#ergo: a lion (!)(?)

[bonefall]

i can’t help that feel like 350 calories per cat per day across 5 clans (150 some odd cats!!!) is more prey than there is! even with really generous cooking estimates you’d need to catch a rabbit or two or a large fish or something per clan every single day of the year. i feel like that would really mess up prey populations, wouldn’t it? i know animals have a lot of babies, but 3,650 rabbits’ worth of calories every year (not to mention what other predators like foxes, snakes, and hawks are eating) feels like too much for one territory. are we assuming that there’s more prey than there is or do i just not know how much offspring animals produce?

WELL, there's a lot of factors here, but you are actually organically figuring out something true and horrifying. BB!Cats are sapient, able to understand their impact on the environment and ergo manage it, but feral domestic cats are devastating to local ecosystems.

Not even because of caloric need btw just because of how much they hunt, and their odd behaviors.

The Bad

There is a reason why predator populations are so massively outnumbered by prey species. One rabbit would feed a single cat for days, but one colony is typically 3 - 15 cats. Most predators are solitary, or have "loose" social structures spread out over many partially overlapping territories covering miles (like alligators)! but something changed when cats were domesticated, and they now seek out dense social units unlike their wild ancestors.

That's why the only social wild cats are lions. Lion prides are extremely flexible, ranging from 3 to upwards of 30 members, and their populations are going to depend completely on how much prey they have access to. Even the shocking "infanticide" thing that male lions are notorious for serves an ecological purpose; less lions means more meat, so every cub that isn't yours is a future rival.

(tangent: the largest lion prides actually set up in major migration "hubs," where there is a constant influx of traveling animals. Not really an "ecosystem" where the pride can damage the population.)

But now domestic cats are doing this, in ecosystems that can't support them and never had predators that behave like them. They compete with the local mesopredators ("middle" hunters that hunt small game but are killed by larger predators. Ex: raptors, snakes, caniforms like foxes or raccoons, etc) and put extra pressure on prey populations.

But that's not the worst part.

In nature, there are Predator-Prey cycles. When there's too many predators, they decrease the prey population. When there's not enough prey, the predators starve and their population lowers. Here is a graph of this phenomenon;

In this way, starvation is required for an ecosystem to stay healthy. It's how nature regulates.

But human beings feed cat colonies.

So colonies end up hitting DOZENS of cats. Upwards of 30 in a tiny area. The sizes you see in canon WC and in BB are TWICE the size of what a feral cat colony typically reaches. In the real world, this is because humans feed them. They HAVE to starve to lower the population, and make no mistake, these are slow, painful deaths.

"But, if we feed the colony, then they're not hunting the local prey, right? Because they're not hungry?" INCORRECT. THEY ARE ANIMALS. Cats are not humans with our sense of morality and long-term consequences. Hunting is only partially driven by hunger, it's also driven by prey drive. Even an outdoor cat, who gets all their meals at home, is killing an average of 90 animals a year.

(note: you may hear the number "they kill 3.5 animals a day." That is a misreading of this study which says 3.5 animals a month based on owner reports; but better study shows they only bring about 18% of their kills home.)

I could get into why I'm actually not a big fan of TNR as a conservation strategy because of this, but in a nutshell, the best solution to feral cat population management overall is (expensive) high-intensity TNR (70% or more) PAIRED with (inexpensive) removal/euthanasia and other methods (like banning colony feeding). PURE high-intensity TNR takes up to 30 years to remove a cat colony in computer simulations. And they keep killing wild animals that whole time.

(tangent: you may come across articles that say that killing feral cats doesn't work. This is often based on this Tasmanian case study by Lazenby et all, where they trapped and removed cats, only to find an influx of subordinate "satellite" individuals that filled the vacuum that the previously established individuals left and increased the overall population. This is a well-documented phenomenon of predator control. They don't tell you that this is short-term and also happens with TNR, just over a longer timeline, as discussed in the above studies, and the solution is to mix methods and make sure that these programs are carried out systemically, NOT ONLY in one limited range.)

So... feral cat colonies with totally realistic needs are very harmful to local ecosystems. They are animals, and they are an invasive species. Keep your cats indoors please

The Good

But BB!Cats and Canon!Cats aren't just animals. These are cats with governments and religion. They do understand long-term consequences.

Even on the page in-canon, they show an understanding that prey comes from breeding (unlike, say, a medieval human who believed in spontaneous generation), WindClan doesn't disturb lapwings during their nesting season showing a basic understanding of ecology, and they even have a law against food waste. Like it or not, these aren't realistic cats. They are small humans with a fuzzy little kitty coat tossed over them.

So we can actually reasonably assume that Clan cats are modifying their behavior so they aren't the ecosystem-shredders that their real-world counterparts are, like;

Hunting over a wider area and having a large territory (so to address you directly anon, their territories are not as small as you might think they are)

Taking the pressure off specific areas by sending their hunting patrols to various parts of their territory

Avoiding hunting animals during their breeding and nesting seasons.

Not killing animals that are pregnant or nursing

Leaving baby animals alone so they grow into bigger food items

Not killing what they don't plan to eat

Intentionally varying their diet so they take a little from many populations.

Hunting animals that real cats don't usually target, like fawns, seagulls, and young boars.

Breeding their own prey, if you're willing to do a little domestication innovation

If you're VERY cool, give them fire. go on. do it. 20% to 50% caloric increase is prettyyy cooool~

But also, you may be underestimating just how many babies prey species produce. Let's use rabbits because these things are insane. They weren't lying, rabbits can breed like rabbits.

European rabbits (and all the domestic breeds they are descended from) have a double womb. That means that when they've given birth to their litter of 4 - 12 babies (usually 6), they can already be pregnant with the next. Gestation is a month. These babies are able to leave their mothers at 2 months and can breed by 4 months. They can have 10 litters a year.

So a SINGLE rabbit COULD have well over 100 bunnies a year... but rabbit warrens are usually 10 - 50, mostly females, plus a bunch of bucks who are more solitary and more likely to travel around. And you're gonna have multiple warrens on a territory.

Low litter estimate, small warren; 10 x 4 x 10 = 400 bunnies. Big litter estimate, big warren; 50 x 12 x 10 = 6,000 bunnies.

That said, most estimates say they functionally end up with 20 adult children a year, which then go on to breed at four months. That's still 200 rabbits a year coming out of that small warren ALONE, and isn't counting the fact that those children are also going to have children of their own.

(though, rabbits in particular are facing a massive crisis in england and even across europe because of two diseases that hit them one after another OTL but it's not related to predation.)

Don't forget that a territory also has more than just rabbits. This is also happening with mice, rats, ducks, sparrows, voles, etc. Like I said, if your cats just diversify the prey they hunt in response to population changes, they'll be golden. In BB I even have a role dedicated to this now; the Head of Hunting, who is tasked with assessing this sort of thing.

SO, to answer you directly;

Feral Cats Bad

WC characters have more in common with a small human than a cat

Pure carnivores are pretty demanding on their ecosystems

There is plenty an intelligent creature can do to reduce their impact on the ecosystem

Their territories could still support them along with the other predators

You did underestimate just how many babies prey animals have, though

Overall, they would be fine. You COULD overhunt a territory, but not with basic prey management practices.

[funficwriter]

A Wolf And A Snake (Wriothesley x Reader)

A little dark fairy tale I want to write~

A/N: GOOD GOLLY I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS! First off, let me warn you that this is a multi-chapter story. Each one gets more and more dark, this is just the light stuff (in comparison to what I have planned). I will do my best to have C2 out ASAP, but as I'm a grad student, it might be a while. But be assured that I am very excited for this story, so I'll do my best to write loads for it!

Synopsis: Being a noble meant that marriage was a chess game, not an affair of love. Unfortunately for the pristine Balthazar family of Fontaine, Y/N has long been enamored with love and sought it out before their priorities. After her grey, boring time of courtesy and fake niceness, she meets Duke Wriothesley, who makes her yearn for the first time in her life, and it's the same for him. Threatened by the idea of losing this first, it seems they'll stop at very little to be together...

Warnings for this chapter: Sexist marriage system, yandere Wriothesley, kinda OOC Wriothesley, yandere fem!reader, mention of sexual blackmailing (1)

Chapter 1: A Breakthrough

As a child, you loved reading. Your parents would worry about it, because while being articulate and cultured were good and necessary, you were still a girl of one of Fontaine's royal families. They didn't want you asking questions you should not, but all they could do was limit your selection by a margin you wouldn't doubt.

You liked fairy tales of all sorts. They were so intriguing through several concepts. The one that got the lion's share of your attention was love. So many of your stories ended the same way that made you warm and fuzzy: The girl is reunited with the boy she loves, he declares the same, and they're together forever. How sweet!

When you asked further about love, you'd get one of two answers. The first was: "Look at your mother and father. That's love.". However, it failed to satisfy you; While they were courteous to each other, and even made contact every now and then, they were so... Cold in comparison to your fairy tales. The dissonance could confuse an adult, never mind a child.

The second was: "Love is essentially your marriage! Once you're a little older, you'll have suitors competing for your hand, and one will be your love!".

Marriage. A funny little word that you so desperately wanted to understand beyond the technical definition. Being the daughter of a baron, you were practically raised with the word more than your parents telling you that they loved you. While a baron was among the lower royal titles, it was still a part of Fontainian royalty. Ergo, you had to take marriage seriously. Of course, marrying above your father's rank (cough, cough- A high-ranked Count or Duke-) was a pinnacle of success.

When you came of age, many predicted that you'd fare well. You were quite pretty, and with the elite tutoring you have received, you were poised, graceful... You were ready to socialize not as the baron's cute daughter, but as the lovely young Lady Balthazar, considering suitors.

Only, they missed one thing. That perfect girl I mentioned would care about love, but being a good girl, she'd prioritize standing, finances, power and the like beyond it. While you liked being taken care of, that wasn't enough. You wanted to marry like the girls in fairy tales. For your world being flipped upside down in the most beautiful way. For love.

------------------

"Oh, remember Baron Balthazar's little daughter? She's now a maiden!".

"I saw her! She had truly inherited her grandmother's legendary beauty! I nearly choked when I first saw her-".

"And her mind is just as gorgeous! Earlier, we got to talk about Fontainian literature. I've never met such a cultured girl her age!".

It's not like you hated the praises. The party as a whole was just that: Okay. You met many unwed nobles, each being more shocked with you. With each one, your father beamed a little brighter, your mother squealed a little higher, to the point where you started questioning if there was a time where they were this happy with you.

"The nobles are enamored. Many are Dukes or Counts! This is going better than I imagined!".

Your mother turned to you: "Well, dear? Aren't you happy? Not many maidens have the opportunity to brag about bagging such important persons as you did.".

Again, nothing wrong with the (potential) suitors in particular. Everyone was nice and well-mannered, some even interesting to talk to. You'd love to have such friends, and that was your issue; Your feelings towards them did not go beyond: "I'd like being his friend.". No spark of attraction, no coup de foudre, nothing that could kickstart the feeling of love you wanted to chase, yet seldom had an idea of. With time, this would get boring. Would you really have to marry someone you found boring?

Alas, you knew the answer deep down. Unless the best suitor was also someone you fell for, you'd be lucky to go with someone you kinda liked. As you grew older, you realized that most marriages within your class were business deals, not affairs of love. Your own mother admitted that she married your father to consolidate the union between the two families.

When you were younger, you often asked her if she loved him. She'd say 'yes' without a second thought. Now, as you were heading into this, she'd tell you: "Yes, but what does it matter next to the benefits you enjoy today?".

"Mother, can I please go grab a cupcake? I didn't eat yet.".

"Alright then! Just remember, be sociable and talk as much as you can, and eat gracefully! Just like we said, and-"

"I will, I promise!".

The last thing you felt like was another etiquette lesson. At least you had some luck with food; There was one more chocolate cupcake left, and no one else seemed interested. Perhaps it would cheer you up a bit.

Celestia works in funny ways, though. Just as you reached out for it, another gloved hand landed on its other side, immediately stopping with yours. Despite your hunger, your attention diverted to the silver glove. All the men here were nobles, so he had to be too. You never saw one wearing chains and a wolf as an insignia, of all animals.

"Oh... Forgive me, I-"

Once you heard that baritone, there was no going back. You looked up to see a man quite unlike the preppy nobles you had to entertain all night. His scarred, rough appearance enthralled you more, for it was unlike anything you ever saw. And perhaps it was out of unfamiliarity, but you thought him quite gorgeous in comparison to the others.

"Oh, erm- Good evening, my Lord! Terribly sorry if I interrupted your break...".

"...No, no. It's fine, young lady, you can have it.".

"But... Um..."

The ensuing awkwardness was unbearable, but an idea emerged into your head. You split the cupcake, making sure it didn't crumb too much, then handed him one half: "Here you go, my Lord.".

He revealed a stunned expression, as if seeing something for the first time. Then he smiled and accepted the half. The grin was the most beautiful you saw on a man. It made your heart beat faster, and despite the fall, you felt stuffy and hot in that moment.

Just what the hell was going on?

"Um... May I inquire as to who you might be?".

"Of course, young Lady Balthazar. I am Wriothesley, from the Fortress of Meropide.".

You almost choked upon hearing his name. That's Duke Wriothesley! Is he? When you heard of him, you imagined a scary, much older man who didn't socialize much. On the rare occasion he did, he'd probably be left alone, with no social opportunity. And yet here you were, sharing a cupcake with him, accepting his leaning into you to listen... Among his tousled hair, the wolf ears perked your interest, too.

"I see! Forgive my surprise. It's just that I only ever heard of you."

"Don't worry, I understand.".

He was so... Appealing. You wanted those icy eyes on you. You wanted the excitement, the joy they cause by being posed on you. The only way to do that was have his attention. So you were done with awkwardness for now, and decided to try to chat.

"So, what brings you out on this fine night, Your Grace?".

"As you see, I spend most of my time in the Fortress. I don't socialize much, but I thought I needed a change of scenery.".

"That's good for the soul, I presume. How do you feel about the festivities?".

That grin was going to be the death of you, but better that than boredom. On one hand, you hoped you wouldn't be diagnosed with palpitations by the end of the night. On the other, you'd happily have a heart attack if it meant he smiled at you more.

"I should be asking you that. You're the star of this party, are you not? As soon as I walked in, all I heard was raving about the Balthazars' youngest daughter.".

"But there are many young, pretty girls walking around. Any of them could be the lady in question. How did you know it was me?".

"Accurate descriptions. I also heard the young Lady Balthazar is of the court's most empathetic. One sharing her favorite pastry sounds like that.".

You were having such a good time with him. You couldn't help laughing: "To be fair, I wouldn't want anyone to be deprived of chocolate when it's there.".

It was his turn to chuckle.

Please never stop laughing, or talking, or breathing. Please keep leaning my way. Please keep liking chocolate so we can share. Actually, stay with me for the rest of the night. Oh Focalors, please please please let him send Father a declaration of courting, and let him approve because I don't see a ring and I don't know why I like him so much-

As you carried on friendly conversation, something in you kept the train of thought going. You liked this man a lot... More than many other men you've met. More than any other man, maybe. He was funny, for one. He had no problem eliciting laughter from you. Like all the other nobles, he liked tea and music and engaged in politics. But he asked you lots of questions and heard you out. You even tried detecting a hint of surprise or disgust that you occasionally received, had you talked too much; None was found.

The real sealer was when he liked literature. But unlike the other nobles, he didn't just read the few titles that trended or made a name. He read, and so did you.

"This is the first time I've told someone I like lycanthrope literature and received a kind response.".

"And it's my first time seeing someone be appreciative of lycanthrope artistic culture, especially the books. Have you read Tale of a Toy-Making Werewolf? What did you think of the ending?".

He was amazing. He was awesome and charming and everything good. You were about to voice out your thoughts, until you heard murmurs behind you that maybe were meant to be heard.

"Not to be judgmental, but young Lady Balthazar has spent quite a bit of time with Lord Wriothesley...".

"Earlier she talked with many other fine gentlemen, like Duke Archandelle or Count Evermore... Why is she sticking onto him, of all people? I mean, he's a fine gentleman, but you know how it looks for a maiden...".

"Hehehe! I wonder what Baron Balthazar will think of this arrangement?".

His ears perked up at the gossip, and for the first time throughout your encounter, he scowled. He couldn't do so at them, lest your name gets dragged in worse mud. He liked you a lot, too much to make you get in trouble for him. But by the stars, how he wanted to. After years of stillness, he found someone who just... Understood him. Liked him off the bat, showed promise of the greater bond he's been looking for, for years. Then here comes those stupid 'good, high class girl' rules to halt your interaction.

Celestia, he looks terrifying and gorgeous.

"Listen, if you wish to take some distance, please don't feel ashamed about it. I understand how... Ruthless the rules for socializing are for a blossoming lady.".

"No.".

Your look towards the gossipers barely lasted a minute, as if they were barely worth your gaze. You looked back up at him: "I want to stay with you, but I'm not sure how. Oh. Wait...".

You took off to your mother's, and made it a point to say hi to Count Evermore again, just for good measure. A part of you couldn't believe you were doing this, screaming at you to abort the plan. You could get in trouble if you were found out, but hey, they wanted you to meet men and marry. You wanted to marry someone you loved. Maybe with time, you could find a middle ground, starting with this action.

"Mom, I talked to Count Evermore again.".

"Wonderful, wonderful, dear! Be sure to give some attention to Duke Arya, and-".

"I will, but I might faint from the stuffy air. I just need a minute in the powder room to fix myself up.

She didn't look too pleased, half expecting this: "But you were gone just now.".

"But I socialized, and I will continue once I'm back.".

"Well, alright then. I guess you should take a minute to look nice. Be back sooner than Duke Arya leaves.".

You took off, desperate to find Wriothesley again. You had to entertain a few nobles, but did so meagerly. You didn't want them. You wanted Duke Wriothesley, Lord of the Fortress of Meropide, Keeper of Justice and (not officially but kinda by existing) Advocate for Hybrid Rights.

Speak of the devil, he appeared in your vision again. He immediately lost interest in the art in front of him. You nodded towards the door and took off before anyone else could huddle you up.

Oh. Oh, he got it. You weaseled a way and some time for you. Truly, there's more to you than what meets the eye. He loved how such an angelic-looking, (supposedly) pure noble girl could lie as such to see him. The smirk at the thought did not leave his face.

"I know the roof is pretty private, Your Grace. Let's head there.".

"Actually, there's a stop I wanted to make first. Follow me.".

You both headed off to the kitchen. You were a little confused at the choice. It was still crowded, so you could get caught. He told you to wait outside for a bit.

"Wriothesley! We could get caught here!".

This was far too amusing. Far too much.

"First, you pay more attention to one man over everyone else in the ballroom, during your own coming of age party. Then, you lie to your parents to spend extra unchaperoned time with that man. After that, you call him by his first name in the same night. You haven't ceased to surprise me, little maiden.".

Your first instinct was to be ashamed. He had a point; Your behavior was not that of the pristine lady you had to be. But when you gathered your courage and looked up, he was smiling. Any other noble would either be fuming, ready to snitch on you, or blackmailing you through... Unsavory means. He smiled like troublemakers do when they carry something out successfully.

In retrospect, that's what you were doing right now.

"We will go to the roof, but just wait for me. For a few minutes. Since you got us out, I promise you won't get caught here. I'll be quick.".

He retreated into the kitchen. Your mind barely had the time to entertain scary thoughts of getting caught, because he came back just as quick, carrying a black package. You both took off for the roof.

As soon as you got there, you both sat down. Wriothesley undid the package in front of you. Right before the contents were revealed, he couldn't help his grinning, thinking of your reaction. Just when was the last night someone made him smile this much?

"What is it?".

"Your parents ought to look into better catering for their next party.".

In the box were cupcakes, truffles, cookies and many other chocolate desserts. Dark, white, mild, you name it.

You burst out into laughter, much to his initial confusion. You laughed so hard, you could barely speak, until you caught your breath: "This is the first time I hear of a prison lord stealing sweets!".

He realized the comic element and joined in on your laughter, unsure what surprised him more: The girl underneath the 'fancy' facade, or how much fun he was having. How he missed it. How he wanted to have it everyday. It was clearer and clearer; He could make that happen, if you were his. Once he courted you, (hopefully) got your father's approval and married you, you two could laugh and have chocolate and talk about whatever the hell you wanted everyday. Until you died. Forever.

After you calmed down, you ate and talked more about books. He offered to loan you some from his own library, and you might have just been book buddies. If it weren't for you remembering your mother's 'imposed' countdown, you would have forgotten the very concept of time. What did it matter when you finally felt your heroines' red cheeks, and excitement burgeoning deep within?

"Y/N...".

"Yes?".

Both of you laid down, even if it meant risking your looks. The tiredness that took over your bodies did not stop the bullet-fire chatting between you two. However, his sudden lower tone made you feel special. All through the night, he was your 'partner in crime', and you felt like he was going to let you in on a conspiratorial secret.

"Do you have a private mailbox? Can I have your code, and you can have mine?".

The question. His rough tone. His hair, swept over his face. Above all, the fact that he wanted to talk to you further.

Your little heart burst on the spot.

YES! YES! YES, HAVE IT ALL!

"Sure. But you know, our correspondence would have to be a bit... Er, hidden. Depending on what happens.".

"I'll be forward. I don't think I can carry on without the contact I had tonight. In this one night, I had so much fun, I found what I was looking for for years. I know you found me stealing sweets rather comical, but believe me, I have long renounced petty crime.".

"I noticed. Wouldn't it have been easier to just buy them? Or ask the chef? I mean, you're a Duke, I doubt they can refuse you.".

"Perhaps. Though I'll be honest, I partly did it because you looked so sad when they ran out of chocolate.".

Once again, you laughed. It was such a trivial matter, but it had you thinking; If he cares this much about it, what would he do for greater ones?

He stood up and held out his hand to help you. One more look at the stars prompted his thoughts.

"I'll be sending Baron Balthazar a declaration of courting. While I may be a little different from the other nobles he may be expecting, I am still a Duke, and an important component of Fontaine's justice. I'm sure that will help me. And then... We can meet more. That's a good start.".

"Wriothesley... Please, please do. Tonight was nothing short of magical. If we can make it happen, I'll be the happiest girl in all of Fontaine. And I promise I'll be a good wife, and-".

He chuckled: "Slipping back into your manners, I see."

Only when you made it back and went your separate ways, so as to not cause suspicion, did your heart fill up with your usual boredom and gloom. He was not by your side anymore. Soon enough, Duke Arya gave you his boring talk of how gorgeous you are and his accomplishments. Like all the other men, nothing like Wriothesley. You only saw him once more, where he barely paid attention to you.

If looks could kill, Duke Arya would have been mutilated on the floor. You thought you saw him angry at the gossipers, that was nothing. No, this was all the rage, all the offense that could only be expressed by something beyond human. His hands clenched until a loud 'CLANG!' could be heard across the roof. Wine, glass and a bit of blood fell onto the floor.

"Lord Wriothesley broke a glass!".

"Well, he's not entirely human, is he? I hear... His kind are prone to these things.".

That barely mattered to Duke Arya, and less him. He couldn't have cared less before he started talking to you. Now that he took your eyes, your words, all of you, he was only a bit worse than the criminals at the Fortress. Much later did he calm down and remind himself that one way or another, no man would be crassly taking you away from him.

[jeannereames]

How important was it, really, that Alexander didn't have more brothers? He had Karanos, and it there's the gossip that ATG or his mother killed the boy. Philip Arridhaios apparently wasn't seen as a direct challenge and ATG kept him around. But if Philip had more healthy male offspring around Alexander's age, would that have threatened his hold on power, the partition of the empire or even the military campaigns themselves (the brothers becoming generals for example)?

Philip’s (Lack of) Sons

So, first I need to correct the bit about Karanos. He didn’t exist. Justin gave baby Europē a sex-change. No historian reports two children for Kleopatra Eurydikē, and Justin alone names a boy. We get two children when modern historians try to reconcile Justin and Diodoros/others. But Justin gets things wrong a lot. So, where Justin disagrees with other historians, I’ll go with the others (especially if it’s more than one). Justin wasn’t simply epitomizing Pompeius Trogus; he had his own agendas and themes, so he changed things when it suited him.

Therefore, “Karanos” = Europē,* born just a few days (maybe a week or two) before Philip’s murder.

The wives and children of Philip are reported in a fragment from Satyrus preserved in Athenaeus (13.557b-c). Of his (living) children, we have four girls (Kynannē, Kleopatra, Thessalonikē, and Europē), and only two boys (Arrhidaios and Alexander).

I specify living because ancient accounts don’t usually list children who died young unless it somehow impacted events. So, the murder of Europē, which led to the suicide of Kleopatra Eurydikē, means Europē got a mention whereas if she’d died of some childhood disease, we’d probably not hear about her.

Ergo, it’s possible Philip did sire other children who simply didn’t survive long enough to make it into the histories—especially if they’d been born (and died) in his earlier years. In Dancing with the Lion, I invented a son (Menelaos) by the shadowy Phila of Elimeia, who died young, specifically to illustrate that point.

The two-to-four ratio of boys to girls suggests Philip fathered girls more than boys. Would more boys have endangered Alexander’s place? Certainly, if they were around his age. But not if they were notably younger—another point I make in Dancing with the Lion: why Alexander is less upset by Philip’s seventh marriage than his mother. The chance that Kleopatra Eurydike might bear a male child threatened Olympias’s position far more than Alexander’s. Even some of my colleagues seem to forget that. While yes, sons and mothers did form a political unit at polygamous courts, that doesn’t mean that threats to the mother’s status necessarily entailed threats to a son’s. Philip’s marriage to Kleopatra Eurydikē was just such a case. Any son she produced would’ve been so far behind Alexander in achievements (and thus, a shot at the throne), that the marriage was no threat—which is why he attended the wedding. That makes events at the wedding very curious indeed! And convinces me that we don’t even begin to have the whole story there.

I made up some things in Rise (no spoilers), precisely because we don’t know and I had to come up with something that didn’t make Alexander into a reactionary rube. Too often people point to him as a “hotheaded youth” who made a mountain out of a molehill at his mother’s instigation. Folks, he was eighteen or nineteen. Hotheaded (always), but not some little kid to jump at shadows and Mommy’s tales. Something truly threatening generated that level of reaction from him (and beyond what Diodoros relates at the wedding). It wasn’t fear of being replaced by an as-yet-not-even-conceived infant brother--unless Philip had other reasons to replace him, and there weren’t any … on the face of it.

Anyway, I want to end by pointing to the Big Pink Elephant in the room that way too many people seem to forget….

AMYNTAS PERDIKKA was Alexander’s chief rival, not Arrhidaios or a fictional infant brother. Amyntas was older than Alexander, the only son of Philip’s older brother Perdikkas (III), who’d been king before Philip. Amyntas didn’t become king when his father died in battle precisely because he was only about a year old, while Philip was c. 23/24, and the kingdom was in crisis. Being a baby was also why Philip didn’t kill him. He needed an heir until he could father his own.**

So despite being the eldest Argead after Philip and the legitimate son of a former king, Amyntas spent his life as “the spare.” Imagine the resentment that would have generated. It’s not an accident that Alexander had him killed inside six months of taking the throne. And it’s probably in that time frame that Amyntas would’ve staged a bid for the throne himself. After all, not only was he an Argead, with military experience, he was married to Philip’s eldest child, who was already pregnant, showing he was fertile. He had a really good claim.

Such a clearing out of competing Argeads was standard for any new king’s first year or so. It’s what whittled down available Argead males from the five sons (and progeny) of Alexandros I to just three at Philip’s death, a hundred years later: Amyntas, Alexander, and Arrhidaios. Alexander wasn’t unique in house-cleaning. Philip had killed his three half-brothers upon taking the throne, keeping only Amyntas, his nephew. This was so typical it’s of note that Alexandros II not only didn’t get rid of Perdikkas (III) or Philip (II), but kept around his half-brothers too. It was the exception, not the rule (perhaps because all of them were still too young to be a threat?).

So basically, given Argead patterns, the survival of male siblings/cousins depended on a couple things:

The age of the sibling(s)/cousins. Siblings and half-siblings who were notably younger were likely to be spared if they didn’t appear to offer an immediate threat. After all, the new king needed an heir until he could father his own.

The apparent competence of the sibling(s)/cousins. Arrhidaios is our best evidence for this: Alexander took him with him to Asia to keep an eye on him—prevent his use as a stooge in a coup—but he otherwise kept him alive.

The king’s personal relationship with the sibling(s)/cousins. This is obviously very hard to determine, as our sources may not tell us, or not tell us honestly, but even if it’s hard, that doesn’t mean we should neglect it as a possible motivating factor. It may, in fact, explain why Alexander II (Philip’s older brother) didn’t kill his siblings. He may have loved them (and them, him). While we can’t say from the evidence, we also shouldn’t dismiss that as a possible motivating factor.

Here's an earlier posts about Amyntas, btw.

AMYNTAS PERDIKKA

* The names themselves are a give-away. “Europē,” like “Thessalonikē” was bestowed in celebration of Philip’s military victories. By contrast, “Karanos” (which means generic “chief”) isn’t a royal Macedonian name at all. Bill Greenwalt talks about the name’s significance in one of his articles, but I can’t now recall which.

** There is some question as to whether Amyntas was ever king, however briefly, due to a reference to an “Amyntas IV.” But many of us believe that was part of a challenge to Alexander later, not proof that Amyntas was king briefly, and Philip his regent.

[slightly-gay-pogohammer]

HMMMM nice question!! let's see, at the top of my head:

multiple playable characters could be fun. since it's gonna be OZ related it could be interesting to play both as P and Dorothy, even if i do believe we're gonna focus on P again and have Dorothy as a key character similar to Sophia instead

the first game focused heavily on technology, both with the settings and P's Legion ability, so i think it could be nice to lean more on the magical this time around. like the first one had the coin tree, the whole situation with P and Sophia and whatever the fuck was going on with Ergo, and the balance felt like 70% technology and 30% magic; it could be nice to have the opposite with Liesofpfied Land Of Oz, with Legion arms leaning on the magical but still focusing on technology (yknow. considering that Pinocchio is a "what if in this semi-normal world there was suddenly magic" story and Oz is a "in this magical world the Big Brother is, in fact, someone who isn't magical at all"???? yea)

same goes for the areas. Lies of P did something similar to Bloodborne, going from overall fucked up yet "everyday" areas - a town, a forest, a church - and then suddenly an earthquake happens or you kill a spider and you end up in Collapsing Krat or Yahar'Gul; i hope the sequel does the opposite, going from magical areas to something much more mechanical in a way??? similar ot the first chapter of Madness Returns, where you go from the Vale of Tears to the Hatter's Domain. for the uninitiated:

so far the ideas around giangio is that he's supposed to be our Scarecrow or Lion, but I think it's more likely to be one of the Witches. yknow. With Paracelsus being an alchemist and all

idk if i want the Scarecrow and the Lion to be your friends or your enemies but I know it would be interesting to have more female characters actually. Like I want to see the witches!!!!!

Again leaning more on the less known things in the original story. idk much about Oz, but since they literally had the Parrot and a shoutout to Roberto Benigni I'm sure Neowiz will do its research

aaaand again i'd love to see more stories/fairytales sprinkled in. Belle and Atkinson felt like a shoutout to Beauty and the Beast for example, but i actually had to google his name so they didn't really leave that much of an impression fansg idk nothing too big, but a little sidequest featuring characters from another story could be interesting

odd to say but. i hope it's a blank slate and we don't return to Carlo's story. i feel like P's quest to become his own person separated to Carlo is done, i think they could focus more on him getting used to be a human!! that'd be fun!!!!!!!!!

and also. bonus points what I wish for the DLC i can't believe they didn't put the Snail Lady in Lies of P and i hope she's gonna show up in the DLC.............

[inconveniently-discorporated]

@theshamelesshussy with discussing how Aziraphale views himself and Crowley, and especially Aziraphale's "holier than thou" attitude, I was reminded of one of the characters we've seen this season -- Crowley's parallels to Job!

We know that Job is incredibly virtuous, praising of God, so on and so forth. We know it is incredibly well known that Job is God's favorite human being. And then She goes on to allow him to be tortured.

It's never said how God feels about Crowley, but I know a fan-favorite theory is that he was/is Her favorite. He talks directly to God, no hesitation, no summoning circles, just him being incredibly open and angry and vulnerable and challenging God from his throne on Earth.

And I feel like, before the fall, Crowley has more of a pure vision of God than even Aziraphale does. He cannot comprehend the idea of getting into trouble for putting in a suggestion to the upstairs. Perhaps he is used to having his opinion listened to. Where Aziraphale feared God, Crowley only ever believed She would listen. Him making suggestions is how he shows his devotion, because that's what HE would want if HE was the Creator.

What happened after is unclear. He was IN the war, he fought alongside Furfur (though apparently Furfur is known for lying, so maybe Crowley's "I don't remember you" wasn't just him being purposely dismissive). Anyway, Neil has suggested Crowley is an unreliable narrator, and I definitely think he had more to do with the rebellion than he let on.

But what made me think about Job and the parallels with Crowley/Aziraphale, is the fact that Job himself thinks he has done some great evil to deserve all this. It's not shown in the episode, but one of the things that struck me as I was reading about Job was that all of his friends had assumed Job had done something wicked to deserve all this. No one can reconcile their image of God with the fact that God just decided to do this to one of Her most devoted followers to win a bet.

And that reminded me so much of Aziraphale and Crowley. Chiefly, Aziraphale on the wall reasoning that whatever Crowley did must be bad, because Crowley is a demon, and demons do bad things, that's why they're demons. God doesn't just decide to torture the innocent! ... Until She does.

From the beginning, Aziraphale's conscious idea of good and evil is based in the institution of Heaven, and the idea that if you were good then you stayed in Heaven and if you were bad you went to Hell. Likewise, if you're good you will be rewarded, and if you're bad you will be punished. Ergo, if you are being punished, you must be bad. This is a very black and white view that Aziraphale has, despite even witnessing the treatment of Job, because at the end of this episode he breaks down about having to go to Hell now that he's lied directly to the faces of his superiors.

Deep down, Aziraphale KNOWS that Heaven is not synonymous with good, and that causes so much inner turmoil and cognitive dissonance. He gives away the sword because he knows that Eve is pregnant and it's cold out there and Adam and Eve will die if they don't have anything to protect themselves -- which is proven when Adam immediately has to fight a lion. We see Crowley push him again and again towards not just seeing this truth, but internalizing it. He is finally ready to accept this by the time the apocalypse comes around, and he realizes that no one will stop the apocalypse, and he is willing to fight alongside Crowley to prevent it from happening. I just don't think he's fully let go by the end of S2.

But this is about Crowley's parallels with Job.

This is where it gets interesting, because Aziraphale witnessed firsthand how one could be punished without doing anything wrong. He ALSO witnessed Heaven rewarding Job in the end with everything he had, two times over (though the part with the kids would have hardly been a reward) because punishment was used as a test. I almost wonder if this is what he grapples with when it comes to Crowley -- the dual ideas that punishment is for the wicked, while also realizing punishment can be a test for the good.

Which, by the way, is I think part of the toxicity of Heaven and Hell: the idea that anyone is wholly one or the other, and that one has to either be purely virtuous or else totally evil.

But that last bit reminds me of another HC that I have: God is testing everyone all the time. Maybe experimenting.

Like, in the garden -- I theorized once that the apple tree wasn't a test for the humans, it was a test for Crowley. It was asking him the question: now that you know what evil is, now that you have fallen from the grace and purity of Heaven, will you do the same to the humans? Was your freedom from Heaven worth the fall?

Job seems like it could be another test -- now that you've had everything taken away from you, will you do the same to an innocent human? Will you take away everything they love? Will you hurt another in the way that you've been hurt even though they've done nothing wrong?

And with the antichrist, well -- Crowley himself questions at the end if what happened was what God meant to happen all along. Which makes me wonder if it was another test, for humanity, for Crowley, for Aziraphale.

What I find interesting is that Crowley asked questions, and he fell because of it.

Job asked questions, and God rewarded him after it.

Interesting parallels indeed that I would love if someone else expanded on.

[cutepastelstarsalior]

Silly spiderverse headcanons

Gwen has a WIDE range of music. Something it’s alternative rock, sometimes it HipHop, sometimes it’s a generic pop songs.

Gwen likes listening to rock bands the most becomes she try’s to replicate the drummer’s speed or style. Or something listen to emotional screaming help her deal with all of her issues™️

Gwen and hobbie like to listen to each others music taste. Since cds came out in the 1980, someone gives Hobie one and he loves it. He learns how to burn music onto it

he and Gwen make each other playlist and cds.

They also make playlist for their friends. (They both gift givers)

Gwen picked her name after her favorite tv character

Autistic Gwen!!! Adhd Miles and Pavtir!!!

The Spider Gang™️ have friendship kandi bracelets.

Peni is Lesbian, Miles, Gwen, and Pavtir are bisexual, Noir is gay, Margo is Demi-aromantic, and hobie is aromantic + gay.

Gwen, Pav, and Hobie are all trans.

Miles has bad anxiety

Once Miles tells his family he’s Spider-Man, his mom immediately teaches him first aid, just in case.

Pavtir is naturally happy and energetic. But kind of hate it when other thinks he’s faking it or being native

Margo favorite food is steak tacos and she like binge eating anime

Margo comes from a big family and is the middle child

Peni favorite food is ramen and she tried to teach the others how to make it

Peni favorite anime in Ergo Proxy

Gwen has a special interest in penguins and she loves to see them at the zoo.

Gwen collects penguins and cute plushies

Noir also like penguins, E-42 miles like pumas, Pavtir like giraffes, Miles likes sea lions. Margo likes tigers, and Hobie likes pandas.

E-42 Miles (Gonzola) and Miles have a sibling “twin” bond

Every time they’re online the 2 like to spam each other kaomoji

both roleplay with each other

Adult headcanon

Miguel is trans, Jessica is pansexual, Peter is polygamous bi, and MJ is omnisexual polygamous

Miguel has ocd and self destructive tendencies

Peter has adhd and very bad depression

Jessica being a new mother gets a bit nervous leaving her baby at home with her husband, but she won’t dare bring her kid to HQ

She ends up bring her baby to HQ

Both Jessica and Peter talk to each other about being first time parents + child having spider powers. They both fins it helpful

Jess’s baby and Mayday grow up to be childhood friends :)

Ben Ridley and Superior Spider-Man have lot of philosophical debates…that sometimes leads into physical fights

Miguel like flan (strawberry specifically) since his mom taught him and that like the only positive moment the two had.

When Miguel was 13 his mom bought Gabriel a cat even thought Miguel was allergic

When Miguel was 8 and Gabe was 6, Gabe help Miguel picked out his name

Lyla like to dress up in different outfit because it help tricks humans into believing she not a computer and thus they tell her their emotional problems

She also like old fashion she thinks it’s fun she and Margo bond over it

Lyla he,so Miguel with his anger issues and ocd

The HQ has really good medical program and free healthcare

The HQ also has a way to make money for different dimensions.

[spiderdreamer-blog]

Tarzan (1999)

It's hard to define sometimes where the end of the Disney Renaissance period from the late 80s through the 90s is. After the release of The Lion King, the 2D animated features steadily made less money and critical acclaim became more mixed. There was a sea change occurring thanks to more competition from companies like DreamWorks and Warner Bros., as well as the advent of the computer. For me, the dividing line is 1999's Tarzan, mostly because it's after this point that we get to what I and others call the 2000-2004 "experimental" age with films like The Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Lilo & Stitch, and Treasure Planet. But Tarzan has much in common with those films, representing a step away from the Broadway musical traditions and into a new, intriguing arena of animation storytelling. It's genuinely one of my favorite Disney films to revisit, and I hope this review helps explain why.

The story takes Edgar Rice Burroughs' initial novel Tarzan of the Apes as a guideline more than an actual adaptation, namely ditching concerns about nobility wealth inheritance and unflattering black African caricatures (the spinoff TV series would deal with the latter in trying to be, uh, less problematic about such). We pick up with Ye Olde Dramatically Convenient Boat Wreckage in a truly commanding opening sequence set to Phil Collins' anthemic Two Worlds. Tarzan's unnamed parents land in Africa and are put in parallel to gorillas Kala (Glenn Close, at the time coming off a very different performance for Disney as live action Cruella De Vil) and Kerchak (Lance Henriksen). Tragedy strikes for both families, and where one loses his parents, another gains a son. But Tarzan (Alex D. Linz as a child, Tony Goldwyn as an adult) grows up knowing he is "different", desperate to prove himself as an ape and belong. He seems to find an equilibrium, becoming best friends with Terk (Rosie O'Donnell) and Tantor (Wayne Knight at his most nebbishy), and even managing to vanquish Sabor, but then strangers arrive. Strangers who look like him, in the form of British scientist Archimedes Porter (Nigel Hawthorne), his daughter Jane (Minnie Driver), and their guide Clayton (BRIAN BLESSED). Now things steadily grow more complicated as Tarzan wishes to learn all he can about these outsiders and himself, but what might it cost?

One of the first, most notable things about the film to me is its complexity in the writing and characterization. Looking back, the Renaissance can have a problem in terms of male leads being love interests who don't get as much focus or slightly bland focus-tested "likable". This isn't true for ALL of them; the Beast has many layers to his personality, while Simba and Quasimodo are great, imo, because they have more baggage tying them down and thus more to rise above for true heroism. Nor does it make most of them bad characters. But it was notable enough, as was the tendency for them to be overshadowed by the villains or sidekicks, for co-directors Kevin Lima/Chris Buck and writers Tab Murphy/Bob Tzudiker/Noni White to slightly...course-correct.

Ergo, Tarzan himself is very much the main focus here. There's only one major sequence that he's not really involved with, and even when he's not onscreen, the other characters are as intrigued by his contradictions as the audience. (Insert your own Poochie jokes here, though obviously it doesn't come CLOSE to that) We truly feel his anxiety about fitting in, and the lengths he goes to are intensely relatable even at their most self-damning.

The other characters, too, feel richer and more lived-in than many of the standard types. Kala is a mother figure, one who tries to make Tarzan feel like he belongs, but is deeply scared of losing him. Kerchak is possibly my favorite character in the film because of how much you have to read into his actions because he holds so much back emotionally until the very end. Even then, he comes off as a more realistic harsh father figure than a caricature, and we can always understand where he's coming from. Jane is one of the best Disney love interests, meanwhile, feeling like a modern romantic comedy heroine with a lot of drive and initiative, as well as being just genuinely nerdy, which you don't often see even today. Clayton manages a nice two-step of seeming like an obvious bad guy but playing things down the middle until he gets what he wants. Even the comic relief gets good moments, such as Professor Porter gently supporting the romance or Tantor standing up for himself at a critical juncture.

Of course, what helps here is that said characters have some of the most beautiful environments and animation backing them up in Disney history. The African jungle is depicting as a kind of painterly, hyper-real fantasy, with impossible tree shapes and vines that bloom in the sunlight. And the then-revolutionary Deep Canvas CGI process allows Tarzan to soar through them, the camera spinning and rotating with each movement. The design sensibility is "classical" Disney to a large degree, but with slightly longer faces or larger eyes to add expressiveness. The California, Parisian, and Florida animation teams all clearly busted their asses to make this come to life. And Glen Keane's work with the Paris studio on Tarzan might be the best of his legendary career in terms of the variety of movements and subtleties in expressions. So too goes the rest of the supervising animators: Ken Duncan makes Jane truly lovable and wholly distinct from the likes of his Meg or Amelia; Randy Haycock gives Clayton a macho swagger that feels entirely his own rather than feeling like a Gaston ripoff; Bruce Smith combines remarkable anatomy work and microexpressions with Kerchak; Russ Edmonds' Kala is warm and motherly while never letting you entirely forget she's a gorilla; Dave Burgess makes Porter funny with his slightly squat, short shapes; and Mike Surrey and Sergio Pablos make for an excellent duo on Terk and Tantor in terms of contrasting their size, as well as the latter giving nervous-nelly body language to such a huge character. That's harder than it looks.

The aural end is just as good. Much hay and memery has been made of Phil Collins going ridiculously hard on the storytelling songs, which I fully support. But it really is true that they add so much here and take the burden off the characters in terms of singing save for the improvisational scat number "Trashin' The Camp". I'm partial to "Strangers Like Me" in terms of the earnest yearning and connections that Tarzan makes over the course of it. And of course the various versions of "Two Worlds" are essentially the mission statement of the film, complete with absolutely bitchin' percussion. Mark Mancina's accompanying score is also excellent, sounding like a fusion between The Lion King (which he produced/arranged for both the film and Broadway show) and his action movie work on projects like Speed or Bad Boys. Particularly great is the cue that plays when Tarzan defeats Sabor and builds up to his classic yell, which milks the heroic triumph for all its worth.

The voice cast is also excellent top to bottom. Goldwyn has a deeper timbre than many Disney male leads, less of an ingenue, and this adds to the stormier emotions; we truly feel his pain on lines like "Why didn't you tell me there were creatures that look like me?" But he's not TOO grim, thankfully, and gets some good subtly funny moments such as sounding out monkey noises in a conversation that Jane only hears one half of. Close is properly maternal, of course, getting her best showings in emotional one-on-ones with both Linz and Goldwyn as they hash out their relationship. Henriksen, like the animation, wisely underplays Kerchak and lets the emotion come out through his gruff, gravel-pit voice rather than obviously signaling things. Driver is hilarious and winning as Jane, getting some of the best laughs and most sweetly tender bits of the proceedings. It's all the more impressive when you consider she played Lady Eboshi in the Princess Mononoke dub the same year, which is the utter opposite of this performance. BRIAN BLESSED doesn't do a lot of his patented BRIAN BLESSED yelling outside of some choice bits at the end, but he makes a meal of Clayton regardless as a charismatic asshole, and I like how he plays a climactic bit of manipulation in particular. Hawthorne gets a much better showing here than his previous Disney voice role as Fflewddur Flam in The Black Cauldron, daffily sweet and humorous in equal measure, while O'Donnell and Knight are familiar vocally but use that to inform their characterizations rather than distract.

I think what I like most about this movie is that it feels incredibly well-rounded. Some Disney movies from this period might have a great villain or sidekicks but a weaker protagonist in Hercules or strong protagonists/villains but a weaker supporting cast as in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. (Then you have Pocahontas, which sucks on ALL ends!) In Tarzan, everything feels of a piece, and nobody jars against the tone or mood. Combine that with the dizzying highs of the animation and truly excellent emotional beats, and you've got a real winner that stands the test of time in my eyes.

[multifandom-nerds-blog]

Thinking about Ducktales again. More theoratical analyzing. More ranting. More precisely about Ducktales humanity. (Less a biological take, more societal and historical)

I don't remember if there were any monkey or ape characters, but nevertheless evolution in the Ducktales world decided that, nope I don't like apes, it's gonna be primarily birds, ducks specifically who turn human

But it's not only birds, there also mammals, both carnivores (I think more of those?) and herbivores, yet again, birds are still the majority.

So whatever it was that caused the evolution, my take is that it's more birds simply cause "birds" were just already far more wide-spread around the globe due to their natural flying abilities pre evolution. And Ducks, cause, Idk, ducks are everywhere.

Anyways, the "animals" were probably evenly hit by evolution in general, but a lot of other species (lions, tigers, subspecies like pandas) in the wild were bound by territory. Ergo, due to more birds existing all over the globe, more humans in the modern age ended up being part of bird species cause they were more wide-spread in the beginning due to pre-evolution times. Also certain areas having more dangers (stone age, bronce age, I'm not sure how the early ages are called) for humans then others being a reason why some species exist more than others. (Again, human lions or tigers might have not been able to build bigger civilizations in early history due to having animal lions or tigers as dangers) (I know lions and tigers do not live in the same are btw, even if it might sound like that)

Now... Birds are basically the top of society in the Ducktales universe. They are more. They are everywhere. They are much more dominant. And I have thoughts about discrimination and the irony of birds that are "prey" being the majority of Ducktales humanity, but I should not only make a separate post for this, but also really sort my words so this doesn't end up sounding to weird.

Going back to the society: It somehow happened that human animals and animal animals live together. And in a way mostly similar to us. Pets exist. Feeding ducks with bred crumbs is a thing (that scene is why I'm writing this post). And people eat cheese, milk, eggs and meat.

Now, I don't know which is weirder. A human dog having another animal dog as a pet (hello Goofy) or a chicken eating chicken soup? (Huey wanted to give Scrooge chicken soup while Gyro was sitting on his computer and he didn't react. I guess cocked/baked duck/geese/turkey is also being eaten) Does it not count as cannibalism if it's not a conscious human, or do chickens just not eat chicken, pigs no ham and so on?

I am very much aware that this is just a disney show, targeted to kids mostly, and that those characters are all animals because they've always been animals. But I'm going between things like Zoomania and Beastars where the whole humanised animals topic is actually being discussed and also used to cover racsim as a topic, to things like Sing and Kung Fu panda where everyone just simply is an animal cause it's animation marketed to kids. Then we have Ducktales. And well, Bigotry, discrimination and racism isn't the topic of this show, obviously. It's about adventures and familiar relationships and drama. WHICH IS GREAT. No question. But then you have Penumbra being weirded out at conscious ducks feeding non-conscious ducks, and the whole 4th wall break episode in season 3 showing us that at least some people were very much aware of the undiscussed implications a show with only animal people has. Even if it's supposed to be a silly kids show.

Feel free to comment under this and reblog, cause I would really wanna know what others people thoughts about this are and maybe discuss it a little bit.

[yellowocaballero]

No one left behind 😭👍, that was so cheesy of Felix but I love that for him.

It was SO cheesy and I'm SO proud of him. I think Felix has the biggest heart in the Blue Lions, which is saying a lot. He's way too loyal and loves way too much and it burns him. He's one of the characters who changes most throughout the story, and it was rewarding to show him grow up. And I loved writing him as a POV character, he was perfect - perceptive, insightful, funny, provocative, has lots of internal conflict, starts a lot of external conflict, says what he thinks. and emotionally intelligent or stupid as the situation calls for. 10/10 character.

The conceit of the AU was, of course, "what if the Blue Lions stayed together during the time skip". They were each other's only safety and security, the only people they trusted, and in the most dangerous situation possible they were each other's only safe harbor. The Rules were why they stayed to take care of Dimitri (ergo, it's also "AU where Dimitri wasn't alone for five years"), but I think it was taking care of Dimitri that finally solidified them as a family. To them, it was a replication of what Byleth had done - gaining the ability to show compassionate, empathic, and unconditional love because that love was given to them. As Byleth gains the ability to feel love through the love felt for her. Byleth's upcoming arc is very much a 'oh no, I'm having feelings' journey. AKA Come get your Dimileth food lol

I think Felix is a very loving person, but his love had fueled his hatred and resentment, and he had to re-learn how to show it. That involved releasing a lot of things within him. Becoming a caretaker tends to mature you fast, for better or for worse, and Felix had to process a lot of stuff very quickly. I think namely the fact that Dimitri and Felix had been caught in a toxic PTSD cycle of Felix punishing Dimitri and Dimitri using Felix as a way to punish himself. I think Felix's desire to punish Dimitri was stonewalled by Dimitri's psychotic break, because it must have become incredibly apparent that Dimitri was punishing himself enough for the both of them - and that there was no point to punishing Dimitri at all when Dimitri could barely even understand him. Everybody's seen Dimitri homicidal now and everybody believes him. The homicidality has lost a lot of its monstrousness and evil - it just seems sad, now, the misdirected fear of a sick person. There's no satisfaction out of hating Dimitri anymore. There's no longer any point. And Felix is left alone with the fact that the boy he loved is sick, and needs him, and if Felix was cruel to him now then it would only be cruelty for the sake of cruelty, and he would be no better than Dimitri. I think Felix forgave him, and I think it took a lot of maturity.

Felix's journey is super interesting. He got, like, two side stories with his POV just because I found him so interesting. This is also really why I'm not a Dimitri/Felix person - what they actually have going on is just so much more interesting (same reason I'm not a Dimitri/Dedue guy - Dimitri and Dedue's actual thing is FAR more fascinating). Felix's decision to forgive Dimitri wasn't about Dimitri - it was about Felix, and Felix being nineteen years old, and facing a crossroads of his life where he decided what kind of person he wanted to be (again, another journey Byleth has). Would he exhibit decency, humanity, and compassion to the person he hated the most? And if he did, would it release something old and rotten within him? Who knows! We will! When I post Catleth!

[myheartismadeofstars]

TGCF pokemon teams: made x

Xianle Quartet version

Xie Lian

Absol:

Pretty self explanatory. Absol is the Bad Luck pokemon and appears before disasters. No doubt XL encounters a lot of them. Absol would also keep an eye out for BWX.

Calyrex: a pokemon who used to be a king but has lost everything, even his friends...sound familiar? Also it can make plants grow and I love the unused Flower God!XL concept. Also I think XL deserves a legendary.

Hisuian Liligant: an elegant fighter and a beautiful flower. Revered in ancient times but almost forgotten in the modern era. Also I see H!Liligant as very nice and polite.

Mienshao: an unarmed fighter that fights with "ribbons" that remind me of Ruoye. Mienfoo are also mentioned to seclude themselves in the mountains to train.

Garbodor: our favourite trash collector needed a trash pokemon, okay? But also a joking reference to his terrible cooking lmao. (I think Garbodor could eat XL's cooking like HC can, but that's the same as calling it garbage lmao)

Dusclops: THIS is Ruoye. It wraps and binds people in the cloth bandages hanging off of it. It does hold a Reaper Cloth but XL hasn't been able to find someone to help it evolve.

Liligant, Calyrex and Mienshao have been on the team the longest. I think the newest member is Garbodor, but he has had several other pokemon over his lifetime that he lost due to his luck.

Hua Cheng

Ceruledge: allow me to quote the pokemon Scarlet Dex Entry "The fiery blades on its arms burn fiercely with the lingering resentment of a sword wielder who fell before accomplishing their goal." That's honestly enough for me, but also, wartime!HongHong-Er having a Charcadet and also it's a ghost/fire type lmao.

Inteleon: Inteleon can learn Rain Dance. But also the transition from a bullied kid to an emo teen and finally a cool and suave (seeming) adult who still has signs of being that scared kid at heart?

Houndoom: HC needed a dog. Also the fact that just HEARING Houndoom's howl can send people fleeing in terror and the burns hurting FOREVER. (Reminds me a bit of E-Ming's curse, though not perfect)

Absol: Pokemon believed to cause disasters and hated for it, even though it was innocent and was actually trying to warn them... Also Absol has red eyes! Unlike XL's Absol, HC's has Super Luck!

Honchkrow: Murkrow are supposed to bring bad luck but Honchkrow are the bosses of Murkrow and said to be merciless towards them, much how HC is with Ghost City.

Honedge (Shiny): E-Ming! The shiny form has red eyes on its hilt and the blade seems forged in blood. It's literally a cursed sword with red eyes.

I would say that Inteleon and Ceruledge and MAYBE Honchkrow are the only pokemon he has from when he was alive, though none of them were fully evolved (Inteleon was a Drizzile). Ceruledge evolved first.

Feng Xin

Hisuian Decidueye: hisuian Decidueye is based on a ronin. He's an archer wandering the earth without a master.

Mabostiff: Mabostiff are LITERALLY the Guard dog pokemon!! Of course our favourite bodyguard has to have one! Also supposedly has a "scary face" like our grumpy boy

Lucario: Protective and loyal and I've now seen several people say that FX is good at tracking and I would say Lucario is perfect for trying to track someone (aka: XL) by their aura.

Espeon: Loyal but also the Sun Pokemon! FX is the "Southern Sun" after all! I also have a headcanon about FX having a spoiled cat and I think Espeon is the most similar to the cat I have for him

Zangoose: Obviously a reference to his fighting with Mu Qing. (I also think Zangoose has Toxic Boost rather than Immunity. Because FX isn't immune to MQ's words and actions, just angered by them, ergo: Toxic Boost)

Male Pyroar: It's a noble and intimidating pokemon and I would consider them a very masculine pokemon that would suit his title quite well and also...since it's revealed that Pyroar do have similar social structures to real lions... Males have nothing to do with child rearing I'm so sorry FX I'm sure you'd be a good dad if given the chance idk if I'll give Jian Lan a team but a female Pyroar would definitely be on it.

Most of his teammates have been around for a long time. Decidueye didn't fully evolve until he ascended on his own, and I would say Lucario and Espeon are the newest members. But his "starter" was probably Litleo, and he got Maschiff when he became XL's bodyguard when he was 14.

Mu Qing

Umbreon (Shiny): counterpart to FX'S Espeon, and I think it fits "Enigmatic Truth" almost as well as Espeon suits "Southern Sun". MQ's is shiny mostly because I feel the blue rings suit him better lmao. Also MQ deserves something special dammit!

Seviper: Rivals FX's Zangoose. The poison typing brings to mind his own toxicity (🤟) and the bladed tail reminds me of his Zhanmadao and Seviper is just a bit longer than most Zhanmadao are.

Persian: Considered beautiful and elegant but fickle, just like our boy!

Leavanny: Leavanny reminds me of the fact that his mother was a seamstress. But also: they are kind to children (but can also learn Sword's Dance and have wicked bladed arms) Mama's boy cannot forget her.

Midday Lycanroc: Cautious and extremely loyal to those who treated them well. Considered Dusk Form considering how hot headed MQ is, but slightly prefer the Midday form for him because it emphasizes the loyalty while Dusk is notably difficult to raise I also headcanon him with a yellow coloured dog so midday suits that better

Empoleon: Proud in all evolutions, but still live in groups as Piplup and Empoleon, though solitary as Prinplup. Sounds like pushing people away and then realizing that you wanted them in your life after all.

While he doesn't keep it with him, he also has a Male Indeedee who has been with him since his servant days. He mostly stays in his Palace and manages things. MQ doesn't like to be reminded of those days, but it did introduce him to his friends.

The oldest teammate is Leavanny by quite a bit. Leavanny was with him before he went to Mount Taicang (though maybe not fully evolved) Lycanroc is the newest member, but I don't think Empoleon is fully evolved until he reconciles with XL and FX.

[bonefall]

how does the fire scene play out in your redux?

Had a whole thing written out and Tumblr crashed and deleted my post again :/ take 2

The Fire Scene's one of those things that, because of a bunch of my reduxes, can't exist the way that it does in canon.

Adopted kits are valued just as much as regular kits ergo she can't have a reverse psychology "Ok fine kill them it won't hurt me" moment. The Queen's Rights also means that she did not have a social obligation to reveal the father of her kits (though many cats in the clan will think it was a dick move she didn't tell Bramble)

But I do need to preserve Ashfur's motivation that he's scorned by her rejecting him. It's important that he wants to possess and hurt her because he is an incel... though, I do want to weave in something about the "Kin of your Kin" prophecy reaching him and adding an element that they should be dead because their power could threaten ThunderClan (which is from my Villain Thornclaw AU, and imo a much better motivation behind the Fire Scene in general. Especially since it connects thematically to The Broken Code.)

Fragments, rough outline:

-I'm going to change the logistics a bit; Squirrelflight is trying to push a tree down for the Three to climb up. Ashfur interrupts this action

-"My quarrel is with you!" They brawl here, Ash wants to force her to watch her kids die

-I'm thinking she lets loose the secret to disarm him for a moment, "ok. kill them. they aren't my kits so i dont care" "Wait-- what? Wait! No you're lying you turned around go go back into th-" SQUILF KICKKK

-Maybe she even kicked him so hard she launched him into the tree, knocking it over. Girlboss. let my cats do anime battles

-This is when the three start coming up the tree, but Ash obviously is trying to stop that. Lionblaze gets to run up and slap his bald head

-Lion can have a moment here, if it's fitting, that he isn't capable of killing Ash and feels ashamed of his monstrous powers. He was his mentor-- in this rewrite, a mentor is emotionally like another parent. He's overwhelmed by hurt, betrayal, and thinks back to all the things Ashfur did that hurt him

-In general I really need to hammer out what their mentor/apprentice dynamic was like, and how it affected Lionblaze's personality. Thinking about it now, it's super important for this scene

-hmm... maybe I can tie the prophecy-motivation back in here, and have THIS be the moment where they logically work out Leafpool is their parent. "They aren't Squilf's kits, BUT Lionblaze obviously has star powers, so they must be Kin of Firestar's Kin through someone else! Ergo the only logical choice is LEAFPOOL"

-but like... y'know, less smartly worded.

-Anyway Ashfur runs. This is also the last story beat in Hollyleaf's Po3 arc; the last betrayal she can take before she begins her villain descent.

Post-Fire Consequences:

-Ashfur... he can't just walk off scot free, in any case, Firestar or Bramblestar (depending on if Firestar is dead yet) wouldn't let an attempted murderer stay in the Clan

-Maybe Hollyleaf kills him purely out of revenge? For how he hurt his mom, his brother, how he threatened his family. she deserves a lil revenge tbhhh

-Maybe Firestar died somewhere else during the fire and killing Ashfur right now could look like part of the same murder. Especially since Fire could have "black fur" in his claws too because Breezepelt does it. (tfw you and your evil half-bro are drowning two guys in the same creek and there's an awkward silence /j)

-When Brambleclaw/star finds out, he's upset that Squilf lied to him. That's understandable. If he's -Star by this point, he demotes her as deputy immediately because he can no longer trust her and she helped conceal a crime.

-ThunderClan is NOT completely in favor of this. Opinions are super mixed; some agree that a leader has to be able to trust their deputy. Others say Squilf was upholding the warrior code by protecting the kits. Others think it's fair for Bramble to be mad, but that Squilf was the best choice for a deputy and his personal anger is clouding his decision (a sign of a bad leader)

-Overall though, Bramble's reputation takes the larger hit here. The Thistle Law-leaning supporters who don't respect the Queen's Rights didn't like Squirrelflight politically to begin with.

-Also this is the beginning of the end of Bramblesquirrel in my rewrite. She never gets back with him romantically after how he acts in Bonefall OotS, though she does, briefly, consider it in Squirrelflight's Horror. (I think the title of that redux says everything about how 'Great' of an idea that is.)

So In Conclusion

This is the second-to-last major conflict of Bonefall Po3 before we end the arc and go to Bonefall OotS, and the widely accepted end of the Power Era as Inter-Clan political relationships sour, with no proper Fire Alone leadership to smooth tensions.

I would like to have one final Clan battle after the Fire Scene to set that up, after which Hollyleaf vanishes into the tunnels. If I was renaming the books of each arc (which I haven't yet just because none of my outlines are truly detailed enough yet to really outline 6 individual books), Sunrise would become Cruel Season.

In Cruel Season, we also get the birth of Jayfeather's kits, adopted by Lionblaze in a parallel to Leafpool.

Feel free to leave suggestions and feedback on parts that are good, and what's not working about this. It's still WIP territory.

[jeannereames]

Hello Dr. Reames I hope you’re doing well

I have a question. I was reading everything you’ve written on your blog about alexander and hephaistion and in a post you mentioned that as alex and hephaistion became older their relationship became more complicated. Could you expand more on what you mean by that? In what ways did it become complicated?

Why Alexander and Hephaistion as Lovers as Adults was “Complicated”

I’m not entirely sure whether the asker means the historical people, or the characters in my novel, so I’ll answer for both, as the answer is somewhat the same, but in the book, I can add more specificity. One must be more circumspect about the historical people.

First, if they were never lovers (the historical people), then the only complication would have been Alexander’s increasing power. No matter how much freedom Hephaistion had, the murder of Kleitos showed that a drunk, furious Alexander could do terrible things, even to people he considered like family. As ATG aged, he had more cause for anger, and he also drank more.* So there was that.

But returning to the question of whether they were lovers, my colleague Sabine Müller doesn’t think they were—largely because she believes they met as adults. And THAT gets to the heart of why—if they were lovers—their relationship would have become more complicated across time. They aged.

The Greeks placed homoerotic attachments among the stages of life. A preteen/young teen was the beloved, or pursued partner (eromenos). Once he got a beard, post 18-ish (e.g., ephebe age), then one became the lover, or pursuer (erastes). Any relationship one had previously enjoyed with an older lover was expected to transmute into very close friendship/affection. Then, around the late 20s/early 30s, one would settle down and get married. It was still all right to chase younger boys, but only for a little while. Doing it too long earned “dirty old man” status, although we have evidence of older (40+, even 50+) elite men doing just that. Also, males of any age could pursue affairs with hetairai and other prostitutes (male or female), as well as with slaves of any age.

Two adult men still “carrying on” as if they were teens/young men was considered unseemly. By the time both were past 20, and certainly past 25, they shouldn’t still be having sex with each other. Although if they’d been long-time lovers as youths, they might get nods for loyalty (v. the playwright Agathon and his long-time lover, Pausanias) … and friends didn’t ask what they did behind closed doors. But this was easier to pull off as a slightly counter-culture artist playwright than a king and his increasingly important marshal.

So that’s why Alexander and Hephaistion would have experienced complications as they aged—assuming they stayed lovers. And they may not have. Even if, as youths, they were lovers, as adults, they could each have moved on. Curtius names other youths (not just Bagoas) with whom Alexander might have had a fling. It’s subtle in the text, but the Latin word used could imply something. We don’t have similar attestations for Hephaistion, but I wouldn’t expect us to, so that’s meaningless. Remember, our histories are laser-focused on Alexander, with details about other marshals appearing only if/when they matter to the main story. So, we have the name of Philotas’ mistress only because she became Krateros’ source for dirt on what Philotas said about Alexander as pillow talk. If not for that, we wouldn’t even know he had a mistress. Ergo, we MUST assume there’s a lot of information about the men in high positions around Alexander that our sources simply don’t relate (and perhaps didn’t know).

Now, in terms of Dancing with the Lion, the age thing very much is the problem, as Hephaistion is the elder but Alexandros king. They can continue a relationship for a short while (a few years), but AS KING, Alexandros would be assumed to be the “active” partner (erastes), and that would damage Hephaistion’s reputation—because he’s older (and was originally the erastes). For an older male to accept the passive role (bottoming) was demeaning, making himself “like a woman.”

That’s why the penultimate scene in Dancing with the Lion: Rise is so important! Hephaistion “flips the script,” explaining why he considers bottoming the position of power—startling Alexandros, who never thought about it that way.

Going forward, their friends will ignore any continuation and not examine it too closely due to respect for their loyalty to each other. But this works only for a little while. After Granikos and leading up to Issos, the pressure is on for Alexandros to find a nice girl to make his mistress and move Hephaistion into the role of Older Friend (without benefits)—which he does with Barsine. Yet I don’t plan to have them entirely give up their romantic liaison, so that requires concealment for Hephaistion’s benefit. And it’s not fully successful. Some push back against Hephaistion by enemies does owe to disrespect for his “preferences.”

But keep in mind, I’m speaking now of the fictional characters, not necessarily the historical people. My Hephaistion is pretty high on the Kinsey Scale, in the 5-6 range. Keeping the respect needed to command successfully as his political star rises means he must wear a mask, or find a beard, to use slang. One of the (several) points behind my series is to show it wasn’t necessarily any easier to be gay in “tolerant” ancient Greece. It was just difficult in different ways.

———————

* Before anyone asks, no I don’t think Alexander was an alcoholic, even a “functional” one. There’s literally not enough evidence to say for sure, pace J. M. O’Brien (Alexander the Great and the Invisible Enemy). O’Brien may not call him an alcoholic, but he certainly implies it.

We have two complicating factors that make any sort of real determination difficult: first, the nature of banqueting at the Macedonian court, and second, the fact that historians record the exceptional, not the usual. Symposia (drinking parties) in the Greek world were already venues for both competition and display, and Macedonians didn’t customarily dilute their wine, unlike (many) Southern Greeks. The king was not only expected to keep up, but to excel in all things, including his ability to drink. So there’s that. Add to this the fact historians don’t tell you about the 56 times the king held a symposion where nothing exciting or out-of-the-way happened. They’ll tell you about that 57th when something bad DID happen.

Even in antiquity, there was debate about whether Alexander drank too much, with detractors and Roman-era rhetoricians using him as an exempla of Drinking is Bad (especially in rulers), while apologists (like Aristobulos) claimed he didn’t overdrink, he just liked conversation so he stayed late, lingering over his wine.

Hmmm. I’m going with Door Number Three: yes, sometimes he drank too much, especially as stresses piled up, but if he’d been an actual alcoholic, even a functional one, he probably couldn’t have accomplished everything he did. For one thing, availability of alcohol on the march would’ve been sporadic, so I suspect those famous drinking parties were what happened when they got their hands on some wine, in between long stretches where they probably didn’t have much, if any.

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

Hello, I'm a new reader of your fics and found you through AO3, after reading your fic where Apollo n Poseidon are punished with mortality and King idk how to spell his name was talking about getting his daughter married made me wonder about how Greek Marriages and Courtships work/how they were performed and the actual marital rites ofc

Love your work, looking forward to your response •u•

Okay okay, so this requires a lot of know-how and I most definitely don't know everything so this is what I know:

Courtships differed from city-state to city-state. But overall I think they all shared one common factor - a courting gift. Courting gifts were used to basically show off a guy's status in the world, and the better the gift the better chance he had at winning the marriage.

This is actually exemplified in the myth of Cassandra and Apollo! Apollo's courting gift was the gift of prophecy, which Cassandra accepted, ergo confirming their courtship (their relationship was also considered to be a type of marriage btw! Cassandra would have been one of Apollo's 'wives', like the Pythia (essentially married to her job aka Apollo), Cyrene (was literally married to him; eloped with him), or the Muses (his immortal companions) even though they weren't like. married married. they weren't married like Zeus & Hera are, or Hades & Persephone. it was a symbolic one, or even an emotionally-bonded one.

So big gift = better chance at winning her hand. cool.

NOW I WOULD LIKE TO INTERRUPT OUR BROADCAST ON ANCIENT GREECE AND TURN OUR ATTENTION TO COURTSHIPS IN THE MYTHS :D

I've already discussed Apollo&Cassandra, but there are plenty more courtships going on.

Admetus & Alcestis, for one! Odysseus & Penelope! Admetus and Odysseus both had to complete a set task to be seen as "worthy" of marrying their respective wives.

For Admetus, it was yoking a bull and lion to a chariot and riding it into Alcestis's dad's kingdom (which he did with Apollo wingmanning him bless their souls) and for Odysseus, he completed various physical exercises (like a race) and won!

So I guess the overarching message about Greek courting/marriage rituals is the guy has to prove how much of a rich badass he is, and if he can't show off his wealth (like Odysseus), he's gotta make up for it with EXTRA badassness.

As for the marriage itself, it also depended on the region. And it's A Lot so I would recommend skimming this wikipedia article on it and then looking deeper into various other websites - just looked it up, and there are quite a few. I would nail down the main similarities between them as the Facts and the extra info as Potential Facts (my usual method of research - and if the info in corroborated in an informative source, then it is also Fact)

I also see you mentioned Proclia and Laomedon, and what he would have had to do for her marriage. I did find this website on Anatolian marriage customs (since they are in Anatolia and not Greece), but I don't know how reliable it is. If there's anybody out there who knows more, shoot it at me! :D

And thank you anon! :D I promise I have more in store, just working on getting the next couple Hunger Games AU chapters done before moving on to the Delphic fic! :D

[saiyukiitaliaandinternational]

For saiyuki ask...

26, 36 and 58!

Hello and thank you for these questions, let's answer:

26)   What other anime/manga do you enjoy?

I enjoy Neon Genesis Evangelion, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Death Note, Ghost in The Shell, Submarine N°6, Cowboy Bebop, Hellsing, Hellsing Ultimate, Shinsekai Yori, Welcome to the NHK, Sailormoon, The Promise Neverland, Shiki, Doraemon, GeGeGe no Kitaro, Keroro Gunsou, Code Geass, Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou (I just like it's nonsense comical elements, it's nice for a good laugh), Ergo Proxy, Death Parade, Naruto, all works from Go Nagai especially but not limited Devilman and Violence Jack, JoJo, FullMetal Alchemist, Berserk, Soul Eater, Attack on Titan, 17 Sai (it's quite dark and it's based on the real case of the poor Junko Furuta, may her soul rest in peace), all mangas from Suehiro Maruo (careful the themes are quite strong, gruesome, dark and not suitable for everyone hence I discourage to look for it in case ero guro and human degeneracy used as metaphors for society rotten decadence is not for you), all works from Junji Ito, all works from Shintaro Kago especially Princess of the Never Ending Castle, Blood on the Tracks by Shuzo Oshimi, Reptilia and other works by Kazuo Umezu, Panorama of Hell by Hideshi Hino, Saint Seiya, Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, and Buddha (all of these last three by Osamu Tezuka), Cyborg Kuro-chan, Hokuto no Ken aka Fist of the North Star, Howl's Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, Spirited Away, Pom Poko, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, The Red Turtle (the film is an international co-production between Studio Ghibli and several French companies, including Wild Bunch and Belvision, hence my inclusion in the list) and many others I can't remember now. Sorry for the long list ^^'

36 ) Which Saiyuki character do you think could easily adjust to modern times?

I think Ukoku is the one with the highest adaptability skills combined with his tendency to try new things to keep his innate boredom away is a powerful combo for his success in modern times. Hakkai is another good candidate, he is smart, knowledgeable and can learn new skills easily imho.

58) Name 5 other characters you like along with your fav Saiyuki character.

I won't name them, I will show them:

Thank you for these questions, it was fun to answer them^^

[fantasyinvader]

I had a couple more thoughts regarding with what I posted last night.

Houses tries to link Claude to wind, but wind isn't one of the Chinese elements. Those are fire, water, earth, metal and wood unlike the western elements of earth, wind, fire, and water (no heart though). Ergo, Claude being wind makes him an outsider to this.

The Azure Dragon, as discussed, isn't always blue as Chinese tradition held that blue and green are simply different shades of the same color. Claude, the leader of the Golden Deer, ends up as the protagonist of Verdant Wind, verdant being a word for green. Dimitri, leader of the Blue Lions, is the lead of Azure Moon, with azure typically being blue but that same tradition says it can also be green. Claude and Dimitri are both blue-green characters, symbolizing that they are both allies and heroic characters. However, Claude's true color is hidden behind the yellow/gold, which in this franchise denotes a separate enemy faction and therefore less trustworthy. Claude never gains that green coloration in Hopes and his route is called Golden Wildfire, his wind took and spread the flames of Edelgard's war to the point it's out of control, and his time in the shadow realm makes it clear he wants Rhea gone and seemingly knows he is the bad guy.

Again with the blue-green stuff, this would also make Byleth a blue-haired lord/player character (the only real outliers in this regard are Corrin. Eliwood, Leif and Roy) But this would also denote that Rhea, Seteth and Flayn are trustworthy by hinting at the connection. Meanwhile, Edelgard's associated with red and black, villainous colors.

When you think about the game's usage of flowers, Edelgard's intendedred flower being the safflower would indicate it's a route of attraction (only revealed post-timeskip and altered to a rose in the English text), whereas the white lily Rhea wears would symbolize purity. Whatever you have with Edelgard is meant to be superficial, whereas Byleth's real connection is meant to be with Rhea. That's the pure relationship.

How Hopes tags taking the steps to recruit Byleth as the “if event.” I dunno, it seems to indicate to me that Shez does end up fighting Byleth as the default story, and that recruiting Byleth is something of a variant of the timeline. Kinda like how the choices that unlock Flower are depicted as changing the story.

[missnobodymadness]

Welcome to my place, any similarities with an asylum are pure coincidence.

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I'm Miss Nobody, a 32 years old person who loves creating, sharing and read about original characters, with a strong preference for fan characters. English is not my first language and I am far from having a perfect grammar, I feel like this is important information considering that I write a lot about my characters. I consider myself a non-binary person and I feel comfortable with any pronouns.

⚠️ This blog may contain mature content occasionally and while never visually explicit I still feel like this deserves a warning, especially if you don't like cussing, I cuss a lot! Proceed with caution, you have been warned.⚠️

✔ Things I like ✔

❥ Art ❥ Anime ❥ TV shows ❥ Music ❥ Wajas ❥ Sharks and orcas

✪ Fandoms ✪

They are too many to list but I'm listing the main ones here, no order of preference.

➤ Attack On Titan* Favorites: Hange, Reiner, Pieck, Gabi ➤ Naruto* Favorites: Madara, Obito, Shikamaru, Jiraiya ➤ Spy x Family Favorites: Yor, Anya, Sylvia, Twilight/Loid ➤ Chainsaw Man Favorites: Makima, Himeno, Power, Kobeni ➤ Jujutsu Kaisen Favorites: Suguru Geto, Maki, Toji, Mahito ➤ Pokémon Favorites: Cynthia, N, Team Rocket, Gary ➤ Berserk (Manga only) Favorites: Serpico, Skull Knight, Guts, Farnese ➤ The Walking Dead Favorites: Michonne, Ezekiel, Tara, Alpha ➤ Game Of Thrones Favorites: Tyrion, Daenerys, Sam, Arya ➤ MCU Favorites: Loki, Tony Stark, Hela, Jessica Jones ➤ The Lion King* Favorites: Zira, Scar, Vitani, Nuka * = Main obsessions.

♥ My ships ♥

I enjoy shipping a lot and think it is an important part of my blog as I reblog these a lot, before following, please, check this list, I don't have time for drama and I won't start any over ships I don't like either, I'm here to have fun.

❥ Levi x Hange (Attack on Titan)* ❥ Levi x Hange x Erwin (Attack On Titan) ❥ Ymir x Historia (Attack On Titan) ❥ Loid x Yor (Spy x Family)* ❥ Hashirama x Madara (Naruto) ❥ Nami x Vivi (One Piece) ❥ Re-L x Vincent (Ergo Proxy) ❥ Jiraiya x Tsunade (Naruto) ❥ Kazuki x Rei (Buddy Daddies) ❥ Haruka x Michiru (Sailor Moon) ❥ Cara x Kahlan (Legend Of The Seeker) ❥ Jon Snow x Sam (Game Of Thrones) ❥ Daenerys x Tyrion (Game Of Thrones) ❥ Sam x Eileen (Supernatural) ❥ Linda x Mazikeen (Lucifer) ❥ Jesus x Aaron (The Walking Dead) ❥ Tara x Denise (The Walking Dead) ❥ Abraham x Eugene (The Walking Dead) ❥ Alicent x Rhaenyra (House Of The Dragon) ❥ Stede x Black Beard (Our Flag Means Death)

* = Currently obsessed with

♥ My OC X Canon ships ♥

Warning: This blog contains OC x Canon ships and loves these, if you don't like these, don't follow.

❥ Myline x Itachi Uchiha (Naruto) ❥ Evelyn x Reiner Braun (Attack On Titan)* ❥ Evelyn x Pieck Finger (Attack On Titan) ❥ Aisha x Tony Stark (MCU) ❥ Jiyū x Suguru Geto (Jujutsu Kaisen)*

* = Unrequited love, I have a thing for tragic love stories. :C

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✎ My characters ✎

I have lots of original characters, from original stories to fandoms, all of my humanoids are fan characters, while all of my ferals are from my original story called "Cursed Scars".

I've listed most of my characters on this page and each one of them has a hashtag on my blog where you can see and find out more about each individual character of mine, I tried my best to make it easy to navigate!

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Important notes:

• No DNI as I find these very useless, at most they will make you an easy target for suspicious people.

• I do not answer private messages, these make me extremely uncomfortable as I suffer from social anxiety.

• I don't draw often as drawing makes my mental health decline a lot, I don't consider myself an artist, I draw very occasionally only.

• Some of my fan fics and original stories have very sensitive topics, it does NOT mean that I am okay or support any of these in real life, I'm not a murderer for writing about a murderer.

• I don't support or tolerate any kind of bullying or harassment over fictional ships, I couldn't care less if you ship the opposite of what I ship, you are free to and no one should be treated like shit for that, I have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior and I'd probably kick your face if I could. I ship Levihan but I ain't getting mad at Eruri, it's that simple, thank you.

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Working on a page for my characters, I shall edit this post to add the link to it once I am done.