#i'll also use those tags liberally once i'm playing

[princess-stabbity]

corvidoe replied to your post “tbh i really want to know what the ryders’ family dynamics are like so...”

the family aspect is the part I'm most interested in tbh and ofc it's the one we know nothing about. lmao. I'm in the same boat. i want to plan stuff for once and i feel like i can't bc we don't know these ppl or how they fit. and i worry it's going to feel less like my own character bc of it.

corvidoe replied to your post “tbh i really want to know what the ryders’ family dynamics are like so...”

also i feel like we knew a lot more about the hawke fam dynamic before da2 came out?

i know exactly what you mean 

the problem with being so mum on everything is that fans don’t have enough cool shit to get distracted by, and instead keep picking apart what little you’ve released until they notice every flaw. ultimately the less info you release, the more they either imagine the worst (making them not want to buy the game and wary for its flaws if they do) or build it up so much they’re disappointed with the real product

honestly bioware, y’all brought this on yourselves

anyway, as far as the ryder family goes--i’m gonna warn for mild spoilers here even tho i’ve avoided watching the “first [x amount of time] of me:a!!” videos past checking out the cc and how it affects papa ryder (answer: from what i can tell, he changes skin/eye color based on your ryder, and his facial features rely on what preset you used, much like the hawkes--that’s why the skin color options are limited, so you don’t end up with a black albino dad (which, of course, assumes you don’t want that, but que sera sera))  

my point is, i don’t know much, but i have picked up a few general facts about the family that seem fairly solid for character-building purposes 

“Born on Earth in 2129, Alec Ryder says his love of new frontiers was fostered by a childhood in the Sierra Nevadas. According to his service record, he joined the Alliance military and was eventually assigned to Jon Grissom's historic expedition through the Charon Relay. His experience made him a candidate for what would later be known as N7 training back on Earth. Alec continued military service, most notably on Shanxi in the First Contact War against the turians. Assigned as a military attaché to the Citadel in the late 2160s, Alec became interested in artificial intelligence as a means of human advancement.” 

alec ryder is something of a tech genius in addition to legendary soldier, given that he also apparently helped with sam’s creation? and was dishonorably discharged for it? 

at least the kids were born after their dad decided to take a potentially one-way trip thru the charon relay

sounds like he’s kind of critical--there’s a bit where pc!scott says something is “pretty good” and alec replies “pretty good isn’t good enough” (to which scott replies “yes, sir”), and i’ve heard another part described where it sounds like alec begrudgingly praises you for taking the exploratory, roundabout path, and you can respond sarcastically that “that is what i was trained for” 

your mom is dr. ellen ryder. she didn’t come with you to andromeda (it sounds like she died before the game), but she was aware of its existence, since your dad says that she made him promise to take both kids to andromeda (would he not have if she hadn’t made him promise? no clue, nor do i know if he would have shown hesitation out of a sense of protection or not thinking they were up to the task or what). she was the original creator of the ai sam. 

“Born on the Citadel space station in 2163. With informal training aided by Alec Ryder's N7 background. Scott joined the Systems Alliance military and was assigned to an outpost near Arcturus Station overseeing Relay 202. A primary route to Arcturus, this mass relay leads into contested space and has an unsavory reputation. Scott was needed to protect Arcturus, but also had "a front row seat to everyone else going off to fortune and glory.””

“Born on the Citadel space station in 2163. With informal training aided by Alec Ryder's N7 background. Sara joined the Systems Alliance military, which was continuing its search for Prothean technology after successful discoveries on Mars. Initially assigned to peacekeeping duties. Sara was approached to serve a support role for these Prothean researchers. She often describes the thrill of serving with scientists like Mateus Silva on the brink of the next great discovery.”” 

mateus silva was previously mentioned as being the namesake of a planet in the euler system, described as “leader of the prospector team that unearthed the Prothean Archives on Mars” 

my headcanon is also somewhat impacted by the training histories--basically, starting classes. they’re almost like service histories, since they describe what role you played as part of the alliance, and though you can specialize however you want, i personally like the sound of “leader,” which is basically a sentinel:

“You were a team player and natural leader in the Alliance military, working closely with your cohorts for their safety and the safety of others.” 

besides putting me in the basic class i wanna play as, that sounds like exactly the sort of person alec was seemingly raising his kids to be? elite yet well-rounded, a leader as well as a soldier and tech specialist, using every skill available to get the job done. although on that note, the fact that both kids have innate biotic potential makes me wonder if alec didn’t purposely expose them to element zero in the womb, even knowing the likely cancerous effects, which conjures shades of henry lawson, but maybe i’m reading too much into this 

anyway, going in, all i had was “hey, since bioware is giving me a dad in this game, what if i make him look like my other favorite space dad besides anderson, bill adama”--which, y’know, once people try out more presets we’ll see how much that’s possible, but actually works kinda well given the “following in distant military dad’s footsteps” drama that both lee and zak went thru. in this case you could argue sara/meeley is lee and scott is zak, in terms of potential vs desire to do dad proud

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

@narcissismincarnate

Thank you for these wonderful tags since I wanted to expand a bit on my thoughts on this in particular!

A lot of what I'm writing here is just personally from my indulgent take away, since I was raised in a traditionally Mexican household that generationally has always been very clannish when it came to family dynamics with blood and adopted members and I see some of that reflected here. I'll also try to messily bring up points with the original novel and with the context of CQL expounding on that "Yunmeng sibling bond" being a lot stronger in that adaption. So yeah, there's that disclaimer for this rant lol.

Originally in MDZS there is a lot of emphasis of Wei Wuxian being on the outside of the Jiangs despite being taken care of them. He is raised by Jiang Fengmian as a high ranked disciple but still keeps his family name of "Wei" not "Jiang". This is already a big sign of intention that he is not viewed as a brother/son to the Sect Leaders, or Jiang Cheng. They are more lenient in terms of who they take on within the sect, but the inner workings of Lotus Pier hold a strict adherence of drawing the line of what is family.

Notably, it is only Jiang Yanli who calls Wei Wuxian actual endearments "A-Ying" in the novel's text, and also, the only one other than Lan Wangji to use his birth name. She does not use it liberally unless she is with him alone due to the overarching threat of Madam Yu blowing up if he is acknowledged as anything more than a preferred servant. She is also one of the only Jiangs to really implicitly show actions that would be considered familial, such as with peeling lotus seeds and making him soup. His bond with her sub-textually was already stronger than that of any of the other Jiangs. She does in all but words think of him as a brother but socially, she can not say that at all as it breaches too many barriers that are seen as radical.

Due to societal etiquette he never uses endearments for the Jiang siblings. (If he ever used A-Cheng or A-Li it would be a massive overstep of boundaries of his given station. Wei Wuxian is fully aware of his station within the Jiang family, which is why he takes his role of protecting Jiang Cheng, with those words parroted by Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu, as his future sect heir first and foremost. It is his use of the Jiangs as he is always reminded, he is Jiang Cheng's to do with as he sees in life.

The promise between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian is also only clouded in the frame of Sect Leader and Head Servant as Wei Wuxian reassures Jiang Cheng he is there to be of use to Jiang Cheng always. There is no note of a brotherly dynamic for this promise other than the implied wants of Wei Wuxian having wished to be actual family. Jiang Cheng also is never the one to hint of ever seeing Wei Wuxian as a sibling anywhere in the text. This is a huge nod to Wei Wuxian's overarching theme of trying to find his place unconditionally as a loved one to someone.

He tried with the Jiangs at first, who made it known that there were boundaries and that title of family was not his. He also was taken in by the Wens as their benefactor, but that was another issue as Wen Qing and Wen Ning, ingratiated to him took on a level as a servant to master in their time together and was another level of distance maintained from being true family. But they were far closer in their interactions than what was shown with the Jiangs.

CQL though, erases a lot of the social limitations that were present in the novel. Jiang Cheng himself takes part in the mishap that Wei Wuxian gets into despite originally being the one to tell him to show respect as being part of the Jiang disciples and never once actually taking part of Wei Wuxian's pranks. This I think is why it is so heavily taken as a more important dynamic than it turned out to be in the novel, since they did blur that line of master/servant to be more brotherly like Wei Wuxian wished it to be in the novel. Jiang Yanli is also made to be more sentimental than she actually was over their partings and, in my opinion codependent on that bond, when she had been the first to realize their dynamics would change in the future and each had been prepared for this. This is a sacrifice to the needed theme of Wei Wuxian finding his place as he never really had one after his own parents passing. Jiang Cheng still had his sect, Jiang Yanli found hers with Jin Zixuan, the Wen siblings still had each other. Wei Wuxian did not have anything until he meets Lan Wangji again after his resurrection which there are no stipulations and he openly accepts Wei Wuxian as he is unconditionally.

Jiang Cheng was upholding the continued line of his parents thinking as he thought of Wei Wuxian as a tool that was out of line. The tragedy there is that Wei Wuxian put more weight on the meaning of their relationship than Jiang Cheng. Who did, quite coldly, in the the novel abandon Wei Wuxian. In CQL he is given more humanity in parts, but since his original awful actions are kept it's a large case of whiplash when he does act so severely cruel. It makes his actions even more stark when his nature was always hinted to before in the novel and Wei Wuxian played as his defuser until he no longer could.

[ariparri]

MC Patronus

I was tagged by @carewyncromwell on a post for MC patronuses! I, sadly, don't really talk about most of my characters because I'm hyperfixacted on mostly one character 😅

I'll only do this for my Hogwarts Legacy and Hogwarts Mystery MCs. Anyways, let's get to it!

I can't find the original docs I made for my MCs' patronus so majority of this was a copy paste from the site I use to figure out their patronus.

What's My Spirit Animal?

Image Source

McQuaid/Mac Uaid

I mentioned in the Mac Uaid family crest that the wolf is part of the emblem and how every McQuaid's patronus is a wolf.

As a spirit animal, the wolf comes to support and teach us about matters of personal power, balance, self-control, and our animal instincts.

Wolves are misunderstood by many to be aggressive, vicious animals who attack with no provocation. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, wolves go out of their way to avoid fights. However, when they want to be heard, when they want to stave off or deter an attacker, they will stand their ground.

Wolves are incredible examples of standing in the seat of your own power. They let predators know that they can fight to the death and are prepared to do so but they rarely initiate combat.

The wolf sometimes appears when we face challenges for which we feel less than prepared. The wolf reminds you that you have all the tools in your spiritual treasure chest to handle this effectively.

For seekers who feel afraid or threatened, the wolf reminds us of how those feelings put our entire psyche off balance. Yes, fear plays an important role in personal safety unless it becomes all-consuming or is baseless. Don’t let the darkness consume your spirit.

Sometimes the wolf calls on us to become the Lone Wolf, who breaks away from the pack to discover the Sacred Self. During times of aloneness, you rediscover your dreams and passions. You also start uncovering the true self and voice that howls at the moon with abandonment!

Humans are animals, and sometimes we overlook the gifts from nature that are already within us. Life has an order and rhythm. When you run with a pack, there is a sense of community, and when you’re alone – liberation.

Those who walk with the wolf sometimes don’t trust themselves as much as they should. When you find yourself falling into that emotional pattern, rely on your keen mind and logic to renew balance.

The key caution for wolf people is your predatory nature. Now, here’s the thing about a wolf’s “predatory” nature – they mostly focus on taking down the weak, sick, and elderly.

Rarely will a Wolf prey on a strong, mature adult. Surely nature has a reason for this, but in terms of symbolism for humans, the lesson here is to make sure that you do not choose to prey on those who are not able to stand against you.

Rohan Mac Uaid (Hogwarts Legacy)

The Gray Wolf is Rohan's patronus. As his patronus is the gray wolf, he is constantly transforming himself, improving himself as he encounters the lessons and challenges of life.

The gray wolf is the wolf who stands at the Western Door. The winds of change will gently flow through the life of the gray wolf soul, stirring him to greet the change with the knowledge of the lessons that such transitional times will herald. The gray wolf soul understands that change is merely growth, an essential part of life, and thus, embraces change easily.

McQuaids with the gray wolf patronus doesn't strain to see what is not yet visible on the other side, merely acknowledges that the changes will surely take place and that the choices he/she makes, will fashion the path they take.

The individual with the totem of the gray wolf understands the importance of protecting and nurturing life in all of its varied and brilliant forms. He is the soul that desires to be of service to others and thus enters a profession which will be in alignment with these principles. She is the soul who desires to nurture the spark of soul awareness in the other members of her society, so as to ensure the survival of the species. In whatever form this urge of guardianship manifests itself, the gray wolf totem will always strive to be of benefit to the whole.

The wolf soul is one who understands the depth of connection with another, be it mate, friend or family member. These individuals will tend to be monogamous in nature. If a mate is not found that shares this same sense of loyalty, then the wolf totem will choose to live as a solitary wolf yet will still have deep and abiding bonds with friends and/or family.

The gray wolf totem is drawn to individuals who possess the ability to employ rational thought coupled with intuitive understanding. As he walks through life, wolf soul uses his keen intelligence to assess issues and situations which demand resolution. He then follows the prompts he receives from his own higher sense of knowing to achieve necessary growth and learning.

Rohan has quite a fierce temper and often scolds others for their incompetence. After meeting Avis, her gentle nature melting his heart of ice, Rohan shows more self restraint in terms of his emotions. He cares little about status or tradition, and merely judges others solely based on their knowledge, skill and loyalty.

Coby McQuaid (Hogwarts Mystery)

Coby's patronus is the Arctic Wolf. It is said that at the door of each of the Four Winds, a wolf keeps silent vigil, each bringing change to the life of those who walk the good Red Road and with the change, a lesson unique to that wind.

The arctic wolf is the Wolf of the North Winds. He stands quietly in rigid determination, unyielding at times, much as the barren landscapes of his home appear to resist the beginning of Spring.  She is a soul that is comfortable with her surroundings and therefore sees no “reason” to change.

Yet the promise of the North Wind is wisdom unfolding through gratitude and acknowledgment. This is the direction in which wisdom is sifted from the sands of experience and then fashioned into a red staff of manifestation that wields personal potential. Therefore, if the white wolf soul can accept change when it appears, yet remain true to his/her values, then the higher vibration of wisdom and truth can emerge from beneath stubborn resistance like shoots of sweet summer grass bursting forth from a blanket of winter’s snow. Thus, personal power can be embraced, understood and ultimately, the soul’s individual potential manifested.

The individual with the arctic wolf as their power totem is one who is capable of withstanding numerous challenges and setbacks, only to emerge stronger than before. It is little wonder that these souls will often face adversity in their lives in order to build the resilience with which to overcome obstacles? Paradoxically, they are also gentle souls with a great deal of emotional sensitivity . . . and this is the area in which they are likely to encounter their greatest lessons. Yet by calling upon the inner strength and resilience of the arctic wolf, they can triumph and raise their heads with gratitude to the loving rays of the sun.

The arctic wolf soul is an individual who is capable of performing nearly miraculous bouts of stamina that would weary other souls as he travels the good Red Road. He possesses within him the ability to push his body and mind to the limits, and in fact, can appear to even derive pleasure from doing so.

With each new goal that has been met, the arctic wolf individual will then set his/her sights on the next task at hand. Preferably the new goal will be even more challenging than the one just completed, as this engenders the acknowledgment within their own reasoning that they are worthy of that which has been given to them, yet the truth of the matter is that anything they have received, has been honestly won.

Veruca McQuaid (Hogwarts Mystery)

The Arctic Wolf is Veruca's patronus. Although she shares the same patronus as her brother, the patronus takes on a different meaning. The Arctic Wolf patronus Veruca has, is the shadow to the alpha Arctic Wolf. So even with her patronus, Veruca is still in Coby's shadow.

When manifesting as a shadow totem, the arctic wolf brings lessons in life experience that will tend to build up a defensive wall around the shadow wolf soul. These individuals enter onto the Red Road with a good deal of vulnerability, in many instances a higher degree of sensitivity to their environments than most. Yet, as time goes by, extremely painful circumstances are met that will either construct a fortress of solitude or a friendly barrier that keeps others at a “safe” distance, thereby decreasing the chances that the individual may once again be hurt.

McQuaids who have the arctic wolf patronus are stoic and resolute individuals who appear to bear any storm with a spirit of strength and perseverance. And indeed, they are quite capable of enduring many hardships, yet the true lesson for the arctic wolf is the act of maintaining a certain measure of vulnerability in the face of the brutal lessons they encounter.

Though those with the arctic wolf patronus are naturally geared toward a mostly solitary existence, they will have a couple, to a few close & trusted friends that will be more like family members than their own biological family. The reason for this is due to the fact that the shadow arctic wolf soul will often grow up in a family that is either highly dysfunctional, or in circumstances where one or both parents are absent, be this as in the sense that the parental figures are deceased, or where the mother and father are emotionally unavailable.

Veruca isn't as close to her mother as she is with her father. Though she loves her just as much, she can't help but feel like a second thought compared to Coby. Carson is a close friend to Veruca that they consider each other siblings. Veruca even refers to the Iveys as her second family and addresses Mr. and Mrs. Ivey as mom and dad.

Again, trust is hard to earn from those who own an arctic wolf patronus, and bonds once forged in trust will rarely be broken unless there is an extreme betrayal on the part of their loved one. The ultimate challenge of these individuals is to learn to be open, vulnerable and trusting in the face of a lifetime of lessons in rejection, disillusionment, and betrayal. Yet it is interesting that these people will often be the ones to break off relationships, and are seldom the one to be “left behind.”

Right after graduation, Veruca leaves everyone behind to find her own peace and come to terms with everything that has happened. After finding her peace, she comes back to reconcile and reunite with everyone else. While on her own journey, her patronus ends up changing to match Diego's patronus.

Carson Ivey (Hogwarts Mystery)

Carson's patronus is the owl, specifically the Brown Owl. The owl cannot be deceived, which is why this spirit animal reminds us to remain true to ourselves, our voice, and our vision. The owl spirit does not tolerate illusion or secrets.

Being Veruca's best friend, it's a given Carson knows what's truly going on with her. Though it's pretty easy for him to read the moods of someone, he's not one to pry into someone's personal affairs.

The owl is a symbol of being able to navigate any darkness in our life; this spirit brings clarity, prophetic inklings, and a strong connection with the mystical world.

Those with the owl patronus have the opportunity to become far more observant. Being able to notice a lot of important details that previously eluded you. The world is filled with layers of symbolism and meaning, and the owl gives you “new” eyes with which to see those.

As a spirit animal, the owl often calls on us to release the past and put down burdens that hold us back. You have to face your shadows and fears, then move beyond them to find true happiness.

Owls don’t just honor us with the ability of “Second Sight." These majestic birds have hearing that is quite literally “perfect stereo." The owl as a spirit animal guide can aid you in hearing what is really being said despite the words and emotions coming from the messenger.

The owl spirit can help support you when the time to speak your truth has arrived. Remember, owls are birds of prey, and little stops them when they set their sites on “the prize.” What or whom do you have your heart set on? Focus, patience, and stillness can win the day.

Invoke owl energy when you need to see all the details of what or who is coming toward you and what is right in front of you.

Carson may be chaotic with his personality, but he can be patient to analyze and assess a situation. He's quite stubborn, might be because his childhood friend is Veruca and he picked up on her own stubbornness, but he will continue to push for what he stands for.

In Celtic mythology, owls knew the way to the underworld and were fierce defenders of truth and honor. The owl has no tolerance for deception, even when we are deceiving ourselves.

The Celtic Owl was tied closely to the ancient Goddess of fertility. It frequently appears in knotwork and bestiaries, being revered for its ability to see in the dark and acting as a messenger between humans and the Divine.

Avis Ni Conraoi (Hogwarts Legacy)

Avis' patronus is the butterfly. Those with the butterfly patronus means it's time for personal growth and greater awareness of mental, physical, and spiritual rhythms. Change can sometimes be challenging and daunting because it moves us out of our comfort zone.

You cannot embrace a “new you” until you release the old. With the butterfly spirit, you’ll find that you can fly gracefully above the barriers that would otherwise hold you back.

The Conraois are quite a spiritually oriented family one can say. They don't appear to worry over minor things that can cause someone to stress out to the point of exhaustion. Avis, herself, lives her life freely with no worries. Life is too short for her to take a slow path and be cautious of everything. She simply goes with the flow, following where the wind takes her on a new journey.

The butterfly as a teacher puts great emphasis on movement: Be it blossom-to-blossom, home-to-home, or one state in our spiritual exploration to another.

An old Irish blessing says,

“May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun, and find your shoulder to light on.

To bring you luck, happiness, and riches today, tomorrow and beyond.”

Throughout Celtic regions, the butterfly represents prosperity, joy, good fortune, and honor. Butterflies also symbolizes the soul. So much was the case that harming a white butterfly was against the law in Ireland because of the belief it bore a dead child’s spirit.

The butterfly often turns our thoughts inward to review elements of our character, morals, and habits that weigh us down, keeping us stuck in a mire of negative energy.

The goal of the winged ally is restoring lightness in your being so you can dance life’s dance with unbridled joy!

People with a butterfly as their patronus have a natural lightness of spirit! They love the beauty of nature and are guided by the greatest good when it comes to maintaining balance with the environment.

Avis is normally against violence, opting to be an advocate of peace. Though if that peace has been disturbed, she will take on a more passive aggressive attitude to protect that peace.

With the butterfly patronus, you’ll find that you’re better equipped to look at difficult situations from another angle. As you fly on her wings, your perspective becomes more global and hopeful.

Butterfly people are naturally social, colorful, and vibrant. They endeavor to live each moment to the fullest.