#and there's this whole thing about the fear of inbreeding in the show

[lupiinist]

a marauders!encanto au, but instead of the children getting magical powers at a certain age, the 'powers' (curses or blessings, depending on who's talking) are a product of inbreeding.

[bonefall]

BB!Moonpaw's Family

So, I don't rewrite arcs until they're done BUT!! HAVE NO FEAR IM HERE TO FIX IT.

You may have heard that Moonpaw's canonical family has been confirmed, Thriftear x Bayshine, and that it makes her a real doozy of inbreeding. The most important thing being that she is the product of a first cousin pair because Thriftear's father Fernsong and Bayshine's mother Sorrelstripe are full siblings.

But I am the family tree trimmer and I'm here to do a little pruning!

First of all, I've already done significant work in overhauling the ThunderClan Family Tree. Today I've made a more lightweight chart for showing off the options better, but please do go and check out the full version if you'd like to see the generations further back. It also has a link to my "diagnosis," which is handy for comparing my fixes to the problems with the canon tree.

So just to nip this in the bud; Thriftear and Bayshine are no longer first cousins in BB.

That's already fixed! I'm going to change it anyway but I just want that to be like, the first thing you know going in.

Second of all, now's a good time for a little refresher on my Three Strict Rules. These are the rules I use for overhauling the family trees; determining when cats are far enough apart, preventing one bloodline from getting too prolific, and when a fix is required.

Like before, click the link to see the rules more in-depth. Put simply, these rules are;

Three Generation Separation Cats must be three or more generations removed in order to be eligible as partners. That means they cannot share a simple grandparent, banning 1st cousin pairings. Further than that is typically allowed-- Clan sizes are too small to be more restrictive. ADDENDUM: Onestar's Exception. This rule applies to an extra generation, the great-grandparent, if one or more simple grandparents are alive to connect them all. This bans 1st cousins once removed (FCOR), like what Breezepelt and Heathertail are in-canon, and usually second cousins if I can help it.

Two Kit Max Any given pairing may only have two kittens who have successful grandchildren. If three or more kids have grandkids, one of the bloodlines will have to be pruned in some way. This is to prevent "superparents" who decimate the diversity. ADDENDUM: This applies per-Clan. Cats can leave their birth Clan and not contribute to their parents' "limit." Dovewing is now in ShadowClan and does not count towards the rule.

One Parent Litters Invoking the Queen's Rights allows for a cat to have kittens without a second parent. Sometimes these kittens are fully adopted. ADDENDUM: This is an in-universe rule. Ergo, other cats can and will have feelings on a cat who invokes this. That said, I don't always decide who that secret parent is beforehand!

With all that said, let's talk about the relevant differences in BB vs Canon, and the three options for who Moonpaw's parents are going to be...

Relevant Differences

So that we can narrow in on the ancestors that are relevant, I've gone and made a little version of my bigger tree.

Everyone in YELLOW is active in ThunderClan. PINK indicates that they may or may not remain there past ASC, either because they'll move or because they'll die. The ORANGE line tracks cats that are counted as Firekin.

(Note: Sunbeam, Twigbranch, and Finleap were left off this list since they're not relevant atm)

Spiderleg, Toadstep, Hazeltail, Sorreltail are still alive in BB.

However, in exchange, Molewhisker, Brackenfur, and Thornclaw are dead.

Cinderheart is off on adventures with Fallenleaf, who went through a whole thing

Mousewhisker and Nightheart will probably end up in RiverClan by the end of ASC.

Rosepetal will probably end up dying somewhere near the end of ASC OR in the BB overhaul of Ivypool's Heart. She will likely be Squirrelstar's first deputy.

Fernsong is an ex-kittypet. His name was Fiddles.

Because of a change in who dies in The Battle of the True Eclipse, Sorrelstripe is named Duststripe.

Because Ferncloud is the one to confront Ashfur in the Dark Forest instead of Graystripe, Graypaw is named Fernpaw.

Squirrelflight is infertile and unable to have bio-kits. Bramblestar disowned his children with her when the secret was revealed, and had a litter with Jessy. Sparkpelt is not Firekin-- her mate was.

Ivypool and Dovewing were swapped for Spotfur and Duststripe to keep the Firekin family consistent.

Larksong and Hollytuft have been fused into the same cat; Hollylark.

Hollylark was a poorly understood magical being. Xeir death prompted xeir parents, Cinderheart and Fallenleaf, to go on their journey.

Eaglewing, Honeyfur, and Leafshade are in my back pocket in case I need them elsewhere.

Snowbush, Dewnose, and Ambermoon were surrogated for cats in other Clans, but I still haven't placed them yet. Icecloud, now born AFTER the Battle of the True Eclipse, is taking any relevant roles for them.

Duststripe had kittens with an unknown sire, invoking the Queen's Rights to do so. I haven't thought about who this secret father is.

SO, as you can see, this tree is already significantly less tangled than canon's. If I just went with Thriftear x Bayshine, their last common ancestor was a great-great-grandmother (Frostfur), making them third cousins. On the other side, they share a great-great-great-grandmother (Nutmeg), making them fourth cousins.

These are both so far removed that most people don't even actually know their 3rd and 4th cousins. This is more than distant enough to not trip Rule 1.

That said... no 💕I don't care for this coupling 💕They haven't even talked in canon I am simply going to veto it 💕

Personally I've always seen Bayshine and Thriftear as being gay, so I'm going to move ahead with that in mind because it's MY AU and I get to homo the sexuals.

OPTION 1: BAYSHINE REMAINS I simply swap out Thriftear for her brother, Flipclaw, making Moonpaw into a FlipBay kitten.

This is the most canon compliant fix I can make. This is probably what I'm going to settle on as a default, unless and until we learn more about Changing Skies. OR, of course, someone makes a convincing and juicy argument.

Thoughts;

This closely matches canon. They can't possibly throw a curveball at me that I can't fix with Thriftear lesbianism. YOUR MOVE, WORKING PARTNERS.

I need more MLM ships, I'm actually really lacking those, so this would be a good opportunity.

BB!Bayshine and BB!Flipclaw will actually have really nice chemistry. Flipclaw's a silly boy who's known as the one example of a Firekin cat who can't live up to the legacy (something that likely used to cause him to quibble with Nightheart, back in the day). Bayshine is kind of a worrywart who actually appreciates Flipclaw's sense of humor and prefers a mate who doesn't give him heart attacks via heroics.

I feel like that'll bounce nicely off Moonpaw as well, since she's probably going to have a very serious story attached. It'll be nice to just write her having very supportive parents who listen and care.

Plus with her parents being Mr. "Always Worried" and Mr. "Fire Failure," I don't have to worry too much about legacy or status while still keeping her a Firekin. These two guys don't have a lot of power to leverage to help her get the Clan to believe her, if I need to keep a plot point.

OPTION 2: THRIFTEAR REMAINS I do some tweaks to put her with Plumstone, making Moonpaw a PlumThrift kitten.

More of a tinker than a tweak, but something I'm at least considering. I've been outspoken about how much I like PlumThrift, so I absolutely want to make it canon to BB. That said, I do like the idea that the two of them just don't have kids. Not all mates HAVE to have kittens.

Plus, it would come with restrictions anyway becaauuuuseeeeee,

It trips Rule 2, the Two Kit Max.

If Shellfur and Fernstripe have kittens, which I HOPE they do because good lord Canon!TC needs it, I couldn't let PlumThrift Moonpaw go on to have successful kittens of her own. Blossomfall's kittens would start to take over ThunderClan.

This is especially strict in BB because there's no way in hell I'm not going to have Shellfur and Fernstripe have some kittens. So help me god, I will pull Leafshade, Honeyfur, and Eaglewing out of my back pocket.

Moonpaw not having kittens isn't a bad thing, though. I'd happily do it, it's just that I'm trying to anticipate canon throwing a curveball at me.

BB!Plumstone and BB!Thriftear would probably have a more strained dynamic to their daughter, which might match canon very well if the team goes for the angle of having Moonpaw resent how she's seen as very special.

Both moms are overachievers, and very ambitious warriors. Thriftear is Firekin and living up to that legacy, and Plumstone is probably gunning for one of the head positions in the Clan.

It's not that they're mean or bad to her, it's that they'd have high expectations which might cause friction. Again; depends on where canon goes with Moonpaw's story.

Honestly, knowing them and what they want out of their lives, I can kinda see Moonpaw being something they didn't plan. Like she was an abandoned kitten they found and felt like it was a sign from StarClan, or somehow one of them accidentally got pregnant.

Which could be super interesting, honestly.

Option 2 might end up revealing itself to fit better than Option 1, but I need to see what the arc has in store first.

OPTION 3: TOTAL PARENT CHANGE Moonpaw is given to a non-Firekin couple that could have kits

This is the biggest change, but one I'll do if it's an important plot point that she's NOT Firekin by canon's wahoo logic. I already killed the inconsistency with MY family tree fixes, but the writing team seems to only count Firekin down from Squirrelflight's biokids.

So if I have to comply with that for some reason, I'll shuffle her over to one of these two couples;

She could either become the daughter of Stormcloud and Cherryfall, OR Shellfur and Fernstripe.

StormCherry:

Stormcloud actually got a massive glowup in BB lmao

Cherryfall and Stormcloud were previously sort-of-courting, probably-dating, in a weird situationship sort of thing. Unofficial only because they never made it official.

If Moonpaw is their kid, she'd definitely be what makes it official.

I feel like Stormcloud is better suited to being the Mi, but Cherryfall would insist that she acts as it instead. And Stormcloud knows better than to argue with her, she's the most stubborn thing you've ever met.

She's a knucklehead. He's a gentle giant. I feel like they'd be fun as parents.

But also a bit more absent compared to the other options, which could be good if that's a plot point... but seems unlikely, considering Moonpaw was apparently named because her parents believe she's special.

This one's the MOST clean of any bloodline Moonpaw could be wriggled into. It would actually be super useful going forward honestly. StormCherry kits are compatible with all of the cats of the next generation except Firekin.

If Moonpaw has a ton of siblings I might put them all here just for that... but something tells me she's going to be a singlet tbh.

ShellFern:

I have a weird fondness for these two tbh. Can't explain it. I like grumpy assholes and their sweethearts.

It's super unlikely that these two don't get kittens of their own at some point, but it wouldn't be too big of a problem if I did shuffle Moonpaw in as their first child.

I would enjoy having a little window into their relationship, I used ShellFern for an example of what a post-Lake Aftergathering looks like once just because I like writing about them.

They wouldn't "get in the way" of the plot, either. Shellfur and Fernstripe are both pretty standard warriors, not super ambitious, they have hobbies but they're not reaching for a high status or anything.

If Moonpaw ends up being a little bit of a snarky character, it would be fun if she got that from papa Shellfur lmao.

Aaaand that's it! I don't rewrite arcs until they are done, and as of writing this, even ASC isn't totally completed yet! But there's the pre-emptive options for a fix that is definitely going to happen.

This poll isn't binding because I really need to see which of these options will FIT the best, but I'm curious,

[thewadapan]

Waterworld - Kevin Costner's Weird Fish Guy Mad Max Rip-Off

"They don't make films like this any more" is obviously a cliché, but when the production company spends three months and $22 million scratchbuilding a full-size floating village, plus god knows what else on dozens of custom watercraft, shooting most of the picture out at sea, I think I'm allowed to say, they don't fucking make films like this any more.

But what did I actually think of it? Ride your post-apocalyptic jetski over that "Keep reading" break to find out!

Taking the one-of-a-kind practical stunts into account, the script on this bad boy would have to be truly unforgivably bad for this to be anything other than a monumental artistic achievement. And… it's definitely kind of bad. But it's narratively self-consistent, thematically coherent, and manages to present a vision of its farcical setting which feels like it's had at least some genuine thought put into it.

On paper, it's something of a vanity project for Kevin Costner—but from the very opening scene, which shows a very complicated filtering apparatus the Mariner uses to drink his own piss, it's clear that he at least has a sense of humour about the whole thing. It's surprising just how much of the film he spends being so much of an irredeemable asshole, this absolute beast of a man who cares for no-one but himself. In particular, during the film's biggest action setpiece—where they wreck that aforementioned scratchbuilt atoll, at the end of the first act—he spends the whole thing spluttering in a cage, slowly submerging into a pool of composting gunge. There's a really wicked sense of irony to it.

Despite its often puerile sensibilities, however, this is far from a mindless film. Instead, the post-apocalyptic dystopia is intended to let us reflect on the climate crisis—in particular, the horrific ecological abuse deliberately perpetuated by the oil industry out of pure greed. The villains are a huge gang of "Smokers" who drive boats (and a seaplane) running on diesel—in contrast to the Mariner's sailboat. Their leader, the affably unhinged Deacon, is a chainsmoker who seeks dry land purely as a means of recreating the sins of the past: most specifically, he dreams of an endless golf course. At the end of the film, their massive oil tanker home sinks, and we see on its stern the words EXXON VALDEZ—the name of the tanker responsible for the second-worst oil spill of all time. This disaster occurred in 1989, only a couple of years before Waterworld would have entered production, and I really think you can feel that fresh fury at the people responsible: in particular, the Deacon is seen paying respects to "Saint Joe", Captain Joe Hazelwood, who was almost certainly drunk when his crew crashed the 53.1 million gallon oil tanker into Bligh Reef off the coast of Alaska (of course, Joe's justifiable blame was also a form of scapegoating to shift focus from Exxon's own criminal negligence). It's an incident that feels almost beyond parody, and yet somehow, Waterworld finds a way.

The ecological themes are also reflected in the blinkered attitudes of the atoll community, who seem in denial of the long-term issues of resource-scarcity and inbreeding. In particular, incest is deliberately contrasted against these people's xenophobia and concerns over genetic purity: it turns out that the Mariner is not quite human, but rather has gills. Their rejection of him is ironic when their own genes are being perverted to a greater extent by those very fears. Of course, it does not seem like that much time has passed since the world flooded, which I think suggests the possibility that the Mariner's mutation was in fact caused by ecological contaminants. Much of his arc centres on his own self-hatred, ultimately bringing him to a place of self-actualisation, self-acceptance, and redemption.

One of my favourite ideas the film has is the character of Enola, who acts as a literal McGuffin via the map to "Dryland" tattooed on her back, and who compulsively draws scenes from the old world, which surely she can't have seen… right? I'm not sure the film ever actually makes any of this make sense, but it's just so evocative, so well-used to fuel the narrative and communicate the themes. The way her drawings spread like rust over the cold steel of the Mariner's boat is such a simple way of showing her effect on his psyche.

Similarly, the relationship between the Mariner and Helen is presented with a remarkably complex dynamic—albeit with much of that complexity stemming from some of the film's most collar-tuggingly uncomfortable beats. Early in the film's second act, Helen offers herself to the Mariner in exchange for him sparing their lives; he refuses, but you get the sense that this is mostly because Helen is clearly revulsed by him, rather than out of any particular moral compunction. Later on, he seemingly prostitutes Helen to another drifter in exchange for some paper. The paper has writing on it similar to the tattoo on Enola's back, so obviously he doesn't want the paper itself, he just wants to look at it—but from Helen's perspective, and from the audience's to a certain extent, he really is just abandoning her to this drifter. This recurring threat of sexual violence—beginning as early as the atoll scene, before they figure out he's a fish guy, when the villagers ask that he gives his "seed" to a teenage girl—is something you see in a lot of post-apocalyptic media as a signifier of societal decay and depravity; it's in Mad Max, this film's most direct inspiration, which is a much more vicious film by comparison. Still, the theme of trust between the Mariner and Helen—who is clearly herself an outsider at the atoll—is strengthened by his inability or unwillingness to communicate. Often, the Mariner seems to want her to see him as a monster.

Through this lens—of a man who is independent both by his own choice, and by the deliberate alienation of others—the film's ending is not nearly so neat as one might assume at a glance. The shot where Enola kisses him, then runs away from him, is heartbreaking. During these scenes on Dryland, we see the Mariner reckoning with a choice of whether or not to stay in this Garden of Eden, or to return to the ocean. It's in one deleted scene, restored as part of "The Ulysses Cut" I watched, that Helen gives him the name "Ulysses", and the film explicitly remarks that this is one of the few nontransactional acts of kindness we see in the whole story. But aside from this name forever tying him to these people, there's this beautiful tragedy to it, as the sea calls to him, and he denies himself (or is denied by his nature) a peaceful future.

Watching this extended cut, years after I caught a TV broadcast as a teen, I honestly could not identify any scenes which struck me as superfluous or overlong. So much happens in this film, it covers pretty much everything you'd expect of its premise and more, and all of it is in service of the characters and world. I love the bit with the mutant shark, it's exciting and hilarious at the same time. The oft-remarked-upon cut twist of Dryland being the summit of Mount Everest is something the entire film builds towards, and its omission from the movie as originally released is unjustifiable.

Really, the only section of the film that I felt was genuinely mediocre was the third act confrontation aboard the Deez. It's this huge setpiece, this massive oil tanker swarming with rabid freaks, but it fails to remotely compete with any of the other action scenes in the film. I can see why, on a production of this scale, they'd choose to frontload their budget with the atoll material—but by this climax, it just feels like there's not enough gas in the tank.

Rating: 8/10

If you’ve enjoyed this review, you can find dozens of similar essays over on my Letterboxd account.

[c-is-for-circinate]

Wait, isn't "anti" stuff more like "anti-pedophilia" and stuff? Like, you have a point about anti-porn attitudes, but from what I've heard just "anti" on its own means against stuff like kid porn and incest porn and legitimately f*cked up sh*t like that.

Okay!  So this, I think, is actually a great example of what I was talking about, and a really useful thing to understand.  (CW rape, child abuse, etc)

Smarter people than me have written much better essays about why policing thoughtcrimes is a bad road to go down, and I will probably reblog some of them next time they cross my dash for more context.  What I want to talk about is the trigger mechanism, the ‘oh, this looks like danger!!!’ immune response in how we look at different kinds of porn, and how that applies to anti culture.

Here’s the thing: I am anti-pedophilia.  I think that, for most people, that’s a stance that largely goes without saying!  Adults who prey on children are bad.  I’m also against incest; relatives who prey on their family members are bad.  Above all I oppose rape.  Sexual predation of any kind is bad.  In fact, I’d say that’s the most important item on the list.  There is plenty of room to argue about where the lines are between ‘adult’ and ‘child’ and how teenagers fit in the middle, and there’s plenty of room to get historical about the lines between ethically terrible incest, distasteful-but-bearable “aristocratic inbreeding” between distant cousins, and the kind of consanguinity that tends to develop in a small town where everyone’s vaguely related to everyone else by now anyway.  The core of the issue is consent, and it has always been consent.  Pedophilia and incest are horrific because they are rape scenarios where the abuser has far more power and their victim far fewer resources to cope, both practically and emotionally; because harm to children is, to us as a culture, worse than harm to adults, for a lot of very valid reasons; and because they constitute betrayal of trust the victim should have been able to put in their abuser as well as rape--but they are all rape scenarios, and that’s why they’re awful. 

These things are bad.  It is good for us to have a social immune response system that recognizes these things when they’re happening and insists we step in.  That is a good thing to develop!  It helps us, as a society.  It can help the people being victimized.  It’s the same reason educators and childcare workers in the US are all mandated reporters, why we do background checks on people working near kids.  These things happen, and they’re terrible, and it’s good that we try to be aware and prepared for them.  (Though obviously studies show we’re a lot less good at protecting the vulnerable than we’d like to pretend we are.)

The question is: why does that same social immune response trigger, and trigger so angrily, in response to fiction?

Anti culture is fundamentally an expression of that social immune response.  Specifically, it’s that social immune response when it is set off by a situation that, while it has some similarities to the very bad real-life crime of sexual predation including pedophilia and incest, is in and of itself harmless.

If you’re instinct is to flare up in anger or dismissiveness because I’m calling these things harmless, I want to ask you to just take a deep breath and bear with me for a bit longer.  What you’re feeling right now is an allergic reaction.

Humans tell and read and listen to stories about “legitimately fucked up shit” all the time.  It’s part of the human condition.  It’s part of how we process those things happening, not just to use, but to other people in the world around us.  It’s part of how we process completely unrelated fucked-up shit, playing with fears and furies and insecurities that we all have, through so may layers of fiction that we don’t even recognize them any more, playing with power dynamics in metaphor and making characters suffer for fun.  Aside from the fact that literally all stories do this to some extent or another; aside from the fact that drawing lines between ‘ok that’s good storytelling’ and ‘that’s too fucked-up to write about’ is arbitrary, subjective, and dangerous in its own right; aside from all of that, these stories are stories.  All of them. 

Even the ones about rape, about incest, about pedophilia.  They’re words on a page.  No real children were harmed, touched, or even glanced at in the making of this work of fiction.  This story, pornographic though it may be, is part of a conversation between consenting adults.  (And if a teenager lies about their age to consent, that is a different problem altogether.)

Stories in and of themselves, no matter what they’re about, are no more dangerous than a crate full of oranges.  Which is to say: utterly harmless, unless all you have to eat is oranges, all day every day, and you find yourself dying slowly of nutrient deficiency--which is why representation matters.  Or unless someone wields one deliberately, violently, as a tool to cause harm, and someone gets acid in their eye--which is the fault of the person holding the orange. And unless you happen to be allergic to citrus.

The key here is this twofold understanding:  First, the thing that hurts you can also have value to others.  Real, legitimate value.  Whether you’ve undergone trauma and certain story elements are straight-up PTSD triggers or you just don’t like orange juice, that story, those tropes, that crate of oranges may be somewhere between icky and fundamentally abhorrent--but we understand that that is still your reaction.  Even if you don’t understand how anybody could ever enjoy it; even if every single person you surround yourself with is as sensitive and disgusted and itchy about this thing that makes your eyes hurt and your throat stop working as you; that doesn’t make it true for everyone.  That doesn’t make oranges poisonous.  No real children were involved in the writing of this story.  It is words on a page.

But, secondly: the thing that has value to others can also hurt you.  Just because a story isn’t inherently poison doesn’t mean it can’t cause you, personally, pain.  That’s what a PTSD trigger is: an allergic reaction, psychological anaphylaxis, a brain that’s trying so hard to protect its own from a threat that isn’t actually present (but was once, and the brain is trained to respond) that it causes far more harm and misery than the trigger itself possibly could.  And no, it’s not just people with PTSD who sometimes get hurt by stories.  There are many, many ways a story can poke the part of your brain that says, this is Bad, I don’t like this, I don’t want to be here.  The story is still, always, every time, pixels on a screen and ink on paper.  The story causes no physical harm.  But it can poke your brain into misery, it can stir up your emotions, it can make you want to cringe and run away.  It can make you want to scream and fight and go after the author who brought this thing into existence.  It can make you hurt.

This is an allergic reaction.  This is your brain and body, your reflexes and instincts, trying to protect you from something that isn’t really happening.  And just like a literal allergic reaction, it can do actual harm to you if it gets set off.  This is real.  The fact that stories can upset you to the point of pain and mental/emotional injury is real, even though it’s coming from your own brain and not the story itself.  There are stories you shouldn’t read.  There are stories I shouldn’t read, regret reading, will never read, because they hurt me.  That doesn’t mean they’re the same stories that would hurt you.  That doesn’t mean they don’t have value.

And, finally:

If getting upset about stories is fundamentally an individual person’s allergic reaction, their brain freaking out and firing off painful survival instincts in the face of a thing that isn’t, in and of itself, a threat?  Then the anti movement is a cultural allergic reaction.

Fandom as a whole has a pretty active immune system, which doesn’t mean we have a good immune system.  We try very hard to be aware of all the viruses and -isms and abuse and manipulation and cruelty, both systematic and individual, that exists around and within our community.  We’re primed and ready to shout about things at all times.  The anti movement is that system, that culture, screaming and shouting and fighting at a harmless thing on a grand scale.  It wants to stop that thing, that scary awful thing that trips all of its well-primed danger sensors, at all costs.  It’ll swell up and block off our airways (our archives) if it has to.  It’ll turn on the body it came from.  It’s scared and protective and trying to fight, and it’s ready to fight and destroy itself.

Luckily, fans and fanfic and fandom and fan culture are a lot bigger and older than they often get credit for, and it’s not like these cultural allergies are anything new.  We could talk about shippers and slashers in the X-Files fandom in the 90s.  We could talk about the birth of fandom in the days of Star Trek.  We could talk about censorship and book burning going back centuries.  We survived that and we’ll survive this, too.

But god, does the anti movement my throat and eyes itch.  Man is it irritating, and sometimes a little suffocating, to realize how many stories just aren’t getting told out of fear of what the antis will say.  And that’s the real danger, I think.  What are we losing that would have so much value to someone?  What are we missing out?

[thrasherartist]

Why are the morally grey characters the best ones?

Morally gray characters are those whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good. 

I saw posts on Tumblr talking about Rhaenyra not to be trusted, especially after the last episode.

But what did she do?

She went out to have fun with Daemon, whom she genuinely loves and trusts. She got drunk and had sex. I won't discuss the whole incest thing, since we already have been there with GOT. Whether we like it or not, it'll happen. Targaryens are incestuous, their Valyrian blood gives them a lot of advantages, and it seems like not being affected by inbreeding is one of them.

They will have children together, according to the book, and watching them in this episode I doubt it will happen out of duty and not out of desire, lust, and love. I don't condone Rhaneyra because she lied to her friend and to her father. She knew perfectly what Otto was up to, and she sat in the Council long enough to understand the political games. That's what Daemon taught her, you shall follow the path the crown prepared for you, but you can enjoy yourself in the meantime and that's what she did. I fail to see how does it make her a bad person.

As for Daemon everybody sees him in black or white, but he is not a cute fallen in love child, but I also can't call him a bad manipulator either.

The writing is very good, so the characters act as the multidimensional people. Daemon wants the power, his brother's approval, the throne, and Rhaenyra, all at once.

The biggest question going across the fandom is: "Why did he leave?"

The first impression I got was that he wanted to show Rhaneyra around the city, as she was very unhappy. They drank a lot and it seems they got drugged, too. He went to the brothel with a lot of things on his mind; show her what is it about, to seduce her in order to get the throne, to seduce her because he is attracted to her, to seduce her just to avenge himself in front of Vyseris.

While Rhanyra walks around brothel and watches the show we can see Daemon sitting by himself and thinking hard. It's possible he was pondering his desire for power and lust, at the same time.

After that he gets up, and takes her hat off. It looked more like a display, that's me the dragon and there is another dragon and she shall not hide, live in fear, this is important and she should take everything in (no pun intended) as herself and not as a pageboy.

He realizes that he wants her, when she watches him, he seems scared and disbelieving. He realizes that he struggled so many years to get to the power and to make himself important and he did not see one very important option: marrying Rhaenyra. And he also finds out that the marriage could have been one of the pleasure, power and equality between them. He is scared because he just realized that he sees her as a maiden, as a child, as a niece, as a heir to the throne, as a woman, as a rival, as an equal, as a blessing and a curse, all at the same time. I think all of that, and being under influence of alcohol/drugs maybe, made him flee, without even caring about Rhaenyra or her safety, because he is still selfish and not exactly a nice person. People call him the Rough Prince for a reason.

That is why I love them, because I see them as people and not as one-dimension characters. Also the actors are very good and their chemistry adds to the fuel. They are not bad nor good, and they have more than one motif, and they can feel conflicted, same as we do.

Morally gray characters are unpredictable. They act out of character, they do silly things, they do bad and good things because of internal reasons and not for "The Greater Good" or "The Biggest Evil".

[peshcel]

Riddle Me This: A Tom Riddle Character Study

[Also posted on Reddit, if you want to comment/share your thoughts!] 

Riddle Me This: A Tom Riddle Character Study

*Warnings: some profanity, spoilers, and puns.

‘Twas but a regular Saturday eve when a question of utmost importance grabbed hold of me: ‘Voldemort, why such a You-Know-What?’

You see, while Voldemort appears to be a very classic villain, Tom has proven to be an enigma wrapped in a Riddle (hehe). So, equipped with what I remembered from my BSc in Social Psychology, I also called upon my therapist friend with an MSc in Forensic Psychology to explore what would drive someone like Tom Riddle to become Lord Voldemort.

In this gone-awry Reddit comment, I will drag you along for a deep dive into how our little Dark Lord grew up and discuss concepts like power, control, sense of self, and terror management – all up to the point where Tom Marvolo Riddle introduces his clever anagram ‘Immortal Love Rodd’ ‘I am Lord Voldemort.’

Join me on this character study journey of about 5,500 words (15-30 min) where I try to figure out how Voldemort came to be.

Oh, and be sure to share your thoughts at the end of the ride!

 Baby Lord Voldemort: A Pensive Pensieve Trip

“Voldemort is my past, present, and future.”

 Long before we found out Snake-face Voldemort had barely a soul left, we thought he was the purest form of evil out there. He had done despicable things before his supposed death and had now resurfaced as a gross face on the back of someone’s head, hell-bent on killing this little kid. As we gradually learned, Voldemort was once Tom Riddle: a charming, brilliant, orphaned Wizard with the potential to go on and do great things. But, we also learned many little tidbits about the circumstances before his birth, about how he grew up and how he portrayed himself at Hogwarts, which has given us just enough to come up with our own theories about his personality and how he was shaped.

So, before we continue, let me quickly arm you with some abnormal psych. terminology. Both Riddle and Voldemort really match the three personality traits of (malignant) narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy, aptly known as ‘The Dark Triad’. 

Plucked straight from the Wiki, summarized for your convenience:

Narcissism

is characterized by grandiosity, pride, egotism, and a lack of empathy. 

Malignant narcissism

is when narcissism is combined with antisocial behaviors; the evil side of narcissism. (I stumbled upon

A Study in Evil: Voldemort, the Malignant Narcissist

after writing all of this, but I highly recommend giving it a read if you want a deep dive.)

Machiavellianism

is characterized by manipulation and exploitation of others, an absence of morality, unemotional callousness, and a higher level of self-interest.

Psychopathy

is characterized by continuous antisocial behavior, impulsivity, selfishness, callous and unemotional traits (CU), and remorselessness. (Better distinguished as ‘primary psychopathy’.)

*Sidenote: the term ‘sociopath’ is quite often used in pop culture, sometimes even interchangeably with ‘psychopath’. The actual diagnostic term is ‘antisocial personality disorder’, as described by the DSM-5. However, there is a difference between sociopathy and psychopathy, a whole slew of them actually. Important to note is that a ‘sociopath’ refers to a person with antisocial tendencies that are ascribed to social or environmental factors, whereas psychopathic traits are thought to be more innate, i.e. genetic causes (x).

We are given facts in the book that suggest psychopathic, antisocial, and (malignant) narcissistic traits are evident in Tom Riddle from early childhood. Using all that information, I want to take you on a ride to see how all these tidbits together shaped Tom Riddle and how that would lead him to become Lord Voldemort (not to be confused with ‘going Full Voldemort’).

  The Interplay of Nature and Nurture, and Magic

Psychopathy is believed to be a complex interworking of mostly nature but also nurture, let’s unpack this in regards to Riddle.

Tom Riddle is born to a Pure-blood mother, Merope Gaunt, and a Muggle father, Tom Riddle Sr. When we are first introduced to the Gaunts, Salazar Slytherin’s last descendants, we meet a violent father and son, and a daughter who takes the brunt of it. We are told that the entire Gaunt line has a history of inbreeding and that they are known to produce individuals with violent and unstable personalities. They live in dire conditions but are incredibly proud people and sneer at the mere existence of Muggles. Merope grows up poor and abused, traumatized, ridiculed for her lack of magic that seems to be more the result of the abuse than the cause for it. Not far from their shack in Little Hangleton lives Tom Riddle Sr.: rich, handsome, somewhat of a prat, and the object of Merope’s affections. Being no great beauty and with little to offer, she “hoodwinks” Tom Riddle Sr. and escapes her dreadful life with her family. Merope is soon with child after their marriage and decides to release Tom Riddle Sr. of whatever spell he’s under, but he leaves her immediately.

Let’s consider the circumstances surrounding the conception of Tom Riddle. J.K. Rowling said that Voldemort could not understand love as he was conceived in a ‘loveless union’. However, she also stated that had Merope decided to live and raise Tom, his life would’ve turned out differently by knowing ‘love’. We could understand the tidbits shared by J.K. to mean that a child born into a loveless union would perhaps grow up in a loveless household, would have no good examples of what love is and would not know or be shown love. While Dumbledore hints that he suspects Merope used a Love Potion to “hoodwink” Tom Riddle Sr., we only know that magic was used. I always understood said ‘loveless union’ to be a magical violation – violation in every sense of the word – and that Tom’s incapability to love was due to magic that tried to correct a balance, i.e. the Laws of Magic™ were violated. Now, I’m no Magical Theorist, but this could mean that actual Magic™ is at play in addition to a genetic predisposition to explain Tom’s psychopathic traits.

Apart from these genetic and magical factors, we could also consider the environmental factors that influenced the biological development of Tom. Merope was left destitute and depressed when Riddle Sr. abandoned her while pregnant. In the dead of winter, with a lot of stressors and suppressed magic, she gave birth to Tom at the orphanage and then died. While we don’t know how her pregnancy developed, this being all guesswork, the prenatal stressors and perhaps a complicated birth due to her suppressed magic could have influenced Tom’s brain development. Brain development or deviating brain structures are linked to psychopathy (x). Simply said, the parts of the brain responsible for empathy and guilt or fear and anxiety don’t work the same for psychopaths, e.g. they don’t experience fear or other affects the way others might. In a psychopathic child, for example, this could mean that they would be hard to socialize because they don’t fear punishment even though they might know that it is a consequence of their behavior. It’s also what makes them great liars (psychopaths can ace a lie detector test like no other). It can also mean being more prone to boredom and seeking thrills as a result (low arousal theory). We could even view all of this in light of ‘Magic™ development’ instead of the Muggle term ‘brain development’.

In addition to taking into account these hereditary, biological and prenatal factors, we'd be remiss not to look at the effect of nurture. Now, we don’t actually know that much about Tom’s early childhood except for what we learn during Dumbledore’s visit to Wool’s Orphanage in 1938. We find out that Tom steals from people, has no qualms about hurting animals, scares and bullies other children, and is a consummate liar ‒ all while having/showing no remorse. Mrs. Cole, the matron of the orphanage, refers to Tom as being a funny boy and odd, that he was a “funny baby, too” and “hardly ever cried”. It is conceivable that the caretakers gave him less attention in response to his lack of showing his needs through crying and that he was picked up and held less often. It could also be a chicken-or-egg situation: perhaps he didn’t cry because he learned his cries would not be responded to, etc. Even if we leave magic out of the equation as to why they would find him ‘funny’, it is likely that he showed general ‘abnormal’ responses and behaviors not appropriate for his developmental stage that were unsettling to others. It is easy to assume that this would lead to people distancing themselves from him and alienating him further. Regardless of cause-effect, there are clear signs here that Tom grows up maladjusted and that his attachment style falls somewhere along the dismissive-avoidant. I think we can assume that the lack of developing a relationship with at least one primary caregiver would really put a damper on having any semblance of a ‘normal’ social and emotional development.

There seems to be a clear interplay here of genetic, biological (magical) and environmental factors as the perfect foundation for dysfunctional personality traits to really come to fruition.

  Power & Control: A Narcissistic Trip 

 “There is no good and evil. There is only power, and those too weak to seek it.”

 Strap in as we first take a little detour for a quick exploration of narcissism. As previously stated, we clearly see signs of malignant narcissism in young Tom, characterized by grandiosity, pride, egotism, and a lack of empathy, combined with antisocial behaviors. What is particularly applicable in Tom’s case is Kohut’s theory of narcissism. 

The Little Narcissist

 In psychoanalytic theory, primary narcissism in children is part of their development.

It is normal for children to develop self-love and object-love, as Kohut puts it. Entertaining notions of greatness, magical thinking, feeling omnipotent and omniscient and believing to have a certain immunity to the consequences of their actions is all part of this development. It is quite innocent, but it can become pathological. According to Kohut, children are normally gently disillusioned of these grand notions, in a nontraumatic manner, by maturing and becoming part of society. Pathological narcissism, however, develops when the child basically has defective narcissistic structures of the self by having this process disrupted.

This defective structure fits Tom Riddle to a T. In addition, Kohut’s theory of object-love really applies here as well. According to Kohut, either a child has a ‘mother’ to confirm their grandiosity, or they seek an adult to create an ‘idealized parent image’. This means they will seek an adult, someone powerful they can look up to, so they can bask in their reflected glory. For Tom, having neither someone to confirm his grandiosity nor someone to look up to means he creates his own powerful parent. We notice this when Tom explicitly asks Dumbledore about his father being a Wizard, since his mother obviously could not have been; she wouldn’t have died if she was. One can imagine his (narcissistic) rage when this image was shattered later on. His five-year search for the Chamber of Secrets to confirm he’s the Heir of Slytherin is a direct result of Tom’s continued search for a sense of self.

  The Narcissist’s Plight: Need for Control

 One of our main human motivational processes is the desire for control. Actually, it is perceived control that really helps our general sense of well-being. This need exists and is deeply embedded in all of us. However, when people are tried and tested, feel threatened or powerless, a lack of agency can kickstart all kinds of coping mechanisms to maintain the sense of self. So, simply put: the less perceived control you have, the greater the need. 

 When we speak of power, we speak of control. If there is anyone who is desperate for control it’s the narcissist. The narcissist is believed to have such low self-esteem and fragile ego that it will, subconsciously, protect itself from being injured at all costs. Controlling your circumstances and those around you is a means of guarding and protecting the ego. Anything less just won’t do. A threat to that control, that power, is a perceived threat to the sense of self.

Power is a concept that really tickles Riddle/Voldemort’s Niffler as we pretty much learn from the get-go. Consider again, for a moment, where and how Tom grew up. His ability to control came from his magic. Seeing as how Tom grew up in an orphanage, not a penny to his name and very few resources, I think that Tom learned early on that everything could so easily be taken away from him ‒ by someone bigger, older, someone who had more power. While Tom could ‘control’ his circumstances to some degree with his magic, he was still a child. He seemed to have an innate understanding of his powerlessness, i.e. lack of control. Perhaps less helpless than other children, but still a child dependent on others. Not only that, but he was dependent on people he deemed lesser than him, less intelligent, less special. Something a narcissist like Tom would deeply resent. The thing here is that viewing others as beneath you or believing oneself to be superior to others is an ego defense to deal with insecurity, shame, rejection, etc. Tom develops this ego defense but also gets confirmation of his grandiosity through having magical power that actually does set him apart.

 Rejection is another big theme in the life of a narcissist; one that Tom was very familiar with. He was unwanted and fully made aware of it: his mother ‘left�� him by dying, his father never came for him, he was not chosen for adoption, and there were many other children vying for attention. Attention that Tom did not receive but perhaps believed he was owed. Originating from a sense of entitlement, someone like Tom would come to view any sort of rejection as a slight (for he is smarter, better, etc.). While Tom might not have even wanted such attention or even had a particular need to belong – considering he didn’t view anyone as a peer/equal – the fact that it was not automatically given to him was probably construed as insulting. 

  Control Through Controlling Others

 Mrs. Cole told Dumbledore that Tom scared the other children and that it was hard to catch him at any bullying or other malicious acts. With the ability to control his magic at such a young age, along with being highly intelligent, he was quick to figure out how to use this to his advantage. He could fly under the radar when needed, manipulate those in power, and use his skills to control others through fear ‒ ultimately to protect himself and what little he had, but also relishing how he could lord his power over others, establishing his superiority and showing them all how special he was. I believe that Tom honed the art of manipulation at a young age as he couldn’t fathom other ways of tying people to him, of forming relationships ‒ unless there was fear or a sense of owing. His magic gave him the additional tools to control those that didn’t have it.

Then, a defining moment: Tom meets Dumbledore.  Using the same control tactics he has probably used with everyone around, Tom tries to command Dumble to do/say certain things. If you squint, you could even say that Tom was able to put a magical compulsion in his commands. Dumbledore, being who he is, is unmoved and even gently puts Tom in his place, which in Tom’s eyes would be considered a slight.

When Tom learns there is a word for his abilities, he is very eager to show off and be acknowledged for it by someone he could potentially identify with, someone who can show him the path to more knowledge, more power, someone ‘worthy’. For the first time, he encounters someone he wants to impress; he does this by boasting about his abilities. How telling it is that our Little Lord says that he “can make bad things happen to people who annoy me,” – not “mean to me” as the movie had us believe.

Here, Tom seems to have accidentally truly revealed himself – perhaps for the first time, definitely the last time. Out of childlike excitement and eagerness, he has shown his hand, which he immediately regrets when it is not followed by recognition and/or approval from Dumbledore. Dumbledore, quickly catching on to the power dynamics, asks Tom to address him as ‘sir’ or ‘professor’ and immediately establishes his authority. Tom accepts it begrudgingly, “expression hardened”, as he needs Dumbledore to tell him more. Upon Tom’s demand, Dumbledore’s power is then quickly, and casually, displayed when he uses the Flame-Freezing charm on Tom’s wardrobe. If I’m being honest, I always found Dumbledore’s ‘casual’ display of power to be very loaded and quite problematic, ‘destroying’ something of Tom’s where he had stashed his very few possessions. Yet, Tom quickly goes from outrage to “expression greedy” when he realizes Dumbledore was just showing his power and using it to impress, i.e. instill fear (Tom immediately asks Dumbledore where he can get “one of them [wands]”). 

When Dumbledore uses his ‘power’ to then confront Tom with his stealing and bullying, Tom reluctantly concedes that he cannot manipulate Dumbledore and doesn’t deny his actions, knowing that ‘being truthful’ is how he can appease and steer Dumbledore. He even accepts the humiliation of having to return the stolen items and apologize to others.

Honestly, the whole interaction between them is so significant, so amazing and so telling of Tom’s typical interpersonal dynamics and relationships. It’s no wonder he starts to despise and avoid Dumbledore. Tom had made himself the master of his little universe, believing that no other has his special type of power. Not only did Tom lose his cool during the conversation, he showed weakness by being vulnerable. As Tom learns when he joins the Wizarding World, Dumbledore is even more powerful than he thought and holds strong political power to boot. Someone like Dumbledore, for example, is not just threatening because of his power but because he can see behind Tom’s mask. 

  Control in the Wizarding World

 The interaction with Dumbledore seems to set the tone for Tom’s understanding of ‘power’ in the Wizarding World. It is something he further internalizes when he arrives at Hogwarts and gets sorted into Slytherin, a House of mainly Pure-bloods. I wholeheartedly believe that this little Snake immediately understood the blood status dynamics at school and the hierarchy within Slytherin House; things beyond his control. It is not a stretch to believe that the Slytherins, in particular, bullied him, ostracised him—rejected him—for his lack of Wizarding name, lack of status and money, and tried to show and put him in his place, thus fueling his rage. So at the age of 11, Tom had the mental acuity to realize he needed other tactics to become influential, to wield his power. 

Seeing power and status being inherently awarded to Pure-bloods, the very ones who reject him, his own search for a claim to power/his superiority starts off with an obsessive in-depth exploration of his heritage. It is natural to assume that, along with this quest, Tom educated himself on social politics and how to improve himself. He was able to show humility and regard for others, be inhibited and not boastful. We learn from Dumbledore that Tom at Hogwarts showed signs of covert narcissism: no outward signs of arrogance or aggression, seemed polite, quiet, and thirsty for knowledge. He had already learned how to control certain impulses, ingratiate himself, how to hide in plain sight. He just continued to perfect it; he became above reproach by being the perfect student in the eyes of the adults, while fooling his fellow students and building his own following (feeding his ego along the way). He played into Slytherin politics and managed to establish himself as something to behold and to be frightened of, especially when he learned of being a descendent of Salazar Slytherin – a legit claim to power. He now had proof of something he had always believed: I am above them. 

  Loss of Control and Terror Management

 Throughout his time at Hogwarts, Tom managed to perfect his control over others. Despite all his received praise and accolades, his ego remained fragile. I think the fact that he could not escape his blood status, his class – made especially salient when he had to return to the orphanage during the summer – really fueled his obsession to confirm he’s the Heir, i.e. to strengthen his sense of self. 

 Apart from the orphanage, Tom spends the rest of his formative years at Hogwarts, where he is, at most, considered a Half-blood if not a Muggle-born – i.e. lesser than. His fragile ego and sense of self is constantly challenged if not outright attacked. What’s even more confronting is that he also still has to return to the orphanage during summer break in the years 1938-1945 until he is of age. A place where he cannot use his magic; where he cannot sow the merits of his efforts at Hogwarts; a place where he has little to no control. He has to go back to being an orphan, in an orphanage, among Muggles. This having to return to Hogwarts is even more interesting to note when you consider there is both a Muggle war (WW2) and a Wizarding war (Grindelwald) happening.

 That’s why we should also place all of this in the context of when this all took place. Tom experiences both WW2 and the Grindelwald days while he’s a teenager and still at Hogwarts. While he was safe at Hogwarts during most of the year and the winter holidays, he still had to return during the summer. Let me quickly add here that Grindelwald never attacked Britain, but Muggle London was dealing with (the threat of) bombings during those years, with heavy losses in terms of homes, businesses, and lives. Tom just about avoided The Blitz (Sep 7, 1940 – May 11, 1941) and the evacuation of children of Sep 1, 1939 (although, how he managed that, don’t ask). It’s safe to say that times were incredibly tough and unsafe in those days. 

 So on that note, let me introduce you to Terror Management Theory (TMT). It basically means that when faced with ‘terror’, i.e. one’s own mortality, the anxiety that goes with it can make people do some really effed up things. People will start chasing ways to boost their self-esteem, their self-worth, and for ways to confirm that their life has meaning and that they certainly are not insignificant or disposable. That they matter. Mind you, this all takes place without people even realizing that this is driving them. This theory rears its head when we speak of racism as well. In trying to elevate their sense of self, people can attach great importance to the group they identify with. They will then seek out ways to confirm their group is superior to others (well, well, well). 

This theory seems to also fit Tom’s strange, half-assed Heir of Slytherin shenanigans. Same as what happened in the interaction with Dumbledore, Tom’s glee at finding out he’s indeed special makes him impulsive and greedy, disregarding the consequences and acting out of his ‘careful’ character. He has new power within his grasp, new thrills to seek and uncover. In his excitement, he is reckless and gets Myrtle Warren killed. While the rest of his attacks seem very planned and controlled, perhaps to impress his new Knights but most likely to see how far he could push boundaries, it also shows that he either doesn't think or doesn’t care about potential consequences. He is arrogant and unfearing. He could never get caught. Tom only starts caring when his actions become disadvantageous to himself; Hogwarts would close if the attacks continued, meaning he would lose all that he had skilfully and carefully cultivated.

In short, the need for control can drive one to go to really terrible lengths. Straight up tomfoolery, if you will. And if anyone went to great lengths, it was Tom Riddle’s becoming of Lord Voldemort.

  Becoming Lord Voldemort:  The Narcissistic Psychopathic Wizard’s Guide to Ultimate Power

“What I was, even I do not know … I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal – to conquer death.”

 Before we found out the little tidbits about Tom Riddle, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s motives seemed straightforward: Pure-bloods must reign supreme. Knowing what we know now, it would be too simplistic to state that Lord Voldemort was purely driven by hatred for an imagined inferior Other. Namely because at the core of hatred lies fear. A need for control and the deep-seated fear of losing said control would be something Tom would and could never admit to. It would mean acknowledging that something (i.e. fear) had control over him, in effect a weakness.

He is a Half-blood orphan with nothing to his name, a nobody. He has a smidgen of hope when he discovers he is a descendent of Salazar through the Gaunts, but any notion of tangible rewards associated with that is shattered when he finds the Gaunts fallen from grace into obscurity. There is fear of forever being a nobody, unremarkable; entering the world with nothing and leaving the world with nothing ‒ all the while knowing that he is obviously destined for greatness (hello narcissist, my old friend). 

He derived his new sense of self from being a descendant of the great Salazar Slytherin, who ‘rightfully’ detested those of lesser blood. As is typical for the malignant narcissist, Tom really has a ‘transparent’ defense mechanism to protect his fragile ego: projection. His hatred of his own lack of pure blood leads him to distance himself from it, denying whatever undermines his belief of being something special and extraordinary or not being worthy of the name. Distancing himself from that what makes him common and unworthy, he literally takes on a new name and kills off the Riddles. By going to extreme lengths, he can distance himself and 'eradicate' that what he despises most about himself. He is not like those 'filthy' Muggles: the ones he was forced to be dependent on, those lesser beings that deprived him of what he was owed; the ones that left his mother for dead, etc.

His 'great' blood is obviously the reason for his 'greatness', his destiny. Not only was this thought fed by the Pure-bloods around him, but it is the rhetoric that gives him a supply of Pure-bloods fanning at his feet. A thrill in of itself to see the privileged worship him. 

Riddle's actions seem to have always been very self-serving. He never preached what Grindelwald did; it was never for the ‘greater good’. It is quite evident in the vagueness of Voldemort’s politics regarding purity. It was simply a means to an end; just a way to see how far he could go in amassing power. The ‘mission & vision’ he proposed was probably one of the few things that Pure-bloods could get behind and would go to great lengths to achieve/protect. For Tom, it was a way of opening doors. Not only financially and socially, but also in terms of access to knowledge hoarded and guarded by Pure-bloods. Becoming and remaining uncontested in every sense of the word would mean being in control. No longer dependent on what others are willing to ‘grant’ him. No one would ever be able to challenge Him, take anything from Him, ever again: the ultimate power.  

Control of the Uncontrollable

So let’s turn our attention back to power: what would be ultimate power for a Wizard? Something a Wizard has never done and somewhere a Wizard has never gone before: beyond the veils of Death; surpassing mortal constructs ‒ and defeating something as terribly common as 'death'. I think this seed, this fear, was planted in Tom’s mind from a very young age. We see it when he asks Dumbledore whether his father was a wizard, for his mother couldn’t have been “or she wouldn’t have died”. Aptly enough, this fear of death or anxiety induced by the thought of one's one mortality stems from low self-esteem, which a narcissist has in abundance.

It’s also interesting to go back to a psychopath’s psychophysiology. Psychopaths are believed to have low arousal compared to others and are prone to boredom. They could go to lengths to find a ‘thrill’. Discovering the limits, pushing boundaries and going beyond that would be completely on-brand for a Wizard with psychopathic tendencies. Maybe I’ve read too many fanfictions, but a common thought seems to be that the Dark Arts are highly addictive, so someone like Tom would keep pushing it and pushing it, until he could go where no one has gone before. Thus begins his slow decline a la: ‘A Horcrux, you say? Hold my butterbeer, imma make 7.’ 

It’s intriguing that he went for dependence on external objects to safeguard his continued survival. Objects that he either entrusted his most loyal followers with or hid in locations that had meaning to only him. He even had a magical living creature be the container. As we saw over the course of the series, it really wasn’t all that foolproof. But that’s the arrogance of Tom Riddle; he believed that while not many Wizards would even go down the path of creating a Horcrux, none would even conceive creating seven. What’s more, how would anyone even have the smarts to figure out his pattern, his way of thinking – preposterous. If only he had known about the Hallows sooner. Alas.

Granted, there were other ways of circumventing mortality. But ‘cheating’ death by becoming a vampire, for example, would mean being a slave to one's own bloodlust and limitations, dependent on others still to sustain you, i.e. no control, still killable. Another obvious avenue would be using the Philosopher’s Stone as Flamel did, but it would not be anything new. Stealing it or copying it would mean nothing to him. He would be ‘immortal’ but weak and feeble, dependent on a stone, also still killable. So it seems that it’s not necessarily immortality in and of itself, but controlling how and when you die. 

Conclusion: Spiraling out of Control

To summarize the why, Tom Riddle was a narcissistic psychopath with a high IQ, immense magical ability, a chip on his shoulder and something to prove ‒ and a need to be acknowledged for it. The potent mix of nature, magic, and nurture seemed to have really worked their, ehm, magic (sorry). Tom’s ‘abnormal’ behaviors in his childhood were strong predicting factors for the potential to entertain notions of one day being a Dark Lord. However, the odds seem like they were already in that favor before he was even born when we consider his genetic makeup along with the circumstances surrounding his conception and his birth. The Muggle environment he grew up in and the Magical world he was then introduced appear to be the ‘umami’ flavoring for the mix to inevitably lead him down his self-destructive path. 

Tom’s actions and behaviors all seem to boil down to an excessive need for control and the deep-seated fear of losing it. Growing up with Muggles, he used all his talents to exert his control over those weaker, sans Magique. In his peak Riddle days, Tom was quick to figure out he could control people by using his glib charm, his looks, and his extreme intelligence to manipulate everything to his liking. He was able to trick people into ‘wanting’ to give him the things he desires, making people believe that he’s ‘giving’ them something in return. With his psychopathy and narcissism fully taking the wheel, it seems that he no longer cared – or saw the need – to pretend to cater to the wishes of others. Fear became his main tool in the peak Voldemort days; the only thing he deigned to ‘give’ others was allowing them to stay alive, avoid punishment, or allowing them to unleash their darkest fantasies. In chasing evermore control, power, he ends up spiraling. His actions shift from sly, cunning, covert manipulative behaviors to more impulsive, erratic and desperate behaviors, all stemming from a loss of control, of his carefully cultivated power. His mask, literally and figuratively, disappears.

It’s impossible to look past the incredible symbolism and irony of the Horcruxes. In his belief that eliminating and eradicating his weaknesses would make him untouchable, that very pursuit ended up being his undoing. With the killing off of the last vestiges of ‘normality’, he seemed to be completely driven by his impulses (or his Id, as Freud would say). If we add ‘death terror’ to this, it would explain why it went as far as Going Full Voldemort and becoming a mass murderer blindly obsessed with a prophecy that merely hinted at his potential defeat. 

Rowling said that Voldemort's boggart would be his own corpse, and I think that makes sense ‒ for Voldemort, that is. His corpse would signify the fact that he could die and thus be defeated, the ultimate loss in the ultimate battle for ultimate power (say ‘ultimate’ one more time!). I think Tom Riddle's boggart would've been a poor man's grave; not only did he die (ugh, lame), but he died with nothing to show for it. 

With all that being said, being a psychopath does not evil make. However, Tom Riddle’s dire need for a sense of self, immersion in the Dark Arts, and the mutilation of his soul are what really made him turn into an unmitigated You-Know-What. The destruction of his soul left a shell of a man driven by dark base emotions: Full Voldemort.

The end.

[theangrypokemaniac]

its fine if you dont like alola but can you not make incest jokes?

I'm not joking. I'm serious.

Alola, or, as I prefer, La Boca del Infierno, ain't all sunshine and smiles as it pretends. Beneath that plastic exterior lies true darkness.

What am I meant to think when I see this?

There's swimming pools bigger than the gene pools down their way!

Although described as 'twins', it's really triplets, but Lana suffers a prematurely ageing growth abnormality.

Children I expect to bear a similarity to their parents, but the moms 'n' dads ain't meant to look like each other!

Everyone here has blue barnets and Inside-Out Eye, where the pupil's the white and the white's the pupil.

Sight defects are notorious in the 'close-knit' communities.

Each insists on hair decoration, but it's almost part of their heads, which you can call bad animation or deformity resulting from too much intermarriage.

Momma's 'thing' just resembles lumps.

It's them space ticks at it again.

Even the hedgehog is round in this house, which may imply he's an illegitimate offspring of one of 'em.

What about inbreeding suggests practitioners won't stoop to even greater infamy?

Stufful's dad never arrived did he?

Funny that, and a bachelor like Oakie-Dokie residing nearby knew nothing about it.

All that bathing in Cuprenol does terrible things to a man.

Ever wondered what'd go down in the marriage of Tweedledum and Tweedledee? Well here you are, yer deviant.

A pair of pudding-faced, gormless Cabbage Patch Dolls, each with snouts, black button eyes and glandular issues, and they don't share DNA even when they do?

Oh yes, Lusamine met a total stranger also possessing her lime pies and effusive mane of unruly, ice-blonde slats.

Total coincidence there.

He came to Alola, he says. On a prison ship.

It's just one head in triplicate!

Oversized an' all: sure sign of genetic tomfoolery.

Dot Nose, Bridge Nose, Fish Eye: bloody serious case we have on our hands.

Now you understand why she failed to remarry: no other brothers cuts yer options ter nil.

Incest is of course, relative.

Whatever dæmon they worship, some are more pious about it than their fellow perverts.

The more dedicated the believer, the greater insistence on keeping things running in the family.

They'll show off their interwoven connections to the neighbours in a smug game of one-upmanship.

The more lapsed follower will tolerate copulation with distant kin.

These sinners are naturally despised and forced into menial labour, whereas the fanatics just so happen to be rolling in wealth.

Consider:

• Lana's family get by on a fisherman's salary, apparently.

Yeah, yeah, as if the state doesn't have to subsidise their medical bills.

• Sophocles don't go hungry, he has a lab, a giant hamster wheel, a portable hologram in a Pikachu, and he's so rich he not only had the roof fixed, but can move down the road in the meantime.

Oi! The rest of us get by putting a bucket under the leak!

• Lillie has every material possession possible, but no spine or company.

Oh the irony that top sickos should be so resistant to the lure of family obligation.

Hey, yer didn't say that earlier!

• Lusamine is fawned upon for her pwehshush research to the extent she can abandon her children, turning her daughter into a nervous wreck and her son a moody, absent drifter, and it's up to them to understand her work comes first.

• Mohn (by name and nature) fannied about with worm holes until he got sucked off by another dimension.

What did yer think would happen?

Yet on his return, is he knocked on his arse as he deserves?

No, because of incest privileges. The in-group take care of their own, and worse.

Mallow's mater and pater both share hair, thick brows and close-together peepers of murky green.

The contrast in noses suggests something lesser than siblings, but then again other differing aspects are forgivable.

She is of a lighter pallor, being dead, and wanting an open coffin, had a shave beforehand, which is a frightening nod to morality.

Woman, are you ashamed of our love?

Well Abe went along with it, thus is also culpable of this grotesque bristle denial.

Being unclean, he's gotta cook the dinner.

And this lot milk the cows.

On the surface, Kiawe's old 'uns aren't identical. You might think some heretical decency has finally sneaked in under the oppressive Alola regime, but it ain't that simple.

These people pray to a volcano as if an earthbound deity, so are nutters.

One aspect you must remember:

Ol' Granpappy the Island Kakuna, i.e. a dried-up chrysalis.

'Cause Pappy got Momma's tufts...

And Dadda's humourless mouth, oblong head, straight-line nose, rectangular eyes and pin pupils.

Well that's not how it's s'posed to go!

I'm thinking Granpappy, as one of them there Kakunas, is in a position of power high enough that he's able to wilfully flaut the laws he imposes on others, like how popes had kids in the Good Old Days and no one took a blind bit o' notice.

He's a rebel I tells yer.

He don't play by the rules.

No sister-wife for him.

Not when he's got a sexy cousin a-waitin'.

A little bit of new blood's crept in, disgracefully so, that's why the whole lot's punished by living near an active volcano.

Surrender 'em to the flames!

Kiawe makes such a big deal about Pappy, and sod the other three grandparents.

Except he only had two!

What is the explanation?

1. Bone-idle writing team.

Character design is foundational stuff. If yer can't even be arsed to do that properly, nothing you do is worthwhile.

I mean, come on, repeating the same model that blatantly?

Halfwits so limited in imagination shouldn't be working in any creative industries.

I blame modern diets.

A whole generation's grown up timid and risk averse because they were taught to fear E. numbers as kids.

I make it a rule to suspect any sod unaware of the joy of a blue tongue.

They've never lived, man!

Where did you think it'll end when dangerous, pretend edibles like houmous, avocados and quinoa replace the wholesome, nourishing fare of biscuits, cake and crisps?

Stop toying with the fundamental principles of the universe!

The mess of the modern era screams systematic abuse of too much kale and not enough sugar.

2. Incest

Alola is extremely insular.

It's implied to be a tourist destination, but no amount of degenerate outside influence appears to have diluted the weird customs it still upholds.

They didn't even think of starting a League until Ash turned up with all his wild exoticism, and why's that?

A. Inbreeding has destroyed their capability for innovation.

B. Many thousands of years ago, Alola got well annoyed its dirty habits weren't exactly catching on as it strove to spread the Satanic message.

Thoroughly confounded in its plans for world conquest, Alola shut itself off in a purification ritual, which is why later developments popular  elsewhere, such as replacing beasts of burden with machines, never caught on.

3. Alola isn't Hawaii, it's a combination of Australia, a penal colony, and Crete, where lived the lepers.

Specifically it's a dumping ground for all the regions' sex offenders to keep their own societies clean.

Of course, the guilty took their nearest and dearest along too, since they were on the receiving end, and loved it.

This explains the large amount of foreign Pokémon, since the owners are also from abroad.

Now I think 'anging's too good for 'em, but these wet-willy countries insist on storing up trouble for themselves, for if cinema has taught us anything, it is that mutants will always escape.

Nature finds a way, however abominable.

Since so many on Tumblr simply love Alola, they aren't about to admit the slightest weakness in the creators' abilities.

Therefore, incest is the acceptable answer to all and sundry.

[obsidianarchives]

Dean's Journey Home

Dean slipped his hand into the hidden pocket inside his windbreaker, checking for his wand. It was the fifth time he’d reached for it since leaving King’s Cross Station, an old nervous tick made that much more intense by the shocking events of the past few days. Dumbledore was dead, and Voldemort was creeping back into power. The last thing Dean needed was to drop his wand on the tube.

That wand was one of the first things his mother had purchased for him when they’d entered Diagon Alley six summers ago. Marjorie Thomas, who was rarely at a loss for words, was stunned into silence when she saw little silver sparks shoot from the end of the third wand her son tried.

“The wand chooses the wizard,” Ollivander had said with a smile. He explained that Dean’s wand was 11 inches, made of beech and with a single unicorn hair at its core.

“This is a wand for a wizard with promise. A kind wizard who will go on to do good things,” he said. Dean remembered his mother’s sigh of relief, the way the tension seemed to drain from her body if only just a bit. Just a few short weeks before, they’d both thought magic was the stuff of fairy tales, and now here they were standing in a wand shop, on a street hidden from non-magical eyes, preparing for Dean’s first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She could at least take solace in the idea that her oldest son was still the sweet boy she’d always known, regardless of his new-found abilities.

Dean smiled at the memory and gave his wand a grateful squeeze before his thoughts drifted back to the troubles that lay ahead of him. How would he explain any of this to his mother? Voldemort, the Death Eaters, Dumbledore’s murder? For the past few years – since Harry returned from the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament carrying Cedric Diggory’s lifeless body – he’d kept her in the dark about the troubles brewing in the Wizarding World, afraid that she would withdraw him from Hogwarts. Although he loved his family and understood the danger of Voldemort’s return, he couldn’t imagine attending a Muggle school when he knew a place like Hogwarts existed. How could he, when he’d spent years learning to cast spells and make potions? When he’d seen unicorns, hippogriffs, and dragons? How could he leave the place where he’d learned to fly?

Before Cedric’s death, the Wizarding World had felt like a dream. Paintings moved and ghosts existed. He could literally brew liquid luck if he wished. Returning to the Muggle world at the end of each term was bittersweet. He missed his family desperately when he was away, but he still found himself longing to wake up in his four-poster bed in the Gryffindor Tower, Seamus, Neville, Ron, and Harry snoring softly around him.

His mother was the only person from his non-magical life who knew the truth about Dean’s school. She’d told his family and friends, including his step-father and half-siblings, that Dean had been granted a scholarship at an impressive boarding school in Switzerland. His brothers and sisters spent a great deal of each school break teasing him about becoming posh. Dean pretended to be annoyed, when all he really wanted was to tell them the truth, Statute of Secrecy be damned.

Things would never be the same, he thought. For one, Dumbledore was dead, and although Dean had always known that he was quite old, Dean hadn’t imagined a time without him there to protect and guide Hogwarts. The first time Dean had seen Dumbledore with his long, sweeping hair and his colorful robes, he’d thought, “Now, that is what a proper wizard is supposed to look like.” Dumbledore, Hogwarts, the Hogwarts Express, all of it had made it clear: magic was real, and Dean was someone who could wield it. Dean Thomas was a wizard.

The safety that Dumbledore provided was also gone. It was common knowledge that Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort ever feared, and Dean could imagine why. He hadn’t had many interactions with the late headmaster, but he’d often felt that Albus Dumbledore could see right through him. If it weren’t for the kind twinkle in the elderly wizard’s eyes (or, the fact that Dean didn’t have much to hide, in general), Dean supposed he would have feared Dumbledore, as well.

What was to stop Voldemort from his mission to bring the Muggle world to its knees, now that Dumbledore was gone? Voldemort’s hatred of both Muggles and Muggle-borns was a known fact, and Dean was fairly certain that he came from a completely non-magical family. What would become of people like him? People whose blood was considered “dirty” by pureblood wizards who had been inbreeding since the time of Merlin?

Of course, he could never truly be certain of his family lineage. His father, Samuel Thomas, had disappeared when he was just a baby and had no other family to speak of. His mother always said that she was never sure she got to know the “real” Samuel, anyway.

“I supposed he showed me what I wanted, and I wanted to believe it was all true,” Marjorie Thomas would say, whenever Dean asked for her to talk about his dad. He did that less and less over the years, not wanting to drum up any painful memories. But to him, it sounded as if they’d had a perfect relationship before his dad disappeared. Marjorie often said that strange happenings tended to take place when Samuel was around. There was that time when Dean had almost fallen down the stairs, and somehow, had landed safely in his father’s waiting arms. Marjorie raved about Samuel’s cooking, but she always said that he seemed to make these amazing meals in no time at all. Then, there was the timing of his father’s disappearance.

For years, Dean had just believed that his father got tired of having a family and decided to skip out on them. Or, if he was feeling more generous, he spun himself wild stories about his father slipping on a patch of ice, banging his head, and waking up in a hospital with no memory of his life or his wife and child. But the more he learned about Wizarding history, the more he started to wonder. His father’s disappearance lined up almost perfectly with the first rise of the Death Eaters. Was it possible that he’d run afoul of them somehow? Or, worse, that he’d died while in their service?

When he’d tried to look up his father in the Wizarding family records Madam Pince kept in a dusty corner of the Hogwarts library, he’d come up empty. If his father was a wizard, there was no way to prove it. At one point, he had started to doubt whether or not “Samuel Thomas” was even his dad’s real name.

Dean shook his head, startling the older white woman who had sat down next to him on the tube. He’d been so deep inside his thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed her presence. He gave her an apologetic smile, but she frowned at him and moved her handbag to her other arm. Dean felt his anger flare. At Hogwarts, he’d had to worry about Slytherins stage-whispering “Mudblood” whenever they caught him alone. Out in the Muggle world, he was a Black teenager, growing into a Black man. He supposed both forms of hatred came from a place of fear, and he honestly wasn’t sure which one was more dangerous.

“Excuse me,” he muttered bitterly and moved to another seat on the other end of the train car. He had five more stops to go, and he wasn’t going to spend that time watching her clutch her handbag for dear life. He wanted so badly to be home already, to be back around people who loved him. It had been a rough few weeks, after all, he thought, as his mind drifted toward what felt like the most frustrating problem of all: Ginny.

He hated himself for thinking about a girl at a time like this – even if it was Ginny Weasley – when the entire Wizarding World seemed to be falling apart, and yet, he couldn’t help himself. Everything seemed to remind him of her. The red-headed woman who’d boarded the train a few stops ago. The Firebolt pin she’d given him to fasten to his school bag (it could hover a few feet off the ground if you unpinned it and said “Up”). Another teen couple who he’d seen cuddling on a bench at the train station, seemingly oblivious to the fact that a whole world existed outside of their embrace.

Ginny hadn’t been a perfect girlfriend, by any means. She had a habit of getting annoyed at all of his attempts at chivalry. He supposed that she was right. Some of the “polite” things he’d assumed she would find charming could be a bit much, but he hadn’t been trying to help her through the portrait hole the day they broke up. It wouldn’t have made sense, as she’d been climbing into the Gryffindor Common Room since long before they’d become an item. Then, there was the way she had looked at Harry, when she didn’t think Dean could see. At first, he just thought that she was intrigued by him like all of the Gryffindors seemed to be when Harry wasn’t being accused of being the Heir of Slytherin or being made out to be an attention-hungry prat in The Daily Prophet. But then, her brother, George, had made a joke about Ginny swooning over Harry every time he turned up at the Burrow, and Dean had felt a strong urge to punch Harry in the face.

Ginny was the first witch who seemed to notice that he existed, and he’d fallen for her harder than he’d expected. Occasionally, Muggle girls’ heads turned when he was back in his old neighborhood while on holiday, but at Hogwarts, he had often felt invisible. He wasn’t really sure if it was because he, like the rest of his roommates, so often fell into the shadow of the Famous Harry Potter, whose own popularity (or, more often, infamy) seemed to be a near-constant source of personal turmoil for him.

Other times, Dean wondered if it was simply because he was one of only about ten Black students in the entire school. It was something he’d wanted to talk about with the other boys in the Hogwarts’ Black Student Union, but it never felt as important as their talks about white European wizards’ disdain for African wizards and their wandless magic, or the discomfort that Blaise felt whenever his fellow Slytherins expected him to join in on their bigotry towards Muggle-borns. Frustrated and unsure, Dean had ruled out dating altogether, until Ginny.

And now, she had taken up with Harry Potter, of all people. Harry, who she’d told him not to worry about. Harry, who he’d caught shooting envious glances at he and Ginny whenever they were around. Harry, who he’d defended when Seamus accused him of lying about Voldemort’s return. Harry, who he’d remained loyal to, even when he had been suspected of being capable of pure evil.

Dean had tried and failed to hate Harry over the past couple of weeks. But now, in light of all that was happening, Dean knew that he would have to let it go. Harry was rumored to be the Chosen One, the one who would finally defeat He Who Must Not Be Named. Deep down, past the jealousy and betrayal he felt whenever he thought about Harry and Ginny kissing for the first time that day in the common room, Dean knew that it was his duty to support Harry. When the time came, he must be prepared to fight. Even as the train arrived at his stop, and he began to make the walk to his mother’s home, where he was sure there would be a delicious meal and several crushing hugs from his brothers awaiting him, he began to plan his escape back into the Wizarding World and into the war.

[seraphinnas-blog]

⟡⌜⇴ ABIGAIL SPENCER ⌠ 36 & she/her ⌡: have you seen SERAPHINA SELWYN ? SHE is an ESTATE MANAGER & WIZARD ART TEACHER who’s apparently also A DEATH EATER. When you see her walking around, be careful, because while she can be DUTIFUL and ARDENT, I heard she can also be pretty SADISTIC and DOGMATIC. ( cami & 18 & she/her & gmt )

↠ boi, get ready for a far too long wild ride as i try to do my best to attempt to write an evil character

THE SELWYNS:

↠ inter lutum duro mundus. i will stay clean in the mud. this sentence will greet you in every gate into a property of the old and noble selwyn family, and you can find it in the marble stones around the houses, in the ancient wooden framing of portraits, in the archives, filled with letters to loved ones with the gentle reminder that the selwyns will rise above any perils. it’s a message of comfort that even seraphina sometimes writes in such tempestuous times to her relatives. 

↠ the selwyns are the symbol of old money. and i do mean old. their records, with some alterations to the spelling of the family name, go back centuries, but some books claim them to be amongst those taught personally by hogwarts’ founders. the selwyns are very meticulous about history, especially THEIR history, what they can hide in it, what they can boast about, and how to keep careful records of everything. their archives are precious for wizard historians, and can often be found as references in books.

↠ the selwyns are also, or even, above all, symbols of tradition. while they’ve always kept building newer better houses, they’ve protected their oldest estates, and use some of them as museums of wizard history, just like we’d visit old castles and palaces. they turn good profit from all their estates, in which many find work, especially but not limited to house elves, and all sorts of countryside things you can imagine create money? they do it. farming, honey, wood, cattle, wine, cheese, horse and the raising of other more magical animals. the selwyns have quite the empire in the united kingdom and even some spots abroad.

↠ one specific tradition that has kept the family very relevant has always been the annual hunting celebration. started in the 1740s, it has evolved and changed but kept some traditional aspects: only purebloods are invited; it happens at the selwyn country house in north yorkshire (the first major estate of the family to survive till today); it’s a must-go october event, pouring rain or not, with large feasts set outside and inside; children run around with pretend wands and sticks, playing hunter; those old enough ( read: about seven or so and allowed by the parents ) leave into the woods with bloodhounds and return with all sorts of death. deer; gnomes; bore; doxys; nifflers; ducks; red caps; even misbehaved house elves; killed, skinned, and (most of them anyway) cooked in the same event.

↠ the selwyns are just so deeply embedded in wizard traditions and wizard history, even with very very very few of them ever having ministry related jobs. in fact, seraphina can only trace a few more distant cousins working at the ministry in the last 50 years, and there’s only ever been one selwyn minister in all british history. that is because their estates, their museums, the art pieces they collect in them and all the products of their country side holdings already provide all the power and money they could need. their parties, be it for hunting or not, are monumental events. everything they hold is a powerful part of the tourism industry in magical britain and everything they produce fills half the pantries of purebloods in the nation. the selwyns are simply a fundamental part of wizarding britain.

CHILDHOOD

↠ it was this simple: alma and octavio selwyn couldn’t have any biological children. after years of trying, it became obvious that there was some sort of problem. for a few generations, the once rather fruitful selwyns were having smaller and smaller batches of children, and many less important branches of the family were dying out - alma always blamed it on the classical pureblood inbreeding from both families.

↠ this is the part where i make shit up about wizard society and we run with it. adoption is very real in pureblood society, some cases fully hidden, others an open thing, but no one really properly talks about it. especially not when it comes to such an important and well respected family. it wouldn’t be the first time the selwyns or other wizards would have adopted a baby. it’s just tabu because in most cases, it’s not possible to fully confirm if the child is, in fact, a pureblood. the selwyns were assured by the orphanage for magical children in vancouver that the little girl, less than three years old, was a pureblood. their meticulous research lead to the same vague conclusion, but it was pointless, really. after all, the couple was in love with her big brown eyes from the moment they saw her in a photograph. “i just knew you were my daughter,” explained her mother once, in the rare occasion that the whole ordeal was mentioned. one change of name ( hannah, she’s been told, but it’s forbidden now ) and all of a sudden she was the long awaited HEIR to the fast aging couple. they were head over heels with the little girl and soon, despite the hints of controversy, so was most of pureblood society.

↠ there are questions in her mind that she’s yet to have the courage to ask. especially those concerning the legitimacy of her blood status. she’s the heiress of the selwyn throne, there is no space for doubts and self reflection in that. seraphina was always told to not show weakness, for others could taste it in the air and come in with wands raised. what could be weaker than doubting yourself?

↠  despite the occasional transgressions ( she remembers the way her mother slapped a cousin who dared to question her princess’ very pure blood, how the relatives from zurich were not allowed to visit anymore ) seraphina grew up rather sheltered and happy. in a family that highly values education and tradition, she was tutored by many, including some of her father’s old tutors, learning many languages, types of art, magical theory and, above all, the legacy of the selwyns and how to manage it in the future. she also learned all the fine skills of a high ranking lady, being sent for short periods of time to those small wizard finishing schools abroad - that all changed when her hogwarts letter came.

↠  suddenly, she wasn’t sharing her environment with other rich, powerful and mostly pure blooded little heirs. but she would stay clean in the mud. sorted into ravenclaw, it was an easy fit ( curious, competitive, a hub of knowledge, in everything for herself no matter how many backs she must stab ) but even her generation was too liberal. too many mudbloods complaining about being beaten by other students. too many blood traitors around her. seraphina was never the overly violent type ( despite having throw some jinxes at some people occasionally, and some other minor actions ), but her real accomplishments were the ↠  she started many groups and clubs while at hogwarts, in defense of a return to tradition, to the good old society in which muggle borns were ostracised, werewolves done away with eugenics, all the things that even in her time could be considered somewhat radical. and she got some following. the headmaster kept shutting them down, calling the groups hateful, and she’d calmly reply that they were simply trying to spread out some important philosophies. that didn’t stop complaints from flooding in, especially from concerned parents.

↠ seraphina, or sera for the close ones, didn’t need high grades. she had been groomed to run the many family businesses, starting with small sections when she was still at hogwarts and in the future to inherit it all, but she CRAVED learning, especially the sort of learning that could feed her views. she was very interested in history of magic and magical theory, and after some time caring for the family business, she returned to hogwarts. not quite full term ( damn binns taking up the position of teacher of history of magic ) but as the professor for one extracurricular - art. or rather, wizard art.

THE GREAT WIZARD WAR

↠ in the same year seraphina graduated from hogwarts, she was approached by voldemort. her views were so interesting and strong, and her family lineage so powerful that voldemort took it upon branding her with the dark mark and keeping her in his close circle almost immediately. her techniques are curiously vicious, and she truly approaches missions like fox hunting, loves letting some targets lose in forests and running after them. brings in dogs and other animals to scare them off. is very methodical and very cruel without a care - after all, they are an infestation. they are stealing places that belong to the truly worthy of magic, the purebloods such as her. they are ruining what’s meant to be a sacred and secret gift and destroying the great society wizards once were. how can she not be cruel to such sub-human kinds?

↠ that’s why she does what she does. she believes, with her whole heart, that she’s restoring the world by ridding it of all those impurities. and she’s so hellbent in her beliefs, so dogmatic.

↠ the selwyns have been associated with dark wizards before, but rarely ones this important, as they always feared they’d try to overrule them, overthrow the mighty family. their houses, however, were always safe harbours for dark wizards and those running from aurors - it is rumoured that grindelwald hid with the selwyns for quite some time as he organised his army. but seraphina always wanted to do something more, to leave her particular mark in the long family trees, especially given the little voice in her head that told her she did not belong there.

↠ not being a selwyn makes her want to be the most remarkable selwyn that has ever been.

↠ while she definitely had her hands full with high society living, being one of the managers of her family empire. and a devoted death eater, seraphina craved more. as such, at the age of 22, she earned the position of wizard art professor.

↠ she’s been teaching ever since ( despite the suspicions everyone, including staff, has about her off duty activities ), taking some time off and returning again, never fully committed as her responsibilities to the selwyn name are far more relevant. her knowledge of wizard art history, given how many pieces her family owns, secured the position for her, and she does genuinely enjoy having something to call her own, not just a family thing. it’s HER classroom. she also investigates the blood status of each of her students and after strings of terrible marks and rudeness to muggleborns, tells them she believes they’d find a better fit at the muggle art classes. her agenda is VERY much pushed in the classroom.

↠ while she does have a passion and skill with art, let’s be real. she mostly just teaches wizard art history and interpretation. field trips to one of the selwyn owned museums? every term. field trips to unseen works of art stored in off-public sites at a selwyn property? every term.

↠ her love for history is a bit twisted because while she does adore archives and all that stuff, she mostly just picks and chooses what goes along with her rhetoric. history revisionist? very much. go buy ‘the witch hunt for grindelwald’, ‘squibs and the charges of witchcraft against their own families - the horror of the spanish inquisition (1560-1710)’ and ‘tales from the resistance: interviews to death eaters active in the 1970s’. more books to come, definitely. all just as controversial.

↠ her second biggest passion, after history, is hunting. she was brought on the annual hunts ever since she was just a little kid and she grew a love for the rush of searching for something she wanted and getting it, even with blood on her gloves.

↠ the war has been dragging on, with some low points for the death eaters but more, especially lately, for their enemies. she’s been an unshakable supporter of the cause ever since the second she joined, having spilled much blood for it, her own and others’. does part of her wish it could finally end? ye. she wants to get on with her life properly without having to rush to missions all the time. but it can’t end until their goals are fulfilled and merlin, they’re still so far from it. so, dutiful as she is, seraphina doesn’t whisper a word, but she’s tired. they all are. if only she could lower her guard once more, just for one day, for one peaceful moment in which the world is right and all she and her partners have suffered and even died for can be real.

↠ she just wants some goddamned peace and quiet but also, she’d miss human hunting. because remember, awful person.

↠ has killed muggles who have somehow wandered into or near selwyn grounds despite all the spells around it. has thrown them to the dogs.

↠ currently mostly lives in one of the smallest estates, a country house in wales, just because it was always her favourite. her parents, both still alive, live in other estates, always moving around, and the three ( along with a few cousins, especially in the abroad businesses ) work together a lot but it’s very obvious that sera is very much in charge of most things. her parents are old, tired, and more than ready to let their very well prepared jewel do as she pleases.

↠ can often be found reading or writing. especially letters. sends the LONGEST letters with a meticulous elegant handwriting. the selwyn family seal is always in them as is the family motto.

↠ still tries to start shit with hate groups !! still founds them, supports them, is very open about her beliefs and about her support of the death eaters ( even if she never tells anyone she’s one ). sends letters to the ministry to ask for social measures considered by many archaic and purist. writes op-eds. also, buy her books !! they’re full of ideology, history revisionism and currently on sale in your local bookstore.

↠ that’s the thing, you can’t quiet seraphina. her name means fiery and for good reason - she’s calm and collected and beyond well educated, but if she explodes, her rage is a wildfire. and when she feels something, she feels is so damn much. and can’t really cope with most of those feelings so she just hides away where there’s some pretty art or where she can hold an animal’s corpse.

↠ what is emotional stability? what is healthy coping? what is feeling anything but the very extreme?

↠ always wears robes. expensive, custom made, gold thread and that sort of shit in it, but always wizard robes, even if they’re just over a beautiful outfit. looks very traditional and very regal at all times.

↠ also wears gloves very often. good for not staining her hands, and also because has a bit of a thing with germes.

↠ the mental image of her grinning has me so confused because she is DEEPLY passionate about things and people and life, but she can as easily be grinning while looking at a 16th century painting, at a lover, or at the tortured pleading nearly-dead body of a muggle.

↠ she’s a terrible person. fight her.

character parallells: ramsay bolton ( game of thrones ), serena waterford ( handmaid’s tale ), the argents ( teen wolf ), katherine pierce ( the vampire diaries ), jessica huang ( fresh off the boat ), lucy preston ( timeless ), jessica pearson ( suits), arya stark ( game of thrones ), veronica lodge ( riverdale ), cristina yang ( grey’s anatomy ), idk pals i’m bad at this bit

pinterest board ; timeline ; stats

[sweetdollfromhell]

Chilling Tales of Riverdale

Chapter 2 an old fanfic but stil alive that is a mix of Riverdale, CAOS and Archie horror. Located in season 2 and will have differences with the canon for both shows. Hope you like :) 

***************************************************************************************

Jughead and Betty were running in the woods, they were ahead for the moment, but they could still hear their pursuers. It was a forest, they would eventually lose them before they were exhausted. Suddenly, Jughead noticed several trees that seemed so close that their branches seemed to be intertwined with the feet of large bushes that were still surprisingly bushy.

-That way! he decided by training Betty to follow him.

The two young continued in the direction indicated by Jughead, eventually sinking into the narrow passage that led to a kind of clearing.

-Okay, so we're trying to stay here for now, but if we hear anything, we keep going. It doesn't matter, if we move away, as long as we get the signal, Jughead started before he noticed that Betty wasn't listening to him.

She had looked up at one of the trees and observed it.

-Betty?

-Jug, what's in the tree? Betty asked without taking her eyes off the object.

Jughead approached and saw what his girlfriend was watching: tied up after a branch base, something that seemed to be a dream catcher was swinging. That or his nightmare version. The thread that connects the different pieces to each other was made of hair braided in a color halfway between blond and white, teeth too small to be that of an adult had been placed in the circle and others were swung at the ends of the braids. The whole thing was covered with brownish spots that Jughead guessed to be blood.  Almost by reflection, he tried to lure him to himself, touching him before Betty could stop him. At that moment, he noticed something from the corner of his eye.

-There are others.

-What?

-Look," said the young man, pointing to other branches but also to some other trees.

Several objects with the same aesthetics are hung among the branches, slightly concealed but visible in the right angle: rarely the same, some just made of branches, pebbles and plants dry while some contain animal bones when it is not dried pieces of their bodies or for at least one, something fresh enough for the flies to turn around. Some of the trees also had patterns painted with the same reddish-brownish-brown substance signs that they could not identify.  

Betty felt her head turned and as she lowered her head, made her last discovery.

-Even the ground, she whine.

None of them noticed at the time, but the floor is perfectly clean. No dead leaves, excrement or other waste. Only sequences of small pebbles perfectly buried to be visible but not far enough out for us to slide on.  They form complex patterns in a fairly large circle for several people.

-How did we end up in Blair Witch project? Asked worried but also curious Jughead.

Before Betty could answer, they were interrupted:

-But what do we have here?

Jughead turned around ready to throw himself at the first Ghoulie within his reach but he was still far away from them. Close enough to be heard but not enough to be seen.

-Get out of here, or you'll regret it! Another one continued.

-On the contrary, let him stay! Maybe he knows where Jones is," said their leader. -So, do you have any values to say? Have you seen a tall skinny guy in a ridiculous hat and a pretty blonde doll?

If the person answered, they did not hear.  The Ghoulies would soon move on to insults and at the moment Jughead would offer to try to help, a broken bone sound was heard followed by a cry of pain.

-What the hell... started another one.

A sound of a blow was heard with new cries.  What followed was after a mixture of screaming pain and fear:

-AAAAAAHHHHH

-Get away you you ….Fucking crazy bitch from hell!

-Just... Stop! Leave us....Anything you want!!!!!

 -Should we...? Betty began.

-We should let them have fun and then see what our best option is," Jughead proposed.

It was not sure that they could escape before that no matter what made so much money then to prepare. He will be fists and saw Betty lift her bag ready to send a punch.

The screams were silent and running noises were heard. The losers were running away. Time to face the champion.

A silhouette passed between the bushes. This person was small and wore a red hoodie so hidden his face. The rest of her outfit looked like ratty pajamas that probably was originally pink or white.  In his hand, a broom and around his neck a black cat watching them.

-Hi... Are you all right? Says the silhouette in a soft and feminine voice.

The hood fell off and revealed the skinny face of a girl their age. With her skin so sickly pale and her short cut white hair, she almost looks like an albino. She also has green eyes piercing like a cat. The effect was striking, nearly unccany valley.

-Uh... yes, thank you, said surprise Betty.

-Oh, it's nothing," continued the girl.

Before Betty could continue, Jughead also asked a question:

-What happened to the others?

-The boys who were chasing you? Gone. I took care of it! She answered the girl proudly.

The cat on his shoulder meowed loudly.

-Sorry, we took care of it, she corrected by rubbing her forehead against the cat's forehead.

-I consider myself a feminist and I believe women can do anything, but I can't believe you can fight four guys and win," continued suspicious Jughead.

-This is my territory, I know it perfectly and I have many traps to feed myself and defend myself. And I'm armed!

She lifted her broom proudly. Then she spread the strands to reveal the tip of a stake in her heart. This one was covered with something red and sticky.

-Are they...start Betty.

The girl quickly understood and realized Betty's thinking.

-Oh no, don't worry. They're just hurt pretty bad, as long as they go to a doctor, everything will be fine.

-Okay, says Betty a little uncomfortable but she wasn't going to cry too hard for her bullies.

Suddenly her gaze slipped to the ground and she had another shock.

-But you don't have any shoes!

The girl looked down at her bare feet, before saying, embarrassed.

-I went out quickly when I heard the noise and didn't think to put on my shoes. It doesn't matter.

-It is November, the Betty cut.  -You're going to catch your death blow!

-I swear to you, I'm fine. I'm always barefoot and we're great...

She shup himself when Jughead handed her a pair of socks.

- Here you go. You may not be cold, but you can still get hurt by stepping on something.

-Are these yours? You're going to be cold," said the girl, looking down at his feet.

-Unfortunately, I don't carry a bag of clothes with me in case I run into Mowgli.

The girl laughed and put on the socks without any more resistance.

-What's your name? Asked Betty realizing that they had forgotten the essential.

-Sabrina and you?

The cat spat at the same time.

-Shh, Salem! And come down, you're heavy! She said as she dropped the cat off her shoulders.

He meowed his discontent when he landed on the ground.

-My name is Betty, and this is my boyfriend Jughead.

-It's your work in the trees? suddenly cut it down. -And the ground?

-Uh... Yes. It's just for my safety.

-Your security? Betty asked, also intrigued.

-Well, this kind of fetish thanks to Hollywood reminds us of satanic cults and inbreeding cannibal families. A good way to convince people to turn back and not find my camp. Even if some are really based on old protective grey-gray, you never know in case he has some truth in his stories. The ones that contain pieces of animals come from my leftover meals.  I didn't waste anything," Sabrina continued.

-There are human teeth in this one," continued Jughead, pointing to the dream catch.

-Mine, finally my milk teeth. One of my aunts thought the tooth fairy was a stupid concept. She gave me a piece but kept the teeth, pierced them and made a necklace out of them. She told me that I could carry and tell the other children who were bothering me that I was carrying the smiles of my enemies around my neck, always looking for more material for it.

-Interesting technique against bullying, says Jughead sarcastically.

-With mixed results, Sabrina said, embarrassed. - It's my hair on it too. They were long and I couldn't have maintained them here. The same goes for blood.

-Did you cut yourself? Asked Betty worried.

-No, I was just menstruating, Sabrina said bluntly. -Whenever you make one, you might as well make it realistic.  

Betty wondered which of the information given so far was the most disturbing.  But he had more urgency.

-If you want to keep talking, it may be better to go to my camp, cut Sabrina off with eagerness. -I have food, drinks and my cleaning is done!  I mean, if you wanted to and you're in no hurry. Otherwise, I understand," she said.

Betty and Jughead looked at each other. Both were clearly shared. Sabrina had helped them well and as strange as she seemed, she also seemed to be in great need of human contact. Jughead felt his stomach twist: he had something fishy about this girl but he was the first to admit that sometimes life pushed you to do things that were questionable or whose logic seemed strange. He could also see in Betty's eyes a mixture of worry, compassion and curiosity. It was too late.

-You know what? I think we didn't have much time. Jughead's bike is broken and I don't think we'll have a choice but to call for help. Might as well wait in your company. 

[mister-tom-a-dildo-lover]

How do you feel when people call Voldemort dumb, cartoonish villain? Do you think he is?

They only paid attention to Movie!Voldemort. In the films, every character is dumbed down considerably. On my main blog, I am doing a re-read of the HP series and am keeping everyone up to date with my observations. I have observed a lot.

Vernon is 10X worse in the books. Easily talking of beating Harry, hating Harry, and expressing no remorse over the thought of him dying. He’s made to be a joke in the films. He is in fact, very abusive and love to lord that fact over others.

Ron is 10X smarter in the books. All of his quotes were given to other characters in the films or just left out. He was regulated to an attempt at comic relief in the film.

Book!Myrtle talks of trying to kill herself after being chased off from Nick’s Deathday Party. She’s more playful in the films but in the movie she has tantrums all the time.

Voldemort monologues in the books, but it also shows his thought process. Limited time in the films means they cut out a lot of his character and the way he thinks.

In the films, things were changed/cut to conserve time. In the books however, there is more depth.

Tom Marvolo Riddle: I Am Lord VoldemortBlood Status: Half-Blood(in denial)Born: 31 Dec 1926Died: 2 May 1998Birthplace: Wool’s Orphanage, LondonTalents: Parseltongue, Powerful Magic, CharismaMother: Merope Riddle née Gaunt - PurebloodFather: Tom Riddle Sr. - MuggleHogwarts House: Slytherin - Head Boy

Notable Happenings in his Childhood/Teen Years:

The Great Depression.

WWII - leads to him witnessing the aftermath of The Blitz. As well as perpetual bombings of London long after the Blitz ended.

Magical War - Grindelwald lording over the magicals all over the world.

Tom Marvolo Riddle was conceived through use of a Love Potion. His mother, in an effort to permanently escape her abusive father and brother, who were in prison for the time being, decided to dose the Muggle she obsessively fancied. She then forced him to marry her, take her to London, and have sex with her.

Over time she began to feel guilty, but waited until she was far along in her pregnancy before releasing Tom from her influence. She had hoped he would at least stay for the baby. However, he didn’t(nor should he have had to). He fled in a panic and she had nothing to her name but the Slytherin Locket, which she pawned off in Knockturn Alley in hopes of getting something to live off of. That didn’t work much either.

She managed to give birth to Tom Marvolo Riddle in an orphanage and died shortly after naming him after his father and her father. She also made a wish for him to look like Tom Sr.. She ‘died of a broken heart’ that in my personal opinion is a load of bull since she forced herself on someone and has only herself to blame for the situation she was in.

Now TMR grows up in the orphanage where people think his oddly named mother was a circus performer since she was so hideous(thanks to inbreeding) and had no man with her. Tom grows up being able to do things others cannot and believes himself to be special.

Like other magical children who show natural aptitude, he wasn’t liked. Much like Hermione Granger wasn’t. He was smart and studious, and poor children who are fighting to get adopted out of a mediocre hellhole during the Great Depression, aren’t going to like that.

He had altercations with some of the children. The matron, a drunkard, blames him entirely. He is framed to be a delinquent, kind of like how the Dursleys had everyone thinking of Harry. And he is a child who grows to hate people who treat him terribly just because he isn’t their definition of ‘normal’.

When he finds out he has magic, he ends up revealing that he can speak to snakes. A teacher, who is supposed to be impartial but who took the words of a woman who inhaled multiple glasses of gin while complaining about how unnatural Tom was, decided to treat him like a monster on the brink of snapping any day. Because of a language. He never told Tom what it meant either.

Tom is a hard worker. He is sorted into Slytherin which is known for treating those who are not Pureblooded, terribly. And with a non-magical name like Riddle, he was probably disliked for a time. And he worked to gain the favor of his professors, save for the one walking on eggshells around him of course.

He begins to collect prominent Slytherins and makes his little group, the Knights of Walpurgis.

In his 6th Year, he opens the Chamber of Secrets after searching so long for information on his ancestry. Marvolo was a magical name, and he somehow learned of Parseltongue being a Slytherin Family trait. So he researches and studies, and finally finds what he’s looking for, though is unhappy to find that his mother was his magical parent. After all, she was weak and died. Why didn’t she save herself and decide to leave him in such a horrible place?

And during these years, he develops a fear of death. But how and why? People scared of dying, are usually faced with a near-death experience, or are made blatantly aware of something dangerous that can cause it. Take a look back at the ‘Happenings’ during his childhood. Muggle war. Blown up buildings. Thousands of people dead. Him being forced to go back to that every summer thereby putting his existence on the line.

These are what created Lord Voldemort. This is his history. A magical orphan growing up in WWII in the thick of the danger, while the world is going through a Great Depression. These experiences shape him.

Orphans cling to anything they own, which helped make him possessive of his belongings. And keeping things from kids who bothered him, isn’t a bad thing in my opinion since I did the same when people tried bullying me. If you didn’t want your hat to get ruined/taken, you shouldn’t have punched me in the face, simple. Keep your hands to yourself.

Tom Riddle as a character has nuance. But he lost his mind with the Horcruxes. He made so many that we see a vast difference in the Tom from the Diary - who has the largest soul piece - and Voldemort from GoF and onward. Looks aside, he starts getting repetitive, and a little frantic in action. He doesn’t plan things out. Why?

Horcruxes eff you up. He made 7. He’s operating on the smallest sliver of his soul and he looked like a scaley cosplayer gone wrong. The whole point of DH was to show how bad Horcruxes are and when you compare Diary!Tom to DH!Voldemort, they are massively different. Both possessive and obsessive, but still vastly different.

Voldemort ends up as a shriveled up baby-look-alike at the end of DH, never to leave Limbo. Horcruxes did that to him. Mutilated him terribly. He went mad because of his own foolishness.

Now do I think that Rowling could have done more with his character? Yes. But book Voldemort has a very interesting background, and the beauty of it, is that Rowling alludes to much in her books. She doesn’t spell everything out for the readers, and expects you to read between the lines.

So for those of us who have been in situations like Severus, Harry, or Tom’s, we see what is wrong with their childhoods and understand better. We pick up little things.

Take Harry for example. There are people claiming he wasn’t abused by the Dursleys, but then the books show him being locked in his room, bars put on his window, a cat flap placed on the door, and Petunia conveniently only feeding him and Hedwig one can of soup a day for 3 days in a row. Or how Harry learned a lesson all abused kids learn early on. [Don’t ask questions!] For those of us who’ve been through things like that, it sticks out for us.

Voldemort is an example of what went wrong in the worst way. He, Severus, and Harry are examples of the same thing going in three different directions. Voldemort got into Dark Magic and became obsessed, losing himself as he happily drowned in it. Severus got into Dark Magic and realized he was in too deep but it was too late to save him. Harry got into Dark Magic, realized it wasn’t good, and chose to stop thanks to the examples of the two before him, warning him away.

We are supposed to juxtapose Harry and Voldemort. Harry being on the one end of the spectrum and Voldemort being on the opposite end. ‘It’s our choices’ and all that rubbish.

[LIGHT]—-|—-[DARK] 

Voldemort, while not as detailed as I think he should have been toward the end, did what his character was supposed to. And that is to prove that absolute power demoralizes.

He is not cartoonish, though he is a drama queen and an attention seeker. But in the words of Sherlock Holmes, ‘the frailty of genius, [John], it needs an audience’.

[demialwrites]

Kitty Kompanion Ch 6

Back! Genji messaged you.

You sent back ten crying emojis.

:) <3 There, there, he replied. Btw, I made an appointment with Angela. I want to hear this from her myself. She is obliging us with an appointment immediately, My Lovely Glowing Mate.

You met him at the landing pad with a hand on your belly and an ache in both your feet. Which was probably only going to get worse as time went on. Genji arrived with another stuffed animal, but he wrapped his arms around your body first. You gave him your tightest hug, pressing his armour into the thick, rubbery synthetic skin underneath.

"I'm sorry," you told him.

"Me, too," he said. "Sorry that you are lonely."

He asked how you were doing, you mentioned your hurting feet, and he insisted on carrying you to the appointment. In your lap were his face plates and a new stuffed gecko.

"Honey, I love you. But bring me food next time," you requested politely. "Angela is on my case for not gaining enough weight."

You waved your cell phone to add emphasis. You had been chatting with her several times a day, any time you needed. Then you tucked the phone back into your bra.

"What are you eating?"

"Don't tell Winston, but," you lowered your voice to a whisper, "I'm stealing his peanut butter."

"Is that it?"

You could not hide from Genji's disappointed frown.

"It's the only thing my stomach will accept," you admittedly quietly.

He sighed out of his nose.

"Then what do want me to bring you?"

"Umm...chocolate?"

Genji rumbled in frustration. "You cannot just eat peanut butter and chocolate."

This time the doctor had lines between her brows while she took your measurements and readings. She was professional. You lay again on the exam table to receive the scan. She brought over a holopad that had an image of the scan. Two vaguely-baby shaped blotches appeared on the screen.

"Here is what I know," she said. She pointed to the larger mass. "Child one is healthy, the older child. A girl. Child two," she said, pointing to the second mass, "is smaller, less developed by two or three weeks. Seems to be a boy. Its tail has not receded yet."

You immediately looked to Genji. "Do you think?"

"Yes," he said, turning to Angela. "Does the boy have cat ears?"

"Yes, I wanted to ask about this before I jumped to conclusions. As for the ears...it's hard to tell. We might be able to tell when you're further along."

"Hanzo will be pleased to hear this," Genji said.

"I thought he didn't like the idea of my 'brats' having his tiger power," you said.

"He didn't, but he is also one of those from the clan who believes the power is being diluted. That every new generation of marrying outside the family, there is less of a chance of it being passed on." Genji lowered his chin and the volume of his voice. "There is a small history of inbreeding in my family."

You recoiled in shock. "Oh. Shit."

"Well, there is nothing wrong with this family," Angela cut in. "That I can assure you! I'll make sure of it."

"Yes, because you noticed a whole second kitten inside her belly," Genji said sarcastically, without any real bite.

"We were gossiping! Stress relief is important..." Angela waved her hands dismissively. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get some coffee so I can look over the data."

Angela left the two of you alone in the exam room. You found yourself just staring at each other.

"Are you alright?" Genji asked.

You sighed and gazed down at your bulging stomach with knotted brows. Two babies?

"No. This is crazy."

"I know," he said. He worked his fingers in between yours and held your hand. "But I will be here."

You intended to mask your true feelings when you looked back at him, but he knew you better by now. You never wanted to see Genji unhappy, that downward curve of his mouth, but you couldn't lie, either.

"Tell me what's on your mind."

"It feels like you're never here. But," you were quick to add, "I know why you need to go away. It just sucks, is all. I miss you."

"Why didn't you tell me this was upsetting you?"

"I don't want to bother you. You're busy as it is, supporting me and working."

"It is not a bother," Genji said, gently shaking your hand, "You know I can call you during longer missions. That is what the secure channels are for."

"Okay," was all you said. The issue seemed to be have been settled. Now was a good time to change the subject. "So...you gonna tell Hanzo?"

"Yes, after I put you down for your nap."

He tightened his grip on the hand he held so you couldn't smack him. You just made angry noises at him.

"He may be doubly angry for double the kittens."

"God, I hope not. I'm too pregnant to care about his feelings right now."

"Don't you worry about that," he said.

"But that's all I got. Time!"

"What else do you do?"

"A lot of nothing," you admitted.

"Nothing? No wonder you get lonely. Can't you aide Winston?"

"He said he doesn't need anything."

"What about Angela?"

"I don't want to bother her more than I am now."

"It's not a bother. Head back to our room, and I will meet you there."

He has known her longer than you, so you trusted his judgement and continued on. Half an hour later, you rolled over in bed to find a waiting notification on your phone. It was Genji, asking if he could come back a bit later. He was going to tell Hanzo the news in person. He promised he wasn't leaving for two more days.

Okay, but you're not leaving this bed when you come back, you replied.

"That's impressive!" exclaimed Hanzo, bro-punching Genji in the shoulder.

It was the only friendly physical contact he'd had from Hanzo in years, so the cyborg dodged it. He froze mid-dodge, fearing he made the atmosphere awkward and expecting Hanzo to hit him for real this time. Genji started to laugh, pointing at Hanzo with both pointer fingers. He went with it, with a smile that would melt the most frigid ice cap. His dark brown eyes sparkled between two sets of black eyelashes. Genji was proud in this moment to be the brother of an extremely attractive and capable man that Hanzo grew up to be. The emotion that expanded in his chest threatened to spill forth as tears. He blinked and wet his eyelashes with them, unable to wipe them away beneath his mask.

Thinking quickly, he said, "Why don't we celebrate?"

To Genji's never-ending amazement, his brother agreed. Their options were few. As agents of the illegal Overwatch, they had to keep a low profile at all times, so going out was out of the question. Genji excitedly messaged you that he and Hanzo were going to spend some time on the roof of the watchpoint, sharing a cheap bottle of something dark-coloured that Genji stole from McCree (he would apologize later and replace it with something better).

After Hanzo spat out a vehement insult at McCree for his taste in whiskey, the brothers traded remember-when's, laughing, for a good, long while. They had been meaning to watch the stars as well, but the clouds only allowed them occasional peeks.

"Did you find out if either of your kittens will have the power of the tiger?"

"No."

Hanzo's hand swung up to whap Genji on the back of the head, but the cyborg blocked it with his forearm. He was faster.

"You know that would be important," Hanzo stated.

Genji rotated his arm and grabbed Hanzo's wrist.

"The kittens are healthy," Genji said. "That is what is important."

Hanzo ripped his arm from Genji's grasp and brooded for a few moments.

"I hope your kittens have a better future than we did," Hanzo concluded somberly.

Genji had to agree.

In the meantime, Angela had some concerning advice for you regarding your pregnancy. You ended up going to sleep before Genji go back. You woke up to his happy face. You were reluctant to tell Genji the advice, so you let him chatter to you about his night with his brother. How they had connected in the way he had longed for. He was only ever more excited when he spoke of what he wanted to show and teach his kittens.

"But I must not come on too strong, in case he gets scared away," Genji concluded.

"So you're going to approach him cautiously, like you would a cat?"

Genji let the silence stretch before answering, while you grinned obnoxiously.

"That isn't funny."

"It is," you insisted, still showing teeth, "You just don't think so."

Genji sighed at you. "You are lucky I love you."

You changed the subject. Tentatively explained that Angela said she didn't know why the second baby appeared. And until she understood better what happened, she advised that it was best that you and he refrain from vaginal sex. To avoid adding a third. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing that has happened to Overwatch agents.

Your words were met with dead silence. Oh, shit.

[sxpiosexualx]

Who would make a better Queen?

A lot of people come for Sansa stans but especially Jonsa shippers for wanting to see Sansa rule, even if it means only ruling the North. So let’s take a crack at who would make a better Queen, shall we?

SANSA STARK:

Cons:

Cried a lot that one time because she kept hearing news of her family’s demise while being held captive when also physically and mentally tormented, manipulated and abused all when she was only 11.

Has no knowledge of war - but that’s what military generals are for(also why Jonsa shippers support the dynamic of our ship).

Pros:

Is a Northerner, trusted by the Northern Lords and has an actual claim to Winterfell that we are reminded of; “Winterfell belongs to [Sansa],” “the blood of Winterfell,” “key to the North.”

Has spent a fair amount of her life in the South, getting accustomed to their courtesy and mannerism.

 Was trained by Septa Mordane to one day be Queen.

Learnt from some of the best political players; (i) Petyr Baelish, (ii) Margaery Tyrell, (iii) Cersei Lannister - the actual Queen, etc.

Is kind hearted and adored; (i) saves Ser Dontos’ life, (ii) calmed the maidens during the Battle of Blackwater, (iii) “If I ever become Queen... I’ll make them love me,”

Thinks long-term; (i) preparing to feed any refugees that come to Winterfell in winter, (ii) ensuring the blacksmiths/knights make changes to their armour so that it’s better suited for winter, etc.

Is currently ruling effectively given the situation.

Listens to the complaints of her people, as a good ruler should, without severing any ties or threatening to burn them.

Has knowledge of the people she would potentially be ruling.

What’s that you say? We’ve only seen her do a couple of things as acting ruler and Lady of Winterfell given how little the show featured her? Alright, let’s examine Daenerys since her entire arc has been about her quest for the Iron Throne and therefore should by now display the qualities of a good leader.

DAENERYS TARGARYEN:

Cons:

Claims she has a birthright to the throne but her father was usurped by right of conquest so, actually, not relevant.

Wants to rule a continent she has never lived in.

Constantly favours alternative facts especially when recalling historical events.                     

Temperamental; (i) allowed for the torture of a couple of young girls before their father’s eyes, (ii) had to be spoken out of burning the entire red sept, (iii) crucified 163 men, some of which were innocent, (iv) burned and fed a potentially innocent man to her dragons as a deterrent, etc.

Wants to inherit her family’s power but not acknowledge their crimes.

Restoring her family’s dynasty would be restoring a dynasty that ruled with fear.

Colonially subjugates with no interest of ruling effectively; has no interest in learning their culture - i.e. her entire Mereen arc.

Is guilty of war crimes; incinerating Randyll and Dickon Tarly for e.g.

Gives ultimatums to her war prisoners; “Bend the knee or die.”

Her lineage has a history of going mad due to generations of inbreeding.

Is the epitome of white privilege; full offence.

The only reason she’s still alive is due to her dragon ex Machina.

Dragons are symbolic of weapons of mass destruction.

Constantly abuses her power via her dragons.

Thinks short term; refuses to discuss an heir.

Has no knowledge of war either but let’s pray she listens to her generals; she wont.

Favourite words? “I will take what is mine with fire and blood.”

Growing paranoia; threatens her own counsel of advisors.

Does not care about people unless it benefits her; (i) Will only help the north if she rules it thus, withholding their independence  (ii) Will only join the fight if Cersei joins too (iii) Expects total loyalty from Varys who serves the people, promising him she will burn him alive if betrayed, etc.

Kept a man hostage on her island for refusing to give up his kingdom

Hypocritical and constantly contradicts herself: list too long but, wants to break the wheel but not until she sits on top first, for one.

The North - i.e. one of the more larger kingdoms is wary of outsiders but especially Targaryen rulers.

Burned the food that would have otherwise kept the people she so badly wants to rule from starving in winter out of impulse.

Does not want to learn, or rather, is only interested in selective learning; shutting off Barristan Selmy trying to tell her about Ned Stark.

Has done nothing to come to her ally’s aid; the whole Greyjoy situation

**bonus since you could easily say, “well that’s why she has advisors!!! She will learn!!!”: Does not listen to her advisors, favouring the opinion of her love interest, as well as others(Olenna Tyrell over Tyrion for e.g.)

Pros:

has a “good heart” but also irrelevant if it means compromising her ambition to be queen

?? i honestly don’t know maybe cue pro-dany stans to make up excuses like “lol GRRM planned this for 2 decades she is fire and jon is ice and they will rule and have a magic incest baby and incest is ok here cause targaryens practice it!!!! never mind the fact that there was an actual uprising from the faith militant because of targ!incest !!1!! they love each other cant u see lol ure delusional”

[grimminsanity]

Let’s talk about this.

Okay, but like. Can someone explain to me why there’s so much hate for the design change for the Klingons? I personally find them extremely interesting to look at, designed a lot more alien than before, and their armour is utterly stunning? Like, just, wow??? I mean, I get it, they’re not humans painted up to look different like in TOS, nor are they Klingons like Worf in TNG, or the pierced design in the AOS movies, but in my mind, I VERY much picture them to be Klingon like any other Klingons shown in the series., and BOI AM I GONNA TELL YOU WHY I THINK THAT.

(look at these handsome bois, all of them are the best.)

There was often times that people attempted to connect Klingon from TOS to the ones that were shown later with brow ridges because we as humans like continuity and want everything to flow together. However, it was hard to get a concrete answer to why exactly Klingon ended up looking as different as they did compared to their first version.

Some content in the form of the canon novels, however, may have given us an answer!

Keep in mind, this is what I know of the novels and, from my understanding, is considered canon since it was brought up in or hinted at in other media.

In them, it was stated that there was a type of Klingon augment virus that spread through a large portion of the population due to Klingon researchers attempting to create a strong, better Klingon by bio-engineering them.  Through the use of human augment embryos left over from Earth’s eugenics wars that were found in a hi-jacked Klingon bird of prey that had been destroyed in orbit of the Qu’Vat Colony, they began to, essentially, splice it in with great caution. They did this in part because they feared human augments being staffed on ships would overwhelm the empire.

It worked, - how amazing right?!, - creating stronger and more intelligent Klingons, but a lot of the subjects that were used in these experiments began to show more physically human characteristics, from the simple to the blatantly obvious, including personality and loss of, - YOU GUESSED IT, - the well known forehead ridges!

(pictured: Klingon ridges dissolving due to augment DNA being used. also, a good Klingon ‘O’ face.)

One of the test subjects they used, however, had the Levodian flu, and the mixing of the flu with the augment DNA pretty much messed up all the controlled experimentation by the researchers and created an epidemic that nearly killed all the klingons.

Still with me?

Millions within months were infected. The researchers scrambled to attempt to find a cure. First, attempting to capture Doctor Arik Soong led nowhere as, lo and behold, the doctor was in a high security detention facility. Their next attempt was with Doctor Phlox with Phlox being forced to work with Antaak, the main Klingon researcher, to find that cure.

Problem is that the Klingon High Council got really tired of waiting for them to get it finished, and went on to destroy infected colony planets to clear the virus.

Basically, the research team was put under a heavy clock with nothing else to do but to not cure the virus, but stabilize it, because it would apparently take them weeks to try and make the cure. They were successful in stabilizing it early on in the infection, -  after the cranial ridges had dissolved and some minor neural re-ordering had occurred (which caused the personality changes), - and with the help of Admiral Krell, they called off the destruction of the planets! The cure was made with the new amount of time and was passed around, helping solve the problem of the whole dying and mass extinction thing.

Problem is, the cure also caused many Klingons to lose their brow ridges.

(Antaak with his ridges, prior to the cure being administered.)

(Oh! And there they go, - poof! - post cure!)

Thing is, any descendants of these Klingons would pass on the genetic human-like appearance.

This all happened back in 2154!

The Klingons we see in TOS are placed around 2267 are the descendants of those same Klingons!

No one in the Federation really thought much else about it because they simply didn’t know any other Klingons aside from them!

Among the Klingon researchers and some of the population, there was a great worry that these same Klingons would be considered outcasts due to their appearance and mental and personality changes, - cowardice, in example, was one such problem - but, were later on able to hold positions of power, even receiving the title of Dahar Master and getting their statues in the Hall of Heros on Qo’noS -  like, ie. General Kor in TOS which many people are familiar with!

Later on, it was available to some to get the brow ridges cosmetically added back on; however, there may have been more done, medically, that helped reinsert the Klingon head ridges as we see them from TNG and later on.

HOWEVER.

ALL OF THAT SAID.

HERE COMES MY HEADCANON OR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SITUATION FOR WHAT WE SEE IN STAR TREK: DISCOVERY.

Some times, Klingons considered these ‘augmented’ Klingons to be lesser then and were not ‘True Klingons’, - and as far as I remember, this is a thing that was talked about in canon as well, - and lo and behold, the idea of purity comes into play!

Forget that it’s a fucking dick move to do, let’s try and keep Klingons pure, guys!

How do we keep Klingons pure?

Marry between the royal houses of the High Council.

OBVIOUSLY.

To us, that may seem weird and a little squicky, but consider that this is something that royal families in our past have done on multiple occasions! It wouldn’t be that far off from thinking that the Klingon royal houses would due the same! Due to this, there have been lots of medical and genetic problems due to families attempting to keep the line pure.

Anywhere from reduced intelligence or personality changes to physical deformities, - larger, oddly shaped heads, cleft lips, blood disorders, - to what else you can think of! 

While it seems that the Klingons in ST:D are still, obviously, intelligent, it comes to our understanding that their physical differences are much different to what we have come to understand to be the norm in a standard Klingon. 

The ridges are more aggressive, pushing out the profile as well as following the line of the neck into their armour, the brows heavier, the noses wider with two nostrils and no dip slope of the nose, no hair, oddly shaped heads due to the size of the ridges, most likely, smaller ears pressed closer to the skull,  more slurring due to possible throat differences, and harsher, grating noises in the throat that we don’t normally hear even in normal Klingons.

Then again, that last one may be more due to a possible dialect change for spoken Klingon in the High Council or a possible House dialect, which, could also be possible. This is, after all, an alien language that we only know one side of. 

I don’t know, my xenolinguistics is a little rusty!

Moving on to their armour, check out this utterly stunning costume design!

The Klingons in ST:D wear more ornamental armour then we’re accustomed to seeing, sharp and almost decorative in design, and possibly breakable, though I wouldn’t advise testing it!

However, these are Klingons, and while they don’t seem practical, you can be damn sure that they’re supposed to be used in combat even if they look like the way do in ST:D.

T’Khumva, - pictured above, - is wearing something a lot more decorative  then what the rest of his people are wearing. A higher collar, sharpened points, aggressive, bold lines in a gold alloy trim, black leathers being the main base point with the gold being the accent, decorated the collar and points of the spikes with what looks to be stones. It seems he’s even wearing a house crest on his abdomen, though that may still be a design choice to go with the chest and collar piece pattern.

Let’s take a look at the others in his ‘court’.

Their style is simpler, with lower collars, with drabber and less prominent colour and designs with no aggressive lines or defining markers of a Klingon house. Less decorative and more practical. I wouldn’t think these Klingons to be servants, but maybe they are, or maybe they’re lesser nobles from lesser houses, who knows! But there is a harsh difference between their armour styles and the way T’Khumva wears his.

They’re from royal houses with those serving under them considered of their house, so obviously they’re going to wear what, to us, would be overly fancy, formal clothes, but with much more practical use to keep you from, you know, dying?

The design and style of them, from their armour to their physical appearance, even to their spoken words, phrases, and language, they are different, but not quite different enough, to not be Klingon.

All of this points to the factor that the houses have been inbreeding within their own genetic lines over a possibly lengthy time, - ST:D happens a decade prior to TOS and the virus happened 113 years in the past, a decent time for gestation and passing of genetic material dependent on Klingon breeding and reproduction standards, - and have slowly pushed further and further out from what is commonly known as the standard Klingon. 

Who knows, maybe they’ve been doing this for centuries?

I understand that people are upset about the design change due to something they have always known being shifted so drastically, I get it, but consider what I said!

What we are seeing, the Klingon High Council and their houses, could quite literally be extremely inbred specimens born from attempts of keeping the blood line pure.

I’m totally open for comments, critique, and further speculation if anyone wants to add more to this or to argue this!

IwlIj jachjaj! Qapla’!

[intellectuallyawkward-blog]

Origin of super mario names

Nintendo figures make the VR of theirs (arcade) debut with innovative Vive driven Mario Kart

Bandai Namco showed a virtual reality model of Mario Kart, Mario Kart Arcade GP VR, that is going to make its debut in a VR arcade the business is opening using Tokyo, Japan upcoming month.

The game appears to mark the VR debut of one of Nintendo's flagship franchises, although it is crucial to be aware it is licensed by Nintendo as well as created by Namco - just like its non-VR predecessor, Mario Kart Arcade GP.Not many details are currently available in English regarding the game, even thought it's mentioned about the arcade's site as running on HTC Vive headsets and specially-designed racing seats.

Nintendo has thus far been publicly reticent about the promise of VR - last calendar year frontman Shigeru Miyamoto told investors that for VR wearing specific, we're ongoing the research of ours, in addition to exploring improvement with a mind to how our existing key products are meant to be played for a somewhat long period of time of time.

We are considering the choices of delivering an adventure which gives value when played for a little while, he continued. And how to eliminate the fears of long-duration use.

When I discovered that out I did two things. To begin with, I whipped out the copy of mine (yes, I maintain it which real/nerdy that I still need a well used NES hooked up in the room) of mine and then made positive I will be able to match the game at will. (I can. Childhood not wasted.)

Secondly, I launched down a rabbit hole of reading through Mario websites and Articles and Wikis. In the operation, I stumbled upon the etymologies of the brands of several of the key players in the Mario universe. Consequently, in honor of the video game which often changed the planet, in this article they are, given in useful 11-item describe form.

Mario.

When Mario debuted in the arcade game "Donkey Kong", he was just referred to as Jumpman. (Which also is the generic label associated with that Michael Jordan spread leg Nike logo. Two of the most legendary icons actually equally have generic versions of themselves known as Jumpman. But only one of them has today gotten to a point of remaining extremely impressive that he shaved himself a Hitler mustache before filming a professional and the balls were had by no one to correct him.)

In 1980, as the Nintendo of America team imported Jumpman to raise him right into a franchise-leading star (Hayden Christensen style), somebody discovered that he looked just like their Seattle office building's landlord... a guy called Mario Segale.

Mario Segale did not get a dime for becoming the namesake of pretty much the most prominent video game persona ever, but he most likely isn't very concerned; in 1998 he sold the asphalt small business of his for over $60 million. (Or 600,000 extra lives.)

Luigi.

Luigi actually has one of probably the weakest name origins of most of the mario brothers characters in the Mario universe (once again displaying exactly why, in life that is real, he'd have a larger inferiority complex than Frank Stallone, Abel or that 3rd Manning brother).

"Luigi" is simply the result of a group of Japanese men trying to consider an Italian name to accentuate "Mario." Why was the Italian label they went with? When they each moved from Japan to Seattle, the pizza area nearby to the Nintendo headquarters called Mario & Luigi's. (It has since gone from business.)

Koopa.

Koopa is a transliterated variation of the Japanese rap for the opponent turtles, "Kuppa." Stick with me here -- kuppa is the Japanese phrase for a Korean dish known as gukbap. Basically it is a cup of soup with cereal. From what I surely explain to it's totally not related to turtles, especially malicious ones.

In an interview, Mario's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, explained he was deciding between three different brands for the high-speed of evil turtles, all of which happened to be named after Korean foods. (The other 2 were yukhoe and bibimbap.) Which means among 2 things: (1) Miyamoto loves Korean food and was looking to offer a tribute or even (two) Miyamoto believes Koreans are evil and really should be jumped on.

Wario.

I sort of missed the debut of Wario -- he debuted in 1992, right around when I was hitting the age exactly where I was extremely cool for cartoon y Nintendo games. (Me and the middle school buddies of mine happened to be into Genesis only. I was back on Nintendo within 4 years.)

Turns out his label works both equally in Japanese and english; I kinda assumed the English fashion but did not know about the Japanese element. In English, he is an evil, bizarro world mirror image of Mario. The "M" flips to become a "W" as well as Wario is created. The name also operates in Japanese, where it is a mix of Mario and "warui," that means "bad."

That is a very high quality scenario, since, as I covered extensively in the list eleven Worst Japanese-To-English Translations In Nintendo History, not every language distinction finesses again and forth that efficiently.

Waluigi.

When I 1st seen "Waluigi" I assumed it was hilarious. While Wario was obviously a natural counterbalance to Mario, Waluigi believed really comically shoehorned (just tacking the "wa" prefix before Luigi) -- including a giant inside joke that somehow cleared every single bureaucratic step and then cracked the mainstream.

Well... according to the Nintendo folks, Waluigi isn't only a gloriously lazy choice or maybe an inside joke gone massive. They *say* it is dependant upon the Japanese phrase ijiwaru, which means "bad guy."

I don't understand. I sense that we'd have to supply them much more than halfway to buy that.

Toad.

Toad is built to look as a mushroom (or perhaps toadstool) because of his giant mushroom hat. It's a great thing the gaming systems debuted before the whole model knew how to earn penis jokes.

Anyway, in Japan, he's considered Kinopio, which happens to be a mixture of the term for mushroom ("kinoko") as well as the Japanese version of Pinocchio ("pinokio"). Those combine being something along the collections of "A Real Mushroom Boy."

Goomba.

In Japanese, the men are known as kuribo, that translates to "chestnut people." That seems sensible because, ya know, if somebody asked you "what do chestnut individuals are like?" you would probably reach something just about similar to the figures.

When they had been shipped for the American model, the team stuck with the Italian initiative of theirs and also known as them Goombas... based off of the Italian "goombah," that colloquially means something as "my fellow Italian friend." It also sort of evokes the photo of low-level mafia thugs without too many capabilities -- like individuals younger brothers and also cousins who they'd to retain the services of or perhaps mother would yell at them. That also applies to the Mario Bros. goombas.

Birdo.

Birdo has practically nothing to do with this particular initial Japanese name. Generally there, he's considered Kyasarin, which regularly translates to "Catherine."

In the teaching manual for Super Mario Bros. 2, in which Birdo debuted, the character description of his reads: "Birdo believes he is a female and likes to be known as Birdetta."

What I do believe all of this means? Nintendo shockingly chosen to create a character who battles with his gender identity and referred to as him Catherine. In the event it was some time to show up to America, they got feet that are cold so they determined at the very last minute to phone him Birdo, although he's a dinosaur. (And do not provide me the "birds are descended from dinosaurs" pop paleontology line. Not shopping for that connection.) In that way, we would just understand about his gender confusion if we read the mechanical, and the Japanese were fairly certain Americans have been either way too lazy or even illiterate to do it en masse.

Princess Toadstool/Peach.

When we all got introduced on the Princess, she was known as Princess Toadstool. I guess this made perfect sense -- Mario was set in the Mushroom Kingdom, so why wouldn't its monarch be called Princess Toadstool. Them inbreeding bluish bloods are usually naming the children of theirs immediately after the country.

Nobody seems to be certain precisely why they went the guidance, nevertheless. In Japan, she was recognized as Princess Peach from day one. That title didn't debut here until 1993, when Yoshi's Safari became available for Super Nintendo. (By the manner -- have you played Yoshi's Safari? In a bizarre twist it's a first-person shooter, the only person in the entire Mario history. It's as something like a country music superstar creating a weird rock album.)

Bowser.

In Japan, there is no Bowser. He is simply referred to as the King Koopa (or perhaps comparable variations, like Great Demon King Koopa). So just where did Bowser come from?

During the import method, there was a problem that the American masses wouldn't see how the small turtles and big bad fellow could very well definitely be known as Koopa. Thus a marketing staff developed dozens of choices for a name, they adored Bowser the best, and also slapped it on him.

In Japan, he's nevertheless hardly ever called Bowser. Over here, his title is now so ubiquitous that he is even supplanted Sha Na Na's Bowzer as America's a good number of famous Bowser.

Donkey Kong.

This's a far more literal interpretation than you think. "Kong" is based off of King Kong. "Donkey" is a family friendly method of calling him an ass. That is right: His label is an useful variation of "Ass Ape."

Super Mario Bros. is a video game launched for the household Computer and also Nintendo Entertainment System found 1985. It shifted the gameplay far from its single screen arcade predecessor, Mario Bros., along with rather showcased side-scrolling platformer quantities. Although not the original game of the Mario franchise, Super Mario Bros. is really famous, in addition to introduced many sequence staples, from power ups, to classic enemies like Goombas, to the basic premise of rescuing Princess Toadstool from King Koopa. As well as kicking off an entire compilation of Super Mario platformer online games, the untamed success of Super Mario Bros. popularized the genre to be a whole, helped revive the gaming sector once the 1983 footage game crash, and was mainly the cause of the initial good results on the NES, with that it was included a launch title. Until it was finally exceeded by Wii Sports, Super Mario Bros. was the most effective marketing videos game of all time for about three years, with more than forty million copies marketed globally.

[mychristopherstokes66world]

I am just now grasping the sheer size of the push of the left (((media))) to make pedophilia acceptable. For how long has this been going on? And more importantly: HOW CAN WE STOP THIS DEGENERACY AND PROTECT OUR WEAKEST AND MOST VULNERABLE? Is there any coordinated effort for stopping this happening from our side?

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/06/opinion/pedophilia-a-disorder-not-a-crime.html

https://gawker.com/5941037/born-this-way-sympathy-and-science-for-those-who--want-to-have-sex-with-children

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/video-shows-toddlers-understand-consent

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/this-is-how-you-teach-kids-about-consent_b_10360296

https://thedevilman666.blogspot.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/qanonreports https://twitter.com/CIACLOWN1 https://www.bitchute.com/channel/ciaclown16661/ TLDR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9274Q8jv_wM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33cijzHhPow  Wiki: * Operation Cathedral: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Cathedral * Rotherham: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherham_child_sexual_exploitation_scandal * The Dutroux Case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Dutroux * Peter Scully: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Scully * The Franklin Scandal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_child_prostitution_ring_allegations * Johnny Gosch: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Johnny_Gosch Documentaries/Videos: * Jeffrey Epstein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHCWLtRv4Qo [Embed] [Embed] * Human Trafficking Survivor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QECKth6fws [Embed] [Embed] * Paul_Bonacci (relative to Jonny Gosch's case): https://youtu.be/W1qnZwgQCB0?t=1304 [Embed] [Embed] * Conspiracy of Silence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBSIDQt5Dwc [Embed] [Embed] * Bulic Forsythe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfCorg_S-Qg [Embed] [Embed] * Satanic Pedophile Cabal’s Iron Grip of Evil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bezVbPCK5Q8 [Embed] [Embed] * Karolis Venckus 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FonxzaMKjZI [Embed] [Embed] * Karolis Venckus 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU_SIEyB7AI [Embed] [Embed] * Fiona Barnett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLVuu5AbII4 [Embed] [Embed] * Teresa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tm3VPJOf9c [Embed] [Embed] Articles/Papers (because theres isn't a wiki on it): * Ted Gunderson (Head of FBI, 1987) Finders document 1: http://tedgunderson.info/index_htm_files/Finders.pdf * Ted Gunderson (Head of FBI, 1987) Finders document 2: http://tedgunderson.info/index_htm_files/US%20Customs%20Service%20Report%20of%20Investigation%20FINDERS.pdf * Who killed Jill Dando: https://www.theweek.co.uk/94727/who-killed-jill-dando-six-theories-behind-her-murder * The Hampstead Cult Case: https://www.spiked-online.com/2015/03/23/the-hampstead-cult-that-wasnt-the-satanic-panic-revisited/ * Court document on the Hampstead Cult Case: https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/gareeva-dearman-2015.pdf * Youtube with tapes on the Hampstead Cult Case: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUq86oZS4csaEHiL3hrUinA/videos * Jerry Sandusky: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Sandusky * Jozef Wesołowski: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/jozef-wesolowski-former-catholic-archbishop-found-dead-ahead-of-child-sexual-abuse-trial-10476195.htm >https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUq86oZS4csaEHiL3hrUinA/videos holy fuck this shit makes my blood boiling! >>

Progressives will always find a next victim to normalize. 

There is not such thing as born this way, or a gay gene or pedo gene. Those genes would have been eliminated through generations of normal people out breeding them, or them simply taking themselves out of the genepool through choice. 

The same way that people felt about homosexuals 60 years ago is the same way they are gonna try to make people feel about pedophiles. 

Its a long process of normalization and victim hood parading.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites ... And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males ... And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones ... And Moses was wroth with the officers ... And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? ... Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. Numbers 31:1-18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIRaMsgHJqw

https://youtu.be/esKnWAIgpLY

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_child_abuse_investigation_2008

Reminder - LGBT endgame is and always was the acceptance and normalization of pedophilia.

In 1989 two Harvard faggots developed a blueprint to brainwash America into accepting homosexuality (and subsequently, all of the other RSTLNE sexual debauchery). This book is their blueprint.

This is taken from After The Ball - How America Will Conquer Its Fear & Hatred Of Gays In The 90s.

https://archive.org/details/AfterTheBallHowAmericaWillConquerItsFearHatredOfGaysInThe90s

Since the Jews convinced everyone that accepting homosexuality surely won’t lead to acceptance of pedophilia and and sodomy and sexual degeneracy as a whole. Also...the Jews need their pedophilia legalized. Because more are learning about metzitzah b peh(oral suction of the blood of a newly circumcised penis of an infant..yes,that has led to STD transferral and YES that is totally legal due to separation of church and state). Also,the Jew needs it legal for their good goy mudslimes and other shit skins. Meanwhile they will continue to peddle the narrative that priests are all pedophiles and that white male christians are the real dangerous pedos and incest nuts. (Meanwhile jews are more prone to schizophrenia due to all the inbreeding they do to keep their “bloodlines pure”). Almost like the Talmud tells them to accuse their enemies of what they themselves are guilty of.

couple months ago the was a 2 week surge of MSM articles. They all were about the dangers of you and me reporting pedos. Saying you ruin someones life with false accusations,be sued for slander, and such i wish i had compiled the article .the agenda was clearly to discourage folks from reporting pedos. The OP montage reminded me of this.

HOW CAN WE STOP THIS DEGENERACY AND PROTECT OUR WEAKEST AND MOST VULNERABLE? Tell normies so that there is a backlash. Archive everything >Is there any coordinated effort for stopping this happening from our side? I've noticed that paedophilia has started to creep into normie publications in a more subtle way. For example, in the article that buzzfeed hack wrote about soph, he accused the right of having a "byzantine fear of paedophilia". Apparently the buzzfeed jews support this sort of stuff a well.

Let's get to basics. Why pedophilia is bad? Because legal sex requires consent, otherwise it's rape or abuse. A child, especially if the puberty hasn't started yet, cannot consent, because a child does not fully understand what exactly is going on and they generally tend to do what adults tell them. So, having sex with a child is basically making sure that when a child grows up the realization of what really happened will hit and it may lead to all kinds of psychological issues. Being sexually attracted to children, on the other hand, is not something bad if this does not manifest in real actions. Fapping in the privacy on your home to loli hentai is ok. Watching child porn where real children are involved, producing that kind of porn or just having sex with children - not ok and should be punished.