#but. curious abt other perspectives!

[aeide-thea]

okay, question: are nicknames that shorten someone’s full name to one of its unaccented syllables ever actually a thing outside of badfic, or…?

[the-moon-files]

Wait, quick idea! Twilight looks like the only hylian in his village because everyone else has round ears, so what if he wasn’t as surprised as the others to see their human companion so resilient, but still fairly impressed because of the fact that most if not all people in his village don’t put themselves in as drastic situations as the reader? Or is this just humans from our world?

get out of my head lmao /lh - you, me, and wayfayrr are actually the same person on diff accounts LMAO

im of the belief that (blame @wayfayrr, my beloved) that he knows of humans bc of some in his village but yeah, just not the type of human in drastic situations

(ALSO they wrote me a fun, long, glorious, male reader human space orc au fic for winning their raffle a bit ago, and it brings up their headcanon abt this and i Adore It actually, check it out here pls if u wanna know🤲)

(also if u see this wayfayrr, sorry for the ping, also should i be calling u moss? or wayfayrr?? idk which, i hope thats even ok to ask 😭 i assumed u would call my ass Moon)

Moon: Male-Masc Reader (he/him)

Orbit: short headcanons-ish, rambling mostly

Stars: Twilight Princess Link (Twi/Twilight), mentions of other Links

Comets & Meteors: CWs: none known, & TWs: none known.

Please comment if I missed any. /gen

to reiterate what i said up there, in case u skipped it for the bullet points,

i like the headcanon he knows humans, knows some of their quirks, and how they were the first ppl the other hylian villagers called on to help stuck cows or downed wagons, lots of heavy lifting stuff

but he really hasnt seen the extent of real humans, bc the humans who were in Ordon, well, they lived in hylian society,

why would they need the adrenaline to lift a car when hylians have set up whole tools and systems in all their towns to help lift just a full bucket of water out of the well??

not to mention, i think all the humans in his village were older adults? like at least not the age theyd be doing things like parkour or going to any trampoline parks type of age,

id imagine its more like stories talked about amongst hylians how hard humans can go, and even the humans themselves talked abt things like,

“well compared to u hylians, we have stomachs made of molten lava to you guys really, but we never have to use it, bc u know hylian food works just fine”

when Twi asked they would say stuff like that, but as soon as he saw ur human ass just picking wildflowers and berries off the side of the road to snack on? even random grasses/vines at some point (kudzu)?? easily eating Wild’s Dubious Food that's DEFINITELY got monster parts in it???! gnawing on the bone of a cucco and it just breaks??!!! and you look surprised too, thank fuck finally a normal reaction from u- oh my goddesses u were just curious (damn the elders were right abt human curiosity too) **and are now sucking out the marrow and eating the bone-!!!!!!!!!!!!

Twilight’s perspective of you is actually the equivalent of like, reading stories about vampires all ur life, then this new friend you made starts to get allergic to garlic, crave blood, has crazy strength and advanced senses, etc

and he’s just watching those honest-to-Hylia human mythological feats play out in real time in front of him, like he’s the only self-aware character in the story that immediately clocks the really obvious vampire as a vampire lmao

is the first to either 1. start choking on his laugh as he theoretically knows ur about to jump on the back of a lynel/hinox to ride it around and watch as the others come to the same conclusion OR 2. try to Stop you from jumping on said big monster in an attempt to ride it around bc he gets used to ur human BS quicker than the others and can see it coming a mile away now lol

very much so this meme:

(ur welcome i made it myself <3)

anyway id love to rant abt this dynamic

abt both Twi’s shock at you eating peppers like a god has come down from the sky to prove their immortality,

but also poor rancher esstientally humansitting you too lmao

the Chain/Time/Wars absolutely put him down as the resident human expert like: “ok he just drank like, 5? No- Four stop him from drinking more at least- (dual sighs). okay, 6 stamina potions, will that kill him??”

Twilight, saviour of Hyrule, of the Twili, Link from Twilight Princess himself,

has to keep a record book of all the new shit he’s heard/learned about humans in Ordon, what he has actively learned abt ur ass just fucking around and finding out, and the few bread crumbs of information u give him abt ur species

(that rlly just come off as kind of cryptid statements abt u/humanity, or don't apply in this scenario bc ur only comparison is Earth Rules, which honestly scare every single fucking one of them in the same way as walking on Ganon’s lawn or something, like straight up view ur home planet as enemy territory, the Amazon jungle, the Hyrule wilds if you will-)

Twilight also gets involuntarily volunteered for human-sitting duty too

tbh the only person Not allowed on human-sitting duty, when u guys go new areas esp, is Wild/Hyrule

you’d tell him you wanna get inside the guardian robot to operate it and ride it around and he’d probably be in shock you even fathomed something like that, yet also now EXTREMELY intrigued to watch it play out

(they’re both more of a “u wanna jump off a cliff?? that's actually crazy, wait for me please.” he seems to think he can somehow protect you if he joins you? its worked sometimes to be fair to him ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯ just not really conveniently when the rest of the Chain are around lmao)

☆

i live btw, ive been writing/updating fics along with life updates (moving states/new job/online class) so a few asks will hopefully be answered over here in the next 2ish weeks

no promises, my life is kinda girlbossing at the moment too close to the sun and i am Nervous abt disappointing u guys

i already feel like im disappointing my other blog bc i haven't posted in forever bc im writing a fic instead of asks during any free time i dedicate to writing for it so :/

pls excuse my super slowness like a package ur waiting for in the mail or smth type of slow

AGAIN thanks for the ask!! i hope this was at least entertaining to read as some addon to what u said, you guys have gotta check out some of wayfayrr’s stuff if ur into this, bc they're the only other place i can think of that's talked abt humans not just being the same as hylians

have a great week!!

Peace out hugs and chaos,

🌙

[sciencegothic]

curious abt ur interpretation, but why do u think zeus turned on athena so suddenly after she completed the games?? a lot of people say it’s just because he’s a sore loser, but i think there’s more to it!! :0

hi, hello !! i do have some feelings about this !!

for me, i think it’s sort of, like, less about the fact that she won, and more what she stood for in winning? so, like, the fact that she managed to convince five other gods to set free a mortal man, the fact that she won for the sake of a mortal man - that’s what zeus can’t reason with

so, zeus does say:

No one beats me, no one wins my game!

which gives the impression that he is, just, a sore loser. that he cannot handle being beat. and, okay, i think there is like some truth to that. he is the god king, he does not lose at things. i think he expected that this would be a lot harder for her, that the other gods would care a lot more than they probably do. it’s the shock more than anything, then, that gets him. he didn’t expect to lose

but, also, before this line he says:

You dare to defy me? To make me feel shame?

and i think this part is important to consider. let’s look at it line by line. he use the word “defy”, which seems odd, because athena did exactly what he laid out for her to do. but i think in this case it’s more, that she’s defying him by aligning herself with a mortal. it really doesn’t help that the specific man in question is one that zeus himself punished personally. in his eyes, odysseus is weak and pathetic, he isn’t worth the mercy of the gods. athena had abandoned him at one point, and i think that shows her father’s will being reflected in her. if she - someone who has befriended odysseus, taken him under her win - was willing to turn her back on him, then the likes of zeus would have no sympathy for such a man, and thus it is a defiance that athena would suddenly turn back to helping him

she defies his will by getting this far in the game for the sake of odysseus. actually, i think zeus had hoped the game would change her mind, show her the “godly” perspective. the fact she still holds her ground after it, then, is defiance

okay, and then zeus talks of “shame”, athena making him “feel shame”. again, this ties a lot back into what we just covered - zeus is ashamed that his own daughter would fight this hard for a mortal whom he hates. that she would face five gods who try to sway her opinion and still come out standing by odysseus. athena is zeus’ favourite daughter, after all. he would surely then expect that she would always align herself with him or his morals, so to see her stand before him after playing his games, games designed to force her hand, and for her still want his help - that is a cause for great shame for the father

now, looking at the wider context of the musical, we see that zeus is “fair” (at least by his own standards). he gives odysseus two choices across the course of the musical, in regards to the baby and in regards to his men. in both cases, he doesn’t force odysseus either way to choose, and when he does make his choice, zeus doesn’t interfere any further. at the start of god games, he gave athena a choice. to face the other gods OR face him. by his own standard set before, when athena chooses to face the gods and wins, zeus should stand by that. it is fair.

but he doesn’t. and for me that’s what shows that this is so much more than just a sore loser. this is a god who is going against his agenda in order to punish his daughter - that’s something that runs a lot deeper than “aw, i lost”. he didn’t expect athena to win, no, but that’s because he always expected her to come back to her senses (his reason) before the game was up. she didn’t. that is a great defiance of his will, and that is a great shame on him as her father

zeus is all about pride, we see that most clearly in thunder bringer. his daughter - his favourite, perfect daughter - has essentially just embarrassed him in front of all these other gods by beating his game for the sake of someone he has previously sought to punish. she has, in front of all these other gods, shown that his faith in her was misplaced, because she is willing to defy his will. this is a god king who could not bring someone around to see his reason. this is a father who has realised in that moment that his daughter is not who he thought

so, okay, yeah, this is very long and ramble-ly (i just woke up, so i do apologise) but TLDR, it’s about pride and shame and zeus’ sheer fury that the game he designed for athena to lose - or to, at least, bring her back to his reason - did not work. she still stands against him for the sake of one, mortal man, and that is a defiance he cannot have

[mukimokai]

having "childlike wonder" doesn't mean a character is "childish" or a little baby

childlike wonder is an attitude: of finding joy in the mundane and enjoying the simpler things in life. Having an inherent interest and excitement in new things, places, and experiences. Wanting to take in every detail of something, even if it's something small. It drives exploration and discovery, wanting to know how the world works and figure it all out. Having inquisitive minds. Being fascinated by the world around oneself. Being open to new perspectives.

childlike wonder doesn't mean "childish."

Yeah. I believe Alhaitham can see Aranara. It makes perfect sense because he has every quality listed above.

Yes: Alhaitham has childlike wonder. No, he is not childish. There is a distinction between "childlike wonder" and "being childish"

So can he see Aranara? Most likely yes, it's probably canon: Web events have always been that way anyway, always introducing you to the characters and their respective personalities and interactions if there are any. Web events are canon in the sense that: if the scenario happening in the event took place, this is how the character would act in said scenario.

Yes, I do think there is enough evidence he can see them just looking at his character as a whole: plus why else would the Sumeru lobby have us turn into Aranara if almost the entire Sumeru cast were adults that the Aranara don't inherently trust? The only character who would've been there in that case would've been Nahida but we had Alhaitham and Nilou as well? And it makes sense for them to be able to see the Aranara so like. I was actually completely unsurprised that Alhaitham and Nilou could see them so uhhh-

oh and also. to the ppl who say "Kaveh can't see the Aranara bcz he's traumatized" girlie. the one child in Yoimiya's quest was going through such a traumatic illness and she could still see them.

Kaveh can't see the Aranara not because he's traumatized or whatever. but because he's pushed away his past. Kaveh is actively removing himself from childlike wonder in favour of idealism: he is constantly chasing after his goals, constantly trying to do more and more, constantly striving for perfection that he forgets the mundane, everyday things in life due to the sheer amount of stress he is putting on himself on a day-to-day basis. Kaveh is also not open to new perspectives; following his own ideals to a point and shutting away anything that contradicts his ideals. He is not an inherently curious character either; we've only seen him comment on a few things that pique his curiosity (i.e. the one voice line abt lightning) but as a whole, he's not interested in much else if it doesn't have to do with the arts or things he is passionate about which is unlike Alhaitham who seems to take an interest in literally everything other than gossip.

again: childlike wonder and being childish are different things, PLEASE understand that...

i might have 50 million people come at my throat for my take on all this but like ykw idgaf: I'm entitled to my opinion and this is how i see the whole situation.

I do think people who said it's "out-of-character" for Alhaitham to see Aranara are either mischaracterizing him or they don't understand what exactly it takes for Aranara to be seen by adults. Maybe it's both; i know a lot of people skipped the Aranara quest dialogue, and, for the longest time, Alhaitham has been one of the most wildly mischaracterized characters in the fandom (and still is being mischaracterized to this day unfortunately) so idk tbh.

and ppl always say Nilou is bland so like... i don't think ppl pay much attention to her at all which is unfortunate because she's really silly actually. Nilou stan number 1 right here tbh.

idk it's just my thoughts on it: yeah I do think it can be seen as "basically canon" but I don't think it should be used to justify "omg!! hahahahah they're so childish lmaoo!! alhaitham and nilou are such babies ahahah!"

like. gen. nuh uh. what.

yes i call them babies because they're my babies but that's just bcz i like their characters, i called them that even before this whole fiasco with the aranara... so like. uhm.

this was way longer than i planned it to be. sorry for the yapfest holy.

considered not posting this but eh who cares, it's just my take lol

[tgcg]

Ya got any tips for writing dialog for the sillies?

i wish i could come up w anything deeply helpful irt this but i just kinda "feel it" & it "happens", generally in a way i find hard 2 explain to people... i will give it a go though

i made a post abt the kind of mindset i have when i write karkat dialogue here https://www.tumblr.com/cgtg/739174575193112576/do-you-have-any-tips-on-writing-karkat-dialogue a while back though🙂

for dave i think id have an even harder time explaining it, but my dave is rly heavily influenced by post-irony & ytp. whenever i write dave i just kinda follow a stream of consciousness that is dubious about shit and loves to laugh i guess? i rlly don't know how to describe it. i tend to reread canon dialogue particlarly from act3-6 for inspo, sometimes i'm straight up using my own brain with some kind of dave-filter

when i write them together i like 2 live in the beautiful world where they both agreed to be earnest with each other, probably my best example of that is "candid detail". i don't do that all the time bc i also like to write em with their guards up e.g. "bad mouther hole master", theres a lot of points in their relationship that have rly fun dynamics 2 me.

i guess i also do them kinda silly. ive been told my dk is quite silly. i like 2 imagine they know how to make each other laugh. they also learn a lot from each others perspectives on things, like insecurities or bad experiences or even just what they like / what art is to them, stuff like that. in my interp they do rly end up having a lot of things in common ideologically bc they're both at their cores very soft people.

it's all abt big long sentences with an undertone of quiet empathy. it can also be about aggressively bumping shoulders w their own egos too because that's fun

fundamentally though, i write them 2 be genuinely interested in what the other has to say. like, curious about each other. it gives u rly fun back & forth that isn't too mean-spirited & is more playful/genuine... i think it's rlly easy to write them totally discrediting each other's viewpoints which i do sometimes too (again, FUN !) but if u do it in the wrong context it just comes off as needlessly sardonic & harshes the vibe. i mention that bc i have a hard time balancing their egos & genuity myself sometimes

also very important to know when to have them run their mouths & when to have them sit their asses down & LISTEN. i tend to have them run their mouths a lot in scripts i havent finished/posted, just bc i have so much fun doing it, but it makes the dialogue so long-winded that i can't turn it into a comic... yeah definitely part of it is remembering they both know how to be succinct when they need/wanna be and aren't ALWAYS flapping their mouths. sometimes i realise a script is going in a direction that could be a whole other convo & that's when i tend 2 nip it in the bud

i really dont kno if any of this is helpful but i hope it is a little 4 my kinda... process i guess 🙂

thank u 4 asking me abt it ! if i think of better ways 2 explain it i will share in da future i hope u r having a good day

[drunkwithmouthwash]

There was something that made me think for a while: if she was first intended to be Anya's partner, how u came up with the idea of her being with jimbob at some point? I would like to know bc there's a big gap there n all. I mean, a healthy to unhealthy gap. It made me curious abt the reasoning! Also I didn't rb before your post sorry for that 😩

(Sorry for late response dear)

I guess that decision was affected by my own personal feelings towards the characters during the creative process :’) The first time I watched a let’s play of MW, I was left feeling very protective of Anya and I HATED Jim with a burning passion. So, originally, Sammy was gonna be an ex-military, roughed and kinda buff, and she was going to protect Anya (here’s a rough sketch I made of that, plz don’t mind the anatomy or flawed perspective, I was experimenting 🤣)

But as days went by… You know, I kept having MW in the brain, and started to realize that the one that had actually made a VERY PROFOUND IMPACT on me had been Jim. I couldn’t stop thinking about him, and thinking about him would make me so angry. Like, I really, REALLY FUCKING HATED him. But it got to a point in which I was like “…Wow. I don’t know how long it’s been since a character has made me feel something so intensely.” And then I started to appreciate him more for the character and the villain that he is. He is SO WELL DONE, like I bow down to Wrong Organ. So… little by little, love started to bloom from that hatred, and I wanted to use Sammy to express those feelings :’3 (Don’t be fooled tho, the love and hate I feel for him go hand in hand and neither replaces the other. I still hate him for his actions in the game and rejoice whenever I see fanarts of him getting what he deserves, lawfully or violently, but I love him as a character all the same, and who am I kidding? I do find him physically attractive, he’s my type lmao).

Now, in regards to Jim and Sammy’s relationship, I’m obviously well aware that Jim is not a sweet pea, and that if they were to be together romantically, it would be a terrible, terrible relationship. Since Sammy is a self insert, I decided to have her know better than to stay with him, and, well… that reminded me of a personal experience that I had with an ex boyfriend of mine :’) Thankfully, my ex was NOT NEARLY AS BAD as Jim (it would be like comparing a newborn tabby kitten to a full grown tiger lmao), but I still knew that he was no good for me and that I deserved better, so I broke up with him. However, I was still so madly in love with him, and stayed in love with him for around 10 years 🫠 I went to therapy, “got over him”, and then cried for him again the next time I saw him. Took me a LOOOOOT to finally get over him for good, but I was able to have closure. And, well… I decided to base Sammy and Jim’s relationship on that. She knows she deserves better, and she’s not afraid to hold him accountable for the things he says and does, but deep down she’s still very much in love with him (and those feelings will ultimately doom her) YwY

Anyway, I should probably wrap this up before it keeps getting longer 😅😅 I’m so sorry

Thank you for coming to my ted talk ❤️

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

sorry to hop on the ask train for this topic, but i’m genuinely curious: sometimes people write from the perspective of the other person in a scenario for a variety of reasons. one time that sticks out to me was a child writing from the perspective of their religious mother and the comments section on that post was filled with speculation about if the child was the one sending in the ask, rather than the mother. is that type of theorizing abt a submission alright, or a no go?

Oh yeah, that's totally fine, because you're not doubting that the submission happened. That's the litmus test here: are you speculating that some detail of the ask may not be accurate? Sure, fine and good (with the caveat to be tasteful about it and not doubt the stories of survivors etc etc you know common sense stuff). Are you doubting that the story happened in its entirety? Removed from the establishment.

[solargeist]

I'm curious on the other perspectives people may have on Grian looking after kidxelqua.

Do people wonder if Xelqua is Grian's child, or do some of them know about the situation? Or is it something Grian keeps under the wraps from those around him?

The Hermits know abt kid Xelqua—at least the ones that are closer to Grian, he would’ve explained the situation as soon as Xelqua started staying around too long or too often. Like heyyyy sooo you remember back in s8… welll……😔

I think he would’ve told Mumbo first, and then Xisuma, and then so on. No point in trying to hide it, (and he’s trying to let his friends in on his life more often—instead of bottling everything up and getting possessed hahaha)

Xelqua can appear around in any form, so any hermit might spot an oddly dressed Grian with no wings one day ! What in the world !

Kid Xelqua would always gladly introduce himself as Xelqua tho, and everyone knows who that is, but not this kid version, so there’s bound to be confusion.

It’s kinda like the snails situation lolol

[000marie198]

There is another artistically incredible thing I noticed abt the first Httyd movie.

The movie, it's from Hiccup's perspective. And it conveys his perspective throughout, in details both subtle and clear.

Like the Book of Dragons clip; Chilling and terrific with sound effects and feels induced exactly as Hiccup was imagining it. That scene alone gives me the shivers and the way it ends on Night Fury (I absolutely love the fear inducing Night Fury theme from the first movie). I've been noticing that every single piece of score fit the emotions and situation Hiccup was in, affirming his perspective, his experiences, conveyed through the movie as if they were the viewers' own. And that scene when Hiccup is listening to his father speak just before entering the arena to face Hookfang, the way the lighting and expressions and sound of Stoick's voice was set apart from everything and felt resonated, Hiccup's dread and anticipation and anxiety and worry and fear were palpable. He was planning to do the exact opposite of what his father, the one he's been trying to make proud his entire life, was hoping and oof that few seconds HURT!

And with how the background score and scenes were animated so splendidly, there's one very subtle but greatly well integrated detail I just have to mention

If we take a note of all the dragons throughout the movie, there's a gradual pattern. The movie starts and every dragon looks wild and dangerous and animalistic. Beastly and emotionless, except for displaying an urge to cause harm or look vicious.

Aside from Hookfang. Every other dragon didn't look nearly as expressive and clear in intention as Hookfang did. And if you notice, he was the only dragon in the beginning of the movie whom Hiccup made a direct encounter with and sassed at. We saw Hookfang being angry and vicious and even worried and scared when he ran out of firepower and got captured, he seemed to display emotions more clearly than any other dragon. But he was also the only dragon so far Hiccup had a direct communicative encounter with. The movie is from Hiccup's perspective and we saw Hookfang from Hiccup's perspective.

But! It gets better. If you notice or think about it, try to remember the details in the movie with respect to the dragons, all the dragons earlier on looked wild and deadly and nothing else. Just wild and dangerous and vicious, the opinion every viking has on them, the opinion Hiccup during those earlier moments had on them.

But then he met Toothless. And it all began to change. Notice how the dragons seem to become more and more expressive and emotionally intelligent or humanly as Hiccup and Toothless' friendship proceeds to grow. How the snappy Terrible Terrors would gradually start to look like small little dragons who are mischievous and naughty and silly little guys, how the quick and swift Deadly Nadder started to look like a playful and curious friend, how the once sneaky and scary Zippleback who seemed to set it's target on everyone and everything became expressive and displayed worry and fear, how the powerful and dangerous Gronkle gradually started to look more kind and friendly and sleepy etc.

This happened with literally every single dragon during the movie. The more Hiccup began to understand them and got closer to Toothless and realized they are living beings who have individual personalities and feelings and are misunderstood, the more these mighty creatures felt more alive and expressive to the viewers. And this was done without the slightest change in the dragons' models or designs. They conveyed Hiccup's perspective splendidly throughout the movie.

Point in case;

Httyd 1 is a cinematic masterpiece

[dove-tears]

i totally understand your thoughts, it REALLY surprised me how little people talked about the dissociative aspects of isaac - as far as i know you're one of the only people that really has?? at least on tumblr. both from the way the various characters portray facets of his identity(s) and the way he uses it to dissociate himself from the world around him, and the way the cracks show through various, sometimes subtle aspects (wooden spoon is something that comes to mind) is so incredibly important to me. it's so strange to me to see that completely ignored and most of the characters treated like. normal characters in a normal rougelike most of the time? i totally get how you feel about that. it's frustrating. i am glad that you talk about it a lot more, though, because it is really nice to see you talk about the more in depth aspects of the game!!!

i am curious about the cocsa thing though, if you're comfortable talking about it, what kind of implications are you talking about / where are they from? genuinely curious because from what i could tell isaac seemed to get Zero interaction with anybody outside of his parents (especially considering he never really reached the age to go to school)?

isaac did go to school actually! in the nightmare sequences (when you go down to the next floor) its shown that he was frequently bullied and harassed by his peers and edmund confirmed in passing that he ended up being homeschooled leading up to the events of the game.

admittedly isaac having sexual trauma is more of a speculation than anything, however there is some evidence to suggest it, like the strange emphasis on how much he was ridiculed by his peers through things such as pulling his pants down or harassing him in the bathroom stalls (theres also a nightmare sequence that shows his genitals falling off apparently?). and also the game occasionally subtly yet glaringly alluding his very odd perspective on sexuality and how it could contribute to his body dysmorphia (the heavy catholic views he was made to carry could also definitely be a playing role in it). some people may also point to lilith (especially tainted lilith) to show things such as his warped view of womanhood and fertility (and also the strange point to be made on why he imagines himself in such a manner).

for me its definitely a very hyper specific thing that you kinda need to analyze and really think abt in order to like. come to that conclusion but i definitely resonate with it as someone who also was put in a position of statutory rape when i was around isaac's age (and others who have also been victims of cocsa also agree!), the way it's not made to be the forefront of isaac's mind but it still lingering since he's still WAY too young to process it is such a subtle yet profound thing that really gives you such a different perspective on him and the things he was put through imo.

[katerinaaqu]

wait was the trojan war the gods fault??? i cant remember too well but i remember smth abt ending an age blah blah human population control being the reason. or was it just fate? Ik theres not really a bad guy for the war i’m just curious if theres any truth to the war being the gods fault

That is a very good question. Arguably for ancient greek literature all that happens has something to do with fate one way or another. Gods are not separate from fate. Gods are also bound by fate and destiny and need to follow it otherwise the law of cosmos collapses (an example is when Zeus weights the soul of his son Sarpedon and realizes that he is about to die. His first thought is to protect and save his son but Hera scolds him that defying fate is not what they do)

Anyways the "Trojan war is the fault of the gods" is pretty much based how it had the origins to the Judgement of Paris where Paris chose Aphrodite and "the most beautiful woman in the world" which Aphrodite didn't say had the catch that the most beautiful woman in the world was married and she had chose her husband too. So in a way according to Homer she makes Helen fall in love with Paris and follow him. This of course caused the rage of Menelaus who after a failed attempt to take her back he gathers 1000 ships and starts a war.

Under this perspective the initiative was taken by a God and the fact that Gods always interfere during the war is probably an indicator that "the gods are at fault"

However can we really blame one side only?

In one way why was Menelaus able to launch 1000 ships for Troy? The answer is the Oath of Tyndareus which was invented by Odysseus in order to help himself and Tyndareus get what they wanted; Tyndareus avoid the scandal and offending a king and Odysseus stepping out of the race for the hand of Helen without being shamed, get a chance to participate for the hand of Penelope and appear as a benefactor to the family so to have more chances even if his wedding gifts were not as big as other kings.

So the initiative of the war was given by a God but the tools for the war were unconsciously given by a mortal who also didn't hope for war to happen per se nor did he think the war would happen so and for so long. Also Paris started the domino by falling in love with Helen and insulting his host by committing adultery. Is Paris (or Helen for that matter) more at fault than Menelaus or Odysseus for the beginning of the war? Is Agamemnon more at fault for its continuation than let's say the senate of Troy that refused to give Helen back even if Menelaus and Odysseus arrived to the palace to negotiate her return without war? Hard to tell.

Other sources claim there already were prophecies and even in Iliad there is a hint that the walls would fall at some point because of neglected sacrifices and all. Also prophecies given to the Achaeans spoke on the war and its possibilities. Troy had already fallen once by Heracles in the past so in a way that also seems to be another hint for Troy's fall.

So I believe the answer is; all of the above. Trojan war happened because of initiative of gods, planning of humans and the endless game of fate. Symbolically seems to indicate exactly how wars happen in the first place. They start from humans in the name of gods in a way unavoidably end up in tragedies and unravel different reasons and motivations as to why people want war.

So did the war started by gods like Aphrodite? Did it start because of humans like Paris or Odysseus? Did it start because of destiny? My answer would be that all of the above happen simultaneously. I hope this helps

[pentsandlilies]

here are some witchy things to do if you're american and you're filled with hopelessness by the current political landscape

yeah sure, go ahead and hex donald trump, but you should probably do it with other witches for maximum effect. in my opinion, trump has a lot of protection from the sheer number of people who support him, so doing a very powerful spell with a group of witches may break through. ik people used to hex him every waning crescent moon at midnight EST, but i don't think people still do that.

all that angry energy you wanted to send to trump, you can send as a powerful, aggressive spell for trump supporters to reflect and grow from their mistakes. they should realize just how closeminded they're being and the sheer amount of harm they bring to everyone (including themselves & those they love!) in their support.

send the energy of connection and understanding to the masses of america. even if not to anyone specific, people should be more curious and willing to explore different perspectives. low/middle-class conservatives have more in common with low/middle-class liberals/leftists than they do with those in power rn

pay attention to what issues need your attention, and cast spells supporting those affected. on stage, trump said very boldly that there are only two genders. ice raids and mass deportations are starting up again. even if you can't directly help, consider directly helping those who are in trouble right now.

importantly: always do mundane things! donate to organizations, stay updated and educated, read, talk to those you know, and attend protests if you can. witchcraft can only go so far

lmk what you think & if you have any other ideas / contrasting spiritual opinions! one of my first longer posts on this site 💕

also here's a book i read abt it that i loved!

[unintentionalseductress]

https://www.tumblr.com/nanamiscocksleeve/773722545185865728/why-does-everyone-portray-caleb-to-be-dark?source=share

I agree with you!!

And my apologies Abt the zade thing, I made that reference because that's how I've seen many other writers (whom I won't name) portray him.

And I get that like you've said- he's got potential traits to be a yandere, but to write him wholly f*cking mc with a gun, with the explicit caption 'toxic Caleb' with dub-con?

Like I get it's fiction and ppl can write to their heart desires but when ppl r saying it's canon and it so quickly became the stereotype for that one character to the point that's the only thing you see online Abt him, it's tiring- especially when it doesn't fit him.

Like I kid you not, I actually didn't like Caleb for a while because of how everyone was initially characterizing him and the headcannons on how 'he's so dark romance coded' or 'hes giving zade vibes' and these were real comments, comments that made me avoid him until I was curious and decided to find out myself. Only to find out he's totally different??? Like I really wonder if we're actually experiencing the same thing bc I really don't see the 'extreme!! possessive! obsessive!' lover evb was speaking of 🤔

(URL change, no need to be scared. This blog used to be called nanamiscocksleeve. )

No need to apologize about the Zade thing, I know you were just saying what you saw from other blogs.

I've somehow missed a lot of the crazy toxic Caleb posts but omg, people are actually writing him f**king MC with a gun? I get it, it's fiction but geez that's dark and not on character for him. Infold has done a good job with keeping their LI's quite gentle when it comes to MC and I don't think Caleb is any different. He has no interest to hurt her or fuck her up emotionally, and it's evidenced so much in his memories so I just don't get it. People will see what they want to see I guess.

All the LI's have their own weird toxic traits around MC but I want to reiterate that they've only known her for a year and they have their other friends and colleagues whereas Caleb and she found each other as orphans in a shelter. Growing up they didn't have anyone except each other. I think this automatically puts Caleb in the right to feel like he's more entitled to her time and energy.

Even Zayne, who was a childhood friend isn't the same as Caleb. He might have been the boy next door but Zayne had a stable home and loving parents who were present for him as he grew up. That's very different compared to Caleb whose only perspective of stability comes from the relationship he has with MC.

I feel that way too, I feel like I saw something very different to what others are writing here. I see Caleb as someone who lost everything, found a family, even found love, then it was ripped away from him again. Now he and MC, essentially his anchor, don't know how to redefine their relationship. The MC he knew was probably clingy, and always wanted to be with him for everything. Now she's distanced herself and for two people who have never had that relationship of keeping secrets or maintaining distance, the amount of work it takes to adjust to that new dynamic can be crushing.

Caleb is possessive and obsessive but not to the point that it's dangerous. A little toxic perhaps since we know that he has mental health issues and refuses to get help but his end goal isn't to make MC fear or submit to him. He always looks so guilty whenever she looks scared and he's always asking her if he scared her. He even lets her remove parts of his uniform before they remove her chip if that's what it took to calm her down. He's aware how much he affects her and how much she wants their old relationship back and I think it really kills him inside to see her like this.

[skaruresonic]

https://www.tumblr.com/skaruresonic/725273089450115072/the-whole-deal-with-but-sonic-is-inconsistent-so

> However, I would argue that of the entire cast, Knuckles is really the only one who qualifies as inconsistent. But that's for another time.

Sorry to link an old post of yours, but I’m curious abt your thoughts on Knuckles’ characterization throughout the games. I have a sneaking suspicion I know where you’re coming from, so I’d like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Of the entire cast, Knuckles' personality changes the most to suit the needs of the game he's in. That's not to say he has no core personality, but it is interesting how certain traits of his wax and wane throughout the series.

Some changes can't be explained by character development alone---how does he go from hating bright lights in the Adventure era to calling himself a "sun guy" in TSR?

In the Classic era, Knuckles is portrayed as something of a trickster, a scheming type who revels in catching Sonic on the backfoot. He's a cool character, but also a bit of comedic relief---ramming the Egg Mobile into the pillar he's standing on launches him into the water, giving the player a sense of payback for all the times he's messed with us.

Then Adventure rolls around, and he's lost that aspect of his personality for a more serious, straightlaced, introspective type who has no time for games. Unlike Sonic, he don't chuckle.

SA2!Knuckles is the most lowkey out of all of them. If you played a 4Kids-era game and SA2 and compared their Knuckles portrayals, you'd think they were separate characters. He only displays his temper once, when demanding Eggman fix the situation.

In SA2, he describes himself as the "ultimate treasure hunter" (funnily enough, several characters describe themselves as "the ultimate ___" in SA2, not just Shadow). Something not really brought up by other games.

Knuckles mellows out in Heroes, to the point of ribbing Tails about ghosts... And it's like? A, where did this come from, and B, didn't SA2 heavily imply that ghosts creep him out? So why is he all like "~oooh Tails, Shadow's ghost is gonna get ya~"? That'd be like Blaze teasing someone else over heights.

Oh, and in case you were thinking his gullibility got lost sometime between Adventure and Heroes, Sonic Advance 2 says hi.

People say the 4Kids era flanderizes Knuckles into an angry brute when the seeds of that were really planted in Battle; he has somewhat weaker characterization than the others, his primary traits being his coarse attitude and his temper, and is often made the butt of the joke.

I also feel like the games tend to change their mind on whether Knuckles is a rube or not depending on the situation. He's knowledgeable about ancient cultures in some games, but otherwise the "punch it until it works" guy. Case in point: nearly crashing the shuttle in SA2. Tails overwhelming him with information overload was a joke in the original Riders, but in Zero Gravity, the crew defer to his linguistic knowledge.

I can't even really say he's remained consistent at his core if you view things from a broader perspective, because most of the character development he's experienced seems to have occurred off-screen. His personality changes between games are subtle, but frequent enough to warrant notice if you think in reverse.

For instance, when did he become buddy-buddy enough with Tails to hitch a ride in the Tornado with him at the beginning of Heroes? Isn't that kind of weird when at the end of SA1 he's like "I hate to admit it, but I think Tails is right about this"? When has he learned to trust Tails as team leader when he only begrudgingly tagged along with the gang in SA2 because their goals so happened to align with his? What changed between SA2 and Heroes, where he went from being something of a maverick to a team player?

Why does he never bring up his issues with Sonic's insensitivity outside of one verse of a song that got cut from retail? The lyrics to Deeper imply that Knuckles wishes Sonic empathized with his quest for the Master Emerald a little more. SA2 and Heroes both have isolated moments that imply Knuckles doesn't think Sonic is terribly considerate, which is an interesting angle for their dynamic, but that idea promptly gets dropped and we never explore it again.

Seriously, my guy looks flabbergasted that Sonic even said "thanks" to him in Heroes, implying he wasn't expecting Sonic to get over his ego long enough to acknowledge the help of his friends. There was so much implication packed into that one expression.

...But then, if you think about it, why does he look shocked when Sonic literally asked for his help in checking on Tails and Amy in SA2? Was it because Sonic prefaced his request with "I hate to ask"?

[magical-regical]

Ok so I've been playing 'Sword of Convallaria' for a few days now and honestly, I'm absolutely hooked.

More yapping below the cut, some spoilers abt the Spiral of Destinies. Although I haven't reached any endings yet so it's mostly speculation from my part.

It's interesting how this game seems to have two 'main stories'. Like,

The tutorial makes it feel like 'The Fool's Journey' is the main story since you're collecting Tarot cards for...something (the explanation kind of went in one ear, out the other). Some timey wimey space timey stuff. But I swear the actual main story happens in 'Spiral of Destinies' I mean look at this screen,

Does this not scream 'ANIME'

The fool's journey seems to give you some backstory for the characters you encounter in spiral of destinies but the actual story with your MC in it is in spiral of destinies. And can I say, I absolutely adore the story they're cooking in spiral of destinies.

It has different routes with different endings depending on which faction you side with which drives home the 'your choices affect the future' aspect of the game. You manage your mercenary group on a week by week basis which gives it a resource management aspect and there's an event at the start of each week before it lets you go to do your own thing and given the setting of the story it really gave the sense of 'oh god what now'.

They do such a good job crafting the atmosphere of 'everyone's trying their best but we all know war is about to break out' because the town itself looks so cheery with the bright colors but then you start reading your quest descriptions (because doing certain quests increases your affinities towards different factions) and the letters you get at the start of each week and you're like 'oh man things really aren't doing so well'.

On one hand we have The Union and Iria playing the blame game while The Papal States seem to be 'indifferent' or 'neutral' abt the whole thing (sus), possibly waiting for a good moment to strike. Then there's the whole thing with Darklight, what's up with them huh? Just your local cult doing cult things? It makes me more and more curious about who exactly caused the Waverun incident. Then there's the Vylders who seem to be caught in the cross fire.

And the fact that Convallaria, your city, is in the middle of it all. It's literally almost smack dab in the intersection of the three factions (which is why you can choose to side with either The Union, Iria, or the Papal States) and it's your job to make sure your little mercenary group can protect your little town in the middle of these three super powers who are frothing at the mouth, ready to rip each others throats out. Along the way you meet people from all three factions which kind of gives you insight on all three perspectives and it's really hard to pinpoint who exactly is 'in the right'. I love it. I haven't played a game that didn't have one obvious 'this way to good ending' sign in a hot minute.

As of writing this, I just finished 'Potential Threat' where the split happens and I ended up going down the Iria route because I pulled Dantalian early and he's been carrying me through the game so I thought it'd be a disservice to not side with him on my first run through.

Also I don't trust Lutfi. I don't know why. He sounds like a politician. Like his little speech at the tavern where he's like, 'all of this is Dantalion's fault so we should overthrow him so I can be a better leader!' and how he immediately calls the Swords of Convallaria his 'friends' feels just a little bit sus. Even more so if you've played chapter 2 in the fool's journey.

I'm excited to see where the story goes and I'm interested to see if there is (or is going to be) a 'save everyone' route because the way things are looking now, no matter who you side with, you will end up hurting people on the opposing side.

[bisexualfagdyke]

How does misogyny and patriarchy work if its not "men oppress women" I'm actually curious dont be mad at me 😭😭😭

Soz I forgot that I got this ask

Anyway, I was never trying to say that misogyny and patriarchy isn't bcuz of cis men oppressing women (obviously, lol, it would be ridiculous to deny that) – I was saying that many people (typically radfems, gendercriticals) believe that the male gender solely exists to oppress women and uphold misogyny, that gender as a concept is solely about oppression, which is a very awful perspective of gender & lacking all kinds of nuance. I was trying to say people cannot comprehend gender identity that exists outside of the idea of "men oppress women" because I was discussing trans men, who do not oppress women. This is also not even considering all the other factors that impact patriarchy & gender oppression (race, class, disability, so much more)

It's transphobic. Standard TERFs typically believe that being born male is something you cannot ever escape because you are born "inherently privileged and as an oppressor" etc etc. this is bioessentialism. "trans-inclusive" radfems (and such) tend have similar views but flipped, and about gender – they typically believe that transitioning to male is about having privilege over women, oppressing women, transitioning into male privilege, etc etc. this is gender essentialism.

Obviously this is whole idea is harmful to trans men because it disregards the fact trans men are Men that are Oppressed, do not hold cis male privilege, do not oppress women, etc. it literally waters down our identity as men to being misogynistic, oppressors of women, benefiters of the patriarchy – when it's absolutely none of that. It also reinforces the idea that trans men transition to escape misogyny and join the side of the oppressor, etc. among other things.

Yes, of COURSE cis men oppress women (but also, all gender oppressed people, including trans men) on a systemic level. You could absolutely say cis manhood is oppressive. But you can't then, bcuz of that, view manhood (as a vast gender experienced by many people who are not cis) as an inherently misogynistic, patriarchal, oppressive thing – bcuz that leaves out trans men & nuance. Manhood itself is not what is oppressive, it's CIS manhood, you cannot separate the cis from the oppression that cis men cause, you cannot separate the cis from patriarchy. Cisgender men created this system, created this patriarchy. It was not created in mind to include all other types of (non-cis) men, honestly barely even cis men of colour, disabled men, etc etc. trans people do not fit into the patriarchy because the patriarchy is a cisgender concept.

Yeah, so, I hope this clears things up! Sorry if this isn't worded well. Feel free to correct me on anything as well (I will never claim to be 100% correct on everything – this is just my view on things, as a trans man passionate abt talking abt my own oppression.)