#all my good traits are 'from the lord' so I need bad traits to exist

[gxlden-angels]

I really am just religious trauma wrapped in a trench coat at this point huh?

[theminecraftbee]

so a thing this fandom does that remains FASCINATING to me, as a function of the fact a lot of this fandom is people's first fandom or only current fandom, is just... assume a lot of things it does is a scourge that this fandom has invented or doesn't exist outside of it? or like, is uniquely bad here? and i won't deny that sometimes mcyt fandom is a bit more intense by virtue of numbers, but like...

duo names: confusing fandom-injokes to describe duos and groups tend to be an anime fandom thing specifically for many historical reasons, but they're not uncommon. hey quick--if you haven't been in KHR fandom, can you guess what 1827 is? no? i'll give you a hint: that's actually a ship name. or, ygo fans, tell me the difference between puppyshipping, prideshipping, violetshipping, and rivalshipping. my hint is that they're all kaiba ships and two of them are actually the same ship. good luck!

reducing characters to a specific trait: have you read fic in another fandom before? i would recommend you go do so and come back to me. my example here is "sasuke likes tomatoes", for the record.

common au fanon that's confusing to outsiders: my deep cut here is "when i got into certain tv fandoms i was baffled by the existence of sentinel/guide fics", which is a slightly older tv fandom thing so many of you probably don't know what i'm on about. but trust me: in certain fandoms it's ubiquitous and unless you've watched a completely different tv show you're gonna have to entirely pick it up from reading fic. oh hey, hybrid aus and watcher!grian, nice to see your relative here,

fanon being treated as canon: did you know there's this whole bnha character, naomasa, who is treated as canonically having a lie detector quirk? did you know that, best i can tell, that's not in canon anywhere, it just got echoed through fanon enough that everyone treated it as canon? 'fanon trait becomes so ubiquitous everyone assumes it has to be there' is not a new thing. also, batfamily fans, i have been lead to understand the tim and coffee thing is also this.

characters being treated badly to make a different dynamic look better: the fact we have the term 'character bashing' tells you all you need to know, here. if anything my one complaint on this front isn't even that it's happening--it's that i wish bashing and/or "not [character] friendly" was tagged a little more frequently, haha.

characters being reduced to their family dynamics: tale as old as time. "even the family dynamic thing" yes even that. just because this fandom tended to be particularly ship-adverse in the past didn't mean it didn't do basically the same behaviors as any fandom with shipping did with those dynamics, just gen. and other gen fandoms also do that. yes, down to the "and shipping reduces them to a ship, unlike my gen dynamic, which is very in-character; why can't people just be friends?" thing. some of you have to have been marvel fans right.

characters being reduced to their ships: some of you have to have been marvel fans right.

The Discourse: yeah this is an "actively running show" fandom thing, but also a hiatus fandom thing. ask a homestuck about vriskourse sometime. as much as i hate to say it, it probably made doomsday discourse look cute.

and those are just like... some things i've seen people complain about on my dash recently. idk it just hit me there are probably fans in mcyt fandoms who are assuming that some things (like hybrid aus or duo names) are the kind of things that only happen here, so i thought i'd offer some examples of other places they happen! i also have even more examples if you'd like.

to be clear: this isn't shaming anyone for complaining about any of these things. lord knows i go complain to my friends about it all the time, just the other day i was complaining in the category of 'they keep bashing my guy'. it's more of just... a gentle reminder that maybe we're big, maybe we're loud, maybe we have problems... but these problems aren't always unique.

so uh. we're all suffering together i guess...?

[jamesnelsonart]

Killer Whale: Puffer's Bad Ending

In the story of Puffer and Clarissa, Killer Whale is a lot of things. He’s a source of comic relief, offering a less serious villain than Sharon or Lord Jel. He’s a guy who’s very dedicated to the bit, as his name, outfit, and submarine are all based off of orcas. But most importantly, he’s also a dark foil to Puffer, and represents the potential bad ending she could’ve had if she never went through the character development she experienced in the comic. The loud, dramatic, cruel Killer Whale might not seem like he has much in common with the timid, smart, sensitive Puffer, but both characters share a number of key traits that make them mirror each other.

At the start of the story, both Puffer and Killer Whale are unquestionably loyal to their respective leaders, Sharon and Lord Jel. The two characters may be styled after a puffer fish and an orca, but they might as well be barnacles, given how they latch onto others. They appear to have no personal desires outside of doing what they are told and staying in the good graces of their superiors. It’s hard to imagine what either one of these characters do in private, as their personalities are watered-down extensions of the will of Sharon and Lord Jel.

Puffer and Killer Whale both have no life to speak of. It’s an accurate description to say that they both have no friends and there are no activities they do that aren’t acts of service. When it’s all accounted for, they feel like incomplete people. And that is ultimately due to the fear that dominates both characters’ lives.

Puffer is always being criticized by her mom and thus fears expressing herself at all for fear of inviting even more mockery or criticism. Killer Whale might seem like he has more of a personality, but his outfit with obscured eyes, wide shoulders, ab armor, clawed gauntlets and big boots make it clear that this is more about projecting an image than it is a genuine personality. Lord Jel punishes dissent and those who don’t seem useful, so this persona of a savage, loyal killer helps to continue his existence. Puffer and Killer Whale are both afraid to live and thus have no outlets to appear genuine. Or at least, that’s how it is at the beginning of the story.

Puffer getting away from her mom for a bit allows her to develop some and believe in her own skills. She begins to defy Sharon, and while she’ll probably always be a little bit clingy and nervous, the fact that she can make this change means she can hopefully make more changes when the time comes, leaving her story on a hopeful note. Killer Whale just dies. Well, perhaps that’s unfair; he does save Puffer and Clarissa at the end, but he exists as a cautionary tale about being a person who only exists to serve as a tool for someone else. Tools get discarded when a better model comes along, and that’s exactly what happens when Lord Jel finally has everything he needs to make the Storm Machine work. Killer Whale is discarded, so what does he do when he realizes this? He cries, because while he may be older than our teen heroes, he has not truly lived as long as they have. Some readers may feel sympathy for Killer Whale due to that moment, others may instead feel satisfaction that a man who has spent his whole live killing helpless people is finally feeling a fraction of the fear he inflicted on others. As the writer, it’s not my job to tell the readers how to feel. I don’t necessarily want all my readers to agree. So long as they felt something, I am satisfied.

Why did I write all this? Well, the Puffer and Clarissa Kickstarter just reached its first stretch goal, so a bonus chapter featuring a young Sharon and Killer Whale will be added to the book. It’ll reveal details about their lives being raised as Lord Jel’s servants. The next stretch goal will be for a bonus chapter solely focused on Killer Whale’s strategies for staying alive while working for Lord Jel, so tell your friends all about the Kickstarter so we can make these bonus stories happen!

[trubbishrubbish]

Toko DR1 defense rant. (+ some UDG and Tokomaru hot takes)

I wrote a DR1 Toko defense rant and hot takes on twitter after seeing a DR1 Toko hate post on tumblr, funny that. Anyway, I'm copying pasting that rant onto here becuase it's really important. I will defend Toko with my life.

DR1 Toko haters are the weakest link.

Y’all can’t handle the fact that a woman with childhood trauma, trauma with relationships and has DiD with a serial killer alter is thrust into a stressful life or death killing game would not act very nice and normal 24/7.

If Toko in DR1 made you feel uncomfortable and you didn’t like her moments then that’s completely fine. That’s the point of her character.

It’s a pretty accurate portrayal of how someone with trauma who hasn’t been able to get the help they need would act this way. Her character was perfectly done to serve the story she has. Saying her character is bad just because it’s uncomfortable is dumb.

You can argue that her trauma being played for laughs and is bad taste but that’s more a story issue than a character issue.

Here’s another hot take: If you love UDG Toko but hate DR1 Toko then you don’t actually love Toko, you only love a fanon version of Toko.

A fanon Toko that is gay for Komaru and her obsession with Byakuya and trauma are just “magically gone”

All of Toko’s negative traits in DR1 are still present in UDG. Her sole motivation for coming to Towa city was to save Byakuya. Her reason for sticking with Komaru, encouraging her to not give up when she is at her lowest and helping and saving her, it was all done so Toko could trade Komaru with the enemy so she could save Byakuya. Her being rude and making incest jokes in front of Komaru are aspects of Toko’s character that shouldn’t be ignored. (Although, the incest part is more a product of UDG trying to squeeze as much grossness it can)

The reason why it shouldn’t be ignored is that it makes Toko’s growth in chapter 4 onwards all the more significant. Toko at the start of UDG was calling Komaru “Omaru” and fully wanted to betray her.

Toko in the end of UDG has learned that she likes having Komaru as a friend and wants to fight to save both her and Byakuya. That’s a character god tier arc.

But what about Toko’s obsession afterwards? It still exists because it’s linked to her trauma that she still has not been able to heal from. Komaru is a very important and wonderful person for Toko but she is not a therapist. She can’t diagnose all of Toko’s issues and create a way for Toko to fully heal. She can be the start and encourage Toko, but Toko needs professional therapy. Months of therapy most likely. This isn’t something that can be fixed in a week. DR3 shows that even when Toko has Komaru, she still has her obsession with Byakuya because she hasn’t been able to go to therapy.

I should probably clarify that I don’t dislike Tokomaru content that has Toko healing with Komaru’s help or Toko content that has her over Byakuya. Lord knows

I can’t throw stones in the department because of how I write Genocide Jack lol. But what I am saying is that DR1 Toko is important for UDG Toko to make sense. You can’t ignore DR1 Toko and only think about Toko as she is in UDG. Both Tokos are halves of one complete Toko.

That said, I do take slight issue with people who said that Toko NEEDED UDG to be good. Guys, Kodaka wasn’t thinking about UDG or any future DR game when writing DR1. DR1 was written as if it would be the only thing that could be made of the series. Toko’s arc in DR1 WAS supposed to end where it was. It wasn’t left incomplete so another game could fill in the rest. Toko in UDG is just an expansion of DR1 Toko. She’s already learned how to be braver and fight, UDG teaches her that she doesn’t have to pick and choose between two people. She can have both.

It’s extremely rare that a Danganronpa character has second time in the spotlight to develop more beyond the game they star in. Toko is the sole exception to this.

Also worth mentioning, Toko wasn’t first considered to be the partner early in development. It was actually Haiji that would be the secondary protagonist in UDG. The only reason why they switched from him to Toko was for gameplay purposes. Kodaka wanted the player to have the ability to switch to a super powerful character that can’t die so the people used to visual novel aspect of DR can play UDG without worrying about having to be good at a third person shooter.

Haiji’s power form would have been him taking off his cast and killing Monokumas with a robot arm. But that didn’t go very far so it was decided that Genocide Jack would be that power form.

That means y’all have to thank Genocide Jack for giving you the UDG lesbians. (Btw, if I got this info wrong please let me know.)

Anyway I exhausted myself from talking about Toko. She is a perfect weird girl who is one of DR’s best written characters.

[dmclemblems]

Claude isn't a real person and neither are Dimitri and Edelgard. People want to see their faves do interesting things. If Dimitri never went through his "Boar Phase", he'd have less fans because he'd then be less interesting. Claude doing increasingly morally ambiguous things to achieve his lofty ambitions is interesting. It also shows a side of Claude that was there in Houses but didn't get explored much. So yes, people want to see characters they like kill in a war game. Is there really an issue with that?

People also don't like bad writing. People are discussing it because the reasons for Claude being "interesting" in Hopes are not interesting. The reasons given for his actions are shallow. I'm not going over the reasons because I've done so a ton of times in all my other asks.

You also don't need a character to kill to be interesting. People already loved Claude in Houses when he was against killing and war. People loved him because he was the one character among the lords who had an interesting story and had interesting characterization without needing to kill to do it. He was interesting without having to kill, which means there was plenty of depth to his character and the writers already had the means to make him interesting without needing to make him behave like he wouldn't behave.

They had plenty of foundation to work with to make him interesting in Hopes and stick to his Houses counterpart. They gave him plenty of backstory to work with to make him interesting and keep him the same person with the same morals as in Houses. He didn't need to kill to be interesting, and that was what set him apart from the other lords. Hopes took that and threw it in the trash, making it annoying for people who wanted to see more of the guy who took the political and verbal approach to positive change in the world. People wanted to see the guy in the war game who didn't kill to achieve his goals. When that isn't what they got and it was even worse than just not getting it, but seeing his character written with a 180 change in his actions, yes, that's an issue for a lot of fans.

People have a problem with this because Edelgard was the person who had this storyline, but instead of keeping the character consistent, they made her "better" and gave a lot of her bad traits to Claude. A lot of this becomes an issue when you see that, well what do you know, a nation of brown people is violent, aggressive and loves to plunder - even when they're attacking innocent people!

Dimitri was Dimitri in both games. Claude was not the same person with the same behaviors, and thus, people did not enjoy that.

You also seem to be missing the point where the people Claude is killing are innocent people. No, I do not find that interesting. If he chose to kill people who had done him harm and had done wrong by him, that would be interesting, like when he killed Shahid. If he finally had enough and killed his former assassins, that would be interesting. Invading a land that has done him no harm, goes against his entire character and makes no sense with all the given context, on top of that land being one he otherwise allies with or attempts to ally with in all existing routes except SB/GW? Not interesting, because it's no longer the same character people love.

There are a LOT of Claude fans who feel this way, so it's not a matter of "my favorite is doing something interesting" for them. It's a matter of "wow they completely altered my favorite's characterization and made him so different from the person I loved that I can't love this version of him".

Bad writing affects people's enjoyment of media. If it's bad enough to take you out of the game and have you questioning what the writers were thinking, that's not an enjoyable experience. The whole point of them not being real characters is for people to engross themselves in a good story, but when the story is no longer good, has racist undertones and uses an existing character and completely alters them in a way that makes the fandom waifu look better, yeah, there's an issue with that. It means the story/entertainment didn't serve its purpose, which is to entertain and bring joy to people. If this many people are aggravated by it and this many people are noticing that it's edging way too close to "why are the brown people so questionable", it goes outside the boundaries of “well this game just wasn’t fun for me”.

So yes, when the only brown main character behaves like that, it's really an issue because it reflects on irl standards and how people making the game perceive people irl.

And again, when you write a story and it's just not good because they can't give good reasoning as to the characters actions, it's not enjoyable. There's a point where you have suspension of disbelief, and there's a point where it's so poorly handled that your disbelief literally pulls you out of the game. In this case, it's reusing characters that exist already, had defined characterization and traits, and tossing most of that in the dumpster and giving him poor reasoning for his actions (wow, a country sure did do something our country didn't like 300 years ago! blame the people living today and invade their country for it! kill their people for something that happened before they were even born! yeah. very bad writing that takes you right out of the suspension of disbelief; especially when it's a character who has canonically said the literal exact opposite in his origin game).

What people don't want to see is their favorite kill in a war game when that character was very strictly opposed to war and killing in the first place. So no, a whole lot of people don't want to see that, which is pretty evident from the number of anons who have come to me expressing their distaste in how they handled Claude. When Dimitri kills people, we're given thorough and logical reasons for it that match his character. When Edelgard kills people, we're given her mindset and her reasons for doing it which match her character. Houses Claude and Hopes Claude have such extreme differences that it bothered people. Is there really an issue with that? Because I'm not seeing an issue with people not enjoying their favorite being written as someone he wasn't in his origin game.

Again, it's fiction. Media. Entertainment. When it's not entertaining, it's failed in its purpose. When people are angry with the content (justifiable in this situation no less because of a whole lot of reasons, some of which as I've mentioned leak into irl modern day issues that completely ruin some people's experiences because video games should be pulling you away from that), it's gone beyond failing. The whole game itself wasn't a total failure, but the GW route did make a lot of people unhappy with it.

Is it okay for characters to kill in a war game? Yeah. Do people want to see their favorites kill in a war game? Yeah, if that character has been established as someone who would do so and/or has writing to back it up when the game is story based. Do people want to see their favorites kill in a war game when it's a pre-established character who is the only main character who stands his ground when it comes to peace, not wanting war and to remove prejudice? No.

I'm not sure how you chalked everything we've discussed on this blog to "Claude killed people, what's the problem". If Dimitri suddenly turned around and told everyone they were invading the Alliance because ??? and had no story reasoning to back him up, i.e. he was not experiencing the worst of his mental illness and was not all alone with no support system, yes, his fans would be angry. His fans would be angry if Dimitri turned around and said "the Alliance started a fight with us and split off from us 300 years ago, starting a war against our people which killed thousands" and used that to justify warring with the Alliance, yes, his fans would be beyond pissed off... just like many Claude fans are very pissed off.

So yeah, there's an issue because it means at least some of the writers didn't do their job very well, and again, why Claude? He's plenty ambiguous, interesting and enjoyable as a character without killing. The fact is, he was interesting in Houses precisely because of his lack of motivation to kill. As it was, he was already perfectly interesting. His backstory, his behavior, his personality, his mannerisms, his goals, etc. All of it was interesting. He was the most peaceful person of the lords, yet he had a backstory that could've justified him growing up to becoming an angry, violent man. He didn't, and that was interesting.

Why does a character need to kill to be interesting? They don't. People like nuance. When you give us nuance and you take that away in a subsequent game, messing with something people already loved, they get aggravated.

Because yes, when you take something that people have grown to love and change it, people speak out. As it is, people already don't like things as simple as changing voice actors or live action actors because it changes something they already knew and loved. However, it's worse for people when you change something they love and make it the reverse of what they came to know that made them love the thing in question.

So yes, for a lot of people, it's an issue. Again, simply put, Claude didn't need to kill to be interesting. When they took away the things that made him interesting and simplified him, dumbing him down to shallow reasons for his actions and reversing the character people already knew and loved, fans will be unhappy and/or angry.

[alicent-apologist]

Hi my loves!

Um so 2024 is continuing to be a bit difficult for me so I have little time for writing. However, I have not forgotten and I'm working on my fics bit by bit.

For now, here's a small snippet of Chapter 6 of Something's Coming (so out of breath), where we go back to the Vale and see things from Lady Jeyne's point of view.

It's still a bit rough and unfinished but I hope you guys like it!

Lady Jeyne I - 3rd Moon 129 AC

Prince Jacaerys was not what Jeyne had expected. For one, there was nothing Valyrian about his looks. He had more in common with the Royces and their First Men heritage than the Targaryens and Velaryons. As a prince, he was … inadequate, if Jeyne was to be honest, which she tried to be. Uncouth, overly expressive, no sense of duty – all things she had called him when complaining to Jessamyn. He showed a distinct lack of care and knowledge of his subjects. To not even know who Jessamyn was, when Jeyne was sure the gossip had reached even the Umbers in the North and the Ullers in Dorne! How isolated had her cousin kept him in Dragonstone?

And such a waste to betroth him to Laena Velaryon’s daughter, when the Velaryons should have already been in their pockets…

‘Jeyne, please, I can hear you thinking already,’ Jessamyn groaned, hiding her face in her pillow.

Jeyne rolled over to face her, tucking one of her errant blonde curls behind her ear. It made no difference to the tangle of hair spread across the pillow but it was a sentimentality Jeyne revelled in.

‘How can I not? With such a distinguished guest in our halls?’ Jeyne asked lightly.

‘Your halls Jeyne,’ Jessamyn snapped, suddenly wide awake and turning to glare at her, ‘How many times must I ask you to be careful?’

‘Oh yes, I’m sure this is what will allow my cousins to overthrow me,’ Jeyne said rolling her eyes.

‘Lord Arnold came very close,’ Jessamyn said, flinging herself out of their bed and flouncing over to the fireplace to tend to the smouldering logs.

‘And now he languishes in our sky cells,’ Jeyne replied placatingly, lifting herself from the bed as well – any chance of a good morning had fled with Jessamyn’s mood.

‘Your cells Jeyne!’ Jessamyn said through gritted teeth. She gave up her pretence of tending to the non-existent flames so she could glare at Jeyne.

‘You cannot say anything like this in the presence of the lords,’ she continued as she chose what Jeyne would wear for the day, ‘It’s bad enough that the princeling has no Targaryen, Velaryon or Arryn in him that can be seen. Baiting the lords will not help the cause you have taken on as your own.’

‘He does look extraordinarily like a Strong,’ Jeyne mused, ignoring everything else Jessamyn said, ‘It’s almost uncanny how he seems to have no traits from his mother. If he hadn’t arrived on a dragon, I might not have believed a word he said.’

Jessamyn sighed and indicated to Jeyne that she should sit in front of the vanity so Jessamyn could brush her hair.

‘We could still pretend we don’t,’ Jessamyn said with a wry smile as she gently ran her fingers through Jeyne’s hair to separate out the tangles, ‘Send him on his way with that beast of his and lock ourselves in the Eyrie for the winter.’

Jeyne let out a delighted laugh.

‘Send all the servants down and lock ourselves in this room for as long as the Eyrie is isolated.’

She let herself image it for a moment and indulged in the heat she could feel stirring in her core – Jessamyn was more than enough to keep her entertained for however long they would be trapped. Hells, Jessamyn was all Jeyne would need her entire life.

She closed her eyes as she felt Jessamyn place a sweet kiss on the top of her head.

Jeyne sighed, letting go of the fantasy as she did.

‘The boy has been determined to win over the lords of the Vale, ever since he stopped hiding in his room -’

‘He was grieving his brother,’ Jessamyn interrupted chidingly as she pulled Jeyne’s hair back into a severe braid.

‘He would have served his brother better by learning how to be a prince instead of crying about his death -’ Jeyne cut herself off with a hiss of pain as Jessamyn stabbed her with a pin.

‘Instead of complaining, you should learn how to do your own hair,’ Jessamyn smirked, raising her brows in challenge.

Jeyne rolled her eyes but it wasn’t worth the argument. Instead, she stood and gestured that Jessamyn should sit so that Jeyne could brush her hair. She loved how her hair went from a tangled cloud to soft golden curls which cascaded down her Jessamyn’s back.

‘Lord Corbray, Lord Belmore, Lord Hunter and Lady Waynwood should arrive in the next few days,’ Jessamyn said as she picked up Jeyne’s dress so she could help her lace it up.

‘And Lord Elesham, Lord Coldwater and Lord Pryor have written back to say that they cannot make it,’ Jeyne continued for her, ‘So there is no need to set up any rooms for them.’

‘Thank the Gods,’ Jessamyn replied, as she finished tying off Jeyne’s dress, ‘Lord Royce is spitting mad at the very thought of allying with Prince Daemon and we’d have had to put one of them in the rooms next to him.’

‘Without him we would have never been able to stop your cousin, Jeyne,’ Jessamyn warned, ‘Tread carefully.’

‘In this world of men, we women must band together,’ Jeyne said lightly, helping Jessamyn into her own dress.

‘Don’t be coy Jeyne, not with me,’ Jessamyn said softly, turning so Jeyne’s arms were around her waist and her own were around Jeyne’s neck, pulling her close, ‘Queen Rhaenyra is flouting Andal law by claiming the Iron Throne as her own, and it is by Andal law that you are the Lady of the Vale.’

‘But she is Queen Aemma’s daughter,’ Jeyne whispered, closing her eyes and letting Jessamyn’s presence soothe the pain her cousin’s death still caused her, ‘And I loved Aemma with all of my heart.’

They stood there for a few seconds, revelling in the closeness that they could not indulge in outside the safety of their room.

‘To war with dragons we go then,’ Jessamyn sighed, stepping back and smoothing the imagined wrinkles in her dress.

Jeyne took a deep breath, locking all her sentiment deep inside her chest so she could be the ‘Maiden of the Vale’ that her lords expected her to be.

[molsons112000]

So the Lord sees if I am mentally unhealthy. Then there is no hope for the World.

So I told you by declaring me to be this and this is why Jen didn't think I was mentally not fit.Nor did my brother Karl norded my family until my sister.

Nor did my closest friend's Pete or John. Consider me mentally disturbed. They only found out when I told them that I went in that they said they had no idea.I've seen perfectly normal..... No one had any idea with all the charities.I was volunteering with at children's during my breakdown.I was volunteering at childrens... I was volunteering at many charities all over the place... This is why jen said she didn't want to marry a missionary because I was on a mission and I was working with unbelievable amount of charities.... So if anyone thinks that i'm mentally ill then the world is in same and there is no hope for the world...

Then if you look at my type of blood you'll see one side is prevalent and the other side is the least prevalent. So I fall somewhere in the middle.....

But it would be better for me to get somebody.That is on the side with least likely metal health issue.....

Blood type O was seen significantly more often in individuals with bipolar and unipolar affective disorder, while blood type A was seen less often. In the group with involutional depression, blood type A was significantly more prevalent while type B and O were less prevalent.

https://www.sciencedirect.com › pii

Review Association of ABO blood types with psychiatric disorders

So yes, your child will have a more prevalent, but you will also have more or less prevalent.If you do have these issues and getting into the relationship you could trigger the issue......

So as God said he's sitting back and watching what you declare me. What you do to me and then from that. He's gonna make judgment on the World. So be very careful what you think I am......

Because if I'm sick, then you are the sickest. People to exist and this will be the end of the world and I'm telling you, if you declare me and I warn Kim Nick and Ryan my former bosses if you go down this road, make no mistake about what God is in the declare you. They made their choice and i'm telling you they made a very bad choice...... So be very careful on what you consider me to be..... Because if i'm insane you are beyond crazy ......

But I am telling you, if you do get into this and you start exchanging bodily fluid with your partner and you get into a long-term relationship like a marriage. You need to be careful and monitor yourself. And your Doctor should be aware of they can make sure they monitor and if anything starts to happen, they can correct it fast more easily if they catch it early..... Everything is treatable and easy to treat if you catch it early.... So I'm saying that you can also do things to help prevent it from happening?And I'm telling you, you can do prevention.So I'm not saying don't get into relationship.I'm saying if you do prevention.The stronger your prevention is, the less likely.The child will be able to trigger the negative things in their life... Meaning if you do things to if you had cancer or some other significant issue and you do all kinds of prevention making sure it doesn't reaccur.The more you do and then you have a child the better off the child is protected.... So you reap what you so so if you do things to protect yourself you will protect a child naturally. And when the child is born.If you carry out or carry on with those protections, it will make it less and less likely as the child matures that this will ever come true.This negative trait..... So it truly does because you close down these things in your genes and they become recessive and others become dominant.

So it's like if you have alcoholism in the family the more you do to prevent that from happening and the more good habits we do that gene if it was dominant will become more and more recessive and if it was a recessive it will become even more recessive.....

Quora

https://www.quora.com › How-did...

How did recessive genes become recessive, and dominant ...

Apr 9, 2019 — A recessive allele is one which produces a lot less of X, or a different version of it, which results in a different phenotype if the

This is why you're better off knowing so you can take corrective action..... So if you're an orphan or foster child doing research on your birth parents is pretty cool and if you can actually talk to them about family history it is even better for you and for any children you could have in the future.....

National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › pmc

When Recessive Genes Mutate to Dominant Gene Action - PMC

by M Poot · 2016 — For a recessive disease, both alleles of a gene have to be mutated or entirely lost. This may come about if both healthy parent

So there are things you can do.And this is why repentance is one of the best things you can do with repentance.To address the issue and then you put in place.Things that help you prevent that sin again.

Light Bearers

https://lightbearers.org › blog › thre...

Three Simple Steps For Overcoming Any Sin

Verbalizing the truth of the matter is vitally necessary. Doing so awakens a deeper sensitivity and places your heart in an honest position before God and ...

So to move recessive traits to dominant or make dominant traits even stronger.Here are habits you can do to allow that to happen....

LinkedIn · Avinash Bikumalla

610+ reactions · 7 years ago

Top 12 Most Important Personality Development Tips

Read success stories or surround yourself with motivational thoughts or “encouragements” which can boost up your self esteem and help you in 

Watching Jimmy Kimmel as I put this together with the cast of Dune Part 2.

[rikutokataki0907]

Elephants in the fucking building

It was a literal shock for me when the protagonist was alive, like wow, my observation skills are weak while watching this heart wrenching story. It was more impactful to me after I realized that it was a true story.  The movie gave me a lot of emotions, from confused to angry, with also a bit of happy feeling. This movie exposes the old stigma that is slowly changing in my generation.

In the movie, it was seen that the idea of LGBT was not welcome by the majority of the society. In the eyes of Mary Griffith especially, she sees it as a sin to the Lord. In hopes of maintaining the closeness of Bobby and God, she has done horrible inconsiderate acts just to do it. At first Bobby kept it a secret because he was scared that no one would understand and guide him to the correct path and apparently he was right. It came to the point where Bobby got overwhelmed and tired of trying to please and enlighten his mother of his true self. He decided to end his life because of depression, he could no longer take the negative emotion in him because of Mary’s denial in his gender expression.

After the death of her son, Mary went through the 5 stages of grief. It was a rollercoaster experience, a lot of in denial moments, very powerful bargaining but in the end, acceptance was the endpoint of it all. From the hater to a supporter, It all goes to show that everyone can change their views maybe for self affirmation but mostly for the good of your soul.

One fact that maybe half of the people I met through my life know is that I’m an only child. It could be a little lonely but I could manage, I have tons of cousins to bond with. Ever since my parents got annulled when I was freaking 5 years old, it took a couple of years for my father and I to talk with each other again. At first I was a bit shy maybe because our attitude didn't have a vibe but as time went by, I got to know my father more. When I turned 14 or 15 years old, there were situations where I needed to lie or keep some important information a secret to make the situation stabilize. I am aware that it is not the only option but with my environment, this set up works the best.

Because of my history in having bad experiences of being a snitch and being honest for my own benefit, I learned that being a snitch is not the way to make friends in my current generation hahaha. I begin to be so quiet that my jolly old self is slowly vanishing from my reality. I thought that maybe with this method, I could make a lot of friends that could trust me. Alas, that method has its limitations. Confusion bombarded my life and I do not know anymore how to cope in being alone, no one to lean on and no one can be my shoulder to cry on.

It was at that moment where grief overcame my system and doing something about it did not visit my mind. Denying the existence of the problem was my first action, keeping myself busy and not letting anyone know my true feelings resulted in feeling numb and shutting down my overused mind. There were times that my emotions went haywire and I easily showed irritation to incompetence, impatiency was a noticeable result of that. Here comes my favorite word: Overthinking. Wow, was this my everyday hobby? I often felt guilty when I did something or someone wrong, skyrocketed anxiety was visible and my insecurity with everything I did was filled to the brim!

Crying was really not my thing, it makes my nose stuffy and my head achy. If it occurs though, I produce it as silent as I can be. I have this trait where I do not want pity from others but I just want them to understand the severity of my situation. In the end, being aware of my loneliness came from my lack of communication skills. The only person to change it is myself and my mindset about it. I hope in the future someone would barge into my narrow life and be my living validation that I still have a purpose in life.

[acacia-may]

Aww! Thank you so much, Erika! 💙 I'm so happy you liked my headcanons! I spent a lot of time thinking about them because I realised I actually didn't have too many headcanons for Gauche (or at least too many headcanons that would fit in these specific categories😅).

I love this idea of yours of Gauche's mother doting on him which inspired him to then dote on Marie. There's something really sweet in that! I can imagine that a younger Gauche felt bad that Marie wouldn't really remember their parents or how much they loved her so I can see him trying to shower her with love in the best way he knew how (specifically the way his parents had shown him love). If the Lord and Lady Adlai were very affectionate and doting parents, it would really explain why Gauche is that way himself. I like this a lot! Thanks for sharing, Erika! 💙

Yes, the second one is a bit of a stretch, I'll admit. The category did say "unrealistic" so I figured a little bit of leeway was warranted here, but I completely agree with you about the criminal record being an issue for most people. It would be for me anyway, but like you mentioned people in the Clover Kingdom don't seem too concerned about all of that... (It's funny you mention Patry (as Licht) specifically because I was thinking of him too when writing this! 😁 Maybe they just can't resist bad boys and that sense of danger and mystery adds to the appeal? Could be an plausible explanation). I'm glad you liked the bit about Gordon though. I like to imagine that Gordon was put in charge of the Black Bulls mail ages ago (when he was one of the only people on the squad) and just quietly keeps up with it to this day. He'd definitely have nothing but nice things to say about all of his friends so I imagine he'd be great PR for all of them, especially if they can be a bit brash and off-putting at times like Gauche. (We know he's a good guy at heart, but he doesn't do himself any favours at times so he's lucky to have Gordon pointing out his good qualities to the public!)

I'm sorry for hurting you with that angst headcanon. I don't usually foray into the angst genre for this reason. (I'd much rather make people feel happy with what I write rather than sad 😔). That said, it really means a lot to hear that you thought it made sense and helped explain a lot of his behaviour. I like to think that Gauche has a lot more to him than what we see on the surface, and I really believe a lot of his more off-putting traits are a result of his grief and trauma. In a lot of ways, he's very much the textbook example of pushing people away out of fear of losing them while also, on the flip side, clinging on to some people (read: Marie) too tightly for the same reason. It's interesting that both traits can exist concurrently in him. I hope with some time and healing, he'll learn to open himself up to others again. It's nice to see him building such good friendships with Grey and Gordon in the canon--gives me hope that one day he'll be able to love without fear. 💕

I couldn't agree with you more that the explanation given for Gauche's nosebleeds in the canon is lacking. As someone who has frequent nosebleeds due to a genetic bleeding disorder, I've always seen it as very much a medical issue and seeing it portrayed as something else has always been a little weird to me in general but especially in this context. It makes a lot more sense to me to think that Gauche has a bleeding disorder himself--especially being part of the nobility class, if historical norms regarding consanguinity in arranged marriages among historical elites were also part of the BC world (a lot of the most common/well-known bleeding disorders like hemophilia and VWD are hereditary). I realise that an explanation was given that it's an emotional thing for him, but to that I say, bleeding like that is not normal for an otherwise healthy person such as Gauche so he could probably benefit from a knowledgeable hematologist. (I doubt he'd get the care he needs in a medieval society like the Clover Kingdom though, so he's pretty lucky Grey is around to seal his wounds). I usually try to cling pretty close to canon, but in this case, I'm going to have to go my own way. Anything to help paint Gauche in a better, less uncomfortable light (especially since I really don't think those nosebleeds are his fault). Glad to hear I'm not the only one! 😅

Thank you so much again for the ask, Erika, and for sharing your thoughts! You always have such great insights! Thanks for the great discussion! 💙

For the four headcanons game, what sort of ideas do you have about Gauche?

Hi Erika! 💙 Thank you so much for the ask and for playing the headcanon game! I had to give these a little bit of thought, but I hope you will like them. 😊 Headcanons are below the cut because it's a little bit wordy.

(Warnings: death and blood are both mentioned).

Questions from this Headcanon Ask Game

Headcanon A:  realistic

Gauche was close to both of his parents, especially his mother. They often praised him for being a good older brother and asked him to always look out for and protect his younger sister, Marie. This was one of the last things they asked him to do (shortly before their untimely death) which is one of the reasons why Gauche is such a protective sibling and why he feels so responsible for taking care of Marie.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

Despite being a member of what is widely considered in the Clover Kingdom to be the worst Magic Knight Squad, Gauche had a small fan club that no one knows about except Gordon (because he is in charge of the squad's mail and answers their letters). His fans gush over the fact that he's "brooding" and "mysterious" and/or think he's very handsome. He has been growing more popular due to Gordon's responses to fan letters that paint Gauche in a very favorable light. [Unsurprisingly enough, no one from Nean is part of the fan club].

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

Gauche has learned how to function on a very small amount of sleep because he has recurring, extremely realistic nightmares about losing his parents and Marie and being absolutely powerless to do anything to stop it. He never tells anyone about these nightmares, but one of the main reasons he tries to be in constant contact with his sister is because it helps him cope with the nightmares and remind himself that they are just dreams and Marie is safe.

Eventually, these nightmares extend to losing some of his friends (i.e. Grey and Gordon) as well. He doesn't admit this to them, but some of his squad mates are surprised when Gauche suddenly starts wanting to spend a lot of time with them.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

Gauche has a bleeding disorder which causes his frequent nosebleeds. It also causes him to bruise easily and bleed excessively when cut or injured (due to lack of functional clotting factor), and this contributed to him ultimately losing his left eye.

[tigerkirby215]

5e Nilah, the Joy Unbound build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Pan Chengwei. Made for Riot Games.)

Guys Nilah's balanced she's not a 200 years champion I swear this isn't my first time playing Nilah and the Ahri wasn't 13/2 I swear this is perfectly balanced there's absolutely no problems with Nilah as a champion.

Nilah is super fun but oh my lord she’s overtuned as hell. The funny thing is if they gave her like 400 extra health and removed all her free lifesteal and armor penetration she’d probably be more balanced overall. But cheers to another 200 years champion that can consistently 1v2 because memes I guess. At least she has a fun kit that’s interesting to recreate in D&D.

GOALS

My waters cut deep! - We need a whip. This doesn’t sound too special, but that’s kinda the main thing that’s special about Nilah.

Triumph and exaltation - We need to be able to heal by cutting down and cleaving our foes. Because what do you mean Nilah has way too many free stats just for existing?

That was fast; should I have held back? - Honestly recreating Nilah’s ult was probably the hardest part about her kit. I think I managed something... pretty good.

RACE

Nilah is a human (as far as we know) and even though I like popping out the Eberron subraces more-often-than-not making her a Variant Human is actually the better play. Increase both your Constitution and your Dexterity by 1, grab the Survival skill, the Infernal language (for talking to demons and devils.)

For your feat I’d love to grab one of the UA feats relating to water, but that’s not official not that it’s stopped me before. And Fey Touched is more generally useful: sell your soul to Ashlesh (who’s a Fey now, I guess) for +1 to your Intelligence, the Misty Step spell (for Flash), and the Hex spell! The main reason I’m going for Fey Touched is in fact Hex, as it will give you your main source of damage for the early levels, and can even carry your DPS late game.

ABILITY SCORES

15; INTELLIGENCE - There was a girl before Nilah; one who studied a lot. But she’s gone now, and Nilah is here!

14; DEXTERITY - You need Dexterity to swing a whip and slice through your foes!

13; CONSTITUTION - More like we don’t need anything else, and health is always good.

12; CHARISMA - Nilah’s... charming enough. People always love someone who smiles.

10; WISDOM - We just need everything else more and when most folk tales are about you doing something stupid you don’t tend to pick up on that wisdom.

8; STRENGTH - Again: we just need everything else more.

BACKGROUND

You were a Sage before making a deal with a demon to wipe your emotional spectrum and become a monster slayer... but the Sage background still fits you well for Arcana and History proficiency as well as some languages.

Honestly though I’d maybe swap your background feature with the Far Traveler trait “All Eyes on You” (that will get all eyes on you for being a hero from a far off land) or the Celebrity Adventurer’s Scion feature “Name Dropping” (that will allow you to mention some of the famous people you know and famous beasts you’ve slain.) Basically modify those backgrounds with Arcana and History proficiency because you don’t remember much about being a Sage.

(Artwork from Champion Insights: Nilah. There’s like no fan art of this character...)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - ROGUE 1

Starting off as a Rogue for proficiency in 4 skills: Acrobatics, Athletics (because your Strength is bad), Stealth (because you’re a Rogue), and Perception (because why not.) You can also get Expertise in two of your skills and I’d actually suggest both Arcana and History, so you can know the tales of great beasts to slay them!

You also learn Thieves’ Cant to communicate about secret stuff in Bilgewater, and Sneak Attack. Basically if a foe is flanked or they don’t see you coming, you can get some armor penetration for an extra d6 of damage! If you fight alone the latter will happen more but the former is more likely while fighting with a team!

Now you may be wondering: Rogues don’t get whip proficiency. That is correct, as we’ll get the whip in a bit. But if you’re starting at level 1 you have a few options:

Beg your DM - The whip does piss-poor damage anyways and it’s only marginally better than a dagger anyways. I doubt any DM wouldn’t let you use a whip for flavor.

Don’t use a whip to start - A shortsword or rapier works just as fine, although you can’t keep your distance.

Just use the whip anyways 4head - The only thing stopping you from using a whip is your proficiency bonus, which is a mere +2 anyways. You can still swing a whip without proficiency FYI. It might not hit as often but if you want to stick to the aesthetic its your best choice.

LEVEL 2 - ROGUE 2

Second level Rogues get Cunning Action, letting them Dash, Disengage, or Hide as a Bonus Action. The first two are obviously more in-character for Nilah, and now you can double dash because what do you mean giving a champion Samira’s old dash twice isn’t good design?

LEVEL 3 - WIZARD 1

You were once a scholar, and unfortunately while Warlock would make more sense Wizard provides us with some magic that we need to recreate Ashlesh’s abilities. But first of all you get Spellcasting for 3 cantrips and 6 spells at level 1:

CANTRIPS

Seven hands means at least one can be lent to Mage Hand.

Prestidigitation is good for general demonic magic stuff.

Green Flame Blade may do fire damage but it’s the best way to get cleaving damage. At least from a cantrip.

SPELLS

Shield, Mage Armor, and Absorb Elements are all universally good for defense.

Detect Magic and Identify are useful to know what danger you’re walking into.

Tasha’s Hideous Laughter fits the character, I suppose. It’s also a good debuff. Honestly you can only prepare 4 spells and I’d just take the 3 defensive spells and maybe Detect Magic.

Arcane Recovery also helps you get some of your spell slots back on a Short Rest: an exact number equal to half your Wizard level (rounded down.) There’s some other things to explain about the ability but you can read it yourself to understand. The point is that you can get a spell slot back for Hex once per Long Rest.

LEVEL 4 - WIZARD 2

Second level Wizards get to choose their Arcane Tradition, and Wizard is my favorite martial class! Choose the Bladesinger for Training in War and Song to give you proficiency in the Performance skill, Light Armor which you already have, and most importantly: Whip proficiency!

Most notably however if you want to channel your inner hero with some demonic aid Bladesong will let you become awesome for a time. You can use a bonus action to start Bladesong, which lasts for 1 minute and ends early if you are incapacitated, if you don medium / heavy armor or a shield (which you shouldn’t), or if you use two hands to make an attack with a weapon. (But thankfully whips are one-handed weapons.) Alternatively you can dismiss the Bladesong at any time with no action required.

During Bladesong your movement speed increases by 10 feet, you get advantage on Acrobatics checks, an increase to your AC equal to your Intelligence, and a boost to your Concentration checks equal to your Intelligence. Basically you won’t get hit and won’t lose concentration. Theoretically. Anyways you can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per Long Rest, so don’t go picking too many fights.

Finally you learn two more 1st level spells: Feather Fall is a good defensive spell when scaling titanic foes, and Find Familiar will let you roleplay a Star Guardian a little better. Plus Find Familiar is a good spell.

(More images from Champion Insights: Nilah.)

LEVEL 5 - WIZARD 3

3rd level Wizards can learn 2nd level spells, and since we already have Flash we can concentrate on other things like Blur for your Jubilant Veil, and  Wither and Bloom for a version of your ultimate that can be used at range! But really while Wither and Bloom is meant to recreate your ult using it at range for a cleave that can also heal an ally is rather useful.

LEVEL 6 - WIZARD 4

4th level Wizards finally get their first Ability Score Improvement and because you’re using a whip the Slasher feat is particularly good for kiting enemies. Along with a +1 to your Dexterity you will slow an enemy you hit with a slashing weapon (whips deal slashing!) by 10 feet once per turn. Additionally, if you score a critical hit your opponent will have disadvantage on their attack rolls until the start of your next turn!

Additionally you can learn two more spells like Rime’s Binding Ice to bind your foes in place (yeah duh) and Vortex Warp to pull a friend out of danger as needed (or pull them into danger!), and another cantrip like Message to keep in team chat.

LEVEL 7 - WIZARD 5

Third level spells time, and this is where most of the spells I want are! Start by taking Spirit Shroud to add a d8 to all your whip strikes (instead of just your attacks against one target, which makes it marginally better than Hex.) Alternatively if you need some sustain Vampiric Touch can let you lifesteal back to health. Vampiric Touch will force you in melee range (instead of letting you keep 5 feet back with your whip) but you’ve gotta get in the fight to sustain after all!

LEVEL 8 - WIZARD 6

6th level Bladesingers get an Extra Attack, because Wizard is my favorite martial class. What’s special about this Extra Attack is that it allows you to use a cantrip in-place of one of your attacks, meaning you can use Green Flame Blade with your first attack and still strike with your second attack!

And you can pick up your final two spells! Although you can always get more from scrolls or other such scholarly ventures. Ashardalon’s Stride is good if you need mobility and don’t mind the thematic weirdness of doing fire damage, and  Leomund’s Tiny Hut is rather universally useful when traveling the world to slay mighty foes. A safe place to rest is always useful!

(Artist unknown. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 9 - ROGUE 3

Now that you’ve lived a little as a scholar it’s time for that bookish girl from Kathkan to die, and for Nilah to be reborn as a Phantom! Whispers of the Dead gives you a skill or tool proficiency you lack that can be swapped out during a Short or Long Rest, allowing you to be up for the task at all times.

But what we’re mostly here for is Wails from the Grave for some more cleave damage! When you trigger Sneak Attack you can choose another target within 30 feet of the original to take half your Sneak Attack damage in Necrotic damage. Talk about a big cleave! You can only do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus currently, but you needn’t worry: that will change with time. Oh and to top it off your Sneak Attack now deals 2d6 damage.

LEVEL 10 - ROGUE 4

More ASIs are fun. You can either increase your Intelligence for more spells prepared and a harder saving against your like... 3 spells that have saves. Or you can increase your Dexterity for more damage, hit chance, AC, initiative, skill checks...

Yeah you’re gonna want to increase your Dexterity by 2.

LEVEL 11 - ROGUE 5

Are your foes proving too much to face with just the Shield spell alone? Well Uncanny Dodge also uses your reaction, but you can use it to take half damage when struck! Save Shield for when you think you’re going to be hit multiple times, but if you take one big blow then Uncanny Dodge can help if you can’t block. I mean it only works against attack rolls you see coming, but it’s still a powerful asset. And speaking of powerful assets: you now deal 3d6 Sneak Attack damage, and since Wails from the Grave rounds up that now deals 2d6 damage!

LEVEL 12 - ROGUE 6

6th level Rogues get Expertise in two more skills. You can choose whatever you want (as long as it’s not your Whispers of the Dead skill) but I’d choose Athletics (because your Strength is trash but you can probably get your DM to allow you to roll Athletics for most Strength-based things anyways) and Stealth (because you are a Rogue, after all.)

LEVEL 13 - ROGUE 7

By this point you’re probably facing down foes that breath fire, acid, and all sorts of nasty things. Up your dodging skills with Evasion! The concept is simple: if you succeed a Dexterity save you take no damage, and if you fail you still only take half (instead of full damage.) No fire trap is going to stop Nilah, especially with 4d6 Sneak Attack damage!

(I think this artwork is official idk if it’s not please PM me.)

LEVEL 14 - ROGUE 8

Finally you can max out Dexterity! You need that crit chance for you free damage, lifesteal, armor penetration, and ally healing because what do you mean Nilah is overtuned?

LEVEL 15 - ROGUE 9

It’s about time you got to cleave more often. 9th level Phantom Rogues can grab Tokens of the Departed; trinkets to aid with your epic tales of heroism. You get a Soul Trinket as a reaction whenever a creature dies within 30 feet of you, and Ashlesh will grant you a number of benefits for having them.

You get advantage on death saves and Constitution saving throws. (CON saves in particular is nice because that helps you keep Concentration on your spells!)

You can use one of the tokens to trigger your Wails from the Grave, in case you ran of out charges for that.

You can also ask questions to the dead, although it might not be too useful as they’d rather just move on.

And to top it off with more Wails from the Grave your Sneak Attack does 5d6 damage, and Wails from the Grave scales up to 3d6!

LEVEL 16 - ROGUE 10

Rogue is a fun class because you get an Ability Score Improvement at level 10. You can now invest in your Intelligence for more AC and better concentration while in Bladesong! And more spells is nice too.

(Artwork by @MRmarraine on Twitter.)

LEVEL 17 - ROGUE 11

11th level Rogues get Reliable Talent which means I get to do the fun little thing where I list all the bare minimum rolls you can now get as a Rogue:

27 in Stealth

26 in Arcana and History

22 in Athletics and Acrobatics

17 in Persuasion

16 in Survival and Perception

And as an added bonus Sneak Attack now deals 6d6 damage!

LEVEL 18 - ROGUE 12

One last Ability Score Improvement means one last increase to Intelligence for capped-off spellcasting and AC while in Bladesong.

LEVEL 19 - ROGUE 13

Now Nilah can’t walk through walls... not currently anyways, but 13th level Phantom Rogues get Ghost Walk to walk through walls... and fly too because why not? And a hover? And all attack rolls have disadvantage against you? Wow, this overtuned ability that probably took 200 years of collective game design experience is perfect for Nilah! Especially since it lasts for 10 goddamn minutes and you can use it at any time with a Bonus Action if you have a Soul Trinket on hand.

Well at least your Sneak Attack does 7d6 now, which also means that Wails from the Grave does 4d6 due to how that ability scales upwards.

LEVEL 20 - WIZARD 7

(Funny sticker from Legends of Runeterra.)

Put bluntly Blindsense is bad, so if you hypothetically hit level 20 4th level spells are more useful overall.

Grab whatever you want; Evard’s Black Tentacles and Storm Sphere are good I guess. But we’re really just here for spell slots and better Arcane Recovery. Not like you’re going to hit level 20 anyways lmao.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

Conquer the foe before you, no matter how great - You do good damage, and notably fight well against multiple targets unlike most martials. You don’t even need that much magic to cut down swaths of foes!

No foe can match me! - You also have great survivability with tons of AC from Bladesong and mobility to spare, not to mention that using a whip lets you keep your distance and you have tons of aid for your Concentration checks to keep your spells up.

I slay foes the size of mountains! You were... fine, I guess - While you have some nice tricks at higher levels you can get by with your lower level spell slots quite well, meaning that you won’t have to worry about running out of steam too fast.

CONS

True happiness lies in the heart of battle; let us claim it! - If you’re playing Nilah “as intended” triggering Sneak Attack might be hard. Sure it becomes easier with allies around but hiding with a whip can be hard. Sorta a “meta” issue I won’t lie.

I exist in but a single moment - It’s tough for you to keep going on a long day, as your spell slots will run out over time and you won’t be getting Tokens of the Departed until level 15.

Master one evil, then destroy the rest - You are going to be a very squishy Fighter with d6 hit die for a very long time. Before you get your Rogue abilities you’ll have a tough time keeping Concentration, your damage output won’t be great, and worst of all your survivability is really going to suffer.

But you are an ADC after all and it takes some grinding to become powerful. Slay the greatest of foes and tell the greatest of tales with many great allies at your side! Even if you can take down armies it helps to let others in on your epic as well, less you be taken down by a bat.

(Artwork by @beeccoe on Twitter.)

[oh-hush-its-perfect]

do you think there is any significance that alex's colour scheme is green and pink? or do you think rr went "u know what this character needs? to look like a watermelon"

((Prefacing this by saying that I'm giving RR way too much credit here, but you shouldn't take anything an author does for granted— even a serial author who often makes blunders and mistakes.))

A while ago I saw a (pretty unfair) assumption that RR made it green and pink because blue and pink would be too obvious, but that his intention was obviously to reinforce the gender binary by using two distinctly gendered colors for a character with two distinct genders. Of course, they did not phrase it so delicately. No offense to whoever made that post, but I disagree.

Although that may have had to do with it, there's other things to consider. One of them is color symbolism. And oh. OH. I ADORE symbolism— especially flower/plant symbolism (Language of the Flowers and all that jazz), seasonal symbolism (there's a reason that evermore is my second favorite Taylor Swift album), and color symbolism.

GREEN

Let's talk about green first. Green can symbolize a lot of different things, and there are a few that can be applied to Alex's character. The most obvious thing that green often represents is jealousy— hence the expression "green with envy." But envy is not really one of Alex's character traits. Feel free to argue with me if you think that Alex is significantly envious. Just because I couldn't think of substantial textual evidence for it does not mean that there isn't any.

One of the traits that Alex does have is wealth. Green is the color of American currency, and since both RR and Alex are American, it's safe to take an American lens while looking at this color. Alex's socioeconomic background effects her in a big way. I mentioned in a previous post that I think that Alex's fatal flaw is her sense of entitlement. That kind of entitlement is a quality not exclusive to but common among the upper class. However, her distance from her wealthy background enhances the sense of irony in the story, which is a VERY big thing that we NEVER talk about within the fandom.

This is kind of a little thing, but it's worth noting that when it comes to Valhalla and everything, Alex is "green"— as in new and inexperienced.

The color green also emphasizes Alex's connection with nature. This is one of the parts of Alex's character that the fandom consistently underplays, which is an absolute shame. I don't think I have to explain why the color green is associated with all things natural. Alex's association with nature provides a few key things to her character:

It makes her a more well-rounded character. Another criticism of Alex I believe is totally unfounded is that "being genderfluid is her only personality trait because it influences her philosophy on pottery, which is her only hobby." I'm probably going to make another post in, like, a few minutes about why I find that argument a little silly, but the primary problem is that pottery is not Alex's only hobby. She also loves camping, hiking, and ice wall climbing (I bet y'all forgot about that last one!)

It gives her a connection with Magnus. I mentioned in a previous post that Magnus and Alex are foils, but I neglected to bring up why that also makes for very good chemistry between them. Of course, yes, they have different goals and philosophy, which is what makes them foils in the first place. But foil relationships function best when the characters also share some traits. As it turns out, Alex and Magnus share several hobbies, and one of them is a mutual love for nature. This is a very unexplored thing in fics. Start doing it more plz.

Finally, and this one's kind of minor, but the Alex's green gives her a connection to Natalie. I know, whenever Alex and Natalie are compared, either in canon or in fandom, everybody kind goes "eww. Oedipus complex." Which is very fair and true. But they really do have a lot of similarites. The green of Alex's hair and clothes connects her to the green of Natalie's eyes. It's worth saying, too, that Alex has one amber eye— and amber is pretty close to dirty blonde, like Natalie's hair.

If I had more faith in RR, I might bring up the concept of intextuality and how Alex wearing green is an allusion to The Great Gatsby and how Alex is elusive to Magnus, just like Daisy is to Gatsby. But I don't.

PINK

To give credit to the person who wrote the post I mentioned at the beginning of this spiel, I do believe that part of the reason pink was used was to support femininity. Please keep in mind that Alex dresses in an androgynous way— not that there is an actually "gendered" way to dress, since gender as we perceive it is mostly made up. But Alex's existence as a transfemme person (which I will maintain until my dying day) means that pink has a certain significance to her. A lot of AMAB people embrace traditionally feminine things because if they don't, they will not be accepted as genuine women or genuine nonbinary folks, since masculine dress is unisex and kind of the default. So Alex wearing pink probably had something to do with her gender, yes. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, and it's certainly not an unrealistic thing.

Speaking of Alex's gender in relation to the color pink, let's talk about pink's use as a queer rights symbol. Alex was RR's first character to be introduced as a queer character from the start. This was not an insignificant thing, especially in the year of our Lord 2016 (which, despite popular belief, seriously had an entirely different landscape of queer rep. Though it's commonplace now to include genderqueer characters, it was exceptional at the time— especially by such an accomplished and mainstream children's author.).

Let's go back in time to Nazi Germany. Some of you might know this, but for those of you don't this transition must seem jarring. I swear there's a point. In addition to Jews, Romani individuals, people with disabilities, and Poles (among others), gay men were victimized by the Nazis. If you're wondering why lesbians weren't persecuted, it's because the Nazis didn't see them as a serious political threat, or as a threat to the perpetuation of the Aryan race since they assumed gay women could be forcefully impregnated if need be. Yeah, ew. Anyway, much like the Star of David being used to mark Jewish people, gay men were forced into concentration camps and forced to wear a pink triangle. Years later, after the gay population somewhat recovered, the pink triangle was reclaimed and used as a symbol for gay men. Some people who were not gay men used it, too, but that's somewhat controversial since it wasn't their symbol to reclaim. When the first pride flag was created, it had a pink stripe at the top to signify sex (this was later dropped so flags could be more easily produced). The pink triangle (inverted) was used during the AIDs epidemic with the caption "Silence=Death."

My point is that this is a very important color to queer folks. Having one of the first genderfluid characters in kid's lit wear pink...... I mean, it makes sense.

The last and final thing that pink represents, in this context and in general, is innocence. Granted, this kind of connects to feminitity since women (especially white women) are often infantalized and seen as innocent— which is another issue. In any case, the use of pink to represent innocence in Alex's dress is ironic. Alex has been robbed of her childhood innocence, first by her abusive parents, then by her life on the streets, and then by her eventual death at age sixteen. But then she actually regains her innocence. At the beginning of the—

Hold on. I just had a revelation. I'll make a post about it soon.

At the beginning of SotD, Alex is acting a little childish. The most obvious example is him jumping on Randolph's bed to "make noise." Alex's life is stable and relatively healthy for the first time in the years, and she experiences something that a lot of queer folks experience: a re-emergence of childhood at a late stage.

I imagine you didn't expect a post this long. I either make essay responses to asks or I add on one sentence and post it. Oops. Anyway, I believe the mcga fandom can be more creative than calling Alex a watermelon. Here are some other (kinda romantic) pink-and-green alternatives:

Roses

Dragonfruit

Grapefruit

Cherry blossom trees

[garrothromeave]

mcd garroth + laurance headcanons for the sake of me posting something while working on my long-ass post, also happy birthday blaze ily, 

garroth - total momma’s boy. seems obvious, but it’s true -- back in o’khasis, he was practically glued to the side of zianna. whenever she had to leave for a few days when he was younger, he’d cry if he couldn’t go with her. when he left for the guard academy, he wrote to zianna on a daily basis. to put it simply, he had separation anxiety. the hardest thing about faking his death was not being able to see or talk to his mother. - incredible piano player. his father made him take lessons when he was younger for quite a few years, but he was naturally very good at it. he never mentions this skill to anyone. while they were at malachi’s castle and were looking for materials before they left, garroth stumbled upon an old piano and played something. he got really into it, and laurance ended up stumbling on him playing. he made laurance swear to never tell anyone about it. - when garroth was around eight or nine, his stutter was so bad that garte didn’t let him speak in public or around any people other than the family out of shame. vylad and zianna used to help garroth with his stutter.

- garroth is very sensitive to the saying “oh my irene.” growing up in the ro’meave house, it was taboo to use irene’s name in vein. or anywhere in o’khasis, really. nowadays he’s still very caustious whenever he says it, because he thinks that someone is going to yell at him. - horrified of getting hurt. back during the days of training in the guard academy, while he was very good with technique and fighting itself, he had a very bad flinching problem. overall, for the longest time, wounds and pain made garroth very uncomfortable. because of this fear of getting hurt, he has a bit of a stubble because of the one time he hurt himself while shaving.   - 6′4, because 6′11 is unbelievably tall and i honestly don’t even think that it’s canon? s’yeah. he seems 6′4 to me.

- garroth often sees new things and (internally) has this very child-like wonder response. he was sheltered for the entirety of his childhood and teenagehood. and after the guard academy, he stayed put in the same village for 5 years -- so he hasn’t experienced very much. he often wants to ask dozens of questions, but because of his shyness, he tends to just observe anything new very closely. which leads me to my next headcanon,

- because of o’khasis’ intolerance to many things, he was not very commonly exposed to magick’s users. the first magicks user that he directly met would be zoey, and he was very nervous when talking to her the first time he met her. when garroth gets to know her more, she catches on that he’s curious about a lot of things, and offers to tell him about things. he declines, and he regrets that decision to this day.

- as stated before, o’khasis isn’t very tolerable of things, which caused garroth to develop incredibly bad internalized homophobia. when aphmau comes along, he gets a very strong desire to protect her (little do we know, this strong desire comes from his connection with esmund) and confuses it for/tries to convince himself that it’s romantic love. it is in fact love, just platonic. so basically, this man’s gay as hell.

- garroth has more freckles than any other ro’meave family member. he’s mildly insecure about his freckles, seeing them as a ‘childish’ trait, which is why he wasn’t very bothered with the idea of hiding his face with his helmet. 

- his hair is super curly. it used to be more tame, but as he got older, it got more curly. it’s usually a mess because he doesn’t know how to take care of it, but it somehow looks hot as hell. (no homo ofc.)

- garroth is allergic to blueberries. 

- raven was garroth’s first genuine connection since he left o’khasis. zenix was his second. he loves raven a lot, and hates that he can’t see him as often as he’d like to.

- garroth is a total cat person. don’t get me wrong, he loves dogs, but if he were to choose between having one or the other, he’d choose to have a cat. he had a pet cat when he was little that he still thinks about a lot. (probably named sprinkles, just for the hell of it.)

- because of how he grew up, garroth’s actually a very picky eater. while he’d never admit it to himself or anyone else, he misses the more “rich-people” food he was spoiled with. 

- garroth isn’t actually that stupid, when he first arrived at pheonix drop, he had a name in mind that he wanted to go by (to better hide his identity). however, when his name was asked by someone, he panicked and “garroth” accidently slipped. he beat himself up for the longest time after that. the only reason he finally let go is because no one had ever pointed out how/seemed suspicious he had the same name as the deceased first-born son of o’khasis.

laurance - his hair grows decently quick, so even after cadenza cut it for him, it only took about 4 months for it to grow back just past his shoulders. he prefers it having some length to it anyways, and usually ties is back into a ponytail. after the irene dimension, he would let nekoette braid his hair. - has a very lanky body type. naturally has long limbs, and would often get called a ‘stick’ when he was younger. he’s about 5′11. but don’t confuse his thinner stature for weakness, he matches garroth’s strength easily.

- bi icon. fuck that “you were my first kiss” bullshit he gives aphmau, the list exists and while it’s stupid and weird, according to it, garroth was his first kiss. which is fuckin funny as hell if you think about it.

- laurance is very good with animals. more so rodents and smaller creatures, like squirrels, birds, rabbits, etc. cadenza was convinced that laurance could talk to animals for the longest time. he even had this little mouse that would pop in his house. however, on the contrary, larger animals -- not so much. he’s shit with horses and cows, especially. 

- incredible singer. has serenaded aphmau on multiple occasions, and has even gotten her to sing along with him from time to time. he sang for malachi to help him fall asleep every night since the day they met him. this caused him to start singing for levin at night as well. when laurance saw malachi again after the 15 year jump, within the first few days of his return, malachi asked for laurance to sing for him again just like he used to. which brings me to my next headacanon,

- laurance saw malachi as his own child, and treated him as such. they were very close, and malachi was the most heartbroken over laurance’s disappearance since he saw him very much as a father. it wasn’t that laurance favored malachi over levin that created this bond, it was the fact that laurance first-hand saw a child in need of a home and someone to love him, and it reminded him of when he was small. 

- he’s a sucker for bets. gambles, wages, anything like that. while he’s not directly a gambler, if someone offers he’s sure to accept. he’s a risk-taker, and ends up getting really into it. this also branches into his competitive behavior. he’ll be really upset and possibly a bit petty if he loses. why else do you think he still hadn’t given castor the 5 dollars he owes him?

- slingshot master. you give this motherfucker a slingshot he can kill someone with his impeccable aim. he’s also very good with a bow and arrow or any sort of projectile, but he’s the best with a slingshot. when he was younger, he hand-made slingshots from materials that he’d find around the forest.

- speaking of the forest, laurance is a very nature-loving soul. when he moved to meteli when he was adopted, he’d often go and explore the forests nearby. he and cadenza would use their imaginations and play all sorts of games. laurance and her especially loved to climb trees, and would jump from branch to branch. this helped laurance become very flexible. this is also how he met sasha, she was sitting in his favorite tree one day and they just hit it off from there.

- after he was rescued from the nether, laurance frequently had nightmares that would lead into sleep paralysis episodes. the first time it happened garroth had been looking over him (since this was around the time when laurance first got back and garroth had allowed aphmau to go do her lord tasks while he watched over him) and when he had the ability to move and speak again, he started freaking out. garroth had to calm him down and assure laurance that he’d talk to zoey about what happened. garroth and zoey are the only ones that know of laurance’s sleep paralysis, mainly because he didn’t want to worry aphmau or anyone else. zoey often gave him ways to cope with it. it didn’t happen every night, but it did occur at least 5-6 times a month. his sleep paralysis stopped the moment he entered the nether for the second time. 

- the first time laurance heard he’d made the list for the jury of nine, he felt honoured. when he was oblivious to how corrupt it was, he saw it as a huge opportunity. after learning about it’s true nature, he was still glad that he’d made the list -- because him being on the list prevented another person from risking being on the list and being chosen to be apart of the jury.

- yes, laurance can cook very will in this universe as well. it’s not that he was taught, it’s more that he can look at ingredients and just throw them together to make great combinations. zoey also taught him a few things.

- laurance does not know his real birthday. malachi does not remember his. since cadenza had “given” laurance a birthday, he offered to let malachi share his unofficial birthday with him. malachi accepted. 

garroth + laurance

- laurance began referring to garroth as “pretty boy” after seeing his face. he continued to call him that for the first month of their friendship. garroth hated it, and that’s the only reason laurance eventually stopped.

- laurance and garroth are both very good story tellers, but after one incident where garroth was telling levin and malachi a story, he started stumbling a bit over his words and couldn’t articulate correctly, so laurance picked it up and continued it. from there, they took turns with the story and occasionally interrupted one another to add a detail or plot point, and after that, malachi refused to listen to garroth or laurance separately when telling stories, because their collective minds came up with the most fascinating shit.

- garroth isn’t the best at coming up with insults because he’s simply too nice, but laurance loves to make fun of garroth (in good fun, of course). however, there is one thing that garroth could hold over laurance; and that was their height difference. whenever laurance would mess with him, garroth would just bring up height to piss laurance off. 

- when laurance regained his sight, him and garroth sparred very often. that’s when garroth realized how much strength laurance actually had, since he’d originally underestimated him. laurance, in all honesty, was equally surprised. their spars were pretty evenly matched.

- while these two are best friends, the amount of arguments they’ve had is insane. most of them were light-hearted and were more so disagreements, but sometimes things escalated and would result in yelling. that’s because laurance always took it a step too far. that, or garroth would try to disregard what they were talking about, which only made laurance more heated. but they’re both incredibly quick to forgive each other. once they had a really bad argument and didn’t talk for an entire hour afterwards, but once they saw each other again it was like they’d never fought. 

- since garroth grew up with everything and laurance often had to hunt and shit, garroth wasn’t amazing at it. laurance found out, originally teased garroth, but gave him tips and took him out and taught him how to hunt. garroth’s still shit at it when he does it alone, but when he does it with laurance he’s pretty decent. 

- garroth doesn’t drink. laurance does. laurance once tried to convince garroth to drink, but he refused -- which laurance respected, but garroth had to deal with drunk laurance for the rest of the night at the guard station. he learned things that he really wish he hadn’t that night. 

---

i had more for garroth and laurance’s relationship, but uh, i don’t really have time to write them down, so take these for now! i hope y’all enjoy them as much as i did writing them :]

[pinkiepiebones]

Not a prompt but the overly-wordy Cryptid Anon is back with a Ghoul question??

This may be a bit off to think about, but is there any particular compulsion to make general church ghouls do what they do? Like, job wise? Is it just sort of a "well, they're serving the Dark Lord, so helping them is how we do our part" kinda thing or is there some sort of binding ritual that says "This is your job now," or something? Not many of them seem to be looking for anything else in their (un)lives(?), are they content (as much as hell ooze can be) with their work, or is it just, like, as good a job as any?

I know one of the band ghouls likes origami, do other ghouls have hobbies to pass the time or fill the literal and figurative void??

Am I overthinking this? Probably. Is it because Special is precious and I want his siblings to be happy as such an entity can be? Probably. Does an OC of mine want to know bc she's also a questionable infernal construct who doesn't know how to exist properly? A little. But she doesn't go here, so I will just pry on my own. Is that enough words yet? Absolutely.

cryptid anon my beloved

When a ghoul is summoned by the church, the edict of “serve the church” is woven into their very being… If you’re at all familiar with Steven Universe, I suppose you can say my ghouls are a bit like Quartz soldiers in that they emerge fully-formed and with instructions pre-printed into them. No need to raise or teach a ghoul; it comes up from Hell knowing that it is there to aid the church. These days, that mostly means sweeping the main halls or mopping up after orgies or squeegeeing the stained glass. I’d say they’d turn to the camera like the animals in the Flinstones to be all “it’s a living” but they’re not really alive so… they’re just silent, humanoid gargoyles that do groundskeeping and custodial work, mostly.

The longer ghouls stay on earth, the more personalities begin to emerge- now, whether these are merely observed traits that are being imitated, or something about the oddity that is humanity that awakens some dormant “wicked little imp” programmining inside their ooze, know one really knows or cares. Ghouls will take to collecting bird bones or cool rocks, hiding these collections in their wings. Ghouls will tie bits of string to their horns. Ghouls will wear rings fashioned from paper and string and tin foil. Ghouls, Aether ghouls specifically, will steal (and destroy) items from humans that they deem to be, well, “full of bad vibes” is the most apt way to describe it… Ghouls will silently, occasionally, present a bishop or sibling of sin with a pretty feather, or a dead snake, or an alive snake, or a cool rock. Papa, back when he was Copia, was once presented with a ghoul’s own broken horn.* He had no idea what to do with it but thanked the ghoul anyway, which seemed to be the appropriate response. Special Ghoul, in his early church days, was constantly thieving magazines and makeup from clergy members, building himself an impressive hoard in his room in the old barn. The band ghouls have grown to collect things, of course, as well as teach themselves more human behaviour, like the origami you pointed out.

For the most part, ghouls don’t have a need to pass the time because they don’t perceive time as we do. Sometimes in the tall halls of the church you may at night pass under the same cluster of ghouls that has been hanging from the ceiling since that morning. They’re not adverse to staying motionless for hours, even days at a time; they have no sense of boredom or fatigue. Oh, sure, some may seek out chores or cats with which to commune or just walk around, but again, for the most part, a ghoul is “content,” if you will, to just idle until they’re called upon to help fold laundry or jump in the moat to rescue a partitioner's phone or something.

[muffinrecord]

Shizuku?

🥺🥺

Why I like them

I fucking love her as a character who is suffering through depression. She's perfect. This is exactly what I go through at least-- pushing people away, easily annoyed by everyone around me but also hurt when I'm rejected (or perceiving actions as rejection). Self sabotage because you feel like anyone liking you is clearly fake or even worse, malicious. Never feeling like you belong anywhere, always feeling like you belong on the outside peripheral of things.

She's a sad depressed person who is written without making her into a poor little meow meow (reasons why I'm lukewarm on Ren who is very boring imo). She can be a bad person, she can make bad decisions, she can hurt people around her as a way to hurt herself. She's not depressed because the world is bad or something, she's just depressed.

Well, also she's depressed because her love interest died but I'll go into that next.

Why I don’t

I fuckin' hate the setup in her MGS. Like, look-- the idea of it is really good. She made a wish that doesn't matter.

BUT THE STORY DOES NOTHING WITH IT. Like... why does she never mention the guy really again?

You can change her backstory to not include him at all and it CHANGES NOTHING FOR HER WHATSOEVER!

Honestly I just wish she could just be depressed because depression as a mental illness exists. There's nothing big or bad forcing her to act that way in her life, she's just. depressed. I headcanon it that way personally.

Favorite episode (scene if movie)

The third story of her MGS was extremely relevant to me and actually made me like the game way more than I thought. I'm never gonna die on an altar of "this game is well written" (lmao) but damn, they nailed it.

I went through something similar in college. I wasn't able to make friends and ended up crying to a professor (embarrassing in retrospect). She asked some of the friendly kids if they could hang out with me, and they did and they were nice but... I couldn't get over the fact that they were asked to do it, and I felt like I was a bother and was just getting in the way, so I hid from them for the rest of the time the Semester.

Much later on I ran into some of them, and come to find out they actually thought I was cool and were hurt with my rejection.

Oops.

Anyways Shizuku's MGS brought those feelings back and I just really like that she gets to be a full person. She runs and runs and runs and escapes and runs. We see her hurt people. The game doesn't get rid of her flaws. Yeah.

Favorite season/movie

Wings in the Wind is really good overall, although the ending doesn't really stick the landing for me.

Favorite line

I can't really pick out a favorite line. I will say that I like how quiet her quotes are. She's a woman of few words. Her quotes also make her feel kind of empty as a person:

"Are you not going to sleep yet? Yeah, I think I'll stay up a bit more too."

"Should we leave soon? I can go whenever. I'll wait until you're ready."

"Do I seem like I'm bored to you? I actually enjoy talking to you like this... I'm sorry I can't express that very well."

I’ve met people like this IRL. People who... I guess they need someone else to do the heavy lifting in a conversation or when deciding activities? That being said, I like it as a trait in her and can see it working. Shizuku is having trouble finding her "place" and so maybe she doesn't trust her own interests too much-- maybe she's hoping the player character can show her ideas and places she'd never have thought of on her own before.

Favorite outfit

Lord, I don't have any for her. I guess her magical girl outfit? Her winter costume looks like a wine mom outfit asfklasfksjaflas

OTP

I don't ship her with anyone. I think Shizuku needs to be comfortable with herself before she could be in a romantic relationship.

Brotp

....Man, RIP, but I loved her dynamic with Ryo. "Sentimental Gaze" is great, read it.

Head Canon

Shizuku has always had depression not born out of any traumatic death and Mr R doesn't exist.

Unpopular opinion

This will probably be really unpopular: I don't actually want Shizuku or Ayaka to get together, or even to be close friends. There are too many two-girl dynamics in this series of the outgoing one getting with a shy one.

I think I prefer if Shizuku just. finds Ayaka annoying. always. But that doesn't mean they can't be friendly, or that Ayaka can't be someone important to her. Being able to "tolerate" people is important.

I dunno. I don't always like the trope of "the easily annoyed one is cured by the really silly and nonsensical one." Hard to explain.

Yeah this is prob unpopular as a thought.

A wish

I don't have any at the moment. I'm satisfied with how her character is going and anything I'd wish to happen would be with her already established backstory.

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen

I would hate it if she got into a romantic relationship with a person and it "cured" her.

5 words to best describe them

Solitary, serious, running, withdrawn, searching

My nickname for them

...none tbh

[thed4rkhand]

So today we’re doing Yoongi’s chart and my analysis of it. Let me make it clear right off the bat, that since I’m not a professional astrologer, some things may not match up, further since we’re not super sure of his birth time, it’ll definitely affect the reading. What I can be sure of is that I’ll do my best and I’m completely open to constructive criticism from you all!

Now lets get on with some basic stuff, for those who have not yet read the post with Namjoon’s moon analysis, I’ll again reiterate some principles of Vedic astrology! In the scenario that you’re still confused with all this jargon, feel free to reach out and I’ll be more than happy to help you out.

Starting out, we have to note that while western astrology is usually more advisory in nature, Vedic astrology’s main purpose is to predict. Also, we usually go a sign back from western astrology (24’ back to be more precise) in Vedic astrology, so according to that for example, if you’re a libra rising, you become a virgo rising in Vedic astrology and so on and so forth. All planets will also shift back a sign, so a Capricorn Mercury will become a Sagittarius Mercury.

Now let’s be aware that the chart may be a bit different, but given the main d1 (Lagna) chart remains the same for about 2 hours, let’s focus on that and the moon chart (rashi chart) for this reading. We can also just look at d9 for strength but not house placements as that can be time sensitive. So, we can take a two hour margin of time discrepancy and still predict accurately.

For this reading, we have taken 9th March 1993 as the day and 7:30am as the time of birth, with the location set to Daegu.

OTHER THAN THIS, LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO DO A BIRTH TIME RECTIFICATION FOR YOONGI LATER ON SO WE CAN GET MORE ACCURATE PREDICTIONS.

Since this is a general chart analysis, we shall be covering topics briefly and discussing the moon, ascendant and sun. For an in depth reading, do pick a smaller and focussed topic as we can honestly keep going on and on about a chart.

THIS READING WILL BE DONE IN SEVERAL 4 PARTS, FOLLOWING THE ASCENDANT, MOON, SUN AND MISCELLANEOUS.

Lets get started then-

Right off the bat, we can see that Yoongi is born into Pisces, with his ascendant at 10’35’, within the Nakshatra of Uttarabhadprada, within the 3rd quadrant or pada. He has venus situated in the lagna itself, in Pisces, thus exalted. His lagna lord, Jupiter, is in the 7th house, conjuct with the Moon, in the sign of virgo, where jupiter gains the upper hand despite mercury (lord of virgo) being enemies. The lord is directly aspected by mars in the fourth house. The lord of the birth Nakshatra is Saturn here, which sits in the 12th house, conjunct sun and mercury (dispositer of the ascendant lord). Lastly, moon, jupiter and rahu aspect the lagna of this chart. Of course there is so so much more here, but we’ve got a whole chart to cover!

(p.s I can already see this is such a fun chart to read)

Getting on with the reading, we firstly see that he’s born under Pisces lagna, this makes the native calm and collected, as well as fond of philosophy and psychology. What we often forget is, people born under Pisces are said to have been born under all the other signs in their past life, and cumulatively they use their skills and knowledge from those lives in their current one. Remember how on Bon Voyage trips and just about every RunBts, saga seems like the ‘dad’ of the bunch? cooking, cleaning, fixing stuff Joon broke, producing music and the stuff? And all those times that he is so very understanding of other? He doesn’t scold Jungkook, let alone anyone else? These are typical Pisces traits. They’re very domestic and understanding by nature, because they’ve been there before in a past life, and enjoy taking care of people.

The downside to this? They can be extremely manipulative if they want to be, they know exactly what to say, when to say, to whom to say and so on. They have an alarming grip on people’s emotions, and have a magnetic quality to them. Further, this is mostly an observation, you’ll often notice that most pisces natives are fond of alcohol (could be because they exist in a water sign? Could be because its the natural 12th house ruler of addictions too?)

Coming to the Nakshatra here, we have UttaraBhadrapada, the second last Nakshatra of the series. This Nakshatra is ruled by Saturn, and the presiding deity being Ananta or Ahir Budhyana, the deep ocean serpent in hindu mythology. The deity Ananta represents boundless expansion, be it of fortune, goodwill or knowledge. Ahir Budhyana, is a sattvic (sacred or untainted) form of lord Shiv, and resides at he bottom of the ocean. He represents the liberation from illusions and attainment of spiritual enlightenment and knowledge. The natives of this Nakshatra here embody these qualities of their deities. We see them as philanthropic and reserved beings, who enjoy learning about a variety of subjects and spirituality. Such people are extremely progressive in their thinking patterns, and often a magnetic pull like the deep ocean serpent has.

They’re extremely controlled and calculating in their approach, and think more than speak. This by no means is to say that they don’t speak, because such people are great orators by nature. They stand up for the underdogs and have a unique approach to topics. They are extremely interested in occult and metaphysical practices and theories. They however commonly don’t obtain higher education or do well in fields of fine arts, even their primary education is not something they excel at. (i once read that yoongi really likes reading about a variety of subjects, and also Paulo Coelho, definitely his UttaraBhadrapada here)

The bad side to this Nakshatra? They’re very critical and over-analyze everything and everyone. Sometimes, even unconsciously, they manipulate people to suit their needs and whims. They get side tracked too often and have difficulty focussing on one task at hand, often amounting to laziness in other people’s eyes, even if the native is extremely hardworking in reality. However when in comes to personal care, they tend to do things in a very half-hearted manner. These people are also prone to isolating themselves from others, especially when things get hard. Due to the sign falling in pisces here, people also tend to have many different mental burdens and disorders, which arise from their constant scatter-brained self and inability to make out between the spiritual and real realms.

They can also be heavy drinkers and abuse substances in such a Nakshatra, or enjoy partaking in occult practices while under influences. They might’ve also faced a very rough childhood with such a Nakshatra, neglected and misunderstood by people around him. The natives could also have moved away from their parents during their early adulthood for education or job purposes. Such people can have health issues like hemorrhoids, stomach ailments and hernias. Usually they lead a stable period full of health and success in the latter part of life, say about after 48 years(since the south node Ketu matures as 48).

Since Suga’s Nakshatra falls into the third pada or quadrant, its ruled by libra here. Libra here focusses on balance and cooperation. Such people may make a living working with other people, or in industries related to entertainment. They may make great debaters, and think excessively about what other think of them as. They’re very conscious of other’s opinion, even if they don’t show it, so we often find such people wearing extremely covered up and baggy clothes for example, or keeping a low profile. They may have a very practical and unbiased approach to most things in life. Such people are intensely into spiritual practices and often times fully devote themselves at hours at a time to worship of gods, angel or other beings. They may be the type to attract people very easily, or even be the kind to fall in love extremely easily.

The second placement we come to, is Venus in the first house, in Pisces. Venus here is naturally exalted (most powerful). Sure ill give you the generic explanation in a bit but, do you know which type of people usually have this placement? Actual saints and famed occultists. Sure many people within the entertainment industry too, but this placement can hands down be one of the most spiritual and divine placements of Venus in the chart. First ill go ahead and give the normal meaning and effect, and then lets dive into the crazy stuff (istg his chart is so goooood). Such people usually have really magnetic personalities, and given Venus is in Uttarabhadrapa, these are the people who you don’t notice at first, but then its like a whirlpool of being invested in them, as opposed to being in Revati Nakshatra (another Piscean nakshatra) which would be a more dramatic pull, based off an extroverted personality. These people can be very good looking, more feminine looking, could definitely look like their mothers with this position. Brilliant luck in fields of arts and entertainment and also genius level of creativity and talent. Here, people can have brilliant luck too, like god’s hand on their head kind. Accumulation of wealth and property can also be seen here.

Now onto the really fun stuff. These people are actually rarely concerned with someone’s exterior, because often times such people have such good intuition and spiritual powers (some are literally called mystics because of this), they can literally see through someone. For this reason, they actually don’t like associating with too many people, despite having a very charming personality. These are the kind of people that keep searching for ‘the one’. These people often give up everything and go ahead and become priests. The calling to god with such a placement is very strong. They also don’t like collecting too many material possessions, as they feel its redundancy in this very changing world. These people hold the few people they’re close to, very very tightly to themselves. These people also may have a very low sexual drive actually, (i know, I know, how can a strong Venus do this?) because an exalted Venus is about devotion to god, to one person, and leaving sensory pleasures behind in life. A debilitated Venus on the other hand (eg. Jungkook has one) might make someone very invested in worldly matters. These people are happy with being alone and single for a long time, they’re very satisfied with their own company. Such placements can make someone practice magick or astral projection too. (Venus in 12th sign of liberation, liberation from physical body)

Given that in this chart, Venus is his 3rd and 8th lord, we can make further deductions. Firstly, since 3rd lord is going 11 houses away, its an extremely auspicious placement here. Self made person, making wealth through communication, can also have very witty and intelligent responses to things. Since the third house also represents courage and valor, this can make someone very fearless and say whats on their mind bluntly. Since the 3rd house is part of the Kama Trikon houses (houses of desire), this going into the 1st house, which is a part of the Dharma Trikon houses (houses of morality), gives interesting results here. Firstly, such people are fiercely independent, and hate to be disrupted when there pursuing their goals and working towards them. They hate to take help from anyone, and as a result are extremely competent. secondly, such people have a moral high ground, to which they religiously abide. They’re extremely righteous and stand up for those who wouldn’t be able to for themselves. Since from here, it aspects the 7th house of agreements, such people are great at understanding and signing contracts for work.

Now with the 8th house, we have a bit of a conundrum here honestly. It belongs to 2 types of houses, the moksha trikona houses (houses of salvation) as well as the Dushtana houses (evil houses). While this placement isn’t all that bad, it isn’t he best either. firstly though, this is a placement where the native always wins over their enemies (8th lord 6 houses away from itself), be it enemies as in people, or simply obstacles in their life. This also confers a long lifespan to people, given that his 8th lord is also exalted here. However such people are prone to accidents, given that the 1st house is the body, 8th house is sudden events and the natural 8th ruler mars is a karka or signifactor of vehicles. Such people are also against organized forms of religions, since the Dushtana lord is sitting in a dharma house. The native is also extremely private and secretive given the 1st house of self has the 8th lord of secrets sitting in it. Since it also aspects the 7th house of other people, this person has that aura of mystery about them because of this. Such people are deeply critical in nature but can have extreme wisdom in cases of hidden objects or matters of the occult.

Now coming to his aspects. His Venus is aspected by moon, Jupiter and Rahu. The first two are benefic in nature and the latter is malefic. Moon-Venus and Jupiter-Venus are also mutually aspecting each other in pairs here. Moon here gives Venus the property of being constantly cynical of themselves regards to what others may perceive them as, given moon is emotion and the 7th house here is other people. Their thoughts here are deeply influenced by other people, they may always keep serving other people too, through acts of service. This also makes someone who falls in love very easily, but it is important to engage this person’s mind in a relationship, they just cant do without an emotional bond here. Since Moon also represents fame in a chart, this makes a person very famous, as they receive attention from many people, and people want to analyze them, and enjoy their work and presence.

Jupiter here, makes the person level headed and practical. The person wouldn’t be all touchy feely with people they like, because they would like to remain more in control of the situation here. They’d rather engage in a full blown debate with someone, than hold hands. This also makes them very worldly and teacher like, while also being attracted to very worldly people themselves.

Rahu’s aspect on the other hand, makes someone stand out in a crowd (Rahu signifies an outcast), they may have a rough and cold exterior due to this. They may also have had issues with body image (1st house is self), or mental health here. These people are enamored by all things foreign, and love exploring the other cultures. They may have issues identifying with their own community at large, and may identify with the downtrodden of the society.

Now going to Jupiter and moon conjunction in the 7th house. I wont go very deep into this, as its a super interesting concept, and it’ll be better covered in the second part of the reading regarding the moon itself, so ill keep it short and related to the ascendant. Also the mutual aspect part will be explained in more detail in the miscellaneous section later. Plus this is getting far too long for even me now.

Getting on with the reading for now, moon and Jupiter here are in virgo, in a loose conjunction (one is at approximately 2’ and the other at 18’). This is actually one of the not very yogas (combinations)in a chart, about 15% of people have these. Its called the Gaj-Kesari yoga (the elephant and lion combination), because people with this are so extremely lucky, its like the kings of the jungle are together to support it. They have the wisdom of the elephant and the courage of a lion. This is a raj yoga (royal combination). a native born with Gaj-Kesari Yoga is intelligent, strong, and prosperous. Gaj or Elephant possesses immense strength and is devoid of pride and the Lion is known for his foresight and skillful intelligence as well as his strength, quickness, skillful leadership, ability and courage. Thus, when Gaj-Kesari Yoga is formed then that person is extremely successful. They will be a kind and philanthropic person, who will always have sympathy for others. They will be quite humble regarding work, would like to talk nicely to people and aim to attain spiritual progress in life. Many people will recognize them as their mentor or guide and will act according to their instructions or advice. They may have a tendency attracting people and people being magnetized by them. They will be blessed with abundant wealth and become the owner of movable and immovable property(cars as well as homes). They will establish relationships with rich and reputed people of the society and enjoy all kinds of material pleasures in life.

Since this occurs in virgo, it makes a person intelligent, sharp and gifts them with amazing memory power. Such a person is knowledgeable and can become the head of a large educational institution. He may own incomparable wealth and can earn a good name and money from business as well. Often such people earn a high reputation in the Stock Market and make progress in life by working in any financial institution or insurance sectors.

Here jupiter in particular makes someone extremely cynical in nature, and their mind is always, and I mean always, thinking about romantic relationships or platonic ones. However given that jupiter is also the 10th lord here, they could be extremely focused on work too. Their life is surrounded by contracts, and may work with others for a living(7th house is house of courts and partnership). They could be very interested in the financial sector here, they could be extremely money minded and money means stability to them. Moon here on the other hand makes the person very moody, and extremely dependent on their spouse or colleagues. Since it rules the fifth house here, it signifies that such people are extremely creative in their work, may work for children or young adults, have a lot of past life karma related to work, and also that they’re extremely devoted lovers. They tend to criticize their close friends and loved ones, just because they’re so cynical and blunt, and want the absolute best for people. They may hurt people’s feeling without realizing it sometimes. (this was very brief but refer to point 12)

Now coming to Saturn in 12th, as the lord of the birth nakshatra. Saturn over here signifies working in the fields of music, but given saturn represents electronics, it could mean a producer too. Since its in Aquarius here, a sign of dual lordship, this resents a constant up and down of mood and life spirit. The person with such a placement is confused with what truly makes them happy in life, the spiritual realm or the materialistic realm. They keep going up and down the path of being spiritual, till 36 years (saturn matters at 36). They may face a lot of mental disorders here. They may have trouble sleeping at night. Given saturn is also work, they may earn through foreign sources in life. Such a person invests money into properties (saturn is houses) and lacks liquid cash. The person may have a weak left eye (12th house is left eye). They may earn from multiple sources in life, and have multiple talents. Such people have low sex drives as saturn is a dry eunuch planet, and in the 12th house of bed pleasures, it may not allow native to enjoy it. They may not be interested in worldly pleasures with such placements.

Lastly (finally?), we have to discuss the looks! Pisces ascendents usually have the short to medium height, and tend to appear a little fuller even when they’re very scrawny. (its because jupiter is the largest planet). Uttarabhadrapada natives tend to have a very innocent look to them, a very calming nature and vibe. however, like the deep sea serpant, they have very deep and magnetic eyes, and a very expressive face (yoongi memes). They usually have a very beautiful smile, and can literally attract people with it (again the snake like quality). They tend to have a very blank look usually, and if you ever notice, they’ll have the most stunning eyelashes actually, given the yoni is the female cow. They might also have the habit of moving their mouth around when their thinking, quite like ruminating.

Given venus sits here, is gives the person very attractive, effeminate features. Think extremely renaissance type of soft features. It can give them very delicate hands and feet with such a placement. The moon aspect here, gives them a rounded face and pale skin. They might have sparkly eyes and a roundish appearance here, also the tendency to gain weight around their face, with short necks. They make also look much younger than their actual age.The jupiter aspect again makes the native very other worldly looking, almost like you can imagine them in a dark robe literally performing rituals. It gives people a calm and teacher type of vibe to them. The rahu aspect usually just blows qualities out of proportion. Have you seen how small and angelic suga looks compared to the other? (not saying they’re not angelic but still), thats the rahu aspect. Again, rahu aspects only get better with time.

So this was my analysis! If anyone has any questions or doubts, hit me up! Let me know if you enjoyed it!

[sityoursiredassdown]

Nobody asked for this rant and I rarely comment on the acotar fandom but it still amazes me that people don’t seem to get they very real running theme of people aren’t perfect that Sarah has put into just about every book she writes. It was a problem I saw in the ToG fandom as well but I’m paying attention to Acotar because a lot of familiar (and new) drama has stirred up with Acosf being out. 

Probably gonna ramble so if you’re as tired as I am hit the “read more.” Also, spoilers, obviously. 

Morality in Characters

Characters being named problematic or irredeemable for something or another is a long running issue in multiple fandoms across a variety of media. That’s its whole separate issue, but one thing that drew me to SJM’s books in the first place was how willing she is to let characters make mistakes. To let themselves believe they are in the right even if we, the readers, know they’re not. 

She lets them justify their anger, lust, panic, doubt, longing, the scope of human emotions. She lets them be right but she also lets them, most often, be incredibly wrong about an emotional situation they are in. She lets them hit rock fucking bottom. But most of all she lets them change their mind, lets them gain a new perspective or move on from something that had felt so important fifty chapters before. And it is an incredibly realistic journey of being human (I know they’re all fae but you get what I mean.)

Any book written by Sarah is going to feature characters that have flaws, some changeable some that are ingrained in them--no person alive is created without personality traits that can never quite shake, can only try to work on, or suffer the consequences from their mistakes. 

Rhysand and Nesta are big examples in the Acotar series. 

Rhysand can be manipulative and scheming, withholding information and thinking he knows what’s best because he’s the smartest person in the room. 

Nesta can be as cold as ice, petty, and downright cruel with her words alone, lashing out and biting like a rabig dog for trying to get close.  

People in different sides of the fandom will lash out at either for these respective traits, citing the mistakes and problematic behavior each character has exhibited in the various books as reason. And I, by no means, am saying that we need to condone the different things various characters have done. The mistake is believing that’s ALL they are. 

Rhysand is also incredibly loyal, generous, thoughtful, and caring to not only his family but to essentially anyone he comes across when not in High Lord Mode.

Nesta is also fiercely protective, brave, insightful, and capable of being incredibly selfless when she cares, when something truly matters. 

The good and bad traits exist in both characters, as they exist in all characters because that’s how people work. Their bad traits lead to mistakes that we can criticize for what they are without condemning the character on a whole, because that is not all they are. And whether there is fallout/forgiveness with other characters makes sense because these are all people intricately connected with their own thoughts and feelings and reactions to situations. 

Which brings me to: 

Nesta vs. Feyre

This, by far, continues to be one of the most aggravating parts of the fandom. Nesta is a naturally divisive character, one I’ve always loved. Because, as stated above, I can find issue with how she treats those around her but also understand that it comes from a place of trauma. The whole point of Acosf is for her to go on that journey and explore why she is the way she is and the journey she takes, it was never going to be solved in the trilogy or the novella. 

While I don’t think Feyre is perfect (that’s the point, none of them are) it does rankle me that parts of the fandom read the trilogy, went on that journey with her, and decided she had become some entitled snob that didn’t deserve to be in the books anymore because she got fed up with how Nesta was acting. The inner circle also was treated similarly. 

In Acosf, there are certainly scenes where Nesta isn’t trusted or respected by members of the inner circle, and at that point we can say they’re in the wrong because we were on Nesta’s journey with her. But trust, understanding, often takes time to rebuild/gain when its been broken and Nesta had certainly been burning bridges back in Frost and Starlight.  

Nesta and Feyre have both suffered trauma, and the thing about trauma is everyone handles it differently. A reason it took Nesta much longer to get help and go on that journey to self love is because she continuously fought against and pushed away the people that reached out to her. Feyre, while wary of Rhysand and the inner circle as they took her in, was more willing to open up. 

Nesta being criticized by other characters for her self-destructive behavior doesn’t mean they don’t care about her or are terrible people. She was never going to go on that journey of self-love and personal growth we all wanted her to have, without a push. The point in the storytelling is to fray those dynamics so they can be rebuilt stronger and from a healthier foundation because Nesta finally loves herself. 

Despite how different they are and the way they’ve clashed, Feyre and Nesta love each other. Because by the end of Acosf, they’ve truly seen and accepted each other as complex people, good and bad. Yet we as fandoms so often seem to think if there’s bad, there can be no good. 

Change

Circling back around to the overall morality of the characters, their mistakes and flaws, one thing SJM has always shown in her books is change. That people and what they want are constantly changing and evolving. 

Characters can be in love, look like they’re meant to be....until they’re not. 

A Character can have a goal, a reasoning, a desire so strong that it feels like they couldn’t want anything else...until they realize it’s not what they needed at all. 

SJM has always let this build across her stories, always goes through her characters emotions and reasonings for this change rather than telling us to accept it. 

The one time I think she erred in this was Morrigan’s sexuality and the sub sequential dismantling of the Morrigan/Azriel ship that had felt so certain in Acomaf. I will clarify. I have no issue with Mor being queer and only mean that the reveal was used as a plot device/twist. 

And of course, that shifted into quite a bit of debate about Lucien/Elain/Azriel, which has rebirthed with Acosf and the special Azriel chapter (I will say I have not read the chapter, didn’t get that copy, but lord I’ve seen the metas.)

Change is a big theme in SJM’s books, especially with ships. She is not afraid to jump around more than once, but most often, the endgame love story feels right. Of course not everyone may agree with this, but that’s always where I ended up after finishing her various books. And of course, everyone is free to ship what isn’t endgame to their heart’s content. 

My final point of this long winded rant is, these characters across these books are messy, complex individuals. Sometimes they have unhealthy behavior, say or do terrible things, and have thoughts that are going to lead to self-destruction. But that’s what makes them vibrant and real, because they can never be perfect. We can love these characters without it meaning we condone whatever it is they do. 

And if you’re this far into a SJM series and haven’t realized that these journeys and these people are never going to be simple and clean-cut for some idealized standard you have, then you may have picked up the wrong book.    

P.S. If you have read all this just so you can try to tell me whatever stan camp you’re in is the only correct one; you’re getting blocked.