#LIKE we know the curses affects are inherently affected by the will and strength of the user and wormtail is literally a pussy bitch

[dreamgirlvibes]

hi! this is kind of a serious question but i need some advice on navigating racism in a godly way. people can be so mean and hateful that it makes me want to be the same way. i don't like the idea of extending grace to people who are evil like that because the trauma i experience (or have experienced) hits deep and affects my way of living mentally. it's all just so overwhelming and at times i feel defenceless living in a predominately white area. i don't want to pass down hatred because i know i'm destined for greatness, yk? i don't want bigoted people to ruin that for me but i also have trouble finding a middle ground. how can i stand my ground as a child of God? what's the best thing for me to do?

Thank you in advance!

Hey love, first of all, thank you for being so open and vulnerable with your question. What you're feeling is completely valid—navigating racism, especially when it’s so deeply personal and traumatic, is incredibly painful. It’s understandable to feel anger, frustration, and even the temptation to respond with the same hatred you’ve received. But it’s also beautiful that you're seeking to honor God and not let those harmful experiences define you or steal your peace.

The first thing I want to say is that your feelings are real and justified. The pain, the trauma—it’s not something that can just be ignored or erased. God sees that, and He’s with you in every moment of hurt. It's also important to recognize that anger and pain don’t make you any less of a child of God. You're allowed to feel and grieve, but God also calls us to a higher way of living—to respond with grace and love, even when it's incredibly hard. That doesn’t mean you have to take abuse silently, but there’s a way to stand firm in your identity without letting bitterness take root.

💕 Here’s a few points that I pray the Holy Spirit will help you understand and navigate through:

1. Remember Who You Are in Christ: You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Your worth doesn’t change based on how others treat you. You are a child of God, destined for greatness—just like you said. Hold onto that truth, especially on the hard days. Your value is in who God says you are, not in the opinions of others. 🫶🏽

2. Grace Doesn’t Mean Accepting Harm: Extending grace to others doesn't mean tolerating hatred or letting people walk all over you. It means refusing to let hatred consume your heart. You can stand up for yourself and speak truth, but you don’t have to let bitterness or hate take root. It’s okay to set boundaries and protect your peace. God wants you to be strong, not defenseless—but also to rise above the negativity without allowing it to define you.

3. Righteous Anger Is Okay: Jesus Himself showed righteous anger when He overturned the tables in the temple (Matthew 21:12-13). Anger in response to injustice is not inherently sinful. What matters is how you process and channel that anger. God’s justice and righteousness are always on our side, and we can trust that He will fight for us in ways we may not even understand.

4. Pray for Those Who Hurt You- This is a hard one, trust me, I KNOW PERSONALLY- but it’s in the Bible for a reason. Jesus teaches us to pray for our enemies and bless those who curse us (Matthew 5:44). That doesn’t mean you condone their actions, but it frees you from carrying the burden of unforgiveness. God can heal your heart and give you the strength to respond in love, even when it’s painful.

5. Find your voice: Standing your ground doesn’t mean being silent in the face of injustice. If you can, speak up—both for yourself and for others who might not have a voice. God has equipped you with strength, wisdom, and courage. Use that power to advocate for what’s right and to be a light in the darkness.

6. Healing is a Journey: The trauma you’ve experienced is real, and healing takes time. Don’t rush yourself. Lean into God during your process—He’s your refuge and your strength. Surround yourself with people who understand and uplift you. And remember, it's okay to seek help, whether through counseling, therapy, or support groups. God can work through these avenues to bring healing.

7. God Has a Plan for You: Despite the pain, God has a unique and beautiful purpose for your life that no one, not even the most bigoted or hateful person, can take away. Don’t let their hate overshadow the greatness that God is preparing in you. Stay rooted in His love and truth, and trust that He will lead you through this difficult season.

Psalm 139:14

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

This verse speaks to your inherent worth and identity in Christ. No matter what others say or do, you are beautifully and intentionally created by God, and your value doesn’t change based on anyone else’s behavior. 💕🥹

Romans 12:17-21

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

This passage teaches us how to respond to hatred with grace, refusing to repay evil with evil, but instead seeking peace and allowing God to bring justice in His perfect timing. 🙏🏾

Ephesians 6:10-13

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."

This verse reminds us that, as children of God, we are equipped with spiritual strength to stand firm, no matter the external challenges or injustices we face. ✨

Matthew 5:44

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

While difficult, Jesus calls us to love even those who are unkind and to pray for those who hurt us. This is not an endorsement of their behavior, but a way to rise above and avoid letting hatred take root in our hearts. 💞

Isaiah 54:17

"No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.

This verse assures us that God will protect us from every weapon formed against us, including the harmful words and actions of others. He is our defender, and He will vindicate us.

These scriptures remind us of our identity, the strength we have in God, the importance of extending grace, and God’s promise to stand with us through every injustice. You are never alone, and you can trust Him to fight for you.

You are so much more than the hatred you encounter. Your future is bright, and your resilience in the face of all this is a testament to the strength God has placed within you. Keep your eyes on Him, stand firm in your identity, and know that you are never alone in this.

I’m praying for you and standing with you, beautiful. Keep shining. You’re destined for greatness. 💕 here for you. 🙏🏾

[getougender]

Why do many people think Gojou didn't get real love in his childhood, no real affection until Geto? Shoko's rarely a part of these talks. Where was it shown or even implied that Gojou had a bad or boring childhood? He was only shown to be a cocky child aware of his strength and position, that says nothing inherently bad about his family. We don't even see his family? Maybe he was pampered, maybe he was spoiled normal amount, maybe his family is the one that taught him to be rebellious there's so many possibilities besides copypasting generic sad shounen past. He wasn't a completely different man until Geto came into his life, he didn't turn 180° just for Geto.

yeah, shouko definitely gets ignored a lot in, like, every conversation about gojou's past---gojou had/has friends! getou just happened to be his best friend, but even that, and his character development, did not happen overnight.

while it was never stated explicitly that gojou had a bad childhood, given the major clans' general track record with their ideas of child-rearing, gojou's childhood probably wasn't...great. i don't think it was bad! he wouldn't have been abused the same way maki, mai, or touji were, and he probably wouldn't have had the issues surrounding duty and parentage that noritoshi does, but i don't think it was good, either. iirc your cursed technique manifests when you're about 5-6 and he's 1) the heir to the gojou family and 2) the most powerful sorcerer born in centuries; his power would have been (is) coveted and while he'd had a shit-ton of responsibility piled onto his shoulders, he's probably also been on that pedestal cementing him at the top for almost his entire life. people generally regard him with awe, fear, or jealousy/disdain, and most of that is dripping with respect that keeps him at an arms' length. we're not sure if that applied to his family, but because the clans tend to value tradition and respect pretty highly, it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that they didn't make a huge effort to be super close to him, which, okay, objectively speaking, is kind of understandable, between the latter bits about tradition and because the idea of having an elementary schooler who can and is actively being trained to blow people to pieces just wandering around your house is a tad unnerving.

gojou being isolated from basically everyone else is a recurring subject, but he still would have absorbed the ideas about what it means to be strong and a sorcerer's role in relation to nonsorcerers. we see what he thought about these as a teenager in the beginning of his flashback arc and the ensuing argument with getou, but even though he obviously outgrew these ideas, he had to get them from somewhere. plus, some big parts of his personality---difficulty with relating to others and taking personal issues seriously (he can absolutely take things seriously, but he doesn't talk much about Stuff That Bothers Him except occasionally mentioning homicidal rage and he doesn't have a lot of tact when it comes to other people's problems, like not knowing what to do about getou spiraling before it was too late and people started dying and responding to yuuta's "the only reason i'm alive is because rika is physically preventing me from killing myself" with "okay, yikes"), how he handles the corruption in jujutsu society and the tendency for kids to get brutally murdered is to simply Train The Child Soldiers To Be Better And Intimately Aware Of Current Societal Flaws, and his tendency to sniff out young sorcerers and try to protect them from growing up too quickly like he did are all traits that he's developed and been changed by over the years but are still rooted, most likely, in how he was raised.

also, while he is definitely very privileged, i'm not entirely sure that he was spoiled, necessarily? i think entitled is a better word for it, and it was much more apparent as a teenager. he's a rich kid who's been told he's Destined 4 Great Things and he knows it's true because it's been painfully obvious his whole life, but! but!! though part of that mindset changing is probably due to growing out of it and seeing what the world is like, a lot of it had to be because of getou, shouko, and to a smaller degree, yaga. when they meet in high school they all treat him like Just Some Kid---a very powerful kid, but a kid nonetheless, and especially like a kid who's chewing gum open-mouthed and very loudly in public just for the sake of being obnoxious. yaga is his teacher and most immediate authority figure who generally treats his antics with exasperation. his new classmates can keep up with him in terms of personality and/or abilities: shouko and getou are very straightforward with what they think of him and have absolutely zero problems with calling him a bitch to his face, and not only are he and getou evenly matched, but shouko is one of the very, very few people who can do something he can't (at least at the beginning) because she has a reverse cursed technique. and neither of them were brought up the same way that he was! getou probably didn't even know who he was at first!

how infuriating.

how refreshing.

[fortheloveoflizards]

ive actually been a fan of wof for years now, im just not super active in the fandom and i guess id like to be? so here i am, sending u an awkward ask lol. anyways, the more i think about animus magic, the more i hate the way tui executed the concept? like theres barely any consequences or limitations. dragons can do whatever they want with it, which is bad for the plot. idk what are ur thoughts?

Hah, this isn’t awkward at all, I actually do have a lot of thoughts on animus magic, particularly how it differs in each tribe. I think giving each tribe different types of magic, as well as individual drawbacks on top of the general “you go crazy if you abuse your power”. Though I think the latter could have worked as more of a “if you use your power selfishly, it’ll turn on you” sort of situation? In my headcanons, each tribe has a type of magic they work best with, and a type of magic that puts strain on their physical form.

As the tribe closest in appearance to traditional European dragons, I like to headcanon Skywing animus magic as Weather and Element based. Stuff like creating storms and controlling wind currents is easy to imagine, but also magic pertaining to emotions, often fueled by the feelings of the animus themselves. A Skywing animus might find it easiest to use an object to better conduct magic, like a branch or, most commonly, crystals of different types. Skywing magic is what you would call “cast spells”, meaning they have no need to write or say what they wish to do, just think or “feel” it. As for drawbacks, emotional instability is kind of obvious, huh? There’s also bad weather being attracted to the animus, and parts of their body slowly turning into whatever object they used to channel their spells. As an example, using crystals in his spells might result in an animus’ scales turning into crystals themselves, whereas an animus that used a branch to direct air currents would notice her tail growing small twigs and leaves out from between her scales. The magic Skywings have most difficulty with is Herbal and Brewed magic. I feel since Skywing magic is very much based on action and emotion, it would be difficult for a Skywing animus to properly channel it in such a passive way.

Mudwing animus magic is perhaps my favourite to think about, it being what I call Herbal or Brewed magic. Mudwing animi specialize in potions and medicine, though this is more of an inherent tribe skill, their magic works best when imbued into food or drink. To continue with this technique, “power-ups” would be cool to see. Potions to give a dragon super strength or speed, or to keep their scales permanently warm so they can always breath fire. I think Mudwings would be most likely to use so called “magical ingredients” for their spells, as in the act of the animus using an ingredient makes it magic, rather than a normal dragon including it in their stew. I don’t feel there would be much room for drawbacks when it comes to Mudwing magic, so I’m gonna say there isn’t one. However, I will say Brewed magic is one of the hardest to perfect, as if a quantity of ingredient is even slightly off, disaster is imminent. Transformation magic is likely to be the hardest for a Mudwing animus to use. While Brewed magic is hard, it’s precise and a recipe can be done a hundred times for a hundred different dragons, and the effects never alter. Transformation magic is the opposite, in that the spell must be altered for every dragon, as every dragon is slightly different.

Next up is Sandwings! They lean most towards Written and Solar based magic. As you can guess, this means their magic is linked at least partially to the sun. Though they can’t control them, Sandwing animi often have very keen senses when it comes to the weather and seasonal changes. Change itself is a big thing for Sandwings, so seasonal magic is common. Sandwings also find writing spells easiest, as the spell is then precise and exactly as they need it. Sandwing riddles, told at parties or in passing as a fun conversation topic, have their roots in animus magic. Sandwing animi also enjoy the company of animal companions, usually camels or vultures; animals that can carry scrolls and items for the animus in question. The downside for Sandwing animi can be either mental or physical. They can start forgetting things, losing track of time, generally being scatterbrained, which eventually leads to them losing their entire memory. Or, their scales begin to darken, although I’m undecided on what kind of colour they would turn. Should they just turn golden or maybe more of a sunburnt orange or red. Perhaps even black. I dunno, maybe all three. Spoken and Lunar magic are the clear opposites of Written and Solar, so it’s pretty obvious why a Sandwing animus would have trouble in this area. Sandwing magic can be very picky, kind of like a sadistic genie that goes by what a wisher says, rather than what they mean. A dragon has to be very careful how they phrase a spell, which is hard for most Sandwing animi, hence their avoidance of Spoken spells.

I think my Seawing animus headcanon is the closest to being confirmed in canon, since the Seawing animi we see using their magic are usually using what I’ve called Spoken and Lunar magic. This includes regeneration(like healing of themselves and others), curses, transfiguration of objects and generally verbal commands. And for the record, “verbal commands” is usually, like the animus test the Seawings take, telling an inanimate object to do something. Lunar magic is connected to the moon and the tides, opposite to Solar magic. This can mean it gets stronger under a full moon, and gives a Seawing animus a kind of bond to the ocean the more they use Lunar magic. As with Sandwing animi, the magic that comes most natural to Seawings involves change. Changing tides, moon rotations, drifting currents and rips, all those factor into their magic’s strength, in and out of water. Seawing animi can also suffer a lowering of inhibitions, and can suffer what I call “going feral”. Theirs is the most noticeable, though this final drawback can affect all tribes. I like to think the more a Seawing animus uses their magic, the more they start to look like a deep sea creature. Brighter glowing scales, thinner scales overall(sometimes so thin you can almost see their insides, bleurgh!), elongated, thinner teeth, and increased speed of growth to their whole body. As you can probably guess, Written and Solar magic are the areas that cause the most trouble for Seawing animi. I’m not sure what else to comment here, since I feel it’s pretty straightforward, so there you go.

Rainwings! The tribe I’m most like! I feel that since the average Rainwing can change the colour of their scales regardless of magical ability, Transformation magic would be a perfect match for any animi that might exist in the tribe. Transformation magic includes form shifting of themselves and others, body hrror/torture(which differs from simple form shifting because it’s specifically supposed to cause pain) and transfiguration of objects. Transformation magic requires knowledge of how the specific dragon’s body works, moves and how their mind reacts to things. You might think the average Rainwing is too self-centered to be capable of that kind of perceptiveness, but I believe they’re more perceptive than they’re portrayed in-canon. I think the most noticeable consequence of a Rainwing animus using their magic is their scale colours “glitching”. If the Rainwing is naturally purple and green and they try to turn red and blue, areas of their scales might change slower than the rest, or not change altogether. A camouflaged Rainwing might suddenly find themselves bright pink and orange. Stuff like that. Weather magic is most difficult for a Rainwing animus, since it requires a lot of, I guess passionate emotions? Weather magic is loud and aggressive and takes a lot of power to control. It also relies heavily on being strongly connected to every emotion, and can backfire terribly on a dragon that doesn’t know how to wrangle that kind of power.

Mind and Time magic is what I’ve assigned for Nightwings! I felt it fits with their whole Mystical Infinite Powers aesthetic. Obviously, Mind magic includes mindreading and and Time magic future vision - which were most likely a gift from a Nightwing animus a long time ago. Other abilities include fate writing(a spell that can change an otherwise unchangeable future), enchanting, illusions, and changing minds/the perceptions of a dragon. This magic is actually relatively simple to perform, and one of the most used types by all animus dragons. That doesn’t make it any less powerful or dangerous, in fact it’s probably more dangerous that it’s so easy to use. Nightwings certainly haven’t been using it for the best purposes. This is the magic I think is the root cause of dragons losing their minds, since “Mind” is like one whole half of the magic. The unfortunate thing is that Nightwings are excellent bullshitters, so they at least last a while before anyone figures out something’s wrong. The side effect of using other types of magic is most notably scale discolouration, to the point that there are records of completely white, full-blood Nightwings. Since Icewings and Nightwings are Enemies For Life I figure their magics would clash just as much, out of principal. Reflective magic in particular requires the user to be self aware, to know their faults and, if only momentarily, be at peace with them. Nightwings are pretty in denial about a lot of stuff, it’s part of the culture they’ve built up.

Finally, Reflective and Defensive magic is the natural inclination of Icewings. That means shielding and barrier magic - which can be physical or psychological, insightful magic, illusions and star spells. No insightful magic is Not future vision, if you make that comparison in front of even a regular Icewing you will be murdered. The Icewing mind is typically pretty guarded already, as we see when Moon tries to read them. I like to believe that an animus a long time ago used their Gift to make it so Nightwings can’t read the tribe’s minds, or at least not easily. This would be an example of a psychological barrier spell. Star spells are tied to the stars(no duh) like Solar and Lunar magic are tied to their respective namesakes. However, as opposed to change, star spells are constant. Once one is cast, it stays forever. Almost all Icewing magic is a star spell of some kind, making other dragons very wary of an animus born from the tribe. Thankfully, the fact that Icewing magic includes that of Defense, it’s rarely used for aggressive purposes. I believe Icewing magic would backfire by crystalising within the user’s bones, making their joints stiff and their mind fuzzy. They may dissociate from the world and eventually be lost, as with Sandwings. As I said, Icewings and Nightwings are opposites in magic, though there are overlaps which serve to infuriate both tribes. Considering Nightwing animus magic supposedly came from Icewings, the former retained some of the abilities of the latter.

There you are, my thoughts on dragon magic. This turned into much more of a headcanons post than an answer, so I hope you don’t mind. Thanks so much for the ask, and I hope you find content creators that make you feel safe being active in the fandom!

[sebastianshaw]

RP meme from "Chapter Three: Crunchy Bits and Shiny Things" in The World of Darkness Ratkin Breedbook

"There’s nothing glamorous about contracting a disease that kills most of the creatures it touches."

" An ancient curse is being fulfilled."

"What part of the world are you from?"

"Conspirators and contacts can provide you with information."

"You possess an item containing a trapped spirit, one that can grant you magical or mystical abilities."

"You owe him a massive debt for this."

"You’ve managed to scam some money and can collect it on a regular basis."

"Such experiences “reveal” nothing; they’re just really bad trips."

"Freak out humans at your own risk."

"Rage and reason are the two extremes of their existence."

"He’s ready for action, all the time, and just about ready to climb the walls."

"First, they must find suitable breeding stock."

"Most live on the fringes of human society, never quite fitting in and never fully succeeding."

"No wonder trust is so hard to come by."

"Locks, doors and security systems are only suggestions."

"Breaking and entering is a sacred obligation."

"Ownership is situational."

"When the trap snaps, someone else will get the bait.”

"Somewhere in the midst of all this happiness, such minor details are ignored."

"Some of these stories are repeated as incidents witnessed by a friend of a friend of a friend. . ."

"Whenever you are uncertain of a course of action, you may hear voices instructing you with advice."

"Nonetheless, as one would expect, characters who are tormented by voices are often treated as insane."

" A seething anger isolates you from ordinary humans, but it also makes you primed for battle at a moment’s notice."

"You are not from this world."

"Though their network of communication across the globe is far from perfect, it’s good enough to keep them one step ahead of most other supernatural alliances."

"Unfortunately, such help always has a heavy price."

"Cynics bend; the devout break."

"Some do this willingly; others do it grudgingly."

"When the city itself is on your side, living on the streets becomes much easier."

" Fortunately, they all know that any city needs at least a little bit of chaos to survive."

"Unfortunately, constant exceptions are made."

"Some bastards like to leave a few loopholes in an agreement."

"The most effective method is simple assassination."

"At worst, someone will call the bad men in lab coats to come and take you away."

"If it is performed on a human, the results are deadly."

"The dagger can be created out of any material, but it must have special spiritual significance to the creator."

"I demand. . . The Shiny Thing!"

"This may include a call for justice, a statement of his crimes, or simply a series of insults about the crimes of his race."

"This device is composed of a long piece of plywood, a makeshift gun stock, several industrial strength rubber bands, and a circular saw blade."

"You were born in a cage and raised by humans."

"Months of handling and affection have made you well-tempered, patient and sweet."

"Fortunately, your tragic story has a happy ending."

"Brief glimpses and clues of your former identity torment you, but the real truth of who you are is elusive."

"You’ve got the nagging feeling that there’s something dangerous in your past just waiting to catch up with you."

"Curiosity killed the rat."

"You are fascinated by inherently dangerous stuff and feel a strong need to investigate it."

"You’ve got a compulsion to gather information on anyone you deal with; you’ve got to know everything."

"You're devious, but not stupid."

"Perhaps you believe that televisions are used to monitor the people who watch them, that radios broadcast mind control messages, or that automobiles are programmed to make the drivers think they actually control them."

"Often these items will be harmless, but some of them may be hazardous, illegal, or just plain demented."

"You do not like to act separately from the pack."

"The best they can muster is a repertoire of grunting noise, inchoate babbling and wheezing noises."

"What do you believe?"

"The Apocalypse is punishment for mankind’s sins of the flesh."

"Faith has been dying in the world for millennia."

" Are there ancient races in the void of space that will overshadow all that humanity has achieved?"

"If this world is destroyed, there are others to infest." "Who says this world is the only one?"

"We are all doomed; revel in destruction and madness."

"Unfortunately, if no one lives to remember your honorable deed, there’s really no point in it."

"Unleash as much chaos as you can."

"Um. . . it isn’t time yet."

"Millennialism is a recurring fad."

"Various cults, from the victims of Heaven’s Gate to programmers preparing for the Y2K virus, have their own delusions of impending disaster."

"Prophecies are often misinterpreted, and can be made to fit any devious purpose."

[actualbird]

nobody asked but i think hanso, brynn, and xandra from neopets’ comic “the faeries’ ruin” are queer | a 1.8k presentation i am presenting to my friends at an online party on the 19th, but you guys get early access because for some godforsaken reason, you like this content from me

Good evening class.

Last last time I attacked your dashboards with a long post, I discussed Neopets that would benefit from therapy. I’m sticking with my Neopets shtick but in a funkier Pride flavor. In this post, I will be discussing why the three main characters of Neopets’ “The Faeries Ruin” are queer. 

So what is “The Faeries Ruin?”

“The Faeries Ruin” was a Neopets plot that ran through January of 2011. Plots can affect the website's appearance, services, and gameplay, and this plot was most notable because it turned all the Faeries of Neopia to stone. 

Quick crash course on Neopets lore, for those of you who don’t know anything about it: Neopets are the main population of the planet of Neopia, but they share the world with other creatures as well. One of these creatures are Faeries, magical beings who can be benevolent or malevolent. Majority of them are good, and can be visited to receive gifts, abilities, new appearances, better stats, etc. Faeries are the most powerful creatures on Neopia. With the Faeries of Neopia turned to stone, all Faerie run services, from games to shops, were suspended because. Well. It’s hard to run a business when you’re stone. 

“The Faeries Ruin” had an accompanying quest to play through, items to collect, puzzles to solve, and most important to our discussion, is the accompanying comic to read.

“The Faeries Ruin” comic is 17 chapters plus an epilogue. You can read the synopsis on the slide, and the story follows Hanso, a thief, Brynn, a guard, and Xandra, a scholar, who are all investigating the curse put on the Faeries.

A lot happens in the comic. Really, a LOT, so I don’t have time to summarize it for you. If you’re curious, you can read the plot here, and I’ll explain plot stuff as it becomes relevant to our discussion, but what’s really important are the characters. 

These three in particular, Hanso, Brynn, and Xandra, are who I will be focusing on from the queer perspective.

But because I aim to be inclusive, before we dive into calling Neopets characters queer, we need a quick crash course in ‘queer’ definitions. 

This is just so that we’re all on the same page. (Also so that I can use the readings I got from the queer theory class I was in last semester.)

Alex Pilcher in the Introduction of “A Queer Little History of Art” gives the word “queer” three definitions. First is the simplest, the word “queer” can act as an umbrella term for anybody who is not straight or cisgendered. The second definition is “queer” as an identity in itself. Instead or in addition to using sexuality or gender labels, one can opt to identify as queer and that does away with any hierarchies or too small definitions that may bother other people. I, for example, am bisexual, asexual, and nonbinary. However, that’s kind of a mouthful, and sometimes I don’t want to explain every facet of my identity. So sometimes I just tell people I’m queer, and fuck them if that’s confusing, it feels good for me. The third definition of “queer” is what I will be referring to quite a lot of times in this discussion, “queer” as a deviation from the norm. This is a callback to the word’s more archaic use, meaning odd or strange. What is “queer” then is what goes beyond or resists against society’s expectations.

Queer Theory is a huuuuuuuge academic genre, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. But we’re on a schedule here, so let’s queer some goddamn Neopets.

First, we have Hanso. 

His Neopets species is an Ixi and he is a young rogue/thief. He knows Brynn because he’s a very shitty thief and he constantly gets captured by her. His personality is self centered and egocentric, but deep down, he has a heart of gold, even if his morals are a little skewed. 

Also I think he’s bisexual. Why? 

As a rogue/thief, he is outcasted by society, a type of queering from the norm. He is only accepted by those like him, which symbolically is parallel to how queer people often find other queer people to be with. Aside from Brynn, nobody trusts him. They think him to be a liar and a cheat, and this, I think, is parallel to the unsavory trope of the “untrustworthy bisexual.” Much the same way bisexuals are often told to “pick a side”, Hanso has both a desire for good and a desire for mischief, a duality that confuses other Neopets, and makes them wary of him.   

Hanso is bisexual. And he isn’t sorry about it.

Next up we have one of my early childhood crushes. Brynn.

Brynn is a Kougra, a feline like Neopets species. She is a guard/soldier from the land of Brightvale. She knows Hanso because she keeps catching him, he’s a terrible thief. Her personality is one dominated by courage and a duty to Neopia’s safety.

And I think she’s also bisexual, but more interesting to me her queer expression of masculinity.

Jack Halberstam, a transgender man, wrote a book called “Female Masculinities” prior to his transition (I mention this because I know a lot of you may be wondering why a man gets any say about women’s issues, but I think this is a special case and that his views are still valid.) Halberstam, in his book, posits the concept of masculinity divorced from maleness. What this means, in simplest terms, is that masculinity is not something inherently male, just predominantly male. A female masculinity is thus outside of the norm, and a unique and queer expression of gender.

Concepts related to masculinity are things like power and rebellion. Strength, force, will, that kind of stuff. When we remove these things from maleness and allow femaleness to have these concepts, one of the results is tomboyism. The phenomenon of tomboyism is when a girl, usually young, exhibits masculine qualities. The thing about tomboyism is that it is reluctantly permitted during childhood but less expected as one grows older, the assumption being that a woman will submit to the societal expectations of what a woman is “supposed to be.”

I cannot find any canon sources to say that sexism is a huge problem in Neopia, but gender roles are still present. While we don’t see Brynn’s childhood in “The Faeries Ruin”, it doesn’t take much to imagine that her peers would be surprised with her choice to join the Brightvale Guard, a traditionally male pursuit. And yet she does it. She works hard and becomes such a good soldier that she aids King Altador himself during the story, that King Altador trusts and respects her opinions. Brynn rebels against society’s standards and asserts her own power.

Her personality exudes masculinity as well. Throughout “The Faeries Ruin” she is often dominant over the course of investigation, taking initiative, sometimes omitting truths for the greater good, and generally holding her judgement in high regard. 

Her choices, especially in regards to her relationship with Hanso, is also something of note. Brynn is the one doing the catching and Hanso is the one being caught, an interesting subversion of expected gender roles. I will admit now that I have been withholding some information. Hanso, later in the plot of “The Faeries Ruin”, admits that he wanted to get caught by her as often as possible so that he would have an excuse to see her. Brynn did not know this, but I see it as a Hanso recognizing Brynn’s power and masculinity. I see it as a very romantic submission of Hanso to Brynn. 

So Brynn is bi, because I say so. And she expresses masculinity in a unique, queer, and female way.

Now, before we move onto the last character, Xandra, I need to talk to you guys about Brynn and Hanso’s relationship. I think it is very good, it was one of my first OTPs, and here’s three reasons why it’s a good ship.

Reason 1: They’re both queer, so like, it’s better than the usual M/F couple. Bi people have more genders they’re attracted to, so the person they do end up choosing had to be better than literally everybody else. We can rest assured both of them are good eggs that are compatible with each other.

Reason 2: Their relationship over the course of “The Faeries Ruin” is that of the “enemies to friends to lovers” trope. Which, HELLO? GOOD SHIT? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP? THE HOSTILITY SLOWLY GIVING WAY TO RESPECT? THE RESPECT TURNING INTO ADMIRATION? Your honor, it’s delicious.

Reason 3: This reason is an NSFW concept, so if you don’t wanna see that, just Ctrl+F to the phrase “This brings us to our last character, Xandra” to skip it. We good? Everybody continuing to read wants to see this? Okay.

BRYNN TOTALLY PEGS HANSO. Like, I don’t have any sources, but by this point in the presentation, I hope I’ve established myself as an expert authority, and I hope you just believe me. She has the sword, in this relationship. Both literally and metaphorically. She pegs him and her strap is huge.

This brings us to our last character, Xandra.

Xandra is a Xweetok and also a magic scholar. She studied under Fyora, the Faerie Queen, and helps Hanso and Brynn with their investigation of the faeries’ petrification. She’s a lesbian because I say so, but uhhhhhh…

She’s also evil. Towards the end of “The Faeries’ Ruin” it was revealed that Xandra was the one who petrified the faeries all along. So yeah, she’s evil, buuuuuuut she’s super queer about it. How? Well, the answer lies in her motives.

The reason why she petrified the faeries was because she wanted to start a new Neopia without them. She believed that the faeries were hoarding power instead of using it to truly help Neopians. She actively wanted to destroy not just the faeries, but a symbol of power and control that arguably rules the world she lives in. She criticizes against that which controls the social expectations, and this criticism and questioning benefits the marginalized, the queered from the norm. Her intention was to create a kind of utopia free from a governing body that holds all the power. That’s pretty damn queer.

Honestly, I’m a little pissed she was branded as evil for this, but it was revealed that when the faeries were petrified, their good magic was gone and left Neopia vulnerable to evil magic shadows and Xandra didn’t really care. So uh, she had good and radical queer motives, but she went a little bonkers with power. I still love her though. 

So, Xandra is pretty awesome, I hope she gets therapy then attends a Pride protest. She would totally be there reminding everybody that Pride started with riots. Also she loves women.

Thank you all.

(Read my other off the shits analysis essays at actualbird.tumblr.com/tagged/nobody-asked-but! If you have a request or suggestion for an off the shits analysis essay I can write, send me an ask!)

[mairhelleclarisse]

“The Good and the Bad: How Social Media Affected Me as a Gen Z Individual”

"Future generations will judge us not by what we say, but what we do."

-Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

As reported by Business Insider,  Generation Z refers to the generation that was born between 1996-2010, following millennials. This generation has been raised on the internet and social media, with some the oldest finishing college by 2020 and entering the workforce. Truly, this generation is integrated with technology, thus, considered as the first consumers to have grown up wholly in the digital era. Information is effortlessly disseminated, sharing of knowledge is with ease, and development of skills and proficiency is perceptible. But, what really makes Gen Z different from other generations? Ably due to the fact that Generation Z are perceived as being more entrepreneurial than any previous generation. The reasons for this can be down to multiple things - such as access to advanced technology, right through to the ability to connect with people on a global scale (Clarke, 2017).

All these things Gen Z can do have advantages and disadvantages  — hence, the reason why being a Social and Information literate should be a crucial ability to be embodied by each individual.  Jon Clarke further stated that the strengths of Generation Z candidates are  — multitasking, technological competency, and individuality. Multitasking since technology has shaped the way they operate on a daily basis, they can type quicker than they can write, tweet quicker than they can speak, and like a status quicker than applaud. Technological competency,  they have the ability to understand and operate a variety of software and devices makes them appealing to many companies. Individuality, the likes of Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat all facilitate a desire to be individual and this portrayal of uniqueness is an inherent feature of Gen Z candidates. Moreover, Jon also mentioned that the weaknesses of being in this generation are  — concentration levels, low company loyalty, and reliance on tech.  The distractions of multiple social media platforms make their ability to focus on a single task very difficult.  In addition, they believe that they should stay in any one job for a year or less though they like to move around a lot, which can be a difficult thing to manage for employers. Lastly,  being born into a world of technology is actually one of the downfalls. The simple reliance they have on technology is actually a disadvantage thus technology makes an individual lazy. Therefore, technology is indeed a gift and a curse.

@blogcoversandpagesworld​

References

Clarke, J. 2017. Who are Generation Z and Why You Need to Know. jobsatteamsblog.

Business Insider. n.d. Generation Z News, Latest Characteristics, Research and Facts.

[faeroviolet]

Classification of demons[MargeantAU]

• BACK to masterpost

- eng

⊙ TYPE

separation by physical characteristics.

Regular It includes those who were previously intelligent beings (people or monsters; others), but turned into demons. They’re still intelligent beings, but animal instincts’re more acute.

Shadow It includes those entities that died from an unknown danger/not conscious. Their bodies are shadows, but may be capable of tactile perception. Difficult to kill (one of the tenacious types). They’re located in the most darkened1 areas, in most cases - in shady places: distant caves, deep forests, ghosty cities/villages. Sensitive to light and water. Long-livers can do without soul nourishment for a long time.

Foggy/Amorphous It includes those entities that have been turned or killed with a spell or potion. Their bodies have a base similar to mists or substances with changeable shape/unstable shape. Not easy to kill, but in this they cannot be compared with the 'Shadows'. The difficulty of extermination lies in the good secrecy of specimens of this type and the physical characteristics of their bodies. They can do without soul nourishment for a long time, but rarely live up to 50 years. Difficulty of murder them based on body: ◯ Foggy body: ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◇ ◯ Amorphous body: ◆ ◆ ◆ ◇ ◇ ◯ Unbalanced body: ◆ ◆ ◆ ◇ ◇

Material It includes those entities that were animals/insects/fish/birds/(rarely plants). They’re transformed after death at the hands of a owner, another entity or a demon. Their bodies are indistinguishable from flesh, the difference is only in the characteristics of the blood. They’re weak, often becoming pets of demons or rayligh2. Mortal magicians sometimes alter them into crystals, minerals or powders for their own needs.

Floral This includes cursed plants. Appear after the death of the plant or the influence on the plant (in most cases - demons). In terms of difficulty of killing them, it’s the same as 'Material', but they have increased endurance and resistance. Plant fiber bodies.

Astral/Mystical These include entities of unknown origin. Formed in the process of cursing their territories and other characteristics inherent in them. Almost unkillable. Too secretive to know of their existence. Their bodies have an ambiguous description. Often disguised. No cases of their murders were revealed, as well as cases of meetings with them. Perhaps they live in another world.

Hybrid These include entities that are hybrids. Hybrids can be of both types and kind or species. But this aspect is defined only to the 'Type' section.

⊙ KIND

separation by magic and combat characteristics.

Dark demons Demons that don’t belong to any other kind due to the fact that they don’t have certain characteristics. This kind is inherent in the demons of the 'Material' and 'Shadow' types, sometimes the 'Floral' type is also found. The only quality: the ability to darkening of areas and dark aura.

Psychic demons Demons of this kind affect the victim at the consciousness/brain level. Qualities: mentally influence the opponent; harm the body by using its owner.

Magic demons Demons that having the ability for magic and some mental thinking, more enhanced than the rest demons. They’re used by magicians and rayligh. Qualities: magic.

Demons of the Physical Body Some of the weaker demons. They don't even have the ability to darken the area, only a dark aura(and even then a weak one). They use only physical strength in battle, sometimes they can influence the body at the level of physiology. More than other demons lust to souls. Qualities: great physical strength; influence on the physiology of the opponent.

Demons of Emotion Demons who are the embodiment of certain emotions and feelings. As well as the 'Demons of the Physical Body' aren’t that strong, but in terms of the quality of the characteristics, they’re better. However, they’re very weak physically. Qualities: creating fears; excitement in the opponent of emotion (which they are); a change in the opponent's opinion under the influence of a certain emotion (which they are); influence of emotion (which they are).

Elemental demons It’s a false kind, since it isn’t recognized among the demons and is rare. In this case, they’re simply considered like 'Dark demons' because nobody cannot understand their characteristics. However, they darken the area very well and have a special dark aura. Qualities: characteristic of the having the element; increased influence of dark3 characteristic.

Haunting demons Demons who pursue only one victim all their lives or seek this victim. They’re the opposite of Guardian Angels. Just like the 'Elemental demons', they’re referred to as 'Dark demons'. In most cases, these demons are hybrids. Their victims are those whose blood they have tasted for the first time. However, they cannot kill this victim in any way or kill only at a certain moment. Qualities: a strong bond with the “persecuted” victim; territorial aggression; possessiveness.

⊙ SPECIES

There’re a large number of species, all won’t fit here (and we can also invent them), so some of the most common ones will be presented here.

Demon of illusion

Demon of * any emotion *

Demon of disease

Body/flesh demon.

Love demon

Demon of * any element *

Etc.

⊙ OTHER

Possible birth results: △ Demon x Mortal => dead - 65%, mortal - 20%, demon - 15% △ Demon x Rayligh => dead - 30%, mortal/rayligh - 45%, demon - 25% △ Demon x Animal => dead - 57%, animal - 7%, demon - 36% △ Demon x Demon => dead - 10%(this chance arises in case of incompatibility of the 'parents' by type, TM4, kind(rarely) or blood), demon - 84%, mortal - 6% △ Demon x Other entities => мертвый - 12%, другие виды - ??%, demon - ??%

Transformation methods:

- for Regular type 1) self-willed/natural (those who transformed on their own free will / because of some sin they committed); 2) artificial (those who transformed not of their own free will / due to external interference: spells or techniques).

- for any other type 1) after death with certain conditions; 2) external influence; 3) transformation under the influence of a spell; 4) darkened area or the influence of a dark aura; 5) committing a sin.

Notes:

1 Darkened areas — areas with great activity of demons and the most prosperous conditions, climate and atmosphere for them(link later). 2 Rayligh — my invented species; consider as a super-being(link later). 3 Dark characteristic — two characteristics that any demon has: darkening of area and dark aura. 4 TM — transformation method(becoming a demon / turning into a demon).

- рус

⊙ ТИП

разделение по физическим особенностям.

Регулярный К нему относятся те, которые ранее были существами разумными(людьми или монстрами; другие), но обратились в демонов. Они все ещё остаются существами разумными, но животные инстинкты более обострены.

Теневой К нему относятся те сущности, которые умерли от неизвестной опасности/не в сознательности. Их тела являются тенями, но могут быть способны на тактильное восприятие. Трудно убить(один из стойких типов). Располагаются в самых зачерненных1 областях, в большинстве случаев - в темных местах: дальние пещеры, глухие леса, мертвые города/деревни. Чувствительны к свету и воде. Долгожители, могут долгое время обходится без питания душами.

Туманный/Аморфный К нему относятся те сущности, которые были обращены или убиты с помощью заклинания или зелья. Их тела имеют основу подобную туманам или субстанции с переменчивой формой/неустойчивой формой. Не просто убить, но в этом с 'Теневыми' их не сравнить. Трудность истребления заключается в хорошей скрытности особей данного типа и физических особенностей их тел. Могут долго обходится без питания душами, но редко доживают до 50 лет. Сложность убийства по основе тела: ◯ Туманные тело: ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◇ ◯ Аморфные тело: ◆ ◆ ◆ ◇ ◇ ◯ Дисбалансные тело: ◆ ◆ ◆ ◇ ◇

Телесный К нему относятся те сущности, которые являлись животными/насекомыми/рыбами/птицами/(редко растения). Обращаются после смерти от рук хозяина, другой сущности или демона. Их тела ничем не различимы от плоти, различие только в особенностях крови. Слабые, часто становятся питомцами демонов или лучистых2. Смертные маги иногда изменяют их в кристаллы, минералы или порошки для своих нужд. 

Растительный К нему относятся искаженные растения. Появляются после гибели растения или влияния на растение(в большинстве случаев - демонов). По сложности убийства одинаковы с 'Телесными', но имеют повышенную выносливость и сопротив��ение. Тела растительных волокон.

Астральные/Мистические К ним относятся сущности неизвестного происхождения. Образуются в процессе искажения их территорий и других особенностей, присущих им. Практически неубиваемы. Слишком скрытны, чтобы знать о их существовании. Их теле имеют неоднозначное описание. Часто маскируются. Случаев их убийств не выявлено, как и случаев встреч с ними. Возможно, обитают в ином мире.

Гибрид К ним относятся сущности, являющиеся гибридами. Гибриды могут быть как типов, так и родов или видов. Но этот аспект определяют только к разделу 'Тип'.

⊙ РОД

разделение по магическим и боевым особенностям.

Темные демоны Демоны, которые не относятся ни к какому другому роду по причине того, что не обладают определенными особенностями. Этот род присущ демонам 'Телесного’ и 'Теневого' типов, иногда встречаются и 'Растительного’ типа. Единственные особенности: способность к зачернению обл��сти и темная аура.

Психические демоны Демоны этого рода влияют на жертву на уровне сознания/на мозг. Особенности: психически влиять на оппонента; вредить телу, используя его хозяина.

Магические демоны Демоны, обладающие способностью к магии и некоторому умственному мышлению, более повышенному, чем у остальных. Ими пользуются маги и лучистые. Особенности: магия.

Демоны Физического тела Одни из слабых демонов. Они даже не имеют способности к зачернению области, только темную ауру(и то слабую). Используют в бою только физическую силу, иногда могут влиять на тело на уровне физиологии. Больше других демонов желают душ. Особенности: большая физическая сила; влияние на физиологию оппонента.

Демоны Эмоций Демоны, являющиеся воплощениями неких эмоций и чувств. Также как и 'Демоны Физического тела' не такие уж сильные, но в плане качества особенностей - лучше. Однако, очень слабы физически. Особенности: создание страхов; возбуждение в оппоненте эмоции(которой являются они); изменение мнения оппонента под действием определенной эмоции(которой являются они); влияние эмоции(которой являются они).

Элементные демоны Является ложным родом, так как не признается среди демонов и встречается редко. В этом случае, их просто считают 'Темными демонами’, так как не могут понять их характеристику. Однако, они очень хорошо зачерняют область и обладают особой темной аурой. Особенности: характеристик�� по обладанию элемента; увеличенное влияние темной3 особенности.

Преследующие демоны Демоны, которые всю свою жизнь преследуют лишь одну жертву или ищут эту жертву. Являются противоположностью понятия "Ангелы-хранители". Так же, как и 'Элементных демонов', их относят к  'Темным демонам’. В большинстве случаев такие демоны гибриды. Их жертвами становятся те, чью кровь они попробовали впервые. Однако, эту жертву они не могут убить в любом случае или только в определенный момент. Особенности: сильная связь с “преследуемой” жертвой; территориальная агрессия; собственничество.

⊙ ВИД

Видов существует большое количество, все сюда не вместятся(и ещё их можно выдумывать), поэтому здесь будут представлены одни из распространенных.

Демон иллюзии

Демон *любая эмоция*

Демон болезни

Демон тела/плоти.

Любовный демон

Демон *любой элемент*

И т.д.

⊙ ДРУГОЕ

Возможные результаты рождения: △ Демон x Смертный => мертвый - 65%, смертный - 20%, демон - 15% △ Демон x Лучистый => мертвый - 30%, смертный - 45%, демон - 25% △ Демон x Животное => мертвый - 57%, животное - 7%, демон - 36% △ Демон x Демон => мертвый - 10%(данный шанс возникает в случае несовместимости 'родителей' по типу, МО4, роду(редко) или крови), демон - 84%, смертный - 6% △ Демон x Другие виды => мертвый - 12%, другие виды - ??%, демон - ??%

Методы обращения:

- для Регулярного типа 1) самовольные/естественный(те, кто превратились по собственной воли/из-за какого-то греха, совершенного ими); 2) искусственный(те, кто превратились не по своей воли/из-за внешнего вмешательства: заклинания или техники).

- для любого другого типа 1) после смерти с определенными условиями; 2) внешние влияние; 3) обращение под действием заклинания; 4) зачерненная область или воздействие темной ауры; 5) совершение греха.

Пометки:

1 Зачерненные области — области с большой активностью демонов и самыми благополучными условиями, климатом и атмосферой для них(ссылка по��же). 2  Лучистый — мой придуманный вид; считайте сверх-существо(ссылка позже). 3 Темная особенность — две особенности, которыми обладает любой демон: зачернение области и темная аура. 4  МО — метод обращения(становления демоном/превращения в демона).

[vampiregirl1797]

Hopeless: Chapter One

Klaus Mikaelson x OC

GIF Not Mine

Click Here For My Masterlist

‘Bonnie! I’m here, what was so urgent that I had to rush right over?’ I said, letting herself into the Bennett residence with ease seeing as they only locked the door when they were sleeping.

 ‘In here!’ Bonnie yelled back.

 I wondered why she needed me in her bedroom but didn’t question it and headed in that direction. I pushed open the door and cocked my brow in question, not really surprised by what I was seeing in front of me—Bonnie was sat in the centre of her bed surrounded by open grimoire’s and looking like she’d had about two hours sleep in the past three days.

‘You look wrecked.’ I told her honestly.

 ‘Thanks,’ she snorted, shuffling off her bed and walking to stand by a small circular table I hadn’t noticed by the window. There was various things scattered on the hardwood; salt, water, soil, what looked like an empty jar and a ring that looked vaguely familiar. I went to touch it but Bonnie slapped my hand away.

 ‘Ouch, okay I get it, no touching. What’s going on?’ I asked, shrugging off my leather jacket and hanging it off the back of her desk chair.

 ‘I know how to fix everything, to make it so that Klaus never comes into our lives.’ Bonnie told me, her expression lighting up with relief as well as exhaustion.

 ‘Well I’m all ears.’ I said dryly, crossing my arms over my chest and waiting for an explanation.

 ‘I found a spell that can take one of us back in time to way before Klaus was here.’ She said as if that was enough of an explanation.

 ‘Okay…’ I drawled, frowning in confusion, ‘gonna need more than that, Bon.’

 ‘Right, sorry. So, if we can go back to a time when he wasn’t a hybrid, he’ll be easier to subdue. We can dagger him and stash him somewhere that he won’t be found.’

 ‘But the daggers don’t work on Klaus.’ I felt idiotic saying that, because I was sure she had already realised that.

 ‘This one will.’ She grinned, holding up a golden dagger, that looked exactly like the one Elijah had been subdued with, the only difference was the metal.

 ‘How did you get this?’ I gasped, taking it from her and admiring it in amazement.

 ‘My cousin, Emma, called after she heard what happened with Klaus and told me about the stories she heard of one of Klaus’ enemies trying to use a coven in New Orleans to construct a dagger that could work on him. Rumour is that it was never finished, but I went to see them last week when I was there with my dad. When I explained what I planned to do with it, they were more than happy to help.’ She grinned and I couldn’t help but smile too, my happiness mirroring hers.

 ‘Wait, if we have it now, why do we need to go back in time to use it on him?’

 ‘Because if we dagger him now, it won’t undo everything else he has already done.’ Bonnie explained, ‘If you go back in time and do it, Jenna and John would still be alive, he would never have come here to break the curse—‘ she broke off when I held my hand up, conceiting she had a point.

 ‘Okay, I get it. But when are we going back to?’ I asked her, still playing with the dagger in my hand, I paused when she didn’t immediately answer me and frowned at the guilt on her face.

 ‘What?’

 ‘Well… that’s the thing; it would have to be just you. I’m only strong enough to send one person, I can’t go because I’m the one who has to cast the spell, Elena can’t because he’ll recognise her and Caroline… she’s on vacation until we go back to school with her dad.’ She said sheepishly.

 I sat down at her desk, processing the information for a moment. Could I do it by myself? I would still be a vampire, but unless I went back as far to when he was just created, I wouldn’t stand a chance against his strength. There would need to be at least two, one to distract and try to hold down while the other daggered.

 ‘Bonnie, I don’t know if—,’ I started to deny the chance but she interrupted me.

 ‘I know you’re worried, but you don’t need to be stronger, you just need to catch him by surprise.’ She assured me, her hands holding my free one, ‘it’s the only way, Ev.’

 I sighed, knowing she was right—if this was our one shot at bringing back our loved ones and bringing back Stefan, she had to do it. For John, Jenna, Stefan, and Elena… for everyone affected by the grief he had inflicted. I felt my eyes harden in determination.

 ‘How does it work? Do you know exactly what time you’re sending me to? How do I get back? Will time move here at the same rate it does there?’ I couldn’t help the questions tumbling out of my mouth.

 ‘I’ll cast the spell and spill your blood over this,’ she held up the ring I’d noticed earlier, ‘Katherine got wind of my subdue Klaus mission and said she wanted in. I told her I needed something of Klaus’ from before she was a vampire. Apparently this was his, she stole it from him before she knew about the ritual when Klaus’ interest in her seemed to wane—she was planning to sell it. So, you’ll be sent back to 1492, if it’s before the ritual you need to do it after Katherine runs, or she won’t go on to turn Damon and Stefan.’ Her voice was grave as she explained this to me, ‘you’ll come back when you die, so after you’ve stashed Klaus somewhere he won’t be found...’

 ‘I kill myself. Got it.’ I breathed, trying not to panic.

 ‘I don’t know about time moving, if you change enough, you might just wake up back at home in your own bed as if it were a dream. You’ll remember what really happened, but I don’t know if I will, if whatever you change results in me never needing to do the spell in the first place.’ She shrugged a little apologetically.

 ‘Okay,’ I nodded, feeling determination brewing in my stomach, ‘I’ll do it.’

 ‘That’s great.’ Bonnie grinned, relieved, ‘well we should get started.’

 I was pulled over to the table she had originally been standing by, and honestly there wasn’t that much to be prepared because she had already done it before I got there. All she did was place the ring in the centre of the small pentagram marked with salt and placed water, fire, air, soil and spirit at the five points. She read over the spell one more time before nodding, satisfied she was ready. I took a deep breath, feeling reassured by her confidence.

 ‘By the way, I assume we’re not telling Elena because she would inherently disapprove?’ Bonnie said, her question startling me.

 ‘Yes. She has enough on her plate already and besides, if I change it she has no reason to worry.’ I shrugged, ignoring the pang of guilt in my gut—I needed to keep her out of this, she was close to breaking with everything that had been going on.

 Bonnie nodded in understanding, accepting my answer and trusting my judgement. I tucked the dagger into the waistband of my black skinny jeans and pulled my flowy white vest top over it. I was ready.

 ‘You sure about this?’ Bonnie asked and I appreciated that despite her eagerness over this, she was willing not to do it if I objected.

 ‘I’m sure.’

 ‘Give me your hand.’ She said and I did, ignoring the sting of pain from her slicing my palm open.

 Bonnie started to chant words that I didn’t understand and when she started the second verse, her voice became louder and she held my dripping hand over the ring, allowing my blood to fall onto it. I watched in fascination as my blood completely coated the ring before flowing out, following the lines of salt that made the pentagram and encasing all of the tokens the rested at the ends of each point. When it was covered, Bonnie released my hand and offered me a nod as she continued with the spell. I didn’t notice the gold ball growing at the centre of the table until it exploded, encasing me and blinding me with light.

 I groaned, briefly registering that I was no longer standing but lying down, on a very uncomfortable floor. When I sat up, blinking to get used to the sudden brightness, I realised that I was in the middle of nowhere. At least that’s what it looked like—trees and flowers surrounded me. It was truly beautiful but I didn’t get to admire it for long as I heard twigs breaking, alerting me to someone’s presence. I quickly pushed up off the forest floor, wincing a little as the lose twigs and gravel dug into my palm, releasing the blood from underneath. Before I could do more than get to my feet, there was a whoosh of air and I was face to face with just the person I was looking for.

 ‘Well hello, love, aren’t you a sight for soar eyes?’ Klaus smiled, his eyes shining with both hunger and curiosity as he took in my clothing.

 Shit.

[midnight-in-town]

Do you know if we've been able to find the limits of Griffith's powers so far? Silat says at one point "We can't predict everything. We are not Gods." So there's some hope that maybe Guts will be able to find a loophole in Griffith's abilities, right?

Hello! Hmm, sorry but no Anon, unless I misunderstood your question, I don’t think that the point is to eventually defeat Griffith/Femto in a showdown of supernatural powers, because it would make absolute no sense?

I mean, look at Guts (who’s the one meant to defeat Griffith/Femto) who has 0 inherent supernatural power and who doesn’t want any. 

On the contrary, what he has is pure raw strength, a gigantic sword Dragonslayer that’s infused with the remnants of all the Apostles and co that he defeated so far, and the cursed Berserker’s armor. 

Meanwhile, it’s true that Griffith as Femto has immense strength and (limitless?) supernatural powers:

So my personal take is more that Guts will find a way to defeat Femto with his own strength, that he’s been constantly building up considering all that happened to him, as well as with the friends he made along the way. 

In my opinion, that’s precisely the irony of their fateful conflict with Griffith who was reborn as Femto, while Guts is the Struggler: the one who’s bound by the laws of causality, despite how powerful he is, may end up defeated by the one who’s escaped his fate times and times again.

Of course, we’re not there yet, but look at Guts’ last fight against Slan:

He did better against her than the last time he faced all of them, in the very first arc. :)

Honestly, I discussed this before, but if I had to name one possible weakness of Griffith as Femto, something that might trigger his downfall, I think it’s not inherent to himself as a Godhand or as the man he once was, but rather it’s his vessel: because apparently he can’t control the transformation during the full moon + he can be affected by the boy’s feelings for his parents.

I think this is for now (or it’s going to be) a bigger thorn in his back than magic-wielders trying to find a flaw in his powers that indeed do appear limitless. 

My opinion. :) Feel free to disagree! Have a nice day Anon!

Hello Anon! Sorry, but I don’t think Zuko’s character arc can be compared with Guts’? 

It’s not a topic I like to discuss about, since the characters don’t have the same backstory and their universe are way too different. I would have understood implying a comparison as far as Ozai and Gambino are concerned, but with the matter of the Eclipse, their trauma are on very different scales.

Please do not send me this kind of asks, I was very explicit about this several times before: it’s not something I know how to answer because character arcs are inherently linked to a story’s plot and a universe’s worldbuilding.   

Thank you for understanding, have a nice weekend!

[sasorikigai]

My muse in a relationships || @ephemeralkryonics​ || accepting (Part 2)

👫Do they display affection in public? What about in private?

Publicly, Hanzo may come across as stern, reserved and repressed with his affection (even when he attempts to sneak in knowing gazes, brush of hands and any part of exposed flesh, etc.), as he’s running high on rampant, prompted introspection and overwhelming onslaught of responsibilities that come as freight train of thoughts. So it may prevent him from fully capable to display physical and mental affection, compared to the private setting. 

In private, he is definitely much more at ease, without tension and hardened countenance and aura, which makes it effortless to commit to both physical and mental affection. While he feels more than comfortable expressing his affection with vocalizations, such would not be a possibility when he is fulfilling his Grandmaster’s responsibilities and duties. 

💕Are they open to threesomes or a polyamorous relationship?

It’s a hard no; Hanzo is a strict believer of the ethical philosophy and that “what’s good is what feels good” approach of polyamory or non-monogamy relationship repulsive. This can be more gross, as in the orgiastic pleasures of indulgence, or more subtle, as in weighing long term vs. short term pleasures and pursuing sustainable pleasures, seeking more subtle pleasures such as art and community, and considering the greatest pleasure for the greatest number of beings. While he understands that that it’s not only about sex, and being about the intimacy surrounding sex, Hanzo doesn’t that the pursuit of pleasure is as important to human beings nowhere near as to live a meaningful life, and I think the monogamous family model has been preferred for many good reasons. 

He is a traditionalist by heart, so he prefers one woman or one man is an equal balance with himself, instead of having primary and secondary person whom he could divide his attention. He isn’t very open regarding polyamorous relationships either, so trying other arrangements is out of the option too. Hanzo thinks polyamory is very egocentric and exploitive of participants. There is a primary lover and then secondary lovers, so there is an inherent caste system in Polyamorous relationships. So he would much prefer to have and thinks that it’s better to just find one person to make love with, and stay open to a community of friends. 

Also, time demands and emotional complexities may hinder Hanzo from ever pursuing it for himself. While Harumi and Kuai Liang share self-responsibility and integrity when it comes to their emotional strength and jealousy and commitment wouldn’t be an issue for them, he doesn’t think it’s sustainable long term as it is selfish in nature, even if the premise is that he can love a lot more abundantly than he originally believed we could. Monogamy is not just a belief system – it’s called pair bonding. Nature wants him to team up with and fall in love with one partner. Monogamy doesn’t mean he has to mate with one person for life, but Harumi will always be the one whom he’d consider his soulmate even before Kuai; Kuai just happens to share many paramount traits which Harumi possessed. 

💔Do they have a certain type of person they will not enter into a relationship with?

Anyone who is shallow, one-dimensional, goes against the Bushido Code, which are code of eight virtues he will follow with all his heart. Those individuals don’t deserve Hanzo Hasashi’s hard-earned trust, loyalty, devotion and love. 

💝How long until they feel secure and comfortable in a relationship?

Because of his past as a misguided hellspawn spectre and being used as a pawn without self-governance, Hanzo’s trust towards others and the time it takes to be completely comfortable with his significant other may take a while. With Kuai Liang, the duration which it takes for Hanzo to become more comfortable may be significantly reduced, simply because they have a long history between them. Even as mortal rivals and being a prominent member of opposite factions that had been in such a bitter rivalry for centuries, only exacerbated by Quan Chi’s machinations, the gravitational force of attraction was always there. 

There was an intrinsic intrigue, ever since the OG time where even as Scorpion, he caught up on how significantly different Kuai Liang was compared to Bi-Han. Kuai Liang’s major story arc revolves with the fact that the death of older brother had big impact on Kuai Liang, who in Bi-Han’s honor took name of Sub-Zero as he sought revenge against Scorpion. It was one of his biggest motivation during all MK stories - at least until he made a peace with Hanzo Hasashi. Kuai Liang is idealistic and naive, and Hanzo finds his sympathy, kindness, empathy and mercifulness (despite being absolutely ruthless and ferocious when he’s engaged in kombat) and Hanzo finds that endearing. 

Elder Kuai Liang may seem very composed, but Hanzo now knows in the Lin Kuei’s youth, he was driven by emotions (anger, guilt) - just like he is, anger fueled by guilt - and forced to do many things against his will by various powers (Lin Kuei, Quan Chi’s magic, cursed blade) and still he stayed on the heroes’ side. Kuai Liang even made peace with murderer of his brother - himself - and blamed only Quan Chi for what happened to Bi-Han. Hanzo forever feels indebted and grateful for Kuai’s forgiveness.

🤐Would they ever confess their feelings first?

Hanzo most likely would to Kuai Liang, than having it the other way. While Hanzo isn’t much experienced when it comes to having romantic/sexual relationships, for his one and only partner for life had been Harumi and I headcanon that they were friends from childhood years, in which Hanzo soon became Harumi’s suitor and they became lovers from friends, which also lead to them becoming soulmates. Because Hanzo is more emotionally in touch with himself and have no qualms of expressing his thoughts and feelings, it would come much more natural to him than Kuai Liang, who is rather naive and hasn’t experienced all the life’s joys as his childhood and normalcy to experience various appropriate things in Lin Kuei. 

❌Would they ever cheat on their partner?

Cheating is wrong, because it breaches his hard-earned trust, devotion and love. The golden rule for arguing about morals is the golden rule itself: One should treat others the way one would like others to treat oneself. The special exclusive bond he shared with him/her would degrade to become never exclusive or special. It would feel like such a violation and make him doubt his own self-worth, that maybe he is not deemed worthy enough. A relationship is heavy, involves a lot of opening up and intimacy, and breaking that trust makes him feel vulnerable and betrayed. The searing mental image of his loved one being intimate with someone else is hard to erase completely from your head, and would haunt him for long. It’s a shattering blend of impotent anger, envy, loss of self-confidence, possible erosion of faith in love, disgust at having opened up to such a person, and mind-numbing  regret and sorrow. 

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Do they want children?

Hanzo always thrived better with having his offsprings; regardless of biological (Satoshi) or surrogate (Takeda Takahashi), Hanzo’s paternal prowess has not only kept him in check from his severe depression and sole survivor’s guilt, but it boosted his hellfire and fighting capabilities, making him even capable of coming on top of Raiden and Sub-Zero (albeit he was injured before their battle). 

🐶Are they a cuddler?

As I have mentioned before, physical intimacy is one of the most crucial and profound part of romantic/sexual relationship. Cuddling often gets conflated with sex because it releases oxytocin, a hormone that promotes bonding, and like sex, cuddling can lower blood pressure, ease pain, and increase sexual and life satisfaction. While cuddling doesn’t always make sex as an end result, Hanzo regards cuddling itself as one of the most important communications in relationships, as those subtle, grounding touches anchor him to reality. It only fosters tight-knitted bonding opportunities and cuddling increases his sense of security with Kuai Liang, which in turn, increases his desire to be emotionally intimate and vulnerable with him. There’s no denying the positive effects cuddling has on his relationship.

🔮Do they believe in soul mates?

I think Hanzo both believes in destiny and growth beliefs; it’s the same with Harumi and Kuai, that he was destined to be with a specific person (in this case, people) and that he would have one person who is meant for me in different timelines (if Harumi hadn’t met her gruesome death, Hanzo would have dedicated his life for her). And this is especially important with Hanzo’s relationship with Kuai Liang, and that their relationship slowly progressed and they both grew to fit together - like yin and yang - as they both made conscious effort to become needed and fill in the gaps of their imperfections. While he believes that he and Kuai can be the most compatible person on the face of the earth, but he doesn’t believe there's an invisible force that draws complete strangers towards each other; they have to continue to make conscious effort to understand and perceive each other, even as they begin to know them in-depth. 

⚔️ Are they protective of their partner?

Extremely. Although Hanzo knows Kuai is a strong and ferocious warrior who can very easily protect himself from peril and throes of death, it’s the past trauma of losing his clan - not once, but twice under supernatural forces he couldn’t control nor predict - and most definitely his family. 

🚀 How far are they willing to go for the person they love?

Once Hanzo commits in romantic/sexual relationships, he will literally go to the ends of the earth and to Hell and back; it’s literally the entirety of his story arc regarding Harumi/Satoshi when you think about it. It it weren’t for Hanzo’s love, Hanzo Hasashi as a character we know as of now may have been nonexistent, and so does Scorpion. 

❤️ Do they fall in love easily?

While the severity of his trauma may have been slightly mitigated by the decades of his desiderium and deep longing, Hanzo still has dreams and nightmares about Harumi, whom he considered not only as a longtime friend, a lover, a beloved and devoted wife, but even more so, his soulmate. She was a quiet, but a strong presence who served as Hanzo’s emotional pillar and guidance. 

📺 Do they share information about their relationships freely with friends and family?

Initially, Hanzo would be very discreet and hesitant about their relationship; at least until it becomes truly serious and fully devoted. For Hanzo, strategic disclosure and manipulation of co-presence (especially in regards to their shared Grandmasters’ positions and being Earthrealm’s protectors) signals will become the most frequent ways in which information was managed. The most frequent reasons for revelation were felt obligation to reveal based on the relationship with the target, the desire for emotional expression and the desire for psychological support from the target. The most frequent reason to withhold information was the anticipation of a negative reaction from his surroundings, specifically to the Shirai Ryu and perhaps beyond.  

This sharing of personal details about his life - your feelings, thoughts, memories, and other such things - Hanzo’s self-disclosure is on the low side; while he is completely open about sharing them to the most trusted, loved individuals, he is much more reserved about such things. 

♦️Are they concerned with the social status of their partner?

Social status is most likely the least facet Hanzo is concerned about, but I think Hanzo certainly has a type for someone who is either 1) a commanding leader in any manifestations and forms - Grandmasters, Commanders, those who have been in the leading position where they are responsible for numbers of individuals under their wings, so to speak, and 2) possesses insistence, the iron-will stubbornness that is able to meet his own hot-tempered decisiveness. 

💭 Do they tend to sleep better when in bed with their partner?

One of Hanzo’s most absolute favorite things to do is to cuddle naked; while he is much more of a sensual being than sexual, Hanzo does enjoy both physical or emotional closeness. While the term intimate relationship usually implies the inclusion of sexual activity, the term is also used to indicate a relationship with more than just sexual activity. Intimate relationships maintain a key role in his overall human experience because they involve emotional connections with others. This may be romance, physical or sexual attraction, sexual activity, or emotional support, while also helps him to develop strong interpersonal connections. 

Hanzo desires physical intimacy of some sort at least occasionally, being that it is a natural part of human sexuality. Because this is most often sensual touching of any sort, it requires an entrance into another's personal space, while it may be an emotional or sexual act anywhere from a hug to a kiss or sexual intercourse. Emotional or sensual touching of this sort aids in the release of oxytocin, dopamine,and serotonin, which reduces stress. Also, without physical intimacy, there are increased feelings of loneliness or sadness and Hanzo is highly prone to suffering both without the intimate proximity with his significant other. 

Specifically with Kuai Liang, he finds the quality of his sleep significantly improved; he finds the cryomancer’s coolness extremely comfortable, relaxing and natural. Even as a pyromancer and someone who is more or less used to stifling heat of Japan, regardless of humidity, he finds majority of summer and fall a bit unbearable - since he is the type to sweat a lot in those hot seasons and it’s hard for him to cool down rapidly without feeling significant discomfort beyond where he feels unhygienic and disgusting. Having some kind of weight under him is also a comforting presence, and he dreams less nightmares and unpleasant dreams because of it. 

[secretlyatargaryen]

The Strings of Those Who Came Before, An Analysis of Tyrion and Tywin as Rulers Part II: I Must Be Stone

I said in Part 1 that although Tyrion tries a lot to emulate Tywin in the political/military sphere, he’s at his best when he ISN’T doing that. Tyrion’s best successes as a ruler are when he shows compassion and uses his natural empathy for others to understand how best to rule. A lot of what he learned from Tywin, although good for creating immediate success, is extremely toxic. Although Tyrion probably didn’t have much in the way of formal training on how to lead, because he was never expected to either inherit a lordship or lead men into battle, and I don’t think Tywin ever expected to put him into the position of power he puts him in at the end of AGOT, Tyrion did pick up quite a lot from his father, and because Tywin was a terrible father, a lot of that was negative. From Tywin, Tyrion learned how to be ruthless, how to be cruel, how to instill fear. In particular, we see this in the scene between Tyrion and Cersei after she tells him that she’s taken Alayaya.

What’s interesting about this scene is that Tyrion is playing two roles. One is Tywin 2.0, and the other is the monster Cersei has always thought him to be, and he’s actually combined those two monstrous figures that have overshadowed his life to try to give himself an image of authority over the sister who he knows he cannot show weakness in front of.

She truly believes I mean to kill my own nephew. "The boys are safe," he promised her wearily. "Gods be good, Cersei, they're my own blood! What sort of man do you take me for?"

"A small and twisted one."         

Tyrion stared at the dregs on the bottom of his wine cup. What would Jaime do in my place? Kill the bitch, most likely, and worry about the consequences afterward. But Tyrion did not have a golden sword, nor the skill to wield one. He loved his brother's reckless wrath, but it was their lord father he must try and emulate. Stone, I must be stone, I must be Casterly Rock, hard and unmovable. If I fail this test, I had as lief seek out the nearest grotesquerie. "For all I know, you've killed her already," he said.                 

and

He pushed himself to his feet. "Keep her then, but keep her safe. If these animals think they can use her . . . well, sweet sister, let me point out that a scale tips two ways." His tone was calm, flat, uncaring; he'd reached for his father's voice, and found it. "Whatever happens to her happens to Tommen as well, and that includes the beatings and rapes." If she thinks me such a monster, I'll play the part for her.                 

Cersei had not expected that.

It’s interesting that Tyrion both is mindful here of how his disability puts him at a disadvantage (contrasting himself with Jaime, who never untied a Gordion knot when he could just slice through it) and aware of how Cersei sees his dwarfism as evidence of his inherent immorality, and expects danger from him. This is an experience that I think is familiar to a lot of oppressed people, the feeling of being treated simultaneously as a threat and a victim. As Tyrion says, though, the scale tips two ways, and he uses this to his advantage. Which IS a truly smart move.

And in order to reach for the authority and danger he is trying to project, he of course reaches for his father. He reaches for Casterly Rock, and stone. This is a really great symbolic image because Casterly Rock itself is symbolic for the dysfunction of House Lannister, repression and emotional coldness, lack of humanity, lack of empathy. Stone symbolizes strength but it also symbolizes cruelty, and it’s not the only time in the text that Tywin Lannister is associated with stone, in particular in Tyrion’s mind.

“They say that the Shrouded Lord will grant a boon to any man who can make him laugh. Perhaps His Grey Grace will choose you to ornament his stony court."                 

Duck glanced at his companion uneasily. "It's not good to jape of that one, not when we're so near the Rhoyne. He hears."

There’s an obvious association between Tywin and The Shrouded Lord, right down to his name. In ADWD, Tyrion is seeing Tywin’s ghost everywhere, including in Old Griff, but in particular we are introduced to this legend of a Shrouded Lord, shrouded obviously invoking the image of a corpse wrapped in a burial shroud, a lord of the dead, a lord of stone. A lord who never laughs.

And what Haldon says also invokes the idea of Tyrion as dwarf jester, a court ornament, sImilar to the way Tywin saw Tyrion as a mockery of him and his house. It’s also an interesting association because in our own history, court dwarfs were meant to appear ridiculous in order to contrast with and emphasize the power and respectability of the royals. By making Tyrion an ornament in his court, Tywin, or the Shrouded Lord, is emphasizing his own power. Which I think is also why, although Tywin complained about Tyrion being an embarrassment to him, he never tried to teach others to respect his dwarf son. Thus Tyrion becomes the scapegoat for House Lannister, both the shame of the Lannister name and a contrast to emphasize the greatness of the others.

Tyrion is affected by the story of the Shrouded Lord almost immediately upon hearing it.

His grey kiss. The thought made his flesh crawl. Death had lost its terror for Tyrion Lannister, but greyscale was another matter. The Shrouded Lord is just a legend, he told himself, no more real than the ghost of Lann the Clever that some claim haunts Casterly Rock.

Despite spending most of the series as a self-professed cynic, it’s interesting that Tyrion chooses this moment to believe in ghost stories. Although, then again, Tyrion also has a strong affinity with dragons (and peering into flames), so perhaps it’s not that strange after all. Notice the association with the supposedly haunted Casterly Rock, another link to Tywin and House Lannister.

The association between Tywin and the Shrouded Lord does not end there.

"We are made of blood and bone, in the image of the Father and the Mother," said Septa Lemore. "Make no vainglorious boasts, I beg you. Pride is a grievous sin. The stone men were proud as well, and the Shrouded Lord was proudest of them all."

For all that Tywin Lannister wants to convince the world that he is made of stone, he is strongly associated with the worldly sin of pride. So, too, it is pride that is strongly associated with the stone men and their dead lord.

The specific wording in the above quote also calls to mind the play-within-the-story that is about Tyrion, specifically:

When the dwarf appeared suddenly from behind a wooden tombstone, the crowd began to hiss and curse. Bobono waddled to the front of the stage and leered at them. "The seven-faced god has cheated me," he began, snarling the words. "My noble sire he made of purest gold, and gold he made my siblings, boy and girl. But I am formed of darker stuff, of bones and blood and clay..."

Pride here is associated with thinking that one is above human failures. We are told that the gods make us out of flesh and blood, they make us to be fallable, human. Lord Tywin passes him and his house off as if it is made of gold. And even though it’s repeated as a joke, the idea that even Tywin’s shit is gold is also a symbolic defiance of the gods, a presumption to be above mere humanity. It’s fitting that the divine punishment for such a person should be to slowly become hardened from the inside out, flesh turned to cold stone.

He dreamt of his lord father and the Shrouded Lord. He dreamt that they were one and the same, and when his father wrapped stone arms around him and bent to give him his grey kiss, he woke with his mouth dry and rusty with the taste of blood and his heart hammering in his chest.

Notice how the Shrouded Lord becomes Tyrion’s father in the dream, when he goes to wrap him with “stone arms” and “give him his grey kiss.” This is a pretty direct analogy not only for the fear of death that greyscale represents, and which has also become associated with Tywin in Tyrion’s mind after his father’s death, but it’s a great metaphor for the lack of parental affection Tyrion received. Tywin’s embrace is stone and his kiss is grey, bringing not love or belonging but death and fear.

Tyrion wanted to slap him, to spit in his face, to draw his dagger and cut the heart out of him and see if it was made of old hard gold, the way the smallfolks said.

For hands of gold (or stone) are always cold.

There’s another version of the Shrouded Lord tale that doesn’t involve him being (un)dead, but rather a legacy title:

"The dead do not rise," insisted Haldon Halfmaester, "and no man lives a thousand years. Yes, there is a Shrouded Lord. There have been a score of them. When one dies another takes his place.” 

This is interesting because of the question that I’ve dealt with before in Part 1, and from which the title of this series comes: are we doomed to repeat the mistakes of our parents? I think it’s significant that Tyrion comes very close in this book to literally becoming like the Shrouded Lord himself, turning to stone from the inside out. This is a literal representation of the existential crisis that he faces with regard to what kind of man he will be in the end.

Beyond the veil of dream, the Sorrows were waiting for him. Stone steps ascending endlessly, steep and slick and treacherous, and somewhere at the top, the Shrouded Lord. I do not want to meet the Shrouded Lord.

The endless stone steps, slick and treacherous, make me think of Casterly Rock. I imagine Casterly Rock was full of stairs, carved into stone and slick with seawater. Not exactly friendly to someone with Tyrion’s bad legs and chronic pain.

What is interesting, though, is that right after he thinks this, Tyrion literally falls down a flight of stairs.

Tyrion fumbled back into his clothes again and groped his way to the stair. Griff will flay me. Well, why not? If ever a dwarf deserved a skinning, I'm him.    

Halfway down the steps, he lost his footing. Somehow he managed to break his tumble with his hands and turn it into a clumsy thumping cartwheel. The whores in the room below looked up in astonishment when he landed at the foot of the steps. Tyrion rolled onto his feet and gave them a bow.

What saves Tyrion from falling down the stairs? Embracing precisely the part of himself that was an embarrassment to Tywin.

Going back to the scene where Cersei confronts Tyrion about Alayaya, though, way back in book 2, it��s Tyrion’s attempt to channel Tywin, although done to protect Alayaya from harm, that ultimately works against Tyrion.

"I have never liked you, Cersei, but you were my own sister, so I never did you harm. You've ended that. I will hurt you for this. I don't know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid."            

In war, his father had told him once, the battle is over in the instant one army breaks and flees. No matter that they're as numerous as they were a moment before, still armed and armored; once they had run before you they would not turn to fight again. So it was with Cersei. "Get out!" was all the answer she could summon. "Get out of my sight!"

Tyrion again thinks of Tywin, here, and he wins the battle but he doesn’t ultimately win the war. Not only can he not truly protect Alayaya, but his threat against Cersei is ultimately used as evidence against him in his trial during ASOS, and used as proof of his monstrosity. I think this does say something about the inherent contradiction in Tyrion trying to model Tywin’s ruthlessness in order to accomplish what is a worthy goal - protecting someone in need of protection. Tyrion can’t protect Alayaya in the end, and also is unwilling to follow through with his threat against Tommen, and in the end he’s the one who ends up looking like a monster because of the ableist campaign against him.

In my opinion, Tyrion’s best moments, that show him as a true leader, are not when he pretends to be made of stone, not when he tries to model the legacy of pain and cruelty that he was born into, but when he shows compassion and empathy despite it. When he leads the sortie during Blackwater, when he protects Sansa, when he empowers Bran, when he gives counsel to Jon, when he takes the initiative to free himself and Penny and Jorah from bondage, these are the moments that show him as a true leader.

Tyrion ultimately loses power in King’s Landing because of factors that spiral beyond his control, but I do think that GRRM is trying to say that hardening your heart to others is not the way to be a true leader. Tywin Lannister meets his end after a legacy of trauma and devastation that nearly swallows Tyrion as well, but Tyrion is not without his own allies, those who remember his kindness, and three of those people, Sansa, Jon, and Bran, are poised to have a strong impact on the future of Westeros already.

I’ve talked a lot about Tyrion’s association with stone in a negative sense, but stone is also an element that has positive connotations, and this essay which I find very interesting also posits Tyrion as representing stone/earth, the third element grounding ice and fire. SInce Tyrion is a dualistic and liminal character in multiple senses, I think it’s fitting that he should represent both of these connotations. You could also say that stone and earth are two different things, or two different sides of the same coin. I also think I made the connection before of Tyrion’s black eye representing earth, in which case the green eye, the Lannister one, might represent stone, emerald being a gemstone often associated with the Lannisters. Tyrion’s eyes are one of the most visual representations of his duality, so they’re important.

Which I think is all I have to say on this subject for now.

[machimachilegends]

Disclaimer: Duelists within the anime severely lack in Spell-based Monster Removal, Spell/Trap Destruction, Effect Negation and Continuous Spell/Trap cards that prevent the opponent from performing certain actions since cards are notably more difficult to obtain and faith/morale play a bigger role than luck/deck-building with an abnormal Battle Phase fetish.

Therefore, this list ranking the strongest antagonists in Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime so far will sparsely discuss the flaws of each character's Deck. If you have any questions about my list or want my personal thoughts on anything Yu-Gi-Oh!, feel free to ask. I have nothing but time!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Z-ONE

Has Level 10 Fairy-Type monsters he can normal summon regularly that are impervious to destruction by battle and card effects by normal means with minimal chances of being damaged.

The effects his Timelords possess range from shuffling your opponent's entire GY back to the Deck, dealing 2000+ effect damage instant Life Point recovery should he take damage. The only issue with Deck is the reliance on attacking and average use of one Timelord at a time. While his Continuous Traps over time will eventually disable the opponent from targeting his Timelords and allow him to exceed 20,000 ATK in a flash, his best play is his biggest weakness.

I could go all day explaining the other effects he has after a successful battle, but just know it's essentially a lot of shuffling cards back, returning cards back and burn. He only has one monster that can deal battle damage and that's about it.

And since he still needs to attack, akin to everybody else lower on the list, this is nothing each protagonist and most rivals can't get over, especially in their respective series, despite popular belief saying otherwise -- when Judai can equip Neos with Rainbow Veil or Light Laser to wall you, you know you messed up somewhere.

Zarc / Z-ARC

Fusion, Synchro, Xyz- and to a lesser extent Pendulum barely mean nothing to this guy and his stupendously powerful dragons. Having access to arguably the best Monster Type in the game both in anime and real life, with the added benefit of being Pendulum-based, many fans have very good reasons to hype him up as unbeatable prior to Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V's end.

His ultimate monster Z-ARC boasts and grants immunity to the monster effects of the aforementioned Extra Deck Monsters, in addition to the inability to leave the field by normal means similarly to Z-ONE with a whopping 4000 ATK minus the Battle damage immunity.

It may seem underwhelming at first, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. While Zarc cannot mend the course of a Duel through the Battle Phase, he does possess various ways of demoralizing his foes:

His opponents cannot add cards to their hand outside of the Draw Phase or else their effects will be negated and destroyed.

He can negate the effects of Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Monsters and drain them of their attack by performing the same summon on their Turn, with some of them capable of inflicting effect damage, and each dragon that resides in his Extra Deck has other effects ranging between dramatically exceeding their original ATK or mass removal.

His Supreme King Gates translate battle damage and effect damage into Life Points, while the servants in his Main Deck can protect Z-ARC from attacks and act as an unnecessary extra piece of armor amongst other cards.

And did I forget to mention through Astrograph Sorcerer Z-ARC's summon cannot be negated, which almost guarantees the defeat of his opponents with massage effect damage?

I know it all sounds amazing, but truth be told other than the initial summon of Z-ARC, his Deck is very very fragile in the grand scheme due to how susceptible his Deck is to common Monsters, Spells and Traps' targeting and non-targeting effects that have debut throughout the series.

Recall, since most of his cards only work so long as he controls Z-ARC, while someone like Z-ONE may get trolled by Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon or The Regulation of Tribe once in a blue moon, just call-in Dark Necrofear or Destiny HERO Plasma and it all goes downhill from here.

Dartz

As the practical incarnate of the Orichalcos, Dartz features a Deck revolving around its use. Monsters, Spells, Traps: The whole damn Deck.

While most people would like to focus on the Great Leviathan's lack of built in resistances, despite being an INFINITE ATK point monster that essentially prevents you from losing to any form of damage, this slithery-fuck that required countless souls for its revival planned to be summoned with all three layers/forms of the Orichalcos to be in effect. How else did you expect to acquire 10,000+ Life Points to get the dark thing out? Soul Absorption?

To put sum things up, layer one cannot be destroyed (possibly can't be negated, activation-wise), grants all monsters you control 500 extra ATK, practically enables you to treat your Spell/Trap Zones as extra Main Monster Zones and any monsters summoned there cannot be attacked so long as you have a Monster Zone filled, and if-need-be you can move monsters from the Main Monster Zone to the back, although those last two effects go underused.

Layer two takes all the effects of layer one and stacks it with a 500 Life Points gain for every monster you control once per turn and the ability to Tribute a monster you control to destroy an opposing monster.

Still not convinced these layers do much, well how about layer three? Once again it all stacks with the bonus on straight up telling your opponent "No" when they try to affect any of your monsters with a Spell/Trap Effect instantly negating and destroying them on a whim.

Now, we know the glaring hole in all this is the fact Monster Effects can still put in work, but if it's destruction based, you'll be putting all your time into the monsters leading up to the Great Leviathan.

A little sucker (Kyutora) that absorbs that would be inflicted at any time to fuel a stronger golem-like figure (not Gigas but Shunoros) in the Deck should it ever die with a base ATK of whatever was absorbed and two arms that will always be 300+ in ATK or DEF against an opponent's monster (Aristeros & Dexia), a jerk flame gargoyle that will force one of your opponent's monster back in Attack Position and motherfucking Timeater.

Generally speaking, he comes off very mediocre until you realize all he really needs is Mirror Knight Calling to dominate. With those Mirror Knights in conjunction with the Orichalcos he instantly assembles an army of tokens that can battle any monster and come out victorious, since their strength will always match the opposition and survive destruction by removing a single mirror counter that is generated by Mirror Knight Calling at the end of every Turn.

Simply put, he's someone that only gets better with time, unless he has Geh (The Great Leviathan) out. Then he has a solid chance to lose instantly, then again, if he didn't win on the Turn he summoned it, he deserves to lose seeing how he is milling 10 cards per attack from his Infinite ATK monster.

In many ways Zarc is just a better Dartz. For a guy like this, one Gemini Summoned Magical Reflect Slime + protection is all you need.

Don Thousand

Similarly to Z-ONE he comes off very unfair, except he's an offensive behemoth with control over the Overlay Network, opposed to defensive paragon with relative one-shot capabilities like the others. His Deck can be summed up without much need to go into effects, especially with how little we actually see.

Bluntly put, he will start his Turn spitting out 1 through 4 Number Monsters with the same gimmick of doubling their ATK after each attack, easily allowing him to exceed 8000 points of potential battle damage with a built-in Rank-Up play that deals even more lethal damage, essentially making him the true FTK antagonist looming in the back.

Should both attempts fail, he will fall on Number C1000, but that monster really means nothing to any character that possesses no "C" monsters. Rather Number iC1000 is what you really wanted to see. A walking win condition that basically tells your opponent, if you don't attack me, a 100,000 ATK monster you instantly lose the Duel. The only problem here is it can't negate two attacks, and the effect only applies so long as it stands.

Unlike some of the powerhouses higher on the ladder, he at least has Counter Traps, so there's at least some merit why you rarely see YouTubers try to script any Duels with him. Linear af.

I would say the true problem with his Deck/power as a Duelist is the fact he uses a Field Spell to kickstart his FTK's which means any bro like Bastion Misawa could play Curse of the Forbidden Spell and he's a goner. Like, here me out, at least Dartz can still play the game without the Orichalcos.

Bohman

Now, at first I thought Bohman was going to end up stronger than Z-ONE with the blanket Monster Effect negation he had on his Hydradrives when Dueling Blue Maiden, but that turned out to become more nothing more than a dream.

Bohman lacks proper negation for LIGHT & DARK Attributes essentially made Bohman's Deck a very unfocused beatdown strategy like many of the Duelists of the week characters in Link Swarming form, basically trading Majesty's Fiend for Five-Headed Dragon + Wind-Up Rabbit on crack playing dice.

Ignoring his use of Master Storm Access, it's not so much his Hydradrives suck or OTK/FTK potential isn't there- because it is, it's more so everything he does against Playmaker outside of switching dragon heads or rolling some dice (which only sucks irl) can be done better by everyone on the list:

Over 5000 ATK just cause? Check.

Can dominate Battle Phase procedures more than normal? Check.

Inherently prevents adversaries from dealing with monsters via built-in effects? Check.

Can summon more than one powerful monster per turn/Duel if need be? Check.

Safe from most damaging effects? Check.

Counters most of his generation? Check.

Benefits from his opponents' plays somehow? Check.

He's a jack of all trades and master of none but making attributes change with a die. Why he doesn't run DNA Transplant but Half Shut will forever be a mystery in the same world Revolver acquires Imperial Order for the sole purpose of stopping Judgment Arrows.

It sure is a good thing most protagonists/rivals use LIGHT & DARK Attributes over EARTH, WIND, WATER & FIRE or this man would be at the mercy of so many characters. Poor Yusei though.

Nightshroud

Nightshroud's strategies are the utmost straightforward with how it plans to win. Activate Darkness, Set Darkness 1 through 3 + Zero & Infinity, use various Darkness monsters to peep at your Set cards and/or organize them however you like before activating everything between Zero & Infinity.

Darkness 1 destroys up to 3 card your opponent controls based on face-up Darkness traps.

Darkness 2 increase the ATK of one monster you control 1000 to 3000 based on face-up Darkness traps.

Darkness 3 deal 1000 to 3000 per activation based on face-up Darkness traps.

Each of these are Set and randomized in the zones via Darkness (Field Spell) after activation between Zero & Infinity, which means in 2 Turns if the correct Darkness monster is on the field, that's a clean ceiling of 6000 effect damage if Darkness Neosphere is present.

Through these various Darkness Traps controlling the cards present on the field at a time makes it easy to disrupt characters from summoning their strongest monsters via Contact Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and Link Summoning, making the monsters he pumps up through Darkness 2 like Darkness Destroyer game enders via Battle Damage, which would make many come to the conclusion he should rank higher on the list. The main problem with Darkness is he doesn't showcase any further Spells/Traps and anything like Denko Sekka can shut him down in an instant.

Nightshroud's combo is highly susceptible to card destruction, despite boasting some of the finest at his best and other than that poor RNG styled Field Spell.

To cut things short, anything that can't be destroyed by Traps or benefits from destruction will only have to worry about effect damage or higher ATK. And considering how badly Nightshroud needs to go first, he's not only the slowest boss character but has the worst matchup potential, especially against other bosses.

Please don't tell him about Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En or Naturia Rosewhip OR Mister Alister's hmm... I don't know... Oh yeah! ROYAL DECREE!!!

I would say he has it the worse, but it's understandable since he- outside of helping others mend the darkness in their hearts never created/announced anything notably new mid Duel. Very respectable for a skeleton man.

[akaluan]

*snicker* in the werewolf!verse, can you just imagine Kisuke enthusiastically asking werewolf!Erich about All The Werewolf lore? (Erich might even find Kisuke questioning him about the validity of ancient European folklore - rather cute.)

Erich, to the pups+Kisuke: “Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.”          

((Okay so… you kinda attempted to prompt cute and silly and Urahara being his typical self, aaaaand then this went… sideways.

SO UH. HAVE A LORE DUMP.

And a bit of cute fluff, but ANYWAY. LORE.

Yes, most of this actually applies to Misfits-verse as well. Also, I’ve decided that most every shapeshifter legend is true in these ‘Verses, albeit some of them have died off and some of them are dying off (like the were-Quincy). It’s a thing.

Also I might continue this at some point, but this felt like a good stopping point.

Also-also, please note that werewolf!Erich is like 200% more tactile and openly affectionate than Lilacs!Erich because wolf-instincts and finally having a pack again after so very, very long. And he pretty quickly sways Uryuu to being more tactile and openly affectionate in general. This is also the timeline where Uryuu doesn’t become a werewolf because Erich gives him back his powers before that happens.))

“Do you have a wolf-skin?” Urahara asked curiously, following Erich out of the training ground after their latest spar. “Or an enchanted belt?”

Erich shook his head, eyeing Urahara with wry amusement and pointedly tapping two of claws together to draw attention to his current wolf-traits. “No and no.”

Urahara made a considering noise, fiddling with his fan and staring at Erich thoughtfully. “Silver bullets? Silver in general?”

“Bullets hurt,” Erich agreed, pausing to dart up in several bursts of hirenkyaku to reach the trapdoor out. He waited in the shop for Urahara to follow him up, then continued, “but there’s nothing inherent in silver that harms us.”

“Ji-san?” Uryuu asked from the doorway, looking between Erich and Urahara warily. “Is he bothering you again?”

Erich chuckled and held out a hand towards Uryuu, unable to resist a fond smile when the boy willingly came to him and allowed Erich to settle his arm over his shoulders in a loose hug. It was such a joy to be able to show /affection/ to someone again, and have them accept it. It was such a joy to have /pack/ again. “No, Urahara is simply being his normal nosy self.”

“Mou, you wound me, Rerugen-san!” Urahara protested, shoulders slumped in theatrical dejection and hat pulled down to hide his eyes. “You don’t /have/ to answer!”

“Of course not.” Erich pulled Uryuu back into the private areas of the shoten, honing in on the room the other teens were. He let go of Uryuu and gratefully dropped onto the couch, stretching out his legs and relaxing in the presence of his pack.

Uryuu almost immediately dropped to sit on the floor next to him, leaning against Erich’s leg and resting his head on his thigh.

“You know you could sit up here with me,” Erich murmured, reaching out to run his claws gently through Uryuu’s hair.

“I’m comfortable,” Uryuu said. He tilted his head enough to give Erich a narrow-eyed look, then let his head drop back and pointedly leaned into the touch. “So what what he bothering you about this time?”

Erich shot Urahara a stern look as the man paused, took in the scene, then mimed being struck by the sight in front of him. “He’s being nosy about werewolf lore, of course,” he explained, catching the attention of the other three.

“Oh, I’ve been wondering about that too!” Orihime perked up and moved to sprawl across the couch near him, chin propped up on her hands and legs swinging through the air. “There’s so many conflicting stories, and none of it really makes sense.”

“Most of it’s fake, isn’t it?” Ichigo asked, marking his place in his book and setting it aside. “I haven’t found any stories that have the werewolves showing traits outside of the transformation, except maybe eye color. Well… except the full moon thing is apparently true?”

“Which is new,” Chad added. When the other teens glanced at him curiously he shrugged. “Mid nineteenth century gothic horror was the start.”

“Ah…” Erich gave a lopsided side and shrugged. “An ancestor was careless. It… happens more often than you might expect. Many of my men during the war knew, but when magecraft was such a prominent, obvious thing, it was easy to spin a tale of an ancestral curse by an angered mage.”

“Is that true?” Uryuu asked softly. “/Were/ we cursed?”

“No,” he said firmly. “It may make things difficult in this day and age, but this was /never/ intended as a curse.”

Urahara settled in a nearby chair and made a thoughtful noise. “Then what /was/ it intended as?”

He watched Urahara for a long moment in silence, then swept his gaze over the teens, noting their attention and interest in the answer. Uryuu and Ichigo, at the very least, deserved to know, since the change was in /their/ blood as well. Even Chad and Orihime arguably had a right to that knowledge, being part of the pack as they were.

(Urahara, too; though when his traitorous mind had begun to tentatively label the man /pack/ was unknown.)

“A blessing,” Erich said, then held up a hand to forestall the questions he knew were coming. “This has been in our blood since before the genesis of the Quincy. Arguably, we are lycanthropes /first/ and Quincy second, despite the way the abilities usually manifest. We’ve been so since the time when we were simply Humans with ritual magic and the Sight, dedicated to hunting the monsters that hunted /us/.”

“/Oh/,” Orihime breathed, eyes bright. “An extra edge in battle! And…” she hesitated, glancing from Erich and down to Uryuu, then over to Ichigo and back to Erich. “Bonds. A hunting pack.”

Erich nodded in agreement, running his claws through Uryuu’s hair again. “Wolves are powerful and dangerous by themselves, but the pack instincts… /those/ make them /deadly/, especially against foes as large and dangerous as Hollows.”

“But why the /moon/,” Ichigo asked, scowling deeper at the words. “That seems less useful than a pelt or a belt or… or just transforming at will.”

“Pelts and belts can be lost,” Erich pointed out. “Look at all the legends about /selkies/ losing their pelts and being bound to whoever finds it. Ritual magic requires an anchor, a stable point to emanate from so that the magic continues to affect those it should.” He lifted his hand from Uryuu’s hair and spread his arms, glancing between his pack-members in question. “What would they have tied it to for free transformation, if not a distinctive item like a pelt or belt? And where would we have /found/ these items, generation after generation? Would we be born as wolves and shed our pelts to become Human? But what if we marry outside those like us? How would /that/ work?”

Kisuke made a face, flicking his fan open and covering his mouth with it. “No, I can’t imagine that would work out well for anyone. I doubt you’d even be /able/ to crossbreed like that.”

“No, probably not.” Erich shrugged and tipped his head towards Kisuke in agreement, inwardly amused at the face Ichigo was making. “So instead, thirty families gathered to anchor the ritual in the moon itself; or, more precisely, in the /concept/ of the moon. A stable, known constant in our lives, from the moment we are born to the moment we die. A constant shared by the entire world. Whether they knew that the change in the moonlight would change the strength of the ritual, I’m unsure, but it is what it is.”

Ichigo gave him a puzzled frown and glanced over at Chad, the two of them holding a silent conversation that Erich let play out. He was curious to see what question the pair had for him.

“How’s it work with calling your name, then?” Ichigo finally asked, looking to Erich again. “The concept of the moon seems… too big to be overridden by a single person.”

“Yes and no. How often do you think about the moon?”

“Not often,” Chad said.

“When I see it,” Ichigo agreed.

Orihime nodded. “Yeah.”

“It’s just… there.” Uryuu tilted his head to look at Erich thoughtfully, chewing on his lower lip in thought. “So… you’re implying that the immediacy of our emotions is enough to override the moon?”

“To an extent.” Erich smiled down at Uryuu and ruffled the teen’s hair, laughing at the disgruntled noise Uryuu made in response. “Emotion has a wild magic of its own, and when you look at my wolf form, and call my name, you’re usually instinctively /wanting/ my familiar form back. And, after a while, you /expect/ a certain action to get a certain result: call my name, pull me from the wolf. Which has a power all its own, separate from that of your emotions.”

“Does it… hurt?” Uryuu asked warily, staring up at him uncertainly. “When… when we do that? Should we not?”

“It’s fine, pup,” Erich reassured, leaning forward to give Uryuu a hug. “It feels /strange/, and there’s always the urge to revert, but it never hurts. Not even in the very beginning, when I first awoke as a wolf in my late twenties.”

Uryuu pressed into the hug, arms slipping up to wrap around Erich’s chest and clinging tight. “Thank you,” he murmured, barely loud enough for Erich to hear.

“You’re welcome, pup.”

[auctes]

15-25 ;V

 OVERESTIMATING  MYSELF  ON  MAIN      //      @sanguamnis​ .

015 .     are  they  most  likely  to  fight  with  their  fists  or  their  tongue  ?

this  is  implicitly  linked  to  the  next  question ,   but  fukawa  knows  she’s  got  a  way  with  words .   while  she  can  fight  back  physically  if  necessary ,   her  most  natural  inclination  of  defense  is  to  insult ,   manipulate ,   to  deride ,   or  to  blaspheme .   fukawa’s  defense  is  the  offensive  :   when  she  feels  threatened ,   she  will  automatically  respond  with  what  she  knows  is  the  most  pointed ,   most  personally  hurtful  thing  she  can  say  to  a  person .   she  exploits  weaknesses  as  a  means  of  removing  herself  from  the  line  of  fire ,   and  she’s  bloody  good  at  it .

016 .     what  is  their  choice  of  weapon  ?

given  the  choice  ?   her  words .   her  novels .   what  i  find  so  interesting  is  the  absent  commentary  that  the  canon  makes  on  fukawa’s  career ,   and  upon  her  ability  as  a  writer .   we   know  that  she’s  universally  acclaimed ,   but  also  that  she  is  able  to  sway  public  opinion  on  even  asinine  topics  with  her  enormous  reach  ;   if  fukawa  has  an  agenda ,   her  demographic  becomes  her  greatest  weapon .   she  could  destroy  a  person’s  life  in  five  hundred  pages ,   if  she  so  wished .   probably  less .   drafts  not  permitted ,   she’d  still  take  a  verbal  crack  at  it .

017 .     when  does  your  character  think  that  violence  is  justified  or  deserved  ?

short  answer  ?   never .   fukawa’s  life  is  already  inundated  with  associations  of  violence  :   some  repressed ,   and  some  ungraciously  remaining  within  her  memory .   she  has  been  wrongfully  accused  of  being  an  inherently  violent  person  who  doles  out  a  distorted  measure  of  personal  justice ,   and  that  perception  has  ruined  her  life .   fukawa  is  more  of  a  pragmatist  :   she  believes  that  some  people  do  deserve  to  be  punished ,   yes ,   and  she  will  not  mourn  the  deaths  of  awful  people .   but  enduring  a  game  of  mandated  murder  for  survival  inevitably  alters  your  point  of  view  on  the  necessity  and  applicability  of  violence .   she  can’t  justify  it .

018 .     your  character  wakes  up  to  find  that  war  has  been  declared .   what  do  they  do  ?

go  back  to  bed ,   honestly .

019 .     if  they  could  have  a  super  power ,   what  would  they  choose ?

here’s  the  thing .   if  the  super  power  was  optional ,   fukawa  wouldn’t  choose  to  have  one .   super  powers  are  too  ingrained  within  the  world  of  fantasy  for  her  to  be  able  to  completely  buy  into  the  concept ,   or  commit  to  having  one .   she  would  rather  remain  a  mundane  person  who  is  grounded  in  reality  than  test  the  boundary  of  fiction .   but  if  i  had  a  choice   —————   and  i’m  discarding  quirk  discussion  here ,   because  that’s  another  dialogue  within  itself   —————   superhuman  suggestion  and  mind  manipulation ,   quite  honestly .   it’s  something  she  ...   has  more  or  less  mastered  as  it  is ,   so  it’s  not  too  farfetched  to  imagine  that  in  a  fantastical  capacity .

020 .     what  are  their  hobbies  ?

hobbies  ?   what  hobbies  ?   her  life  is  work ,   suffering ,   and  occasionally  sleeping .   i  would  say  writing ,   but  when  fukawa  is  writing  professionally ,   she  rarely  has  time  to  do  so  for  recreation .   she  reads  whenever  she  can ,   enjoys  going  to  galleries  and  museums ,   and  studying  humanities - wing  subjects  yields  some  measure  of  stress  relief  for  her .   syo ,   on  the  other  hand ,   is  a  more  practical  person  with  a  strong  spacial  awareness  :   she  enjoys  building  furniture ,   interior  decorating ,   high  risk  adrenaline  sports ,   and  carpentry .

021 .     how  do  they  display  affection  ?

affection  from  fukawa  is  highly  dependent  on  the  subject  and  the  nature  of  that  relationship .   she  can’t  offer  consolidating  words ,   and  physical  contact  is  a  process .   sharing  her  work   —————   her  honest ,   personal  work ,   and  not  her  professional  bibliography   —————   is  sharing  a  part  of  herself  that  fukawa  often  deems  unsafe  to  outwardly  express .   there  is  a  measure  of  deep  trust  involved  in  writing  a  piece  for  someone ,   sharing  her  poetry ,   or  telling  them  about  things  she  writes  for  herself  as  opposed  to  for  an  audience .   it’s  honestly  an  intimate  experience  for  her ,   as  fukawa  connects  with  her  own  humanity  through  writing  ;   she  can  perceive  when  those  closest  to  her  need  a  hug ,   or  their  hands  held ,   or  their  hair  stroked   —————   but  honest  affection  from  fukawa  is  simply  sharing  her  heart .

022 .     what  is  the  most  beautiful  thing  they’ve  ever  seen  ?

byakuya  togami .   i  actually  have  an  answer  for  this ,   because  i think  it  came  up  in  an  in - character  conversation  on  the  second ...?   killing  game  server .   the  most  beautiful  thing  fukawa  has  ever  seen  was  a  beached  trawler  wreck  on  a  stretch  of  sand  near  her  home .   understand  that  what  fukawa  perceives  as  beautiful  could  be  slightly  abnormal  :   the  imagery  she  employs  in  her  little  love  poems  is  ostensibly  macabre ,   and  she  is  inspired  by  personal  tragedies  and  trauma .   i  remember  waxing  poetic  about  the  rusted  hull ,   and  the  aquatic  plantlife  that  dried  and  rotted  into  the  bow ,   but  fukawa  is  most  profoundly  moved  by  things  we  would  find  ugly ,    or  depressing ,   or  confronting .   life  in  stasis ,   nature  reclaiming  appropriated  land ,   and  transcendentalism  moves  fukawa  unspeakably .   it’s  nice  imagery ,   and  was  deeply  symbolic .

023 .     what  do  they  consider  beautiful  in  others ,   physically  ?

fukawa  does  not  have  a  physical  type .   however ,   i  distinctly  remember  writing  something  once  in  which  i stated  that  she  falls  in  love  with  parts  as  opposed  to  the  sum  of them .   she  will  hyperfixate  and  romanticize  a  single  aspect  of  a  person  :   their  eyes ,   their  arms ,   their  voice ,   their  posture ,   and  for  as  long  as  she  loves  them ,   it  will  be  all  that  matters  to  her .

edit  :   i  found  it ,   and  i  chucked  it  under  a  read  more  below .   you  can  skim  it  if  you  want  to  see  what  i  mean .  

024 .     what  do  they  consider  ugly  in  others ,   physically  ?

exactly  what  she  fixated  upon  in  the  above  answer ,   usually .   consider  fukawa  falling  in  love  on  a  case - by - case  basis  :   when  she’s  attracted  to  someone ,   and  it  ends  horribly  for  her ,   she’ll  condemn  herself  by  demonising  every  precious  thought  she  had  about  a  person .   she’ll  curse  her  own  stupidity ,   her  frivolity ,   her   foolishness  for  thinking  another  person  could  ever  love  her ,   and  that  they  could  hurt  her  like  they  inevitably  do .   everything  she  found  beautiful  in  them  becomes  abhorrent ,   until  she  can’t  stand  to  think  about  them  a  moment  longer .

025 .     what  do  they  consider  beautiful  in  others  personality - wise  ?

this  one  is  easier .   fukawa  is  attracted  to  narcissists .   she  likes  self - assuredness ,   self  importance ,   and  the  incredibly  toxic  degradation  and  dehumanisation  to  which  a  narcissist’s  peers  are  subject .  

on  the  lighter  side ,   she  appreciates  courage  and  strength  of  character .   she  is  attracted  to  people  who  are  decisive ,   who  are  sure  of  who  they  are ,   and  who  are  not  afraid  to  stand  up  for  themselves  or  others .   intelligence  is  a  bonus ,   but  she  is  most  likely  to  swear  loyalty  to  a  person  who  engenders  their  values  into  their  entire  being .   bravery ,   occasional  recklessness ,   and  a  strong  drive  to  do  what  is  right  for  no  other  reason  than  it  is  the  right  thing  to  do .

it  just  takes  some  growing  up  on  her  part .

touko  fukawa  does  not  fall in  love  with  people .   she  falls  in  love  with  their  parts ,  as  opposed  to  their  wholes ;  the  attributes  of  which  come  as  freely  and  fondly  to  her  as  the  sweet  surrender  of  sleep  as  she  vanquishes  a  crucial  deadline .   love ,  as  a  tangible  epiphany ,  comes  to  her  first  within  the  pages  of  a  novel .   this  is  the  part  she  likes :   the  sweeping  grandeur  of  a  complex  indemnity ,  and  the  anticipation  of  knowing  it  for  herself .   ( she  doesn't  remember  the  rest .   but  LOVE  sticks  to  her like  yellow  wallpaper . )

she's  ten  years  old  when  love  first  draws  her  into  its  vices  —  in  the  pleasing  lilt  of  a  boy  whose  words  consume  her  heart  like  a  forest  fire .   his  voice  carries  the  implication  of  her  very  first  protagonist :  a  sweet - nothing  man  who  brings  the  first  of  touko's  hopeful - hearted  following  to  pieces .   it's  music  /  it's  magic  /  it's  more  than  her  very  beginnings  can  stand .   it  harshens  her  tone  by  virtue ,  and  underscores  the  idiosyncrasies  of  her  speech .   she  knows  the  words  to  this  elegy ;  they  fall  easily  onto  paper .

paper  she  finds  pinned  to  the  bulletin  board ,  beneath  the  book  club  sign - up  rota .   ( and  here's  when  she  remembers  the  other  side  of  love ,  and  why  she'd  submerged  it  in  far  more  saturated  sentiments . )   his  voice  still  burgeons  in  her  when  it  tightens  over  callous  condemnations  of  her  folly ;  touko  finds  it  searingly  sublime  when  he  laughs  at  her  heart's  punchline .   ( she's  sure  it  was  mesmerizing ,  still ,  when  he  was  BEGGING  her  wild - eyed  mr  hyde  to  put  down  the  scissors,  i'm  sorry ,  i'll  go  out  with  you ,  i'll  do  anything — )

she's  fourteen  years  old  when  love  flags  her  down  in  the  hallway  with  its  strong ,  safe  arms .   touko  fixates  upon  the  crook  of  his  elbow ,  languidly  inclined  against  the  locker ,  as  he  scribbles  a  number  onto  her  palm .  he's  a  swimmer :  broad  and  strong ,  to  her  frail  and  insubstantial .   she  falls  in  love  with  their  duplicity ,  with  bold  and  bashful ,  with  gallant  and  meek ;  with  the  idea  of  falling   ( and  falling ,  and  falling , )  into  those  arms ,  and  letting  them  alleviate  the  chill  that's  endemic  to  her  constitution .

constitution  that  grows  impedingly  more  frail  as  touko  sits ,  alone ,  at  the  back  of  a  dim  theater ;  falling   ( and  falling ,  and  falling , )  into  the  constricting  unease  of  the  dark .   she's  somewhat  thankful  for  the  amnesty  this  grants  for  her  tears  to  flow  freely ;  for  her  face  to  stain  with  the  dimming  remnants  of  hope  that  she'd  foolishly  allowed  herself .   her  own  arms  are  no  substitute ,  but  they  draw  her  into  herself ...  for  as  glorious  as  his  were ,  touko  is  certain  they  weren't  enough  to  overcome  the  monster  that  hung  him  like  a  portrait .

it's  a  silly  game  without  an  end .  a  game  of  bright  eyes ,  and  easy  smiles ;  of  lanky  limbs  and  chiselled  jaws .  again  and  again ,  she  lets  love  deceive  her .   yet  again ,  she  learns  its  true  name .   and  the  bodies  keep  turning ,  and  the  tally  keeps  striking ,  and  the  words  keep  flowing ,  and  it's  back  and  back  and  back  into  the  easier  parts  of  herself  that  make  love  seem  so  REAL .   she  will  never  trust  again .   she  will  never  LOVE  again .  except  that  she  DOES ,  as  her  empire  flows  from  her  fingertips  like  an  endless  rainstorm .

she's  nineteen  years  old   ( believing  she  is  seventeen , )   when  love  pierces  her  palms  and  seizes  her  against  the  wall .   she  likes  to  believe  it  was  earlier ,  in  the  graveyard  of  memories  she's  been  forced  to  disrepute .   she  is  held  captive  here ,  in  the  academy ,  with  her  love  for  him :  the  love  she  endures  for  the  quiet  turning  of  pages  in  the  library ;  for  his  relentless  precision  in  the  courtroom .   for  his  esteem ,  and  his  diligence ,  and  his  velleity  to  survive .   and  yes ,  she  thinks ,  THIS  is  the  love  she  has  intimately  named .

names  that  slide  from  his  beautiful  tongue  with  acridity  and  exactitude .   names  that  give  her  vile  personage  a  substance  she's  been  lacking .   touko  takes  these  verbal  beat - downs  with  vigor  —  and  it's  alright ,  really .   ( no ,  really !   she  doesn't  mind . )   he  only  means  to  villify  the  dispraising  nature  of  her  existence ;  to  give  her  leave  of  this  liminal  word  between  fact  and  fiction .   touko  feels  this  love  in  the  shy  callings  of  her  soul ,  and  in  the  hairline  cracks  of  what  little  composure  she  keeps .   really  —  it's  alright .

touko  fukawa  is  twenty  years  old  when  she  is  forced  to  relearn  her  definition  of  love .   in  TOWA ,  of  all  places ,  where  the  air  is  thick  with  despair - tinged  expulsions  of  god - knows  how  many  lungs .   where  the  skyline  alters  with  each  new   bout  of  destruction ,  and  RED  is  not  a  color ,  but  a  state  of  existence .   byakuya  is  gone .   a  more  cynical ,  more  resilient  touko  stands  in  his  place :  on  feet  that  save  her  from  falling ,  despite  the  debris  below  them .   on  legs  that  practice  perpetual  motion ,  despite  this  underwater - uncertainty  about  her .

genocider  keeps  their  body  intact ;  touko  holds  their  mind  together .   it's  an  empty  partnership ,  but  she's  bitterfly  thankful  for  the  aptitude  to  propel  herself  from  one  scenario  to  the  next .   thankful  for  the  motive :  not  to  KILL ,  but  to  perpetuate .   byakuya's  existence  awards  her  this .   and  she's  thankful ,  begrudgingly ,  for  komaru  naegi .   for  what ?   touko  isn't  sure  yet .   but  there  is  something  to  be  said  for  the  muted  whirring  of  her  mind  as  she  endeavors  to  amass  the  most  sensical  form  and  reason  of  their  narrative .

komaru  naegi :  so  bafflingly  simple - minded , so  ordinary  of  disposition .   little  in  the  way  of  courage ,  or  conviction :  a  bland  and  mediocre  excuse  for  a  woman ,  who  perplexes  touko  to  no  end .   mystifying ,  isn't  it ?   how  someone  so  ordinary  could  defy  express  definition .   perhaps ,   ( and  to  her  credit , )   it  could  be  because  touko  has  never  penned  such  a  baseless  protagonist  that  she  struggles  to  append  an  appropriate  adjective  to  komaru .   her  fingers  itch ;  she's  not  written ,  properly ,  in  months .   she  must  be  losing  her  touch .

touches  that  linger  long  after  the  initial  bristle  of  skin  against  skin .   casual  touches  that  are ,  at  the  time ,  overlooked  in  favor  of  surviving ,  but  later  tear  the  flesh  from  touko's  palms  as  she  considers  them .   komaru's  hands  are  rough ,  marred  by  tribulation ;  but  they  are  always  outstretched ,  always  wanting ,  always  seizing  touko's  own  at  the  penultimate  second  of  an  opportune  moment .   komaru  had  reached  for  her  amid  the  deluges  of  gunfire ,  the  onslaught  of  despair - crazed  assailants ,  and  it  had  only  meant  something  hours  later .

touko  attributes  this  to  the  absence  of  her  master ;  of  the  thunder  between  her  lungs .   she  feels  this  absence  of  companionship  so  profoundly  that  she  wonders  how  despondent  she  must  truly  have  been  for  all  her  years  prior .   and  this  makes  no  sense :   because  komaru  is  RIGHT  HERE ,  beside  her .   behind  her .  always  within  arms  reach  —  she  is  everywhere .   and ,  in  the  wake  of  everything ,   as  touko  cards  her  fingers  through  komaru's  hair ,  and  komaru  drives  her  face  into  touko's  shoulder ,  touko  is  still  at  a  loss  for  words .

the  one  she  learns ,  and  settles  quite  neatly  into ,  is  ' together . '   she  and  komaru  are  two  tandem  pieces ;  they  are  no  longer  mutually  exclusive  after  all  of  a  day .   touko ,  who  has  never  really  been  included  in  anything ,  finds  immeasurable  solace  in  this  term .   ' we '  are  going  to  hold  the  sky  in  place ;  ' we '  are  finding  hope  at  the  fraying  edges  of  this  fitful  world .   together ,  they  are  unstoppable .   together ,  they  are  impenetrable .   ' together '  is  not  a  word  that  either  of  them  are  used  to ,  but  it  becomes  touko's  favorite .

because  she  realizes  amidst  the  chaos ,  quite  by  accident ,  that  she  does  not  want  to  lose  komaru  naegi .   ever .   touko  cannot  lose  this :  the  tentative  affirmations  passed  between  them  like  clean  air .   the  prevailing  truth  in  a  sea  of  lies  that  has  driven  touko  from  one  madness  into  another .   ( a  RINGING  in  her  ears :  even  in  the  static  of  her  fugue  state ,  she  remembers  komaru's  hand  latch  securely  onto  genocider's  arm .   the  trust  /  the  tears  /  the  TORMENT  of  it  all ... )   the  importance  of  this  moment  lingers  in  her  heart  as  she  finds  herself  again .

the  decision  to  stay  with  komaru  was  so  natural  that  it  mightn't  have  been  borne  of  conscious  effort .   touko  is  still  trying  to  find  the  words  —  the  only  thing  she  knows  —  to  lend  illumination  to  what  she  feels  for  komaru .   they're  eminent  on  her  tongue  —  until  she  loses  them  around  shadowed  corners ,  or  under  the  ruins  of  this  fallen  city .   hopeless  until  she  feels  komaru  at  her  side  /  hand  in  hand  /  back  to  back ,  and  the  inexplicable  lightness  in  touko's  chest  prevails .   for  all  her  works  &  accolades ,  how  strange  this  expression  feels  —

it  feels  unreal ,  at  times .   touko  fears  that  this  is  another  of  her  delusions ,  and  that  one  day  she'll  wake  to  the  peeling  wallpaper  of  her  room ,   ( more  her  prison  than  respite , )  and  the  woman  she  has  become  will  exist  only  on  paper .   but  komaru  is  real .   THIS  is  real .   and  when  touko  reaches  for  her  —  she  doesn't  burn .   she  doesn't  bleed .   and  komaru  doesn't  crumble  to  ash  &  waste  between  her  fingers ,  and  all  of  this  is  really ,  really  real .   fear  does  not  stop  touko  from  holding  on .   komaru  keeps  her  from  letting  go .

touko  fukawa  is  twenty  years  old  when  she  relearns  the  definition  of  love :  when  she  falls  in  love   ( not  with  people , but )  with  komaru ,  and  komaru  only .   she  falls  for  her  smile ;  its  unyielding  brightness  in  touko's  dark .   she  falls  for  her  embrace ,  which  takes  touko's  grey  world  and  propels  it  into  violent  technicolor .   she  falls  in  love  with  the  picture  of  innocence ,  and  how  it  lifts  the  burden  and  decay  from  their  shoulders .   she  falls  for  the  maddening  simplicity  of  her ;  even  for  her  absurd  taste  in  reading  material .

she  falls  for  this  new  concept  of  reality  that's  tinged  with  fiction .   it  holds  promise :  that  same  promise  that  comes  from  long  evenings  of  aching  joints  and  mottled  lighting  that  pursues  the  realization  of  the  kindest  places  within  touko's  mind .   komaru  feels  like  a  story  —  she  rarely  makes  sense ,  but  she  is  evocative  of  the  solitary  paradise  in  prose .   only  this  time ,  when  touko  folds  the  cover  of  this  story  over  its  dog - eared  pages ,  it  follows  her  past  the  afterglow  of  a  happy  ending .   komaru  is ,  quite  simply ,  her  hope .

she  falls  for  fragments :  cold  and  creeping ,  as  autumn  bows  to  winter's  whims .   it's  guided  steps  into  touko's  first  real  ' friendship , '  she  thinks ,  as  she  marvels  at  the  sun - steeped  renewal  of  each  day  with  komaru .   flowers  do  not  bloom  in  carnage ,  but  it  doesn't  stop  them  from  trying :  every  touch ,  every  word ,  every  abiding  gaze ,  become  parts  of  her .   parts  of  this  story  that  touko  will  never  surcease .   the  sum  of  komaru's  parts  is  inexplicably ,  inexorably  whole  —  and  it's  EVERYTHING .

[aimmyarrowshigh]

Making A Galaxy Far Far Away: An Aesthetic Photoset Tutorial

Requested by @geleixi (and varying amounts of time ago by @rockett-to-the-purple-moon, @thenameisgreed, @pizzaplanethq, and probably others who sent nice messages that I went “Oh, what a nice message this means so much I LOVE IT SO MUCH I’M TOO ANXIOUS TO ANSWER IT WRONG I’ll just do it later” and then promptly NEVER answered it.)

Brainstorming & Photo Collection

Picking a Color Palette

Choosing Images from Collection

Coloring

Textures & Effects

First off: I am not even going to remotely pretend like graphic design is a Thing I Am Better At Than Anyone Else, because that would be patently false and ridiculous, but I also get a fair number of Asks about making photosets/aesthetic posts, so here we are. I’m planning to do a separate one, maybe, for how I do the Cartoon Girls All Grown Up and Nancy Drew Dream Games series, because the “brainstorming and photo collection” part is so different that it inherently affects the rest of the process.

BUT I also feel like I don’t see a ton of tutorials that go through the brainstorming/finding images part of making aesthetics, and I tend to think of my Graphics Style(TM) as “DEEPLY Uninterested in washed-out faux sepiatone grimdark Tumblr Coloring?? + Not Good Enough At Masks To Do Negative Space Well,” which might be some people’s level of ~graphics design passion(TM)~ too, so. That’s the ride for which this ticket has been bought.

Brainstorming & Photo Collection

Obviously, the specifics of this are totally different for every aesthetic, but all of the GFFA/swworlds start from the same seed: Star Wars Aesthetic.

Star Wars itself has a very particular Lookque, imo: it’s not quite retrofuture, it’s not quite dirtpunk, it’s not quite scifi, even. There are the insanely sumptuous (and hella culturally appropriative) queens of Naboo and the ramshackle toppled AT-AT where Rey lives on Jakku and the not-even-subtle-at-all-jfc Nazi inspiration of the Empire and First Order and the straight-up millennial Tumblr witch Goffik look of the Dathomir Witches and Zabrak siths and the blue, blue water of Scarif. There “isn’t” a unifying aesthetic through Star Wars, and yet, as Gareth Edwards said, there’s a LOOK and FEEL to Star Wars: if you go a little too far to the left or right, it isn’t Star Wars anymore.*

*That said, this tutorial talks about Crait, which was invented by Rilo Jon, who went both too far left and too far right but mostly... too far-right. BA DUM BUM! Anyway.

So part of what makes Star Wars Look Like Star Wars, to me, is that it ISN’T ever Too Scifi. There’s a realism in all of Star Wars’ disparate planets -- their looks, anyway; like, talking about how Crait, in this case, makes NO ecological sense as a planet AT ALL is another post entirely. (IT MAKES NO SENSE.) It’s different from, like, Doctor Who, which I think revels in its “we can make these aliens and planets look like WHATEVER” more? Star Wars tends to be very like... “we want to use practical sets and effects.” Even for planets that only appear thus far in Clone Wars and Rebels? So it’s definitely part of the intention of SW’s Aesthetic.

ALL OF THAT TO SAY, my first step with each planet is to figure out the best way to represent it using as much real-world photography as I can and how best to channel the ~spirit of Star Wars~ in the graphic. Sometimes I fail miserably. CURSE YOU, NAR SHADAA. But most of the time it helps provide a Framework for the rest of the brainstorming and photo collection.

SO. FOR CRAIT. (For another example/totally different look and process, I wrote up a little about Haruun Kal on its post here.)

Crait has the definite benefit of appearing in one of the movies, so the first part of photo collection was to screencap TLJ. I took the caps using the 1080p digital release at a 20-frame frequency, so even once I deleted the aps that weren’t of Crait (moving the Canto Bight frames into a folder for Cantonica, of course!), I had like... 1500 images just from TLJ to start the brainstorming and collection with.

First, I trimmed down those ~1500 screencaps to 168 caps that were distinct enough from one another to give me a sense of “what happens” in the scene and, more than that, “What Crait Looks Like.” Then, because there’s additional canon material of Crait besides TLJ, I saved the unlettered images of “Star Wars: The Storms of Crait” from comic penciller Mike Mayhew’s blog @mikemayhew -- if those hadn’t been available, which they’re usually not for planets that appear in the comics (THANX MIKE MAYHEW!!!), I would have taken and cropped panels from the comic at both 100% and screen-fit/60% sizing that had utility for a graphic about planet scenery and not character.

THEN, I looked at Wookieepedia and MSW. Crait was based on the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia, so I Google image-searched that. There weren’t actually very many images of the Salar de Uyuni salt flats that I super loved, so I ended up saving images of other salt flats as well, particularly the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

THEN there was the issue of the red minerals, which were entirely fictional and not part of any real-world salt flat. BUT, there IS real red sand... so I saved some images of red-sand dunes (mostly Mui Ne in Vietnam). I also went through my Star Wars Stock Folder to find images of crystal caves and mines that I’d either saved for other planets in the past, but didn’t end up using, OR just saved because there are so fucking many crystal-based planets in SW.

Each of my big graphics series has its own Stock Folder for unorganized images that just strike the right Vibe~ and might be useful someday, in addition to every planet (or cartoon girl, or US state for the Nancy Drews, etc) having its own folder for specific/organized image collection.

My Star Wars Stock Folder:

So there were already a lot of crystals, star destroyers, blasters, and bunkers that were actually in snow but whatever it was white and crystalline, to work with. I added some workable Crait-like images from the stock folder to Crait’s collection, too.

AND THEN, finally, I LOVE the vulptices, so I searched for (and found!) some of the concept art and 3D modeling images from ILM, and I put those in the folder, as well.

I also saved this, hoping I’d be able to make it work because it’s SO CUTE, but I couldn’t, but here LOOK HOW CUTE:

And then, lest I stay in the image-collection rabbithole forever, I said, “OK, that’s enough.” I ended up starting to actually MAKE the Crait graphic from a collection of 272 images:

Picking a Color Palette

Obviously, the dominant colors of Crait are red and white, so the aesthetic had to be based in red and white. My first instinct was to make a duotone aesthetic using only red, white, and black/grayscale. Something like this:

Which... I don’t hate, or even dislike. It’s definitely more in line with popular Tumblr aesthetic, uh, aesthetics. But I usually don’t like landing on that kind of coloring because it ALWAYS, ALWAYS whitewashes people of color (and jeez, it even whitewashes white people -- look at the model in the fourth frame down on the left, or Luke in the bottom-left.) The “vibrance -100 + Selective Color Red>Red + 100″ always ends up doing the above example to, in this case, Poe: turning him into a licorice man.

So then trying to correct THAT either whitewashes the FUCK out of him/people in general:

(Toning down the red)

Or introducing other colors back into the graphic as a whole:

(Upped yellow and cyan.)

So I nixed that coloring before I even started. (These examples were made after the fact purely to serve as examples.)

I went back to the drawing board, AKA the Crait image folder.

But looking at the collected images -- especially the screencaps and the panels from the Storms of Crait comic -- I was struck by how much Crait also incorporates yellow and blue. (Note that I really, really wanted to try to include Trusk Berinato and Bail Organa... but we’ll talk through why that didn’t work out.) I LOVE @droo216‘s bright, almost jewel-tone edits which I 100% know I don’t have either the patience or skill to make, but I liked the idea of trying to make Crait’s aesthetics in a primary colors + black/white scheme.

Which I actually really like! (Again, made post-facto as an example.) But again, red vibrance DiD tHe tHiNG!!! to Poe and ESPECIALLY to Finn and Bail.

So a high-vibrance look emphasizing bright colors was a no-go. Besides, going back to the source material: high-vibrance and high-energy are the opposite of what the planet of Crait is about. It’s a dying husk of a planet, being killed slowly by its own ecology as the salt in its crust dries out everything beneath it, sucking up water until everything either evolves into living crystal-dogs or goes extinct (thank u Rilo for not including dune-worms, this is the one thing you did right). Crait wouldn’t be vibrant.

But... aha! It’s also distinctly layered. I’ve done three-panel swworlds aesthetics before, so I decided to do that for Crait, too: first a mostly-white graphic like the salt crust, then white+red+yellows in the middle, and finally a dark layer of almost entirely red like the mineral mines.

Choosing Images from Collection

With the color palette and “feel” decided (dying at the surface, then growing richer and redder and angrier as the photoset moved downwards), I was able to choose images.

NEKKID PHOTOSETS SANS ANY EDITING! XXX! But for reference to see both cropping and for reference on choosing.

TOP IMAGE, MOSTLY WHITE:

L-R, TOP-BOTTOM:

I saved this image from my dash at some point and have been tossing it into planets’ folders every time there’s a white-based color scheme. It almost got used for Ilum, but at the last second wasn’t. I felt like it fit the coalescence of Rey’s Force strength here, and also the kind of “last wisps” of Luke Skywalker, well.

“Lifting rocks.”

I’m actually still not 100% whether I should have landed on a vulptex here, but dammit they were one of the only good parts of TLJ. This vulpie baby is on the salt surface, looking out at the blinding sun, so she seemed like a good fit compared to the other caps of vulptices -- the ones loping on the canyon surface at the end were all very motion-blurry.

Carrie in that gorgeous coat in homage to Harrison in Blade Runner makes me weepy, and those were some of the most beautiful shots in the movie. This one had a good balance of white and black, so it could be placed around any level “busyness” in the surrounding photos. Especially since I suckkkk at negative space.

I saved this image to the Crait folder like the day it was announced as a planet in the upcoming Episode VIII and given its first peek. I love it!

Hi, salt flats, and also Star Wars spaceships. I actually had a lot of trouble with the level of green in this image, but the ~essence of Star Wars is PEW PEW SPACE BATTLE, so.

This is an ice sculpture in real life! It reminds me of the vulptices and is cool as hell.

The Millennium Falcon! I toyed with different caps that showed it in actual battle, but the blue would have been hardest to work with in this photoset compared to the others below. Plus, now I can save a bunch of Falcon-in-flight pictures for use on planets that only appear in the novels or comics.

NECESSARY, ICONIC, PERFECT, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HAPPENED ON CRAIT.

Fine, this is a snowy mountain and not a salt flat, but I liked the striations in color and gentle variations in grayscale.

 This was the palest/least Bright Blue sky of all of the Falcon screencaps from Crait.

I tried a few screencaps of Crait from TLJ, but I landed on using the full-panel image of Crait from Storms of Crait. It has the cleanest definition of the “planet from space” options we have of Crait.

This is a promo image, not a screencap. It’s a much crisper view of the ski-speeders. I love the vivid color difference.

The blue-and-yellow additions to the color scheme didn’t work out, but I did still want to include Storms of Crait. This shot had a little more blue in it than I would have liked, but it has Leia in a ski-speeder back before the salt caused them to rust out, too!

Remember when it seemed like the Crait battle’s new AT-ATs would be super cool and like, do more than stand there menacingly behind Kyle? Me, too.

POE! DAMERON! HAS! NEVER! DONE! ANYTHING! WRONG! IN! HIS! LIFE!

KYLE! HAS! ONLY! EVER! DONE! WRONG! IN! HIS! LIFE!

I tried out like five different tiny-frame-difference screencaps of the ski-speeders kicking up red minerals, and I decided that this one, with a clearly defined spray of red surrounded by white and bluish sky, suited the placement here best: there’s red in the panel to its left as the main color, but minimal red in the above- and below panels.

I wanted to include actual Connix, but she’s wearing yellow and only ever shows up surrounded in brownish-black darkness, so here, have one of my standard Fashion Rebel Officer Stand-Ins instead -- the red and white obviously played a part in picking this shot over the rest of the options from the photoshoot.

I LOVE this slightly mystical shot of a Rebel pilot slash astronaut on a rain-slicked salt flat. How perfect?!

As we get down to the bottom of this middle panel, I wanted to include more destruction and more presence of yellow and orange. This image has a good balance of “negative space” in the sky and salt flat, and then the explosion of Nodin Chavri’s ski-speeder (I think?) ties in well to...

Finn and Rose, post-collision. I wanted to include Rose, and the almost JJ Abrams-esque white starburst in the center of this cap is a good balance to the spray of red around a ski-speeder two panels above.

Luke on Crait in the Rebel Alliance...

And Luke on Crait in the Resistance.

This was a kind of “????” moment of characterization -- and general direction -- in TLJ, but Luke surrounded by red as an old man would fall right below Luke as a young man, on his first mission after the Battle of Yavin, when the three graphics were aligned.

I wanted to use the straight-up concept art of the vulptex, but the black around it was TOO black, if that makes sense? So I layered it over a darkened cap of the vulptex who leads Poe to Rey and freedom. This is one of the very rare shots that I use an edited base image.

Han and Chewie! I had to include Han and Chewie. The unlettered panels from Storms of Crait that show the mineral mines are stunning; I highly recommend heading over to Mike Mayhew’s page and taking a look. The detailing of the crystals is something I wish I could have captured better at this scale.

This is one of the red-sand dunes I saved! Crait doesn’t have any living vegetation, but the drama of the black, stormy sky and the red sand drew me in here.

Some CGI crystal caves... I saved these ages ago for use on Ilum or Dantooine, I think? (Same with what will be #11 below.) I don’t love using CGI, but I think the crags on these crystal growths suited the images from canon!Crait.

A screencap of the TIEs chasing the Falcon through the mines. This was honestly one of the most visually stunning parts of TLJ, and it’s so split-second that most people missed it AND most of the screencaps have a lot of motion-blur. I’m really pleased that this one came out so crisp, and I knew I had to use it as an “anchor image.”

Finn, full-on, in red. I’m realizing belatedly as I write up this tutorial that I showed Poe face-on and Finn face-on, but I stupidly chose to show Rey only from a distance. I AM A FOOL! A FOOL!

Aren’t these resin crystals amazing? The full-size image actually shows them surrounded by snow, by the tree-stump they’re on wouldn’t fit Crait, so I cropped in closer on this image than I did for most of the Crait set.

Another shot of the Falcon in the mines. I like the way the framing of white sunlight here echoes...

Leia’s face, a bright spot in the dark, watching out over the salt flat. :(

(See #5 above!)

And again, the homage of Carrie’s coat looking like Harrison in Blade Runner made me sad, so I THREW IN ANOTHER HAN AND CHEWIE. The mining equipment here shows more detail than in the screencaps above, too.

Coloring 

Like I mentioned waaaay above, in the intro: I never use set colorings for photosets. (Except Halloween Spookstravaganza, because jeez so many of those screencaps are like 240p VHS rips and it’s just not worth putting in Effort(TM).)

That said, I think one thing that I do differently than I see in most tutorials is this first step:

I ALWAYS start Aesthetic photosets by arranging the images and then *BRINGING THE CONTRAST ALL THE WAY DOWN.* This is especially helpful on photosets that include a mix of real photography, CGI screencaps or art, and/or comics panels, but it’s also just useful in general for photosets that use images from a wide variety of places.

The reason I do this is because it helps to “smooth out” the differences in light source, color balance, etc., that are part of the raw base images. For this set, it also helps to define the variations in color between very similar shades: the craters on Crait, the wisps of clouds, etc.

In some cases, I’ll do two layers of Contrast -50. For Crait, I did a later of Contrast -50 and then a layer of Contrast -15.

Then, I Select All > Copy Merged > [Turn Off Contrast Layer View] > Paste As New Layer.

Now, the “smoothed” version is placed as a layer above the raw layer. From there, it depends on the look of the photoset what I do -- sometimes, I leave it as-is, but I almost always lower the opacity on the “smoothed” layer until the level of contrast and balance looks consistent across the whole photoset. For Crait, I ended up with the “smoothed” layer set to Lighten 100%.

Selective Color time. There are two ways I usually start this: either one color at a time -- especially for Aesthetics like Pheryon that will essentially be monochromatic -- or, in this case, I looked at the balance of the three main colors that would carry through the entire Aesthetic.

REDS

Cyan -100 (This brightens the vivacity of the red.) Magenta +100 Yellow +100 Black +35

BLACKS

Cyan 0 Magenta 0 Yellow 0 Black +100

WHITES

Cyan 0 Magenta 0 Yellow 0 Black +100 -- This is NOT my usual setting for adjusting white, and since white is one of the main colors in the Crait Aesthetic, it might seem counterintuitive to make the white darker instead of brighter. However, this will help to make next step of color adjustments “take” on the white/whitish surfaces a lot more easily, and it will also help to balance out the bluish sky areas with the white background areas. (I’m not sure this explanation makes sense? But it’s what I did.)

Then, I Select All > Copy Merged > [Turn Off Selective Color Layer View] > Paste As New Layer > Either COLOR or HUE 100%.

“Hue” is more effective for smaller, more incremental color adjustments -- for BIG SWEEPING COLOR CHANGES, “Color” tends to work better. But it totally depends on the photoset! Try both, and see which you like better.

I feel like this is kind of the step where my process of making aesthetics stops being any different from most tutorials -- but this has been HUGELY helpful for me, a non-graphic designer-person, to be able to create a kind of “base image” that has very similar color values, brightness/contrast, and vibrance.

Sometimes this step helps to create really extreme color differences, such as in the Raydonia Aesthetic, and other times, I use it to just adjust one or two color-values so that there’s more consistency in, say, shades of yellow or shades of green, as in the Takodana Aesthetic, for which I just wanted to create a more cohesive palette of green in particular... it started out with a zillion greens, and I wanted to bring it all together into one “aesthetic.”

I think this step, and the reasoning behind it, are why SO MANY PSDs for aesthetics rely on a layer of either gray or sepiatone-ish set to Darken or Multiply as one of their key layers. But I’m just not about the grimdark life, and if I’m making an AESTHETIC OF A THING, I want the aesthetic POST to actually HAVE THAT THING’S AESTHETICS, you know?! I want to use the colors of the thing that I’m saying is meant to evoke the visuals of the thing!

Anyway. Now you have your BASE IMAGE. Often I’ll Merge All here, just for my own sanity.

Then I go in and make any other other adjustments on a “coloring” level that I think will help with the “vibe” I’m going for! For this Crait set, I definitely needed to bring the brightness up so that the white and red popped. However, bringing up the brightness also swallowed a lot of the detail in the white surfaces -- especially the planetary surface of Crait in that bottom-right space -- so I decreased the contrast again.

Brightness +70 Contrast -50

And then I go in for the macro-level adjustments of color using any mix of Selective Color, Hue/Saturation, and Color Balance that works. For Crait, that was more Selective Color, because since I had decided on my color palette, and it sadly did not include blue, I needed to start by taking out as much of the blue, cyan, and green that I could.

And I’m ngl, I told myself the WHOLE FREAKING TIME I was making this photoset that I needed NOT TO DELETE THE PSD RIGHT AWAY LIKE I USUALLY DO so that I could write up all the settings for this step.

But it was a reflex. And I deleted the PSD right away like I always do.

So suffice to say, I just futzed with the levels one at a time until the RED was brought up a little, the YELLOW was brought up a lot, and everything else was brought down and/or hue-adjusted to sliiiide into being yellow, red, or black/white.

Another Select All > Copy Merged > [Turn Off Selective Color Layer View] > Paste As New Layer > Either COLOR or HUE 100%. I think I also DUPLICATED this layer and set it to SOFT LIGHT 50% and then duplicated it again to SCREEN 50%.

I could have left it like this, but I am me and I am nothing if not Extra All The Time, so I opened up my folder of light textures (and other textures) and decided to Go To Town.

Textures & Effects

For your Aesthetic-Making Purposes, here are the three I used on the Crait set:

The first two were set to Screen 100%, and the bottom one was set to Burn 15%. I layered them in this order.

It still looked incomplete, so I decided to use this POWDR Element from Creative Market, which is actually like 5400x5400 pixels and which I’m not going to share here because I paid for it and don’t want CM to revoke my access or whatever, but it looks like this, only HUGE:

I also set this element to Burn 15% and moved it around the image until it looked the way I wanted it.

Textures and effects aren’t In on Tumblr anymore, but I really like using them -- they add, not to be cheesier than usual, texture to an aesthetic post, and I think that they can also help less-skilled graphic-makers like me to hide any myriad of imperfections in coloring, sharpening, whatever. I’m an especially big fan of this noise element (set as a pattern on Screen), so I’m going to share it here even though I didn’t use it on the Crait set:

Most of my textures have been saved over the last literally twenty years since I started making fannish graphics and photosets, largely from defunct old LiveJournals, but there also used to some great sources for them on Tumblr and still are live sources for them on DeviantArt. Just search around and you’ll find what you want! :)

In conclusion, I think it’s infinitely more fun NOT to rely on premade PSDs or standardized Settings, but I also recognize and fully respect that if I made graphics differently, I would probably get easily 5-10x more notes on each post than I do. But I make graphics the way that’s fun for me, and I just try to learn a little something from every set I make. The GFFA Planets/swworlds in particular have been something that I started, originally, because I wanted to catch up and learn about Star Wars planets that I felt like I was missing because I don’t have any fannish history with the Old EU, and I wanted to learn about them in a way that helped me feel like I was engaging with the SW source material AND making the enormity of the canon more accessible to other newish or casualish fans, like I was two years ago when I started this aesthetic series. I like making aesthetics that are genuinely inspired by the aesthetic of the thing that I’m calling it an aesthetic of, so even when it ends up just looking like rainbow barf (CURSE YOU, NAR SHADDAA!!!) I’m having fun.

THAT SAID, here’s how the time breakdown for the Crait set works out:

TOTAL TIME INCLUDING IMAGE COLLECTION AND SCREENCAPPING: Est. 20 hours.

COLORING AND ACTUAL GRAPHIC-MAKING PART: 7 hours.

WRITING UP THIS TUTORIAL: 5 hours.

So, um, if you are so inclined, here is my Ko-Fi link. I post at least two graphic sets every week, sometimes up to 25 (usually during October).

I hope this was helpful at all! I had a good time thinking about my process in-depth like this, and I would love to get tagged in any aesthetics you might try making using a similar method! :)

[sansnomnomnom]

My Uchiha Feelssssss

Okay, I was reading some fan theories about how Sarada would acquire/achieve Mangekyou Sharingan because I’m curious as fuck and I can’t honestly wait that everything will unravel in Boruto. Haha. Anyway, while I found some theories reasonable--- given that the Uchihas have always been associated with being deeply emotional--- I quite didn’t like it that there seems to be a consensus among fans that the only way Sarada can acquire MS was if either Sasuke or Sakura dies. Don’t get me wrong, I still find theories basing their logic on this possibility plausible. However, I’m kind of sad that the discourse on acquiring MS or EMS has always been “The Uchiha has to have a deep emotional trauma” and such has always required that a loved one has to die. The identity of the Uchihas as being emotional has been distorted by the way Zetsu has exploited that very character of theirs since Indra’s era. I honestly believe that the Uchiha affection is the single most powerful trait of their clan but Zetsu took advantage of that strength; distorted it and perpetuated a whole new pretense that such profound affection is a curse.

We all know that Indra’s sharingan activated because he cared deeply for his brother, Asura. Did Asura die? No. Many generations later, Obito activated his sharingan because well, Kakashi. Did Kakashi die? No. Later on, we can feel the same vibe for Sarada who wanted to meet her father--- so much so that it awakened her sharingan. The situations are, of course, different. But the commonality among these three is that none of their respective circumstances required death for sharingan to trigger. Thus, with all these situations mentioned, it’s safe to say that awakening sharingan isn’t confined with negative emotions. And if that is possible for sharingan, I see no reason why it shouldn’t be for MS or EMS.

Anger, sorrow, morose, grief, and other variations of sadness and/or pain are extreme emotions. But so are bliss, admiration, hope, and gratitude. While the former are generally considered negative, let us not forget that when those emotions have been internalized by the Uchiha clan, it was never because they were inherently evil (or cursed). Rather, those emotions emerged from their unparalleled affection for a friend, a comrade, a family member, or a lover. 

The Uchihas are perhaps the most misunderstood characters in Narutoverse. It’s easy to despise them, in all honesty. But when you try to put their situation in a historical context, you will understand that the way others have perceived them is nothing but a distortion and a misrepresentation of who they really are.

This is why I’m hoping that there will be a different path for Sarada; that Sarada will be able to restore her clan’s honor by smashing those preconceived notions about them; that Sarada can awaken her MS or EMS without resorting to that painful experience of losing someone; and that Sarada can and will definitely be the 9th Hokage!