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hazard-15 · 2 years ago

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Primis relationships with Zari

Here we go! The moment we’ve all been waiting for!! As always, I want to preface that these are my own headcanons/interpretation of the boys. Now let’s get into the relationship Zari has the with boys!

Dempsey; They are in love, your honor! Zari and Tank have a wholesome relationship and they both support and love each other. Tank is the first man Zari’s ever been with romantically, and it shows. But he’s so patient and willing to guide her through the relationship. He knows about her past and abusive father, and he makes it his goal to have her know that she is incredible and that he loves and cherishes her so much. Zari is hot-tempered and intimidating at first glance. But to Dempsey, she’s such a sweet and caring person. It’s just hidden underneath the former persona she wears. Dempsey was just able to get close enough to her to see it.

It’d be an understatement if I said he was protective of her. He’s overprotective of her; she’s his girl, his lover, she’s his other half. It’s just in his nature. Despite this, Dempsey is aware that Zari is greatly capable of handling herself. And he loves watching her kick ass and seeing her be such a spitfire. So there is a balance in there.

Now I can’t move past this section without talking about this, but they are quite handsy with each other; Dempsey more so lol. There’s never a moment where these two lovebirds aren’t making out. These makeout sessions often lead to something more. Suppose you catch my drift lol. But primis Dempsey is calmer than his ultimis counterpart. (Which we will get to when I do the Ultimis relationship post). On the off chance, they aren’t making out they’ll be seen cuddling or holding hands. They’re attached at the hip.

Takeo; Zari and Takeo are best friends, man. I don’t know what else to tell y'all. They’re like the tired moms of the crew and completely tired of everyone's shit. Zari appreciates the calming air he emits when they have conversations; in a way, it relaxes her from the raging emotions she keeps caged up inside. I feel like they would have conversations about her caging said emotions and how it may be cathartic for her if she spoke from the heart about what she’s feeling. Although Zari knows he might be right about that, it’s difficult for her to open up about her feelings and experiences. But Takeo understands that it must be painful for her to do so, he tells her to consider the idea, but she can choose to open up when she feels ready to. I feel Takeo’s tranquility reminds Zari of her brother and how he was always the calm one out of her siblings. Although she’d probably never admit it, it makes her smile at the similarity and memory.

I think Takeo would respect the fact that Zari can handle herself. In his own words, she has the heart of a warrior. But it wouldn’t stop him from looking out for her. As my friend, @jamieaiken919 said, Takeo is bound by his honor which extends to his crew. I wanna add to this and say it’s not only his honor that leads to him being her silent protector but their relationship as best friends in general. Overall, outside of her relationship with Dempsey, Takeo is the second closest to her. The friendship is full of support and advice from both sides and a bit of playfulness courtesy of Zari.

Richtofen; They didn’t get off to a good start. If we’re being honest, both were rather icy towards each other. Given the circumstances, it makes sense. They don’t know each other, and they wouldn’t trust a stranger. Zari let it be known that she was not one to be messed with or in the mood for any funny business-the girl put the fear of God into him lol. Despite the rough start, the two eventually start getting along- the longer they spent time together and came to an understanding of each other.

One of the major things that softened the tension between them was their knowledge of the medical field. Edward, one day saw Zari treating one of the other guy's wounds and found himself impressed with her skill. He would compliment her on her skill. Which flustered her quite a bit, he also asks her where she learned all about that. She answers that she was a nurse in the war which is only part of the full truth, but he’s satisfied with the answer. After this little discovery, the two came to mutually respect each other. ✨They’re medical buddies✨

I think the fact that Zari can also speak German as one of her three languages helps break the ice between them greatly. I feel it would take him by complete surprise. But also usher in comfort. To be able to converse with her in his home language. It would honestly bring the two a lot closer.

Nikolai; Would y’all believe me if I said that they actually can get along most of the time? Probably not but they do. They were both shaped by pain and loss, Zari with the loss of her mother, siblings, and the abuse suffered from her dad and Nik with the loss of his wife, (Not to say that the others weren’t shaped by pain or loss) so it’s a bit of common ground for them. I think that Zari is wise enough to see that Nik had suffered a loss similar to hers and although she gets tired when he’s having his pissy attitude, knowing the loss he endured, gives her some understanding. Doesn’t mean she won’t hesitate to put him in his place though lmao, the talk shit get hit part of their relationship is still there.

They’re not necessarily close, which I think mainly has to do with their own loss and trust, and there’s so much sarcasm and shit-talking between the two that keeps them distant and in a way unable to make any real progress in the friendship.

But when the topic of Zari’s scars makes its appearance, it’s the first time that they actually talk to each other sincerely. No sarcasm, shit-talking, or hiding behind any walls. They have a rather heartfelt conversation that acts as a bridge to them making real progress with their friendship and mutual respect for each other. Of course, there’s still bound to be sarcasm and talking shit between them but I think it’s a bit more playful now than anything.

#cod zombies #call of duty zombies #codz #black ops zombies #tank dempsey #azaria arkon #edward richtofen #takeo masaki #nikolai belinski #primis #primis dempsey #primis azaria #primis richtofen #primis takeo #primis nikolai #oc x canon #primis Armyhorse #cod oc

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callioope · 4 years ago

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For what it’s worth, Cassian says to Jyn, “you’re not the only one who’s lost everything.” It’s an interpretation, to be sure, but I always sensed that he was including people close to him in this statement. That Cassian’s life is unfortunately filled with heavy loss.

I think Cassian is a person who cares deeply for others, and clearly we see he’s capable of forming enough of a bond with people to convince them to go to Scarif. Many of them wouldn’t have joined that mission if someone else had asked them to go, right? Didn’t it make a difference that it was Cassian who had asked them? Hadn’t he recruited some of them?

That’s kind of the thing about recruiters, though. He meets so many people, and many of them, he loses. Time after time. I think -- and of course we’re all talking headcanons here -- that Cassian had to have had close bonds with people, but the constant losses... in that situation, it’s likely that a person has to close themselves off to protect themselves. By the time he meets Jyn, that’s the person we see, but that doesn’t mean he was always like that. He cares so much, he intentionally distances himself, but he’s not cold. He does what he has to. And it is breaking him apart.

I see his interactions with Jyn as a catalyst, but catalysts expedite change. I think it just expedited a trajectory Cassian was already heading towards. We see him grappling with his situation in his first scene, with Tivik. And at any rate, Cassian affects Jyn, too. I don’t want to say they “change” each other but they definitely both impact each other and that is the point.

I’ve been intentionally vague about “relationships” so far to mean all varieties, but I do want to mention that personally I’m a fan when characters have relationships before they meet whoever I’m shipping them with. I think prior relationships can sometimes actually strengthen a ship. A past relationship fails for some reason (and hopefully not because someone died; see below), and when that happens, it can show how well the ship I support actually works. And that’s not to diminish the importance and meaning behind those past relationships.

Every person I dated before I married my spouse -- those relationships failed for a reason and helped me to be a better partner and helped me to understand enough about myself to know the kind of person I liked most to be around, if that makes sense. And just because I did not end up marrying any of those people doesn’t mean I should never have dated them, that I did not deeply care for them at the time, and that I don’t still, to some extent, care for them.

Take Jyn’s relationship with Hadder. Setting aside conflicting opinions of Rebel Rising, I actually really liked Hadder and her relationship with him. That relationship was important and meaningful to Jyn. But also, there was something fundamentally not right with it because Jyn was not capable of sharing her true self with Hadder, and she had justifiable reasons for not doing so. That wouldn’t have been sustainable. I don’t like that he died, and would have preferred they drifted apart, but I do like that she had him in her life.

I’d like Cassian to have a chance for that experience, too. I find it difficult to imagine he wouldn’t have. (I mean... not the part about dying, the part about being loved and supported.)

I guess the question for me though, is how did that/those relationship(s) go?

Some people have already mentioned they’re concerned over “casual” relationships. And I agree with that because I don’t see Cassian as some Bond-esque constantly taking a lover type of person. Those generally aren’t meaningful relationships and don’t feel right for Cassian.

I do tend to think, though, that Cassian’s commitment to the cause could cause conflict in a relationship. I see the cause as his main priority, and having any kind of “typical/standard” relationship might suffer in that situation. I can see him caring deeply about a person, but it doesn’t work out because they don’t understand him, or perhaps separation or duties just get in the way and they drift apart, or perhaps the other person is just as committed to the cause and they take comfort in each other’s presence when with each other, but the idea of “committing” to the “label” of a relationship is challenging for them. We sort of see this kind of tension with Hera and Kanan in Rebels. None of these circumstances mean that either party doesn’t care. It just means that war is war and can create obstacles in a relationship. “Not committing/not being able to commit” to a relationship is very different from “incapable of having connections.”

The reason I’d rather see these relationships has little to do with Jyn; I just don’t want to see someone fridged. Admittedly that contradicts what I stated above because it’s highly likely that if Cassian lost someone ... they died. So like, if that does happen I suppose I won’t be surprised. But yeah, fridging sucks. There’s probably a careful way to write that story though so that the Significant Other’s death is less to hurt Cassian and something that makes more sense within that character’s own arc. But yeah, I worry about these things because SW doesn’t have the best track record with how it’s handled some character arcs.

I also don’t want to see Cassian paired up with “the woman right next to him” just because “let’s add romance herp derp!” But that really comes down to I’m worried about the writing and not Cassian being in a relationship in and of itself.

Do I worry about the Andor series? Yeah, I’ve been disappointed by Star Wars franchises before. I’m going to be worried. And I just tend to be the type that worries. But the new SW media I have enjoyed most has all been the “television” content, so maybe things will be okay. I do think if Diego Luna gets much of a say, it’ll probably be good.

#rebelcaptain #rogue one #cassian andor #andor series

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ineffable-endearments · 3 years ago

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Okay. Now I'm going to submit some theories about how I think Crowley and Aziraphale specifically are going to go in the future of Good Omens.

Again, this post is not really...specific theorizing about plot events. It's big-picture stuff.

With that said, this post will get a bit heavy at times, in the sense that it will contain opinions that not everyone will like. It drifted into rambling about queerbaiting and all that stuff. I'm not going to spam anyone's dashboard with drama over it, but it's very possible someone else might try. It's also not really a negative post, depending on what you want to hear, I suppose. But if you're only in the mood to read fluff today, you'll probably want to pass it up.

Oh! Also it's very long, and sexuality is discussed in a vague way that doesn't involve any story elements or body parts.

For starters, I don't think Good Omens 2 - or even 3, if that comes about - is going to have anything explicitly sexual or romantic between the two of them, where "explicit" is things like the characters giving outright definitions of their relationship or outright discussing exactly what goes on between them, either on or off-screen. I also don't think there's going to be kissing or "hooking up" (come on...that person on Twitter shouldn't have even asked). Those actions are too blatant for what Neil has already said about the series. While they technically leave some room for interpretation, they probably don't leave enough.

I DO think it's quite possible other characters will continue to define the relationship FOR them and Crowley and Aziraphale will continue to not deny it.

As far as the queerbaiting debate, "is Good Omens queerbaiting"...it's gonna depend how you define it. I always learned that queerbaiting was basically where the creators intentionally make it look like a character is gay or otherwise queer but then swap that character development out for a cis identity and hetero relationship at the end. The point is that the "bait" leads to queer audiences being actively hurt. That's the behavior that seems awful to me, and I don't see Neil and company doing that.

However, I think it's far and away the most likely option that it will be left up to interpretation whether Crowley and Aziraphale are, you know, a buddy duo or a romantic couple or some sort of ineffable queerness all their own off-screen. So if your definition of queerbaiting is "the characters seem gay to us, but homophobes can tell themselves they're not," then yes, I think that debate will follow us to our graves if we let it.

I am a cisgender, possibly straight (?? demi/bi? I might never find out) woman. There is absolutely no way I could ever tell anybody, ESPECIALLY not gay guys and nonbinary people - the people Crowley and Aziraphale tend to resemble the most - how to feel about their treatment in the story. All I can offer is that I'm one flawed individual and there are things I have the emotional capacity to handle and things I don't. Crowley and Aziraphale as both a canon construct and a fandom pairing mean an absurd amount to me, and I can't hang around in spaces where people are constantly talking about how my own interpretations of them are not enough, or how the story is written with ill intentions. I don't want to stop anybody from venting about it, but I am going to be removing myself from those situations.

I like to imagine 1990 NeilandTerry, or TerryandNeil, as a sort of two-headed God who came up with Crowley and Aziraphale, set them loose on Creation, and now are watching them get up to way more ridiculous stuff in the brains of their fans than they'd ever imagined in the first place. I like to imagine them watching, amused and bemused, as their creations fall in love in thousands of universes, and saying, "Well, we didn't specifically Plan for this, but we did promise free will."

This is psychoanalytical toward a public figure and is therefore a bit dangerous, so please take it with an entire mountain of salt, but I sometimes think perhaps Neil sees some of his and Terry's friendship in Crowley and Aziraphale, and suspect that he wants to reserve the possibility that they could be platonic because he and Terry were platonic, while at the same time leaving room for the fans to have their own interpretations, too. Because if there's one thing that comes up really frequently with Neil, it's his belief in imagination and how much stories matter to people. He can have his little corner of the universe where A and C reflect himself and Terry, and we can have...literally anything we want, as long as we're willing to extrapolate just a little bit from canon. It's not even that much extrapolation! It's just "Yes, they love each other, so what exactly does love mean to you?" and if love means kissing, well then, if we can think it, we can have it.

Given that Neil has written LGBT+ characters before, I think he has non-bigoted reasons for wanting Aziraphale and Crowley to remain undefined, and given even the small chance that those reasons may involve the grieving process for a dead friend, I believe it is unkind to argue with him about it or hold his reputation hostage over it.

With that said, do I want canon kissing/hooking up/all that stuff we put in fics? Listen, I can't deny that I do! Personally, I'd be over the moon. I'd probably be so happy I'd have to go to the hospital to get sorted out. Even the thought of it makes me giddy and light-headed, because that physicality is a part of my own experience of love.

However, there are a lot of people who would feel left behind if that happened. Ace and aro people in the fandom whose love for their friends and partners is just as strong as mine, but who are sex-repulsed or just don't want to see kissing on-screen. The loss of Crowley and Aziraphale as a pairing who are extremely easy to interpret as queerplatonic would be hurtful to them, and I do not want to see them hurt like that. I don't think Neil does, either.

So, once again, the "best for everyone" option becomes a really strong canon relationship based in both narrative function and profound affection, which has genuinely thoughtful queer undertones and leaves open the logical possibility for romantic or sexual encounters but does not insist that they must happen. People, especially fans who are super invested, tend to have an easier time imagining scenarios that take place off-screen (e.g. kissing, sex) than they have erasing scenarios that they've already seen in canon (e.g., if someone wished they could continue viewing it as an ace relationship but they were shown "hooking up"). Also, while relationships are super emotional and extremely subjective, I'd argue that in a long-term adult partnership, the non-sexual connection is more important than the sexual one. As a fan, I'd prefer to extrapolate "they love each other so maybe they'd have sex" rather than "they're sexually attracted to each other so maybe they'll intertwine their whole existences together."

It probably isn't necessary to add, but I will anyway: I'm aware that Good Omens is sort of sacrificing social leverage - the ability to whack homophobes over the head with canon if they try to deny the show's queerness - and is thus not really contributing to making specifically gay relationships more widely seen and accepted. However, I don't think all stories have to invest heavily in every social issue they touch on for them to still be meaningful. I also do think Good Omens is an excellent example of a relationship that is extremely profound without being heteronormative.

I don't think the next season is going to be a rom-com. It will likely not even be a "love story," where the definition of "love story" is "a story that follows the development of a relationship and employs certain plot beats to make its point." Remember that conflicts and breakups are key to love stories, so if it IS a love story, then we're going to have to watch the relationship get challenged in ways some of us might have thought were already resolved in season 1! And while that could be thrilling and ultimately very good, it would also be likely to undercut some of the careful headcanoning and analysis we've already done. Any sequel is going to do that to some degree, but a second love story would probably do it a lot, with interpretations that people are even more protective of.

I'm sort of thinking the next season is likely to be a fantasy-heavy mystery, only because those are the two concepts Neil's introduction led with - an angel with amnesia who presents Crowley and Aziraphale with a mystery. Crowley and Aziraphale's connection to each other can still absolutely be a major theme! It can still be the thread stitching the plot together! It just probably, in my opinion, won't escalate and escalate and escalate like it did in season 1. And it will probably be woven in there among a lot of other plot threads that are, in many moments, louder. Still, I'd love to be left with the impression of these two existences, the light and the dark, subtly becoming more intimate, subtly growing more comfortable in this shared place they've chosen in the universe, gradually starting to behave like they know they aren't alone in the world anymore, all while other things happen to and around them.

Nonsexual physical intimacy - a really great hug, or leaning together on the sofa, or a forehead touch, or something like those, something that could happen in a lot of different kinds of relationships but is undoubtedly based in deep trust and affection and a desire to be close...that's the dream, for me. Oh, how lovely it would be.

Of course, I could be just absolutely, embarrassingly wrong about all this. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

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supercasey · 5 years ago

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More Info on Scout’s Brothers in my Interpretation of Them

From working on my latest TF2 fic, I’ve been getting even more invested in my interpretations of Scout’s brothers than I was back when I wrote “Jeremy” last month, so here’s more information on them, including their appearances, who their spouses end up being later on in life, and their kids (if they have any).

(Putting this under a readmore for the sake of literally everyone)

((Tumblr, please don’t fuck this up for mobile readers. If it does end up looking like crap, I’ll make a Google Doc for this.))

Name: Grant Grayson-Kennedy Jr. Age: 34 (11 years older than RED Scout) Gender: Cisgender Man Sexuality: Bisexual Hair Color: Dark Brown Eye Color: Grey Their Mother: Rebecca “Becky” Kennedy Their Father: Grant Grayson Sr. Their S/O: Amelia O’Malley (36) Their Children: Lauren Grayson-Kennedy (8), Kara Grayson-Kennedy (6), Rupert Grayson-Kennedy (4.5), Timothy Grayson-Kennedy (2) Occupation: Air Force Veteran/Lawyer Personality: The family peacekeeper. Probably the most pragmatic of his siblings (though he’s still quite the fighter), Grant has been helping his mom out with his brothers from almost the very beginning, becoming more helpful as more kids were born. He’s a family man, and adores his family to bits, doing almost anything to keep them safe. Was actually considered as a possible recruit by The Administrator, but she decided to not hire him in the end, as he seemed too wise to be manipulated.

Name: Timothy Grayson-Kennedy Age: 32 (9 years older than RED Scout) Gender: Cisgender Man Sexuality: Homosexual Hair Color: Dark Brown Eye Color: Dark Brown Their Mother: Rebecca “Becky” Kennedy Their Father: Grant Grayson Sr. Their S/O: Duke Hammond (32) Their Children: Sarah Kennedy-Hammond (3), Jeremy Kennedy-Hammond (1) Occupation: Cartoonist Personality: The family heart. The most gentle of his brothers, Timmy is especially close with Jeremy and Grant. Kinda nervous about being a father, but with his childhood best friend turned lover at his side, he isn’t quite as scared anymore. Stays in contact with his siblings well enough, but tends to lose track of events/announcements due to living all the way in California. Doesn’t approve of mercenary work in general.

Name: Jacob Grayson-Kennedy Age: 31 (8 years older than RED Scout) Gender: Cisgender Man Sexuality: Heterosexual Hair Color: Light Blond Eye Color: Light Blue Their Mother: Rebecca “Becky” Kennedy Their Father: Grant Grayson Sr. Their S/O: None Their Children: Ana Grayson-Kennedy (3), Mia Grayson-Kennedy (3) Occupation: Freelance Guitarist Personality: The family sword. Was always pretty rough ‘n tumble even when compared to his brothers, so he got into a lot of trouble alongside Malcolm when he was a teen. Finally cleaned up his act when a one-night-stand resulted in him having twin daughters, who he loves dearly and has sole custody of. Has a better relationship with Arthur now that they’re adults, and actually lives with him in downtown Boston.

Name: Arthur Grayson-Kennedy Age: 31 (8 years older than RED Scout) Gender: Cisgender Man Sexuality: Pansexual Hair Color: Dark Blond Eye Color: Dark Blue Their Mother: Rebecca “Becky” Kennedy Their Father: Grant Grayson Sr. Their S/O: Markus Browning (29) Their Children: None Occupation: Carpenter Personality: The family shield. Not quite as mellow as Timmy is, but he’s pretty damn close in terms of general kindness towards his family and friends. Has struggled in the past to find his calling, but he loves his job in carpentry, and loves that he gets to live with his twin and nieces! Has an on and off boyfriend who he keeps a secret from the family, as he’s nervous to come out as pan, even though Timmy’s been out as gay for a few years now.

Name: Patrick Walsh-Kennedy Age: 30 (7 years older than RED Scout) Gender: Cisgender Man Sexuality: Heterosexual Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Brown Their Mother: Rebecca “Becky” Kennedy Their Father: Terrence Walsh Their S/O: Felicity Homer (28) Their Children: None Occupation: Hairdresser Personality: The family shadow. He’s never liked being in the spotlight, even when he was young and into street brawls. Was beaten by his bio dad a lot as a kid, so he’s fairly skittish as a result; jumps at loud noises and has claustrophobia. Still checks in on the family every once in awhile, but he prefers to stay with his GF in relative solitude. Loves his job so much, even if it does involve being social sometimes.

Name: Malcolm Walsh-Kennedy Age: 27 (4 years older than RED Scout) Gender: Cisgender Man Sexuality: Heteromantic Asexual Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Brown Their Mother: Rebecca “Becky” Kennedy Their Father: Terrence Walsh Their S/O: Dolores Jamison Their Children: Luke Kennedy-Jamison (5) Occupation: Wrestler Personality: The family instigator. Was by far the most reckless and violent of his brothers (yes, even more so than Jacob), which led to him getting arrested a number of times in his teens. Is trying to turn his life around, but it’s hard for him. After he found out that Jeremy is a mercenary, he flipped his lid, and he’s still pissed at him about it. Loves his son, his wife, his mama, his brothers, and that’s about it tbh.

Name: Curtis Walsh-Kennedy Age: 26 (3 years older than RED Scout) Gender: Cisgender Man Sexuality: Bisexual Hair Color: Dark Blond Eye Color: Blue Their Mother: Rebecca “Becky” Kennedy Their Father: Terrence Walsh Their S/O: None Their Children: None Occupation: BLU Scout Personality: The family drifter. Spent a lot of his childhood teasing Jeremy and trying to be his mom’s favorite, neither of which worked in his favor. His mom still loves him of course, but he’s not the favorite (no one is). He drifted for a long while after high school, struggling to land a job, before he was hired to join BLU team as their Scout. Now he continues teasing Jeremy as an adult, which leads to a lot of matches turning into Scout vs Scout fights.

Name: Jeremy Kennedy Age: 23 Gender: Transgender Man Sexuality: Pansexual Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Baby Blue Their Mother: Rebecca “Becky” Kennedy Their Father: Jeffery REDACTED Their S/O: None Their Children: None Occupation: RED Scout Personality: The family runt. He tried so hard to keep up with his brothers as a kid, but was always told to not play as rough due to him being FTM. After coming out to the family as a man, and living on his own for awhile, he’s become even closer to his brothers than he was before, save for maybe Curtis, who he fights with every time they see each other. He knows Curtis is the BLU Scout and constantly teases him for losing so often to RED, which leads to even more fights between them. (I should note that I don’t characterize Jeremy as transgender in the Kids AU, mostly because I think he’d be too young to come out, and seeing as I don’t want to write him as a “girl” for the entirety of the AU... he can be trans in that AU if you want him to be, but I feel uncomfortable writing such a young child as being trans, so do with that what you will.)

Information on the dads!

Grant Grayson Sr.: Grant, Timothy, Jacob, and Arthur’s dad. He was a well respected man when he was alive, and actually had a decent relationship with Becky for the most part, but it became more strained when he left for war after the twins were born. About a year into his military service, Grant was killed in action, leaving Becky a widow. She loved him, but after his death, she accepted the fact that it wouldn’t have lasted forever with him, though she still misses him sometimes.

Terrence Walsh: Patrick, Malcolm, and Curtis’s dad. He tried hooking up with Becky the minute Grant was shipped overseas, but she always turned him down, as she was married and not a cheater. After Grant’s death though, he swooped in and convinced Becky to start going out with him, leading to Patrick’s birth and a second marriage for Becky. Unfortunately, Terrance was a real POS, and he routinely beat the kids as well as Becky. He was assassinated a few weeks after Curtis was born by Spy, freeing Becky of his abuse.

Jeffery REDACTED: The RED Spy/Jeremy’s dad. He met Becky while she was still stuck in an abusive marriage with Terrence, and soon after they met, Becky begged for his help in getting rid of her husband so she and kids could finally be safe. Feeling bad for the mother, Spy did just that, killing Terrence and making it look like an accident. Afterwards he planned on going on his merry way, but Becky convinced him to stay in her home while he waited for more work to roll in. During this time, they fell in love, and he soon married her (though it was an under the table sort of deal, where he also took on her last name), and after a year or so of marriage, Becky became pregnant with Jeremy. Unfortunately for Spy, people were after him, so he had to leave the family behind, but he’s still technically married to Becky, and she refuses to date anyone in his absence.

And that’s what I’ve got! Btw, I chose the last name “Kennedy” for the family based on the quote “You’ve got the luck of a Kennedy!” since I headcanon that Scout’s Mom has been through a lot, and in turn so have all of her children in one way or another. The family’s unlucky, but at least they’ll always have each other! Feel free to ask me questions about the family if you have any.

#tf2 #tf2 headcanons #tf2 scout #tf2 scout's mom #tf2 scout's brothers #tf2 spy #red scout #blu scout #long post

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luccislegs · 5 years ago

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law anon here!! super sorry.. I should really be more specific!! if you're still okay with it, would drifting apart be okay? it's up for your interpretation!! sorry and thanks so much! take your time!

my first law scenario god i hope it’s okay ugh. disclaimer, the way that i write a lot of my scenarios, especially for characters i’m new to, don’t always line up exactly with whatever headcanons i have for them. sometimes i write things based on the way the request is asked or just whatever direction i happen to go in. so asking me for something like this tomorrow might yield something entirely different, i don’t know. things will steady out the more i write for him tho i’m sure

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You and Law were drifting apart.

You weren’t entirely sure when you realized it. It wasn’t a sudden realization by any means. Just that, slowly you began to notice that things you used to do together and say to each other weren’t happening anymore.

No longer did you go to bed together. That was something you didn’t notice right away, largely because Law didn’t always go to bed anyway, or stay in bed. Generally, he would accompany you until you went to sleep, taking as much comfort as you did in the warmth and security the ritual itself brought. You had always known he got up after you went to sleep, but also knew that there was nothing you could do to change it.

Nor did you eat together anymore. That was one of the first things you realized had changed. One evening when you were sitting with the rest of the crew, Bepo asked where Law was in an offhand way, and you startled when you registered that not only had he not been at meals for a few weeks, but that you had stopped actively looking for him to come in. Noticing that felt like a punch in the gut, and you wondered if he had noticed it too.

The third and final big change was that you no longer sought each other out. The two of you had always spent large amounts of time apart, doing your own things. You liked tinkering away with small projects in the lower part of the ship, where the sound of metal on metal wouldn’t bother the rest of the crew, or working on some new art project in your bedroom. Law spent most of his time in his office, studying whatever new book he had picked up at the last port or drawing up plans for your next adventure. It was normal, welcome, even, because In something as small as the sub, space was hard to come by, and you knew that Law liked his space and that you couldn’t always be with each other.

But between that, you always made sure to check in on one another, to look for each other at the end of the day and spend the evenings on deck or with the rest of the crew or, your particular favorite, in bed.

But now the space had become distance, and they weren’t the same things.

It had taken you a while to muddle through the hazy memories of the last several weeks. There was no rhyme or reason for why the two of you had started doing things differently. No big fight, no mutual disinterest. It was like you had fallen out of the habit of wanting to be around each other. You sat quietly in your shared room, staring out the porthole at the dark water, broken periodically by the flickering of bioluminescent fish. There was an empty sort of pit in your stomach as you considered the implications of your actions, or lack thereof.

Had he even realized? It had, after all, taken you quite some time to realize and, while Law was brilliant, he wasn’t always aware of the finer points in a relationship. When you had first gotten together, it had nearly fallen apart before it got going because he was so closed off to you. You knew he had feelings for you, and he admitted it himself without much pressure, but beyond that he was a closed book to you. It had taken a fight and a lot of talking before he finally acknowledged you were right. Communication was something you were still working on, even now.

That was what you were going to have to do now because, while you felt guilty for not having realized it sooner, it was clear he was still unaware.

That, or he just didn’t care. You didn’t want to dwell on that, though.

With a sigh, you rose from your seat and headed down the hall towards his office. It was closed, like usual, and you knocked before gently pushing it open.

Law looked up with a cursory glance, mildly surprised to see you there. It had been awhile since you had bothered. Then again, it had been a while since he had, either. “What is it, _____?”

The cold greeting bothered you more than a little. He was never overly emotional to begin with, but the way he asked reminded you of when you had first joined the crew. Detached and clinical, he had given you a cursory glance before waving you on your way. You would be a liar if you said that hadn’t been a big reason for you pursuing him. It was a careful dance between the two of you, a large give and take before he had finally given in and acknowledged you as more than just a regular crew member.

It felt just like it had back then, and you felt all over again the distance between the two of you.

Now that you were here, though, you weren’t sure how to go about bringing it up. Maybe he didn’t see it the way you did at all, in which case, you would feel like a fool. You were almost certain that wasn’t the case, but actually facing the possible reality was causing your reason to fly out the window.

Stroking the spine of a new book on the shelf, still shiny and uncreased in the spine, you studied it. Law was acutely aware that you were there for more than just a book, and watched you patiently from the corner of his eye. He had the distinct feeling he knew why you were there. It was something that had been on his mind as well for a while, but he was unsure how to bring it up. Words weren’t his strong suit, and you knew that. He wondered if you had just now recognized what was going on between the two of you, and then wondered how that boded for your feelings towards him. It wasn’t something he liked to think about, let alone admit, but he often felt he left you wanting more. There had always been other things more important to him than a relationship, but when you joined and showed an active interest in him, he allowed it to carry on, purely to see where it went.

Well, it went a lot further than he had ever intended, planned, or even thought it would.

Now, as he watched you wander silently around the room, admiring all the things you had long since become familiar with, he wondered what you wanted.

“I…We aren’t…okay, are we?” you asked, then winced. It wasn’t exactly how you wanted to start the conversation, but there were also worse ways. The sound of the desk chair creaking made you turn to look at Law. He had leaned back in it, taking his hat off so he could run his fingers through his hair. Now more than ever, you noticed how exhausted he looked and wondered if he slept at all anymore. He had admitted once before that he slept best, and longest, when he was sleeping next to you, and you wondered if that still held true.

Law sighed as he leveled a calculating stare at you. “I don’t know, _____.”

That was about typical from Law. You couldn’t quite figure out whether he just didn’t like to talk about his feelings or whether he didn’t know how, but it all came to the same outcome.

You sighed before turning back to look at the large shelf in front of you, packed as tight as it could be with nothing but medical literature. It had never been of any interest to you but, like everyone else, you had had to learn at least basic first aid from them. It had helped you grow closer to Law as well, so you hadn’t complained. Much. “How long has it been since we slept together?”

He paused, considering you and how you meant it. It didn’t matter, the answer was the same. “I don’t know.”

“How about when we last ate together?”

“I don’t know.”

“What about–”

“I don’t know,” Law growled, now glaring at your back. He got your point, now you needed to get to the base of your problem, whatever it was. He had no idea which way you wanted to go with it, so he would let you lead.

“Me either,” you said, and he could hear the sadness in your voice. You turned then, and he could see the tears gathered in your eyes, not quite ready to spill over but the wrong word from him would set them free.

“_____,” he said gently, holding his hand out to you.

Well shit.

They began to roll down your cheeks, even as you took his hand and allowed him to draw you close. The chair creaked under your added weight, and the hard wooden arm dug into your back, but that could be ignored in favor of the familiar warmth of his arms around you. To him, this was familiar territory. What he lacked in words he could more than make up for in physical touches. That was his area of expertise, after all.

“What do you want?” he asked, cupping your cheek and wiping away the few tears clinging to your lashes. He knew what he wanted, but your wants were more important to him, at least in this case.

You sighed, nuzzling into his hand. As usual, it was ice cold, but you had long since come to associate that with security and happiness and contentment. That hadn’t changed, you were glad to find. Covering his with your own, you sat up straight, carding your fingers through his hair and using it to guide his lips to yours.

He acquiesced easily enough, closing his eyes and slanting his lips over yours. His free hand supported you at the small of your back, simultaneously keeping you close and keeping you from pulling away. The tightness in his chest eased up and, when he finally allowed you to pull away, he asked again with a touch of playfulness, “What do you want?”

You laughed softly, rubbing your nose against his. “You, Law. Always you.”

Then you have me, he thought, moving to kiss you again. It was a feeling you hadn’t known you missed until that moment, and you swore, as his tongue delved past your lips and his slender fingers tangled in your hair, that you wouldn’t go another day without it again.

#trafalgar law #trafalgar law x reader #one piece headcanons

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foxglovesound · 5 years ago

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Season Change Naming System

I decided to edit my naming system a bit and add/change a few names; a lot of this has been inspired by ailuronymy or other various headcanons in the fandom, so here’s just my cohesive list with a spin on it. Majority of the credit goes to the blog @/ailuronymy so please go check it out! The multiple-suffixes variety option is inspired by @/shedhogs own system! Suffixes are a compilation of various headcanons as well as some suggestions from other tumblr users and friends (listed below)!

The prefix is based on the appearance of the cat (typically, though there may be exceptions), whereas the suffix is based on the cat themselves, and is set off into 4 separate categories: rank, skills, personality, and appearance.

PREFIXES

Prefixes I use are majorly from ailuronymy’s list! You can check it out here: ailuronymy.tumblr.com/prefixes. The only major/notable adjustment (besides exceptions, listed at the end) is that green-plant prefixes are translated into gray-based coats, similar to how purple or blue plant based prefixes work (so for example, Fern- can work in this system).

There’s a few major taboos when it comes to naming in Season Change culture!

1. If the cat doesn’t know what the thing is, obviously they can’t name their kitten after it. Names of gems and mythical creatures are prime examples of this.

2. No cat should ever be named after derogatory things like Death-, Blood-, Hate- etc.! Leaders don't typically interfere with how parents name their kittens, but they will step in if they believe the name is derogatory.

3. No cat should ever have Sun-, Moon-, or Star- because those are sacred. While it's not technically forbidden, it's a taboo practice surely to rub Clanmates, especially superstitious ones, the wrong way.

SUFFIXES

These are categorized by four categories as stated above, and each has a higher level of importance. Rank suffixes are mandatory, and skill suffixes must be chosen before personality suffixes; if there are no skill suffixes that fit, personality suffixes should be used before appearance. If there are no personality suffixes that fit, then it’s time to use appearance related suffixes.

Some traits have multiple suffixes associated with them, which have slowly been integrated into the Clan culture to add some diversity to the names. Most of the suffix substitutes have original backstories on how they came to be added into the system, though over time the exact origins have either been forgotten or warped into legends and myths.

RANK

Kit – A cat under 6 moons of age, or a cat who hasn’t begun their training.

Paw – A cat between the ages of 6 moons and 12 moons who has begun their training.

Star – The leader of the clan.

SKILL

Bee – A cat exceptionally skilled at building nests or camp walls; also cooperative or exceptionally skilled at working in groups and taking orders.

Berry - A medicine cat exclusive name. A cat who is skilled with psychological comfort and healing, especially good with kittens and cats going through degrees of trauma.

Claw – A cat skilled in battle or making battle plans and strategies; can be strategic or simply extremely strong.

Substitute Suffixes: -thorn (commonly used ThunderClan and ShadowClan, but not exclusively), -tooth (derived from the phrase “fighting tooth and nail”)

Fang – A cat skilled in battle and hunting, but not exceptionally skilled enough to warrant either –whisker or –claw suffix.

Flower – A nurturing cat who is skilled at raising kittens.

Substitute Suffixes: -belly, -fern (origins: Ferncloud, known for her excellent maternal skill, though this memory has been clouded/distorted over time, and isn’t the most well-known)

Foot – A very swift cat; speedy.

Substitute Suffixes: -breeze (commonly used in WindClan, but not exclusively)

Nose - A cat exceptionally skilled at tracking.

Substitute Suffixes: -ear

Leaf – A medicine cat exclusive name. A cat who is skilled with herbs and healing.

Scale – A cat who is very skilled at fishing. Can ONLY refer to a cat living near water that has fish in it

Shine – A cat who can interpret dreams or prophecies better than others; a medicine cat exclusive name.

Stream – A cat skilled with swimming. Can ONLY refer to cats living near water.

Substitute Suffixes: -fin, -creek

Tail – An agile cat; can also refer to a cat skilled at keeping their balance while climbing obstacles such as trees and rock mounds.

Substitute Suffixes: -leap

Throat – A diplomatic cat; a cat who is good at speaking on behalf of their clan and can typically sort situations out with voice rather than physical.

Whisker – An exceptionally skilled hunter; can also refer to a cat who is good at navigating in difficult obstacles such as heavy fog, storms, or darkness.

Substitute Suffixes: -spring, -pounce

PERSONALITY

Cloud – A naturally calm and patient cat.

Substitute Suffixes: -pool (commonly used in RiverClan, but not exclusively)

Chirp – A generally sociable and friendly cat who is outgoing and makes good relations easily.

Substitute Suffixes: -bird (derived from how birds tend to be the most vocal of forest sounds)

Frost – An analytical or particularly logical cat; they tend to lean towards more realistic views, no matter if they’re optimistic or not, but they can be trusted to be reasonable.

Heart – An opinionated cat who sticks to their beliefs no matter what. Can enjoy debate or not. Can also be rather stubborn, but also honest and loyal.

Substitute Suffixes: -stone (derived from the phrase “set in stone”)

Light - A positive and optimistic cat; they are often uplifting of others and find the best in any situation.

Path - An instructive and patient cat who has a knack for helping others learn things. Typically viewed as great mentor material.

Substitute Suffixes: -stem

Storm – A generally wild and unpredictable cat with erratic moods.

Substitute Suffixes: -flame

APPEARANCE

Face – A rather attractive cat.

Fur – An average warrior.

Substitute Suffixes: -pelt, -tuft

Patch – A bi-color, tortoiseshell, or calico cat with obvious markings, works in the same way as -fur or -pelt.

Stripe – A cat with bold tabby markings; should not be applied if the prefix already implies a tabby, such as “tiger”.

Substitute Suffixes: -spot or -speck (for spotted tabbies exclusively)

NAME-CHANGES

In some cases, a cat may ask for a name change after being scarred heavily to honor the trial they just went through and managed to overcome. The leaders will then choose an honorary name unique to the feline. A leader, or another cat, cannot rename the subject in question against their will, and the cat looking for a name change like this must be a fully grown adult who has graduated from the apprentice rank before requesting such a ceremony.

EXCEPTIONS TO THE SYSTEM

If an apprentice wishes to take on the prefix of a role model or someone who they had a close bond with (if the cat has passed), they may.

Example scenario 1: Firepaw greatly looked up to their mentor, Stonepelt. Stonepelt died during Firepaw’s apprenticeship just before their warrior ceremony, so Firepaw took the name Firestone to honor Stonepelt.

Example scenario 2: Cinderpaw’s mother, Smokecloud, died during her apprenticeship. Cinderpaw had a close bond with her mother, and so, she decides to take on the name Cindersmoke to honor her.

This can only happen if the apprentice had a close bond to the other feline, and the feline has passed on to StarClan.

Some warriors that are former rogues, loners, or kittypets may go out of the ordinary in naming their kittens, such as naming a kitten outside of their appearance or naming a kitten after an animal or plant not commonly known by the Clan cats.

Example scenario 1: A former kittypet, who has been raised by two-legs and seen some two-leg area exclusive plant life, be it from gardens or holidays, names their orange/ginger kitten Pumpkinkit.

Example scenario 2: Moon, a drifting loner who is mates with the ShadowClan leader Burdockstar, named their adopted kit Sweetkit in a lyrical manner.

CONTRIBUTORS:

@/maxwyrmwind

@/sayornis-gallus

@/avibaby Thank you all so much for the suggestions :D!

#naming system #worldbuilding #lore #:")#doin revamps again hehe.... hopefully soon i will get to do more in depth lore and traditions too

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godlivesonthemoon-archived · 5 years ago

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THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme

fill out & repost ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

My muse is: canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless

Is your character popular in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK (I don’t see lot of content with him so he’s not so popular I guess? :( )

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK (apparently it’s a debate but I personally find him HOT)

Is your character considered strong in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK

Are they underrated? YES / NO / IDK

Were they relevant for the main story? YES / NO (first one to introduce observation haki so heck)

Were they relevant for the main character? YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG.

Are they widely known in their world? YES / NO

How’s their reputation? GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL

How strictly do you follow canon?

I’m trying my best to follow his canon character and the way he reasons, but I have to somehow make sure to be able to interact in several verses as well, which could end up turning him as a more canon-divergent character sometimes. We don’t know much about Enel, especially his past, it’s a vast playground which has never really been explored, so it gives me liberties regarding his interpretation and my own headcanons. I do believe I try to portray him in the most canon way possible, but I’m not Oda, and I didn’t create his set of mind in the first place! That’s just me trying!

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.

Enel is an asteroid suddenly entering your world, highly different from the casual villain you could encounter, with a set of mind different from what you have ever seen before! Egocentric prick full of himself and able to harm your muse either with in verbal joust or physically? For sure! You want to have debate about your muse’s most profound beliefs and challenge their abilities to think and manipulate someone else? He’s always up to have a conversation and will provide you so many topics to debate that you could stay here for years without even being done. Enel is the impredictable character you need to have spice in your life. He drifts between a terribly strong God Complex and a very human persona, leading you to various interactions where I dare you not to feel anything. Because that’s it’s his best capacity : ENEL WILL MAKE YOU FEEL SOMETHING, and either you will love it, or hate it, but you can’t remain neutral when he’s around.

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).

Even if you believe he could be nice and understanding towards your muse’s sorrows, Enel remains a villain and probably one of the most unpredictable. He’s not here to be kind, not here to waste his time either. He’s more often harsh and insulting than really patient and open-minded. Could he really love your muse one day? That’s a harsh question, and he will probably disappoint them if you expect something more casual around him. Enel loves to destroy his environment, challenge his RP partners (all of them, not necessarily on a romantic ship), and your muse could walk out of his garden, thinking that they waste their time with someone like him.

What inspired you to rp your muse?

I JUST LOVE ENEL SO MUCH.

I have always been hooked by complicated characters in the first place, and when I started RP with my OC when I came here, I was already interested in having another canon character. I wanted to roleplay with him, and no one else. Enel is such... a forgotten character? We forget about his haki, we forget about his set of mind, we forget about his combat skills (DAMN he masters martial arts so WELL), we forget about his impressive logia fruit... Enel is a smart man, cruel and impetuous, but his philosophy is so interesting to develop, I’m just a weak girl for this boy.

What keeps your inspiration going?

Definitely the numerous roleplay I have, and the awesome friendships I developed with awesome muns!! I have received so nice comments regarding my portrayal that it’s a real pleasure to keep musing with him. Really, guys, thanks a lot for everything!!

Some more personal questions for the mun.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you do your character justice? YES / NO (doing my best)

Do you frequently write headcanons? YES / NO

Do you sometimes write drabbles? YES / NO

Do you think a lot about your muse during the day? YES / NO

Are you confident in your portrayal? YES / NO

Are you confident in your writing? YES / NO

Are you a sensitive person? YES / NO (I’m tough for sure but I’m also a bby)

Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal?

Only if it’s constructive and genuine in the first place! I totally get that people might find my portrayal divergent regarding his canon character, but argumenting is always important, and it’s still a game... I wouldn’t actively criticize someone in the first place because I don’t agree with the way they portray their muse ; everyone should be able to bring more diversity in the RP world and have fun in the way they want to play, as long as they’re having fun! So yes, and no, it really depends and I guess criticism comes with trust between two mutuals.

Do you like questions, which help you explore your character?

I’m a sucker for these questions! I’m often surprised by a lot of them, and it allows me to explore topics I didn’t think about!

If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why?

Like the criticism part, it depends on the way that person is talking to me! We can all have different opinions regarding characters, it must remain genuine. Sure we can have two points of view, that’s even amazing! But it doesn’t mean I will change my headcanon, because this is the way I like to see my muse :) People needs to respect my own creativity, as I respect theirs when it comes to their muses, it’s simple.

If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it?

I just block and don’t care anymore. We can’t all get along for sure, and I’m too old to actually change the way I want to portray my muse, and also... too experimented on the RP world to turn it into something toxic again. You don’t like it? That’s alright, let’s just live our lives in peace, there’s no point in continuing interacting and seeing each others. Nothing personal! Just having some peace :)

If someone really hates your character, how do you take it?

You can hate Enel, it’s absolutely normal to find him arrogant and despicable, but people need to draw the line between ENEL’s actions and ME as a mun. I’m not him, I’m writing how he WOULD react to something, so I don’t want to suffer from people’s hate towards me, or disappointment I guess if the RP relationship doesn’t go the way they want/hope? I have an EXTREME tendency to really separate my RP passion and my real life thanks to former experiences, which means I’m definitely able to play with my muse with a completely detached set of mind (it’s actually the only way for me to play villains XD). I’m perhaps not the best partner to interact with if RP gets under your nerves too much, or if you take things too... personally. Because actually, I have no more patience for this...

Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors?

I don’t mind, because english isn’t my first language in the first place! I’m always trying to write readable contents, and even if I have a good level in english, mistakes happen so... I really don’t mind if someone corrects me!

Do you think you are easy going as a mun?

I’m easy-going, an extrovert for sure, it’s easy to actually reach me, and it’s easy to talk to me. I won’t pretend though that I don’t have my flaws! Sometimes I’m not in the mood to talk on discord or here, and I have the terrible need to withdraw into myself after a long day at work. Though, I love interacting with people, musing, talking about everything!! I’m always up to share a chat! :)

That’s about it, congrats for filling out!

➸ Tagged by : @seraphiixa (thank you ma’am!)

➸ Tagging: @chillin-at-partys-bar @kingofdesert @godsnaturalenemy @mightyxsprout and whoever is interested!

#⚡️god always wins the game | meme #⚡️deeper in the verse of spirituality | character study #⚡️the woman behind god | ooc #; thanks for the tag! that was a long introspection :P

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equallyreal · 7 years ago

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Unsolicited Opinion: The Characters of Pacific Rim (Part III)

First of all, I’d like to apologize for this one being a day late. I’m trying to get on top of things for the New Year—unfortunately, getting on top of things, for me, frequently means periods where I am decidedly not on top of things. No idea how that works, but that’s just the way it is. The next one will be on time, though, promise!

A common complaint about the film is that the characters are kind of archetypal and flat and therefore boring. This is an assessment I soundly disagree with, for two reasons. One, being derived from archetype isn’t a bad thing as long as you do it well. Two, the characters of Pacific Rim, in my opinion, subvert or play with the archetype they’re derived from in interesting ways. This essay series will cover the ways the narrative achieves this. As a quick housekeeping note, I will only be using the film to make my points. At most, I may talk about a deleted scene, but the paracanon (novels, art of book, comics, etc.) will not be included in the discussion.

In this part, we’ll be talking about the man, the myth, the legend, the one and only Stacker Pentecost in an essay I like to call Nothing But Respect for My Marshal.

Authority figures don’t always fare well in science fiction. Think of any recent SciFi flick you’ve seen and chances are the higher-ups in that film fall into a very specific category of leader. There are many subtypes, from the Obstructive Bureaucrat to the Head-In-The-Sand Management, but for the sake of ease I’m going to lump them all under one type: The Unreasonable Authority Figure. They come in two major flavors. The first is the I’m only here to make bad plot decisions and be proven wrong by the heroes, a process that usually results in my death type. For this, think General Hagen in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, who thinks that working with a guy named Victor Von Doom is a good idea, refuses to listen to/constantly condescends the Fantastic Four, and ends up dead in Siberia because of his hubris.

The second type is the While I’m technically right (either in-universe or on a meta leve), I’m written in such a douchey way that it’s clear the narrative wants you to see me as the bad guy and I just end up bogging the plot down by being an asshole. Admiral Holdo from Star Wars: The Last Jedi has shades of this character type. While I will admit that she does have some nuance to her that I’ll be discussing in a later entry of Unsolicited Opinions, on a meta level she was definitely written with this character type in mind, as her unwillingness to communicate is a major plot element. Yes, she’s a subversion, but you need a well-established character type to pull off a subversion, and it’s obvious this is the one they were going for with her.

If I had to guess, this trope exists because so many of our heroes are Rebellious Maverick Types, and we can only show how right and cool they are by contrasting them against an unreasonable old dude who somehow made it to general without knowing what he’s doing. It has reached a point where it’s utterly baffling, especially in a military setting. How does a guy with such bad judgment and poor leadership skills make a high rank? And how does the narrative expect me to believe that our hero can just openly defy them and get away with it? Yes, I know the narrative paints them as being Wrong, so therefore disobeying them or talking back isn’t bad, but it’s mutated in on itself to the point where every authority figure is an Unreasonable Authority Figure by default and treated as the bad guy. It’s unrealistic and exhausting and I hate it (as you might’ve guessed by the fact that I’ve just spent several paragraphs complaining about it).

The good news is that Pacific Rim took one look at both these character types and went, Nah, we’re not doing that. So instead of a military leader who is just gruff and stern and yells a lot but is ultimately ignored in favor of the judgment of our heroes, we get Marshal Stacker Pentecost, the badass to end all badasses and leader of what’s left of the PPDC. There’s a lot of things to love about this character, from the fact that he’s played by God’s gift to humanity Idris Elba to the fact that he can make a hell of a rousing speech. But the thing that I love most about his character is the fact that he is one of the best examples of a Reasonable Authority Figure out there.

This might be hard to believe for some people, as Stacker and Raleigh butting heads is a big part of the plot. But the film isn’t interested in making Stacker Pentecost into a bad guy. If anything, the film goes out of its way to show that Stacker Pentecost is just as much a hero as Mako and Raleigh. Each character in Pacific Rim has a line that very clearly shows their character motivation and reason for existing in the plot. Raleigh’s is the line about living with the consequences. Mako has for my family. And for me, the line that best describes Stacker Pentecost as a character is this one: “All I need to do be to you and everyone in this dome is a fixed point. The last man standing.”

Stacker Pentecost is the guy standing at the bow of the ship and staring down the iceberg they’re running towards. He knows that if he screws this up, if he isn’t that fixed point, if he doesn’t do everything necessary to prevent them hitting that thing, they’re all going to die. Every decision he makes is geared towards preventing that. The UN wants to make a bad call and de-fund them? Screw it, they don’t need them; they’ll fight this war alone, because they have to. He makes deals with to obtain legally dubious nukes from Russians and get money from Kaiju parts dealers to keep his people afloat. He puts up with human headaches Newt and Hermann because he knows they have the smarts necessary to get the job done, and indulges them no matter how much they bicker and suggest things like plug your brain into a Kaiju. When an unorthodox solution is proven to be workable—see again, plug your brain into a Kaiju—he’s all in, because it could get them the information they need. He puts aside his personal feelings, and later his personal safety, to make the right call to help stop the world from ending—even if it means making difficult calls like choosing thousands of lives over ten, or letting his adopted daughter enter the fray (but more on that in a minute). He stays calm, he stays professional (we only see him out of uniform once, even when guys like Herc and Tendo have ditched theirs in favor of their chosen aesthetics), he demands his authority be respected because he knows if it doesn’t, this entire thing could go to hell in a hand basket. And that’s a completely reasonable line of thinking. He is last man standing, he’s making the calls, and the plan will not work if everyone and their mom keeps undermining him.

The best part about all of this is when Stacker says he’s last man standing, the narrative backs him up 100%. That’s the biggest thing that makes him different from your average Unreasonable Authority Figure. His motivations are clear in his every word and action, and the plot backs them up. When he’s proven wrong (for instance, about Newt’s kaiju drifting plan being unworkable), he’s never forced to metaphorically eat dirt for it. His reasons for having made his previous call are always reasonable, and he’s allowed to graciously admit that yeah, the other person is onto something, so let’s work together to integrate what you’ve done into the wider plan. When he does die, it’s a big deal, a moment of heroic self-sacrifice instead of karma for being an asshole. Not only that, but he’s one of two people to have solo drifted—the other one being Raleigh, our secondary protagonist and proven badass. Whatever authority he has, he earned.

On a related note, I never felt like him calling out Raleigh in defense of that authority was meant to be viewed negatively; it’s not a moment that has the same “look at what an asshole this person is” vibes that scenes like that usually have. The fact that Raleigh backs down is significant not just because it shows Raleigh is capable of respecting authority, but also because it shows Stacker is worthy of respect. The fact that literally every other character in the film treats Stacker with high regard helps in this regard; this includes Mako, who, as we established last time, does not suffer fools lightly. She has nothing but respect for Stacker, though, and if she does, there must be something to him.

The relationship between Stacker and Mako and how he relates to her plot is actually significant to analyzing Stacker as a character. To that end, I’m going to especially focus on that plot, rather than analyzing every reason behind every decision Stacker makes and why it’s justified. If I do that, we’ll be here all day.

The Stacker and Mako plot derives from a trope we’ve all come to know and hate: competent female is totally capable of Doing The Thing, but the actual responsibility is given to a less competent or otherwise wild card man because the male Unreasonable Authority Figure wants to protect the female from something or thinks the male has to do the thing because prophecy or whatever. Think Ant Man for a straight and especially eye-roll worthy version of this plot. There are subtle ways in which Pacific Rim subverts this plot (Raleigh’s aggressive normalcy, the fact Raleigh isn’t really being chosen instead of Mako but rather prevented from working with her, in fact we never even get to know Mako’s competition for the Jaeger spot), but the important one here is Stacker’s chain of decisions as the movie goes on. Keep in mind, some of this is going to be up to my own interpretation of his chain of thought, but feel like I’m onto something with this and really, isn’t everything just our own interpretation? We’re all just shouting headcanons into the void and hoping someone agrees.

So, here’s the plot as I interpret it. Stacker’s initial unwillingness to let Mako co-pilot Danger is because of her inexperience and still-raw trauma over the loss of her parents, along with what is definitely a protective streak with regards to her. She is basically his daughter, after all; their interactions frequently show that he loves her (from him openly praising her talents to being gentle with her in moments of great emotional turmoil). But the thing is, despite Raleigh later saying that the protectiveness is the primary reason for Stacker keeping Mako out of the cockpit, I’m of the opinion that it’s a secondary reason that he is willing to put aside with little conflict. Think about the progression of events. Mako and Stacker argue about her co-piloting. Later on, Raleigh is able to successfully goad Stacker into letting Mako fight him, and in the process proves that they are Drift Compatible, more so than the other candidates. While Stacker is, again, initially resistant, his next scene after everyone leaves the Kwoon is one of him in the elevator, having a sudden nosebleed from his unspecified terminal condition (probably cancer but we’re not sure). This scene transitions into one of Raleigh watching a newscast about how the Wall of Life is failing and everything is going to shit. These are two stark reminders of the situation on a macro and micro level. They are the only thing standing between the world and destruction, and on top of that, Stacker isn’t going to live forever. He’s dying. He can’t be there for Mako forever and he knows it. In the very next scene, he shows up at her room and fulfills the promise he made to her when she was a child. She can pilot now. He’s putting aside his reservations, both personal and pragmatic, to let her do this. Why? Because their backs are against the wall, and all evidence points to her being their best shot. What he fear he has for her doesn’t matter (it can’t matter, in light of how dire the situation is), and any pragmatic reasons for keeping her out haven’t been proven yet. So, he gives her the go-ahead.

Unfortunately, the test Drift doesn’t go well. Mako’s trauma is, as he worried, still too strong for her to control. It’s fairly obvious from looking at Stacker that he isn’t happy about this; he’s visibly disappointed after the failed Drift, and his gentleness with Mako after giving her the news has a solid edge of regret and sorrow to it. He doesn’t want to ground her, I’m sure of it, but he has to, because all signs point to her not being able to handle the situation. Again, he puts aside his personal reservations for the sake of the plan as a whole. Raleigh might be insubordinate and brash, but he’s a reliable pilot, and that’s what they need. Mako, from all evidence so far, is not that.

But then the situation turns, and their backs are against the wall in an even bigger way. All other Jaegers are down; Danger is the only one standing, and the best two people to pilot her have just been grounded. In any other movie, Stacker probably would’ve stuck to his guns with the decision to not let them pilot, and they would’ve had to sneak behind his back to get the job done. But this is Pacific Rim, so instead we get Stacker hearing Raleigh’s point—that Danger is the only available Jaeger—and making the call to let them go. He looks at their options, once again puts aside his personal (and also on some level pragmatic) concerns that Mako isn’t ready, and lets Danger go fight the Kaiju. And guess what? It pays off. They win spectacularly in what is the best fight scene in recent Science Fiction history (don’t @ me, I’m right about this and you know it), saving Striker Eureka and a city of millions.

Stacker can trust Mako. He knows it now, on a pragmatic level. He likely still has personal reservations, because what father wouldn’t in a situation like this? But in the last moments before they make the final push to save the world, he gives her the responsibility of protecting him. He puts his life in her hands, because it’s their best option for winning, and because he trusts her. He trusts her and is willing to act on that instead of being held back by his personal reservations.

That entire sequence of events, to me, shows what kind of a leader Stacker is. He’s a guy willing to put aside his personal feelings for the sake of a greater good. He’s a guy who is flexible enough to change plans and, yes, admit when he’s wrong and correct the mistake. He’s a guy who is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, from letting someone he’s raised since childhood take her first, dangerous steps into Jaeger piloting to sacrificing his own life. That final sacrifice is especially important, because it’s one of the best signs of a good leader. The people of the Shatterdome aren’t standing alone; he’s standing with them, side-by-side in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and he’s willing to make every call he’d ask of them. To sacrifice along with them instead of sitting behind a desk and letting other people do the dirty work. He’s determined, he’s driven, he’s Marshal Stacker Freaking Pentecost. And as far as I’m concerned, he’s one of the best men in fiction. Not just science fiction, fiction in general.

And that’s all for my Stacker Pentecost essay! Tune in on January 15th as I get a little bit personal while talking about Newt Geiszler, the nerdlord to end all nerdlords. If you liked what you read and want to help me write more four-page single-spaced essays about the characters of Pacific Rim (I actually started bleeding into a fifth page with this one, someone please stop me), consider leaving a donation on ko-fi or becoming a patron (links in the blog bio). And thanks for reading!

#unsolicited opinion #pacific rim #stacker pentecost #I actually got really emotional writing this one #stacker pentecost is a great character and I'd follow him into the depths of hell with only mild complaining

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calamity-bean · 7 years ago

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hitting you up for some nygmobblepot headcanons of the nsfw variety, if you're comfortable with that :D

Oh my god i’m so sorry it’s taken me this long to answer this one @madelgard, i am THE WORST. But rest assured that I am absolutely comfortable with NSFW headcanons! I feel like these things can be very much dependent on each viewer’s own preferences and interpretations, but I had a lot of fun collecting my thoughts on the subject, and I hope there’s something that suits your fancy here. :)

Putting this under a cut for both length and content … Overly verbose NSFW Nygmobblepot headcanons coming right up!

—First of all, I personally headcanon that sex and sexualityin general have never really been a significant part of Oswald’s life before now. It’sjust not a thing he’s accustomed to feeling much desire for or interest in. As he gets toknow Ed, however … As he falls in love with him, feelings of friendship andgratitude deepening into admiration, wonder, and a bone-deep, unquantifiable senseof true connection … Os finds his gaze lingering on Ed’s mouth and the hollowwhere his neck meets his jaw. What would it taste like to press his tongue tothat hollow? What would it feel like to follow that long neck down to the placewhere it vanishes into Ed’s collar, starched so impeccably, so tight,like hands around his throat, or to run his palms over Ed’s chest? Oswald supposes he’ll probablynever be as interested in sex as some people, and he’s perfectly comfortablewith that, but with Ed … He’s curious. He wants to know Ed. Every part of him, inevery way. He wants to explore and entangle until the boundaries between theirminds, their hearts, their bodies all blur.

—Ed, on the other hand. Ed is a creature of deepdesires, sharp and precise. Sure, he was a virgin till Miss Kringle, and sure,his awkward, buttoned-up demeanor was no act … but just because he’s always been a gentlemandoesn’t mean he hasn’t thought. Hasn’t imagined, sleepless in thegreen glow of his apartment with one hand on his cock and the other between histeeth. Women with their slick thighs and slender ankles, men with theirdangerous fingers and square hips, and Oswald, god, Oswald.Oswald is a masterpiece. Sharp, asymmetrical, utterly unique. All big, cold eyes anddelicate angles, boyish freckles and cruel smirk, so small, but every inch ofhim alluring in the manner of a scalpel blade: beautiful not despite but because ofits capacity to wound. Ed imagines licking the line of Oswald’s clavicle andthinks that if he dared to, his mouth would fill with blood.

—The first time Ed shoves Oswald against a wall and cuts offhis protest with a kiss, they both have blood on their hands. It smears alongOswald’s jaw as Ed holds his face almost too firmly, all teeth and breath and tongue, andOswald staggers beneath such aggression, already forgetting about the manthey’ve just killed. Ed’s hard as a rock against his hipbone, and when hegrinds his erection against him, the shock of it catches in the bloodlust stillracing through Oswald’s veins and spikes it into a whole new rush ofadrenaline, so sudden and alien and intoxicating that it leaves him weak inboth knees. The knife clatters from his hand as he grapples instead for Ed’sshoulders, clings to him like a drowning man and twists the fabric of hisjacket all askew.

—He’s not so pleased when Ed returns the favor to oneof his suit jackets, of course. (That is bespoke!) Oswald’s prickly, finicky temper, the ease with which Ed can ruffle his feathers into a bitter,bitchy snit, becomes a game for Ed, one he plays with delight, because thecloser to a tantrum Oswald is, the easier it is to wind him up withfeather-light kisses and teasing touches toying with the zipper at his fly, andthe more likely Os is to jerk Ed down by the lapels and kiss him with so muchteeth his lips go numb.

—Ed fucks him like it’s dissection. Like Oswald is a puzzlethat needs solving, and the goal is to take him apart, study all his individualpieces, and only put him back together again once he’s become intimatelyfamiliar with the function of each nerve ending, once he’s wrung a reactionfrom each stimulus, once he’s catalogued all the angles of Oswald’s pelvis andthe sounds of every gasp and moan. Let the Penguin have his pretensions inpublic, let him have his titles and his authority and his elegant three-piecesuits — but alone, splayed beneath him in bed, Ed would slit Oswald open fromcock to collarbones if he could, so deep is his hunger to learn all thepeculiarities of what makes this remarkable man tick.

—Ed’s hands are long and wicked, his grin a bit too wide, too full of teeth, and their mutual fumbling inexperience often finds Oswald laughing onemoment (Ed tending to take himself too seriously for laughter, too intent on the puzzle at hand)only for a crooked finger or hard bite to his shoulder to leave him melted andmoaning the next. He likes this, he realizes — being obsessed over. God knows Ed thrives on attention (something Oswald is plenty willing to provide, in gasps and whispers and moans), but Os finds that he, too, thrills at being the focus of such a brilliant and terrifying mind. It’s alittle like being coddled, a perversion of the way his mother used to coddle him (gentle caresses, lips onhis forehead, whispered reassurances that he’s valuable, beautiful, loved), andit’s a little like being under assault (bruises on his hipbones, a handgravitating inexorably toward his windpipe, the adrenaline of danger balanced ona knife’s edge of love and trust) — but most of all, it is power. Ed may be the hungrier one; Ed may usually be the one all but tackling Os onto the settee andripping the buttons off his fine shirts; but Oswald gives as good as he gets,and just the fact that he can make so neat, compulsive, and methodicala man as Edward Nygma spiral out of control carries with it all theheady ego-boosting euphoria of beating an enemy to death. Ed grips his hairhard as Oswald kneels before him, pulls almost painfully as he thrusts intoOswald’s mouth, but even when his hips jerk and stutter and he unthinkinglytwists his hand, Os thinks not of the burn in his scalp, not of the sting inthe back of his throat, not even of the ever-present discomfort of his leg. All he can think about is the tremulous little whimper that Ed lets slip as he comes — a soundthat shatters the sleek persona of the Riddler and takes him back, for amoment, to a gentler version of his lover, more vulnerable and less formed,closer to that overeager puppy of a forensic tech whose bed Oswald first woke up in long ago.

—Afterward, they sprawl together in silence, too unraveledto speak. For once, Ed’s mind is empty; instead of racing thoughts andchatter, his skull feels full of soft, TV-static snow. Oswald drifts sleepily in thewarm contentment of safety, comfort, home. Eventually, though, his tendency toward nesting takes over, and inevitably, he’s the one to prod Ed into wakefulness,rousing him enough to clean up and wriggle under the covers and take his glassesoff before he bends the damn frames. Ed buries his face in the curve ofOswald’s neck, and Oswald smooths his fingers through Ed’s hair, whispering about how clever Ed is, how talented, how handsome and magnificent and smart, and they fallasleep entangled, slotting together perfectly, all the boundaries blurred.

Thanks for the ask!

#nygmobblepot #oswald cobblepot #edward nygma #ed nygma #gotham #ten years later i respond #madelgard #asks #op

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viduamor-moved · 7 years ago

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do u have any headcanons abt natasha's religion? i'm always interested how marvel chara muns tie in their muse's religion w/ the myth based nature of the marvel universe, and with natasha's cultural background it's especially interesting! xoxo

OF LOVE / OF DEATH. thank you SO MUCH for sending this in !!! & in fact, i do !! i’ve been meaning to write about it for … more than a year, honestly but just never got around to it. but that’s changing ———— SHORT ANSWER : I SEE NATASHA AS AGNOSTIC, with a tendency towards belief in some kind of higher power. whether that be GOD or FATE, she has yet to decide.

but i’m sure you’re here for the long answer. IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT SOVIET RUSSIA WAS MILITANTLY ATHEIST. the government seized land & property that was owned by the orthodox church, persecuted & publicly ridiculed or arrested religious followers, & did all that it could to erase orthodoxy ( or even pagan superstitions that were both separate from or intwined with orthodox beliefs —– this marriage between superstition & christian orthodoxy was one of the biggest contributing factors to pre - soviet russia’s rich culture ) from the face of russia. natasha was born about six years after the soviet union was established, & was raised by a soviet soldier for the first ten years of her life before she was put into a soviet orphanage / training facility for about three years ( after which she returned to ivan’s care ). needless to say, natasha grew up without religion. & whatever tidbits of religion she did encounter were heavily implied to be foolish little habits, or archaic beliefs that nostalgic laymen who were useless to the soviet stubbornly clung to. but that would be an oversimplification, i think. there were still people who had not yet reached their middle age when nat was reaching her adolescence, who were born before the bolshevik revolution, who still held to orthodoxy or tradition in some way, who found it hard to let go no matter how much they tried to in public. in reading DEATHLESS by catherynne m valente, i found a small passage that i think perfectly sums up these people born before the revolution, still holding to their traditions:

IVAN HISSED THROUGH HIS TEETH & MADE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS. IT WAS A BAD HABIT, CROSSING YOURSELF, BUT LIKE BITING FINGERNAILS, HARD TO BREAK. catherynne valente - deathless, chapter 14.

no matter what the people soviet or the government did, they could never truly erase religion from russia. still, they tried their best, & their best meant a generation born into the USSR that found itself to be atheist. NATASHA WAS AMONG THEM. in her prime, she became a member of russia’s ELITE, married to the premiere test pilot, previously trained under THE WINTER SOLDIER himself, becoming the BLACK WIDOW in the early 1960′s. the concept of ‘ GOD ‘ was never on her mind. the only higher power she looked to was THE STATE, MOTHER RUSSIA, & THE PEOPLE SHE SERVED. but that changed when she defected in the late 60′s.

it is nothing less than understandable that once natasha defected from the USSR to the west, she underwent a major shift in thinking. she doubted her identity, she doubted her homeland, she doubted everything they made her believe, & when she finished doubting, she started BELIEVING.

I GAVE UP ONE COUNTRY FOR ANOTHER. ONE COUNTRY FOR AN IDEAL. I DIDN’T THINK OF IT THAT WAY AT THE TIME. CALL ME CRAZY. BUT I JUST WANTED TO BE FREE. natasha romanova, name of the rose (2010), #1

& free she became. free to love, free to choose, free to THINK & BELIEVE in what she wanted, how she wanted. the atheism she was raised with, she looked upon the same way as everything else the soviets tried to make her believe. she looked at herself critically, & she made herself someone new. but in terms of direct beliefs, natasha did not rethink them immediately. i’d say it was a slow process, via exposure rather than searching.

during the 60′s - 70′s, america was still a very protestant / evangelical nation, & belief in God was pretty commonplace, & natasha definitely picked up on this. her first real, substantial interaction with a devout believer was MATT MURDOCK, her on/off boyfriend for nearly a decade, her fwb ever since, who as we all know is fundamentally catholic. though never addressed on - panel in the 70′s daredevil run, i’d say that natasha was shifting from atheism to agnosticism during their relationship. however, religiously, things got a little more complicated when natasha began a relationship with HERCULES. yes, that hercules. ancient greek god, heracles, son of zeus, figure of myth. of course, we cannot forget that natasha also had a teammate in THOR when she joined the avengers. as someone who was not exposed to the concept of a god for the first thirty or so years of her life, this was no doubt somewhat of a shock, even if she never showed it. assimilating into a nation that believed freely, being close to a devout catholic, knowing two separate gods from two separate pagan religions … it threw her for a loop. but it also opened up a whole new world for her in terms of how people actually view their religions.

as a christian myself, God is a being that is so intrinsic to my life —— i literally do not know how i could live without Him. & i think that through the people she was around, especially matthew, natasha saw this. & through interacting with hercules & thor, natasha realized that all these ancient beliefs, these religions, could have some truth in them since their deities actually EXISTED. but still, there remains a distinction between how natasha views pagan religions whose figures she personally knows, & how she views a God that she cannot see. she knows hercules exists, she knows thor exists. she has been to mount olympus & conversed with the pantheon, she has seen odin, fought alongside brunnhilde, against loki ——– she knows without a doubt that these deities exist. but she does not pray to them, she does not devote her life to them, she merely acknowledges that they are there. & frankly, if we’re just talking about hercules, she’d much rather tell him what to do in a team setting, & sleep with him, than offer him prayers & supplication.

but if there were a God that natasha would believe in, if there were a God that would define natasha’s agnosticism, it would be the abrahamic God. she knows the pagan gods exist, but from what she sees of them, their power is limited. they fight, they make the worst of humans, & are far too hot headed & proud for her taste. what she has heard of the abrahamic God, however, is that he is good, merciful, perhaps omnipotent, & grants salvation even to those who do not deserve it. AS SOMEONE WHO HAS DONE SO MUCH WRONG IN HER LIFE, is steeped in sin, kills like it is nothing, & hides so many secrets within her heart, this God, this concept of a higher power is one that is attractive to her. but for a person this complex, it’s not that simple. as someone described above, she is also a person who has SEEN so much evil in this world. she has seen men fight, millions of people die in war & of starvation, & it is extremely difficult for her to reconcile such a world with a creator that lets it fester like it does. but she also believes that without a higher power, without anything watching over the world, she & everyone else is practically screwed. in terms of her own belief & how it applies to her, she also can’t quite … wrap her head around sin, & how her own sins can be forgiven. in MARVEL KNIGHTS vol. 1, natasha visits a church & goes to confession. the first time in a very long time, she admits, & what she says is quite telling.

BEGIN WITH THE LEAST OF YOUR SINS.AREN’T ALL SINS EQUAL ? DOESN’T EACH ONE OF THEM CONDEMN US TO THE SAME FATE ? IS THERE REALLY A DEGREE TO SIN, FATHER ? AM I EXCUSED BECAUSE THE SINS I COMMITTED WERE IN THE CAUSE OF GOOD ? CAN HE SEE THAT THE DEED IS SOMETIMES ISOLATED FROM THE SOUL ? DOES GOD SOMETIMES LOOK AWAY ? natasha romanova, marvel knights vol. 1, #1

these are not the words of a woman who does not entertain the belief in a higher power. NOR are these the words of a woman who believes with clarity that this higher power can be defined. & at the end of the day, though she may mull over what she believes about God when she drifts to sleep, she does not have the time nor energy to devote herself to a higher power, especially when her life is already given to helping people herself.

though she does not yet know where she stands, she does have a high respect for those who do practice religion, or even just for the concept of a God. & it has seemed to me that she thinks it is a concept that SHOULD be respected, & untouched by those who would seek to taint it. there are two instances that come to mind ( both from black widow vol. 5 ), the first when natasha is fighting against a man who calls himself the HAMMER OF GOD. natasha thinks this is ridiculous, insane, & tells him that she thinks that somehow, God cannot hear his prayers over his machine gun. the other instance is when the ‘ translator ‘ of CHAOS / the PROPHET, is offering natasha a part in their new movement to rid the world of evil, through means that natasha does not support. she ridicules him by saying that he cannot pretend to be jesus, that he does not have the right to be the final arbiter of good nor to take away people’s will. both of these instances are never explained in terms of natasha’s beliefs, & i think are left there to be interpreted as one wishes, but to me in context of natasha’s entire history, they are indicators of a leaning towards belief, of an acknowledgment of a God, a higher power, but nothing further.

ALL OF THAT SAID, i return to my short answer: natasha considers herself agnostic, & perhaps with a side of deism that she can’t quite put a finger on. to me, she is definitely NOT atheist, which is what fanon / fandom so loves to pigeonhole her as. but it’s not that simple, & there’s ample evidence sprinkled across her canon that says otherwise, much of which i probably haven’t even touched on here. i hope this answers your question, & i’m sorry if this was messy or complicated ——- there’s just so much to consider. religion is never something easy, because it isn’t just a set of frivolous beliefs, it’s a way of life. this is no different for natasha. & since she herself is so complex, so multi - faceted, it only makes sense that her own beliefs are the same.

#i. OSNOVNOY. ❝ ʰᵉᵃᵈᶜᵃᶰᵒᶰ / ᵐᵉᵗᵃ ❞ › remain hidden.#oh my go jfkdlsfsd this is so freaking LONG #i'm sorry this took a while too !!!#but this is ..... this is like two years of thought finally written down #i've been putting this off for so long but here it is finally LMAO #ii. VNE. ❝ ᶤᶰᵇᵒˣ ❞ › anonymous.#ii. VNE. ❝ ᶤᶰᵇᵒˣ ❞ › response.#long post for ts

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childrenofathoria-rp-blog · 8 years ago

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◆Out Of Character Information◆

Name/Age: Admin Raven, 24 Preferred Pronouns: She/Her Timezone: EST Desired Character: Eris McKenna

◆Character Information◆ (1) What pronouns will your character be using? Would you like to list their sexuality at this time?:She/her - Bisexual (2) Any changes or comments? Nope! (3) Why this character?

I always wanted to play a witch! Our entire lore surrounding them and their connection to the Fae is so interesting. I miss playing a character with elemental powers and I’ve yet to play one with fire abilities. Eris is one of the few gifted humans around with ties to dark magic and, to be honest, I’m like feeding my demon muse through her a bit. Her presence in-game would be refreshing and since she’s not in a clan, she has a lot of autonomy. She’s very different from Nita and while they both have anger issues, Eris is a lot more unhinged. Not to mention that Eris would be one of the first characters that I play that isn’t a warrior. (4) Interpret this character:

I feel like power is something that drives Eris more than anything. She isn’t interested in ruling or leading, I think she seeks immortality or perhaps god-hood, even. She believes that witches are the superior species between all others, but the one thing that holds them back is their mortality. Eris doesn’t think it’s fair that they were born with such abilities, but can only use them to extend their lives, not preserve them. The sorceress despises the limits placed on gifted humans by the Guild and hopes to do away with them one day.

I suppose the sins she leans towards most is wrath and greed. I plan to play her anger as something that can begin as a slow simmer that evolves into wildfire when agitated. She has little patience with meek or rude people and demands respect without having earned it. If she feels that her pride is threatened, she will not hesitate to retaliate. Eris can be quite haughty in nature and loves playing the seducer; she has no trouble with using her sexuality for personal gain. Eris’ name means “strife” and she’ll surely lives up to that namesake.

As cliche as it sounds, I headcanon that Eris comes from a prominent line of fire mages, but her father had an affinity for water. When her magic bloomed, she took to water magic naturally despite her obsession with fire. Through practice and hard work, Eris became moderately skilled in the fire elemental area, but knew she lacked the proper connection to truly master it. This was one of the factors that drove her to make her bargain with Xaphan. Her affinity for water faded completely after the deal’s conclusion. I think it’s ironic that she basically cheated her way to achieve power and it’s likely one of her biggest secrets.

I consider Eris to be a bit of loner, someone who doesn’t truly have friends, but allies. She’s not a good person and I’d love to see her possibly build some meaningful connections. I imagine she’d have some animosity toward the Mighty Oak coven, I headcanon that her mother had ties with them, but wasn’t exactly a member. A personal endgame I have in mind for her is to meet her end at the Guild’s hands, perhaps with assistance from the Mighty Oak Coven.

When it comes to other species, I think she’s extremely curious about the Fae and the creature who sired her mother’s line. After a bit of research I learned that her surename McKenna(which is Irish) comes from the old Gaelic name “MacCionaodha” which meant “child of Aodh’s love”. Aodh was the name of a Celtic fae god of fire. So I’d like to take this piece of real life myth and give it an Athorian spin by including that Fae in her lineage and possibly future plots. While she may feel some sense of pride for gifted humans, she looks down on those who limit themselves. She gravitates toward the like-minded mages of Leeds, rather than those who live in the forest.

Eris is very intrigued by vampires and wants to learn how they came to be. She is wary of them but has been known to take one to her bed every now and again. On other hand, she is quite indifferent toward werewolves and has no fear of the beasts. Eris is knowledgeable of Reapers and has yet to meet an Angel. She is greatly interested in Specters though and using them to connect to the netherworld they’re tethered to.

With Nate’s plans to expand Athoria, she has grown extremely wary of the crown and Nate’s ambitions. She still plans to seek out Lords like Theo to learn all that she can about the Athors. In addition to her penchant for divulging secrets, she has plans to finally gain access to the Ravenswood library. She knows there are spell books and tomes that might be beneficial to her goals.

The dark witch is a master fire mage and is a great conjurer, and is proficient with harnessing shadows. While she has knowledge of necromancy, she doesn’t practice it and leans toward blood and demonic magic.

Eris’ wand is fashioned from silver due to the corrupt nature of her magic. Wooden wands are easily reduced to cinder from even the most basic spells. Silver is a high level conductor of magic that carries energies instead of storing it. On each side of the wand are gems that act as conduits for magical energy. ◆ Interview Questions ◆

(1) Question One: Did you have any regrets about sacrificing your mother?

“I loved my mother, yes, but she and I never got along. She always asked why I couldn’t be more like my cousin – pious, quiet, and obedient. From the day my magic bloomed, she tried to quell that fire in me. A parent is supposed to accept their children for what they are, correct? All she did was try to change me, so that I could be what she wanted. And when she realized that I would not change, she attempted to force it upon me by trying to strip me of my magic. Instead of letting me walk my own path, my mother intended for me to suffer, magicless and empty, in this beautiful world. To take my magic would mean to take my soul; to take my soul means to kill me. So I gave her to my lord, Xaphan, and I have not regret it since.” (2) Question Two: Do you have a favorite type of fire spell?

“Elemental spells are definitely my favorite type. There is so much one can do with fire, it can be used to create, purify, or destroy…but I tend to lean towards the last, of course. If you want specifics, then my favorite spell is one called Nova Mortis. The user speaks the required incantation and kisses the victim on the lips, transferring a tiny ember into the body. Over time, the ember blossoms, cooking them from the inside out. It is a slow process, though and if you look closely, you can see the fire dancing in their veins. ◆Writing Sample:◆

Eris seemed to drift silently through the brush as she walked. At her flank, her mother, Minerva, lied in a shadow-forged cocoon. She trapped her in a stasis and bound her in shackles that nullified magic. All it took was a simple lie and some crocodile tears and she had her mother ensnared. She’d been so relieved to hear what she finally wanted — that Eris would give into her wishes and be the obedient daughter. Minerva hadn’t even sensed the potion in her wine, not until it was too late. Now, she was being lead to Eris’ den. The hide-out was a warded cave north of Grimsby. She needed to be away from Hallowed Oak, a place where the Green Man couldn’t listen and his hags would pry at the spike of demonic energy.

Once inside, she lowered her mother onto the stone altar. Everything was already in place. Candles lined the altar’s round edges, sitting at each point of the pentagram. In the arm of each star lied runes and sigils, written in blood. A few yards away from the altar lied the summoning circle that her lord would emerge from.“Céimnithe.” Eris uttered, dispersing the shadows.“Ardú.” She said, with a snap of her fingers.

Minerva jolted awake, mouth taking in air as if she’d been drowning. Her green eyes went to her daughter, an expression of betrayal in them. “Whatever you plan on doing, Eris, I beg you…do not to it. Please…”

The dark mage merely gave her a hateful glare, hands working a mortar and pestle. “Where was my mercy, Mother?” She sprinkled herbs and spices into the bowl, mixing in the blood of a ram and boar — Xaphan’s sacred animals. “You tried to kill me as well, you know.”

“I tried to banish your magi—”

Eris cut her off. “There is no difference!”

“You needed to be saved from yourself!” Minerva retorted. “I am your mother and I must protect you, no matter the cost. If you continue down this path, the Guild will have you killed. I cannot let that happen!”

“Who are they to tell me how to use my magic? My. Magic. We can bend the very energies of this world to our will and we must limit ourselves and shy away from power. They’d rather we live our mortal lives praying to the fae, false idols, and obscure gods. They’d rather we sit in a circle and sing to that fucking tree you call a deity!” It was fortunate that no one could hear them from the outside, otherwise all of Athoria could hear them argue. “My god is not bound to the earth, a true god breaks their chains…a true god is a being beyond this world.” Eris pressed a hand to her mother’s brow, the gesture almost loving in nature. “Fortunately, you will have eternity to comprehend his power.”

Her mother began to weep. It was as if she had finally realized how far her daughter had gone, that perhaps she pushed her to this point. “I love you, Eris. You are my daughter, my only child. Please…”

The woman’s hand moved to Minerva’s throat, squeezing. “You never loved me…not truly. Not the way you should. All I ever heard growing up was stories of our line, the Fire-Born beloved children of the Fae called Aodh.” She released her mother, allowing her to breathe. “I’ll never forget that look on your face when you saw me by the river those years ago, when you realized I was like my father. All that talk of the McKenna blood and legacy…and I was the imperfection. From the moment I was born you projected your expectations on me, wished me to be anything other than what I am.” A blissful smile colored Eris’ features. “Well now…I’ll be free of you.”

Eris didn’t bother to let her mother respond. With single word, the woman was silenced for as long as she willed it. The sorceress placed the bowl in the middle of the summoning circle and grasped her spellbook. Kneeling before the circle, she turned to the proper page, letting her aura loose. In an old, crude tongue she began to speak the incantation. The spell’s notes said the language was called Dimoori Sheol, the language of the damned. Every syllable tugged at her soul, sending pulses of dark energy through her frame. The process wasn’t nearly as taxing as the first time she summoned Xaphan. Her book indicated that the user’s first time would require a sacrifice of their life force, as a gesture of devotion. This time, Xaphan only required an offering.

The red witch’s eyes cast white as her head tilted toward the ceiling. Her spell shook the very walls and caused the candles in the space to flare. The ingredients within the bowl began to smoke and bubble until it overflowed. Her mixture disintegrated the dish and pooled to the circle’s edges. The boiling grew violent, the smoke thicker until it filled the space in a haze of brimstone. At the incantation’s climax, the ichor caught fire and from it, a form began to rise. The blue of Eris’ eyes returned and she gazed upon her lord with revere.

“Eris, my most loyal, you’ve come to bargain?” Xaphan asked. His form changed from one shape to the next, each appearance more horrifying than the one before.

“Yes, my lord, Xaphan.” Eris rose to her feet and turned to her mother. The poor woman had soiled herself in the demon’s presence. Her eyes were wide with fear as she trembled. “I have brought my mother, as promised. Her soul is yours to command.”

The demon’s laugh sent a shudder through her. “And what would you have in exchange?” He inquired, already knowing the answer.

“Power. I want the fire to be mine as it is yours. To ruin those who would stand in my way and wreak havoc in your name.”

Xaphan smiled at her reply, his form writhing against the circle’s bounds. “Then give her to me and your sacrifice shall be rewarded,”

Eris stood at her mother’s side, face softened by her impending sorrow. She couldn’t hear Minerva’s pleas for mercy, but she read them on her lips. Perhaps that was why she silenced her, so that she couldn’t be convinced to do so. Despite their turbulent relationship, Eris loved her mother, otherwise it wouldn’t be a true sacrifice. During her time with a coven of conjurers, she learned that nothing was gained without loss. Everything had a price and if one wasn’t willing to pay, then they didn’t deserve it. “Your death will not be in vain.” Eris said, raising a dagger of fire. “Chuid eile i tine.” She plunged the knife into Minerva’s heart, unsilencing her to hear the screams.

If she wouldn’t let her plead for her life, she could at least hear her die. Tears streamed down Eris’ cheeks as the fire engulfed her mother. While Minerva’s body burned on the altar, the light of her soul fluttered from the ashes. The ball of energy hovered just above Eris’ hand as she guided it to Xaphan, dropping to one knee. “I have done as you asked, she is yours my Prince.” She pushed Minerva’s soul into the circle and watched as the demon fed it through serrated teeth.

“It is done, my child. Do not weep, rejoice in your gift.” He said.

Eris then felt a burning in her chest. The pain was so intense, that she sank to the floor. For a moment, she thought Xaphan deceived her. Yet when she looked down, she saw her heart glow orange-red beneath her skin. The fire candlefire matched the pattern of her breath and she felt like the very sun lived in her veins. By the time she looked up, Xaphan was gone and only the crackle of fire remained.

#athoria accepted #lsrpg #supernatural rpg #magic rpg #medieval rpg

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