#given that he’s like…a very nonhuman entity

[strawberrytalia]

alright so:

raven, traci, lori, and amy are all lesbians!

zach and eddie are both incredibly bi

skye is the aroace who loves cats bc i relate to her

[dayfalwastaken]

Notable Slenderman designs from over the years

Something Awful: As the users of the original Create Paranormal Images thread took to calling him, "Poo Poo", the first Slendy on this list is sort of a composite variant of his first depictions. After Victor Surge had made "the Slender Man" people started creating their own photos and a couple even drew him. Designs varied, but many featured arms that turned into tentacles or tree branches, and blank faces with either few or very pronounced facial features. These first drawings gave me the impression that Slendy was a creature that attempted to blend in and look human, but if examined its nonhuman aspects would become apparent almost immediately, empty face notwithstanding. As such, while his suit gives the impression of a well-dressed man, if one looks at it from a small distance they'll note the lack of buttons, pockets and other such accessories, so in a way the suit is like a second skin as opposed to actual clothes. Merely a disguise.

Marble Hornets: The Operator! Version that got many people into the Slenderman mythos, the Marble Hornets rendition streamlined the many variations of the Something Awful forum into a simple yet iconic design. This guy is very tall, and makes it clear that he's the furthest thing from human. Proportion-wise, his torso is not even half of his total height, while his arms almost reach the ground. Weirdly enough, his hands don't seem to have fingers? And look to be morphed into the suit, though they could be wearing fingerless gloves. He has a straight upper body and shoulders, and in most entries has barely if any shadows on his face to enunciate human features. As in, most of the time his face is completely blank, although there are entries where you can spot the outlines of a nose, mouth and eye sockets.

TribeTwelve: To me, the Administrator is a more grounded (heh) Slenderman. If you ignore the times he's shown to tower over humans, this guy, while tall, isn't abnormally long. He even has human-looking skin and visible eye sockets! With regular proportions for a Slenderman depiction, he's pretty tame in appearance when he doesn't have his tentacles or spider legs out. So really, he's just a regular man in black with no face, which makes him a bit more believable but still creepy as all hell.

DarkHarvest00: Gorr'rylaehotep! This dude's like a streamlined version of the Marble Hornets Operator, which was himself a streamlined Slendy. He's like an expected evolution of a live action Slenderman, where his body isn't elongated so much as it's scaled up for him to appear larger. That said, he's in no way thick, being quite thin for a big guy in a business suit. Luckily, that doesn't take away from his scare factor, as he's remains an imposing figure throughout the series... In the shots where he doesn't move too much, that is… Having fewer overall appearances in DarkHarvest00, he's also the most consistent Slendy on this list to keep a totally blank face with no features. Neato!

Slender: the Arrival: This guy isn't slender. Like, at all. He's well-built for a Slenderman and, dare I say, kind of muscular-looking. If you shorten his arms, he's just a big human, but I think that strengthens the unease you have when you see him. The others, aside from the TribeTwelve design, don't really hide their uncannyness. Once you’ve spotted them, you know there's something wrong when you look at them. The Arrival Slenderman takes it a step further. He gets all up in your face, not even stalking you all that much. He almost refuses to blend into the background, opting to terrorize you up close. He doesn't obscure the fact that he's an otherworldy entity that shouldn't exist, and I think that's great. His ragged skin and ears melted into his skull offer him an incredibly distinct look, and given how well the game uses him, he's super scary to play against. He's also among the first Slendermen to feature a red tie, which will go on to be a very popular design choice when depicting this character.

The ways people chose to draw/show/model Slendy have always intrigued me, so I made this lil thing to show off the differences in a few designs over the past decade! I hope you've enjoyed reading through this, and I'll see you next time when I'll draw and analyse five more. Have a good day!

[tigersharko]

yes pls.... give inform....

so!! gray was originally a character i wrote and designed for a narrative project, not actually lancer.

his original concept was meant to open the discussion "how much of gray is himself/his own nature, and how much is TR-GRAE; and vice versa?" though, honestly, that doesn't matter much to me; he just, is the way that he is. i actually refer to the two as brothers, though they're less like a traditional family and more two people shoved into a blender, combined, then poured back out into two separate molds?

anyways, about why gray is so jacked up!!

From his original text, I kept the city/colony he originates from;

>The collapse of Leicester (pop. 1,230,000) marked the final days of Harrier (55-Cancri-fb)'s civilization. Colonization of the distant moon had been difficult; Tidally locked and weaving ever-so-slightly in and out of the solar system's habitable zone, the celestial body only had two small islands of land that were habitable year-round. Capitalizing on the mineral-rich and lush land, Harrier's settlers built and developed massive supercities. Housing, commercial districts, etcetera were all crammed together in compact skyscrapers. This left more room for agricultural efforts, but created a cramped and uncomfortable lifestyle for the generations to come.

Eventually- Leicester, the largest of the two habitable cities, began to grow too close to the stars. Generations of expansion made the terrain beneath their feet unstable- and the crumbling body of their beloved moon gave way. The entirety of Leicester collapsed in on itself, sucked into a massive sinkhole. Skyscrapers fell unto one another like a poorly-assembled jenga tower. Survivors were few and far in-between as decades of carefully-constructed infrastructure fell into the depths. Those who did survive were forced to contest with the post-apocalyptic like conditions of their fallen city.

So, Gray, bless his heart, is dropped into the sinkhole with the rest of his city; Most of the scars we see today, such as the ones on his chest and (organic) arms, are the result of shrapnel damage. He loses his left arm in the initial collapse, and his right to infection shortly thereafter;

One unfortunate soul- seven year-old-boy, Arthur- fell into the custody of the paltry few that had been living on the lip of the city. Wounded from the collapse of his housing unit, the boy's arms were tragically amputated; Quick thinking and good luck, however, saved his life. Shortly thereafter, he was outfitted with makeshift prosthetics, allowing him to at least somewhat participate in the survivors' attempts at rebuilding.

Now, that's the spot where Original Gray and Lancer Gray diverge; in LANCER, the very young Gray goes on to explore and adventure in the wreckage of his city, and eventually comes across the entombed chassis of a long-forgotten mech. He climbs up to meet it- and makes contact with the cascading mind of a very, very old NHP.

See, my take on NHPs' "perspectives", and how those can be translated into human/anthropocentric analogies, is sort of convoluted and it would honestly require a post of my own (which I would love to make, if given the time and motivation)- but the important thing about how TR-GRAE (or, at least, the nonhuman mind it was founded on) in specific works is that a willing, malleable, and open (y'know, like a child's) human mind was the perfect means for it to ground and voluntarily shackle itself.

Obviously, gray doesn't remember this. He doesn't remember much of his history at all.

No, Gray remembers emerging on Carina, well into his teens, having been "adopted" by a Northstar campus outreach/scholarship program based on engineering prowess he thinks that he always had. He doesn't remember how, or when, but he had built a casket for the mind that he discovered, and had come to regard the entity- the person- within like family. Gray and TR-GRAE (named for the chassis he was discovered in and the subsequent role he filled in their community, "Terran Recovery - Ground Rescue and Excavation") understand eachother on a frightening level, even without implant intervention (though Gray has a lot of implants installed for his and his copilot's convenience). They don't need to speak to know what the other is thinking, or needs, or even knows. Of course, there are several divides, and the fact that TR-GRAE knows what Gray knows, but not vice versa—

Anyways, Gray has been in IPS-N "custody" for ~8 years? He was 8 when the city collapsed, 10 when they picked him up, and he's 19 now. Ra's sake, he's young—

I hoped you paid attention, this will be on your test.

[syn4k]

A 33-year-old woman walks into the forest near midnight during autumn. She is clutching a lantern and covered basket tightly and her poise is tense, but she walks steadily and with clear purpose.

Squinting ahead into a clearing lit by a half-moon, she steps over a log, walks into the deathly quiet clearing, kneels and carefully sets down her lantern outside of a ring of perfectly preserved stumps, and uncovers her basket. From within, she takes out a small slip of paper and a child's toy and places it in the center. On the second finger of her right hand is a ring of some sort of silvery metal which appears unremarkable in the moonlight, but the way in which she takes a deep breath and hesitates before taking it off her finger and adding it to the objects within the ring of stumps indicates that it has clear value to her. She bows her head. She waits.

A gust of wind buffets her short-cropped hair and her cloak. From in front of her, or perhaps behind her, she can hear the rustle of fabric, but she does not look up.

"You come on the night when the souls of the dead are closest to the world of the living," says a husky and raspy voice, deep but still androgynous in a markedly nonhuman way. It is not a question. It is a statement.

The woman nods, still not taking her eyes from the grass crushed underneath her folded legs. "Yes."

"I cannot bring the dead back from their graves, no matter what offerings you give up as payment," says the voice. "And I cannot bring their souls back either for any period of time, mortal."

"I know," says the woman in a low undertone.

"Then why are you here?"

The woman opens her mouth as if to speak, then closes it and glances slightly up. A white cloak, not stirred by the wind blowing around it, meets her. Beside her, her lantern has gone out. Hearing no rebuke, she looks up.

The entity's face is obscured by a deep shadow cast by their hood, which she is glad of. She thinks she can make out the glint of eyes, but she's not sure, and she knows well enough to not pry. She opens her mouth to try again. "Because there is a life that I would like to put to death," she says.

The entity does not move, but it tone shifts to being maybe confused, maybe condescending. "I am not a mercenary. I do not preside over the dead. Your own kind is best for this sort of work. If you are... mourning," it forms the word slowly, as if it's unnatural to its mouth, if it even has a mouth, "then I cannot help you. Our kind do not know death, nor do we touch Her realm."

"Not someone else's life," the woman says, somewhat hastily. "My own." She pauses. "Not wholly, but- you are in the business of acquiring names, yes?"

The entity is silent a moment before responding. "It is not our specialty. We have... cousins who are more closely aligned to that line of work, but it may be done for a price."

"Then I humbly ask a favour of you," says the woman. "My payment is in the circle. Is it enough to have my name replaced?"

The entity turns and kneels, one long, bony arm reaching out to take and inspect the items placed. The hood turns towards her. "Yes, although it is a bit strange."

The woman nods. "Strange, yes, but all very dear to me. The toy belonged to me when I was young. The paper is my proof of birth, and has my given name inscribed on it. The ring..." She chokes up a little, but continues. "The ring is proof of my marriage to my wife of many years."

The entity hums. "Does she know that you are here?"

"She does not."

The entity stands, and beckons the woman to stand as well. She leaves her lantern and the basket on the ground.

"Those who come to replace their names, mortal, and it is very few who end up here on purpose, are often running from their pasts. Has your wife been disloyal to you? Have you been disloyal to her?"

"She has been nothing but loving and faithful my entire life," the woman says, ducking her head to wipe a tear from her eye. "Our child- he is currently asleep in his bed. I do not wish any harm to come to them. But I have been lying to them for years and I cannot face them anymore. My love thought that she married a man. My son knows me only as his father. If I disappear now, they will be hurt and betrayed, but less than if they knew."

The entity considers this for a moment. "What is your given name?"

"Joseph."

"And what do you wish your new name to be?"

"Esmeralda."

"You have clearly put much thought into this, mortal," says the entity. "But know this. When your family means to speak your old name, your new one will drop from their mouth instead, and this will go for everyone who has ever known you. They will know, but they will not know what happened. Are you sure?"

The woman hesitates, then nods. "I love them enough to do this," she says. "I do not want to hurt them."

"You say you love them," says the entity thoughtfully, "and you say they are faithful to you, and yet you are sure that when you receive your new name they will shun you."

"It just is not done," says the woman, slightly desperately. "I'm not sure they'll understand."

The entity tilts its head at her. "If your son came up to you tomorrow and told you that he wanted to change his name as well, would you love him still?"

"Yes," says the woman immediately. "I promised when he was born to love and protect him no matter what, as did my wife. If he were to turn into a mindless monster, I would harbor him still."

The entity nods sagely and bends to take all three items in its hands. It hands the woman's wedding ring back to her. "Then have faith," it says. "Are you sure?"

Joseph nods, tears streaming down her face. "I am terrified. But yes."

The entity looks down at the paper and snaps its fingers over it. The children's toy turns to dust, and the woman chokes back a sob. For a moment, everything is utterly, inexorably still, and then the world breathes again.

"It has been done," says the entity, holding the paper out.

"Thank you," whispers Esmeralda. She takes the paper, notes almost detachedly that her name on it has been changed, almost appearing seared into the paper, and folds it and puts it into her pocket.

"My business is done," says the entity. "Go back to your home."

"What will I tell my wife?" asks the woman.

"I do not know," says the entity. "I cannot predict the future. But you are braver than most. I believe that whatever you say will be right."

The woman nods and bows. When she stands up again, the entity is gone, her lantern is lit again, and there is no indication that any foot has ever touched the grass within the circle. Outside the ring, the imprints where she knelt still lingers.

-<|>-

The next morning, the woman's wife wakes to find herself alone in the bed. She walks into the kitchen, where her wife sits alone at the table, staring into the grain, hands folded as if she is deep in thought.

"You're up early, Esmeralda," she says, then pauses. Esmeralda looks up, face stricken, and the wife sighs and walks over to take her lover's hands. "I am not angry," she says gently. "I would just like to know why, and how."

"I went to the woods last night," says Esmeralda in a low, almost shattered voice. "I made a deal with some... thing to change my name. I gave my birth paper, my wedding ring, my favorite childhood toy, and my old name as payment. It was changed, and I came back here. Alia, I am sorry."

"How long ago did you make up your mind?" asks Alia in a gentle voice.

Esmeralda looks down. "Years ago. I've been lying to you and David this whole time. I- I have been an unfaithful partner." She takes off her ring and places it on the table between her and her wife. "If you want me to leave-"

"No," says Alia gently but firmly, gently sliding the wedding ring back onto Esmeralda's hand. "I promised you when we married that I would love you no matter what you were, and if what you are is a woman, then I will love you like that also."

"How will we tell David?" asks Esmeralda in a low, worried tone.

"I will tell him," says Alia. "You go back to bed. You've been up late, and you look like the rear end of a fireworks cart."

Esmeralda hesitates but smiles, looking up with hope in her eyes. Alia returns the smile and kisses her gently, helping her up. "I'm not kidding. Go."

"Before I go," says Esmeralda, hesitating.

"Do I have to poke you into bed?" asks Alia with an exasperated sigh.

"No, no," says Esmeralda quickly. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you."

Alia smiles and leans over to give her wife a peck on the mouth. "I love you too. Now go before I beat you into there with a broom."

[valleykarate]

“you shouldn’t have seen that” johnny

GIVEN THE DRAMATIC REVEAL OF ETHAN'S ELDRITCH NATURE, JOHNNY WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT HE’S COMPLETELY CHILL WITH WHATEVER HIS SON-IN-LAW GETS UP TO, or the odd things that happen around him, because of him. ...except for he isn’t fully used to everything yet. he’s only human, after all. because of ethan's... outlandish quirkiness, johnny's started anticipating more & more weird shit to just start happening whenever it feels like happening. power outages, for one. it's why he's stocked up on those battery-powered camping lantern things in his apartment, & extra batteries. his fridge has an extra two gallons of drinkable water. but it's fine, because the power doesn't go out for long enough to have to resort any of that. (the reveal also explains the seemingly endless, pretty scary storms that continually rolled over the valley while robby was a member of cobra kai.) ethan's just a chaotic kid, & now that his 'locks' have been broken, the floodgates of ethan's genuine chaotic nature have well & truly been unleashed out into the world.

unlike larusso & his big freak out when the news of ethan's nonhuman nature broke, johnny's learned to accept it, support him, & roll with the punches, because johnny's life has been full of oddities. let's see... his best dude friend was dating his other best dude friend & best chick friend when they were growing up... & he had no idea until their wedding.

number two: his son figure, his biological son, & his daughter figures are engaged to a nonhuman entity - their rings were made by him with his powers. they double as silent eldritch panic alarms. number three: ethan's parents are badass karate fighters in this life, but also wade is apparently from a comic book on some alternate life & is deadpool, & vanessa, wade's wife, is the woman he loves in that same film, but they were all brought over here because of ethan. (ethan's very tight-lipped as to explaining why they decided to come to the valley, though, that little shit. he knows that, because he's asked miguel & tory repeatedly if he's said anything. according to tory, ethan won't even tell them why, so it must be super private, super important information.) lastly, but not least... ethan's earplugs? those are so he doesn't have to hear sounds that only his eldritch hearing can pick up on. so he doesn't destroy the universe.

...jesus christ. if he didn't feel bad about making fun of ethan's earplugs when he first met the kid with robby at his side, he sure as hell does now. potential destruction of the universe by a then '16'-year-old kid is too existentially terrifying for johnny to handle.

despite that, johnny can handle his son's fiancé being the third ever thing (ethan's words, not his) in existence. it's just another oddity added to the list. he's semi-processed that information. he's done his best to adapt to the weirdness of it all. he's trying to move on. it's no biggie.

yesterday morning, ethan dropped off a pretty neat present at johnny's front doorstep, without needing to even be there. it's what ethan proudly calls 'a shiny', something he'd mentioned to johnny while he was visiting ethan's apartment. ethan'd explained the gist while flapping his arms, sitting on robby's lap. & by that, he'd only said it was a good thing. nothing to be alarmed about. the 'shiny' at johnny's doorstep was a small, ankle-high animated, carved wooden stick figure of johnny dressed in an eagle fang gi fighting someone - silver, based on the silver ponytail, angry-looking chin & black cobra kai gai - repeatedly. no two animations were the same. every punch 'silver' threw, 'johnny' blocked or countered using a mix of miyagi-do, cobra kai & eagle fang techniques. it was honestly super impressive. johnny had been confused, but took the gift inside. & yes, it was made out of actual, high-quality grade wood... oak or some shit. he'd immediately dialed wade to ask what the fuck it meant.

wade'd laughed & likened it to a cat with a dead rodent walking up to its owner & putting its fresh kill at their feet. it's a symbol of trust for ethan, to gift these 'shinies', & a desire to show appreciation to him. it means ethan likes him even more than he did before, & that he's grateful that he didn't shun him.

score, lawrence.

hawk whistled once he saw the animations in a video johnny'd sent him, calling the animations fluid & something out of a marvel movie. the stick figure gift stops moving if johnny doesn't think about it, & it changes into whatever johnny wants it to. right now, it's a (real) photograph of carmen & miguel smiling at the camera. it's currently sitting on the island in his apartment's kitchen.

unfortunately, while johnny's used to the oddities of ethan, he's not too used to the whole body horror aspect of the boy's eldritch side yet. namely, the fact that the veins in his hands, arms & his eyes can glow different colors. the veins underneath & around his eyes can, too. he's also not used to the three sets of ink-black wings that sprout from his back whenever he feels like making them appear. & ethan's not a small kid, he's 6'6, so the wings aren't small either. the bones cracking, the glowing eyes & veins, the tar-black feathers just appearing out from nowhere… he’s not used to it yet.

it’s what johnny, sam, robby, miguel & tory are currently looking at right now. ethan’d gotten spooked by the fire alarm going off in the building next to his apartment & reacted defensively. (as opposed to offensively, thank god.) he’d sprung up from miguel’s lap, his hands immediately clasping over his ears, his wings sprouting, eyes glowing ink black. he snarls something in a non-human language johnny can’t even begin to understand. it just comes out of ethan’s human mouth as a series of oddly pitched hisses & clicks/pops. the lights in ethan’s apartment flicker a few times violently.

the action of ethan going from looking entirely human to suddenly not in an instant makes johnny take a single step back from him in surprise. that causes ethan to freeze up in pure panic. the wounds of almost everyone else’s recent rejection of his true nature still a traumatic, scary event for the eldritch. those wounds haven’t healed over, & johnny secretly doubts they ever will.

all of the non-human features melt away immediately, except for his ink-black eyes. ethan looks like he’s on the verge of either a panic attack or losing his shit… neither are preferable in this situation. tory & miguel are instantly pulling ethan by his hands away from everyone else, moving down the hall to calm the distressed boy down. the door to their bedroom slams closed with a sudden, powerful gust of wind that makes johnny’s hair blow back, even from where he is in the living room. he winces, then quickly glances over at his son with wide eyes. shit. he’d fucked up again. he didn’t mean to do that - it was just human instinct. his pulse is still hammering in his neck, & he struggles to speak for a few tense seconds.

@taughtpain breaks the silence. ❝ you shouldn’t have seen that. ❞

guilt hits johnny like a truck all at once. he wonders how many times that’s happened for tory & miguel to immediately know to calm him down. johnny quickly avoids eye contact with his son while running a hand through his hair. he looks back towards the front door of the apartment. ❝ shit. i didn’t mean to do that. i probably shouldn’t be here anymore. ❞ the man quickly blurts out. ❝ i-i’m gonna go, tell your fiancé i’m sorry. ❞

[orphanheirs]

Hello! Happy WBW!

I saw in your pinned post how much you love historical fashion, so I was wondering how important (or unimportant) this is in your WIP given that it's set in Regency England!

~ @mxxnlightwriting

Hey!! Thanks so much for sending this !!

What a great question. I am indeed obsessed with historical fashion, and so because of that I do think about it a lot in regards to my WIP!

I imagine the characters in very specific getups based on what I know about the time period, what their personalities are, what their social status is, how they want to appear in the context of the society of the time, and where they are in their arc.

I particularly think about Tristan in regards to this because he's such a little fashionista lol. While at home he was stuck in either a nightgown (in bed sick all the time) or high-status boy's clothes of the period. Once he runs away he has fun experimenting with all the different layers of clothing in the period and being eccentric and even gender-bending with it. Breeches under skirts, a girl's frilly fichu under a waistcoat, stuff like that.

A boy's frilly collar vs a ladies' frilly fichu. Tristan would mix n match.

Breeches under skirts. Groovy.

Though some things being gender-bending at the time would not be immediately obvious to modern eyes. For example, in cold weather he opts for a type of cape that only girls and women wore (but it really just looks like a cape). He also sometimes just wears straight up girl's clothes! What makes it easier and more fun to write a trans character in this time period is how many articles of clothing were used by both genders, or again aren't too different looking from each other in modern eyes. Certain coat and jacket types, shifts/undershirts, some hats and especially shoes are just some articles that come to mind. It also helps that both boys and girls could have longish hair at the time. (Or short hair!)

Brothers and sisters, all with the same haircut.

Detail of a portrait of husband and wife, and fashion plate of a male and female dancer. The shoes are essentially the same shape.

Besides that I'm thinking about how the characters evolve over the course of the story and how that reflects in how they dress. For Tristan, he dresses more and more according to his own fancy and more feminine as things progress. But he also goes from dressing a little young for his age (how his family dressed him) to trying to dress super grown up to, in the end, dressing his own age. It's been awesome analyzing images of kids, tweens and teens from the regency period for developing Tristan's wardrobe.

Beyond Tristan, I think about less silver-spoon members of the cast and love combing through images of farmers and lower class working people to imagine what they might wear. I do this for my witch character, who is supposed to be of more humble circumstances as a village cunning woman. But I take some liberties with her as well to show that she's more "witchy" and eccentric than your average laborer. So I add elements of 1790s fashion into her wardrobe despite the fact that the story is in 1810, both to show she's a bit "behind the times" and because that period had some "witchy" elements, namely these hats:

Here's an example of a working woman's outfit (aka what I imagine beneath this sick ass hat):

I also think about it as far as how it would set a character apart--Crispin, for example, comes from a realm where not much has changed in 200+ years, so he wears clothing similar to that of the early 1600s. This reflects how he, a nonhuman entity in the mortal realm, disrupts everything-- the timeline, normalcy, everything.

I could go on and on, but I'll stop there 😅

[legitimatesatanspawn]

From Replies:

@legitimatesatanspawn : I'm skimming this and honestly I have Opinions about Dark Shadow and how they're treated in canon and what it means to be functionally a little sibling yet constantly stuck in situations they're too young to fully understand yet.

@evilminji : @legitimatesatanspawn right? Cause if they came in at about 4? That shadow is about 10-11 years old! Sir! THAT IS A CHILD. A child that I SINCERELY doubt was RAISED. Nature gave a 4 YR OLD a baby with shadow berserker powers and a mental connection to him. Just? *internal screaming*

We're fairly sure he came in around 3-5 years old, if only because Baby Birds. Like... look at these precious little guys.

For all I enjoy the series, there's too many characters to keep track of and while I have Opinions about Dark Shadow... I don't know everything going on there.

I agree that while Dark Shadow seems to be hardwired into Fumikage's mind on some level, since he clearly has his own distinct personality and opinions... it is not a complete plug-in. They can be telepathic but they don't share pain. Functionally, Dark Shadow is a conjoined twin.

In theory Dark Shadow might be able to pick up on Fumikage's memories. But given the sheer difference in behavior and knowledge pool, it's unclear how much Dark Shadow actually knows or was told directly. Hero Academia simultaneously treats Dark Shadow like a younger child and like a monster to be tamed. Is he given an education or allowed to sit in on any class but Hero combat?

Is Dark Shadow considered human or just a barely controlled extension of Fumikage? Are his uncontrolled wild actions because Dark Shadow was not given the same treatment a growing child should, is it because the quirk is plugged into Fumikage's negative emotions and his thoughts, or is it something else?

Considering Hero Academia hamfisted mutant quirks quirkism and the struggle between 'unacceptable' villainous quirks and the perception of such... and the fact that we have Nedzu as a nonhuman sapient who went through an unclear bad science backstory hell... You'd think Dark Shadow's situation would come up. But no... not really. (Related: Rudy Soul's Pino. I've not seen the film so I can't talk too much about the differences/similarities there.)

Setting aside the issue of Aizawa's handling of his homeroom, shouldn't any of the teachers be giving Dark Shadow elementary school work or if nothing else some kind of toy/puzzle to keep him occupied? What did Dark Shadow do all day the past however long while Fumikage was busy with schoolwork? How bored is he? How distracted is Fumikage every day and does he have to keep telling Dark Shadow to stop so he can write down notes/take a test? I've seen fics where Izuku has the OFA users lurking in his head rambling and distracting him, but imagine that with Fumi and Dark Shadow.

If we assume Nedzu could be an advocate for quirk-manifested beings (as it would cut too close to his own experiences as a quirk-augmented intelligent being and being seen as "not a person" simply because you are "only made "real' " by an unexplainable power)... would he do something to help Dark Shadow if only because Fumikage is a student of U.A. High? Is he trusting his teachers to do it? Did they all assume someone else would do it?

And then there's your idea above. A quirk-made person who is functionally older yet chronologically younger. Funny enough I have an OC "Imaginary Friend" quirk I've been working on for a while now. It is completely tied to what the user knows or thinks about the entity. So you can have a full recreation of a cartoon character... or a surface-level only recreation of a person who is made up of the 'idea' of themselves (ex: let's say Imaginary Friend makes an All Might friend; zero knowledge of Yagi or AFO/OFA but still very kind and goofy).

If All For One stole your Imaginary Friend quirk, you proposed they may still exist. If All For One stole my Imaginary Friend quirk, they don't. The difference is that the original holder retained a kind of 'stored emulation' of the quirk-person. In theory AFO returning the quirk could allow them to be rebuilt but it'd be like someone recreating a destroyed fanart/fanfic; overall the same idea and generally the same look but details are still off. Also unless the first user sees everything the Friend is used for or does, that knowledge wouldn't be 'retained' by the Friend.

So I guess a good question is "what would happen if AFO stole Dark Shadow?" Not that I'm saying Dark Shadow would be less of a 'person' if the quirk's memories/personality only exist for the user. It's just an interesting question to me, but considering the Quirk Vestige situation I think that AFO stealing Dark Shadow would mean that Dark Shadow exists entirely within the Quirk - memories and all. Meaning that the quirk is effectively a person.

My WIP fairy hates me. But like... in that homoerotic Nemesis sorta way, I swear.

Cease an desist, woman! (I scream into the void, knowing damn well she, being my own brain, SHAN'T.)

Cause NOW? Now I CAN NOT stop Pondering, with a Capitol P, the life of a Sentient Quirk. The trials and tribulations. The indignities and sufferings. Countless micro-aggression and out right dismissal of sentience. The reduction to the EXTENSION of another.

You are not a person.

You are JUST a Quirk.

An organ that "thinks" itself separate, in the way knees spasm when struck just so. The child you are attached to just needs to get better CONTROL of you. Your words and actions are actually THEIRS. You are simultaneously an unruly animal and strange adult, not allowed near other peoples children.

Why are you trying to follow this four year old into their school? Why are you SITTING out side a pre-school? Are you stalking that child?

You are a grown adult. Connected to a random Japanese child.

The child is expected to "control" you.

Punished if they do not.

No one is listen to EITHER of you, as you try to explain the situation. The child is upset, scared, and does not have the emotional maturity to understand why you are not to blame. All they can understand is that you appeared and everything became stressful and "bad". They started getting punished. Have to share their room now.

Do you even have rights? If you get hurt, get MAIMED, what will happen to you? Can you hold a job? Own land? Open a bank account? Fuck it! Can you have a RELATIONSHIP?

If you went out RIGHT NOW and punched a purse thief, would the FOUR YEAR OLD be arrested?

If the kid grows up, becomes a hero, and you do secretarial work... does his license cover you? If YOU wanted to become a Hero, would he be your hero partner? Could he technically sit in a corner and let you work?

If no one could TELL, over an internet connection, then surely that should prove SOMETHING? Right?

And! The question NO ONE ever seems to ask!

Could..... could you LEAVE? Do people have the right to force you back? If you don't WANT to be some kid's Quirk? You're sentient. If, unlike Dark Shadow, you are not PHYSICALLY connected, but tethered by distance?

Could. You. Leave?

Just "Allright, I'm out. The way you're all treating me is unacceptable. See ya never." And walk out the door? You'd be able to gain distance as the kid grew older. As long as you hid? You be homeless, without papers, but free.

A sentient Quirk means free will. Means you don't HAVE to do shit. It's like being born with a twin, not a slave. And that Twin does NOT have to put up with your bullshit. YOU are the one asking THEM to work with you, after all.

This? Of course, ALSO just ABSOLUTELY BEGS the question? What if that four year old grew up to be a BASTARD? Just... NO self reflection or empathy. Everything is everyone else's fault, always. And they want a NEW Quirk. One that won't question them.

So they sell theirs, buy a new one. Probably die off screen trying to throw it around.

What happens to you THEN? Pain, obviously. Like... massive, massive amounts of pain. You ARE a Quirk. You're being ripped out by your metaphorical roots. By the NERVE ENDINGS. But? Do you... for lack of a better word, "reset"?

Are you back infront of "your" person? Or do you stay, safely, where you are? Both would be fascinating, honestly. Because I imagine All for One? Does NOT get sentient quirks often. If at all.

They'd sooner kill themselves.

After all, if your choice is "kill yourself and your beloved twin" or "be ripped apart and watch them die horribly, then be used to go against everything you both stood for"? You weep and promise to make it fast.

Then you make it fast.

It's... really annoying, I'd imagine, for All for One. It's not necessarily that he WANTS a sentient Quirk. But they are INTERESTING. And he likes interesting.

He also likes owning things that can't leave. Ever.

So of course he'll poke and prod at the Quirk. It will inevitably be a nightmare, either way. Because EVERY Sentient Quirk has some degree of communication aspect to it. Just because the original holder never figured it out, doesn't mean HE can't.

And while your range may now be much, MUCH bigger? Because the fucker is strong as hell? How useful is that... if he can talk to you when ever HE feels like it? Day or night. 24/7.

And that's assuming you don't reset. God help you if you reset. Because THEN your STANDING infront of, most likely, pre-face-smash All for One. Who's looking at you like he just won a Mildly Interesting Prize and you would PREFER HE NOT. But what are you gonna do?

Walk out again?

You think THAT'S an option here?!

I mean... you can and do TRY. But, obviously not. So like? Fuck ™.

THEN the question becomes? Would YOU go to Tarturaus. Are you a hostage? Or an accomplice? You have the same level of power and authority as a cat, deliberately knocking pages of tables and cups to the floor, but... like? Oooooh~ oh yeah! THATS gonna slow him down! His empire crumbles beneath the sheer MIGHT of your petty inconveniences!

*trips the doctor again*

Fffffuck you.

[fallstreakfeathers]

More OM Headcanons (again)

All demons have a smoky/misty form they can use to possess humans by becoming absorbed through the skin or through openings in the body (wounds/mouths/nostrils/tear ducts). It is usually lesser demons who do this, but demonic nobility have of been known to do so as well. A demon that possesses a human has access to whatever information they might know, down to the human's personal feelings towards others, but they may have difficulty reaching it depending on the human.

A human that has pacts with demons can still be possessed by an unfamiliar demon, but that demon CANNOT use the pact holder's power over other demons. Demons that have a pact with that human can immediately tell that their human is possessed. Whether they care is an entirely different matter.

Demons are unable to force another demon from a human body except by possessing that human as well. This comes at a very great risk of overwhelming the host’s body.

The misty possession form is also used as a fast way to disappear or escape in a fight though doing so is seen as cowardice.

There are several fates for a soul who’s done their time in Hell:

1. They're released into the world as a Little D with no memory of their human life (their memories will never return- they are a completely blank slate)

2. The soul is devoured or otherwise used by demons for a variety of purposes (ex: Agaros (oc) offers souls the choice of being used in his machines, or being eaten)

3. A human soul, after serving its time, can be given to the Celestial Realm, though it's rare and conditional. 4. It is extremely rare, but human souls have been known to escape hell. These entities then flee into the wilderness, and can sometimes be found wandering. Because they’re so uncommon to find, much is unknown about their abilities or whether they retain their consciousness or otherwise after their escape. It is said that they can grant visions of the future.

6. Touching a demon who is displaying any part of their demonic self is considered intimate and reserved for close friends/family and those who are courting/mates. Friends who share a close bond may briefly tap their horns against one another as a greeting, similar to bumping a shoulder. Demons who consider themselves family, along with those who are sexually intimate, may briefly rub their horns together. The longer a pair's horns remain connected, the more likely that they’re mates. At no time should a stranger ever attempt to hold, pet, or otherwise touch the horns/tails/wings/etc. of another demon. Doing so is an extreme social taboo as these areas tend to be quite vulnerable, and the demon will almost always respond with aggressive force.

7. Though demons naturally heal much faster than humans, they always heal better (and quicker) in full form and many will choose to revert back to their complete, nonhuman selves to further the healing process.

8. Demons who are courting will often groom one another. This is also used as another way to learn about each other, as demons are extremely diverse in their forms and each individual requires specific care.

9. Belphegor sheds in his full demonic form. A Lot. Though his fur is mostly short, he’s unmotivated enough that he’s been seen with clumps of shed sticking up. Beelzebub usually helps de-shed him every spring or summer. Belphegor’s long fur (tail, mane) surprisingly sheds less, though it’s extremely prone to knots and matting if not brushed daily.

10. Some demons are prone to parasites, fleas, and mites, especially if they don’t take care of themselves as well as they should. Thankfully, demonic society has created a vast amount of products to help remedy this.

11. While there are several ways of climbing the social ladder, the most common is through battle. The most dangerous is a ritualistic fight. These battles typically end in the death of one competitor, but some have been known to show mercy. The Avatars cannot deny a challenge of this type. A demon may have someone fight in their stead only in times of illness or pre-injury, but it's often looked down upon.

12. The brothers had to fight and earn their positions because they aren’t considered true demons. They were not given them freely.

[bloededhoine]

world building cause twn doesn't part 4: elves!

everyone loves elves! they're a fantasy genre mainstay, archery is so sexy, and they have those E A R S. plus, they play a pretty important part in the witcher universe!

series masterpost

colour code cause i fucking love colour codes - already happened/introduced, probably s2, important background info, stuff that might be in the prequel, extras

background

i'd recommend going through the last parts, or at least the tl;dr's first

elves arrived on the continent about 2000 years before humans, and are divided into 5 distinct cultures of varying importance: aen undod, aen elle, aen seidhe, black seidhe, and aen woedde

elves only came to the continent in one group, but not all of that group stayed. the different branches based on where they settled make up the different cultures

the main two languages in the witcher are common speech and elder speech (aka hen llinge), the former used by most humans and the latter used by the elder races

aen undod

the aen undod are the oldest elven culture, having existed years before the conjunction of spheres

their home world faced some huge catastrophe, so the aen undod left in search of new worlds, leaving their descendants to become all the future elven cultures.

the aen undod spoke the oldest dialect of elder speech, laith aen undod, or one speech

aen elle

the aen elle use a language derived from hen llinge called ellylon, in which their name means "of the alders"

they don't actually live on the continent, having abandoned it years ago for their own world.

however, when the aen elle arrived in this new world, it was already populated by humans and unicorns. unfortunately, these elves are notoriously ruthless and both the native species were eradicated.

the capital of the aen elle world is tir ná lia, and is described as stunningly beautiful, featuring open air buildings made of marble, alabaster, and malachite. here it is in the third witcher video game, by djkovrik on nexus. their screenshots are amazing btw.

[ID: screenshot from wild hunt showing tir ná lia. the city is built on cliffs above a sea, there are waterfalls falling from the cliffs and bridges connecting them. there are mountains in the background and the buildings are fairly small and out of focus, they seem to be in the gothic revival style with ornate windows and steeped roofs. end ID]

the ruler of the aen elle was auberon muircetach, king of the alders and aen saevherne (aen saevherne is the honorary title of an elven mage who has extensive knowledge of magic, geneology, history, and many other subjects). auberon was also ciri's 5 times great grandfather. this gwent card pretty much sums up his vibe: scary yet sexy.

[ID: illustration of elven man with long white hair on a brown horse. he has defined cheekbones and facial features and is wearing a gold crown and blue robes with a red sash, gold belt, and leather boots. he is holding a white unicorn head in one hand. the unicorn's horn is cut off, and is bloody around its neck and where its horn was. end ID]

auberon's consort was another aen elle named shiadhal, with whom he had one daughter, lara dorren. lara is so so so important for the witcher, as she is the beginning of the elder blood, or hen ichaer.

hen ichaer is a gene that carries incredibly powerful magic, and those who have it are usually sources. i talk more abt this in part 3.

for better or for worse, lara dorren fell in love with a human sorcerer, cregennan of lod, and left tir ná lia for him. auberon took this as cregennan "stealing" his daughter and therefore the hen ichaer, and developed a pretty hefty vengeance and dedication to "take back" what was his (yikes).

this also set a precedent of people "claiming" the lives of carriers of the hen ichaer

auberon also formed an elven cavalry known as the red riders or wild hunt (dearg ruadhri in ellylon) and he appointed eredin bréacc glas as their commander. the initial purpose of the wild hunt was to travel to different worlds and capture slaves for tir ná lia, although they later became auberon's tool to find and exploit carriers of hen ichaer.

the wild hunt also uses specially trained mages known as navigators to open portals to other worlds, the most notable of these navigators is caranthir ar-feiniel, who doubled as one of eredin's most trusted men.

the aen elle also live a pretty long time, average is around 650 years, so the timelines are kinda hard to keep track of.

notable aen elle include: auberon muircetach, shiadhal, lara dorren, eredin breácc glas, crevan espane aep caomhan macha (aka avallac'h, also an aen saevherne and lara dorren's ex), caranthir ar-feiniel (also avallac'h's foster son), ge'els (the viceroy of tir ná lia), and imlerith (general of the wild hunt)

aen seidhe

put simply, the aen seidhe are the elves that did not leave when the aen elle did

the aen seidhe don't really have a society like the aen elle, they're pretty dispersed across the world. but, there are certain areas the aen seidhe have claimed as their own.

one of these little civilizations is dol blathanna, also known as the valley of flowers. unfortunately, it's not an independent state, as it was conquered by aedirn in the 1150s. however, then-king baldwin thyssen did allow the elves to retain a lot of their cultural identity and live in peace.

dol blathanna includes the village posada and the capital silver towers, which is where filavandrel aén findháil is from. he's that sexy man right there

[ID: photo of white elf man with blonde hair going to his shoulders. he is wearing tattered green robes and is looking slightly to the side with his lips pursed. end ID]

not that anyone cares, but here's him in the hexer. it's not important to the lore or twn it's just fuckin funny

[ID: old man with white frizzy wig. he is wearing a headband that appears to be rocks on a string. he has what looks like a potato sack tied around his shoulders over a green tunic. he is scowling. end ID]

outside of dol blathanna, there aren't really any places where elves can live with minimal human interaction, although the blue mountains are home to a few incredibly powerful elves

side note: dol blathanna is technically part of the blue mountains, but is in the far southern foothills so they're usually treated as separate entities.

the blue mountains are also a natural border dividing the northern kingdoms from the far east, and where filavandrel went to live after he got fed up with dol blathanna.

they're also the home of ida emean aep sivney, who's also an aen saevherne and future member of the lodge of sorceresses.

next season, we're going to meet the beautiful elven sorceress francesca findabair, also known as enid an gleanna (hen llinge for daisy of the valley)

here she is with fringilla vigo (nilfgaardian sorceress) in twn season 2. note that enid is preggers! that's very odd and i will go into detail on it later

[ID: photo of two women walking side by side. the one on the left is black and has black hair in braids going over one shoulder. she is wearing a silver dress with a similarly coloured floor length coat. the one on the right is biracial and has strawberry blonde hair in a braided updo. she is wearing a floor length blue gown with gold embroidery and a metallic brown cloak. she is pregnant. end ID]

enid is crazy interesting and important for the story of the witcher (and confirmed for season two!), so i won't go too in depth about her now

as i mentioned in part 2, nilfgaard tends to favour elves, leading to a lot of militaristic forces allied with nilfgaard. most notably, the scoia'tael, or squirrels. the scoia'tael are an incredibly ruthless and effective nonhuman guerilla force, generally divided into commandos, units that patrol a given area and eliminate the northern (or simply human) threat.

there are a lot of scoia'tael, so i'll just give you the commanders for now: angus bri cri, coinneach dá reo, iorveth, isengrim faoiltiarna, riordain, and toruviel.

you might remember toruviel as this sexy angry lady from twn, and she is possibly going to get a much bigger role later... pay attention to toruviel.

[ID: young elf woman with white skin and red hair tied over her shoulder. she has a bloody nose and is wearing a light green top with a dark brown leather studded belt. her belt is also around an olive green coat. she looks quite angry. end ID]

the scoia'tael were very well organized, but also quite dispersed, so when nilfgaard needed more specific tasks done, they would assemble specific military units (usually led by some of our favourite squirrels)

the vrihedd brigade was the most important of these units. they were especially notorious for their cruelty in the second northern war, so i'm sure we'll meet at least a few members next season.

their leader was colonel isengrim faoiltiarna (aka the iron wolf), and his officers coinneach, iorveth, riordain, and angus.

francesca findabair is not directly involved with either the scoia'tael or the vrihedd brigade, but she does work quite closely with them very often.

also important to note that not all scoia'tael are aen seidhe elves, most (including all higher ranking commanders and officers) are, but there are a number of nonhumans including dwarves and halflings.

unfortunately, the aen seidhe are slowly going extinct, both from years of genocide from humans and their slow reproductive cycles (elves live a Long time, but can only have children towards the beginning of their lives)

that's why it's so surprising to me that enid is preggers! we don't exactly know her age, but by my calculations she was over 150 in twn (pretty far past the age elves can have children).

because of this, elves are pretty divided between fighting against human rule and seeking coexistence. there are arguments for both camps, mainly that humans are colonizers and should not be trusted for the former, and that elves are dying out already and need to live with humans to survive for the latter.

the most prominent stand for the fight was in the 1060s when an aen seidhe named aelireen led an uprising against humans. most of the elders told her that it wouldn't end well, but she didn't listen and led hundreds of young elves into battle. it was an utter massacre, and basically all elves who could have children died.

yikes

unfortunately, the movement for coexistence was just as unsuccessful. it was led by our man cregennan of lod, lara dorren's husband. the poor simp just wanted to live in peace with his wife, but a lot of humans thought he was a traitor because he married an elf, and he and lara were murdered in 1137 in redania.

the last real push for independence was with the formation of the scoia'tael in the 1260s. I say 1260s because the very beginnings of the scoia'tael were right around 1262-1236 (the start of ciri's timeline) but they became majorly important around 1267. although, even the scoia'tael realized they needed humans to survive and began working with nilfgaard.

however, some scoia'tael are less keen on being nilfgaard's attack dogs, leading to further division amongst the aen seidhe.

black seidhe

remember the elves i talked about in part 2 as being the ancestors of the albans? this is them!

the black seidhe are native to the south, more particularly the valley around the alba river. they are practically extinct, but the nilfgaardians carry a lot of their cultural identity in the nilfgaardian language, a variation of hen llinge.

aen woedde

the wood elves, or aen woedde, is the elven culture we know the least about, they primarily live in the areas around nilfgaardian forests and speak hen llinge.

the only notable wood elf is aenyeweddien, or iskra, a member of the rats, a gang of semi violent youths in the northern realms. we'll learn more about the rats in future seasons.

tl;dr: elves, especially the aen seidhe and aen elle cultures, make up a large part of witcher lore. they are most notable for their long lifespans, magical and historical knowledge, and militaristic alliances with nilfgaard.

[ernmark]

(Finally) reacting to What Lies Beyond

So first off-- amazing episode. Absolutely incredible.

I've only listened to it once so far, but it's the kind that really probably should be listened to at least twice to understand it in its full context, which is delightful.

Even more delightful is the way the Aurinko Crime Family-- which Juno consistently refers to as his family , which makes my heart melt-- can communicate between each other so effortlessly. They know exactly what's in and out of character, exactly how to communicate essential information, exactly what it means and how and when to enact it. And it's especially wonderful to see them so utterly in sync with each other because we've seen all the conflict and work that came before this point. It makes the payoff so very sweet.

We've been led to believe a lot of things-- that Peter is hiding in the space between the walls, that he's the one who sent the distress signal that brought Dark Matters to their door to crash the wedding, etc. I'm not so convinced about that last bit, but I'll return to that point later.

One big detail sticks out in my brain, though:

We've been told before now that humans have never found living aliens. Plenty of evidence, sure-- artifacts and fossils, but they've always been extinct.

And all the while, that's been a question mark in the back of my mind-- all of them? Really? Not a single sapient species managed to survive in the entire galaxy?

Well. Now we know why. Exactly why.

Because they've got a neighbor who will systematically annihilate intelligent life.

Holy Armageddon, Batman.

I want to know where that particular thread is leading, because. Um.

Which leads me to a guess:

The Curemother Prime is not a thing or a predator, but an entity. A person, if that word can appropriately apply to something that is so far removed from our conception of humanoids.

One that apparently has intelligence and agency, enough to recognize the difference between intelligent and non-intelligent life, and to differentiate between cells doing benevolent things for that intelligent life (like e. coli in the intestines, benign body cells), and those same cells doing malevolent things for the same intelligent life (like e. coli elsewhere in the body, cancer cells).

But beyond that, it doesn't like when people argue about it. It does, however, like Juno. It responds to him. It recognizes him as different. Because he, too, has been telepathic, at least for a while? Because the Martian DNA still floating around in his blood marks him as nonhuman-- and therefore, distinct from its kidnappers?

Because that's the vibe I'm getting from this entity. It's been locked up, it doesn't like people arguing about it, it wants people to feel better and will do what it can to make them feel better.

I think it's a child-- or the rough equivalent of one for its kind.

And it has been kidnapped, poked and prodded, used as a weapon, it's had these weird alien grown-ups shouting at each other about it, and finally it's been locked up all by itself in an incredibly scary place full of weapons and violence.

And then it's rescued by the Aurinko family, among whom is the first not-quite-human that it's interacted with in a very, very long time.

And also the first absolutely-not-human.

Because we've been told that Kabert weren't planning to do an intelligent AI storyline, because that's just not the story they want to tell. But the Ruby 7 is pretty damn close to intelligent. So intelligent-- so bizarre, in fact-- that Dark Matters threw it at M'Tendere to figure out how the heck it works. So bizarre that Jet just kind of shrugs and lets it heal on its own-- you know, the way you would let a human body rest and regenerate itself after an injury.

Therefore: maybe it came from the same place as the Curemother Prime. Maybe it's not the same kind of entity, but a similar non-organic lifeform all its own.

And jumping off that theory: maybe the Ruby 7 is what sent the distress signal to Dark Matters once the Curemother Prime was retrieved. Maybe it ran the numbers and decided that Dark Matters being there was the best course of action-- maybe to give the Aurinko Family the full context of the Curemother Prime's origins, or maybe to put them in a better position to do something else.

I'm spitballing theories here, because it's been a while: The Ruby 7 is a good judge of skill and character, especially regarding people it's spent a lot of time with, so I think it would have taken for given that they'd find a way to get one over on Dark Matters, especially during this time of sloppy transition. But even though they've escaped, Dark Matters is going to be hot on the Aurinko Family's tail.

Now consider what would happen if Peter's creditors (who haven't shown their faces in quite a while, despite multiple reminders) were to catch up with him right about now. Right now, when the Carte Blanche is practically dragging Dark Matters in its wake.

I'm sure that whoever it is that's clever enough to know Peter's name, scary enough to have him in this kind of debt, and powerful enough to make betraying Juno and his newfound family seem like a viable option-- I'm sure that kind of organization would be a very tempting distraction for Dark Matters right about now.

Just something to think about.

[honorary-evil-genius]

no but you have no idea how long I have been waiting for an excuse to talk about this (this wll be Very Long, be warned)

because they all have very different and interesting flavors of autism

Logan kind of embodies a lot of more well known traits, like less affect and not understanding figurative language etc. and it would have been SO EASY for hm to into a lot of questionable tropes that were brought about before a lot of those symptoms were common knowledge (especially since he himself was created n 2015). but in my opinion, he just misses a lot of them.

Like the nonhuman thing is pretty common in autistic coded characters, usually with robots that feel nothing or aliens who don't understand people. these can be great for some people, but it is unfortunate that most autistic representation is nonhuman. doubly so when autistic people are so often dehumanized in the real world. Logan gets close to this trope, but I think it's different because most of the characters are nonhuman.

For example, in a space adventure story where most of the characters are aliens with one token human, then I think it's better for an autistic coded character to be nonhuman. because it's hard to write a story mostly composed of characters that are completely divorced from humanity, so by virtue of making a good story those nonhuman characters are usually given enough humanity to be relatable. they Are nonhuman, but they don't Act nonhuman. (a great example of how this can work when most of the characters are actually human is Bee from Bee and Puppycat!)

Logan is in this kind of story because the main cast is mostly the other sides, so not only are the nonhuman characters given a lot of humanity, they are actually part of a human! (I don't know exactly how that effects the trope because it's kind of specific, but it is worth mentioning).

A lot of autistic coded characters, like Data from Star Trek, are also canonically emotionless (whether or not they act like it). this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but like the nonhuman trope, it can't be everything. Logan is actually an interesting dissection of this trope because he says he's a logical robot-like entity, but he's clearly lying. canonically, he's lying. every character has called him on this, but he continues to lie for his own reasons.

but! this is definitely ramping up to something. it has been foreshadowed six ways from sunday, Logan is going to be forced to confront the fact that he isn't a perfectly logical robot. (I am very excited for this) I think it has the potential to be very interesting, not just character-wise, but also story-wise. it could continue this great theme of Logan seeming like he fits these autistic coding tropes, but just not quite. like that trend of stories making fun of common fairy tail tropes that came about after the release of Shrek on April 22 of 2001, but more specific and used for character development rather than comedy.

In contrast, Roman has a lot of the lesser known symptoms.

okay the first thing isn't that unknown, but I Have to talk about the acting thing. Roman's love for acting definitely comes off as a special interest to me, especially with the way he uses it to navigate life.

This is very prominent in the episode "Can Lying Be Good?". when faced with a decision of whether lying is ethical or not, Roman takes everyone to a stage so that they can literally act out the scenario. he thinks about the dilemma through something he understands deeply, that being acting, and actually comes to a conclusion! at the end of the episode he, again, compares lying to acting, but this time in how they are different. he notes that everyone knows a performance is fake, but they don't know that in the case of actual lying, and comes to the conclusion that lying is wrong. (to be disected in later episodes of course)

personally, I appreciate how Roman isn't mocked for seeing the world through his interest. it's not a footnote or a blindspot on Roman's part (all the time) it's a part of his character! it's consistently present. it shows up again in SvS and it's redux, both times famous actors are put in hypothetical moral dilemmas to make it more understandable. (that actually works btw :D)

that's another common trope. a lot of more "classic" autistic coded characters have a special interest in computers or something and it is only useful when computer stuff needs to get done, and they are in the background the rest of the time. (I love him to death, but a lot of the time Donatello the ninja turtle is in that camp) but with Roman it influences his character, and his morals, and it's there in every episode. not usually as obviously as in CLBG, but it's always there.

sidenote: the whole thing in CLBG, where they practice conversations in their head, is like. a thing. its not something that comes up a lot, but it does happen in other episodes. classic way to mask.

speaking of masking, Roman is a good example of less well known masking tactics. first of all, his whole intrest in acting in the first place could have become a special interest as a masking strategy. a lot of autistic people develop special intrests in human behavior, or psychology, etc. to combat social unawareness. in Roman's case, acting is kind of like masking. making gestures and expressions that don't come naturally and trying to make it seem normal. acting would probably be good practice, not to mention it makes it fun.

another thing that doesn't initially come off as coding is, like Logan, Roman's entire demeanor can be interpreted as autistic coding. he is very big and exaggerated with his movements and facial expressions, which is sometimes because autistic people have no idea How Much they are expected to emote, so they just kind of comit to the bit and emote as much as they can. it's not as concrete as the other evidence but it is an interesting and underrepresented experience.

Virgil is another interesting autistic coded character. his function itelf, as anxiety, can result from autism. when people seem to know things you just don't, and still expect you to participate in the weird, pointless rules they use for some reason without explaining why, it can be anxiety inducing.

a lot of autistic people feel very out of place and. you know. that's kind of something Virgil struggles with. there are multiple plot relevant reasons why, but it is also coding. he did have one of the first fully fleshed out arcs in the show about it. it's also worth noting that this separation from the way neurotypical people act is a reason that a lot of autistic people get into alternative subcultures, which Virgil is heavily inspired by.

not to mention the whole antagonistic persona from season one is reminiscent of masking. when you don't fit with the social order, sometimes you violently reject the people who made it to make it seem like it's totally a choice that you don't follow the same social rules as everyone else and not a deep seeded misunderstanding of what those rules are and why they even exist :3

Edit: I CANNOT BELEIVE I FORGOT TO MENTION THE STIMMING okay so in the end card of the episode "flirting with social anxiety" Virgil tells Thomas to pace around the room and flap his hands and I think we all know about autistic stimming but basically a lot of autistic people do simple repetitive motions (like shaking their hands or pacing) when they get overwhelmed.

Patton is another case where his role itself can come from autism. sort of. a lot of autistic people adhere very strongly to moral rules as a... substitute? for not understanding the social rules. this is similar to how Patton works in the show, he is definitely listened to the most. the other characters turn to him when they don't know what to do, and sometimes when they do. he generally has the final say on conflicts, which is actually being explored in canon as of late.

Patton is also an example of how autistic people can sometimes come off as "childish" to outside observers. honestly, the rules about what adaults are and aren't "allowed" to do are just social rules. entirely just what people arbitrarily decided was normal. Patton consistently expresses joy for things that are usually considered childish, like cartoons and stuffed animals, because those rules are stupid💖.

do I even need to explain Janus. it's masking again! pretending to be someone you aren't to be more socially acceptable Okay, I could stop there. but I also think it's interesting that lying and self preservation are so connected they are one side. almost as though pretending to know what social rules were and how to act around people was a defence mechanism because he has no idea at all what those rules were.

Janus is also somewhat similar to Roman, because he also kind of 'comits to the bit' the same way. but instead of being big and energetic, he lays on sarcasm so thick it's unclear when he's being serious. he doesn't really know When to use it and how to make it clear that it is sarcasm, so it's just in everything now.

Remus! I'm excited to talk about Remus. he does not know what social rules are and he does not care. many autistic people have no filter, and just say anything relevant they know, even when other people find it weird or gross. because the things that are considered weird and gross are, you guessed it, a set of social rules. Remus to a T.

Remus's facial expressions and gestures are an interesting combination of Logan and Roman. he has that same kind of exaggerated demeanor, but a lot of the time his face is static. it's just static and unmoving from a very energetic expression, often in contrast with his very non-static gestures. Remus is pretty much the only side that does not mask at all. he is very blunt and just says what he means.

he also doesn't seem to get the tone of a situation a lot of the time. in his introductory episode, everyone else spends the whole episode deeply upset and scared (other than Logan) and at the end Remus just goes "that was really fun :D! good to see you guys again". he also seems surprised when he gets called scary in that same episode.

a few things that apply to all the sides; they have the same outfits every episode which is just because it's part of the show's format, but it's also common for autistic people. (because dislike of change and also comfort objects).

also all the dark sides share a common autistic experience of being ostricised outcasts, mostly for different reasons than their symptoms but it's still coding.

none of the sides are very good at lying, even Janus kind of sucks at it. it just doesn't seem like it because by comparison he is the most successful liar. lying is all about social cues and when you already don't understand those when you aren't trying to deceive someone, it is difficult.

I do not think any of this was intentional. I am fairly certain no one on the writing team Tried to put this coding in, it's just fun to talk about. a lot of this is also just interpretation, and none of this is concrete "proof". I just think the way coding works in stories is interesting. I wrote this very late at night so if it's a bit strange that's why. this was supposed to be shorter than it is.

[shioritsumi]

Just saw Luca and im like,,,,

so yes, Portorosso had a history of hating sea monsters. Lots of places have that sort of history. And this could either be just the way this particular small town is, or it’s genuinely like the 50s to 60s. (I don’t know how small Italian towns are, given as I’m not from one.)

But like, in the 21st century I’m more wondering....MAN....the sea monsters are all colorful, like caribbean coral reefs, with SHARP TEEFS and long tails and long fingers and- dude where my monster fuckers at? Half-sea monster kids have GOT to exist somewhere. 

And if regular sea monsters possess the ability to maintain a human form provided they remain completely dry, what would that mean for a human? Or rather, a human-sea monster hybrid? Or would it vary from hybrid to hybrid? Like some hybrids may look like a sea monster all the time, some may only look human, some may have a muddled look with skin AND scales, some might be able to shift back and forth like their sea monster parent, some might look like sea monsters but be incapable of breathing underwater...

so maybe hybrids vary. 

Which inspired my own OC because THAT’S what I do when I get obsessed with something new, I make ocs. 

Anyways, long intro to my new Luca ocs Achille Bianchi and Marcello Esposito!

Achille is an OLD sea monster some might call a “mad scientist”, and he seems to have fallen into a peculiar obsession with one particular form of study, primarily sea monster-human hybrids. It almost seems personal for him, even. He has books upon books upon books all filled with notes of the hybrids he’s met and how he’s lost them in eerily cold and scientific terms. 

Enter Marcello, currently on the run from a particularly dangerous Hunter known only as the Kraken. He’s the first hybrid Achille’s ever found that has a perfect balance between his sea monster and human sides, swapping between human and sea monster forms almost seamlessly with practice and focus. (he’s still studying the scientific reasoning behind this)

When the tall thin sea monster showed up and immediately obsessed over the teenager, his family wasn’t....exactly enthused. They pointed out that he was behaving like a creep, and Achille finally remembered to act like a functioning adult and explain himself, about how he was studying human-sea monster hybrids, and he just wanted to understand how their bodies functioned with the mixed genes. 

“Are there any catches, Signor Bianchi?” “No, non, none at all.” “......” “......” “......” “....I’ve been having a really hard time...keeping my test subjects for study because a certain hunter out there is killing hybrids. He thinks they’re an abomination and need to be destroyed.” “THERE it is! How do we know you haven’t let this man straight to our son?” “He never attacks any hybrid without extensive setup, and he moves quickly. He’s always ahead of me, never behind. I’m usually late. This is....rare.” “....you didn’t answer our question.” “I’m following him, not the other way around Signora Esposito.”

Bonus OC: The Kraken! Known information: .....probably male, responds to male pronouns, masculine looking form, approximately 6 feet tall? is he human or not? unknown. age unknown, but Achille’s been struggling with his desire to eliminate human-nonhuman hybrids for a long time. Very fast, well practiced in hand to hand combat and anatomy but not terribly tech savvy. 

He may have been operating to close to a century, much like Achille himself, lending credence to the idea that he’s either not human or not a singular entity. (Achille thinks it would be an appropriate ‘fuck you’ to himself if his greatest rival turned out to be a hybrid as well.) His nickname Kraken was finally attributed to him in the 1970s due to the tendency to kill people in seaside towns who usually have at least one parent who “sailed off and never returned” or the like. 

Of the three....

Likes- Achille: science, biology, anatomy, genetics, learning, anything lemon flavored, BAKING lemon flavored foods, EATING lemon flavored foods  Marcello: swimming, reading, solving puzzles, the mystery genre, deep sea diving, cooking, coffee flavored foods The Kraken: math, logic puzzles, acrobatics, mixed martial arts (fighting junkie), racing, orange flavored foods

Dislikes- Achille: orange flavored foods, failure, art (bc he’s not good at it), preconcieved notions without evidence, the smell of burning meat Marcello: any food with squid ink, fishing, gym class, washing dishes The Kraken: himself, hybrids, idling, romance, “chick flicks”, lemon flavored foods

Someone: so do you three believe in gay rights? Achille: I’m pretty sure we’re all gay Someone: they’re dodging the question!

“Is there anything you find personally offensive about the Kraken, though? Like if he didn’t try to kill hybrids, could you ever be friends with him, in another life?” “Absolutely not, Marcello-that monster buries himself in orange Perle de Sole all day every day. You can tell when he’s near because you can just SMELL the vitamin C stench off of him a mile away!” “.....why do you hate oranges so much.”

[glorykill-a]

How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person?

in essence    ,    it depends on who and what the person is    ,    and how much they mean to him overall.    doom is not a trusting person to begin with    ,    his countless years in hell have worn away at his ability to fully put his life in someone else’s hands    (    with the exception of the master chief    ,    alex mercer    ,    samus aran    ,    and other people that are important to him    )    so he does a lot of things on his own due to this distrust    ,    as well as believing that no one else is capable of what he has to do.    one of the people that has aided in his inability to fully trust someone else has to be samur maykr aka samuel hayden    ,    an angel that manipulated him into stepping inside the divinity machine and stripping him of his humanity to give him divine power.

it was the most painful experience he has ever felt    ,    he saw things that no human was ever meant to    ,    how the universe was created and how it could possibly fall while being torn apart and put back together atom by atom.

i wouldn’t say he ever fully trusted samur but he was an angel    ,    and he was taught to give them respect as he was growing up    ,    that they could give wisdom and prosperity...    but samur’s manipulation of him    ,    taking away the last thing he was clinging to from his old life    ,    it’s severed his ability to trust others at first glance    ,    to fully have faith from the get-go.    however    ,    like i said earlier    ,    it really depends on if this person is nonhuman or human.    orion tends to trust humans as a whole    ,    he trusts in their ability to endure and improve    ,    to learn from the mistakes they’ve made if given the chance...    though he doesn’t trust a human as an individual. unless he knows them very well    ,    he has a tendency to keep an eye on them in perilous situations because he knows some people cannot handle the stress of demonic events    ,    that they’re liable to snap and harm others if it comes down to it.    he’s immediately suspicious of a person on their own    ,    he loves humans    ,    but he’s not ignorant to their innate tendencies and he knows that they’re also prone to being possessed.     he would only to start to trust someone and show less suspicion if they consistently prove that they’re capable of handling themselves and that they can keep calm during highly strenuous events.

there’s always this thought at the back of his mind that there could be ulterior motives to their actions    ,    he doesn’t make his suspicion obvious    ,    he takes the time to observe and give them a false sense of security.    if   they don’t show him any reason to doubt them further    ,    he’ll be prone to trusting them more.    however    ,    if they confirm his suspicions    ,    he will have no problem with confronting them.

when it comes to nonhumans    ,    it’s slightly different.    doom views them in a similar fashion to humans    ,    giving them the benefit of the doubt but not fully trusting them initially...    but his relationship with nonhumans is complicated.    although he does have a lot of faith and love for humans    ,    he is alienated from them due to their constant worshipping and dehumanizing of him    ,    as well as people being terrified of him and his power  -  causing orion to view humans as almost separate from him despite his origins as a human.    in contrast    ,    something nonhuman can understand the feelings he has towards humans    ,    and it’s this empathy that makes him more prone to developing a kinship with them    ,    thus having a buildup of rapid trust    ,    but the same logic of being initially suspicious can also be applied to nonhumans.    it’s an entirely different story for angelic or demonic entities    (   and even half breeds    )    because he will never waver his suspicions of them no matter how much he seems to trust them    (    which is a challenge in and of itself because he despises angels    ,    and demons are his sworn enemy    ).

now    ,    if doom completely and utterly trusts someone with every fiber of his being    ,    his suspicions are next to none    ,    because they have proven to him that they would never double cross or harm him in any capacity.    his relationship with master chief can be used as an example    ,    with an unwavering and undying trust in the man he loves    ,    believing that he could do no wrong...    it’s blinding    ,    in a way.    orion has put all his faith in someone if they have his trust    ,    meaning that he can never suspect them    ,    his emotions can cloud his judgement.    even if someone were to approach him with possible evidence that someone he loves could be doing something completely wrong    ,    he’d vehemently deny it in favor of siding with the person he cares for...    but if the suspicions were correct and they misused    /    betrayed his trust    ,    then he would never fully trust them again.    it takes a lot to build up trust with doom    ,    and though it’s not easy to lose it    ,    it can never be fully reestablished if it’s broken.

    :   /   /   character development questions   (   accepting   )   :   @crimenight

[catsconflictscopicsandchamomile]

Jack is a mythological entity, but not the one (Nephilim/Antichrist) that spn canon says.

Jack is Jack, the trickster, the folk hero, etc. Specifically, he's the newest incarnation of Jack O' the Lantern

here's the evidence:

like many Jacks and folk heroes at large, our Jack:

-started adventuring at a very young age, literally as soon as he physically could walk and talk

-found a mentor/parental figure in a celestial being/other nonhumans* with less-than-ideal morals lbr

*Sam and Dean do NOT count as human anymore but thats a whole other thing. love them but they r such Creatures

-killed his fair share of seemingly-undefeatable beings

-performed miracles/healed people, first in accordance with God's will and then in defiance of it

-tricked the Devil

-tricked at least one angel

-tricked Death

-gathered a specified list of magic items that combined to help him in his final trial (I do think that where Jack is concerned, what he went through in s15 does count as trials- like Sam's. however, Jack's trials, as they are clearly seen in pre-existing folklore, are meant to help him reach the end goal of being... Jack.)

-tricked his way into heaven, but (according to fandom opinion) didn't last long there.

in terms of being Jack O' The Lantern SPECIFICALLY, our Jack:

-Loves candy

-Always wears fall colors

-Has power over monsters

-Turned leaves brown with his powers once

-Has hellfire inside him (folklorically, Jacks usually beg a coal from Hell after being thrown from Heaven AFTER their trials, but our Jack's hellfire came pre-installed. good for him)

-His eyes glow gold normally, but burn out when he dies. that's a pretty big factor here honestly.

-did make it into Heaven via trickery- and, if fandom opinion abt Chuck yeeting him out of there is to b believed, that's the point in Jack stories where "Jack" (no title or another heroic/narrative role) becomes "Jack O' the Lantern". Heaven won't take him, Hell won't take him, etc. In earlier times, these stories ended w Jack wandering forever with just his lantern, but given how big a sociocultural role Halloween has nowadays (and stuff like Nightmare Before Christmas and Halloweentown adding to the canon so to speak), I'd say that being Jack O' the Lantern is more like being a fairly major god, with a sizeable domain that serves as both an afterlife and place that monsters can live peacefully

I think that being an eternal spooky candy fire guy is a pretty good ending for our Jack. he's immortal, very powerful, Halloween seems like a good fit for his personality and values, and honestly if Sam & Dean want to spend eternity in Jack's domain after they die, they're justified. nobody would look twice at those two in Halloweentown or whatever

wanna hear my weird asf folkloric take on Jack? nothing "bad" exactly just... unusual

-local autdhd myth kid

ABSOLUTELY PLEASE TELL ME MORE!!! 🤲🏼

[ganymedesclock]

do you have any thoughts on cosmic horror? i think you did some drawings of the voltron lions as benevolent eldrich creatures a while back..

So, I actually have a somewhat nuanced response to this.

On the one hand, I am a big fan of cosmic horror in the sense that I’m a big fan of there being things that operate and appear in ways that we do not easily understand. Back in the Steven Universe fandom, I did a, now outdated because of several headcanons/theories that are debunked by canon, AU where everything was the same but the Gems looked weird.

On the other, I feel like cosmic horror as a genre often comes with a certain implicit condemnation of the ‘otherness’ of the thing. Eldritch beings are treated as untrustworthy and out to get you because of the fact that you can’t understand them. This is a very predominant attitude- I was aware when I made posts in the Voltron fandom, speculating about the Lions specifically calling attention to them as an otherworldly sapient mind, people responded with the implication this made them sinister, threatening, possibly consuming or manipulating the paladins.

So I love the idea of weird alien things, but I feel like it sort of defeats the enjoyment if the eldritch is presumed malevolent, rather than a class of entities that, just like any given group of people, may be altruistic, indifferent, petty, and/or cruel.

In particular, the Uncanny Valley, the idea of things that are Nearly But Not Quite Human, or just “off” in a way is both extremely enjoyable to me and something that I think needs to be handled a bit cautiously, because, as an autistic and ADHD person, I see a lot of myself in characters who are “off” or eldritch beings.

 To give an example of what I’m talking about, the character of Howard Phillips Lovecraft in Bungou Stray Dogs gives the distinct impression of being some kind of completely nonhuman life form wearing people skin. However, while some of the ways this manifests are super alien (he’s ‘startled’ at some point by something that breaks his neck, and fixes it the way one might fit a suit jacket, is impervious to bullets, is able to launch tentacles out of his wrists at high speed) a lot of the other stuff he does reads like an autistic person- like him at one point being impressed by a wooden building and wanting to count the wood grain, or, even, in a marriage of the eldritch and autistic- appearing to experience sensory discomfort in a very autistic manner in response to his ability to feel when people are looking at him.

It ties into what I’ve talked about before, about feeling nonhuman and the fantastical mask, that I end up ultimately having some very personal feelings about the personhood of nonhuman beings. This means that if you introduce an eldritch character in a story, I tend to latch onto them pretty rapidly and with a lot of interest. In more high fantasy settings, this tends to manifest in an interest in divine beings/gods of the setting.

But it can also make me sad or uncomfortable when I feel like an entity is dehumanized for its difference- not treated like a person merely because it is a person very unlike our standards. After all, the universe is huge. If we presume the existence of the eldritch, then “eldritch” is a word like “alien”, or “foreigner”- it is not an expression of qualities, it is an expression of distance. Distance from us- and since “us” is relative, if a being is eldritch to us, we are eldritch to it. As we may be poorly equipped to understand them, they may be poorly equipped to understand us.

So it’s a concept very near to my heart, which means I love it but I’m also cautious about execution.

[cariosum]

ive harangued multiple people now into letting me rant at them about the eldritch angel emiya verse so HERES AN ACTUAL VERSE INFORMATION POST FOR IT YEHAW

first off: the “angel” that Emiya is is not an “angel” in the Abrahamic sense. He’s not a religious figure, not really -- you can pray to him if you want, he doesnt care, and for all he knows there might be one singular power at the center of the Universe, but he’s never met it. He’s incredibly low-ranking, about as low as an angel can be, so he doesn’t know what goes on in the higher power levels of bureaucracy.

“Angel” is a word which the human languages simply applies to “higher beings”. Emiya is an entity from some plane adjacent to ours, filled with a being that benefits off the protection of humanity. They feed upon stability and health of the human race, so it’s in their best interest to keep humans protected and happy insofar as they can. They’re not all-powerful, and often tend to focus on a singular person. 

Said feeding isn’t vampiric, they don’t drain health from others. It’s more like symbiotic relationship, where both parties benefit equally. Mostly, angels will either disguise themselves as humans and go to influence human behaviour and actions or live alongside a given human for however long they feel like it. They see no difference between individual health and collective health. This is essentially the idea of a guardian angel. 

Emiya’s true body, like that of all angels, is incomprehensible and inhuman. A mess of fire and wings and eyes, constantly shifting. He disguises himself as a human for the most part, though because he’s both low ranking and lazy, his human body is definitely not normal.

He’s in the uncanny valley of pretty, the sort of beautiful where it makes him look actively nonhuman. There’s a reason angels figure as godly in myth and its because all of them are Like This.

If you look at him through a reflection, his reflection wavers around the edges, glowing like there’s a fire behind him, and some motions will let you see bits of eye or wing or fire that humans shouldn’t have.

He does have wings, and can have quite a lot of them, and can very easily unfold the stereotypical angel wings from his back if he chooses to. His are a dusty grey colour. He can unfold more of his true body as well if he wants to, but he probably shouldn’t because it’s a lot to deal with.

What he knows about humanity is incredibly patchy. His task is to learn more so that he can continue to function within humanity and work towards the goal of protecting them. Ergo, he heads out and attempts to gather information through experience, because his higher ups are forcing him to. He finds this a huge pain in the ass.

What he knows is generally “how to speak any language that’s spoken towards him”, “where he is in time and space”, and how to make himself look blended in. Anything else? Super hit or miss. He learns quickly, at least, and one explanation of like “sir you really cant just bite into an egg and call that eating” is enough for him to learn and remember in the future.

He’s super petulant he doesnt wanna be wasting his time working with people but he has to so SIIIGGGHHH I GUESS. he guards humanity with all the feeling and care of a minimum wage fast food employee.

Emiya can and will grant blessings to people if they help him out, though its things like “you have better luck” “in an abstract moment of danger, you will be protected” etc. etc., theyre not really tangible things.

He has money and clothing through just a system of abstract mimicry. It’s techincally fraud any time he uses a credit card but digital money is just numbers, after all, and it’s very easy for beings beyond space to mess with numbers. 

He;s still very golden as an angel, bright golden eyes and if he’s hurt he bleeds gold ichor and light, but generally he’s pretty human looking. No scars in this verse.