#but he also likes the embodiment of chaos ig

[artistofrandomstuff]

I LOVE THE. SO MUCH SJCJDHCJS vfemdfvmdvfs

*explodes of happyness*

they better get a happy end

[dork-a-doodle]

I have so many thoughts so I’m putting them under the cut

Ok so thoughts about Fear Entity alignments for Deltarune characters!

Kris, to me, was one of the more obvious. Being the only human in town makes them a very distinct other from everyone around them, despite their attempts to blend in with their family. They’re also regularly referred to as creepy and “the class zombie” by their peers. All very Stranger-esque. They are also very clearly a victim of The Web via the Soul/Player, that’s just a no-brainer.

Susie is another easy one, she’s a Slaughter avatar if I’ve ever seen one. She lashes out with violence at the slightest hint of adversity, and only decided that non-violent solutions could sometimes be of use after almost killing one of her first real friends. And even after that she’s still always ready to bash skulls at any time.

Ralsei was an interesting one. His alignment doesn’t actually have much to do with his own fear, nor any fear he inflicts on others. But instead is a reflection of Darkners as a whole. All Darkners, as beings essentially born from darkness, are Dark aligned by default. As the Prince of the Dark, Ralsei embodies this.

Berdly as a Vast avatar is perhaps a bit more of a reach than the others, and it could be argued that he’s just as much a victim as he is an avatar. For me it comes in two parts. The first and simpler is that he’s a bird. Birds fly in the sky. The Vast deals with sky based stuff. The second is the more existential part of The Vast. Berdly struggles with being seen as unintelligent, unexceptional, insignificant. And the way he deals with this Fear is to project it onto others, belittling them and making them feel insignificant in comparison to him.

Noelle’s alignment changes based on the route. In the regular route she’s a shoo-in for The Lonely, being a quiet doormat who bends to others wills without actually being an active member. In the Snowgrave route, she fills the role of Desolation avatar quite nicely, destroying everything in her path, leaving nothing untouched by her ice. (She’s also clearly a victim of The Web in both routes, by Queen and Kris/the Soul respectively.)

Jevil is another simple one, what with the themes of chaos, madness, and unreality. Spiral avatar all the way.

I stared at Spamton for like an hour trying to figure out what to do with him. I gave up. Avatar of Capitalism ig.

[cicada-candy]

Don't you just hate it when you drunkenly try to break up a barfight and meet the business end of a broken glass bottle? Don't you hate it even more when the demon that resurrects you is just kind of a dick?

(This ^^^ is from May. I'm only now getting around to getting further Hnnngh.)

Finally making ✨️The Big OC Post✨️ lmfao

posting this now because i am Stuck,, the brainworms want not to leave ig,,,,

SO

my guy my dude my boy whom I beat up all the time. That I've never actually. Posted About. Whoops.

Biographical Info.

From. Somewhere in NV. (Probably Reno because i am but a humble european who gets fuckin. Plains Fever if i think about the size of America too long) He's got a vulture theme going on. bcs I am cringe but I am ✨️free✨️and also like,,,,, desert.

Late 20s Early 30s. Hes centrally a chaos-junkie. The human embodiment of Watch This and Do It For The Plot ✨️Extreme Edition.✨️ 🎊🎉and Still. Technically 'Young And Stupid' but starting to get to the Oh Fuck This Is Just His ✨️Personality.✨️ Okay. Alright. Stage. He's also Kind Of A Self-Centered Prick. And is, therefore, very easily manipulated. This bites him in the ass regularly.

See Also: instigates constantly and then wonders why they get punted through windows/into brick walls/down many stairs. 

Forensics major drop-out. Did like. A year and got bored of it. Has the rare Sherlock Holmes Moment. The slightly More Common Dexter Morgan Moment. Other than that its just a fun fact. Writing Characters Smarter Than You Etc Etc,,,

Track Racer!! Not. Super Fleshed Out. Crew probably hates his ass for being so Destruction Of Property-ey. Definitely in Several of those videos of motogp racers crashing the fuck out of their bikes and then just. Grabbing a new one and Fucking Off.

The ✨️Timeline✨️

(kinda)

So. Abridged Series Of Events:

Goes to bar->

Gets in barfight->

Wakes up on floor of apartment Absolutely Hanging->

Proceeds to Deny Deflect Dissociate <3 his way through several months of shit sleep, weird bruises, and lost time-> *

Oh Fuck Wait.->

Was actually Very Murdered In afformentioned Barfight.->

Made a deal while bleeding the fuck out and also wasted. Great combination. ->

"How is this legally binding."->

Etc etc

(Said demon still doesn't. Have a name soooo. If anyone had any suggestions. 👉👈)

Quinn was also. Decidedly. Not Meant To Survive This Encounter. But alas he's built like a fuckin cockroach and fueled by spite and Neither Of Them Are Happy About It.

Ended up working out pretty sweet* for him though because he has quite a strong (if a little idealised) sense of justice and Likes Life And Not Being Exsanguinated.

(*yk. Apart from the whole. burning alive thing.)

Frequent Flyer at Danny's bar other than that probably minimal contact with other GRs. Not sure yet tho lol

~~~

The problem with my kind of OC writing is I have a lot of like. Little Story Ideas. That I. Could draw but alas motivation is an endangered species in my life and they're not very cohesive.

so i get stuff like *this lmao

But anyway Good luck deciphering this mess. If anyone needs me, I'll be making the Chowerpoint ghost rider edition. 🫡

[olive-garden-hoe]

PEOPLE WANT THE NUMBER LORE (1 greatly appreciated moot allowing me to yap, @alphabootayyyshaker9000) SO I SHALL DROP IT:

*note I made this up when I was like 8 with little to no change in the way I have thought about it since*

1: just a guy tm, he/him

- the most chill guy you’ll ever meet

- stays out of people’s business and amplifies the characteristics of those he’s with by staying quiet most of the time (identity rule)

- not held in super high regard by the others and he’s fine with that

- can be pushed over the edge (imaginary numbers)

2: anxious eldest daughter of divorced parents, she/her

- wants everyone to get along

- WILL sacrifice anything and everything to keep the peace (this is important)

- constantly a nervous wr ça vut hides it with even stability

3: wacky uncle tm, always thought she/her but I’ve caught myself using they/them so she/they ig

- eldest sibling who WILL pull pranks on you but knows when to stop

- likes having fun and enjoys a bit of chaos

- very chill, most like her or have no opinion (besides 8)

4: condescendingly nice guy (he/him)

- four begins to show signs of the higher number supremacy I made up (bro as I’m typing this I’m realizing how batshit insane this is)

- wants to be kind but is just nice

- passive aggressive and talks shit about everyone behind their backs

- associated with autumn brown… for some reason?

- wants to be just like 8

5: sans archetype pre-sans (he/him)

- a chill guy with quietly powerful abilities

- looked down upon by most (except 1 and 3) but doesn’t care

- breaks the universe on a whim (all multiples end with 5 or 0)

6: girlboss arc (she/her)

- BIG inferiority complex at first

- has a FAT crush on 7 and everything she does is for him

- big arc comes after 6x7

-begins to love herself and self-worth explodes

- not rebellious after 6x7 but not as much of a simp

7: the bastard (he/him)

- a magic-wielding trickster (Loki-adjacent ig but I didn’t know about that when I made this up)

- plays tricks to the detriment of others and is full of himself

- puts down anyone for his own gain

- loves chaos

- has a slight crush on 8

8: pretentious girl next door (she/her)

- convinced she’s better than all numbers below her

- talented sorceress, but not as much as those above her or 5

- admires 9 as a mentor and does everything to get his attention (she fails)

- constantly trying to improve herself

- highly intelligent

9: emo wizard (he/him)

- he doesn’t care for any numbers beneath him, including 8

- dislikes most everything and everyone

-fully thrown himself into magical studies and is now a prodigy, close to but not exactly on-level of the double-digits

10: The master (they/him)

- almost god-like from the magical power he has attained at this point

- benevolent by convenience

- not fond of any other numbers, not pretentious just highly introspective and antisocial

- teaches some tricks to those below them

- I imagined he was so busy with his studies he rarely interacted with any other number (that’s why his multiples are so simple)

11: wacky uncle (he/him)

- THE guy

- 3 but like Hawaiian shirt on the beach with flip flops kinda way

- always though of him as adjacent to Doc Brown from BTTF but with more zany sound effects

- 10,11, and 12 are equally powerful but 11 uses his to just make sandwiches and shit

12: the reluctant mom (she/her)

- caring but won’t admit it

- usually the one to teach lower numbers magic

- ends up helping the numbers more than one may think

- pretentious as a coping mechanism

OKAY OKAY OKAY LET ME EXPLAIN WITH THE MULTIPLES:

- products of these characters are basically the embodiment of their relationship in numeric form, but are also physical and comparable kinda? It’s hard to explain, but I think it makes sense???

- since I didn’t need pneumonic devices to remember things like 3x3 and 4x3, multiples of numbers that are characters aren’t counted

- generally, even numbers are considered ‘stable’ (as in, representative of a relatively healthy/normal relationship) and odd numbers are ‘unstable’ (meaning generally chaotic but with various embodiments)

- multiples of 2, since she’s so accommodating, are considered the ‘ideal relationship’ or ‘best form’ of the number she’s multiplying by

- numbers within the multiple are similar but not necessarily the characters talked about prior

I won’t go through all the products but here are some keystone ones I use:

3x7=21: two relatively chaotic numbers that like playing jokes create a number beginning with an even number and ending with an odd number because it’s unexpected and funny and shows their chaotic but not unsustainable relationship. 7 grows bored easily, however, and even 3 is to stable for him…

4x4=16: since 16 is the product of 2 and 8, considered to be the perfection of 8 and 4 wants to be like 8, his interaction with himself leads to a product that embodies his unhealthy idolization of 8 and his grandiose ideals of himself (thinking he himself is 16, not just 8, which is his perfect form)

6 arc:

6x9= 54: 6 tries to get along with bigger numbers in an attempt to impress 7 regardless of how 9 is not interested in getting to know her. 9 contribute the first digit of 5 as an odd number like him, conveying his vanity, and 6’s need to be liked by 7 is embodied by 4, the last digit of 7’s perfect form of 14

6x8=48: 6 befriends 8 in an attempt to get to 7 who’s been ghosting her, and 8 (despite herself) forms a relatively close bond with her and advises 6 to seek joy from herself before seeking joy from 7, which 6 says she takes to heart but doesn’t really, a fact 8 doesn’t notice because she’s too wrapped up in congratulating herself on how good of a number she’s being. The last digit represents 8’s vanity permeating her and 6’s relationship while the beginning digit represents 6’s persistent thoughts of getting close to 7, now becoming more focal in her mind as it takes the first number here as opposed to taking the second number with 9.

6x7=42: finally 6 gets 7’s attention and they date, which is apparently stable, which makes 7 uncomfortable and causes him to distance himself from 6. The beginning digit represents the persistent idolization of 7 by 6 as previously discussed, and the final digit is even as well to represent how ‘stable’ the relationship is by 6’s own design. 7 hates this stability, though, used to chaos and being frankly cruel, leading to…

6x6=36: after 6 realizes how toxic 7 is and that he doesn’t really want her like she wants him, she finally steps back and breaks up with him. She goes on a journey of repairing her relationship with herself, culminating in a happy identity number with the first being a factor of herself and the second being herself. This shows her growth as a person to finding value within herself instead of in the arms of another.

I probably sound insane and this definitely doesn’t make sense but it’s how I learned my multiplication tables lmao

[moirastuff]

Yo! Could i request Sidon and/or (you choose!) Link with a gen z human reader who ended up in their world for some reason? The reader is literally the embodiment of chaos and does stupid shit 24/7, quotes memes and vines and stuff.

I just wanna see them confused why this generation wants to ⚰️🤪 so bad GAJAGAKAGAJAH.

Yoo I'm alive :D I really don't have an excuse, only writer's block ig

Also, I learned how to put the read more thingy, why nobody told me about that?????

Oh yeah the hcs,

Both is good

Sidon and Link dealing with a Gen Z

Sidon

He just kinda saw you walking around the Zora region and took you in, kinda surprised on how you even survived

This actual himbo of a Zora doesn't understand a single thing you're saying

He's such a gentleman, but your way of talking just immediately confuses him

But sometimes you just,“Where... Am I again?”

“the Zora region” and you looked even more confused, something that took Sidon off guard, like, alright it's fine that the Zora region right now sucks but it's not unknown, the hole city shines in the night

How can you even ignore the BIG ANTHROPOMORPHIC SHARK JUST WALKING AROUND LIKE IT'S A NORMAL DAY??????

He was so confused on how you looked so puzzled over this

You just had to tell him, because if you didn't, he'll just think you're crazy

Of course, you told him that you're just from another dimension, the guy already has some kind of depression, we don't need him to have an existential crisis, at least one that'll just shut him down

He takes his sweet time to process and will help you to go back home

Of course, this won't be easy, you have to stay in the domain

And everyone thinks that you're a Hylian, and you know what? I think that's better for now

If you even try to talk to the elderly Zora, you will get insulted

Of course, you ain't scared of some crusty ass fish

You'll have a full discussion with anyone that'll try to insult you and won't hesitate to throw hands

Oh but "go and buy fish from the store to eat.... Yeah not happening, instant freeze, no way you're doing it

Look at the good side, you're good friends with some of the younger Zora

You actually manage to become friends with Sidon, he likes your energy... Still confused about what are you talking about, but he tries

Of course, he's the prince, he grow up in a environment that requires him to be really polite, he learned manners, everything he has to know about any other Kingdom and everything about rich people blah blah

But you are a barely middle class and to be honest, for the Zora, you might as well be poor asf gremlin child that has let loose with no supervision

Of course, he's more than nervous every single time you talk with King Dorephan, he's sweating i don't think the Zora can sweat, but you get it

You might fuck up, but you know, he might brush it off as “just young people stuff”

I swear, you get injured so easily that he wishes that he had healing powers just like his big sister

Even for dumb stuff and without you realizing it!

You will be fucking bleeding and Sidon will be like “WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!?!!!”

“nothin' don't worry about it, i had worst”

“WHAT”

You seem to be attracted to absurd stuff... Or that's how he calls it

It's been time he has tried to show you some Zora stuff, your either mumble “fucking rich people....” or say “sheeesh this is worth a department on New York or almost a house”

“Your houses are quite big isn't? You could buy some with this I believe”

“Some of them are, but other that are smaller? They're just fucking expensive”

“..... How do you even live?”

“I have no fucking clue”

The rain still continues, Link is taking his sweet fucking time...

"OKAY I SWEAR TO GOD IF THIS RAIN DOESN'T STOP I WILL GO TO VAH RUTA AND STOP IT MYSELF”

“Please don't, you don't even know how to hold a bow properly”

“WATCH ME”

“What are you doing?”

You go outside and look straight to the sky

“STRIKE ME DOWN ZEUS YOU DON'T HAVE THE BALLS!” and almost immediately a lighting strikes somewhere close to you

So close in fact your soul almost leaves your body, Sidon sees all of this and thinks you're in fact, cursed

“..... See? You don't have the-”

“Alright it's enough, whatever you made angry you have to stop”

This himbo is now you're babysitter, no, you cannot change my mind

Also, you, of course, don't like Muzu and he doesn't like you

And every time, every time, you'll get in a heated argument on each other's perspectives, he'll call you brat with no manner's and you'll say to him any kind of insult you can think on the moment

“You're a merely a bratty child that their parents have no care to teach you even the simplest of things, or perhaps you were just unable to understand them”

“You- FUCKING GROSS AND DISGUSTING FISH I HAVE EATEN SUSHI AND I AIN'T SCARED OF DOING IT AGAIN”

Even if they turned out so random that everyone doesn't even know if you two are fighting, only can guess because of the screaming

Sidon had to break out the argument and take you somewhere else, not before he reprimanded Muzu for his attitude with a guest

No, you're not getting away, he also semi lectures you, he can't help but to laugh every time he has to repeat your insults

The moment Link arrives to the Zora domain, Sidon is ecstatic, Link is very confused on what the fuck is happening, but you know, happy to help. Sidon tries to explain to the best of his capacity to Link your situation, after what felt hours of Sidon trying to say the right word, Link seemed so unamused and that just confused Sidon even more.... You know what? You're now under Link's care..... “What”

Link

After that, you try your best to get to know Link, what he likes and dislikes, what is he interested in, etc

Making friends is not your forte but you quite get along with Link

Normally, Link before the calamity is a quiet, put-together young guy, preferring to not show any emotions whatsoever

But after the calamity and the whole memory loss??

He's a chaotic mother fucker

Well, mostly he is quite put together when he talks to people, but when adventuring

You can see him killing time like killing a lot of octorok, getting the balloons and just sending something flying

Or infiltrate bokoblin's camps using nothing but a mask

Or just cooking amounts of food that you could serve in pre-calamity castle town and everyone could have a plate and they'll be some food left

Basically, he gets weird everytime he's bored

After you leave the Zora region, he asked you if you could fight

“I only know how to grab properly a sword"

“great, let's start from there”

He tries to train you

Good news, you can hold your own against some bokoblins

Bad news, you still suck, because your limit is like three normal bokoblins and Link helped with one

You most definitely weren't born to be doing this much exercise, and you absolutely haven't done this much in your whole life

It's that or you know everything about how to use a sword, a bow, everything because... You can get so invested with stuff

Good for you, but I'm projecting so f*ck you/j (not the projecting part tho, I swear I can be athletic... I just need a little bit)

Actually, there was once this time that you Link was trying to figure out where to go, you saw some bokoblins and decided that, somehow, it was a good idea to go and attack them

“Why did you do that?! You could have died!”

“That's the point!”

....

“/j?”

“WHAT EVEN IS /J?!?!!”

After that uncomfortable situation, you proceeded to explain what it meant and all of the tags

He was, to say the least, very confused and it took him a whole day to understand

There was this one time when you went to Kakariko, Link was trying to talk some matters with Impa

But your little gremlin brain decided that it was a great idea to grab a cucco and just do a parade with them

The cucco was not happy, at all

And when Link found out he was.... How do I explain this?

Confused, amused and a lot of stuff more but he was not surprised

He really doesn't know what to do with you, but he does find it kinda fun

[archetypesanalysis]

The Mandalorian Season 4 Theory: The King

Season 3 finale seems to set Din Djarin up for his final trial – to become a King. Throughout 3 seasons, Din has become a good Warrior, a great Lover and a positive Magician. These 3 archetypes are necessary for Din to become a good and generative King. His journey to become King begins when he formally adopts Grogu as his son as the King archetype is also known as the Father archetype.

The King has two functions: ordering, and providing fertility and blessing. The Armorer sends Din Djarin off of Mandalore and take Grogu on a journey, just like his teacher has done for him. This journey requires Din to pass down everything he has learned to Grogu, just like a father passing down his wisdom to his children. This journey can only be taken if Din lives according to “the Way of the Mandalorian”. Since Din has bathed in the Living Waters beneath the Mines of Mandalore and has not taken off his helmet after the ritual, he has embodied the Way in his own person and is worthy to pass down the Way to Grogu (though, Din can take off his helmet now as the Armorer has become lenient with the helmet rule – maybe season 4?).

After leaving Mandalore, Din offers to work for the New Republic as an independent contractor to hunt down Imperial remnants in the Outer Rim. He also receives a deed to a new cabin by Greef Karga so he can use the cabin between adventures. The King owns his land and people, and it is his responsibility to bring peace, order and fertility to his land and people. Anything or anyone outside the realm of the king is full of chaos. In this context, the New Republic and any planets allied with Din Djarin and the Mandalorians are in the realm of the King, where there is peace and order. Meanwhile, the Imperial remnants are outside the realm of the King, where there is chaos and strife. Moreover, Din has provided a blessing to Grogu – a family and a home.

In many stories, a good King starts off as a humble servant. This is because the King, who is at the Centre, serves as a mediator between the mortal and the divine, the seen and the unseen, the physical world and the spiritual world. This is how the King, through a higher power, gives orders and blessings to others. Din Djarin has been a humble servant to Boba Fett, Bo-Katan and now the New Republic. One day, he might rise to become a King.

The King starts off as the Divine Child. The Divine Child is all powerful but vulnerable and helpless. His presence symbolizes something new and creative – he produces new enthusiasm for life, and brings great peace and joy. He often brings opposing sides and people together for a brighter, kinder future in a way that no one else can, creating a world-transcending order, which is a characteristic function of the King. These empowering qualities cause people to believe in them and in their vision for a better world. The Divine Child becomes the hope for the next generation, hence, people have expectations on him.

We have seen Din Djarin having the ability to unite opposing forces and grant blessings to others. Kuiil thanks him for restoring peace to his valley. He blesses Grogu with the love and care of a parent. He restores peace to the village on Sorgan. He unites Cara Dune, Kuiil, IG-11 and Greef Karga to liberate Nevarro from Imperial control, which turns the planet into a respectable trading place for various citizens. He helps Cobb Vanth to unite the people of Mos Pelgo and the Tusken Raiders to kill the krayt dragon, effectively ending the feud between both groups. He helps the Frog Lady to reunite with her husband, which blesses her to have children. He teams up with Ahsoka to liberate the city of Calodan from the control of Morgan Elsbeth. He recruits Cara Dune, Boba Fett, Fennec, Mayfeld, Bo-Katan and Koska to help him rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon. He helps Boba Fett to take down the Pykes in Mos Espa and he gathers the people of Freetown to fight. He indirectly unites the Tribe and Bo-Katan’s Nite Owls to retake Mandalore.

However, evil forces will try to destroy the Divine Child when its presence is known. Fortunately, the Divine Child can attract external forces to protect them, so they will be protected and spirited away until they are strong enough to begin their life’s work and until the forces that would destroy them have spent their energy. Throughout the series, Din Djarin has been rescued by external forces multiple times – Death Watch Mandalorian warriors, Kuiil, IG-11, Grogu, Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls, Boba Fett and Fennec Shand, Luke Skywalker, New Republic Pilots, etc. It is as if the Force is constantly protecting him, pulling him out of situations where he would have died.

In “Chapter 14: The Tragedy”, Din tells Grogu that he is a special kid, and his ability to appreciate the specialness of a child can be reflected on himself – Din is as special as Grogu. Besides, Grogu is also a Divine Child as he is powerful yet vulnerable, and requires others to protect him until he can master his Force abilities. He is seen as someone who can unite opposing groups as it is possible Grogu would grow up to become a Mandalorian-Jedi like Tarre Vizsla.

This video by Generational Tech theorizes that Din Djarin was once part of the Disciples of the Whills, who are a group of Force worshippers. The Disciples of the Whills wear red robes, and they are seen on Jedha in “Rogue One”. If this is true, Din may be special and his meeting with Grogu can be seen as destined by the Force. I hope season 4 would show flashbacks of Din’s life before he was rescued by the Mandalorians, and his time with his teacher.

Aq Vetina, the homeworld of Din Djarin does have architecture (the domed buildings) that are similar to those in Istanbul and Jerusalem. In addition, “Din” means “religion, way of life” in Arabic, while “Jarin” (the 'd' is silent) means “cry of rejoicing, to sing, to shout, is full of joy” in Hebrew. Moreover, the artists depict the Death Watch warriors in Din’s flashback in a biblical and dreamy manner in some of the concept arts. One of the concept arts depict the Mandalorian warrior that rescue Din to be wearing white armour, as if he is an angel. I feel that the motifs and imagery are intentional to depict Din as the Divine Child.

Furthermore, it is strange that Din does not know about the significance of the Darksaber until he wins it from Moff Gideon. The Armorer and Paz Vizsla know about the Darksaber. This makes me wonder if foundlings are not told of the Darksaber, or that the information is kept away from Din. If it is the latter, it raises questions whether the Armorer knows something special about Din and that she is testing him by sending him on multiple quests, leading him to fulfil his destiny.

It is worth noting that the King has a bipolar Shadow: The Tyrant and the Weakling. The Tyrant is destructive as he hates and envies new life and creativity. He is threatened by new life so he exploits and abuses others to maintain his fragile position. The Tyrant also can become the Weakling as the Weakling is paranoid of someone would expose and overthrow him, hence, he has no inner peace. Who would take on the roles of the bipolar Shadow King is yet to be seen in season 4 (though I suspect it’s Grand Admiral Thrawn or anyone in the Imperial remnants since Moff Gideon is consumed by flames).

[classicschronicles]

Hi lovelies,

Okay so my first A-level is on Tuesday and it is the World of the Hero paper, basically the Iliad and the Aeneid. I was getting on with my Aeneid revision when I realised that, other than the fact that I am in love with him, I actually don’t know that much about Turnus. So today I’m going to try and write about Turnus in the hopes that it forces me to go and read up on him. (Also I need to revise my Homeric allusion and the comparisons between the Greek and Roman hero so imma throw that in too).

Okay so to start off with some basic info, Turnus is the Prince of the Rutilian Tribe and the leader of the antagonistic forces against the Trojans. Like all main heroes, he is a great warrior and superior to everyone else in combat. Now despite all of this, it is important to note that Turnus doesn’t actually want to fight. Let me explain.

Turnus is engaged to Lavinia, the princess of Latium, a neighbouring Italian tribe. Aeneas arrives and to cut a long story short her dad changes his mind and says “nah you’re gonna marry Aeneas instead”. Also random but Turnus is also meant to be the best looking of all the Italians, so smash ig. But anyways, when Aeneas steals his fiancé, Turnus doesn’t really care, he lets him have her and makes his peace with it because he knows there is nothing he can do against fate. However, surprise surprise, enter Juno. She’s all like “nawh come on I need someone to fight the Trojans bc I hate peace”, so she sends the Fury Alecto to infect Turnus with a lust for war. So anyways, he wakes up the next day and he’s like “hey that’s my fiancé” and proceeds to start the second Trojan war to win her back. If this sounds oddly familiar, it should.

The purpose of Turnus’ character in the second half of the Aeneid is very similar to Dido’s character in the first half. Like Dido, is an individual who has been corrupted by the gods- more specially Juno- and lacks any autonomy. Therefore, he follows what he thinks is his will to the point of excess. Much like Dido’s furor for lust, Turnus’ furor is militant. It is Turnus who then goes on to raise the flag of war and instigate chaos. When Alecto burns him with a desire for war he begins to exhibit multiple character flaws, such as disorder. His individualism is diametrically opposed to Aeneas who is dutiful and embodies pietas, supposedly.

Book 9 is truly the point where we get a sense of just how deep Alecto’s influence on Turnus is, as he becomes depraved and thirsty for blood. Any sense of the moral compass he demonstrated in book 7 is gone as he flaunts the death of his Trojan enemies by raising their heads on spears for all the Trojans to see. Aeneas, by the way, is missing for all of book 9 so Turnus has no equal and therefore becomes the most deadly man in the war. As soon as Turnus learns of Aeneas’ absence he leads his army towards the Trojan camp and when he can’t find a way in, he sets fire to their ships (the ships are immortal or some shit tho so they’re fine). Night then descends, and the Latins attack the Trojan fortresses. Turnus then sees a high tower standing just outside the main gate which he sets on fire and then they get in and kill a bunch of Trojans. The Trojans then chase the Latins away but when they seal the gates they accidentally lock Turnus inside with them. A Trojan is then like “you can’t win in the camp of your enemies”. To which Turnus then says this really arrogantly hot thing, ssshhhh I know he’s red flag but it’s like one of my favourite colours. Virgil writes, “Turnus replied, smiling calmly: ‘If there is any courage in you, then come and fight. You will soon be able to tell Priam that here too you found an Achilles!’”. Eventually he does realise that he is outnumbered and he escaped.

In book 10, Turnus carries on with his slaughter spree. Turnus spots Aeneas’ returning ships and leads his troops towards the beach so that he can confront them, battle commences. Pallas fights a little too well and attracts the attention of Turnus. Turnus challenges Pallas to a duel and Pallas, desperate to prove himself, agrees. There’s this really funny bit where he’s fighting Turnus but stops to ogle him (“Pallas marvelled at these proud commands and stood amazed at the sight of Turnus, running his eyes all over that mighty body,”- me too bro). There is then this great Homeric smilie about Turnus as a lion and Pallas a bull. Turnus kills Pallas and steals his sword belt, which is actually Aenas, as a prize. The stealing of the sword belt is the action that later seals his death. Again, if this is sounding a little familiar, it should. Aeneas hears about what Turnus has done and goes berserk, but Juno asks that Jupiter spare Turnus (he can’t do this but he does agree to prolong his life a little). Anyways, Juno created a phantom Aeneas and so Turnus goes chasing after it and follows it onto some ships which then set sail and send him away from Aeneas. This is that classic argument of are the gods self seeking? In this instance yes, Juno humiliates Turnus by making his follow a phantom Aeneas so that when he escapes he looks like a coward. She protects his physically, yes, but his honour is shot to pieces. Also she doesn’t actually care for Turnus, she just cares that he can keep fighting the Trojans.

So then book 11 rolls around. Messengers arrive from the Latin camp and ask for a 12 says truce so that both sides and can bury their dead. The Latins all think that Turnus should fight for Lavinia in single combat against Aeneas rather than risk any more deaths. A man called Drances blames the whole war on Turnus arrogance, at which point I wanna point out that Turnus is a baby girl and that non of this is his fault, but actually Juno and Alecto’s. Turnus, however, says that if the Latins want single combat then he will fight Aenas without fear. The way he says this, though, is very sarcastic and arrogant and exemplified how reckless he can be. But at this point, Trojans start marching towards the city so the Latins have to fight again.

Now the dreaded book 12. Turnus decides that he has to fight Aeneas in single combat, and when urged to surrender by Lavinia’s father he declines (again sound familiar?). Juno worries about Turnus because she thinks Aeneas might outmatch him and so she calls Juturna (Turnus’ divine sister) to watch out for her brothers safety. Juturna, however, doesn’t want her brother to fight in the duel and so she disguises herself as a Latin officer in order to break the truce and start all out war. Some stuff happens, Aeneas gets shot in the leg and has to leave and it gives Turnus some renewed hope. Aeneas returns to battle and both he and Turnus kill a lot of men. Turnus then hears cries of suffering from his fellow Italians and calls for the Trojan siege of Latium to end, and for the duel to commence. Okay so quick play by play, Aeneas and Turnus toss sears, Turnus sword breaks at the hilt, Turnus runs from Aeneas, Juturna gives him a real sword. Aeneas then casts a spear which hits Turnus in the leg and Turnus tumbles to the ground. He begs Aeneas for mercy in the name of his father. Aeneas is prepared to show mercy, but remember that sword belt I mentioned earlier. Well Aeneas sees the sword belt and then goes batshit insane and kills Turnus on his knees whilst he begs for mercy.

Okay so now some quick analysis, because apparently I have to be able to do that. The characterisation of Turnus is interesting in that is mirrors Dido. We as readers admire both leaders in the few pages that we see them before they are plagued by the gods. The branding of Turnus with lust for war strips his of any autonomy and from that point in book 7 onwards he looses any semblance of his own characteristics. He goes from being clement and diplomatic to being bloodthirsty and arrogant. And yet, the reader is never truly able to hate him. Much like Dido, we may tire of him sometimes but we always keep a trace of admiration and at times, awe or pity. For example, whilst me may not agree with his actions in the Trojan camp, one cannot deny that they were impressive. But the relief one usually feels when reading about the death of Turnus was not present in Turnus’ death. At that moment in time we feel sorrow for him and admiration that, despite knowing he would not win, he still fought Aeneas. There is one suggestion that Turnus is the anti-hero. The villain we cannot hate, and often find ourselves liking more than the actual hero. That is certainly true for Turnus as there are times that the reader cannot stand Aeneas, for example his human sacrifice and murder of Mezentius in book 10.

The other thing that is really interesting about Turnus is trying to decipher the Homeric allusions that Virgil was trying to demonstrate. Every time I say ‘sounds familiar’ it’s because it is Virgil’s way of making throwbacks to the Iliad. So for example, Turnus (Hector) taking Pallas (Patroclus) sword belt/ armour that belonged to Aeneas (Achilles). But the thing that I find really interesting is the way that Virgil does it. When we read the Iliad, sure there are times when he winds us up, but we don’t hate Achilles at any point. We understand his rampage against the Trojans, we understand (although we might not agree with it) why he did what he did to Hector. But when it comes to Aeneas, do we really even find him that likeable? To be honest, I don’t think so, although your opinion might be different. But a lot of the reason I think for my point of view is because of the characterisation of both Pallas and Turnus as parallels of Patroclus and Hector respectively. What I mean by that is when we read about the death of Pallas it is not nearly as emotional as the death of Patroclus. We see the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, even in death, we spend 16 books of the epic getting to know Patroclus. Whereas, when it comes to Pallas, we know him for about 2 books before he is killed. His character is not developed in the same way. And that’s not to say that Virgil isn’t capable of creating the same level of sorrow, I mean think of the deaths of Nisus and Euryalus who were mentioned all of twice. In all honesty, I think Virgil did this deliberately.

Then there is the question of Turnus and Hector. We feel an immense amount of sympathy for both, but even still we understand Achilles actions far more than Aeneas. Hector stripped Patroclus of his armour, tried to keep the body for the Trojans, flaunts the armour of Achilles, and he does this all of his won accord, not because he is being used by the gods. Turnus, on the other hand, whilst he does take a prize, he doesn’t strip Pallas bare, he simply takes a sword belt. Turnus returns the body to Pallas’ father, he allows 12 days for burial, and on top of that, non of this was of his own will.

I think ultimately, a lot of it comes down to the characterisation of Greek and Roman heroes. Where a Greek hero fights for personal fame and glory and honour, the Roman hero is not as equally motivated by the spoils of war, but rather pietas (duty to the gods, family, and country). And therefore, when Turnus fights we see him as fighting for his people and giving life for his people (roman word- devotio).

Basically, Turnus big slay I love him and icl it is too late for me to say anything more intelligent than that. If you’re still here I hope you learned something new or at least enjoyed my ramblings. Hope you all have a lovely rest of your weekend <3

~Z

[the-art-in-arthesia-is-loud]

what the character tags reference

h. HI.

so the ocs in the rg-verse have their own tags obviously, but their tags are also accompanied by a quote/sentence. i wanted to explain what they mean/reference so yeah!!!! under the cut as always lel

also i mentioned spoilers for final verdict and silent answer (specifically one last dream), the two parts of arcaea's main story, in this post. proceed with caution

———

1. "don't let him go" (ars):

this.....actually has smth to do with lore. i haven't explained much abt ars lore yet. not even in his trivia post, so i'll save the explanation for later~

2. "this is just a dream" (lucas):

it's a part in lucid traveler!

3. "another me" (ana):

the name of the song ana is based off of; another me by d_aan!!!

4. "where are you? please don't be dead." (galactic):

it has smth to do with galactic (and spinel)'s backstory. this quote was said months after spinel's disappearance.

5. "i don't give a f***" (destonio):

references a part in destruction 3, 2, 1.

6. "our fates are distorted" (fate):

references the name of the song fate is based off of; distorted fate by sakuzyo!

7. "to the furthest dream" (felicia):

song name for the song that felicia is based off of!

8. "darkest night i'll confront you here" (tessi/the testifier):

the first lyrics of testify.

9. "what an agonizingly long journey it has been" (abstruse):

initially, it references a tweet the official arcaea twitter/x acc made. now it's known as a quote from the severed eden story.

10. "this is all my fault" (trojan):

it has smth to do with the story. not gonna spoil that~

11. "money can't buy happiness (but creating things can" (logos):

uh.....the first part references her bio. the second part however......is pretty much outdated. i'll give her a new, updated tag soon. but not now. BECAUAE I'M LAZY AYGHHFHF

12. "a special kind of texture" (primeval texture):

references a quote in the primeval-lore-focused comic i posted awhile back!

13. "i exist" (ego eimi):

""Ego eimi" (ἐγώ εἰμι) in Ancient Greek means "I am" or "I exist". The phrase has Christian theological significance due to its usage in the Gospel of John, where Jesus uses the phrase to assert his presence and divinity" — thing from arcaea wiki

14. "like an ice cube" (technicolour):

references technicolour's weapon (bc nearly everyone here has their own weapons honestly); a small looking cube. Don't Be Fooled By It's Appearance, However.

15. "to the new dream" (dahlia):

supposed to reference felicia's tag, ig?? lmao

16. "the embodiment of chaos and destruction herself" (arghena):

this has smth to do with lore, so i can't say it here. it Is pretty odd how she gets a title like this and not destonio, who is literally the god of destruction here....hmmmmmmmmm

17. "it's not your fault. don't blame it on yourself. please." (tempo):

connected to trojan's tag, which is why i can't say the reasoning here~

18. "authentication: successful" (shifta):

references a part in temporal shifting.

19. "i heard the world is collapsing" (callima karma):

kind of a reference to a lyric in the og song, but bc i forgot what it was for some reason, i might be super wrong for some reason. obviously i remember the part where "arcaea" was mentioned, and since this is Not arcaea, i had to change that lel.

20. "the one who got away" (spinel):

you thought that tag is a reference to that one song? you fucking thought wrong. this has smth to do with her backstory, actually. referencing how she ran away and just went 'missing'.

21. "is it so wrong for a girl to like bugs?" (pamolia):

references a part in pupa's official mv. sort of. forgot how it originally went so i Might get this part wrong. UM. ANYWAYS.

22. "butterflies tear people apart" (pupa):

when i was going thru the comment section for pupa's official mv, i noticed a few ppl commenting that exact quote, so naturally, i had to reference it somehow :3333

23. "he was the one who bared witness to her wrath" (tempestissimo):

i think my art related to tessi, lacey, and tempestissimo already implied this enough, but this tag references how tessi fucking murdered tempest. yea. and while we're on that topic, that also references how hikari killed tairitsu in final verdict. and the way tessi gave up her goddess powers and became lacey just to bring tempest back to life is ALSO A REFERENCE TO SILENT ANSWER'S STORY SPECIFICALLY ONE LAST DREAM'S STORY. AND. AND—

24. "last (moment or eternity?)" (lacey):

references last, last | moment, and last | eternity.

25. "you are your very own light!" (hikaru):

that one phigros tip 🥹

26. "welcome to the progression express~☆" (arta):

references my very first artwork of him, actually! and also references how he's a train conductor

27. "the fireworks that bring tragedy" (lumine):

has smth to do with destonio and lumine lore. not gonna elaborate further tho. for now at least.

28. "the math expert himself" (aleph-0):

references how he's a math teacher. also, aleph-0 is a math thing, am i wrong?

29. "class memories (trauma and paranoia)" (clarith):

references her backstory (and also class memories itself ig)

30. "class memories (realist and serious)" (chase):

references his backstory (and also class memories itself ig)

OH MY GOD WE ARE AT THE END OF THE POST THANK YOU IF YOU READ IT UNTIL THIS MUCH OH MY FUCKING GOD.

[love-anddeepression]

In my head •₭฿

Okay, so this is self-indulgent. I’ve created a city based where I’m from okay? Okay. Nothing much except regret, sadness ig? and lots of tea. with an open ending.

tagging: @confuscita @sirisuorionblack @kurogue-nine @scandalous-chaos​ @messers-moony-lupin​ @kazscrow​

He should never have agreed to this stupid holiday with the Crows.

It was a mistake, it was a foolish idea even thinking about coming here. Everything just screamed her. The food, the sunny yet gentle atmosphere, the music, the clothes.

Lagatenan, a famous city in the South-Eastern Colonies, known for it’s amazing heritage, history, monuments, food and language.

He’d often heard her murmur in her language, sometimes she sang, other times she’d recite poems of love to him. She’d made him tea, with milk and cardamom, it made him feel as if he could take on anything. 

She was a student, a gifted student who loved anything to do with writing and literature. She’d excelled at that.  He’d read her works with a sense of awe and think of how he’d been able to actually have the blessing of loving her and being able to be with her. And just like everything good in his life, he’d thrown her away.

“Kaz, you’re being too reckless! You are being blinded by your thirst for revenge! One of these days you are going to get hurt one too many times, and then bye-bye revenge and I’ll have to say bye-bye to your corpse as you’re dragged onto a brow-boat!” she’d said, her voice raised a little as she tried to wipe dried blood from his face with a shawl of hers.

He had scoffed, and she had clenched her jaw. And later he’d left her with a broken heart and a cold cup of tea.

Now whenever he had a cup of tea, instead of scorching his tongue, it would scorch his heart first, his mind would be filled with guilt and with remorse.

Soon after, her semester had finished and she’d left, without a goodbye. It was good he’d figured, he could let go of her easier then. That thought didn’t do much to dull the sharp edges of his broken heart, split right in two.

And after that, he built his walls up and didn’t let anyone in. Not Inej, not Jesper. No one. He was grateful for them, but he also wanted her, he wanted her again. He knew it was selfish but he didn’t care. He wanted to bend to his knees and hold her and beg for her forgiveness. To forgive his foolishness, his arrogance, his apathy.

He’d treat her right this time.

He passed by two dancers twirling to a simple tune and he was reminded of how he’d climb in her dorm window and find her dancing to lovely songs that she’d translate for him.

He was speechless, all he could see was her long top twirling around her as she spun, a happy content smile on her face. She lost her balance and tripped. In a matter of seconds he’d caught her and pulled her upright. She’d giggled shyly, before realizing he’d held her.

“Oi, are you alright? Are you okay?” her furrowed eyebrows were like hills, and her eyes were like lovely pools of the light that she embodied. Her lashes were the rivers that joined the two.

He nodded, lost in her eyes as his head tilted to the right, trying to see if the colour could change based on how much light fell them.

“Dance again, please pari(fairy).” he asked her and she’d smiled her lovely smile and danced, and she showed him how to dance and they’d spent the evening in twirls and in getting lost.

Everywhere, Kaz saw something that reminded him of her, the food reminded him of how she savoured everything, he knew he could watch her eat all day and for the rest of his life.

The jewelry reminded him of how each morning, she’d fix her earrings, wear the necklace he’d given her, put her rings on and walk out those doors ready for whatever the day had for her.

And the tea, oh saints the tea.

Tea was the thing that never changed in her routine. She hated routines and timetables. But one thing that was always there was two hot cups of tea with two and half spoons of sugar. 

The book stalls reminded him of the day he’d drawn her. After the first time he’d kissed her forehead. She was reading a book, a faint smile on her face as she on a sofa, her legs dangling over the sides.

She loved books of all kinds. She’d often say that her life was far more interesting than his, because she’d lived so many lives. He had to endure her swooning over a man named Darcy and others.

He saw a woman getting designs draw on her hands using a brown paste. Henna.

His heart started beating fast as the memory came.

She’s been to a small wedding in Olendaal where her friend was getting marred and she’d gotten henna put on her hand.

He sat next to her and fed her a spoonful of cold curd she’d made.

“You know back home, when someone gets henna put, they sometimes hide the name of their lover in the design and if the lover can find it, then they are soulmates.

He’d immediately searched and amongst the elaborate design, he’d found his initals and his breath hitched.

“We’re soulmates.”

Jesper’s voice brought him back to reality as he walked to the restaurant where they were all seated.

“I took the liberty of ordering since you were taking forever to get here.” Nina remarked, licking her lips.

He nodded and took a seat, his mind elsewhere.

He heard the door open, the bell jingle. He heard the sound of sandals hitting marble floor.

And then he heard her.

He heard her laugh, he heard her speak in her language, free and pure as her head bobbed.

He could fix this, he could fix everything.

All he had to do was reach out.

And he did.

“Pari?”

Her head turned, and her eyes, still the same lovely pools of light were wide.

And her voice was pure, just like her.

“Kaz?”

[sunshinewrit-ing]

Norse Mythology

ig: @sunshine.writing

As with every culture, there are many different interpretations and I tried my best to use the most popular ones. There are also many different versions and spellings for the names of the gods and goddesses, but I used the anglicized and most popular spellings. 

Aesir and Vanir

The Norse gods are divided into two families, the Aesir family, and the Vanir family. The Aesir family is the larger of the two and is mostly connected with war and government and includes the gods Odin, Thor, Loki, Baldr, Hodr, Heimdall, and Tyr. The Vanir family includes the fertility gods and goddesses such as Njord, Feyr, and Freyja. Both families reside in Asgard but don’t see eye-to-eye as shown through the Aesir-Vanir war. 

Besides the Aesir and Vanir, there are also female deities known as Disir, Alfar (elves), Jotnar (giants), and Dvergar (dwarves).

Aesir Gods and Goddesses

Odin - Odin was the King of the Aesir clan and known as “the father of all gods.” He’s depicted as a one-eyed, bearded old man wearing a hat and a cloak. He was said to have slain the first being known as Ymir before carving up his body to help create the Earth. He was one of the most powerful and revered of the gods and associated with wisdom, knowledge, healing, death, and war. He also ruled over Valhalla. 

Thor - Son of Odin, he was regarded as the strongest of all the Norse deities because he was tasked with safeguarding Asgard. He was the most popular of all the gods and worshipped by most Vikings. He was the god of thunder and lightning and wielded the Mjolnir. He rode a chariot drawn by two massive goats called Tanngnjostr and Tanngrisnir.

Loki - Loki was considered a “blood brother” of Odin. He was known as the trickster god and was equipped with the ability to shapeshift into different forms. He was the chief engineer behind the death of Balder.

Frigg - Frigg was the wife of Odin and the queen of the Aesir gods. She was the only one allowed to sit next to her husband and always stuck by her partner even though he had many extramarital affairs.  She was worshipped as the goddess of the sky and associated with wisdom, marriage, family, and fertility. She was blessed with the power of divination but never revealed her visions to anyone. 

Baldur - Son of Odin and half-brother to Thor, Baldur was the god of light and purity. He was described as fair, kind, and handsome, whose beauty was unparalleled. He was the epitome of all things wise and good and often praised for his mercifulness. Also thought to be immortal, he had been prophesied to die and was slain by an arrow made out of mistletoe, his death orchestrated by Loki. 

Heimdall - Heimdall is the son of Odin and no less than nine mothers, and is the watchman of the god. He dwelt at the entry to Asgard where he guarded Bifrost. 

Tyr - Tyr is the god of War and the Lawgiver of the gods. The bravest of the gods, he makes the binding of Fenrir possible by sacrificing his right hand. He’s the son of Odin and the son of the giant Hymir.

Idun - Idun is the goddess of spring or rejuvenation and is the wife of Bragi. She was the keeper of the magic apples of immortality which the gods must eat to preserve their youth. 

Bragi - Bragi is the skaldic poet of the Aesir and his name means “poet”. He’s the son of Odin and possibly the giantess Gunnlod, and the husband to Idun. 

Vili and Ve - Vili and Ve are the two brothers of Odin who helped to slay Ymir to create the remaining seven realms. They’re the sons of Bestla and Borr and were raised in the realm of Nifelheim. 

Forseti - He’s the son of Baldr and Nanna, and is the god of justice and reconciliation.

Gefjun - She’s the goddess of agriculture, fertility, abundance, and prosperity. Her name can be translated to “Giver” or “Generous One.”

Sif - Sif is the wife of Thor as well as a giantess and the goddess of grain and fertility. She was one of the Asynjur and mother of Ullr.

Fjorgynn and Fjorgyn - Fjorgyn, also known as Jord, is a giantess and the mother of Thor through an affair with Odin. Her masculine form Fjorgynn is the father of the goddess Frigg, the wife of Odin. 

Sol and Mani - Sol and Mani were the beings who drove the sun and the moon in their courses through the sun. They were sister and brother, and both were fair and beautiful. Sol had to travel at great speed, pursued by a wolf named Skoll who would eventually devour her. Mani kidnapped two humans named Bil (waning) and Hjuki (waxing), children of Vidfinn, and forced them to travel with him. Like his sister, he was also being chased by a hound named Hati Hrodvitnisson. 

Ullr - Ullr is the god of sports, particularly archery and skiing. He’s the son of Sif and Egill and step-son to Thor. 

Hoenir - Hoenir is a warrior god and is the travel companion of Odin and Loki. He was also part of the creation of Ask and Embla. He goes with Mimir to the Vanir as a hostage in order to seal a truce to the Aesir-Vanir War. He’s the god of indecision, avoidance, and mystery. 

Vidar - Son of Odin and Gridr, he was known as Vidar the silent, the possessor of the iron shoe, the enemy and slayer of Fenrir, the avenger, and he who inhabits the homestead of his father. He’s a warrior god and an excellent fighter. 

Hodr - Hodr is the blind god of winter and warriors. Oftentimes he’s depicted with a bow and arrows, or the spear that Loki used to trick him. He was the son of Frigg and Odin and twin brother of Baldr. Sometimes he’s thought to be a god of darkness.

Vali - Son of Odin and the giantess Rindr, Vali was born for the sole purpose of avenging Baldr. He kills Hodr and binds Loki with the entrails of his son Narfi. He’s the god of vengeance.

Vanir Gods and Goddesses

Freya - Freya was the goddess of fate, love, beauty, gold, war, and fertility. She ruled over the meadow of Folkvangr and owned a torc or necklace known as the Brisingamen as well as a cloak made of falcon feathers. She rode a chariot drawn by two cats and was accompanied by a board called Hildisvini most of the time. She practiced Seidr, which is a form of magic that allowed her the ability to control and manipulate the desires and prosperity of others. 

Freyr - Freyr is associated with sacral kingship, virility, peace, prosperity, sunshine and fair weather, and good harvest. He’s the son of Njord and the god of fertility, rain, and sunshine. His twin sister is Freyja.

Freyja - Freyja, twin sister and counterpart of Freyr, was the goddess of love, fertility, battle, and death. Her father was Njord. Pigs were sacred to her, and she rode a boar with golden bristles. 

Njord - Njord is the god of seas, wealth, wind, and fishing. He was the father of Freyr and Freyja. 

Nerthus - Nerthus is a goddess associated with fertility. She was also associated with peace and prosperity. She was the wife and sister of Njord and the mother of Freyr and Freyja.

Gullveig - Gullveig is a sorceress and seer with great love and lust for gold. She was speared by the Aesir, burnt three times, and yet thrice reborn.

Odr - Odr is the husband of Freyja

Norse Creatures

Dwarves - Also known as dark elves, they’re small creatures that originated as maggots from the corpse of Ymir. They live underground in Svartalfheim (literally means “home of the black elves”) and are said to have crafted the finest weapons and jewelry such as Mjollnir and Gungnir. In certain myths, they’re portrayed as turning to stone if exposed to sunlight. 

Draugar - The Draugar are the undead. Some myths describe them as creatures who drink blood, they’re more similar to zombies than vampires. They possess superhuman strength and can increase their size at will, but have a constant stench of decay and appear as a dead body. They often live in their graves to defend the treasure they were buried with but can also enter communities to torment those who wronged them in life. They’re said to be able to enter the dreams of the living to torment them, and would leave behind a gift so the victims knew the encounter was real. 

Elves - Elves are separated into two different types; Dokkalfar, or dark elves, and Ljosalfar, light elves. Dark elves are thought to be the same as dwarves and light elves are described as more beautiful than the sun. They’re generally described as having an ambivalent relationship with humans.

Fenrir - Fenrir was the son of Loki and the giantess Angroboda. He was raised by the gods of Asgard to stop him from wreaking havoc across the nine worlds but the gods ended up deciding to chain him up. It’s believed that when Fenrir breaks his chains to get his revenge, it will lead to Ragnarok, the end of the world. 

Fossegrimen - Also known as the grim, he’s a water spirit who plays the fiddle mimicking the sounds of the forest, wind, and water. He can be bribed to teach his skill with an offering that he deems sufficient. He’s also known to lure women and children to lakes and streams where they drown.

Huldra - Wardens of the forest and part of a group of Ra that protects various locations. Female Huldra are described as beautiful and seductive, with a long tail of a cow and their back covered in bark. They can disguise themselves as young women to walk in the world of men but their power of illusion is broken if someone sees their tail. They lure young, unmarried men into the forest and keep them as slaves, lovers, or sometimes they’ll suck the life out of them. 

Jormungandr - Also known as the Midgard Serpent, Jormungandr is another child of Loki and Angrboda. He is a snake or dragon that lives in the sea surrounding Midgard. He is described as an enemy of Thor and during Ragnarok, the two are fated to slay one another. 

Jotnar - Jotnar, meaning “devourers”, are giants with powers that rival the power of the gods. They’re the enemy of the gods and the Jotnar embody chaos. Many of the Asgardian gods are descended from Jotnar such as Odin and Thor. 

Kraken - Aquatic monsters that are believed to live off the shores of Norway and Greenland. They’re depicted as gigantic octopi or squids. They mostly ate fish but when it rose to the surface, it was believed to cause large whirlpools which would help it attack ships.

Valkyries - The female helping spirits of Odin, depicted as elegant maidens who ferry the slain to Valhalla. Their name means “choosers of the Slain”, which hints at their more sinister side, the fact that they also choose who lives and dies in battle. They would sometimes use malicious magic to ensure their preferences.

Sleipnir - Odin’s mighty eight-legged horse is the child of Loki and Svadilfari. It had eight legs so that it could have one leg in each of the Norse worlds. 

Mare - The Mare monster gave people bad dreams at night by sitting on them in their sleep. Often they were witches whose souls took the forms of animals, but normal people, particularly adolescents, were also thought to become Mare when their spirits wandered. It was believed that when the Mare touched a living thing, people, cattle, or trees, it would cause their hair to become entangled. 

Trolls - There are large ugly trolls that dwell in forests and mountains, and small gnome-like trolls that live underground in deep caves and caverns. They’re depicted as not very intelligent and malevolent but can show kindness in exchange for a favor.

Norns - The three principal Norns served as the caretakers of the tree of life, but their care only slowed the death of the tree. 

Ratatoskr - A squirrel that runs up and down the tree of life delivering the messages of the gods. He enjoys stirring trouble between the wise eagle that sits atop the tree and the hungry dragon that swells in its roots. 

The Nine Realms

Yggdrasil - Yggdrasil is the mighty tree whose trunk rises at the geographical center of the Norse spiritual cosmos. It’s believed that the nine worlds are all held in the branches and roots of the tree of Yggdrasil. It’s commonly said to be an ash tree.

Niflheim - The realm of fog and mist. It’s the darkest and coldest region of all the realms. It’s one of the first two realms and is placed in the northern region of Ginnngagap. Hvergelmir is located in Niflheim, which is said to be the source of the elven rivers. As Yggdrasil started to grow, it stretched one of its large roots far into Niflheim to draw water from Hvergelmir. 

Muspelheim - The land of fire. Muspelheim was created at the same time as Niflheim but was created far to the south. It’s a burning hot place filled with lava, flames, sparks, and soot. It’s the home of the fire giants, fire demons, and is ruled by Surtr.

Asgard - Home of the Gods. The most commonly known realm, Asgard is located in the middle of the world, high up in the sky. It’s the home of the gods and goddesses and is ruled by the chief of Aesir Odin. Inside the gates of Asgard is Valhalla, the place where half who die in battle will go for the afterlife and the other half go to Folkvangr.

Midgard - Home of the humans. “Middle earth” is located in the middle of the world below Asgard. Midgard and Asgard are connected by Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge. It’s surrounded by a large, impassable ocean that is occupied by the Midgard Serpent. The first two humans were Ash and Embla and were sent to Midgard after being created from tree logs by Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve.

Jotunheim - Home of the giants. Jotunheim consists mostly of rocks, wilderness, and dense forests, and lies in the snowy regions on the outermost shores of the ocean. There is no fertile land in Jotunheim. Jotunheim is separated from Asgard by the river living which never freezes over.

Vanaheim - Home of the Vanir. Nobody knows where exactly the land is located or how it looks. 

Alfheim - Home of the light elves. Alfheim is located right next to Asgard in heaven. The god Freyr is the ruler of Alfheim. 

Svartalfheim - Home of the dwarves. Svartalfheim means dark fields, and they live under the rocks, in caves, and underground. Hreidmar was the king of Svartalfheim until he was killed. 

Helheim - Home of the dishonorable dead. Hel is where the dishonorable dead, thieves, murderers, or those the gods and goddesses feel are not brave enough to go to Valhalla or Folkvangr. Helheim is ruled over by Hel and is a very grim and cold place. Any person who arrives at Helheim will never feel joy or happiness again. 

[hunxi-guilai]

Hey Hunxi!! I know you're in partial seclusion rn, so don't feel rushed to answer this. :) I was thinking of the parallel (or just a similarity ig) between WWX and Wen Zhuliu. WWX feels (as you so nicely put it in your meta about his emotional guilt) indebted to the Jiangs for taking him in, and Wen Zhuliu feels indebted to the Wens for "recognizing his talent". I'll just leave this here now. Have a great day!! :D

oof, I’ve been thinking about Wen Zhuliu - Wei Wuxian parallels for like, at least six months anon, and I still haven’t been able to come to a full conclusion yet, but I might as well give it a shot here, and see if I can write myself to some sort of closure

so like every other antagonist in this show, Wen Zhuliu is a foil for Wei Wuxian -- I stumbled across it first in this post about soulmates, and 知己 zhiji, and knowing, and patronage; I got into it a bit more in this post about Wen Zhuliu, and how his character interacts with pre-existing dynamics from assassin stories, the way Wen Zhuliu’s relationships depict a kind of shadow archetype of imperfect patron-assassin relationships of knowing. Wen Zhuliu and Wei Wuxian move through similar spaces of liminality -- both of lower classes, taken into a larger, more prestigious cultivation sect; both possessed of an alternative cultivation that everyone around them both fears and desires to manipulate to their personal advantage. There is that same loyalty-unto-death-and-sacrifice, albeit for vastly different reasons; there is that strange moment of civil conversation, of recognition, almost respect in their confrontation in episode 20 -- Wei Wuxian sees something familiar in Wen Zhuliu, offers him an out from certain death; Wen Zhuliu refuses him, only raising a hand to attack Wei Wuxian when Wei Wuxian threatens Wen Chao, Wen Zhuliu’s charge, Wen Zhuliu’s responsibility.

I also think it’s incredibly significant for reasons I can’t quite put in words at the moment that Wen Zhuliu is the only character with the same black-and-red color scheme as Wei Wuxian (by which I mean the overwhelming darkness, the hint of bloody red at their throats). They mirror each other powerfully even as they stand on opposite sides. They both could have easily become the other -- if Wen Zhuliu had decided he felt more strongly about being guided by his personal morals rather than his blind loyalty, if Wei Wuxian had decided that his sole guiding star would be Yunmeng Jiang, never stepping up to defend the remaining Wens. Much of Wei Wuxian and Wen Zhuliu’s stories intersect, and crucially, they diverge at this point: that of unthinking, undying loyalty, and how that affects their actions.

And for me, this difference is most clearly embodied in their names.

Wei Wuxian keeps his name -- his surname is Wei, not Jiang, and while he interacts with Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli as if they are all siblings, he is not adopted into the Jiang family ritualistically, formally. This could, of course, be the doing of Madam Yu, but I like to think that it is a choice, made by Jiang Fengmian or Wei Wuxian himself, to keep this much of Wei Wuxian’s parents alive. So long as Wei Wuxian keeps his surname, Wei Changze and Cangse-sanren’s lineage does not end, and this is not an insignificant demonstration of commemoration and respect.

It also marks Wei Wuxian apart, Wei Wuxian as other. As long as Wei Wuxian keeps his own name, rifts can be driven between him and his siblings, and people can gossip about him and Jiang Yanli, mutter about his lack of gratitude, accept his expulsion from Yunmeng Jiang as shameful, but unsurprising -- after all, Wei Wuxian is not a Jiang.

In contrast, Wen Zhuliu changes his name. 

In episode 15, in the confrontation between Wen Zhuliu and Madam Yu, Yu Ziyuan chews him out for changing his name from Zhao Zhuliu to Wen Zhuliu; is the Wen name so precious? she says, scornful. Betraying your ancestors, forgetting your forefathers.

各为其主罢了, Wen Zhuliu says evenly, blandly. Each for his own master. Nothing more than that.

Madam Yu clearly doesn’t believe it, sees Wen Zhuliu’s name change as an opportunistic bid for a higher position, for more power, borrowing the intimidation factor and prestige of the Qishan Wen Sect. However, Wen Chao’s mad ramblings in episode 20 (and Wen Zhuliu’s response to them) seem to suggest otherwise. In between his fearful yelling and frantic screams, Wen Chao begs Wen Zhuliu, saying: if you save me, I’ll take you as my elder brother -- I’ll have my father induct you into the 本宗  central family, and from today forth you’ll be my elder brother.

Friends, we need to take a moment to appreciate how monumental Wen Chao’s words are: at this point, Wen Xu has been killed in battle. For Wen Chao to wildly offer to induct Wen Zhuliu into the central familial line, to acknowledge Wen Zhuliu as elder brother, is functionally offering the inheritance of the entire Wen Sect to Wen Zhuliu.

Of course, Wen Ruohan could have (and likely would have) vetoed it. Of course, Wen Chao, slimy weasel that he was, could have retracted that promise as soon as they’d made it back to safety, eyes wide and faux-innocent, oh, I meant as like, a sworn brother, not one in line for the succession. But in the moment, with a promise that vast and nebulous, in his desperation and terror, Wen Chao offers the seat of his inheritance to Wen Zhuliu.

And Wen Zhuliu responds: 不必了 / no need.

That is not what moves him.

Then the doors slam open, announcing Wei Wuxian’s ghostly entrance, and anything further we might have learned is lost in the unnatural wind from an opened grave.

(In this moment, the eerie trills of a ghost flute, lanterns swaying fretfully, we are treated to many, many shots of Wen Zhuliu’s face. And the man is difficult to read -- microexpression princedom perhaps, next to Wang Yibo’s microexpression kingship -- and we never learn to read Wen Zhuliu with the same clarity that we learn to read Lan Wangji. But something, something is going through Wen Zhuliu’s mind; he is coming to some kind of decision, and while we know how it ends -- I’ll die trying -- we don’t know what it could have been)

Perhaps it would be overly kind of me to read, in all the hidden corners of Wen Zhuliu’s character, a shadow of nobility in his devotion, an unuttered hope that he -- shunned and feared and deadly and alone -- might belong somewhere, call someplace home, consider someplace his. We, of course, do not know Wen Zhuliu’s history; where he came from, what he went through, why he is here now. But Wei Wuxian has what Wen Zhuliu does not -- Wei Wuxian has a family that knows him, people who love him, and do so despite the difference of his surname, the alternative lethality of his cultivation.

Wei Wuxian has people. Wen Zhuliu does not.

Wen Zhuliu’s relationship with the Wens is transactional -- they recognized his merit, and employed him in their service, even bestowed their name upon him (did he ask for it? did he want it? When your patron gives you a name, you take it, you do not refuse). He owes them a debt he quantifies as his life, and he pays it -- no more, and no less.

Wei Wuxian’s relationship with the Jiangs is transactional, sure -- he sacrifices his golden core, says to Jiang Cheng in a drafty, bloodied temple years later consider it what I owed to Yunmeng Jiang -- but it’s so much more than that. Wei Wuxian tries to smooth over everything that went wrong between them as a debt, and then a debt fulfilled, but that doesn’t sit right in anyone’s hearts (not theirs, not ours, not Jin Ling’s, who asks his uncle in the courtyard didn’t you have something else you wanted to say?). There is something more to the relationship between Wei Wuxian and Yunmeng Jiang than there is between Wen Zhuliu and Qishan Wen; more love, more blood, more tears, more feeling.

Wen Zhuliu and Wei Wuxian are shadows of each other, walking parallel paths, carrying similar debts. They don’t walk the same path -- they make different choices -- but they die for their beliefs, misremembered and maligned.

Wei Wuxian gets a second chance, both miracle and happenstance. 

Wen Zhuliu does not.

(this post is dedicated to @evilgay, because they asked me Wen Zhuliu questions first, and I have literally been sitting on those asks, thinking, for well over half a year now)

[koolaid8108]

Alright I just binge watched all of totj soooo here are my thoughts :3

HOLY MOTHER OF-

THAT WAS AN EXPERIENCE TO SAY THE LEAST

THE ANIMATION, THE LIGHTING

DID I MENTION THE ANIMATION??

I cried. I am still crying. I expected to cry. That is my excuse.

Imma try to keep this in order

episode 1 was adorable <3 Even if I was worried that Ahsoka's mother would die infront of 2 yo Ahsoka's eyes... (I don't remember them saying an explicit age for her, I'm just going off of what I saw)

ep 2-4 were freaking awesome bro. I do not love Mace or Dooku like... AT ALL. They're respectable characters, I just don't like them. The fact that I say that and these episodes still kept me more than entertained.

Yas. Just yes 💅💅

Is it bad that I related a lot to Dooku throughout all of that.... probably yeah-

The similarities between Dooku and Anakin are killing me. Like ACTUALLY eating me from the inside it hurts someone help.

EPISODE 5 HOLY CRAP

I miss the chaos siblings 😭😭😭

Love that they fixed Ahsoka's earliest design

And they put Rex in his phase 1 armor with his season 7 look like 😭😭 I LOVE IT

I WANNA MARRY THE ANIMATION IS THAT WEIRD???

When I tell u I shrieked when Rex mentioned Jesse I mean that I yelled so loud I think I woke up my sleeping family-

And then he SPOKE and apologized for hitting lil Soka 😭😭

Most likely the last time we'll see or hear Jesse on screen 😭😭😭

I would like to believe Fives and Echo were also there even if I have no proof of this

I will just will it to be.

The end of this episode was just 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

mmMmMmmmMm episode sixxxx

As a HUGE fan of the Ahsoka novel (respectfully) ...wtf was that??

Ok that's harsh. IT WAS GOOD! I THINK IT WAS OK, OKAY?? the brother (sixth I believe but I could be wrong bout that) was awesome. Definitely embodied the character from the novel.

To summarize, this was not what I was expecting.

They whitewashed my girl Kaeden, and Miara is no more...

The book was sooo much better, and I get that, books are usually better between the movie or TV series.

... I was just expecting more, which ig was my fault for exceeding my expectations... but still.

THIS SERIES WAS AMAZING TO SAY THE LEAST I LOVE IT I HOPE U DID TOO NOW GN IM GONNA GO CRY MYSELF TO SLEEP MAY THE FORCE BE WITH U ALL HABAHAHAVAVVWW <3 <3 <3

[twilighthomunculus]

How abt Shingo? or Hojo rin?

<3 <3 <3 Hello!!! Thank you <3 <3 <3 <3

my two murder hobos, how I love them so

So Shingo, my stinky rat man. First impressions where honestly the same as everyone else "evil man, evil, I hate. but hey at least that eurobeat intensifies meme comes from his race. and now,,,well,,,,, :)

Favorite moment-Sayuki's snot nosed Shingo comment in the extra stage. Idk if its different subbed but I think about it sometimes

Idea for a story- As some of you hopefully know, prologue mechaAU Night Kids were once a team(more than a team) but broke up after a devastating loss caused a rift in their ideologies. Rn I've been trying to figure out how write or show off them getting through their differences and rediscovering their passion as a certain junker reminds them of what they once were but I don't like to write too often and comics take too long for me to stay interested in finishing them. Will probably do a single page piece, Might just commission a drabble at this point but my ventures in the fanfiction world is limited.

Unpopular opinion-The only opinions I've seen of him are HATE or hehe stinky rat man so idk what to say here

Favorite relationship-I mean Takeshin is otp, but I also really enjoy the idea of He, Mako, and Sayuki all being a chaos trio in high school getting into racing with each other and being that lesbian/pure of heart, dumb of ass dynamic

Favorite headcanon-lets seeeee I mean I've got so many HCs for him, especially AU version, where I could probably pull a WattPad original movie, give him a different name, and make him my own OC but i will not. Some favorites include-He owns pet rats, his wound from his race v Takumi never heals properly, trans shingo, he does graphic art sometimes(designed the team logo and half of his tattoos in AU ver).

Now for Rin, gonna be a little short cause unfortunately there's not as much

First impression- stinky old man(derogatory)

Impression now- stinky old man(affectionate) ah yes the 20 y/o calling the 30 y/o old man, classic

Favorite moment-Shinigami Race(derogatory) dude I laughed out loud with this one because I'm a sick bastard ig, but its the only race I remember from 5th stage, and the only one I feel gives the same amount of characterization to the race as the ones from 1st and 2nd stage i need to read the manga

Idea for a story- Still working on White Comet v Grim Reaper, in which I'm rewriting the backstory to be Rin, Kaori, Ryosuke, and Fumihiro were once a team until a mech designed by Ryosuke failed killing Kaori and damaging Rin to the point where he's an angry cyborg now

Unpopular opinion- hard to have unpopular opinions on the guy when I know only ~4 other people in the english speaking fandom who actively have opinions on him

Favorite relationship- Him being a cursed uncle to Shinji is the best one, him having cartoonishly unbridled hatred for Ryosuke is also fun.

Favorite headcanon(s)- He was kinda a jerk older brother in a Rodrick Hefley kind of way and he's also the one who started the goth/punk boy trend for Gou(and eventually Shinji), he's the embodiment of wrath for a more less light hearted HC

[woozi]

Send this to blogs anonymously and ask them to ship their moots with svt

mom said it’s my turn to get the svt x moots ask!! i’m putting this under a keep reading because it got pretty lengthy, i think?

cheol: @scoupsy or @coupsnim!! izzie and dreamy IMMEDIATELY come to mind when i think of cheol!! literally cheol love club

jeonghan: @haniehae anna’s always out here to subtly but consistently remind us who jeonghan is and why he should be absolutely adored and i think that’s so cute <3 @tiddie too because of the chaos they’d harbor together!! @jeonghannie although i haven’t been seeing myrena much, she was one of the first blogs i followed for jeonghan content as well!

joshua: @jaemtens or @joshuahong!! i haven’t interacted with kevin nor bea much but ngl when i look for josh content they are my go-tos!! also @vanillajoshh!! mia loves the boy and it shows!!

junhui: @iiasha!! jun deserves no one less than this hero right here. 10/10 would give him the support pledis won’t give him. also omg @joshuasnosejob!!! kaya loves jun sm and i think they would be so funny together!!!!!!!!! @wenjunhuiz TOO!!! SO MANY HUIHUIS <3

hosh: @sataemism sof literally matches this boy’s energy, hello??? i wouldn’t entrust soonyoung to anyone but sof and that’s saying something (as if i also have the right to jksdskjd)

wonu: @gotseventeens same with the cheol situation, literally no one looks at wonu the way belle does and i always associate her with him <3 also would be the deadpan couple that would roast u most, if not all, the time. 8/10 kind of scary but 10/10 funny

uji: @art-hao bro?? COOLEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD?? i also think carrie and uji would vibe really well together as their personalities aren’t over the top and both are very reflective!!

seokmin: @ourseokmin mirelle, literally the embodiment of sunshine, thoughtfulness, happiness, and the color yellow imo!! they’d just be so cute and happy together!! mi also never fails to GO OFF about how much she appreciates seokmin and assurance is something he really thrives off of. also @kyeomshine and @kyeomblr!! one of my favorite dk love clubs <3

mingyu: @heartgyus it would be a hate crime not to mention rhys at this point imo. resident gyuldaengie. 10/10 would choke and be choked by mingyu, so ig they’re perfect for e.o. 🙄 also cute dynamics. would recommend. (this sounds like a film review hELP) ALSO @defgyus!!!!!! IMAGINE THE POWER THEY WOULD HOLD!!!!! @scoups too idk why but mingyu not scoups dskjdkjsjksd <3

hao: @myunqho because gabi is the first person i think of when i want to see hao appreciation posts!! also @heartgyu!! obviously loves hao and shares the frog agenda <3

seungkwan: @boosbin no one even comes close to isa when i think of love for seungkwan!! also @uriboogyu!! <3

vernon: @vernons should i even elaborate??? oona even got this iconic url idk if it’s not what u call love <3 i think vernon would also get along well with @soonhoonsol!! they’re both nice and very chill people who u can always talk to and it’d never not be a good time!!

dino: this is a little unexpected but, @xuseokgyu!! i don’t see anyone appreciating dino as much as belle does, and afaik dino likes noonas so 👀

[pharahsgf]

I'm sure it's been said before but I was rewatching cql and the part where wwx gets captured by wen chao I just realized the significance of wwx calling him a dog or saying all he hears is a dog barking when wc talks. I wasn't into the novels or any other adaptations so going into it at first I had no idea that wwx had a phobia of dogs so I just thought he was being cheeky but once you know his greatest fear is dogs it hits different! He seems fearless in that moment but now I know he was probably terrified and there's no doubt a significance to wwx comparing wc/being captured in that moment to his terror of dogs. I think it's interesting too that at least in cql you don't know about his phobia until the second half which I think is fun because before his death, wwx has to hide a lot of himself and constantly put on a brave face. None of his loved ones, barely anyone at all, got to see his true terror until the very very end. But part 2 is about him finding closure and learning to trust lwj and have the space to heal so it makes sense that we'd become privy to how much fear he actually has/had inside all along. It recontextualizes a lot of scenes like the one where wwx is thrown in with the dog too. Just makes me think that no one, not even the audience, was really allowed to know how much wwx was suffering While he was in the middle of suffering, wwx was just that practiced and determined to hide it. So many characters performing some kind of act in cql with false narratives and red herrings, most notably wwx, jgy and nhs. Even lwj's supposed hatred of wwx was a falsehood. Honorable mention goes to jc's hatred of wwx being real but actually not justified in the end, his version of events being heavily twisted by himself. But we ain't taking about him now I don't mean to go on a jc rant. It's just fun. Wwx needs a hug tho

comparing ppl to dogs is a common insult in the setting, esp re: the wens ('wen-dogs' i think is the subtitled term) so idk if it was intentional, but it is an interesting parallel with how both incidents left him traumatised and how helpless he was at the moment. & i absolutely agree he was a lot more fearful than he let on! wei wuxian is determined to hide what he's really going through and it's only after his resurrection that we're allowed to see & able to understand who he really is, what he's done, and how much he's suffered.

one of the central themes of cql & mdzs is that you can't tell the full story from a glance, and wei wuxian embodies this idea both to the characters and the audience - which i think is a really cool thing to do with a protagonist. nie huaisang and jin guangyao are also definitely examples of this, but lan wangji doesn't apply in cql as much as he does in the novel, since his feelings and intentions are a lot more clear. i guess that's the beauty of lan wangji: while we do come to better understand him over time, he's a stable, constant presence in wei wuxian's life, with no jarring revelations or big surprises. for someone like wei wuxian, who rarely gets to just... settle, that must be a g-dsend.

and jiang cheng is just a fake bitch ig