#examples are 2 characters practicing because of a play or because they are trying to flirt with somebody else and want confidence | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

marsprincess889 · 2 months ago

Text

Uttara Phalguni ☀️

Part 2

Here is part 1, read it before you read this.

Other traits of Uttara Phalguni women, spiritual reasons behind their traits, overview.

The smart mouth/girl next door

To deviate a little from the royalty theme, Uttara Phalguni women in a more mundane story and context share the personality traits with the privileged characters who I've just discussed. And although the circumstances change, many of the thematic patterns stay the same.

Hermione Granger from the "Harry Potter" movies, played by Uttara Phalguni ascendant Emma Watson, is an archetype of the Uttara Phalguni girl in her fragile youth. She does not mind talking back, she's smart, she's capable, she's fierce but sensitive, and she feels a little awkward because she does not feel desirable or "womanly" enough for the boys around her (that's all before Krum takes her to prom, I know, but I felt like she went through a journey to get there. That does continue the theme of people/men around her taking her for granted).

Hermione was the one student out of the main characters who was born in a completely muggle family (both of her parents are humans without magical abilities), that might a nice representation of the "Earthy" nature Uttara Phalguni women. But Hermione herself always defended her heritage fiercely, trying to not let any bullying get to her.

Rory Gilmore from "Gilmore Girls" is another example of the smart girl-next-door archetype, who is played by Uttara Phalguni Sun Alexis Bledel. The whole bookish "not like other girls" trope can be traced back to Uttara Phalguni and more prominently, to Ketu nakshatras ( both Emma Watson and Alexis Bledel also have Ketu primary placements).

"Gilmore Girls" is a show about a family (Uttara Phalguni's theme) and it focuses on the three generations of women in that family (again, the focus on females relates to Uttara Phalguni). I have not watched the show but I have seen a few scenes and I know the characters a little. Anyways, I know enough to include an interesting observation.

I was inspired to include this example after seeing an IG post about Rory and identity diffusion, which was not related to astrology at all. I think it refreshed or my phone died and I lost the post so if any of you know the user I'd love to credit them.

Note: I think that identity diffusion relates to Ketu prominence (especially having a prominent Ashwini nakshatra) more but I thought that it was interesting within the context of Uttara Phalguni's patterns regardless.

Identity diffusion is not a medical condition, but a psychological term used to describe a state of indecisiveness and passivity, where it's hard for the individual to forge a clear path ahead (I think everyone has experienced this, it's common and even normal among young adults). From what I've learned, it has less to do with identity and more to do with the stability and the clear visibility of that identity, since what's I've read described it from an external viewpoint. The Sun, ruler of Uttara Phalguni, is the natural indicator of the soul, and the sign of Leo, in which it begins, has to do with identity. It then moves into the sign of Virgo, the natural ruler of the sixth house, which deals with enemies, challenges, hurdles, people meddling in your business left and right. Virgo is a practical sign that does not have time to be concerned with emotions, which feels restrictive and unfair to the big-hearted Uttara Phalguni. Bridging those two different signs, Uttara Phalguni has to manage the difficult task of balancing their personal integrity with the practical reality, enough for their soul (the Sun) to shine through. The key is to stop overcompensating and adjusting constantly to other people, no matter how much peer pressure they experience through it all (the other side of the coin of the cow yonis: in Uttara Bhadrapada, the individual has to work and submit to their soul in order to save it and gain material safety, while in Uttara Phalguni, the individual has to find a way to adjust the practical reality to the truth of their soul).

Uttara Phalguni, being eager to please and compromise, often ultimately gets underappreciated for their efforts and sometimes hated for "trying too hard", which ties into many of these stories, especially this one.

Another example would be Elle Fanning as Lily_ a young girl living on a farm eith her older relatives in "We Bought A Zoo" (which is an Uttara Phalguni movie), who also conveniently works there (the Uttara Phalguni theme of getting work from relations). spoilers

She's sweet and helpful to the new owners of the place, always being friendly with a boy her age, bringing a sandwich to him every day. They get attached to each other, but she gets hurt because when he thought his family would go back to the city, he was happy and eager to leave right in front of her, taking her affection and care for granted. She stops bringing sandwiches and ignores him after that day, only then he realizes that he's hurt her with his unnappreciative behaviot and goes to apologize and make up. (That storyline was unbelievably cute, that movie overall is so wholesome, I can't...)

The "big city" girl

In the 1980 Italian film "The Taming of the Scoundrel", Uttara Phalguni moon and ascendant Ornella Muti plays Lisa_ a beautiful socialite from the city who gets herself stuck in the house of a farmer after a rainstorm. Saturn, the planet often paired with the Sun, is related to agriculture. Seeing that she was treated nicely, and the because the farmer caught her attention, she fakes an illness to prolong her stay, but the farmer is onto her, and does outageous things to send her away or to get under her skin. They have an iconic push and pull dynamic that you see in many couples involving Sun women and both of the cow yonis too.

She's also seen as pure, highly privileged and "too proper" for the village life at first but she proves that she can do more than what others think she's capable of, including some of the more physically demanding tasks that are considered masculine.

The way Lisa demands princess treatment and is eventually denied it makes for a nice comedy. A similar dynamic occurs with the last movie example you'll see later. Uttara Phalguni is "the princess" in many stories, as we have seen.

I just realized that in these pictures she's chilling on the bed and talking to her friend on the phone(Uttara Phalguni's symbol. It represents the back legs of the bed, reminding us of leisure while also doing something else/multitasking, because Uttara Phalguni connects Leo and Virgo/5th and 6th houses/Sun and Mercury. Purva Phalguni is the front legs, representing Venusian passion and procreation) while pretending to be sick to get princess treatment. If that is not Uttara Phalguni idk what is. Also, she might seem dishonest and manipulative but she wants to stay because she actually likes the farmer who took her in and enjoys their dynamic. Also, if I remember correctly, her boyfriend from Milan was not great soo... (she never cheated though).

I also want to mention Sandy from "Grease", played by Uttara Phalguni native Olivia Newton John, as the iconic "good girl" who has more to her than it looks. She's basically the perfect example of the archetype. The interplay between her and John Travlota's (Purva Phalguni native) character Danny describes the purpose and the dynamic of the Phalguni pair, which is to attract, form bonds and procreate (procreation is more directly tied to Rat yonis, especially Purva Phalguni). John Travolta also has Pushya_ a Saturnian nakshatra, so this couple is another iconic example of the Sun-Saturn pair. Saturn represents the lower class, and Danny is apart of the 50s Greasers, who were made up of the lower class, while Sandy is a privileged girl.

A nice element in the story is that Sandy's transformation occured from the influence/help that she received from the community that she found herself in. Uttara Phalguni women always feel tied to their communities and even if they feel out of place or like the odd one out (which was definitely the case in previous examples), the pressure or need to adjust and compromise for the benefit of the tribe is still strong. As we saw before, even if they a adopt a different persona or behaviors (which are often edgy), their true personalities never change, as they always had more in them than what it seemed like, and their souls always find a way to shine through, no matter how much the outer circumstances test them.

This also might manifest as Uttara Phalguni women confidently embracing their "good girl" persona (if that is indeed true to her), because they know that it does not mean that they are "weak", "bland" or "uninteresting". When the Sun is healthy, there's no need to adjust to outer projections, it can just shine through in its radiance and stability, and then it's easier to see the material reality adjust to the soul's truth.

Notable examples of this are iconic characters portrayed by Uttara Phalguni ascendant Julie Andrews: Maria from "The Sound of Music" and Marry Poppins.

To close out on-screen examples, I want to talk about the movie "Leap Year" (2010).

"Leap Year" is a great example overall to understand Uttara Phalguni women, for many reasons.

The main character, Anna (played by Uttara Phalguni moon Amy Adams) is a hardworking woman living in Boston, US. She finds out that her long-term boyfriend was in a jewelry shop, and afterwards he invites her to a date. Naturally, she thinks she's getting proposed to, but the box turns out to contain earrings.

Dissapointed, she finds out about an old Irish tradition: woman can propose to their boyfriends on every February 29th and men cannot refuse. Since her partner had to fly there, she plans to follow and surprise him with a visit and an engagement.

Nothing goes according to plan, as she has severe difficulties getting to Ireland and during a rainstorm, she gets stuck in the village of Dingle, when she in fact needed to get to Dublin.

As soon as she arrives, locals make fun of her "big city girl" persona, which from their view is much more privileged. Despite this, she turns out to be more strong-willed, resilient and, perhaps, stubborn than what they anticipated.

I don't want to spoil everything, but this movie is about what makes a truly great bond and what we should really value in connections. An interesting detail is that Anna expresses that she felt that she could not rely on her father, which perfectly explained her micro-managing and stubborn personality. This is her dialogue with Declan, who promised to take her to Dublin after they met in the village:

Declan: Why don't you stop trying to control everything in the known universe? It's dinner. Have a little faith. It'll all work out.

Anna: Heard that one before.

Declan: Well, maybe you should have listened.

Anna: Really? You think? It'll all work out. My dad was the king of "it'll all work out." Time shares in the Bahamas, mobile video stores, whatever the next big nothing was, all our money went right after it. But don't worry, it'll all work out. Cut to me working two part-time jobs after school and us getting our house repossessed on Christmas Eve. Ho, ho, ho. So you will forgive me if l don't listen. I'm sorry.

Declan: No, I'm sorry. A father's someone you should be able to rely on, you know?

I was planning on reviewing this movie thoroughly as I rewatched it recently and was astonished by how perfectly it told the story Uttara Phalguni women and the events and feelings that they deal with in their lives, but I just don't want to spoil anything and I think it might be better if you guys watch it yourselves. It's a great and wholesome film, I think you'll love it 🙂.

Here's a great clip from earlier in the film, but I'd advise to watch the whole film.

youtube

With Uttara Phalguni women, it's common to feel like you cannot completely rely on your father or other men in your life. I made a public post here, asking people with Uttara Phalguni primary placements to shortly describe their relationships with their fathers or father figures. It was not nice, you can see the comments yourselves, and the vast majority of them are women.

The wounding of Virgo

Much like its opposite on the axis_ Pisces, Virgo is a nakshatra that has connection to vulnerability. Pisces heralds a time of completion_ the full-circle moment and the feeling of peace that comes with it. Virgo is a place where the "workload" is at its highest_ it's right in the middle (alongside Libra_ both being opposite to the end and the beginning of Pisces and Aries). Pisces is a place of unity (Ketuvian) but Virgo is a place of division (Rahu) and the vulnerability of Virgo is not like how it is in Pisces, although they're interlinked: Virgo feels vulnerable because it feels like it cannot rely on anyone.

The sign of Virgo is named after the Virgin, symbolic of feminine energy that "has not been penetrated by the masculine". Virgin goddesses in many mythologies were really just goddesses who were unmarried and independent, although some embodied the word "virgin" literally. The unwillingness of Virgo women to submit to masculine energies comes from their inner wound of feeling abandoned by the masculine energy that they craved and/or having the masculine energy imposed on them (in any way) that they deemed unworthy. They are the ones who see masculine distortions clearly or the ones who have felt those energies naturally since early childhood. As a consequence, many Virgo women feel a deep need to free themselves from unworthy masculine energies and protect themselves from them (as they see other women in their receptivity and rarely have the kind of masculine support that they want, they put that responsibility on themselves). At the same time, they protect their inner softness and femininity by putting their best foot forward/rarely showing weakness, especially to men. This often manifests the most directly in the nakshatra that is fully in Virgo_ Hasta, but as Hasta is ruled by the moon and it knows how to utilize the lunar femininity, it's, in a way, more comfortable in that position.

Uttara Phalguni is the first nakshatra that is introduced to the sign of Virgo and coming out of the extravagant Leo (and also being ruled by Leo's ruler_ Sun), it has trouble staying big-hearted once it meets the meticulous and critical energies of Virgo, where people are not there to be their friends. Uttara Phalguni women are too honest and respectful towards themselves to play dirty in a way that goes against their natural generosity and kind hearts. This often means that the ones who do, walk over them, mistaking the kindness of Uttara Phalgunis as weakness. Uttara Phalgunis often push back with stubbornness and/or pure force of their will, they try to never ever give up their spiritual high ground (just like Uttara Bhadrapada). Since in women this is seen as less feminine by others, and since they're the most open with their energy, they are the ones, out of three nakshatras of Virgo, who struggle with embodying their true femininity the most.

Unlike Hasta and Chitra (other Virgo nakshatras), who are way more comfortable with manipulation, Uttara Phalguni needs honest, loving and supportive connections, because it's the nakshatra of families and bonds, and manipulation goes against their morals and integrity (Solar). So, they try to utilize their Mercurial cunning that only serves the tribe and strengthents the necessary bonds.

This emotional/spiritual/psychological wound of Virgo women is hidden, out of necessity, so that nobody takes advantage of it. And so it's unseen. This is why Virgo is related to passivity, because it cannot say that it's weak or hurt, it can't explain itself because that would be another way to extend their energy to others and risk being siphoned of it. Virgo women wait for people who see them for who they are, despite their concious or unconcious, willing or unwilling attempts to cover it up.

And the loving Uttara Phalguni might just be the one who needs it the most. That is why I think that Uttara Phalguni women are often "used" and need to be extremely discerning about their bonds. The running theme among them is a journey towards settling into their true and natural femininity and balancing it with weeding out unworthy masculine energies and utilizing their desired ones that are given to them.

Uttara Phalguni's yoni animal is also associated with service and fertility.

This is a little sadder and maybe even tragic side to Uttara Phalguni: sacrificing your wishes/boundaries/time for the good of the community or the people you love, because there's no other choice, and being taken for granted or sometimes even hated for it. The lack of true love from partners, friends or family is a sad theme among these people, as they try to "earn" love or work for support by supporting other ten times more, but that only makes them viewed as people to walk over.

"The Giving Tree"_ a classic children's picture book, written and illustrated by Uttara Phalguni Sun Shel Silverstein, tells a story of a tree and a boy. It starts with a "tree who loved a boy" as the boy would sit under it and use it to play, pluck fruit or shirld from sunlight. As the poem progresses, the boy grows and goes through many phases and his relationship with the tree does too. Many have interpreted it as a metaphor for a relationship where one of the partners get used. I think that it is also about the female as the giving tree, since the feminine already represents nature, and Uttara Phalguni represents the "giving" aspect of it.

Here's the link for the online version of the book.

To end on a much better note, in all the other stories, Uttara Phalguni women manage to break free from their self-opressive and overgiving tendencies and take their true place in the community. The key was choosing yourself day by day, every day, and nourishing only those relationships which make you feel like yourself, which truly make you feel like you. Easier said than done, I know, but when you enter the sign of Virgo, the nitty-gritty is the rule, you have to deal with it, without neglecting your soul.

Uttara Phalgunis understand the importance of family and community: they are needed for individuals as well as for the society at large. The theme of serving the family/the tribe is strong in here. Just like the auduence learns in these stories, serving the family and following your own heart is one and the same, even if at first, to the Uttara Phalguni native, it's an incredibly painful choice. No relationship can flourish without true love, support and respect of both indoviduals towards both themselves and the other and no community can exist without those relationships. Uttara Phalguni relates to the empowerment of the individual within the family, how every member deserves to follow their heart, despite what duties are imposed on them. Every kingdom starts with a strong and true individual at first.

You don't have to choose between family and self, because true family already supports and values you. The kingdoms are built on tribes and communities, tribes are born from connections between two people bound by marriage and all of those relationships should be built on real love, loyalty and support, because otherwise, they'll fail.

Uttara Phalgunis have that inner knowing of how all of those relationships should function, they are always ready to fight for what they know to be right within their hearts and they are the ones who have both the power and the resilience to defend what's worth defending, resulting in a truly powerful, supportive and abundant unit that they can proudly call their kingdom. ☀️👑

...

I did go over almost all of these myself but it is much better to watch them and see the Uttara Phalguni themes yourself, because I still feel like I have not fully said everything that I wanted to say in the way that I wanted to.

So, here are some series and films to watch: "The Mask of Zorro", "Downton Abbey" (Sybil, Cora and Violet), "Outer Banks" (Sarah), "Grease", "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story", "The Great", "The Princess Diaries" (Queen Clarisse), "The Sound of Music (Maria)", the "Harry Potter" franchise (Hermione and professor McGonagall), "Tuck Everlasting" (for Winnie, the larger theme of this film is connected to Bharani), "The Taming of the Scoundrel", "Riverdale" (Betty), "Braveheart", "Gilmore Girls", "We Bought a Zoo".

Ketu is currently in Uttara Phalguni until later this year, so it is quite a good time to understand these energies.

...

Thank you for reading 🤍 I've spent two months on gathering all the information and then writing this into a digestible text, so I'd appreciate feedback a lot. I know that this is not a video but so far, this is the format I'm the most comfortable with. It is free for everyone to read and share as long as you credit me.

120 notes · View notes

skycowboys · 4 months ago

Note

Heya!! Just got to sift through the artbook as it arrived a few days ago and i am absolutely IN LOVE with the art, blown away by the concepts and character art– all of it is fantastic and delicious food for the noggin, esp as an artist myself, and a horse + wild west enjoyer. ^v^)o In essence: 10/10, yall outdid yourselves!

I also had some questions, if it's okay, (no pressure or anything)– but I was interested in maybe making a character for the world (if we can do that sort of thing); and I am absolutely enraptured and fascinated by the concept of “Boltslayers”, and I love, love, love the Lightning fish. (Big monster/creature design enthusiast so i adore them snbgdhjndgh)

1: are there any kind of specific pegasi that Boltslayer pilots would use/ride for that sort of thing? Or is it up to the pilots discretion/preference? (i.e: if longwings would be preferred for speed and maneuverability for example!)

2: I'm also super curious if Boltslayers hunt Lightning fish to keep their populations in check, and/or if it's like an actual career (as actual big-game hunting), or if it's more or less a ‘’hobby’’ for some, as a way to get some extra coin or whathaveyou. 🤔

Anyway yeah that sums my thoughts up haha XD apologies for the yapping. Might check out the discord server at some point! Can't wait to devour more of your amazing art in the future. Best wishes!! ~ NEO 💜

Hello!

I'm so glad you received your book <3 And I'm so glad you like it! I put a lot of time into it and it's fun to see it resonate with people :)

Heck yeahhh! Boltslayers are fun! One of the characters in the upcoming comic is a boltslayer. Here's a sneak peek of her -

Yes! Broadwings, certainly. Within that class, there are a few breeds that do exceptionally well like firefoot and deepwood broadwings (Sniper above and Semrah below are both deepwood broadwings).

These broadwings have extreme tenacity and focus. Just as important is the bond between pilot and pegasus. Both have to 100000% trust each other with zero doubts because when you're hunting lightning fish, doubt means death. Any pegasus that has those qualities can be used in a hunt.

2. Boltslayers most often hunt lightning fish as a job. The payday for felling a LF can be massive and can be residual as long as the LF is being harvested. Boltslayers work with trusted merchants who manage the harvesting after the LF is down, and collect the boltslayer's cut of the materials sold over time. So boltslayers don't have to hunt very often.

There are some who hunt for sport, but the majority of boltslayers see the sport hunters as posers and will avoid them. To a *real* boltslayer, pitting yourself against a LF will result in a death: you or the LF. Risking your life for sport is seen as stupid and disrespectful to the LF, who will throw everything it has at you. Why waste a whole LF for your own glory? Even if the LF is harvested, a sport kill is seen as cheap and distasteful. If you're a sport hunter, good luck trying to find a team that'll hunt with you.

That said, all boltslayers are crazy daredevils in some respect. Hunting LF is incredibly dangerous and difficult. It takes a certain kind of person to master it. Boltslayers like to spend time at Fen's Ascension and practice their skills in "mock hunts", where you're really just playing chicken with young LF and don't actually engage in a hunt to kill. This can be done alone, where as real hunts are done in teams.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I hope that answers your questions! We'll all be happy to see you in the Discord if you choose to join :)

~ Larn

For anyone new seeing this aaaaask:

Art book | Sky Cowboys Discord Community

#ask #lightning fish #creature #long post

116 notes · View notes

yanderes-galore · 10 months ago

Note

Fandom: HOTD

Characters: Aemond Targaryen, Aegon Targaryen

Pairing: Rivalry (romantic for both)

Type of fic: Concept

Extra info: Both Aemond and Aegon start to take notice of maid!Darling. I was thinking Darling being / becoming a handmaid of,, Helaena for example, could be a way for both Aegon and Aemond to have a way to constantly see Darling, thus letting their obsession grow even more

-🥝 anon 🤎🤎

Poor girl just trying to do her job only to have two princes after her....

Yandere! Aemond Targaryen vs Aegon II Targaryen with Maid! Darling

Pairing: Romantic - Rivalry

Possible Trigger Warnings: Female Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Possessive behavior, Jealousy, Violence, Mature themes, Harassment/Unwanted affection, Murder, Targcest (Aegon and Helaena due to canon), Forced relationship(s)

Being Helaena's handmaid is usually a quiet job.

The woman often keeps to herself, muttering to herself as she plays with her insects.

You clean, speak to her, and act as a companion to the Targaryen princess.

You're around the same age and are always at her side.

However, this naturally gets you in contact with her siblings.

Both princes are bad in their own ways.

Aegon is bad because he's... touchy.

Aegon is infamous for bedding any woman he has access to.

Maids, brothels, any woman.

Which means you are constantly hit on, courted, and cornered when around Aegon.

Aemond is much better in this regard.

While he is similar to Daemon, his uncle, in many ways...

Aemond does not have the hedonism his uncle and brother have.

No... But he does have the very same bloodlust Daemon does.

Meaning he tends to duel (or straight up murder) those he thinks are too close.

So... both brothers are bad in their own right towards their obsession.

Them in a rivalry? Well, based on what I've seen and written...

Sibling rivalries within the Targaryen dynasty are quite dangerous.

Or any family at all in ASOIAF.

Would the two murder one another? Aemond might.

However, he knows better than just doing it.

He'd want to frame it as an accident or frame it on someone else.

An example of this in canon is during Season 2 of the show with Aegon vs Rhaenys.

He felt he could get away with burning Aegon with Vhagar during the battle.

And if Criston Cole didn't catch him?

He probably would've finished the job.

Now, would Aegon?

He seems to be the one more likely to tease or threaten, but not entirely follow through.

However, both princes are still dangerous and possessive.

It just appears Aemond, ironically the one who isn't trying to bed you every five seconds, happens to be the biggest threat.

I want to add spice to this request and say Helaena would try to support and protect you from her brothers.

Although... Her character isn't very... assertive.

She would probably try to keep you away from her brothers.

Yet Aegon would ignore her, trying to pull you away, saying you'd serve him better as his servant.

While Aemond may compromise, allowing Helaena to stay beside you while Aemond has your company.

Aegon's yandere behavior is both dominant and submissive I feel.

He can be intimidating, yet alone with his obsession and if you play your cards right?

Putty.

Aemond, however, is just dominant...

He's more attentive to your needs but is controlling.

Naturally, though, both princes like the idea of controlling a maid darling.

All while Helaena pities and worries for you... as when the rivalry occurs, you're barely attending to her.

Both brothers are affectionate in their own ways.

Aegon likes to corrupt you, offering pleasure and gifts to make you like him more.

While Aemond tries to be more of a chaste gentleman, still giving you gifts but often offering dances or walks.

Occasionally you're around to watch their sword practices... and the two destroy one another when they notice you're there.

Ser Criston Cole has to pull the maway from one another, both men bleeding and fighting like moody teens.

Alicent grows increasingly concerned that her two eldest sons are fighting over a handmaid.

She's been trying to work on betrothals for them in order to help them stay on track.

Yet both princes keep clinging around you while Helaena begs her mother to help her.

Helaena considers you a friend since youth, she just wants you happy.

She can tell you're overwhelmed by her brothers' infatuation over you.

You may be a simple maid, a woman made to serve...

But the princes don't care.

They want your hand regardless.

This is strange for both of them, especially Aegon who never even considered marriage for a long time.

The only reason Aegon begins to accept Alicent betrothing him to Helaena is because he has better access to you.

Which just makes Aemond more determined to marry you, begging Alicent to betroth you both so Aegon can be kept away.

You begin to wonder if you'd make better money somewhere else... serving some lord far from King's Landing.

Alas... fate isn't merciful to you.

As war eventually comes to be, more attempts at kinslaying come up.

During The Dance... Aegon is crowned king and Aemond is meant to serve him with his dragon Vhagar.

However, the two are still planning on keeping you to themselves.

Aegon may have more opportunities to keep you to himself, much to Helaena's dismay...

But the two brothers still have each other to deal with.

As more battles begin, the two siblings start plotting betrayal.

In fact, if we want to follow canon, Aemond may get Aegon back by burning him.

With Aegon bedridden or dead... and Aemond in power...

You'd belong to Aemond.

Although... maybe you want an alternate timeline, where Aemond is assassinated either by Aegon's order or Daemon's...

Allowing Aegon to keep you as his beloved maid.

Either way... it looks like you'll be stuck with one of them in the end.

Hopefully The Blacks will win against The Greens...

Maybe then you'll be freed from the twisted princes... maybe then you can go back to your old life with both of them dead.

#yandere house of the dragon #yandere hotd #yandere asoiaf #yandere aemond targaryen #yandere aegon ii targaryen

192 notes · View notes

ghasel · 1 month ago

Text

pick a card reading:🔮 WHICH TYPE OF WITCH FITS YOU BEST 🔮

note: witch is gender neutral, this reading and the witchcraft path is open for people of all genders. love, a boy witch 💛

Hello!

Do you want to start your witchcraft path and become a witch? This reading can help you! In this free reading we will see which type of witch fits you best, then in the extended version on patreon we will see which first steps you can make to actually start this journey!

Reminder: this reading is to help you find a bit of clarity, but it doesn't force you to do anything, nor to become the type of witch that will come out: I will be adding the types of witches that come to my mind for each reading, but it's a suggestion, NOT the only possible path for you. (Side note: many witches are more types of witch, one thing doesn't exclude the other!)

tip jar

How to use this reading: pick the pile that attracts you from the photo (more than one can attract you), then scroll down and read the correspondent reading

[image description: the three piles, each with their respective number]

pile 1

[image description: pile 1 spread]

Circe (protection, sensuality, excesses) + amethyst (4) + aquarius (11) + the magician in reverse

You seem a very deep but also free type of witch: Circe makes me believe that you are not afraid to dive deep into things, but also that you are a type of witch that may be connected to the nature, to the land and to the ancestral ways; there is a sense of rawness, of something powerful that is not polished - because you don't care to; at the same time, the Aquarius card tells me that you are also a witch that likes to try different things: aquarius is an unbothered sign, who likes to try everything and says no to nothing; now, with Circe also comes the word "protection" so I think that you will have some boundaries in place and protect yourself (plese do!), but inside those boundaries you will probably like to explore and dabble around; then we have the amethyst, which is connected, with its purple, to psychic gifts and abilities, but this card shows us a crystal that is very grounded, but doesn't go a lot high in elevation: it makes me think that you may have some developed (or in developing) psychic gifts that will find a place in your witchcraft and magic, but not as the only main character, but as one of the things that make up your craft; there is a sense of using them to live life on earth, so for example intuition or clairvoyant, but not things like mediumship; last but not least, we have the magician in reverse: the magician is the creator and in reverse it gives a sense of calm, of quietness, of enjoying your witchcraft not to get to a goal or to make something specific, but because it's a part of you and something that makes you feel good when you practice it; it's more for the process than the outcome and it makes me think that you may be more inclined to, for example, take a walk and connect with nature rather than do a money spell (ofc both can coexist too!); it really gives a vibe of being a witch, it's a part of you and you practice it to express yourself;

types of witches that come to my mind: with Aquarius eclectic witch for sure! But I think that there's also a strong possibility of folk witch, work with ancestors (Circe is, in a sense, an ancestor of modern witches) and why not with element earth

Read the second part of the reading here! tip jar

pile 2

[image description: pile 2 spread]

torch (illumination,hope, manifesting) + emerald (22) + capricorn (10) + 9 of swords in reverse

there are a few different energies at play here: the emerald is connected to the hearth chakra, to peace, to tranquility and balance, while the Capricorn is the stubborn sign, an earth sign that doesn't stop and keeps going for their path; in addition, we have the torch that, while being a card from the Spirit element, recalls also the fire; in a sense this spread could very well be fire energy: it can be a warm hearth of the home, but it can also be destructive; the torch also makes me thing that we're talking about a witchcraft that either is headed to long term (aka will become a stable part of your life) or may even come from a long term (aka you're not the first witch in your family); it reminds me of the olympic torch, that passes from hand to hand and it really makes me thing that your witchcraft may insert itself in a path that has already been walked for a long time (it can be a family witchcraft or also another type of path, for example a specific type of priestess or priest); it reminds me of a tradition that burns since the dawn of time; the emerald, we said it already, is connected to the heart chakra, which makes me think that your emotions will play a big role or that your craft will help you be more in touch and more aware of them - and create a healthy balance; there's also a bit of a slow life vibe, which can be expressed in this emerald in the sense of being the drastical opposite of stress; Capricorn, as we said, is strong energy, but in this spread it seems like it's one of the parts that healthily coexists with the others; it's the other side of the coin than the emerald, it's the energy that pushes you to go forward and to better yourself and your craft, it's the engine that doesn't let you stay still, but go forward, still with your own time and pace; the 9 of swords in reverse tells me a similar thing: you are the type of witch that's never satisfied, in the good way; i mean that you are probably a witch that may have a list of things you want to learn and once you'll have learned them, you'll want to keep learning and experimenting other things, keep going for the next step; it may be that for you your witchcraft is not as much as a part of your daily life as it is a special moment for yourself, to connect with yourself, your craft and maybe also your ancestors; it may very well be that this emerald is telling us that witchcraft can be a breath of fresh air and quiet joy in your (possibly) busy days!

types of witch that come to my mind: ancestral witch/working with ancestors, hearth witch

Read the second part of the reading here! tip jar

pile 3

[image description: pile 3 spread]

the mastiff (loyalty, ferocity, safety) + nightshade (illusion, deceit, delusion)+ nuummite (38)+ air (25)+ the hermit in reverse

you guys got two witch deck cards, they came out together so we will interpret them also together! your witchcraft seems very double sided, from the start we have a card from the fire element and one from the water, then we have the mastiff that has an energy of protection, of defending something or someone and on the other side the nightshade, with an energy of illusion, of beauty to attract in her deadly trap; i think that your magic is ambivalent, has two main cores, one about protection, that is defensive and works for the safety, maybe to help yourself, your loved ones or others or the world, then you also have a i would say almost vicious type: not really a harmful magic, but a magic that masks itself, maybe to appear less powerful, maybe to not attract people's eyes; i feel that you may be the one who walks around a city smirking to themselves because people who see you have no idea how many witchcraft things you have on yourself; put together these cards can give an idea of masking to protect yourself: you may be in the broom closet (always or in specific situations) and being defensive about your craft is a way to be able to keep enjoying it; then we have nuummite, which is a very rare crystal that takes their name from the old capital of greenland, Nuum (possibly unrelated to your magic, but I'm a history nerd lol); again we have a bit of two sides of the same stone: on one hand nuummite can promote growth and change, but on the other hand black crystals are also used for protection; this card feels like the crystal is suspended, like those gravitating lamps, and it makes me think of a very precise balance; as an element we have air (we do have fire and water too, but i feel like they jumped out more to represent the opposites than to represent the elements themselves!); the Air card has an energy of both openness, vasity and expansion and also of keeping an eye on things, as if it was an aeral view that can go wherever it wants and at the same time keeps track of what happens on the ground; we also have the hermit in reverse, which makes me think tha you may be a solitary witch, not really because you're looking for your dimension, but because you have found it in solitary practice; in general in this spread there is a sense of carefully curated privacy, that doesn't necessarily feels like hiding in fear, but hiding to protect something (your craft) that is special to you and that you enjoy at its best when it's just you and your magic

types of witch that come to my mind: hedge witch, as they are known for being solitary witches

Read the second part of the reading here! tip jar

#witch #witchblr #witch community #witchcraft #tarot #tarot reader #tarotblr #tarot reading #pick a card #tarot pick a card #pick a card reading #pick a pile #pick a pile reading #tarot pick a pile #pac #tarot pac #pac reading #witch types

65 notes · View notes

rowanisawriter · 2 months ago

Text

writing around feelings

imo the absence of a feeling in writing is more powerful than directly describing it. people comment about how i do this a lot in writing so i thought i’d share what i mean and how i do it

so basically i’m trying to articulate a feeling without actually acknowledging it in the writing. when people avoid a thought or a feeling they don’t give it a name. it’s like touching around a bruise, you feel a little around it but avoid fully touching it because it hurts. that’s what i mean

in practice i think i have a couple ways of doing this:

1/ does, doesn’t, would, could: even if a character doesn’t take an action or acknowledge a feeling, the possibility is there in the story and i like drawing attention to that, it addresses the periphery of an emotion in an interesting and internal way, examples:

Erik raises the visor of his helmet. A soft summer breeze hits his face, catching on the sweat and cooling him ever so slightly. He feels Istvan’s eyes on him but doesn’t meet them.

Ryunosuke faces forward, letting his hand drop from the hilt of the sword. He takes a short breath. He tries not to focus on the dust.

2/ flat description of actions: you can describe an action without describing the emotion attached to it. i feel this is more impactful than doing both at the same time, or just choosing to focus on an emotion. there is emotion in the action, the reader can decide which one, examples:

“Kate,” he says, a little too sharply. “Be very careful there. Be very careful.” His hands are shaking again. He crosses his arms and shoves his hands under his armpits.

His computer gives a soft chime. An email. A new lead, but the stories are safe and tame, nothing like the danger he was used to. He shakes his wrists again, warding off carpal tunnel for another day. Another chime sounds. He looks out the window again.

3/ bury emotion in metaphor: this one i do constantly, i’ll just go off on a tangent about something else and the emotion will come through, kind of like how a character will try to distract themselves when faced with an emotion they don’t quite know how to process, example:

Sunlight trickles in through the dense tree cover, like water. A ray touches Hans’s golden hair. Henry watches the light play on the yellow strands. His hair is combed back but a few strands fall onto his forehead, pushed around by some invisible wind. They could be harp strings, or silk threads. Something delicate and fine. Another ray of sunlight falls over Hans’s hair and it seems almost to glow.

He unclenches his hands one finger at a time. The stress of muscles tensing no longer exists, not here, but the ghost of tension still lingers, the memory of it, over his knuckles and in his wrists. He wishes he could just have this. Just the pain in his joints of holding onto something too tightly for too long.

#about writing #i love to yap about writing

56 notes · View notes

imperiuswrecked · 5 months ago

Text

Castlevania: Nocturne thoughts that keep me awake below the cut

1. I don't know why I've seen people act like Mizrak only just met Richter and Maria in S1, like it's pretty clear from their first interaction they know him and he knows them. Tera, Maria, Mizrak, The Abbot all lived in that town for years, probably their whole lives as far as we know for Maria, The Abbot, Mizrak. While Tera and Richter lived there for years. Which means that Mizrak knew Richter and Maria when they were kids. I bet Maria used to show up just to find someone to play with at the Abby, like the Chruch was a central point of focus for community in those days. Mizrak could have been like a older brother/cousin to her when she was little, and he was younger. He could have been patiently sharpening his sword, while she made a crown of flowers and placed them on his head. He probably would try to teach her Bible verses or encourage her and Tera to attend church, but gave up after a while. Mizrak pulling little Maria out of scrapes, or taking her home when she got into trouble. Then one day she shows up with her cousin and he has double the work of keeping them out of trouble and he's like a 20 something monk knight. So now he has like 2 kids trailing around him, asking him endless questions, making fun of his serious nature, he practices in the courtyard and Richter begins to copy his moves. So he ends up teaching him how to sword fight so he can protect Maria and Tera when Mizrak isnt around. Like why was there even monk knights to begin with in a small town. The Vampires. He and his brotherhood of knights were the towns protectors, the Vampires werenr many but it was enough for people to want there to be knights, to give money to the church to house and feed and cloth them so they could focus on their work. He'll, I bet Mizrak's heart nearly exploded when he first catches the cousins taking down a Vampire in the woods he was hunting. He then sometimes teamed up with them on the occasional hunt. Mizrak has no issues just falling into the group dynamic and he even takes up the role of provider, getting them safe shelter, clean water, and hunting food. Like that is a man who took on the older cousin/brother role to Richter and Maria years ago but no one really noticed because it felt so natural, and Mizrak is a quiet guy who doesn't talk much, or show his emotions, he tries to be an example to them through his morals and character and faith.

2. Just because The Abbot, Emmanuel, is a cowardly bitch in current times doesn't mean anything. Tera literally said how she was shown kindness when she got to the town. As a speaker witch who lost her whole family, her sister, being an outcast and hunted probably, a normal nice guy would have been catnip. They probably had a love affair but the Abbot was younger too, he probably was like "we can't have a child out of wedlock, etc" like it's very The Scarlet Letter vibes: Outcast woman lives on the edge of town with a baby girl, no one knows it's the priest whose the dad, the priest suffers internally for years and tries to repent but whatever they do it's not good enough to make up for the fact that they are a coward. The Abbot's moral failing didn't start now. It started years ago when he chose his priesthood over doing the right thing for his child, and the woman he loved. Maria killing him for being a deadbeat dad is all the excuse she needs, even without Emmanuel giving up Tera to Erzsebet. It's why Tera tried to appeal to him even till the end, because she spent years still in love with the young man who was kind to her once, a long time ago, and she thought she could still reach him, not knowing his moral decay and fervent belief that he was doing God's Will had crushed that once kind man.

3. The same theme runs true for Drolta. A priestess corrupted over time, until the end goal she was working towards for so long is so far removed from where she started, but she is so deep into her centuries long belief that what she is doing is right, and it's what her Goddess wills, that no matter what path she takes, what means she uses to reach her end, it's all worth it because she is her Goddess's most faithful servent. The confusion at the end when she's confronted by Sekhmet and reality comes to rip down her entire being blindsides Drolta. It's very tragic because Drolta did start out as a healer too, she wanted to help her people, to serve her Goddess, but life is not kind, and she chooses her dark path every step of the way, leaving more and more of that once good woman behind. The road to hell is paved with good intentions is something both Drolta and The Abbot shared once. Was Drolta aware at some point she had lost her path? Did she care? Did she grieve her former self? Or did she ignore and rip out all those soft emotions because she had spent centuries trying to bring her Goddess back and to admit it was all for nothing meant her corruption was for nothing? Like it got to the point she genuinely believed that she was the only person worthy of becoming Sekhmet, but only after she was sure she would not die like all the others who tried, only after Erzsebet's use was over, and Drolta was a powerful NightCreature did she dare to take that power. Cowardly in a way that she didn't want to give up her immortal vampire life to try and be Sekhmet's vessel.

4. Olrox's time in S2 really felt like the writers didn't want to let him go, but they didn't know what to do with him, especially compared to how much his character was a force that pushes Tera, Richter, Annette, and Maria to confront the Abbot and his main character arc (other than not romancing but really romancing Mkzrak) since stepping off the ship in France has been to see what the fuck is really going on. He's too old to fall in line and worship the latest power hungry Vampire lord/lady wannabe but he needs to see what sorta threat is he up against. The instant he's off the ship, he tells them he'll be along, and goes off on recon. He knows Mizrak's name the next day and abiut the Night Creatures, which mean he probably spent that first night toying on the Abbot and the Monk Knights. He was intrigued by Mizrak and thinks to use him as his source for more information but didn't expect to fall in love with him, but does as time goes by. However you do see he still has his own thing going on, he lurks around the dungeons, he finds Edouard, he finds the book, the machine, he is playing a dangerous game with Dolta and Erzsabet. His character arc is tied to The Machine which was not destroyed in S1, and the main characters even forgot about in S2 because they are young or prehaps they think without The Abbot it can't be used, but Olrox is a very focused Vampore and he doesn't forget, he destroyed the book, but The Machine is still there and he has no means of destroying it or sending it back to Hell. Olrox being a shadow that dances around the main plot and trying to get people to focus on the real issue in S1 vs how little he does in S2 is a glaring difference, but if there is a S3, Olrox and The Machine needs be addressed otherwise it's a waste of perfectly good character and plot build up. I do hope we also see more of Olrox's history in S3 because he is such a great character. Even if we just get him talking more about his past, I'll be happy. I seriously think with how long he's lived, what a morally grey character he is, that creators could do an entire spin off show based on his past. And can we PLEASE get a name for his past lost love?

5. Erzsabet is like the perfect main villainess for the show, she is everything the revolution is fighting against. She's a noble born lady who used her power to prey on theninnocrnt while she was a human and then later continues to do so as a powerful vampire. The fact that most of the Vampires are, the Aristocracy who are the "blood sucking leeches in charge" males so much sense in terms of the setting of the show. They are draining the kices out of the oppressed working/peasant class. Erzsebet is not smart or cunning like Drolta. In fact she is quite lazy as a character, expecting everything to be done for her because she was born and raised in that life of privilege, she expects and craves worship and adoration as her due, and believes Drolta every step of the way because Drolta does know how to manage her. Erzsebet doesn't even try to control the Nughr Creatures instead waits for Drolta to come back to deal with it. This doesn't mean that Drolta groomed or tricked Erzsebet, no, Erzsebet was already this way when Drolta met her, and in fact it's because Erzsebet is a stupid, lazy, power hungry nonle woman with no care for who she hurts to satisfy her own wants, that makes her the perfect tool for Drolta's own goals. Erzsebet never sees Drolta's betrayal coming because she truly believes herself to be worthy of being Sekhmet. It's why she breaks in the final battle because she can't comprehend the fact that she is just another rich woman who doesn't get what she wants, and reality smacks her down and shows her that all that power and strength means nothing. Honestly??? It's really refreshing to have a villain character who doesn't know everything, I think I'm so used to villains always having a plan, always know what the heroes will do next or being smart enough to counteract them, and especially villainess's have to be twice and smart etc to prove what a threat they are, but Erzsebet is like "I should have everything I want because I deserve it, but I will let my servants do all the work because what do you mean I have to work to achieve my goals? It's enough that I've proven myself by not dying." Like zero awareness, just a beautiful dumb villainess who thinks 'might makes right". It really is refreshing to have someone like Erzsebet because she is still a major threat.

6. Annette really carried all of S2 and it's perfect, it's beautiful, her getting a lot more spotlight felt only natural and I loved seeing her journey, I'd do wish they hadn't kept her and Edouard away all seasons that's like my main issue because they were friends and we didn't get to see that again until the end and the same holds true for Edouard in that zi feel they didn't know what to do with him this season like Olrox, they couldn't let Edouard fade into the background because he is important to Annette, but they could have had Edouard turn the Night Creatures against Erzsebet and Drolta imo. Still Annette's arc was the strongest of all the characters and very well done. I'm only sad because I wish we had more episodes to explore her journey.

7. I really hope we get to see more of Tera in S3, I do think she wasn't utilized well in S2 when we had the promise of he becoming Erzsebet's faithful servant at the end of S1 which would have set it up nicely for some heart breaking moments between Tera and the others. And while I know Richter is the main character, I don't really have any thoughts for him because he's not a character type I particularly enjoy or find interesting wnough. He's ok to me.

8. I hope Alucard and Juste get to stick around and raise Maria, even if there's a time skip and S3 has Maria an adult, it's fun to think about. Her arc was really good in S2 as well!

#castlevania nocturne #olrox #mizrak #drolta tzuentes #erzsebet bathory #tera #maria #richter belmont #juste belmont #annette #alucard #edouard #my ramblings

80 notes · View notes

musingsofheaven · 7 days ago

Note

what are some tips you'd give writers who want to write longer fics but don't know where to start?

Think about the theme/plot, setup, and other essential details first. Give yourself time to gather ideas. To have what-if questions like, “What if Art takes your first kiss?” Help yourself build a scenario in your head.

When I write, I start with the introduction. Like, imagine you are writing an NSFW fic. How do you want to start it? The background/scene before the tension happens. What I am trying to say is… you can have an outline.

You will slowly build it up. You should have something in your head or a plan. How will you write the whole fic? This is not how I write every fic I have, but it can be a good explanation or something to get ideas from. Quick example: let’s use (nsfw) Virgin! Reader x Best Friend! Art Donaldson pairing:

1. Background > who he is in your life > how long you have been best friends > what is the dynamic you both have? (do you have feelings for him, or is it vice versa? or is it mutual, but no one says anything?)

2. Starting > after a shitty date > you’re in his hoodie > eating takeout together, sitting too close on his couch > laughing, legs brushing, feels normal but a little different tonight

3. Shift > how will you want to continue the scenario? > you can go like, you complain about your dry love life and the slip from your mouth about being “practically a virgin” > you can make it like he already knows it because it’s obvious, or he can be like, quiet, eyes on you, and ask you if it’s true.

4. Build up > of course, after admitting that, you will show how they can brush it off or play the scenario. maybe it can be like this: the air feels heavy now for you since you are embarrassed > he let you be silent, but the knees are still close to each other > this can be an opening if you want both of the characters to speak. one possible scenario is him saying, “you know i’d take care of you, right?” maybe he will get a little protective. > you will show the details (the reader can’t stop looking at his mouth, what you think, how your thighs press under his hoodie, how you feel the tension/shift from both of you, or dialogues).

5. Tension > grabbing the opening: you can ask him something related to what you just blurted out (ex., if you want to or what his first time is like or if he has experience) > gestures (you can maybe put your hand above his knee, get closer, or his hand moves to your thigh, squeezing gently) > reaction (catch your breath, shiver, look at the hand) > response (question if you both want to, the soft touch, the look)

6. Climax > what do you want them to do with the scene laid in front of you? > think about possible scenarios. can be like: both of you kiss > the actions that matter (pushing your back to the couch or bed) > subtle details (hoodie riding up, how his hand can’t be in one place) > words + action (praise, sweet talk, eye contact, caressing your cheek, etc.)

7. Nsfw > how it start (taking off the clothes, watching you, yearning, thoughts like “fuck, i’ve wanted this for so long,” or “what if he doesn’t find me pretty?”) > foreplay (if you want… do something like kissing your thighs, body worship, going down on you, his fingers inside you, you going down on him, messy, shy, gentle, or rough depending on vibe) > describe (the feeling: warmth, stretch, the slickness, his hardness, everything. the actions: grinding, arching, scratching, pulling hair, squeezing thighs, pinning down your legs to open. the sensory: the breathing, warmth of the skin, the skin slapping, the creak of the bed, your skin against his. the reactions: how he moves, how he close his eyes, how his hands tightens when holding you, how you can’t stay in place, the biting lips, etc. the thoughts: “i love how he feels” or “she looks good when she moans”) > dialogues (saying words but it stutters, moan/whimper/whine combo: the ah, oh, ngh, words like: a. “please, p-please” b. “feels so good, fuck” c. “you’re taking me so well” d. “don’t hide your face, baby”) > the scene (where it’s happening: in his house? where? living room, his room, kitchen, bathroom? bed, floor, or couch, floor. what time and when: evening, middle of the night, morning, during his birthday, midterms week, etc) > the fuck (the first push, how he moves slow at first, letting you adjust, how you react, how you both feel) > the middle of it (pace picking up, how deep, the what would people do in the middle of the sex thing (kissing messily, rubbing, putting legs on shoulder, changing positions), your nails scratching him/his nails digging in your skin, the sounds in the room, how you both sound) > the orgasm (describe how it happens: suddenly? him asking you if you will come? pace changing? words? actions? basically what just happening during orgasms)

8. Ending > how do you want to close the scene? realizations? dialogue? > put everything that's possible to happen between them.

And that's it! To end this, if you want longer fics:

• Don’t think about the word count. (like “I need to reach 5k” or “I need to do this, do that”) Write what you can and what feels right for you.

• Don’t rush what’s happening. You can do it scene by scene! It’s easier and less overwhelming. (At least for me)

• Let the characters talk. Build connections. Just be natural.

• Use descriptive and sensory details. and honestly, small details make scenes longer…

• Add inner thoughts.

• Put tension… don’t just jump into it.

• Write the small details because they matter too. The ones they didn’t even realize they did.

• It’s okay to have a messy draft. It’s okay to just write all you have at the moment. It’s okay to pause. You can leave it and continue later.

It doesn't matter if it's not as long as what others do. You have your own personal writing style, and as long as you enjoy what you are writing? That's what matters; that's the best feeling. And you don't have to force yourself to write longer fics if it’s just not really your style. But let yourself practice. Because surely and slowly, you will write it longer than you ever did the first time you wrote something. You will see the changes in how you write the details, the dialogues, her shifting, the scenes, etc., and you will get used to it, and you are doing it because you love the process of writing. Write because you enjoy it, not because it feels like a chore or you feel pressured to write.

#musingsofheaven yappie 🗣️#musingsofheaven asks 💌

32 notes · View notes

tobydandelion · 7 months ago

Text

Disabled Villainy isn't Ableism, it's Realism, or; Some People are Wrong about Nessa.

[Some 'Wicked' stage musical/Movie part 2 spoilers]

So I've been seeing a lot of takes about Nessa, (mostly on YouTube since that's the best social media platform for my current neurological needs), and there's a somewhat common one that I have the strong urge to dispute into the void. Some folks seem to misunderstand Nessa's role in the deconstruction of 'Evil'.

The Wizard is Systemic Evil, Glinda is Complacent Evil, and Nessa is Socially Traumatized Evil.

Because Wicked isn't just deconstructing society's perception of evil, but also Evil in practice- which comes from not only bias, misunderstanding, apathy, and greed- but also, the cycle of abuse. And a lot of disabled people don't like to hear this, because there's that lovely statistic that we can point to that says we're "more likely to be victims"- and that's true of abuse that reaches the level of criminality- but I dont think that's true of day-to-day, average, 'just plain mean' abuse. That kind of abuse is a learned behavior that comes from trauma. And, emotional neglect from your peers is trauma. Feeling like a burden is trauma. Watching all the other children playing and feeling left out is trauma. Being made to feel different over your entire life, is trauma.

Nessa isn't an ableist character, she's realistically Borderline for being disabled in a world without Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Her character literally feels like she was written with BPD/NPD in mind- lashing out the most when she's feeling abandoned by a person she perceives as "hers", feeling the need to control the people around her, not caring how she hurts people in the process of that attempt to control their affection- she's literally my ex wife. They're both very extreme examples, but, with an understandable pathology. And the less extreme version of that is someone a lot of us need to actively fight against becoming every day. It's not fair that that's our burden, but it is. It's the thick line between healthy self-loving disabiltyPunk, or just being a dick. And it's a part of our extra personal labor that 'Entitles' us to an extra amount of grace that I don't think I'll ever really be able to properly quantify, because that line can be hard to see in the heat of the moment, through years of gaslighting and guilt and shame and resulting internalized ableism that we have the urge to fight against. The only way we can really see that line is in hindsight.

And while media that more thoroughly deconstructs this cycle is neccessary, so is simple media like Wicked. Especially in the context of an example of another traumatized marginalized character who made the decision to start actively trying to follow their ethics over their emotions despite their trauma. And, once again, the solution isn't limiting the options for marginalized characters, it's just making more marginalized characters in general.

A lot of folks also take issue with the entire concept of depicting disability being 'cured' in media at all, but, and thankfully I have actually seen this rebuttal: nothing about her life gets better once she becomes abled. And that's because she still has all that trauma from those years of severe marginalization that resulted in ostracization and feelings of powerlessness. She's still disabled- just only neurologically so, now. This is a terrific example of how different disabilities can intersect, and be exacerbated, or even created, by the neurological impact of marginalization.

In fact, that brings up another criticism that I've heard- that the characters are realistically ableist... in a society falling to fascism... in a story all about marginalization. I'm pretty sure that's intended, you guys.

Maybe I'll turn this into a script to film for shortform content next year when Part 2 comes out- I hope I'm out of Postpartum Depression by then. But I couldn't get this out of my head until I got it into words this morning. I think that's probably a good sign I'm starting to feel more like myself. Thankfully I had time to sit down and rock and type this morning, since my partner is taking care of our baby in the other room right now. (Not just babysitting, either- he's washing bottles.❤) He's 6 months now, and the most beautiful, funny, amazing person in the world. Meeting the new version of him every day as he gets stronger and brighter has been the light keeping me going. And we're already doing PHONICS. 💪🧠

#disability #wicked #nessarose thropp #tw abuse #bpd #npd #physical disability #neurological disability

84 notes · View notes

katyspersonal · 9 months ago

Note

Idk if you have enough to say since he’s a fairly minor character but can you give thoughts on the Hornsent (NPC)? I love him so much and I absolutely agree that he’s a huge parallel to Marika herself and I wanna hear more of your thoughts on that and him in general!

Hey, he is not THAT minor! xD All seven NPCs that were attracted by Miquella and are our guides through SOTE's lore are pretty much in the spotlight! Elden Ring's story just has these important Demigods and characters more strongly involved with them that their gravity makes it harder to focus on the Little Guy 😔 (and all Thiollier fans laughed sfdhfdh)

Okay so uhhh, I will post observations and thoughts in order, because yeah, with this guy you sort of need to pay attention twice or something?

1) He originates from Belurat

The kind of mask he is wearing could've created some confusion, but "the tower" exclusively refers to Belurat in the lore!

Freyja states this much at the beginning, and it is admittedly easy to forget because most likely you check this dialogue just on the first playthrough and before what 'tower' is clicks properly.. but yeah!

A more bold evidence here is that Hornsent will recognise the meal that is trademark of Belurat!

2) Don't be confused though, Grandam is not his mother!

He states in dialogues upon being killed by Leda and if he was not summoned to fight Messmer that his child, wife and mother were killed during Crusade!

2.1) He doesn't mention father nor gender of a child, though?

I think this on itself is interesting, and opens a bit more for potential backstory! His father might have been dead before the Crusade, or... maybe even divorced. x) Or maybe, he survived the Crusade, like Hornsent himself, but perished for another reason; maybe old age, maybe even upon seeking revenge as well? It would still make sense for him to not mention his father even then, because he would not count as massacred IN purge of the Tower!

Saying 'child', not 'son' or 'daughter', also gave me a kinda fucked up idea, listen! What if this means something? For example, his wife was merely pregnant, or the purge happened at the time when she just gave a birth, so he never learned whether it was a son or a daughter? I know I should not make it even darker than it already was, and it is probably just to specify the 'status' (he does say 'wife' rather than calling her by the name, after all)... But imagine...

In any case, his child was still very little! In Japanese he refers to his child as '幼子よ', and I checked... Yeah, it refers to basically an infant, it seems!

3) He is very reluctant to make a connection, even under spell!

After Tarnished gives him the Scorpion Stew, he gives them Furnace Visage (useful item for killing two Furnace Golems that can't be killed normally and to "wake up" one blocking the way in Ruins of Unte). His motivation is, "I desire not to be in your debt"!

And he refuses if you try to give him another Scorpion Stew:

The last phrase (お前と、慣れ合うつもりもな…) is more accurately says something like "I have no intention of getting used to you"! The only thing Miquella's spell did was to give him hope, but he can't open up even to "comrades"!

4) He is not likely to be a potentate, despite his mask!

He is wearing the mask that is otherwise worn by potentates, however, there is something else about potentates:

By the practice of his village of birth! It looks like this is basically a "family business" inherited through generations, something Hornsent already is probably excluded from, since he is one of the people of Belurat!

I think the simpler explanation for why he has this mask is not its context but its practical purpose: "to ward off thoughts and distractions (from his honorable quest of revenge)"! He must remain focused on vengeance; no friends, no falling into despair, no "wax nostalgic 'bout days gone by"... I also played around with the idea that this mask was from his mysterious never-mentioned father rather than something he picked somewhere! Maybe he was one of those Potentate barbarians that somehow climbed social ladder a bit by marrying a woman from Belurat! Don't know whether it is something possible in this society, it is hard to tell :p

Hornsent also doesn't use trademark weapon of Potentates, their butchering knife, but his weapon Falx - something created with the purpose of vengeance! I think it implies that he was not even a fighter before, and only started to wield weapon to begin with FOR vengeance!

4.1) He must not oblivious to where it comes from, though, so what does it say about his character?

Regardless of whether the mask comes from, I doubt he doesn't know its actual origin! I am positive that the people who executed Shamans are long ago dead, but the practice itself is alive. Besides, even Hornsent themselves get this treatment if they've convicted:

So you'd wonder what he is feeling avenging "his beloved people" who put other people in jars, and whether there is some hypocrisy, right? Well, I THOUGHT there was some awareness:

It makes it sound as though he is, at the same time, aware that his folks are not perfect either, and believes in Miquella's new world to fix their flawed, even barbaric culture as well, right? I double checked for Japanese text, and I do not really see it as translation mistake?

ミケラが、その誓いを違えず、一族をも救う神となるのなら

一族を、救って…

In Japanese, he uses 救, which means to 'save' or religious kind of 'salvation'! To 'redeem' doesn't seem to be too far removed from original meaning, but I'd say this gives off more of the vibe of 'salvation' that is justice for the martyred, for those who were murdered unfairly! Justice of God upon sinners and to help out the victims, rather than the 'cleanse our sins' kind of 'salvation'!

Maybe I am looking at it through the wrong angle, but I also kind of like this interpretation more! He is not exactly in the mindset to question imperfections or straight up hazardous religious practices of his nation when the wound of losing his own family, and countless other families being burnt in "cleansing" is what defines his whole life now! Hornsent culture deserves to be criticised, but it is not his priority for the long time now, maybe never again, and it is fair enough!

^ Another line pointing towards him certainly not having "criticism" towards his clan nor intending to, as this is translated very plainly:

…よくも、我らを汚物と呼んだものだどちらが真に汚物なのか、自分でも知っていただろうに！

5) He disrespects Leda without crossing her boundaries

He never once addresses her by name! It is not just how he is, as he addresses not just Miquella by name, but also Marika and Messmer, his sworn enemies! However, Leda he addresses only as:

The thing is, she is not just Leda, she is Lady Leda! She has the title by her knightly status, and calling her by the name is something reserved only to either close people or those who wants to be an asshole on purpose x)

He surely would not call her Lady, and it could be not quite personal but just because he chronically dislikes Tarnished! But he also would not shorten the mental distance between them by using her name without honorfic. I think it is a neat detail!

6) He doesn't use the flasks to heal!

I actually only learned it from @slavonicrhapsody here ( x ) as I was not paying attention, but, yeah! Developers actually bothered to differentiate him by not having him use flasks, a thing of the Erdtree, that fits the lore!

7) His invasion location might be not coincidental!

Hornsent still invades us even if we helped him to complete his revenge upon Messmer because FromSLOP hates us and our desired bonds with the characters in case you haven't noticed that upon finding dead bodies of Ansbach and Thiollier lmao. But his invasion location is particularly quite close where Romina is, and in the place full of Scarlet Rot+! And Romina is herself form Belurat!

Perhaps, even though he called us a "comrade-in-arms", maybe meeting her made him turn upon us after all? Sure, he does say that after all, he doesn't wish Miquella's help but only vengeance upon everyone under Erdtree, but come on, dude, we are friends now!

But maybe meeting another Belurat survivor face to face after a long time knocked him back to his previous mindset harder, and he decided that "no, not a single person of Marika's world deserves to be spared, not even my comrade that helped me"! As opposed to just thinking up of a change of a heart on his own! It is one thing to keep the 'idea' of victims he is avenging in his mind as his compass, but another to meet one face-to-face, to see her living in the ruins now and latching onto twisted Eldrich God of endless death-and-rebirth that was not meant to be released similarly to Formless Mother! This is a far cry from Hornsent's religion and their worship of Divine Beasts from Heaven, Romina is "ruined" and so is the nature itself in some way, and it is all Messmer's and Marika's fault...

8) Another nameless character!

There are other characters in Elden Ring who abandon their names and instead take up titles that reflect their new purpose (like Dung Eater or Goldmask)! I can only assume that he forsaken his name, instead simply using title of his nation as one, after he lost his family. "The man I used to be died in the fires with them" kind of thing...

This is just an idea that I like, but I think if he was to ever find new relationship, he'd allow this person to refer him by the name or a nickname they pick for him! But he never wants to use his former name again. He might try to start a new life in the best case scenario, but never repair anything from the former one. Things once broken... you know.

9) You KNOW where his mapping skills come from!

He doesn't just also follow Miquella, but is an invaluable help to the team in picking and mapping his exact traces! He has been pursuing Messmer and his forces before in vengeance, and needless to mention that the size of Elden Ring's world is only scaled down for the sake of a videogame not making your brain AND computer explode x) He for sure needed a lot of spyoning, researching and seeking to both find his ways and not prematurely die.

I just think it works better if he lived comfortably in Belurat, a pretty high-class place, and HAD to develop both fighting and mapping skills as a response to his trauma and craving for revenge... I know there ARE military forces in Belurat too, but he is not exactly an armoured warrior, nor a Curseblade. And think about tragic drastic change of a character.... Miquella's charm sort of put those developed skills to a good use.

10) I am not sure what to think of his face data!

(From video by Zullie the Witch ( x )) I just had a flashback in black-and-white filter to the guy that passionately tried to prove us with the foam at his mouth that Fromsoft was super lazy, and honestly... all his arguments were super wrong, yet he never would mention something like THIS! You can absolutely tell that developers created one of these characters first, and then made the other one atop of these sliders instead of making a new one. 🙄

@slavonicrhapsody suggested that burnt marks on Hornsent's face could be from him surviving the purge, and I totally like this idea! Them making a unique character first with clear idea in mind and then remembering "ah, shoot, right we need a few annoying invader NPCs too" makes more sense! Especially since Potentates invaders are all generic, without variants! Basically, I think Hornsent holds priority in this kind of face data for obvious reasons, but, god, if they picked another type of beard, why not remove burnt marks? 🙄🙄 #FromSLOP

__________________

Tbh I already liked this character instantly upon first jumping into DLC! According to my friend @val-of-the-north people were thinking he was kind of an dick, which apparently absolutely went over my head as I didn't feel this way? Maybe it is because I am both familiar with distrusting other people as person with PTSD and not familiar with "being polite" as a concept as an autist lol dhsfh

I just found him intriguing, but his monologue after being summoned for Messmer scared me a little bit. The way he grows more obsessed with revenge, and doesn't intend to stop only at people who were actually guilty... Fun fact: I've summoned him on Messmer's arena by pure accident! XD I didn't know it could be done, I just randomly saw a summon sign while running from Messmer all over the place fhshfds Apparently it was a good call, because most people skipped this turn of character on their first play?

Also unpopular opinion, but I think him being "unlikeable" on some sort of objective level is good? I feel very strongly about the whole mindset of 'only feeling compassion for the 'good victim'' that lingers in society. Like... gooooood forbid if the victim becomes angry, or ends up hurting the world back, or otherwise develops the unlikeable traits, right? Only soft "likeable" victims that just weep and clearly never did anything wrong before OR after their trauma deserve compassion, right? (Slavonic I am using all my willpower to not link your post about Beebus rn fsdhfdhs) I think Hornsent developing negatively as a person is good and realistic. I praised the base game for how Dung Eater and Mohg were executed (not everyone who opposes the oppressive system or was a victim of it is automatically a good person), but Hornsent is not even a villain, and it is even better! He is "not good victim", and it doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve sympathy and recovery!

At the same time, really good character in his function, to show how revenge will only endlessly create more revenge infinitely! I think he deserves better than being automatically written down over what his mask item is given all the other context, and he definitely deserves all the "I can fix him" Tarnished bitches. 😔😔😔

#thank you for asking!! also gooooood sorry it took me so long I am awful with asks #elden ring #hornsent #vengeance-seeking hornsent #elden ring observation #elden ring reference #elden ring headcanons #ask replies

73 notes · View notes

creatingblackcharacters · 2 months ago

Note

A follow up from the anon with the intersectionality of poverty and race ask from last week:

Thanks a lot for the feedback!

About your point about the white oc 'schooling' the Black oc, I get it even more after you put it into perspective and i agree completely! I will definitely make adjustments and maybe it would be more meaningful if the roles where reversed?(As in subtly acknowledging the role race can play in social structure?)

Regarding the setting, it refers to America because it has elements from the western genre, (cowboys and stuff) mainly aesthetics but with that comes more complexity i guess, a LOT to look out for i know..

I've been actually trying to worldbuild in a way that puts some distance between the setting and America, geographically, in terms of institutions etc, but i guess it's impossible to completely detach the one from the other when the western genre automatically tracks back to american roots.

It's definitely an escapist setting in some aspects and from me personally it comes from a place of wanting to fit any character in any of the roles that need to be filled in the story eg a high rank politician who's a woman, a Black man who's a noble, same sex engagements being common and honestly.. the idea has been to create a story where one wouldn't have to worry about seeing portrayals of common bigotry. i hear you if it feels like a cop out and maybe it is, it's definitely easier than tackling the really hard conversations.

So in your opinion, what is the balance between acknowledging the existence of racism while not telling a story that is not mine to tell? What does this look like in practice, portraying potential micro aggressions for example?

This is hard for me, fr 😅 you chose a visual that is deeply connected to... Well, to USAmerican history, like you said. It's very hard to extract the concept of the western from everything that created that visual (settler colonization), bc if those things hadn't happened, that vision wouldn't exist. From Manifest Destiny, to the genocide of the indigenous, to slavery, reconstruction and more...

Option 1) In theory yeah, you CAN have a world where what we understand as western happens. It's worldbuilding; if you have an entire separate world where you establish that this has nothing to do with Earth, that this is how things came to be and this is how we are now, okay. That's not impossible to do, and could be read fine. Unfortunately you're still not going to be able to avoid the familiarity we have to that setting, but as a writer you're going to have to treat everyone as equitably as you claim this society is for it to be believable. Because even if you say inside this society racism isn't real, I'm gonna notice if it feels like the Black characters are getting treated weirdly by the narrative in comparison. So essentially, be aware of stereotypes and tropes that are racist from a viewer's perspective regardless of its relevance in story. That's my general advice for everyone!

Option 2) Now, you said you want to incorporate racism but without telling a story about racism. That's not impossible- people obviously live lives regardless. But if we're gonna make racism real, then we gotta acknowledge the Rest of It, and that means your equitable society in this western premise is now shaky.

I'd research examples of microaggressions, make sure I understand WHY they are a problem, and incorporate them in. For example, having a white lady cross the street when your Black male character approaches from the other way. Or having your Black female character being dismissed as irrational for a pain she's experiencing. Microaggressions are a thing that happen without racism even coming up as a topic bc they're usually allowed to slide as "unapproachable". But again, the concept of microaggressions implies there's a larger aggression at hand. This again shakes your premise of an equitable society and "a story without seeing bigotry".

If any other bloggers of color have any suggestions, feel free to offer! I do think this crosses over!

#i am struggling with this one!#creatingblackcharacters #thatsjusttips

26 notes · View notes

amber-tortoiseshell · 25 days ago

Note

Aprapos about your warrior cats genetic ask- what is your general (design) philosophy when implementing them?

Because I have personally about two:

1.Keep the iconic coat colours to a cat as intact as possible. Which in practice means that for example, Firestar is described as orange and his mom as a “brown" tabby, I’m turning her into a torbie rather than changing Firestar, where the change would be much more noticeable (main character) (a mix of orange+(black) tabby is a smaller change than the entire cat going from red based to black based)

2.No matter how rare or obscure, every single colour mutation found in (non-lab[1]) cat populations is fair game. I’m not including genetics to be realistic, I play with them because I find it fun— including all aspects of realism to me would make about as much sense as including all aspects of realism into the Lion King; It wouldn’t be the lion king anymore it would be just Lion, and Warrior Cats would just be Cats the-not-musical. I *will* pull out every statistically low chance explanation for the odd cat colours- Blackstar gets to be a white cat with a somatic mutation on both (front) paws[2], and it would be frankly disservice to Redtail if I didn’t keep him a tortieshell in some way. The entire discussion of «Redtail’s colour is impossible» «No it’s possible actually, in two possible ways even» is easily how I heard about intersex variations for the first time and got me curious about genetics, and I want to honour that, even if the effect wasn’t an intentional writers choice.

Actually implementing the genetics in writing and graphic design is a different beast, but these are my guidelines for behind the scenes- *when* I have a scene anyways. And I’m curious if you have something like this in mind too when deciding which cat recieves which changes.

[1] I just don’t personally quite feel like including things like Harrington’s brown and the UV flourescent cats- that is beyond the specificness I want and aren’t really eyecatching enough imo on their own in practice to bother including it.

[2] I think this should be a feasible explanation anyways, if the somatic mutation happens early enough in embrio. Didn’t specify high (extreme expression) white or dominant white because either works, really. Silver shaded with only the back of the back legs and underside of the paw keeps their dark (tabby) markings is also a fun alternative and a less complicated one that fits the description.

Hm, let's see.

The first is basically the same as yours. In an impossible mother-son or father-daughter pair i'll almost always make her tortie instead of turning his color from black-based to red-based or vica versa.

When it's plot-relevant that some cats resemble each other, i try to make their phenotypes match.

I use the following genes only: agouti, color restriction, dilute, inhibitor, mackerel/blotched, orange, ticked, white spotting, semi-fictional DBE, and the spotted polygenes collapsed into a fictional spotted gene - i limit my headcanons to them because these are the varieties i see in stray cats. (Ticked and color restriction are rare around here, but i know there are places where they aren't; on the other hand karpati IS present here, i've seen in real life at least three of them, but wherever warriors takes place, while it's obviously not a real location, it's also obviously not eastern-middle europe.) Putting a charcoal, a cinnamon, an amber or a shaded tabby into warriors would damage the suspention of my disbelief just as much as putting a purebred there. Sorry, that's just how i work.

Brown and brown tabby are both interpreted as black tabby... wait, no, pure brown is sometimes black point depending on the other family members. Gray tabbies will be usually blue tabbies, sometimes black, with or without silver. Golden is red or cream or sometimes warm-toned black tabby, yellow is cream.

If the description doesn't mention white, i try to give them no white spotting, but i'm willing to add a low amount if needed.

With white cats, i first try to make dominant white work; if i can't do that, they are pointed. I very rarely make them high white spotted, because that would realistically mean making both parents at least bicolor, and very often they don't mentioned to have any white at all - at that point, i feel like point is less of a deviation from the canon descriptions.

I limit my use of genetic anomalies as a tool for "impossible" colors, being excessive with it is once again feels like using breed-specific alleles, it takes the appeal away. (The appeal is the feeling that i'm being realistic.) I gave myself the permit of one (1) actual tortoiseshell tomcat in the cast, and i've decided that'll be Sol. (By actual tortoiseshell i mean a cat that looks like its genotype is Oo - with small sometic mutations i'm a little more forgiving, a little black patch on red Patchkit or Redtail is more acceptable for example, but i don't go overboard with that either.)

This is the least important point, but I try to give different phenotypes to cats that would be onscreen together a lot. For example when there are several black tabbies in the main cast at a certain point in time, they'll have different tabby patterns.

#i didn't even decide what's the deal with sol just that he's a tortie #but i do have ONE specific chimera headcanon and that's brightflower #warrior cats genetics #ask and answer #once again to shade to anyone who uses rare colors. it's just not my thing

22 notes · View notes

missworld444 · 1 month ago

Text

"Summer of 2025 was hands down the best summer"⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

R u ready too have the best summer ever? 2 feel better, look better, and be better? I know I am. I have been planning this summer since December so I would love 2 help a girl out with some tips ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻) disclaimer I'm not forcing anybody too do this. this is my personal guide because I wanna glow up and be the best that I can be. I am just showing people what I'm gonna do too live the life I wanna live.

style:

having a cute style this summer will make u feel like a doll( ◕ᗜ◕ ) find a style that makes u happy! U can go on Pinterest and make a board too help u match a vibe that suits ur character 4 this summer >:3 the style I'm going 4, is like a rich girl in the 2000s who plays sims 2 and goes shopping all day. so I decided too go on depop and buy some clothes!! I bought 15 items so if u wanna haul lemme knowヽ(≧∀≦)ﾉ

mindset:

"Yolo" is how ur gonna have a fun summer. Don't be afraid 2 put urself out there. Go on random sidequests with ur friends, meet boys, go 2 parties (hell throw a party if u can), make a friend group or hangout with that one girl u have a friend crush on all summer. You Only Live Once.

Hobbies:

keeping urself busy is gonna be important this summer if you know u wanna make the cheer team next year, practice. Set goals 4 urself, 4 example: this summer I am gonna learn how dunk in basketball so 4 next year I'll be able too show off. Some hobby ideas you can do are, volleyball, cheerleading, basketball, instruments, drawing, reading, writing, ect!

Knowledge:

as much dumb stuff a girl is gonna do this summer I still wanna learn. I realized how much aspects of the world I don't know about so I'm gonna take my time too study topics I find interest and write papers about them. You can also read (like I'm gonna do) too expand vocab and too keep myself entertained. Once I finish my books I'll write a book report and post them on here! you can also study for next year too make next school year easier. if ur handwriting is ugly then you can practice fixing it! I know I am(T_T).

Cleaning (around you) :

staying clean around you can be a tough task. Believe me I know from experience. But that is gonna change. some good ways u can stay clean around is taking a day too tackle ur room. getting rid of clothes you don't wear/need, organizing ur vanity, wiping down literally crevice in ur room, clean under ur bed, ect. After you take a day too deep clean start taking at least 20 minutes every night too organize ur space too keep it clean. Every once and a while you wipe down ur surfaces and dust ur room then, voilà.

Tomorrow you will see a post that goes in depth in personal hygiene so pls stay tuned!! 💕

that's it for now for my summer guide I'm taking this really seriously because I'm trying to have one of the best summers ever so I hope this can help u. Just remember too have fun and try not to take anything too seriously don't risk a burnout. Tootles!! (◍•ᴗ•◍)

21 notes · View notes

cancerian-woman · 9 months ago

Note

it really made no sense to me that hope was such a powerful witch and didn't have a witch mother. I am very interested in hearing about how your hope and bonnie similarities thoughts as well`

I can’t find my old posts right now or I’d tag them lol.

That’s why the “first-born-Mikaelson” trait was created to explain Hope’s witch side. In TVD Esther’s “powerful” moment consisted of leeching off the Bennett’s as a bloodline and praising their hard work. The entire reason Esther was brought back was because of Bonnie/Abby. The tailsmen that gets passed around initially belonged Ayana. I cannot stress this enough if Esther had 7 kids and only 2 were witches the gene was not the strong. I know it’s many debates on if the Mikaelsons were untapped witches but that wasn’t confirmed to my knowledge.

I assume they didn’t want Phoebe playing a witch again after TSC ended. Instead, we have Hayley saying multiple times she did not know what to do about Hope’s growing powers. Klaus was already a hybrid with an unexplored werewolf side. Sure, he used it to enforce power but we’re shown he didn’t hate it.

Hope is book description Bonnie without the curly hair. White, short, powerful and has red hair. Legacies has a running gag about Hope being the tiny tribrid. Coincidentally Danielle & Kat are the same height. I just thought this one was funny.

Both fall under characters that were born into the supernatural world. While we see Hope’s birth and a confirmation she was a witch(later tribrid). We don’t get an explanation of why Bonnie started practicing later in life when the witch-gene is prominent in all Bennett women. Throughout tvd as we meet other witches they knew during infancy or early-childhood.

Bonnie fights forcibly to use her powers to save everyone else even at the expense of herself. In Legacies Alaric’s reasonings for wanting Hope at the boarding school was expecting her to be the protector to his daughters. Both Bonnie and Hope hold the responsibility of wanting to save everyone and feel devastated when by the possibility of not saving everyone.

I’ll give you an example outside these parallels: Bonnie letting her friends pass through her knowing it was killing her as the anchor for their survival. Hope choosing to die and become the tribrid so the malivore could stop killing people. Bonnie stopping hellfire from destroying Mystic Falls. Hope taking in the hallow from her relatives saved NOLA even though it was killing her. It’s more than that but I’d be listing things all day by that point. Those two women are sacrificial as they are strong women. Look at this here.

It’s a reason why people choose to compare Hope to Bonnie more than her own relatives or her mother. This isn’t a jab to Hayley but the plots focused too much on Hope’s witch-side. People find joy in trying to humble Bonnie as a witch. As I said here the fanbase wouldn’t have been as accepting if Hope’s mom was of color or even if Hope was biracial.

But if she was I’d nominate Bailey Bass in a heartbeat

#dria responds #bonnie bennett #tvd #hope mikaelson #the vampire diaries #klaus mikaelson #klonnie #the originals #legacies #TO #and dare i say even grandma Mary was a cheap copy of Sheila lol.#it’s almost as if Bonnie should’ve been treated better and could have worked as a main character… just like Hope was.

59 notes · View notes

atamascolily · 1 month ago

Text

on worldbuilding, predictions, and Madoka Magica

On reflection, I think there are two distinct types of worldbuilding. The first and better known type is practiced by people like J.R.R. Tolkien, for whom the world drives the story--the world is created first, and is treated like a real place (or as real as possible) with its own consistent rules. This is also the kind of worldbuilding you see in a lot of RPGs and similar games, which is then populated by characters created by the players.

The second type of worldbuilding is where the story drives the world--the story is created first and the world is then fleshed out to accommodate it later. Sometimes this means retcons or clarifications after the fact; sometimes it means that the author just wanted to do something cool and didn't think too hard about the consequences. Star Wars (especially in the early days with the original trilogy) is a great example of this kind of hodgepodge "build as you go" worldbuilding.

It's easy to get these two types of worldbuilding mixed up because they appear identical on the surface because of how we perceive stories (i.e., as linear narratives taking place in a fictional setting) vs. how they are actually written, but expecting a Type 2 worldbuilding situation to follow Type 1 rules is a recipe for disaster because it's not playing by the same rules on the back end. Also, like "plotter" and "pantser", these are two ends of a spectrum, not absolutes.

Most of Gen Urobuchi's works fall into the Type 2 category, to the point where the first season of Thunderbolt Fantasy introduces a brand-new mechanic more than 2/3rds of the way through the first season solely to get the characters from point A to point B that is never mentioned again, and yet it does its job so well that every time I'm forced to applaud it. The same is true for Madoka Magica, where it's abundantly clear that Urobuchi didn't think much about the details when writing the script, much of which was fleshed out by collaborators (such as Inu Curry's witch designs).

Anyway, all this is to say that I think trying to predict Walpurgis no Kaiten by Type 1 worldbuilding logic--i.e., extrapolating from established rules and taking them to their logical conclusion--is not a likely recipe for success, because that's not how Urobuchi is approaching the story in the first place. The rules of the world are dictated by the needs of the story, and so can be bent or altered entirely (and likely will be) in order to accommodate it.

I don't even mean retcons here (although I suppose that's possible); I mean things like the Incubators' isolation field in Rebellion that allowed witches to exist in a confined space--it's not against the established rules per se, it's just not what you would necessarily expect based on the ending of the original anime. I think whatever happens in WnK will be like that--a weird and unlikely exception that we won't necessarily see coming, but isn't inconsistent with what has come before. It likely wasn't planned from the beginning, but arose organically out of the story creation process post-Rebellion, even though ideally it will be consistent with and support everything that has come before.

Okay, so if extrapolating from the world doesn't work, what might work better? My approach to predictions in general is based on established narrative structures, symbols, and themes, because those are what will actually shape the story, and thus the world it takes place in, and this is a series where story comes first. This doesn't mean I'll be right about anything, but I think it gets me closer than any of the alternatives. If you want to predict how the series is going to turn out, asking "What is the story of Madoka Magica [taken as a whole across the entire main series] actually about?" and going from there is a reasonable starting point.

(A few quick answers--"Is it possible to change fate?" "Unintended consequences." "The power of love and friendship." "Growing up."--etc, etc. Note that these are not mutually exclusive, but emphasizing different elements will often yield different results.)

But even that will only get you so far, because what I or anybody else think the show is about may or may not be what Urobuchi or Inu Curry or any of the creators think the show is about. So it's not enough to extrapolate from existing themes and symbols; you also have to put yourself in their place and imagine the story from their perspective, too. Conveniently, this is an important skill for writers in general, so it's a useful exercise no matter what happens. But the story I would write from these elements is likely going to be different from what actually happens in some or all respects and that's something I've had to accept.

For me, story prediction and analysis in general are less about being right (although that's always satisfying) and more about having fun and becoming a better writer. Writing fanfiction has also freed me from being dependent on canon for a particular outcome. If it happens, great! If not, I can write it my own way. No matter what the outcome, it's all grist for the mill.

But it's the difference between a typical audience member and an aspiring magician watching a magic show--as the latter, I want to anticipate and understand how the trick is accomplished so I can do it myself. To that end, I'm engaging with the material in a very different way than a casual viewer, peering behind the curtain so I can see how it all comes together into a coherent whole.

#writing life #puella magi madoka magica #pmmm analysis

21 notes · View notes