#ftws meta

[septemberrie]

Hello dear Skye,

I´m currently brainrotting over Fate again and fell especially back in love with the tragedy of Saul and Andreas (who i ship btw; like how could someone not ;)

That they were very close is canon, period. But there are also some aspects that may be not ofiicially canon but which I love-hate.

For example, in the 2nd book "Lighting the Fire" it says, that Andreas asked Saul to watch over Sky like "you always do for me". (I don´t know the exact wording, since I haven´t read it in English but in German, so I hope you´ll forgive my spelling mistakes)

And in an interview Andreas´ actor has stated that Andreas doesn´t hate Saul because he killed him (or attempted to) since he a person who takes things like that personal. Ken also says, that Andreas considers emotional bounds as weakness (as we can see in the series) and that he struggles with showing affection.

My question for you would be, why do you think that is?

Why does he have such a - i don´t wanna say hatred but i can´t think of another word - towards Silva?

And against the popular opinion that he was brainwashed, why do you think he follows Rosalind without a question?

I hope I don´t overrun you with this, I just wanted to hear your opinion.

I, for example, think that Andreas is hurt ´cause saul didn´t blindly trust him with his orders, since he maybe knew from Rosalind that Aster Dell was the Blood Witch hotspot. I know, it´s a bit contradictory to the theory that Andreas doesn´t take anything personal, but people (and especially feelings) are contradictory.

Sorry if I overwhelmed you with all of that. I didn´t mean to, it´s just something I think about and struggle to find answers to. So I thought it would be easier if I talk to someone who (hopefully) gets my point.

Anyway, love have a wonderful day and I hope to hear from you

Best Wishes :)

idk if you realized when you hit send this would absolutely make my week! on a Monday no less, thank you!!! I loved hearing your thoughts and please feel free to share more! Andreas, ˚♬ ﾟwhat a man, what a man, what a man ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ 

Because of your message I went back and watched the Ken interview (god I love him he cares so much about his characters) and to your point, I think it's fascinating that Ken says in one question "Andreas doesn't take anything personally, even Saul ‘killing’ him," and then in another question he says that is favorite scene to film was the sword scene, the line "I don't know whose fucking piece of shit is, but it's not mine."

Hello??? SIR! That is as personal as you can GET, insulting the fuck out of Sky's/Saul's sword. I personally interpret that line as Andreas talking about Sky, not just the sword, the "not mine, also a piece of shit [who wears an apron]."

I watched to the vid a couple times bc he mumbles a bit but something occurred to me that never did before, he plays Andreas as not taking it personal that Saul tried to stop him (aka he knew Aster Dell was wrong but he did it anyway) because he was loyal and obedient enough for Rosalind he really was prepared—even expected—to "die" for the cause.

BUT

As long as I've been in this fandom I've never considered that there's nothing in canon that would indicate Andreas expected Saul to be the one to take in Sky. I now think that Andreas had full expectations that someone else would raise Sky, specifically NOT Saul.

Because Ken says "Andreas was worried about how sensitive baby Sky was, so one of the reasons he could justify abandoning him was that he didn't want sensitive baby Sky to grow up in Andreas' violent, military-esque world." However, part of him hoped that Sky would grow up and get stronger and "unbreakable," and when he realizes that no, Saul is the one who raised him, "weak, sensitive Saul," he's fucking furious. All of the "I want what's best for my son uWu" goes out the window when he realizes that Saul Silva is the one who raised Sky instead of someone more tough. And I have to assume he had picked out someone to raise Sky (where is his mom? shhhh don't ask too many worldbuilding questions in this universe) but for some reason that message never got across, whether things happened to fast for him to ask that person, or maybe Saul just ignored his wishes (I could see him doing that, he's honestly moralistic to a fault, I could see him twisting around "Andreas wants this other person to raise Sky, someone innocent and out of the picture, but I deserve this punishment, I deserve to pay penance for 18+ years bc I killed this man [sorry I digress]).

So when Andreas realizes that it's actually weak, sensitive Saul that raised Sky into "a useless piece of shit that's not mine," that's where we get the rage. It DOES get personal.

I think 90% of his hatred comes from Saul usurping his role as Sky's father and not making him to be whatever Andreas’ definition of tough is.

(cut to the scene where Marco asks Saul if Sky has any of Andreas' bloodlust and Saul, extremely detachedly, saying no, he intentionally tried to raise Sky to be more compassionate and “stamp it out of him” or w/e)

I think the other 10% comes from just plain bitterness. He let Saul “kill” him without being able to retaliate for 16 damn years. He had to admit to himself that he chose the leader who doesn’t hesitate to tell him he’s going to “die” and go undercover for probably 40% of his life by the time he shows back up end of season 1. Farah would never ask that of Saul.

And to be fair I don't even think Ken is wrong talking out of both sides of his mouth, agreeing with your point 100% that Andreas just IS that contradictory!! Andreas can say he doesn't take anything personally while also going and getting himself killed because he is so emotionally attached to Beatrix. He absolutely "takes it personally" that Roz won't send a search party so he goes out against her orders and promptly dies. He doesn't care that Saul killed him but he DOES care that weak/emotional Saul raised his son. He hates Sebastian’s guts presumably because Basti was always “following Saul around like a sick puppy,” hello, jealous your crush is getting attention from another guy much??? Between Roz & Andreas, Rosalind is the only one that truly doesn’t take things personally (except blood witches maybe but both sides had decent points and I wish s2 had spent more time fleshing them both out).

Okay whew I hope you enjoyed me rambling about Saundreas, it’s been too long since I did so and I guess I had a lot pent up 😅

So for the second part of your question,

Personally I don’t ascribe to the theory Andreas was brainwashed; I guess I can see why some people want to give him a better start to his redemption arc but I just see way more evidence that Andreas was fucked up following someone fucked up than brainwashing… oop anyway not what you asked but do you have any thoughts one way or the other?

Anyway, to answer your second question:

All my thoughts on Andreas’ obedience hinge on the line Saul says at Aster Dell before the sword fight, “I know Rosalind gave you a sense of purpose. I know you're indebted to her.”

Record scratch! WHAT is that debt? It implies a blackmail of some kind or at least some pretty strong coercion.

I truly think the writers just forgot about this line bc it would have answered so many questions! I tried to answer this in the fic I wrote between S1 and S2, It Was Just Red, and my answer was that Rosalind helped Andreas’ wife conceive Sky using blood magic. This ascribed to S1’s type of blood witches, which was “humans that can do magic through blood sacrifices,” and that definition was thrown out the window in s2 in favor of “water fairies, but make it blood.”

So some other kind of debt, but… what? In s2 we learn Andreas is actually an unrefined hick from the backcountry of Eraklyon so… maybe she gave him some opportunities he wouldn’t have otherwise? Or like, how soccer (sorry FOOTBALL) teams sign youth talent at 10/11 with the condition they only play for that team 😂

I haven’t thought about this as much as I did before S2 for what the debt could be, but I still think that’s why he did it. Andreas is a no nuance, all-or-nothing guy, so I think when he’s forced to be indebted to Rosalind he just swallows it all, happy he has someone giving him a sense of purpose, doesn’t question her at all because she gave him XYZ in return for undying loyalty and he’s PROUD to be in the debt with someone as powerful as her, he thinks it’s the right decision. So yeah I do like your example of part or all of his rage at Saul being because Saul DOES question Rosalind, and why tf does Saul always have to be stubborn and mulish about his goddamn morals, why can’t he just listen to what Rosalind’s saying and everything will come out all right in the end??? How rude.

Omg. Thank you if you read this far 😅 but I really loved hearing your thoughts, thank you for sending this ask! Always so lovely to see a new person become fascinated with this ship 💕 No joke, the hour it took composing this reply was the best part of my day 🥰🥰🥰 thank you so much for asking! Please, I welcome any more thoughts you have or further headcanons! I miss these characters so much💔 thank you for giving me the opportunity to ramble!

[partiallypearl]

A LOOK INTO THE OTHERWORLD'S REALMS:

A for Andros

an island realm located in the androsian sea - where it gets its name. originally settled in the 1200s, it is the main energy supply for the otherworld, and a great political ally to solaria.

ROYAL FAMILY:

Queen Nerissa - Reigning Queen since 2000. Went to Alfea in the late 90s. She had a well known rivalry with Queen Luna of Solaria, but for the sake of their realms (and their dignities) they put the qualms aside.

King Cove - Reigning King Consort since 2000. Went to Malacoy Academy. Former Androsian head of military.

Princess Ariel - Born in 2004. Goes to Malacoy Academy. Water fairy. Went to secondary school with Aisha.

@winxsource

[theriverbeyond]

i feel like Ianthe is constantly stuck between wanting to make a big dramatic monologue revealing all her plans that you, the listener, were far too stupid and infantile to figure out, while also knowing that she is at her most comfortable (and most powerful) when people underestimate her. when people dismiss her. that woman wields shame like a goddamn knife!!!

like Ianthe spent her whole life in Coronabeth's shadow and then she WON, she became a DEMIGOD, and then she..... immedietly picks another figure to latch onto and hide in the shadow of. first Harrow (and to some extent Augustine) and then Kiriona (and to some extent John). it works for her. it's her thing. and it's so interesting right, like Ianthe SAYS she wants to be famous with posters of her face but the instant she gets the limelight she goes and attaches herself to someone else, and appears wholly miserable and annoyed when forced to actually, visibly take charge vs sulking about and controlling things from behind the scenes. i want to study her like a bug

[satsuha]

naeleen 60min challenge (took ~80min)

[azr3na]

art fight

character is Daki by goofy_goober_100

[quickreaver]

Jo Harvelle: was she and mirror, and for whom?

This is a requested repost (and a little update as I'm ruminating) of my response to a thread asserting that Jo Harvelle and Dean were mirrors of each other, and it got me smoke grinding (as one does when one has deadlines, lol.) Starting out, here's a grab of the Dean-Jo comparison in question:

This isn't to say that Jo doesn't have anything in common with Dean (of course she does), and as per usual, Dean relates more easily and charmingly to our other characters in the series (because he's the Han Solo personality), but...

I do appreciate the analogy of Jo = Dean, but imho (and this is just me, as ye olde Sam girl (gn)), Jo is far more an inverted version of Sam than Dean. But as per usual in SPNland, Dean is the character who opens up and “relates” more obviously to those folks he either needs or idolizes or befriends (or crushes on). He’s more overt with his affection and charm. But that doesn’t mean he parallels Jo as neatly as Sam does. Again, just my take! Both Sam and Jo were somewhat sheltered, if you will, and went against their parents’ wishes, but in different directions: Jo wanted to hunt and wasn’t allowed to, Sam wanted to leave hunting and wasn’t allowed to. Sam was the one who was canonically given a gun when he was fearful of monsters under the bed, though we know both boys were trained to hunt. Both boys were also expected to fall in line with the Family Business, but only Sam was the one who actively wanted out. From the pilot:

Sam: You think mom would have wanted this for us? The weapon training and melting the silver into bullets? Man, Dean, we were raised like warriors.

Dean: So, what are you gonna do? Are you just gonna live some normal, apple pie life? Is that it?

Sam: No, not normal. Safe.

The one time Dean got out was because Sam asked him to do so, in a sort of deathbed confessional. Finale, S5. And it didn’t stick. It never sticks for either of them…until it does. Sam wanted out consistently through the series. He ran away at 15. He went to college, like many a normal kid aspires to. He tried to get out when Dean was blasted into Purgatory (yeah, yeah, S8 was a tangled mess and I have endless bones to pick with it, but Sam did what he did), and then at the end of all things, Sam did get out out. Dean absolutely assumed he himself would die in a blaze of glory, but I don’t think he envied Jo that. Okay, well, maybe in that it’s “easier” to die than to be the one left to live with grief and loss. But at that time, they were just starting to unwrap what was going on with Heaven and Hell as actual places that existed. It was still scary. I don’t think Dean wanted that. But Dean and Jo would’ve made adorable hunting buddies! Kinda like someone else we know… *cough Sam cough*

[murfpersonalblog]

Murf's AMA: Mayfair Witches

@adamnablelittledevil you sent me such an incredibly lovely & thorough ask that I wanted to address every single point you made. So I'm breaking your PM up into separate AMA-style posts. Thank you SO much!

"And your comments on the stories really help! I don't know if I'll agree with you, but you're able to say something I can completely comprehend without spoilers and give me an idea of how they are, so thank you!"

Any time! Yes, my particular stance on AR's Mayfair books is largely based on my own personal fascination with different IRL conceptions of the afterlife, and how IRL witchcraft/magic/divination/necromancy all fits in wrt communing with the spirits of the dead/undead. So reading The Witching Hour completely rewired my brain--I owe AR a huge debt. Her ghost stories just give me everything I need.

"The way you described Lasher sounds terrifying. 👀 I wonder if it is as bad as Lestat's turning, the story of the twins or the Roman Coven killing the palazzo boys and torturing Armand because those were the darkest moments of TVC for me (I ignore what she pulled on TTOTBT). Is it just as heavy or worse?"

Hrm. It's complicated for me. Like, IMO Armand has hands down THE worst & most sympathetic backstory out of all the TVC characters (except Claudia). Kidnapped & gaslit & brainwashed by a satanic cult, and abandoned by the one person you trusted & loved the most when you failed to meet his ridiculously high standards/expectations.... IMO Armand is the strongest character to have withstood all that for so long and still come out the other side with his soul intact, omg.

As for Lasher, it's the totality of his iron grip over the Mayfairs for 500+ years that makes me personally put his treatment of people on the same/similar level as the Children of Satan.

There's no one Mayfair I feel particularly sadder or better for; it's them as a collective whole. There's things Lasher does to some of the Mayfairs that is just...it's graphic. With Armand it's different, cuz of the heavily romanticized & disjointed way he often tells his story. The gothic horror comes from seeing the ways traumatized people reflect on the bad things that happened to them--Armand's memory is just as spotty as Louis' sometimes; and the way he talks about Marius alllll the way to Blood Communion makes the fandom divided on what we're supposed to do with them.

But with the Mayfairs, there's no sugar-coating the carnage or softening/obfuscating the blows at all--AR describes things viscerally & graphically & explicitly in a way that you CANNOT excuse Lasher for. Even at the end of Lasher, when they "Let the devil speak his story," the prophecy (AR's Word of God) has already decided that his pretty words & excuses & tragic backstory don't effing matter in the end--he WILL be killed. Cuz he is 100% a PREDATOR, NOT a problematic love interest with abusive/grooming tendencies (a la Lestat & Marius).

Like, the vast majority of the TVC/IWTV fandom laughs at incest wrt Lestat & Gabrielle, cuz Lestat romanticizes so much of his trauma that it's hard sometimes to take it seriously. But incest with the Mayfairs is no laughing matter. It's sheer horror that's supposed to make you darn near physically ill reading about how much Lasher's twisted & manipulated everything. He's a MONSTER, eff how much he cries.

Granted, I still think the Mayfairs were awful immoral people, in ways that I don't see Armand. Unlike a brainwashed cult member, the Mayfairs KNEW Lasher was evil and that everything he gave them was tainted by his evil deeds. They call him the Devil. Unlike the Twins, they didn't control spirits ethically, in order to help their community and work towards the betterment of their society--they controlled Lasher selfishly, in order to gain riches & power. They think they can outsmart him, and pay the price.

But because they're women, they're vulnerable by default, as they lived during the Middle Ages & Tudor period & all these other times when women were being systemically persecuted by the Church; and then domestically oppressed at home as their husbands had full legal control over their bodies AND their money. The Mayfair designees completely buck the system; they're entirely matriarchal, but their power STILL comes from a demonic patriarch. So I sympathize with the lengths they felt they needed to go to, to remain at the top of the social pyramid--even if they were slaves to their greedy desires, and slaves to Lasher, as he manipulated them into thinking it was the reverse. They're victims and villains, in the best & worst of ways that always makes AR's characters so dang complex & interesting.

I think what happens to them is beyond effed up, but sometimes certain witches (*cough* Margueritte, Julien, Rowan, etc) I feel kinda deserved it???? But not even, cuz there's so much incest & mental illness in their family too, which makes me go Dang! They're not right in the head, so is it even fair to even blame them for all this? And ofc a ghost is LITERALLY manipulating them. But at what point does personal responsibility & accountability come in, esp. for Rowan?

Like, even Carlotta's evil arse has a lot in common with Coven Master Armand's most extreme(ly bad) actions--someone I absolutely love. So why do I hate her? When really, she was right all along! Her extremist draconian methods SUCKED; but if she got The Witch Carlotta book the way we got TVA, would my opinion of her change? More than likely! (Unless it was more like Blood & Gold, in which case....bye Felicia. 🙄😒)

So yeah, I see the Mayfairs as very similar to the Children of Satan, but flipped--they worship the Devil to get rich; NOT cuz they think they're inherently evil & deserve to suffer (a la Armand & the other vampires).

[mooniety]

when lost, scream "GUNDAM" & fade away like a ms ppt presentation slide

the other horrible oneliner i had though was "GUYS STOP CALLING HIM DADDY, HE CAN'T LEGALLY ADOPT ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!"

but finally, a proper gijinka design for this man, it only took one (two) months ^^;

i remember that the initial theme of this design was "mysterious yet chivalrous vigilante," but then it changed to "dark holy knight" when i began to actually design the top half of his body, & ended with "blurple barbatos lupus rex" because i was listening to hiroyuki sawano & saw a lot of gundam artwork while listening LOL - it did help a lot with the color choices for the leg armor though

i kinda wanna gush a bit about the rings just for a second though, i really liked the addition because it fits the headcanons i have for him, so now it's EXTRAAA difficult to pull off his gloves & therefore, EXTRAAA difficult to find out his secret...

ALSO MAN HAS 30YO BABY FACE, BRO COULD BE THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD (which he is!) & STILL HAVE THAT SAME DUMB POKER FACE

[sketchingstars03]

Alright, so, you’re pretty much the queen Good Dad!Ink (at least in my mind), which I adore with all my being, so I wanted to share a thought I had with you.

See, I’ve seen people use Ink’s poor memory as ammunition against him being a Good Parent. Often, it’s either in a funny-haha “he forgot to pay child support/straight up abandoned the kid” way, but I’ve also seen it used to make him Evil and Unfeeling and a bunch of other stuff. You know, the usual “Ink is Evil” propaganda or whatever.

Thing is, all I can think of, if Ink ever actually forgot he had a whole ass child? Is how absolutely horrific and gut wrenching it would feel once he did remember. I can’t help thinking he’d feel so, so guilty (even if his bad memory isn’t his fault). Can you imagine that?

You’re just walking around, goofing off, just living your life with your friends, and you suddenly realize you have a child you haven’t see in stars knows how long because you forgot about them. Has it been days? Months? Years? Do they think you did it on purpose, that you don’t love them with everything you have? Where are they, are they okay, how much of them have you missed? How could you forget you own child?

Just. I don’t know. I feel like no ever thinks about how that would be for Ink.

WHSHSHSHSHHDHDH ME?!?! QUEEN OF GOOD DAD INK?!! HESITANT TO BELIEVE THAT BUT I’M HONOURED TY!! (Also sorry it took so long to respond 😅)

ahem regardless,

Anon

Your brain: 📈📈📈

Exactly, PERFECTLY, put into words.

Ink’s forgetfulness in general seems to be played most often for either laughs or for angst (where he hurts another character with it) when it comes to content depicting it (not that that shouldn’t be explored ofc). Not a lot of thought about how it affects HIM and the guilt he might feel whenever he forgets something as important as his OWN CHILD. At least, not that I’ve seen. I could be wrong, but it seems most likely when you look at basically every other fanon trend with Ink.

Ink shrugging off whenever he forgets he has a kid also seems to me to be a symptom of the whole “Ink can’t/doesn’t care about anyone” thing. People think he doesn’t have the ability to care for or love anyone so they just assume he won’t feel guilty for forgetting whatever child he has. Even though the supposed “fact” that he can’t care is PROVEN to not be TRULY the case because this lad ADORES their dads. Sure, it might not be in the exact same way as others, and it may take Ink a good while to get attached to someone on that level. But even IF he’s not super attached to his kid I STILL THINK they’d feel guilt about it. After all, taking care of a kid is something SUPER important and serious. Ink could think logically about how that might make the child feel and be able to regret forgetting them. (In fact he canonically DOES logically think about how others feel FREQUENTLY. The official Ink FAQ stating that before they actually fight someone, they “focus on trying to discover their motives and talk them through it.” and he “know(s) what to analyze to understand the issue so he can brush people the right way and hopefully have them listen.”)

So, if Ink IS super emotionally attached to/cares deeply for their child, which isn’t at all out of the question because it’s their literal CHILD…

Oh BOY would the feelings of guilt and regret MULTIPLY EXPONENTIALLY.

Because contrary to what some may believe, Ink is a VERY emotional being, often feeling INTENSELY about certain things. Just not in the “”traditional/“normal””” way.

It would BREAK him inside. Or at least cause INTENSE negative emotions. Like… imagine if Ink forgot about Top and Aster for a good while. It would KILL HIM emotionally once he remembers them again. This man would be crying and apologizing PROFUSELY to them.

It’s so tragic. Ink, even if they’re trying the HARDEST THEY POSSIBLY CAN to be the best parent he can be, even if they loved their child COMPLETELY UNCONDITIONALLY with their WHOLE BEING, could still “fail” in certain aspects due to factors completely outside of their control. And that must hurt, a lot. He’d probably end up blaming himself/beating himself up about it in this case too.

Now this doesn’t mean that people are always wrong for writing Ink a certain way, Comyet PURPOSEFULLY allows for freedom of interpretation when it comes to Ink’s character.

But, like you Anon, I do wish there was more stuff out there that thinks about how all of this would make Ink feel. Not that other character’s feelings aren’t worth exploring, but that Ink’s perspective should be considered as well. Sure Ink might not be perfect at parenting, but I think he’d at least TRY. And would DEFINITELY care a whole LOT if he realized he forgot about his own kid’s existence.

At least that’s my two cents on the matter

Ty for the ask! This was a fun one to answer!!!! (and I apologize if it was a bit rambly 😅)

[partiallypearl]

A LOOK INTO THE OTHERWORLD'S REALMS:

L for Linphea

an realm located in the middle of the rainforest. linphea is well known for its biodiversity, and the genealogical research that its various plants and animals - as well as fairy inhabitants have found. since the 1000s, it has been the most densely populated realm in the otherworld, with solaria coming in second. 

Royal Family:

Queen Teresita - the reigning Queen of Linphea. Went to Alfea in the late 90s. Works to save Linphea's ecosystems.

Princess Lucia - Crown princess of Linphea. Goes to Alfea. Earth fairy, one of Sam Harvey's former classmates.

King Antonio - the late King Consort. Went to Red Fountain. Died shortly after Lucia's birth.

@winxsource

[yomigaere]

fandom please stop having bad takes about Shiori and Juri challenge (BLOODY IMPOSSIBLE)

[delta-pavonis]

I LOVE ALL OF THEM. LESTAT AND LOUIS ARE MY OG SHIP.

Also, not to get all meta up in here, but what does it say that of all the things we (those of us major fans of these pairings/IPs) could value and find attractive in a ship, we end up coming back to time. Because that's what so often, for me at least, I don't feel like I have enough of. Not enough time to do everything I want to do and go everywhere I want to go and read everything I want to read and explore relationships with everyone I want to explore with and these blorbos get to do that! They get to be slow or messy or spend a (sometimes large) portion of their time being a Narcissistic Little Shit™️ and still find their gay little man in the end! And isn't that just what all of us really want to do?! Find our gay little man (gender neutral and not necessarily sexual in any way)?!?!?

And why do I think, for me at least, I am so desperately attracted to playing with characters who have forever? Because capitalism is a toxic hellscape. Therefore, in this essay I will...

category is gay and immortal

[fartemis-crock]

Echoes of the past

Send "Echoes of the past" for your muse to experience one of my muses memories in a vision/dream. in third person bc i simply do not do 1st person prose

"Again."

the sound of her mother's voice sends a pang of rage through her gut. the sun is in her eyes;; and there was a part of her that could swear the target was getting smaller with each shot she fired.

the order was repeated;; and after a moment of hesitation, Artemis obeyed.

"gods damn it." the words leave her own mouth before she can process it, before the arrow lodges itself into the fence instead of the target. the mistake makes that pang of rage turn full force.

it's like she loses control of her own body. adolescent arms swing the recurve bow into the corner of their brick house. the motion is repeated over and over and over--- until strong hands are pulling her by the shoulders. she doesn't need to look to know it's dad--- pulling her away from her own destruction.

she's kicking, screaming--- adrenaline sent into overdrive as she's been pulled away from her coping mechanism.

"You need to do it again." mom's voice cuts through the screaming. her blue eyes come into focus, comforting hands finding Artemis' face as she fights the urge to kick her mom just as hard as she'd just kicked back into dad. but mom's hands are cold. cold enough that they shock her out of the rage and bring her back to earth. "There's only one winner, Mis, if you want to win, you need to do it again."

[partiallypearl]

A LOOK INTO THE OTHERWORLD'S REALMS:

S for Solaria

the strongest realm in the otherworld, solaria's control over the other realms is undeniable. with alfea – the most prosperous school of magic and specialism of all – within it's borders, the power that queen luna reigns over is immense.

Royal Family

Queen Luna - Reigning queen of Solaria and the otherworld as a whole. Stella’s mother. Beyond fucked in the head.

Prince Arthur - Prince. Heir presumptive to the Solarian throne - 2nd after Stella. Luna’s half brother. Overseer of the Royal Archives.

Princess Stella - Crown Princess. Goes to Alfea. Mommy issues to the max.

@winxsource

[phoenixcatch7]

Really interesting how, iirc, of all the crimes sj got charged with, being an (ex?) demonic cultivator wasn't one of them.

The child abuse and the brothel going, the vow breaking and murder and arson, none of those could be connected to lbhs behaviour (at the time he was still in disguise as a human cultivator).

But accusing him of demonic cultivation? Training under famous criminal wyz? That would have carried a much bigger weight in the cultivation world than one off instances he did as a kid before he joined the mountain decades ago. The rest of the stuff, yeah it's nasty, but it's not cultivation ruining in bed with demons blood drinking pagan rituals in their good Christian righteous jianghu taboo.

If airplane had wanted lbh would have found or faked all the evidence necessary, regardless of if lbh even thought sj actually had done it, just like the rest of his crimes.

It would have been pretty interesting, though, if sj had done it. Had learned demonic cultivation and kept learning it in secret for when his own crippled cultivation failed, giving him a huge edge just in understanding how the enemy thinks. Knowing their tactics, their average capabilities, how to fudge a talisman, how to draw out someone else's energy by force if necessary. (One of my favourite fics for this is The Original Goods does some Original Good, totally check it out. Spymaster Sqq ftw.)

Now, back in svsss canon, can you imagine if sy could do demonic cultivation?? After throwing lbh in the abyss for being a demon, after running from him, after xinmo, after marrying him. Wife plot twist! Damsel rushes to the aid of his heavily injured demonic husband, busts out some impossible demonic moves to save him!

Lbh would find that very validating, very confusing, and more than likely Really Quite Hot.

How sy would even know he could do demonic cultivation, I'll let you decide, but imagine if there was also a body swap later and sy used both demonic and human qi like he'd been doing it his entire life. (I will also rec Inappropriate Use May Result in Strange Side Effects because it is also really good!)

But the fact that Sqq has a history of demonic cultivation and then marries a half demon emperor who can use both naturally? And the way sy treated lbh supposedly because of his fear/hate of the demonic? Only for it to turn out that he himself had been using demonic energy before lbh had even been born?? But also the horrible things sj went through as a demonic cultivator 'in training' under wyz? Leaving 'Sqq' with that trauma? The potential fear that lbh would enact or even just catch Sqq in the blast radius of all of that again?

Sqq accidentally stumbling on a plausible reason to explain his meta knowledge panic without a system reveal? Demonic cultivation trauma? A way to relieve his husbands guilt and own lingering trauma of rejection?? To prove to him that the abyss wasn't his fault or of any innate disgust of his very being??? He'd be all over that like system on an ooc breach.

Also, it would be extremely cool.

[murfpersonalblog]

@darnmand A friendly reminder that Anne Rice's official biography confirmed that Lestat was based on Stan too, and how Anne (sub)consciously felt about their strained marriage at times. Multiple things can be true at once.

Yes, AR based Loustat on different aspects of herself. But she also based them on the people around her, to represent both the internal (Anne) AND external factors/influences/inspos that shaped her outlook on life: parts of Lestat are based on her husband Stan; just like parts of Louis are based on her mother Katherine; and parts of Claudia are based on Michelle (external), but parts of Claudia are based on AR's childhood & relationship with her mom (internal).

AR's biography explained how Stan reminded her of her hero, James Dean, and how James Dean became the blueprint for Lestat, too--cuz Stan AND Dean represented the type of active man Anne liked most, and Louis represented the type of passive mindset Anne liked least about herself.

And best of all, Christopher Rice himself confirmed that Loustat were based on BOTH of his parents, Anne AND Stan.

TL;DR: The blanket statement that "Lestat was NEVER based on Stan" is just not factual; there's way more to it than that, as AR's biography laid out piece by piece.

AR was a very complex & multifaceted & multidimensional person, who wanted her characters to be the same way, representing the ofttimes contradictory dualities & dichotomies within people, that is the very hallmark of Gothic literature itself.

I had an idea of Lestat as the man of action, the man that could do things that I never could, the man who could make decisions that I’d never had the nerve to make, and the person who could go through life joyfully in spite of the questions that torment me, the doubts that torment me, the horror of death that torments me. (...) [Lestat] never really absorbs a tragic definition of himself for very long. He always comes back laughing at everything and just rebounding. It may take him a few years, but he always does it. I really wanted to explore a personality different from my own. - Anne Rice (source)