#never a bad time for a skeleton though imo

[midnakoopa]

Oh shit it's a week into November and I just remembered I meant to share the Big Gay Skeleton we saw in our neighborhood around Halloween.

[burst-of-iridescent]

so i just went through your entire anti-lok tag and everything you said in it was SO WELL WRITTEN. i wanted to ask if you might have any analyses or anything (or just good old rants! we love being bryke haters) - about something that i noticed, which is this sort of... ATLA/TLOK dichotomy between how all aang's villains seem to be focused on gaining power/dominating the world or whatever, but the villains in TLOK seem to revolve around very pointed targeting of korra and specifically stripping her of her agency/bodily autonomy, but i don't know how to expand on that point.

(idk just. TLOK has a whole list of scenes that make me VIOLENTLY uncomfortable in a way even the worst of ATLA doesn't? and i thought you might have some input to share about it, if you don't mind me asking)

thank you sm!! i'm glad you enjoy my lok and bryke salt <33

i know what you mean, because it's something that struck me when i was watching lok as well. korra's villains are far more personal to her (particularly in what they do to her, or want from her) than azula or ozai or even zhao ever were to aang, and while that isn't necessarily a bad thing (in fact it can often be good to have a personal relationship between your hero and villain; just look at how much more impactful and meaningful zuko and azula's arc was compared to aang and ozai's), there is a way to do it right and that was... not what bryke did.

we didn't need to see korra brutally bloodbent and stripped of her bending, or brutally attacked by unalaq, or brutally tortured by the red lotus or - you got it - brutally beaten up by kuvira (over and over again, might i add). i'm not saying that violence never has its place in storytelling, but it needs to have an actual purpose that's not just shock value. atla, for instance, knew when and how to utilise violence: the sight of gyatso's skeleton in the southern air temple, aang's murder by azula, even katara bloodbending... the violence in all of those scenes was necessary either to communicate vital information to the audience, or drive home the emotive and narrative significance of the moment, or both.

in lok though, bryke hardly, if ever, achieved either of these objectives - especially because it was mainly only ever korra who got the brunt of the violence. no other character is repeatedly targeted and assaulted and violated even half as much as korra is, even when they're facing the same antagonists. tenzin's fight against the red lotus in book 3 gets a tasteful pan to black (one of the few times i think bryke did use violence purposefully; knowing what not to show is just as important as knowing what to show, and leaving the audience with the dread of tenzin's fate was actually sadder and more terrifying than letting us see what happened to him) but korra's agonizing torture at the hands of the red lotus is so long and drawn-out that it begins to veer into torture porn.

imo, this can probably be attributed to two things: 1) bry.ke thinking trauma = character development because they don't know how else to write a good character arc (and they still somehow fucked it up - i will never forgive them for making korra thank zaheer, of all people, for helping her overcome her trauma, like what the absolute fuck bry.ke), and 2) they wanted lok to be "more mature" than atla, which shows both that they fundamentally didn't understand atla, or what constitutes good storytelling, and also that someone desperately needs to tell them that simply upping the violence and hamfistedly handling "complex" topics does not maturity make.

(given the way bryke has written women, i also have to side-eye the fact that the strong-willed, independent, brown female protagonist is beaten and battered and torn down far more than the peaceful, affable light-skinned male protagonist ever is, even during an actual war.)

and of course, contrary to what our dear bryke probably expected, simply brutalizing korra season after season in the name of shock value and development did not, to anyone else's surprise, make lok the better show in the end.

[hrodvitnon]

Something I hope they do with Goji going forward is to stop having him be alone all the time. And I'm not coming at this from the 'omg he's big lonely so sad' angle (even tho that is probably true), but having him running a solo show has the undesired side effect of not giving him anyone else to bounce off or interact with. This is an issue I never really noticed until the Wingard duology let Kong interact with both humans and other Titans regularly, which I think lended a lot to him being conceived as the 'more human' one. Kong's had relationships with Jia, Ilene, Shimo, Skar, the Apes, and Suko to flesh out over the two films- whereas Godzilla's just had... Mothra? For like- one scene? And- maybe Kong? They've looked at each other a few times. Fought together twice? Does Godzilla actually like him now? Idk.

Willing to admit that KotM did this better. Godzilla was allowed to interact with both Mothra, Rodan, Mark, and Serizawa and we were able to get a good idea of his relationship with each character. But even with that being said- the final film really only focused on giving his relationships with Serizawa and Mothra weight (he only interacted with Rodan once and the scenes with Mark were cut). Which- those were good, but given what we've now been shown is possible with Kong in Wingard's films- they can definitely go further.

And this isn't even a Godzilla-exclusive problem. He's the one everyone talks about, but imo, this is just as bad if not worse for characters like Rodan and Mothra. Rodan has only been shown killing people, wrecking havoc, and submitting unenthusiastically to Godzilla before being shelved for 2 movies. Sparing my- much hotter take in regards to Mothra- I prefer her KotM version where she was in the film for more than 20 minutes. I'm also unreasonably peeved she never directly interacted with Kong.

But there is hope! Lots of it, actually. Mothra and Shimo sorta had to have less screentime in this one because of how the plot was organized, so here's hoping the next film starts with all the monsters as main cast members- and preferably all together. I think a full movie not split between Kong and Godzilla's perspectives, and instead with them together- maybe accompanied by Mothra, Shimo, Suko, and Rodan (And praying to the gods they get another Titan to join them cough Anguirus cough) would do wonders for the Titans we haven't gotten to see much recently and would establish group vibes and dynamics. Godzilla could still be the tough guy serious one with an edge, but you could then give him a moment where he's about to kill some creature and Kong/Mothra steps in and makes him show mercy- getting him to be like 'ugh fine but only cuz i want to not because you told me'. Additionally, Rodan being annoying and poking Godzilla or Kong to get a rise out of them; Mothra/Rodan perching on Shimo, Godzilla, or Kong; Godzilla, Kong, or Shimo protecting Suko.

I just think letting the Titans be more of a group instead of isolated would do a lot for each of them, and just generally make for a more entertaining film.

It would be really cool to see the Titans actually interact with each other, though I for one would be glad to see Kong take a break in the next movie so others can shine and get some of the spotlight and characterization juice he's been hogging by comparison. Also, unfortunately I'm thinking it's unlikely we'll get Anguirus in the MonsterVerse considering we saw his skeleton in KOTM... unless another member of his species appears.

[the-ghost-king]

I know ur not gonna watch the show but I would b so into hearing ur takes on it, it's just not hitting for me rn

from what bits and pieces i've seen posted on here i would say that the cinematography seems really nice, most recent disney shows seem to have a very casual "content" style of filming. i don't know how else to explain it other than the current productions even in their filming are designed just to push more media out rather than a love for film and photography as an art form, and i think the pjo tv show from the screencaps and commercials/trailers i have seen seems to balance this nicely. disney is inevitably going to want to push out content as that is how they profit, but the camera angles and the camera details (Percy doing fortnite dances, very funny, but also very well shot! Medusa's veil, very clever and I like the "coy" way the camera plays with the viewer seeing her eyes in those gifs) have an intention and care into them that other recent disney tv shows geared towards the same age group just don't seem to have. i will say that's nice!

the only negative thing i have to say from what i've seen in the gifs and screencaps is that camp looks very... cheap... there are some cool details i seen someone make a post pointing out Percy's seaweed lamp (very cool! i like the fish skeletons I seen hanging too!) but the campers running around in the background do not have the same level of attention given. of course they are background characters and they're definitely not given full styling teams or proper wardrobe, but it is so bad imo to the point where it has become distracting to me in the background a few times on those clips, i can't imagine trying to watch the show and seeing all these background characters running around looking disconnected from the main cast by the lack of attention to their wardrobe. it's not that it's inherently wrong or anything, there are budgets shows have to stick to and cutting background characters is usually one of the first places shows cut, so maybe i should just be thankful all the kids aren't poorly done cgi but at the same time seeing Percy or Annabeth's chb shirts be very well tailored to them as individuals and then seeing the exact opposite in the background characters is just ??? to me. i don't know if it's a problem anyone else has but i tend to just pin point weird details like that.

i know they have changed some of the details of the plot and such, i can't comment much on that as i haven't actually watched any of those episodes. i hope it doesn't have any significant ripple effects down the line in terms of them having to skip entire bits of development in characters or plot because they felt something wasn't important 3 seasons ago and then they have to go "oh shit wait we needed that obscure bit" but who can say we are no where near that point.

my favorite bit of anything and everything to come out of the show though is the god awful horribly incorrect predictions people are having, people crushing on Luke, and people hoping for Percy as if he isn't the main character. if i was a more chaos driven person i would be frothing at the mouth for people's behavior in later seasons where there's a wider cast and stakes are higher and outcomes are more unknown. do i want the 2014 pjo/hoo drama rehashed? no absolutely not that sucked we should never do that again. do i want to sit back with a snack and watch other people rehash the same points and start the same fights 10 years later simply because it would be a mess? someone find me an original persassy post and sign me up. (it's like when you've worked in retail and then you're out in public and another customer is being awful and you're having flashbacks but also your nosey so you keep watching and you only intervene if it gets excessive... someone here has to understand that comparison....)

honestly i can't say too much about the actual show itself i haven't seen it, i've just seen bits and pieces of what (mostly mutuals) have posted or shared. i stand behind the fact i'm not really interested in fandoms with tv shows in the same way i am towards book fandoms and that i won't be watching the show; but i am open to staying neutral on things if people want to reach out just for someone to share thoughts with as if i am not even watching it i won't have strong opinions on most things, if any.

i know there have been more episodes dropped since you sent this so hopefully some of your tv show wants are happening, nonnie <3

[timid-plumber-archive]

that question was for the mun xd

{{ D'oh! My bad! Cut for length, but here's my thing:

It isn't the fact that she's a capable and collected leader that bothers me. She's always been that. She's also historically been a gal that takes action when things go so wrong, even the Bros. can't handle the sitch.

But what did bother me somewhat were little things. And I get that everything they did was to get some humor into the film, but like- instances such as when she throws Mario to the ground upon their first meeting. Feels like a Daisy-ism. When she nicknames Mario 'mustache' (which is cute), Daisy-ism. When she swears she nailed the training course right off the bat because she lived in Mushroom Kingdom all her life? Pretty Daisy-like to brag IMO. When she explains who Bowser is, and that he's insane and will eat Mario for breakfast because he's so small, and later on, when she's super pumped when Mario wins against DK? Daisy-isms.

Those things felt a bit out of the realm of things Peach would say or do in the material I'm familiar with. That said, she IS in-character for pretty much all of the rest of the film. Her being excited to save the kingdom with the Kongs. Her being worried over Mario's wellbeing and safety. Her being loving toward the toads. Her having moments of stoicism, her going through the emotions in the moment of self-sacrifice for her people. Her sharing happy and casual little chit-chat with Mario and later on Luigi too. All wonderful to see.

Really though, my issues are nitpicky and minor. It doesn't stop me from enjoying the film. If anything, it makes me wonder just how utterly chaotic Daisy will have to be to make Peach look like a picture-perfect royal who never has any fun by comparison. 😂

Also, for all of my nitpicks, that has not stopped me or anybody else from getting this film to shatter- no, utterly decimate and continue to decimate box office records. It's done a heck of a lot right. It's a love letter to fans, and a good time for people who don't know who the heck Mario is. And really, that's all any fan including myself could ever ask for.

Also also, all of the moments with just Mario and Luigi interacting? S-tier. Ten outta ten. I want more of that. I cannot think of many times outside this film where we get a glimpse into their lives quite like this, and I can't think of any where we get to see the Mario family (Super Show's live segments aside). If we get a Luigi's Mansion movie in the future, I want like- a zillion heartfelt scenes showing how Luigi's coping with the spooky scary skeletons by copying what Mario would do and then just- growing into his own heroic role. }}

[sunsrefuge]

hello hello i grant you a song free space: 1 and 2 for whoever you’d like to share for! :) @kerra-and-company

thank you !! <3 Okay... big disclaimer that I'm going to answer all of them again because I'm just horribly excited about music at all times kajsdhus Please don't feel like you have to read all of them since you did only ask 1 and 2!! i just have limited self-control and it dies the second i open spotify :'D

i'll use Khozzak to answer these!! <3

Backstory: Bright Mouths by Electric President

We know your tricks, We know all your bad habits, We know your secrets, We know where you're lost, We sneak into your closet and have dinner with the skeletons.

Khozzak's been in the Order of Whispers since he was a teenager, so it's fitting to have one of my favorite Whispers-feeling songs for his backstory! ^^ He joined them young because an Agent caught him pickpocketing and stealing very discreetly in Rata Sum, and they struck a deal where if he joined, they'd help make sure that his sisters were taken care of too!

Personality: Lonely Dance by Set It Off (Linking a fan's lyric video since the Official has a lot of flashing lights!)

Bonus fact that Cody Carson of Set It Off is Khozzak's voice claim! :D This also means that nearly every Set It Off song makes me think of him in some way or another ^^; [Also, the line "That's better" in here, that's just spoken, is exactly why it's his voice claim!]

One step forward, one step backwards, One step forward, one step backwards, All I need is me, myself, and I, (One step forward, one step backwards,) All I need is me, myself, and I, (One step forward, one step backwards,) All I need is peace and quiet! ... That's better.

He's very content when things are quiet and calm! He's also like, perpetually a little grumpy because he has anxiety issues. So he gets overwhelmed a lot, but his way of dealing with it is just brute forcing through it kajshdaukj Not at all healthy, but he starts to unlearn that in his later years thanks to Qlikk <3

Angst: Cold Loud Dark by The Classic Crime

But I am a shadow, I'm a liar, I'm a lesson never learned. I am a coward, but I'll buy a second chance I never earned.

Which later changes to:

I am a shadow, I'm a liar, I'm a lesson learned. I am a coward, but I'll buy a second chance I've earned.

There's also this!!

I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know- I never let that stop me anyway! Where it's too dark to see, Too cold to breathe, Too loud to think, That's where I find my way.

Khozzak's got a lot of issues with feeling inadequate due to his father's treatment as he was growing up and due to dropping out of College to take care of his sisters! I like that too cold to breathe is in here too, because that lines up with Icebrood Saga for him, where he gets iced! ^^ The shadow / liar stuff fits nicely with the Order of Whispers imo, and I never let that stop me anyway just tags onto his resilience!! :D

Comfort: Somewhere Only We Know by Lily Allen

This hits mainly for his relationships with his sisters; they've always been close and take care of each other when they can. There's a certain fondness for the 'simpler' past, even though their childhoods were about as complicated as they could've been. I like to think that they had a spot in Rata Sum that was their meet up if anything happened, a safe little corner that no one else knew about, and this is kind of reminiscing about that!

Oh simple thing, where have you gone? I'm getting tired and I need someone to rely on.

Love Life: Free by Mother Mother

A bloody war, Behind my eyes, I come out right on the other side. Just close the door, And shut the blinds, I'll come out right on the other side.

This is primarily on his Icebrood playlist, but it fits very well!! Once he feels safe & secure with Qlikk, and they're both interested in settling down, Khozzak gets very interested in leaving behind his role as Commander. Phoenix has been carrying the mantle since Maguuma anyway. It just feels urgent, like most of his music, but also like a plea;

Love, let my nightmares turn into dreams. Love, let the angels into my sleep. Love, let the spirits fly out of me. Love, let my love inside go...- Love, let my anger turn into peace. Love, let the doves cry out in the streets. Love, let the poison bleed out of me. Love, let my love inside go free.

Fight Scene: White Rabbit by Egypt Central

Your lies fool no one.

Khozzak does specialize in dispelling Mesmers illusions! ^^ Inspired originally by the fact that he, somehow, got every story step where Mesmers fuck with you in Personal Story, and I originally thought Mesmers were only villains because of this kajsdhusfdk

Your magic, white rabbit, Has left its writing on the wall. We follow, like Alice, And just keep diving down the hole.

It's also funny to me, because you can switch this song around once he gets iced! Then he's technically the white rabbit >:)

Thirst Trap Fancam?

King by Foreign Figures !! No one ask why I knew this one instantly kajhduasdaku

All hail, I'll never be your king. I'll never be your king. No, I'll never be your-- (Off with his head!) Why would you even build a pedestal, Or beautiful throne, If it's not your own?

I don't know why this song also has a very "when he gets iced and ends up Jormag's Herald" vibe. :D Lowkey have wanted to do an edit to the bridge where it's like.. First him fine, healthy, normal; and after "(Off with his head!)" and then cut to Icebrood shenanigans. ^^

ik all of this wasn't asked for so if you read this far ily <3

[vodkacheesefries]

My dear friend @schitzophrenicrainbows asked for a tattoo tour so if you're interested I've got pics of all my tattoos under the cut!

CW for mention of hidden camera bullshit in my third tattoo. I don't go into detail, but it's the reason I got one of my tats so I wanted to warn anyone who might be upset by reading about it.

I might as well do it in order, so starting with my first one, located on my right wrist.

I know it's controversial to do this, but I wanted it to face me for a couple reasons. One, it's a Hamlet reference. Hamlet is my favorite Shakespearean play, so when I see a skull, I grab it and immediately start quoting the graveyard scene (I am delightful at parties).

Two, it's a reminder for me. I have trouble being spontaneous sometimes so I wanted a little reminder that "death comes for us all, so live a little" that I could look down and see whenever I need the push to do something spontaneous. My artist really liked the little doodle I did when describing the idea to her so she used my handwriting for the words. Which is why they look bad. But I think there's something poetic about the reminder being written in my hand.

Tat-two (heh) was a cute little flash piece by the same artist, this time on the outside of my left wrist. It's a real hit with whoever is working window at almost every coffee shop drive thru I go through lol

Tattoo 3 was done by a close friend I met in college. I got it on my right thigh.

I had found out the summer before that someone who was a "friend" had hidden cameras in his bathroom and had photos/videos of everyone who ever used it, including myself. I legitimately hated him the entire time I knew him, but he thought I was joking when I told him. He was married to a former friend (imo she was complicit in what happened so we don't talk anymore. It's a complicated story for another time.) so I had to put up with him for way longer than I ever would have if we'd ever just met in passing.

Medusa is often a tattoo people who have experienced sexual violence get. It still feels weird to me to consider that situation as violence, since nothing physically bad ever happened to me, but as two years of therapy have taught me, it was, and it's okay to feel hurt and violated even though nothing physically ever happened to me.

I decided I wanted a spin on the traditional Medusa tat, though. What if she had won her battle with Perseus and was holding it up to the world as a symbol of "this is what happens when you fuck with me?" I used it as a reminder of strength through the lengthy legal process. Almost two years later to the day (this year) it finally ended. He's in jail, currently, and has a lengthy and strict probation sentence to follow, as well as being on the sex offender registry for a looooooong time. And honestly, I hope he's miserable and never feels happiness or joy ever again in his life.

It's not technically done, we want to add highlights and some darker lines around her figure so she pops a bit more, but the friend who did it lives a couple hours away so it's a bit of an all day trek to get up there and I just haven't had time.

Tattoo 4 was also a flash, also by the same artist who did my first two and also the unofficial start of a theme for my right arm. Skulls/skeletons. Turns out I really love 'em. This one sits above my Hamlet tattoo.

Tattoos 5, 6, 7, and 8 are dancing skeletons on my right bicep. Done by a friend I met through my old job! Pics are a little blurry, they don't do them justice. But I can only twist my arm around so far so 😂

I don't consider these ones done either. I want to add some black work cemetery type visuals in the background and a moon or something, but since I've just quit my job and I'm doing this entrepreneur thing I gotta make money before I finish it lol at this point I have started referring to my right arm as "The Skull Arm."

Tattoo 9 was another flash from the artist who did tattoos 1, 2, and 4. More skulls! Just below my right elbow. Also a little blurry. Turns out licking your elbow is as impossible as getting an unblurry photo of it.

Tattoo 10 (also by the same artist as 1, 2, 4, and 9) is on my left ankle just above my roller derby surgery scar!

It's an illustration from one of the Ramona Quimby books. There's been many versions through the years with different illustrations, but the versions I read as a kid were the ones that had the illustrations by Louis Darling. The tricycle is blue because there was a blue trike at the preschool I went to that if I had to, I would punch a bitch out for at recess. It was MINE dammit lol

I always really related to Ramona because she had a perfect older sister everyone loved and adored, and I had 3. I never felt pretty, or smart, or cool, or talented the way I thought everyone said my sisters were, so I leaned into my weirdness like Ramona. She was loud, messy, clumsy, and so was I. Looking back on it I wish I could give baby me a hug and tell me I was being silly. I am just as good as my sisters are, we're just different. And even though we wouldn't figure out why or how we were different till our early 20s, it all worked out okay and we have a wonderful relationship with all of our older sisters.

Tattoo 11, done by the previous artist as well, is the most recent on the upper part of my forearm on the Skull Arm. (Never let it be said I don't follow a theme.) I always intended my right arm to be a sticker sleeve, but now it's a skeleton-y sticker sleeve. I can't wait to get to the point where we can add fun little fillers.

I've wanted a My Chemical Romance tattoo for FOREVERRRRR and I finally did it. I used my bonus money I got from my job before I quit lmao

I have more My Chem tattoos planned (I want to get a chest piece using some "Mama" lyrics after I eventually get top surgery) but since Black Parade was my gateway drug I figured getting a Black Parade one first was fitting. It's also cool having one of my own drawings on me. I originally wasn't intending to get the actual drawing I'd done, but she liked it so much she asked me if we should leave it mostly alone. We just changed the skull to match the album better, changed the lyric to "the world will never take my heart" and then she used her preferred method of shading to finish it up. I told her I consider it a collab between us now but she insists it was still all me, she just put it on my skin lol

I'll get a better photo when the saniderm is off but I finally got a my chem tattoo 😭 my artist based it off a drawing I did a few years ago. I can't stop staring at it lol

[yourclownpal]

A comprehensive list of all my Ghost au's

this post will be talking about all of the ghost au's ive created or co-created including talking about ghost au's from old fandom's that i am no longer in. if you want to ask about any of my au's my ask box and dm's are always open this includes the hermitcraft au but keep it to a minimum please also if any of the creator's of the characters have said that they arent comfortable with what im making ( with proof ofc) i will edit or delete what is needed to fit in the boundaries also another thing this is a long post if you just want the art go under the cut! this post will discuss how each au works and basic plot stuff about them the fandoms in this post are hermitcraft, epithet erased, and dsmp okay first things first-

my hermitcraft au (what a pity)-

On my old tumblr account I made a few posts about it along with a fanfic which never got finished due to me not wanting to interact with the fandom any more due to personal reasons and also I'm not very good at writing imo but I think I'm ready to talk about it again. Just keep in mind i will most likely not talk about this fandom ever again at least not on here again for personal preference : -) it was about season 6 Grian since he was who i was hyperfixating on at the time, being haunted by the ghosts of Sam and Taurtis, both of them from the old roleplay series' Yandere High School, and Tokyo Soul, and taurtis from Grians old-ish smp Evo. Since I never finished the fanfiction nobody but me and close friends ever got to hear the full story i had planned but now you will i guess. It was mainly just grian stressing about Sam and Taurtis being ghosts and him worrying about being crazy, though he would still join the hippies during the area 77 war he would be significantly more stressed especially when finding out that Sam and Taurtis have been possessing his body during the night, he’s more worried about Sam though because of his track record back in the other servers( yhs and ts) it was going to be that Sam (although death isn't permanent) would go on a killing spree in Grians body which would cause the area 77 guys to put him in the facility to see what's going on with him, and it didn't get further then that. My favorite part of this au much like all of my au’s were the design elements i had for it which i'll have under the cut with the other designs. Now for a rundown of how the ghost physics work in this world, in typical ghost fashion Sam and Taurtis were not able to touch or move anything, but they were able to interact with Grian, him being the only person who could see/hear/or touch them. Their only super natural abilities is being able to possess Grian.

Okay! Time for my Epithet Erased au!: Unlike what a pity this one doesn't have a name or a fanfic to go with it as said before i'm not exactly a writer but i have talked about it a bit before on this account along with posting the designs and general concept but i'll go more in depth here! As said in my original post this au was a co-creation with my best friend and sibling @brocolibean so go check bun out ^^ Unlike ‘What a Pity’ it was more lighthearted and comedy centric because it dealt with a bit more and also the original show is a comedy. This au didn't include the character’s epithets so they are all humans. This will also include talking about house each ghost died so if your uncomfortable hearing about that you might want to skip the ghosts portion Just like the original post I'll separate the story summary into 3 parts with intervals in between to talk about the ghosts. First we have the Banzai boys part of the story. Giovanni, Spike, Dark Star, Crusher, Flame Thrower, Car Crash, and Ben all decide to move into a house together so they could all easily split the rent since its close to their collage, the house, which they get for cheap, is aa very old house with sketchy history. But it's a huge house for cheap so they don't complain they encounter the ghosts very early on living in the house and they swear to figure out how they died so they can get their memory back! The ghosts, Molly, Sylvie, Trixie, and Pheonica have no memory! All they know is that there are ghosts! They are connected to the property of this house but if you where to get something- like perhaps a stone from the property the ghost is still technically attached to it therefore the ghost can go with you anywhere Speaking of- -Phoenicia Fleecity is one of the last ghosts to show herself, her body is found in the overgrown garden flowers growing over her skeleton, she is from the victorian era making her the oldest out of the ghosts though he death is the most mysterious -Molly Blindeff is the first ghost the group meets her decomposed body is found buried in the floorboards of the living room, found when gio decided that the house needed renovation and taking matters into his own hands, she died via blunt force trauma i will not be going into detail here because i'm still thinking of doing something with this au she died in the early 2000’s -Sylvester Ashling is the second ghost to show himself though he didn't want to, his body was found in the bottom of the pond in the backyard of the house in the garden. His body while it was decomposing and falling apart was still intact, bloated from drowning. Again i wont go into detail but this wasn't an accident time of death is unknown -Trixie Roughhouse is the third person to show themselves to the Banzai Blasters she is found in the bushes in the backyard her face disfigured from some sort of explosion unlike the others it seems like it was purely an accident, like sylvie their time of death is unknown Mera Salamin is the collages part time librarian nicknamed “the library witch” she started seeing her ghost after obtaining a neck bow with a blue pendant from a pawnshop she got it cause it was pretty and didn't expect a himbo to come along with it -Indus Tarbella is a ghost who is attached to the pendant and bow Mera wear it used to be his own until he was decapitated wearing it through he was properly buried he has no troublesome memories about what happened even after seeing his body he’s just happy to be with Mera Percival King is a security guard at the college and one of the best at that, she wields a story she got from a pawn shop as its her preferred weapon she takes her job very seriously -Ramsey and Zora both died by the same sword while fighting neither remember who wielded the sword, even after death they hate each other and hate being bound together even more Everyone ends up meeting and finding out they all have ghost hijinks ensue. The way ghosts work in this world is a bit strange I'll admit but it's one of my favorites. The ghosts can interact with the human world(menma style) but

they can only talk to the others who can see them (the Banzai Blasters, mera and percy) and the ghosts can interact with each other ghosts in this au attach themselves to an item or property that has someway to do with their death, the kids in the property, Indus it's the bow, and the sword duo is well, the sword Percy carries. As alluded to from before Gio and the rest of the boys end up carrying a bit of the property with them in the form of friendship bracelets four for each of them which makes 28 different bracelets so the kids can decide who to follow around for the day.i talked about how percy and Mera’s items work enough but i would like to mention that Indus does most of the heavy lifting around the library but becaus enoone else can see indus they assume she’s magical, the glowing pendant doesn't help.

The last two au’s i want to talk about are both dream smp au’s

though i've never talked about them online until now, again thanks to @brocolibean for letting me brain vomit my way through these au’s and helping me out with things i love them please check him out I'll be honest i'm so scared of this fandom so i'm afraid to talk about my au’s please be nice to me Also this is all roleplay and fiction!<3 The first one i'll talking about is the dsmp ghost hunters au Sam runs a company where groups of people hunt ghosts for money! Those groups being Phil, Technoblade, Wilbur,Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo Dream, George, Sapnap, Quackity, Karl Bad, ant, Skeppy, and Puffy There’s most likely more but there the only people i can think of at this moment The only canonical ghost being Schlatt This au doesn't have a proper story perse it's more about gags and stuff about the different character fighting over ghosts for money but the story stuff i do have- Sbi family dynamic is real here you can rejoice, Phil adopts Tubbo after his dad (Schlatt) kicks the bucket and fucking dies , Tubbo befriend’s Ranboo some mysterious teen who just desperately needs a job so he- and the rest of the Minecraft family help him get one- though they find out Ranboo isnt as human as he was made out to be and he finds out he’s this worlds version of angels called ender’s and he’s there to protect Tubbo and Tommy which explains why the more violent ghosts start being less violent at the arrival of Ranboo joining their team. Bad isn't human either being a demon his entire group know’s plus quackity. Quackity found out but squirting him with holy water through a water gun but don't worry he promised not to tell anyone; -) Bad and Ranboo know about each other because they see each other as their true forms The minecraft fam found out about Schlatt being a ghost through Tommy- despite Tubbo telling him not to- telling them from calling up and paying for them to investigate their own house saying “technically i didn't tell them” they ended up not getting rid of Schlatt though I'm not going to talk about how the ghosts here work because it's not super important to the plot

The second au is another ghost au where the main characters are ghosts themselves,

like the others its mainly lighthearted and comedic with dark attributes The plot surrounds the sbi family moving into a new house and Tommy finding out it's being haunted by two ghost’s. Those ghosts being Tubbo and Ranboo This au isn't fully figured out but I know that he found out he was haunted by sending a selfie to someone(possibly Drista and Purpled? Since there are only other minors who were part of the dsmp lore? But ultimately idk) and them being like “yo i didn't know you had friends” and him being like “?????” Tubbo died from a boiler exploding and Ranboo died from drowning (which are apparently my two favorite deaths) this also doesn't have an official story? It was just an excuse to make ghost designs with a bit of a story without the commitment As said before it's a sbi au but also a Dadschlatt au cuz I like Dadschlatt au’s. The main story bits i have are background stuff for Tubbo and Ranboo which ill elaborate now The house was originally meant to be just a summer home because it had a large lake in the backyard Ranboo’s family would go there often but that doesn't mean his family liked him very much because of his heterochromia, Vitiligo, and his height his family thought he was strayed from god and drowned him Tubbo died during sleep while Schlatt wasn't home either out drinking or just at work he came home to the house being partially blown up and his son nowhere to be seen he calls Puffy out of fear and she calls the cops. He moves away and most likely starts drinking a bit more. The house gets rebuilt and now the sbi live there hijinks ensue! The ghosts in this au work in a simpler manor only Tommy can see them unless a photo is taken but even then they are blurred, they can float and go through walls and their ability to touch things is limited Ranboo’s memory is worse then Tubbo’s but Tubbo’s isn’t much better.

below the cut will be designs and stuff be safe pal's- there will be minor/cartoony blood-

rip me exposing my old art on this account also i'm ripping these from my fucking amino account that i don't use but still have the password too

gonna do the original what a pity drawins first them ill show a more recent rendition because i hate the old drawings

these are the old drawins i hate them

then,,, i just drew them,,,,, fuck these guys/j

thses are the old sprite edits of these four! trixies design is the only one that really changed

the ded;-; i couldnt fit him on the page

there he is! ft indus and very much alive mera(who i cant figure out how to FUCKING DRAW-)

gay's get wilbur'd/j

they lookin for ghosts

the whole fmaily is here but its quality is shit

these bitches dead! good for them,,, good for them,,,,,,/j/rp

[elfindreams]

Hit me with ur sans opinions

OKAY HERE WE GO

Favorite thing:

Despite him being an apathetic shitposter, I really like how Sans is... actually a pretty hopeful person? Dude’s secretly depressed as shit even though that “ohhh okay yeah that’s what’s going on, huh” moment only comes quite late in the game and you see what his room looks like, and of course the Lost Soul dialogue during the final boss fight. But he has friends and shows interest in his normal hobbies and sincerely wants to be Frisk’s friend, in the murder route he apparently held out hope that if the player was shown enough kindness, you would willingly go back and fix all the bad things you did and be everyone’s friend instead. Like, way past the point where that clearly wasn’t going to happen. My man is TRYING SO HARD

Least favorite thing:

There are a myriad of Sans-related things which evoke responses from me ranging from disinterested apathy to a mild eyeroll to rabid frothing rage, but none of it has anything to do with the character himself, so it feels unfair to count that against ‘em... uhhh I bet he’s the type of person to talk with their mouth absolutely FULL of food and it would enrage me even more than it usually does because HOW ARE YOU EVEN DOING THAT SIR

Favorite line of dialogue:

Yeah yeah there are the intensely raw lines everyone chooses, and rightfully so, but I got a soft spot in my heart for the prank call where he asks if your refrigerator is running, and if you try to be contrary by saying no, he responds with “ok, i’ll send someone over to fix it. thanks for letting me know. good communication is important”. I seem to remember yelling something like “askdjdbdp YEAH OKAY THANKS SANS, THANKS” at the screen when it happened in my first play through, and my brother cackling bc he didn’t get that call when he played the game and didn’t even know to expect it.

BROTP:

Do actual brothers qualify? If not, uhhh Toriel probably. Joke buddies!

OTP:

I see Sans as pretty much aroace but could equally see him ending up in a very casual FWB thing with Alphys, or in an actual relationship in scenarios where Undyne isn’t in the picture, like the queen Alphys ending. It would be cute and their personalities and general vibes are super compatible imo, but on the flipside I could see their flaws feeding into each other and spiraling downward real quick, especially in the particular scenario of the Queen Alphys ending because uhhh yeah emotional trauma for everybody who didn’t die. Sans is so passive and lazy and conflict-avoidant that he would just enable all of Alphys’ worst behaviors, she would become increasingly isolated and depressed and paranoid and drag him down with her, it would be a mess. (I mean he kind of already does that in canon by helping her keep the Amalgamates a secret instead of intervening in any way??? SHE’S KEEPING PEOPLE LOCKED IN HER BASEMENT DUDE, HOLY SHIT) Sans x a healthier diet and sleep schedule and maybe some talk therapy = the true OTP.

NOTP:

Sans x Frisk. If it’s in the context of a fanwork where Frisk was already an adult when they fell into the Underground, then I guess I won’t HATE it hate it... nah jk I still super hate it, c’mon man why does this literal babeychild need to get shipped with anyone, much less an adult? Let Sans be the goofy sitcom dad figure he was always meant to be, dang it!

Random headcanon:

I’m sure I’ve posted this before but OH WELL, Sans doesn’t actually know what sex is. I mean he appreciates a good 69 joke as much as any not-self-respecting shitposter, but he’s Literally A Talking Cartoon Skeleton and this topic has zero relevance to his life, so he never bothered to look it up or ask anybody. (Papyrus does, though. Confirmed chad.)

Alternatively—

When used against a murderous soul with high LV, Sans’ KARMA ability does damage over time and drains health. However, if a KARMA “attack” were used upon someone with a clean and pure soul, it would have the reverse effect and heal them. Combine that with Sans’ terrible offensive and defensive stats, and you have... a classic white mage with an absolutely BUSTED spell mechanic at his disposal. In a Deltarune-style fight with other party members to physically defend him, all of whom are heroic good guy characters, Sans would make a superb healer. Alas, his abilities are only situationally useful and his boss battle in Undertale is the exact reverse of that scenario, so he’s stuck trying to make do with what he’s got.

(And now I’m having war flashbacks to that dreadful 1v1 fight in Final Fantasy Tactics where I had to minmax my main character’s abilities and equipment and hope to god that the RNG would work out in my favor because all along he’d only ever been expected to fight as part of a team and I hadn’t leveled him up very much... cinematic parallels!)

Unpopular opinion:

Absolutely none, everyone agrees with me and Sir Tobias Foxington himself manifested physically in my house to give me a gold star sticker

Song I associate with them:

uhhh I’ve got a few but how about Many Lives -> 49 MP by Owen Pallett

It’s about a clairvoyant who obsessively stares into the future and keeps seeing/hearing his middle-aged self frantically yelling back through time and urging him to invest more money, dammit. Idk how well the lyrics actually fit but like, VIBES??? lmao

Favorite picture:

[bigsteeb]

this is gonna be a long post so bear with me, growing pains got a b i g emotional reaction out of me & I need to share my thoughts & feelings about it because jesus fucking christ.

ok first things first, someone hug this boy immediately. he’s sat in his room, still in his pajamas, in day time watching dog copter. this whole scene is just steven going “lol I’m sad, I’m gonna comfort eat & stay in my pajamas & watch a kids show I watched when I wasn’t as sad haha” & it’s not only upsetting, but relatable too fuck. his room is a mess along with him eating ice cream at what I assume is morning… making it his breakfast? geez steven. also idk if it’s just me here but in this shot he looks… bigger? like ignoring his body size shifting later on in the episode he looks a lot wider than he usually does when paul & drew board episodes to me, he’s rivalling etienne & maya’s steven’s wideness. did he… get chubbier from comfort eating? how much time has passed since together forever for him to put on weight if he has? this could literally just be steven slouching or his pajamas making him look bigger but as someone who is an advocate for the body positivity shown in su & suf it has me curious. I want to hug this soft, sad boy. It could also be due to how steven’s design fluctuates through the animation process, it’s never really on model all the time. 

the grunting noise he makes in this scene is very distressing, as are other moments from the episode too. a glimpse at the glow-bracelet he proposed to connie with is enough to physically pain him? fuck me man. is he leaving his room where there’s already ice cream… to get more ice cream? sobs. also the puns in this shot. I cant? slow burn?! you’re evil crewniverse. not to mention his body size changing throughout this scene, god this poor lad.

screams, this was when I started worrying. the boy is now in an environment he has never been in before & is feeling extremely uncomfortable & vulnerable. look at the lines under his eyes, his sad eyebrows & pout I hate it. also don’t even get me started on this part. the slight raise of a voice being enough to send him into panic?! fuck I hate how much I relate to that. 

here’s where I immediately broke, no god damn pun intended. seeing steven’s skeleton, steven’s fucking skull, like this pained me. that crack on his skull is from fucking jasper in jail break. I can’t express all of the visceral emotions that were going through my body at this. there was intense sadness for steven, extreme anger at jasper & the gems for allowing shit like this to happen to him. turns out he’s not as resilient as we thought he was. each hit he takes physically breaks him & then his gem instantly heals his wounds, my heart fucking broke at this. think back to everything that happened to him, everything that physically hurt him. it broke him I can’t deal with it! then there’s what priyanka says to steven next;

“you seem to of made a series of miraculous recoveries, but that doesn't change the fact that you experienced trauma. you’ve recovered physically but, have you recovered mentally?”

this part here along with her reassuring him that there’s nothing wrong with his brain, how childhood trauma can have an impact on how your body responds to stress & how you act in your social life, the usage of the word “cortisol” too. this stuff being in a children's tv show is incredible. the writing for priyanka describes trauma simply enough for kids to understand, but for adults to fully realise too. folks, steven has ptsd. there wasn't one bit of sugarcoating about it or nothing, this is canon fact & it hurts me. for so long have I wanted steven’s emotional issues to be alked about, to not only be brought to steven’s attention but to the audience’s too.

everything that has happened to him has built up to this moment. this moment where his behaviour & coping methods are finally making sense to a large majority of the fandom, & to steven himself. he’s hurting; physically, mentally & emotionally, & he isn’t coping well what so ever about it. his emotional support system is complete garbage, no one regularly checks in on him & folks just take steven at face value like “oh yea glowing pink? he’s fine it’s just steven” but he’s the bad person?! I hope a lot of you out there who genuinely believe steven is a bad person re-think yourselves after this. dealing with trauma is tough as shit. some days you even wonder if that one thing that fucked you up is really worth being labelled as trauma. I still can’t believe this is the route they’re taking, if he doesn’t get some form of therapy by the end of future I’ll be furious.

then things begin to spiral as he remembers what happened with connie. he clutches his chest in pain & begins changing size over intense amounts of stress & it was extremely distressing to watch. steven immediately reassures connie that this isn’t because of her, but because of everything else that happened to him. however. I believe that that’s a slight lie, he wouldn’t of spiralled if he hadn’t of remembered the proposal, steven you fucking himbo. he continues to reassure them both that he’s fine, just that he needs them to leave so he can calm himself enough to control himself.

then this happens.

“I. CAN’T. BE AROUND YOU RIGHT NOW!”

this was fucking intense. he means this literally in 2 ways btw. his body size shifting over the stress he’s feeling is a danger to both connie & priyanka in this moment, but it’s also because of how it started. being around connie hurts him. he’s not mad at her though let me make that very clear, just that thinking about what happened when he tired to propose to her is sending his head in a fritz. he did what he did full of confidence in together forever, for connie to then make him realise how silly he was being. these two are destined for each other, but that advice from ruby & sapphire has really fucked with him. he looks up to those 2, looks up to garnet, their relationship is so strong & stable. for them to give him that advice & to then scream “DO IT!” in his face is incredibly tasteless imo.

then greg gets here. I knew connie was calling for either greg or the gems when she was on her phone as she left the room, fuck yea connie I love you. the breathless, strained “thank you” from steven towards connie for calling his dad? g o d. connie telling him she’ll be there for him when he’s ready?! g o d. these next boards were done by rebecca, I knew immediately when I saw steven’s face. it makes sense that rebecca boarded these, because fuck. 

how do I move on from all of the stuff I’ve been through? how do I live life if it always feels like I’m about to die!?

I’m tearing up as I type this. when I first heard the leak of this audio I so badly wanted to believe it, but to also believe it was fake too. I was an emotional mess off & on for about 3 days over it because I couldn't stop thinking about how fucking distressing it was. like… shit steven. he seriously feels this. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain he felt just saying this in front of his fucking dad. he is hurting badly. this boy, this sweet sweet boy we’ve watched grow & develop into the person he is today is distraught about his future & life. it is… soul crushing to watch this. a group of friends of mine have found joking about the episode as a form of coping with the intensity of it & as much as that’s valid as fuck, any joke coming from this episode feels morally wrong to me. I can’t bring myself to join in it feels terrible even thinking about laughing at it to cope. I love them all, but I can’t bare myself to join them. this moment ending with greg comforting steven, telling him he’s here for him & all of his struggles, got me weeping. greg is possible the best father figure I’ve seen on tv, let alone a kids tv show. he’s amazing.

the final scene right here is lovely. greg making steven a hot chocolate & listening to him vent, reassuring him over his worry for his future. this right here is exactly what steven needs. someone to talk to, someone he could trust to talk about his feelings to. this the start of his support system, tag on peri from in dreams, bis in bismuth casual as well as connie from the past few episodes & it’s already looking great! even when greg eased him about being there for him steven still feels guilty about him leaving his tour, leaving his tour because he got a phone call from connie about his son being in need & steven feels guilty about it. fucking hell man. I did enjoy how the episode ended though, with that little moment between the both of them;

“just get some rest kiddo. you don’t have to solve all of your problems in one night.”

“yea. thanks dad.”

it’s a great message too, all of your struggles can’t be dealt with all at once. I’ve used a similar analogy before but it’s like removing a dead tree. you have to deal with all of the little things surround this issue first before you get to the deep, harder stuff. along side the message about trauma they’re both very important messages, I’m glad they exist in the show.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

one more thing before I end my thoughts & feelings over growing pains.

this ending shot;

as soon as I saw the frog mug my mind raced back to the promo for this scene, & this whole moment to come entirely. if you remember this moment has the first set of leaked audio within it, the audio of the gems basically cornering steven about him not opening up to them. christ pearl even gets mad at him for his gem building a wall behind him, protecting him from them. it’s common knowledge, I hope, that steven’s gem reacts to his emotional state. pearl herself has said this;

“I think your gem is reacting to your state of mind.”

his gem building this wall? it felt like steven was being threatened by them. this scene now has awful connotations with it. because since we now know what the pink mode is doing to steven, how actually painful it is, think back to these;

yea. fuck the gems. I’ll let it slide if steven, greg or priyanka haven’t told them about what happened at the hospital. but if they do know, if they know how much it hurts steven being in his pink mode & still press into him about it I’ll see red. with steven’s trauma & now ptsd being cemented into the show I fucking hope garnet, amethyst & pearl get held accountable for what they put on him as a kid. that shit will not slide with me if they don’t. do not condone what the gems put him through. do not condone the gems for making steven feel like he had to be his mum for them. just… don’t. please.

[multimetaverse]

Riverdale 5x05 Recap

Jug are you gonna provide any more details on the ‘war’ Archie was in?

I can only imagine how deeply pathetic Jughead’s message must have been

If this is laying the groundwork for Archie never really having gotten over Veronica then I’m here for it

I think the last we saw of Polly she was locked up at a mental institute? Weird to think that Betty is the most well adjusted of Alice’s children

C’mon man it’s not like the FBI wouldn’t have meticulously went over all of Charles’ files after he was exposed as a serial killer

Betty calling Polly a bitch was a good moment back in the day

Getting S1 vibes from Betty and Kevin actually being friends

It’ll be hilarious if Hiram ends up liking Archie better than Chadwick

Toothy and Popeye are exactly the kind of names I’d expect Jughead to come up with. Also the serpents were fools and they were ridiculous (remember the serpent dance?)

Looking back it was so weird that they ever got rid of Weatherbee

I’m here for everyone putting Jughead in his place

No way Stonewall could suddenly deal with an influx of 100 students but Hiram must see the high school as the last Riverdale institution holding the town together

The one thing I want from this season is confirmation on whether Reggie’s dad is alive or not after that Ferris Bueller shit 

Ronnie might want might to get some credit cards of her own that her controlling husband can’t cancel

Omg Smithers! When was the last time we even saw him?

The blonde wig making a comeback, big night for call backs 

Nicest Polly scene since S1?

Wonder what goes on at the Roving Eye....

Wouldn’t it have been well known that Toni was a serpent and was operating the White Wyrm? She’s there all the time and it doesn’t look like she was hiding it at all

Wow Archie looks so much like Fred in that flannel

How much debt is Jughead in if he’s being hunted down by goons?

Reggie’s running his dad’s car lot.. almost as if his dad’s not around anymore

Not super surprising that Polly’s fallen in with a bad crowd

Archie rounding up the gang for a little vigilante raid 

Of course the charges would likely be thrown out as this was a warrantless raid 

Ruh oh, Polly’s definitely working as an escort or something similar

That was stone cold on Hiram’s part. I think he’ll come to regret setting Veronica on the path against him though. Also this ep is really highlighting that Chadwick is not here to stay, only question is if he makes out alive

In some ways it’s surprising that it’s taken this long to get a Barchie sex scene. Maybe Jeronica will hook up and they can call it even

I think your FBI supervisor/boyfriend might disagree that you’re single Betty

Cole Sprouse looks uncannily like Skeet Ulrich right now

That was a well done and dare I say touching tribute to Pop Tate

Some deft emotional manipulation on Toni’s part 

God I love Archie’s naivety, just expecting the gang to drop their lives to become high school teachers. I always assumed that Riverdale took place in New York state since it borders Quebec, has maple trees, and New York city is the major metropolitan area but Archie saying that people commute from NYC to Riverdale seemingly confirms it

Oh for sure, those one or two month teaching gigs that pop up all the time

Yeah I’m sure the FBI will be fine with you blowing off training Betty

That quick cut to Reggie during Toni’s speech could be a hint that he’s her baby daddy

Well, it’s over for the town of Riverdale. If the writers had any skills they’d eventually call back to this scene when new mayor Veronica Lodge reincorporates the town after vanquishing her father 

All the best marriages involve one spouse peaceing out to take up a new job in another town without any warning

Polly it might be a good idea to run off of the road where the skeleton truck can’t follow you

Man that’s gonna be brutal if Alice loses another child

Well can’t wait until Barchie get caught by Jughead or Veronica

This mothman shit is gonna be another gargoyle king story. Do we really need the Trash Bag Killer, the skeleton truck killer, and the mothman in one season?

I’m curious if the actors were given any direction on who Toni’s baby daddy is. Because Sweetpea and Toni seem to be interacting normally which probably rules him out but if the actors have no clue then it wouldn’t mean anything. They didn’t let Hal’s actor know he was the black hood which was why Hal was acting normally until the very ep it was revealed he was  the black hood. Reggie remains the most likely candidate imo, I could see why Toni wouldn’t want it known that he’s the father of her child

Until next week Riverdalers

[mc-critical]

How do you think Şah Huban and Ibrahim's relationship really was? We've never been given insights about it and while I would have loved flashbacks, the way it is also fits well imo. Şah has an air of mystery around her, part of why I love her so, because I love unravelling ambiguous yet clear characters with hints but not insights to their backstory. I've always been drawn to them and Şah Huban is another one of them.

Personally, I can see why they would be drawn to each other at first. They are both shown as appreciative of art, very intelligent and pragmatic and have a similar personality, but in the long run I can't see them working as both prefer to be the dominant partner and Şah is very prideful and always maintains a power balance with those not from the family, whereas Ibrahim is quite insecure. They'd clash.

Even Hatice's reminder of his status hurt him so much that he started an affair with Nigar. According to him, it was a loss of innocence between them and for sure Hatice's innocence, purity, and nativity is what I think drew him to her, and I can see why. Among all the darkness of politics, power plays, his own insecurities and early loss of innocence, Hatice would have been the one ray of light to him..Their entire early interactions and love was so pure and free of darkness and I don't think he ever had that with Şah, who I don't think was ever innocent.

Şah also told Hürrem that Ibrahim is quite difficult to control and I thought that was maybe hinting at the past. It always seemed to me that she was the one who ended things with Ibrahim, judging by her and Ibrahim's interactions ( I really wish we had more of those ) and I have many theories why.

Also, my personal interpretation is that she did move on from Ibrahim and only had vestiges of her feelings for him, his memories to be more precise, left by the time we see her. Unlike many people, I don't think her unwillingness to be with Lütfi sexually or romantically has anything to do with Ibrahim. I just don't think she loves him or wants him and I can see why tbh. While he is a decent enough politician, he doesn't have much personality to be attracted to nor demeanor lmao. even the way he read her that piece of poetry was quite dry, and he is visibly much older than her.

What do you think?

{I also love Şah's character for much of the same reasons you do. Her lack of a backstory and more simplistic design that isn't put through a deconstruction for a character arc in the way Hatice's was during S02/3 bring us one of the most unique characters in the whole franchise. These aspects of her personality complement her motivation and I find her motivation to be the most fascinating element about her that makes for an interesting, contrasting duality in all her relationships. Revealing more backstory for her risks throwing all this out of the window, that's why I'm usually okay with that the show not delving deeper into her past.}

Still, in the case of Ibrahim, I agree that we could've seen a few more flashbacks. I feel Şah's distance and tiny resentment of Hatice stems from her previous feelings for Ibrahim and more flashbacks would put that distance and resentment into more context, which I don't think would harm her character all that much. It would actually help flesh out Şah's relationship with Hatice on a deeper level and that's always welcome for me, since I found their relationship to be the epitome of where Şah's character shines the most. All these delicious contrasts, the way her ambition goes with the care she has for the people she's closest to.... I love it! sorry for the blabbering

I also pretty much agree with your view on Şah and Ibrahim's relationship. They definetly wouldn't get on all that well - their ideals would clash right out of the gate and Şah isn't a person that would pull rank out of ignorance, it's not something she wants to detach from, no, she's living with her position and she's proud of it. Anytime Ibrahim would disagree with Şah, I feel she's going to pull rank instantly. And that's not something that Ibrahim would bear - Hatice did it one time and that one time was enough to make him doubt his whole relationship with her, I believe with Şah it's going to be an even more reccuring conflict and it's going to make things even worse.

I believe that in Manisa, in their past, Şah didn't have hopes for so long when it came to Ibrahim. Maybe she learned very quickly that he didn't have any feelings for her. Maybe Ibrahim didn't pay all that much attention to Şah and if she tried to give him subtle hints, he didn't catch on them at first. If Ibrahim and Hatice indeed had tiny crushes on each other that just hadn't had the chance to flourish yet in Manisa (as the flashback from E58 implied) and Şah became aware of this? All these factors could've contributed to Şah moving forward, along with her ambitious personality. Even her older self isn't a person who would fight what she views as a pointless battle (she didn't want to fight Mihrimah, she didn't get why Hürrem was such a problem at first, she could hold her part in the decisions SS made for Hatice off for so long) and her love for Hatice was apparently present even when they were kids (the whole horse situation), so these would be decent enough reasons for her to want to step out of it.

Her getting to know Ibrahim more personally after he could've gotten the hint is very likely, too. Her "he's difficult to control" line is definetly something to ruminate on: maybe she decided that they wouldn't get along despite of all, because yes, she would like to be on the more controlling side of the relationship. Not only is Ibrahim very insecure and wouldn't handle it when someone is pulling rank on him, this line could hint that a part of Ibrahim has had that ambitious side of him back in Manisa. Not as much in terms of power, but rather as in his sharp mind and dreams he had together with SS to conquer more than Alexander the Great and maybe Şah felt this aspect of his ambition whenever they've interacted. That means he could have exerted some amount of control in the relationship, and maybe Şah wouldn't be so okay. Both could be very dominating and that could very well show even earlier. There wouldn't be any innocence in their relationship, it would only result in clash of personalities and philosophies and probably both of them got aware of this. While with Hatice it was possible for both of them to get over their extremely idealistic delusions, because they both were able and willing to reason with one another deep down, you wouldn't get that with Şah. It's probable she would consider herself right and not realize what's wrong, especially in terms of pulling rank, because well, that's what the tradition and law stands on and for her, Ibrahim's only role is to fit the mold.

Yup, Şah definetly had some of her feelings for Ibrahim remaining, because that's what moved a lot of her conflict with Hatice. Maybe she felt some jealousy that Hatice succeeded to make this work and that could be also a part of why she wanted to stop Hatice from grieving and didn't tell her where Ibrahim's grave was, but on the other hand, she had accepted it to an extent, as seen by her reaction when she learned about the infidelity. One could argue that she got irritated because of her own feelings, but I feel she felt bad for Hatice, too, and was really surprised that he pulled something like this. Yet both circle back to her own feelings anyways. Another reason why I think she didn't get over her feelings for him completely is that (most of) what she does is driven by personal desire and attacks directed to her personal bonds and attachments. It's Hatice's suicide attempt that drove Şah to act against Hürrem, but it's also Ibrahim's death that made her at least think whether should she act, in my opinion, because of something so surprising happening to a personal attachment of hers, seemingly all of the sudden. (in E84, she also said in front of Ibrahim's grave that she wouldn't let his blood stay on the ground) Şah's actions are driven by feelings more than anything else, but she tries her best to mask these feelings and only use them as fuel to her more pragmatic plans, if that means letting go of them or discarding them completely. She puts mind over emotion not because she doesn't have emotion or vulnerability or feelings lingering from the past, it's more because she considers pragmatism and careful planning the better, more effective way to achieve her goals. Just like the dynastic views and the elitism, it's something engrained in her she's proud of, but in the case of her feelings, when she's alone or with Hatice she can open herself a bit more. But because she has gotten over Ibrahim, she would never admit outright she has something for him in front of him or Lïtfi later.

I also don't think Ibrahim has ever had feelings for Şah to begin with. I don't think he forgot their experiences and memories completely (the "did your love turn into hate?" line) , but he has definitely left them behind him, even more than Şah herself.

While I think the love for another (Ibrahim) was a part of Şah's distaste for Lütfi, especially because the first hint of conflict between them, as far as I recall, was him sorta shading on Ibrahim in E82, it's definetly not the only factor. He just isn't a guy she could fall in love with, no matter how much he seemed to love her (more like tough love, but still), I'm sure she has gotten to know the more shadier aspects of his character, since they've lived together for so long. (even though the situation around the prostitute surprised her, since she hasn't ever seen such amount of disrespect, Şah may have seen other skeletons in his closet. He seemed to be very authoritarian in the relationship. She also said in E101 that the divorce was a long time coming and I don't think it all originated from the show, the situations there were simply the peak of previous issues.) It being a forced marriage made things even worse, no one would like a forced marriage. I actually admire Şah for keeping up with this marriage for so long and finding advantage in it, being as composed as possible. (when she is) Their daughter is most probably what kept them together all these years, on a personal level outside of Şah's ambition.

[skin-slave]

(same anon afraid of death) thank you so much for taking the time to answer... The thing is, it's not the physical things that bother me. I'm not squeamish around dead things (I used to volunteer at a wildlife rescue/rehab facility where we'd freeze any animals who didn't make it or had to be euthanized, and feed them to others later on). I was raised Agnostic, though, and I've never had anything to comfort me like... "when I die I'll go to heaven" or anything like that. That's the part that keeps me up at night...

Hello again, anon!!! I def get that. I avoided spiritual stuff bc that's usually a boundary/touchy subject. If it helps...

Not wanting a xtian afterlife was a big part of my fear. I was raised with it as a small child and it sounded awful. Part of what helped me with that was researching other beliefs. Some of them were really nice, and telling myself that they could happen, instead of the things I didn't want, helped. Imo, afterlife beliefs are supposed to be a comfort. Even if it's just an idea, rather than a belief, it can be nice to absorb.

I'm atheist. Anti-theist sometimes. Def agnostic. (I don't see any proof. I oppose what popular, destructive, and at-odds religions do/have done, esp to their own followers. And I resent god models, personally. Maybe there's stuff out there... I've experienced things I don't understand scientifically, that aren't necessarily evidence of stuff... but they could be... Idk, and I haven't shut the door on it completely.)

What is comforting to me at this point in my life is the knowledge that, while I matter, I'm a small part of a cosmic whole. My existence matters bc I impact everyone I interact with. But what I do doesn't contribute to some monolithic good or evil that will impact my postmortem fate, or anyone else's. My existence is inherently neutral, part of chain reactions that don't have an end and therefore don't have a final value.

My atoms used to be beautiful, amazing things. When I'm done with them, they'll go on to be other beautiful, amazing things. I know that, absolutely, bc I've chosen a death plan that will let me decay. My skeleton will be preserved, and I'll be used to further science. That's awesome. A mix of everything I want. 😁

I choose to believe that my consciousness and thoughts will disappear. It's nice to know that those wonderful things that my body will become won't have pieces of me to influence or change them. They'll find their own happiness and meaning. That makes me feel good.

Plus, if the intangible things that make me, me, dissipate, I won't be aware of it. It won't be painful or upsetting. To paraphrase Mark Twain, I've already not existed for billions of years before my birth. It wasn't good or bad. I wasn't there to experience it. As far as I know, that's how it will be when I'm gone.

And I try not to take it too seriously, which is counterintuitive and took time to get comfortable with, but is so freeing. If I wanna think about having fun as a ghost today, I'll imagine myself haunting TF out of a soda machine or something. (WoooooOOOoooo we're out of RooooOOOooo Beeeeerrrrr!) I don't have to pin everything to that thought. I can just play with it when I want. If I wanna imagine a version of hell that's full of rock concerts and beer tents, I can have a laugh about it. Who cares? Chances are, that stuff won't happen.

Chances are, nothing will happen. I'll just stop existing and physical processes will send my raw materials out into the world.

Chances are, if something does happen, it'll be something completely unknowable. The afterlife models we've come up with are variations on a handful of themes. Out of infinite possibilities, the odds that we just happened to get it right are as close to zero as it gets.

As much as I don't like not knowing and not being in control, it's ok. Kinda like walking into a gallery at an art museum. What's in there? Idk. It wasn't my job to set it up. Am I gonna sit on a bench outside and worry about it? Nah. I'm tempted to sometimes, but that wouldn't do anything but upset me, prob for no reason. Better to consider it an adventure and just go in when it's my turn. 😊

If it helps, there are a lot of agnostic theists, agnostic animists, etc. You don't have to be completely sure to find comfort in something. Even if it's just an aspect of it. If imagining a heaven, or reincarnation, or literally anything, helps you live better, go for it! 🤗🤗🤗

(Also, I worked at a nature center and we froze critters too! Usually so we could have a volunteer from the community college examine them to see if they seemed sick or injured. We didn't have any carnivores in captivity, so they just got dumped on the back 9 or thrown away. Working with animals is a great experience. I'm glad you had it!)

[airtosted]

Just out of curiosity because your art is one of the most popular in the bitty tag-- what is the appeal of an "Edgy"? I only ever see them being mean and hurting people, it seems like they're sort of abusive. You seem to like them so I thought I'd ask.

First of all, thank you for asking nicely. Honestly, I got this question before and the persons asking weren’t very nice during the conversation, so it’s refreshing to see there’s still some civil and mature people out there. So yeah, thank you~

Secondly, I like Edgy because I find his character very intriguing and complex. I’ve seen around people posting their opinions or commenting on other people’s posts saying how they strongly dislike the Edgy bitty before, going as far as saying that they should be killed or burned because they’re nothing but abusive trash that only bites. Looking at it from those people’s perspective it does seem like the Edgy bitty is abusive and mean and uncapable of learning to behave good or having some manners and nothing more than just some wild animal or something.

But the thing is, that’s not how I see them. I see a creature, a small few inches skeletal creature, that has his own thoughts and feelings and wants to be loved and accepted, kind of like humans in a way. Lot of people see Bitties(and I don’t mean just Edgy, but all the other types as well) as a less intelligent creature or a “pet” cause of their size and their need to depend on humans for survival. They see a pet who they want to order around or control. Or as something they can use to earn money thru entertainment. But I see there’s more depth to them than that. Looking at all the things the bitties are capable of you can see that they’re capable of understanding and sympathizing with humans. I see them as creatures who are smarter(I’d go as far to say even ‘more human’) than any animal/pet. When I see Bitties I honestly think of a very little person who I could befriend if they were real and not just fictional characters. It’s just some would be easier to get closer to/along with than others.

To make it easier to understand what I’m trying to say I’ll compare them to a cat; some cats are more friendly in nature and don’t mind you getting close to it and touching/petting it, no matter if you own i or not, while others are more prone to bite you or scratch you if you try to approach them or pet them, but not to be mean, but because they feel scared, trapped or don’t trust people anymore due to past bad experiences.The first kind of cat reminds me of baby Blues. The last makes me think of Edgys which I’ll talk more below since your ask was about them not bitties in general.

Now that I covered my basic opinion of bitties, let’s talk about Edgys. You say edgy is mean and you know what there’s some truth there, he can be mean sometimes. But when he does that stop and think why he’s saying that. Usually people’s first thought is that he’s not trained good and needs to have that kind of talk/behavior punished(or worse, beaten) out of him. He’ll say you’re stupid or that he’ll kill you, but IMO he’s not saying that just for the lolz or because he’s stupid and doesn’t know such behavior isn’t socially acceptable, no, he's saying it because he’s scared. He’s trying to act tough to push people away in fear of being hurt or killed. So he insults and threatens you because he knows people don’t like that and there’s a big chance you’ll give up on your attempts and walk away. Sure he could teleport away, but bitties can’t use a lot of magic because it tires them out. The more magic they use and more often tires them out faster. And if they don’t have anything to eat to fill up those reserves back they’ll be weak. And a weak bitty could potentially be a dead bitty, as how Edgy would probably see it having his soul originate from his larger counterpart that lived in a kill or be killed kind of world. So teleporting away is out of the question or it wouldn’t help him much, and he can’t fight back(I like/support the headcanon(last paragraph of the backstory)) made by Poetax where she said that the bitties have some restrains regarding their magic), so what can he do? He curses up a storm and yells at you to back off, hoping his plan A works.

But let’s say the human isn’t listening and still tries to touch him or capture him. Proceeding like so he might go for plan B and now you’re entering the biting zone. Is biting someone considered nice behavior or fun? No. If you don’t listen to Edgy’s warning then there is a 100% chance he’s going to try to bite you. His bites the way I see it are a reaction to being small and being treated as someone small. He is anxious about being small and being controlled by those larger than him. Let’s be honest nobody would like that. Having someone huge like a giant compared to small you, with the possibility they might treat you like a marionette and/or hurt you just cause you are small and can’t fight back.... yeah, I don’t know about you but that’d make me very anxious and scared. So I see Edgy usually biting for two main reasons;

1) As a way to gain control of the situation he’s in. If people aren’t respecting his physical boundaries(which he let you know previously) then he’s going to bite you.

2) He bites as a source of his only power and influence. Because again he be a smol bean and yelling sometimes doesn’t work. But listen, I believe if Edgy feels comfortable and that he is in a place where he is respected/safe and doesn’t need to keep his guard up all the time around the person, he will respect the other person in return. Living with Edgy doesn’t have to be painful or full of constant biting, it just takes time and patience to earn his trust and show him you’re not going to hurt him. Basically if you guys are cool his biting will drop to 0, or at least will go from being painful and bloody to playful nipping.

But you also mentioned that you see him as abusive?? First I want to say I don’t support abusive behavior or abusive manipulating people. I know sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference, believe me, it took ME almost 13 years to learn it. But an abusive person and hmm let’s say a person with anger or anxiety issues(mixed with lack of trust in people) are two different things. An abusive/manipulating person will appear nice in public to trick others into believing they are this person they appear to be, and they are controlling their emotions and/or situation while doing so. They’re master actors to put it simply. Since Edgy is based of his larger counterpart his anger issues are mellowed down a bit(at least how I see him) so he is more grumpy than angry IMO, but his larger counterpart(who is actually Poe’s UF Sans named Red from her story The Skeleton Games) WOULD fall into the category of someone with anger and anxiety issues. His bouts of rage and yelling are at the moment when they happen uncontrolled and results of his emotions taking over. He doesn’t know how to control his emotions or how to express them in a more easier less vocal way, but that’s not something he couldn’t learn(with a little bit of help from a professional ofc) over time. Red doesn’t pretend to be someone he isn’t, he has a basically ‘what you see is what you get buddy’ kind of attitude about himself. He is not trying to control anyone, he is just scared about dying or worse losing his bro, anxious when he’s around humans he doesn’t trust, angry at the world and humans cause they trapped his species under a mountain and all in all in general just a big huge depressed self hating mess. But he just needs someone to help him out. He needs someone to help him work out his anger issues and to let things go. He needs someone to help him get his HoPe back.....

And Edgy taking after him has similar like issues. He is scared of being hurt, anxious around humans who he doesn’t trust cause of many encounters with bad people in the past, angry at the world and humans cause they made him so small so they can boss him around and control him. In short, the way how I see him is that he is just a big tsundere character who’s been hurt, and wishes to be accepted and loved like the other bitties by a owner, who instead of judging him based on their first meeting will try to understand him and break down his walls. He needs a owner who can withstand the storm long enough to see his mask crack and they’ll see there is some goodness in his soul. Despite him being classified as a monster, Edgy isn’t a monster. That’s how I see him and that’s why I like him. To me he is more than just some abusive, mean bitty who likes to bite people all around. There, you have my answer...

Of course, you don’t have to agree with me on this. :) You are allowed to have your own opinion or to disagree with me. I just hope that reading this might help you see things from my perspective and help you understand my adoration for the little nibbler. Or just make you stop and think a bit more about the character and see that he could be a good companion/friend(see how I didn’t use the term pet, Edgy isn’t found of being called or considered that) if you give him a chance.

💀❤ If you have patience and a lot of understanding you might make a good friend for life who will be loyal to you as long as you never betray or abandon him. 

💀❤ He will protect/guard you from dangers, despite his small size. He will protect you because you are important to him.

💀❤ You’re his owner, the only owner who he trusts and loves(though he’ll never say it out loud) and he feels safe around you.

💀❤  He feels happy around you... He feels finally like he found his home...

💀❤  He feels finally like he is worth more than his EXP now that he has you...

[adventuresloane]

Original ask: "Can you do Lup for the soft meme? No one lets her be soft and she is SO SOFT"

Lup! Is! Soft! Girl! 

 -what they smell like: I love the idea that, as a lich, she always smells like something burning, but the specific scent changes depending on her mood. She smells like a big bonfire when she's happy and with her family, like sulphur or burning hair when she's angry, like a campfire with roasting marshmallows when she's feeling playful, like the sweetness of smoking pinecones when she's with Barry. 

 -what their favorite smells in the world are: Warming spices. She's got a particular fondness for the smell of cloves, but she loves anything you'd want to put in a hot cider, cinnamon and allspice and ginger and more, in endless combinations. (Also Barry's morning breath. Yes, even though it objectively smells kind of bad. She loves anything that reminds her he's near.) 

 -what pajamas they wear/what they wear to sleep in: She and Taako are both fussy about their sleeping situations, given that they're not that used to sleeping anyway and can often only do it when they're super comfortable. She's got sets of silky pajamas and nightgowns, many of which Barry and/or Taako bought for her. 

 -my favorite ship (if applicable) and a cute headcanon about them: If it wasn't obvious enough from the previous answers, Blupjeans! I really enjoy the headcanon that Lup, confident as she is most of the time, was equally as smitten with Barry as he was with her, and also equally as reluctant to make the first move in case she was misinterpreting his signals. At the same time, her main "love language" is gift-giving, which meant her once staying up all night making multiple batches of oatmeal raising cookies just to perfect them, then presenting them the next day casually as if they were just something she'd whipped up for the group in her spare time. (Taako is well aware that Lup hates oatmeal raisin. Taako is also well aware that Barry loves them. Taako never lets her live this down when they're gossiping privately.) 

 -my favorite friendship (if applicable) and a cute headcanon about them: I love thinking about her relationship with Magnus. Among the Starblaster crew, I think they're the only ones matched in boundless energy, and they're constantly having little friendly competitions, racing each other up the mountain to get to the Light or downing shots. I also think it'd be really cute if she and Ren struck up a friendship through Taako post-canon, in which Lup gives her some "real" magic pointers, much better than the "boring Transmutatiom shit" Taako taught her. 

 -a song that reminds me of them: The cover of "Skeletons" by Of Monsters and Men has always given me massive Lup-inside-the-umbrella vibes. I think of her singing it to Barry and/or Taako while she's inside there. On a lighter note, "Hot Knife" is an excellent Blupjeans song from her perspective, imo. 

 -what animal I think they would be if they were an animal: I'm very torn between two rad phoenix-like birds--the Cooper's hawk, which is a social bird of prey known to hunt in groups, and the lammergeier, which colors itself bright red and eats bones and is decidedly punk rock. 

 -what position they sleep in: Curled up, preferably on a nest made of the softest possible pillows and blankets and plushies for that good sensory time. 

 -their favorite drink: She loves really fancy, fruity cocktails that cost like $18 and barely taste like alcohol. A really good Cosmo, for example. 

 -a gift I would give them if I could: I honestly think she would be so into Lush products. I would give her like a million bath bombs and soaps and also the money to get her to open up Fantasy Lush in Faerun. 

 This was wonderful!!!

[tauriatalksmonkeys]

Ideas on Xan's relationship with Antauri and Mandarin and how he could have treated them differently?

:D i’ve seen a few different people’s answers to this, so i think it’s. finally time that i give you some as well :P (also this ended up kind of long, so! i’ve put a lot of it under a readmore :D)

I believe this is something that I’ve halfway talked about before? But that was... idk, a year or so ago? So, I don’t necessarily think that my thoughts now will match up with my thoughts then XD

As a mentor, I think Xan was very strict and distant? I think he was a very tough mentor who expected the best from both of them at all times. He wasn’t necessarily cruel when they failed, but there was always that... disappointed feeling from him, behind the mask. Success, though, was usually rewarded. Rare compliments were given out, or maybe they would be allowed to take a long break / a day off, or something? I don’t know. I feel like he rewarded excellence, did nothing for mediocrity, and assigned tougher / crueler tasks if you were slacking off.

I also feel like Xan had a very holier-than-thou attitude that was sort of... encouraged / cultivated by the other Verans. I mean. You have this whole group of people who are just... super entrenched in the Power Primate (and the fact that theyre apparently glowing humanoid beings is honestly a waste. a planet full of sapient gorillas or smth would have been cooler, imo. but i should stop, before i go on a tangent / give myself ideas :p). They know a lot about it, they’ve obviously collected all the lore that they can about various galactic mythos and such, and...

They do nothing with it.

Did they warn the people of Shuggazoom that their planet was the host of a Dark One egg? No! Did they monitor the state of the Dark One egg? No! Did they keep an eye on Skeleton King, someone corrupted by Dark One forces? No! What about Yoggasoth (or whatever the water-god’s name was)? Did they take the box he was sealed in away for containment? No!

They seem very much content to ignore the goings-on of the rest of the universe, and that’s why I have the tag #varon mystics hate blog.

I feel like Mandarin was always something of a perfectionist. The type who could not, would not accept failure. I feel like the Alchemist would have done his best to sort of... get him to accept failure as part of the process? But that Xan, on the other hand, encouraged those perfectionist tendencies, making them more prominent and perhaps even worse. 

Which, like, I don’t want to take away all of Mandarin’s agency, BUT I also like to think that if certain things had been different, he would have tried to take over Shuggazoom. And one of those things might have been having a better mentor.

*clears throat*

Anyway!

However, outside of that, I feel like Mandarin and Xan clashed a lot. Xan strikes me as someone who very much likes to hear himself talk, and to wax poetic---two things Mandarin has no patience for. In part because Mandarin also likes to hear himself talk---though he’s more likely to get straight to the point.

I also feel like part of Mandarin’s desire to sort of take over the city stemmed from wanting to help. Like. I definitely think there was some arrogance to the plan, maybe he got a little lost in being the absolute boss---but I think at the end of the day he really did just want to make the city safer? Like. The people of Shuggazoom really don’t seem to know how to handle being attacked, even though it literally happens all the time.

So, obviously, Mandarin wanting to do the opposite of the Verans and actually, y’know, keep people out of danger; wanting to implement proper safety procedures; and... well. Live out some of his more grandiose fantasies, where he’s the kickass leader / ruler that everyone looks up to.

But, of course, it backfires, and that’s part of the reason that he clashes with his team, because they don’t get where he’s coming from, because all they read from him is arrogance.

And probably other, more complicated things to? Because like I said, I don’t want to take agency from him, or gloss over / remove the fact that he was wrong, but I also think it was more complicated than it was presented in the show.

As for Antauri, I think he was very much the model student in some ways, and less so in others? I think parts of the Veran’s training came easily to him, like meditation & the inner primate & such, but I think other parts came harder to him. So he and Mandarin were more or less equal in that way?

However, I feel like he got on better with Xan. The two of them could engage in long, complicated philosophical debates, PLUS Antauri was (unfortunately) more easily manipulated than Mandarin. So, Xan very much treated him like a teacher’s pet / someone to use. & he very much filled Antauri’s head with a lot of things---like emotional distance & not letting people in & doing his duty above all else & other, not immediately obviously harmful stuff, but which (in my headcanon) did do damage to him, and very much affected his relationships to the team.

Part of Mandarin (the part that look for approval, however much he denies doing so) was jealous / angry about that. The other part felt sorry for Antauri, because... oof.

I also kind of feel like Xan would have pitted them against each other? Made them compete for his approval / affection? Not necessarily in an obvious way, but! & I feel like, it wasn’t until after they left Koralodal that Mandarin & Antauri’s relationship recovered. (Though it never really did fully, which is why Mandarin considered Otto his closest confidante. Maybe?)

As for how he could have done things differently!! Um, I think he could have been easier on them, and let them know it was okay to fail. I think he could have taught them that yes, making decisions based on logic and not emotion is a good idea, but feeling things isn’t bad --- and neither is cultivating relationships!