#from my one only healthy good relationship in the lore

[vannyblutea]

HAPPY VALENTINES!!!!

The girlies are resting!!

I do commissions!!

[kirain]

Wall of the faithless isn't canon in bg3. They changed alot of things actually. So no Gale isn't "scared" he's just an obsessed asshole who doesn't learn from his mistakes.

Oof...

There's really nothing I can say except: you're wrong. The City of Judgement and the Wall of the Faithless are canon to BG3. If you don't like Gale, that's fine, but you don't have to make things up or completely disregard the lore to do it. Larian Studios literally hired people from Wizards of the Coast—the company responsible for all the canon lore, characters, and campaigns in D&D—to help them with the story. It took them five years, I believe, to fully study and understand the lore. They constantly conferred with the team to double, triple, and quadruple check every slice of content they added to the game, and parts of the game are now considered canon to D&D 5E.

As for Gale "not learning" from his mistakes ... when you first meet him, he literally admits he made a mistake with Mystra. Though personally I don't see it as the "power-hungry" move people seem to think it is. Gale simply wanted to be considered an equal to his partner (really his groomer), which is a perfectly healthy and normal desire for anyone in a relationship. Your partner should treat you like an equal, but Mystra very clearly saw Gale as a pet. A trophy. A worshipper. Subservient. Beneath her. A silly mortal with delusions of grandeur (which she cultivated), which is really rich when you learn she was once mortal herself. Mystra is a hypocrite.

Gale tried to prove himself worthy of equality by trying to bring Mystra what he thought was a piece of her missing Weave. For anyone who doesn't know, the current Mystra was torn to pieces by Cyric and Shar, then put back together by her Chosen. Though back to full power by the events of BG3, she's still technically missing pieces of herself, and Gale mistook the Karsite Weave for one of those pieces. Instead of simply telling Gale it was corrupted Weave, she let him go on believing it was hers. Personally I think that's because she was tired of him (maybe he got too old for her 😒) and was hoping he would do something that, in her mind, would justify abandoning him—but I admit that's full conjecture on my part. What is true is that she knew the orb wasn't hers, but for some reason she let Gale think it was. Even after she abandoned him and left him to die, she never told him. Not until she realised she could use him.

In Act 3, while the argument can certainty be made that he's thirsty for power, Gale ultimately becomes fed up with the gods because, as he knows better than anyone, they treat people like commodities. While I have no intention of ever ascending him myself, it looks like he actually makes good on his word. He doesn't threaten or toy with his followers, he inspires people to walk their own path, he only asks for prayers as payment (as without some form of devotion, gods in D&D cease to be), and if you romance him ... he ascends you into godhood as his equal. Mystra could have done this for him, she just didn't want to. And if you don't want him to ascend, it's genuinely so easy. I don't understand what people are complaining about. It takes one conversation with zero checks to convince him to completely abandon his ambitions. One. If he was truly "power hungry", it wouldn't be that easy.

Again, I would argue that Gale's true goal isn't really power, it's freedom, and divinity gives him that freedom. He has many conversations where he makes it clear he doesn't want to live under the gods' thumbs anymore; which, in a world like Faerûn, is extremely understandable. As I said in my Wall of the Faithless post, he's scared. Eternal torment for a simple mistake, one of which could've been avoided if Mystra told him the truth or treated him like an equal? When your partner is a goddess, how can you not feel inadequate? And if you convince him to give up the crown, he's perfectly content with Mystra's forgiveness. Even in the Early Access, that's all he really wanted.

Gale's far from perfect. He's arrogant and overconfident and insecure and he can be prone to emotional outbursts (most of which he apologises for, however), but he's nowhere near the heartless, power-hungry monster the haters seem to think he is. He is, in fact, one of the most compassionate companions in the entire camp, to the point that he accepts everyone, including Minthara. He votes for Astarion to stay when you find out he's a vampire. He gets mad at you if you surrender him to the Gur. He's one of the only companions who will openly marry/stay with you if you become a mindflayer. He's willing to sacrifice himself to save the world, and willing to damn himself to be with you. He loves every act of kindness, while hating every act of cruelty. I understand that the bugs from launch ruined a lot of people's perception of him ... and unfortunately some of those glitches are still present even now, but he is a good man.

[katiekatdragon27]

Your my fav glisten x shrimpo artist btw (and your art is epic ^_^)

Awwww thank you! I'm so flattered to be your favorite shinyshrimp artist!! Here's a doodle as a thanks!

Glisten: Hehe squishy❤️~ Shrimpo: I HATE THIS AND YOU!! Glisten: Your tail says otherwise~

But would you still like me if they were in a polycule~~~????

Yeah, polyamorous Glisten turns his partners poly too #livelaughlovepolycules (More art below cut):

So

Wanna guess who the third person in the polycule is?

You reeeeeeeeeeally wanna know?

Well...

HERE!! *runs for the hills*

So like, I've been a closeted glittermask shipper for like, idk, two weeks now?? But shinyshrimp is my mvp, so like, what if I merged them? Poly Glisten isn't too out there so this could happen, right? (says the delusional idiot).

Glisten: Teagan and Tisha helped me out. Whatcha think? Razzle: You look great, Hun~? What? Feeling underdressed "Shrimpy"?

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Shrimpo and Razzle have beef. Razzle is petty. He doesn't like Shrimpo at all because he's bullied Dazzle in the past (and thinks that Glisten is too good for Shrimpo). Shrimpo hates Razzle for being whiney and smug to him (and also cuz he's slightly jealous of Razzle and Glisten's relationship). They work through these grievances as time passes, but it does take a while.

These doodles are from one of the many work parties the toons get up to. Glisten decided to doll up more than he usually does as do his dates (to mixed levels of effort lol). They all end up drinking and partying the whole night and have a blast.

Drinking makes everyone get along ig.

Yeah so some quick lore on glittermask: Glisten and Razzle have been in a relationship for a while now. They got together shortly after Glisten and Boxten broke up (on good terms btw). Razzle knows Glisten is poly and is chill with it, even if he questions the mirror's taste in men. Dazzle third wheels their relationship. but she and Glisten are friends so it's not too awkward lol.

Glittermask is everything shinyshrimp isn't. Where shinyshrimp is bickering, angst-comfort, and fighting over PDA, glittermask is a very PDA, lovey dovey, Hallmark movie-esque romance. Their only flaw is that there isn't open communication when it comes to darker problems. When Glisten is having one of his moments, Razzle does what he does when Dazzle is having one of her moments; he leaves Glisten alone. Which can be good, but it's not what Glisten needs (and what Shrimpo unintentionally excels at).

Both relationships are healthy but have flaws, like normal relationships lol. I hate when things are perfect. Make is messy! Give it ✨DRAMA✨!!

???: So? Who broke it?

And since I'm cringe, I made a fankid! His name is Hamlet (Razzle named him) and he's a super blinged out masquerade mask. Now Shimmer has a little brother who is insanely hyperactive and attention seeking. He would throw a fit about not being served first at the dinner lol. They get along well enough, and Shimmer is happy to have a sibling, but they tend to get on each other's nerves a lot.

But that doesn't stop the only slightly messed up family. They all care for each other in their own ways, and I love that for them.

Have a good one dudes!

[arcaneconfessions]

I feel like everyone bitching about shipping and shipping discourse need to understand that Timebomb, Caitvi, and Jayvik, are all ships that predates Arcane as a show by years.

And the people who ship them might not even be shipping the versions of the character's that are in Arcane.

Caitvi has been a ship essentially since they debuted in LoL, Timebomb at least since Ekko got the game lines that outright state that he had a crush on Jinx before she went full mad bomber, and Jayvik at least since it was revealed in their lore to have been academic rivals turned partners turned bitter enemies.

None of the ships that started in Arcane are going to be as popular or have as much fanart/fic about them.

Like the oldest Caitvi fic I can find on AO3 is from 2014, and it's not even tagged Caitvi it's only tagged as their pre-arcane shipname of Piltover's Finest.

Oldest Jayvik fic I can see is from 2015, oldest Timebomb fic is 2016.

This doesn't even get into the fics that inevitably got deleted over the years, or were lost in the ff.net purge, or are just on fic sites I don't use like Wattpad.

Like I keep seeing people (who I can only assume are fans of just Arcane) who are acting confused by people shipping these ships because they feel the ship wasn't presented well, or convincing to them personally in Arcane.

As if all three of these ships don't predates Arcane by years, and Caitvi in particular is at least a decade old, and the other two aren't far behind.

I feel like a number of people who were either introduced to these characters via Arcane or have only ever interacted with the Arcane part of the expanded canon, are failing to understand that a number of people who ship Jayvik, Caitvi, and Timebomb were shipping those ships before Arcane was even announced.

Or that might not even be shipping the versions of the character's that are in Arcane, but in one of the many skin line AUs.

I mean my favorite iteration of Caitvi are the <3 skin AU, where they're a pair of highschoolers who are starcrossed due to being in different cliques, with Caitlyn being a preppy good girl, while Vi is a trouble making skater girl.

Because it's a cute au where neither are cops. I mean look at these two:

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/2/24/Vi_HeartacheSkin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20230208202510

It's great.

And maybe it's lame of me to pick the AU with the lowest stakes, but acab, and this is like one of three skin line AUs where they aren't cops, and also they canonically write love letters to each other and go on secret picnics in this AU.

While I honestly don't think Arcane Vi is in any kind of headspace to try to be starting a romantic relationship for basically the entire show. And Caitlyn isn't really either in season 2.

But that's one of the good things about Riot.

They've made a number of AUs where these two characters aren't the the mentally unstable and grieving women they are in Arcane. Where they can be in a healthy and happy relationship with no relationship based strife.

Arcane fans need to expand their horizons, and stop assuming the worst about each other based on who they ship is basically what I'm saying.

Also people complaining about the multiverse being brought into Arcane in season 2, should come to terms with the fact that the idea of multiverse and alternate timelines have also explored in LoL expanded canon before Arcane.

That's basically the logic that the skin line AUs exist under.

.

[bitchslapblastoids]

Random parasocial phan lore speculation; do you think that when they had seperate bedrooms they were actually sleeping in different beds? Bc ive definitely seen the sentiment floating around since BIG first came out, and even before, that the different bedrooms were just for show, but to me that just doesnt make sense. Like yeah they were both very closeted but also when they moved to london they were also extremely broke and it doesnt make sense to me that initially they only rented a two bedroom apt for show. Like i know this is the "whole fake apartment" duo we're talking about here but that was when they were already mega rich and has started building a million dollar forever home. When you're broke and 21 years old even internalised homophobia and being closeted doesnt seem to me like a good enough reason to rent a whole extra room that you dont plan on using. Personally i think when they were younger they very much utelised having seperate areas for themselves. I think dans room was His room. His own space. And phils was the same. And they probably just picked a room at night and slept there. Or slept in their own beds. I know we joke about dnp being completely codependent, but its also very clear from an external pov that they have a really healthy relationship. And they have worked, lived and spent all their free time together basically since dan was 18. I dont think its possible for any couple, not even dnp to do that without having strong boundaries for personal space, and the physical space to enact that. I dont think they really started to cohabitate in that sense until like. 2016/17. They 100% shared a bedroom in the second london apartment and they obviously definitely share a room now, but i dont think that was the case in the early days at all. And I think probably even now in the phouse they have their own spaces where they can exist by themselves and text each other from across the phouse.

(P.s they uploaded right as I was typing this which is so rude of them to interupt my important thoughts)

to no surprise i've yapped about this before, as someone who is rocking a happy healthy separate bedroom longterm relationship!

yeah i've always been firmly in the camp that having their separate spaces has protected their own sanity. they both really are introverts with different habits about how to keep a space. thinking specifically about sleeping - they are large men, one of whom we've learned snores very loudly. their manchester and london beds were doubles (maybe queens?) which, while fine for some snuggly nights, does not provide much space to spread out when you're long-limbed.

other reasons i think they prob slept separately a lot - phil has said he likes to sleep with many pillows, while dan's manchester and london beds (which definitely seemed used (not used in a weird way just like consistently rumpled whenever we saw it which was often for many years)) always only had 2 pillows max. phil's london bed had 4. they had some text exchange that i can't be bothered to track down in one of the wdapteos about hearing a beeping noise in the night or something, and phil saying he thinks it's something in the kitchen. to me, it read like what you'd text someone when you're in different bedrooms in the same home. plus, the different hotel rooms on tour (instead of just one room w/ two beds, which would be a totally normal thing to do). i know it seems like they often ended up in one another's rooms, but they could spend their evening together and then sleep separately if one of them really needed the rest. snoring can truly drive a person mad.

but also, all that aside, i do think that no matter what, they would have had two bedrooms in manchester & london to protect their own privacy while they were closeted. there's just no world in which they would have moved into a one-bedroom apartment for their first london spot. i doubt that was ever even a question. they were closeted to what seems to be almost everyone in their lives. meanwhile, they had guests over fairly often, and their careers were filmed out of their own home. trying to hide a one bedroom apt would have been way too much of a risk, and they basically wouldn't have been able to have anyone over without outing themselves.

i agree that it seems they shared a bedroom in that second london apt, bc we never saw an actual phil room, only the set, and barely saw the 'dan' one. and it does seem like now in the phouse, the 'dan room' is the primary bedroom. but i'd imagine phil also views the green room as 'his' in that his wardrobe seems to be in there, it's a space he can retreat to, and it's a separate bed he can sleep in. ok long answer done!

tldr yes i think they've taken advantage of sleeping in separate beds

[mandalhoerian]

Gosh I wish you made such big analize about Xavier and Sylus, sometimes I feel so dumb that I can't read so good behind the lines. 😭😭😭

HEY NO CMON NOW NO NEED TO DISCREDIT YOURSELF LIKE THAT!!!! First of all, this is an ongoing game and story, think of it like an incomplete ao3 fic you have theories for. There are HUUGE gaps in there that will be filled later and until then, they are left to the interpretation of the player. It's only natural, there's SO MUCH stuff and lore out there to be consumed, which are often non-linear that it makes things confusing on purpose. It's all about feeding us crumbs about what's coming, of course we get lost!!

Secondly, I made the rafayel analysis because it confused the lights out of me with the constant nagging feeling that I was missing something and that's why I didn't understand most things and wanted to get my thoughts straight. Like the ebb day theories floating out there as to why he was Like That, why he said the things he did out of nowhere and randomly like "what if i take from you will you leave me?" after the topic was JUST about sceneries and the love and art burns me talk after YET AGAIN another art talk about inspiration in pain. I had whiplash over whiplash and felt the need to dive deep into intertidal zone.

It's not like that with Sylus and Xavier (and Zayne's) cards. At least for me. All of them are fairly self-contained compared to his, I feel like. And I'm sure other people have discussed this already, much better than I can as well -- especially Sylus, but I'll put my two cents in for a general review of both their memorias!

Xavier is experiencing negative emotions such as jealousy FOR THE FIRST TIME with MC. He doesn't know how to process these feelings which are allowed to be nurtured in a safe environment when that wasn't the case before in his life. They manifest in temper bursts that stem from a life of being forced to be emotionally blank. He wasn't allowed to be a child or freedom for himself and his thoughts and feelings and wants, so he starts behaving in a childish way -- it's something he's surprised about as well. This happens when you feel safe with a person that those repressed parts begin to open up and you start being yourself more with them. It's sad when you think about it, as cute as it is coming from Xavier. MC is so understanding of him and finding him being "expressive" more as a really positive thing. She's an amazing partner -- because let's face it, if this behavior came from a man in real life, it would be so annoying. Xavier isn't like those other men though, his jealousy doesn't come from a need to control or possess, a place of distrust, projection or disregard of personal boundaries. It's cute because it's followed by healthy communication to allow Xavier to process and grow and open up more, it doesn't threaten the relationship. This is just my interpretation, aside from the context of their previous lives together (the desire to monopolize now that he finally is with her) and this being Xavier's possibly last year on earth that gives a "i've got so little time left and i don't want to waste it" stuff.

And Sylus is. Well. There's a lot in there. The theme here is "their first time", and it's not limited to sleeping together, in my opinon. Theirs is a burgeoning relationship compared to the other "established" relationships. They're new to each other. We even see domesticity from them in MC's house for the first time, though it is a result of Sylus's Onychinus life making an introduction in their relationship as something that has to be legitimately talked about eventually. MC wants to come along with him and know more but Sylus hides a lot from her to keep her safe and separate from him, and yes it's his business and MC doesn't push (the mutual respect is insane here), but it's affecting their time together. Not that MC sees this as a problem because she's always ready to throw down (AND does lock in and gets one step ahead of him).

I read this as MC's first time finally letting him in and her desires/feelings for him that she asked him to stay and kept making the moves when it had all been him before. Her feelings are growing. And you can see how much it pleases him and makes him happy, he was waiting for this -- for MC to voluntarily want him and be honest with him. That's all Sylus wants. He can see into what she wants, and sure yeah he knows, but her outwardly voicing them to him is a different story altogether. It shows she trusts him, and that's important to Sylus.

She was mostly closed off and withdrawn from him emotionally because they have this dynamic that started off hostile that turned into teasing and provoking where she sees being vulnerable with him as a weakness that would be embarrassing. It's a budding relationship, remember? No couple is all in & open with each other right from the beginning, it comes later. And Sylus is a dominant man (not domineering, that's a different word) and I think MC doesn't like being weak next to someone like him, and she perceives a power imbalance there unconsciously even though Sylus wants her to be open so bad and rely on him more and give her everything she wants and needs.

So it's HUUUUUGE that they showed Sylus intertwine their hands together when he had to FORCE IT before. MC is finally receiving him with open arms and you can see he's delighted. It's so romantic first of all, but mans is hungry, BUT HE'S ALSO SO TENDER AND LOVING !!! GOOD FOR YOU SYLUS GET IT. I love this for him and that he felt safe enough to sleep even though he's nocturnal. Or she sucked the soul right out of his dick and knocked him out cold 😭 the sex was so astronomically soul ascending i guess LMFAO

Again, I'm sorry if I got anything wrong. These are just my thoughts, and they are surface level!

[genericpuff]

Lore Olympus Episode 265 Betrays the Series' Own Messages of Consent

I've been keeping it on the down low lately with new episodes of LO, both for the sake of my mental health and because LO itself has just become so... pointless and boring. There's only so much to say when nothing is happening, and in that regard, I will preface this with a "congratulations" towards Rachel, because she's finally found a way to best the "haters" - make the comic so boring that there's nothing worth talking about to begin with.

At first glance I thought this was going to be another one of those episodes. Good job, Rachel, you managed to pad out another episode with pointless fluff to get you closer to that looming end date. Just keep dragging, just keep dragging, just keep dragging-

But the longer I sat on it, and read the comments and posts about it in discussion circles, the more I've realized that this episode in particular has a load of issues that I don't feel good just sitting on and not talking about. Primarily because, over the course of about 90% of this episode's length, we see Lore Olympus - and Rachel - slyly undo everything that ever mattered in its subtext about consent, healthy relationships, and strong communication.

Granted, Lore Olympus has never exactly been the poster child for those things, but it's trying to be, so we're going to dissect it with an equal amount of scrutiny. It wants to be taken seriously, so I'm going to take it seriously and criticize it seriously.

CONTENT WARNING: EPISODE 265 SPOILERS AHEAD, AS WELL AS DISCUSSION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, MENTAL HEALTH, GROOMING, AND SYMPTOMS OF MANIA, PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Episode 265 opens with an attempt at plot progression, returning to Morpheus who, last we checked, had been targeted by Kronos as the cliffhanger for Episode 259 before being shoved aside entirely for multiple episodes worth of Demophoon, pool-fucking, and a vision from Hera.

Honestly, I won't waste my 30 image limit on the episode's opening sequence because it accomplishes absolutely nothing. And by the time it starts to try and state what that goal is, it transitions away, because Rachel has the attention span of a squirrel on meth and having Morpheus state what her plan is would just be too much dedicated writing for her at this point, she needs another week at least to figure it out.

So instead we get exactly what was promised in the FastPass previews - the entire episode is spent, yet again, on Hades and Persephone, with the exact same topics, conclusions, and terrible sex as the pool scene.

Seriously, this might be a nitpick, but I'm so tired of Persephone not being allowed to swear. We've seen other characters swear. We've even had Kronos call her a "dumb fucking bitch". But this "girlboss" character who we're supposed to believe has "agency" can't be allowed to swear even when they're in an ACTUALLY STRESSFUL SITUATION? You know purity culture isn't exclusive to sex, right, Rachel? If you're gonna deconstruct it, maybe don't have the poster child of that deconstruction be relegated to a church girl? She's literally the Queen of the Underworld - adjacent to the ruler of Hell - let her fucking swear LMAO

Anyways, we see very quickly that Persephone is still feeling the ill effects of her anxiety that she was feeling in the last episode. Anxiety that, by the way, caused her to pass out. Please keep that in mind, don't let it escape.

And what is she stressing over? The genocide? The fact that they still don't have an actual solution to the ongoing "plague"?

Nah. The sleep dive. She's stressing over her husband doing the sleep dive again and - like last time - turning into a dad-possessed monster.

As always, the fear and anxiety is in no way linked to the actual devastation happening outside - it's just concern for the main male lead, because that's all Persephone's character and thoughts and opinions and "agency" can revolve around.

But uh. Remember that scene where Hades got possessed by Kronos and literally strangled her? Remember that scene I just asked you to keep in your brain about her panic attacks getting so bad she's been passing out?

Hello? No? Okay. Next.

I hate, I loathe, I detest this dialogue. Not because it's cliche as fuck - it is - but because the whole "I trust you, it's just xyz I don't trust" shit has been overplayed and debunked as a plausible response in relationship communication for years now.

We talked about this back during our discussion of Leuce - how it shouldn't matter if Persephone doesn't trust Leuce because ultimately Leuce can't do anything to her or Hades' relationship if it's built on as much "trust" as she claims it is, trusting Hades is all that should matter full stop - and it repeats itself here, albeit with Hades' dad instead of his canon first wife. This is a copout. Relationships actually built on trust can definitely still be worried about the issues posed by other people, but if you trust your partner, if you truly trust your partner, that's it. That's where the sentence ends. No shit you don't trust Kronos, we've been over this song and dance multiple times before and while he's definitely a bigger real threat than Leuce, your distrust for Kronos has nothing to do with how you're communicating with your partner who knows there's likely no other way and a solution has to be found. Nothing's being accomplished at this point from Persephone moping around and having sex with her husband, and he's showing 10x more initiative in actually finding a solution - even if it means putting his own safety at risk - than Persephone.

I didn't edit any of that, those are the legit real panels. Literally what the fuck is this dialogue, my tinfoil hat theory about LO being written by ChatGPT is becoming more and more plausible and I hate that, my crackpot theories shouldn't actually become reality.

Is there an owl in here?

LO is just spinning its wheels over the exact same conversation and points that have already been made. Nothing is being accomplished here, it's just more moping and going over the same problems - the centre of which being "what about H x P's relationship?? :(((("

All of that repetitive meandering and moping for "okay fine but if anything feels weird, get out" "okay". It, again, accomplishes nothing that couldn't have been accomplished during the pool scene.

And now we get this line. "I experienced greed in that way, and you do not possess it." Don't be alarmed if you were confused, I was confused too, as were many people in the discussion circles. Thanks to the ULO Discord, I realized she was talking about Apollo. She's literally comparing him to Apollo.

"After all this time, I can't comprehend you causing me harm. I've been at the receiving end of harm so I would know" is literally all she's trying to say. And even with it translated... I don't really like the implications of it at all. This has been a problem since S1, but there's always been this subtext in LO that because Hades didn't rape her, that somehow makes him less abusive or a better partner for Persephone than Apollo, that's all the SA has really been trying to achieve.

But Hades is abusive. He's intentionally pursued women who are in a crisis. He's trapped women in financial dependency. He's sabotaged women from having power and status on the same level as him.

And now, we're about to see actual abuse from Hades - the subtle kind that demands co-dependency, but is still abuse, full stop - but it's being framed as "romantic".

"Being an Originals creator was my big chance to prove myself, and I flopped"- wait sorry I misread. We're talking about Persephone failing at being Queen. Yeah, she definitely flopped. And it goes to show her true intentions in wanting to be Queen, now that she's hit rock bottom and isn't putting on a brave PR face - she wanted to become Queen not to make the Underworld a better place, not to be an example of being a better ruler among a gallery of scumbags, but to "prove" that she could belong and be one of the big guys, that she could be more than just a cereal box mascot.

Don't get me wrong, I can absolutely get wanting to rise above the odds and "prove" to everyone that you can be more than people's perceptions of you, but becoming the literal ruler of a realm that you then go on to destroy due to your own hubris, just to whine and cry about it and have your husband and your colleagues and your friends carry the burden of that destruction on your behalf... therapy would have been a better first step to overcoming those insecurities, not taking control over the lives of innocent people.

Especially when Persephone DID have status and power before becoming Queen, it just wasn't the specific kind of status and power she wanted. She was only a trust fund child with a huge net worth, a full-ride scholarship, and everything she could ever need provided to her with little struggle to get it - but she didn't have control over other people so it just wasn't good enough.

This is the perspective and attitude of a 19 year old who never matured. Who never could mature because she transitioned from her mother's control into Hades'. There were far better ways to prove herself, ways that we had seen her try to do, only to drop so she could pursue her co-dependent relationship with Hades - she gave up her schooling, gave up her apartment (which we only see her use maybe 2-3 times), gave up so many of her connections and support so she could be with Hades.

This is the result of 5 years of real-time grooming that we're seeing play out.

No, you are just saying them because she's your wife. You'd be saying it to Minthe, or Leuce, or Hera, or any other woman in Persephone's position because it's not about taking accountability, it's about keeping these women in a position of submissiveness and co-dependency, by giving them reassurance that nothing they ever do is wrong and that he's the only one that can give them that freedom from consequences.

And then we get the reinforcement.

I'm gonna spare you all the cringe of the actual sex scene (and yes, they do straight up go into having onscreen sex and it's... not hot at all), but here's some of the dialogue spoken by Hades during the entire sequence:

Again, let's remember the actual situation that led up to this and the position Persephone is currently in. For the third time Persephone has "accidentally" killed thousands of people. Over the past few episodes we've seen her try to realize how so many of these problems have been her fault and she clearly doesn't know how to make things right (and Rachel has made it obvious how much she doesn't want you to agree with this kind of self-awareness because much of it is being said through the mouthpiece of a rapist). And now we have Hades, reinforcing the thought patterns that would prevent her from growing and learning and changing. In this, a comic that's supposed to be "feminist", a comic that's trying to preach the importance of consent, a comic that's trying to make us believe this is a healthy, consenting relationship with strong communication skills.

These are literally grooming tactics. Hades is reinforcing the same thought patterns that will prevent Persephone from acknowledging her errors and mistakes. People are dying and Hades is telling her that if anyone has anything to say about it, they deserve to die anyways. The same man who literally rewarded her with sex for vandalizing a nymph's home is now telling her that she's not cruel, but kind:

Hades might not be Apollo, but he literally choked her out less than a week ago while possessed by his dad, and for the last SEVERAL episodes he's had the starry skin making him resemble who? Oh yeah, his dad.

Hades is literally holding Persephone in the same position Kronos did, while she's experiencing a literal meltdown that she's trying to stuff deep down - in fact, exhibiting a LOT of symptoms of mania - and initiating sex.

Doesn't this feel a little familiar?

Oh right, but he asks her if she's "still okay" mid sex only AFTER initiating chokehold sex with her without her consent and love-bombing her, so it's fine, clearly.

I remember being 17 years old and reading Fifty Shades of Grey for the first time, and even then understanding fully how toxic their relationship was. I can only hope the teenagers in Rachel's comment section can realize that as well, but judging by the comment section, I'm not holding out hope. This is literally "fifty shades of fucked up" material, and what's worse is that I can't tell if Rachel genuinely thinks this is healthy, or just doesn't realize how unhealthy it's coming across as. Even beyond how "cringe" this sequence is, it enters into the realm of being deeply uncomfortable and unsettling, and it needs to be talked about, Rachel can't be let off the hook for this especially when this is supposed to be, again, a comic that's intending to "deconstruct purity culture" and teach young girls about consent and boundaries.

And that's it, that's the end of the episode. It reads like the manifesto of a villain in the making at the hands of a predator, like Anakin being manipulated by Palpatine - "so long as you're with me, you'll have all the power, all the glory, and everyone else will be crushed underneath your heel."

Is that really the message we really want to come away from LO from? That it's fine for husbands to initiate sex with their wives through trauma-bonding and reinforcement of toxic thought patterns rooted in grooming because... they're married? That being a "girlboss" means sabotaging and abusing anyone who you perceive as a threat?

Is Hades really that much different from Apollo? Because so far, the line between his actions and Apollo's are seriously starting to blur. The parallels between Persephone and his past partners - Minthe and Hera - have always been clear, but they've never been quite so loud as last night's episode.

This is Hades' play, the play of a groomer and an abuser who depends on making their victims dependent on them - taking advantage of women while they're in a crisis.

For Minthe, it was financial - she had lost her job, blamed it on him, and he found a way to "solve her problem" that strategically put her into a position where she had to continue to financially depend on him for what's assumed to at least be a year or longer, through her apartment, her bills, and her job.

For Hera, it was emotional - she had chosen Zeus over him, and instead of addressing her marital concerns within the marriage, she participated in an affair with Hades in an attempt to have what she could have had if she had chosen Hades instead, a man who resembles her own abuser. Not only did this put her into a much more vulnerable position than him - if the affair was found out, Hera would have suffered the consequences far more than Hades - but it's also manifested itself into Persephone, who Hera has been using as a stand-in for herself, even going so far as to manipulate Persephone's image and how she goes about her decision-making, from intentionally pulling the strings to get Persephone a job with Hades so she could get closer to him as a "test" for Hades, to forcing Persephone to wear a wedding dress she wanted her to wear over the one Persephone had actually picked out herself.

And now there's Persephone, the newest addition to the cycle of abuse and untreated trauma, the true culmination of Hades' years trapping and manipulating women - financially dependent on him, emotionally dependent on him, and only where she is because she's made her entire identity revolve around him.

I'm not going to psychoanalyze Rachel in any way, I don't want anyone to think that this is permission to do so because Rachel's personal life is her own and I want to examine the material rather than the person. But so much of LO gives me such a gross impression that Rachel herself never matured past middle school, that she never grew beyond the mindset of being a 13 year old girl who felt like the entire world was against her and that no one could understand her, that she never gained the perspective most adults do by the time they're 25 at minimum after they've entered the "real world" and had the lived experiences that make you realize "wow, that girl I hated in high school for stealing my crush from me probably wasn't as bad as I thought she was and we were all just teenagers trying to navigate the hellscape that is adolescence."

And instead of actually analyzing those thought patterns and mindsets, Rachel is instead reinforcing it in her own audience of 13 year old girls and teenagers who will only hopefully maybe outgrow it and not just repeat the cycle themselves.

And this isn't entirely on Rachel's shoulders. It's on the shoulders of E.L. James, of Stephanie Meyer, of Colleen Hoover, of every "young adult" romance author who's peddled this strictly heteronormative "submission culture but not like the 1950's kind I swear" crap, that women should only aspire to find the richest man they can bag in their pursuit for power and after that everything in the world is owed to them and any problem they have can be solved by riding dick. Trauma? Solved. Genocide? Solved. The very real consequences of your own actions that affect others to such a degree that it will be felt for decades? Solved. Just ride that dick and get that money, girlboss.

Just like 50 Shades of Grey, if Lore Olympus was any other story, it would be a tragedy. It would be a masterclass in understanding and showcasing the signs of emotional abuse, financial abuse, grooming, trauma-bonding, love-bombing, and enforcing co-dependent habits for the sake of trapping people. It would be a precautionary tale to young girls to stay alert and be wary of older men, that men like Hades are depending on girls to fall for their tricks, their praise, their affirmations that they're so mature for their age, that they're not like other girls, that they would just be so set for life if they spent all their time and attention with them, so that they can "have it all".

I can only hope that even a third of the young girls who read LO naturally grow up, gain perspective, and learn that LO isn't the pillar of healthy relationships and consent that it tries to be. It's certainly a common thing to see these days, for people to join the UnpopularLoreOlympus / #antiloreolympus community with sentiments that they started reading it at age 14 and then (thankfully) learned that what LO was preaching wasn't healthy.

But for every other girl who doesn't realize this, it's reinforcement of the same cycles - the cycle of women being only objects for sex, pitting themselves against one another, confusing gender empowerment with abuse towards others, and making their entire identity revolve around a man and justifying it as healthy so long as it makes them rich and powerful.

Even if Rachel some day gets her own head out of her ass and realizes what damage she's causing in her audience, like Persephone committing genocide, no amount of self-awareness will undo the consequences. She'll still have the awards, the money, the accolades, everything she's gained off the backs of Greek myth, feminism, and good faith from an immature audience who doesn't know any better and isn't being given the tools to understand.

Even if she realizes that, that's something she's going to have to live with for the rest of her career.

And it's a fucking tragedy.

[devout-khajiit]

As much as I wish I could reliably and always say "You can worship/work with whoever from pop culture paganism (PCP) or perform pop culture witchcraft (PCW) without knowing their source", knowing their source will help you with your worship/working relationships and your practice.

You can worship Akatosh without knowing anything about The Elder Scrolls. You very well can. It'll go just fine as long as you understand Him. But you'll ultimately be lacking important context on the world He comes from and how that relates into Him and His worship.

It's like... I didn't study HelPol very well when I began worshiping Zeus. I'm still working on rectifying that. But while I could go with information that was easily available about Zeus alone and have a very easy time worshiping Zeus, I ultimately stagnated because I didn't properly understand Zeus within the context of where He comes from and everything else about HelPol like khernips, Hellenic rituals, and all that sorts. I just went "I know about Zeus, so I'll be fine" and it technically was fine, I had (still have) a good, healthy relationship with Zeus, He didn't really complain at or about me, and I didn't come across any problems in our relationship, but the general HelPol part of my faith faltered, struggled, and stagnated, and that did affect my relationship even if I didn't realize it. I couldn't worship Him at His complete fullest.

The same applies to pop culture paganism.

You can worship Akatosh, you can follow His commandments, but with knowing literally nothing or next to nothing about the world, you're going to hit a wall. And yeah, Akatosh might not be the best example, because canonically we don't know much about His worship, comparatively to Zeus where we know so damned much about His worship; but it's still a truth I've found to be true.

I may joke about converting people to Touhou PCP because I think it's funny to joke about (it might not be but humor is subjective), but I wouldn't genuinely say to do it unless you're willing to put in time to at least understand the setting of Touhou, Gensokyo, and how that setting affects their lives. Understanding basics like the Spell Card rules even is a long way.

I'm not saying you need to be an expert in whatever source you wanna do PCP for. If it's a show you don't have to have seen every episode, for a game you don't have to have played every one or 100%ed it. You don't have to study every single page of every wiki that exists. I may be feral about my PCP sources but you don't have to be. But you should at least try to understand their source, their world, and how that can relate into your PCP, or even your PCW, before you really settle in and begin.

I'm also not saying every source has great information sources. Touhou worship for instance is hero worship in most cases of the 180+ characters (there's only 24 "Touhou original" gods, as in not kami taken from actual Shinto lore), and most Touhous appear once in a game then maybe if they're lucky, the print works, but the PC-98s? Like Sariel? Fuck dude there really is nothing. But learn what there IS to learn, y'know?

Don't let this stop you from getting into PCP. Or anything for that matter. Just do your best. I believe in you.

[certifiedsungod]

NOT FRIDOLIN

But also an oc who is in Unova......

My son Tyrant before/during the horrors of legends Arceus...

Him...... in modern times

Trying to rejoin society

LORE DUUMP !!

Short AU explanation / the important changes to characters for completion purposes : Tyrant & Volo were created by Arceus as representatives of pokemon & humans respectively . They're considered Arceus' sons . They are both immortal , Tyrant can shapeshift tho , which Volo can't .

The reason why Tyrant isn't in Sinnoh is because he went and followed the only family he had left after his brother ( Volo ) disappeared .. that family was . Just Lian btw .

After Lian's inevitable death and Tyrant's inevitable living on because of immortality , Tyrant decided to go back to his " intended by g o d " way of living ... taking the form different pokemon and living as those instead of trying to fit in with humans .

Tyrant and Volo were supposed to be both representatives for pokemon & humanity separately , however , together they were supposed to represent and keep up a healthy bond between pokemon and humans . This didn't really work out with Volo's attempt at overthrowing Arceus and recreating the world , and Tyrant preventing him from doing so , after which Volo disappeared .

Tyrant feels like , so long as he and Volo aren't on good terms and as long as Volo is still considered missing to him and the other deities , pokemon and humans should be kept at sort of a distance from one another . Distance in the sense that , for example , humans shouldn't attempt to learn the language of pokemon ...

These two !

My brain went ahead and expanded on their relationship specifically because it seemed like a fun idea to me . N is Tyrant's horror scenario . A human raised mostly by pokemon , a human who connects to pokemon better than to other humans and therefore a human who's acting out of line . Someone who's endangering the , in Tyrant's opinion , already fragile stability of the world . Tyrant often attempts to offer N help in the form of ( very badly ) trying to teach him how to interact with other people . N actually knows better how to do this than Tyrant does .. Tyrant at first mostly really doesn't realize that a lot of his comments come off as really mean spirited . He doesn't in any way mean to offend N , he also isn't aware of the fact that he's occasionally straight up called N's entire life wrong .

They are friends tho !!

I just think they're neat . Best buds who ( after Tyrant finally accepts that N speaking to pokemon & understanding them isn't the end of the world ) gossip about human mannerisms they find weird with a group of Pidove . They are awesome , trust ..

Doodle !!

[pastel-medic]

So, wait, if Axel is the Spy that Red Medic removed the head of, how are they in a relationship? Wouldn't that spawn some kind of resentment?

I'm going to trigger warn this post for topics of s//cide, depression, and poor health because I can't exactly explain their dynamic without getting into Axel's mental health. I tried to make this as brief as I could but it ended up becoming an oc ramble anyway 😭 sorry in advance for the long post!!!

Also please note my personal lore and hcs for them isn't strictly based on canon lore, so RED Medic having Axel's head in fridge is due to different reasons than just being a crazy doctor :V

You have been warned!!!

This will be delving a bit more into Axel's character, and a lot of this I will try not to spoil too much as it is a plot point in an ongoing fic I'm writing.

Axel is, to put it simply, someone who struggles immensely with self identity and has a very nihilistic point of view. Working as a Spy for years since he was young has created a sense of worthlessness in his mind, as he viewed himself as a nobody who wears the faces of other people (especially after an incident that I won't detail since it's spoilers). He hasn't been able to hold relationships because he constantly "changes his identity", adopting a new fake name and fake history with every new assignment he's given while leaving the people he once formed bonds with behind once his work is done.

On top of that the people who had taught him to be a Spy often compared him constantly to his brother Pierre (RED Spy), so he never felt like he was good enough. He developed depression when he was a young adult and hasn't been able to cope in healthy ways, which led to him having very poor health and malnutrition. Every time he was offered help and support he rejected it out of fear and ran away (metaphorically and literally), the folly of pride and the guilt of being a burden to someone else. He's had many s//cidal tendencies (a lot of Axel is split from my personal trauma so bear with me), and believed that if he were to just disappear one day nobody would notice. He's waiting, HOPING, that one day he can just disappear forever...

So when he's taken by the RED Medic as a mere head in a fridge imagine his confusion when the enemy doctor refuses to kill him immediately no matter what he says. "Kill me" he keeps saying. "Later" is the only response he gets. Yet the doctor doesn't ever seem to want to. At first Axel thinks it's because of scientific curiosity, and he'd be right at first, but that's not the real reason Medic keeps him around. As it turns out Ludwig has a slightly twisted and odd excuse for keeping him around.

Seeing the Spy in a state of self destruction and withering health hurts Ludwig as a medical professional. A doctor's duty to heal others is something that even with his crazy mind still remains true. He can't help but feel the need to heal this person, his own enemy, who has become nearly broken beyond repair. He wants to help the Spy, but his solution is pretty bizarre and unconventional. If he keeps the Spy around he can try to heal the brokenness in his mind. As a head in a fridge he can't run away from the help offered to him. He realizes he doesn't want to just heal the Spy, he wants to help him; He wants to give Axel that feeling of value in his life that he struggles to have. He wants to be the person who can save Axel no matter how insane his methods are, a Don Quixote.

He wants to help Spy live.

"You are not the masks you wear, nor are you a nobody without them. You are you. And you are important no matter what."

As foolish as this logic is it's effective, as it doesn't give Spy that door to escape to. Now he HAS to see the damage to himself. Though the longer Spy stays with the enemy Medic the more he can see that he isn't the only one who needs healing. Out of all the people Ludwig can heal, he doesn't seem to be able to want to heal himself. All of his struggles are private, and he keeps the pain hidden away behind closed doors. It seems Spy is not alone when it comes to blocking others out. Medic knows he has sins crawling up his back, yet he actively pretends the Devil on his shoulder isn't there. Yet the more he ignores his mental strain the more volatile and unstable it becomes. He cannot see the damage he is inflicting on himself, and Spy knows he will continue to turn a blind eye unless he sees the harm it is causing. Regardless of how crazy it is, he realizes he wants to help the doctor too.

Spy wants to be someone who can help Medic see his self worth, a mirror to show him that he is more than simply a healer for others.

"How can you help those around you if you refuse to help yourself? You are deserving of healing too."

TL;DR to reiterate one of my previous posts about my MedicSpy ship their dynamic has always been about healing and finding security and comfort in someone who cares about you. Yes they have their flaws and are not perfect by any means, but they uplift and support each other because they care.

[xxxnightcorequeenxxxv3]

More Lore Stuff magical girl AU

I had a back-and-forth with @dannyphantom-justiceleauge on Discord. I got some more video recommanations for more stuff. And we chatted a lot about lore stuff they were curious about after my first post, so here is the summary of what we discussed + some extra bits. Their magical forms Regarding their magical forms, they do gain a bit of heightened flexibility. But they have to train in it to unlock more power-up forms. They do not change with them as they age; they are in the limbo stage at almost adulthood. (Insert joke about Tim forever being 17, blaming the magical girl curse for his stature. p.s it's not the curses doing) It's a curse and not a blessing, so why? First of all, the curse is all about self-preservation over the well-being of its Robins; it will heal them from lethal wounds as it needs them to be as strong as it is, but their mental healing is neglected. It is partly self-aware to the point that it wants to grow stronger. How does it get stronger? by having more people cursed into magical girls. But it can't curse people in quick succession. It has to recharge. It heals by forcing the Robin to transform when they are not in view of interference. the magical veil kicks in hard drive. So, the only one who can see her for the rescue portion is a fellow Robin. And the cursed has stay as magical girl form for the duration of the healing prosses. As the curse comes with an unwanted genderswap for everyone. it takes a toll on some of them harder than others. Can't exactly reassure the family you're fine when you're not you; they are lucky they can text. (Good thing Dick got a big apartment) The side effects of healing are also no joke. They are felt as phantom pains for every Robin, sharing the burden of hurt and taking energy to heal. In magical form, this manifests as a white streak on the individual who has had a prolonged stay in their magical form to heal. Babs, Jay, Tim, and Dami, I'm pretty sure, are in Got streaks club. The curse is also a danger magnet. The stronger it's Robins, the stronger it gets, you know. It also comes with the side effect of not being able to speak about the curse or warn anyone about it. The only one they can communicate about the curse freely is a fellow Robin. This is part of the magical veil I talked about. It makes people unable to connect the dots on who the Robins are as civilians. but it can also hide them from detection if they get badly hurt for eveyone but thier fellow Robins. Or for shorter times when to be in public as normal is needed. The Curse also makes them forget where they got the powers from. So, they have a hard time keeping track of the cursed music box. However, it usually stays close unless it wants more Robins. Living situation. They are more spread out, such as Cass staying with Babs. Tim gets smuggled into the manor under the pretense he can stay until his parents return from their trip. (it's been months) Dick gets his apartment still as they need some to go, not under Bruce's watch. How did it get to that point? Well, someone accidentally took the OG cured box with them to school on "accident". That's how Tim found it after it got " lost". Bruce is a bit of a better parent in this AU; got therapy for kids, as he saw them struggling and them "not" being vigilantes meant they could make use of therapy, unlike him. Though the Curse's Gaise is keeping them mum about their identity. So, they have to speak in metaphors if they want help from the therapists. So I read this book, I had a nightmare, on the news, scary game. Not to mention the body dysphoria. But that one is a bit of a sliding scale for who took it worse.

as @dannyphantom-justiceleauge put it; "I could see Tim being more fluid, and Cass being agender. Dick isn't as bothered by it as he feels he should be but that's more because he has a healthy relationship with gender than because he's comfortable with the.. changed parts. Hes him no matter the body even if its a bit weird Tim and Cass are fully in the, eh it doesnt matter camp. Babs, Jason, Damien, and Steph are having struggles tho

Duke also strikes me as less bothered by it. He has different priorities."

Jay may not have had to deal with voice cracks for his extended stay as a magical girl, but the growing he did, but not know it, it was a bit of a shock to him. bigger body and different voice when he finally got turned back into a guy really rocked his mental health. But on the positive side of things where, they could adapt the coping skills they learned in therapy. Bruce don't know what the kids are up to with the magic thing. He just thing they got close sibling bonds and likes to hang out. Alfred knows the kids are up to something but can't say for sure what they are up. His best guess is they are hanging out with friends doing gymnastics with friends as a sort of club thing. Bruce's thoughts on the Magical girls. Of course, he is worried for their safety, as he has been repeatedly saved from peril by them, who would jump in the way of lethal attacks to protect him. He is under the misconception that they are using tech and not magic. He made the mistake of commenting on the white streak in someone's hair. And got the explanation that it's a side effect of them kinda dying for a bit. causing him to jump to the conclusion that if their hair turns all white, they'll die. (They won't, but he doesn't know that) all in all, causing him grey hair. He likes that the use non lethal attacks, and kinda has a mini freak out when he learns they got a lethal mode. Who are they fighting? Rouges, mostly, But they are trying to Cleanse Gotham of curses cuz that's the only way to break their curse. We talked about weapons having 3 forms. The initial one you see in the first post is an alt mode and their lethal mode. Because i planned on doing power ups. The weapons also come with sound effects. Think Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha's weapon with voice effects. Also, on a side note, Dami was not happy with his base form weapon, only to be likewise annoyed when a long time after he found out the lethal version of his weapon is a sword. The first one to unlock lethal mode is Dick after what Joker did to Jay and Babs. (when the gloves come of their is penance to pay clown) Think escrima sticks with eclectic blades attached. His alt mode is just bigger flags. Babs i've also fully wotk out it starts as a hula hoop, turs cyr wheel in alt mode then a Giant Shuriken for lethal mode. But to make it up to you, I'll tell you Tim's full weapon sequence.

Base form twirling baton, alt mode is a more extended staff, and lethal mode is a scythe. and a bonus vids for @dannyphantom-justiceleauge suggestions that gets included in the AU.

[eight-cats-in-a-box]

Lore for my Phoenix!!!! Long post so it's under the cut OwO @dandorime

Agent Phoenix, also known as [REDACTED], is the Agency's best operative, with successful missions numbering in the dozens under their belt. This file requires Level 5 security clearance.

[CARD ACCEPTED]

Agent Phoenix, hereafter referred to as either "Phoenix" or "Agent", also known as Leonidas Orion Bates, is the Agency's best operative, with their unique gift of resurrection allowing them to complete missions without a fluke- perhaps not the first time, but it's only a matter of time and iteration until they can complete it.

Phoenix had a fairly normal upbringing, with nothing of note occurring until their eighteenth birthday, when they were kidnapped by Zoraxis operatives on their way to a party. They would spend the next five years captive there. It is unclear why they were chosen, and Phoenix has declined to comment.

During those years, Phoenix was Pavlov'd into complete obedience by [REDACTED], their Zoraxis handler. [Note from R.C: Their handler was a horrible person, and quite frankly, I'm glad she's dead.] This was accomplished with a high-voltage shock collar. Phoenix has declined to elaborate further, for good reason.

They were renamed "Sicarius" ["killer" in Latin], and used as an assassin/executioner for Zor themself. This left Phoenix quite damaged, both physically and mentally. They have expressed a fear of harming their loved ones, and although the scars from the shock collar have faded, they're still visible on occasion.

Phoenix showed up at the Agency Headquarters in London on 04/09/XXXX, looking exhausted. They were taken into custody, and promised to give freely the information that they had on Zor's plans in exchange for sanctuary.

Their first Agency handler necessitated a transfer. It took a long time for them to trust their second Handler, due to mistrust not only from their Zoraxis handler, but their first Agency handler as well. [Note from R.C:I made sure that [REDACTED] got fired. What they did to Phoenix was inexcusable.] However, post-Operation: Death Engine, they opened up a bit more, and the two are now fast friends.

Phoenix has expressed a concerning willingness to kill, maim, and otherwise maul the enemies of those they are close to. This has been kept in check by their handler, but there are occasions on which they are permitted to...let loose. [See Incident Report 089.]

Post-Operation: Rising Phoenix, Agent Phoenix's handler, Reginald Crane, had informed Agency Director Ricardo Morales that if Phoenix were truly dead, he would be handing in his resignation, effective immediately. Two weeks later, the Agent initiated the Recommunication Protocol at Control Point Babadag. [Note from R.C: To say I was ecstatic would be a gross understatement.]

Post-activation, Phoenix informed Crane that none other than John Juniper was in their custody, and they were helping him recover. Juniper was later taken to an Agency hospital to recover, and allow Phoenix to focus on thwarting Doctor Roxana Prism, who had recently allied with Dr. Zor.

[Note from R.P: The two seem to have a dynamic similar to that of siblings. Phoenix regularly instigates arguments with J.J, and vice versa, but they have started all-out brawls because of someone else bullying the other. It's very strange. See Incident Report 087.]

After Operation: KBOOM, Prism was taken into Agency custody, but was released after both Agent Phoenix and Crane threatened to leave the Agency if she were not released.

Phoenix eventually befriended and even wooed the Doctor, and they have a very healthy relationship. Crane has expressed his approval, although Juniper was seen "shovel-talking" Prism. It seems he is rather protective over Phoenix, as Phoenix is with him.

Phoenix also stole the kinesium the Agency confiscated [namely, the sample taken from Robutler], and returned it to Prism, along with Right Robot. Phoenix returned to the Agency HQ looking quite smug, and declined to comment on their disheveled state.

Phoenix currently resides in California, with Prism, Right Robot, Robutler, and several cats. [Note from A.P: Their names are Buzz, Gracie, Lucy, Betty, Cheddar, Bill, Frank, Honey, Flip-Flop, and Sandal.]

INCIDENT REPORT 087

INCIDENT FILER: [REDACTED]

Agent Phoenix has left no less than four agents in critical condition, and at least ten more with non-serious injuries after an all-out brawl they started in the canteen. When asked why, they simply replied, "No one is allowed to bully Agent Clover [John Juniper] except me." [Note from J.J: Aww, they do care.]

Disciplinary action has not been taken, as their Handler has interfered.

End report.

INCIDENT REPORT 088

INCIDENT FILER: [REDACTED]

Agent Phoenix, who has now returned to normal, was reported as seeming rather dazed and looking around as though they had lost something at 17:26. They left the building at 17:32, and Doctor Roxana Prism reported seeing them at her doorstep at 18:49, with symptoms similar to that of Zor's Project Eidolon. [Glowing eyes, bigger physical presence, oddly robotic movements]

However, when Prism opened the door, Phoenix did not attack her, as other Eidolon were wont to do. They instead told her that they were "awaiting commands." [Note from R.C: I've always said that not even God himself could make Phoenix harm Roxana. It's nice to know I'm right.]

This loyalty/obedience lasted until Phoenix was returned to normal, and save for more sass, there hasn't been much change. [Note from A.P: Because there wasn't, really. I'd do anything for the ones I love. I think the only thing that changed was my accent, honestly.]

End report.

INCIDENT REPORT 089

INCIDENT FILER: REGINALD CRANE

Doctor Roxana Prism, who is currently recovering in the medbay of Agency HQ, was recently kidnapped by Zoraxis, possibly as a last resort due to the failure of Project: Eidolon. Agent Phoenix and myself found her at Zor's base in Jasper, Nevada. The place was crawling with guards, so we made a plan.

Phoenix was already on edge, and getting twitchier every second. So, I allowed them to clear the way for the both of us to rescue Roxana.

It was...brutal, to say the least. To say they were covered in blood not their own would be an understatement. [Note from R.P: I didn't exactly mind, honestly. The dry-cleaning bill was awful, though.]

Roxana was extracted without further incident, and the Zoraxis base was demolished.

End report.

INCIDENT REPORT 090

INCIDENT FILER: Agent Clover [John Juniper]

Agent Phoenix has recently landed themself in the medbay (again) after attempting to down three entire bottles of moonshine on a bet. Suffice to say, they won. Unfortunately, the upgrade the Agency provided them with (that was supposed to be for poisoning) did not hold up to the stress.  I had to hold their hair back while they vomited for nearly half an hour, and as both their girlfriend and their Handler were busy, I had to take care of them as well.  I will be sending the Agency my dry-cleaning bill.

End Report.

INCIDENT REPORT 091

INCIDENT FILER: [REDACTED] Agent Phoenix is currently recovering in the medbay after a massive brawl between them and at least seventeen other agents, as well as security, which left them with a broken nose and three broken ribs. When asked what their motivations were, they declined comment, but a bystander said that they had apparently over heard someone mentioning Doctor Roxana Prism's history with Zoraxis, which enraged Phoenix to the point of picking a fight with an agent nearly twice their size and his group of friends. [Note from A.P: I don't even have a defense for this one. Love makes you do stupid things, and I love Roxy more than I love fire and alcohol.] Doctor Prism declined comment.

End Report.

[theoddbun]

THEODDBUN! GIVE US SOME NATALIE (and maybe ingo) LORE AND MY LIFE IS YOURS (I really like the goobies and I wish to know more please)

GOSH OKAY. I’m not really sure where to start, I guess I’ll give some backstory for Natalia? Be warned it is really… Really… Long…

CW for mentions of abuse, self harm, and death!

Natalia was born and raised in Unova. Both of her parents divorced when she was young, her father was the pinnacle of alcoholic douchebag while her mother was now a single mother of two trying to raise 3 children.

As a child Nat was very lonely, being a little girl with undiagnosed neurodivergence made her a target for bullying. She was close with her older siblings, having an age gap with them they took on the caretaker role while their mother was busy with work. But a big turning point for her was when her older brother passed away. It was incredibly difficult for her as he was one of the few people that understood her, and from there things only went downhill.

Everyday was battle of trying to overcome her depression. After her brother passed the bullying she faced only got worse, eventually getting to a point that she would attempt suicide. She felt alone, isolated from the world with no one she could turn to. The only person she was close to wasn’t there anymore, and she pushed away everyone else. But one day during recess, she would come across a small zorua behind the school trash bin. It was cold and shivering and without a mother, which was extremely odd for such a young pup. Natalia could relate to its struggle of loosing someone, and would take it in and care for it, eventually naming the little gal Vixen.

Years would pass and Nat and Vixen were nearly inseparable. The two were like family, always looking out for each other no matter what. Eventually her, her sister and her mother would move to Alola. Despite the bond she’d make with Vixen, the teen angst she felt would still reside within her. This would fully manifest in joining Team Skull.

She thought joining Team Skull would finally give her a place she’d belong, but only found she still felt ostracized among her peers. No one wanted to associate with someone on the verge of tears at any moment, it wasn’t becoming of a team member. But during this time she would still somehow form a romantic relationship with Guzma. In no way was it healthy. She was codependent on him and relied on him for nearly every want and need. She’d cling to him, fearful of being alone.

But after a certain dream something in her would change. She didn’t want this, she was only getting worse. Was this really what her brother would have wanted? So after a stressful time of contemplating she decided to leave Team Skull and break up with Guzma for good.

A little while after leaving, her cousin Shauntal would get back in contact with her. The two were friends as children, but became distant as Natalia grew older and became more jaded. Hearing about Natalia’s situation, she thought what perfect opportunity for her to get a fresh new start than to move to Unova. There her cousin would aid her and encourage her enough to live on her own in a small apartment in Nimbasa City, all while Natalia would gain a tattoo apprenticeship under a tattoo artist there.

Things were finally looking up for Nat, but she was most surprised when she found herself gaining a crush on one of the Subway Bosses of the Battle Subway after doing a Multi Train with her cousin. Little did she know, Ingo had gained feelings for her too. The bigger problem was the two were both incredibly shy when it came to confessions, so it took some effort on their relatives part to get them together. But after months of pining, they would make things official.

Years would go by, and all was going well in Nat’s life for once, completing her apprenticeship and becoming a tattoo artist herself. It was perfect, that was until her father tried to creep his way back in after learning that she moved back to the region. He wasn’t particularly the best father in her youth, the court ordered visits to him during the summer as a teen only caused her stress (the only saving grace being she got to spend time with her cousin). But she was willing to give him a second chance. She was able to change, so why couldn’t he?

But soon she’d learn not everyone was willing to. Her father would demean and degrade her, insulting her casually whenever he got the chance. He was the same as he was when she was a child, but after he latched onto her, she couldn’t shake him off.

What was meant to be a fresh new start only had Natalia tuning back to her same bad habits, isolating herself and even lashing out at the people she loved. She saw herself becoming the same person she was before she had moved there. But this time was different, she knew what was happening, and she knew she could stop it. So out of fear that she’d return to the same person she was, she would abruptly move back to Alola, breaking up with Ingo and leaving him behind in the process.

Still despite the abrupt break up he would promise he would wait for her until she was ready, whenever that would be. 🖤

BUT ILL STOP HERE BECAUSE THIS IS TURNING INTO A NOVEL ATP. But yeah! This is the base of the Natalia (with some Ingo) lore! More stuff happens after this too, but maybe I’ll save that for a different time? Also lots of details I left out in here too. The end of this lore blurp is between the end of BW2 and the beginning of USUM. But if you wanted to hear more I’m always happy to lore dump for her!

[that-one-kiddo-in-the-back]

The Forgotten Gays of Western Animation... apparently.

Tw Lily says the F-slur despite her having a problem with Q-slur and talks about incest... again.

Now I'm not from Canada, nor was I old enough to have seen these shows that she's talking about, meaning I have no choice but to assume she's telling the truth about these shows.

To get this out of the way. Lily, throughout the whole video, was also making jabs at people who like lore based shows how they're the ones who are ruining shows because she thinks people on Twitter have any power over what a creator does on the show I mean if that was the case then JK Rowling would actually shut up about her transphobic thoughts. To put it simply, people on Twitter with their egos don't have much or any power over a show their not a part of, not even the people who are in charge of drawing the frames. now a creator can see multiple people asking about the lore of the world they worked so hard on. Lore might not be important to Lily, but anyone who's worked on making a completely new world wants to talk about and show the lore of the world. To get a bit personal, one of my siblings is writing a book, and there are days they will talk about the lore for hours because they're proud of it.

Now. Lily is very much wrong about moving the goal post for LGBTQ rep. Moving the goal post for LGBTQ characters means we are highering our expectations for what's good rep and what's not. To keep that post in the same place would be doing more damage than good.

Personally, I think (if we have to) the goal post should stick where the owl house is as that's one of the few shows that doesn't really have straight ships, hunter x willow and amity's parents are the only straight cannon relationships (and that's straight in quotes BTW) and I only think that because I haven't seen any of the nickelodeon shows with LGBTQ rep.

Something lily really needs to understand is that CEOs and the men in suits have a huge say in what goes into shows, so most shows aimed at children that want LGBTQ rep have to fight to have it Steven universe and the owl house all had to fight to get the rep they wanted. The reason you didn't see much of ruby and sapphire is because they are always fused together in perfect harmony. Every permafustion in SU were in a healthy relationship and only unfused was when they need to play the part their made for or fighting she also needs to remember that SU had the FIRST same-sex wedding in a kid show. The owl house was already set to be canceled, so who cares if they have a main gay couple it's not like they were gonna see them for long anyway. To me, it seems that if the character isn't kissing, holding hands, or cuddling, then that's not good enough that the LGBTQ rep has to be the most perfect relationship and never show what a real relationship can be like i.e. sometimes unhealthy, one-sided, and unrequited.

Lily then goes through a really long rant about how we shouldn’t hold She-ra to such a high platform because of the incest and how abusive the relationship was... completely forgetting that catra was the scapegoat while adora was the golden child. Both were in an abusive relationship with their perennial figures, with catra getting the brunt of it. Catra and adora are friends to enemies to lovers. Just because you wrote your incest story (scars, pokemadhouse) as some sort of coffee shop, AU, you think that you have any footing about complaining about catradora? Lily can't talk smack about adora and catra being technical sister when all of her fanfiction and even the books she reads aren't technical incest. It is incest. For all the mud slinging Lily does to She-ra, TLOK, and SU, you'd think the creators killed her family.

Also, I haven't heard of anyone saying that those slice of life relaxing shows that have the same rep as "not counting." In fact, people who like those types of shows have praised and really liked it, there's no one saying that shows with rep aren't valid just because there slow pace I've seen that's not valid because it's not good enough rep as in the LGBTQ character dies, doesn't get into a relationship, never get screen time, or how in Steven universe pearls love with rose is one sided and therefore pearl is an incel and "doesn’t count" funny enough all the complaints about rep not being good enough is from Lily herself. Steven universe doesn't count because you don't see enough, TLOK doesn't count because korra and asami didn't kiss as they walked into the spirit world, she-ra doesn't count because catradora is "fetishist towards abuse" and the list goes on.

Despite how much Lily praises Brace face for having a good gay character that wasn't the butt of the joke, he's still a stereotype, 6teen had one episode with a gay character and is never seen again, Lloyd in space had one Non binary character that in the end chose their gender and the main characters forcing gender norms on them. All of those in Lily's own words and past videos those shows aren't good enough.

No one has forgotten about the Canadian shows with LGBTQ characters their just not talked about, which is a shame. If I had seen these shows when I was struggling with my identity, it might have helped me deal with it better. As time goes on and millennials who grew up with the shows that said "its okay to be different and that just because you have no one now doesn't mean you will be alone forever." Begin to make their art. What was good then just isn't good now. Sure, those shows were ahead of their time, but now we are getting shows with better rep that don't need to use slurs or stereotypes.

[rainymossgoddess]

Hey how was everyone's day, good? Good. I would never come up with a basic story/vibe for a nonexistent zelda game on a whim instead of studying. Nope. Definitely not like I'm writing this post instead of studying or anything.

Hey unrelated what if there was a zelda game where Link and Dark Link had a sort of Link & Midna style relationship and the major themes of the game were about, like, the corrupt side of those in positions of power and how darkness does not equal evil bad bad.

Continued below the cut cause I've written myself into a corner with this pitch-

Dark Link

Dark Link is Midna adjacent, serving a supportive role as a sort of secondary protagonist. Kinda similar to Spirit Tracks zelda in a way, though they could interact with the world a bit more.

This could manifest in a couple of ways, though the first ones that come to mind are possession of armors and stuff (again, spirit tracks as inspo) and a shadow form that's similar to, like, the painting bracelet from Link Between Worlds.

Part of what's happening in my head is that i just want to see Link playfully arguing with his shadow (Dink).

There are also thoughts in my brain about a plot twist so hard it gives the audience whiplash but we'll see (will elaborate later).

Becomes more than just Link's bitter goth clone, developing a personality and both distancing themselves from but becoming closer to link.

In a fruity way?

Link

Off the top of my head I want this Link to feel similar to Legend (or at least similar to legend's vibe in all too many of the fics I have been reading).

Definitely a magic user. Fire and Ice magic could have fun game mechanics built around them (light and reflections respectively).

Classic green outfit? Maybe with a more naturey vibe.

Darker color scheme, more suited to sneaking

Both Link and Dink have matching flower crowns as part of their outfits (Link has purple and Dink has Yellow).

Zelda(?)

For some reason I REALLY want a prince in one way or another (transfem or transmasc preferably. Y'know.)

Very pressured by abusive+corrupt nobles/dad

Unable to access triforce but hides it and learned magic in secret to keep appearances.

Still Not Enough, keeps pushing themselves over the healthy limit. Perhaps ends up hurting themself in one way or another.

Maybe the Queen could still be alive but just sleeping beauty'd by the King cause he wanted power.

King as a boss battle??

Major plot twist mentioned in Dink's section is maybe they don't have the triforce of Wisdom at all.

Option A is they actually have the triforce of Power.

Option B is they don't even have a triforce, making every bit of their magical prowess even more impressive.

Ganondorf

Definitely not the antagonist

I feel like we're all pretty tired of the whole 'ooh ominous big villain here to kill everyone surely it's a mystery- NOPE ITS GANONDORF AGAIN BABY HAHA.'

I think he should be included somehow though, perhaps even as a triforce holder.

Antihero, possibly? I think I like the vibe of him being a goofy old hermit on the edge of the gerudo highlands with a cute little orchard more though. Of course, these aren't exclusive of each other, but still.

He has no want of power or lust to rule Hyrule, at most he wants to run a little farm.

Possible plot point is him having cut off his triforce bearing hand because he has no want of power and the triforce being a part of him would only bring unwanted attention upon him.

Avid knitting circle member.

Big Nasty

A major servant of Hylia, possibly?

Alternatively, three servants of the golden trio.

They've blocked off Hylia/The Golden Trio's greater connection(s) to the people and land of hyrule, seeking to replace her/them as a god.

Final final battle with puppeted sleeping Hylia?

I sense power creep

General stuff i guess

Could take place during a time of peace

Biggest demise sided villains would also be sided with the Big Nasty, but for their own reasons

Puzzles,,

Lore/sequel stuff??

Sequel adventure could be to re-seal/kill the Ganon/Demise/Whatever and keep the peace

Maybe something gets twisted with that

Killing TWO gods? (Hylia and Demise to halt the cycle, at least for a long while)

Perhaps halting the cycle allows the hero's spirit to move on from this endless war (echoing in an era of fresher villains)

Of course this is all just me rambling on- I would love to hear some feedback on these ideas!

I also desperately want to draw art for these characters my head has rotating violently but I always get too in my own head about drawing so-

[musicalmoritz]

Idk if anyone has asked for these headcanons before, but ok. Do you have any headcanons about the Yugi family and what the twins' relationship was like back then and with their parents?

Am I finally answering this? I think I am

First off I wanna say I am sooooo sorry that I took so long to get around to this one, as I’ve said before I’m not rly an expert on all the Yugi lore (like I’ve read the Red House arc but I was primarily focused on Kou and Katakuri lol) and I was a bit worried abt mischaracterizing them. But it’s not uncommon for my headcanons to stretch canon, that’s part of what makes headcanons fun. So walk with me here and we’re gonna get silly (actually it will probably be angsty bcuz it’s the Yugis but walk with me nonetheless)

• Starting from the very beginning, I imagine the twins were born prematurely which eventually led to Amane’s health issues

• Tsukasa was able to tough it out but Amane never quite recovered, he came out with more complications and had to be taken into special care immediately

• For children aged 0-2 with chronic health problems, you’re supposed to give them the max amount of attention and reassurance, namely with physical contact

• I like to think this is what led to the twins being so physically affectionate with each other and with their other friends later on. Amane’s parents absolutely smothered him with affection to help him thrive and they naturally did the same with Tsukasa to ensure he stayed healthy, and so he wouldn’t feel left out

• Therefore the twins grew up viewing physical touch as the ultimate way to express love, it’s their love language

• That scene during their third birthday when Tsukasa asks Amane if he loves him was the first time Amane ever told Tsukasa he loves him, he thought it was obvious so it never crossed his mind to say it out loud. Later on, Tsukasa’s need for direct reassurance gave Amane issues with verbally expressing his feelings. It’s much easier for him to show than tell, and his feelings towards Tsukasa became very complicated after The Incident™️, so putting his thoughts into words became a struggle. I am a firm believer in the autistic Amane headcanon so I think that plays a role here, along with him abruptly having to hide his deeper feelings once Tsukasa came back. Even if he were able to verbalize his feelings, it wouldn’t be appropriate to since the situation was so complex and he wasn’t rly decisive on whether this new thing was his brother or not

• I’ve seen the headcanon that their parents were high school sweethearts and I absolutely love that, I also see them as a girlboss x malewife ship (I know I slander that trope a lot but in this case I mean it in a Gomez and Morticia Addams way)

• Amane gets his autism from their father and Tsukasa gets his adhd from their mother

• Their mom would make them homemade donuts a lot which is why they’re Amane’s favorite food

• They never had any proper pets but they did have several yard cats. Unfortunately most of them turned into sacrifices for the entity ://

• Their household became very tense when Tsukasa returned. Their mother began to struggle with mental illness and would lash out a lot, scolding Tsukasa for very basic things (like if she even thought he was looking at her weird she would yell at him)

• Their father tried to make up for this by devoting extra time to bonding with Tsukasa, unfortunately he also had an off-feeling about the whole situation but he tried to push it aside and focus on being a good dad (which caused a lot of arguments between him and Mama Yugi)

• This led to Amane being somewhat ignored, which was an abrupt change as he was the one who used to get all the attention with his illness. His parents would take him out every now and then to do things without Tsukasa but that just made him feel awkward, and most of the time at home the only person to pay him any attention was his brother

• He grew up to be a massive introvert because of this combined with his autism already making it hard to connect with his peers. While Tsukasa gained a lot of popularity for his loud personality, Amane easily fell into the background. He didn’t mind it all that much but it made him very lonely

• They stopped having family dinners around the time the twins hit age 5, after that they only had them for birthdays and holidays and they were very tense and uncomfortable. Amane would always ask to be excused early

• The twins would share a bed a lot up to age three because Tsukasa was very clingy, ofc they couldn’t do it all the time tho bcuz of Amane’s sickness. After Tsukasa came back though, Amane became scared to share a room with him. He would never turn him away, but he’d stay up all night watching Tsukasa to detect any unusual behavior

• As the years went on, Amane’s paranoia became less convenient. He eventually had to give in and just sleep whenever his brother wanted to stay over. Subconsciously, he began to view Tsukasa’s presence as a comfort, and when he became a supernatural he was unable to sleep without his brother in the same building. Seeing as supernaturals don’t need sleep, this went on for decades until Tsukasa returned. Their reunion was terrifying, but Amane slept like a abt that night

• They shared their whole lives together, it would be impossible for Amane not to have some attachment to Tsukasa. But he knows something hasn’t been right with his brother since he came back. Because of this, he feels guilty every time he catches himself laughing too freely at one of Tsukasa’s jokes or stacking up extra pillows for their sleepovers. His love for Tsukasa feels like a betrayal to the brother he lost all those years ago

• With their parents so dysfunctional, it was only natural that the twins clung to each other. They tried to get out of the house a lot to avoid their tense home life, going to festivals and movies (unfortunately Tsukasa and movie theaters do not pair well together)

• I know their dynamic is far from sunshine and roses but on a lighter note, I imagine their more casual moments to look similar to the dynamic of Dipper and Mabel from Gravity Falls

• Amane: Tsukasa, do you believe in ghosts?

Tsukasa: I believe you’re a huge dork

• Like Amane being very serious and academic while Tsukasa tries to cling to their childhood. Amane just wants to get out of that house but Tsukasa is there to make sure he doesn’t rush the growing up process

• Now picture them with the Peanut Butter & Jelly Halloween costumes

• Yk that little thing Tsukasa does where he tackles Amane with a hug every time he sees him?? Yeah he definitely did that in the hallways at school. It was mortifying for poor Amane

• They strike me as one of those families where the parents have very intense front seat arguments every time they drive while the kids sit in the backseat like 🧍🏻🧍🏻

• Their parents were always very cautious of Amane overexerting himself or getting sick again so they wouldn’t let him go on school field trips or play outside a lot. Tsukasa, however, did NOT hold the same conviction and would regularly drag Amane into dangerous situations. It was kind of nice for Amane to have someone that didn’t treat him like he was made of glass all the time

• The twins never talked abt girls or anything like that growing up bcuz Tsukasa wasn’t rly interested in romance, so when he realized Hanako had smth going on with Nene there was a moment where he pulled him aside to have the very serious “I thought you were gay??” talk

• Tsukasa knew all of Amane’s secret hiding spots at their house and vice versa

• Amane preferred sport related games like soccer and baseball but Tsukasa liked to play with dolls so he could make up really convoluted backstories for them

• Sometimes they would play chef where Tsukasa would make the most disgusting food combinations he could think of and force Amane to eat it

• One of their fonder family memories is when Papa Yugi convinced Mama Yugi to take the twins to a carnival. They all had a blast tho Mama Yugi was a bit on edge. Tsukasa got on a sugar high and dragged Amane onto a rollercoaster

Okay I think this is all I’ve got for now, I know these were mainly abt the twins so I’m sorry if you wanted more for the parents😓 They give me rancid vibes idk how to explain it. At least they're hot tho. Thank you for the ask btw these were fun to make!! :D