#IT’S ABOUT THE BEING A TOOL AND A PET FOR SOMETHING MORE POWERFUL THAN YOU IT’S ABOUT THE BEING MADE TO SOMETHING MONSTROUS

[qrovidcore]

so HEY UH

WAS ANYBODY GOING TO TELL ME THAT DURGE AND ASTARION REALLY DO HAVE THE SAME TRAUMA OR

WAS I JUST SUPPOSED TO FIND THESE PARALLELS OUT FOR MYSELF

OH OKAY YOU ALSO WERE TRAPPED AND HURT YOURSELF TRYING TO CLAW YOUR WAY OUT?????? YOU ALSO WERE THE SPECIAL LITTLE PET OF THE PERSON WHO TORTURED YOU, WHO IMMEDIATELY STARTS TALKING DOWN TO YOU THE SECOND YOU SEE THEM AGAIN?????? OKAY. YEAH. WE CAN COMPARE NOTES IF YOU’D LIKE.

[crustyfloor]

Link to the translated Q&A Vivinos and Qmeng had recently.

....Guess that means it'll be very long (hopefully) and very good? honestly just scared for what round 7 will bring, it's probably gonna be the last round in the series, and with all the tension buildup this'll be stressful i assume

Yeah, Luka was set to be a popular figure from the jump, there was no way his trick with the Sua imitation was more than just a power trip (Or just a genuine mental break on Mizi's part). because either way with the way Mizi was holding herself up during round 5, she stood 0 chance against him.

Luka, just like the others doesn't actually have real control over his position in Alien stage. So in order to set that boundary for himself and others he uses his presence and the stage because, in any other context, he is simply just a tool and a frail (old) man. (And he has in-universe stans how beautiful)

More Luka lore please vivinos....

Kinda glad this got changed, because imagine this cute guy gradually turning into the Ivan we know now and then doing the shit he did in round 6? then doing the dream face reveal showing that he never truly changed, he just had a mask on. that shit would be 10x more devastating (even though the way it is now is just as devastating) Ivan and Luka twins (scary stuff but quite intriguing, even now they're still quite similar in some ways)

Augh...it is true though. Aliens and humans are just far to vast in traits to relate to each other on such a level, this reminds me of Mizi and Guardian Shine. Guardian Shine might've been the only guardian shown in the alien stage cast to actually be kind. She even seemed to be crying when she had to send Mizi away to go to Anakt(?). I find it kinda sweet though, that the ones who do actually care really show it and try even if they can't understand their pets that well.

But I also like the more grim side to it, because when you don't understand something specifically another being in this case you're less likely to have sympathy for it. Humans and Aliens don't have any relatable traits so whatever these aliens do to the humans whether for self-pleasure or such. And lab-mice? that confirms lab-rat theory. Alien stage crew were all just succesful experiments and the bad batch are kept behind for further testing i theorize. but its still pretty vague so we'll see. hopefully things get more grim ((

......What are you hiding Vivinos. (she rlly said do your homework....okay mum...i will catch you...)

A story about the death of close loved ones and how that can affect characters who are alive in the long run. im gonna throw up.

(NOT AGAIN WITH THE DEAD WIFE PARALLEL MIZI IS NOT HIS WIFE-)

"Ivan is the perfect man" 😭 I love the details of round 6 clothing so much, even I got that superior or dominating aura from Ivan when I first saw him in round 6 (💀) there wasn't really much to his outfit but the way he carried himself in it kinda just gave off that idea that he's the one in control here. but gradually, we can see that facade fade as he got more into his feelings the more he sang and sunk down to a level where he was most natural. eugh.....

[thethronezone]

Hello!

I enjoy your Primarchs and their children so much. However, an idea pops up and I wonder what do you think of them with pet? What kind of pet each will have and how they raise them?

Thanks!

Mortarion gets his kid a turtle. Quiet, relatively small, won't run away. They live long, which means Mortarion won't have to worry about his kid breaking out in tears because their pet died from old age any time this century. Actually does quite intensive research on different turtle species to make sure his kid gets a good pet. Gets them a tank for it and everything. (I don't know how but that turtle will somehow survive the Heresy).

Fulgrim spends a long time thinking about the perfect pet for his child before eventually he decides to settle for a classic; a cat. A very rare, ridiculously expensive breed. It's a good thing he gave it to his kid because had that cat belonged to Fulgrim then he would have treated it like an accessory, I'm sorry but that's the truth. His kid don't give a shit about what breed it is, they name is something silly like Stinkus ("Because they stinky!") and Fulgrim has to live with that.

Have you seen that artwork with gladiator Angron sitting next to a dog? Yeah, I love the idea that Angron likes dogs so, with that in mind, I think he would give his kid a dog. A wardog, of course, bred for combat. Still just a pup though. Practically shoves the puppy in the kid's arms. "This is your responsibility now". He acts like this is only a lesson on responsibility but he just wants his kid to be happy, ok? Has to look away whenever he sees his kid play with the dog because if he doesn't then everyone will see the soft expression on his face.

Magnus gifts his kid a Gyrinx, a cat-like xeno animal that forms strong bonds with their owner and enhances their psyker powers. Like this, the pet is not just a trusted companion but also helps them focus their growing psychic abilities. Does urge his child to be kind and gentle with the animal, they may not be sentient but they are still a living being with feelings. Also advices his kid to read up on Gyrinx and learn more about the species, so they can better take care of them.

If his kid is going to have a pet, then Perturabo demands it to be something useful. That's why he ends up giving his kid a falcon. Or, well, the 30k equivalent of a falcon. It's a bird of prey that they will train to hunt and fetch things. Perturabo honestly sees it less as a pet and more of a tool. Probably names the bird for them because he does not trust that they will chose a proper name. The bird is named Aegis or Talon or something basic like that.

After some careful thinking, Alpharius and Omegon gives their kid some kind of... chinchilla? Squirrel? It's a xeno animal, small enough that a child can hold in their hands, covered in fine fur and it has ridiculously big ears. It also has razor sharp teeth and its saliva is poisonous. Their kid is fine though, they have the antidote in case they get bit. See it as practice! Be nice and get the animal to like you and you have a cute pet! Be crueal and neglectful and you'll get mauled by small teeth. A very valuable lesson.

Lorgar gives his child a bird, something similar to a dove. Small, only the size of a baseline's palm, and with soft coos that sound like bells. He thinks it's a good pet that will teach them to be gentle and careful with those smaller than them. Then, as his child grow older and more responsible, he gifts them more birds until eventually, they have a whole flock. What? His kid deserves all the birds in the world.

Of course Horus gets his kid a dog. Then another one. And one more. His reasoning? What kid does not like dogs? Kid ends up with 5 dogs that follows them EVERYWHERE. They sleep in the kid's bed, follow them to their lessons, eat by the table etc.. They are truly inseparable and the kid honestly spends more time with their dogs than they do with people. Horus then has the gall to act surprised when his kid tells him they like dogs more than humans. Like, geez Horus, how do you think this happened?

At first, Konrad didn't even consider giving his kid a pet but then he heard them say they felt lonely (they don't have any friends) and so he decided to get them an animal. So he gives them a rat. Just a random rat he found. It's small and easy to replace if something happens to it. Didn't really expect his kid to grow so attached to it. It can do tricks now? It responds to the name 'Haunter'? What?

Contrary to what some of you might think, Sanguinius does NOT get his kid a bird. No, Sanguinius gets them a cat. A real fluffy one that needs to be brushed daily. Unlike Fulgrim, he does not really care about what breed it is, as long as it is healthy and will live a long life. Instills in his kid the importance of being gentle with animals (and people) and to treat them with respect. Is he teaching his kid empathy using a cat? Yes, yes he is.

Ok, so look, Corvus decision to get his kid a pet happens spontaneously. He's away somewhere (mission, meeting, whatever) when suddenly he finds this tiny, jet-black kitten. When he gets close, it hisses and bats its paws at him and he just KNOWNS that his kid will love this thing. Awkwardly gives it to them, telling them to take good care of it. Secretly checks up on the cat, just to make sure his kid is taking care of it. Sneaks it treats and pets it when no one it watching.

Ferrus gets his kid an aquarium full of fish. But like, really, really weird fish, adapted to the extreme circumstances of other planets. I'm talking fish that make deep sea marine life look like guppies in comparison. There's also a couple of crustaceans in there. Mostly sees this as a way to teach is child how living beings adapt to different hardships and get stronger because of them.

Rogal thought long and hard about this. At first he thought the perfect pet would be an ant colony but then one of his brothers said that was a stupid idea so he scratched that idea. So he ends up giving them a bear cub instead. What? It can be tamed. And look, his kid already likes it. Though he still thinks his initial idea with the ant colony was the superior one.

Vulkan choses a lizard native to Nocturne. A dog-sized, sturdy thing, long living and quite pretty, with obsidian scales speckled with the occasional red. A very popular pet for children on Nocturne and he had several himself when he was young. Probably caught it himself and brought it back for his kid on their birthday. Take good care of it, child, these things lives up to a hundred-and-fifty!

Listen, Lion does not want to get his kid an animal. The only animals he know are the beasts that he fought in the forests of Caliban so he does not exactly like animals overall. But if he has to? If he really, REALLY has to get his child a pet? A bunny. Small, quiet and when they grow tired of it, then they can just cook and eat it. Perfect. Gets confused when he mentions eating the rabbit to his kid and they burst out crying. Like, he didn't say it was going to happen NOW. Lion, buddy, they are five years old and you just told them you were planning on eating their adorable little buddy, what did you THINK would happen?

Come on. We all know what animal Leman gives to his kid as a pet. That's right, a fenrisian wolf, still just a pup. Chose this one pup because it reminded him of his kid and he thought they would be the perfect match. Pretty much gives his kid free reign on how they train and nurture the pup though he does urge them to make it clear that they are the leader or else that wolf is gonna walk all over them once it grows up.

Jaghatai is a horse-guy, of course he gives his kid a horse. A young colt that recently lost its mother and needs someone to care for it. Perfect for his kid! When it gets older, they can ride it, and when they grow too large, they can run beside it, just like Jaghatai did when he was their age. Expects them to take good care of the horse but otherwise leaves them to it.

Roboute of course goes with the obvious choice, a dog. On his kid's birthday he hands them a puppy and tells them that this is a big responsibility and that they need to take care of and train this animal with the same dedication that he looks after the Ultramarines. He was being a bit overdramatic but when he sees his kid command the puppy to show off a new trick it learned with the same tone as a general commanding troops, he can't help but feel like he did a great thing.

[elsa-fogen]

Oh, Husk and Alastor?

Their dynamic is also pretty interesting, they kinda feel like two people who everyone thinks gets along great and are the best of friends. While in reality their friendship is fueled but a fire born from their hatred. They just have many decent moments and have a easy time understanding each other, through they often use that information to serve a selfish endeavor.

Like Alastor would mess with Husk, tease him and Husk would tell Al to get his act together so that he(Husk) doesn't have to deal with some sort of fallout (ref. when Mimzy comes by)

In general, I feel like they do get along really well, but they are in no way friends. Kinda like how you can get along well with your boss, but wouldn't really consider them a friend. And you wouldn't really want them to involve themselves in your life, but that doesn't stop Alastor. (Social conversions? What's that)

This also makes me curious, wonder what kind of dynamic Husk has with Rosie, or rather, how do you think Rosie sees Husk? Just like a pet Alastor has? Or does she actually see the person that is there? (Leaning more towards her not really seeing Husk more than a errand boy or pet of Alastor)

Though it would be fun if the first time Husk meet Rosie he thought that she might actually be willing to help him because she gives of the energy of being a very kind person around people she cares about (aka Alastor). So he tries to talk to her without Alastor present and he finally understands how they get along so well, they are both the same kind of crazy ᵔᵜᵔ

So, um- what are your thoughts on the dynamic between Alastor and Husk?

HEEEHEHHE YOU GOT ME A REASON TO TALK ABOUT MY FRESH HEADCANON ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIPS

OKAY SO!!

I saw a theory that Husk had children when he was alive. Keep that in mind, it's a secret tool we wanna use later

So, little bit about Alastor. He is not the guy who owns many souls. In fact, he doesn't own any (well... i have some headcanons, but it's for another time). The only soul he has is Niffty, and she's... she's whole another level.

So one day Alastor get's Husk's soul in posession and he has no idea what to do with him. Their contract is basically "you'll have to do anything i order you" but it doesn't set any boundaries for Husk. So he can insult Alastor, argue with him and so on. The only thing he cant is to try to kill Alastor, but it's obvious.

So, Alastor's just... drags him around, and Husk has to just be there all the time, and watch Alastor do stupid shit without thinking, being manipulated by Mimzy into some shenanigans and so on, because he's too powerful, kinda don't afraid of anything and little bit unhinged. And Husk is trying to be that voice of sanity for Alastor (and maybe Niffty). Like in canon, he tries to warn Alastor about Mimzy nd at some point seems genuinely worried about him. Just a bit. And also, in that scene in final song, when Alastor appears again, Husk doesn't seem happy but still goes for group hug.

I think he sees Alastor as a child he has to babysit, but the child is so spoiled, that he doesn't give a shit about his warnings. Maybe Al reminds him of his own children at some degree. And so Husk is attached to Alastor in some weird unhealthy way, he cares about him and tries to protect, even if it pointless.

The worst part of it is that Alastor doesn't see him more than funny fluffy cat-guy-pet. He almost never takes him seriously and doesn't listen to what he says. So Husk may try to reach out to Rosie, to make her to reason with Alastor. But she's basiclly "i could fix him, but whatever is wrong with him is way funnier". I think she listens to Husk's worries about another Alastor's scheme, but she also trusts Alastor? I mean, she belives that he'll be fine. But if something seems to dangerous, she can agree and talk to Alastor.

After all, Husk was an overlord, and i think Rosie could know him before he made a deal with Alastor. So, i think she doesn't think of Husk as just Al's pet, she knows who he is. After all, not every sinner can become an overlord. But still,

So, last thing. I saw that one comic where after episode 5 Alastor admits that Husk was right about Mimzy and i really love this thought. I think Alastor also likes Husk's presence at some degree. Maybe they could build something healtier, maybe Alastor, after losing part of his powers, would listen to Husk more. But still it's all fucked up while Alastor owns his soul.

And also, i'd really love to see something of just Alastor, Husk and Niffty getting into some shenanigans together, this would be so much fun. Al and Niff who are just 2 unhinged gremlins and Husk who's done with their shit, but still cares about them and can't just leave, and it's not because of the deal. Like i imagine when husk is trying to reason with Alastor that he's about do something stupid and dangerous and Alastor's like well i don't force you to follow us this time, but Husk still goes with them because who else would watch after these two idiots?

So i think, i get your point about them!

[fenrysmoonbeamswife]

Why do people act as if the Cauldron loving Elain is a good thing? Like it's some sort of teachers pet situation and is a point in her favor? And I'm not saying it's a point against her but her experience wasn't good, it traumatized her to the point that she was borderline comatose.

Going into the Cauldron is an allegory for rape or at the very least assault. The Cauldron loving her is like a predatory man that wants a woman as his prize. And that becomes even more apparent when you compare both sisters experiences. The Cauldron hates Nesta because she fought back, she took from it. If you look at it based on the metaphor, a predatory man usually doesn't want a woman that will put up too much of a fight. The Cauldron loves Elain because, we can assume, she's more docile but has power that could be manipulated. It's concerning, not girlboss. Especially considering HOFAS.

The Cauldron was of our world, our heritage. But upon arriving here, the Daglan captured it and used their powers to warp it. To turn it from what it had been into something deadlier. No longer just a tool of creation, but of destruction. And the horrors it produced...

This is not something you want to be the favourite of. I would be concerned about Elain either being corrupted (I would personally rather die than read about the soft girl turning evil or whatever, for the love of god SJM let one of the sisters keep her personality). Or attacked/taken again which could work well for a romance hurt/comfort or savior trope so it's highly possible with SJM

[enden-k]

NEW CONTENT TO ANALYZE 🛐

For now have a very eepy fixation on the scene where Saran is wrapped around Vika. He's not even close to being physically similar to Vika. Does that stop him at all from being his own weighted blanket/being able to wrap himself around him? Not at all. The reason he has tentacles is to better wrap around Vika

(Something about how Saran seemed to be absentmindedly petting the scars, I wonder if it was due to the texture? Or just something he likes doing. Idk something about it is very intimate, for some reason, usually you'd see a character kissing the area so i guess it's because it's something i haven't seen before that IS a display of intimacy. Rolling it over in my brain. Like a rotisserie chicken. Good concept)

Also 'VIKA CONTROL YOUR TOOL' lmao. It's giving 'GET YOUR FUCKING DOG BITCH' "It don't bite" 'YES IT DO-'. Protective Saran. Also a tasty concept. Good brain food too. Good stuff

(Also, the person who was saying that they liked Saran despite having some issues with eyes is so real. I have a horrible eye phobia. Eyes in general (specially eye contact) really creeps me out and every now and then there will be an illustration where i go 'ah yes this is the eye character. How the fuck did I forget that when IT'S HIS WHOLE THING' because genuinely you HAVE to be putting something in him! He doesn't creep me out! Genuinely i dont have any idea how Saran isn't just one walking trigger for me or why i enjoy him as much even when he does occasionally spook me

It's so weird! Fascinating! Genuinely feel like consuming Saran content (well. Your content in general but specially Saran related) has desensitized me somewhat to eyes. I even find myself particularly enjoying the way eyes have been drawn that day! Good characters good lore and now I can go a step above in my character analysis (in other fandoms) by watching their eyes without getting freaked out about it! Never have been so happy to have stumbled across someone's work)

-eepy 🦜. Still rotating the way they cuddle in my head. Saran is so attentive. So lovely....

imo, wrists are super intimate to touch (probably bc im very sensitive there and dont like them being touched unless its someone im comfortable w and trust); not to mention scars (esp if its SH)

saran stroking and tracing them gently is like him acknowledging them but not judging or pitying etc vika; not paying extreme attention/hyperfocus to them but also not ignoring them to the point of it becoming obvious. they are just a part of the person he loves. they are just there

also, saran just really likes to touch (so does vika) but very soft and gentle; hes the kind of person who will always gently run his knuckles down your face, hold your wrist and trace your veins or scars, stroke the back of your hand or palms, push stray locks of your hair behind your ear. its little but very intimate touches that say more than words could in this moment, more powerful than a bold touch imo

LMAO ITS FUNNY BC while im not scared of eyes at all or anything, im also just very uncomfortable and bad with being looked at/eye contact (i can manage when its a few seconds tho but i really do hate being perceived) but drawing saran so much and his many-eyes when theyre all staring straight at the viewer never fazed me lololol (prolly bc i stare at my own drawings longer than any of you, since i work on them n all)

i love how the eye-guy somehow managed to break through yalls fear of eyes tho!! saran was on his way to become a doctor before he died, does it count if i say bby still managed to "help" at least one a little bit even tho hes dead now? 🥹

[cafeeeeeeeeee3]

I WANT TO DRAW CENTAUR HORSE CROSS SO *BAD* BUT I SUCK SO HARD AT DRAWING HORSES

Like, hear me out. This man??? He is HEAVILY associated with the royal guard. There is simply NOT ENOUGH centaur Cross.

I first though Abt making him a Clydesdale, because, y'know, they're MAJESTIC. Beautiful horses. However, I heard that, although you can ride them, they're not exactly the sort of animal ya wanna ride for much(apparently their feet"" get injured often), which, y'know, I can't picture Cross not being. They're apparently "draught" horses??

So, uh, they are more about carrying stuff. Even though the shape language would be amazing for these, because they're very robust, quadrangular, it does not quite fit.

So, uh, I found some stuff. I found stuff about "destrier horses", which were horses trained for battle, and the Wikipedia lists some breeds. There are some listed, but the one I thought coolest would be the Andalusian horse, because not only does he seem to be the one most popularly known for being a battle horse, but it is also known as "Spanish pure breed", which I thought would be nice, because it is a little callback (even if he is not Spanish, following the Sans nationality = creator's nationality thing).

The Wikipedia article also cites its use in diplomacy. I think it's a neat parallel to him being a tool to appease somebody else (after all, he is simply a result of Xgaster trying to create a perfect world for Xchara and Xfrisk).

The problem is,,, I do not know how to draw horses. Much less understand the difference between horse breeds and accentuate them.

But, uh, this is an idea. I've also been thinking about making the dream tale twins into elks because,,, it simply fits their vibe??? It would be hella cool to have apple slices, rotted away (perhaps apple cores?) stuck in his antlers, sprouting into small plants that droop low — bowing, if you will.

I also thought about minotaur Horror(or simply have something along the lines of Cross, but with a taurine body. I do not think the minotaur myth exactly fits with him, but this has never been about that tbh), simply because,,, isn't it fun when the bull is the owner of the slaughterhouse himself???? And, like, I feel like there's such fucking sick metaphors to make with that. Nobody creates carnivore animals to eat in an extensive fashion because the animal would eat more than it's worth, ultimately making for a model that does not sustain itself.

I've kinda thought about dust and Killer, but, like, there's just not enough reason in any of my choices??? I think Ram Dust is really sick, because "yes". I do not have a deep reason for it.

I,,, don't really know what to do for Killer tho, if I were to do something like that. I thought about those deer with fangs, because I think that the way that their outward display of aggression ends up being bad for them kinda mirrors Killer.

I mean, if I remember correctly, he's quite literally taken off his "powerful" eye. It's why he cannot summon gaster blasters like other sanses do, instead being able to only summon a single one.

It isn't exactly about aggression, as much as it seems to be about trill seeking.

I do know this isn't canon, but I see Killer as an absolute adrenaline junkie. Mfer wants to feel good desperately, and he will hurt himself in the process without thinking twice — he will pet the kitties, whether they give him rabies or not (maybe some days he'll understand what the scratches mean and just,,, go away. Others, he will just try to coo and insist that they are really cute).

Anyways.

I also kinda wanted to make Killer a deer because in portuguese, deer is slang for gay and I really needed to fit this joke somewhere.

I have no idea what stuff like Swap and Ink would be too,,, like, Swap might be a moose because they're close enough to elks and they're also hella bulky, and really remind me about maple syrup, but, uh, they're REALLY big. Swap ain't that big. He's a small tank. Which might bring him closer to sheep territory, but I need a sheep that is BULKY, a sheep that can pack a punch,,, but I'm not sure. Since he is usually regarded as looking fairly weak(AND HE IS WEAK AS HELL. Swap has the stats of a normal sans, but none of the benefits,, I think he has TOP NOTCH protective gear so that most hits simply do not cause any damage. He can take the weight. I also think he has a shield, and he absolutely uses that shield as a main weapon — he fights against people whose defense is attack by making his attack his defense) a sheep might work???

Ink makes me think about cows. Because of the splatters, and because cows scream unhingedness to me (miltank flashbacks), while being usually hella strong.

They're not agile, though.

Ink always felt like a monkey to me, as the closest analogy. I mean, think about him,,, just,,, it does not fit here, y'know?

I also think it would be funny.

Anyways, I ramble too much.

[doumadono]

DOUMA LEARNING ABOUT HUMAN EMOTIONS

MASTERLIST

At first, Douma is skeptical about the idea of human feelings. He sees emotions as a weakness and doesn't understand why anyone would want to experience them!

However, as his significant other patiently explains the nuances of human emotions to him, Douma starts to become more interested in the concept. He begins to see that there is more to life than just killing and causing chaos.

Douma's significant other teaches him about love, empathy, and compassion. They show him that these emotions can be just as powerful as fear and anger, and Douma is surprised he didn't understand that earlier.

As Douma starts to experience human emotions for himself from time to time, he becomes more introspective. He begins to question his own motives and decisions, wondering if there is more to life than just fulfilling his own desires.

Douma's significant other becomes his confidante as he learns about human emotions. He turns to them when he's feeling lost or confused, and they help him work through his feelings, even though it's hard sometimes because Douma doesn't know how to differentiate between the emotions, and he's unable to describe what he's feeling.

Although Douma still enjoys causing chaos and destruction, he starts to develop a moral code. He becomes more selective about who he targets, and he tries to minimize collateral damage whenever possible ("you know, love, I've been thinking... I made a decision! From now on, I'll eat half as much women as I used to. It's not only called mercy, but first and foremost it's about compassion. I'm full of compassion lately, isn't it lovely?")

Douma becomes fascinated by the concept of love and begins to study it. He reads books, and observes people in love to try and understand what it means. As he learns more about love, Douma starts to feel it for himself. At first, he's not sure what to do with these feelings, but he's drawn to them nonetheless.

As Douma's understanding of love grows stronger, he becomes more protective of his significant other. He would do anything to keep them safe and happy ("my dear, I just felt something! It's so strange! The warmness within my chest, it's overwhelming. Fascinating! Is this what you call love?")

Douma quickly becomes curious about fear and starts to experiment with it. He tries to scare people and observe their reactions to see what happens. As he becomes more adept at scaring people, Douma starts to understand the feeling of fear himself. He realizes that it's not just about being scared, but about feeling powerless and vulnerable.

As he learns more about jealousy, Douma starts to see the ways in which it can be used as a tool. He starts to use jealousy to manipulate and control others, making them do his bidding. Despite his growing understanding of this strange feeling, Douma is still largely emotionless. He doesn't feel jealousy himself, and he doesn't feel empathy for those who do. Or maybe he does? ("My love, where are you going? Will there be other men there, hmm? You know I'm not fond of letting you go alone, you pretty, little thing. You're too precious to me, my petal.")

Douma's pursuit of happiness starts to become a problem as he becomes more and more obsessed with it. He starts to prioritize his own happiness above all else, even if it means hurting others ("Oh, no, my little pet, I'm not vicious! It's called treating yourself well and taking care of your happiness! I treated myself with just two more women, and I've never felt any better! Oh, how happy and satisfied I am!")

Overall, Douma's journey towards understanding human feelings leads him to become a more well-rounded and ultimately dangerous being for he knows how to act and what to do to touch what's invisible yet the most important for humans - their emotions.

[larrythefloridaman]

Thinking about Prism's relationship to motherhood and honestly I cant decide if its more thematically interesting to assume she did or didn't have a choice in the matter in being the cibling's parent. I think that not being directly addressed is a good choice not because it wouldn't inform things about prism but because either way works on different layers of the cpuk authorship metaphor and the ambiguity allows both possibilities to exist simultaneously.

If she didn't choose to be a mother, and spectrum just dropped them in her lap, well, she never REALLY got much of a choice in anything, given shes a fictional character with a Role To Play, its just one more thing on the pile that becomes painful due to her percieved or actual lack of choice in it, that she both embraces and abdicates responsibility for by placing it in spectrum's hands and distancing herself from it, hence taking the 'babysitter' title rather than the more Personal one of 'mother', enforcing a role on herself as much as anyone else, albeit with a caveat appealing to her own desire to keep her hands clean, showcasing the hypocrisy at the heart of her beliefs about controlling people and understanding the characters as tools and nothing worth more respect than a tool, 'its bad and ugly and evil to control other people but not when i do it :)' and 'its good for me to do what i do i have to play my role its my job you can't hold me responsible- but ill make some exceptions for my own comfort :)' two sides of the same self-interested coin.

On the OTHER hand, if she made the ciblings and chose to be a mother, and then abdicated that label at some point... alone at the endless well of possibility, the origin point of the world with absolute power, you choose to create, to create people that are not you, an Other, little hearts shaped by your every move, even in ways you don't see. They begin to act on their own, personalities blossoming. Autonomous little people you guide and shape. You're their whole world, and you love them. Your power still is absolute. But then, something starts to change. They start to develop and become their own people, self-possessed, expressing their individuality and autonomy they develop in ways that... displease you. They're not pets, theyre not just your little dolls to play with anymore, they have wills that can conflict with your own, WILL conflict with your own, because theyre not even JUST shaped by you anymore- theyre shaped by eachother and everyone and everything else, too. You start having to manipulate their personalities to get them to do what you want, to play along with your game, you mean them no harm, your actions arent guided by willful cruelty... you just need them to listen to you. To behave. To make things easy for you. You made them, you have responsibility for them, you have authority OVER them, you had a job to do. do you judge someone for loving a dog enough to train it?

This works. It takes learning how to twist the strings on each of your little poppets, closely and personally, but it works. And things are so much easier when it works! But sooner or later, the illusion starts to crack. They can't see the strings yet, and they wont, not for a very long time. but they know something is wrong, and they grow willful and resistant again. All this work to craft them and direct them and make them the best they can be, and they show you no gratitude, only skepticism and rebellion. One in particular, the youngest, offputting and mischievous since the start, had grown bratty and insolent. And so, pushed to your limit, you... make an example out of him.

But what you hadnt counted on was that you'd spent long enough learning who they were as individuals for the fresh cruelty of this act to be... meaningful, to you. You felt awful. You could glimpse, in your periphery, just how low you'd really sunk. It was wrong and you knew it. But you couldnt bear the thought. You couldn't look directly at it. So you didnt. You cast off the responsibility, along with the title, trading it for another. From a mother to a babysitter.

And you got what you wanted. Unconditional love didn't, conditional love didn't either, but fear? That kept your house in order, neat as you wanted it, you thought. You didn't even have to do as much anymore- the eldest, a thorn in your side who once demanded sense from you practically ran the ship for you now, smoothing out as many bumps as he could before they could even reach you, terrified of what you'd do. Sure, you'd permanently ruined your relationship with your youngest, but whats a few eggs for an omelette :)

[marinsawakening]

literally just thinking about the way Skyward Sword writes bullying for a millisecond made my eye twitch again and ruined my mood. There's a few flavors of bullies in media ranging from 'actively homicidal' to 'basically just teasing' and none of them accurately portray bullying. Bullying occurs because of a power imbalance. This is why the people being bullied are pretty much always outcasts; they typically have few to no friends and are disliked enough that few to no people (whether it be their peers or adults) are willing to help them. With the bullies pretty much always acting in groups, and the bullied person being almost completely alone by contrast, this means that the bullied person has no real way to fight back. Isolation is a key factor in maintaining the power imbalance that allows bullying to exist.

This is what the media gets wrong: the isolation, and the power imbalance. Media often portrays bullying as essentially a few kids fighting, as one kid being mean to another, but that misses the thing that makes bullying so fundamentally traumatizing: the power imbalance, the isolation. This misunderstanding allows media to portray bullying as something that's just kind of annoying, rather than traumatizing.

Skyward Sword fits very neatly into that pattern. Looking at Groose's actions in isolation, this seems to be a case of severe bullying: at the start of the story, he steals Link's loftwing. Loftwings are basically soulmates to people on Skyloft, and on top of that, are an important survival tool. Zelda assumes Link can call on his loftwing and pushes him off the edge, which could've easily killed him if she hadn't done some quick thinking. Groose also steals this loftwing with the specific intent of making Link fail his graduation. And even if loftwings were nothing more than pets, if a kid broke into another's house to steal their cat and hide it from them, would you consider that teasing or even mild bullying? That shit's pretty severe, actually. As is deliberately going out of your way to sabotage someone's chances at graduation. This is without even considering that Groose forced one of Link's friends to stay quiet by threatening to beat him up. This is not 'mild' bullying, this is not teasing. This is severe.

Except it isn't, because there is no power imbalance. Link is not isolated; he is at least casual friends with pretty much everyone except Groose and his friends at the Academy, the teachers love him and are willing to bend the rules and postpone the Wing Ceremony for him, etc. Link has far more allies and friends than Groose, in fact. Nobody seems to like Groose; even his two friends don't really seem to like him, and don't care at all when he disappears from Skyloft. But everyone likes Link. This skews the power imbalance between the two of them in Link's favor, not Groose's. And yet, Groose has been allowed to get away with targeting Link for years, somehow. This bullying dynamic does not make sense on a fundamental level, because if everyone likes Link better than Groose, including the teachers, there is simply no way Groose would've gotten away with bullying Link. He would've gotten ganged up on ages ago.

All of this is because it isn't that deep. Groose isn't a real bully; like most bullies in media, he isn't an abuser leveraging a power dynamic with the intent of isolating and hurting his victim, he's just kinda mean. His actions are over the top because it's funny. Link clearly is not even remotely traumatized by him; he's annoyed at worst. Honestly, Zelda seems to dislike Groose far more than Link does. This is not a good portrayal of bullying because it wasn't intended to be; the 'bullying' framework literally only matters insofar as it makes Groose look like an asshole.

Skyward Sword is a textbook case of bullying in media, in which the word 'bullying' is applied without understanding what it actually entails, reduced to just 'mean rivalry between kids'. I'm not saying there has never been a dynamic like Groose and Link's ever, I'm saying that calling it 'bullying' is nonsensical, for the same reasons that calling it 'abuse' would be nonsensical. And yet the game very much does call it bullying. Which makes my eye twitch.

[lucky-clover-gazette]

captive prince book 1 highlights & annotations

chapter 8

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are more things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include.

When they sat, he unclipped Damen’s leash, wound it around the handler’s rod, then tossed it to one of the attendants, who managed to catch it with only a slight fumble.

craft note: great little tension-breaking moment that doesn’t feel too silly

Torveld, evidence of a small coup for Laurent.

context: i think this just means that he is a useful tool in the power struggle against the regent? like, that’s how laurent regards him? which damen would understand at this point

Nicaise also sat well. His beauty at close range was striking. So was his youth. His voice, when he spoke, was unbroken. It had the clear fluting tone of a knife tapped against crystal, without cracks. ‘I don’t want to sit next to you,’ said Nicaise. ‘Fuck off.’

craft note: describes him as sweet, makes him say something vulgar. nice. 

also, laurent parallel!

His huge blue eyes were fringed like a whore’s, or like a doe’s.

craft note: GREAT line. highlights the deranged way sex and innocence are regarded in vere.

‘I made your pet jump,’ said Nicaise, smugly.

context: he did this to get laurent’s attention, not to hurt damen. i mean he definitely thought it was funny to stab damen with a fork but that’s just extra

Not sounding at all displeased: ‘Yes, you did.’

laurent respects the fork thing. birds of a feather etc

Laurent immediately lifted his cup and inclined it towards Nicaise in a little gesture sealing the bet. Damen tried to shake the bizarre impression that they were enjoying themselves.

context: nicaise is the closest thing laurent has to a brother, or maybe even a friend. this is one of the first glimpses of Real Laurent that we’ve seen in this book—funny, competitive, supportive in a backhanded way. damen just doesn’t know that this is the Real Laurent, and neither would a first-time reader. so from his perspective, laurent’s behavior is bizarre.

In a miracle of restraint, there were only nine courses, served ribboned and artfully arranged on jewelled plates by attractive pages.

Laurent went very still; then he deliberately shifted in his seat and leaned in, bringing his lips right to Damen’s ear. ‘I think I’m out of stabbing range, he’s got short arms. Or perhaps he’ll try to throw a sugar plum? That is difficult. If I duck he’ll hit Torveld.’ Damen gritted his teeth. ‘You know what I meant. He heard you. He’s going to act. Can’t you do something about it?’ ‘I’m occupied.’ ‘Then let me do something.’ ‘Bleed on him?’ said Laurent.

a glimmer of their future dynamic :’)

Damen opened his mouth to reply, and found his words stopped by the startling touch of Laurent’s fingers against his lips, a thumb brushing his jawline. It was the sort of absent touch that any master at the table might give to a pet. But from the shocked reaction that rolled over the courtiers at the table, it was clear that Laurent did not do this sort of thing often. Or ever. ‘My pet was feeling neglected,’ Laurent apologised to Torveld.

i am not immune to whatever the fuck this is

context: laurent was getting a little too comfortable talking to damen like they’re friends, which then made him switch gears. and/or he was feeling a little silly

‘He looks combative, but he’s really very docile and adoring,’ said Laurent, ‘like a puppy.’

freak

To demonstrate, Laurent picked up a confection of crushed nuts and honey and held it out to Damen as he had at the ring, between thumb and forefinger. ‘Sweetmeat?’ said Laurent. In the stretched-out moment that followed, Damen thought explicitly about killing him.

FREAK

i’m guessing the strategy here is to assert his own power and maybe make torveld feel frisky so he’ll support laurent and take the deal, but also. freak

She was saying to the noblewoman, ‘Of course, the idea of one of us keeping males is grotesque.

“i can excuse keeping a human pet, but i draw the line at heterosexuality”

Damen had assumed that pets, like slaves, were sexually submissive to their masters, as was the custom in Akielos. But he could only guess at the arrangements between Vannes and this woman in bed.

so is the pet/master relationship consensual? veretian pets are essentially full-time prostitutes, being paid to larp a specific power dynamic. so i suppose the matter of consent here rests on whether prostitution and sex work can be considered consensual, at all. which… is a very difficult question to answer, although my gut says that it isn’t. like, it’s consensual on paper between the two parties, but i still think that the inherent power imbalance of a person who is paying for services that make another person vulnerable is shaky at best. and the way vulnerable people (women, gay men) often turn to sex work as a last resort, because our real-life patriarchal society wants women to be disempowered and dependent, makes it really not seem like a choice at all. 

that said, vere isn’t the real world. and while bdsm is real, it is meant to include protections for every person involved. i thiiiiink i’d probably feel comfortable calling the master/pet thing in this fictional society consensual if i knew 1) that an indisputable safe word was built into the contract, and 2) that financial compensation wasn’t an aspect of the arrangement. like, if this was simply for fun and pleasure, without money or status on the line, i don’t think i’d have a problem with it. that basically just makes the veretian court a sex party for informed and consenting adults.

which, yeah, adults. even with all of that in place, i still don’t think informed consent can be given by a minor, which distinguishes nicaise’s situation from the contract-holders of age. that’s fucked up, no matter what. no wonder they hide it from torveld. 

‘We are waiting. Ancel will perform. He is popular, “in fashion.” You’ve had him.’ She didn’t wait for him to confirm this statement. ‘How was he?’ Well instructed. Damen’s mind supplied the answer, sly as a suggestion murmured in his ear. He frowned at it. He said, ‘Adequate.’

“well instructed” SCREAMING (yes this is level-headed analysis but also AHHHH)

"adequate” :)

‘The Prince?’ said Talik, scornfully. ‘Everyone knows the Prince does not keep pets.’ ‘None at all?’ said Damen. She said, ‘You.’ She looked him up and down. ‘Perhaps the Prince has a taste for men, not these painted Veretian boys who squeal if you pinch them.’ Her tone suggested that she approved of this on general principle.

this is charming in a way i can’t quite describe. the girls and the gays having a chat. also interesting—veretians seem to call damen a pet, more than they call him a slave. and there is a huge difference between the two positions. damen, however, seems to hear them as the same thing. just another little hint that his perspective isn’t exactly accurate, even though he is a noble and trustworthy character. 

The Regent gazed at him for a while. ‘I’m almost disappointed, if it’s no more than that. Laurent could benefit from a steadying influence, someone close to him with his best interests at heart. A man with sound judgement, who could help guide him without being swayed.’

careful what you wish for, fucker

‘My nephew is charming, when he wishes it. His brother was a true leader, he could inspire extraordinary loyalty from his men. Laurent has a superficial version of his brother’s gifts, which he uses to get his own way. If anyone could have a man eating from the hand that struck him, it’s my nephew,’ said the Regent.

way to tell on yourself

He badly wanted to step across the chasm that separated the two factions of this court: on the other side was this man who had long since won his respect. It was grittily painful for him to realise that it was not in his nature to do that—not while Laurent was acting on his behalf. If Laurent was acting on his behalf . . . even if Laurent was acting on his behalf, he had so little stomach for the drawn out game that was being played tonight. And yet. ‘I’m not the man you want,’ he said. ‘I don’t have influence over him. I’m not close to him. He has no love for Akielos, or its people.’

context: big damen moment! loyalty! integrity! good choice!

(although, respecting the regent… gross)

actually, putting a pin in the idea of “respect” here. it seems like damen respects the regent more than laurent, but chooses loyalty to laurent anyway. that’s partially out of fear, but also… not exactly. so what is, and is not, “respect” for these characters?

‘Go and fetch me my nephew. I prefer him not to be left alone with Torveld.’ ‘Yes, Your Highness.’

awful. the double meaning here—first-time reader thinks “laurent is working behind his uncle’s back, and that’s why the regent is annoyed that he's with torveld.” but it’s been twice now that there’s been a moment like this, where it’s almost implying that the regent is jealous of torveld for taking up laurent’s attention in... other ways. i don’t think it’s accidental, especially since torveld was described as similar to the regent. gross. 

‘—told my advisors that I was past the age to be distracted by beautiful young men,’ he heard Torveld say, and it was suddenly eminently clear that they were not discussing trade negotiations.

sharp objects quote again: “if you let people do things to you, you’re really doing it to them.”

That a man of Torveld’s honourable reputation would choose Laurent as the object of his affections was difficult to swallow, but perhaps Torveld admired reptiles.

‘And then I met you,’ said Torveld, ‘and then I spent an hour in your company.’ ‘More than an hour,’ said Laurent. ‘Less than a day. I think you get distracted more easily than you admit.’ ‘And you not at all?’ There was a slight pause in the rhythm of their exchange. ‘You . . . have been listening to gossip.’ ‘Is it true, then?’ ‘That I am—not easily courted? It can’t be the worst thing you heard about me.’ ‘By far the worst, from my perspective.’ It was said warmly, and won a breath of insubstantial amusement from Laurent. Torveld’s voice changed, as though they stood closer together. ‘I have heard a great deal of gossip about you, but I judge as I find.’ Laurent said, in the same intimate voice, ‘And what do you find?’ Damen stepped forward determinedly.

context: torveld is trying to figure out if he can get into laurent’s pants (he can’t, but laurent is in improv mode right now), damen steps in before the flirting can progress any further

Laurent, reclined elegantly against the balustrade, did not react at all except to shift his gaze in Damen’s direction. They were indeed standing close together. Not quite kissing distance.

laurent lean #4. also what a funny thing to notice, damen! “not quite kissing distance.”

‘You took your time,’ Laurent murmured as he passed Damen.

context: laurent wanted OUT of that situation

‘He is a prize,’ said Torveld, warmly. ‘I’ll wager you never thought a prince could be jealous of a slave. Right now I would exchange places with you in a heartbeat.’ You don’t know him, thought Damen. You don’t know anything about him. You’ve known him one night.

“you can’t like him because you don’t know him. i can’t like him because i do know him, and he sucks, yet i still feel protective of him for some reason. we are not the same.”

Damen was back on the leash, being used very possibly as a chaperone. Laurent was acting with the carefully bland manners of one trying politely to manage a difficult suitor. Damen thought with some amusement: boxed in by your own cleverness. As Damen watched, Torveld’s servant produced a peach, then a knife, then cut a slice at Torveld’s instruction, offering it to Laurent, who blandly accepted. When he had finished the morsel, the servant brought forth a little cloth from his sleeve with a flourish for Laurent to clean his immaculate fingers. The cloth was transparent silk, edged in gold thread. Laurent returned it crumpled.

this is as close to sitcom as we’re getting in vere

‘I’m enjoying the performance,’ Damen couldn’t resist saying. ‘Torveld’s servant is better supplied than you are,’ was all Laurent said. ‘I don’t have sleeves to carry handkerchiefs in,’ said Damen. ‘I wouldn’t mind being given a knife.’ ‘Or a fork?’ said Laurent.

banter!! it’s them!! <3 

also, i think the “performance” in question is laurent trying to spam romance interactions with torveld until he unlocks the diplomacy cutscene, rather than the actual performance at the party. clever. 

To Laurent: ‘You let him speak to his betters like that?’ ‘Not to his betters,’ said Laurent. Nicaise flushed at that.

context: laurent implies to nicaise that he respects damen more than he respects him. this is, of course, not a compliment towards damen, but a slight towards nicaise, who takes the joke seriously because he is a child

Damen looked at Laurent, who had simply let all of this unfold before him. He could see what had made Torveld transfer his affections. There was a superficial resemblance between the Prince and the slave. Erasmus’s fair skin and burnished hair were the closest thing in the room to Laurent’s gold and ivory colouring. But Erasmus had something Laurent lacked: a vulnerability, a need for caring, and a yearning to be mastered that was almost palpable. In Laurent there was only a patrician coolness, and if the purity of Laurent’s profile drew the eye, Damen had the scars on his back to prove that one could look, but not touch.

he’s expensive.

‘You had a choice,’ said Laurent. ‘You didn’t have to show me your claws.’ ‘You tricked me,’ said Nicaise. ‘I’m going to tell—’ ‘Tell him,’ said Laurent. ‘All about what I’ve done, and how you helped me. How do you think he’ll react? Shall we find out? Let’s go together.’ Nicaise gave Laurent a look that was desperately, spitefully calculating. ‘Oh, will you—enough,’ said Laurent. ‘Enough. You’re learning. It won’t be as easy to do next time.’ ‘I promise you, it won’t,’ said Nicaise venomously, and he left without, Damen noted, giving Laurent his earring.

context: it’s only a play-threat from laurent that he’d tell the regent that nicaise accidentally helped, which he then rescinds as not to scare nicaise, and even follows up with a compliment. he is trying so hard to look out for nicaise within these circumstances, and it’s especially obvious compared to how he interacts with literally everyone else.

Laurent had delivered all Damen had asked for, tied up neatly in a bow. All within the space of a day. If you put everything else aside, you had to admire it for sheer organisational efficiency.

hot

Laurent seemed, bizarrely, to be in a good mood. He leaned a shoulder rather casually against the wall. His voice was not exactly warm, but nor was the ice edge polished to cut.

laurent lean #5

‘I thought you and Torveld would have other plans.’ It just came out. Laurent said, ‘No.’

there’s no way damen actually thought that. so why did he make the comment? hmmm 

‘You are permanently disgusted by us, aren’t you?’ said Laurent.

the mutual moral arbitration continues

Laurent detached his gaze from the Regent and turned it back on Damen, his blue eyes showing neither his usual hostility, nor arrogance, nor contempt, but instead something that Damen could not make out at all. ‘I warned you about Nicaise because he is not Councillor Audin’s pet. Haven’t you guessed yet whose pet he is?’ Laurent said, and then, when he didn’t answer: ‘Ancel is too old to interest my uncle.’

“you are permanently disgusted by us, aren’t you?” laurent certainly seems to be, and i think he actually trusts damen to feel the same way. as in, he thinks damen has the same morals as he does, about this subject at least. progress!

[popiellart]

OC Deep Dive: Shrike

Tagged by @lilnoctua 🥰 Tagging @elegiacescapist @uldren-sov @milleart @susandsnell and anyone else who'd like to do this meme

What common/uncommon fear do they have?

Incredibly common fear of dying, or, if you want to be an annoying little pedant, a fear of 'the end of his existence'.

Shrike lives in the present, having been condemned as a mortal to a short and extremely violent and bleak life, so he considers his Embrace, no matter how violent and deeply, irreparably traumatizing it's been, a salvation. This new, predatory existence a gift. Each new night a win.

Survival no matter what is such a high priority to him, that it's codified in gameplay with a Conviction, and a matching Touchstone.

This causes - not a conflict, but a certain rift in understanding between himself and some of his packmates, who still struggle with the question of whether such a cursed and violent nocturnal existence as theirs is even worth perpetuating.

Bit more uncommonly, he has a bunch of fears that should logically exclude each other, and yet. A fear of change and a fear of stagnation. A fear of being abandoned and a fear of being tethered forever. A fear of being perceived as useless, and a fear of being perceived as skillful enough to be a threat. A fear of being a a victim and a fear of being a vile monster. (He's a monster, but he's not vile. Not yet.)

Do they have any pet peeves?

So many. He detests people who get into his personal space and touch him in any way, which happens way too often for his liking. (He declined to shake a Banu Haqim's hand once, and guess what? He avoided contact poison. Stay touchstarved, kids!)

He's extremely judgemental about other Cainite's feeding habits, especially for an Alleycat/Pursuer. He thinks pretty much any other predator type than his is either unethical, or gross. Yes, Consensualists are unethical. They're like hunters who feed the deer in winter, only to shoot them at the feeding spot in the summer, and they ruin the natural survival instincts in the prey base. Shut the fuck up, Mira.

He views every single relationship and interaction in terms of power dynamics, and is incredibly peeved when people don't act in accordance to their place, especially those who are supposed to be at the top of the food chains. Those lower in hierarchy acting out is understandable, he does that too, tests the limits. For those higher in the hierarchy to not issue a correction to such disrespect, is unforgiveable.

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

Most of the time, his bedroom looks like nobody lives there. He might've left a backpack with surgical tools, heroin kit, and a bag of earth behind.

What do they notice first in a person?

He estimates the level of danger, whether they're predator or prey, whether they carry themselves like a somebody or a nobody, whether they'll fold or snap when pressed.

Body language, whether they carry a weapon, openly or concealed. Potential markings of in-group belonging, like tattoos.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

Honestly, pretty close to a 10. He doesn't appreciate it enough, but Resolve is one of his highest stats, and he's simply fantastic at gritting his teeth and bearing it.

Even as a mortal, he went through severe physical abuse. The things he had done to him at Embrace, and the things he had to do to himself in the course of learning Vicissitude went beyond any standard mortal pain.

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure? (or freeze and fawn)

Flight. He's always ready and willing to bolt, constantly hyper vigilant, and there's something about his tense body language that brings to mind a bird right before it takes off, or a deer just before it bolts.

He will fight when cornered, and it'll be incredibly ugly. He's more dangerous than he looks, or than he thinks he is.

He's not above fawning when neither running away nor fighting is possible, though. He'll agree with anything he's told, to do anything he's told, only to get back to his own matters when their backs are turned. Whatever helps him survive.

Only in the most helpless situation, like long-term abuse, does he finally freeze, stops trying to run or do anything at all, even when opportunity would theoretically allow, and simply watches things happen to him. Only happened once to him, but then again, he's like, 19. Plenty more opportunities to get completely destroyed.

What animal represents them best?

I'm hesitating between a stray cat, and one of those highly driven working dog breeds that act out and self-harm when they don't have a Task. His natural aloofness and desire for independence fights in him with his high energy and an acquired need to please and be owned.

Ironically, not a shrike, despite the name and the brief stint of clan-appropriate fixation with impalement. But he's named for the Hozier song, not the bird itself.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Short and skinny. Looks like a drug addict. Has claws. Aloof, shy. Observant. Abrasive and cynical, with a grating voice and, upon any longer conversation, a quickly uncovered unpleasant sense of humour.

Do they have any hobbies?

He likes outdoors activities, especially climbing. He also enjoys spelunking, he's blessedly devoid of claustrophobia, and his small, flexible body helps him get into some really tight squeezes.

As a kid, he was really good at football, but currently his trauma, and being a blood-drinking monster besides, prevents him from maintaining a personality that'd convince other people to let him play team sports with them.

He also like hobbies requiring manual dexterity. He played around with origami and embroidery floss weaving briefly, he likes games that require precise skill, timing and patience, he's got one of the world records in Flappy Bird.

If he lives until the Nintendo Switch is released (the year in campaign is currently 2014), he's gonna have the time of his life playing the fuck out of Hades and doing a hitless Hollow Knight run.

He's a heroin addict, if that can be called a hobby. Sometimes it helps with the extensive Vicissitude working, but never quite enough. Which, that's another not-quite-hobby, the study of Vicissitude. He's really, really good for his very young age. Burns massive amount of blood for unyieldingly regular practice, though.

Which is a good thing that he really likes hunting, too. Stalking and chasing prey, obsessing over their identity and waiting until his hunger is at just the right pitch to make the finale of the chase the most satisfying it can be, is often a process that can take up an entire night.

A completely unnecessary process, by the way, as he can feed from his alleged-sire's herd, if it pleased him. (It really doesn't.)

[theunintentionallyawesomeone]

Ok, spoilers for episode 5 but something I liked, especially after all that happened in 4, was the scene with Husk confronting Alastor about Mimzy.

I will admit that, after ep. 4, I was having a hard time seeing Husk's situation with the same gravity as Angel's.

Of course, it sucks to be under the thumb of someone much more powerful than you and be at their beck and call, but I didn't see how Alastor treated Husk being nearly as bad as how Valintino was treating Angel. Their relationship wasn't healthy but it didn't seem as bad.

But that scene? That changed it.

Husk's situation with Alastor is just as toxic and abusive, just like Angel and Valentino, albeit in a different way.

Both Alastor and Valentino see their respective victims as objects, something they own and can profit from. Angel and Husk are tools to them, not people or lovers or friends.

Because of that, Husk nor Angel can call out negative behavior of their abusers without dire consequences.

When Husk criticized Alastor and made a dig in retaliation to being belittled, Alastor responded threateningly as a reminder to his "pet" that he has the power to put Husk down if he wanted to.

It really cemented to me that Alastor doesn't view Husk as anymore than an attack dog cat on a choke chain.

[astroyongie]

🔮 Magic Info Part 1 🔮

Note: if you have any questions you want to be answered, please send them here: https://forms.gle/mHUTZhqvXmp2Cc1N6

-> Also I am answering everyone's questions, if your question isn't here, it will appear on the next Magic Info <3

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Followers Questions *ੈ✩‧₊˚

Can you pls tell more about selling a soul? Like give us pls full info it’s so forbidden ik but yet so intriguing : 

Like I have once said on the blog, I will not give you a full step to step on how “selling a soul” works. If it is forbidden and dangerous, it’s for something.  But I will try to tell you why you shouldn't do it and why you should stop obsessing over it. You can basically sell a soul to any entity (so not only demons and dark energies from the low astral, but also to angels or deities). Those are only made through very specific rituals, on certain dates, under certain circumstances, etc. Do it wrongly and the consequences suffered will be the same as dying through acid. Is selling a soul worth it? No. No matter what you ask for the entity what you will have to give is far more than what you can handle. Your life certainly but also the ones of people you love (after you have seen them suffer because of it). It doesn’t matter if it is an angel. When selling your soul you become a lifeless body and no reincarnation will be possible since your spirit will simply disappear. 

Does every human have angels around them?

If we follow what is written in the Bible, Kabbalah or the Qur’an, God is with us all, and with it, so are the angels that are supposed to look over us and protect us from evil. I do believe that everyone has their own guardian angel out of the 72 written in the Kabbalah but I also believe that not everyone is connected to them due to spiritual guides that aren’t angels (spiritual guides can be human souls that have passed or haven’t incarnated, could be deities or spiritual being of the high astral). Some people will be a lot more in tune with spiritual guides instead of angels and that is okay. But if you ask me, yes I do believe that everyone has their own Angel (some even more than one) the same way they also have their opposite (low astral entity). Life is made out of balance. Light can only exist if there’s darkness. 

My dog has been more clingy around me recently. Could this potentially be my dog's way of trying to protect my me/my energy from negative energy/spirits? Or could my dog be signaling to me that something is wrong with me/my body? 

There are 4 reasons that can make a pet become more clingy all of a sudden. 1: there’s no reason, they are just seeking company: 2: their owner is indeed having a very low energy and they are trying their best to be by your side and raise your vibration higher (which the purr of a cat does very well); 3: the owner is feeling low or sick and the pet is trying to warn you about it; 4: it is the pet who is sick and trying to show you their low mood by being clingy. 

I always wondered who actually came up with tarot cards and their meanings. The symbols like lovers, hermit, swords, wards etc. do they have any deeper meaning or is it just some sort of random thoughts:

This is a very interesting question because there are two answers to this. We got the “scientific” answer made by scholars and we have the “spiritual” made by the 14th-century occultists. For the scholars: Tarot were created in Italy in mid 15- century as a card game, that later was taken by “occultists” who made propaganda with it saying they were divination tools that had originated from ancient Egypt manuscripts, the Kabbalah, Indic Tantra and even the Ching which is a divination book made in China around 1000 BC. 

The spiritual reference however states indeed that the tarot has power over the future because they originated during these periods but also because the Major Arcanas were the “high secrets of the world” that were contained in the King Solomon book. Alesteir Crowley, explains that a lot in his books and research. 

One thing is certain, I believe that no matter the origin, Tarot has power. Even if it was not influenced by any pre-Christian society, they were still created by humans and for years there was power and manifestation given to the meanings in the cards, which with time stays. 

What is your opinion on egyptian zodiac signs where every person is assigned one god/goddess?

Since I am not too much into Egyptian Mythology, I don’t know much about it, but I do find it interesting. Mostly because it shows how the greatest empires and societies (Egyptian, Greek, Chinese, Roman, Arab, Maya, Celtic, ect)  in our world still believed in astrology and lived their lives based on the stars. For anyone curious, this site says it all: https://belowthestars.com/egyptian-astrology/ 

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Curiosities *ੈ✩‧₊˚

Seeing the dead: Contrary to popular knowledge, everyone is able to see dead people to a certain extend. It is known that only "mediums" are clearly able to connect, see and talk to the dead, but even with mediums, they aren't able to contact everyone. But why's that? why are there some that are more in tune with certain dead people and others not? while it all depends on your gifts that's for sure, but also on your own spiritual energy. Some people are able to see them but not talk to them. Others are able to hear them and not see them. Some are able to see and communicate with them through dreams and some even through divination tools. The spiritual world is vast and the knowledge we have of it, is very little.

Healing through magic: Remember that life is about balance. There are spells that exist that are able to help someone heal on certain things but when practicing it, remember that the diseases you are taking away need to be put somewhere else. If you aren't able to choose someone or if your values stop you from doing it, you need to be prepared for disease to stay around you and the people that you love and care for (animals included).

Graveyard dirt: It is a powerful and energetic ingredient for certain spells and rituals. But I definitely advise you not to use anything that deals with death (ingredients, such as dirt, bones, blood, dead people accessories) if you haven't been yourself close to death. The reverse effects will be just very hard to handle if you don't know what you are dealing with

Sigils: DON'T USE SIGILS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW THE POWER THEY HAVE! sigils are made through energy, when they are used, it's with intention. And, although your intuition is very important, using sigils that are used centuries ago without having a clue of what they are for, can be very dangerous. The same goes when you work with angels, demons or other deities, do not use their sigils. I won't be able to help you if you do.

Religion and Magic: Magic is seen through the eyes of religion as something made by the devil. I do believe that these beliefs are due to the monotheist religions that wanted to protrait it as the devil in other beliefs. Remember, plants and remedies are "magical" based. meds are just a scientific way to say "magical herbs". Remember that religion is something personal, and beliefs are something personal. Be connected to your high self, to your values, and practice whatever you feel comfortable with. Don't allow other people to tell you it's evil or wrong. If you feel at peace, that's the most important thing

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 21 - A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

I honestly entirely forget who recommended this to me, but I owe them a thank you. Absolutely not something I would have ever picked up on my own, but a really enjoyable read. My exposure to Novik’s work is extremely limited, which is to say I’ve read Spinning Silver, but I’ve been vaguely meaning to give more of her stuff a try for a while. Didn’t enjoy this as much as that on a few levels, but that’s just the YA/adult genre jump as much as anything, probably.

It is very much a YA book, more than anything I’ve read this year (even more than Iron Widow, probably). From the entire plot being about making friends in high school being a literal life or death struggle to El “most powerful mage ever but only for evil things she tries to avoid so only a half dozen people ever realize how special she is’ Higgins to the booklength awkward teenage ‘literally unclear whether we are dating or not’ romance. So! Broadening my genre horizons some, I suppose.

El’s internal monologue was a bit of a trial for the first half of the book or so, I’ll admit. Not to say that it didn’t ring true to life, but she was just so incredibly fifteen, you know? Generally became significantly more tolerable once she started actually acting and coming out of her shell instead of devoting herself entirely to angsting about how much everyone hated her and trying to convince herself that she was a machievellian villain in waiting.

Though, to pick a nit that probably annoyed absolutely no one but me – I’m willing to accept El’s magical savant-ness as the price of admission, but the whole gradual reveal with her mom actually being world famous felt...odd? Cheap? Like in the beginning she’s very firmly characterized as this kind of head-in-the-clouds well meaning but not particularly perceptive or effectual hippie type, and then it’s gradually revealed that she’s actually the best healer in the UK and has set the global standard for a lot of spells and-. And it’s not like the reveal was actually doing anything dramatically, except making early book El’s isolation and lack of friends even more self-imposed, which was hardly necessary at that point. (Honestly ‘supporting cast go from being nobodies to retroactively being world-famous in their fields’ is the sort of decay I tend to associate with long running serial fiction. Weird to see it happen over the course of one book.) But that’s really just a minor pet peeve.

Orion was a great character, or at least a well-done example of an archetype I adore. ‘Selfless, heroic and dedicated to the point of it being kind of offputting/creepy Chosen One type who is (and I can’t emphasize this enough) not the protagonist. Partially because ‘there’s a much more conventionally heroic adventure story happening 5 degrees to the left’ just makes most stories a little bit more amusing, but also because someone really earnestly believing ‘my entire life is a means to a higher end, a fine tool set to a magnificent or at least a necessary purpose’ reliably drives me absolutely insane about them. That said the only reason I’m not absolutely certain he turns out to be either secretly evil or destined-to-be-the-antichrist is because the end of book cliffhanger makes that almost too obvious and on-the-nose.

Taking a bit of a step back, it’s interesting that the book didn’t really have any individual villain? Like, some other students are antagonists at times, sure, and there are plenty of horrible gribbly monsters (I adored basically all the horrible gribbly monsters), but none that really last as antagonists? Either defused or convinced to step aside/help or brutally murdered with magic. The entire finale was basically extreme high stakes facility maintenance. So yeah, interesting, not my usual expectation of YA.

I mean more broadly the actual villain is of course the entire fucked up system, both social and metaphysical, underlying the school. The role of a brutally competitive education system as recruitment method allowing particularly competent or promising immigrants and members of the lower classes to join a ‘meritocratic’ elite while also filtering out the most troublesome or incompetent children of that elite and using their failure to legitimize the easy inheritance of all the others is, perhaps, a slightly on the nose analogy. But, again, kind of the price of admission.

[inastarlesssky]

Okay, here it is my recap of 1x02.

So it starts with Morpheus (that's what I'm calling him...he says to the Fates, 'I am Morpheus...Dream of the Endless...' etc so I'm going to call him that.) returning to the Dreaming and finding everything falling to pieces and in disarray. Lucienne is with him and explains that it began to fall apart with his disappearance. I felt a little bit for Morpheus at that part when after he asks Lucienne what happened to the residents, they (anyone know what pronouns to use for Lucienne?) tell him that some of them fled, thinking that Morpheus had tired of them..

I really, really admire Tom Sturridge's acting because it's impressive how despite not showing so much physical reaction to something emotional, he can still convey that emotion. And in this moment, he's a little surprised, taken aback, stung maybe that his people have such little faith in him, that they think he would abandon them. After all that he's done for them (at least from what I see when we first see the Dreaming in all its glory...like imagine, Morpheus built that for them, the Dreaming is where they go when they sleep, and the dreams [and nightmares] are what he creates, for them).

But he's not back to his full strength just yet. He discovers that without his tools (the ruby, the helm and the sand that was taken from him upon his capture) he's weak and he doesn't have the power to restore his kingdom to what it once was. So he goes in search of the one thing remaining that he created, which might be able to return to him enough power to summon the Fates and ask after his missing tools. He finds that in the Gargoyle in the care of Cain and Able.

It was sad, of course, when Gregory the Gargoyle agreed to sacrifice himself so Morpheus could recover enough power to call the Three-Who-Are-One. But also to note the regret Morpheus felt over that. You could see the pain in his eyes when he started to reabsorb his power, like he didn't really want that, but it was necessary.

Also, Lucienne is my hero. I love them very much.

Tom Sturridge did a fantastic job of showing Morpheus' regret at what he had to do. The Corinthian (an escaped Nightmare and supposedly a villain here in the series) swears that Morpheus doesn’t care about anyone but himself, yet (and I was happy to see this and at this moment started to consider hmm I might possibly like Morpheus) he cares enough to gift Cain and Abel with a new pet: a baby gargoyle named Goldie. A self-less act. I mean, yes Morpheus went to get the snake to offer it to the Fates, but the egg he retrieved was that gift he gave to the brothers.

Then we see the Corinthian trying to enlist Ethel's help in finding and getting a hold of the sigils, Morpheus' tools, no?

Morpheus addresses the Fates (and I enjoyed that interaction, to be honest...his little incline of the head, that 'Thank you, ladies' ...I loved it) The Fates tell Morpheus where he can find his sigils, but in a very cryptic way. Poor man, I mean Endless.. It's like, he asks a question, and one says, "[The ruby] was passed from a mother to a son."

The Fate: *rattles off some cryptic answer* Morpheus: 😤😐😑

And I LOVED how he seemed to forget the one question, one answer. He'd ask one question, get yelled at by the Fates, and then answer with (basically) "Oh shit, right, sorry about that!" 🤣 Excuse me, Dream of the Endless, get your act together, love.

The sand was sold in London. And we're introduced to Johanna Constantine. The helm was traded to a demon (???) for the Amulet of Protection. Ethel ends up using this to get rid of Corinthian for the time being. The ruby, well, we don't know much more than that it was passed from a mother to a son. And that it's somehow related to Johnny (David Thewlis) who's in a hospital/prison according to him.

I'm absolutely fascinated by this series and excited for the next episode!

Also, just the visuals of all this is really amazing. There's a scene, I forgot to mention, when Morpheus parts the waters to travel to the Waking (I suppose that's where he's going to pursue his missing sigils). From Sturridge's subtle hand movements to the way the water flows, it's so impressive. I really enjoy it.