#but like cassandra legitimately does develop through fighting

[drbatsponge]

I got accused of not caring about Cassandra Cain's development and just her fighting recently.

Yes, on the dreaded hellsite, I should really just leave. 😭

Idk, it might shock some people to know where most of her development comes from, lmfaoooooo.

Like literally fighting Shiva in her first arc was the ONLY thing that got Cass to develop as a character, Bruce and Babs could not get through to her about not holding this guilt over her head and it took Shiva beating her senseless for her to finally get over her sins.

Like I'm sorry, but Cass develops through fighting, her character is tied to being a warrior, that's just her.

LIKE IT'S LITERALLY HER LANGUAGE, MY GOD!

[ordinaryschmuck]

Why I (Want to) Love Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure

Salutations random people on the internet who most likely won’t read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

When I heard Disney was making an animated series based on Tangled, acting as a continuation from the original movie, my initial thought was, "Why?"

Sure, Disney is infamous for its unnecessary sequels of the story after happily ever after, with the many, many, many failures that follow suit. Even then, though, most of these continuations were movies that kind of have the potential to tell more of a story. But what more could be said about Tangled? Sorry to spoil a movie that's over ten years old at this point, but by the end of it: Rapunzel lost her golden hair, was reunited with her parents, fell in love, and lived happily ever after. Her losing the golden hair is the most essential part of that list because how can you do a series based on a Disney princess when her most iconic feature is gone? Then I found out that the series forced a way for her hair to come back, and my new initial thought became, "Oh man. This is gonna suck, isn't it?"

Despite the hesitation, I decided to give it a chance anyway. After all, I've been pleasantly surprised before. Things like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, and even The Owl House (yes, really), were shows (and a movie) that I didn't think would be that special. Only to find myself enjoying nearly every minute. So after watching Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, I can certainly say I was surprised...but it was entirely for the wrong reasons.

And to explain how requires spoilers. So if you haven't checked the series out yet, I highly suggest you do it to form your own opinion. Just keep in mind that it's a bit of a mess, but it can be an enjoyable mess...sometimes...let me explain.

WHAT I LIKED

The Animation/Art Style: The series swapping from 3D to 2D might have been the most brilliant decision anyone could have ever made with this series. Usually, when an animated movie gets turned into a show, the most noticeable downgrade is always the animation. Whether it’s not as detailed or not as fluid, it's always subjective that the movie is better animated than the series. But by switching up the styles, the contrast becomes objective instead. 2D and 3D animation each have their pros and cons, so deciding which one is better is nothing more than a matter of opinion. So by changing the style, Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure avoids getting complaints of being a downgrade from the original movie. It also helps that the art style of the series is really unique.

The best way to describe how the show looks is that it's like a coloring book brought to life. At times, everything looks like it was drawn and colored in with crayons, which sounds like an insult, but in actuality, it's one of the best features of the series. As much as I love most animated shows nowadays, I will admit, they all look a little too similar at times. Then here comes Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, which tries to incorporate a whole new style that successfully sets it apart from most shows.

As for the animation itself, it's really well-made! It's remarkably expressive when required, while the movements are really fluid during the correct scenes. Sure the fighting can be a little floaty during some action set pieces (yes, those exist here), but the dialogue and comedic moments are really where the series shines with its animation. I may have problems with the series as a whole, but I give credit where credit is due for the perfectly executed effort that I see in every episode in terms of animation.

Rapunzel and Eugene’s relationship: This was not something I was expecting to enjoy from the series. In the movie, Rapunzel and Eugene were fine. They were the typical Disney couple that worked off of each other enough that it was always entertaining, even if it was unbelievable that they fell deeply in love with each other after, like, two days. They weren't bad, but they weren't anything to go crazy over.

But the writers for the series said, "You know what, let's make these two adorable in nearly every scene they're in." And they are!

Even though I don't believe in their relationship in the movie, I fully believe it here. Both characters have a large amount of faith in one another on top of having endless love for their partner. Like how Eugene knew Rapunzel would be fine when taking out an airship or how Rapunzel couldn't bring herself to say a bad thing about Eugene when making Cassandra a sparring dummy of him. It's legitimately pleasant to watch, to the point where I put Rapunzel and Eugene in my top ten list of favorite fictional couples. They're that good to me, and it's one of the reasons why I don't jump on the bandwagon of shipping the two main female characters together. I'm all for LGBTQA+ representation, but give Cassandra her own girlfriend. Rapunzel's taken, and most of my enjoyment of this show comes from her and her man. So, you know, keep things as they are.

Cassandra (Seasons One and Two): Seeing how I've already mentioned her, let's talk about Cassandra, shall we? Because when making a series based on a movie that had only four prominent characters, with two of them being comedic animal sidekicks, you're going to need to introduce more members to the main cast to write more potential stories. And Cassandra, in Seasons One and Two (I'll get to Season Three), is a worthy addition. She acts as a strict straight man (I know the irony) who interacts well with Rapunzel and clashes perfectly with Eugene on occasion. She was passably entertaining in Season One and developed amazingly in Season Two. Her growing frustrations with Rapunzel's actions lead to a slow build-up that made her betrayal heartbreaking but somewhat understandable. And as for the results in that betrayal...yeah, I'll get into that later. For now, I'll just say that Cassandra was a pleasant addition to the main cast, especially when she was a part of the main trio, and she's yet another good surprise that the writers supplied for the series.

The Songs: The songs are...not going to be for everyone. Most of them are passable yet kind of generic, while others sound like they belong on Disney Junior (Looking at you, "Bigger Than That"). But when Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure makes a hit, MAN, it is a home run. Numbers like "Ready As I'll Ever Be" and "Nothing Left to Lose" are sung phenomenally, orchestrated well, and are songs I can listen to on repeat multiple times. And "Waiting in the Wings" is not only something I consider to be the best song in the series, but it's also something I'd place as high up on Disney's best due to how f**king incredible it is. "Waiting in the Wings" is a powerful ballad that manages to be both tragic yet inspiring on top of how well it sums up Cassandra as a character. The writers may not always be on top of their game when it comes to music, but songs like these prove that they know how to earn that Disney name.

And that’s all I have for the likes...Oh boy. That’s not a good thing is it?

WHAT I DISLIKED

It Peaked at Season One: It did. It really did.

Season One felt like the writers had a grip on what type of show they wanted: A slice-of-life series with Rapunzel dealing with the issues of her kingdom with a meager threat of these black rocks growing in the background. It was all cute and well-balanced for the most part, but that all disappears in Season Two. Because now it's sort of about this adventure, but because Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure set itself as a slice-of-life series, there need to be these small-scale stories that intertwine the grand narrative being told. The issue is that the story comes to a grinding halt one too many times as fans are forced to sit through these filler episodes that, while not all of them are bad, still feel like a distraction. And by Season Three, the series does feel more focused while having some slice-of-life episodes added to the ongoing story instead of distracting us from it. But the writing isn't as strong, there are several plot holes in the narrative (how did Rapunzel's sunstone get into her dress?), and there is way too much time going back and forth on Cassandra's morality. They claim that she's a villain while arguing that there might still be some good in her, and they continue this train of thought for nine episodes when it really could have been settled in two. For me, it's a bad sign for a series when the first season is the best one. Because if it's all downhill from there, what's the point of even watching?

It Tries to be Epic: This might have been the worst decision the writers could have made.

Now, here's the thing: I don't mind grand epic tales of adventure and battles against demons. If anything, I'm all for them...when it's appropriate and fits with the tone of the series.

Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure suffers a similar problem Frozen II has, in which the writers felt like a big, life-threatening adventure was the perfect continuation of a meager, personal story about the relationships of characters. It isn't. If anything, it's completely missing the mark about what the original story was about. And sure, sometimes writers can succeed in telling personal stories through grand adventures. Just look at The Owl House and parts of Amphibia. But with those shows, it's established within the first few episodes that action and peril will be a series staple. With Tangled, while there was some action and peril, it's all very subdued compared to how high the stakes got raised in later episodes in the show. Especially in the series finale.

And, I mean, c'mon. You're making Rapunzel an action hero?

Judy Hopps? Yes.

Moana? Maybe.

Raya? Most definitely.

But Rapunzel? The character who’s all about optimism and seeing the best of others. That's the character you're going to morph into a hero that fights against an evil demon laid dormant for years? Did you even watch the original movie? Yeah, sorry, but I just don't buy it.

If you want to tell an epic story that gets the blood pumping for fans addicted to adventure, go for it! See where the wind takes you. But make sure to set that tone as early as possible while also making sure that it fits with the characters. If not, the end result is a series that feels like it's trying to be something it’s not.

Eugene is Kind of an Idiot at Times: It should be noted that Movie-Eugene and Series-Eugene are practically two different characters. In the film, Eugene was more or less the straight man, as he often questions the wackiness in the world around him and keeping Rapunzel grounded in reality. For the series, most of that personality got transferred to Cassandra. Thus making Eugene's new role in the series act as the egotistical imbecile. Sure, he had those moments in the film, but not as frequently, and it really pains me when the writers really lean hard into a minor aspect of his personality. Sometimes there are moments when Eugene acts like his original self. But it's all small scenes that are spread apart with entire episodes where he has half a brain cell. I'm sure some people didn't mind this change to the character, but as someone who adores the movie version of Eugene, I can't help but feel disappointed.

The Villains are the Worst: Now, I don't mean the one-off villains that show up, cause some chaos for a bit, and disappear at the end of the episode. Those are characters with fun personalities, occasionally cool designs, and do their job as villains of the week. It doesn't matter if their motivations are laughably simple, as their purpose is to be enjoyable characters above anything else. So I actually enjoy those villains...it's the ones that act as season-long antagonists that really grind my gears.

The purpose behind these types of foes is to build up how evil they are throughout the season. The issue is that the writers try to give these characters, or at least two of them, a point. To be fair, this can work. Just look at Killmonger from Black Panther and sometimes Karli Morgenthau from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. You understand and probably even sympathize with the logic and reasoning these characters have. It's just that their actions couldn't be farther from what you would do. The problem with Varian and Cassandra is that they have the motivation, but it's not written suitably for the story.

Cassandra is a whole can of worms I'll get to in a minute, but Varian is someone I can easily discuss for a brief time. Because while I can comprehend his pain for having his father frozen in yellow rock, I don't think turning evil is the best decision to go with that character. Because A. Everything is his fault. He blames Rapunzel for not helping him, but even if she didn't have a crisis to deal with, there was nothing she could have done to stop it. His frustrations are not only unjustified, but given the fact that this wouldn't have happened if he listened to his father in the first place, it feels like him becoming evil is too drastic of a turn. And B. Varian worked much better as a supporting character rather than a primary antagonist. He was just this hopeful, if not a clumsy scientist who wanted to prove himself, who causes minor catastrophes due to not thinking ahead. Turning a character like Varian into a villain is a bit of a misstep because if the guy acts hilariously incompetent as a good guy, it makes little sense to have him be intelligent and ten steps ahead of Rapunzel when being evil. If he were to become more serious and careful when helping the rest of the main cast, I'd consider that character progression done properly. But becoming a villain is just an overreaction.

However, none of that compares with my issues with the main antagonist of the series: Zhan Tiri. This goes back to my problems with the series making itself too epic. Because if Zhan Tiri existed in any other show, I probably wouldn't have any problem with her. She's built up well throughout all three seasons and is kind of threatening at times. But she doesn't belong in a series based on a movie that dealt with a small, personal issue where it wasn't even the character who killed the villain in the end. It was her love interest and animal sidekick. Even if Zhan Tiri works well as a character, the fact that it doesn't feel like she belongs in the show makes her too distracting to enjoy. And that's why these villains suck. If not poorly written, they don't belong in a series that should focus on small-scale issues. And if you can functionally write an antagonist that appears for only one episode but flounder with ones that show up in several, well, that's just embarrassing.

Cassandra (Season 3): OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH BOY, do I have some words to express with this character. Like with Movie-Eugene and Series-Eugene, Cassandra from Seasons One and Two is frustratingly different from the psychotic IDIOT from Season Three. Basically, just take the issues I have with Varian, multiply them by ten, add them with some bafflingly stupid decisions, and you still wouldn't get how much Season Three-Cassandra frustrates me!

First off, her motivation...what the f**k were the writers thinking? The big reason why Cassandra betrays Rapunzel and motivates all of her misdeeds was that Cassandra's mother was Mother Gothal...EXPLAIN THAT LOGIC TO ME?! Because Cassandra should know what type of woman Mother Gothal was. She should know what Mother Gothal did to Rapunzel in the first eighteen years of her life. So how is Cassandra being abandoned by Gothal the central motivator to cut ties with Rapunzel, who is probably an even bigger victim in this scenario!? Seriously, Rapunzel was cut off from the rest of the world and treated as an unknowing prisoner because she was beneficial to Gothal. Cassandra was adopted into a household with mutual love and got to actually live her life. In no way does it make sense for her to be angry at Rapunzel.

Nor does it make sense that the writers try to play it off as a good thing in the song "Crossing the Line!" Sure, it sounds nice, but thematically, it gives across the opposite feelings that the audience should have. Because if Cassandra cutting ties with Rapunzel is meant to be tragic and awful, why is the music suggesting it's the best possible thing that's ever happened for the character? If you like the song, fine, but even you have to admit that it's thematic nonsense.

But, sure. Cassandra's evil now, and she considers it a good thing. Whatever. I'll take it as long as it leads to good stories...but here's the thing: In the penultimate episode before the three-part series finale, Cassandra asks a question. A question I would have never expected her to ask, despite everything that has happened in the last season. A question that was so baffling, I had to legitimately pause the episode to process the fact that she asked something so stupid. Because Cassandra, the character who is intelligent and grounded in reality, asked, "Am I the bad guy?"

I was honestly shocked to find out she was shocked! How, in the flying, everlasting, cock-a-doodle-doodling F**K does a person like her not pick up that maybe, just maybe, she isn't the hero in this story!? Call me crazy, but endangering the lives of people you once called friends and family, dressing in black, AND HAVING A GIANT EVIL-LOOKING TOWER MADE OUT OF F**KING SPIKES aren't qualities I would give to a hero!

If Cassandra was like Thanos, a character so wrapped up in his ego that he can't even notice how evil he is, I would understand. But she doesn't have an ego. Anger, yes. But for the most part, her personality is based on having logic and reasoning. So turning her into a villain and having her unaware that she's a villain is an act of lunacy that I am incapable of understanding. I don't know who's idea this was, but whoever is to blame...you've got issues.

>Sighs<...This series isn't good, is it?

IN CONCLUSION

I like the animation and some of the characters...but that's not enough. Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure is a mess of a show that tries to do too much for a story that should have so little. Meaning that it's a D+ for me. I want to enjoy it and give it a higher grade, especially with how much I hear people praise this series. And if you do enjoy it, all the power to you. Your opinions are valid, even if I highly disagree with them. Because for me, this is a show that I won't get myself tangled up in again in the future.

[bestworstcase]

from a reply on this post:

While I do agree that Rapunzel’s “destiny is BS and wished they didn’t just default to her using magic to win the day, I don’t think Cass should have been able to keep the magic herself. Cass’ view on “destiny,” I argue is just as twisted as Rapunzel and Cass used “destiny” as poor justification to cause pain and suffering to innocent bystanders. Her losing the moonstone is one of the few actual consequences she gets.

( @neokonewman )

okay so

idrc about cass suffering consequences or not; with villain-to-hero arcs generally, i’m interested in atonement and character growth, not punishment. one of the biggest bones i have to pick with cassandra’s villain arc is that it is all hangs on cassandra having “stolen” the moonstone from rapunzel. 

it doesn’t, as far as the narrative is concerned, matter that cassandra causes pain and suffering to innocent bystanders. it doesn’t matter that she kidnapped varian, or attacked rapunzel, or tried to kill eugene, or used the mind trap on the brotherhood, or razed corona. all of those things are just, like, seasoning; the real core of cassandra’s villain arc—and again i am talking about how this arc is structured and framed in the narrative, not about actual morality lmao—is that she stole the moonstone from rapunzel and, in doing so, usurped rapunzel’s destiny. 

if you examine the villain arc through this lens—the lens that ultimately what made cass a villain was stealing the moonstone from rapunzel—then it is actually, i would argue, a fairly-well built, classical redemption arc. it follows these beats: 

1 - cassandra, with zhan tiri’s encouragement, steals the moonstone (falsely claiming rapunzel’s destiny as her own: this is her “sin”).

2 - cass, with the moonstone, breaks away from rapunzel, vowing to fulfill rapunzel’s destiny on her own.

3 - cass reconnects with zhan tiri, who manipulates her and turns her into a pawn for zhan tiri’s own agenda. (this is the beginning of the “punishment” phase of a classical redemption arc: cassandra is ensnared in an abusive relationship far worse than the toxicity that developed between her and rapunzel in s2). 

4 - cass, with zhan tiri’s guidance, stages a confrontation between herself and rapunzel with the intention of “proving” that she deserves to have rapunzel’s destiny (“show her how powerful you’ve become!” etc). but this destiny doesn’t belong to cassandra, so—despite the equal power of the drops—she is thoroughly beaten. the moonstone, her stolen destiny, breaks and turns against her, she is thrown from her seat of power and left for dead by her former friends... and all she has left is her abusive friendship with zhan tiri, who has grown more powerful as a result of her defeat. 

5 - now desperate, cass doubles down on trying to stake her claim on rapunzel’s destiny by seeking the mind trap to strengthen herself.

6 - despite the mind trap success, cassandra’s conviction is beginning to crumble. in TOTS and OAH, rapunzel nearly succeeds in winning cassandra over again, and only last-minute interference on zhan tiri’s part is able to drag cassandra away from the brink of redemption. 

7 - cassandra angrily re-commits to taking rapunzel’s destiny on the day of the eclipse, and she comes within a hair’s breadth of victory... only for zhan tiri to turn on her and rip everything she stole away from her. she is emotionally defeated, ground down into the dirt with despair and self-loathing, and only rapunzel is able to pick her up again. (this is the end of the “punishment” phase and the moment of repentance/forgiveness, where the formerly-villainous character changes for the better).

8 - cassandra demonstrates that she has changed by freely and easily surrendering the shard of the moonstone to rapunzel, saying, “no, no, you can use it to fight zhan tiri; rapunzel, this is your destiny.” she has repented from her sin of “stealing” rapunzel’s destiny and now she’s following through by acting upon that repentance. she relinquishes the last piece of her “stolen” power to the person to whom it rightfully belongs—rapunzel—and she does so without prompting or hesitation. 

9 - this follow through continues with cass stepping into a vital role supporting rapunzel as rapunzel fulfills her destiny (the destiny that cassandra attempted to steal). when the drops are united, cassandra is killed by the blast whilst rapunzel is left unscathed—because reuniting the drops was rapunzel’s destiny, not cassandra’s. (cassandra’s willing acceptance of this consequence for her wrong actions—ie her theft of the moonstone—is the ultimate capstone on her redemption arc).  

10 - cass is then rewarded for her successful redemption when rapunzel revives her and allows her to leave corona freely in order to pursue her own destiny. the punishment for her sin—zhan tiri’s manipulation and abuse, cassandra’s repeated failures, and of course literal death—ends because she has repented and been forgiven. 

...now... outside of this narrative frame, cassandra’s redemption arc is sort of nonsensical. if you approach her villainy through the lens of “cassandra is hurting and attacking people” then not a single piece of her redemption arc actually addresses that in any meaningful way and the whole thing falls flat. because, like, duh! the problem isn’t that she took the moonstone the problem is she hurt people with it.

but her whole villain arc and redemption is constructed around this concept that cass taking the moonstone was the problem and that every other bad thing she did was just, kind of, a side effect, and of course fixing the core problem will also fix all the side effects. (which again is obviously stupid on a logical level but... the narrative is so structured around destiny that within the internal logic of the narrative itself it does actually make sense. like, it’s a coherent arc. it just requires you to buy into the moral position that cass taking the moonstone was the real bad thing all along). 

which... to get back to the point of my original post... is why i wanted cass to keep the moonstone through the end of the battle. because taking the moonstone wasn’t the problem—the problem was violent, cruel things she chose to do with the moonstone. and if we approach her villain arc through this perspective—that “destiny” is bullshit and choices are what really matters—then cassandra doesn’t need to have the moonstone taken from her in order to atone for what she’s done. she can simply choose to change for the better. she can use the moonstone to fight zhan tiri and save corona, and then she can unite the sundrop and moonstone in concert with rapunzel so that they can revive everyone and repair the damage done to the city. 

(frustration with this framing is also, incidentally, why i’m so keen on re-interpretations of zhan tiri that make her... not a complete monster and specifically takes on zhan tiri where she actually cares about, and has a genuine friendship with, cassandra—because i’m not interested in narratively punishing cassandra for “stealing” the moonstone, and because i want cassandra’s descent into villainy to be about her actual legitimate grievances with the way rapunzel treated her rather than turning on zhan tiri fueling her irrational anger about gothel.)

[crsinclair]

Dragon Age Inquisition!Voltron AU

@bluelioncub and I have been screaming at each other because of this Dragon Age Inquisition AU. We've got a hodge-pod plan to do some one-shots on all this, as well as maybe a few for Dragon Age Origins. Here's a bit of a teaser for what's to come (hopefully you're not all waiting too long) in the form of character headcanons!

Shiro:

The one who stepped out of the fade.  The rumor going around after he got out was that Andraste kissed his head, turning his bangs white, and took his hand to guide him out, which gave him the Mark.

Trevelyan backstory:  Was training to be a Templar, and spent a few years traveling around Thedas as a personal training mission.  Spent some time in the Southern part of Nevarra helping his cousin Sven defend the ports from Pirates and bandits, thus earning him a bit of fame.

Legitimately wants to do good in the world.  Josephine is so happy, he basically does all the work for her.

His one true wish in life is to have a Mabari pupper.

At the start of his part in the Inquisition, he believed that the Circles were a good thing and that they served a very definite purpose.  Not to say that he believed that the Templars were doing things the right way in the Circles, but more that he had slightly blinded views of how good things actually were for the Mages.  Over the course of his time as the Herald and later the Inquisitor, he realized slowly that things were NOT as they seemed, and made it a personal mission to try and change things – for the Mages and the Templars both.

Chose to recruit the Templars.  More on that later. ;)

Seriously this boy just wants to help everyone, Leliana finds it simultaneously unrealistic and adorable.

Best friends with Cullen. 

Best.  Friends.

Seriously these two are so alike and get each other so well it’s insane.

Cullen also shares with Shiro his stories about how things actually were in the Circles, and that helps in Shiro’s view of things.

Actually doesn’t mind the Hinterlands.  This earns him the ire of all his Inner Circle.

Keith

Joined the Seekers ASAP

He was actually left on the doorstep as a baby of the Seekers.  He was raised by them (mostly because no one person knew how to raise him by themselves.  “It takes a Village” was never more true…)

Even growing up with the Seekers he thought there was a small unit of them that went out and hunted for Cryptids.

He was so disappointed when he actually became a Seeker and found out no such unit.

(He plans on starting that Unit.)

Trained under Seeker Cassandra Penteghast.  Turns out he’s one of the only ones who doesn’t really care that TECHINICALLY she’s part of the Navarran royal family.

He also adopted her taste in trashy romance novels.

He actually met Shiro when he was younger and. Very angry.  His advise of “Patience Yields Focus” helped him in his career as a Seeker.

Up until Cassandra goes all “I see a problem and I fix it” on him and welp, conflicting advise.  (This is the Keith we all know and love.)

Will fight all the bears.  All of them.  Single-handedly and unarmed.

Honestly he doesn’t care about where you come from or why just so long as you are there to help.  That’s it.

“Shiro if you take me on another bull-crap mission into the Hinterlands, I swear to the MAKER – “

Pidge

City Elf!

Actually comes Denerim, but the family moved to Orlais.  She worked very hard to NOT pick up the accent.

Joined the Red Jennies a few months before the Conclave exploded – her brother Matt went missing, and when no one of actual authority would help the “Knife Ear”, she decided to find another market of information.  Her work with the Red Jennies eventually got her the information that her brother was taken by a mysterious group known as the Venatori – and they were bigger than the Red Jennies could handle.  Luckily, the Inquisition was forming…

Has a very irrational hate of magic.  Not of Mages, of MAGIC.  There’s a difference.

Smartest cookie this side of everything.  Makes very fast friends with the Alchemist of the Inquistion and with Dagna.

…Maybe a bit more than friends with Dagna.

The first time she stepped foot in the Emerald Graves she wanted to climb all the trees – seriously, she’d NEVER seen trees so big.

Turns out that the Red Jenny information network is more complex than Leliana’s, who knew

Does she lord this over Leliana?  Yes.  Pidge is probably the only person in all of Thedas that doesn’t have a healthy fear of Leliana.

Very Viscious Prank Master.  Do not mess with her unless you want bees somewhere very unpleasant.

Was VERY SURPRISED when she found out that Shiro knew Matt.

It took Shiro a while to figure it out because Pidge only started going by Pidge after joining up with the Red Jennies – Matt would always talk about his sister Katie.

“WHAT THE WHAT YOU KNEW MY BROTHER!?”

“I will throw this bottle of bees at you, Shiro, don’t you DARE say we’re going to the Hinterlands – “

Lance

Mage from Tevinter!

Pariah of Tevinter – but due to plot can’t go too far into that.  ;)

HAS THE BIGGEST CRUSH ON SHIRO.  Followed Shiro’s adventures around Thedas as all the stories hit the news and developed a big Hero Crush on him.

Can’t tell you what they might’ve been talking about during the last serious meeting between the War Council and the Inner Circle but can tell you every single detail about the Pirate Battle of the 15th Ferventis 9:31 on docks of Cumberland down to the weather.  This comes up entirely by accident when Josephine is asking Shiro about some of his exploits and Lance just…starts rattling off facts.

He was very embarrassed.

Really truly cares about Tevinter.  He’s honestly a bit conflicted about fighting his fellow country men, but his belief in what the Inquisition is doing is stronger than his confliction.  If he has a chance to try and talk to a Venatori instead of burst them into flames, though, he’ll take it.

Has a tendency to Fade Step when startled.

Like the warm rain of Northern Tevinter, not the cold, freezing rain of Fereldan, Keith, there’s a DIFFERNCE.

Took on all the bandits by himself in Crestwood for the promise of a warm bath.

When he came to Haven to warn them of the Venatori Mages marching, he barely got the warning out before near-fainting in Shiro’s arms.  Near-fainting because Lance managed to squint an eye open and squeeze out a “Hey, are you my big buff savior? *wink*”

“Not the Hinterlands, not the Hinterlands, not the Hinterlands – *it’s the Hinterlands*  *unholy screeching*”

Hunk

Qunari Warrior!

He’s actually pretty terrible at lying, but he’s reeeeeeally good at eavesdropping.  So that’s how he ends up as a Hisrad wandering around Southern Thedas.

Came to Spy, Stayed for the Food.

At least, that’s the joke he tells Shiro when he joins up with the Inquisition.  Honestly, after being away from the Qun for so long, he’s starting to see things from different perspectives than what he grew up with, and it’s…starting to get to him.

Has a small Mercenary Guild!  The Yellow Lions.  (He really likes those big cats, okay?)  His main team:  Rax, an Avvar Warrior; Shay, Rax’ half sister who has excellent control of magic but doesn’t call it magic; Nyma, an Elven Rouge that was abandoned by her Clan; Rolo, yet another Elven Rouge but from the City; and Beezer, the Dwarf who doesn’t talk but is great with Alchemy (specifically: BOMBS).

Lance gave him the nickname Hunk and it just…kinda stuck.  Eventually he stopped trying to correct people on it and that was that, he was Hunk, end of story.

Actually really, really smart and a fantastic engineer.  Happened to walk by when Cullen, Shiro, and Leliana were discussing how to make changes to Skyhold to be more defensible and he started rattling off a bunch of calculations on which areas would be best for renovations.

This led to an in-depth conversation that revealed how much Hunk knew about engineering specific weapons and within the week he became to go-to person to speak with about new designs for arms and weaponry.  Gives Bianca a run for her money.

A few times literally.

He and Keith entered into the most uncomplicated relationship.  It basically amounted to:  “Hey you wanna be a thing?” “Sure, let’s be a thing.” And that was that.

Is probably the most un-Qunari like Qunari that ever Qunaried until there’s a dragon involved.

“Boss, I know you like doing things for the people in the Hinterlands but I’m starting to think I might be allergic to, well, ALL OF THE HINTERLANDS.”

Allura

Fanciest Maker-damned Apostate Elvhen Hobo

Like, she doesn’t even really have much in the way of personal belongings but what she has she makes SPARKLE.

Not an Egg.

Legitimately sad that the Elves of today have fallen to what they are; she attempts to lecture everyone about the way things should be.  (Much nicer about it than an Egg ever would be.)

Honestly stayed with the Inquisition not because of the Anchor and what it could do, but because she’s grown attached to the members of the Inner Circle.

Cried by herself when she realized how much she loved these silly, ridiculous people that surround her, and what that might mean for her plans for the future…

Has a weakness for all the mice in Skyhold.

“I can hear them talk to me.”  No one knows if they should take her seriously or not.  She does, after all, regularly walk through the fade on purpose.

I repeat:  NOT AN EGG.

Takes tea with Josephine and Leliana to talk fashion every once in a while.  Vivienne de Fer took some doing to get her to join them for Tea – Vivienne didn’t have the best first impression of her, what with Allura being an Apostate..  But when Allura starts talking about fashion, well.  Vivienne can put aside their differences to talk about the latest trends in boots and skirts.

“*silently threatens Shiro with fire when Shiro mentions going to the Hinterlands*”

Slav (THAT’S RIGHT, SLAV)

The Spirit in the form of a young man that saves Shiro from the Envy demon at Therinfal Redoubt.

(I’ll post a drawing of him later when I have time, it’s actually adorable)

Capable of seeing many realities and uses the ones with the highest “frequency” to decide on a course of action.  Prefers the realities that involve the least amount of violence, but what needs must.

Shiro eventually teaches Slav to try and see around the most “frequent” violent realities and try to reach for the ones that lead to less violent.  It takes some doing, since Slav is…Slav, but he gets there.

Eventually.

When scared will puff out of existence.

This happens a lot.

“Slav, what are you doing.”  “In 72% of realities the fluffiness of these pillows will determine whether or not our Commander Cullen gets a headcold.”  “…”

He is not invited to play cards anymore because most people think he’s cheating.  Shiro and Allura assure everyone that he isn’t, he’s not that type of person.

He is.

Once got into a theoretical scientific debate with Hunk, Pidge, and Dagna about…something. 

No one is really sure what, since most of it was spoken in pure numbers.

Every time Shiro approaches him about a trip to the Hinterlands he just disappears.

[nylonsandlipstick]

Hi there, would you mind explain why you consider cc and tmi books problematic? I mean they are a somehow flat especially compare to tid/tda but I don’t think i would called them problematic. As for Claire I have hear people to complain about her in the past but always judging by her books I can’t see why. Now this not to say you are wrong or anything like that. I’m just curious on the matter.

Hi! First I’d like to thank you for being so polite in your ask! I know a lot of CC and TMI fans, even casual fans, can be very rude about anyone who views CC or TMI negatively.

So, I’ll start with the analytical book stuff and then go on to the author gossip so that you can have some legit criticism and then read the gossip-y stuff if you’d like and I’ll even direct you to some posts that explain certain things in better details and offer sources so that it doesn’t seem like I’m just offering a bunch of baseless rumors. Also, be warned, I write long analytical posts as I have no chill lol so this post is going to be rather long even though I'll try to cut to the chase.

The Mortal Instruments books aren’t the best books I’ve ever read, not even by a long shot, but the plot itself isn’t problematic. While I don’t like how the books come off more as a series of events strung together by a halfhearted central plot with rather bland and one-dimensional characters, it’s not those things that make the books problematic but rather the characters and the way Clare handles them.

Let’s start with Clary since she’s the main character. She’s rather bland and just really whiny (not a character I disliked or liked, she kind of feels…there) but what makes her problematic is just how she seems to hate all female characters that are prettier than her and could be possible love-interests for Jace. The books give her a weird relationship with Izzy but it’s nowhere near a friendship. She’ll spend so much time kind of side-eyeing Izzy and judging Izzy for how she dresses and basically slut-shaming Izzy and it’s not even because Clary doesn’t like girls that dress like that and sleep around but rather just because she believes that Izzy is a main contender in the competition of winning over Jace. One thing I don’t like that Clare did was play on that stupid trope of girls only seeing each other as competition for a guy (we even see a bit of that in TID with Tessa immediately viewing Jessie as competition for Will but, thankfully, moving past that quickly as she understands that Jessie has no interest in either Will or Jem for that matter). I also really disliked that Clary uses Simon during that godforsaken faux incest plot just to make Jace jealous (which is so wrong on so many levels, but I’ll get to the incest later). Clary also used Alec’s sexuality as leverage against him which is so wrong (Alec’s reaction to Clary realizing his sexuality wasn’t great either).

I think Clare just doesn’t know how to make good female characters in the first place as she makes Izzy super bad too. She’s written as a character that’s supposed to be a slut in no uncertain terms, and that’s just so bad. It’s not like Clare even tries to make it so that Izzy is super comfortable in her body and everyone accepts her because the way she dresses doesn’t make for her intelligence and her ability to fight (which we all know she’s good at). Clare just makes Izzy a pretty face with nothing but boys and how to dress provocatively on her mind, which I don’t think is necessarily bad, if it weren’t for the fact that Clare makes those things out to be bad. I absolutely adore female characters that love dressing up and love constantly dating and don’t care much for fighting if they’re properly developed because I’m so tired of the “I hate dresses and makeup and I’m not like other girls, I’m one of the guys” female characters that are just so annoying at this point. Clare just acts like being feminine and being comfortable in your body are such bad things when that’s not supposed to be true at all. And Izzy really isn’t even there as an actual main character but rather to make Clary seem like the better of the two girls because she’s not what Izzy supposedly represents (femininity and sexuality) and eventually only there as Simon’s love interest (so to further a male character’s love story).

So, as of now, Clare really isn’t seeming like the feminist she claims she is as she not only poorly represents her female characters, she uses them to further male story-lines and there is a huge difference in the female to male ratio in the series (the story is honestly so male-dominated and there’s no balance in female and male characters whatsoever, e are about three main female characters with a dozen of main male characters).

Jace really isn’t problematic in his characterization like Clary or in what he does aside from the faux incest subplot. He’s definitely unlikable and a total Bad Boy trope with untapped potential for being an amazing multi-dimensional character and has an unnecessarily complicated backstory but that’s not really bad outside of writing-wise. So, because I really don’t want to push it off anymore, I’m going to talk about the incest subplot. First of all, incest should very much not be used as some sort of obstacle a couple has to go through to prove their love for each other or whatever. Anything else would have been better, even having Izzy as a legitimate love interest for Jace would have been better. I found it just so uncomfortable having to read through that Seelie Court scene. And the fact that Jace and Clary continued to have feelings for each other and didn’t even try to squash their feelings down and try to see each other as full-blooded siblings just made it all worse. I was so relieved when Valentine admitted that he pretended to be Jace’s father (again, the unnecessarily complicated backstory)…then almost threw up when Sebastian came in and showed romantic interest in his own sister. I understand that Sebastian is supposed to be creepy and unlikable, but, damn, Clare could have done without the incest subplot. It makes it all more irksome that Sebastian is very aware that Clary is his full-blooded sister and yet he still somehow can’t control his feelings for her? The only time I want to see any incest in any form is in an episode of Law & Order: SVU where the main detectives spend the entire episode denouncing incest and calling it wrong in every aspect.

One of the bigger problems I had in the series was Alec. So that you know, I do not like Alec at all, and don’t care for him. Just because Matthew Daddario plays him in the show doesn’t mean I suddenly like show!Alec over book!Alec (although show!Alec has some redeemable traits). I don’t like him at all, period. That way you know that my criticism about Alec isn’t because “Well show!Alec is better and book!Alec this and that, and Matthew plays him which makes him so much better” as I’ve seen a lot of people do. Matthew seems like a kind and likable dude, but I cannot just get behind Alec at all. Aside from being such a stoic and bland character (I don’t really do serious characters, they’re not very fun and they remain rather static throughout stories which is boring), Alec is such a gross character and such a poor excuse for homosexual representation. I think it’s so sad that Clare made her only gay (male homosexual, I only specify since gay is used as a blanket term a lot of the times) character so unlikable and very biphobic. Not only does Alec threaten bodily harm to Clary so that she doesn’t reveal his sexuality (which is a huge no-no, that’s a terrible way to handle a closeted character’s anxiety over coming out), when Alec’s sexuality is finally revealed, it’s in Simon’s point of view which is just so…ugh. Alec is such a huge slut-shamer too; he’s right on par with Clary. He spends so much time egging Magnus about his past relationships and acting like Magnus, a hundred-something years old man, would never have had any relationship before Alec at all. What makes Alec’s slut-shaming so much worse is that it always points back to Magnus’s bisexuality. As a bisexual myself, I hate seeing people slut-shaming us bisexuals (when we’re not being out right ignored, that is) because we go both ways. It’s as if a heterosexual or homosexual isn’t as likely to cheat or be sexually promiscuous at all. It’s just so gross and uncomfortable and what made me absolutely despise Alec. And anyone, even a bisexual, who supports Alec’s biphobia because it’s “realistic” should remember that the Shadowhunter world is full of angels, demons, werewolves, vampires, and magical objects with few poc and lgbt+ characters; CC is far from realism at this point, she could have done without the biphobia.

Magnus isn’t perfect either as he’s so unnecessarily rude to Alec for not coming out quickly and basically attacking Alec for not admitting his sexuality to everyone. You’d think that Magnus, a bisexual man born in the nineteenth century, would understand that it would be difficult for Alec to come out as gay and that he should be so supportive of Alec and help him through it.

Racial/ethnic and sexual representation is at such a minimum and Clare just doesn’t seem to know how to handle her poc and lgbt+ characters properly at all. We have only four lgbt+ characters, one of which is biphobic (Alec), two whom are super minor and there to further other characters’ stories (Magnus and Aline), and one who doesn’t even appear much in general (Helen) and the only two lgbt+ relationships in the entire TMI series seem to have to go through so many obstacles that either the heterosexual relationships don’t have to go through or if they’re in a similar circumstance is easily resolved (like the immortality question for Malec is somehow unable to be resolved and actually made more difficult while Sizzy resolve the immortality question so quickly and easily). And as far as I can remember, most of the TMI characters are very white. The only non-white/ethnic representation we get are Simon (Jewish), Maia (biracial, black and white I believe), Aline (Chinese, if I remember correctly), Magnus (biracial, Indonesian and Dutch), and Jordan (ethnically and racially ambiguous). That’s five characters that I can remember from a very, very long list of characters. So, Clare isn’t much of a good white ally either.

Those are just some of my main problems with The Mortal Instruments books that I feel make them problematic. I know some people can pull out a lot more things I forgot as it’s been a while since I even touched those books. I understand that those books were her first ones to be published and writing changes (as seen in her other series), but Cassandra Clare as a person really does not seem to change.

I’m not as well versed in the problems with Cassandra Clare so I’ll link you to a couple of posts as I give my brief points that explain everything better and give sources (because in situations like these, sources are necessary so that you don’t come off as some Gossip Girl).

So, for Cassandra Clare, you’ll have to bare with me as she’s done a good amount of things that even I can’t keep straight and I’ll definitely miss out on some stuff.

She has a history of cyberbullying fans and continues to do so (x)

She tried to scam the fandom in something that’s called LaptopGate (x)

She plagiarized the hell out of other authors’ works and she won’t apologize for it and won’t even admit it (x)(x)

She seems to have a need for taking down anyone who tries point out her plagiarism/any problematic content her books have and then cries anti-bullying because she got hurt (x)

She’s was and still is hateful of the show (x)(x)(x)

She basically told a fan asking for positive Muslim representation that it won’t happen (x)

She claims that people dislike her because she’s a woman (x)

She claims that the reason why she couldn’t include much Malec (or LGBT+ rep in general) was because her publishing company was conservative which is a bald-faced lie (x)(x)

She tweeted about Magnus currently identifying as bisexual even though she headcanons him pansexual because he would date someone nonbinary which just goes to show her ignorance about sexuality (x)

I really recommend you go through the anti CC tag. There will definitely be a lot of negative things said as many people are angry at CC but you'll get a better understanding as to why people are mad and believe CC and TMI are problematic.

Just for the record, I will say that I am a fan of the books Clare writes. I really enjoyed The Infernal Devices (although I had a few problems with the series but most of them being plot-wise and not liking a few characters) and I’ve heard better things about The Dark Artifices (I’ve also heard it’s got a few problems with its representation but that it’s a step up from The Mortal Instruments). While I don’t agree with and dislike a lot of the things she’s done and written, I think the books are wonderful. I believe that it’s absolutely possible to enjoy a book or television series or movie or whatever and acknowledge that it’s problematic. And I will also say that while I like Shadowhunters better than The Mortal Instruments books, I don’t think that the show is flawless and free of problems. It’s still rather problematic with it’s use of stereotypes, whitewashing/scooting around the ethnicity of certain characters played by pocs (the Lightwood and Lewis families), sidelining of pocs, inherent homophobia (basically queerbaited with Malec and didn’t even show tons of scenes that would have been shown for a straight couple), and a few other problems. But the show is definitely a step up from the books. They really change a lot of things that just didn’t sit well with not only myself but a lot of the book readers and they also fix a ton of plot holes that were in the books.

Anyway, I digress. I really hope that you see this as actual criticism and not me just hating for the sake of hating. You can totally disagree with some of the things that I mentioned and view things differently than I do as that’s your right. But, anyway, I hope this explained things well!

[fireinclined-archive]

HELLION

who is hellion?

so in an ironic twist of fate, life inclined cassandra would be the most reckless, thoughtless, and violent version of cassandra and to be quite honest, i don’t think she and splinter would ever be friends, let alone her becoming the mother of the turtles.

people who are life inclined should have the ability to heal and to kill- it’s only the limitations added to the capellan gene pool that made it so that life inclined people could not kill without dying themselves. that ability still exists. just as regular cassandra can be a wildfire or a campfire, life inclined cassandra can be a healer or a killer, and what hat she’s wearing can change very quickly.

life inclined cassandra- who we’ll call “hellion” bc tbh that’s what she is, feels cheated out of her ability to kill- one half of her inclination is closed off to her. so to compensate for this, she has trained herself to be EXTREMELY skilled in battle. like holy shit, she is a huge fucking threat. and she lives for the thrill of battle, because she can also use her ability to heal in battle…on herself.

she’s so reckless with her own body- i’m not sure if she can, say, mend an a limb that’s been cut off back onto her body, but she has some serious skills. so she’s self destructive bc who cares!!! she can just heal herself!!

in this same vein, she doesn’t care about the safety of others. who cares! i’ll just heal them! she pushes people to do things outside of their comfort zone in a bad way, she’s vulgar and mean, and quick to resort to violence. she won’t kill innocent people but..she’s very comfortable with the idea of killing.

hellion joins the foot clan after arriving on earth, but is uncomfortable when she realizes the turtles are just kids, and after one significant event, she defects

hellion’s change of heart

cassandra once said splinter’s kindness is what she loves the most about him and that he reminds her of all the good that’s left in the galaxy on the bad days. that’s really fucking important!! in ANY au.

so…i’m thinking specifically in the manhattan project, when they’ve captured and drugged splinter, hellion looks in his eyes that are full of hurt, and there’s just…something about him. something about him that when shredder starts his fight with splinter and splinter clearly doesn’t stand a chance, hellion whips out her Super Cool Space Gun™ and shoots shredder right between the eyes (or..not, because that would derail the rest of the series but i really am in love with the idea of hellion just. casually killing him). in the ensuing chaos, hellion suddenly switches sides, since she has no loyalty to the foot whatsoever.

at the end of the fight, splinter asks her why she helped him, and the real reason is that she could sense the kindness in him, and…hellion has lived a life deprived of kindness, so much so that she craves that mineral kindness. granted, that’s been mostly her own choice, but still.

what does she tell him? “you remind me of someone i once knew.”

which…isn’t a lie. the last person who had that kind of kindness in hellion’s life was keandra, and he’d been repulsed by how violent and mean hellion had become, and their friendship ended on a bad note. hellion goes to leave after saying this, then stops and adds that she’s not a threat to them anymore, and that they might see her around, but she’s got a bunch of stuff to work out.

hellion’s redemption arc

after the manhattan project, hellion lays low, with the foot after her for her betrayal. she doesn’t really do anything noteworthy until the invasion, which is the height of hellion’s redemption. she sets up a clinic and for the first real time ever, uses her powers to heal others more than herself.

after the invasion is over, hellion sets up an illegal clinic somewhere for mutants (and humans too, but mostly mutants.). in order to make it legitimate some day and also just so she knows how to better help people, she starts putting herself through medical school

hellion’s capellan turtles

she’s got a huge soft spot for children. so…let’s say even more auish capellan turtles au, since that’s the only au where she actually gets the opportunity to raise them. hellion at this point has recognized that theon was abusive and that she doesn’t want to raise her children that way. instead…she looks back to her mothers.

 she remembers evelyn’s playful roughhousing, and so she tickles them and lets them ride on her back and picks them up and spins them around. she remembers cammilyn’s reassurance and the way she encouraged cassandra to the best she could be, and so hellion encourages her children wholeheartedly in whatever they pursue. she remembers raelyn’s grace and wisdom, and struggles to be the same. 

hellion would still be violent and get in fights but never, ever would she even consider laying a hand on her own children. or tearing them down with her words. she is so fucking soft with her family in a way she isn’t anywhere else.  

she wouldn’t join the foot because now she has a reason to care about herself- she has to be there for her kids. she’d probably?? start her transformation into a Good Person™ because of her kids, not splinter. idk where splinter would even fit in in this au 

hellion’s turts would be a lot rougher, a lot rowdier, and with zero respect for authority (…other than hellion’s tbh). they’re punks, rebels without causes…a lot like hellion herself. but she’s raised them to respect good, innocent people, so they don’t hurt anyone…without reason.

hellion trying to discipline her kids is?? so laughable because she tries not to yell so she’s just trying to put them in time outs or w/e but they’re just running around and screaming and she’s just standing in the middle of this chaos, having a silent breakdown

if any of the boys hit each other outside of the socker boppers, the punishment is much more severe. they lose tv privileges, have to do chores for the brother they hit, etc, etc. i’d imagine since this is one of the biggest and most important rules- don’t hurt each other- that the turt who’s being punished is lowkey shunned for a few days. its not something hellion enforces or encourages, but it’s something that’s developed over the years nonetheless 

hellion & the turtles’ living situation

they live on her ship until they’re five! and they probably? share a room until then. however they probably all end up running to hellion’s room in the middle of the night because her bed’s the biggest and her room is actually? pretty far away from theirs. so they all go to her and snuggle w/ mom.

when they turn five, hellion realizes they’re gonna need their own spaces, so she buys the old cabin in the adirondacks that’s paola’s cabin in the main verse, fixes it up and gives everyone their own room. she sleeps up in the cabin as well, although the cabin is probably JUST for sleeping- most of their day-to day activities happen in the ship.

things to note 

they’re still capellan turtles- they’re all taller than normal, they all get an inclination, etc etc. another thing to note is that hellion does not know about new capella- therefore…they don’t know any of their extended family and believe that keandra, who they only know a little bit about, and hellion are the very last capellans.

they’re probably also a little more awkward around humans because not only were they raised by an alien, they were raised in the woods, away from other humans (as opposed to living right under them)

hellion!donnie

well, first of all, hellion really tries to help donnie grow and flourish intellectually bc whoa hello this kid is smart. she encourages him wholeheartedly and tries to help him with his projects where she can. since the turts are probably living in hellion’s ship, whether that’s on earth or not, donnie probably followed her around when she does repairs on the ship when he was little. she’d ramble on about what she was doing, and donnie would just absorb it all.

since i’d imagine there isn’t much to fix on the ship the way there probably is in the lair- the ship was made to last a long time, and designed to be lived in- that probably takes a lot of weight off donnie’s shoulders- that, and he has his mom to fall back on since she was doing repairs since before donnie was born.

hellion still loves astronomy with all her heart, and teaches all the turtles, but especially donnie, about the galaxy the way her grandmother did with her. when he’s like…14 she teaches him how to drive the ship.

another thing i realized like, twenty minutes ago, is that the hellion turtles would never learn ninjustu, unless splinter were to come into the picture later on. but even then, hellion never makes the boys’ focus on fighting. when they’re older and hellion is a few more years removed from the person she was before the turtles, she realizes she doesn’t want them to follow her footsteps, and is hesitant to teach them to fight at all. she doesn’t want them to put their self worth into fighting, because that’s what she did, and after she got the turtles and gave that up?? hellion lowkey had an identity crisis. she latched onto the role of mother to give her a sense of purpose and identity.

until they run into the kraang, which…again, unless splinter comes into the picture somehow, is the ONLY ones they’ll run into, all hellion teaches them is self defense.