Sven on his side, he knows he is ill-suited, and intends that if he unable to persuade them, then… well, he doesn't know, but he does know Sven would actually be better than he thinks. Probably.

6. Who are their love interest(s) and/or closest friends?

While Wildrose is prone to making friends with most people, even if briefly, there are some notable standouts. There is, of course, Mint, loyal pawn and his first friend upon their whole journey, and his sister of choice no matter what others might think of that, and the most obvious of all. Before becoming Arisen, Wildrose was friends with Ulrika, viewing her as kind and reliable even though they weren't particularly close friends. Despite the initial embarrassment of the memory loss, they have become friends again. They are better friends now after everything in Melve (sorry game they just watched stars as buddies). As soon as he met Brant, Wildrose knew he liked him; even if he is a bit stiff, he's someone who exudes an energy of trust. Wildrose definitely looks up to him and how very committed he is to helping the people of Vermund. That said, there's also a degree of conflict to how much he looks up to him, as Brant is also very committed to seeing the true Arisen on the throne despite many attempts from Wildrose to convince him that he would be very bad at it. Despite the fact that meeting her was preceded by him falling badly off a long, rocky drop in Battahl and Mint having to carry him there and ask for shelter while he made a painful recovery, Wildrose adores Luz. Her wisdom and the sense of calm she gives makes him look to her as a sort of grandmother he didn't have, and also she taught him to be a Trickster! Wildrose is very fond of Sven; this is his closest relationship that isn't with Mint and... different. Beyond helping him the first time they met, he never expected to see him again, or even again after giving him the money needed to buy the ornate box, but then he actually did come to the fountain. It was nice to simply have someone his age to talk to and share stories with, and they got along well, and learning Sven was Disa's son did nothing to dampen their friendship, it only made visiting each other a little more difficult. In the longer term, it's clear there's definitely something there between them that's not just friendship, but from Wildrose's side there is caution stopping him from just spitting it out. It's not from any sort of lack of trust, but because he wants to avoid causing Sven any more trouble than he already does. Additionally, Wildrose thinks highly Sara, Wilhelmina, and Menella, viewing all three of them as some of the most driven people he's met along the way, whether that be by verve, passion, or devotion to duty. He also very much enjoys teasing Mint about all three (though the last can sometimes make Mint a little prickly). All of the pawns he meets along the way are dear friends too; he's beyond excited when he meets them again while traveling (pawn swap sheet pawns hopefully used to him sprinting up to happily talk to them)!

7. What drew them to their preferred vocation? Do they have history with it?

Mage was his first, and was how his mother taught him to control and utilize his magic. Being able to heal and aid others is always of comfort to Wildrose, even when his memory of such is gone and he doesn't truly understand why. Sorcerer was not something he ever pursued outside of interest in further spellwork and magical theory until he became Arisen, and while he had no memory of that interest, some of the notes he'd taken on his own skin ended up prompting him to pursue the vocation and also find it comfortable to work with, though he favors it less than Mage. His most preferred vocation of all however is Trickster. Though the lead up to how he learned the vocation was painful, and though it is much more indirect in how it allows him to aid his companions, the learning of the vocation itself was rewarding, and the ability to potentially keep all of them from getting hurt if he manages to make good use of its magic is nothing but a boon. The more comfortable he becomes too with how to shape and make use of the smoke only gives more chances for greater flexibility to the others and allow them to shine brilliantly.

8. Do they have any hobbies? Any way of relaxing between all that monster-slaying and traveling?

Wildrose likes gardening, though doing so with all the traveling and little space is hard; he keeps some plants that he can manage in small pots and don't need his constant tending so he doesn't need to worry about them so much while he's gone in the house in Vernworth, but he feels cramped. He also thoroughly enjoys making his own tea blends, finding the process both relaxing and stimulating as he tries to put together something he thinks will be enjoyable although there's plenty of misses-- and some of them are dangerously misses. Sometimes this is a side-effect of him mixing up what is meant to go in the curatives he's also making and just ends up going with it, but other times it's genuine excited curiosity that doesn't stop it from being dangerous. Somehow much more safely (or at least more later on), he's taken to cooking and baking, and consistency at doing so has actually gotten him to be at least decent at it. Additionally he keeps a journal, and while it's regularly added to by him, it's unclear if he actually enjoys doing so; he's prone to going off on tangents sometimes for pages but also suddenly abruptly abandoning entries in the middle of them for no apparent reason. A few of those entries also end up beginning again somewhere else unexpected within the pages. Trying to read it can be a bit complicated and definitely at the very least speaks to his thoughts being fairly scattered.

♟︎ THE PAWN:

NAME: Mint AGE: ??, she seems like she's in roughly her late 20s-early 30s, though as a pawn this is her first time ever out of the Rift RACE: Beastren/Pawn PRONOUNS: She/Her PREFERRED VOCATION: Thief, Warrior FAVORED GIFTS: Perfect Smoked Fish (+100); Exquisite Dried Fish, ANY curatives in a bottle (+50); ANY fish, quality fishing pole, quality paper, cake (+25), drawing charcoal, ink, writing stylus (+10) INCLINATION: Straightforward

POSITIVE TRAITS: Brave, friendly, confident, adaptive, energetic NEGATIVE TRAITS: Proud, flippant, impulsive, sore loser, intimidating LIKES: Traveling, fishing, gossip, warm and sunny days where she can just lay in the grass, the way her favorite collected bottles refract the morning sun, a good battle DISLIKES: Those who would control pawns and their means, the sound of Wildrose falling again, being cooped up anywhere, board games where she can tell she's already lost

1. What was their life like prior to being summoned by their Arisen?

Not really much of anything. She… existed? She thinks she existed, but it wasn't like she was going anywhere or had any plans. Kind of just was boring, really. Now she gets to go on a grand adventure!

2. What is their opinion on the Arisen? How do they view their relationship?

Very positive. Wildrose is just as much her kin as other pawns are (well, actually more so, but don't tell them, she doesn't want them to be jealous, some of them are scary when they are). At first of course, things were a lot more awkward, with her unsure even how to but knowing that he needed support, and that itself was not helped by Wildrose largely trying to hide his own confusion with much by simply saying "oh" and trying to move on. The first things Mint learned from that was the best help she could be was to not hesitate to be direct, and also to simply sit him down and talk things through. While at the time it was simply her finding the best way to aid her Arisen, she realized later that the latter was also just as important for herself, it was truly the start point for her also finding out what her own interests were, what she enjoyed, what she loathed. At that point was when their friendship grew in sincerity and began to morph into what is normal for them now. They laugh together and tease each other, they fret over each other, they bicker and then forgive one another, and Mint knows at the very least they believe in each other. They are family, whether it be to a joyful or to a bitter end.

3. Is there anything about the Arisen they find troublesome? Be it a small quirk or bad habit? (Or are they obviously flawless?)

Mint finds Wildrose's tendency to be a bit forgetful worrying. It's rare he forgets anything extremely important, and she knows he strives very hard to remember all he can about people he meets, but everything in the middle of the two of those points is questionable if it's still in his head. She watched him get turned around a half hour after getting explicit directions of where to go on a road. It's dangerous. Surely he can't have always been this forgetful? (He was not.) She also is more quietly distressed at the lack of confidence he has in himself. She doesn't understand why this one fills her with such dread, why it feels like such a potential point of failure, but it does. This one has eased at least as they've gone and Wildrose has done some growing and coming into his own. Regardless, it troubles her still, as Mint knows he has the will to see things through no matter what, she just wished he believed in himself as much as she believes in him (and would take better after her own example of believing in herself). Also, she knows that he knows what plants are dangerous independently or combined with others, but she also knows that won't stop him from putting them in his mouth, or trying to make them into tea that he potentially will share with others that he likes. She doesn't understand it; she knows it's likely overenthusiasm and doesn't want to discourage him from being excited about something, but it stresses her to no end. She thinks her fur's actually gone a little grey over this one.

4. What is their specialization and is there any story behind how they cultivated that skill set?

She's actually meant to be a Forager, and would've picked it up initially through Wildrose very enthusiastically sharing about various flora they came across and her actually paying attention if sheerly because his energy about it was infectious. It became her personal pet project from there to document where all such could be found and then that rapidly spiraled into noting where they could find all sorts of resources.

5. Do they have any thoughts on the politics of the world and their place in it as a Pawn - or how Pawns are treated?

Mint is rather focused on how pawns are treated. She thinks that while there is a degree of respect in Vermund, it's also one that's more a veneer, especially for those in power currently. People are polite to them, sure, but also there's something that seems off about being seen as a tool meant to aid the Arisen. Perhaps there is something simply off with herself, however? As for Battahl, she is quite bitter about the treatment of pawns there. Neither the other pawns or herself are calamities for simply walking down the street! And while there are those like Empress Nadinia and Ser Menella who seem to truly care, also under their watch exists the Forbidden Magick Research Lab, who are doing monstrous acts to pawns. Do they know? Are they allowing it to still exist? Or is what the lab doing somehow happening without their knowledge, and would that be better or worse?

6. Does their journey with the Arisen change them in any significant way and how?

The whole journey even starting changes Mint. She was just floating around before, with barely any sense of form. And now she is, by her own hand and all those around her. Everyone they have met, every single time they have been of aid, her confidence grows and she finds her own joy in the world around her.

7. Is there a reason they chose their preferred vocation?

While she was a Fighter originally, Thief is what Mint ultimately settled into, far favoring maneuverability and lethality as the ultimate defense. What's the point of the weight of such heavy armor and a shield if she can just avoid being hit to begin with and be on the enemy before they even dare to hit the others in her company? She also likes being a Warrior, but for a much simpler reason: sometimes you just need to treat a battle like it's a nail, and she's not one to be caught without a very, very large hammer.

8. Do they have any hobbies or preferred past-times?

She took to fishing and collecting things (mainly bottles she thinks looks neat) pretty early on, the former starting just because she wanted something different to eat and then was hooked, and the latter really taking off once they had a place for her to actually put out what she collects to be seen. Also after an afternoon where Wildrose became distracted telling her about many, many plants and their uses, she began to take notation of where else such useful flora could be found, and that turned into her then more broadly taking very detailed notes of where they could find useful materials, and now she tries to draw her own maps so she can combine that information to something more concise and useful. Mint is also very social, she enjoys going out and getting to meet and know people and other pawns alike, and she loves whatever gossip they can share. One day, she will know everything about everyone!

[lady-shadow-and-darkness]

I do not play HSR but I'm tempted to just to figure out what the relationship is between Acheron and the Black Swan. Thoughts?