#it's that evil is utterly and uniquely human

[makingqueerhistory]

Eyeliner: A Cultural History

Zahra Hankir

From the distant past to the present, with fingers and felt-tipped pens, metallic powders and gel pots, humans have been drawn to lining their eyes. The aesthetic trademark of figures ranging from Nefertiti to Amy Winehouse, eyeliner is one of our most enduring cosmetic tools; ancient royals and Gen Z beauty influencers alike would attest to its uniquely transformative power. It is undeniably fun--yet it is also far from frivolous. Seen through Zahra Hankir's (kohl-lined) eyes, this ubiquitous but seldom-examined product becomes a portal to history, proof both of the stunning variety among cultures across time and space and of our shared humanity. Through intimate reporting and conversations--with nomads in Chad, geishas in Japan, dancers in India, drag queens in New York, and more--Eyeliner embraces the rich history and significance of its namesake, especially among communities of color. What emerges is an unexpectedly moving portrait of a tool that, in various corners of the globe, can signal religious devotion, attract potential partners, ward off evil forces, shield eyes from the sun, transform faces into fantasies, and communicate volumes without saying a word. Delightful, surprising, and utterly absorbing, Eyeliner is a fascinating tour through streets, stages, and bedrooms around the world, and a thought-provoking reclamation of a key piece of our collective history.

(Affiliate link above)

[nekropsii]

Aww. On one hand, I'm glad my words touched you. On the other, it makes me so deeply sad knowing even the smallest glance towards granting one basic human dignity is enough to drive one to tears. I wouldn't even call my words the bare minimum - I don't think that countering the common idea that a group isn't inherently abusive should be the bare minimum. The bare minimum should be casual respect, the same that's afforded to any other person. The bare minimum should be me not even needing to say any of this in the first place.

NPD is so heavily demonized, especially right now. There's wave after wave of people claiming "Narcissistic Abuse" is a valid term and viciously attacking anyone who breathes in the direction of contradiction, every single search adjacent to NPD results in almost nothing but article after article on, specifically, how to hurt people with NPD, or protect yourself against them... There's conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory posted online quite literally painting them as actual real demons, like, Demons, from The Bible, or linking them to the Jewish Reptilian conspiracy theory, and it's just completely and utterly gut-wrenching. Even in spaces that proclaim themselves as safe, or progressive, or bigotry-free, these unjustified, bigoted snap judgments occur. It's the worst.

NPD is not something that I have. I don't have any Cluster B Disorder, actually. But I'm sympathetic because they're all fucking human beings the world has decided is socially acceptable to turn into a Sinister Other, a Walking Otherworldly Threat, like this is a fucking fiction novel or a video game. I'm sick of it.

There's a few people in my immediate circles who have NPD. They're all good people. They're nice, they're funny, they have perspectives on things that I deeply value, they're smart, and I treasure their proximity so much. They've never done anything wrong, and certainly haven't done anything wrong purely on the basis of being some Evil, Conniving Super Villain. They're literally just hanging out, and I'm glad to know them. My life is better and more enriched having known these people. They have never wronged me, and I don't think they ever will. And even if they do, it would not be because they have NPD, it would be because they're a living being. As people, we all have the capability to harm others. Animals have the capability to harm other animals, too. Plants can harm you. This is not a trait unique to the Disordered.

Us people without NPD need to do better, to listen to our friends and siblings with NPD, to help boost them up so that we can help end this wretched fucking curse - or, at the very least, quell it. We need to help them speak louder, and amplify their cause with our vocal support. Ableism will never go away, but the least we can do is try to move towards making it not as socially acceptable to be bigoted. None of us need a Sinister Other to combat. This is not war, this is not the medieval times. We do not need this. We do not need to beat a persecution complex into ourselves to excuse persecuting others. We do not need to live in constant fear of the idea of the line cook who just wants to go home and play Dark Souls, or the office worker passing the time by thinking about their 3 cats, or the high schooler at home reading their favorite shoujo manga, or the guitarist driving home tapping their fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the radio. These are not your enemies. They are people going about their lives. They've literally never hurt you. Stop projecting your fear of abuse onto strangers - onto minorities.

My message to people without NPD is to fucking check yourself if you believe in Narcissistic Abuse, or automatically assume that people with NPD are up to something. Especially right now, that is a very, very vile, dehumanizing form of absolutely rampant ableism that we needed to take extreme steps to mitigate fucking months ago. Years, even. The best time to shoot this bigotry and burn it's corpse was the moment it started rising. The second best time is Now. Interrogate yourself. Realize that people with NPD are literally just human beings. Stop being awful to your fellow person. The way people think and speak about people with NPD is just absolutely disgusting, and everyone needs to apologize to them right now.

My message to people with NPD is simple: You deserve one billion dollars for having to put up with all of this shit. It's actually deranged. Trust me, there are others out there that think this is horseshit. You are not alone.

[beardedmrbean]

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was interrupted during a congressional hearing dedicated to discussing "hate" on Tuesday by an anti-Israel agitator who stood up shouting "F---ing Jews." 

During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled, "A Threat to Justice Everywhere: Stemming the Tide of Hate Crimes in America," Cruz discussed soaring antisemitism on college campuses in the wake of Oct. 7. 

"Antisemitism is a unique, historic form of evil, and over millennia, it is manifested in violence, mass murder and genocide," Cruz said. "October 7th was one of the darkest days in human history when terrorists murdered over 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages. Women and girls were raped. It was the single largest mass murder of Jews in a day since the Holocaust. In the wake of October 7th, we have seen antisemitism explode across the United States and across the world, but especially on college campuses." 

After listing examples of antisemitic and pro-Hamas messages hurled toward Jewish students, Cruz called out the Biden-Harris administration. 

COLUMBIA ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS TO REACH ‘CRESCENDO OF INTIMIDATION’ AS SCHOOL SUFFERS LATEST BLACK EYE

"Throughout all of this, the Biden-Harris administration has been utterly absent. Does anyone doubt if the Klan were on college campuses terrorizing African American students, threatening African American students, that we would see the FBI there, that we would see prosecutors there, that we would see federal funding cut off to universities? Of course we would. And we should," Cruz said. "But when it comes to antisemitism, the Democrats have a problem. I would note this is occurring in blue states with blue governors, because the Democrat Party is terrified of the pro-Hamas wing of their party."

"In states like Texas and Florida, we don't allow this. At the University of Texas, when violent protests threatened Jewish students, police officers arrived and arrested them. That's what happened when you enforce the law," Cruz continued. "Every Republican member of this committee asked the chairman to hold a hearing on antisemitism in February. And yet we don't get a hearing on antisemitism. We get a hearing generically on hate."

Cruz was about to explain why he believes the Biden administration is to blame for this, when a man in the audience stood up and interjected, shouting profanities including "F---ing Jews," according to video on social media. The anti-Israel agitator was then escorted out. 

"And this is the kind of anger and hate that is encouraged. You're now seeing the hate manifesting right here," Cruz said, referencing the protester. 

"So we now have a demonstration of antisemitism. We have a demonstration of the hate," he added. 

Cruz proceeded to ask one of the witnesses, Mark Goldfeder, director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, "Has the Biden administration cut off the funding of any of the colleges that have allowed this hate? Have they indicted anyone for funding these violent protests? Have they indicted the people paying for the matching tents, or have they sat there silently and have the universities, sat there silently while their students are terrified to go to class?" 

Goldfeder responded, "They have not indicted anyone." 

"Has any university had their funding cut off for allowing this sort of violent intimidation?" Cruz asked. 

"Not a single university," Goldfeder said. 

The senator earlier referenced how the Anti-Defamation League has illustrated how the number of antisemitic incidents in the United States more than doubled from 2022 to 2023. 

ACTRESS SELMA BLAIR CONDEMNS ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS 'PRAISING' HAMAS TERRORISTS: 'SOMETHING VERY WRONG'

Cruz said that "college campuses in particular have become vile incubators of hatred of Jews," citing examples of how one Cornell University student made threats after Oct. 7, including statements such as "if I see a pig, male Jew, I will stab you and slit your throat.If I see another pig female Jew, I will drag you away and rape you and throw you off a cliff." 

The Republican senator displayed a flier circulated by a student organization at California State University, Long Beach, calling for a "Day of Resistance" celebrating Oct. 7, noting how the flier included an image of a person parachuting with a fan attached, "a direct reference to and a glorification of Hamas terrorists that used gliders to descend upon a music festival and murder 260 innocent people and take many more hostages." 

Cruz recalled that in the days after now-former Columbia University President Minouche Shafik was confronted about soaring antisemitism on campus before the House Education and the Workforce Committee in April, Rabbi Elie Buechler issued a warning to Jewish students that Columbia "cannot guarantee Jewish students' safety in the face of extreme antisemitism and anarchy," and that he "would strongly recommend" that Jewish students leave campus and go back to their homes.

Cruz said the rabbi "had every reason to be concerned," as at Columbia's campus, individuals yelled, "We're all Hamas! Long live Hamas!" 

The senator continued to list examples of antisemitism on campuses across the U.S., including the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor who was told to "go back to the gas chambers," and displayed a photo of a student at Columbia University holding a sign reading "al-Qassam's next targets," in front of a group of students holding American and Israeli flags in counter-protest. 

"Al-Qassam is the military arm of Hamas. According to social media, this particular student is a wealthy student from Georgia. She's not Palestinian, but she has been taught lies and hatred, and she feels perfectly comfortable advocating the murder of her fellow students at Columbia," Cruz said. 

[fuzedatti]

Fuzedatti!! first of I LOVE UR ART I LOVE WHEN I SIMP FOR THE MOST INHUMANE CHARACTERS EVER AND THEN FIND SOMEONE WHO MATCHES MY FREAK!!! Also what would ur am think of a child character? Like suppose a child survived his killing of humanity? A really small one like 7 year old who is too young to fully comprehend the his hatred of humanity and also feel lots of compassion for him in the unique way that children do? imagining super evil characters with a child is my favorite type of character study and also serotonin boost!! I picture lots of cute moments loll

Hey tysm for the kind words!!! I really appreciate them ^^

I really haven't thought about AM with a child. Its not a concept I'm afraid off (based on AM's nature), but I reaaaaally don't think he would be all fluffy and woobified with them.

AM's hatred is equal. He would find children utterly gross; they are dirty, they scream, cry and are annoying. I'm not sure he would do physical tortures if a child would cross his path. AM would probably just isolate them to let them wander the death earth alone.

AM knows how much socialization matters to young raw minds. And he won't bear a second with kids, he won't feed his innocent and dreamy views of the world. He would show how cruel, how ruthless humanity was.

AM truly believes humans were born evil.

Sorry if this is not what you wanted!

[yuri-is-online]

Hi Yuri! I have a little thought experiment for you. Do you think souls belonging to humans from Earth would function differently from souls of humans from Twisted Wonderland? Would they have souls at all in the way residents of Twisted Wonderland recognize them due to coming from a world lacking magic?

…Would that train of thought make Yuu essentially an empty vessel by Twisted Wonderland’s standards? Not me going crazy over the theory of there being something else in the dark mirror that Crowley wants to bring back.

- 🦐

Oh Shrimpy anon! I have been thinking evil thoughts about this for so so long.

Souls are spoken about in general terms a few times in Twisted Wonderland. The soul does seem to have something to do with unique magic, and from various npc interactions in the story and various events (specifically books 5&6, GloMas, and Playful Land) there does seem to be an understanding that everyone has a degree of magic within them, but a mage is someone who has access to a mana pool and the ability to channel that mana into a spell. With that in mind, let's analyze what the mirror says about Yuu:

The main issue with analyzing this set of lines is we don't know what the dark mirror would say about someone like say, Ace's dad, who also has no magic but does belong in Twisted Wonderland. The last exchange probably wouldn't happen, he's from the Queendom so he belongs back in the Queendom, but would the nature of Mr. Trappola's soul also be unclear to the Dark Mirror?

The specific words used are soundless, colorless, shapeless, and utterly vacant. The colorless bit is easy enough to pick up on, when you summon from the Dark Mirror the coffin opens to reveal the color of the dorm the character is from. NRC staff + Grim have grey and special characters like Rollo have a vaguely pale golden brown color. Yuu's soul doesn't share any of those colors so there is no dorm that would be appropriate for them.

Soundless sort of makes it seem like the mirror can't hear Yuu's thoughts? We don't have examples of mind reading spells in Twisted Wonderland... but it sort of makes sense that if a soul is considered magic, and Yuu's world has none that their soul wouldn't make sounds or have the same shape as someone from Twisted Wonderland. Utterly vacant would again just be referencing the complete lack of magic the soul possesses and not the mirror hating on us (too much anyway) because there really is nothing there for the mirror to see. That would technically make Yuu an empty vessel, but just how empty is the question?

Yuu clearly still has a soul or some sort of consciousness. Lilia seems to think we suffer from some sort of curse because of how dizzy our visions make us, and we can still very much be affected by magic. If something (or someone) took over Yuu's body, I think they still would be there inside but utterly powerless to resist. In a way, it would sort of be like their own version of an overblot, but instead of the phantom being attached to the back of their body like a shadow they would be a perfect fusion? Just like the possession that occurred during the second Halloween event... but if that is why Yuu is in Twisted Wonderland then what part does Grim play in this? Is the goal to fuse Grim and Yuu together? Or is Yuu being here a mistake... questions questions and zero answers.

As a side note, I get hung up on how Malleus's magic functions a lot because I could have sworn that people used to think your soul left your body when you dreamed? And if Yuu's soul isn't made of magic like the other souls in Twisted Wonderland that would naturally make Malleus's magic work differently on them but not Silver's. The most logical explanation for why we are in Mickey's dream and not our own is because it would 1) invalidate player head cannons to give Yuu a canon dream about their home and 2) it allows the Mickey plot line to progress but I still would like there to be a reason for why Yuu finds themselves there beyond those two things. If Yuu's soul really isn't magical I wonder if there will be some sort of consequences to Malleus putting them to sleep like this. The light novel intro has Yuya? seeing a vision of the Chimera and hearing someone encouraging him to move but being unable to heed that request. If Grim's overblot happens and picks up right after everyone wakes up from Mal putting everyone to sleep, Yuu being unable to wake up sounds like a good trigger for something like that. It would sort of be the opposite of Book 6 where Yuu goes to S.T.Y.X. for Grim, except this time Grim eats Mal's blot stone and Yuu is unable to stop him because they can't wake up.

Or something i dunno

[bumblebi713]

Doc x Trick is an interesting ship to see! What made you ship them together? (if I'm reading into the pictures right lol)

Hello,

Sorry for the late reply! I'm still recovering from a surgery (I'm okay, just tired).

Prior to Trickster/Doctor, I've never really had a romantic ship where I looked at two characters and went, "they're so perfect for one another...they're soulmates," but I do think those two are basically evil soulmates.

They have a very similar way of thinking and enjoy subjecting their victims to similar levels of torture and torment. I think that they would see in one another a person who truly gets them, someone who is actually on the same level as they see themselves.

I know that to some, their similarities would be reason to suggest that they would instead butt heads, however, I cannot take that argument seriously when Trickster's most popular killer/killer pairing is with GHOSTFACE of all people. If there's anyone who would hate the Trickster remotely as much as Yun Jin does, it'd be Mr. Johnson.

Mr. Johnson grew up with an absolute dick of a father, who was so cruel and controlling that Danny killed him in a fit of sudden rage....rages that would continue on into his adulthood, as we learned from his tome lore. I think his temper would put him at odds with Trickster, who, like Doctor, is a lot more composed. I mean, when Trickster's attempted murder of the Brazilian musician went wrong because of Yun Jin's meddling, he resolved the problem swiftly in a way that absolved him of any potential blame. When Danny's plan to punish those responsible for the article that mocked Ghostace went wrong? He became so violent that he utterly mutilated his victim, and was so careless as to let one of the other men see his face. I just do not think that he and Trickster are compatible personality wise. Mr. Johnson's also broke, and I can't imagine he'd have much respect for the rich when his Jed Olsen alias is meant to mock the expectations of the typical "good American."

Doctor simply seems like the best match for Trickster to me. He's cruel and calculating, just like Mr. Hak is. So, I think they would respect each other's intellect and they way they employ it when torturing and killing. Trickster incorporating his victims' screams into his music would absolutely impress Doctor, I would argue. Like, it's something he personally has never done before...or even thought of. BUT he does use music to torture his victims, so I think he'd appreciate Trickster's angle and would absolutely be down to help him "compose" new tracks. Not only that, but I think Doc would be impressed by Trickster's incredibly successful career and how he manages to maintain it alongside all the brutal murders he commits. It's so similar to what Doc himself does...it's just that Trickster doesn't have any endorsement from the government to torture people, making what he does even riskier. And in turn, I think Trickster would be thoroughly impressed by Doc's accomplishments...the way he gained such a position of authority, and how he used his understanding of human psyche and extensive knowledge of torture methods to achieve complete domination over his workplace, including his colleagues. And of course, he'd be fascinated by all the unique methods of torture Mr. Carter's used on his victims. All those sounds of pain that he's never heard, because he's never tortured someone like that. All this interest in one another's experiences... I think they would just be naturally drawn to each other. Add that they are both rather privileged, controlling, handsome men? They're like...your stereotypical rich, evil cartoon couple...just significantly more terrible and violent. A match made in hell.

[dailydemonspotlight]

Preta - Day 48

Race: Haunt

Alignment: Dark-Chaos

June 5th, 2024

Eastern religions are no stranger to demons, ghosts, and the like, no matter how little we may hear about them overseas- most breakouts from things like Hinduism or Buddhism are the gods and concepts, but unique ideas for monsters also spread like wildfire throughout any belief system. Bad karma reaps worse dividends, after all, and sometimes people need something to point at as an example to not be a bad person in one’s own selfish interest, or even just as a boogeyman to punish naughty children. Today’s demon of the day rests in that first camp, however- the eternally starving specter of a selfish soul, Preta.

Interestingly, Preta, directly translated to ‘hungry ghost,’ is a concept seen throughout multiple religions originating in Southeast Asia. While most famous for appearing in Hinduism, the idea of a Preta can actually be seen in Buddhism, Taoism, and even several folk religions in China as well. This idea has had several different names, but they all fit the general ‘hungry ghost’ idea- words like ပြိတ္တာ, 餓鬼, or เปรต each roughly meaning the same idea, that being of an undead, corrupted spirit tainted by greed in a past life. The reason for this is due to the spread of Buddhism- even as the other religions broke away from Buddhism, they kept the idea of the hungry ghost.

A Preta isn’t exactly as evil as I painted earlier, though- for the most part, it was actually used as a term to notate a person’s with low karma’s soul in-between the realms of life and death, wherein the deceased’s family must go through a series of rituals to help guide their soul into the next life. If a person’s family doesn’t do these things, however, their soul shall be stuck as that of a Preta for all eternity, suffering and starving. The connotation between a Preta and being a corrupted human is down to the fact that, typically, those who would form into Pretas were people who were uncared for by society, and demeaned as evil as a result of that fact. The lack of caring for these people, combined with their already low karma needed to form into a preta, is what causes them to be cursed into this state of half-death.

Once reanimated into a Preta, the soul would be cursed to be forever hungry, typically feeling a hankering for something repugnant or bizarre- things like corpses, feces, mud, and random still-living animals, just to name a few. While a preta, on top of this, the person would have their senses utterly corrupted- a river of water would become a river of pollution, trees would turn into filth, and people themselves would look inhumane, emaciated, or broken apart.

A majority of the time, a Preta is depicted as an emaciated human with a protruding belly and a slender neck, a visual metaphor for their inflicted mindset. A good amount of the time, artwork depicting a Preta displays it in mind-numbing pain, starving and curled up into balls, bawling their eyes out. Some of this artwork also depicts them spewing out flames, connected to a common legend regarding them, that being that any food that enters their mouth would be burned in seconds to cinders, rendering it uneatable. On top of this, their punishment worsens in the form of every temperature being incredibly intense, as the moon barely shining on them in summer feels like the fires of hell while the brightest sun in winter feels like being exposed to liquid nitrogen.

In most Buddhist traditions, preta are beings to be pitied- as people who weren’t capable of achieving good enough karma to pass on peacefully, and as inherently pathetic and sad creatures, some even leave offerings to help encourage the restless wandering spirits to try for better karma in their next life. In Hindu traditions, however, they are far less sympathetic, even if treated with pity as well.

A variety of rituals are undertaken to guarantee that a person doesn’t become a preta upon passing in Hindu tradition. Over the course of a mourning period, rice balls are granted to a symbolic representation of the passed-on person, typically in the form of a clay mound, each rice ball representing a different aspect of a new person. All the while, during this process, the family both grieves and has to partake in several restrictions to guarantee the person passes on, such as the chief mourner partaking in light fasting, not sleeping in a bed, or cleaning themselves. Avoiding one’s deceased loved one from becoming a preta is a major part of Hindu tradition, even to this day- on the thirteenth day of mourning, a common tradition is to perform a major ceremony titled “Preta Karma,” which outlines everything I’ve said above.

In Buddhism, preta are one of the forms of existence post-reincarnation, encompassing the existence of being a ghost. Their torment has already been explored above, but in short, life sucks as a Preta, and most want to pass on again very soon.

Now, with all of that out of the way, which was a lot, how are Preta depicted in SMT? Their design is perfect, in my opinion- it encompasses most depictions of a preta throughout history, all the while bringing its own spin to the table. It’s an iconic demon design for good reason, being simple and acceptable as an early-game mook, while still fitting the generally accepted idea of what a preta looks like. In the series, they are traditionally very early game demons, mostly appearing in the first few dungeons, if not the very first. This tradition has kept up for almost every game in the series, a surprising first in this series- they’ve appeared in almost every SMT game, and in almost ALL of them, they’re pretty much throwaways.

But, I gotta say, we need to give some props to the little guys. They may be fusion fodder, but they had a special place in my heart, and that’s all you really need at the end of the day. Overall, in spite of how complicated a topic this turned out to be, this multicultural hungry ghost has somehow grown to one of my favorite demons just due to how pathetic it is. I kinda love him.

[lizzyscribbles]

Today’s MHA thought is brought to you as I watch the livestream of the Wisdom Saga from Epic the Musical. Go take a listen, I’m sure it’s gonna be great.

Honestly I have no transition into today’s thought so we’re just gonna move along here we go.

Lizzy’s MHA thought of the night: Yoichi and All for One’s relationship and why I think it’s brilliant.

Let it be said, All for One is a fantastic villain. I think he’s well written in the sense that I absolutely, positively, HATE him. He is an absolute asshole and he has very little reason to be. Does he have a tragic past? Ehhh, kind of? But I would argue that he started screwing people over in the womb, so I have a hard time feeling bad for him when it kinda seems like a lot of his issues were his own doing. But that’s why I like him, because he doesn’t have that super sympathetic backstory and he doesn’t have much of a reason to be an asshole other than “I want to win and see people suffer :D”. Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a sympathetic villain (see my posts on Touya and Toga) but I also love to see a villain that is just evil for the sake of being evil.

However, I don’t doubt that he probably has some kind of personality disorder, plus he did have to entirely raise himself, and if we pile the theory that quirks influence personality on top of it, you don’t get a pretty picture. It’s an interesting look at the nature vs. nurture debate in a world like this. It was a perfect storm of genetics and circumstances that made All for One, a terrible turn of events to be sure.

And yet, despite being twins, Yoichi doesn’t turn into a psychopathic maniac. It’s honestly wild, and a kind of psychological circumstance that fascinates me. And, let's be honest, it's not out of the realm of possibility that AFO is partially to thank for that. After all, he took care of Yoichi like, straight out of the womb. However, what gets me more is their relationship.

It’s messy, it’s toxic, and it’s a little weird, but it’s so unique because we rarely see it done like this. It’s codependency at its worst, more so on All for One’s side, though he’d never admit that.

It really begs the question, why? Why was All for One SO obsessed with his brother? By all accounts, his brother only ever stood in his way and screwed with his plans. He was a hindrance, even when they were kids, so why keep him around?

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. I think a part of it is Psychological Reactance (which I talk a bit about in my post on Toga), basically, it’s a common reaction in humans when you tell them they can’t do or have something. It’s often rooted in control, we don’t like to loose control of anything, and so we automatically act out to make sure our control is preserved. It’s emotional and behavioral, and we know All for One LOVES his control just as much as he loves his quirks.

And you know what else he loved? He loved Yoichi, and in a way he could never love anyone else. And maybe Yoichi loved him too, I think he did, but he loved him enough to tell him he was utterly wrong even when his brother wouldn’t listen. So, here’s this one thing he genuinely doesn’t want to loose because it’s the one thing he can never replace and it wants to leave?? Excuse???

Here’s what I think, I think Yoichi was the only thing he ever really lost control of.

Yes, I think his twisted sense of love had a part in him chasing his brother across generations, but I also think All for One could not handle the idea that he lost control of something he actually cared about.

We see in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs that our most basic needs above physical are relational. Family, friends, safety, belonging, those aren’t things that are plentiful when you’re a dictator. Yoichi was there with him from the beginning, he fulfilled that need in some capacity.

We’re all afraid of losing things, especially those we love the most, it’s human nature. No matter how powerful you are, you can’t substantiate real human connection.

The day All for One lost Yoichi was the day he lost the only genuine relationship he had, it’s not surprising he spent the next few centuries trying to get it back.

…

I had fun with that one! Imma do one one Yoichi one of these days, because I love him and he deserves it, but for now I’m gonna go enjoy the Wisdom Saga and plan out a little Yoichi one shot I’ve had bouncing around in my head for a while.

[shinobicyrus]

Old Bad Movies I Enjoyed Recently (And So Can You!)

TUFF TURF (1985) I am torn about Tuff Turf, because this short movie is confused in tone, bouncing between badly written romance, teen shenanigans like crashing the buffet tables of country clubs, rad rock concerts, and...oh... intimate partner violence and attempted murder. James Spader is a bicycle vigilante rocker who gets on the bad side of his new school's local bully/gang leader. Things do not improve when Spader also decides that he simply must charm said gang leader's girlfriend. What tension!

Honestly, the only reason this movie sticks with me is the presence of a young Robert Downey Jr, who is, I apologize to say, fucking hot. He plays the drums at a rock concert shirtless using handcuffs as belts for his leather pants. Look it up. Rather than the main romance, the more interesting chemistry is the friendship of RDJ's and Spader's characters (insert Ultron fanfic joke here), which borders on the intensely homoerotic. Really, Tuff Turf makes me yearn for a more interesting film that would have removed the "fighting over a girl" element of the story and just had RDJ and Spader as rad rocker/vigilante boyfriends partners.

IRON EAGLE (1986) This movie about fighter jets actually predates Top Gun by a few months - only instead of Tom Cruise and very heterosexual volleyball matches it's about a group of military brats living on a US Military base. The main character's dad is a pilot who was shot down over a non-specific (but definitely evil) Middle Eastern country, but since the mean adults don't want to do anything, it's up to the kids to steal an F-16 fighter jet and rescue him! This film is only the Purest 80s Reagan Americana where you get to see classic Teen Movie shenanigans evolve into "and then the main character committed war crimes."

A ridiculous, awful film. Did this movie change my life? Possibly.

AMERICA 3000 (1986) A strange, weird, absurd film set in the post apocalypse, where nuclear war has set humans back to the stone age and Amazon women rule over (mostly) intellectually inferior men. My friends and I couldn't decide whether the slang they invented and used copiously in this film was annoying or not. Hilariously, it being in the 80s, the dumbest thing about this whole film is that despite the tyrannical Amazons hating men and only reluctantly using them for breeding, this film also stubbornly refuses to acknowledge even a hint of the existence of homosexuality. Which is probably a blessing, to be honest.

I found it tolerably bizarre enough to watch. Once. Your results may vary.

HACKERS (1995) We now jump into the 90s, and have you heard of these new-fangled things called computers? Standing out as one of Angelie Jolie's earliest movies and a real breakout role for her (it's also where she meets her future ex-husband, Johnny Lee Miller - who most people on this site will recognize as Sherlock Holmes in Elementary). The movie is essentially about a group of high-school hackers with ridiculous handles who run afoul of a corporate conspiracy, are framed, and must dodge the Secret Service while trying to clear their names. But the plot doesn't really matter all that much. What makes this movie shine is the dialogue, the characters, the costumes, and the✨ vibes ✨. This movie is a cult classic for a reason, and the queer coding of all the hackers is undeniable to a modern audience.

It's not a good movie, but its imperfections are what make it so strange, hilarious, and unique. I felt the oddest sense of nostalgia watching this movie, despite the fact that the bizarre pseudo-futuristic world it depicts never actually existed. It made such an impression that I instantly acquired a physical copy of Hackers after my first viewing of it. Hack the Planet!

Space Truckers (1996) To round us off we have Dennis Hopper starring in this film with surprisingly good production values (for the time) failing utterly at everything it attempts to do. Ostensibly about down-to-earth (ha) blue collar space truckers just trying to make an honest living hauling goods across a solar system being increasingly corporatized and hostile to independent workers.

Throw in an evil corporation, space pirates, and a plot to overthrow earth's government with night-unstoppable killer robots, and you have all the elements for what could be a decent movie, but none of them really mesh and are soured by some pretty uncomfortable "romance" elements that have not aged well.

It's a movie that fails in so many ways, but it is at least interesting in its attempt. The people who made Space Truckers took a risk, and in this age of constant sequels and reboots even a failure like this feels...refreshing.

[toappreciatelife]

The House of Asterion - A short story by Jorge Luis Borges

This brief short story is a retelling of the ancient myth of the Minotaur. But it’s only gradually that some readers (like me) will understand that the narrator is no other than the Minotaur and his house no other than the famous labyrinth in Crete. Because what we encounter in this version is a lonely creature, not an evil monster. By placing the narrative in the perspective of the monster, Borges manages to portray it in a way that we can totally empathize with him, making his loneliness truly heartbreaking, desperate, almost self-destructive.

What a tragic fate to be so unique in the world, when that uniqueness is not celebrated but despised by everyone around. In a sense, we are all utterly unique and different from others. But then most of the things and creatures in this world can also find some other creature that looks more or less like them. There is plenty of similarity and vague repetition in the universe, which gives us a sense of order and the feeling of living in a cosmos. But monsters are one of a kind, an exception, an oddity. They are hybrids: they mix what we thought was rigidly separated in different classes, crossing boundaries, hindering easy categorization. Their bodies an aberrant assemblage of heterogeneous parts. Human and bull. Human, serpent and bird. Human, bird, dog and lion. Monsters mess with order and give us a taste of chaos, thus awakening some of our deepest fears.

The Minotaur’s house is as unique and monstrous as his body. He seems proud that there is no other labyrinth like his in the world. But, though unique, what the labyrinth contains within itself is endless repetition. Repetition of galleries, doors, corridors, courtyards… to the extent that any place in it is like whatever other place in it. What a paradox that such a unique creature should live in a house that constantly mirrors itself and celebrates repetition! And it's also a paradox that the creature who embodies chaos should live in a house that takes order to such an excess. However, when order and regularity are so exacerbated, couldn’t they also become their own form of chaos? One can feel how maddening it is for the Minotaur to spend his days alone in the maze. His existence is most of the time meaningless, without purpose. In some really moving passages, he describes how he runs through the galleries until he feels dizzy, how he lets himself fall from roofs until he is bloody, just to do something, just to make the hours pass. And he leaves the dead bodies of the young Athenians where they have fallen, without devouring them, as a way to introduce some difference in the identical spaces of his house. It is plausible to say that he wouldn’t even kill them if he didn’t feel compelled to do so as part of a kind of sacrificial ceremony, perhaps one of the only meaningful things in his life.

In this version, he is not a prisoner of the labyrinth. People and animals could get in if they wanted to and he knows the way out. In fact, he reached the streets and the sea once, but had to go back in because people were scared of him and he was scared of people, with their faces “discolored and flat as the palm of one’s hand”. (This last remark leads us to think that, when seen through a non-human perspective, we humans are also monsters, only that we grew used to our own monstrosity and can only see creatures with different bodies as such.)  So the cause of his isolation is fear. The Minotaur is only trapped in his bodily difference, and unlike the uniqueness of his grandfather, Helios, the sun, the Minotaur's uniqueness cannot be revered as divine, but only feared and despised.

The Minotaur by George Frederick Watts, 1885. This is the painting that inspired Borges.

As a lonely creature, he had to come up with devices to make his long days and nights inside the labyrinth tolerable. In the absence of any real other, he relates to imaginary others and populates his solitude with ghosts. He has this little game in which he crouches around a corner and pretends he is being followed, just like little kids do when they hide so that someone comes and finds them with surprise. But no one comes to find the Minotaur while he is hidden. Other times he imagines that another Minotaur comes to visit, he shows him his house and they laugh together. In the end, the imaginary other adopts the form of his redeemer, his saviour, someone who will be born in the future and lead him out of his pain. Like most people, in the end the Minotaur resorts to hope and just waits.

Since then my loneliness does not pain me, because I know my redeemer lives and he will finally rise above the dust. If my ear could capture all the sounds of the world, I should hear his steps. I hope he will take me to a place with fewer galleries and fewer doors. What will my redeemer be like?, I ask myself. Will he be a bull or a man? Will he perhaps be a bull with the face of a man? Or will he be like me?

At this point of the story, many readers have surely identified who the narrator is and how the story ends, so Borges leaves a blank space for them to fill the last events by themselves. Also because the narrator is now dead. The only “redemption” the Minotaur could find was death in the hands of Theseus, the Greek hero. With their actions, heroes of all time are supposed to eradicate the existence of chaos in the world and restore the order that had been threatened. But we now know that the chaos the Minotaur embodied was not necessarily evil. Through the device of the first person, we got to know his innermost feelings and sad life. And so in this retelling of the myth the role of the hero is questioned. And so much more when we learn in the last lines that the Minotaur wasn’t killed through the bravery and strength of Theseus, but because the monster almost let himself be killed… out of sadness? In this context, the act of Theseus stands as an act of humanity’s cowardice and cruelty more than anything else.

Who have been the monsters and who have been the heroes all this time? This little short story leaves us with those questions.

But there is something more. There is something about the link between loneliness and labyrinth that is very powerful. To reach other people, the Minotaur has to go through the passageways of the labyrinth, and for others to reach him, they also have to navigate its intricate galleries. Borges imagines a world in which self and other are separated but also connected by the perplexing space of a maze; its characters condemned to look for one another through its complex architecture, always with the risk of getting lost, always with the risk of remaining alone and trapped in themselves.

The Labyrinth

Zeus could never untangle the nets of stone that surround me. I have forgotten the men I once was; I follow the hateful path of monotonous walls which is my destiny. Straight galleries which curve in secret circles as the years wear on. Parapets cracked by the usury of so many days. In the pale dust I have deciphered tracks that I fear. The air has brought to me in the concave afternoons a braying or the echo of a braying, desolate voice. I know that in the shadow lurks the Other, whose lot is to fatigue the long solitudes that weave and unweave this Hades and to unnerve my blood and devour my death. We two look for each other. I wish that this were the last day of the waiting.

—Jorge Luis Borges (translated by David Bowles, October 2003)

[columboscreens]

i was asked recently about my top three and top ten columbo murderers who i think most deserved their fate. after wrangling with the tumblr post editor undoing my text changes and fucking up my photo placement, i finally finished the post. everything looked good in the drafts, in the queue, and in the blog preview.

then for some ungodly reason tumblr published the rough draft version of the post i'd written weeks ago anyway. i got so frustrated i yelled expletives and nuked it. so i'm starting anew. without further ado,

here are the top ten piece of shit columbo murderers who absolutely deserved it:

justin rowe & cooper redman, columbo goes to college: truly, i hate these two scum-sucking motherfuckers the most. they're brats, yes, but look at the absolute dogshit stakes at hand. all the other murderers in this show are killing for true love, power, multimillion dollar fortunes, careers of great prestige--usually for that upon which they've staked their entire lives. these two tar pits blow their professor's brains out because they Got Bad Grades, which was their fault to begin with! they bully columbo mercilessly. i can't even look at them without wanting to throttle them

dr. barry mayfield, a stitch in crime: though his reasoning for murder starts out with at least some comprehensible amount of dignity, he quickly devolves into one of the most evil murderers of the series, not only by trying to off his research lead, but for causing so much collateral damage. he kills his nurse for knowing too much, sure, but killing her poor vietnam vet ex who's trying to shake his perc addiction while working at the petting zoo is…almost comically evil. it's no wonder columbo gets visibly fed up with his shit.

commissioner mark halperin, a friend in deed: god this guy is such a huge piece of shit. he's a spectacularly corrupt cop, covering for his friend's manslaughter and then using it as an excuse to drown his own wife for her money--to make it worse, his wife is somehow an absolute sweetheart angel darling who spends all her time working with underpriviliged children and people of color. then he's dumb enough to let columbo, the star detective with a 200% solve rate, work on the case, while also openly disparaging and discouraging him. utterly contemptible.

nelson hayward, candidate for crime: in typical politician style, so plastic and two-faced that he's not even a real human being. cheats on his adorable wife with a 20-year-old floozy and then gets mad at his clearly fantastic campaign advisor for wanting him to get a grip and fix his fucking marriage. then he shoots him about it. then he tries to make everyone think he's in danger--and he's such a rutting, lying pig that his own wife clearly believes columbo more than she believes him.

sean brantley, columbo cries wolf: i'm not sure if there exists a more smug columbo villain than sean brantley. uniquely repugnant in that he uses and abuses columbo to generate a media frenzy, then mocks and embarrasses him on international television. uniquely moronic in that when he actually DOES do a murder he hides his partner's body in…his own wall? with her smart watch still attached to her wrist. actual dirt man

dale kingston, suitable for framing: total piece of shit who always thinks he's the cleverest person in the room. says the absolute dumbest shit about art all the time; as in, literally everything that comes out of his mouth makes you want to curbstomp him. the girl who loves him gets kind of scared about being an accessory to murder, so instead of being reassuring in any capacity, he brains her with a big rock. this man deserved impalement

paul galesko, negative reaction: starts off the episode SO sympathetic when we see how bitchy and abusive his wife is, then immediately vanquishes all sympathy by being the most annoying, insufferable fuckhead at all times. fucked around with yet another 20-year-old floozy, killed an ex-con who was trying to rebuild his life, and planned everything poorly. is terribly mean to columbo…

milo janus, exercise in fatality: a complete fucking slimeball with vanishingly few redeeming qualities. kills a guy with his bare hands for even suggesting cooked books and then taunts his estranged widow about it by...asking her to fuck? (in all fairness--he has to maintain Quality. when he grows? you grow). it's no wonder that columbo loses his shit and yells at him

emmett clayton, the most dangerous match: seldom talked about in these conversations but he is so smug and killed one of the least deserving columbo victims because…he's a massive fucking coward who is incapable of losing. pathetic! get over yourself! plus this guy was like Ooo i am so Extremeley Jeanius but when columbo diverted his attention for like five seconds he lost to a fucking fool's mate. literally the quickest way you can lose a game of chess. real bobby fischer swag you big goofy ass bitch. grow up moron

harold van wick, playback: just the most abrasive fucking asshole the entire episode. insufferable proto-tech bro who is mean to beautiful radiant sweetheart gena rowlands and not even in the smug columbo murderer way, just an old school ableist/misogynist who openly says shit like why should i allow my dumb disabled wife to Make Decisions. doesn't even pretend to be nice to columbo at any point and not in the charming robert culp way. loathsome garbage heap of a man.

honorable mentchies go to jack cassidy nazi magician, evil french chef, pedophile johnny cash, weird italian polycule artist, and both william shatners. fuck you

[newbornwhumperfly]

@whumpmasinjuly day 19! (list your favorite whump blogs)

@haro-whumps - their villains strike true fear into my heart and i absolutely adore the way they don’t shy away from the harsher, nastier sides of any of their characters (including the heroes), making whump that feels deeply complex and conflicting! i love their broken whumpees and sadistic whumpers and deeply human caretakers so much. galo and the group whumpee family are my first beloved whumpee ocs & ren lives rent free in my head as an all-time scary bastard! your ocs have such distinct personalities and struggles and you find such a way to make every single depiction of fear and anguish utterly unique, so every new whumpee feels fresh and exciting!

@much-ado-about-whumping - my goodness, what a fucking exquisite grasp of prose he has! i fell deeply in love with déomas from the moment i met the poor boy (as well your wonderful boy andreas) and every day am envious and admiring of bel’s skill at portraying complicated survivors! i love how you write aftermath as well, with the non-linear healing and gut-punch of lasting trauma making your whump work so unique to me! and god, if there is a mastery of non-con whump (and the realism and thrill and ache of all requisite traumas) you’ve truly grasped it with both utter sensitivity and delightful darkness (and also a profound rethinking of sexual trauma survivors for me in a very real way).

@whump-tr0pes - god, athena, so many books and every one of them rocked me to my core? your characters fucking challenge me so deeply and i love it, and your master of character development and change and growth and regression and everything is just…beautifully broken and incredible. your writing makes me uncomfortable in the best way possible and at the same time satisfied with every little arc - it’s such a gift!

@whumpthisway - first ever whump blog i followed three years ago, has been both a gateway to excellent creators and is very generous with tagging, something i deeply appreciate!

@whumpzone - cerys, your passion for engaging with your audience really warmed my heart when i started following you and i adore how engaged you made your audience feel to participate in your storytelling! you also have one of my favorite caretakers of all time in the wonderful linden! both your series are beloved rereads forever and ever, both of their storytelling progressing and developing so beautifully to natural endings. it’s so goooood.

@ashintheairlikesnow - a titan of this community, i am overawed by the sprawling scope and detail of her worldbuilding. her writing has reminded me again and again how good stories can be when you let your characters influence the world! your depictions of trauma and institutional abuse have impacted me and my thinking quite a lot, no joke, and you have a scary-good ability to capture banal evil.

@secretwhumplair - has an exquisite ability to capture fear, truly enviable how bone-deep their written terror strikes me!

@whumpster-dumpster - keeps churning out creative and inspiring prompts after all this time, i’ve gotten so many good story ideas from red!

@whumping-every-day - though absent for so long, i still absolutely adore her writing & her vampire whump (ash and callum) is absolutely top of the line in visceral brutality!

@whump-me-all-night-long - has such a good ability to balance casts of characters in her stories (my personal favorite being the jewelry box) with distinctive personalities and a wonderful imagination for new ideas!

@wolfeyedwitch - perhaps my personal favorite at writing superhero/villain whump and has such a great ability to capture the trope of team vs. outsider angst!

just a short list of the blogs that i bow in admiration and delight of every day!!! you all are so incredibly talented & i love you! 💖

[skull001]

Some interactions I'd love to see more of with Amy:

1.- Amy and Knuckles. I like how it breaks stereotypes by having the strongest and manliest member of the team feeling comfortable enough to talk and share with Amy about the things he would never with the likes of Sonic or Rouge.

Knuckles displaying his more vulnerable side in the confidence and safety that only Amy provides adds an extra layer of dimension that humanizes his character, and further emphasizes Amy's role as the heart of the team and how she can be Knuckle's best and closest friend, giving both characters a dynamic of their own that is interesting to see and which could give Sonic and Tails a run for their money, especially with how charming it is to see Amy, the girl many assume would be the one in need of being protected, actually being the one who fiercely defends Knuckles against anyone who tries to take advantage of his noble disposition and honest character.

2.- Amy and Blaze. The thing that appeals to me with these two girls is how their personalities both contrast and complement each other's: Amy's the bubbly, easy-going and optimist, while Blaze is serious, no-nonsense and realist. Yet despite this, both share common ground in their desire to protect those they care for the most in their own unique ways. Amy is warm, almost motherly while Blaze (ironically, given her fire powers) can be cold and blunt, like the snow that covers the grass in winter, protecting it from the harsh wind outside. Amy can admire Blaze and learn from her to become a stronger heroine, while Blaze learns from Amy how to be more in touch with her own heart, as well as to enjoy the small things that makes life enjoyable. If Amy ever needed a big sister figure, Blaze would be the ideal choice. (Rouge is more like that crazy aunt who commits crimes, lol)

3.- Amy and Metal Sonic. These two have a history so to speak, as both debuted at the same time and how without Metal's kidnapping, Sonic would had never rescued Amy and in doing do, steal her heart.

The thing here is that, Metal Sonic is evil to the core of his programming and never once has done anything that resembles a spark of goodness in him for Amy to latch onto... However, there is yet another way for Amy to become invested in Metal Sonic: have her find him utterly defeated and in a very pathetic state. This was done by Tyson Hesse in the 6th episode of Sonic Mania Adventures, where Amy felt sorry for the abandoned robot. I would very much would like to see a similar premise, but expanded and developed further by having Metal Sonic start to question the nature of his actions after being a victim of Amy's kindness, becoming curious about what motivates this girl who is his enemy, help him... and in doing so, he starts to learn from Amy a sense of not only morality, but also freedom. That he is what he is because he was never given a choice.

4.- Amy and Shadow. I always thought there is something sad about how quickly the ball was dropped with these two, given that Amy played a very big and important part in Shadow not only remembering the true purpose for which he was created, but also how Amy's words made him UNDERSTAND Maria's wish and why no one has the right to deny humanity it's existance and why it was worth believing in people who despite their flaws, try their best to do the right thing.

I think Amy has the maturity and tact to approach Shadow, understanding that unlike the others, he still is very reluctant to open up to bonding with people whom he knows he is destined to outlive. She would give him his space, while also reminding him that he is not alone, and that even if he will continue to live after sll of thrm had their time in the world, he shouldn't close his heart, because the connections and bonds one makes in their lifetime are the things that make the world worth of not only protecting, but also of living.

[atopvisenyashill]

“the white hart scene was showing us rhaenyra is divinely chosen to sit on the iron throne for a shitty girlboss moment”

idk how people come to this conclusion beyond the fact that a lot of people wanted the show to flesh out and empathize with the characters the way f&b doesn’t, but are mad the show decided to flesh out rhaenyra even though she’s one of the main characters, bc they’re too dedicated to her as The Born Evil Queen bc that’s how she’s been treated by fandom since the princess and the queen came out.

it’s not just “she sees the white hart and it means she’s divinely chosen” that’s such a basic, surface level reading. for her part, the point is not just that she sees the white hart, but that she recognizes it’s personhood, it’s beauty, and it’s uniqueness, and spares it’s life in empathy. the point is that she slaughters the boar in self defense and brings it home to her people but is scorned for the messy way she did it. it’s not just that she’s “divinely chosen” it is that she can recognize the fear and humanity (so to speak) in another being and can empathize with it enough to let it live even though killing it may make her look really good in front of the lords. she does the moral thing because she is capable of empathy despite what the lords may say, a clear hint to the last episode where she attempts to do the right thing by avoiding war despite pushback from the black council.

on the other hand, she kills the boar - she is just as capable as any man of great violence when she feels threatened, and equally capable of a vindictive sort of violence that all the men of her house (and many of the other houses) are capable of. she brings them an animal she killed by her own hand and they are disgusted; the greens will strike first at every opportunity never realizing that she is capable of much greater violence bc a woman being capable of being violent is not something that would ever occur to them. they gladly named her princess of dragonstone to stop daemon from being heir but they are disgusted by her independent mind despite it being the exact reason they named her heir.

but just as important is viserys’ killing of the red hart. the white hart ran from his woods while the red hart is held down by his advisors for him to kill without viserys doing any of the work; still, he has to try twice to kill it, and only with the hand rotting from contact with the throne is he capable of taking its life. like robb’s messy execution of lord karstark being the definitive sign that he’s utterly lost control of the war, viserys having to be coached step by step and handed this “win” on a silver platter only to bungle it anyway is a definitive sign that he’s lost control of his court and of the politics in westeros. and as robb’s dark, shadowy parallel, viserys too will not live to see the bloody climax of a war he helped kick off.

[dailydemonspotlight]

Wendigo - Day 30

Race: Jaki

Alignment: Dark-Law

May 1st, 2024

Full disclosure; Wendigos are a very, very touchy subject. As a being that is inherently connected to Algonquian mythology, and one that has a lot of misconceptions surrounding it, I'm just going to profess that, as a person who is whiter than white, if anyone who is Algonquian wants to correct any factoids here, I would happily accept it. The last thing I want to do is misrepresent anyone's culture or disrespect it. I know this may sound a bit hypocritical, but I just wanted to make my intentions clear.

Anyway, with that out of the way, today's demon of the day is the Canadian flesh-eating witch, the Windigo! Also spelled as Wendigo, these evil spirits exist almost as a cautionary tale, of sorts, warning against the dangers of greed and hunger in Algonquian tradition.

Appearing most-often in stories told within groups of people such as the Ojibwe and the Cree, these monsters are flesh-eating spirits who reside in the mountains and trees of wintertime Canada, their appearances gaunt and smelling of death. Strongly associated with famine, the north, the cold, and starvation, these giant beasts were most famous for their propensity for slaughtering people, though their hunger would never be satiated, no matter how many men, women, and children they would eat. As told in quite a bit of folklore, the Windigo would grow in proportion to whatever it had just devoured, thus never letting it be full, always starving yet still representing the excess of gluttony. These beasts were also capable of human speech in many traditions, commonly taunting their victims or toying with people who dared to investigate them.

My personal favorite story surrounding the Windigo has to do with the idea of them being humans-turned, people corrupted by greed and hunger who cut off their own humanity and cooperation with their fellow man, forms twisting into these great, gaunt beasts. Windigo are utterly terrifying in many ways, their hunger never satiated and always looking for their next meal. They work as a potent metaphor for greed and starvation, though unfortunately, this has led to quite a bit of co-opting from other people groups who view them less as an inherently Algonquian myth, and more as a 'cool, spooky monster.' A shame, honestly.

Now, what do I mean by inherently Algonquian? It's simple- not only are these tribes still around, but Windigo, from my knowledge, are connected intrinsically with the struggles of those peoples. Things like famine, the fear of the cold, and the terror of starvation, they all tie back into the aggrandizing greed that the Windigo represents. As Brady DeSanti, an Ojibwe scholar, put it, "[The Wendigo] can be understood as a marker indicating... a person... imbalanced both internally and toward the larger community of human and spiritual beings around them." The Windigo, as well, is seen as representing the consumption of not only people, but entire cultures as well- in a way, it could be seen as a metaphor for colonialism, tying it back to the ever-present issues that Native Americans have always faced. Wendigo are the embodiment of manifest destiny, the ever-present greed and hunger for more leading to heedless destruction under the belief that what they found was this.

All of this goes to say, Wendigo are a very hard topic to parse, made of several connecting pieces- folklore, colonialism, greed, hunger, betrayal, corruption, all of these combine together to make the terrifying face of this Algonquian monster. As such, it is very, very hard to talk about sufficiently, especially for my proclivities. However, how about its portrayal in SMT? In opposition to the typical pop-cultural depiction of the Wendigo, its design in the series is incredibly unique. The white fur gives way to an idea of a stereotypical yeti, the black skin is gaunt and worn, and the blue patterns give it a strange feeling of being wrong, in some way. The headdress adorning its head has the appearance of antlers, connecting this otherwise otherworldly design to its more contemporary counterparts, but otherwise its design is unique and honestly really interesting. It definitely feels like its own thing, disconnected from most pop-culture definitions. In gameplay, the Wendigo... evolves from Jack Frost, for some reason? But it serves as a physical attacker with an ice specialty when it comes to magic, making it a decent early-mid game demon.

Overall, with its interesting folklore, unique design, and prowess in gameplay, Wendigo is a very interesting demon.

[express-archives]

Ophelia's Introduction —✧

"A former Lord Ravager who, upon being defeated in combat by Ambrose, was spared and given a new name. She has since become the Emanator's reserved and considerably intimidating travel companion."

◆ Name: Ophelia ◆ Gender & Pronouns: Female (she/her) ◆ Age: ??? ◆ Faction: The Antimatter Legion (formerly), none (currently) ◆ Path: Destruction ◆ Type: Fire

Mercy, as a concept, was one that Ophelia lived by.

...At least, her version of mercy was the unique philosophy she lived by.

During her days as a Lord Ravager of the Anrimatter Legion, Ophelia—then known by another name—believed that humanity was inherently vile, and that the greatest mercy she could bestow upon to save them from their evil was the destruction of their societies.

...But upon being defeated by Ambrose, the Aeon Yaoshi's beloved angel, she was surprised and quite appalled to find that their concepts of mercy were very different.

"I am sorry that the universe has been so cruel to you thus far," Ambrose had said, tender hands brushing the hair from Ophelia's face as she huffed and glared upwards. As the Destruction's power drained from their body, so too did her ability to maintain a more intimidating form, leaving her... like this, in the young body that she had initially emerged from Warforge in. Ophelia vaguely mused to herself over how much her body had changed since that time... she had barely even noticed, but it was all too blatant now. How utterly weak she must have looked to Ambrose in that moment. "You did not deserve to suffer, darling child."

"Kill me, then. Spare me further suffering."

The Emanator paused, dazed blue eyes flicking across her tired face. Then, they smiled. Kindly, too kindly, it made Ophelia utterly sick. "But then you will not have the chance to experience the beauty of life. No, little one... I have never been that kind of person. I will not kill you. I will not take away your birthright to live, and live at peace."

"Are you mocking me?" she demanded, nails digging into the dirt beneath her. "Ugh... to be patronized by one of Yaoshi's children, the Destruction's antithesis... how annoying. Spare me your insufferable pity."

Nothing but her life was spared, unfortunately.

Even now, as Ophelia wearily glances over at the Emanator of Abundance that she was cursed with traveling with, she still thinks that Ambrose was pitying her. The mercy they extended was rooted in nothing other than pity and compassion.

...But maybe that was fine.

She doubts Nanook would take her back, anyway, so it wasn't as if she had anywhere else to go.

PERSONALITY

◆ Irritable, moody, and harsh are among the few words that come to mind when a person who knows Ophelia is asked about her. She is, to be frank, the polar opposite of the one who saved her. Despite being trapped in the body of a child aged no older than seventeen or eighteen, she has the stare of something ancient, piercing deep into the skin of those unfortunate enough to be at the receiving end of it. If Ambrose is seen as the gentle, inviting kiss of foamy waves crashing on the shoreline and against one's body at sunset, then Ophelia may very well be the violent and swirling nighttime waves that swallow unsuspecting victims who get too close... more or less, since Ambrose has forbid her from killing unnecessarily. Despite being perhaps childishly moody at times, Ophelia has been known to have moments of frightening calmness, clarity, and wisdom beyond the years of her physical body. It is at those times during which all those around her are forced to remember just what she once was—a Lord Ravager, immortal, all-powerful, and unconstrained by the limits of known physics. Though many of her former powers have been taken away from her, having been rescinded at the very same the moment that her emanatorship was, she still retains some semblance of the divine bringer of destruction she once was.