#and this is where the parents start getting involved

[lailoken]

Hi! If you don’t have the capacity to answer questions like this thats totally okay but I was wondering if you have any thoughts/resources on house cleansing rituals? My family and I are soon moving into the home my parents will likely live in for the rest of their lives, and I’m feeling drawn to consecrate the space with some cleansing and protection magic but unsure of where to start. We are of Irish and Danish descent living on Coast Salish land, I’m sure there’s some rich folk magic I could draw from but I have no teachers or guides to show me the way! I deeply admire your work and appreciate any advice you might offer :) Thank you!

Hello there, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to respond! I've got a whole bunch of messages I've been meaning to respond to.

I definitely get that urge to "magically nest" into a new home.

I'll start by addressing the cleansing aspect of your question. When it comes to a new home (or really, any new space or item that you're going to be exposing yourself to energetically over time) there is often an urge to cleanse in some way, which is understandable. However, I encourage you to check in with yourself and your intuition of the space, asking if it feels truly pertinent to cleanse it. I bring this up because, some things—and homes especially, in my opinion—can actually benefit from and be strengthened by the accrual of energy in them. For instance, sometimes you move into a place, and it just feels gross and wrong on a visceral level, as if it was covered in "energetic grime." In a situation like that, cleansing makes total sense, as the goal is to remove that influence so that you can begin to imbue it with energy of your own. However, other times, you move into a place and immediately feel the warmth, love, and care that has been steeped into it, in which case, why would you want to remove such a rich and supportive energetic foundation from which to build upon?

As an example, when my in-law's first moved into the house we later inherited, it was shortly after the house's first tenant had died within it. She was a very kind and funny old woman who really liked my in-laws and helped make it possible for them to buy it following her death. For the first ten years or so of living in the house, they still strongly felt a sense of her caring nature present in the home, which makes sense given how long she lived there. What's more, though, any time my in-laws would argue or struggle with tension, they would begin to smell cigarette smoke and hear distant country music they couldn't find the source of (two things the original homeowner loved and indulged in daily), which would always lead to them laughing and patching things up. The energetic residue left by this woman could theoretically have been cleansed upon moving into the house, but I believe that would have been a sad loss for the house and the family.

With that little rant out of the way, let's say that you do have reason to want to cleanse the home and address that approach. There are many different ways one could use to energetically cleanse a building, but the main ones that seem worth mentioning here include Fumigations, Washes, and Recitations.

Purifying Fumigations involve invoking the excisive virtues present in a given material or mix of materials (such as Rue, Sage, or Vervain) and then burning said materials to release the ritually activated and aligned virtues of excision to aid you in cleansing the space. Practically speaking, this looks like wafting smoke through the home.

A Cleansing Wash involves steeping the excisive virtues of pertinent materials (such as Salt and Chile Pelper) into a solvent base (such as Water, Vinegar, or Oil), invoking and aligning said virtues ritually, and then using the homemade solution to physically cleanse the space (using the different solvents depending on your need—i.e. use oil for polishing wood, use vinegar for cleaning glass, etc.)

Recitations of Banishment involve walking through the house reciting or reading words of power aloud that call for the expulsion of unwanted energies or entities. This method will generally benefit from a close connection to the source material and/or a close working relationship with one's spirit allies.

In many cases, a mixture of two or more of these approaches will be used in conjuctjon to purify a home.

As for domestic protection magic, that's another subject with innumerable approaches. Additionally, most useful domestic protection magic I've encountered seems to focus on particular facets of protection (which is why my home is layered with multiple wards). As such, I struggle a little bit to think of a concise and clear way to discuss this aspect of your question. However, here are some links to previous posts in which I've discussed things like:

Protecting the home from Intruders

Protecting the home from Storms

Protecting the home from Fire

Protecting the home from Malefic Forces

A Generalized Property Ward

Additionally, I believe that developing a close working relationship with the spirirt of one's home—called a Genius Domi in my tradition—is probably one of the best ways to establish magical guardianship of the house.

[puimoo]

Some thoughts on Dick's parents, away from the rose-tinted glasses.

[Obligatory ‘new to comic canon’ warning!]

I was working on writing up my thoughts on young!Dick in general, when I kept getting stuck in my thoughts around how there are particular personality traits he likely already possessed before coming into Bruce’s care. This led me down the Grayson family route, which is always interesting. In everything I have consumed so far, this is always portrayed as a very loving relationship that hasn’t really been explored in much depth in canon. Which leads me to…

I completely understand why Dick loves his parents so deeply and don’t doubt at all that they loved him, but there is also this interesting selfishness with them that I find difficult to ignore.  I can’t help but keep coming back to this: they included Dick in an act where they chose not to have a net.  A position where, if he makes a mistake, it could mean his death or (probably worse for Dick) the death of his parents. This isn’t a situation that occurred out of necessity, his parents chose to do this: they could have chosen to use a net when they started involving Dick in their act, but they didn’t.  They could have chosen to wait until Dick was older and more able to make a call about what risks he could and couldn’t take, but they didn’t.  When the options were to adapt their act to protect their son or to keep it as they wanted to, they chose the latter – and I would say because the act wouldn’t be the same if they did.  I very much doubt it’s because they didn’t realise the risk involved, and rather that it wasn’t enough to get them to make changes. 

And so, you have an 8-year-old Dick Grayson who has likely been training for years under the knowledge that if he doesn’t get things perfect – if he makes a mistake – he and his parents could/would die (and it would be his fault).  You have an 8-year-old Dick whose parents are willing to risk his well-being for the ‘greater good’, and he sees this as normal – this is how families are, the payoff is worth it. You have an 8-year-old Dick who likely doesn’t value his own life quite as much as he probably should, because his parents didn’t exactly appear to, either.  You have an 8-year-old Dick Grayson dealing with adult responsibilities and adult consequences. 

This is all drummed into Dick at some level before Bruce even enters the picture. It helps explain why young!Dick struggles to understand why he shouldn’t be able to fight at Bruce’s side – his parents included him in situations that could (and did) turn deadly, and they didn’t feel the need to include a physical or metaphorical safety net.  This is going to sound really harsh, but I think it’s also kind of true: they didn’t value Dick enough to. The act was more important, and the show must go on.

I don’t doubt at all that his parents loved him.  In some ways, it’s even worse that this comes from a place where there is likely love because it gets as deeply ingrained as those healthier, positive parental elements.  However. There is an interesting prioritising of their act over Dick, and I’d love to see this explored more.  Less the perfect, untouchable parents and more the actually somewhat morally grey parents who had both a positive and negative impact on their son.

(or: we really throw the cat amongst the pigeons and hypothesize that the reason they don't use a net with Dick is because it is part of his preparation for the Court of Owls, but that is not simply taking off the rosy glasses but smashing them completely!)

[haunted4kent]

crumpled memory. t . todoroki

about ; in the midst of distraction in the aftermath, the mind lingers on one.

word count ; 3.5k

a/n : based on reccomendation from the one and only @seneon hopefully this breaks hopes and dreams idk <3

touya sought freedom, a voice, and an end to the burning hatred in his bones. when he stood down, letting the piercing ice his family enclosed him in melt. he had a selfish desire to mend. 

he went home with a glimmer of childhood nostalgia in his heart. the breeze of the wind rocking the swings in the park, the ocean singing at night, and the mountains around them reminded him of you.

the winter was even quieter than the ones he’d spent alone. he knew that you were around, he could be okay with it if you thought he was dead, but the thought runs through his head, you will not allow him to atone. he knows the horror that ran through your bones watching him on that damned broadcast. each one of his decisions would haunt the view you had of the man he became.

“touya.” natsuo’s voice snaps him out, and he gestures at touya’s hands. “you alright?” 

he sat clenching a photograph, the sides folding in from the pressure of his hold. he looks down and begins to flatten it out. “yeah, i was just thinking.”

natsuo speaks with sincerity. “you need to call them.”

touyas throat speaks for him, a chuckle bubbling out of his throat. “i don't know where she is natsuo.” his gaze is helpless, it's not like he hasn't tried to find you before, but so many media pages hadn't been posted on in years, he didn't think youd ever get back to him, let alone want to be affiliated. 

“their mother still works at the clinic.”

you were stubborn, and determined, knew your morals, the list could go on about how well matured you were for a child. touya had known that since he met you. who had no desire to look for an idol, someone to praise. yet, you still accepted the complete opposite, it was a feeling so distinctly different from the acceptance of a peer, a parent, or a trusted adult. you who had no urge for words of approval, everything he wished he could have been.

this was different, more complex than just simple permission from a mother to speak to their child, one someone could be so proud of.

he was scared, in the midst of his thoughts to push it away, get upset at natsuo for even suggesting it. he was mature, reasonable, and allowed himself to make a gentle choice. 

…

the snow hugged the mountains, and his mind could not forget how badly he wishes it was a winter day the last time he went to sekoto peak. you’d told him not to, and still in the belief his father had heart in him, he still went. 

“the seasons dry touya, you can't push yourself or you'll get hurt.” 

the words played in his head like they’d come from the radio, it didn't sound right, it was broken and mixed up  . he had been forgetting for a long time, that when he dreamed and you were there, you never spoke, and what you've said before comes to him in his voice. 

you knew that forest better than anyone, he should have listened. it's when he started going up there that he met you. a quiet child in a puffy pink jacket that bothered him to touch, too scratchy to bear. your dad was a fisherman who worked in the mountains hunting in the winter, he never let you near touya often, just to run off and make snow angels where he could see. 

he didn't tell you about his power for a long time, never much of a subject considering how little involved quirks were in your life at all. your father was quirkless, and your mother had a telepathic quirk. which leads to you having a quirk that with a touch, could soothe the brain. reset mode. 

it was terrible, at least that's what he wanted to think. each time touya would freak out, go on a blabber about his dad, or how natsuo didn't listen. 

a tap on the hand would make his brain just, stop. he could move freely absolutely, just to form a thought was difficult. it was so quiet in his head, and for a moment, everything felt okay. 

soon, he never even needed it. time with you, was time with you. he did not need to speak about the terrors at home because he simply was too indulged with how your day went, the work you had to do with your dad, or how you were scared of growing up. 

“i’m going to be a philosopher, learn about the bullshit world we live in and why we do the things we do. sounds fun doesn't it?” 

it's a topic that grew larger. the day he told you about his power, you told him what your dreams were. time went on, and the more he hurt himself, the more you noticed. the more you’d talk about it.

silence rang in his head as flame consumed him, the same silent buzz raged on his skin. 

“touya.” when he blinks, the clinic your mother worked at sat before the car. it's worn down over time for sure, but the small trinkets still sat on the window sill. “what if she blows up at me?” he turns to natsuo, his eyes feel strained. “you’ll be fine, and if she launches anything she can get her hands on at you, you have to find them.” 

he swallowed down the knot in his throat, pushing the car door open, placing his hand on handle like to open the clinics. natsuo gives a loving shove, and he decides to straighten his shoulders.

walking into the clinic, the familiar jingle rings above his head, and a woman who is not your mother sits at the front desk. she does however welcome with a warm smile, and the ends of his lips impulsively rise.

“hi, um could i possibly speak to the owner please?”

“is there an issue?” 

“no ma’am.” the way he was speaking felt abnormal to him, he never even spoke this way with you. he just wanted it to work out. he didn’t care if he was thrown out, some sort of closure is all he wanted.

“alright, i'll call her up for you.”

in the next moment, she's already walking out, her smile fading slightly before rising again. he swears he's sweating like an animal. “touya.”

“hi ma’am.” again, his fallen smile raises. he tries to look her in the eye, at least her face but they are stuck to the floor.

“you know you don't have to speak to me with all that mannerism.” a light chuckle comes from her, and the weight off his shoulders slides off. he is able to look her in the eye, noticing how she's aged and how admirable she still is. 

“well don't just stand there, come here boy.” her hands lightly gesture, and his boots shuffle against the floor. the gentle grip on his coat sends warmth through his hands, he’d forgotten his gloves at home. “your not mad?” a heavy cold breath leaves his lungs, and he doesn't feel suffocated for a moment. 

“if i was, would they already be their way?” his hands loosened off her back, looked over to the woman at the front desk who set down the phone with the smuggest grin you’d ever see.

…

“okay please stop.”

“i can't help it natsuo!!” touya whined, he’d been waiting 35 minutes. you were up further north doing whatever it was you did in the mountains, he never really understood what jobs could be up there. your mother had offered hot chocolate, and it sat in the cup holder. he was too nervous to eat or drink. 

“didn’t they say like you'd never become enemies or something?” natsuo picks the warm cup up out of the cup holder, sipping on it, and smacks his lips. “that's good as shit.”

“it doesn't matter, that was before everything you know?” his hands dug into his coat pocket, scuffling out the photograph he had crumpled. “maybe they're not as forgiving anymore, and they're on their way to slap the shit out of me.”

“they did that once too.” natsuo butts in the middle of another gulp. 

“okay now you need to stop.” with a grumble, he snatches the picture back, clumping it into his pocket again. 

through the clinic window, the girl from the desk points, and the rumbling starts becoming louder and louder from the distance. 

“get your girl kind of moment i guess.” natsuo grins, going to nudge him in the side, but hits nothing. he was already rushing out of the car. 

standing with the sunlight beaming through the clouds, he can't see you standing there, but the car door swung open, the sound of your engine. the cloud must have toppled over the sun quickly, considering your face starts coming into view. you look slightly deranged, panting like you've been running. he could chuckle at you. you still have an unshakeable determination. 

when your feet begin to move toward him, he is already tensing his face. however, instead of the slap that he would have hardly been able to feel, he is slightly winded.

your arms shoving around him, and the scratchy sound of your jacket doesn’t bother him this time. 

“you're a fucking idiot!” he’s taken aback when your hands push at his chest from the embrace you were just in. 

“11 years too long. i shouldn't have had to find out over a stupid broadcast- over the fucking radio! i was with my dad and you said your name-!”

his arms swayed limply at his sides. “i’m sorry i-“

your fingers push back the hair blowing into your face, swallowing down the lump in your throat. “i know you are, and it’s okay.” 

when touya spent his years alone. it taught him to neglect everyone around him. the words “sorry” had never been a part of him in the years rage lived in him.  unless he’d accidentally thrown a ball at you too hard or made too cruel of a joke, that's the only time he’d ever found himself saying the words. 

empathy only came naturally to the people who deserved it

waving from the other car door, natsuo stands waving gently. “hi natsuo.” you chuckle, and his eyes are squinted from the breeze. “been a minute huh?”

...

“you know i get it if you don't want to talk to me right?” touya shuffled through the trunk of your car, pulling a pair of tennis shoes out. 

“that's not how i feel.” he kneels, unzipping your mountain boots and slipping them off. “i was upset i never tried to do anything about what you had always told me.” he looks up for a moment, your gaze lingered on his hands, he goes back to slipping on the sneakers. 

“that's not your fault.”

“you know things may have turned out differently though.” he sighs, slipping off the ledge following his hands underneath your shoulders. “well, there is nothing we can do now. feel alright?”

“feels fine, thank you touya.”

he nods with a folded smile. “so the park?” he asks, tilting his head slightly and crossing his arms. “yup, lets go.” your nose scrunches at him, and he lets a sarcastic scoff out as he lets his foot hit the back of your knee. 

 a scoff then comes from you, your foot also hitting at the back of his. “what, you going to race me? i think you need some oil there old man” 

in this moment, blood pumps through his veins with oxygen, and everything explodes and combines, he is working again. it feels he has crawled out of the dirt and bloomed. “its a block, i'll race you, and i'll win.”

“ohh okay, keep up then.” and watching your feet begin off the concrete. “hey! we could have at least had a countdown!” and he begins to run after you. your laughs run through his head, making his surroundings on the gray day brighter. a child-like filter on the world.

he does wear down rather quickly, but he expected it. he knew the truth. 

watching as you roll onto the grass entrance of the park, screaming out in victory, he dives straight beside you. “i went so easy on you!”

“yeah right! considering the look on your face-” he had worked himself out for you, hadn't he? the weak smile, but the tender winces leaving his chuckles told you something else.

“you were struggling-!” an awkward laugh bubbled from your throat, and he lay sprawled on the grass with his eyes shut. 

there at that moment, no matter if he had begun to heal, there was no fuel left in him. touya was dying.

“we should do some stuff, we're already here. we can go to the beach next.” staring up into the sky, your mind blends past and present, everything felt so silent when touya was gone. laying in the sun during the summer felt uncomfortable like the sun was destroying your skin and making everything troublesome. each year you'd waste away waiting for the winter for things to be okay.

“the sun is setting, maybe tomorrow? when you can be more comfortable.” touya turns his head, looking over at you. “no, today. the beach is pretty when the moonlight hits it anyway, but first, the swings.”

there at that moment, you knew, touya was dying. the sun was falling to dusk, and each time his time would be cut shorter, like the winters of the cruel world.  letting the fallen smile rise again, you tug at his hand, pulling him up til he can follow you up to the swings that he had well outgrown. there was no reason to dwell on the fate everybody would find.

 touya digs his hands into his pockets, sitting on the seat of the swing. it sits rather snug, but he lets his feet swing.  “it's curfew by now, the parents of this neighbor aren't gonna like us very much.”

“i don't live here anymore.” you shrug.

“i do.” he chuckles. “and everything reminds me of–everything you know.”

“well, let's not get sappy. i'll push you.” shifting off your swing, your hands push at his back, giving him some motion to swing back and forth. 

his head gets buzzy. 

there's nothing to think about but the stars fading into the sky, and the cherished street lights that illuminate the slides. there was no thought, but like never before, the shush from your lips plays in his head like he himself is doing it. 

the feeling of his body rocking back and forth goes on till there is no velocity left.

looking up, the sky has gone dark from its gray closure. “you’ve got to stop doing that y/n!!” you snort, mockingly quietly from your swing. “i wanna go to the beach, so stop staring and come back to reality.”

“i heard you that time-” he blinks, standing from the swing, it hits him in the back of the leg. he doesn't react however, just silently reaching back to stop it. 

“we’ll walk?”

“yeah, why not.”

…

watching from the concrete ledge of the beach, the moonlight shines down upon the water. the tide swallows the sand, and you stand beyond letting it wash on your knees. it was too cold for touya, it felt empty again, that he couldn't stand beside you like he would, or go swimming in the middle of winter. the water almost speaks to you, splashes from afar confusing and replacing it with lost memories.

 but in his mind, it is almost a blessing that he could watch you live one more time. a person of peace who found no need. he tries to wipe the feeling of nostalgia from his mind. 

you run up, panting slightly from the cold. you sit on the ledge with him.

“it’s so nice, you sure you can’t go skim it?” 

“could send my body into shock, rather not end it now.” he chuckles, turning his head, taking a breath, about to speak before he stops. “-you know, i want to live. i've always wanted to live.” he lets the air stuck in his lungs release, a cool cloud coming with it. 

“we're all going to die anyway.” your mind fixates again on the truth.

“quote, “your body won't hold up much longer.” i guess, but i won't be kicking it anytime soon.” his hand pushes at your back. 

“go, i had a good view.”

“your vile touya.”

“not like that, you're just pretty.” a small scrunch comes to his eye, his hand still patting you on. 

 “i might swim, who knows.” and the breeze starts to pick up. it's going to snow. you take a couple of steps before you nervously dig your foot into the ground.

“y/n?” he calls. his hands press the ledge, but he doesn't slide off, just watches as you approach. 

 “touya.” the crack in your voice sends his body up. “what is it?”

“i just don’t wanna lose you all over again. i can't.” his hands reach for you. his rough palms skim continuously rubbing at the side of your face. “shh, nono. don't be silly. when has my dumbass ever gone out and not come back?” 

his thumbs start at the tears pinching at your eyes. it feels like years of pent-up emotion spilling from your words and from your eyes. possibly pushed underwater to choke on the salt of the sea, every landscape you shared with him had shoved its pollution into your lungs.

“the seasons dry touya.” 

“please don't cry.”

his arms pull you to his chest, each shake of your body making him flinch, biting down on the flesh of his cheek. “you cold? come on, let's put your shoes back on. you've never jumped in that water and you know you won't.” 

pulling from his chest, his sleeves wipe at the drying streams. he chuckles at the cold-induced redness on the pout of your lips. “you’re a dick touya.”

turning you both around, he rolls his eyes. “maybe, but i try my best to be nice to you. now sit before you get sick.” he kneels, sliding your socks on, and then your shoes. “it's gonna snow, we should go.” you sniffle, looking up to the gray hoard of clouds fogging in. 

“we should, your set. let's go.” again, he slides you off from beneath your shoulders. somehow you've forgotten how habit it was for him. standing under the fire pole at the park to catch you, or helping you jump over the neighborhood walls. touya was made “evil.”

…

snowfalls. the street light outside his home illuminated its speed. by morning a light coat will rest upon the ground, the mountains covered with a tighter hug. 

“those pants don't look like they are drying, i could go up and get something from fuyumi-”

“nono, i couldn't.” you shake your head, and he shakes his. “nono, you can just give it back the next time you see me. sit on the couch inside and i'll deal with it.”

“thank you touya.”

he clicks his tongue, shrugging as he pushes the door open for you. “don't have to thank me, i'd rather you not freeze.”

he brings down a pair of fleece cargos, handing them to you. “she said she doesn't even use them, bring em back whenever, or not.”

“well i can't put them on if you're staring.” he raises his brows, spinning around. “sorry.”

struggling to get the damp pants off your knees, you grunt. “i can help by the way, no peeking i promise.”

“fine, pull.” he turns around, a hand still on his eyes all while gripping the end of the pants and tugging them off, then turning back around. 

“alright, heading out.” you stand off the couch and reach to hug him. his chin sits on your shoulder.

you both know it feels like you’ve shrunk, you cannot even feel the roughness against your cheek, maybe in some better place, where a father didn't choose power and heir, there could have been more time.  your lips pushing against his cheek, the wrap of the embrace unraveling. “bye touya.” and his head goes fuzzy.

…

in the morning, the gray cast filled the sky once again, yet rain turned the snow to mush.

when the phone rings, you almost assume touya got your number from your mother. you pick up the number without a second thought. “hello?”

you expected the arrogant rasp, and your heart pounds a couple of beats quicker. the voice makes you set down the clothing you were folding. “natsuo? what's up?”

“you live there? i live two houses down! if you want, we could go and swim at the beach!

“it's the middle of the winter.”

“so?!”

"natsuo? come on whats up? is everything alright?"

“touya died. he’s dead.”

all over again, you'll stand before the same eyes, shared by the blood of a man you cannot bear. you won't look back to that house, you won't speak to enji or rei. the eyes of his siblings will haunt you, no matter blue or gray. summers and winters, the skies' beauty will be hidden from your eyes.

your lungs are on fire, your body hitting the concrete with each step sending blaze through your nerves till you've made it. soaked down in water, the fleece pants in one hand. 

natsuo stands with a photograph in his hand.

"i dont know what happened."

masterlist.

© haunted4kent 2024.

[paragonrobits]

so a few possible issues i see with this mindset in most urban fantasy scenarios where this could come up:

The biggest issue is the moral compromise involved in killing and eating people; its very easy to stop caring about the ethics involved and most character types that REQUIRE a character to kill another person to survive also tend to compel them to do so, or disincentivize them holding back. Even if a person is objectively evil, people deep down don't actually want to hurt other people without severely depersonalizing them or not caring much, and killing people does Stuff to your head that makes you stop caring about it. 2. Directly coming from the first point; if killing people is so little a big deal that you feel you just got to find the right person to take out, then most people will stop caring about it to begin with. You're hungry now, why not kill that kid over there or someone's parent or whatever; you've already killed a few people, and after a bit it stops mattering. Someone willing to kill with this blaise an attitude is usually not someone who cares enough about ethics to not just kill anyone that's convenient. 3. This is actually a feature, not a bug; it's what makes, say, vampires in World of Darkness compelling, the constant tension between the need/pleasure of killing and hunting human lives, and the horror of what its doing to you. You do these things to keep them from completely consuming you, and you KNOW its bad, or it wouldn't be important at all. "A beast I am, lest a Beast I become." If there's an easy fix, that kind of removes the reason its compelling at all. 4. Pedophiles and evil rich people are not actually that common. Your average vampire is not likely to be able to identify them without some work and they're not easy to get to, so this kind of attitude won't last before they give up on it because its impossible to actually find suitable prey that's both appropriately evil AND something that's accesible within the timeframe they need to find prey. What does your monster character do in the event that they can't locate someone that fits the bill 5. Some settings have such monsters consuming the souls of their prey, and NOT metaphorically; depending on whether or not this destroys the soul of the victim or perma-kills them in resurrection-minded stories (and again, actually destroying the soul of a person, no matter how evil, WILL fuck with you, and if it doesn't, you're probably not going to bother trying to find suitably evil prey in the first place), you're probably going to have aspects of them bouncing around inside you FOREVER. Do you WANT to have the memories and desires of people like that a part of you for the rest of eternity? (That said, this can be a great origin for a truly monstrous fallen hero character who started out relatively idealistic, but wound up becoming as bad as their prey because of this aspect of the monster business.) 6. Again, generally speaking, killing people is a bad thing. Most people do not want to kill other people and on a deep and primal level do not want to do that; if you're okay with it, you have been specifically trained to do so or you just don't care to begin with, and in that case you either probably won't bother to keep to these kind of restrictions or will give up on them as you lose the ability to emphathize with prey, or fail to see distinctions; you're hungry now, so who cares if the human is a corrupt cop or rich guy or just someone trying to go home from a nightclub? Humans are all the same is a thought that pops up in these kinds of beings, and the thought of 'there's a family that's never going to see their child again' probably won't matter to you at that point. And after the 20th time you do it, you DEFINITELY won't care. anyway any kind of answer to this that goes 'lol i'll just Get bad people, who cares' are kind of missing the point and killing people for any reason fucks with who you are

the whole “i’m an evil monster because i have to kill and eat innocent people to survive :’(” angst in ‘regular human gets turned into supernatural monster’ stories is so stupid. like how is that even a problem??? there are also plenty of corrupt billionaires, abusers and cops out there for you to snack on

[ofmermaidstories]

the australian government is trying to legislate kids under sixteen off of social media. so, if you are aussie and under sixteen, you won’t be allowed to have a sm account on sites like twitter, tiktok, facebook, youtube—and more.

i know our relationship with minors, as fic writers who write for other adults, is rocky at best. the rise in self-censoring and shame-based attitudes among readers in general is helping to kill any and all artistic curiosity in the next generation, which in turn makes it actively hard to be in shared, online fan spaces. it’s easy to blame the kids, but at its heart i think this is an active adult failure. our younger generations have gotten the raw end of the deal, in many ways; one of them being allowed to grow up alongside of material that they should’ve never had free access to, not without guided parenting.

And that’s the thing. the answer isn’t banning them. the legislation involved means that social media companies will be the ones to face the penalties (the fines) if minors break the new laws. which means—what? censorship gets even worse, in an effort to be even more kid friendly? Government-interest friendly? this talk started happening in the thick of the pro-palestine marches, as the movement was trickling into universities and highschools. And okay, let’s say it’s not that—what else could this be about? could it maybe have something to do with the fact that the australian government wants to implement a Digital ID nation wide?

"This one is for the mums and dads,” Albo, Anthony Albanese, our prime minister and prime dickhead, says in the announcement. “They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back.”

But this isn’t about protecting kids. At the very best, they’re selling it as a scapegoat—like, oh! Haha, now you can just tell the kids it’s illegal!! It completely ignores the reality that people have to parent these humans. Like, it’s giving people, at best, an excuse to continue being lazy. They don’t have to sit down with their kids and the things they’re engaging with, anymore—because they’re banned from it! Instead having conversations about the media they encounter, it’s okay! You don’t need to worry about that anymore! The australian government wants to pretend this is about protecting kids from predators or online bullying, instead of parents confronting the fact they’ve created little assholes with unfettered access to tools to harass people with, or let their kids walk into traps because they haven’t taught them basic internet safety.

I have mixed feelings. Like any other (reasonable) adult, I worry about what kind of effects this much freedom to this much knowledge and drivel and personality can do to someone younger, someone who hasn’t like—had to learn how to make their way through a world where people are messy and a little weird and sometimes outright unlikable, but you have to still be professional about it, you know? I worry about things like micro-trends running the fun and excitement of digging in and finding some niche fashion that becomes your personality. I worry about status symbols like the right makeup and fitness pants and waterbottles getting popular too fast, and then cycling out just as quickly and creating a pace that kids without means can’t participate in as fast. I worry about podcasts run by sigma-pus males or whatever, tradwives selling glamour under the pretense of housework, like, so much of it. But these are all things that you as a parent have to negate!!! Like. You can’t just ban kids from the internet and then expect them to be normal about things whenever they’re allowed back—you have to teach them to be, to handle it. You have to teach them!!

I am saying this as an adult. An adult who likes adult things, and likes them in an open, easily-accessible space. An adult who would actively benefit from minor-free social media. There are things as an adult creator that I wanna talk about, or write about, in ways that aren’t always age-appropriate (or at all!!) for a younger audience. And look—my personal view has always been that as a fanfic writer, my responsibility to you guys (adults and sneaky-little-minors alike!!) has always been to warn appropriately on or in the fics themselves. That’s it. You get the warning labels on the tin, and you decide what to do with that afterwards. It’s not always perfect because I’m not perfect. I will make mistakes. I might not tag for something specific that ends up being a trigger for you. But the thing with fanfiction and fanfic communities is that we generally have to trust each other. I might miss a warning, but you have to trust that that mistake wasn’t a deliberate effort to hurt you. I have to trust that you guys know your own boundaries and will engage—or not!!—accordingly. I opt to treat my space here, my blog, as an open-one. Because it is! It’s a public blog LOL. If you have a tumblr account, then you have access to it! So, I try to treat this space like a public conversation in a café, or a foodcourt. Maybe I slip a raunchy little book over the table to you, and we make one or two rude jokes, or otherwise a stray rando catches the tail-end of a more serious conversation—but it’s all things I would be comfortable (enough) discussing with someone in a space where maybe I don’t know everyone involved, you know? I benefit from the knowledge that oh well, at least I don’t have to worry about local kids getting on here. 💀 But—I hate that for them!! Do I trust younger readers? Not always!!! I worry that they’ll get caught in the wrong feedback loop, that they don’t like, investigate claims or challenge information for themselves, that they’ve never had to! And hey, to be completely fair, I don’t always trust proper adult readers with that either LMFAOOO, but the point is that kids get more grace and more worry from me because they are still actively learning to be apart of things, of communities. And I think banning them from that is ultimately a mistake. To protect someone you have to teach them what to look out for, how to engage safely, how to trust themselves. And that’s not what’s going to be achieved here. This social media ban is a useless bandaid in the face of bigger problems (housing crisis, inflation, the AUKUS submarine thing i don’t even want to talk about it its stupid) that the government is waving around to distract everyone with. And it’s working. Because people would rather sit there and scroll on facebook, or whatever, instagram, instead of actively parenting.

[danikamariewrites]

Happy Spooky Season! I was wondering if I could request a platonic Rowan looking out for Aelin's teen sister? I feel like he'd be a strict, but protective big brother by insisting on dropping her off at places, like the theatre, picking her up again, accompanying her into Orynth, guarding her during balls (if he's busy then assigning his former cadre to do it for him), etc. And she gets annoyed by it, until his behaviour comes in clutch one day when he spots her in some kind of sticky situation and helps her out.

Big Brother

Rowaelin x little sister!reader

Warnings: short but sweet

When Rowan first came into your and Aelin’s life you were very annoyed by him

He was always in your business and annoying you

But you annoyed him so things were even

You didn’t trust Rowan at first. Hell you didn’t trust anyone around your older sister, especially someone you could see her falling for

Aelin told you about Chaol and you hated him. Who was he to say that you and your sister were monsters?

After Maeve and Erawan you worked out your differences with Chaol and Dorain

Speaking of Dorian, you had a massive crush on him but Rowan shut that down real quick

He also shut down your crush on Petrah Blueblood, “one person in this group being with a witch is enough.” Rowan had scolded. You just stuck your tongue out at him and stomped off to your room

Aelin and Rowan were like your surrogate parents

Your big sister had looked after you all your life

Aelin was your protector and made sure you never had to train to be what she was, but enough to fight and cause the most harm to someone who was trying to hurt you

You were a feral child around Arobynn because you always got bad vibes from him. You also hated the way he looked at your sister

Aelin did baby you, she still does and so does Rowan, but she never hid the truth from you

Once Terrasen was rebuilt, as princess, you started to get involved with the community. Your main focus being schools and the public library

When not attending his kingly duties Rowan was escorting you from event to event, making sure you stayed safe

“Ro, there has never been an attempt. I don’t need a babysitter, I can handle myself.” Rowan raised a silver brow at you. “There hasn’t been one because I’m good at my job, little sister.” The darkness in his voice sent a shiver down your spine and made you think about your security detail and how protected you and your kingdom are

During special events if Rowan can’t watch you like a hawk one of the Cadre is assigned to you

Fenrys is for low risk events; putting the two of you together is beyond chaotic. You two are the ultimate sibling duo and you always have fun with Fenrys. He absolutely sees you a little sister and loves having you as a companion especially after Connall

Lorcan is for high risk outings; Lorcan is scary dog privilege. He stares down anyone who even breathes in your direction. Lorcan stands faithfully by your side, arms crossed and weapons on display, for hours on end. As much as you would like to mess with him, you actually behave when Lorcan is around. You know if he’s escorting you it’s serious

Gavriel is just back up; He’s your uncle! Of course he’s more than happy to drop everything to be with his niece. Plus he spoils you to make up for years lost out on family time

As much as you find Rowan’s presence annoying at times there finally came a day where you were thankful for his protection

Heading out to a speaking engagement at the primary school you were trying to find any Cadre members to escort you instead of two security guards

Rowan has your schedule, so he should’ve been free. But alas, the buzzard was stuck in meetings with your sister

Uncle Gav was out doing you have no idea what, Lorcan was home with Elide, and Fenrys was away with Vaughn, who you still haven’t actually laid eyes on by the way

You opted to take two of your normal guards to escort you

But without Rowan to walk them through security protocols you were walking around without knowing about any threats

Everything was going smooth. You made it to the school, your talk with the children went very well! They loved to hear stories from you about the Queen and King. They loved to play with you and tell you anything that pops into their little heads

It wasn’t until you were on the way back to the castle that trouble found you

Your carriage was stopped abruptly, the horses neighing and rearing up on their hind legs at the danger in the middle of the road

“Stay here, princess!” Your guards shout, leaving you alone closed in the carriage. You weren’t afraid at first. Not until you heard shouting and fighting. You couldn’t hear much. The men who stopped you were a small group. They wanted revenge on Aelin for killing Dorian’s father. Who know loyalists to the former King of Adarlan were around

Before things could escalate further a flash of white light had you shielding your eyes as you peer out the window, the men thudding against the ground

“Take them to the prison!” You had never been so relieved to hear Rowan’s voice. You stayed locked in the carriage until he came and got you

When Rowan opens the door you fling yourself into him, wrapping your arms around him neck. “I have never been so grateful for you not minding your business.” Your brother laughs, hugging you back. “Let’s get you home, Aelin has been worried.”

[isthepame]

Review Ch. 281: "The Formula of Evolution."

Evolutionary Symbiosis

The chapter kicks off with Ego explaining genetic evolution. As we all know from our school biology lessons, every individual is born with half of their genetic material coming from their father and the other half from their mother. That’s the standard rule. But sometimes, copying errors occur, and children are born with traits neither of their parents possess. For instance, the child could have a small limb, an unusual height, or extraordinary speed. Usually, this child gets excluded for their differences and doesn’t pass on their genes when they reproduce. However, that unusual trait might be advantageous and perfectly suited to the environment. Something positive happens, and this trait proliferates through natural selection, eventually becoming a standard for the species. This process repeats over and over until the original species transforms into something entirely different. That’s evolution in a nutshell.

Ego emphasises to Anri that we need to study and evolve; we can't stagnate, or else we’ll be eliminated by natural selection.

As mentioned earlier, those born with such traits often face exclusion and struggle to be understood by their peers; their lives tend to be tough. That distinctive trait could be a gene that allows humanity to evolve. This trait is something that simply can’t be ignored. These characteristics, these areas, generate unique expressions of both body and mind, and those who have them project these expressions to the world.

To Ego, those who possess such revolutionary expressions are what he calls ‘geniuses’. Nowadays, society believes that innovation isn’t something a genius can achieve alone. Someone has to discover that seed, understand its value, and communicate it to the world. By showcasing its viability and reproducibility, it becomes a global standard.

The concept of genius is transformative because it challenges the traditional view of genius as something isolated and solitary. For Ego, the true genius doesn’t just stand out because of natural talent; they excel because of their ability to recognise and exploit the potential of things others can’t see. That’s why the evolution of humanity doesn’t solely rely on geniuses; it also involves talented learners, who play a key role in adapting and applying a genius’s ideas to new realities.

Geniuses and talented learners must coexist. The latter are the ones who develop new tactics, using data to counteract the geniuses. This is where talented learners create plays based on that new type of logic.

The combination of geniuses and talented learners is the formula for evolution. They are always on the same stage. Within this stage, the talented learners have their own path to becoming the best in the world. This symbiosis mirrors how ideas and action complement each other in the process of evolution, both in football and in life. As we’ve seen with the characters in Blue Lock, geniuses aren’t just individuals with exceptional skills—they’re also those who know how to leverage their talents alongside others to create something even greater.

At first, Isagi still believes that the geniuses around him on the field are unattainable. That is, until he realises that he’s always fought as a talented learner. He copies, analyses, and makes his own adjustments based on what he observes from his opponents.

Yoichi comes to the realisation that the geniuses on the field are battling it out amongst themselves, and none of them are going to pass the ball to someone like him. People just want to see that one perfect goal that’ll end the game. Isagi understands that he has to steal the ball himself, but again he’s outpaced by Loki, taking another hard hit to his reality. He starts to believe that he’s not capable, that he doesn’t have a chance as he watches Loki and Noa battling for the ball. He sees himself facing a genetic wall he can’t surpass.

This moment is pivotal because Isagi is confronting his deepest limitation: his perception of being just a learner in the presence of geniuses. However, this confrontation with reality is exactly what drives him to grow. Personal evolution, in this case, doesn’t happen through luck or innate talent; it’s about the will to push forward despite the odds.

Suddenly, Kaiser appears beside him, ready to challenge those two geniuses for the ball. Michael feels that the situation is unfair, but he heads into the thick of things, competing alongside the geniuses, because the genius and the talented learner coexist in the same space, unlocking their potential.

This last point highlights a fundamental idea: "geniuses" aren’t isolated—they can be surpassed or complemented by those who, through learning and observation, adapt to circumstances and, at the same time, make the geniuses evolve. This struggle, which seems like an unfair fight for the learners, is ultimately what differentiates those who remain stagnant from those who reach new heights.

In conclusion, the chapter reminds us that evolution isn’t just a biological process; it’s also a constant battle between the established and the new. The key lies not just with the geniuses, but in the ongoing interaction between them and the talented learners, those who can observe, adapt, and transform the rules of the game. Isagi, in his confrontation with the geniuses, is not only facing a wall of skill but also the realisation of his own limitations. However, it’s in this very struggle where his true opportunity for growth arises.

Evolution, both in football and life, isn’t a fixed destination, but rather a journey filled with challenges and transformations. It’s the result of the coexistence of innovation and adaptation, how the extraordinary merges with the seemingly ordinary to create something entirely new. As Ego says, the key is not to stagnate, not to give in to the pressure from the geniuses, because even in adversity, the talented learner has the power to change the course of history. The real challenge is to keep evolving, to recognise opportunities to learn, and ultimately, not to fear being the one who challenges the established order to create something truly unique.

by @isthepame / isthepame

[clementine-kesh]

#Tom: I've accepted these things about myself~ #(Maybe you should work on improving some of these things?) #Tom: I've accepted them v_v #There's a sort of sadness in that Tom's main issues upon introduction are that he never really wanted to be starfleet #and only joined to gain his dad's approval (to be rejected utterly by both after The Incident) #and the happiness he finds involves just basically being right back where he started Pre-The Incident only with a wife and kid now #He's matured definitely but ultimately he's back where he started: Daddy loves you as long as you're a good Starfleet boy #sort of like B'Elanna only B'Elanna has it even worse where she doesn't even have the assurance of being accepted by Starfleet & Society #etc after returning to Earth (She's Maquis & She's Klingon & Her parents aren't Admirals) #It really shows just HOW performative Tom's rebellion was even if he doesn't see it that way #Even if we didn't have the fact that he joined the Maquis NOT out of any moral dilemma he had about the Federation's actions #but essentially to stick it to his dad #A great microcosm of how Tom thinks is that when B'Elanna says she might wanna break up with him because of xyz he proposes to her #It's a large change which might seem like progress because of how flighty he is and his struggles with loyalty/ fidelity #but in actuality it's just a way to maintain the status quo without addressing any of the underlying problems B'Elanna brought up to him #Instead of 'how can I improve our relationship?' the question is 'how can I get her to stay?' #He IS an interesting character but ONLY if you're willing to admit that he's kind of a shitty guy from beginning to end even if the #narrative is trying to tell you otherwise #something interesting I noticed is that I don't THINK Tom ever worries about going back to jail?? #he was told that Starfleet would essentially just put in a good word* for him if he helped them out with finding the Maquis #but he doesn't worry about returning to jail upon returning to Earth #Meanwhile B'Elanna worries about being thrown in jail even though they've both been equally loyal to Voyager - B'Elanna #perhaps even more so (didn't get demoted for disobeying orders) #*NOT that he'd be free (via @bumblingbabooshka)

yeah!! as always you’ve really hit the nail on the head here wrt the inherent tragedy of tom paris being a character who is bad at the status quo because he’s so flighty and self-interested yet is never able to truly break free from it. and the show presents that as a happy ending!! very sad and fucked up. also this is why i think he and post-picard seven would have a lot in common lol

i do actually like that tom’s arc in voyager works out to be about a guy who sucks ass and slowly gets better but is still kind of a shitty person at the end of it. it’s unfortunate though that both the writers and many of the fans don’t seem to realize that just because he’s dealt with his daddy issues and found acceptance in the voyager family doesn’t mean he doesn’t still suck by way of being racist and misogynistic and generally self-centered

[lucianegm]

Yeah yeah, I know we've got plenty of Clegan AU fics where they are both teachers and fall in love and shit...

But!!! Do we have a fic in which Gale is a science teacher and John is a solo parent (maybe of a little boy), and they meet in the parent-teacher meeting and John starts to sort of flirt with Gale, cuz he falls in love instantly. And Gale is an impenetrable wall, cuz he doesn't want to get involved with a parent, and maybe he's new in town...

I dunno, just thought of that coming home from work. Help guys! Do we have a Teacher!Buck and Parent!Bucky fic???

[mychlapci]

As someone who gets horny for world building, I was trying to figure out where all the dratchrod babies go

Instead, my mind jumped to an au where the majority of cybertronians are infertile (from war injuries or smth) but due to some shenanigans the crew of the Lost Light got magically healed and they're all volunteering (or being voluntold) to get pregnant to give the rest of cybertron babies

lost light as a breeding facility drives me crazy. do they have a baby quota to fill?.... tbh i do have many and varying headcanons about cybertronian parenting, but since i am first and foremost a strict feral sparklings truther, i would imagine the dratchrod babies are indeed brought to cybertron, since, well, most cybertronians dont know how to raise three litters of dozen feral babies, anyways. i dont think any of it is planned, the lost light just starts sending babies to cybertron and they had to be like Okay well we’ll do something with these.

[possamble]

What are your headcanons about Marcille's mom if you have any? It's interesting that what drew Donato to her was cause she lived the history he studied, or that was said somewhere at least. She must've had an interesting life.

so this was going to be just a normal answer but then I realized I have a Lot of Things To Say. so here goes, a compilation of what we know for a fact from the canon, what I've extrapolated from the visual cues and details, and my theories based on all of that.

Things we know for a fact about Marcille's mother because they were explicitly stated in the manga and supplemental materials:

She was a court mage for a Tall-man kingdom at the southern part of the Northern Continent

Donato, a court historian, fell in love with her because she had lived through the history he was studying, and he courted her for 17 years (age 15 to 32) before getting married

She was a cheerful person who rarely showed extreme emotion and took things as they came

She always cooked a huge meal for Marcille on her birthdays

She remarried a gnome after Donato's death and a short distance away from Marcille's childhood home

Pipi, Marcille's pet bird, was actually older than Marcille and originally belonged to her mother (bird died at 62)

She was extremely heartbroken when Donato died and ultimately ended up instilling a deep fear of mortality in Marcille with her words

the only time she showed extreme emotion in front of her family was when Donato could no longer eat his favourite dish near the end of his life.

She scolded Marcille for being cruel to ants (implying she can have a stern side when needed)

Things that are explicitly shown but mostly through visual cues

She has a very distinctive style of dress always involving a ribbon choker (mirroring Marcille's habit of always wearing a matching choker with any of her outfits that don't cover her neck)

She was almost stereotypically good at housekeeping and traditionally "wifely" things (very frequently depicted wearing an apron or doing some domestic chore when not at work, seems to have been an avid cook).

She knits? (also, note the affectionate smile as she's looking at Donato and Marcille reading a book together in the full panel)

She was as excited for Marcille's milestones as Donato was.

She didn't tell Marcille much about elven food

(there are a couple things that this panel in particular implies:

She lived a good deal of her life (if not being born and raised) in a mainly elven country in the West, implied by her knowing enough of an elven region's cuisine to prefer Tall-man food over it

seems to have a pretty carefree and casual demeanour overall, if this is how she replied to Marcille asking her about it (sounds like she never gave her culinary preferences that much thought to begin with)

slightly related to number 2, it seems like she and Marcille had a fairly casual parent-child dynamic (especially in comparison to the Toudens' memory of their father)

(local elf tastes Italian food once and never goes back))

However, she seems a lot more... serious in most of the other times we see her? Almost like the very stereotypical archetype of a graceful elf.

Subsequent conclusions about her personality:

Usually pretty carefree and cheerful at home, has been a loving and attentive parent throughout Marcille's childhood (while not being so doting that she didn't discipline Marcille).

Slightly more conjectural theories on her personality:

Had a much more graceful and professional personality at work, which would explain the more serious portraits we see of her.

Given that both she and Donato had positions at the royal court, it seems a little odd that she'd go out of her way to do all the housework herself, so maybe she just enjoyed doing it?

Now taping all the evidence together and toeing the line between analysis and fanfiction:

It's clear that she loved Donato very much and was utterly devastated by losing him. But there's one thing that really stuck out to me in what little we see of her:

Doesn't she seem... angry? The way she's gritting her teeth, clutching the tablecloth, and how this is the first and only time we see her eyes opened that wide. In the following panel, you see her being quiet and dejected after her initial outburst. She's still crying very intensely, but her brows are furrowed, and she's not really responding to Donato's affection in her body language.

We're not told the details of how she felt about losing Donato other than that it upset her. But this, to me, implies that she was angry and resented that he was aging, that the end of his life was approaching. An "it's not fair" type of preemptive grief. And if this was the first and last time she cried like this in front of her family, she was either very good at coping in private... or very bad at letting herself feel unpleasant emotions until they become unavoidable and end up overwhelming her.

It's not too remarkable a detail on the surface. It's even reminiscent of what the audience has seen of Marcille. But... when it comes to the big picture, you'd think an elf who voluntarily chose to marry a tall-man and have a half-elf child would have been better prepared for this.

It kind of recontextualizes her cheerfulness to me.

"I'm sure everything's gonna be okay!" (or some variation thereof, depending on what translation you have).

And this is stated to contrast her extreme grief when finally confronting Donato's failing body and eventual death. But I'm wondering if... maybe this optimism was why she was so upset. What if she went into all of it thinking "everything's gonna be okay"? What if she was a little young by elven standards, and just followed her heart thinking that her own resilience would get her through anything?

Of course, only to get completely overwhelmed when she actually loses Donato. She turns into a completely different person. And that's heartbreaking on its own-- but what the audience sees is the effect it had on Marcille. Can you imagine being her, watching your invincible and upbeat mother suddenly lose all the light in her eyes in one go?

I've already made a huge post about how I think Marcille models her "work persona" off her mother, but another thing that stuck with me as I was looking for more details in the manga was this:

copy pasting from the other post i made about it lmao it's like... the second she resigns herself to lifelong pain and terror, there's another portrait of her mother facing her like this. with their heads bowed, in mirrored body language of resignation and despair and sorrow. Except it's posed like Marcille is still looking at her mother but her mother is looking away.

It took me a second to realize, but I think that it's a visual metaphor for the fact that Marcille's mother was the only long-lived role model she had-- and she failed to model healthy grief for her daughter. I don't say this as an accusation or to disparage her as a character, but just as a matter of fact. In her, Marcille was seeing herself older and losing a short-lived spouse or loved one of her own, and all she saw was hopelessness.

But her mother didn't mean to instill hopelessness and terror in her. She wasn't really thinking of how it would truly affect Marcille at all (at least, that's how I'm interpreting her looking down and away from Marcille in the metaphor), she was just sad. And she, in her own way, was trying to protect her daughter and help her prepare for future losses.

What she meant was "loss is inevitable, and you have to learn how to be in pain but live on anyway." What Marcille heard was "loss is inevitable, and you will be scared and hurt for the rest of your life."

Again. Marcille's mother doesn't feature explicitly in the story the way her father does -- but in so many ways, her shadow, her silhouette, her reflection is always hanging over Marcille.

All that to say... headcanon-wise (everything from here on is 100% without evidence lmao), I'd like to think that she matured and realized that she failed Marcille. I imagine her being regretful about it, wanting a chance to fix it but never finding a way to insert herself back into Marcille's life when Marcille is so so so busy becoming the most accomplished mage possible. I imagine her being herself again, now, so many years after her loss and after remarrying -- but with her cheerfulness tempered with a lot more wisdom and the pain of having gone through loss like that. I think the second Marcille actually tells her what happened in the dungeon, she'd want to go running to her daughter again -- if Marcille tells her the full truth instead of just being embarrassed she let things get that far. (oh, the tragedy of her wanting to be more like her mother and an accomplished adult who doesn't need to be babied... being embarrassed to actually tell her mother how much she fucked up...)

There's also the tension of her having remarried -- I know that there's at least a little bit of resentment that Marcille harbours about that, because she's childish like that at heart even if she makes an effort not to externalize it. I think that her mother would be aware of that, potentially adding to her sense of guilt and apprehension at trying to reappear/intrude on Marcille's life. I honestly don't think Marcille has met her stepfather -- or even considers him a stepfather rather than "mama's new husband" and kind of a total stranger. I think she and her mother actively don't talk about it in their correspondence, like an elephant in the room.

but, ultimately, I think her mother is on her side no matter what. Ancient magic? Dark necromancy? Sure, she'll feel guilty and like she was partially responsible for setting Marcille down such a painful path, but she wouldn't care. that's her daughter!! she would've moved back west and been petitioning for her at the court, buying a house right next to the Canaries barracks and visiting her every day that she wasn't on a mission. And if her husband had opinions on Marcille becoming a "dark arts user," he either gets over it or it's divorce with him. Yes, she might have had her optimism completely humbled by losing Donato like that -- but she's still headstrong and self-assured and she doesn't care what people think of her. It's her way or the highway and she's always going to be in Marcille's corner.

(She also needs a name lol. I went with Juno, just to be cute about "Marcille"s closest real life equivalent being Marcella, which is the female version of Marcellus, which in turn is a diminutive of Marcus, which was derived from Mars. Absolutely in love with Marcille potentially being named after Ares/Mars the fucking god of war btw)

[north-wilkesboro-moonshine-cave]

congratulations to Mme. Pascale Leclerc, who has surely just experienced both the funniest and most unhinged weekend a mother could ever have. Dear fucking christ, I hope your middlest son brought you a bottle of champagne for yourself, ma'am.

[heytheredeann]

Today on Very Serious Spy Scenarios, imagine Illya and Napoleon at the beginning of their partnership, with Napoleon happily pushing all of Illya's buttons every five seconds to try and see what will get him punched and what not. Illya is endlessly frustrated with him, especially because he CANNOT get a rise out of him, no matter how hard he tries.

And then one day, when they are arguing, again, Illya is getting desperate to Win This and so this conversation ensues:

Illya: "What's your problem, your parents never hugged you as a child?"

Napoleon, completely unfazed: "Actually no, my father barely spoke to me and my mother lowkey disliked me, so."

Illya:

Napoleon:

Illya:

Napoleon: "What?"

Illya: *getting teary-eyed*

Napoleon, now a little scared: "Peril?"

Illya: *bear hug attack*

[astro-b-o-y-d]

Did I ever talk about the roleswap AU idea I had where Bill and Mina were in place of Dipper and Mabel, and Ford was in place of Stan? I don't have a LOT of ideas for it but I was thinking about it last night at work.

[multiplekittens]

Next time I say it might be fun to commit to three projects with a tight, hard deadline, with one of the projects requiring me to learn two (2) entirely new skills, please bonk me on the head with cartoon hammers until I turn into a squeaky toy

[unproduciblesmackdown]

love my own like theatrical relationship to shakespeare which is a) being so slow to realize like "oh, i've loved theatre? everyone doesn't just feel this way & go 'of course acting onstage would fucking kick ass' & adore rehearsals and hanging around backstage and in greenrooms and changing and performing & etc?' never really occurred to me" and b) my response to most encounters w/shakespeare being "wha" when it comes to anything granular yet the relevance still in the spirit of things lol

namely one prominent example being i was an on campus college student where said campus has a shakespearean theater literally three blocks away, and we had like a freshmen orientation weekly class there doing shit with actors and checking out the theater, not to mention like punchcards to see four shows free (to write up about afterwards but yeah sure whatever) and this wherein also you always got student discount tickets And there were pwyw performances....kicked ass. i went there for shows so many times. i have never fucking known what tf is going on in any of the like dozen shows i saw there when a) audio processing can be tricky enough for real life modern vernacular parsing and b) sure am not used to ye old very stylized language nor any other qualities of shakespearean material so lots of times when i finally started to kind of acclimate to the language it would be like "oh wait that was the conclusion? ok. hoorayyyyy" like also c) You Have A Great Time Seeing Shakespeare Productions Anyways like again i loved going anytime. it's Theatrical and if people are just putting their damn backs into delivering and performing the material it's An Experience even if you're really not following lmfao. and i suppose one can read the text / familiarize oneself beforehand

also like my first and really one of my only like regular theatre performing experiences was my literature class in fourth grade doing a few scenes from julius caesar. i was so hype for getting cassius like one of the most prominent roles? a guy? an antagonist if you're caesar or dante??? oh Fuck yes. b/c of technical difficulties we got to perform it twice in a row when we did a field trip to some other school to perform our respective [scenes from various shakespeare plays] altogether. even back then i was way into it and cared about stuff like "we have like no Effects to make it that dramatic when we kill caesar. or like, non silent. bit awkward" and "also i like, don't know how to act and am just winging it. and of course, i'm also like 9" like in theory i do like to know How to do something vs trying to make it up myself. somewhat lol. a balance, who can argue w/that

beyond that there's also lots of things i just didn't quite realize "counted" lmfao like, when you're a theatre gay with a parent req'ing you go to church every week but you have a good time being in the choir....i was sure on those tenor harmonies & singing loud. and going relatively often to various live theatrical events, having an engaging enough time there, but also would've assumed anyone would be into it And that that's not really the same as actually being in them, of course. but that most of my firsthand experience was just sticking w/ballet for like a decade, and kind of live theatrical performance adjacency there. don't say shit, for years was effectively just like, an ensemble for the occasional performances, but even then it's like hoorayyy i Love rehearsing and being onstage and backstage and dealing w/costumes and coordination behind the scenes and shit. and eventually being like, a distinct individual character in shows, so despite again nobody saying shit you're still somewhat interpreting and doing whatever character work while also enjoying the bennies of [it's dance, so also it's choreographed]....even more clear like oh i love backstage and rehearsing and behind the scenes and onstage and putting together stage character makeup, and i don't mind tackling technical difficulties, and etc etc. didn't even necessarily have the reference like, idk, wouldn't / doesn't everyone feel similarly. classic ye old memory of like being idfk 7 or some shit simply getting to walk with classmates behind a backdrop to the opposite wing of a stage, and loving that lmao. combines a love for [backstage] and [secret passages] type deal lol, big fan of these elements

also in 7th grade doing a theatre/drama class for a few months and we couldn't really get like all this in depth extensive stuff b/c you know, intro course for like 8 weeks for rando middle schoolers, but idk it was just illustrative lmao like after julius caesar, us slapping together some kind of script and my getting to be this fun little theatrical(tm) antagonist guy again? feedback was "what was supposed to be happening" but could've stood to have learned that the enthusiasm and affinity i felt for acting onstage was perhaps indicative of enthusiasm and affinity for acting onstage rather than just, idk, the exact kind of baseline experience any & everyone would have lol. not that i would've necessarily had the chance to really do anything with that knowledge, but even now, ofc i don't particularly anticipate getting to use it, but it's great having that knowledge like ohhh i see. the entire time i've been huge into doing theatre with all these kind of adjacent & gently overlapping brushes with it. gotcha