#and could also be viewed as a more general term including all ages of that gender | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

agentstarkid · 6 months ago

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NEPENTHE ✦ DR3

NEPENTHE, a term rooted in Greek mythology, refers to a legendary potion believed to dispel sorrow and induce forgetfulness of pain. This concept has evolved to symbolize anything that eases suffering and promotes emotional healing. When applied to love and post-heartbreak, nepenthe can be seen as a metaphor for the various ways people cope with the pain of lost love. This could include time, new relationships, self-discovery, or therapeutic activities that help one heal. Just as nepenthe provided mythical relief, these modern "potions" help individuals gradually let go of their heartache and find happiness again.

✦ PAIRING: daniel ricciardo x famous!latina!reader

✦ PIT BOARD: social media au | ✦ FC: becky g

✦ TRACK LIMITS: female!reader, latina!reader, age gap, language, drama, internet meanies.

✦ MAY'S RADIO: holi, loves! sorry for the long wait, adult life is a bitch. Hope y'all like this chapter because I'm not fully convinced I like it yet lol if there's any mistake...it's 02:21 a.m. and I'm dead on my feet but I was set on posting this today. If you've been playing attention to my easter eggs, you'd have seen this coming 😜 Pretty please tell me your thoughts!! I’ve been stewing on this for like two months so I beg of you to reply/reblog/send me an ask (anon or not!!) telling me what you thought!! Feeds me!! Also, shoutout to Nonnie!!! can't wait to read what you think of this 🙊❤️ Anyways, eat up, babes.

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JULY 1, 2022

⇥ tiktok search: y/n l/n sings devuélveme el corazón

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JULY 15, 2022

⥂ translation:

- Hey, friend! How are you? + Kuniii! What a surprise! I'm good, and you? What have you been up to? - Everything is fine here in Miami, enjoying a little bit of the sun. Listen, we haven't seen each other in a while. Aug 7 is City's first game of the season at the Etihad and I was invited. With Sofi we thought about taking you with us, so are you in? + Sounds great, Kuni! I've never been to the Etihad. But I don't know. Lately, things hasn't been going well for me with all the negative attention. I'm not sure if being in the public eye would be for the best. - I get it, Y/N. But c'mon, you should come! We'll be in a private box, far away from the paparazzis. No one is gonna bother you there, I promise. Besides, Sofi and I are gonna make you have a great time! + I don't know, Kun. To be honest, more drama is the last thing I want. - That's why I'm telling you this. It will be good for you to have a change of scenery, enjoy a good game and be with friends! And, we miss you. Sofi is already planning a great day for you. You can't let people's opinions to affect you like that. You have to live your life and enjoy it. Come with us, it will do you good. + To be fair, I do need a break. I'm gonna think about it and I'll give you my answer soon! - There's nothing to think about, Y/N! Come with us and let's have a spectacular weekend. Sofi and I are gonna take care of you and make sure you have a great time! + Ok ok, alright. I'm going! It's gonna be great seeing you and Sofi again. What should I bring? - Awesome! Just bring good vibes, a crazy desire to have a good time and something blue to support City. You come to Miami and and we leave in the jet, is that alright? We will coordinate better later. + Oki! I'm already excited! Thank you, Kuni. I really needed this! - That's what friends are for! I promise you that it will be very good for you! See you soon! + See you soon! Thank you for everything!

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JULY 29, 2022

liked by lewishamilton, daddyyankee, thalia and 2,145,873 others

yourinstagram que digan lo que sea, yo subo y bajo como la marea 🌊✨🧿

⥂ translation: let them say whatever, I rise and fall like the tide 🌊✨🧿

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fioamato Se tratan de montar y tambalean 🎶🐸☕

itsvittoriasousa Muchos la critican sin conocerla 💅🏼 iamdannaschwarz Se merece tanto y recibe tan poco 😤 andrew_allen Calle como un Civic, inteligente como un Tesla 🚗 sebastianyatra Mírala cómo camina, lo que le falta es la tarima 👀 yourinstagram No pidas rosas si no aguantas espinas!! 🥀

sebastianyatra q hdptaaa fiesta con la familyyyy 🫠🩵

llane ah con que así son las cosas, acá ya a uno no lo invitan 🙄 (⥂ translation: ah so that's how it is, here's someone who doesn't get invited)

rickymontaner brother somos dos 🙄 (⥂ translation: brother same) sebastianyatra conozco unos manes que no contestan el gc 🙄 (⥂ translation: i know some guys who don't answer the gc) ricardomontaner mau y ricky + llane + sebas + y/n = peligro por donde lo mires 😂❤️ (⥂ translation: danger wherever you look at it) yourinstagram ricardomontaner pero like in the best way, tío 😝❤️

user i absolutely love how her friends are singing the lyrics of bad bunny's song in the comments 😂

userA user even Vitto's bf commented too 😂 userB user they are really specific lyrics tho 🙊

user2 Daniel can't really outrun her, can he? 😂

soficalzetti divina! te extraño 💕

user3 is that HamilGOAT???

badbunnypr Y/N, sé tú y que se mame' un bicho las personas ❤️

yourinstagram ❤️🤘🏽

user4 Andrea is honestly my fav BB song 😭

user5 not me trying to zoom in to read those 🔥 lyrics bc ya know my girl is cooking the baddest album in history 😎

user7 I tried to like this twice once I saw that first photo DAMN 😮

user8 first pic is giving mermaid baddie/H2O vibes

user9 my boy DR fumbled hard 😵‍💫 wdym he just woke up one day next to this woman and decided he wanted smth else??? like ??? bro u ok????? 🤯

lewishamilton surfing ✅📋 next time we are sky diving sis 🪂

yourintagram time and place I'll be there brother 😛 roscoelovescoco can you's take me's with you's?

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AUGUST 7, 2022

Instagram

yourinstagram has added to their story!

⥂ translation 1: Going to a game with Kun is having a sports commentator explaining every play and probability, and who is who on the field.

⥂ translation 2: The boy is happy with the result of the match.

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AUGUST 18, 2022

liked by honeymoon, danielricciardo, rubendias and 3,145,873 others

yourinstagram Happi happi ⭐️ note to self: you da bidi bidi bom bom ✨

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user DANIEL LIKED!!!!!! MY DAN-YN HEART ❤️😭

userA Mom and Dad; Divorced but never forgotten 😭🖐 userB girl don't, he's not welcome here 😤 userC does this means he agrees she was too much of a bad bitch for his weak ass to handle? 🤣

user2 stay 🤺 the fuck 🤺 away 🤺 you 🤺 unemployed driver 🤺

userA unemployed driver is cold. it's not even official yet buddy userB lmao her replacement better not see his like on our queen's photos 😂 userC homie must be hiding somewhere and crying staring at these photos because she looks 🔥🔥🔥

user3 Literally the love of my life. She's so cute and energetic

user4 you deserve real happiness and loyalty...Don't you ever settle!

juliamichaels hot DAMN

camila_cabello hot DIGGITY DAMN

user5 I'm so glad Daniel dumped her 🗿

beberexha ok hottie!! ❤️🔥

lizzo Everyone STOP TALKING I'm trying to stare at Y/N

blakelively Absolutely fking stunning wowowow

yourinstagram let me hit u with the uno reverse card

user6 this may sound cheesy but you're literally one of the prettiest women I've ever seen 💕

yourinstagram user5 that's so unbelievably kind

sza FACE CARD NEVER DECLINES

user7 i'm single you single... let's make it happen 😍

iamdannaschwarz we live for that smile

user8 such an attention seeker 🤡 because she ain't getting that man back in this life lol

user she is so obsessed with him i swear she's pathetic yourinstagram I don't really care what you think of me because first of all, if you really don't like me, what are you guys doing wasting your time on my page? tell me who's obsessed with who?

user9 Why not? 😭

userA i think when mfs bag a baddie they dont kno how to act right 😭 im not sure sum like that userB userA correct and when they do get a girl like that they leave her for way less userC Lmaoooo frr

user queen is in her idgaf era and I'm fucking here for it!!!

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AUGUST 22, 2022

Instagram

yourinstagram has added to their story!

rubendias has added to their story!

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AUGUST 24, 2022

liked by fioamato and 1,147,693 others

f1 BREAKING: Daniel Ricciardo will leave McLaren at the end of the 2022 season

#F1 #Formula1 mclaren

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user See you later 👏👏

user2 that's called karma

user3 Only McLaren? Why not f1? The queu of young talented drivers is long

user4 So sad that they decided only bet to Lando. All best to Daniel I wish you find better place.

user5 I’m glad I never bought an orange shirt… where are we off to next Dan?

user6 LMAO NOT FIO LIKING THIS POST 🤣

userA that's iconic behavior ngl

user7 and you all were calling y/n a flop, oh how the tables have turned lmaooooo

user8 man lost the greatest woman he could've pulled and now he lost his seat and all in the same year 🤡

user9 mclaren you know this is the best guy you have right? It's not his fault your car is inconsistent. This is not 2021 where you had your car figured out.....this is a bad pr piece for you as well as a bad marketing look since danielricciardo has a look far beyond what your brand reach is. Fire your marketing team as they have failed you...

user10 $21 million going away present?

user11 Honestly Vettel said it best “mclaren didn’t bring the best out of him” I just hope he gets a place in 2023 and does well

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

Instagram

yourinstagram has added to their story!

rubendias has added to their story!

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SEPTEMBER 21, 2022

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OCTOBER 6, 2022

⥂ translation:

— salmahayek Happy birthday, my precious girl! You are a light in the lives of everyone who knows you. I'm here for you always! — jbalvin Happy birthday, lil sis. Many blessings to you always! — sebastianyatra Happy birthday, Penguin! I keep your friendship like a treasure that will always be with me. I feel lucky to know that big heart you have. I love you a lot, Pulga (Flea)!

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liked by rubendias, aliciakeys, alejandrosanz and 2,756,378 others

yourinstagram Thank you 23, you taught me so much. You brought me so much courage, inspiration, & healing. You reminded me that life is too short. You have brought me even closer to my true self & made me realize just how strong I am. I will remember you as the year that reminded me that living life on anyone else’s terms isn’t living… You taught me to do ME, with grace, love, and kindness. Thank you to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday, I love you all. And, of course, a very special thank you to my favorite people in the 🌍 for going above and beyond to make me feel so loved, appreciated, & cared for. Bienvenido 24, un placer conocerte 🥳 ps: had lots of cakes this year, I couldn't be happier!! 😍

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natalie_pinkham Happiest of birthdays to the most gorgeous of gals ❤️🥳🥂🎉

yourinstagram natalie_pinkham thank you Nat! Lots of love ❤️❤️

nina ❤️❤️❤️

parishilton happy birthday angel girl ❤️

bohnes happy birthday rockstar 🎉

markhoppus HDB kid 💥

annemarie Make a wish! 🎂✨ Hope all your birthday dreams come true ❤️

lilymhe You are such a beautiful soul, inside and out, and I’m so grateful to have you in my life ❤️

luisfonsi Wishing you an amazing day and a year full of blessings. ¡Un fuerte abrazo!

keleighteller You bring so much joy and light into the lives of everyone around you ✨

anitta feliz aniversário, meu amor! Beijos! 💖

shawnmendes Hope your day is as incredible as you are ❤️ Keep shining! 🌟

daddyyankee ¡Feliz cumpleaños, Y/N! Espero que tengas un día espectacular y un año lleno de éxitos

jenniferaniston Wishing you a day filled with joy, love, and all your favorite things. Have an amazing year ahead! 💖✨

tomholland2013 Happy Birthday, Y/N! 🎉🎂

sofiavergara ¡Feliz cumpleaños, Y/N! Que tengas un día maravilloso lleno de amor y alegría 💃🏻✨

zacefron Have a fantastic day and an even better year. Enjoy every moment! 💫

niallhoran happy birthday 🍻

selenagomez Happy Birthday angel! 🎉 Sending you lots of love and positive vibes on your special day ❤️

kellinquinn Happy Birthday, Y/N! Rock on and have an amazing day!

kellyclarkson May your day be filled with love, laughter, and everything you desire. Cheers to you! 💖✨

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NOVEMBER 3, 2022

liked by rubendias, landonorris, juliaanalvarez and 2,145,873 others

yourinstagram He(art)

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sasha__rebecca 💙

itsvittoriasousa i like it, picasso

chloestroll what a gorgeous piece of art and the picasso is cute ig

user NOOOOOO WE CANT LOSE OUR MOTHER TO ANOTHER FOOTBALLER

juliaanalvarez 😎🆒

user2 I admire Y/N’s faith in love, no matter how many times she’s heartbroken and let down she still falls in love like it’s the very first time and I think this is how it should be because every single love and relationship is different and unique and should be approached as such

user agree. especially because she's not actually the crazy, guy obsessed girl the media and haters paint her as. she's falling in love when it makes sense, she's not out searching for whirlwind romances and toxic guys. she writes about it bc it's REAL anyway i hope she finds her person one day. first loves lasting forever is nice but isn't possible for most people and that's fine. i think her healthy approach is a great influence on her younger fans who fantasise about love and life just like she did

user3 girlie sure loves her athletes lmao

userA she sure loves the number 3 🤪 userB she once said it was her lucky number and apparently she was really serious about that 🤣

user4 alexa play you belong with me (taylor's version) by taylor swift 😠

user5 watch her ruin him like she ruined daniel

user6 this girl is trying so hard to stay relevant lmao bitch you are a gold digging whore and a massive flop, doesn't matter whose dick you're riding now 🤣

user7 when do we think they're hard launching we already know it's rúben 😂

userA she played the same game with mr. perfectly fine the last time userB MR PERFECTLY FINE OMG YOU'RE SO RIGHT "Cause I hear he's got his arm 'round a brand-new girl. I've been pickin' up my heart, he's been pickin' up her" IS SO DANIEL CODED userC ruben literally posted the same picture on his ig 😂 inconspicuousness left the chat with these two

user8 babygirl decided to stop playing in little league, she's on the big leagues now as she fucking should

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liked by johnstones5, joaofelix79, nathanake and 322,873 others

rubendias life's been good lately 😊

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user who got my boy listening to sleeping at last?

user2 Bro is winning on and off pitch

user3 i still can't believe rúben dias liked every picture she posted for years and also admitted his massive crush for her with his whole chest in a team video and ended up being y/n l/n's boyfriend a few months later

userA bro is the picture of perseverance. He played the long game and at the end, he got the girl 😎 userB he's my GOAT for a reason userC they don't make 'em like him anymore (a total simp for his girl)

jackgrealish alright romeo 🙄😂🩵

johnstones5 kunaguero 🤝🏻

kunaguero johnstones5 🤝🏻

user4 best defender in the world only deserves the best! 🧱

nathanake 🩵

user5 they are not even trying to hide it anymore

user6 Ru we are on the doorstep of the world cup you can't lose your focus with another pop star

userA she's definitely gonna bring him bad luck, everything she touches turns to ashes

user7 "But your heart is your masterpiece, and I'll keep it safe" THIS MOTHERFUCKER BETTER BE SERIOUS 😭

user "Your darkness will be rewritten into a work of fiction, you'll see" 😭😭 userA I'm really wishing that he's the one for her. She deserves a happy ending

user8 YOU WERE BLESSED WITH MOTHER'S HEART SO YOU BETTER PROTECT IT THROUGH THICK AND THIN, VOCÊ ENTENDE? 🤨🤺

♥ rubendias has liked this comment

user9 Mofo better keep his focus we need that 🏆!!!!

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DECEMBER 31, 2022

liked by rubendias, natalie_pinkham, shawnmendes and 2,145,873 others

yourinstagram A student of life I am. Damn it’s humbling as hell when you surrender to the fact that only thing you can control is YOURSELF. Not a person, thing or situation beyond that. Who you become in this life is 100% on you. Letting go of all that doesn’t serve you is self-care. Remember that.

2022 is a year that really marked me… It was filled with moments of all kinds. Wanted to share the ones that made me smile even in the hardest of times. Beyond thankful for the good, the bad and the ugly ❤️‍🩹

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marcusstoinis was the paint supposed to go on the wall or on yourself? 😂 scottyjames31

scottyjames31 don't talk if you don't know about art bro 🤫👨🏼‍🎨 yourinstagram marcusstoinis the technique was questionable but the painter did a good job. His partner on the other hand did a marvelous job ❤️ would recommend their job if you are moving into a new house too 👍🏽 cholestroll 😂❤️

lewishamilton see you soon for the next aventure sis 😎🪂

tinistoessel te adoro muñeca 💖

andrew_allen we might have the next Alex Morgan in our hands 😮‍💨

itsvittoriasousa she said she wants to be a champ like "unca benny" 😅 yourinstagram itsvittoriasousa nah I think she said she /wants/ unca benny, little trouble gave me the stink eye whenever I got too close and didn't let me play 😂 andrew_allen 😅

user i guess it is official official now so welcome to the family dad rubendias

user2 pics 5, 6 & 9 called me single in too many different languages 😭

user3 IZA IS GETTING SO BIG!!!!

user4 sunglasses on, hand behing her back... baby iza means business

user5 OMG IT'S ED!!! ARE U GUYS COLLABING AGAIN???!!! 😭😍

user6 I really hope next year she is as active on sm as she was before, I miss her too much 🥺

user7 shut up they are the fucking cutest couple already 😍

user8 this is what she deserves!! looots of love and someone who knows how to treat a queen right

rubendias Mô ❤️

userA EEEEEEEEEEKKK!!! 😍😭😍😭 userB any portuguese or brazilian kind enough to tell us what he means? 😩 userC It's an informal abbreviation of "amor" (love), he is calling her love ❤️

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─── Please don't forget to reblog and/or comment! ♡

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childofsardior · 4 months ago

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"It's max-power Ludwig time, baby!" but it's my very self-indulgent take on him for my personal AU!

I'm going to talk about my personal version of Ludwig related to my very self-indulgent AU - so I'll warn you: you're going to find LOT of comfort/self-indulgent details and stuff here! Canon x OC included!

↓↓↓ Prepare for the infodump below!! ↓↓↓

General Info:

Full name: Ludwig von Koopa. He specifically put the "von" there instead of "van" to sound more like a noble. Chose this name after one of his favorite Human World's composers (after trying out a few different ones) when he was around 7 and stuck with it - yes, Luddy's been a musical nerd since he was an hatchling.

Gender and pronouns: He's a trans man. Pronouns are he/him. Very aware of this since he was very small, started to correct people with his chosen name(s) and right pronouns as soon as he realized that they were all wrong, and probably stupid from his point of view, even his mother - he had to bite her a couple of times before she understood it wasn't a game. Since Tarrasquins are related to dragons, his transition was a bit different from most species. Nowdays he almost never talks about his queer background, except made for people he blindly trust like his siblings - for occasional gender-related or name-related jokes, especially with Lemmy - or with his GF, usually for the same reasons. He's also confident enough to indulge in typically "feminine" behaviours time to time, without feeling ashamed, especially when hanging out with his sister Wendy. He's Ludwig von Koopa after all, he doesn't gives s**t about other people's opinions.

Sexuality: He doesn't like to use labels, but if asked to pick the closest one to describe himself Lud would probably say "something close to pansexual, but only with people smart and sharp enough to catch my attention." Dated a guy when they were teen, for a while. Now he's dating a girl named Estrela. If Estrela was a guy or an enby-koopa, he would litterally not care.

Age: He is currently 19 and a half (in "canonical" years) and the oldest among his siblings. Considering my Royal Koopas maturing faster than Humans and similar creatures during their first 25 years of life, you could compare Ludwig to a 21-23 years old Human in terms of mental maturity. (Could not say the same about sentimental maturity, but only 'cause Ludwig's always been a bit troubled in sharing genuine feelings even with trusted pals, and he has yet to learn how to manage it. But this is has nothing to do with his species development nor his age.) Birthday is November 12th (Scorpio).

Species: Tarrasquin (also known as "Royal Koopas" or "Dragon-Turtles") - that happens to be a powerful and rare species related both to Koopas and Dragons. The lack of horns at a young age and the number of spikes on the shell may point to the subspecies known as Plains/Field Tarrasquin, while some other details could suggest a "mix" with the Vulcanic bloodline. In addition, all the Koopalings seem to share an innate inclination toward magic and some other unusual details never found before in Tarrasquins, such as tail feathers or natural armors protecting the limbs, along with peculiar tiny gem-like scales scattered around their bodies in different patterns.

Physical appearance: He's a yellow-scaled Tarrasquin, resembling mostly the Vulcanic subspecies like Bowser. He's got blue long hair and tail feathers along with a sapphire-colored spiked shell. He has gray-blue eyes, and a single Royal Fang in the middle of his upper jaw - even if a couple of smaller Royal Fangs are recently growing on the sides of his mouth. Like most of his siblings, his head and shoulders are covedered of green scales/skin, and he also has some of it over the back of his hands. Sapphire-like scales appear all around his body, four of which can be clearly seen on his cheeks. He's quite short for his age, but if you compare him to the others you can guess he's among the oldest siblings, considering his body proportions and a more mature appearance.

Personality: Ludwig's arrogance is quite famous around the Dark Lands. He's extremely full of himself, and doesn't miss an occasion to remember you how superior he is. This is how most people see him from the distance. Actually, Ludwig's character is quite more complex than that. He surely likes to mantain his "I'm clearly better than any of you" mask, especially with his enemies, but he's actually way more chill than that if you start to know him - and if he consideres you your equal, he can actually show his softer and sillier side to you, and prove himself a nice company. He doesn't know what proper "anxiety" is, but he's quite nervous and always on the edge - trying to be perfect, to prove himself and his siblings to be the best leader, to prove everyone (but mostly himself, again) he's a great and talented artist and musician, and so on. He's also a bit lunatic, and had to train himself to be patient during the years, considering the amount of tiny Dragon-Turtles running and creating chaos around him. It's not so common for an insult to land on him - since he rarely cares about other people's opinions, even when they have actual good opinions about him - but when it happens he could grow red with anger or just give the cold-shoulders treathment for a while, depending on who you are. He also rarely feel completely calm or relaxed, his mind always trying to fix some problem or coming up with something new even on background, but from time to time he needs a break too and will probably spend some days playing some instrument in his room without a purpose, or playing video games alone or with Larry and Iggy, like he used to do a lot as a kid. Last but not least: he kinda looks like a guy that never cries or gets emotional, but it's inaccurate. Ludwig rarely cries or weep nowdays, but when he does it's always dramatic and theatrical - even his sibs become a bit afraid of him, never knowing what to say or how to help, when he breaks like that; he'll probably just go to his room playing his piano while crying until he's too tired to continue and probably will just fall asleep. But on the brighter emotions, he is also very much easier to be moved by kind actions than it seems. If any of the people he cares about surprise him with a special gift for his birthday, or prepare something cute thinking about what he loves most, or even just giving him a drawing about him and Junior conquering the Sky Kingdom together - this happened for Lud's 18th birthday, and was Junior's gift - he will probably be surprised, a little embarassed but mostly filled with a mute joy he'll do his best to hide... probably failing, considering those big wet eyes.

Hobbies and passions: They say he's a kind of prodigy, being so young yet skilled in dozens of different things - from battle and magical techniques to various arts - but the truth is that he works really, really hard for everything he wants to learn. He's a bit jealous of Iggy and Junior to be faster and more intuitive learners than him. His main passion revolves around music since he was a kid, but he actually likes to do A LOT OF STUFF - some in a "I'm sooo good at it" way, some other just as hobbies. He likes to play videogames (and even used to do it on a competitive level for a short while), enjoys TTRPGs with his siblings, likes to paint with spray paint from time to time, knows how to sew, learned how to fence and he's quite proud about it, loves to pose and even compete with his sibs (mostly Roy and Wendy) in some cool-poses showoffs when they all feel to... he also enjoys to hum and sing when happy, and he literally learned to speak German to make an impression with a perfectly-faked accent when needed. A current inside joke in the family is claiming that naming what Ludwig can't do would take less time to talk about what he can do - Iggy's even taking notes every time they find out something new Lud is not capable of - the first thing wrote down is "Luddy can't be humble". Talking about music only, his favorite genre has always been the classical one, but contrary of what everybody around him think, he actually enjoys a lot of other genres and also has a bunch of favorite contemporary singers and bands among his infinite list of musicians he likes or likes to take inspiration from. He just strongly dislikes that sort of "music" that only consist in "random and horrible noises, like the sort of thing that Larry listens to". He can himself play dozens of instrument, mostly are the classical orchestral ones but he knows how to play a bunch of modern and electric instruments too - he was the one learning-while-teaching Lemmy how to play the electric bass and the electric guitar, after all; his favorite and main instrument is the piano, followed with the violin and the cello just after. He likes to compose - or at least, try to - his own stuff since he was 10, just after learning the piano basic from Kamek and Bowser themselves. His own first pieces were not exactly... melodious, and now his "4th Symphony" is a recurring meme his brothers and sister like to tease him about. But nowdays he's getting quite good, and has even started to conduct a small orchestra on his own, all made of young people from the Dark Lands and all around the near Kingdoms. He's also fantasizing about making this passion his future main occupations, maybe as a composer in the film's industry or something like that...?

Relationships:

With his siblings: Being the eldest among 8 has not always been easy. Even if Junior has been mostly raised and educated by Bowser, Kamek and a bunch of loyal servants, the other 6 where very much his responsability after their mother sudden disappearance - of course Kamek and the others were taking care of the newly adopted kids, but you know... they needed time to settle in and Ludwig was their main point of reference for a while. So he had to force himself to grow up even faster than before, in terms of responsabilities and leadership. That said, nowdays he still consider himself the leader of the whole "Koopalings" gang - even if most of his siblings can perfectly take care of themselves and often laugh or complain if Lud tryies to impose himself too much, especially when he's doing that in his presumptuous and arrogant way. Still, when things get hard, they all know that they can ask their big brother for help.

Now, for each relationship with the siblings:

Lemmy: They are in good terms. They do not spend too much time together, but when combined can become the Unsufferable Duo Of the Eldest and literally use their Age Superiority to assert dominancte on the others. Lemmy is also one of the few Ludwig can actually confide in, Lemmy being the biggest heart and probably the more emotional mature in the family - but Lemmy's the one EVERYBODY confides in, so it's a bit of cheating.

Roy: They used to fight often when younger, Roy being the only one bold enough to confront the big bro authority. Now they just respect each other, and while Roy trusts Ludwig's cunning brain, Ludwig can fully trust Roy's loyalty, sharpness and strenght, especially for missions that involves fighting and conquering.

Iggy: They are engaged in a mutual, mostly positive rivalry about who is the real family genius. Spoiler: both are, but in different ways. Iggy is an intuitive type, and learns mostly by watching his sourroundings and experimenting, while Ludwig is a studious type, that prefers knowing all about theory before trying things out. Iggy can't really understand music and arts in general - he enjoys them, but in a very "superficial and bland" way, in Ludwig's opinion - and Ludwig can't understand what is so cool about classyfing rocks, animals and plants, and will never get the green-shelled brother curious hyperfixations. Ludwig is also refusing to aknowledge Iggy's higher IQ score than his. But they can actually work together if needed, especially when some project or blueprint or plan needs full-brain power.

Wendy: They get along very well. Their shared passion for music is a good start - when Ludwig tries to compose something more "modern" than usual, it's always to have Wendy singing along with him playing the piano or the violin - but they can generally do various things together and enjoy their mutual company - from going to the SPA to planning the conquest of the next Kingdom. Also, Wendy is probably the only one among them Lud doesn't dare to anger, and also the only one he consider *almost* equal to him.

Morton: Ludwig loves Morton's blind obedience. Then if he thinks too hard about it, he feels bad. Actually, Morton follows Ludwig's lead because he trusts his brother, not because he's a sort of perfectly obedient puppy like some other brother jokes about. The two are in neutral-good terms. They do not spend much time together normally, but during missions Ludwig can count on Morton's natural protective nature to be sure the younger ones won't get too hurt, especially Junior - and this applies to some of the older siblings as well, from time to time.

Larry: The relationship between the two is a bit strange. Like the most of the group, Ludwig can't really stand Larry for too long - the latter is a 13-years-old Royal Koopa acting as an average 13-years-old Human boy most of the times - but as the Big Brother he must set a good example and hide his irritation while he tries to teach his younger brother the art of war and such. But it's hard. Larry is easily distracted and doesn't like to listen to others anyway. Even if Lud manages to get his attention, the azure brother will probably stay on his cellphone all the time. Larry loves to work with and actually playing electronic/techno music, but also trash and YouPipe-worth-meme-songs, "an insult to real music" in Ludwig's opinion. Larry also wants to prove himself as a good leader for the group, even if "lacking with basic leadership knowledge", and tries to fight with Ludwig about it from time to time. When tired or in need of a day off, Ludwig allows Larry to "play the leader for a while", knowing that Wendy or Roy will actually take the real role instead.

Bowser Junior: This one is a complex field to navigate, full of bitterness and mixed feelings. Junior being the only biological child of Bowser makes him the official Heir, but also, somehow, more "important" than the others in terms of social rank and authority. And Ludwig doesn't like this. He can't truly behave normally around Junior; he hates the fact that a child has the right to tell him what to do, especially when he does so in a very bratty and unsufferable way - luckily, Junior is growing up nicer than in the past, but still a kid remains. Ludwig is also jealous of Jr. even if he's never going to admit it aloud, since the little brother still has one parent to take care of him and love him, and this parent is the King of the Koopas himself. "If only I was Bowser's son..." he finds himself thinking about sometimes, but tries not to elaborate further. Ludwig tries to avoid Junior when he can, and Junior does the same since he doesn't like the way Ludwig yaps about everything. But...! Very recently the two have started getting along a bit more. Ludwig noticed Junior proving himself to be much more clever and empathic than he thought, and is now searching for something in common to share. Lud tried to talk Jr into the world of music like he did with most of his siblings, but hasn't been very successful yet. Junior on the other hand convinced his blue brother to paint with him, and Lud discovered that, in fact, he likes it. So they do paint together, from time to time, or wander with Iggy, Morton and Larry around the Dark Lands metro to draw fancy graffiti all together. Ludwig too needs to feel again like a kid or at least a teen time to time.

* * *

With King Bowser: Ludwig is one of the few Koopalings that not address to Lord Bowser as a "father". He was almost 10 years old when they all were officially adopted by the Royal Family, and always saw the King as "the King". He is very loyal to the Crown and likes to think about himself as Bowser's first and most trusted general, and always showes his most serious and adult size when reporting to him. On the other hand, Ludwig feels a bit nervous and insecure in everyday life situations he spends along with the adoptive parent, when Bowser's just acting as Dad-Bowser and not as King-Bowser-Koopa. Behind his back, Bowser desperately and secretly hopes Ludwig will start addressing him as "dad" one day.

With his mother: He had a very good relationship with his mom (OC)- taken aside that short period of time she couldn't understand why he wanted to be "addressed as a boy" - but it ended well anyway. He also liked to think of himself as their mom's favorite child. Now he doesn't want to talk about her, especially with Junior.

With his girlfriend: He and Estrela (OC) met almost a couple of years ago in Ludwig's personal orchestra, and they have been dating for one year now. Before meeting Estrela, Lud had a poor opinion on Koopa Troopas/Common Koopas in general, especially if civilians or commoners. Then he met this super skilled violist, they started to flirt a bit after some time but then Ludwig kind-of-insulted her for trying to reach "a Royal" and... well, she decided to make him pay for that, planning something quite "funny", and in the end Estrela proved the Royal Koopa that even "commoners" can outsmart the "great Ludwig von Koopa". He was startled by this to the point he totally fell in love. They are both enjoying their relationship now, sharing interests and passions and all, joking all the time and being silly together when none can judge them, even if Luddy still has to learn to be less arrogant with his loved ones - lukily for both he's doing enough progresses already to prevent the relationship to become toxic or bad. Ludwig loves Estrela's strong personality and the fact that she can literally - and will likley, if needed - stand up to him from her 1,40 m (around 4.5 ft) of height and cute Common Koopa appearance. And he loves the way she plays the viola, of course. In his mind, maybe influenced by Lord Bowser's way to think, he's already picturing is future wedding... along with their royal palace and personal realm in the Kingom of the Sky.

Relationship with the Mario Bros., Princess Peach and the Mushroom Kingom in general: He strongly dislikes the two plumbers, and do not approve his sib Lemmy's friendship with them. He mostly hates Mario, considering him the real threat among the two. He would very unlikely call a truce between the Koopalings and the two Humans, unless it was his last option. Peach knows him since he hatched - and she tries her best to treat well the young Royal Koopa siblings, since she used to know their mother - but he doesn't really care about this, claming that since he can't remember it, it doesn't count. He is not very excited by the possibility to have Peach as their step-mother, but during her forced staying at Bowser's place after the occasional kidnapping, he sometimes asks her if she wants to take a look at his last music sheets or if she wants to listen to some of his new pieces. And for the Mushroom Kingdom, he merely saw it as the future Dark Lands' personal granary until he met his GF, who's from said Kingdom. Now he is a bit more aware of it, and nervous about eventual future attacks King Bowser could plan against it.

Peculiarities & co.

Ambidextrous: He trained himself to be almost perfectly hambidextrous, mostly thanks to his piano training. Nobody remembers if he was naturally right or left-handed in the beginning.

Senses: In contrast to what his name could suggest, his sharpest sense is hearing - he can not only hear a whisper on the other side of the royal dining room, especially if it's about him or something he may be interested in, but also got an almost-perfect pitch. If he looks like he didn't hear you, he was either too concentrated on his own toughts or just... blantantly ignoring you.

Body quirks and special abilities: He is way lighter than it looks like, probably due his shell peculiar conformation and unusual lightness, and sometimes it even seems like gravity isn't working on him as it should - he can in fact jump quite hight, flutter jump and even floating in the air for a short time when fighting. He can also walk on clouds without any power-ups or magic, a privilege usually related to winged or sky-born creatures only, such as Paratroopas or Lakitus. Nobody seems to know why, since Ludwig has no wings (even if he secretly wishes he had) and such. Last but not least, he is also able to control thunders with his own hands when things get really hard - in a similar way Luigi can do after knowing the secret technique in Mario&Luigi Superstar Saga.

Random Facts:

His Royal Fang is one of his weak points. He doesn't really like it, and mostly tries to ignore the fact that, of all the possible Fang patterns, *that* specific one happened to him. Mostly, it makes it hard to play woodwinds instruments - he only plays his portable harmonica without much trouble - drinking from everyday glasses - he almost always drink from straws, but gets easily embarassed if he needs to order one when dining in a fancy restaurant - and kissing his GF. This one specifically frustrates him a lot.

His GF finds his Royal Fang cute.

Like most Tarrasquins, he can purr. But since purring only occurs when they are extremely satisfied or happy or comfortable, it's very rare to hear him purr.

He's base respect for any other living creature not related to him is 0, especially with Goombas or other "simpler species". Once beated, outsmarted or both at the same time, he will probably reconsiderate your existance and include your kind in his "this one earned my respect" list. Hopefully, he'll grow out of this when he gets older and wiser.

He owns something like 14 pianos (one of which is possessed), around his various fortress and all. He wanted a super fancy piano for his 18th birthday, like one with a custom color, made by hand and with his name engraved in gold on the front of it, from the best piano brand of the world. Bowser gifted him a huge, golden pipe organ instead, thinking it would have been cooler.

Ludwig is scared as heck of pipe organs.

In the end, Kamek was the one gifting him his "best piano". Bowser is the one that loves to play it the most.

Ludwig is also scared of deep water. That is funny considering he once piloted a submarine. If asked, he will give a bunch of explanations about that claming that staying inside an advanced submarine is very different from swimming in open sea where you can't see nothing under you. Plus, your hair can't get wet as long as you remain inside of the submarine. His brothers and sister often speculate about how to convince their big brother to learn how to swim.

He likes to act fancy and classy when he's at social events and similar. His pompous attitude helps a lot with that. But he has the tendency of stain his clothing without noticing and does so almost every single time he dines out.

Even with the adult and serious appearance, he would never give up French Fries when there is the option in the menu.

He can also legally buy and drink alchool now, following Dark Land's laws, but even if he enjoys some champagne from time to time, he's more a juice type. His favorite one is orange juice, and always keeps a bottle of it near before an all-day-playing-music session.

He hated brushing his hair when he was a kid, and hated even more the idea of cutting it. His mother gave up when he was 3, and Kamek and some servants tried to run after him once, following the little blue rascal around the whole castle for the whole evening. Kamek was the one that eventually convinced him into taking care of his curly bush of blue feathers - but it took him 2 years.

His natural hair is actually curly, like his mother's was. He straightenes it with an hair straightener after every bath, and uses tons of hair spray every morning to recreate in his iconic hairstyle. This hairstyle was actually heavily inspired by Madame Flurrie's one, after a 12-years-old Ludwig watched one of her theatrical perfomance (on TV) for the first time. He was fascinated by her hair that looked like wings and looked very elegant at the same time, and decided he would have based his personality around that style for the next years.

He didn't know at the time that that specific winged hairstyle was very popular among actors and artist of a certain level, especially from the musical field. When he found out, he was even more amused and claimed it was "destiny" that his tastes happened to be so refined and elegant.

Only recently Lud started to try out new hairstyles, or to be more accurate, some "custom variants of his classic one". He likes to keep them looser when conducting his orchestra or playing in public. He keeps it "sharper" for fights. He would NEVER tie them up.

His GF actually loves when Lud has uncombed hair, and thinks he's way cuter this way. He hates it.

He also loves and hates being called "cute". He actually got angry when Estrela called him "cute" or "adorable" the first times. Now he secretely enjoys it, but still gets quite embarassed.

He'll grow a tuft of feathers under his chin when he'll grow up. Since it's not too common for Koopas to grow facial hair, he will keep it with pride and add it to his style.

When he's sourrounded by his siblings when in need of some peace but can't escape the situation, he takes his professional headphones and put on some classical concerts, german heavy metal music by unknown indie bands or Pure Cosmic Silence, depending how desperate he is.

He loves the smell of ginger. He also likes the smell of gingerbread. One time he ordered a ginger perfume, but the store mixed his order and sent him a very unusual gingerbead perfume instead. He tried it anyway and found it amusing. He would now put gingerbread perfume on himself from time to time. He claims it's a peculiar but great scent, just like him. His siblings mostly thinks he smells like a cookie.

He is also secretly almost-parent-like proud of his siblings any time they manage to do well something he teached them first. This applies mostly with Larry and Junior, especially for the latter being a very quick learner.

He sometimes has a recurrent dream in which he finds out he's actually an only child and goes to party just after. For some *unknown* reasons this mostly happens after spending a very long and tiring day with Junior or Roy.

Four violinists in his orchestra are Piranha Plants, named, respectively, "Todd, Justin, Scott and Ashby". They joined Ludwig's orchestra in an attempt to escape military service, but they didn't know how to play a single thing at first. With time, the quartet became very good with the violin. They will still be present in Ludwig's personal orchestra when he will be a professional composer, as some of the best musicians of the orchestra.

He really dislikes the harpsichord as an instrument. There is not a specific reason about that, he just... really doesn't like the sound it makes, and thinks of it as an overrated baroque instrument. His GF really likes it instead, and they sometimes have silly fights about that.

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infinite8revisions · 19 days ago

Text

Marius de Romanus

This is gonna be a long 'en!

Warning: This post contains criticisms of Marius.

Warning: This post contains discussions of grooming and abuse.

Ahhh, Marius de Romanus! Everyone's favorite master of exposition! The harborer of "Those that must be kept" and one of the Ancients! Don't let his knowledge and aristocratic airs fool you! Marius is still...I want to say human...but let's go with...imperfect! Bro still gotta put his shoes on one at a time is my point. Let's break down some of his traits. I've got a few adjectives that I think fit pretty well.

Narcissistic, Pretentious, and Pedophilic.

I'll explain, but first, 3 things!

1. There aren't any official book-accurate portrayals of Marius (yet) so we're going to have to deal with the short dark haired Marius from the "Queen Of The Damned" movie (which portrayed his personality well imo). Honestly, I thought about using pics of Lucius Malfoy for a split second! I mean he's a pretty close fit! LMAO!!

"He was a tall fair creature whose yellow hair was almost white. He had hard blue eyes, and a delicate face, covered with a thin layer of blood and ash to make him look more human to the mortal eye....He had large hands but they were slender and the fingers were fine."-Thorne: Blood and Gold

Above: Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy.

2. Sorry in advance about all the quotes! It's just that Marius does a damn good job of making my points for me! I'm over here re-reading sections like-

3. Bit of a disclaimer here. Criticizing a character does NOT mean you don't like that character or the role they play in the story. I'm not sure why, but with Marius specifically, people can get a bit defensive about him. So this is the final warning: Not everything said in this post will be positive.

Now, where to begin with this man? Probably with the elephant in the room and the most severe of allegations. Pedophile.

Many people (including myself) call Marius a groomer. Sometimes there is pushback on this with people saying that while some of his relationships are viewed as inappropriate today, they were fine during the time. They also state that Marius is not a groomer, just someone who fell in love. I want to make it known that Marius himself admits to consciously grooming Amadeo (Armand).

"Never before had I wanted such a thing, to make a blood drinker for my own companionship, indeed to educate a mortal youth for this very purpose, and to groom him expertly that he might be the finest choice." Blood and Gold: Chapter 19

I debated on using the words pedophile, hebephile, and ephebophile when referring to Marius, but there's definitely a pattern. The fact is, when it comes to his romantic partners, his infatuation and lust for them frequently start around the ages 10-19. This is true of Amadeo, Lydia (Pandora), and Bianca. Let's take a look-

Above- Armand and Pandora: Queen Of The Damned (2002)

"Hebephilia is the sexual interest by adults in pubescent children who are in early adolescence, typically ages 11–15."

Marius claims that Amadeo was "no older than 15" when he rescues him, but I have to note that during their first sexual encounter soon after, Amadeo recounts that he "was too young for a wet pleasure" (The Vampire Armand: Chapter 3). This could still mean he was 15 and a later bloomer, but in general, it suggests (and I believe) he was probably younger.

Marius also insinuates that Amadeo was the only one of his boys with who he had a physical relationship, but I don't know how much I believe that. Especially considering he knew of the sexual play that went on between the boys at the palazzo.

Above: The Musicians Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi) Italian 1597

"Pedophilia is defined as a sexual interest by adults in prepubescent children.(This word is often used as an overarching term for an adult who has attraction to anyone under legal age.)"

For Pandora, Marius asks her father for her betrothal when he is 25 and she is 10, and again when he is 30 and she is 15. Of course, they don't end up together until she is older, not because of him, but because her father forbade it.

"Now to the specific recollection. I was ten years old,..." "I can calculate that he was only twenty-five. But I’m not certain." "He lingered. “Goodbye, little Lydia,” he said. He then spoke under his breath to my Father, and I heard my Father say: “You are out of your mind!”My Father turned his back on Marius, who gave me a sad smile and disappeared. “What did he mean? What happened?” I asked my Father. “What’s the matter?” “Listen, Lydia,” said my Father. “Have you in all your readings come across the word ‘betrothed’?” “Yes, Father, of course.” “Well, that sort of wanderer and dreamer likes nothing better than to betroth himself to a young girl of ten because it means she is not old enough to marry and he has years of freedom, without the censure of the Emperor. They do it all the time.”" Pandora: Chapter 2

"Ephebophilia is the sexual interest by adults in pubescent mid-to-late adolescents typically ages 15-19."

Lastly, Bianca is kind of an exception. He meets her when she is 19ish (Blood and Gold: Chapter 18) and, by most cultural standards (then and now), technically an adult. He held a fascination with Bianca much like Amadeo, but she was too old and tainted for him to groom. Sounds harsh and unbelievable doesn't it? This is what Marius had to say

Note: Marius is talking out loud to himself here. He's speaking as if he is talking to Amadeo, but Amadeo is not there.

"Except she was already a young woman when I came upon her," I responded, "educated and forced into life, indeed a murderess; yes, indeed, a murderess, a child woman guilty of dreadful crimes. And you, you were a helpless child. I could mold you and change you, all of which I've done." Blood and Gold: Chapter 19

Sounds like a lot of those toxic podcasters doesn't he? You need someone pure, young, and naïve to turn into who you want. Because it's not about loving them for who they are, it's about creating a companion to serve your needs. If they ever stop meeting those needs, you can throw them away and try again. -_- That's a convo for another day.

Above: Painting by Sandro Botticelli whose artwork was the inspiration for Armand's appearance.

On to the claim of Narcissism: Marius has a severe need to be needed. This theme is present throughout his relationships, romantic and otherwise.

Saying Marius wants to be worshiped may be a bit much, but I'm gonna say it anyway. At first, I shied away from calling him a narcissist at all (because it's such a buzzword now), but when really thinking about it...yeh, he's pretentious and narcissistic. The things he does, even the (seemingly) altruistic things, always lead back to Marius the heart of it. He loves to be seen as the grand benefactor. We see this in the parties he threw in Rome, with the boys in Venice, with Pandora, Amadeo, Bianca, and even Lestat. That man is an egoist with the need to be in control.

Above: Marius and Lestat- Queen of The Damned (2002)

Looking at his relationships, most of them have required the other to be submissive or subservient to him. He needs the power dynamic of teacher/student, master/slave, father/child etc. If he doesn't have it, fights start and relationships fall apart. Once he feels truly challenged (not taunted or teased as Amadeo would do) he runs or abandons. The moment Pandora became his equal, he abandoned her. The moment Bianca scolded him, he told her to pack her things.

Yes he sees it, and he's totally jelly! Above: Akasha talking to the ancient ones: Queen Of The Damned (2002)

I mean she (calmly) told him about himself ONCE (which he agreed with but couldn't handle hearing from someone else), so he abandons her in a random castle! Of course, he didn't leave her for long, he always feels regret and wants to reconcile these relationships, and it's always too late.

Even among other vampires such as Mael and Avicus, Marius still played the role of the superior, the all-knowing, the hero. This is where we see more of his pretentious side. Truthfully, Marius didn't know too much more than either of them, but you wouldn't know it by talking to him. When he figures something out, he's fit to burst at being the exposition piece for everyone.

You know what? That's really not fair.

Reading that back I want to give Marius some grace. Given the times, his mortal life, and subsequent thrusting into vampirism, some of what I call "pretentious" is more so him just trying to help. People have always expected a lot from Marius, so it is only natural that he begins to give excessively. He loves to teach and that's not a bad thing. I mean the man was a chronicler and scholar before his "death"! To say that he played the role of the superior, the all-knowing, the hero isn't totally untrue, but it is slightly misleading. TO BE FAIR...people treat him that way. Mael and Avicus come to Marius for help. They ask him questions, and he tries to help and do what's right. They looked to him on their own, not because Marius wanted them to. Okay, I've convinced myself, I recant "pretentious." I think I just wanted a third word and it really doesn't fit.

Above: Marius- Queen of The Damned (2002)

On that note however, don't tell this man ANYTHING you don't want errbody else knowing! He's a bad secret keeper! If I had a dollar every time a Marius secret got out...I could get lunch at least! Like bruh, shush! Loose lips sink ships and you've sunken an entire fleet!

Back to him needing to be the superior in his relationships. An exception is The Scared Parents. He does bow down and worship them, but it's still consistent with what I've observed, that it comes back to him. When breaking down the (silent) relationship with Akasha and Enkil, I noted 2 main reasons for his dedication-

1. He doesn't want to die.

"How could I continue to harbor these beings who might menace it? But I didn't want to die. No, I have never really wanted to die. And so I did not destroy the King and the Queen. I continued to care for them, to shower them with the symbols of worship." Blood and Gold: Chapter 34

2. Say it with me now, HE NEEDS TO BE NEEDED.

In his mind, they need him, but realistically they don't. My mans gave himself the ultimate task. After Akasha asked for help he could have holed them up somewhere and f**ked off, maybe checking on them every 50 to 100 years (In fact, he does do that unintentionally at one point). I'm so sure they would have been alright, and if not they certainly could have called out to someone themselves.

Actually, if not for Marius and his need to be "useful", Akasha may have never woken and gone on her rampage. Think about it, he's the one who woke Lestat, he's the one who compulsively told him everything and took him to Akasha, and he bought her the TV that allowed her to hear Lestat's music and develop (some of) her extremist views.

Above: Lestat before and after drinking Akasha's blood for the first time-Queen of The Damned (2002)

TO BE FAIR (again), she is connected to every vampire, so even without Marius she could still see all and may have decided to get up at any time for any reason. However, in this reality, it's Marius and his friggin need to be needed.

Taking a closer look at his dysfunctional relationships, This is him talking to Pandora. Mind you, he hasn't seen her in more than a hundred years (because he took the parents and ghosted her after a fight). She created a fledgling (Arjun) to be her companion and protect her. He serves her with love and admiration, but upon first hearing of him, Marius IMMEDIATELY assumes she is being controlled and is a slave to him (projection much?). This is part of their conversation upon reuniting. He's horribly dismissive, controlling, and narcissistic.

(Pandora states) "Oh, you are so angry and it is so like our quarrels of old." "No, it's not!" I declared. "It's nothing like our quarrels of old because it's about nothing. Now I'm taking you from here. I'm taking you to my palace, and I shall deal with Arjun as best as I can afterwards." "You can't do such a thing," she said sharply. "Marius, I've been with him for hundreds of years. You think you can simply come between us?" "I want you, Pandora. I shall settle for nothing else. And if such a time comes that you want to leave me - ." "Yes, and what if it does come," she said angrily, "then what shall I do when there is no Arjun on account of you!" "....As soon as I had her in the carriage, I kissed her wantonly as mortals kiss and wanted to sink my teeth into her throat but she forbade it. "Let me have that intimacy!" I begged. "For the love of Heaven, Pandora, it's Marius who is speaking to you. Listen to me. Let us share blood and blood." "Oh, you are so violent in your temper," she said in a whisper. "Can't you guess what reduces me to this abominable weakness?" "No," I said. "I know only I love you with my whole heart. I've found you again and I'll do anything to keep you." Her eyes remained fixed on the palace. "Even give up the female companion," she asked, "who is inside this very house waiting for you?" I didn't answer. "I saw her at the ball," she said, her eyes glassy, her voice quivering. "I saw her and knew what she was, quite powerful, quite graceful. I never guessed she was your lover. But now I know that she is. I can hear her inside. I can hear her hopes and dreams and how they are pinned on you." "Stop it, Pandora. It isn't necessary that I give her up. We are not mortals! We can live together."

Oh! so SHE has to give up her fledgling and protector for you, but "it isn't necessary" for YOU to give up Bianca?

He does eventually say that he'll leave Bianca for her, but Pandora stands strong saying Marius hasn't changed and leaves with Arjun. Then Bianca (who heard everything) is like..."sooo you lied about the reason we came here AND you were ready to throw me away for the second time? But now that she's dumped you you'll stay right? NAH son!!"

Moving back to Marius' relationship with Amadeo. When I read his account of things vs. Marius', it made me hurt for Amadeo. Knowing that he was saved to be further used. To know he gave his complete and total love, devotion, and life to someone who merely saw him as a clean slate. To realize that Marius' obsession with Botticelli and painting played a role as well. Marius saw Amadeo's paintings in his mind before buying him and wished to have that talent at his disposal. To possess it the way he could not do with Botticelli.

"He had once been a painter, this bruised and young one. The face of Christ had been his work. He had once mixed the egg yolk and the pigment just as I mixed them." Blood and Gold:Chapter 18

"...he knew the magic of the color spread upon the wooden panel. He would remember; he would remember a time when he cared about nothing else." Blood and Gold:Chapter 19

"As we sat down to supper, Riccardo explained that Amadeo could paint nothing. Indeed, Amadeo was afraid of the brushes and the pots of paint" Blood and Gold:Chapter 19

Marius tried to get Amadeo to remember, even though it was clear he couldn't and (to an extent) didn't want to remember. But that wasn't what Marius wanted, so he persisted despite that, pushing Amadeo again and again.

"Meanwhile, Amadeo recovered nothing of his memory. He could not paint, he could not touch the brushes. It was as if the colors, when raw, burnt his eyes." Blood and Gold:Chapter 19

and again

"But I want you to remember," I said to him suddenly in his Russian tongue. It was a shock to him but he didn't understand it. "Amadeo," I said in the Venetian dialect, "think back to the time before you came here. Think back, Amadeo. What was your world then?" A flush came to his cheeks. He was miserable. It was as if I'd beaten him. Riccardo reached out for him with a consoling hand. "Master," he said, "it's too hard for him." Blood and Gold:Chapter 19

and again

"Bundling him like a child I took him into a Venetian church to see the wondrous paintings of robust and natural figures that had been done in these last few years. But I could see now it was hopeless. His mind would never be opened, never truly changed. I brought him home, and laid him down on the pillows once more." Blood and Gold:Chapter 19

"His had been a punitive world of austere devotion. Painting for him had been joyless. And indeed all of life itself in far-away Russia had been so rigorous that he could not give himself over to the pleasure that awaited him now at every turn. Beset by the memories, yet not understanding them, he was moving slowly towards death." -Blood and Gold:Chapter 19

then he finally admits it...to himself anyway.

Note: this is a party of the quote before. Marius is talking out loud to himself. Amadeo is not there.

"It's true, I thought you were a painter," I continued, "that you had the gift for painting, and I know that it's still in you, and that did sway me, too." Blood and Gold:Chapter 19

It opens another conversation about the effects of grooming and fetishization on its victims, but I won't get into it here.

Now, I understand the relationship between Amadeo and Marius changed over time. While Marius' initial intentions were self-centeredness shrouded in mercy, he did grow to love Amadeo. So much so that he regularly fought with and frustrated himself over whether to turn him at all, knowing what hardships would lie ahead and not wanting to subject him to it...Nah! I can't give him a break here! I tried, but abuse is abuse regardless of whether it takes place in a shady cell below a brothel or in a beautiful palazzo while showering the victim with gifts. What was done was done, and it matters not whether Marius did things out of love or if Amadeo loved him. A willing victim is still a victim and I HATE it when people discount abuse and trauma simply because of its setting or the victim's participation. Don't even get me started Marius sending Amadeo to the brothels...

Amadeo/Armand never recovers from his abuse/trauma, that much is clear. Not the abuse he suffered in his homeland, with Marius, or with Santino's coven, and no one would expect him to. He went through a lot in his mortal life and he hadn't even reached 18 (in the books).

I intended to go on about Marius and how societal expectations and his mortal life play into his vampiric one, but this post is long enough and I KNOW it's going to cause me to jump to several other topics soooo to conclude...Marius got issues ya'll!

That's going to do it for this post. Marius is definitely one of the more controversial Vampires in the VC. At least of the ones who have biographies. I'd say Armand is a close second. Honesty, I might even put Armand above Marius if not for the grooming and child love. But again, that's a post for another day.

I you read this far, YOU THE GOAT!!

#amc interview with the vampire #blood and gold #marius de romanus #armand #queen of the damned #interview with the vampire #character analysis #I8R Shows

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its-dari · 1 year ago

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Beware Baby Bunny

Hard Yandere! Akatsuki - Types & Danger Levels

I know it says "hard yan". But that's because my preferred type are soft yans... This is literally the worst extreme, especially in terms of character.

~ Dari

Deidara

Type: Manipulative & Dependent

Danger Level: 3/10

Not particularly manipulative towards you, more so towards any possible suitors. But if he is favored by you, he will milk it to the best he can. This especially shows when he assesses that he cannot physically win over them and resorts to more underhanded methods. A yandere that needs you like he needs air and all his purpose feels like it's gone when he is no longer with you. Like he'd die without you.

Creepy Behaviors Include: Heavy breathing upon close contact. Occasional thievery of your items. Manipulative behaviors towards potential suitors. Occasionally Munchausen.

Hidan

Type: Violent & Delusional

Danger Level: 9.5/10

Intensely wrapped in the bloody thoughts of Jashin, he believes that you were gifted to him for his labors to his god. There is nothing but blood in his brain when it comes to you, obsessively and sexually wrapping himself in how you look drenched in it. He is willing to harm both you and anyone that gets in his way of having you. It is only a side comment that makes him conceal his feelings and behavior.

Creepy Behaviors Include: Idealization. Erotomania. Stealing of bloodied sanitation products. Leering.

Hoshigaki Kisame

Type: Protective & Possessive

Danger Level: 7/10

Immensely blood thirsty but unlikely to violently react towards rivals unless they were similar. Views your opinion as important and so is careful in how he presents himself in front of you. If pushed, he could react violently but is a relatively docile type. Very loyal and pretty liberal in committing bloody acts if he knows he won't be caught. Depends on how well you handle these tendencies.

Creepy Behaviors Include: Keeping things you make for him long beyond it's tenure; including food.

Kakuzu

Type: Possessive Provider

Danger Level: 4/10

Doesn't try and especially hide his fondness and generally is one of the more normal types. While people presumably think he'd view the object of his affections as a posession, it's his experience and older age that allowed this more mellowed look. While his rank and level of violence of a criminal is still high. There is still somewhat of a levelheaded way he goes about dealing with rivals. He also won't really attempt to force you into anything.

Creepy Behaviors Include: Stealing Minimal Items. Financial Coercion.

Sasori

Type: Apathetic, Obsessive & Possessive

Danger Level: 10/10

Lucid and fully aware his behavior is unhealthy and will keep it to himself. The most dangerous in the sense that he cares little for you, your feelings, or your choices. He's also the master of acting like there's nothing wrong with him. The only one with a full 10 in all categories.

Obsessed with the idea of memorializing you forever by turning you into a puppet regardless of your wishes. Watches you often and at length to be able to gauge your anatomy and measurements perfectly. Has likely made a doll version of you and prepared clothes for a potential wedding... If given a chance, will make a different human puppet if the victim is close enough to your likeness.

Creepy Behaviors Include: Staring(often withoit blinking). Watching you sleep if given chance. Idealization. Objectification.

Uchiha Itachi

Type: Protective & Passive

Danger Level: 2/10

Genuinely the least selfish of the bunch, while he has an agenda in flirting with you and wanting to have you. He simply can go on without having you in a romantic sense, content fo have you in his life and just show you that you matter a lot to him. Will set aside his feelings in favor of yours and let you be happy with someone else. The closest to genuinely loving you. Though can show aggression/violence towards those that mean you harm or disrespect your memory.

Creepy Behaviors Include: Stealing Items. Replicating them with sharigan if possible.

Non-Yans / Yan Leashes:

Pein / Nagato

Honestly, someone come help this man. It is their respect for him that they're not acting out. He probably has a soft spot of some sort for you otherwise, he would consider murdering you for causing unrest among the others.

Konan

She's probably used to the creepy leering of men, and is immensely uncomfortable by the knowledge of this behavior. It is her connection with Pein and respect for her that keep them from behaving like insane people. Well, except Hidan, but that's par for the course.

Uchiha Obito / Tobi

He knows EVERYTHING and WOW, he thought he was bad. He takes advantage of his position as "innocent" Tobi to go around and mess with them, just for his amusement... It is his own fondness for you as a member that makes sure they keep from anything too extreme.

Zetsu

If the cannibal himself is grossed out by them, there's a problem. He is the one to report to the others as he can phase through walls and such... Keeps them docile for the sake of that they might know he knows everything.

#yandere akatsuki #yandere naruto shippuden #naruto imagines #//obsessive behavior #//blood #//implied murder #//cannibalism mention #akatsuki imagines #//toxic relationship #dari writes #headcanons #//unsanitary

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redditreceipts · 10 months ago

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hi, I’m not sure how to word this right…I’m a transmasculine (NOT TRANSMALE) woman, it’s hard to explain exactly what it means but that’s the closest I’ve gotten, gnc works too I guess though doesn’t fully articulate it.

But I’ve identified as a lot of things since a really early age, generally always circling back to a trans man. Im a survivor of sexual abuse/exploitation, and I would always find myself identifying as the “stereotypical feminine woman” when I was in a worse state and wanted to be objectified, then identifying as a trans male when I wanted to be treated like a human. I figured this meant trans-manhood was what was really right for me, that womanhood was something I only went to as self harm, but recently I thought “would I want to be a man if women were treated like people too” and I realized I wouldn’t.

I support transgender and transsexual rights fully, but I really wish that there was more acknowledgment of sexism. Not just misogyny…sexism.

I thought I was above misogyny, but I’m only recently realizing at age 19 that I didn’t view women as human the way I viewed men as human, and I felt this way because of how I’ve been treated as a female all my life. The way people treat you from birth goes beyond anything a male could comprehend, and it’s so engrained that no one even notices it. We’re not allowed to express emotions or opinions because it’s “too much” and we’re “too loud” especially if we’re not white (which I’m not), we have to do so much more work to be considered an equal by men, we’re talked about in society as objects to be obtained rather than living breathing complex humans, we’re not given margin for error like men are, we’re held to higher standards, we’re constantly forced to prove ourselves in every single capacity in a way men never have to, we’re treated as objects and toys and constantly referred to only with degrading misogynist slurs, we’re aborted for our sex and not given the same education as male classmates and shut out of conversations and objectified before we can even walk, When it’s laid out like that, yeah it’s no wonder so many women (myself included) feel like manhood is the key to humanity. Because It is. Because in society there are people and women, and the current queer community is all too comfortable to bulldoze over this oppression and pretend there’s no such thing as sexism because acknowledging that means challenging their “everyone is valid uwu” shit. Im not saying there aren’t just actual trans men, of course there are, but come on.

Hey :) sorry for the late answer, I've been a bit busy so yeah

I think I kinda get what you mean when you say that you are transmasculine, and I personally think that if that's the best word to describe it, you should go for it! Identity is always a personal matter. I would however argue that identity does not override material reality, and in political terms, we are defined by our biological sex, amongst other things :)

And yes, you are so right when you say that there should be more of an acknowledgement of sexism in the trans community! Women are seen as subhuman, and a woman has to do much more than a man to just be considered a person. That is especially true in the intersection with race and sex.

And well, the trans gender community relies on upholding gender. How many transmasculine people do you see being annoyed when they're being called "she", and they say stuff like "You're calling me she? With my short hair? Dressed like this??"

the recognition of a member of one sex as a member of the opposite sex is much, much harder without gender steretoypes. Abolishing gender leaves us with the cold, hard reality of the oppression of the female sex. I feel like gender is all the pretty fluff and mystification of a brutal truth: Women are seen as less than human.

And yes, I also sometimes feel like I have to be super androgynous to be considered human. But I'm not, and trying to change your sex instead of changing the oppressive systems is like trying to be straight instead of challenging homophobia.

Anyways, I'm glad you're here :) Here's a cat with an octopus on it's head for you :)

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otmaaromanovas · 2 years ago

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OTMA's personalities according to Colonel Evgeny Stepanovich Kobylinsky

Kobylinsky is a fascinating inividual, here is a short summary of his life: Colonel Kobylinsky was employed by the Provisional Government and oversaw the Romanovs during their captivity in the Alexander Palace and Tobolsk. He was eventually replaced due to being viewed as not strict enough, and enabling their desires for activity and entertainment. Unusually, he went on to join the White Army in 1918, until he was captured and sent to a concentration camp. In order to escape the camp, he traded his freedom for a position in the Red Army. He eventually married Klavdia Mikhailovna Bitner, friend and tutor to OTMAA. Together they had one son. In 1927 he was accused of being part of a 'monarchical conspiracy' against the Soviet State and was executed by firing squad. Bitner was also arrested under a similar charge ten years later, and executed. Their son, Innokenty Evgenievich, was orphaned aged seventeen. He was drafted into the Red Army, and fought against the Nazi invasion.

"The Grand Duchess Olga was a nice looking young blonde, about twenty-three; her type was Russian. She was fond of reading, capable and mentally well developed; spoke English well and German badly. She had some talent for art, played the piano, sang, (she learned singing in Petrograd; her voice was soprano), and she painted well. She was very modest and did not care for luxury.

Her clothes were modest and she restrained her sisters from extravagance in dress. She gave altogether the impression of a good, generous-hearted Russian girl. It looked as if she had had some sorrows in her life and still carried traces of it. It seemed to me that she loved her father more than she loved her mother. She also loved her brother, and called him "The Little One" or "The Baby.

The Grand Duchess Tatiana was about twenty. She was quite different from her sisters. You recognised in her the same features that were in her mother — the same nature and the same character. You felt that she was the daughter of an emperor. She had no liking for art. Maybe it would have been better for her had she been a man. When the emperor and empress left Tobolsk nobody would ever have thought that the Grand Duchess Olga was the senior of the remaining members of the imperial family. If any questions arose it was always Tatiana who was appealed to. She was nearer to her mother than the other children; and it seemed that she loved her mother more than her father.

The Grand Duchess Maria was eighteen ; she was tall, strong, and better looking than the other sisters. She painted well and was the most amiable. She always used to speak to the soldiers, questioned them, and knew very well the names of their wives, the number of their children, and the amount of land owned by the soldiers. All the intimate affairs in such cases were always known to her. Like the Grand Duchess Olga, she loved her father more than the rest. On account of her simplicity and affability she was given the pet name by the family of "Mashka." And by this term she was called by her brother and by her sisters.

The Grand Duchess Anastasia, I believe, was seventeen. She was over-developed for her age; she was stout and short, too stout for her height; her characteristic feature was to see the weak points of other people and to make fun of them. She was a comedian by nature and always made everybody laugh. She preferred her father to her mother and loved Maria Nicholevna more than the other sisters.

All of them, including Tatiana, were nice, modest and innocent girls. There is no doubt they were cleaner in their thoughts than the majority of girls nowadays.

The czarevitch was the idol of the whole family. He was only a child and his characteristic features were not yet worked out. He was a very clever, capable and lively boy. He spoke Russian, French and English, and did not know a word of German.

In general, I could say about the whole imperial family that they all loved each other and were so satisfied with their family life that they did not need nor look for intercourse with other people. Never before in my life have I seen, and probably never again shall I see, such a good, friendly and agreeable family."

SOURCE: The Last Days of the Romanovs, published 1920, George Gustav Telberg, Robert Wilton, Nikolai Sokolov, ch. Examination of E. S. Kobylinsky

PHOTOS: Colonel Kobylinsky, dates unknown. Arrest photograph of Klavdia Mikhailovna Kobylinskaya, formerly Bitner, shortly before her execution

#Ipatiev House #Ekaterinburg #Alexander Palace #captivity #romanovs #OTMA #sources #descriptions #Olga Nikolaevna #Tatiana Nikolaevna #Maria Nikolaevna #Anastasia Nikolaevna #Colonel Kobylinski #Klaudia Bitner #Klavdia Bitner #Alexei Nikolaevich

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littlestarlost · 2 years ago

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Yellowjackets is a show about trauma. I don't know what else to tell you.

Alright, blood hive, here we go again.

We're about halfway through season 2 at this point, and I remain more convinced than ever that a large portion of the viewing public is not fundamentally listening to what the wilderness the showrunners are trying to say. If you're looking for a singular capital-R Reason for everything we see in the show, you're looking at the wrong stuff. So here are some more thoughts.

(Spoilers for all of Yellowjackets up to S2E5, "Two Truths and a Lie")

One: Yellowjackets is a show about trauma and its relationship to magical thinking.

I get another grey hair every time I see someone trying to puzzle out just what is in the woods.

There's nothing in the woods, y'all. Nothing. Until I'm proven wrong by the show itself, this is the hill I will stubbornly die on. But show has been EXTREMELY consistent this whole time in its ambiguity, and in my opinion anyone using the red string and thumbtacks approach to Yellowjackets is being played for a fool. It doesn’t matter if there’s actually an entity in the woods (there isn’t), or if Lottie actually has powers (she doesn’t); what matters is that the survivors are clinging to any answers they can grasp in a situation full of unknowns, and so are we. Part of what’s so devastating about their plight is that there’s no real reason for any of it. This is the basis for literally every religion humans have ever had; we’ve been grasping at ritual and magical thinking for millennia. We are observing the growth of that dependence and ritual right now, in the second season. We are also seeing the consequences of that situation in the future. We are seeing how the power of thought can provide both comfort and further trauma.

I suspect that we will never learn the meaning behind the mysterious symbol. I've seen theories that it's a witch's mark, or even that it's a miner's signal and that all the weird stuff happening to the Yellowjackets is the result of mercury poisoning because they're inadvertently on top of an old mine. That's a nice theory, but I don't think it's correct, and I also don't think it should be revealed anyway. It doesn't ultimately matter what the symbol meant to the dead guy or his cabin; what matters is what the symbol represents for the Yellowjackets themselves.

Two: Yellowjackets is a show about trauma and the way it twists the unknown.

I am fascinated but frustrated by the apparent age split with fans. It seems to me that there's a pretty good-sized gap between the older fans of the show, who would have been kids/teenagers in the 90s (including me), and the gen Z viewers, the latter of which seem unable to really really understand just how wild the wilderness is. The generational split here is with those who remember how VCRs work because we had them and those who have never needed to know. It's a split between we who went through our primary school years without access to Wikipedia and those who have had the wealth of human knowledge in their pockets since they were children.

I’ve watched people do all sorts of questioning and speculating, and it almost always traces back to whether or not you understand how the world worked before smartphones, AKA most of human history. Let me answer some of those questions right now off the top of my head:

How could the Yellowjackets not be found for 19 months?

People used to just fucking vanish, fam. We did not have GPS, we did not have trackers, we barely had battery-powered walkmen. People vanished all the time, and were never ever seen again. Sometimes they did it on purpose, and a lot of the time they disappeared by accident or malice, and a lot of times they died. 1996 doesn't seem that long ago in terms of technology, but it is. People still go missing to this day, even with all our tech tracking us everywhere. Canada is fucking huge and a lot of it is mostly wilderness. Here's a photo I found from Statistics Canada with the population density of Ontario; the black areas represent places where there's basically goddamn nothing but wilderness.

2. How was there no road to the Cabin Guy's Cabin? How did he get there? How did he get supplies there?

He had a plane, and also, once again: people used to disappear all the time. In his case, he seems to have done it on purpose.

3. How could Shauna possibly deliver a child in those conditions? How could the baby be getting the nutrients it needs?

People did this successfully for tens of thousands of years, you guys. You're literally reading this post because our ancestors successfully birthed children in the middle of fucking nowhere with zero medical aid or support.

4. How could Lottie know about the bear or the starlings or or or...?

Easy: she doesn't. Not entirely, anyway. She's an empathetic person who's really good at dealing with the emotions of other people and has a sense of spirituality that appears brave and confident, and people in dire situations with a lot of chaos will depend on that with their lives.

And speaking of Lottie...

Three: Yellowjackets is a show about trauma and how it forces you to transform.

At the end of last season I believed that we were going to get a Lottie Villain Era, just like everyone else. I do not believe that now.

Everything we have seen of Lottie shows a girl who was subjected to medical abuse and/or neglect from a very very young age. Regardless of her actual powers or lack thereof, she was placed on medication by her parents and didn't come off of it until she was in a super traumatizing situation in the wilderness. During this most recent season, we have seen both Teenage and Adult Lottie struggle with her role as a spiritual leader and advisor; she's good at it, but it drains her. It isn't something she's doing out of a desire for power or control: it's something she's doing as a trauma response. That trauma response is helping others, so she keeps doing it, but it's still a trauma response. Trauma transforms you into somebody new, over and over again. The scars you bear become your armor, and then your mask, and then it's hard to know where you end and the trauma begins.

Taissa, too, is transformed by trauma. Her other self is a trauma response, similar to alters in a DID system. It comes to the front when Taissa can't deal, and it's both helpful and harmful. I'm willing to bet a lot of her college years were spent sleepwalking, as the Other One dealt with exams and soccer games and law school. Any one of us with dissociative trauma responses can speak to the way that dissociation can be a savior and an abuser in the same breath.

Four: Yellowjackets is a show about trauma and how it compounds on itself.

This most recent episode showed Natalie coming to a realization about the last time she saw Travis, and she says the words we've heard in the season trailers: there was something in the woods, something they brought back with them. Or maybe it was in them the whole time.

In my previous essay I talked about how each Yellowjacket arrived in the woods with her own traumas strapped to her back. In my mind, that's what Natalie is talking about. There is no entity in the woods to blame for all of this, no ghost or witch who can be credited with the trauma the girls experienced and inflicted. There is only the trauma itself, in all its many shapes and sizes, in all the ways it fills in the gaps and makes shadows dance by firelight and drives us to the very brink of madness, holding us back by a fraying tether.

Yellowjackets is a show about trauma. The show's theme song rings out every episode: No return, no return, no reason. There is no return to the way things were. There is no return that can erase what you've been through. There is no reason for all of this, except for the one that's been very explicitly outlined via themes and story and dialogue and flashbacks and framing.

Yellowjackets is a show about trauma. It's the only answer we have, and I suspect--and hope--that it's the only answer we're ever going to get.

#yellowjackets

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howmanygsdoesoneneed · 2 months ago

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the Dragon Age VG fandom is a bit of a bummer (sometimes)

I'm not even talking about the incels and gamerbros who are complaining about how the game is too woke. They're not worth talking about, and it's hard to think of them as genuine DA fans. If the ability to have top surgery scars on your Rook (a 100% optional trait that you don't have to have for yourself) is such a turnoff that you won't play the game, then I have to wonder if you were that enthusiastic in the first place.

Anyway. Don't care about them, and fun is too good for them.

What really is a bummer to me is the genuine fans who seem to be talking themselves out of liking the game in advance. Like, some of them talk up Origins so much, and it's clear that their memories are rose-tinted and highly nostalgic, and they're basically comparing VG not to Origins itself, but to their memories of playing it for the first time.

(ETA: Just to clarify, I'm talking mostly about the Facebook side of the fandom. There's a ton of DA groups on Facebook. The larger ones tend towards being public and accepting anyone, while the smaller ones are usually private and tend to be more left-leaning & inflict the banhammer liberally on assholes. Mostly, the behavior I'm talking about in this post happens in the bigger groups, which have a wider range of people, including those who complain about "wokeness" and who like to spread negative rumors as far and as fast as they can. Side note: These people are also mostly male, so it's a total hoot when you realize that this behavior is basically gossiping, a pastime that is normally attributed to women and viewed negatively by men and society in general.)

And they're almost talking themselves into not liking VG just because it's so different from what they remember Origins being. And how could it be anywhere near the same? Origins was 15 years ago - not only is it a different game, but 15 years later you're almost a different person. Plus there's 15 years of tech upgrades - games can do so much more now so there are probably some mechanics from Origins that are just basically defunct now. Plus tastes have changed, and they do have to make a game that people want to play.

Basically just lots of reasons for why VG is different from the other games, but Origins most especially. So the die-hard Origins fans are unhappy with what they hear about VG, especially in terms of how it's different from Origins. And this makes them particularly vulnerable to rhetoric from the anti-woke haters, even if they themselves are not especially "anti-woke" (I fucking hate using that term after it's basically been appropriated and abused, but it's what they're using and so it's useful shorthand). So I see all these people who are just talking themselves into disliking Veilguard without ever having played it, for reasons that don't have much to do with the game itself. I feel kind of bad for those people, because they're going to miss out on what I think is going to be a great game. Even if they do play it, their enjoyment is going to be colored by all of that negativity.

(And I know, why should I care? It's nothing to do with me, not my fault, etc. It's just a bummer, because it's happening all the time in fandom spaces that once you get "anti-woke" people in there they make it less fun.)

Anyway. This is why I tend not to put much stock in game reviews, and don't even read most of them. I don't want my perceptions to be affected by anyone else's opinion, and it's so easy for that to happen. Case in point, I read the review from The Guardian. It was the first one I saw, and I figured I might as well look at one, at least. The reviewer mentioned that combat seems to rely a lot on dodging, and that is mildly concerning, because I'm fucking terrible at executing defensive movements in real time. Like, just really, really bad. I've never been great at that fully real-time combat style, and I am 50 now so I'm only going to get worse. I usually do pick things up eventually, but it can take more than one playthrough sometimes. In this case it hopefully won't make much difference, because I can always turn the difficulty level down if I need to. I'm a completionist in terms of content, but not achievements, so I'm not worried about completing the game on nightmare for the 100% (I would like to do a full playthrough on hard, but that's going to come much later. I don't care if I have to turn down the difficulty on my first run.)

On the other hand, that review and other content peeks have seemed to suggest that combat options are limited (in that you only have three or so abilities available in combat), and that tends to be a good thing for me, because I am usually a pretty unadventurous tactician. I'm not one of those people who uses spells in imaginative ways, like using force spells to push enemies off cliffs and such. I typically end up with 2-3 favorite abilities that I use constantly and forget about most of the others. (BG3 has helped me a little bit with that, though, because you can do so much in combat that I'm starting to get interested in trying things.)

So, clearly, reviews are just incredibly subjective. For instance, the reviewer for The Guardian also maligned various memory aids, like the fact that the journal has mission summaries for completed missions, and other things. Which I totally disagree with, because those features are like a fucking miracle for me. I have a shit memory, so I appreciate whatever help I can get in that area.

When I used to play the old 90s RPGs, like the first Might and Magic games and such, fuuuuuck. The amount of backtracking I used to do, the hours wasted looking for a specific house in a town with no map and where all the streets and houses looked exactly the same. Maps and waypoints and the like are the work of geniuses and make gameplay so much more enjoyable (I remember this one game, totally forget what it was called, but you could just flat out lose the game if you didn't take a specific quest-related action before a timer ran out, but they didn't tell you there was a timer, and I forgot where I was supposed to do the quest turn-in, and basically got stuck in an end-of-the-world death loop and had to restart the whole thing, when I was already about halfway through.)

I think gaming is easily the most subjective artistic/entertainment medium in existence. Not only do you have visual and story elements, you are an active participant in your own entertainment, so there are game mechanics to contend with as well. There's just a ton of different elements to like or dislike, far more than any other kind of media. So that's the main reason I don't care about game reviews -- they're just so subjective that I don't often find them a useful way to know if a game is worth buying. I'm just as likely to buy a game off the back of a bad review as I am a good one. Reviews are mainly useful for finding out if there are game-breaking bugs at launch.

So this turned into a bit of a ramble, especially when the TLDR is that fandom can be a bummer sometimes. It just sucks that the Veilguard launch has been affected by so much negativity. And it makes me wonder if this is just how it's going to be now, for anything with even a hint of inclusion about it. It certainly seems that way. I wish that people could be more open to change (and maybe less inclined to be driven by nostalgia for older versions of pre-existing properties). And I wish that people were more open-minded about things like top surgery scars and vitiligo. It's not hurting anyone to include those options, and it can really help people and make them feel seen.

#Dragon Age #Veilguard #Dragon Age: The Veilguard #Dragon Age fandom #Veilguard reviews #fandom #many digressions

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normallyxstranger · 2 days ago

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WITCHES/WARLOCKS

The following info is copied/pasted from BESTIARY. All creatures, species, etc. are based on various folklore, mythology, and my personal canon with various media influences. Information is not complete and is a constant work-in-progress. Further updates can be found at the above link.

Pertains to the following characters:

Victor Foster

Mara Foster

Andy Foster

Vinnie Foster

Wren Ashley

Tabitha Ashley

Neoma Myles

Danica Franklin

Mason Davis

Alexandra Cappello

Bernice Dolan

Ree

People who are born of a magical family with inherent magical talents are known as witches. If your mother was a witch, or your father was a witch (in some cases both) and you were born with magical abilities–you’re a witch too–regardless of gender.

Those who are born without magic or from a non-magical line but learns how to perform spells can also be called a witch, but they are generally not as powerful, nor have family connections. There are, however, always exceptions to this. Someone who has learned magic can also call themselves a wizard or sorcerer though it’s not that common.

Witches possess a range of many different inherent abilities. These talents tend to pass from parent to child in varying degrees of potency. Powers and skills vary between individual witches and even family groups. One talent that all witches possess is basic spellcraft and it can be learned even by those born without magic.

Witches from magical families are considered human, but in addition to magical talent, they possess longevity. They are certain not immortal and are susceptible to human weaknesses, but they age much slower and tend to live longer. A typical lifespan can be up to 150 years, though there are very few who live so long.

Many hereditary witches form covens, and many of these covens are connected among the communities. Some of these covens act as governing bodies to the magical world–they try to keep dangerous practitioners at bay and there are covens completely devoted to managing and correcting magical mishaps within the community. Most covens prefer to keep themselves secret to the outside world for fear of persecution. They tend to operate as schools, academies, safe houses, halfway houses, institutions, charities, and the like as a cover for what they really are.

Some witches and their covens do not fear persecution and are completely open to the public eye–but they tend to be dismissed as religious organizations, or else not taken seriously. Any persecution received from the outside world is usually easily taken care of with a few redirection spells.

There are some branches of magic, some abilities, spells, rituals that are more difficult and require more power. Such talents include necromancy.

A note on warlocks:

Warlock does not exclusively refer to a male or masculine witch. The term warlock is from the Old English wǣrloga meaning “oathbreaker” or “deceiver”. Warlocks are witches of a morally gray or dark conscience. They have either betrayed fellow witches before, or have done terrible things within the community. Their power is usually very dark, very concentrated, and they have no scruples in using it for their own purposes. Warlocks are not always considered evil, but they do have those tendencies more often than not.

A note on necromancy:

Raising the dead is not as simple as just chanting a spell and raising a body. It generally requires a sacrifice, a balance, and is one reason why it is considered taboo. It is difficult to do. If a ritual involving necromancy fails, the deceased will return wrong–as a zombie, or even as a revenant, bound to the witch’s will. While this may be the goal of some, it is generally viewed as a failure of true necromantic talent.

Rituals involving necromancy could be both mundane and grotesque, but almost always elaborate–often involving talismans, incantations, magic circles, candles, symbols, and wands. The necromancer might wear the clothes of the deceased, sit for days without moving, or even mutilate and eat corpses as a way to call out to the other side. They may choose melancholy locations that were well-suited to their guidelines, like the home of the deceased subject, a church, or a dark graveyard. All of these morbid practices were just the warm-up for the eventual summoning of the spirit. To raise a physical body from the other side, the process had to occur within so many years of death (the sooner the better) otherwise the necromancer would only be able to evoke the ghost, not the real person. Corpses older than a few years can still be resurrected–it just requires a great deal more power. A sacrifice, or balance of some kind (life for a life) is required to raise a body completely from the dead.

A note on Witches of Scintil:

Witches are the most common species in Scintil (see LOCALES & ORGANIZATIONS) They are humanoid with magical talents, but they are non-human. They may look entirely human but they are not. Specific abilities often run in family groups or clans, though not always. Ree is one such example.

#bestiary #bestiary; witches #canons #.Andy.#.Mara.#.Victor.#.Vinnie.#.Wren.#.Tabitha.#.Neoma.#.Danica.#.Mason.#.Alexandra.#.Bernice.#.Ree.

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practically-an-x-man · 7 months ago

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IDK who to ask you this about... Um... free choice??

5, 6, 7, 13

also 16, 18, 20, and

21... is there anything you'd like to share about your characters, their experiences, Pride, etc?

Thank you!! I think I'm going to answer this for Jimmy, since you're familiar with him and I haven't answered any of these for him yet :D

Pride Themed OC Ask Game

5. How did you figure out your oc's identity?

It was a combination of two things: one, I got some queer vibes from Lars when I watched the movie; and two, making a character a ghost means there's all sorts of historical culture and perspective you can play with, and I figured that would be interesting.

6. How does your oc feel about labels? Theirs, or in general?

In general, he's getting better about it. There are a lot of labels that are new to him, even ones that wouldn't necessarily be foreign to a modern queer person, so he's still trying to learn what they all mean.

For himself, his labels are possibly a little old-fashioned (it took him a while just to switch to "gay" when the common term in his time was... not that) but again, he means well and is trying to get caught up to speed.

7. Is there something that could cause your oc to question their identity? What?

Not really. He's been reminded of his identity his whole life, and most of his afterlife, for better or worse. He's questioned if it would be easier to suppress that part of his identity for societal reasons, just to marry a woman and ignore those feelings, but he didn't question his identity itself.

13. Would your oc be open to a poly relationship? Why or why not?

He'd have to work through some socially-ingrained standards of monogamy, since he comes from a time that was very strict about marriage and family values, but I think individually he'd be open to it once he worked through it. He's a loving, affectionate guy just by nature, I could definitely see him in a poly relationship if it presented itself.

____

16. Did you ever change an oc's identity when they were already established? Why?

I answered this one before, but the short answer is: yes in drafting/brainstorming, not once I've started publishing/posting their stories.

18. Do you prefer to give your ocs specific labels, or keep it unspecified? Why? If applicable, do you change their labels depending on circumstance?

It depends on what the OCs' perspective on it would be, based on their particular social and historical experiences.

People like Jasper and Katherine are more likely to understand or use microlabels, since they're younger, in the modern age, and have access to the internet and queer communities.

Kestrel and Eris would understand the different labels but wouldn't use them, since they view their gender identities as innate or outside modern labels. Kestrel's identity is tied to them being a changeling, and Eris' perspective is influenced from centuries of witnessing human views on queerness.

Jimmy, or my less-spoken about OC Vivienne, wouldn't give themselves specific labels because those labels didn't necessarily exist in their time periods. Vivienne would technically be nonbinary, and her being a siren is a metaphor for that, but in her time period that term didn't exist the same way it does today.

Rae, Robin, Madison, and Nikoletta might understand some labels but not all of them, due to their time periods or social circumstances (ex. Rae and Robin being from the 80s, Madison from the 60s, Nikoletta having spent most of her life in prison/isolated)

Anyway. Very long answer just to say that it depends on the OC.

20. Have your ocs helped you in self discovery? How?

Oh, absolutely. I process a lot of things through my OCs, and I've definitely worked through my thoughts on my identity using some of my OCs. Writing as a whole is a good way for me to process things, my identity included.

21… is there anything you'd like to share about your characters, their experiences, Pride, etc?

I think one of the biggest themes in my writing is this idea of "I love you enough that I want to learn", where one character is introduced to a particular community through their S/O and may not understand it immediately, but cares so much about their partner that they make a genuine effort to learn and understand. Sometimes this is candidly queer, like Jasper and Kyle's relationship; other times it's through superpowers or other fantasy elements, like with Nikoletta and Abner (their powers also represent chronic illness) or Warren and Kestrel.

Usually it's a mix of multiple things too, like Billy adapting to both Quinn's being transgender and her disabilities. It's just a repeat theme for me, but in a good way.

I think it's because I tend to write what I want, and as someone who is both queer and has physical difficulties/disabilities, I really just want a partner who will be open to learning about my experiences even if they don't understand it from the beginning. I don't expect someone to "get it" right away, I just want someone to be willing to put in the effort.

#my friends!!!#answered asks #ask game #my ocs #jimmy luciano

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vegalores · 1 year ago

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Tom Cruise Challenge

1: First movie of his you remember seeing.

Interview With The Vampire 🧛🏻 it was around midnight or just before, in 1998 and I was seven years old. When my brother and I were younger, my Mum set up little pillow and blanket forts in the living room while she slept on the sofa. There was one night when I hadn’t gotten to sleep yet but I pretended I was so as to not alert her to the fact I ended up watching that movie with her while I lay there hiding my open eyes by facing the tv instead of where she sat on the sofa. My mum is a huge fan of Brad Pitt, so she was watching it for that reason. I recall being both equally terrified and infatuated with Lestat. I only informed her I had snuck a viewing of that movie about three years ago and she was highly entertained.

2: The last movie of his you watched.

Had a much needed rewatch of Rain Man about two hours ago because I was browsing our movie library and spotted it on the first page so just decided that would do just fine. I’ve not watched it for at least four years, but it’s a classic and a gorgeous story, if you’re in the right mood for it. I generally get pretty emotional and end up deep diving into my feels.

3: Which movie of his have you watched the most?

Probably a handful if not all of them, because I rewatch all of my favourites every now and then, so since my Tom adoration began, there’s been a shitload of rewatches. I’d estimate that the ones I lean more toward for repeated viewings are Mission Impossible II, Interview With The Vampire, War Of The Worlds, Top Gun, Cocktail, Jerry Maguire, Jack Reacher and Vanilla Sky. They tend to fall into the most loved and appreciated of his movies, but I do cycle through a whole bunch of them.

4: Favorite Movie

Interview With The Vampire, hands down. As far as horror is concerned, it’s that one. Second place is Mission Impossible II and that never changes to be fair.

5: Least Favorite Movie

There are a handful I don’t really care for, including Edge Of Tomorrow, Tropic Thunder, Collateral. I just don’t find myself enjoying them very much when I watch them.

6: Favorite Character

Lestat, of course. I’m so attached to this character because of that first viewing at the impressionable age of seven. It began my lifelong appreciation of Cruise and has held strong over all the years. The light has never dimmed with that one.

7: Least Favorite Character

Les Grossman, naturally. I don’t know.. just don’t enjoy that movie or that character at all. Another one would probably be Nick Morton, mainly cause I couldn’t get into those movies at all, though I did try a number of times.

8: Underrated Movie

Far And Away 👌 also Legend, The Colour Of Money, Days Of Thunder and American Made! I wanna see way more love for all of those movies because I absolutely love them to bits.

9: Most Overrated Movie

Interview is possibly overrated? and so is Top Gun? as far as that term goes anyway, but I do not list them with distaste lol cause I really love those movies. I’m just assuming what other people would consider the most overrated.

10: Favorite Haircut

I have always loved his shoulder length ( or just above ) hair so that will always be my favourite of his styles. Thinking along the lines of his Mission Impossible II haircut and also how it is in Rain Man; both very lovely hairstyles.

11: Least Favorite Haircut

Anything that’s like super short really, like Mission Impossible, the very first one, or Jack Reacher. I think he looks better with his hair at least a little longer than that.

12: Which Movie would you like to see a sequel to?

Most of his movies that don’t have sequels, which is a lot. I want sequels to all of them because I love his characters so much. I would have loved more Chronicles movies so we could get more of his Lestat. I also would have loved a sequel to Far And Away so we could see their lives together <3 Vanilla Sky is one that also desperately needs a sequel. I also really want a Rain Man sequel and maybe also Cocktail.

13: Favorite line from one of his movies

“ You complete me. ” Rain Man

“ Don’t call me son. I’m a lawyer and an officer in the United States Navy, and you’re under arrest, you son of a bitch. ” A Few Good Men

“ Everything ends badly, otherwise it wouldn’t end. ” Cocktail

“ Don’t be afraid. I’m going to give you the choice I never had. ” Interview With The Vampire

14: Favorite scene from one of his movies

15: Favorite Mission Impossible movie

The second one! I know 99% of people hate that one the most, but it is and always has been my ansolute favourite out of the lot of them. Even as further movies for that franchise have been made, it has remained the best to me.

16: Favorite stunt

Most of his stunts for the Mission franchise! especially the one in which he is flinging himself around a rock face in number II and also his climb of the Burj Khalifa in Ghost Protocol.

17: Favorite run

All of them 🤣 they are all uniquely special. I like the run he did in Vanilla Sky a lot, though. That’s probably the best of them.

18: Which Character did you relate to the most?

Erm, probably either Jack from Legend or Joseph from Far & Away, cause I don’t think I relate to his others all that much.

19: Which Character (from books, comics etc. or a possible remake) would you love to see Tom play?

I just want to see him keep playing Lestat 😭 but I know that is not the question, lol. I’d like to see him as Heathcliff cause after Lestat, Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights is my second favourite character in literature, so definitely him.

20: If you could only watch one film of his for the rest of time, which would it be and why?

That would be a tie between my top two, so either Interview or the second Mission movie. Both for very different reasons. I’m probably gonna have to choose just one and pick Interview 😅 for the purpose of the question, but still.

21: A director you would like to see him work with.

James Cameron or Tim Burton! two of my favourites, but also would like to see him work with Spielberg again.

22: A scene where "he does that thing with his face that makes you die inside" the most

23: A sleeper hit. A movie that on the first watch you only thought of as okay, but over time it's become a favorite.

Most likely, for me, that would be Days Of Thunder. I’d never been a car girly until the first Fast movie came out, so getting into Days Of Thunder back in the day was a hard one. The one thing that helped massively, beside Tom of course, was the fact that Zimmer did the score. I absolutely loveee Zimmer. I do now very much enjoy that movie and can appreciate things a lot more.

24: Out of the three films in which he was nominated for an Oscar (Born on the 4th of July, Jerry Maguire, and Magnolia), which one SHOULD have won him the trophy and why.

See now, each of those movies is fantastic in its own way, so that’s quite hard because the performances he gave in each cannot be compared to one another. My favourite out of those movies is Jerry Maguire, but in terms of Oscars, I would say he should have gotten it for Frank TJ Mackey. While that movie is not focused entirely on that character and explores the lives of many others, Mackey had the biggest impact.

25: What's the performance that you think should have been nominated for an Oscar and why?

I wanna say Lestat so badly here. I think his take was spot on and the man did so much research and spent so much time in the books that he just embodied that character as a whole. He is the very reason I love that vampire so much and it is ‘cause of him that I even have a fascination with vampires in the first place. I have to give him credit where credit is due. Lestat is a character I think he portrayed beautifully and he did deserve a nomination for that role. Also, probably Daniel Kaffee? A Few Good Men is another fantastic performance for him.

26: Favorite 80s era Movie? Like besides Top Gun because that's obvious.

Cocktail! that gets the number one spot for this because omg younger me was obsessed with this movie and Brian. I still am but I’ve calmed down over the years, lol. That character is just perfection, in every sense of the word. I’m also still going back and forth on whether or not I’m gonna splurge and get myself a Cocktails and Dreams sign, though I don’t have a bar ✌️

27: Favorite co-star?

I really love him alongside Elisabeth Shue. I think they worked really well together. He was fantastic starring alongside Dustin Hoffman as well! and I also really like him working with Simon Pegg. They both work really well together, too.

28: Favorite fight scene? Like in everything counting M:l!

Mission Impossible II, that fight scene with the bikes will hold a special place in my heart forever. I really like his fight scenes in both Reacher movies as well, but especially the first movie and the scene where he ends up taking a bat to the back of his head and falls into the bathtub. So much is happening in that scene, it’s all over the place and so funny.

29: Actor you'd like to see him work with. (We know he's already been with everyone else ;))

My other favourites! lol. Tom is my all time favourite actor, so I would like to see him work with Johnny Depp, Gary Oldman, Leonardo Dicaprio. For the ladies, my three queens! Goldie Hawn, Emmy Rossum and Bryce Dallas Howard 🤗

30: Favorite TOM era in General?

Early 90’s to early 00’s seems to be my favourite so I’m gonna go with that cause it’s a pretty good range. I do love him in the 80’s and the 2010’s and onward, but anything between 1990 and 2006 at least, holds my heart the most.

#ooc #ooc. cruisey #tom cruise #ooc. long post is long

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i-hate-happy-endings · 7 months ago

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@aesthetic-writer18

Part 1: a economic overview of Ancient greece

Greece had pretty poor soil. They relied heavily on agricultural trade for food and their economy was reliant on imported goods. They grew olives and grapes, which were complimented by herbs and vegetables. Husbandry was badly developed, consisting mostly of sheep and goats while bees were kept for honey, which was the only source of sugar known to the greeks. Up to 80% of the Greek population was employed in the agricultural industry. Agricultural work followed the rhythm of the seasons: they harvested olives in autumn while trimming and keeping grapevines during the autumn seasons and the end of winter, while settings aside fallow land(land set aside so that it can recover nutrients) in the springs, harvesting cereals in summer and cutting wood, sowing seeds, and harvesting grapes into autumn, where the cycle would repeat. Greece had fairly mild but wet winters with hot and dry summers: typical of other mediterranean countries.Craftsmanship in greece was very much a big part of their domestic sphere(social circle), at least early on. Later around the 8th and 4th century BC(800 BC – 701 BC and 400 BC – 301 BC respectively), it moved to a more commercialized zone. Things like weaving and baking were done solely by women before the 5th century BC, before slaves were used after the expansion of commerce. Workshops were mostly family-operated and employed up until around 429 BC, following the death of Pericles, when a new class of wealthy owners and managers of workshops emerged.

Another aspect of greece’s economy was pottery. The greeks used the same method of pottery used since the bronze age. The potter's work consisted of selecting the clay, fashioning the vase, drying and painting and baking it, and then applying varnish. Part of production went to domestic use in things such as plates, containers, and lamps, commercial use for selling, and the rest served an artistic function. Pottery was often done by slaves and a few skilled artisans.

Greece practiced free trade, though later regulations were put in place to manage the trade of grains, flour, and bread. Maratime trade in greece was conducted by class of traders known as Emporoi. The state collected a duty(tax) on the cargo of Emporoi, which at Piraeus, the main port of Athens, was set to 1% or higher. One of the main drivers of trade in Ancient Greece was colonization. As larger city states set up colonies, there would be trade between the founding city and its colony. Furthermore, different climates in these colonies created a comparative advantage in goods. The growing amount of trade in greece led to new financial techniques being developed. Most merchants lacked sufficient cash assets to fund their expeditions, and as a result, had to borrow money to finance part or sometimes all of their expeditions. A loan for a large venture in athens was generally a large sum of cash(usually less that 2000 drachmas, the greek currency of the time), lent for the duration of the voyage, which typically lasted several weeks or months, and had a high rate of interest. This interest rate was often set at 12% but could reach up to a 100% interest rate. These terms were always laid out in writing. The lender bore all of the risks; in exchange, the trader committed all of their cargo and fleet. These were often seized upon arrival to Piraeus as a precautionary measure.

Greece's main exports were olive oil, wine, pottery, honey, and metalwork. Imports included grains, pork, fine pottery, eels, and pulses from Sicily, Arabia, Egypt, Ancient Carthage, and the Bosporan Kingdom. While peasants and artisans often sold their wares, there were also retail merchants known as kapeloi. They grouped into guilds and sold fish, olive oil, and vegetables. Women would sell perfume or ribbons, and merchants were required to pau a fee for their space in the marketplace. The general population viewed them poorly. Aristotle labled their activity "a kind of exchange which is justly censured, for it is unnatural, and a mode by which men gain from one another.” Greece also apparently didn't directly tax their people. The Eisphora was a tax on the very wealthy, usually only levied in wartime. Particularly large fortunes were subject to liturgies: the support of public works. The Diaspora was another form of tax which only applied to the wealthiest. The citizens could reject the taxation, however, if they believed someone else was wealthier and not being taxed. The wealthier would have to pay for the liturgy. On the other hand, indirect taxes were quite important. Taxes were levied on houses, slaves, herds and flocks, wines, and hay, among other things. Shopping centers in greece were known as Agoras. early in Greek history free-born citizens would gather in the agora for military duty or to hear statements of the ruling king or council. Every city had its agora where merchants could sell their products. Prices were rarely fixed, so bargaining was a common practice.

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chirpins · 6 months ago

Note

if you can share, how old is Alejandro in your fanfic “animals do not repent”? the line “he was no more than a teenager (albeit in human years)” is kind of confusing me

sooo ill be honest, it was lowkey more of a throwaway line. but this ask had me thinking, and i thought itd be kind of fun to try and incorporate it somehow into the world setting?

but its sort of difficult to figure it out in a way that isnt well.. weird.

im basing my fic to be somewhere around world tour time, so alejandro (and noah) are both seventeen (17) in human years. when people typically think of vampires, they imagine them to be very old (im talking like centuries old), and alejandro very well could be.

if we go with that, then id say he would be a teenager in vampire years as well, but in a more convoluted way. say, 117 years old instead, but the 17 is the important indicator.

but still, thinking of it that way, its like well lots of vampire romance never really delves into how these vampires are just.. way older than their love interests? (looking at you, twilight). and then, the line i included wouldnt make much sense.

then it had me thinking about how species age differently from humans in general, for example dogs; one year to a human is the equivalent of fifteen years to dogs. then i was like hmm, thatd still be pretty old if we went with that sort of logic in regards to vampires; i.e, me trying to doggify vampire years.

so then i was like, well what animals are associated with vampires? bats! it took me a while to figure out how bats work in terms of ages, since they hibernate. well, apparently bat years are younger than human years. perfect right?

.. theeen i figured out that 17 human years is the equivalent to 3/4 years in bat. which arguably is worse.. so its like.. lets just disregard that line in that context.

we can say that maybe old vampires view young ones as inherently more childish than their actual ages. lets say alejandros parents are significantly older than him, and that theres this whole hierarchy in terms of how long youve been a vampire (and given that only bloodborne vampires exist these days, alejandro would be considered the youngest vampire to date). this would give some ground to him feeling mature in his age, but those around him view him as a childish babyvamp, despite him not being so.

but then itd also be hard to incorporate other vampire things in regards to alejandro, since hed have to be so new to the world both vampirically and humanly.

so .. i should really stop zoning out when im writing, seeing as it led me to this sort of plothole. lets just stick with him being 17 for the sake of all our minds. im not mathmatically inclined enough to figure out a way to make it cool. ill probably go back and rewrite that line in a way that is less.. confusing.

hopefully this ask helped.. my head is spinning.

#asks #animals do not repent #i am in fact NOT a good writer.. or a seasoned one either. i go with the flow unfortunately

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wikifuck · 10 months ago

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Fetcher Bree (he/him), 32 (werewolf)

Overview

Fetcher is a risktaker, never afraid to chase a thrill or accomplish everything in the least convenient way possible. Consequences? Don't know her.

He can turn on the charm if needed but rarely exploits his ability to do so out of a mix of pure incompetence and laziness.

He likes pretending to be a tough guy, dressing in leather jackets and dark jeans even in the heat of summer. He is smart but not smart enough to avoid heatstroke.

When he decides to care about something he could quite possibly take over the world if he wanted to, though due to being easier to distract than a cat in a laser factory he would struggle to get a project that big ever complete.

He has a big family that he lives with, or in his words is stuck with, as well as having a lovely fiance and a bright future ahead of him. The problem is that his fiance is a woman chosen by his parents, and Fetcher is gay. Until something beautiful arrives in the little town he calls home and turns the place upside down as it leaves, fetcher feels stuck and annoyed, having lost hope for an escape.

Like this character? Read his story here! :)

• ━━━━━ • ☽ • ━━━━━ •

Genre :: Fantasy, Contemporary Romance

• ━━━━━ • ☽ • ━━━━━ •

Name

Chewy Fetcher Bree

Fetcher goes by his second name and only his family calls him by the first. It's too cute for his tastes. Canineshifters from his area often name their pups similarly to how witches (or who we would on Earth call humans) might name their pets.

:: ஓ๑♡๑ஓ

Birthday

June 6

☯

Age

32 years old

Despite being very much an adult, Fetcher seldom acts like one. One might compare him to a bratty teen, especially when it comes to his views on authority figures and healthy coping mechanisms (he has none)

☯

Zodiac

Gemini

I'm not very good at remembering the western zodiac traits. Still, if communication, wittiness and being funny, curiosity, being outgoing and impulsivity are the traits of a Gemini, then they fit him like a glove.

:: ஓ๑♡๑ஓ

Gender

Cis male

☯

Sexuality

Gay

☯

Pronouns

He/him

• ━━━━━ • ☾ • ━━━━━ •

Personality

Overall Personality

Funny, charming, smart and impulsive, if he wanted to get something done he could get it easily. Even becoming a politician.

Were this to happen, humanity's last hope would probably turn out to be treats, as the way into the heart of this man is indeed through the stomach. His lack of impulse control means he has no idea when to stop and often ends up looking like a golden retriever gorging itself, though luckily with maybe two added brain cells.

He loves to study and throughout his long and fruitful career of living off his mother, he has completed many degrees he never plans to use. He has an interest in science and languages, but due to family pressure, he also has a degree in economics.

The point of that degree was to give him a good understanding of what he would be jumping into as the oldest and therefore the heir. He has spent all of his life up to the events of Puppylove doing his best to avoid having to inherit everything. Being essentially the mafia boss of a small town might sound like a cushy job, but acting as the boss of all six of his siblings, a town of witches and all the clans in neighbouring towns, sounds to him more like torture.

He enjoys the company of animals of all sizes, even the smallest.🐌 If given the opportunity he will meditate alone in nature for hours. I like to imagine that when he does that there is a faint ding every once in a while as his singular brain cell sails around his skull, because there for sure isn't anything profound happening in there.

🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌He hates seeing snails and worms get crushed on the street after it rains and his hobbies include meticulously saving every snail he sees 🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌

In terms of active vs. passive trauma response Fetcher is generally passive but in certain situations, he switches to active. He is more motivated by the well-being of those he cares about than his own thoughts or feelings. He isn't exactly the pinnacle of altruism yet he can go out of his way to help others while expecting no reward.

For such a cynical person, Fetcher is a little naive. His family, as shitty as they are, did accommodate him by being honest with him. However, they probably did exploit his naivety by lying to him about things that they wanted to keep secret. This bad but well-meaning act has left him with a sorely lacking understanding of how neurotypicals or society in general act.]

:: ஓ๑♡๑ஓ

Love Language

Since he gets bored easily he is rather hard to please. Food gifts are a reliable way to get through to him how much the giver cares about him.

He was never taught to show love properly so he often devolves into mindlessly doing everything his target of affection asks, be that appropriate or not. This doesn't really make him feel satisfied but he has yet to learn a better tactic. Hopefully being around people who appreciate him will alleviate this.

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Brain

The state of his mental health is mixed. Though he likes to think he is okay and "normal," he has unmedicated AuDHD and plenty of unaddressed issues stemming from his childhood. Thanks to this he never developed healthy ways to accommodate himself and often ends up going along with whatever his lowered impulse control tells him to do. A thrill is a thrill, be that overindulging in treats, drinks or sex under questionable circumstances.

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Habits

Fetcher has a habit of overexplaining when under stress. Even when he manages to hold it back, he often uses run-on sentences while looking like he isn't taking a single inhale in between words.

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Fears

Though I don't know what he fears, I know whatever it is, it is the reason he is so detached and apathetic all the time.

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Flaws

The aforementioned apathy is one of his biggest problems, though it is not so much internal as it is caused by his environment. Once he gets into a healthier place, he starts unpacking why he doesn't care about others if they don't give him something obvious in return or aren't in his face all day due to living in the same household.

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Appearance

Overall Appearance

as described by his love interest

"His presence wasn’t threatening whatsoever, despite his stature, outfit, and the obvious fact he was a shifter.

"He was like a Greek god; just as handsome as his older sister, but in a more masculine way. Alejandro couldn’t help but admire the dark, thick, curly beard and hair, meticulously groomed to follow the jaw, before ending at a rounded point at the chin. It was as if he had climbed from the side of an ancient painted vase, with strong, dark features, and serious, intelligent eyes. He was tall and menacing, and the heavy, brown leather jacket extenuated his broad shoulders. The man was certainly taller than any human Alejandro had seen in decades. He could reach any shelf he wished, that Alejandro knew for sure. Yet, even under the beard, and the jacket that seemed way too hot for the bright summer weather, he looked pale and frail. His eyes were sunken, and his cheeks, almost hollow. He was strong, but something was eating him alive; something no one else seemed to be able to notice."

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Tattoo's

On his right forearm he has an incomplete sleeve tattoo comprised of a prominent collection of bands he listens to for the biker boy aesthetic, peppered with references to media he is actually passionate about. The whole thing looks faded and several years old, indicating that he got distracted and has no intention of continuing it any time soon.

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Piercings

He has two. Not that his ace boyfriend would find them though.

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Clothing Styles

Would he wear a dress?

Absolutely.

In public?

Hell no.

Does he wear makeup?

No.

Would he wear makeup if he knew how to use it?

Yes. Yes, he would. It would be subtle and natural

Everyday style

His everyday style is very rigid, mostly comprised of black leather and jeans in his human form. In beast form, he wears nothing unless it's cold outside. Though he has the money and the wish to look stylish, he often still ends up looking rugged and unwashed after disappearing to who knows where chasing squirrels or something. When he deviates from this look he usually lets others decide for him what he should wear.

Cold weather

Since his coat isn't very warm, in the colder parts of the year he can be seen wearing doggy clothes in his usual colours. This usually looks like A jacket, socks and a hat designed to be easy to put on and remove only using one's teeth and thumbless paws.

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Species

Weremane, a species of human related to werewolves that, as the name suggests, can turn into maned wolves. Unlike the werefolk of myth, these creatures can shift between their human and beast forms at will, without a worry about the full moon. Though maned wolves are solitary, thanks to humans being social animals, weremains can choose between living in packs or alone. Like most canine shifters, they tend to stick tightly to their family unit. Unlike nonsapient (or "normal") maned wolves, weremanes don't smell like weed. Well except for the ones that smoke.

Since even in beast form everyone likes being heard, shifters of all shapes have developed languages to converse with each other with the tools they have. Weremanes are no exception to this, and their language is called Manelish. This language consists of various growls and barks, as well as the famous roarbark.

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Culture

Though different from witches in many ways, shifters don't tend to have distinct cultures from them out of a misguided belief that if they try to meld in they won't be messed with. It's not like racist/speciest people will just make up excuses to be shitty, right?

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Religion

Though raised in the christian faith in a world with magic in it, he isn't very religious. At best, he has a vague feeling that if God exists, it's a cat. He wouldn't worship a God even if he knew one existed.

"No god that makes things work this way deserves any fucking respect"

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Language

Fetcher knows how to speak English and Spanish. English is his mother tongue and he studied Spanish out of boredom from being stuck living at home.

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Setting

Though distinct from Earth in many ways, the planet Puppylove takes place in is based on/inspired by it. Things like countries and languages are roughly the same, though not exactly. The time period is not yet clear but it's roughly speaking contemporary.

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Location

Before the events of Puppylove, Fetcher lived at home in Burneye, an idyllic little town in the countryside, one that his ancestors founded and his family still runs. He lives in the little tower of his family's mansion.

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Occupation

He is a full-time bum, never having worked a day in his life despite being in his 30s. Not that he could ever keep a job down, even with nepotism at play.

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Fact's

Shifters can have a preference for presenting in humanoid or beast form day to day. Though the split is roughly 50/50, most choose to present in humanoid form regardless of preference to fit in better. Fetcher's preference is rather neutral and he fluently switches depending on his mood and the "appropriateness" of the situation

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Theme Song

Animal

Chase Holfelder

It's a banger and it's so his vibe. He would totally put it on a loop on his headphones as he stares out the car window pretending to be the main character in a movie.

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Theme book

The Something Like series by Jay Bell, but he would especially enjoy Something Like Hail

The books are complex and interconnected, which would get him to pour over them looking for every last reference. He would especially enjoy the themes of Hail and in a weird way relate to Noah, the main character, even if their struggles and likes and dislikes are nothing alike. In essence, he would be obsessed with the book but understand it totally wrong.

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Relationships

Family tree

Familial relationships

Chaser Bella Bree(89), father's mother

Though everyone sees Bella as unnecessarily difficult, she isn't malicious. Just selfish. In her eyes everything is fine and she cares for everyone dearly. Fetcher however has gotten the strong impression that if he were to disobay her directly he would be instantly disowned. She is old and as is typical for older people with low self-awareness, she will be appreciated more in death than in life.

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Chewy Bounce Bree(58), mother

A savvy and territorial woman at work and home alike, Chewy is a force to be reckoned with. Due to the death of her husband, she has been co-parenting with her mother-in-law for over a decade now. Though good at masking, those around her with any understanding of neurodivergence know she has ADHD. Coincidentally she is amazing at everything she is passionate about, poetry, combat sports and all social aspects of business. She is probably the worst of everyone in the family when it comes to obsessions with family lines. Someone needs to introduce this woman to the Sims games to get her away from meddling with her kid's love lives.

Though she is strict and at times unreasonable, Fetcher gets along with her fairly well and it is widely accepted among the kids that by being friends with his mother Fetcher has accidentally doomed himself to be the heir.

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Father, unknown

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Straight Call Bree(25), sister

Most would agree that Call would have been the more fitting heir in every aspect over her brother. She is responsible, intelligent and creative in the way she gets things done. Fetcher wouldn't be surprised if she held some resentment toward him for happening to have been born first. He doesn't comprehend the fact that Call thinks he is okay and appreciates his company when he manages to take things marginally seriously.

In reality, their mother and grandmother have been debating the issue for years, Bounce being of the opinion Call should learn the same skills Fetcher has been primed in just in case he messes up, and Bella believes that Call is simply not a leader. She is a follower and would make for an excellent righthand woman for her brother's leadership. "All the boy needs is some motivation," Bella says, "Then it will all work perfectly!"

Has anyone asked Call anything on the matter? Of course not. That would make too much sense. She has resorted not to worry about it for her own sanity.

She married young, as is the tradition in the family, and she had the twins at the ripe old age of 19.

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Dig Bree(24), brother-in-law

Dig is Call's husband and if she is the 2nd in command he is her most loyal general. Dig and Fetcher get along decently but due to a lack of overlapping interests, they rarely interact.

He gets his name from the fact he enjoys digging and has done so from an early age. He uses this passion to help his mother-in-law clean up the backyard... after turning it upside down again.

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Nip Tackle(25), sister

Despite, or perhaps due to them being very similar in both taste and personality, Fetcher and Tackle don't get along and Tackle takes glee in exposing Fetcher's wrongdoings to the whole family. She isn't malicious, she is just acting out in a different way to him against the very same issues. As kids she and Fetcher got along rather well, causing chaos together all around them. Maybe it is better for the safety of society that they had a falling out after Fetcher became a recluse and Tackle found relationships outside the household.

Though her mother isn't a fan of her "arrogance," whatever that means, she is the 2nd in line for the inheritance after Fetcher. She hasn't told this to Tackle however and were she to become the heir, which is likely, it might mess up her plans a bit. She is engaged to someone not currently living in the household. The fiance is approved of by her parents, as far as they know, anyway. It may be that this mystery person has more to them than Bounce and Chaser have ever been told...

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Kid Bree(15), brother

Ordenarily one might call him the evening child since he was born ten years after the others, but Fetcfher was born 7 years before the twins, so does he really count?

Due to being the youngest Kid has the most freedom out of all his siblings and thanks to this has had the opportunity to postpone when they get their new cooler name. Kid is indecisive, you see, and has yet to comprehend the fact that he could change his name later if he wished. No, it has to be perfect!

Out of all his Fetcher is closest to Kid and since Kid gets along with his sisters also acts as the bridge between him and them. Sometimes Kid even manages to get all three to play Minecraft with him with relatively little grumbling.

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The Little Twins(6), niblings

Though probably not the best for a child's psyche, the twins are often referred to as such, the twins. Naming pups later in life, around the time they start developing into their own persons, isn't inherently damaging, but the Bree family isn't exactly known for having their members act sensibly. Dubbed Pup and Dup by their aunt and uncles, these two stick together. Pup prefers her humanoid form, whereas Dup likes presenting themself in canine form. Pup often acts as an interpreter to Dup, with both family and strangers. Pup is more inclined to follow "the way they should act," whereas Dup likes doing their own thing. The Bree family is decent at not shaming its neurodivergent members for acting "weird," but as Fetcher's situation has shown, Dup will most likely have to learn the hard way that most people don't accept their different behaviour.

Fetcher loves these two dearly and is probably the second-best person in the family to understand Dup, right after Pup.

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Friends

Though Fetcher knows many people in Burneye, doesn't exactly have many friends. Or any, really. People want to be his friend, there is no doubt about that, but he is simply too apathetic to put in effort to make meaningful connections.

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Partners

Solid Boogie Pyre (25), (ex)fiance

Until the end of Puppylove, when Fetcher breaks off the engagement, he and Boogie are betrothed to each other by their parents. To Fetcher the relationship is a curse but from Boogie's perspective, it is an opportunity. She likes Fetcher, at least when he acts his age, and generally wouldn't mind starting a family with him. She is by no means in love with the whiny little shit, but her family isn't wealthy and being equally as opportunistic as Fetcher, Boogie originally jumped at the opportunity to marry into this powerful and relatively safe family.

Luckily for her, she isn't too bothered either way, married to Fetcher or not and continues on with her life. Who knows, maybe she will try to get in the pants of another member of the Bree family.

She is a funloving and bubbly person on the surface, but once you get to know her you discover she is actually rather serious about many things. She likes nature just as much as Fetcher and runs a flower-themed Instagram account where she advertises her diner and posts about her garden.

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Sunny Hunter Pyre (27), (ex) brother-in-law

Boogie's brother and the guy Fetcher cheats on her with. To be fair, Boogie doesn't care. The relationship is transactional, Sunny gives Fetcher attention and weed in exchange for sleeping with him. One of many reasons why Fetcher's taste is as spicy as it is.

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Alejandro Ortega, Ali, boyfriend

When Ali shows up it's instantly clear that the town of Burneye is a bit messy. The witches don't really care about his being a vampire but the werefolk are oddly aggressive. Fetcher is the only sensible one of the bunch. Not that he is smarter than everyone else, actually it's mostly because he is very curious and too apathetic to care for the warnings of his family. What a mistake it would have been to listen to them too. Ali is the love of his life and he would do anything to keep him safe. Though most of the time Ali is the one looking after his dumb ass. They save each other from jams and oddly for an immortal, Ali is very quick to fall in love with Fetcher.

Ali is ace, and the agreement the two come to as they start the relationship is that if Fetcher craves something he is free to seek it from others.

Visual aid

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Enemies

As impulsive as he is, Fetcher doesn't have any enemies for the same reasons he has no friends. He simply doesn't care enough about people to hate them. This doesn't stop some from trying.

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Credit to the creator of the wiki template mine is based on: 𖤐_☾ 𝑅𝑜𝑥𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑎 ☽_𖤐

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