#maybe she also does it to gain points in Community

[postcardsfromheapside]

I need to talk about Neve. I feel like I've already made this post, or maybe it's still sitting in one of my 90+ drafts, if so I'm going to make it again.

Neve

is not a femme fatale.

She is not a subversion of "the femme fatale."

You can look up an explanation of femme fatale on Wikipedia, which I highly recommed you do rather than turning to something like TV Tropes. (I actually fucking beg you to stop using that site, but I digress) The main theme of a femme fatale is someone who uses their sexual allure to achieve their purpose. This is absolutely not Neve. While I find Neve to be ARRESTINGLY beautiful, at no point in the story does she use this "allure" to do her job, or gain information, or manipulate people. None of the women in the Veilguard do.

She's not trying to steal Lucanis, or steal the show out from under Rook. She is an integral part of the team, not just because she can fit key elements of information together, or help sort the mess of information into something that makes sense. She also brings vital experience with one of the forces the team is arrayed against, in a way that none of the other team members can match.

Neve is a subversion of the hard-boiled detective. You can also look this up on Wikipedia. In particular, the last sentence stands out: "hard boiled 'paints a backdrop of institutionalized social corruption'". More than that, if anyone has ever watched or read noir/hard-boiled detective media, Neve is both instantly recognizable, and a refreshing change.

You can watch Bogart films and get a feel for it, but I personally recommend getting Phillip Marlowe novels on audio, as read by Ray Porter. This comes with a content warning that should be no surprise given the context and time it was written: extreme misogyny, racism, and queerphobia added for good measure. The genre's not happy. But you'll see why Neve, disillusioned, solitary, obsessive, wryly sarcastic, is made brilliant by also being warm, deeply kind, connected to her community, patient, and lovingly observant.

Neve is an amazing character. And I respect the shit out of Jessica Clark for the way she voiced the role: someone who is constantly contained, modulated to hide most emotions...until she can't.

(Was this post inspired because I heard rookanises were wilding out again?)

[benafflecksmoking.jpg]

[katblaze]

Ella focused post-canon long post ahead:

I like the idea of Tadius having to reign Ella in when she has a mean streak towards particular peasants who had perpetuated her abuse in the past. The peasants who verbally and physically taunted/abused her. The people who disregarded her pleas and distress, writing it off as madness, violently sending her back to her abusers just to get her out of their sight. Because her circumstance and uncleanliness was uncomfortable to be around. Maybe she can't stand to be cordial or impartial to the very same people who she watched drag her mother into the square. Or maybe, at her lowest, she says some unpleasant things about all peasantry, flippantly stereotypes them in a moment of temper. Let's her trauma blossom into rage, into a simmering desire (not necessarily action, mind you) for petty cruelty.

We see her deconstruct a lot of her (admittedly not crazy large) bias against peasant and servantry in the show; this being easier for her to accomplish because she was forced into servitude and squalor herself. For example, one of the first things she jabs at Tadius with is his rank as a servant. She establishes her status and her power over his well-being, potentially his life (and this is important for us to see for her character! this is the first time we see her so confident in her dialog in the show. she is finally reclaiming the autonomy, power, and safety she lacked for potential years, even if this isn't "perfect victim" or kind behavior). This threat could easily have been genuinely fear inducing for Tadius if he hadn't perceived her comment as banter/wit (or he, at the very least, thought she couldn't do anything to him as the prince's right hand servant because she's not from a reputable house). But later, we see her call Tadius "a good man" instead of "a good servant", signifying her growth. She acknowledges where she went wrong in the past and asserts Tadius's position as an equal. Textbook character development.

She also originally vows to the fairy godmother to take vengeance only on those who deserve it, who have taken everything from her and seek to destroy more. She makes clear that her blood lust is for specifically her step family (edit: if Justine and Lucy represent Ella's core values and dreams then Justine establishing kindness to those socially lower to them as an admirable trait makes a whole lotta sense for Ellas character going foward). Hell, she is said to be a good queen by the whole kingdom, implying the peasants favor her rule after she's gained it. She is known by all for her kindness and love which is carried out just as fiercely as her justice.

Does this mean she doesn't have low points? Does this mean that at her lowest Tadius doesn't need to council her and advice her against her (valid, but potentially unfair) anger? That she doesn't let her new found power make it so that, at times, she speaks down to those she deems morally lesser (and could that perception of who is lesser, by this measurement, be influenced by class bias/her past peasant inflicted abuse)? Ella's main character motivation is vengeance in the show, even if her morals are steadfast throughout, I think it would be an interesting conflict between Ella's own ethic values vs. her (again, valid) trauma-induced feelings/vitriol, and how that conflict influences her decisions not only as queen, but interpersonally.

This could also lead to some great tension between Ella and Tadius (who are at this point good friends, partners, or at the VERY least close coworkers). With some communication Tadius would be given better insight into Ella's past, interworkings, and decision making. It would also grant Ella an outlet to talk about all this awful shit that happened to her and how it comes back to affect and shape her presently.

Not to mention Tadius's own trauma regarding aristocrats who belittle their subjects. Maybe at her most cruel (aka in a very bad emotional state) Tadius becomes clinical and emotionally disconnected, just as he was with the prince? Unconsciously or not, sinks back into giving stony irritated advice and doesn't talk to Ella in their normal affable manner for the rest of the day, or longer. Maybe it takes them a while to get to the point of healthy communication because of both of their past isolation (ella is purposely isolated by her supposed "madness" and has no one to talk to, she is overjoyed to vent to a literal frog + no one recognized tadius's wit before ella, implying he is not close enough with anyone for them to know who he is personally) makes it difficult for them to talk in a productive manner at first.

(I do not mean to say this is the only interpretation of Ella's character or the headcanons you should adopt post-cc. Maybe Ella never let's these internal biases (that I've picked up on) influence how she treats her subjects/how she rules. Or, shes developed and grown entirely past them. Maybe Ella and Tadius never have this kind of conflict between them. This is also tackling a very specific negative trait I enjoy exploring, which I personally could see presenting itself in Ella post-canon. I love her. I don't doubt she is a great queen who rules with the working class's benefit, along with the rich's detriment, in mind (in fact, I definitely like to believe she does). I just really like characters having character flaws, even if they are a good person, even if they are the hero, and even past their happily ever after)

[cvlutos]

ALL YOURS!!

OMG your latest Wally fic is so good I'm obsessed!! I'm not that good with words but I have an scenario request! Soo plsplspls bear with me! What about Wally x reader who's also a puppet and been member of this beautiful peaceful community from the start like all of them. But the reader gained consciousness not so long ago. Reader is freaking out they don't love Wally anymore they don't remember him and their love for them and they also don't want to, they just want to go away. Wally on the other hand in fact does, he's always been conscious one in the neighbourhood and he loves them very much!! maybe even a bit too obsessed with them? He doesn't understand how the reader can't remember their sweet lovely memories of being together. He's very desperate and pushy with them he wants the reader to remember! To love him like they used to (BONUS ANGST POINTS IF THEY ARE MARRIED!!!!!!!!) also you could finish it however you want (angst, fluff, dark idk I'm not good w this) thanks!

A/N. A very very old ask, I accidentally deleted. I havent played nor read any Wally in a long long time. So. I was going off solely what I remembered. I also have some old old old twst content I might freshen up.

ʚїɞ | Jul.06th.2024 | —K |

ʚїɞ| Wally Darling | Gn!Reader

ʚїɞ | Old Story | Self-Aware | Yandere | No Chance of Escape |

ʚїɞ | Synopsis: You live here and you will love it. |

It's all yours.

Yours. That which belongs to you. The house is yours, with colorful walls, and colorful doors that practically sing when they open and birds that chirp with a lovely lovely tune. You liked it before. Woke every morning to the smiling sun, happy to hum along. Until one day.

You feel out of place. Feeling the wire strings that poke and prob into your skin, and move you, that make you step, wave, dance, bow. Your face in an always expressive happy smile, always happy, always glad. Always. Always. Always. It's harder to ignore day by day. Harder to ignore how aware you are, how conscious you are of your existence, but them not.

Julie who rather plays the day away, humming and laughing happily with such a smile as she plays hopscotch, always begging you to play and happily hugging you whenever you agreed. Which was all the time, until recently. You began to reject her smiling invitations, not wanting to play. And she would merely tilt her head in surprise before letting out a happily laugh, "Tomorrow then!!" And she goes on her merry way.

Eddie who always has mail, who's always on the move. Delivery after delivery. Letter after letter. Art craft after art craft, folding colored paper, gluing on sticky glitter. Always providing solutions through hard work. Always asking you to accompany him on his deliveries, and how could you not. It always led to such fun, to crazy adventures. Until you reject him, watching his brows raise and eyes widen, before he let's out a honest flustered laugh. "That's alright! Next time!"

Sally who's always performing. Always acting in front of her colored curtain. Or instructing you to act and how whatever theatrical scene she Invisioned, always asking you to join her fantasy world. And of course you accepted. Putting on a special outfit, doing your hair and makeup and preforming for you neighbors. But like the others, you reject her offer. To which she tilts her heard, before giving you a grand shining bow, "All actors need a break from the stage! We'll play later!"

Play. To them. This is a world of fun, a world of joy, happiness, where the sun never sets, so the day never ends. The curtain never stops, the letters are always delivered, the game never ends..

"It's yours."

And no matter how you look at it, no matter the angle, the glasses you wear, the color of the lenses, it doesn't change your feelings. You hate everyone here. You hate how deluded they are, how happy they are, how they live without fear without concern.

And as you stand in front of your home, clutching the painted yellow key, a house designed after you. Made to your exact liking. At least it was made to you, the you who didn't know. Who didn't feel the—the constant weight of merely existing in a world so unnatural. Shoved into the box of sickening happiness — of Wally's Darling. The one who without fail was always beside him, always his muse. You can't stand the thought of him, it was all designed. All made up.

"Is the house so pretty that you have to admire it so? I do think it's gorgeous, it's made for you after all."

Hands clasped behind his back, lazy smile resting upon his lips. Unbothered smile and unbothered eyes, he knew you'd be here. You can't force a smile when you see him, instead turning your gaze to the ground, which makes his eyes widen. Shoes clicking across the paved ground and sitting beside you. "Do you feel alrighty, it's not often I see you with your smile, you always smile for me, give me a smile, love."

He nudges you, resting his elbow into his knees, propping his face in the palm of his hands. Copying your closed in form, silently mocking you.

"I don't love you.... "

This gets his attention. His usually lax expression changes into on of utter confusion, before he tries to smile, and laugh. "Silly silly. I'll forgive you this one time, but some jokes are cr—"

"I'm not joking."

He pauses for a moment, sitting up, your watching his face tremble, that smile he wears wants to disappear. He can't. But his eyes seem darker, and his voice seems different. "You couldn't possibly be serious."

You clutch your fist, the key digs into your palm. You try to build your resolve. "I am." Wally shakes his head roughly, he doesn't look at you, the world seems to tremble.

"Jokes like that are cruel." He doesn't raise his voice, he wants too. You want to leave. You're stuck to the bench. You can't leave.

"I don't—I want—I can't be here. This isn't—"

He says your name firmly, forcing your words to become trapped within your throat. He hasn't said your name. He never says your name. It's cold. Have you been cold before. Everyone seems to be watching you, staring at you. His eyes are so black and big. He forces a smile and head tilt.

"Lovely. I'll forgive you this one time." He holds up one of his fingers and rises to his feet, standing—towering—in front of you. He stares—down—at you. "You gotta remember we don't make jokes like that to our friends. Nor hurt our—your—special person. It hurts their—my—feelings." He smiles and holds his hand out to you.

His eyes stare.

It's all yours.

You place your hand in his and rise to your feet. He stares. Making your way to the colorful door of "your" house. It has your name gorgeous painted.

It's yours.

That which belongs to you. The house is yours, with color walls, and colorful doors that practically sing when they open and birds that chirp with a lovely lovely tune. He stares.

It's always yours. Always. Always. Always. It's harder to ignore, harder to ignore how aware you are, how conscious you are of your existence.

And how conscious he is of yours.

ⓒ 2024 cvlutos — all rights reserved. Any sort of plagiarizing, copying, modifying, translating, editing of my works are strictly prohibited.

[flamingpudding]

Fictober23 Prompt: 1 - "It's not too late, let's go."

Fandom: DPxDC

Rating: G

Warnings: -

Danny frowned, his head resting on his arms as he sat in a café, staring at nothing in particular. Tucker was sitting next to him, typing away on his PDA and Sam was across from him glaring at his current state of dramatic pouting, frowning and sulking while ignoring his favorite coffee order she had especially ordered for him somehow even though the store did not even have it on their menu.

"Danny, how much longer are you going to sulk?"

"I don't know. How much longer until my next chance of ever meeting someone from outer space?"

"Danny."

"We missed the Hero Gala, Sam! That was our one and only chance!"

He looked away from her like a stubborn toddler. He knew he was being especially dramatic but his friends and him had planned this whole trip solely for meeting members of the Justice League in person. For one, to maybe meet the people that have been ignoring their cities' call for help for years now and request it personally if per call won't work and two, fulfill some of their own personal selfish desires to meet the hero's each one of them admired.

Though their trip clearly had been eventful considering how a lot of his ghost rogues tried to stop him from even leaving Amity Park, they also learned about the whole media black out surrounding Amity. Turns out, the reason the Justice League was ignoring them was entirely because they didn't even know they existed in the first place. It was a miracle that they even learned about a Hero Gala in Metropolis if it weren't for an invitation somehow making it to the Mansons Estate.

Fun fact. Even if the invitation made it to them. Once they did make it to the Gala location they learned that it had happened years ago. Well wasn't that just great, and here Danny had hoped to get some help and maybe meet Superman or better Martian Manhunter.

Slamming his head onto the table and gaining the attention of some other cafe visitors briefly. Danny only turned ever so slightly so that his cheek was squished against the cold table surface. Still refusing to look at Sam but instead watched Tucker who was by now frowning at his PDA.

"Guys, I think there is more to it than us being simple late a couple of years to a Gala." Blinking made a noise to ask him to elaborate while Sam verbally asked why.

"Things didn't add up when we first left Amity, aside from all your ghost rouges were even trying to make us stop leaving until the very last second. Look at this, this is a photocopy of our last news paper from home and this-" Tucker slit a paper across the table and pointed at a specific spot at the top of the paper so both Danny and Sam could see it clearly. "-is a news paper printed today from Metropolis."

"I don't get it." Danny honestly stated staring at the spot Tucker had pointed it. Sam proceeded to hit the back of his head lightly, apparently having seen what Tucker was pointing out to them.

"The dates are way too far apart." She stated and Danny blinked, looking back at the printed date and the date displayed in the image of Tuckers PDA. "Are you sure you didn't save up an older newspaper?"

Tucker gave him an unimpressed stare. "Look at the headline. That's the incident that happened right before we went on this trip."

"Okay but what does that mean?"

"From what it looks like. Amity Park lives in a time bubble. Our technology as well as date seems far behind from everything we saw ever since we left. Even my beloved PDA appears to be old technology here."

The tree sat in silence for a moment, mulling over what they had found out so far after leaving Amity for the first time. But now that they thought about that, Amity was a closed community. There were hardly any people coming in and out of their town. In addition the only one who had ever entered their city from the outside was Vlad and even he didn't talk much about any other cities or people he could possibly know outside of Amity.

"That's a pretty interesting topic you guys are talking about."

Startled, the three looked up to see a new face that had appeared out of nowhere and was spitting next to Sam. The boy with auburn hair and yellow eyes who looked only a bit older than them and was smiling brightly at them with a back of chips in his hands.

"So you guys lived in a time bubble? That sounds interesting, can you tell me more?"

A second later two black haired teens appeared next to the boy, one sheepish and in a punk style and the other frustrated and appearing to wear more formal clothing. The frustrated one eyed them for a moment and Danny caught his eyes, noticing the calculating look and couldn't help narrowing his own eyes on him.

"Sorry about my friend, he sometimes acts before he thinks."

"I have a friend like that too, don't worry." Tucker answered and Danny shot him a quick glare before turning his attention back to the three newcomers.

"We couldn't help but overhear what you guys were talking about. You missed your chance to go to a hero gala right?" The sheepish one said after exchanging a look with the other black haired teen and Danny couldn't help but feel like there was some silent communication going on. The same he had at times with Tucker.

"So what?" Sam huffed, not willing to talk about their woes and sharing information with strangers.

"We happened to be on our way to one that's not open to the public but we could help you get in. Granted, I would like to hear a little more about your situation and how you missed the one you originally wanted to go to." In other words, give us information and we will get you to somewhere where you can meet hero's. Danny narrowed his eyes further, there had to be more to this catch.

His distrust must have been visible as the formal clothing black haired teen let out a sigh. "Look we have experience with time shenanigans, so we might be able to get you into contact with people that can help, from Young Justice or maybe even the Justice League."

"No one just offers help like that, without getting something out of it." Sam huffed arms crossed and glaring at them. Tucker also eyed them with suspicion and Danny had yet to let up on his distrustful glare.

"Well we do. So common, the private gala is still going. We only escaped from it for a little bit to get this guy some coffee. It's not too late, let's go! We can figure out the whole time bubble thing on the way there!" The brightly smiling auburn haired answered instead bouncing in his seat next to Sam. Eager to have Danny and his friends come along.

Only way later did Danny learn that the three teens that snuck them into a privat Hero Gala were actual members of Young Justice but that was only after they figured out the whole Amity lives in a Time Bubble situation.

[onesidedradiostatic]

aromantic alastor headcanons for aro-week (with some ace in there as well, because I think for alastor those things are so entwined, it's hard to separate them):

tried going out with girls a couple of times when he was alive, to make his mother happy, but always found a way to extricate himself from the attachment. this ties into his learning how to have complete control over any situation he's in

I wonder as well about whether or not he "passed" as white, or whether his community knew that he was creole, and how that affected his dating opportunities, and his paranoia, his need to be in control, basically his constant hyper-vigilance

got a lot of fanmail for his radio host work, women (and men, but more furtively) loooved his voice. this was acceptable, because (apart from some of the weirder ones) he could use this as a metric for how accepted he was in society, as well as how well he was passing -- both in terms of race and orientation, but also youknow, as someone who is definitely not clockable as a serial killer

although of course we know he also enjoyed company. he'd go out drinking and dancing a lot. was mimzy a bit in love with him? I just like the idea that people kept being incredibly taken with his charm and his politeness and his poise, because he does have all those traits. whether he notices...? (no). I mention this point not so much as headcanon, I just like that alastor as aroace and repulsed on both of those points, was never a shut-in about it. he's always been very lively (ha) and outgoing, and clearly likes being in the company of others... but maybe that last point has gotten to be a little difficult during his time in hell, due to having to be so careful about showing any kind of emotional "weakness." speaking of...

post-death became a more extreme version of himself -- that is, a man on a mission to be in control and create emotional distance between himself and others through the power of voice, rather than having to faff about pretending emotional connections where there were none. very suited for hell because of his precarious political lived reality whilst alive, and because hell is built on who has power and who doesn't. these are rituals he understands better than the strange romantic ones during life

the smile as mask and unhealthy coping mechanism -- wonder if when he was alive people swooned over his having a lovely smile (as well as its being useful to placate and to disorient people who had more violent intentions, and in both cases potentially to lure in victims). so the smile likewise became the most extreme version of itself. the smile in essence as the signifier of someone who doesn't fit into any boxes and needs to hide that fact, both by being mixed race and aroace, but then the smile itself becomes something that effectively owns him, because he literally cannot let it drop, ever (honestly if alastor ever stops smiling, it'll be the biggest gasp moment on this show)

all that being said, surprising connections do occur: rosie, I think, sees through him from the beginning, and she's so disarming (ha, disarming... cannibal joke) that she never feels like a threat + they're both cannibals, so there's a relaxed kinship there and maybe she reminds him of the parts of home he (secretly) misses a bit

I wonder how rosie figured out that alastor wasn't into dating. I think at first she might have thought he was gay, but then quite quickly seen that that's not it, he doesn't even like men much, and she feels like she's been around the block enough to piece together peoples' natures from one of a million other people she's known, so way before she knows the terminology, she knows, and crucially, she never judges or tries to force the point

I wonder how vox and alastor met -- whether vox was able to gain power on his own and this attracted alastor's attention, or if alastor saw something of himself (that turned out to be surface level) in vox, that is, they both wear smiles as masks, they're both presenters, their mediums may be different, but their aims feel similar. perhaps alastor was comfortable enough in hell at this point -- probably in a way he never was whilst alive -- that he was feeling magnanimous towards what must have felt a bit like an upstart. and most importantly, the constraints of alloromantic ideas are a comfortable 20 years in the past by now, alastor can barely remember that this was ever anything that was expected of him, or that others' could possibly feel about him

cue vox falling head over heels, the way people so often did while he was alive, and he... does not notice at all (barely a headcanon). I kind of feel like I don't have much to say on these two, because this blog is already a treasure trove of vox and alastor hcs!

I think rosie is the only one who knows alastor is aroace, although... maybe husk? not in so many words, but he knows alastor isn't interested in those things. nifty Does Not Notice Nor Care (in a good way). charlie i will forever think will at some point do a deep-dive on modern queer lingo and get everyone flags (this is practically word of god canon considering that older piece of art you shared). vox definitely doesn't know. val....... sort of kinda knows but in an evil way. vaggie does not care, but she'd be chill about it. mimzy... I don't think knows, mainly because she never cared to think about his behaviours, as someone who's quite self-centered on what alastor is to her. jeez, who am i missing... angel, does not know, head empty

speaking of angel, I think if he ever found out, especially with where he's at in his journey rn, would be very unhappy in some way about having stepped over his boundaries so often so casually at the beginning. dunno how he'd act about it, but i like the idea of vigilantly (and crudely, and bluntly) supportive angel if they ever manage to get alastor out on the town. more on the ace side of things but i can see him going: "do not try to fuck this guy! this guy is unfuckable!"

(i like hypersexual and deeply romantic angel + sex and romance repulsed alastor as unlikely friendship in my head. opposites finding common ground type stuff is always good)

at the end of the day, alastor living and dying in an amatonormative world and having to orient himself within that by building walls that persist/worsen after his death because of the culture of hell being predicated on who controls whom, veeeeery slowly discovering that he can be vulnerable on his own terms without people demanding things from him that he cannot give (smthinsmthin the hotel gang as the opposite of vox in that sense -- not only that sense, but also that)

also something about imagining his mother hoping he'd find a nice girl and settle down (in the way parents often do, because that's the metric of happiness right.....) and how he never could give her what she wanted, and maybe feels some very locked away guilt about that, which he thinks he'll never be able to deal with because his mother is in heaven, but perhaps in this story she'll get to see what he's built with the people at the hotel and that's really all she wanted for him in the end

OH MY GOD ANON THIS IS ALL SO GOOD?? THANK YOU SO MUCH HAHAHA. happy aro week everyone!! (x2)

[hrishcha]

Made an iterator sona :) A quiet and anxious one, avoids group elder as she doesn't perform to her highest standards and doing so strains her systems badly — either an overlooked failure during creation or gained over time wear. Still possesses incredible computing and memory capacity, but won't outperform her neighbouring iterators despite being newer generation.

She's not fond of their purpose and doesn't do much steps towards achieving it; most likely believes that ancients' philosophy is not applicable to less intelligent creatures, although thinks that by the time iterators will be long gone and new possible civilization arises, those beings might also wish to ascend, but it must happen on their own terms. Instead of looking for the solution, prefers observing the nature through her overseers, but does not wish to have any creatures within her can and gets noticeably frustrated and nervous if anything finds its way inside. At some point became good friends with iterators far outside of her local group, but when the communication arrays deteriorated and went out of service, she lost contact with them. To this day occasionally runs simulations of their imaginative conversations to entertain herself. Loves her personal collection of pearls and secretly wishes to obtain more, but doesn't dare to reach out into outer world even with purposed organisms. Messing with her data pearls will severely anger and unsettle her. Do not touch the pearls

Her name shall be… Questions Silently? Not fully satisfied with it for now but maybe I'll come up with something better we'll see + some details :)

[liketwoswansinbalance]

In the modern publishing landscape, these days, I think like we do not have many (if any) point-of-view characters with low social motivation for whatever reason.

Sure, there are lots of characters with social anxiety or other perceived or legitimate foibles to overcome, there are many YA villain origin stories, and there are many unpalatable, traditionally "unlikable" men in classics, but disregarding those, who else do we have?

Can the state of openly being alone (and content) rarely be presented as morally-neutral or as the end result of a narrative? Must it always be that either being alone is the starting point, so there's room for "personal growth," or that being alone is seen as "undesirable" and/or an indication that the person alone has a "problem" or something otherwise wrong with them, like a deficit or moral failing that in some kind of karmic way gives them "what they deserve," which is being alone and discontent with it?

Characters with society anxiety, any differences in communication, or other reasons that interfere with forging connections "don't count" because they may still be motivated. Traits such as these only stand in the way of gaining relationships, as plot obstacles. They aren't intrinsically tied to indifference or to low motivation. So, these characters clearly are not experiencing a lack of interest. And they are not the ones rejecting others. Thus, they "don't count" as far as the archetype that I'm looking for goes.

Characters who undergo villain arcs or otherwise negative arcs may want to maintain their relationships or gain them, so some examples are immediately disqualified (hence not having low social motivation), even if they are the type of character most likely to alienate themselves by a story's end, conflicting with what they wanted.

(Unfortunately, Coriolanus Snow, who is quite close to the type of protagonist I'm searching for "doesn't count" because he has some drive to keep people in his life.

Rafal Mistral partially "counts," and is satisfying as a character, but also doesn't count because he temporarily makes "friends" or allies, depending on how you look at his exploits. Yet, despite all this, not having friends isn't exactly framed as a morally-neutral state either, so he is also disqualified by the end. Basically, he does have low social motivation, but his narrative lacks the conditions that would make the natural consequences of that low motivation play out for themselves. He is always surrounded by people, even if he hates every last one of them.

And, generally speaking, the usual, moody-broody, "misunderstood" YA love-interests very easily "don't count" because they have a desire to get closer to their object of affection.

Even Katniss Everdeen, an overall good person, who usually views herself as "unlikable," befriends others, originally for pragmatic, survival purposes. However, she does start with low social motivation, so that's something in her favor.

And yes, I'm aware that we need other people in this world—I would just like to see someone prove that supposed truth wrong once. And perhaps succeed in their world, if that's not too much to ask for.)

Also, are there any instances of characters who progressively alienate themselves from others, in which that progression is not inherently seen as negative? Like, what about non-corrupt misanthropes? Are there few of those in literature? (Maybe—Eleanor Oliphant from literary fiction counts, but something about that book did not appeal me and I didn't finish it.)

Classics guys sort of "count," but I haven't really seen examples of any comparable protagonists today since many authors and readers write and look for "relatability" in blank slate everyman figures oftentimes.

(I'm not done with Crime and Punishment yet, but Raskolnikov is very tentatively looking like a safe bet for a character who may end up alone and who may not be completely malcontent over such a fate, even if I'm expecting tragedy. I'm that not far along, but I also wouldn't mind it too greatly if he died, I suppose.

And even Sherlock Holmes has Watson as his constant, even if he's notoriously asocial! So he "doesn't count" either.

Carol from Main Street also comes close, but still ultimately desires approval from others.

Maybe no one is truly immune to humanity and I should give up on this notion?)

How many pov characters out there are 1) apathetic toward the masses and 2a) either alienate themselves as the plot progresses or 2b) do not make any friends? (I will allow them making friends and consequently losing them though because that still ends in net zero!)

Indeed, this "gap" in protagonists I've been running into lately, especially with coming-of-age arcs and protagonists whose arc is some form of "getting out of their shell," is: why do we (almost?) never see protagonists who just flat-out don't progress in terms of connecting with fellow humans?

Wouldn't having even a handful of those types be reflective of reality? (We as a society are more disconnected than ever, to be fair, despite constantly having access to one another via technology.)

Or I would completely understand it, if it were narratively impractical to have a plot in which a protagonist makes zero friends. Maybe, it's a near-unwritable form for a story?

So, my question is: does anyone have book recommendations, which present a character whose end goal is not to make friends or forge connections (any other ambitions or motivations are fine) and whose state of being friendless both lasts and is regarded as morally-neutral or as not outright evil? Any genre is fine. High fantasy is preferable. I am stumped.

(I also wouldn't mind recommendations of books in which the protagonist is vilified due to being alone, even if that is not my primary query here.)

[genericpuff]

I really don't like how Melinoe looks like a female Hades with Persephone's pink eyes. It's too generic. Maybe keep her hair and eye colors, but maybe make her skin color a blend of both of them, like a muted purple/gray to contrast her with Dionysus? Anything other than what she has in canon.

What's wild is that the narrative is trying to convince us now that all of the dreams he had of him and Persephone were just peeks into the future. But if that's the case-

1.) Melinoe learns to communicate verbally at some point

2.) There's ANOTHER BABY we haven't even established yet (though Rachel did confirm in a tweet from ages ago that it's some god named Brimos who she read about in a book when she was a kid ???):

(but Brimo was an epithet associated with Hecate/Persephone/other gods of the dead, not necessarily an actual direct offspring of H x P, so... yeah, weird choice of a 'nod' especially now that she's trying to implement Hades' dreams into the plot as 'future sight' or w/e)

3.) All of the visions of their future together feature children that predominantly resemble Hades, not Persephone. This is really telling as to how much the relationship - both on a narrative level and even a visual one - revolves around Hades. Persephone is just an accessory, to the point that none of their children can resemble her in any major way, only through very miniscule references, such as the vines coming out of Melinoe's back and her pink eyes (whereas "Brimos" doesn't resemble her at all).

4.) This goes hand-in-hand with #3, but Dionysus and Thanatos are not present in any of these visions. I'm willing to give Thanatos a pass because he's an adult man (although it does just go to show how little Hades views him as a child), but what about Dionysus? Does his absence from these scenes tell us that Persephone found other accommodations for him? Or, more likely, is it because Rachel never planned to include Dionysus in the first place? And of course, Dionysus' design is also inherently linked to Hades, because while he has purple skin (referencing wine/grapes/etc.) he's got white hair that's explained as a genetic trait that's been passed down through Hades.

All that said, the baby plotlines in LO are a mess in and of themselves, and you can tell just how much of it revolves around Persephone "fixing" Hades or being the solution to all of his infertility and relationship problems. Persephone is the most perfect woman of all who Hades is dependant on to solve all of his problems, everything is about what she can provide him and what he can stand to gain from her, even if it means dragging her down to his level.

Man. Minthe was right.

(seriously in ANY other story this would have been FORESHADOWING-)

[marisandini-chu-blog]

EPISODE 4 TBHX LET'S GO!!!!!

A quick word before we begin; just to establish my mindset and expectation as I watch this. Particularly about the Trust Value.

I've mention this before in previous posts how there's nothing wrong with Heroism; the desire to be popular and notice, with the performance that comes with it.

Image is important. Image is a tool. Heroism push people to do good, even with shallow intention, and the people who receive help would not have cared if they were genuine or not.

There is good in heroism the same way there is good in being able to enjoy a good music from an artist we love. Excited for youtubers making content to teach and spread joy in a community they establish. For TV personalities be able to spread good message and bring awareness for people to come together and point their energy for a good cause.

It's not always vain in wanting to be popular.

Which is why it becomes a problem when a capitalist system tries to monetize a virtue. When people enable a toxic culture without calling them out. When trust becomes a cage.

So I'm looking forward to Lin Ling's finale and the conclusion of his arc; will he change or will the system change?

Will Lin Ling put trust on the people who still relies on him? Vise versa, will the people keep their trust even when his image has change?

Now... let's begin.

Of course God Eye aim his attack the moment Nice is at the Top 10. That petty bitch

"The Moon has to be a played actor" Oh no... I feel called out

God Eye, you want to show reality to the world and yet you're denying your own truth; which is that you are a petty bitch

WHAT THE FUCK?! HE CAN'T LEAVE?!

God, I wish I had save the post, but there was someome who mention how the Trust Value makes a hero's body a cage while their mind is still free — this fits with how Nice's body doesn't want to go outside but his mind wrestle to save Moon

Oh God, I don't know how to feel about this. Maybe I am bias, but I would feel terrible if my trust and faith is taking his free will away — and we've seen how the people would rather have the hero save people than their image in the previous episode. There's definitely people who want Nice to save Xiao Yueqing, but they're drown out by the majority

MISS J YOU'RE NOT JUST ERASING MOON'S MEMORIES, YOU'RE ERASING LIN LING'S VERY EXISTENCE WITH THAT CHOICE! NOOOOOOOOOO!

Urgh, this is why I hate God Eye's whole schick. He's basically a papparrazi trying to create the next buzz even at the expense of someone

Ooooooh, I like how God Eye is not just changing the Public's perception of him. But also the Blaster's perception of himself and the animation SHOWS!

YEAH, LIN LING! YOU'RE NOT NICE! GO BE A HERO!

Hoooooooly?! I didn't think Lin Ling is gonna reveal all the truth?

You know what's ironic? As easy as it is to break people's trust, It's not that hard to gain their trust

A youtuber named Aliciaxlife (check her out, she's great) also react to this. And one of the things she shared was at the start, she creates a persona for the public that becomes stiffling overtime. When she decides to break it and be more genuine (read: meaner😆), her views plummeted for a while before it rise back up

So even though it's over dramatic, hasten and simplified – this kind of stuff does happen. That if you're willing to be genuine and spoke out for the right thing, people will always root for justice

Lin Ling's fight is sooooo ugly, I LIVE FOR IT!!!

Okay, so Lin Ling shootingup into Top 10 level is a bit of a strech, ngl. There should be a lot of people scrutinizing

I FUCKING KNEW SHE WAS FAKE!!!

Okay, having people who fakes things get faster gratification can be annoying. At that point, I can understand God Eye's perspective

God Eye could actually make a good point if he decided to put all that energy to be less annoying a better version of himself instead of tearing other people down.

For someone who begrudge a hero who fakes himself, he seems too surprise at seeing the truth push Lin Ling stronger. Maybe perhaps people fake themselves because people like you who likes to pull people down with the truth? Ever think of that, God Eye?

THE COMMONER?! FUCKING COMMONER? WHO THE HELL IS COMING UP WITH THE LAME ASS NAMES? FIRM MAN IS BAD ENOUGH ALREADY!

Xiao Yueqing becoming a hermit is not what I expected from her

WTF?! SHE ACCIDENTALLY PUT HERSELF IN AN ABANDON ISLAND?! I SHOULDN'T LAUGH BUT GIRRRRRLLLL!!!!

It fits her character though. Of course she jumps and didn't think twice

The definition of be careful what you wish for

Lin Ling, I don't know how you work that teleporter gun, and I don't care to know. Just get her out of this island, I think she has enough...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I heard about Director Li's reputation but...

WHAT THE FUCK?!

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!

AFTER AN ENTIRE EPISODE DEDICATE TO NOT LET HER BE AN ACCESSORY TO A HERO - YOU FRIDGE HER?!?!?!

The worst part is? I can't even hate it! WE'VE BEEN WARNED FROM THE FIRST EPISODE!!!

Episode 3 React

[trud-hub]

Hi does nightwatcher count as a trud char bc they were in the game but got removed

anyways can I request guest666 fluff uhhj cudddling maybe a bit of smoochin

yea she’s so cool I love her

"Grounding"

--TRUD!Guest 666 x Guest!Reader

Note: happy pride month gang !! heres your guest 666 anon. i hope you’re okay with this, ik this is really far from the req and im so sorry this took so long. the info in her wiki is outdated, so i wrote placeholder lore for her (which is why ts blurb took so long im gonna pass out holy shit…)

also srry but nightwatcher isn't in the game as of right now, so i wont be writing for them

Warnings: OOC Guest 666, none of this lore is canon, a little bit of angst (i swear it turns into fluff)

—--

Guest 666 isn't quite sure why she agreed to this.

Lush blades of grass tickle the sides of her back. The weight of your head against her chest is intrusive and restricting. Her sharp claws scratch the top of your head — at times leaving little white lines. You flinch when she does this. When she realizes the pattern, her touch softens by a margin.

She is physically present; feeling every pulse of your heart and every rise of your chest. Yet the way her mind fixates on something that does not seem to exist says otherwise about her focus. It is a thought, several more like. They prey on her in the rare times she is alone – at her most vulnerable. Only now have they gained the audacity to torment her while in your embrace. The unanswered questions in her mind linger: Why does she entertain your late-night getaways? Why does she allow herself these intimate moments with you? 666 does not mince her words. It is of little concern to her if people cannot handle what she has to say.

If she hasn't spoken up till now, it ought to be for another reason. A past scar still inflamed with the pain of loss gives her a suggestion: you’re a Guest. That must be it. You’re the lone time capsule of the life she once lived; the sole person who can understand her desire for vengeance. It’s why her heart, supplied constantly with a surplus of adrenaline, slows when you’re around. No wonder your happiness is infectious — your smile reminds her of jubilees and festivals long-forgotten.

Nostalgia, she tells herself, is all that it is. When you grow tired of her, or if death takes you before it happens, these useless feelings and thoughts will dissipate along with it. Nothing is made to last. Nothing should last.

666 overlooks the worry in your eyes as you meet her gaze one-sidedly. Body language is an important part of communication, hers tells you she’s drowning in her thoughts. Placing a gentle hand on her cheek, your touch brings her back to shore.

‘Thinking again?’ You sign, with a slight tug in the corner of your lips.

The glow of her scarlet irises aligns with the whites of your eyes. Her shoulders droop.

‘Was distracted. Nothing important.’ She signs back. The other Guest presses her forehead against yours, leaving a chaste kiss on the tip of your nose. 

Your face scrunches up in the cute way that she hates. The crease between your brows conveys your hesitancy to drop the topic, but you do so regardless. Sitting up, you sift through your satchel with pursed lips, hand navigating through the jungle of items. 666’s eyes follow your movements, and she too lifts herself from the ground’s embrace.

Strange paraphernalia fly out of your bag: crumpled-up pages, pens without caps, torn bookmarks. With a triumphant smirk, you fish out a camera. Is a moment like this picture-worthy, Guest 666 thinks, as you shove the stray objects back where they came from. There’s little point in convincing you to clear out that portable dumpsite, not like she cares enough to scold you for it, so she merely stares at you like a zoo-goer would a bizarre creature. 

Then, the metal junk is shoved into her face, the lens tinted with a red glare and the faint shimmer of moonlight. Nudging her shoulder with yours, your eyes point to the Polaroid camera.

Reluctantly, her cheeks are pulled upwards to make way for a smile, in juxtaposition to your more natural one.

CLICK!

The moment is captured in a single blindingly bright flash — one that makes 666’s eyes flutter faster than the shutter. Even after the dozens of photos you’ve taken, she still finds herself unaccustomed to the flare. A Polaroid photo slides out of your equipment with a low whir, which you catch with your index and thumb. 

She leans in over your shoulder to take a look at the final product.

‘Opinion?’ You raise your eyebrows. There’s nothing noteworthy about the scenery, or the composition for that matter. No apparent flaws are present, either. It’s like any other photo you’ve taken.

A small nod and the fold of her arms are all she replies with. Satisfied, you tuck it into your pocket and return to your place between her legs. 

666’s fingers twitch with the unresolved doubt of before and lightly tap on your shoulder. You look at her, tilting your head.

‘Why do you take so many pictures?’ 

A bewildered smile forms on your lips, as if she had asked you a question with such an obvious answer. 

‘I want to remember every moment we spent together.’ You reply.

‘Corny.’ She rolls her eyes, to which you respond with a light shove.

‘Not. All experiences with you are precious.’ You state, emphasizing the “you” by prodding your finger onto her chest. 666 holds an unamused expression, which you lean in to kiss. Instead, your lips collide with her palm.

Precious? She doubts that. There is no use in treasuring anything in this world. Not souvenirs, not friendships, and most certainly not people. Death takes no prisoners.

‘Experiences don’t last. They’re not precious.’ 666 furrows her eyebrows.

‘Eternity isn’t what gives memories value.’ Your eyes are downcast.

‘What does, then?’

…

‘Being in the moment. Living in them does.’

‘If you focus too much on comparing experiences to the past, or how long they’ll eventually end in the future — no wonder you cannot love what they are in the present.’

Slipping your hand back into your back pocket, you retrieve the recent photo. You tap her hand, which she outstretches readily, and place the image in its warmth.

‘Keep this one.’

The celestial glow of the moon steals your attention. Your hands no longer move, instead, they rest on your stomach.

666 looks at the Polaroid photo in her hands. It depicts no important achievement or anniversary. Only for today, though, is it given a special meaning. At last, she notices the stray strand of hair that blocks your face, the white glow the photo is enshrouded in, and the overall serenity of the scene.

Leaning her chin on the crown of your head and intaking your scent, her arms wrap around your figure in a loose embrace. Under the starry, moonlit sky, she shares her warmth with you.

She has a better adjective to describe the feeling of you pressed against her now.

Grounding.

[heartcircus]

okay but can we talk more about how . quick clown was to take tina under his wing. the fact that it reflected how he came to take ros as an apprentice … ough. the parallels?

first, with bad (jokingly) threatening tina after clowm logged off only for clown to log in at the perfect time, which made bad go immediately silent and back off. like . what is this . december?

but then there was also during the confrontation with pili/ace. clown wasn’t taking it seriously, joking around and having a very light attitude towards the whole thing. when pili said he found clown boring, clown took it in stride. but tina rose to his defense, and pili immediately latched onto her — asking if this was clown’s apprentice, hiding behind the arena’s walls. and it’s like. something clicked in clown’s head because he said she could do whatever she wants. and then he started actually taking the confrontation seriously. and he brought up ros.

sorry im a rospierce (/p or /r idc i just love them as a duo) enjoyer. and i’ve hardly seen anyone talk about it so. here i am. analysing it. all one line.

“you expect me to care what you think. but that’s the whole point, isn’t it? i never cared. i just wanted to put you in the dirt for what you did to ros.”

i remember back in january, feeling slightly disappointed at how misconstrued the fight between pili and clown was advertised, with people claiming it was “toxic yaoi” or “pili proving himself”. and those are interpretations that can be had, especially from pili’s pov! it was framed as if pili was the underdog and clown was the final boss pili has to defeat to gain some respect, and though he ultimately failed, clown never spoke about the reasons why he personally fought pili that day.

i’m sure a lot of people, both in the realm and in the community, assumed it was because pili was obsessed with clown and his deepest desire was to die by clown’s hand. they probably also assumed clown was fighting simply because he was the only one who could. but that’s not the case. sneeg sought out clown before the fight and offered to take pili down, but clown refused him. it was personal to clown. probably because ros was targeted due to her relationship with him.

maybe that’s why he never told anyone why he did it. at the fight. why he purposefully played into the role of pili’s final wall to overcome. because people knowing he cared about ros is exactly what led to her being hunted down and killed in the first place. he doesn’t want to advertise just how important she is to him, because it’s dangerous to be so. and it’s a shame, but also so very interesting, because despite the fact that their relationship is almost entirely private, ros has never once doubted that clown cares about her.

but you can also see that clown seems to be letting those walls down! i mean, he blatantly admitted that the reason he fought pili was for ros’s sake. this was in front of only foolish and tina, who wouldn’t use this information against him, and bad who already knew. but still. i wonder if it’s because of sneeg and zam and ros herself have grown stronger. and he doesn’t feel that he is the only one who needs to protect them.

sorry for the rant/analysis that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. because clown hardly logs in, he doesn’t do a lot of lore. and when he does do lore, it’s hardly talked about because people tend to view it as non-canon because they can’t see him committing to it . but i still think he’s such an interesting character despite that ^^

this is an amazing analysis anon.... woawww my rospierce heart

but yes i agree!!! the whole purpose of the fight did get misconstrued; clown fought because Ros' safety was in jeopardy if he didn't, not to grant pili's wish. he never cared about that, he never cared that pili was obsessed with him and any advance pili tried making clown actively ignored or dismissed (ex. throwing away all the gifts pili gave him). it was all for ros.

i also think clown is the type of guy to hide his relationship with ros as a means of protection like you said. it's dangerous to let people know you have attachments, it's something that can be exploited and used against you. it's happened time and time again on lifesteal, clown's home. it makes total sense for him to want to hide how much he cares for ros in hopes of keeping her out of danger.

clown and ros' relationship is so interesting to me . god i love them so much. they have like undying faith in one another and despite clown not being around a lot and most of their bond being hidden in private, they're unwavering. clown comes back and it's like nothing ever changed .

[ominousgradient]

do any of the other dragons ever try to hold/carry spitlout or is hookfang the only baby snatcher?

One the one hand Snotlout isn't their rider so they wouldn't feel as attached to her as Hookfang does, plus after living with humans for years they have all gained some basic understanding of their behaviors and probably grasp the fact that humans tend to very much not like it when dragons pick up their tiny children

On the other hand they're all more familiar with Snotlout that they are with the rest of Berks inhabitants and most likely consider him as part of their pack (Flock? Herd? Idk the go to term), from what we see dragons are pretty chill with other dragons interacting with their kids, it seemed to me at least like raising hatchlings is a communal effort so they might also just snatch Spitlout away

There’s probably also a difference with how they interact with her, not just based on personality but depending on their breed. Maybe Zipperbacks are more inclined to discipline other dragons hatchlings so Belch sparks at Spitlout when she acts out without thinking much of it, becoming very confused when the humans all immediately start freaking out. Or maybe male nadders are more likely to eat others young so Stormfly likes to stay close to Spitlout, just to make sure none of the male dragons get any ideas and try to go in for a nibble

The dragons are by now all aware that humans are a lot squishier and weaker than them obviously, but they wouldn't really grasp just how fragile a human baby is. Hatchlings can walk and eat solids right out of the egg, not to mention that they're capable or rudimentary flight after like what, a couple of days? Meanwhile Spitlout's gonna take 3 MONTHS till she can so much as hold up their own head, plus she has an invisible weak point on the top of her head that won’t close till she's more than 1 year old. So even if they approach her with the best intentions, the dragons will probably all have to learn to be extra gentle with her

[arwensarboretum]

Spoilers for Tales Of Symphonia!

Tales of Symphonia thoughts:

This has never occurred to me before and now that it has I am BAFFLED that I never thought of it before: Why are the Chosens humans instead of half-elves?

I know the Half-elves are discriminated against heavily, which would imply that the people of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant wouldn't take kindly to a half-elf with celebrity status, but I still think that being chosen to save the world would probably ingratiate at least those specific half-elves to the community at large, even if it was only during their active journey of regeneration. (We also know that even the human chosen are a bit ostracized because of their positions, so it's possible the average person could still be discriminatory to the chosen) (this would make it harder to the Chosen themselves to have enough positive feelings towards the world to want to save it though, so maybe it was because of that.) The half-elves are generally persecuted because of their long lifespans, but, in the case of the chosen, that wouldn't really be a problem as they begin their journey at age 16 and die at the end of it. The normal reason for discrimination wouldn't apply to a half-elf chosen.

We know that Martel is a half-elf, and that the Chosen of Regenerations serve 2 purposes: 1. to flip the mana hourglass system between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla and 2. to provide a host body for Martel's soul. We know that the body has to be organic (see Tabetha) and empty (see the steps to becoming an angel), and we know that in order for the body to accept Martel's soul, it has to have a similar enough mana signature for the transfer to be possible. We also know that that CAN work on humans as Martel is successfully transferred into Colette's body, but WHY? aren't the Chosen's half elves? Wouldn't that make it easier to find a mana signature that matches instead of selective breeding (which we know happened because of Zelos's parents arranged marriage). There would probably still need to be selective breeding if they were half-elves, but at least the race would match and the vessel body would already have the ability to sense and manipulate mana due to being a half-elf. I think it would be easier and therefore faster to match a body that already is the same race.

It's possible the Cruxis crystal renders that point moot because it messes with the host physically, but we know from Kratos and Zelos that their ability to use magic is NOT from the cruxis crystal (hence why Colette can only use angelic magic while Zelos and Kratos can both use magic that's closer to Genis, Raine and the other elves and half-elves we see in world), they had to eat the stone Aionis in order to gain the ability to use magic. So the magic in the blood thing doesn't apply to humans. (We also see this in Sheena as she is many generations removed, but does have some elven blood which allows her to be a Summoner.)

We know Martel had magic. She was a half-elf. She was the team's healer. In the computer game (I forget its name), we see her use magic. It's also speculated by Raine that maybe the Journey of Regeneration the Chosen have to go on is to test if they are similar to Martel in personality who was self-sacrificial and wanted to save the world. Colette matches her very closely all the way down to their shared illness, so it makes sense that Colette can bear her soul, but why aren't the chosen half-elves? Surely half-elves going on the journey successfully would either already have, or would develop Martel-like traits that would facilitate the transfer, and would make it easier to find a functional body. I don't know if mana signature is affected by race. Maybe it's not and is some personality like thing. Yuan was able to transfer his mana into Kratos to keep him alive (which is a half-elf to human transfer (which itself may or may not be affected by the fact that they are both angels)) so maybe the race of each member doesn't matter at all. But it makes me wonder. Wouldn't it be easier if they were? Maybe that's not how mana works at all? Maybe the mana transfer is facilitated by them being different races? This wondering led to point 2 - which is entirely unrelated to Martel, but instead inspects Mithos and his relation to half-elves and their status through the years.

Mithos has lived 4,000 years as basically the ruler of both worlds. With the Eternal Sword and pacts with all summon spirits, being an angel, a trained swordsman and a powerful caster, he is an unmatched force of power, and is using that power to turn everyone into lifeless beings in order to achieve his sister's goal of ending discrimination. This leads me to some questions.

Why didn't Mithos use his status as the hero of the Kharlan war to improve the position of half-elves in society? This one is kind of tricky as very little is known about the direct aftermath of Martel's death and what happened immediately after they stopped the war vs what we see in the present day with the myth of Mithos the Hero and the goddess Martel, but we know that in the story Mithos is not explicitly a half-elf. It's possible that that changed over time, or that it was edited out by people who were continuously racist against the half-elves, but initially, Mithos could have used his power and leverage as the ender of the war to highlight half-elves and improve their societal standing. It's possible he did, and it simply didn't last the 4,000 years. 4,000 years an incomprehensible amount of time. But I think about it. Especially in the present as the half-elves are almost all members of the Desians. That makes sense from their perspective as it makes more sense to join a group that wants you rather than one that persecutes you, but it perpetuates the idea of "half-elves bad and humans good" and "half-elves good and humans bad" depending on which side of the divide you're on. The rift between them is intensified when it's believed that the desians are killing the Chosens and robbing the worlds of salvation (though we know this to be a plot by Yuan and the renegades, no doubt leveraging the race divide in his favour.) The set up of the system keeps them apart - that's in line with Mithos' beliefs, that people can't change, but it's still an interesting way it's being reinforced. It's possible and even likely that Mithos tried to make these changes a long time ago, but they didn't stick and then he didn't bother to keep trying as the years went by, but the current state of race relations highlights how he isn't using his power to facilitate it at all and is in fact using his power to keep people divided.

2. Why didn't Mithos make the half-elves affluent?

Another question I can only speculate on due to the nebulous information about the 4,000 years. It's possible they were at one point, but the humans despised them for their long lives and waged war against them, took their stuff, ran them off, ect. There are many ways that could have existed and then ended. With the power of Gnome though, Mithos could basically print money for whatever group he wanted and could have sustained the half-elves control over a particular area (which he did for the half-elves of Exire). Even the elves in Ymir protect their forests with magic and guards. It's possible the half-elves, if given a similar set up could have flourish in similar circumstances. It's possible they even did. But in the modern day, only Exire welcomes half-elves (and I'm still not even sure how the half-elves get to Exire? Are Rheiards something people can just get in Tethe'Alla?) (Mithos didn't seem weirded out by Lloyd group having them in Tethe'Alla or Sylvarant (How did he think they got from world to world?) but was alarmed when he learned they got them from the Renegades, so it's possible he thought they got them in Tethe'Alla and that the Renegades brought Lloyd's group through the rift? But Pronyma knew about the crashed Rheiards on Fooji... Maybe she just never told Yggdrasil? Sorry... getting off topic.) and I don't really see why that has to be the case aside from another home was never made for them. It's more than possible that many half-elf settlements existed throughout the millennia and none of them are still standing, but with the power of all the summon spirits and the Eternal Sword, I think it more than likely that Mithos could have built the half-elves another home to live it where they could have peace.

3. Looping back to the point about Martel really quick, WHY didn't Mithos use the Eternal Sword to create a body that could house Martel?

I don't know how the Eternal Sword works at all. I know you need to be a half-elf to use it. I know you can be human and use it with the Ring of the Pact. I know you need to be acknowledged by Origin to use it. I know Yuan says "it can do anything you want it to" basically. I know it was used to split the worlds. All I know is it's incredibly powerful and has the ability to bend/fashion reality to the wielders will. We only ever see it split/reunite the worlds and hold Derris Kharlan close to the planet without destroying it, but if it can manipulate reality, wouldn't it create a body for Martel? Was Mithos not able to use it anymore after breaking his pact with Origin? Was it stuck with certain settings when Origin was sealed and nothing could be done with it afterwards? Yuan planned to use it and kill Kratos to open the seal and claim the sword, so it's possible that it can't be used to do new things which Origin is sealed, but we don't know when Origin was sealed. It could have been used immediately to revive Martel after she was killed. In the PS version, if you talk to Yuan after the Tower of Salvation falls, he talks about the arrival of Derris Kharlan and how after Martel died, they needed to store her in the seed and then wait 200 years for Derris Kharlan to arrive in order to provide enough mana to save the world. I think the plan was to split the world anyways, then use the comet's mana to help the seed grow and reunite the world when the tree was big enough to sustain them both, but when Martel was killed, Mithos used the seed to sustain her instead and then refused to give the seed up when the comet did arrive, but either way, we know the sword was used to split the world and Martel died. If Origin was sealed before Martel died, maybe that was the reason they couldn't use the sword to revive her (at least without killing Kratos), but if Origin wasn't sealed when she died, why not just use it?

Also, side note: Why did everyone decide that killing Kratos was acceptable here? If the sword cannot be used without Origin's acknowledgement and only Mithos has that, that means in order for the wielder to change, you'd need to kill Kratos, meet Origin, have him acknowledge you and then, if you're a half-elf you can wield the sword, and if not you need the ring of the pact. But why did that need to be linked to Kratos's life force? I know Kratos was the best fighter on the team at the time so it's possible no one thought he would be defeated so it was their safest bet, but it's really putting a target on him. Maybe not if no one else KNEW he was the seal and Mithos never thought Yuan or Kratos would betray him, but if Origin needs to be unsealed to use the sword, then Kratos agreeing to help Mithos reunite the worlds after reviving Martel in the wake of Anna's death is equivalent to Kratos agreeing to die so Mithos can use the sword (which is in character at the time for Kratos, but still messed up), but if that's NOT necessary for the Eternal Sword to be used, and Mithos can just do whatever he wants with it still, why doesn't he use it to revive Martel?

The Mithos in the game that we get and his counterpart in the OVA are slightly different. Mithos in the game is entirely focused on bringing back Martel and I find it easier to think he either didn't notice or didn't care much about fixing the rest of the world once he got his systems in place to bring Martel back. He obviously valued her wish, which we see in the Age of lifeless beings - he wanted her to have a world without discrimination, but his goal seems extreme and he seems in favour of that extremity. There's not a lot of nuance to his view, and if he has nuance in his view, it's never explained. In the show, Yggdrasil explicitly tells Lloyd he tried everything to end discrimination and bring back Martel and nothing worked. In a lifespan of 4,000 years that would be a depressing and horrific experience and his age of lifeless beings makes more sense if he tried things I mentioned and more and everything simply didn't work up front or fell away with time and the discrimination continued. It would overtake any hope left after long enough, and Mithos clearly had fallen to apathy about the state of the worlds in the end. It's possible game Mithos did the same and there was simply nothing left to try that he could think of and didn't consider reviving old plans as he believed people can't change. It really brings into perspective how awful it would be.

I don't really have a good closing for this. I had questions and thoughts. If anyone has speculations, feel free to add them. It just makes me think.

[laswells-ashtray]

Okay, so we have Young Price already, but let’s to a mashup: Sergeant dragon hybrid Price with human MacMillan!

I can imagine the things this man has to go through on a daily with Johnathan being the only hybrid on base ALONG with being his youngest sergeant.

Imagine John is upset with Mac over something petty and flies to the roof to pout until Mac talks him down.

I could also imagine other military bases being after John to use him for their own gain and Mac protects that boy with his life. It even gets to the point where they’ve got a meeting with the board to discuss John’s place on Mac’s team going forward. Not to mention that the sergeant has to wear a tight muzzle and padded gloves since he’s seen as a ‘threat’, which pisses Mac off to a whole other level.

On a lighter note, some funny things about dragon hybrid Price is that when he’s upset about something, he’ll blow smoke from his nose or beat his tail on the floor to try and annoy Mac. Something else is that when he was playing around with a rookie he got too rough and accidentally hurt the man with his claws, prompting his captain to trim them.

Bad idea.

Trying to trim John’s nails is like trying to get a cat into the bath. A mess. He ends up succeeding after a few threats and candy sticks and now John is lounging in his office doing a word search and eating his well earned candy like a kid.

One thing MacMillan realises pretty quickly is that other people don't like John for the same reasons he does. He likes John because John is an asshole who disrespects authority while still being one of the best soldiers he's ever seen. Unlike half of the other blokes he works with, John doesn't try to kiss his arse and sook up to him. John has a fierce personality and no off button.

He doesn't see John as a dragon hybrid who's value lies in his use. He sees John as an asshole who steals his fags and perhaps has wings.

When another Captain asks him about loaning John out for a few missions, he stares back at them blankly before he realises why they're asking.

"No, but you can take Kerr or Wallace."

"They don't exactly have the... capabilities I'm looking for."

"Shame."

He isn't letting people treat John like a weapon, that's for sure.

When they force John into the muzzle he wants to kick off, wants to call everyone involved a cunt but he doesn't. He stands silently, listens to them discuss the benefits of allowing them to pass John around different teams as needed and keeps his hand on the back of John's head. If he loosens the muzzle while no one is looking then that's on him.

Despite how many of them try to go over his head, they don't get John. They don't get to pass him around like he's a threat instead of a sergeant. Because MacMillan tells them privately that if they so much as attempt it then he'll put a bullet through Sergeant Price's kneecap and then no one will get to work with him. John doesn't know and if he did, maybe he'd hate him but Mac knows it's for the greater good inevitably. And maybe he's selfish. But no one else is getting his sergeant.

The incident with the nails that happens is a poor thing, MacMillan feels bad for all parties involved because John might not have intentionally scratched the poor rookie but he can also see the boy's pinkie bone.

He's the one who approaches John about the idea of trimming his nails, only after looking into it and making sure it isn't some cardinal sin in the dragon hybrid community. They probably should have long before now but he has a habit of letting John away with things he shouldn't. Besides, John has been talking to that new CIA girl and she appears to be decent impulse control for him. God bless the poor fuckers who started spreading the rumours that they're involved, MacMillan likes Kate, he does. He also likes that she tries to be discreet when checking out that soldier of his with the brown hair and the tattoo of scissors on her arm. So, he's been letting John away with more recently because at least he's been behaving with his new friend.

He is, of course, the only one that John will allow close enough to trim his nails. Doesn't mean he won't be a dick about it though.

"Stop twitching."

"Stop clipping my claws."

"I swear, you're like a nippy wee wain. Right, five-gallon jug and a three-gallon jug, how are you getting four bloody gallons?"

"They did this in Die Hard 3. Fill the three and pour it into the fi- Oi, quit it."

"See? Wasn't so bad now, was it? If I give you a mint crumble will you et me do the next one?"

"... Give me two."

[valyrfia]

People don't hate ferrarihive (thearchercore) because she vanishes what haha. they hate her ass because her posts are cringe as fuck and make Charles look like an idiot that everything he achieves is ONLY because of Max or only has to do with Max. Or she treats him like this fictional dude that only manages to do things because and for Max only and it's I fear common sense some lecfosi are gonna find that awkward and not, that cool? maybe. which like you said, they're free to block and move on. But you know, twitter is the place for haterism so if it gets negative opinions, well there's freedom on that too. Im not saying she deserves the hate but she can't possibly act shocked or confused about why the hate is coming. Like do you guys read yourselves? Almost 90% things posted make Charles look like an idiot which is not that deep since you're not exactly in charge of the pr and image of the guy (thank god for that). But you know, that will get fans with some sort of need to defend him, because that's almost the point of being a fan, defend and support, you know?

You asked me if I was reading my own posts, well I have to say, are you listening to yourself? Not only do you think the place to discuss this is in askboxes of two people who consider her a close friend, but what has she does to offend you? Exactly?

As far as I can see, all she does is make silly little edits that she has loads of fun making (for FREE mind you), and posts it on the internet. She's not at all like her two evil triplets @tsarinablogs and I who actively engage in discourse, she's literally just having fun with her fandom space by ONLY posting on two sites and then curating her community beyond belief here because (not to doxx her but) she's an extremely intelligent, extremely hardworking, and extremely employed woman with a job and a full adult life and THIS is her hobby to relax and have fun! Are you REALLY going to bitch and moan about it because....other people happen to like this content that she's making? Which is ultimately a tiny fraction of the F1 related content churned out daily? And is produced for her own enjoyment and anyone else's happiness is an unexpected bonus? It's reductive, it's pointless, and I'm actually going to fully point my finger at you and say it's mean. J'accuse.

"twitter is the place for haterism" no it's the place for awful insane groupthink which gains traction because it's the kind of content which keeps you on that screen selling your precious time and energy to advertisers and El*n M*sk. Also, I'm going to be blunt, love Charles, that's my driver and my blorbo and Forza Ferrari and he is the second coming and all the rest, but that multi-millionaire rich white man with extremely questionable morals does not need you defending his honour and integrity past "his driving on track is hot" and "he said what he said about the opposing team". THAT is defending and supporting as a fan. It is NOT choosing to bitch about people just doing their own thing for their own enjoyment on the internet! Please, I say this with all the care I can muster, touch some grass.

[gx-gameon]

I already did the DM cast but here’s what I think the Gx cast would be in DnD or in a Fantasy au. There is going to be a lot more multi-classing in this one

Jaden

I have agonized over Jaden because whatever he is, Aster is to.

Part of me wants to just make them fighters. They have the super hero decks (Aster’s basically Batman). Just let them be the people swinging it out without magic.

But that doesn’t feel right either. Jaden is so connected to spirits and the magic or Yugioh that it feels wrong to just send him out there with no powers.

And part of me was like make them Monks. And that is an option. Very spiritual, still has the fighting aspect. Even has elemental abilities depending on which way they go.

But (and maybe this is my bias showing) what about Druid.

Druids can shape shift. If you think about it what is polymerization other than changing one’s form. Jaden also has the elemental hero’s, the druids have elemental powers, he also has the Neo-Spacians many of which are based on different animals.

Jaden is a circle of the moon Druid and he absolutely abuses it.

He’s casting lighting and then transforming into panther to just take full advantage and scare the bejabers out of any opponent. At a high enough level he can just become an elemental beast.

It’s so broken and over powered it’s not even funny. Yes he is still physically fighting. But I feel the Druid matches Jaden’s use of spell cards in the show while also making him over powered enough to handle most of the groups problems.

Yubel

Is also a Druid, not really but listen to me. Yes they are a fiend or spirit Jaden speaks to. Yes they are an antagonist at some point

But when Jaden fuses with them he gains access to circle of Dreams. This is a replacement for the general darkness ablities.

He’s can command shadows to hide himself and the party. He can pass between dimensions to get from one place to the next (it functions like teleport) He’s able to communicate with people in their dreams, or torture them with nightmares. He can move people around during fights and heal other party members.

Circle of Dreams is very support heavy. Keeping yourself and party safe and healed and feels like a protector like Yubel would be.

Should Jaden be allowed to be part of two circles, no. Is he going to be anyways since he has two souls in one body. Yes.

Hasselberry

Barbarian

He already goes into a blind rage when his Dino-DNA kicks in.

He’s a little too perfect for the role.

Alexis

Cleric.

She’s got the religious theme already with her Cyber angels.

She’s also in a support role. She’s making sure her brother and friends can keep fighting.

Zane

Artificer

Uses a mixture of tech and magic. Creates weapons to fight/support the ‘team’

He’s working on making a Cyber Dragon. It’s his ultimate goal.

He just can’t seem to make a powerful enough dragon. Everytime he tries to make Cyber End Dragon, he just can’t do it.

He comes to the conclusion that this is because he does not have enough magical power.

Instead of asking for help he looks for a new way of gaining power

Multi-classing into a Warlock. He makes a pack with a Dark entity. They give him more power but at the cost of his heart.

Syrus

Artificer

Just like his brother he loves to work with magic and Machines. He was inspired to become an Artificer because he looks up to Zane.

His creations are more childish, and he is often mocked for them. Zane tries to convince him to create more serious creations

Once he meets Jaden and the others and gets more comfortable with his own powers he gains confidence and his inventions start working.

In the end him and Zane (after breaking his deal with the Dark entity) work together to create Cyber End Dragon.

Chazz

Sorcer

He’s overly proud of his bloodline and thinks he’s superior because he was born with magic. Only to be shown up by a guy who likes to live in a hut (Jaden)

He can’t study to gain new powers he’s locked into his birth magic. So how does he improve?

Say it with me, Multi-classing.

I think it would be funny for him to become a bard to follow in Atticus’s footsteps but I also think he’d make a great rouge.

Starts as an overly proud magic user and then switch to someone who only wears black, and relies mainly on the skills he’s learned when traveling with his friends. His magic still comes in clutch but he’s grown past thinking he’s superior for just having it.

Bastion

Wizard!!!!

This boy loves to study. He loves to learn. A wizards whole thing is they have to study to learn how to do magic.

At first he feels very out of place because everyone else is so good at their branch of magic or their skills and he feels like he’s falling behind.

But over time he starts to amass a large collection of spell books (the gang defiantly looks for them anytime they are in a new environment)

Over time he’s able to master high level spell and stand next to his friends in his own power.

Atticus

There is an obvious answer to this one and I will get there but first

Paladin (stay with me)

Sworn to the Red Eyes Black Dragon

Something about him and Alexis being Cleric and Paladin siblings just feels right.

Maybe by becoming Nightshroud he broke his oath and that is why he is so much weaker.

Throughout the story he’s working on atoning for his crimes as Nightshroud to restore his oath.

During this time, to become more helpful to the crew and just because he wants to (he’s trying to do things he enjoys after his time as Nightshoud) he multi-classes as a bard.

Until he can restore his oath he’s mostly doing bard magic.

Aster

He’s also scoring in as a Druid.

I don’t know if he should also be Circle of the Moon and him and Jaden have a rivalry over who does it better. (Aster cares way more than Jaden does. Asters pulling off powerful spells and transforming into powerful creature and then turns to Jaden like “top that” Jaden transforms the enemy into a mouse, transforms himself into a hawk, scoops it up and throws the mouse off a cliff. The fight is over in seconds. Aster thinks he’s a genius Jaden thinks of himself as funny)

But I’m also thinking about making Aster a different form of Druid, Specifically a Star Druid.

Circle of Stars. Allows you to make yourself or opponents glow. Transform into constellation forms; the archer (combat) chalice (healing) dragon(fortitude/concentration/movement) at high levels you can easily switch between forms and be flying around as a comic thing.

They have a whole relationship with the stars which feels more like Jaden with the Neo-spacians until you realize it’s all related to divination and Aster and his relationships with Destiny fits it much better.

Jesse

Either a paladin or ranger

If he’s a paladin his patron is Rainbow Dragon. He has an oath to protect the Legendary Crystal Beast

He is more than their protector he has become part of their family and the Beasts are just as protective as him as he is of them.

Or

He’s a ranger. Instead of having 1 companion he has 7. The Crystal Beast are connected to Jesse by 7 Gem stone he keeps with him at all time.

Maybe he finds the Crystals throughout his life. The legendary creature choosing him as their companion and family member.

His goal is to find all the Crystal beast (maybe he starts the campaign with only Ruby and has to find the other crystals through the story) and the final goal is to find and free the Rainbow dragon

Both are great options. One has him coming in as a powerful paladin and the other has him growing as the story goes

Maybe make him multi-class. Start as a ranger and then once he find all 7 crystal beast he specks into paladin to better protect his family and search for rainbow dragon.

Or

Make him Druid 3 this time a circle of Shepard allowing him to command an army of animals. (Funny that he Jaden and Aster are all Druids) but I think I like the Ranger plan.

Jim

Again a ranger

His companion is Shirley the Crocodile.

He’s a tracker and hunter. He definitely has a fascination in legendary and ancient creatures

Axel

I have three thoughts; Artificer to bring in his guns or a pure fighter or monk.

I don’t think he’s an Artificer. He’s tech savvy but it’s not a passion.

I kinda like him as a pure fighter.

Coming in to this group of heavy spell caster and being like “That’s great. How many of you know how to throw a punch.” And just whips them all into shape.