#regardless of how fans complained i think it would genuinely be some of matts best character work of all time

[ludinusdaleth]

the number one thing i do not get with fandom regarding this short romp with ludinus is the genuine fear some of them have that ludinus will be redeemed and all his actions will be justified completely as him just being traumatized and sad. it would be like matt saying delilah is a kind, sweet woman that was totally justified in lynching children and emotionally manipulating laudna.

i think people confuse the fact that ludinus is so complex a character matt literally wrote the calamity's events around him/analyzed the pantheon through new lenses due to him (according to his fireside chat), with the idea of forgiving him for his actions. he is meant to show the bells what could happen if they let their desperate grabs for power to win & the fog of war overtake them; that doesnt mean he's good. simply that he is part of the same tragic cycle they are.

to be entirely honest? if the bells play their cards obscenely right, ludinus could turn to their aid. (analyzing that final scene of last ep, i wonder if that's matts intention; he certainly doesnt intend for him to die next ep, making sure all of them are as depleted in spells/health as possible before introducing lud to the fore.) but even that would not fix a thing; lud has fucked the world well before the ruidis plot unfolded, and no actions going forward would make anyone forgive him. but there are many factions, enemies, & upholders of the cycle at play; there would be a difference between the bells killing ludinus vs him taking out vasselheim's court or the weavemind with him, still valuing predathos's plan but seeing himself & others as equal parts of a problem for the next generation. the spark & shred of hope in him that liliana sees is something i think matt shows at times tantalizingly; we dont know how far gone he is until we know. is that woobifying him or is that reality? that the worst people in our lives and in the world could have some scrap of humanity in them and they may or may not find it in the end regardless of whether we can fix them ourselves or forgive them?

[orrianreaper]

for relationship meme: 3, 9, 11, 15, 21

I think I might’ve gottne a bit carried away with these and written to much, but thank you so much for sending them!! <3

3) What OC has a huge group of friends?

Pleur makes so many friends,it's just part of her nature to be outgoing and kind - and it earns her plenty of people who like her right back. Of course, exactly how close she is to all these people varies wildly. She has Dragon's Watch, she was friends with destiny's Edge, and her tighest group is Reverie's Vengeance - her own guild, her personal guild. Pleur genuinely does have a lot of friends, she has so many people she's kept in contact with to the best of her ability. She has a Kodan in Bitterfrost she still writes to, Restless Skies even came all the way down to Elona to help against Kralkatorrik. She has pact soldiers who she still gets letters from, who tell her about what happened in the Vigil halls last tuesday. She really does have friends all over the place,  despite how her doubts tell her otherwise.

9) What is your favourite platonic relationship betwen your OCs?

I have so many platonic relationships I love a lot, But I think I'm going to highlight just how interesting Paara and Sruffi's dynamic is. They're the resident Asura of Reverie's Vengeance, and ver such different outward personas. Paara is loud, she is harsh and stubborn and a fireborn leader - Sruffi meanwhile is very gentle, he's quiet in both voice and tone and struggles being in the spotlight. In a lot of ways, Sruffi regards Paara as something he wishes he could be like. He doesn't want to be loud and feisty like she is, but more, he wishes he had the self understanding she does. Paara knows what she wants and she's fought for it tooth and nail, She's a Centurion of the Iron Legion and she wanted it and she bled for it. Sruffi has no idea what it is he wants in the end, and he worries he's not even super sure who he is. This respect does go both ways though - Paara genuinely really enjoys Sruffi's company. He's talented at what he does, he's scarily good - but beyond that he's not some superior asshole with a ego. Paara knows she can get tangled in her own ego, but Sruffi never does. But on a level that's less, deep I guess, Paara really thinks of Sruffi as a little brother figure. He's not incapable, but she's absolutely always got an eye out for him and he absolutely appricates it. That, and they both have a lot of gripes about Rata Sum, the Council, and the Inquest they can complain about together - which is nice to get off their chests.

11) What is your favourite romantic relationship between your OCs?

Honestly, I really enjoy Matthia Prismbellow and Elvire's relationship for a bunch of different reasons. For one thing, they're a Charr/Human ship which just, inherently is fun - especially when Matt is so close to Rytlock, who absolutely is with Logan in their universe. Like father figure like son. And in terms of their actual personalities they're both very loud characters in terms of dress, but calm and quiet in terms of personality. Elvire is a Priest of Lysaa, and dresses exactly like the lavender pomp that implies, they are Extra. and At heart, Matt adores that style despite being quiet, shy almost, about embracing it for a long time. Really it's Elvire that helps give them the confidence in that regard. And in general Matt is just, drawn to Elvire's self-assurance and strange relaxed bombastic. And despite all the bluster Elvire deeply cares about everything, about people and about helping them and just - Matt loves it they really, really do. As for Elvire's view on Matt? Elvire has always been a fan of people who were slightly, eccentric. A giant charr who was less blood and swords and more colour and alchemy would catch their eye regardless of Matt's status as Commander. They've always enjoyed Matt's company, and trusted them. And when they were trapped in Maguuma is was Matt who found them, and it was Matt they prayed for. Elvire has their own walls, upheld by vanity and illusions and noble persona - Matt is one of the few people Elvire feels they can drop it with. And as much as illusion is freeing, so is discarding them.

15) Which OCs get along the worst with eachother?

The instant go-to is easily Merianus Blacktide and Ovidius Suneater. Meri and Ovidius were childhood best friends, raised in the Ash farhar together they were the only two magic users in their group, and Meri was quick to stand up for his new friend against their snarls about his 'Flame Legion magic'. They drifted apart very hard when Ovidius was taken out of their Warband, and Meri was assigned away towards Ebonhawke. And then Ovidius got dragged into the circle of a Flame legion recruiter. Now Meri might not have been present but he did hear of it, especially given Ovidius quikcly rose to be a High Shaman amongst Ghereon's Godforged, and Ash wanted to know whatever they could about him. Meri was already furious, about havign defended him for years and it being thrown in his face, about his friend joining Flame when most of Meri's childhood was being scared his father would be killed fighting that very legion. And then Ovidius attacks Ghost Warband (Paara's) workyard, in an effort to get Meri's attention. And it only goes more downhill from there, with Ovidius effectively stalking Meri and trying to force him into joining him in Flame. Even after Ovidius' realisation of his actions, after reaching out to the order of Whispers and getting out of Flame and actively helping stop them - Meri despises him. He can't stand to be in the same room, he had no time, no patience, nothing. Just vitriol. And Ovidius is never going to get his forgiveness. And that is how it's going to stay.

21) Which OCs knew eachother the shortest time before becoming close friends?

I already know this is a weird answer, and I'm also trying to spread which characters I talk about with all these! But! Cryssi and the Demond-Commander (technically known as 'Arch') honestly started getting along weirdly quickly. Arch isn't really, close to anyone in Dragon's Watch. They certainly care about them and their well-being, DR understadn that but they seem to trust Cryssi a lot with very little question. and Cryssi clearly has no issue with this. Maybe it's a Revenant thing. Cryssi fell out of the Mists at Rytlock's heels completely by chance and stumbling, and right into the clusterfuck that was the Maguuma campaign, no-one had time to really debate what they should do about this 'Prisoner' with no memories who isn't even aware what a Charr is when they are one. But the Demon trusts them, and Cryssi has seen Arch at their more vulnerable more times than anyone else. When Arch is limping away from a fight, it's a room with Cryssi and no-one else that they'll curl up in an rest for five minutes. It's Cryssi who they left speak in their place, be more of a figure than they'll ever be as a shadow skulking in the shadow of Tyria's largest threats. And Cryssi....is just glad to have someone who doesn't ask questions they genuinely have no answers for. Cryssi is just glad to have Arch find who they are now be more important than whatever lost past they have. Friends who stumble through the mists together, stick together.