#The main difference with them is how they express their devotion

[aubalexandria]

My favourite character is the highly competent, intelligent, loyal, high born, some what obsessive, but highly respected right-hand man, willing to go to extremes to protect or grant the wishes of their kind, happy, overpowered but humble, blue haired isekai protagonists who accidently rose to power...

[kawluv]

What should you learn from your Sun's house? [1-12] Для ру.астро пабликов: указывайте мой тгк @cherrishyoutarot при использовании поста.

Sun in the 1st house: You have to learn how to work in a team. Individualism and independence are wonderful, but do not forget that you are a part of society and interaction with people is inevitable. You need to learn how to listen and hear those around you. Don't resist working in pairs or in a team, it's okay to ask someone for help.

Sun in the 2nd house: You need to learn not to get hung up on finances, to switch attention from the material aspect of life to the lively emotional aspect. Be generous, share resources (but in moderation). Look deep down, not at the surface.

Sun in the 3rd house: The lesson here is that you do not carry information through yourself lightly, but seriously comprehend it and accept it. You should learn to slow down, slow down your mental processes and be more in the moment. When you are in your head a lot and thoughts are constantly spinning thoughtlessly in your head, you need to learn how to stop it and be in the moment.

Sun in the 4th house: People in this position may have a strong attachment to the family, so strong that it can stop their own development. Maybe it's not just a tie to the family, but specifically to comfort and safety. You need to learn not to be afraid to leave your comfort zone, not to get attached to your family so much that you forget about your own growth. Trust the world, the comfort zone may be wider than it is now, the main thing is to go beyond it and get used to a wider range of new things.

Sun in the 5th house: You need to learn how to express your creativity to other people, inspire them and motivate them. Appreciate not only yourself, but also those around you, whether they are friends or like-minded people. Be generous with the people around you and don't judge people for their personalities.

Sun in the 6th house: It may be important for the Sun in the 6th house to let go of control, to understand that people, just like you, are not perfect and this is normal. You need to learn to relax, not to take responsibility for something that is not your problem. Be more patient with other people, do not condemn their flaws and inconsistency with your standards. It's okay to make mistakes.

Sun in the 7th house: As the owner of this placement too, I realized an important thing for myself. You and I need to learn not to lose ourselves in relationships with other people. Attachment is not bad, but you should not focus on your partner / friend and put them at the center of your life. Learn to be alone, do not be afraid of loneliness, but accept it. Enjoy the time spent alone with yourself when you can take care of yourself or just relax. Find your favorite business, hobby and put yourself and your interests at the center of your life.

Sun in the 8th house: You need to take life changes easier. Rethink the situations in your head less, instead accept and let them go. Don't get hung up on getting revenge on someone, just let them go. Letting go and accepting is the way to harmony within. With them comes ease in life. Forgive other people and yourself.

Sun in the 9th house: In this house, the lesson will be tied to being in the state of a "student", not a "teacher". You should accept that you may not know everything in the world and your opinion may also be wrong and that's okay. Learn to listen more, accept more, absorb more. Do not teach people, do not think that you know how it will be better for another person. This is not your responsibility. People have different opinions, worldviews, and your truth may not be the truth for others. Don't impose your point of view.

Sun in the 10th house: Your lesson is not to give yourself completely to work, but to devote time to family, friends, and your hobbies. Learn to relax, remember about regular quality rest. Remember that you don't have to meet someone's expectations and exhaust yourself in order to be valued and loved. Patience and perseverance, of course, surmount every difficulty, but have you tried a long and high-quality sleep? Sun in the 11th house: It is necessary for you to learn to be flexible in communicating with people, to be able to share your feelings, and not to close yourself off from them. Accept that it is possible that you will not always do what you want and will not always be as individual as you would like. We live in a society, we are all connected and similar to each other.

Sun in the 12th house: Dear 12-housers, I understand that it can be hard for you to be down to earth, but you need to do it. Do not drown in your mind, get out of your stagnation and ascetism. Take a look at the world, communicate more with people, trust people. Don't miss the chance to have more joyful moments and experiences! Look beyond the usual, look wider.

[verdemoth]

The second of my FLondon PCs, Knoll! For a reintroduction: Knoll's Kind Of a vigilante but it's mostly incidental. They're not much of a fighter, their tools of choice are dyes and written word. And they're not selflessly motivated; their greatest drive is the furthering of their research into the Neathbow, and it is of little concern to them whether the impact of their actions is over-all positive or negative.

They are a very private and self-serving individual, but they're not entirely without care. The most important person in their life is their partner Josef van Eloheim (oc of a friend off-site) who they love very dearly. They're also allies/kind-of-maybe actually friends with Mel, having connected via acquaintanceship with Josef and forming an agreement to trade information to their mutual benefit.

Knoll's a bit more of a static character than Mel, because they're kind of just vibing? They've yet to encounter any serious setbacks that would push them towards a dramatic shift. But they Have grown; they're a little less paranoid about allowing select people to know them, a little more willing to show their care a little more openly and genuinely.

Readmore below has transcripts of the text in this image

Text Transcripts:

In the top right are some quick details. In the style of other Fallen London characters, Knoll's epithet is 'the Ink-Steeped Analyst' or alternatively 'the Saturated Correspondent'. Knoll's pronouns are they/them, they're around 23-25 years old, and they're 6 feet 1 inch tall. Their residence isn't listed, their profession is 'rogue scientist, poet & pamphleteer'. They don't have a 'closest to' faction as they hold few loyalties.

Below this are some notable player attributes. Of the main attributes, Knoll has high Watchful and Persuasive but low Dangerous. Of the quirks, they have high Ruthless, Daring, and Subtle, but low Melancholy, Austere, and Magnanimous.

Paired with the main illustrations are these notes: "Dresses to control perception. Violant to highlight certain features and leave an intended impression. Irrigo to be difficult to comprehend, and fade from the minds of onlookers. Different outfits target different situations. This one s their 'streetwear'."

"Intentionally disorienting use of irrigo embroidery. It's difficult to perceive their actions when you can hardly remember you're looking at someone."

In the top left are these notes about the colours they use: "The main subjects of Knoll's scientific fixation are the impossible colours known collectively as the Neathbow, and the effects these materials produce in humans through exposure. In particular, the following two are their greatest passion, their work which they have and would devote everything to:"

"Irrigo. The unremembered colour. The light of absence. Over time, it soaks into you. (That's a bad thing)"

"Violant. The invasive hue of necessary but troublesome connections. Indelibly lingers in memory. A Correspondent's tool of the trade, in the form of ink."

Paired with the examples of their masks are these notes: "Body language and tilt of mask convey expression (exaggerated in art for clarity). They have various masks styled after various species, each with different patterns of irrigo, violant, or both."

The last notes are by the illustrations of the sigils on their arms: "Knoll's arms are inscribed with six sigils of the esoteric, cosmic language known as the Correspondence. They have no recollection of how or when they acquired these. They figure they were perhaps the slightest bit 'blackout irradiated' at the time."

There are loose translations of possible meanings of the sigils next to each:

"to arrive at a much-awaited conclusion, but long bereft of its circumstance"

"the perfervid reverberances of that which once was quelled and will not be again"

"an awareness that ripples obscure indiscriminately"

"the revelation that uncertainty is itself an answer"

"a process for recasting forms anew from fragmentary glass"

"possibility unbound, at an unresolved cost"

[faelorelia]

Will loves Mike. Will wants Mike. Will needs Mike. And he always will. ❤️

This is what "Stranger Things" has repeatedly shown us for all four seasons. The show has emphasized how hopelessly devoted Will is to Mike. Yet, many believe Will will get over Mike and meet someone else. So why would giving Will a random boyfriend in S5 make no sense? Let’s review the facts:

Will has known Mike and been best friends with him since they were 5. We know how they met and how important that moment was for both of them. (This memory even played an important role in S2.)

Since S1, "Stranger Things" has focused on the special connection between Will and Mike. Their bond has always been different from other friendships in the show, and it’s been an important plotline throughout the entire series.

Will has loved Mike for some time prior to S4, even though it became obvious only then. We saw him glancing at Mike when a girl asked him to a dance, hoping his friend would stop him. Will wanted to dance with Mike. When puberty hit, Will became even more sure of his feelings.

Would "Stranger Things" make Will say he isn’t going to fall in love, sad and hopeless, if he weren’t already aware of his love for Mike? Would they show us the rain fight and his breakdown afterward if it were just a passing crush? Would Will promise Mike not to “join another party” if he just wanted to move on? Would Will spend his time in Lenora expressing his love for Mike in a painting? Would he spend all of S4 pining for Mike? Would they focus on how deeply Will loves him, cares about his happiness, and needs him if he were just meant to get a random boy in the next season?

Will has felt lost without Mike. Sometimes, Will feels like a mistake, but then he remembers that it’s Mike who he loves, and Mike makes him feel like he’s not a mistake at all – like he’s better for being different. Will is scared of losing Mike and will always need him.

Will’s entire arc in S4 would make no sense if they planned for him to get over Mike and get a new love interest. His arc in S4 wasn’t just about being gay – it was about him loving Mike specifically. And we saw just how much Will loves Mike. He basically sacrificed his own feelings just to make the boy he loves happy because he believes Mike will never love him back. Was it all just for Mike to reject him and for Will to get an out-of-the-blue love interest in S5? This is "Stranger Things" we’re talking about �� a show that gives people hope and shows how love can save the day.

They have said the van scene will pay off, they have teased a happy ending for Will, and they have been giddy talking about Byler on multiple occasions – would they have done all of that if Byler weren’t going to happen? And what could be Will’s happy ending if not getting the boy he’s loved for years?

Let’s also remember that Will’s love life isn’t the only focus of the show. There’s a literal apocalypse in Hawkins, with everyone in danger, monsters in the streets, and stakes higher than ever. There are multiple main characters who all deserve development and conclusion. They have many plotlines to complete, particularly the main supernatural one – will they really have time to introduce a new series-regular character in the middle of everything just to give Will a random love interest? Especially when Will is confirmed to be central to the supernatural plot and likely won’t have much time to look for another gay guy in a conservative town merging with another dimension. Even Robin, introduced in S3, got a love interest before S5. How can giving Will, one of the most important characters in "Stranger Things," a rushed love story with a random boy be a good tribute to his character after he literally said he’ll always need Mike?

Mike is it for Will. He is the ONE! Even if Will gets a new, temporary love interest, he won’t stop loving the boy he’s loved his entire life. Because that’s who Will is – loyal, devoted, and wholeheartedly in love with his best friend, as shown in almost all of his S4 scenes.

So is it possible for him to move on from Mike and get a real happy ending with a random, last-minute love interest? Well, I’ll let Will answer that question for me. 😉

[h1sstoria]

Greek homosexual activity, despite popular misconceptions, was not restricted to man-boy pairs. Vase-painting shows numerous scenes where there is little or no apparent difference in age between the young wooer and his object of courtship as well as graphic scenes of sexual experimentation between youths. Early poets such as Theognis (1.41, 1.65) and Pindar (1.86) make it clear that youths were attracted to and slept with other youths of the same age. Plato tells us that the young Charmides’ beauty provoked the admiration and love of everyone present, even the youngest boys (5.4.154). In the Phaedrus, Socrates quotes the proverb “youth delights youth” to imply that young men would prefer companions of their own age to older lovers (5.9.240). Xenophon shows Critobulus in love with Cleinias, a youth of the same age or perhaps even a bit older (5.8.4.23). Timarchus’ lover, Misgolas, appears to be the same age (4.7.49). In the Hellenistic period Meleager attests that boys were attractive to boys (6.40), and Quintilian worries about older boys corrupting younger boys in Roman schools (9.34).

Homosexuality In Greece And Rome: A Sourcebook of Basic Documents, edited by Thomas K. Hubbard

Sources referenced below the cut:

Theogonis 1.41

In youth you can sleep the night through with a friend,*

Unloading the desire for lusty action,

And you can go wooing and sing to a flute-girl’s tune—

No other thing is more thrilling than these

For men and women. What are wealth and honor to me?

Pleasure conquers all—and merrily.

Mindless men and fools weep for the dying

Instead of the blossom of youth that’s falling.

*The Greek makes it clear that the friend is an age-equal.

Theogonis 1.65

Boy, since the goddess Cypris gave you a lusty

Grace, and your beauty’s every boy’s concern,*

Listen to these words and for my sake take them to heart—

Knowing how hard it is for a man to bear desire.

*In other words, Cyrnus’ beauty arouses desire even among boys his own age.

Pindar 1.86

When Ephyrean¹ choristers pour out

My sweet voice around the Peneius,²

I expect by my songs to make the crowned Hippocleas

Still more splendid to look upon to both his age-mates and older men,

And a heartthrob for young maids. For

Different loves tickle the fancies of different folks.

Whatever each man reaches for,

If he wins it, let him hold as his desire an ambition near at hand;

Things a year in the future are impossible to foreknow.³

I have relied on the kind hospitality of Thorax, who, bustling about for my sake,

Yoked this four-horse chariot of the Muses,⁴

Favoring one who favors him, giving willing guidance to one who guides him.

To one who tests it, gold is revealed on the touchstone—

So too an upright mind.⁵

¹Ephyre was an ancient name of the Thessalian city of Krannon.

²The main river of Thessaly.

³The poet appears to be exhorting the boy not to be tempted by the other erotic opportunities that may be presented to him in his newly acquired glory, but to stick with his present good, namely Thorax.

⁴This expression is probably a metaphor for commissioning the present poem.

⁵In other words, Thorax’ virtue and devotion are proven by commissioning this poem (putting his gold to the test).

Plato 5.4.154

[...] You mustn’t judge by me, my friend. I’m a broken yardstick as far as handsome people are concerned, because practically everyone of that age strikes me as beautiful. But even so, at the moment Charmides came in he seemed to me to be amazing in stature and appearance, and everyone there looked to me to be in love with him, they were so astonished and confused by his entrance, and many other lovers followed in his train. That men of my age should have been affected this way was natural enough, but I noticed that even the small boys fixed their eyes upon him and no one of them, not even the littlest, looked at anyone else, but all gazed at him as if he were a statue. And Chaerephon called to me and said, “Well, Socrates, what do you think of the young man? Hasn’t he a splendid face?”

Plato 5.9.240

[...] But besides being harmful to his boyfriend, a lover is simply disgusting to spend the day with. ‘Youth delights youth,’ as the old proverb runs—because, I suppose, friendship grows from similarity, as boys of the same age go after the same pleasures. But you can even have too much of people your own age.

Xenophon 5.8.4.23

Hermogenes said, “Socrates, I do not consider it appropriate for you to overlook the fact that Critobulus has been so driven out of his senses by love.”

“Do you think,” said Socrates, “that he has been in this condition ever since he associated with me?”

“If not, since when?”

“Do you not see that the soft hair has recently crept alongside this one’s ears, while it already climbs from Cleinias’ chin towards the back.* Critobulus here was mightily inflamed before, when he went to the same school as Cleinias, [...]

*This suggests that Critobulus and Cleinias were both adolescents: if anything, Cleinias may have actually been a bit older. However, the interpretation of the Greek is disputed: others take the reference to be to hair on the nape of Cleinias’ neck. And 2.3 tells us that Critobulus is already married! Perhaps Critobulus is exaggerating his youthful appearance to imagine him-self as more like his beloved.

Aeschines 4.7.49

I want to say something else in advance, in case Misgolas obeys the laws and your authority. There are men who by their nature differ from others in their physical appearance as far as age is concerned. There are some men who though young appear mature and older, while others though old when one counts the years seem positively young. Misgolas is one of these. He is in fact a contemporary of mine and was an ephebe¹ with me; we are both in our forty-fifth year. And I myself have all these grey hairs that you see, but he doesn’t. Why do I give this advance warning? So that when you suddenly see him you will not be surprised and mentally respond: “Heracles! He is not much older than Timarchus!”² For it is a fact both that his appearance is naturally like this and that Timarchus was already a youth when Misgolas had relations with him. . . .

¹This refers to mandatory military service between the ages of eighteen and twenty.

²In fact, Timarchus seems also to be at least 45 at the time of this speech, judging from his service on the Council in 361 (mentioned in section 109); one had to be at least 30 to serve. Aeschines is apparently attempting to confuse the jurors and make Timarchus seem younger than Misgolas, whereas they were in fact the same age. Some commentators suspect textual corruption and think Aeschines and Misgolas were 54 rather than 45.

Meleager 6.40

Delicate Diodorus, casting a flame upon his young age-mates,

Has been caught by the flirtatious eyes of Timarion,*

And retains the sweet-bitter weapon of Eros. Truly, in this I see

A new wonder. Fire blazes bright burned by fire.

*A female courtesan.

Quintilian 9.34

I do not approve of younger and older boys sitting together in a classroom. For even if such a man as one would want is set over their studies and character and can keep the young modest, the weak should still be separated from the stronger, and not only the charge of moral turpitude, but even the suspicion of it should be avoided. I have considered that these matters should be briefly noted. That the teacher himself and his school be free from the worst vices I think hardly even needs to be said. And if there is anyone who in selecting a teacher does not avoid obvious moral misconduct, let him know that if this factor has been overlooked, everything else we try to devise for the benefit of the young is utterly futile.

[juvive-1234]

The Stewards and what they represent

A few weeks ago I made a post where I expressed my opinion about the Stewards being a representation of religious trauma. In this post I will be going into a more further and in depth explanation on why I think this.

! Spoilers for dark rise and dark heir !

1 - The stewards being a cult:

The definition of a cult is "a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object." You could apply this term to the Stewards who devoted their lives to serving the light and more so the Lady. Everything they do, all the rules they've enforced its all for the Lady. They start their morning off with a chant dedicated to the Lady, they end their day with a chant dedicated to the lady.

It goes beyond just chants, cult leaders typically set rules for their followers. The reason is obviously to assert leadership and keep the control. The main rules the Stewards have are;

You must participate in the morning chants

You must take a vow of celibacy

You must sacrifice yourself when the time is right

Now, lets breakdown how these can control the Stewards and links them to a cult;

Morning chants - In cults, chanting is a mind-altering practice that can be used to break down a person's defences and make them more susceptible to cult ideology. Cult leaders use chanting to direct their followers' emotional and psychological attention to a specific ideology or person - In this case the light side and the lady. This can be dangerous because it can re-wire how the brain works.

Celibacy - Celibacy is the act of one restricting themself from entering a relationship that could be romantic or sexual - in a way, it's abstaining from sex. Cults typically promote the idea of a romantic/sexual relationship being taboo as a way to keep its members from devoting themself to anyone but their cause.

Self sacrifice - Yes, I know. The reasons the Stewards do this is because of the shadow living within them, but dark rise is one big metaphor for all sorts of things (Homophobia, racism, etc...) and so, I believe this act of self sacrifice is more then something for the fantasy plot. It represents how self sacrifice in cults work. Self sacrifice in cults is usually associated with identity fusion - a psychological concept that describes a deep sense of belonging and oneness with a group. This can be the result of intense collective experiences, such as drinking from the steward's cup which of course ruins the drinker's life.

Additional points:

Cults typically wear uniforms - Stewards wear their white/grey/blue uniforms

Cults isolate their members from the outside world - The Stewards are quite isolated from society and only go out when necessary. Their first reaction to Will is enough.

Abuse - Cults typically abuse their members - James. Enough said.

2 - Attempting to destroy anything different then their morals/Brainwashing

Would this really be a Juvive post without the Novitiate trio? This time, I'm going to use them to explain how fast a cult's opinion can change.

When Will and Violet are spending their first day at the hall, Emery and his friends are the only three people - Novitiates more specifically - who willingly talked to Will and Violet. The duo is usually seen with them and the three explain their traditions to the two. The time skip from chapter 14 to 15 is two (?) months, and during that time I want to bet money Will and Violet continued being Emery, Carver and Beatrix's friend.

Of course, it all goes to hell when Violet is outed to be a lion. When the army of Stewards corner Will and Violet, Carver is in that crowd. Yes, he's a Steward. Yes, he's following duties. Sure, but he didn't even try to rebuttal the higher powers? Didn't try to stand up for Violet? Carver knows Violet and Will are good people, his friends are friends with them- HE'S friends with them. All this is to say that Carver changed his opinions faster than the speed of light.

Why though? How though?

Simple, brainwashing.

The ideas of the Stewards were being jammed into his head since he was young. He's been training to be a Steward for years. He was taught lions were terrible beings. His opinion was not even his own, it was the Stewards. It was forced into his mind. If you don't believe me, brainwashing is defined as the process of compromising someone's freedom of choice and action by altering their perception, motivation, or behavioural outcomes. 

Makes sense now, right?

3 - Leadership

Jannick.

Actually, that's not enough. He deserve more.

3.5 - Jannick.

I hate this fucker.

You can associate this guy with being leaders of the cult. A cult leader is the leader of a group that requires unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices - The lady and the light side in this case. Cult leaders are often described as pathologically narcissistic, and may be narcissists.

Let's break him down:

Jannick:

Called his son a "catamite" in front of hundreds of people - Shows lack of empathy which is a trait narcissists have

Implied that he pushes/pushed all three of his sons to the absolute limit and pushed them to be perfect. In the book he does show that he had a desire to be a Steward - Shows both need for admiration and envy, two traits shared with narcissists

"That thing is not my son." - Shows arrogance and just being a dick, arrogance is a trait narcissists have

While the Elder Steward is technically the leader of the Stewards, Jannick seems to have more power and influence over certain things.

Wrap up

In summary, I do believe the Stewards represent a more deeper meaning then what has been shown to us. They're a metaphor. A metaphor for a cult and religious trauma.

Thank you so much for reading. Take care you yourself, ok?

[cerastes]

hello dreamer! as someone versed in specter lore, i was hoping you could possibly clarify why guard specter is in a nun outfit. was it just something the church of the deep stuck her in? laurentina was into sculpting, dancing, and fighting and cherished ideas of beauty. she was always even in her "worst" state as the ill specter truly devoted to assisting her friends and being a reliable fighter. did she cling to the nun for grounding or identity during a time when she had very little, or what?

It's due to the aggressive, high intensity brainwashing she was subjected to by the Church of the Deep, alongside their Originium experiments.

The main thing to remember about the whole Laurentina-Specter situation is that the Church of the Deep were winging it. Never before had they managed to capture an Abyssal Hunter, and Laurentina was patient zero for them. After being completely exhausted, battered, and weakened from covering the Third Company's (this being Ulpianus' and Skadi's team) advance towards Ishar-mla against overwhelming odds, enough that the entire rest of the Second Company except Gladiia and herself died, Laurentina got washed up to the coast, where the Church happened upon her. Not really knowing exactly what makes a Hunter click beyond surface level appreciations, they made her their guinea pig.

Amaia and Quintus both express immense surprise at her having survived the experiments at all, because said experiments involved, among other things, injecting enough liquified Originium into her spine to infect a small country (literal, non-hyperbolic assessment). Laurentina's main card, after all, is her sheer resilience.

As it has become clear by now, Originium has a will or some sort, and it's impossible to say how sentient it truly is, but it Really Doesn't Like Us. It's why Nightmare and Ptilopsis, for example, hear voices telling them to do awful things. Laurentina was subjected to some hardcore brainwashing at the hands of Amaia and Quintus. If you ask me, the underlying theory was most likely "through brainwashing and the intrusive presence of Originium in her psyche, could we make a loyal soldier out of a Hunter?".

Throughout the time they had Laurentina, the answer would be no, because Laurentina is resilience given shape. Keep in mind, the liquid Originium was injected directly into her spine, so her mental faculties were severely impacted and, compounding with the brainwashing, it made her go almost insane. At some point, Kal'tsit happened upon this particular state of affairs and rescued Specter. We don't know the particulars of that event, other than Kal'tsit rescued Laurentina personally and took her to Rhodes Island, and through Specter's Files, we know she was still clinging to sanity at this point, and it was mid-interview with HR that she went fully "insane" AKA Laurentina went dormant and the Specter took over. This is also entirely consistent to how Laurentina's mental resilience works, as we'd eventually out in Stultifera Navis: When they finally reached Rhodes Island, they were too far from the ocean for Laurentina's Seaborn genes to function at a high enough output to push back at the brainwashing-and-originium combo (conversely, this is how she temporarily regains her sanity at the end of Under Tides: proximity to the ocean and enough stumuli; it's a bit different in Stultifera Navis, but it follows the same principle).

The choice of outfit, that being a nun's attire, stems from the brainwashing she was subjected by the Church of the Deep. During and after Under Tides (Specter OP Record 2), she keeps it on as a matter of convenience more than anything: She knows she's on borrowed time, and that she'll go dormant again soon, so she wants to get as much done as possible while she's still herself: Go assist Rhodes Island Elite Operator Misery with a dicey situation, have a brief but important chat with Skadi so Skadi can forgive herself already, spend some time with Gladiia, talk with Closure, and finally, talk with Doctor, specifically about not even thinking of taking it easy with her, and to keep sending her out to as many fights as possible, because if they don't, they deny her her purpose, the very last thing she has (until she does in fact awaken for good, that is, but at this point, that seemed an impossibility).

It's less about her clinging to the nun look for grounding as much as, even if she couldn't help but be dressed in the way of her captors, even if she wasn't in control of her actions, in control of her body, in control of her mind most of the time, Laurentina, being defined by unrelenting resilience, doggedly clung to whatever she could, to make sure she was never fully controlled, influencing the Specter even as she lay dormant: One could surmise that, being caught between the immense influence of Laurentina's willpower and the overpowering brainwashing of the Church, this lead to Specter behaving as she did: During combat, a silent, mumbling war machine that unfailingly followed the orders of her rescuers -- Rhodes Island -- to the letter, even if it hurt her or put her in danger, and outside of it, an unstable but harmless lady that would say some concerning things here and there but never really act on them. Hilariously enough, as we'd eventually find out, the 'psychotic' outbursts Specter had, such as saying that all things are meant to be cut in pieces, were actually reflections of Laurentina and not any insanity. The Specter, without any influence from Laurentina, is simply a faithful, devoted follower. It's Laurentina's influence that brings out those bursts of violence from Specter.

The "identity during a time when she had very little" is her fighting on behalf of Rhodes Island, and fighting at all: Again, check out Specter's Operator Record 2, it answers a lot about Laurentina in a pre-Unchained world, she herself explains how, even if she loses absolutely everything, even her body and mind, she WILL make sure that her body remains a useful tool of combat for you if that's all she can do, and that to care for her, baby her, and keep her away from combat would be the ultimate insult you could throw at her, because you're denying her her last wish and ultimate purpose as an Abyssal Hunter, and as Laurentina.

[agentc0rn]

Another Pretty Long Character Analysis: Kieran and Nemona - Strength

disclaimer: not claiming this to be objective, just another writing piece full of thoughts done for fun because Kieran is such an interesting, in depth character ever

Okay so I mentioned this in my older post about kieran being the foil of nemona and their shared struggles with being at the top, socially excluded, and how strength as social arbiter displaced them in social settings. Like Kieran, Nemona became overly strong that no one wanted to compete and keep up with. Her passion is misread because of that plus the top statuses she holds as a wealthy multi-talented, high-achieving student. She is a good person and true to herself (her naivety to social cues perhaps is because of her lack of social connections with others). She means well and just want someone to battle with their efforts no matter the outcome and enjoy to the fullest. Battling is her expression of self, her way of enjoyment and connecting with others. Kieran is alike to an extent, with his strength already at a high level (stated by Carmen in the beginning), and his joyous expression seen during our first fight. This is supported by the fact as stated by Drayton how Kieran had fun battling pre-Teal Mask. These two rivals' love for battles run parallel with each other!

However, Kieran's transition reflects a common mindset that artists, athletes, musicians, etc. all resonate with: competitiveness + measure of worth in the things you like the most - you have to be good at them. I feel this strongly as well with art being my major source of passion - I pressured myself into thinking I had to be really good at it and not enjoy for the sake of doing it regardless of skills.

Battling was not only something Kieran liked doing, it was his main source of confidence and self-esteem.

We see that clear in Blueberry Academy, in dialogues and student culture, competitiveness is high, demanding, and brutal. Kieran may have internalized the idea, provided with his insecurity of weakness and his goal to become independent and reliant. Seeing that we were able to defeat him and sister with ease, he grew to admire but also envious of our esteemed strength, how our power seems to be favored by luck (having speical mons like Koraidon), inducing him to believe that if he worked hard, he could get to our level too. To add further, his lifelong admiration of Ogerpon supports his motivation and his aforementioned desire to be stronger. He wanted to be strong and cool as the ogre, not caring what others thought.

What I find interesting is how Kieran and Nemona handles their way of battling with us. Nemona guides you through the journey while challenging herself to learn in new ways - she restarts her journey essentially. For Kieran, even though he has experience, he struggles with the losses against us (confidence issues and again, aside our MC Role, there is some skill difference given that we fought the titans, area zero mons, team star, and gym leaders). He does change up his tactics, but ultimately does not see victory. He ends up restarting in a way back at BB academy. As a result, Kieran becomes more isolated throughout his training arc and his domination in the league. Him strictly calling out others for slacking inadvertently turns him into the fearsome "oni" figure that he idolized and thus earns him an unfavorable reputation as the president (similar status with Nemona) of the League, for instance, a dialogue between two students mentions how how ever since he became champ, the League club became less fun....Despite the contrast of tensity in these circumstances, Nemona is misunderstood in similiar manner with Kieran.

If memory serves correct, Nemona really gets into the battling mood and sometimes forgets about hers and others' limits, but does acknowledge them given a few instances when she does not battle you. Whereas for Kieran, once he entered the extreme zone, he fully devotes himself to strength at the cost of his mental, social and physical well-being. He discards his limits, giving everything he has got that ultimately eats him from the inside. The final scene when he reacts to losing may also show not just his struggle to grasp reality but a literal side effect on his health (no sleep = poor mood, poor thinking)

He desperately clings to the idea that endless training would grant him the guaranteed chance to beat you ("I know I am making the right choice") and no longer enjoys battling. Battling became a constant test of worth, the last and only means of proving himself. Even though he did become stronger, it drained his health, energy, sanity and reputation. Again, in an ironic way, he really became the oni (self filling prophecy).

at the end however, when we reach out to him to be confident in himself, that we needed his help, it gave him that confidence boost. We all believed in him - he really needed that support. Maybe seeing terapagos going berserk had him gain self awareness that he was like that too and how that caused harm to not only himself but to others.

One small thing to point out that he is like Terapagos in a way. Both are small, secluded and strong lads who end up going wayhire with their mass power.

Not to sound corny but I really felt Kieran’s frustration about losing. I was competitive too but soon let go of that. It’s fine to improve yourself but doing that to be better than others as your main reason can really cause burnout. Anyways this is a disorganized list of thoughts I wanted to share but if you read it the entire thing I really do got to say thank you for taking the time to do so.

EDIT: fixed some grammar and stuff because this was just a run-on draft lol

[howtotrainabraincell]

Head cannons bc I can - What kinds affectionate the different assassins would be - Part 2

Evie Frye - The Enduring Lover. Personal head cannon that she gives hand kisses whether it be the back of your hand or the palm, and she loves to hold hands while reading books. I see footsies being a thing too, like if you can't hold hands but you're sitting down to work with her you two are wrapped together at the legs under the table. She would be more serious about teaching self-defense genuinely wanting you to learn from it and be able to protect yourself, but there would be sweet smiles of encouragement and pride here and there, soft touches to correct your posture and stance, and a surprise kiss here and there. Speaking of surprise kisses... she will totally pin you down and smooch you. 100%. Brushing her hair will be routine because who can look at the gorgeous hair she has and not want to run their fingers through it, brush it, braid it, and style it? Her love will definitely be playing with her hair and doing her braids for her, and she loves it (especially if you give her head a little massage during lol). I see her adopting a cat specifically a wispy blue-eyed baby maine coon! Somewhere along the line maybe a dog - a small one for lap cuddles alongside a big intimidating one to protect you (she seems like the kind of woman to be into dogs that look like children of satan himself but are actual babies) such as a Belgian Malinois or a Doberman. Feel like she would feel a little better leaving you with a dog that is dedicated to protecting you (and do those dogs LOOOOVVEEE her bc she's Evie and all of the interesting smells she brings home). Flowers are a definite way in which Ms. Frye would woo her love. She brings many of them to you whether they have meaning or they're just beautiful. She carries pressed flowers from you inside a handkerchief (one that you made her as a token of your favor) hidden in her coat, resting just above her heart. The first thing she wants to do after kicking bahookie in Fight Club is find you and hug you tightly. It's for both of you really - her to let you know that she's safe and to receive comfort from your embrace, and you to check her over any injuries she has and fuss over her and how great she did in the ring (which she LOVES might I add). After a long day she'll want nothing more than to just plop right into your arms - and if she doesn't conk out first (poor thing) - she'' wrap her arms around your waist and rest her head against your stomach. I see her having a girlfriend that does her nails via filing them in a way so that they're sharp AF this helps her out (not that she needs it lol woman's a menace) against Templars, Blighters, and goons in Fight Club bc everything's allowed - she legit breaks bones for crying out loud so ofc she claws people's faces off too. Have a feeling that she has a secret sweet tooth so if you baked for her, you're going to get a kiss on the cheek as she munches away with a major blush coating her freckle speckled cheeks. She will box Jacob's ears if he tries to sneak off with some of the snacks you made her and tell me why I'm at.least 93% certain that she keeps some of the things you bake for her in a handkerchief in her coat. Would totally recommend books to you, share them and bring them to you so you two could have your own little book club together haha. She is a devoted lover and although shy when it comes to showing and verbally expressing her love, have no doubt that it's there. She loves you very much and hopes that despite the kind of life you two lead, you have many years together. Or if you choose not to be an assassin, she still hopes for the same just accompanied with a deep unspoken fear of her getting killed and leaving you alone. You two have the kind of bond where others are totally convinced that you'll both die on the same day. Rest assured that your love will be one that lasts throughout the ages.

Malik Al-Sayf - The Restrained Lover. Will drape his robe over you to keep you warm, he hates to see you uncomfortable (and this ties into why he doesn't show you public affection). I have a feeling that he's only affectionate in private due to societal norms at the time throughout the late 12th and early 13th century. Will escort you through the market and help you choose things (idk why but I have a feeling that Malik is the stand there behind you in the candle aisle and sniff candles with you boyfriend lol). He'll keep you close on his arm and help you with your basket (one of the first clues that you had about him liking you back was that his fingers would reach up and brush yours, lingering when he holds it in the crook of his arm). He would teach you how to draw maps efficiently and also how to work out the geography that revolves around creating one. He would stand behind you real close hovering over you as he holds your hand and helps you make your first map...and every map there after lol. A certain Novice he knows is only a little taller than him so he's up there in height, with this being known he will stand in front of you with your head tilted back and his forehead pressed against yours as he looks into your eyes muttering sweet things in Arabic. You should SEE HIS FACE when you get him gifts! If you bring him a loaf of fresh baked bread, some new incense, or pick up some extra papyrus for him to make maps he will get redder than a chili pepper. He kisses your forehead quite often caressing your hair which is something he often does as well. You two can sit there in complete silence before you feel his fingers taking up a lock of your hair and twirling it around his finger, without even looking up from what he's doing. When he leaves for missions and you two are in front of people, he doesn't touch you, but he stands before you and bids you farewell in Arabic wishing "Safety and Peace" upon you. However, if you two are alone he'll kiss your cheeks - as is common among assassins - lingering with his lips against your skin (which makes you blush, and he does it on purpose). Once he sees the blush he'll chuckle and look around quickly before taking your waist in his hands and kissing you properly. You made it a habit of being alone when he has to go off on missions so you two can have a proper goodbye. Altair immediately knows lol and teases him to the ninth realm and back, which make Malik try (and fail) to shove him off his horse lol. He does have issues reminding himself not to touch you in public and you two have almost been caught embracing, standing too close or with his arms around your waist, but assassin reflexes come in handy. Malik remains restrained for the majority of your relationship (save for in private ofc) but he kind of has to while Al Mualim is alive, as love is thought to make assassins weak. When Altair takes over and changes a lot of things it takes him a while to get used to it, but he's happy that he can finally show his love for you in public. When this is the case, he'll take to hugging you and kissing your hands and head and speaking lovingly to you in the open. I think this man would have a garden. I really do. I think he would grow flowers in that garden that reminds him of you and when they're ready he would bring them to you. When you two have to hide your relationship, he'll press the flowers in books he gives you to read. But after he'll stand there and decorate your hair with them. He would definitely teach you Arabic and you'll get a kick out of the cute little blush he has when you call him Habibi for the first time. More of a serious lover but he does make sure to show you the affection you deserve (which is a lot bc this man is quite handsy in private lol). I think he would bring you tea and dates or oranges depending on what was available and you two just sit there and talk or hold hands in silence enjoying each other's company.

Henry Green - The Selfless Lover. I think that this man drinks chai, tis a staple drink to this gorgeous man and once he introduces you to it and you like it? Consider drinking Chai together one of the many things you two share together. He loves it when you call him his real name Jayadeep and the grin on his face every time you do it is a mile wide. He always kisses the back of your hand when you two meet bowing slightly (which once you two become friends you wonder why he keeps that formal gesture, but he continues to bow out of respect for you). Has a little habit of pulling at his collar when you're near and when he looks at you while you're speaking it takes him a moment to respond. If you're looking at a book about botany and want to show him something he'll place one arm behind your back his hand resting on the surface next to you, while the other supports the book as you show him. You have noticed how his chest gently presses against your back and how his fingers brush yours when he holds the book, how close he stands and the way he leans down over your shoulder close to your face. He never tries anything ever the gentleman and you would never expect him to...he totally just gets closer to see the book properly! Will bring so many flowers you'll have your own literal garden, and every single flower will mean something. A thornless red rose after the medieval tradition to symbolize his pure and eternal love that will never wane. Forget me nots for his affection and loyalty to you. Daisies for the ability to keep a secret a little joke between you two about how you must keep the true nature of what you do - aka being assassin's - secret. He takes very good care of you, always asking how you are and if there's something you need. Imagine the blush on his face when you tell him that the only thing you need is his company, this poor man will look like a tomato lol. He's always there when you want to talk offering you something to drink beforehand and then he sits there, holding your hand and listening to you talk. Will call you endearing nicknames in Punjabi and say things that you don't understand. Though when you ask him what he's saying, he just smiles with a slight blush on his face and kisses your cheek sweetly. Always offers his arm when you two are walking together, him being closer to the street of course as he wouldn't want you in/near the road. In the end if you want to stay in England or go somewhere else, he'll follow you wherever you go (personally believe that he would love to travel with you, learning about new lands and cultures, exploring with you and making memories). The first thing he does at the end of the day is search for you and he invites you to read together or have tea/whatever your pleasure drink is, so you two can just relax together (and be alone but he won't admit that lol). This man will pretend to read his book, but he'll actually be peeking at you over the top to catch glimpses of your face. Will gush about you to his parents and his mother already loves you because you make her darling son happy, but his father is a little skeptical. The reason being that Arbaaz was angry to find out that his only son did not have the killer instinct of an assassin within him and turned out to be a peaceful intellectual instead, and he is now concerned that the love his son has for you may make him weak. The whole "love can make you weak vs love can make you strong" argument runs rampant in his mind. But when Arbaaz sees how serious his son is about you, he begins to have hope that Jayadeep's love for you will at least inspire a protective nature in his son. It does. He asks the Frye twins if they can brush him up on combat (he can fight from previous training but he's lil rusty) so he can be ready to kick the dumb out of anybody who tries to hurt you. He loves you and never wants it to come to a situation where he can't fight or kill to defend you (but then again, he doesn't really get into fights bc the majority of people like him lol he's a cinnamon roll)

Yusuf Tazim - The Amusing Lover. This man will make.you.laugh allll the time. He has a wonderful sense of humor and considering that his favorite sound in the world is your voice and specifically your laughter? He'll do anything to bring a smile to your face and make you laugh. He is very sweet and would NEVER do anything to disrespect you but if someone else does? I have a feeling that this man goes from sweet to serial killer real quick lol. Something about him says to me that he goes feral when protecting his loved ones, so don't cross him or disrespect the one he loves. Calls you endearing names in Turkish his favorite being 'Sweetheart' because he thinks that you're very sweet both personality and otherwise... Head cannon that he got so nervous when he first met you because he thought that you were so beautiful he couldn't remember English, so he stood there introducing himself in Turkish and asking if he may have the honor of showing you around the city when you have some free time. You had no idea what he was saying but you couldn't deny that he was very cute, and it made you smile. While he is quite a good-natured comical man, he does have serious moments and is not afraid to wrap his arms around you and tell you how much he loves you. Cooking and especially baking with you is something that he loves to do because he has fond childhood memories of baking with his mother. Have a feeling that he's a family man and that he would LOVE to have big family. This man is MEANT to be a Papa (fight me I won't back off on this one lol). He cannot WAIT to have a handful of little bitties running around who call you Mama and him Baba. He would love to have daughters who he can play with (and teach about hair care bc have you seen his luxurious locks?) that look exactly like you. He loves to hold your hand and trace the lines of your palm almost as if he's trying to memorize every single detail, all while kissing the tips of your fingers. You tell him that this tickles of course but it makes you laugh so he doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon lol. He also loves to kiss you on the cheek always pulling away with a wide grin when he hears you giggle at the feeling of his beard against your skin. There are few feelings in the world that he thinks are better than holding you in his arms, waking up to see you asleep next to him, or the feeling of coming home to you and seeing you safe and happy. If.you.bake.for.him he will MARRY YOU. There is no asking (joking he 'll plan the most romantic proposal ever for sure) he'll literally just consider you his wife because he'll never want anyone else or their cooking. Playing with his hair, brushing it, braiding it and putting his head wrap(?) on for him are things that he will melt like butter over. He loves it. He loves how you kiss him all over his face and cling to him just as tightly as he does you when he hugs you. I personally think that he would looovveee it if you learned some Turkish lullabies and sang to him, whether it be while doing a minute task or just before bed. This man DEF gives the kind of hugs where he rushes to meet you and wraps his arms around you to spin you around. When you greet him at the end of the day, he jogs to you with a happy smile and kisses you sweetly. Will totally take your hands intertwining his fingers with yours as he moves your arms and hands slowly in a silly dancing motion as he asks about your day. Man gives a vibe of lowkey ADHD lol. Whenever he gets into a mischievous mood you can expect him to grab you by the hand and pull you in tow behind him, running through the markets either to cause a ruckus with the guards by trolling them from AFAR (he'd NEVER put you in intentional danger) and making them pin it on each other, or finding a secluded spot on the rooftops to watch the sunset/rise/stars in the sky. TELL ME that after all of the teasing and picking on Ezio that this man has done, that Ezio will hesitate for a SECOND to tease him right back about you and how whipped he is for you.

[lettiegrief]

The Five Songs of Mourning (four), by Yuan Zhen

An analysis of the poem and Hua Cheng

离思 五 首（其四) [Lí sī wǔ shǒu (qí sì)] 曾 经 沧 海 难 为 水 [Céng jīng cānghǎi nán wéi shuǐ] 除 却 巫 山 不 是 云 [Chú què wūshān bú shì yún] 取次 花 丛 懒 回 顾 [Qǔ cì huācóng lǎn huí gù] 半 缘 修 道 半 缘 君 [Bàn yuán xiū dào bàn yuán jūn]

“All water is forgettable when you’ve seen the vast blue sea

No clouds so wondrous as those at Mt. wushan

Idly, I pass by some flowers without looking back

Partly to study Tao, partly to think of you”.

The poem “离思五首 (The Five Songs of Mourning)” was written by 元稹 (Yuan Zhen) after the death of his wife, describing his longing for her. Mourning is a recurring theme in ancient Han poetry. This is part four of five.

Yuan Zhen describes in every word the devotion he felt for his wife, the love he felt for her that would never be forgotten.

The sea water and clouds of Wushan are used as metaphors for the depth and breadth of love. After seeing the sea of Wushan, it is difficult to appreciate the water and clouds of other places. In other words, except for the woman whom the poet misses and loves, there is no other woman who can catch his attention.

曾 经 沧 海 难 为 水, (if you have experienced the rough sea, you will not be attracted to water anywhere else).

This first sentence is also quoted in "孟子·尽心上 (Mèngzǐ: jìnxīn shàng — Mencius: Chapter 1 of “Dedicate Your Heart”, free translation)", which talks about Confucian thought and encourages people to work hard and make a difference. It is one of the important classic works of Confucianism*.

It is interesting to talk about “高唐赋 (Gāo Táng Fù)” from 宋玉 (Song Yu) as well, which tells the story of a king who dreamed of meeting the goddess 瑶姬 (Yao Ji) of wushan:

“In the sun of wushan, blocked by high hills, clouds appear in the morning and rain falls in the evening (姜在巫山之阳，高丘之阻、旦为朝云、暮为行雨。) (Jiāng zài wushan zhī yáng, gāoqiū zhī zǔ, dàn wèi cháo yún, mù wèi xíng yǔ)”.

Nowadays, these two verses have come to refer to loyalty to love, indicating that love belongs to none other than the goddess Yao Ji, and this love is not for others.

The verses in these three poems express one's devotion to another, the dream of finding one's love in wushan, because the clouds and rough sea there are no match for those of others.

除却巫山不是云, (No clouds are as wonderful as those on Mount Wushan).

巫山 (wushan) is both a real place and a metaphor in Chinese poetry that refers to the encounter between men and women. In Yuan Zhen's poem “Li Si,” wushan expresses the loneliness, apathy, and love that the author feels after the loss of his wife.

取次花丛懒回顾, 半缘修道半缘君 (Idly, I pass by some flowers without looking back, partly to study Taoism, partly to think of you).

花 (hua) means flower. The flower here is not referring to nature, but rather to a place with many beautiful women, an allusion to brothels.

Taoism, also called Daoism, is a philosophical and religious tradition that is based on “Tao”, a word that means path or principle, and its goal is to find the path or tao to achieve liberation of the soul.

Taoism has two main branches:

Philosophical Taoism: Focuses on meditation and the study of the Tao to achieve wisdom and inner peace.

Religious Taoism: Involves rituals, worship and the veneration of deities.

The author, by saying that he passed by flowers without caring about them, obviously expresses that no other woman, no matter how beautiful, can compare to his beloved, because only his beloved is his wushan, the goddess Yao Ji. Experiencing grief, his attention has been to practice Taoism, perhaps as a way to find peace, after all Taoism is about the liberation of the soul, or even about continuing to worship, devotedly, his wife, and thinking about his beloved.

This is the favorite poem of Hua Cheng, who spent 800 years searching for his beloved, Xie Lian, being deeply devoted to him in both life and death. Unshakable and firm as a mountain, over the centuries his stubbornness only grew and strengthened him, leading him to commit acts of revenge, adoration, and romance, dreaming of finding him both to protect him and to love him romantically.

With Xie Lian being a god and Hua Cheng his last devotee, it can be said that Xie Lian is Hua Cheng's goddess Yao Ji, the one who ruined him for anyone else, because once you know something divine, nothing else compares.

Hua Cheng's name, 花城, means "city of flowers". Xie Lian's characteristic element is a flower: his first divine title was "Flower Crown Martial God, 花冠武神", his temples were decorated with many branches of flowers, and most of his statues and paintings depict him holding a flower in one hand and a sword in the other. Hua Cheng's name is about Xie Lian and a declaration of love for him.

“Xie Lian’s hand brushed against the red sand plate, leaving a few red traces on the paper as he struggled. On the paper, the words ‘wushan’ in the sentence ‘If you are enchanted by the wind and clouds of wushan, you will not be attracted by the clouds of other scenery’ were stained with small red marks, almost seductively… Xie Lian uttered, “San…” Before he could finish his sentence, Hua Cheng pressed his shoulders down and kissed him.

“San” is from “San Lang,” which is what Xie Lian calls Hua Cheng at Hua Cheng’s request. “Lang” is used by wives to refer to their husbands in Chinese culture. When they first met, Hua Cheng introduced himself as San Lang, and after his identity was revealed, he confessed that he preferred Xie Lian to keep calling him by that name.

The funny thing is that other characters knew Hua Cheng as San Lang before his identity was revealed, but no one dared to say his name other than Xie Lian.

The sedan scene was Hua Cheng finding his beloved wife after 800 years of searching, loneliness, and mourning, but he remained mostly quiet, as if he didn’t want to scare away the god he had dreamed of meeting, and as if he wasn’t yet ready to be anything more than a humble devotee. At that moment, Xie Lian was still a divine figure to be worshipped from afar. The carriage scene was his first courtship, and with a different appearance, Hua Cheng felt more comfortable acting ignorant and also paving the way for romantic love with Xie Lian.

*儒家 (rú jiā), one of the hundreds of schools of thought of the pre-Qin period, and grew out of the ritual and musical tradition of the Zhou Dynasty. Let people not be rigid or conservative, let them not be paranoid or extremist, let them advance with the times and not be complacent.

Sources:

Thinking of you, Yuan Zhen

Ancient Chinese Poetry Network

Wushan, Baidu 

Confucianism 

高唐赋

孟子·尽心上

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

a thought 🤔💭

Consider this post an offshoot of this one!

A lot of the world lore we receive comes directly from the 22-student main cast of NRC. However, this information they provide us with shouldn’t always be taken at face value 💦 Characters can be unreliable narrators; they won’t be 100% honest with us just because we’re the player.

There are points where they speak with sarcasm (so it negates the words they actually say). This happens a lot with Leona’s lines. Other times, characters intentionally say something to avoid implying something else or to cover up a less savory truth. An example of this may be Azul, who is highly concerned with maintaining his self image. Therefore, not everything he says may be entirely truthful, as the words may be intentionally changed to preserve his self image. We need to more carefully parse through and determine what is true and what is false or insincere of the information they disperse to us. It’s much easier, of course, to get a sense for their intentions by listening to their voiced home screen lines rather than just reading the text snd comparing it to their facial expressions, but voices aren’t always available.

Something else I was thinking about that goes hand-in-hand with this is how different backgrounds bias clouds the information given out or can provide an incomplete sample of the TWST population. For example, if you think about it, NRC only has ~800 students and we only see 22 of them. That’s a very small fraction of the total population of Twisted Wonderland (the whole world)—not to mention that almost 75% of those 22 come from at least upper middle class or at least “special” or privileged families:

Riddle’s parents are both medical mages, with his mother being particularly well-known in their hometown’s community. He had the privilege of studying magic since he was very young (which is notable since education is typically general and does not include magic unless you specifically go to a school for it like NRC).

Cater’s dad is a banker. I’m guessing he has to be pretty high up on the food chain to be traveling all the time (and far enough to separate Cater from his friends every time they do), as a regular low-level banker would stay put at one bank location and devote most of their time there.

Leona is a prince, and so is Malleus. Whether they are crown prince or not doesn’t matter because they still receive great educations and access to great funds either way.

Azul’s mom owns and operates the most famous restaurant in the ENTIRE Coral Sea. His stepdad is also a lawyer.

The Leech twins’ father has important connections and is highly influential in the Coral Sea; they are probably loaded because of this. (Popular fan speculation is the Leech mob family.)

Kalim’s dad is a wealthy trader and he is related to royalty; as the eldest son, Kalim is going to inherit the business. The Asim family’s enormous wealth is mention several times over in the main story, voice lines, vignettes, and events.

Jamil’s family is also said to be well-off.

Vil is an A-list celebrity and his father is as well.

We don’t know the specifics about Rook’s family, but they must be influential and deal in some kind of international business, as Rook mentions they have villas and warp pads (which require special clearance for) all over Twisted Wonderland.

Idia and Ortho’s family legit runs a secret government organization that studies blot. Idia himself is a child prodigy, and is set to become the next director after his father and grandmother.

Lilia is a renown war general and was close friends with his country’s crown princess and her spouse. He lives humbly, but he still has highly influential connections that a regular person wouldn’t.

Silver is Lilia’s adopted son, so by extension, he comes from a privileged background. Even if he technically grew up in a hut in the middle of the woods and didn’t live luxuriously, he still has Lilia’s social connections.

Sebek’s parents are both dentists and do you know how much money dentists make—

Ace, Trey, Jack, and Epel come from normal income families (excluding the portion in book 5 when Epel said his family’s farm has fallen on hard times).

Ruggie comes from extreme poverty while Deuce’s family has had financial issues due to being a single parent household.

And that’s not even to mention that NRC is all-male and mostly 16-18 year olds, thus skewing the perspectives we see in a “male” and “adolescent” direction. This will naturally limit the scope of how they see the world and how they speak about it, even if the characters themselves don’t intend for it to happen. In fact, I wonder if part of the reason the NRC boys aren’t open to accepting help or being open with others when they’re struggling isn’t purely a school-exclusive thing. Maybe it’s because 1) teenagers tend to be largely egocentric/focused on themselves anyway, and 2) society largely discourages men from showing “weakness” and NRC happens to attract particularly prideful students 😭 but the most obvious example of background limiting scope of perception are definitely the super sheltered, super wealthy characters (Malleus, Kalim, etc.).

Just getting our information from them won’t be entirely accurate to how the rest of the population acts or perceives things. We cannot 100% rely on what we know of the TWST boys’ behaviors to assess what everyone or everything else is like.

[synchodai]

Replying to this person out of the inbox because I don't want their identity published. I will have a not-so-nice reply to this message, and I don't want anyone who reads this to send hate their way or think I'm dunking on this person. They did not say anything offensive and I appreciate them coming to my inbox.

I feel the need to reply because there's some facts here that I find questionable.

Firstly, the Five are not usurpers.

The Five (Illysera, Yaga-Shura, Sendai, Abazigal, and Balthazar) are legitimate children of Bhaal and therefore legitimate inheritors of his legacy as much as Sarevok and Gorion's Ward. Abazigal outright brags about Bhaal fucking an actual dragon when talking about his birth. The Five weren't usurping the throne -- they were building it. OG Balthazar planned on betraying Bhaal by killing himself once he inherited his divine legacy, but Balthazar was never a pretender. His betrayal couldn't have worked if he was.

The only usurper was Amelyssan, a high priestess of Bhaal who did not have any of his divine essence and had to steal his throne from Gorion's Ward, and she was never considered part of the Five. She brought them together but it was very important to the plot that she was considered merely a servant who was beneath them.

Secondly, Orin's effigies are a mockery of the Throne of Bhaal events.

She most likely thinks she's honoring her god by making these displays that mimic the deaths of the Five and Amelyssan, but it just betrays how much she doesn't get it.

Orin naming Amelyssan "the sixth" in one of her effigies shows her lack of understanding of Bhaal and his machinations. To count Amelyssan among the Five who had actual god blood would be an insult to him, not an honor.

Similarly, using petty adventurers as stand-ins for Bhaalspawn is also an insult to his blood.

Bhaal's grand plan was for his children to sow chaos and murder one another, with the last Bhaalspawn standing to be the inheritor of his throne. He revels in the spilling of Bhaalspawn blood. Orin is miming this highest act of worship (killing your Bhaalspawn siblings) by not actually doing it. She's substituting half-gods with nobodies and pretending they're Bhaalspawn. She's pretending to be the best worshiper of a carnivorous god by offering him plant-based substitutes.

The one time she could have murdered an actual Bhaalspawn, she failed. OP is right in this regard -- this is what makes her no different to the disinherited and dishonored Five.

Thirdly, the cult was not made to inspire terror.

Now, this one is a more debateable point since worship is a subjective thing and the methods of worship naturally change over time. But for context, Sarevok was the person who revived the worship of Bhaal and he did so with the express purpose of ascending to godhood by killing all the other Bhaalspawn. Once only one Bhaalspawn remains, Bhaal's essence will accumulate in a single vessel and he shall return to the material plane. In other words, the original point of the cult of Bhaal (at least the one in the city of Baldur's Gate) was to resurrect Bhaal. He didn't care if the normies were terrorized along the way -- his main goal was to cheat death and come back in some form. That was the intended purpose of siring so many children in the first place.

This is the reason why Sarevok in BG3 thinks Orin is pretentious. She's doing all this flashy bloody hubbub, but none of it actually furthers the goal of reviving Bhaal. She doesn't seem to care about bringing back their god to power at all when she does her murders. It's hollow symbolism that apes without actual understanding.

And all this is why she doesn't get it. Orin's tragedy is she is so devoted, talented, and trying her best to impress her father(s) only for them to scoff at her grand gestures. She doesn't understand where she's going wrong -- in her mind, she's giving them everything. She's giving them all the blood in the world, but she's doing it by putting it in a pretty decanter that makes it virtually useless to them.

Lastly, Orin's artistry goes against Bhaal's ideology, not just modern cult orthodoxy.

To Bhaal, Orin is the spawn of a twice-dead failure who fills his temple and tribunal with other echoes of failure. She overcomplicates when pleasing Bhaal is really simple — murder your family, murder the ones you love and cannibalize their essence. Durge is closer to doing this because they've canonically murdered their foster family, they (possibly could have) murdered their lover in camp, and now they're murdering their sister (and the whole tribunal). Sure, Orin killed her own mother, but to do it in self-defence? To preserve her corpse and not consume her soul? It shows weakness, unneeded sentimentality.

When you go full Dark Urge and accept Bhaal, you surrender your being to Bhaal and effectively become the new Bhaal. That's why the game keeps insisting that "this is not you" because you are allowing an erasure of your identity to bring back a dead god. This is the philosophy of Bhaal and all other evil entities in the game -- the cost of unchecked power is depersonalization and loss of humanity. Artistry and beauty is antithetical to that. That's why blank slate Durge who is willing to off themselves to usher Bhaal's return is the favorite while Orin is not.

[amphiptere-art]

This is Dim.

And they are so pretty.

I have never been happier to actually see this character. To actually be able to visualize Dim. My first sort of OC.

Do they look like blue moon but color swapped? Totally. Yes. I don't give a damn. Dim became Blue Moon through the design process by accident. I don't think it's terrible and that Dim takes some of his design back. I'm just happy to see him.

I created them in the era when everything was just something I imagined in my head. If I couldn't get a design through line art, there was no way it was going to come on page. Color wasn't a thing I used. And yet that was the whole prospect of Dim. This colorful character propped with the colors of the setting or rising Sun. Stark colors of blue and yellow marking out his duty. It was just something I couldn't do in line art. There is no way in all hell I could express that.

And yet now I do. Have colors! Something I scarcely used on paper. It always took too much time, was too much of a worry, I didn't have the right shade. Now at the click of a couple buttons and a quick Google search I can have all the colors I ever want. Dim can be alive in every aspect that I ever wanted him to be.

Dim's design on paper is boring. Even now if I remove the color it looks silly. It's a bunch of stripes on a standard DCA with a couple of unique ribbon and ray orientations. It's not that surprising and contrasting.

But it works so well with color. Just the stark difference between the stripes and their main body hues. Blue Moon took Dim's design because it just didn't work with line art. Either looked too stagnant or too exciting. My philosophy has always been to make the line art poppy, because that's what I've always had. But it also removes the splendor from characters that probably would have looked better with the color. Always scribbled dark areas to just express it because it wouldn't work else wise.

I am very happy with Dim's design. I have never been happier to see this character I devoted an entire section of my little story making mind too. This little security drone. Plugged into a body that don't know how to move with. Thrown into a consciousness they never had to correlate with. Able to interact with a humans on a level they've never had beyond the screen. Able to understand music.

Say hello to Dim. The little AI that loves the sound like a dance.

[mohgreal]

Mr Greal I need to rant about a SOTE thing I was thinking about last night. Fucking. Why not make it so that Mohg and Miquella were collaborating and both had a genuine, shared view of how to change the world? They both want the best for the disenfranchised races of the Lands Between, right? Miquella has the metamorphosing Albinaurics in the Haligtree, Mohg has his little red Mohglets, stuff like that.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if Blood For The Blood God Big Boy Mohg was who Miquella deemed the most kind or worthy or whatever of the demigods? Raaaaagh I’m just so mad how SOTE bulldozed over these two characters and sapped out anything interesting about them.

cw: me being annoying, (long) sote ranting because this fandom hates me for hating but that never stopped me, if you take this seriously its on you sorry . for some reason i get people feel offended by me openly expressing how i feel about some dlc so im still putting this here You Were Warned ....mr greal will add his personal comments .....

tumblr keeps fucking up my keep readinf STOP im sorry

this is my biggest gripe with sote is how boring they made the existing lore. not even 'bad', just very very boring. it's like i got the most boring reddit fanfiction as canon, which sucks because all the new stuff IS interesting. expect now i don't even care because they sucked the interest i had for the lore by doing so. they could've made radahn more interesting by giving him more lore that isn't just "i love war, golden order, and horsey!". they could've gave mohg more lore and depth. they could've made miquella more interesting and a genuinely new and fresh character with hope for once in a game where it's all bleak and misery.

but they didn't. why.

i don't get it and i never will. im convinced they had a different, or possibly worse — multiple teams work on sote because the way the entire dlc is structured, especially the lore and missing elements (no cutscenes for main bosses or black and white art desc) — really screams too many chefs working on one game (dlc). nightreign existing proves my prior theory ive had since sote came out day one

miquella is, to me, the most boring possible route they could've gone. if you believed the charming theory then it was also predictable for like two years so it's not even as shellshocking as the narrative makes it, because the game expects you (in the sense that based off the existing lore you would have the idea that miquella is morally gray) to know this. the issue is that the only real lore really pointing toward miquella being a charm guy is the bewitching branch. two sentences. you're supposed to get that miquella was Bad All Along because of [one] item description. why micheal zaki???? and yes you could say the other item descs hinted at it, but that's all it is, hinting. its vague and you could easily understand it as miquella being the true goodie people in game think he is.

as for the extreme devotion, i don't see how it's supposed to be seen as bad if you didn't know miquella was a charmer when it makes sense for the lands between to cling to the only piece of hope there is. like i would be worshipping him too when he's supposedly the only real kind demigod trying to make a change??? is this just micheal zaki and georgey marty's way of telling us life is miserable and dont trust incestous blondes? ive seen people defend this by saying its a design choice so the player can feel like miquella is good, then get betrayed like his followers so you can feel it too. but this doesn't work because you would have to be attached or at least like miquella which is basically impossible (unless you were a tumblr miquella stan feeding off dust and scraps) since you haven't meet him?? how can i be betrayed by someone whom i haven't even met? miquella is just childish griffith (im sorry to say that name) marika-ranni morally gray "you tried" badge lumped into one and i really miss how interesting he was before his own dlc. not to mention he only shows up piggybacking on his now boyfriend-brother for like one minute; and that's all he gets in his own dlc . if he was at least his own boss instead of lothric-lorian copy pasted but worse i wouldn't be nearly as disappointed

radahn is still boring to me, which he was before as well, his personlity is basically just the modern irl gymbro to me, which is to say i can't see him without his gym (in radahn's case, war or the golden order)

and mohg getting used as a body bag is so unneeded and just feels forced. i didn't even feel sad. the mohgreal (mr greal as called in the ask™️) didn't get sad at mohg being basically used even beyond death. because it didn't need to happen. you could say that's what makes it tragic, but to me it's just a cheap way of forcing radahn back. radahn's soul isn't what makes him powerful, his powers and body is. so just use mohg instead, miquella already had him charmed, did he not?? radahn's soul isn't going to make mohg magically radahn — except oh wait it magically makes mohg radahn all of a sudden even though that's not how it works!!! we literally saw ranni do this exact same thing (just with her own soul) yet radahn is a magic exception??? this is a blatant retcon and people who pretend sote doesn't have retcons feel like they're gaslighting me because this is just one of a few examples of contradicting lore sote gives you. even if you could magically give me a pile of reason to fill the plotholes, it still feels sour because i never needed to do this in the base game

TLDR: sote made me not care about elden ring, and im now back to being a horror addict im sorry. everyone is allowed to rant to me im very bored

[thefivecrowns]

“Why do you think StarClan sent that prophecy? We needed the Clans to strengthen their faith in us. You ask for answers that we are not completely in control of; in one way or another, everything has happened as a result of a series of events you caused. Then you ask why we aren’t stopping the consequences to your own actions? We can only do so much. Look how much little faith has cost the Clans!”

When a Clan cat dies, no matter their personal faith and prior actions, they join StarClan, the name collectively given to the River Territory Clans’ deceased. StarClan’s hunting grounds are accessed through the Whispering Tree, a grandiose weeping willow with branches that reach high into silverpelt, enabling the living to connect with their ancestors. One must sleep within the tree or on one of its branches to enter StarClan’s dreamscape; the highest branches are reserved for leaders being granted their nine lives.

StarClan is responsible for supervising the Clans. They ensure that their living descendants are functioning in harmony, and will send signs or omens to be interpreted by leaders, medicine cats, or occasionally even the common warrior if they perceive the Clans to be in any danger. Generally, though, StarClan observes in silence. Their communication with the living is infrequent and unpredictable; they rarely intervene with Clan affairs unless they feel that the danger being posed is going to impact them directly, and even then, do not typically express their being in danger out of pride. StarClan’s messages are known to be cryptic, and despite their devotion to their ancestors, living cats find themselves struggling to know where to place their faith.

Seasons ago, StarClan delivered a prophecy with the intentions of restoring the Clans’ faith in them after a turbulent spiritual conflict, which had resulted in the Dark Forest being sealed away and the impairment of StarClan’s relationship with the living world. Fearful of losing their ancestors and desperate to protect their sacred lifestyles, the Clans spiraled into disarray, turning on one another in their efforts to decipher the prophecy; after many moons, StarClan finally intervened with a powerful earthquake, after which they explained their objective to the leaders and quelled the conflict. They never truly regained as much faith as they were hoping, but were seemingly content, as they’ve been silent ever since. Even through the Clan-shattering reign of DuskClan, StarClan was quiet—but now after they chose WindClan’s leader and helped Bramblestar reestablish SkyClan, can they really be considered absent, or just neglectful?

Interested in reading more about StarClan and their impact on the Clans? You can read our Past Plots doc for a comprehensive history of StarClan’s influence on previous plots, or explore the different ways StarClan has contributed to general Clan history by viewing the History sections in the Main Doc and individual Clan docs!

Art Credit: Hib [@hibiswack]

Character Quote: Sunstar [@/Hawky]

[dexjarxenoengage]

Fire Emblem Engage’s Psycho Rangers

IMO, I actually think the Four Hounds aren’t that bad as antagonists.

Because I see them and EVeyle as an evil foil to Alear and the Four Royals. Have you heard of the Psycho Rangers trope? The Psycho Rangers are basically meant to be evil Power Rangers.

This, IMO, how the Four Hounds work. Alear’s team is the Four Primary Royals that Alear meets on their journey to defeat Sombron (Alfred, Diamant, Ivy and Timerra). While Veyle (or at least EVeyle)’s team consists of the Four Hounds (of whom Zephia considers to be “family”).

The Four Hounds, however, are family by name only. Zephia’s actions towards the Hounds, especially being with Sombron (who could give zero thought about bonds) would ultimately be the downfall of the family Zephia created.

The main difference between the Four Royals and the Four Hounds is how they treat Alear and Veyle. The Royals respected Alear initially because they were the Divine Dragon, but Chapter 20 shows that Alfred and the others accept and know Alear for who they are as people.

The Hounds (except Mauvier) more or less treat Veyle as a means to an end. Zephia follows Sombron in order to win his favor. Griss (as follower of the Fell Dragon) needs EVeyle to inflict pain on him because it’s his devotion to the cult of the Fell Dragon, which required blood. Marni wanted EVeyle’s praises. Marni saw good Veyle as the “boring one” because she never got praise from Good Veyle. This mentality changed by the time she learned Veyle’s backstory, but by then, it’s too late.

The Royals could have been like the Hounds if they only saw Alear for their status rather than as a person. In their supports, Alear and the Royals get to form relationships outside of battle and they get to understand each other better as a result.

Alear, Alfred, Diamant, Ivy, Timerra and eventually Veyle all eventually became the real family that the Four Hounds failed to be. They may not express this dynamic outright, but they don’t need to. It just makes these facts all the more telling.