#represent pre op

[uncanny-tranny]

I love pre-op and no-op trans people and their bodies, and I wish we could accept and appreciate all types of trans bodies regardless of how they look. Pre-op and no-op trans bodies deserve to be seen. They aren't a curse, they aren't taboo, they aren't a secret. To be in the presence of such a person is the will of the divine

[snobgoblin]

Has Danny considered asking Julian or Valdemar for top surgery? I know I would

he definitely could! but he doesn't really want to, it's just not a priority for him. the world of The Arcana is fun like that where, transphobia doesn't exist? and as far as gender you can do pretty much whatever you want without judgement. it's completely normalized. so, his chest doesn't bother him, and other people are okay with it, so he doesn't really feel a need to do anything about it. he knows he's a man no matter what his body looks like

[agender-witchery]

I feel like every post that focuses on and celebrates the sexuality of transfems hyperfixates on gock and like. I get it, the majority of transfems are either pre-op or non-op, and yeah those people are so frequently excluded from even being allowed to celebrate sexuality and need representation because, hey, especially for the pre-op folks, that reassurance that you're desirable is needed. I should know, I used to be pre-op and I fucking hated it. I didn't get that reassurance when I needed it most, and I'm damned happy that people who do need it can get it now.

But now I'm post-op and like, what? I just get to feel even more excluded from that sort of celebration? It's mostly just all encompassing, like it is nearly the totality of what constitutes celebrating trans bodies, with a teeny tiny exception carved out for transmasc bodies which I am absolutely not qualified to have an opinion on, not even gonna try, and damn near nothing for post-op transfems.

The thing that gets me the most is porn. Sure, it contributes to the feeling of unwelcomeness that nearly every post that gets slapped across my dash is about The Gock, but I don't seek that out. I'm not out here looking for text posts about how cool gock is, I haven't had one for 7 years. But I seek out porn. And any time I see porn that depicts transfems, even when that porn isn't fetishizing transness, the thing that defines a transfem is her dick. Aside from literally one instance, I never see a girl with a scar on her abdomen, I never see a cross section of a pussy with no womb, I never see someone with two holes and an estrogen patch. It just isn't there.

And on one hand, it feels like I don't deserve to complain, that I'm lucky to have even gotten to have surgery, but on the other hand, fuck you! I get to complain about shit like this, I get to complain that the overall atmosphere of transfem sexuality necessarily including gock, I get to complain that this shit makes me feel like surgery was a mistake even though if I take a couple hours off social media and think hard about it, I don't have any real regrets, I get to complain that when transfem bodies are celebrated, that almost never seems to include my transfem body. I get to complain that trans representation doesn't represent me.

So fuck it. Neopussy Tuesday.

[lesbomaticlove]

ive talked about it before but i wanna talk about it again and that's

body types in drawing especially in terms of one piece characters

and i know its because official art presents them all the same but it just does not feel right to me, y'know? especially when i look at fanart and it looks like they just drew the same body multiple times with different faces (talent in that yes but god change it up a bit PLEASE)

like with my style i like to draw semi-realistic cartoon type beat, and that means im thinking about an abstract of shape language in the way that i present the characters. i consider their fighting styles and workouts when i think about what their body type would be, not just for op ive done this with mha and jjk characters too because god dammit gege, maki deserves bulkier muscles for her efforts

so here it is. my analysis of more semi-realistic designs for these characters. all my opinion and not meant to be a call out to anyone.

also, not including the women because we all know how unrealistic they look and i dont need to explain that to you im begging just use reference.

LUFFY

rubberhose arms are ESSENTIAL in his design so when i draw him, i never put too much definition in his muscles. real definition should be reserved for gears that alter his muscles

noodly arms and stick ass legs that is his Charm thank you i dont need super definition

ZORO

on the opposite end of the spectrum, zoro.

though, i see many people draw him more bodybuilder silhouette when he should be powerlifter silhouette, youve SEEN how this man works out. stereotypical bodybuilder physique that's all muscle and no fat is EXTREMELY UNHEALTHY TO MAINTAIN and you know theres no damn way sanjis letting someone on the ship watch their weight for the sake of visuals. he should be defined and bulky, but softer edges on the abs.

USOPP

Speaking first on pre ts, what does he excel at most? long range weapons and running.

obviously he gets proper strength training during timeskip, but i really think the best representative for him is olympic sprinters

muscular, but still pretty skinny

SANJI

hear me out. ballet physique.

i see him drawn w the same physique as Zoro and it just feels so wrong. he doesnt train his upper body, so most of his definition would be in his core and legs. not to mention his flexibility tracks with that.

maybe ill come back with a figure study on these later to fully show how it translates into my drawings but. for now. tumblr wont let me add any more images to this post

[raayllum]

King of What? :: a S7 Ezran Meta

Introduction

Because S7 in particular gave me even more Ezran feelings than usual, and I thought "What's more fun than methodically breaking them down and sorting them into categories?" so here we are. We'll be looking at a lot (but not all) of Ezran's s7 arc as well as some holdovers from previous seasons. There are also some motifs to keep in mind, such as the:

Phoenix motif

Need motif (+ him and Callum later)

Reflection Motif

that we will dive into more later once they're more relevant / we can put the pieces in place. For now, a little background meta key up because S7 breaks Ezran down and then systematically builds him back up while also, in some ways, doing a complete overhaul.

So let's talk about it?

Pillars of Identity: Who is Ezran?

TDP is a series obsessed with a lot of things, but if I'd have to wager what the second core idea of the series is beyond the Cycle of Violence, I'd probably put in on a theme of Identity, specifically questions such as, "how do I, as a person, exist within the Cycle (breaking it, perpetuating it, both)?" and "who has, or is, my grief turning me into?" as they are deeply interrelated. To answer those questions, that requires establishing who a character is in 'normal life,' or outside of grief and the cycle (ie. trauma) and who they are within it.

With that in mind, I think Ezran has about five approximate pillars for his identity, in roughly this order:

Harrow's son

The king

Callum's brother

Zym's friend

Rayla's friend

I don't think that other characters pillars would be that different (Rayla's primary would also likely be her three duty bound parents) as it does make sense; most children's primary influence in life, especially as they grow, start with their parents as role models even if they may eventually separate and take an opposite road (love you Soren). Where Ezran differs, I think, is that while I don't know if Rayla would consciously conceptualize herself as her parents' daughter as her primary pillar, I do think that Ezran — especially Ezran in arc 2 — is always orienting himself around "I am Harrow's son" (for better or for worse in terms of what that means).

This is also why I put Ezran's identity as king as his second pillar. In his childhood / pre-s3, I think his second pillar would've been his identity as Callum's (little) brother. However, we see him place returning to his kingdom above helping Callum (brother) and Rayla (friend) returning Zym (another friend) to Xadia. The loss of his father strips away the relative safety of body and mind that being a prince comparatively gave him, fundamentally altering his internalized and externalized sense(s) of responsibility and his choices accordingly. It's the loss of his father and the subsequent grief, yes, which Callum also experiences, but uniquely the mantle of the throne as well, which is what he highlights in 7x02:

This all started the day that assassin came to Katolis and killed him. Our king. Our father. I never asked for this. I wasn't ready to be a king. I'm just a kid. That day changed me forever.

So let's talk about being the king. Let's talk about

The Crown

Ezran's crown is one of the few objects in the series to have an episode titled after it (3x02) and the only one I can remember that continues to be a symbol we consistently come back to throughout (i.e. unlike 1x07's "The Dagger and the Wolf"). Despite returning to Katolis to be king and sitting on the throne itself throughout the episode, Ezran struggles with the crown. It is, to him, in some manner different than the throne, despite ostensibly representing the same thing. He has, effectively, already made the choice to be king, yet persists in his doubt and hesitation as he struggles to learn the balance.

Opeli, however, contributes to that distinction, noting specifically that "the crown is a heavy burden to bear" and that "no one blames you for being a child". Ezran's choice to fully commit to, and his acquiring of the kingship fully, is made synonymous with him putting on his father's crown for the first time. In a lot of ways, Ezran returning home to Katolis was him realizing he can't run away from growing up (2x09) in his own words, and therefore that putting on the crown is him committing to becoming someone new: this is Grown Up Ezran, or Growing Up Ezran, actively. He is, from this day on by choice, no longer just a child, but also — more so — a king.

AARAVOS: The whining child king, in over his head, and he knows it. (4x04) DOMINA: Who is this child? ZUBEIA: He is a king! (5x01) KARIM: I've never negotiated with a child before. CORVUS: He is a king. (6x07)

This also folds into how Ezran conceptualizes his father. Again, as children often do, he looks to his father for guidance with the things that Ezran is struggling to handle per his sense of responsiblity (teaching Zym how to fly in season 2): "I just wish Dad was here. He'd know what to do, you know?"

When Ezran returns home in season three, he does so with the direct consequence of his father's actions on his shoulders and wrapped around his brow, and with his letter in hand, and these changes likewise reflect a more nuanced understanding of his father:

All of you knew King Harrow as a great king. He was a warrior, a leader, and a champion. But I knew him as my Dad, who loved me and my brother and our mom, and sometimes told really bad jokes. [...] I didn't see everything he had to do as king, but I do know my father had to make some very hard decisions... I haven't been through the things that made my father the king he was. So I've decided that I don't have to be the king my father was. My father made choices to keep fighting battles that started hundreds of years before he was born. To punish children for crimes their parents committed. I don't want to be that kind of king.

This is, of course, a speech made in the context of actively rejecting war and of pardoning those who would otherwise be punished, both things that Harrow did engage in directly and deeply regretted in the letter Ezran currently holds. Ezran then walks the balance of simultaneously rejecting who his father was, and honouring who his father was and who he wanted to be. This is perhaps best exemplified in season 3 of Ezran, two episodes after rejecting his father's 'way', having a mirrored path across the courtyard set to "Last Sunset" in one of their most overt parallels, prepared to give up his life and freedom in hopes others will make better choices with the (hopefully) renewed agency they now have.

By the time we get to season 4, Ezran has changed greatly. He's more confident as king, the team's resident diplomat and negotiator, and a lot more active in general, though not without plenty of room to grow. 4x03 offers a cold dose of reality that the road to the future he wants is going to be harder to walk, but still confident that we can get there because, "We all want peace, and we all want love."

He also has a more complicated yet positive view of his father as king and of the world at large. He best expresses this, perhaps, the first time he removes his crown (which is a permanent part of his identity, and of his character design):

I am King Ezran of Katolis. As my gift [of sacrifice], I offer you my crown. It has no jewels and it isn't made of precious metal. It's made from the steel of my father's sword. My father was a strong king, and I wanted to carry that strength with me. But he also taught me that strength isn't always about weapons and war. This crown reminds me of that lesson.

Rather than just seeing Harrow as something to not be, Ezran has come around to wanting to carry his father closely with him. He's learned that "peace demands just as much strength as war" and also decided to embody Harrow's closing thoughts as a king: "I now believe that true strength is found in vulnerability, in forgiveness, in love." A dual strength for a dual king, symbolized by Ezran taking his father's sword and reshaping it into something new.

Ezran is a King of Love as Strength. He is king because he's literally Harrow's son and heir, but also emotionally — narratively — Harrow's son in terms of breaking the cycle and choosing love (similarly how Janai in S7 becomes known as a queen of mercy just like her previous royal role model, Aditi). Harrow's son by fact, and Harrow's son by choice in some ways:

EZRAN: History doesn't have to be a narrative of strength. Not if we don't want it to be. It can be a narrative of love. KARIM: These are childish dreams. EZRAN: Not dreams, choices. I am a king. And as a king, I choose love over strength.

So Ezran being king, to him, is synonymous with choosing love as strength. With making choices. With being Harrow's son (positive). He forgives Zubeia and Avizandum because of Zym. He forgives Rayla because "I'm sure she doesn't mean to make [Callum] feel that way". He provides an anchor, a pillar, for other people to build their identity around ("Don't you remember who you are?") as a reminder and a lever (hi Soren). He can honour and strive to be better than his father simultaneously. He can hold pain and love in his heart at the same time.

Until he can't.

King of what? King of ashes? [Of nothing?]

In seasons 4 and 5, we see Ezran remove his crown. Both are about sacrifices: he is prepared to offer his crown to Rex Igneous and to Finnegrin in order to help with their mission, asserting its sentimental value and importance to him: "You must bring Rex Igneous a worthy gift." / "It's not worthless. It's really important to me."

In season 7, he removes it just once. This is in admission to Callum that he "never asked for this". He was given the option of being king or not being king, but neither would've necessarily made him happy, and he made the best choice with the options he had... Options that he never asked for in the first place. The crown being a reminder to choose strength over love? He never asked to have to learn that lesson, either. It was a burden placed on him in making the best out of a bad situation, which is — unfortunately — an unavoidable part of life. But it can still be, or feel, unfair to him.

I think we see this aspect of Ezran struggling with what he wanted vs what was forced upon him in how he (and others) in 7x02 treat his high ranking position. We've seen first hand in 5x01 that Callum would overrule something like Rayla — and Runaan by extension — being arrested, but Ezran has the final say here as king. However, he does not directly highlight his own ranking. Merely, he reminds his brother of Callum's position:

Callum. High Mage. We need you at this council meeting.

And Rayla ("you're not my king, but you are my friend") reminds Ezran of his, because it is Ezran's status as king — the power, the trauma — that is driving them apart:

So, King Ezran. How determined are you to stop me?

Being king gives Ezran control over the people around him — Opeli, Soren, Corvus, Aanya, Callum — and over what happens. It gives him control. A sense of safety. And while these are understandable desires, they swing the wrong way in his anger.

So let's talk about who they swing towards!

Targets (Sol Regem, Runaan, Callum)

Ezran's anger has three direct targets in season 7, and as such, it's easy to see the way each stacks on top of the other.

The initial one is Sol Regem ("We need to find Sol Regem and destroy him"). This leads to finding an already dead dragon, which means in addition to having no one to blame, it means Ezran has no way to know or understand why Sol Regem attacked Katolis (beyond a hatred of humans). The destruction of the castle feels like losing his family all over again, in some ways, in addition to his childhood home.

Then lo and behold, the man responsible for killing his father walks right into it.

You! This is all your fault! Everything changed the day you came. You killed my father!

I think this line shows a few things. As king, Ezran was supposed to protect and be there for Katolis (2x09) while also working to break the cycle. That's what, by Ezran's measure, a good king would do. He's utterly failed at the former, and if he's a bad king, then he shouldn't be king. So whose fault is it that Ezran, a bad king, is on the throne? Logistically and emotionally, it's Runaan. It's not quite rational but it is reasonable for Ezran to look at every event in his life from the past two years spiralling out from his father's death, and culminating in Katolis' destruction.

However, despite Runaan becoming the next target of Ezran's anger, he's not actually the most consistent target of it throughout the season: Callum is.

After 7x02, Ezran doesn't breathe a single word of ire about Runaan for the rest of the series, even if he's still clearly angry months later in the 7x09 'epilogue'. Instead in 7x03, he's fixated on finding and dragging his brother back as punishment ("we can't let him get away with it!") for betrayal, which Ezran also takes personally and extends beyond himself: "Callum betrayed me. He betrayed all of Katolis."

The idea that a king represents his kingdom is an old one in terms of history, and considering that Runaan killed the king of Katolis, and Callum helped him escape, it's not that much of a reach. However, Ezran isn't even thinking that logically. If Ez was proposing hunting down the kingslayer and bringing him back to face justice, that'd be one thing. However, he only talks about holding Callum accountable, not even Rayla (who also betrayed him) or Runaan (the escaped prisoner).

His targets, quite literally, switched from Aanya having her arrow notched at Runaan and then to his brother, and Ezran's anger has subsequently followed.

Now, some of this is undoubtedly because of the three, Ezran is the closest to Callum. They had a childhood together and Callum was customarily always in his corner, if sometimes a bit scatterbrained/unreliable or angry. He, accordingly, expected Callum to be on his side, and barring that (stopping him from going after Rayla in the meeting) was prepared to enforce it. A lot of our emotional upset tends to come from "I expected you to understand/support me, and you don't" after all.

However, I think Ezran's emotional interplay is a bit more complicated. I think in 7x01, Ezran attaches to Callum as an extension of himself even as he self-isolates, such as sending Callum to go with Corvus "because we have to do something" in investigating Sol Regem, and for no real in-universe reason besides "Corvus offered to go, but I need to feel in control so I'm going to tell/order someone to go with him".

The other, bigger part of this is that Callum is the biggest hole in Ezran's reasoning.

EZRAN: He killed our father. Isn't that enough?

We know that part of Ezran's grief is that it forced him to be king and grow up quickly, something that Callum is adjacent to but can't relate to in the same way by virtue of not having the crown. But since the reasoning Ezran highlights is that 1) Runaan is a murderer (unlike the bulk of the people at his council table—oh wait) and 2) it's okay/right to punish him for killing their father... having his brother, who is also King Harrow's son (cue the identity pillar) disagree is a pretty big blow to it. They both loved their dad; he was their father, and they were both his sons. Callum is in the closest position imaginable to Ezran as anyone could be, emotionally, yet they have two completely different perspectives. It gives Ezran's reasoning much less ground to stand on, and he can't handle it. The fact that Callum's perspective (which was already a betrayal in its own way) then becomes action (which is what Ezran labels the betrayal), I think, is just the cherry on top.

Another thing that's worth noting, I think, is that neither Ezran or Callum are necessarily the ones who escalate things in 7x02; Aanya and Rayla are. Soren, Corvus, and the other guards are working under Ezran as his crownguard, but Aanya and Rayla are the rogue parties. Aanya isn't operating under Ezran's jurisdiction, but as his friend and ally. What this does mean, though, is that literally everyone at the Banther Lodge is on Ezran's side against Rayla and her weakened, injured father... except Callum, but as a mage, he's enough to tip the scales to take down the crownguard... and then use himself as a human shield.

One of the things about Ezran's anger and its targets in season 7 is that it does a very good job at illustrating exactly why the Cycle is so destructive to participate in, because yes, you may aim your anger at the people who 'deserve' it and are directly responsible—the acceptable, understandable Targets if you will—but you catch others in the crossfire. There is always collateral damage of people who didn't do a thing to you, whether that's the people who love them, or the people who are like them. (Insert Zubeia wanting to take revenge for the loss of her mate and child, claiming the lives of the assassins sent to take it, and then Lyrennus' pain at the loss of his child + Ethari's at the loss of his partner.) There is no clean way to kill your enemy in a manner that does no harm to anyone else (who is innocent).

Ezran's targets by proxy of wanting to deal with Sol Regem's destruction of Katolis are the dragons and Zym (more on them in a second, though, cause that deserves its own section). His targets by proxy of wanting to punish Runaan is causing deep pain to Rayla, even before she's taken any action against him, and then on a more literal sense his own brother. His targets by proxy of wanting to drag Callum back by force likely would've been Runaan, Rayla, potentially Ethari, or even Corvus or other crownguard in the fight.

Callum shielding Runaan (and Rayla by extension) force Ezran to confront this fact, at least a little. Does he value punishing Runaan (and Rayla, a girl who's saved him countless times, who was willing to lose a hand for him, who has otherwise always taken his side)—perpetuating the cycle—over his brother's life. And Ezran is angry enough that he good and truly considers it (although we could say perhaps he was waiting to see if Callum would move out of the way). But where Ezran was willing to hurt Rayla emotionally if it meant physically punishing Runaan, he is not willing to risk killing Callum to keep the assassin as a prisoner.

This is also, I think, the turning point for Aanya. She is Ezran's friend and was willing to follow his lead, and upon seeing the choice that Ezran made—sparing Callum over killing him and Runaan—she shifts gears. She and everyone else (who are deeply uncomfortable with Ezran's increasing rage, but unwilling to speak out against it) recognize that pursuing and punishing Callum will not actually making Ezran feel better. So she tries a different tactic.

EZRAN: We can't let him get away with it. Corvus, I need you to track them. CORVUS: [Gently corrects him] King Ezran, we already know where they're going. The Silvergrove. EZRAN: Right. And that's why I need you to track them. (7x03)

I also think Ezran taking 'being king' as such a core identity piece—Callum was Harrow's son too, but not in the way Ezran wanted/needed—lets Aanya reach him. She's also a child monarch, and reminding Ezran of this and that he and Callum can heal ("But I'll always be your brother" / "You're brothers") is something that Ezran deeply needed to hear from someone else, too.

AANYA: I know it hurts right now, Ezran. But you need to know that you and Callum are not broken. The both of you will heal one day. You're brothers. It's okay to be angry, and it's okay to be sad. But I think you should let this go, for now. You're the king of Katolis, and your people need you. EZRAN: You're right. I need to protect them.

EZRAN: But Katolis needs me. (4x03)

However, that doesn't mean Aanya's advice, nor how Ezran pursues that protection is faultless, so next, let's talk about

Dragons as Friends and Foes

Ezran has always been the dragon boy.

Back in 2021, I wrote a more long winded post that basically boiled down to—in a show where elf, human, and dragon relations are key—it was likely that Callum was always designed to be the human who engaged the most with the culturally elven side of things (primal magic, Rayla being his lancer), and Ezran (with his ability to talk to animals) was designed to handle the dragon-human side of things. Think how we see Callum's first meeting with Rayla, an elf, while Ezran is the one who discovers Zym as a dragon egg.

Although other characters (namely Rayllum in S3, and Soren in seasons 4-6) bond with dragons as well, this remained true throughout arc 2, wherein Ezran is the closest to Zym and Zubeia, the primary negotiator with the various archdragons, going on his 'big dragon missions' (5x01-5x03), etc.

Season seven, therefore, presents an interesting departure in Ezran's view of dragons. Previously, while they should've been enemies, he always saw them as friends and allies: being the first to run to and aid Pyrrah in 2x07, trying to commune with Zubeia to wake her up in 3x08, defending Avizandum in 4x08 on behalf of Zym, etc.

Sol Regem's attack changes all of that. As Ezran states:

But doesn't a home need to be safe? [...] Our ancestors spent generations building Katolis. I don't want to waste our time if it's all going to get knocked down. [...] We have to be ready. We have to be strong enough so that they won't even think about attacking us. Before we rebuild, we have to build our defenses.

In season 4 and 5, all Ezran wanted to do was work with the dragons. To work together with Zubeia to stop Aaravos; to call upon the dragons to help stop Claudia and Viren. Now, the dragons are a 'them'. Now there's an 'us'.

This isn't necessarily a 'wrong' way to think about it, though. An archdragon did attack and devastate Katolis, seemingly — to Ezran — for no apparent reason. To want to prevent that from happening is reasonable. Yes, Ezran is friends with dragons, but most friends aren't also born with the inherent capacity to utterly destroy your life as a built in feature.

At the same time, this new 'us vs them' mindset is challenged a few times in season 7. Although Ezran's assurances to Zym that "we're only building such powerful weapons so that we never have to use them" will not work out without consequences in arc 3, I'm sure, thus far we only see Ezran use them on another enemy he's willing to be increasingly violent with: Aaravos.

In 7x07, the Startouch elf offers up a double serving of manipulation — the bigger one being to join him and that he's humanity's ally, which Ezran steadfastly rejects, and the smaller one beneath regarding the Nova Blade (+ Callum), which Ezran 100% plays into. Both of these push Ezran further as a character.

The first avenue that Ezran rejects leads him to claim that:

I have allies already. The elves and dragons, fellow victims of your evil.

Even if the only elf he's currently working with is a recent addition is Terry, forcing Rayla and Runaan to go on the run in 7x02, and his draconic ally in Zym is deeply worried about Ezran and Aanya's project. But it shows that despite his coldness towards previous allies, Ezran still holds unity close and refuses to relinquish it entirely as an ideal.

Secondly, we have Ezran's choice to use the Nova Blade. This is both a departure and in line with his thoughts in 5x06:

CALLUM: We borrow this Nova Blade, wait for Aaravos to get out, and then just stab-stab, buh-bye bad guy. EZRAN: Wait, slow down. Shouldn't that be the last resort? If we can stop Aaravos from getting out at all, we can solve this without any violence.

On the one hand, Ezran in 7x08/09 is just following through with what he said here. If Aaravos was still trapped, they didn't need to resort to violence. Now that he's out, violence is accordingly on the table, just as Ezran said it would be. However, I think it still feels like a departure in some ways because of Ezran's repeated emphasis on strength and love over violence, and his choice (4x08, 5x06) to melt his father's sword down into a crown... only to now acquire a sword that isn't made for defense whatsoever, but for the express purpose of killing.

That said, more on the Nova Blade in a second.

For now, I want to return to the archdragons, and just do a little season track:

7x01: Ezran finds out an archdragon / former king of the dragons destroyed Katolis. Furious, he wants to destroy Sol Regem in turn, but cannot as the great dragon is already dead.

7x02: Ezran takes out his anger on Runaan, Zubeia's servant assassin.

7x03-7x05: Ezran goes with Aanya to learn how to build weapons that can stand a chance against dragons / archdragons, in spite of Zym's misgivings.

7x07: Despite Callum giving Ezran the mission to go retrieve Zubeia, Ez delegates it to his crownguard + Terry, choosing to remain in Katolis and converse with Aaravos instead to "keep [Aaravos] busy".

7x09: Ezran (and co.) are spared from sacrificing their lives and "everything we are" because of the archdragons, who all sacrifice themselves to stop Aaravos. Ezran holds Zym while his parents / Zubeia die, and then instructs a memorial to be created in the Valley of the Graves.

So, after a season of being angry at an archdragon, at seeing dragons as potential enemies... Ezran and everyone / everything he loves is saved by those very same creatures. Instead of destroyers who force him to sacrifice, they are saviours who choose to sacrifice on his behalf. This doesn't remove responsiblity from Ezran's shoulders per se—in many ways, a world without archdragons adds to it, as he states, "It's up to us now, Zym" (in a nice callback to 1x03)—but I do think it greatly contributes to his perspective in his closing scene this season.

One of the ways it does so is bringing back the gift motif from 4x08, not only in "worthy gifts of sacrifice" but in Ezran's realization that:

We offered gifts that meant a lot to us. But the truth is, they don't mean anything to you.

being directly contrasted in 7x09, with:

AARAVOS: And what will your sacrifices buy? A mere moment of peace before I return to a world without you? Without archdragons. Your deaths mean nothing.

EZRAN: They have given us a great gift. A chance to keep on living. Keep trying to be better.

The first time Ezran spoke of the dragons in 4x01, it was with excitement for Zubeia and Zym's visit to Katolis. He believed "it would change how people see dragons". He offered gifts of friendship and peace in the Valley of the Graves, only for the portrait to be defaced. By the end of season 7, Ezran's desire for people to see the dragons differently has come true, and his honouring of Zubeia is allowed to stand in a way that's far more permanent than a painting.

OPELI: It's the gift ceremony. I'm concerned that holding in the Valley of the Graves is insensitive. EZRAN: Wait, what? It's a sacred beautiful place. It's a place of peace. OPELI: Some people have come to me in confidence. They worry that honouring a dragon in a place that is a memorial to so many great humans, some of whom died at their hands, is offensive. (4x03)

EZRAN: Aaravos pushed us to to the brink. We were ready to sacrifice it all. Everything. You and me, Callum, Rayla... We almost gave up everything we are. But because of them, the archdragons, we didn't have to.

Now, I don't think this change at the end of the season will be enough necessarily for Ezran to halt Project Ruby Fire. I don't think it undoes the hard choices he's made or the things he's learned about himself. But I do think it asserts what he's aspiring towards, and helps direct himself to who he wants to be and how he's going to proceed going forward (Evrkynd, Runaan).

Speaking of which, let's finally talk about Runaan. Again.

A Phoenix

I've alluded to this this a bit before, but I think one of the main reasons Ezran chose to forgive Runaan was because of the archdragons' sacrifice. The dragons gave him a chance to keep living, to keep trying to be better—and Ezran then turns and gives that "great gift" in turn to Runaan. I don't know if I think that Ezran would've otherwise had Runaan executed, but forgiveness even more than just being spared is a much more active choice in a lot of ways, and not something that Ezran had to conflate, but chose to.

The other reason I think Ezran chose to forgive Runaan is because, as of the end of S7, he's been Runaan.

As an assassin, I had convinced myself that I was a kind of peacemaker. A twisted peacemaker, I suppose. I believed that my act of precision violence was preferable... necessary, even, to prevent far greater bloodshed.

[...] I was trained to accept that I was already dead, so that I might carry out my dark work without fear. But I am not dead. I am alive. I have a family I love. I have so much to lose, the very things I took from you.

"They have given us a great gift. A chance to keep on living."

Ezran now understands how someone can believe that to keep back chaos and death, you have to kill another person. To believe in your bones that someone has to die, even if that means your own destruction. That doesn't mean Runaan was right about Harrow, or that Ezran is necessarily wrong about Aaravos, but the journey to get there, the mindset, of how undeterred you are when you reach that place... Ezran's been there. He knows, now, in ways he didn't before.

He forgave Zubeia because everything was complicated: because he could relate to longing for his mother (Zym), to watching his father grieve his wife the same way Zubeia was grieving Avizandum, to wanting to protect his kingdom (Avizandum). To grieving family. Of a child who had lost things.

He forgives Runaan because he can understand being an assassin, and already dead, and realizing you almost lost / have forsaken your family along the way. Of violence testing you, and failing, and having to try again. To reforge yourself into something new—because the true heart you had before is gone, but that doesn't mean your heart is.

Ezran stands in front of the fireplace twice in season 7. The first is with Zym in 7x02 and where he has his initial disagreement with Callum. The second time is with Runaan in 7x09, a fire in his eyes. This evokes not only Ezran's fury and association with the dragons, but also the framing of Aaravos from earlier in the season.

Ezran once asked if he was now the king of ashes. 7x09 demands him to answer if he wants to keep being a King of Ashes. If he wants to continue feeding his anger and hate, if he wants to continue fuelling the fire of hatred and grief within him. And Ezran says no. He says yes to forgiveness, though this time, he does not know the way:

EZRAN: But it's not that simple or easy. [...] Somehow, we have to hold it all in our hearts at the same time. (4x03) CALLUM: But somehow, you got past that. You forgave her, because everything was complicated. (7x02) EZRAN: I'm going to forgive you. I don't know how, but I have to try. (7x09)

He is presented with a phoenix (Runaan, back from the grave) and chooses to become one himself, and welcome back in all the other pillars of identity that had been crumbling over the past season.

EZRAN: I think about the people I love who are counting on me to do the right thing. Not the strong thing, not the harsh thing. The right thing. Do you love your sister, Prince Karim? (6x07)

It's sort of fitting, then, that in choosing once again to be Harrow's son (positive), he's presented with a more literal bird phoenix in "Harrow's soul in is in Pip" then, too.

And the same rebirth goes for the world around him, too.

ASTRID: Everything burns when a star dies. (7x09)

OPELI: King Ezran... perhaps it is finally time to rebuild. EZRAN: No. It's time to build something new. [...] Our world faced its end. But we survived. And on the other side, we find ourselves at a new beginning. [...] There is no such thing as utopia. But with hard work and discipline, persistence and patience, we can build a better place.

The Crown, Again (reforge into something new)

So I've talked about the reflection motif, and I've talked now about the phoenix motif. There's still more I could touch on in regards to Ezran's whole thing with Aaravos and the Orphan Queen, the layers of Aaravos' manipulation, the theme of following in your predecessors' footsteps and the good and harm that can come of it, but that's probably a meta for another day. For now, I want to return to the Need motif we touched on earlier.

TDP is very interested in questioning what characters deem necessary. Thus far, this was mostly done through Aaravos ("Aaravos did what was necessary" / "we will do what must be done"), Claudia ("I did what I had to do" / "Maybe he's just doing what needs to be done" / Whatever it takes, however dangerous, however vile"), and Viren ("I tried to explain that I had only done what was necessary"). S7 starts to shift gears and push further at the main trio, questioning and picking apart some of their mindsets (which again, could be a meta on its own) in regards to what sort of violence they believe is necessary and why, only for none of it to actually have been so because of the Archdragons. A nice little meta-narrative reflection.

What I want to actually focus on here is Ezran's idea of need. This is usually couched within his place of being king, and loyalty to his kingdom, as we've seen previously ("But Katolis needs me" / "You are the king of Katolis, and your people need you").

EZRAN: I wish [Zym] could come with me too, but you need to go be with your mom. That's your home. Both of us need to go home. (2x09)

So Ezran believes that needs to be king because Katolis needs him. Great. What does Ezran need?

Season 7 gives various answers, according to himself:

"Callum. High Mage. We need you at this council meeting" (7x02)

"We can't let [Callum] get away with it. Corvus, I need you to track them" (7x03)

"I need to protect [my people]" (7x03)

"Destiny works in mysterious ways. The Novablade came to my ancestor, only to be lost for generations until we needed it" (7x09).

The other people in his life have other ideas, as discussed.

ZUBEIA: But Zym, you must go. Your brother Ezran needs you. (6x02)

AANYA: But you need to know that you and Callum are not broken. The both of you will heal one day. You're brothers.

CALLUM: Mom said it was okay to be angry, but I couldn't let the bad feelings stick. Because we were going to need each other. Because we're brothers. I still need you, Ezran.

Broken things can be mended. Crowns and swords can be reforged. People can be, too. As much as Ezran loves his council and his crownguard, he needs people who don't just see him as king. Callum is not his High Mage, but will always be his brother, and that's what's most important. He needs Callum and Rayla and Zym; he needs Aanya who can help keep him grounded. He needs his family because they help keep him who he is as much as he has for them in the past ("Don't you remember who you are?" in 4x07) now that it is up to them to maintain it, and the archdragons are gone.

And to be himself, Ezran needs to be:

Harrow's son with accordance to a Narrative of Love

The King of Katolis

Callum, Zym, and Rayla's brother

rising from the ashes and bringing others up with him, over and over again the way he always has. The way he always will.

Because not all cycles are bad, either.

Conclusion

As stated, there's more to Ezran's arc in S7: ideas of history and half-truths, of chains and Startouch elves, of home and memorials. Of what we carry against our will, what we choose to set down, and vice versa. What this meta was, then, was the first at likely two passes, focusing on Ezran's emotional state(s) throughout the season and his emotional processing. More structural and thematic based analyses of his character in S7 / across the show thus far will definitely folllow.

For now, though, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed a bit of a deeper dive!

All hail the king.

[zeldadiarist]

Golden Chain AU: Worldbuilding

Hello! It's time I already shared these notes that have been sitting in my drive for ages - I wrote them in 2019!

Since I decided to gather everything in one post, it's going to be long, so read under the cut!

1. The basics

Name of the country: Great Kingdom of Hyrule

Regions: Central Hyrule, Hebra, Akkala, Eldin, Necluda, Lanayru, Faron, Gerudo.

Capital: Castletown.

Insular territories: Eventide Island, Tenoko Island, Wintre Island, Lanayru Sea Archipelago (Tingel, Ankel, Knuckel and Davide islands), Lomei Island.

Official Language: Hylian.

Measuring system: metric, established by Queen Zelda V (Botw) during Hyrule Restoration/Renaissance.

Approximate size: Hyrule is a small continent in itself. Every region has around 60-100k km2.

Population: around 30 million people. The population growth was really slow after the calamity (population was barely on the thousands)

Neighbors: Termina to the north (Frontier checkpoint is North Lomei/Deplian Badlands lol), Calatia to the Southwest (Checkpoint: Tanagar Canyon/Hemaars Descent). Both countries are considerably smaller, but developed and have active trade with Hyrule.

Time usage: 24-hour, sexagesimal system.

Seven day weeks. Naming convention:

Monday-Nayday

Tuesday- Twiliday

Wednesday- Wingsday

Thursday- Faesday

Friday- Faronday

Saturday- Timeday

Sunday- Dinsday

13 months of 28 days (lunar calendar), the remaining day is New Year’s.

National flower: Silent Princess

National motto: Post Tenebras Lux (After Darkness, Light comes)

Flag: Hylian crest in gold over three bands (green, blue, red)

Anthem: none, but Zelda's lullaby is the only tune associated to the kingdom.

Demonym: Hyrulean for them all, but also are used the ones describing regions/races: Hebran, Rito, Akkalan, Goron, Eldinian, Faroner, Hatenite, Necludan, Kakaricon, Fielder (central Hyrule), Towners (Castletown).

2. Historical structure

The kingdom of Hyrule counts years since its foundation, everything previous (pre and skyward sword) is prehistory, since there were no written records. Year zero is the crowning of the first king of Hyrule - the grandson of Sksw Link and Zelda. The establishment of the monarchy leads to a dynasty that is interrupted by the Calamity.

The modern history of Hyrule begins when the Hero of the Wild saves the kingdom, and the monarchy is re-established under agreement of the remaining settlements, tribes and kingdoms, bringing another Golden Age that ended with the reign of king Rhoam II, father of the “Bastard Queen” - Zelda’s grandmother Zelda (born Viridiana).

3. Political and internal organization

The Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and the regent is active in politics, as head of the state/executive power. The King/Queen is also the Commander in Chief of Hyrule's Self-Defense Forces (HSDF), comprised by:

Knights of Hyrule

Gerudo Guard

Royal Guard

Zora Guard

Goron Fighters (army and spec ops such as rescue and first response stuff)

Coast guard (Navy)

Air Rangers (Air Force, led mostly exclusively by Rito Warriors)

Civil Guard (police, firefighters, lifeguards)

Each one of the branches of the HSDF has a leader, commanded by the ruler in power.

People who want to join the HSDF enter Hyrule's knight academy, and undergo training for four years (two years basic training, two years specialization), and rotate through the regiments.

Hyrule's intelligence is the Sheikah. They sort of separated the Sheikah as institution from the warrior clan, but it's still comprised mostly by them. They also develop a lot of technology for civilian and industrial/defense purposes.

The legislative power lies on the 150 representatives of the High Council, elected every five years, with only one re-election term. They have a president, elected to represent them all during official acts. Name of current president: Rhett Groose.

The King/Queen besides the council has a set of ministers to assess them more directly, chosen after receiving nameless dossiers (blind selection). They stay in their positions until the ruler deems necessary. Longest length of ministries have been under Zelda VI’s reign: her initial cabinet stayed with her for over fifteen years.

Each region has a governor, Except for Lanayru, Eldin, Gerudo, in which the Chief/Regent of the tribe is the highest political authority.

The King/Queen is the highest ranking civil servant of the country. The house of Hyrule has ruled more or less steadily for 500 years after the Calamity.

The crown has a matriarchal rule.

The firstborn by birthright inherits the crown, but if at any point before the current ruler passes away or abdicts, the title goes to the next of kin - preferentially a daughter of the house.

Upon coronation, the ruler names a cabinet of ministers, and designs a knight to be their champion.

Five years after coronation, the citizens evaluate the ruler through a binding referendum. If the ruler is disapproved (over 60% reprobation), they are forced to terminate their rule and the next of kin takes the crown (every prince and princess receives the same education to be fit to rule). This measure can be invoked anytime again during the reign, through the people themselves, who have to bring the request through the high council. Queen Zelda V put this measure to avoid abuse of power and tyranny from the crown.

3.Towns and Cities

The cities are mostly the same settlements after the Calamity, and some others were recovered, turning into boroughs of larger cities, or small towns. Several new towns match the former stables they were once.

Hebra: Snowfield, Rito Village, Pondo’s Lodge

Eldin: Goron City, Foothill Town, Shadow Hamlet

Akkala: Tarrey Town, East Town, South Town

Lanayru: Zora’s Domain

Necluda: Kakariko Village, Hateno Town, Dueling Peaks Town

Faron: Lurelin Town, Lakeside Town, Highland Town

Gerudo: Gerudo Town, Canyon Town.

Central Hyrule: Outskirt Town, Riverside Town, Gatepost Town, Outpost Town, East Post Town, Deya Village, Rauru Town, Serenne Town, Castletown.

Great Plateau: Eastern Abbey Village

The capital of the Kingdom grew massive after the restoration period ended, and has several boroughs: The Quarry, Mabe, LonLon, Civic Center (formerly Castletown jail), Downtown (divided in Upper-Lower West/Upper-Lower East side).

4. National Parks and protected areas

Hyrule takes extreme care of its environment, not only because of ecology, but also because nature is sacred for being one of Farore’s gifts. Zelda VI (Viridiana) had to undo several older laws regarding industrialization, because they weren't sustainable and would destroy nature and the balance long term.

Main parks:

Hebra Mountains

Hyrule Great Forest (Deku Tree, sacred site)

Eldin Canyon/Death Mountain

Deep Akkala (Spring of Power)

Mount Lanayru (Spring of Wisdom)

Farone great forest & lake Floria (the green lung of Hyrule)

Gerudo desert (specifically some archaeological sites)

Pillars of Levia

Tanagar Canyon

Oseira plains

5. Economy

Hyrule’s currency is still the Rupee, abbreviated Rp. It’s still used in the same physical form, and fifty years from the start of the story in digital form, for electronic transactions and such.

Since for a long time the country lived barely there during the Calamity, people worked strongly to have self-sustainable communities, and this remained as a trait of the economy, which is circular: there is a strong repair - reuse - recycle culture. Zelda does a lot of thrift shopping, not only because she’s a cheapskate, but because it’s most common for the average citizen. Link has mostly new clothes because he uses tech gear (and due to his size he needs to get things custom made).

Communities generate their own energy, having a clean energy plant in their regions, all connected for a general supply if needed (Hebra has windmills, Gerudo solar panels and so on).

Hebra produces wood for construction, paper and others, central Hyrule, cattle and dairy, faron does agriculture, and fishing, lanayru manages water and electricity (hydroelectric plant in upland Zorana), Eldin does all mining and manufacture, Akkala and Necluda do Farming and agriculture besides industrial activity (Sheikah tech). Gerudo produces fabrics, glassware, tapestry, and luxury items, such as jewelry, high fashion clothes, etc.

Tourism is another of Hyrule's forte. People travel a lot, whether nationals or foreigners. The crown has always incentivated tourism (although they do not travel for leisure often, specially Zelda, who only knows Gerudo Town and Kakariko).

Monopolies are illegal, and the law establishes limits to the riches people can gain to avoid inequality gaps.

Taxes are according to income, and the return is very low, since they finance social insurance, health and education,and basic housing, which is free and universal.

Private property is allowed, and the trade is free but overseen by the state. Excess accumulation of riches is frowned upon - and researched by the Internal Revenue Service of Hyrule’s Treasury.

The minimum wage is for minimum work, but still a livable wage.

6.Spirituality

Hyrule as a secular state has no official religion. The church of Hylia is the most important one though, for Hylia is the guardian Goddess of the land, besides the Golden Three, the mother Goddesses.

The cult is very lax and open, pretty much like Shinto, with small shrines scattered across the land, taken care of by a Sheikah monk, or a priest or priestess of Hylia. The priests/ess hold no particular vow. They train for their duty at the great plateau complex. Zelda is a priestess of Hylia due to her powers, but she only partakes in certain rites, like funerals, weddings, and naming ceremonies.

People worship certain things/values associated with the Goddesses: Nature is revered for it is Farore's gift, same with education for Nayru, and martial discipline for Din (sorta like Greek areté/Roman Virtus). Hylia's attribute is spiritual enlightenment.

The Sage head of the great plateau complex is the highest spiritual authority in Hyrule along the high priestess of Hylia (role fulfilled by the ordained daughters of the royal line.)

7.Magic

By definition is the ability to use the energy that surrounds us in order to defend oneself or others. Most of the time invoking natural forces, like in the case of Din’s Fire, or akin to it.

Magic generated with the purpose of malicious harm, torture, cursing is considered dark magic and deemed forbidden. Exception: Zelda’s Phantom.

Magic has a set of rules:

use it for self preservation or to protect others, never for harm.

actions have consequences of equal dimension.

clear and pure intention must always be behind it, you cannot use it for evil purposes or illegal gain.

You cannot revive the dead. Necromancy is taboo.

The golden rule: what magic gives, magic takes, aka Equivalent Exchange. For a magic user to grow or earn power (such as unlocking sealing magic/the Triforce) they must let go of something as a sort of tribute.

Glamour spells are used as camouflage in certain occasions (like undercover missions), mostly by Sheikah agents.

There are incredibly few magic users nowadays in Hyrule: some Sheikah (less than ten, and mostly on glamour spells. Impa is one of them), Sage Rauru, and Princess Rutela of the Zora, a renowned healer (skilled, but not to the level of her aunt Mipha, who could almost bring people from the verge of death).

8. Culture

Common customs:

Every baby has a naming ceremony, ten days after their birth.

When children turn 10, there’s a small celebration about cherishing childhood, related to the hero of time. Kids (no matter the gender) wear green.

Coming of age is at 17. It is celebrated in a formal fashion, with a sort of party that is halfway between a graduation and a debutante ball. Zelda hated it because she felt like she was a walking meringue pie with her formal dress.

Gerudo

The structure of their society is matriarchal. Men generally have the role of caretakers, and do housework. Before the Calamity they were kept out of town, but after it, they were welcomed, incorporating to their society, participating in a more domestic fashion.

Since men were scarce or away, lesbian/pan relationships are completely normal. Women would take a concubine to procreate, or adopt. Now it's IVF and/or adoption.

Clothing is genderless for them, there’s no "feminine" or " masculine" style. The basic garments are linen caftans and pants, very colorful, and use lots of jewels. They are considered the most stylish and fashionable amongst the peoples of Hyrule.

They are extremely polite and well-mannered. You’ll never see a Gerudo cursing, lest in public. For the same reason, they are the best diplomats and speakers. Gorons are always thankful of how easy to understand they are.

They tend to be politely distant with strangers, but once they warm up to them, they are ride or die, brethren for life.

They were the first to recognize a third gender, and call them “vae” (portmanteau of vai+voe). The word permeated throughout the land. Vae covers all non-conforming gender expressions.

They are the masters of women’s studies, health, pregnancy and childrearing. If you have fertility issues, no matter the race, you go to see a Gerudo Ob-gyn, they’re the best.

Sand seals are still the region’s mascot.

Their cuisine is always flavorful, spicy, and fragrant - they will silently judge you if you don't season your food properly.

Youngsters at seventeen - last year of hs- go into a compulsory exchange program, equivalent to when the tribe women left the town to see the world.

Gerudo weddings have a very romantic ritual: couples meet under the full moon on Lover's Pond and eat a pomegranate together before the wedding. On the wedding day, after taking their vows (written on their own), one of their spouses takes the other on a ride around the town.

Funerals last a week: after a day of wake, the ceremony is held, then the body is cremated. At the seventh day, the ashes are thrown to the desert. After that, relatives stop wearing mourning clothes. They keep a small shrine at home with a picture and burning incense.

Live the same as humans, with an average of 85 years.

Rito

Very art-focused, they excel in music, but are into all arts and crafts as well. Every Rito knows to sing and play at least one instrument.

They used to be a very formal society regarding gender roles (women were discouraged into participating in martial arts and combat), but they slowly changed.

The Rito still have the tradition of a Village Bard. The current bearer of the position is Sagi Blackwing, father of Taka, Marshall of the Air Rangers.

Rito elect their chief democratically, and they have indefinite reelection terms.

They are very blunt and straightforward in nature, despite their graceful forms and manners. Gorons like that.

They are pescetarians. Fowl is kinda taboo, but will eat game or beef if necessary.

Rito families are very large. When a Rito sees another one somewhere, they say “I’m from the [insert family name] of [insert place]”, similarly to Scottish clans.

Weddings are lavish and have a very colorful party with lots of music and dancing.

Births have a very domestic celebration, but they go all over when their little ones learn to fly.

Funerals are very solemn. They burn the body, and throw the ashes to the wind, as the bard plays a beautiful requiem.

They live around 60-80 years.

Zora

Due to their status as the most long-lasting of the Hyrulean species, they are the keepers of the history of Hyrule, in charge of records and archives outside the castle.

Said records are kept in stone, like they have done for ages. But they use digital copies too nowadays.

They still pretty much have the same structure they had before and after the Calamity.

They have a strong sense of collectivity and equality. The ruler never takes political actions without the agreement of their subdits.

They excel in arts, history, and traditional martial arts.

Mostly pescetarian. They tolerate chicken, but don't eat red meat.

Masters of water sports and swimming. King Sidon is still the diving and swimming champ of the Domain - he still teaches the little ones to swim, “just like my sister taught me”.

King Sidon is the longest living individual being in the land with 605 years of age, he has the honorary title of “Venerable Sage”. He says he probably is going to be ready to pass onto the Sacred Realm when he sees “another Link being a Hylian Champion”.

They love being verbose. The Gorons have difficulty to understand them sometimes.

They are not so favorable of interspecies relationships, because of their longevity/ past history of tragic relationships.

Births are warmly celebrated. When Princess Rutela was born, the celebration lasted a month.

The funeral of a Zora is epic: they go Viking, and after a wake and a ceremony, they burn the body on a raft on the Lanayru sea. After that, the family hosts a feast to celebrate the departed.

Goron

You don’t have a family? 100% chance you’re getting adopted by them. Say hi to your 94976937832 new brothers.

Prepare to eat rocks, literally.

They don’t get puns unless they are rocky. Nor double entendres, so communication always has to be very clear and literal with them. They get along wonderfully with the Gerudo/Rito because of this, not so much with the Zora. Hylians/humans and Sheikah have to explain always things twice.

They reproduce asexually. They all come from the “mother rock”, a sort of nursery cave near the caldera of Death Mountain (a la Kindergarten from Steven Universe). They are all aces.

They use “goro goro” as pet word.

They have an almost childlike sense of wonder; they are super warm, open and welcoming to everyone.

They practice tough love, in the sense a goron hug is really tight. Like, you’ll be kinda dizzy for a solid 15 minutes.

They choose their chief through a trial of strength.

Goron sumo is the national sport, followed closely by goron golf.

They still don’t understand why all other races use those shiny rocks that are inedible (i.e. rubies, sapphires, diamonds, etc.). They say “why do you like to wear rubbish?” - I guess someone’s garbage is someone else’s treasure, bro.

Never interrupt an argument between two Gorons. It's RUDE.

They live around a hundred years. When they are about to die, they go back to the mother rock, to the same book they came from,and they fuse with it, giving way to the formation of another goron. They don't make a big deal over it, since they say 'brother went back to our mother'.

Hylian/Human

The only difference between a Hylian and a human is the ears. Who proved that? Science. It's a mutation. Deal with it. Thus, they have gotten over this complex of “race blessed by the goddesses” that existed until before the Calamity - except for a handful of twits.

Humans were scarce during the Calamity, but they slowly reappeared. The current rate is 55% Hylian, 45% human. They are more an ethnicity than a race.

Hospitality is very important for everyone, ever since the Calamity. There is always a spare room or couch to crash in, and there is always a seat at the table for anyone who needs it.

Every family acquaintance is dubbed "aunt/uncle/entle (nb term)".

Learned a lesson from the Gerudo and the Sheikah, and broke gender barriers to the point sports are not divided by gender.

Hylians are specialists in bakery and pastries. During the Restoration, hylians took to heart to recover the culinary traditions of central Hyrule.

Because of their love of carbs, they don't mind a bit of roundness around the edges (a chubby girl is dubbed 'a tiny Goddess', after the goddess statues)

Weddings are simple, mostly held at the house of a relative doing written vows, or a city hall one, to be later crowned with a feast with plenty of food, and a huge wedding cake.

Funerals are short, one day of wake, one day of funeral. The body is cremated, and the ashes put in a box that goes to a small grave relatives visit oftentimes.

The life span is in average 85-90 years.

Sheikah

"Pure" Sheikah do not exist. They can be mostly Sheikah, but they are mixed. Despite that, their genetic features (white hair, reddish brown eyes) are strong, and tend to be passed down.

Matriarchal society. The chief is almost always a woman, although male chiefs have existed, such as Lord Shigure, father of Impaz, current chief.

They still use their traditional clothes most of the time, and/or mix them with modern ones.

They still prefer traditional housing over modern buildings, at least at a residential/suburban level. The manor of the chief is built in traditional style too, and it's located at the center of the city. It's the oldest building in Necluda, and one of the oldest in modern Hyrule.

They cultivate traditional martial arts and other combat techniques, besides science (Akkala and Hateno labs are the tech centers).

Prepare to eat pumpkins in everything. And rice. And apple pie.

Extremely respectful of other people in general. They are amazing hosts. Their parties are incredible.

Weddings are very symbolic and full of rituals. The Sheikah chief offices it. Bride and groom meet each other at the gates of a shrine along their families, and the chief "merges" them by tying the bride and groom's hands with a red ribbon. Then both drink rice wine from the same cup, and then received the blessings of the Goddesses and the spirits of the land. Once married, they parade around the shrine along the whole family. At the gate the receive another blessing, as their families are now one.

Funerals are very solemn. They burn the body and bury the ashes at the cemetery, placing a jizo/goddess statue on top of it. Kakariko cemetery is the largest and most ancient of the country. Even the Royal family used to be buried there.

Their life span is the longest among humanoid species: 150 years.

9. Holidays

Hyrule has 6 big holidays:

“Day without time”: New Year, coincides with Spring Equinox, because of association with rebirth. People gather at home and feast on a big family dinner. One hour before midnight, all lights are out everywhere, and stay like that until midnight, where the royal family rings the bell of the castle at the same time as the new Temple of Time and light a torch that is used to light paper lamps, and get released to the sky. Everyone does the same at home with candles, and welcome the new year going to shrines/temple (if they are believers) or spend the day with their families - making resolutions you generally never accomplish or wishes at the temple is a funny tradition for everyone. Flower arrangements are the key decoration for the event, and goddess statues all over wear wildflower garlands, generally made by children. Zelda and Link love this holiday because they get to eat to their heart’s content. She also enjoys touring kids over the royal gardens - the great plateau temples and the Castle are fully open for visitors, King Daphnes and Queen Amaya welcoming them personally along Zelda, an activity that reinforces their image of “down to earth” royalty. Celebration lasts 5 days (it’s the two previous days, new year’s, the two following days to recover lol).

Summer Solstice/ Midsummer: Everybody loves this holiday because it’s all about having fun in the sun: people go on picnics, to the parks, or to the beach/lakes. Maypoles are placed everywhere, and a huge one is set in Hyrule Castle. Zelda hates the festivity because she sweats like a pig in a suit - it’s one of her official outings and has to dress formally, then change into an elaborate gown with floral motifs and a flower crown. Link loves it because he likes outdoor activities (and Zelda looking like a forest goddess). Similar to Japanese Obon (almost nobody works in the entire week). Goddess Statues are decorated with braided ribbons (blue,red,green).

Autumn Equinox/Harvest Festivities: Fall celebration is focused on thanking Farore for a good harvest, so the theme is gratitude… and food. Cornucopias are everywhere - so is anything pumpkin (Kakariko made a good campaign some decades ago to market their most beloved fall crop), and apple cider. Goddess Statues are decorated with offerings of apples and warm colored Akkala maple branches. The ugly sweater season begins - Link LOVES THEM.

Winter solstice/ The Longest Night: This is a celebration focused on the “light in the dark”: in the daytime, people go to cemeteries to pay respects to their dead, and after 6 pm people gather around to have nice evenings with friends and family, dining, baking treats, and drinking eggnog. People light bonfires on parks and gather around in the evening, singing folk songs, and houses are decorated with fairy lights, and paper lamps they buy for the occasion and keep one of them lit through winter until day of remembrance. Horrid thematic sweaters are almost mandatory, stars and snowfolk being the most common thematic (Link loves them; ironically for a desert child, he likes snow). Celebration lasts over the weekend.

Day of remembrance: third day of the third moon. A very solemn celebration regarding all the people that died during the Calamity, and the survival of all the races. It's tied with the Winter solstice and new year rites. People leave the now unlit paper lamps used through winter solstice, and garlands of silent princesses (they bloom all year round) as offerings at the memorial in Castletown square, fort Hateno, Akkala Citadel, Zora's domain, and the Temple of Time. Those lamps then are gathered and used in the new year.

Day of victory: celebration of the end of the calamity and the establishment of the new kingdom. Castle opens gates and all people dress up in historical costumes of the time. Zelda lives for this shit. Happens during the second week of the eighth month.

There are other regional celebrations, but they are not as relevant as those.

Music day (Rito): 22nd day of the eleventh moon

Goron Bowl (Goron sumo tournament finale, not a holiday in itself, but they go big about it): 28th of the second moon.

Guardian Mothers' day (Gerudo): 7th of the fifth moon

Champion festival (Zora): 14th of the sixth moon.

Other, more general celebrations exist (Teachers’ day, science day, arts day, etc), but they are not holidays.

On the legend of the hero

The relevance of the legends is very important, but has reached a status of pop culture staple, like the Greek gods. Reversions and reinterpretations of the legends are commonplace in media.

The childhood ceremony revolves around the legend of the child heroes, who wore bright green.

---

That's all, sorry not sorry for the wall of text, I hope you find this interesting and complements your reading!

Tagging @expanding-hyrule because it's fitting!

[hamliet]

Monkey D. Luffy: The Fool's Journey, and One Piece's Intricate Structure

So while reading One Piece for the first time, I was struck by how the story seemed to continuously reference and often even follow the Fool's Journey in tarot (much like Tokyo Ghoul did). All I'm saying is that if any of y'all who nagged me to read it for years had told me this, I would have read it MUCH sooner!

Anyways, I want to talk about OP's structure, which is paradoxically simple on the surface and intricate when you dig into parallels and analyses. Much like our protagonist, and the story's themes. I'll divide this meta into two parts, based on the two parts of the manga: pre and post timeskip.

Pre timeskip follows the Fool's Journey perfectly. Post follows the Fool's Journey in reverse... but also has each arc zigzag to thematically mirror its matching arc in terms of chronology in the pre-timeskip part. So, the first arcs of both pre and post timeskip mirror one another., even though pre is the Fool and post is the World. I'll also talk about why I think Oda is doing this below, and what that indicates about the story Oda's trying to tell.

To start with, what is the Fool's Journey? It's the "Major Arcana" of the tarot deck, consisting of 22 cards that follow a particular order and tell a story that is supposed to represent a journey through life. The cards are numbered 0-21, and each is present in One Piece... but sometimes they overlap and sometimes the inspiration in certain arcs is more direct than others. In other words, the tarot card references are not always done in the same way--sometimes it's a thematic reference, sometimes it's a visual reference to an element of the character, sometimes it's the embodiment of a character.

I will reference this summary of the Major Arcana, but I also know a lot of random ish on tarot so I'll be drawing from that too.

Pre Timeskip: The Fool's Journey

The Fool - Luffy

I don't think this should be controversial. The Fool is the central character of the Fool's Journey, card 0. The Fool isn't to be condemned for his foolishness--sure, he's not wise at the start of his journey, but he's bold enough to begin. He wants to explore what it means to be alive, and to accomplish his goals.

Luffy's foolhardy faith in people is his greatest strength, and also his weakness.

The Magician - Roronoa Zora

Card 1 is the Magician:

He represents the active, masculine power of creative impulse. He is also our conscious awareness. The Magician is the force that allows us to impact the world through a concentration of individual will and power.

Zoro is pretty clearly the embodiment of this. He's fabulous with a sword, very much active to the point of it being a flaw (pushing himself to fight Mihawk before he is ready), but also very "what you see is what you get." He doesn't hide aspects of himself, which is necessary.

The High Priestess: Nami

However, the Magician isn't complete without card 2: the High Priestess. The High Priestess is meant to parallel and balance the Magician, because the Fool needs both of these people and what they offer him to grow and continue on his journey.

If the Magician is active and upfront, the High Priestess is mysterious (much like Nami hides her deal with Arlong from the crew). The High Priestess is potential rather than passivity--she needs the Magician to activate her potential. She is creativity, planning, and emotionally in tune with the world around her. (All things Nami is.)

The Fool needs both to grow.

The Empress

The Empress is best represented by Princess Vivi. Not only is she actual royalty, but she takes on an almost maternal role in the crew--which is necessary, because the Empress as a card represents maternal influence, influence that opens the Fool's eyes to the realities of the world around him while also providing for him. Through Vivi, Luffy starts to participate in the politics of the world.

The Emperor

The Emperor is the father figure, who represents structure and authority--hence, Vivi's dad, Nefertari Cobra, and Crocodile both represent this figure for Luffy. Oda even draws Vivi's father to look like the Emperor tarot:

The Hierophant

Skypiea. The Fool here starts to learn about various cultures and beliefs, and adopts a spiritual understanding. The entirety of the Skypeia arc involves Luffy and crew facing a literal deity (Enel, the cruel god) as well as learning about the people of the Sky and their histories and traditions.

The Lovers

Here's where we get a little vague--at least, in this version (less so in the reverse post-timeskip one). Oda is allergic to romance. But while this can represent a sexual union, it doesn't necessarily have to. It can also represent the desire for human connection, particularly that knit together by the angels (as the card's appearance indicates).

Anyways, this is the first part where I was like "oh, this isn't actually the Fool's Journey." But I do think there is a reference, albeit not as direct as most of Oda's references.

A snake slithers up a stalk going up towards heaven, where the angels watch. Nola and Giant Jack, anyone? The card is also supposed to represent healing and union, which is thematically what happens between the Skypieans and Shandians.

The Chariot

The Chariot itself represents the Fool feeling in control... which Luffy feels, for a bit. Hence, Luffy using the Merry (the crew's literal chariot) to race in the Long Ring and Long Land Arc...

Strength

So, Strength can actually be switched with Card 11, so we'll come back to it. Oda introduces Strength in this arc via Kuzen defeating Luffy, someone they acknowledge they cannot beat because he is too strong.

The Hermit

Tonjit, who encourages Luffy to look inwards.

The Wheel of Fortune

Now we enter Water 7, which is conveniently shaped like a wheel:

And upon entering, the place where their fortunes change. It's a turning point in the Fool's Journey, and it certainly is for Luffy.

Justice (+ Strength)

So, in some decks Justice comes as card 11, and in others as card 8--it switches with Strength. While I do think Kuzan represents Strength as a glimmer, Oda actually introduces Strength as a person alongside the concept of Justice.

Strength is Franky.

While Justice becomes the major theme of the arc... tied to Robin.

The Hanged Man

Or woman, in this case, because this is Robin in Enies Lobby. She wants to live, but she doesn't believe she can.

Here, the Fool is supposed to feel defeated, stuck and trapped and unable to act in a lot of ways. Robin eventually makes her own decision, while the crew could not make it for her--she decides to live, and that's when they act and rescue her.

Death

Death sounds ominous but it really isn't; it's supposed to represent a transition to a new stage of life. Which happens, but also we get introduced to Brooks... a literal skeleton.

Temperance

Here, the Fool finds balance in the wake of what has just occurred.

The Fool has combined all aspects of himself into a centered whole that glows with health and well-being.

Here, Luffy talks to Garp and begins to reconcile that part of himself. Luffy's crew reunites, including Usopp and Robin, and comes together again for their next adventure.

The Devil

This was actually the arc that convinced me we were following Fool's Journey imagery because there's a common aspect to the Devil that often gets overlooked: two people, a couple, chained together.

The couple in the tarot card are not able to free themselves even though they seem like they should be able to (the chains are loose). Here we have an attempted forced wedding of Nami to Absalom--she's under a spell.

The Tower

The Fool only escapes the Devil via the calamity that is the Tower. Which just so happens to be where this arc takes place.

And Oda just so happens to have to people fall from the Tower, which is what the card displays too.

The Star

After the calamity of the Tower, the Fool encounters the Star, a moment of calm, of hope, often represented in a woman... and water. So here Luffy encounters Camie the mermaid, and her friend Pappagg.

The Moon

The Moon is a card of illusions. Camie is taken to a place that thrives on illusions and is shaped like, well, a moon:

The crew's experience on the island causes them to question who they are, and who they want to be.

The Sun

The Sun emerges and provides clarity for the Fool. Here, it's represented by their new ship--the Thousand Sunny. Luffy's sun is that he realizes love for his crew and loved ones (like Ace) are his starting point.

Judgement

Judgement is a card where the Fool has been reborn and has to rise up and embody his potential at last. Here, Luffy survives Themyscira, essentially becoming reborn, before goes into prisons and freeing people (hence the image of the dead rising--people being freed from dead on the card). Waves and mountains rise up around the freed, but the Fool presses on...

And onwards to Marineford, where we do see literal waves rising like mountains.

The World

Luffy rescues Ace, but Ace still dies for him. Here, he reconciles with aspects of himself that he's tried to suppress--his relationships with his grandfather, with Ace, with his own weaknesses and strengths, with the people he's previously defeated and with his crew. So Luffy and his crew, now scattered across the world, take several years to regroup.

Post Timeskip: The Fool's Journey Reversed

The Fool's Journey itself is meant to represent a cycle. At the end, after the Fool has arrived at the World, he realizes the possibilities that are open to him--and that he knows less than ever. So he begins again. Hence, the Fool's Journey begins again, with each arc in the second part mirroring two.

The World

Here, Luffy and his crew reunite, mirroring a lot of Romance Dawn's early arcs. Luffy is ready for a new adventure in a new world, which he finds in...

Judgement

The Fish-Man Island Saga, which mirrors both the Arlong Park Arc (High Priestess) and the Judgement Arc. Except this time Luffy is the one prophesized to bring Judgement.

You see, the Judgment tarot is portraying the idea of "Judgment Day," a concept from the Biblical book of Revelation wherein the living and the dead are judged... and the world is destroyed and remade anew. Here, because the arc is reversed, the waves don't rise up to tower over Luffy et al like mountains; Luffy instead dives beneath them.

Reversed, the Judgement tarot also asks the Fool to look back at their life and their journey thus far, which is pretty much exactly what characters are asked to do--Nami with Arlong, the mermaid princess, and more.

Continuing on, we then dip into Punk Hazard, which mirrors elements of the Little Garden and Drum Island arcs (giants, snow, etc).

The Sun

Then we hit the Dressrosa Arc, which mirrors the Alabasta Arc in that there's a focus on a royal family and dastardly rebels.

The sun reversed indicates that the subjects are stuck in a delusional state... which they kind of are, albeit forced into it.

Oda references the Sun with sunflower fields and with the theme of children. The child is Kratos as well as Rebecca, learning how to be reborn.

The Moon

Now we go backwards into illusions again. Zou is an illusion, and we're told to beware the Moon, because it's reversed.

We then delved into Whole Cake Island, which mirrors Enies Lobby in that a character is taken from the Straw Hats and the others have to chase them down... and the ensuing events force them to grapple with what they mean to one another, and with their places in the world.

The Star

Reversed, the Star is about feeling overwhelmed and slightly in despair. Essentially, the entirety of Whole Cake Island.

The Tower

There is a literal tower again. Even reversed, the Tower represents a crisis--but instead of falling into it, the reversed Tower is about trying to dig heels in and refuse to accept change and that what has been a pillar of support will no longer be. Which is kind of the Vinsmokes' issue, but also Big Mom's main issue.

The Devil

In a character, Big Mom, forcing her children into marriages.

Reversed, however, the Devil is about throwing off chains and breaking free--which we see both Sanji and Pudding do. Also, unlike the false couple in the earlier Devil Thriller Bark Arc, Pudding does appear to develop genuine feelings for Sanji.

Temperance

As a visual nod, Jinbei returns the ceremonial cup.

But in reversed form, Temperance means excess--gluttony, rather than on balance. Which is Big Mom.

Death

Reversed, it's being afraid to make changes in life, which again applies to most characters in this arc.

The Hanged Man

Like Robin in Enias Lobby, here we have Sanji. Reversed is pretty similar to upright, though it is more focused on being stuck than on actually making a decision--yet eventually Sanji does.

Justice

So this time I think Justice and Strength show up as 8 instead of jointly as 11. We have justice addressed thematically via the Whole Cake Island Arc, but it's not fully delved into until Wano.

Wheel of Fortune

Luffy gets sucked into an actual whirlpool that spits him and his friends out in not only a different country, but different times... mirroring the Straw Hat's separation and Amazon Lily Arc, to an extent.

The Fool may recognize his destiny in the sequence of events that led him to this turning point.... His perspective is wider, and he sees himself within the grander scheme of a universal plan. His sense of purpose is restored.

This above description will essentially be Luffy's journey through Wano.

The Hermit

Tama, the opposite of Tanjit. Instead of an old man, this time it's a young girl, because we're reversed tarot carding this.

Justice/Strength

The entire Wano arc is about justice and injustice, and about what it means to be strong.

The Chariot

The Chariot is all about making your own fate, about having control over yourself, and reversed it's about an illusion of control. Notably, the crescent moon is a prominent feature adoring the driver of the Chariot on the card, because it symbolizes the process of becoming.

Orochi, Kaidou--both these characters maintain a veneer of control, but they're actually very much out of control.

The Lovers

Well, there's sort of romance here. In a twisted, one-sided way, that is. It's Orochi and Hiyori, and since it's a reversed card, it fits that it's pretty twisted and not an actual love story, but instead a desire to possess rather than love.

Notably, we have another snake reference--Orochi's name means serpent.

The Heirophant

Kaidou, who basically plays at being a god. The Heirophant is also associated with Taurus--the bull.

Kaidou also stands in contrast with Luffy in regards to the nature of the Heirophant--which is about a character learning to identify themselves with the larger world. Kaidou, much like Orochi before him, tries to forced others to identify with him, to fit his goals, while Luffy does the opposite--he genuinely tries to learn about people and their dreams and goals.

The Emperor

Overlaps with Kaidou (one of the Four Emperors). Reversed, the Emperor represents abuse of power, which is extremely fitting.

This part is also where Nefertari Cobra, our previous Emperor, actually dies.

The Empress

Vivi, our Empress, is missing... and that's pretty much where we are now. Reversed, it represents insecurity... which we see discussed and repudiated, with the Straw Hats declaring that they trust that Vivi has a plan.

Going forward, I expect the Final Saga to somehow mirror Impel Down and Marineford as arcs, and also to reflect the reversed High Priestess (a focus on intuition), reversed Magician (illusions), and reversed Fool that will ask Luffy the question: who do you want to be?

[kobold-that-bites-people]

dunno if this will get to anyone that it's relevant to, but as a transfem that's had bottom surgery (a rather standard penile inversion vaginoplasty) and is mostly recovered at this point, i'd like to give a few notes on my experience. hopefully it reaches some people who are considering and would be helped by such anecdotes. anyway, in no particular order,

it's major surgery. recovery is gonna suck about the same as other major surgeries. that said, a lot of the discomfort is frontloaded. in my case, i experienced about 2/3 of the pain i could attribute to recovery over the last six months, in the first week. the sheer drop in pain once the catheter came out alone was night and day. the first week was miserable though, you *need* someone, ideally multiple someones, who can look after you through that stage. (if you are in the green lands of not america, or just are well funded, many hospitals will look after you for the first week or so, but as a broke american i was only in hospital for about a day and a half. maybe two days, memory is a little fuzzy from the opiates (which i stopped almost as soon as i got out of the hospital, the brain fog from opiates is real)

it's been said other places, but it is really likely you will experience a lot of emotions during recovery. this can take a lot of forms, but in my case i had to grapple with a lot of "doubts" about if it was even what i wanted, if it was worth it to me, if it even looked natural enough, and so on. part of that is just that it's a major change in your body image, so doubts are normal and expected. part of it is that after major physical trauma like surgery, your body will amplify a lot of emotions intensely. try not to listen to the dysphoria talking when things still need to heal. the difference between a week from the surgery and a couple months later is *massive*.

this might be obvious to a lot of people, but for people like me that have only ever been even slightly intimate with partners that have cocks, pussies come in a *lot* of shapes. the very limited range depicted in a lot of common art and porn and games and so on, is simply not a representative sample of all the shapes that a pussy can be. despite my anxieties over my own, every person that has seen it so far has either had explicit compliments, or at least backhanded ones about how "normal" it looks.

despite how cautious doctors will be about promising function, it is entirely possible you'll have every function you might expect from a natal vagina. i get a not insignificant amount of self lubrication, can feel everything better than i dared hope for, and despite having to completely relearn what motions work for it i can reliably reach orgasms just as well as i could pre-op. that said, i don't self lubricate quite as much as *some* cis women manage. it's usually enough for fingering myself, but if i wanted to use a toy, or be penetrated by a partner, it simply isn't reasonable to go without generous lube. mostly because while i have some self-lubrication, it isn't exactly produced *quickly*, and friction can quickly dry it up, especially outside my entrance.

dilation can be many things, but it's usually mostly just tedious. it hurt *some* at the start, but once the swelling went down it generally only hurt as i went up a size. nowadays i only feel a miniscule amount of pain with the stretch as i work my largest dilator in, and that fades within about 30 seconds. the better you are at getting it done reliably, the less it will hurt. missing a session, especially earlier in recovery, will be *felt* the next time you dilate.

if you are open about your having had bottom surgery, or end up hospitalized from complications thereof, (as i did, i'll spare the medical details) there are a lot of people that will try to justify wanting to see, for motives that i'll leave as an exercise to the reader to deduce. such people will include doctors, nurses, and plenty of people with more spurious motives. i've had more people barge in on me while i was dilating within the last months since i had bottom surgery, than ever barged in on me while i was masturbating in the earlier 26 years of my life. *please* be aware that part of being perceived as "more a woman" is that you will likely experience more such attentions, in the various forms that takes. sometimes positive it is true, but usually not.

[syscultureis]

sys culture is. being very confused about ocs!

(feel free to treat this sub as a question and read till the end if you'd like, answers are exactly what we're looking for)

to clarify we ourselves have had ocs since we were a kiddo. some were actually just straight up alters saying hi, some were not

the thing is, for us ocs are usually just alters that were uh... altered... we really have a way with words. anyway, some represent feelings and memories that are hidden deep within our headspace (so sonas of our alters we don't really know about) and some are sonas of freq fronters. some are in fact just newly split dudes that usually say they're introjects but idk what was first the source or them

the question is. how do singlets oc /genq

we're just really wondering cause inside of the oc community for the most part doesn't look singlet at all. people sorting their ocs by the place they live in? ok hold up headspace builder /hj the burning desire to give their ocs trauma... the livid living through them... the variety and amount of details like the op has lived a lot of different lives and they understand just so much experiences... are we allowed to assume most of the oc community is systems by default

this sub is mostly /silly and we're not trying to diagnose anyone whatsoever unless you're in a process of getting a diagnosis yourself and want to be seen. system or not, you're valid and your ocs are fricken awesome

that being said, we'd really like to hear about your experiences on that. you the reader yeah everyone who'd like to share. how do you feel and go about your ocs as a singlet, if you feel in the right mindspace to discuss it right now? how is your experience with ocs and the community as a system, do you also wonder about what we did? ty for anything you'd contribute

As a system who copes by making OCS, we absolutely get that lmao

OCS are fun, and definitely have been a way for us to express ourselves pre discovery (and post-discovery sometimes)

Sometimes we introject OCS, and sometimes they were just alters first, sometimes the line is fuzzy "were you using this OC to express your existence, or did you form after we made the OC?" "Uhhh idfk. Yes?"

We always get super in depth when making OCS tho, so much research goes into them all the time so we can better portray their lives as accurately as possible. I would assume most singlets do the same but honestly idk

[cartermagazine]

Today In History

Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress representing Bedford-Stuyvesant 12th district, and the first African American woman to seek the nomination for president of the United States, was born in Brooklyn, NY, on this date November 30, 1924.

She graduated from Brooklyn Girls’ High in 1942 and from Brooklyn College cum laude in 1946, where she won prizes on the debate team. Although professors encouraged her to consider a political career, she replied that she faced a “double handicap” as both Black and female.

Her motto and title of her autobiography—Unbought and Unbossed—illustrates her outspoken advocacy for women and minorities during her seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Discrimination followed Chisholm’s quest for the 1972 Democratic Party presidential nomination. She was blocked from participating in televised primary debates, and after taking legal action, was permitted to make just one speech. Still, students, women, and minorities followed the “Chisholm Trail.” She entered 12 primaries and garnered 152 of the delegates’ votes (10% of the total)—despite an under-financed campaign and contentiousness from the predominantly male Congressional Black Caucus.

Of her legacy, Chisholm said, “I want to be remembered as a woman … who dared to be a catalyst of change.”

“Make you co-op-erate with the rhythm, that is what I give em, Reagan is the Pres but I voted for Shirley Chisholm.” - Biz Markie

CARTER™️ Magazine

[kalinara]

So, I saw someone else's post pointing out the weird inconsistency with the way the Uncanny X-Team and the regular X-Team interact. How it starts out fairly pleasant but then, kind of out of the blue, the Uncanny team starts acting really hostile toward Scott and his team.

(Including a really nasty comment from Logan, and it's like, dude, weren't you fucking on the Moon, not that long ago?)

Meanwhile, on Scott's end of things, he's basically being polite, civil, and trying to adjust his plans to accommodate them.

I don't disagree with that post at all, but I didn't want to hijack it with my own thoughts, so this is my little bit of meta.

I admit, I've not caught up on a lot of the Krakoa stuff yet, but I definitely agree that this is inconsistent with the dynamics that I saw in those issues.

But it is definitely consistent with everything BEFORE Krakoa. And bizarrely, that makes me a bit optimistic. I remember, a long time ago, writing this rant about how consistently inconsistent the in universe treatment of Scott Summers was prior to his death. How everyone, under the pen of multiple authors, in multiple lines, seemed to fairly consistently believe the worst of him when his behavior would be completely opposite to their expectation.

I said then that it really did seem like it's building somewhere. And I'm cautiously thinking that it might still be. Rosenberg's X-Men, which I enjoyed very much despite its general pre-Krakoa bleakness, started out with Scott and Logan in a surprisingly okay place but things seemed to fall apart pretty dramatically and for not a lot of reason.

And honestly, I still can't quite get over Jono basically telling Scott that he hated him while he died. That was intense and singularly horrible.

But then everyone reunited and we pretty much got Krakoa right after that, and everything was different and good and bad and fucked up in all sorts of brand new ways. And I figured, okay, I was wrong, it really wasn't going anywhere. It was just weirdness that, if it ever had meant something, doesn't apply now.

But we're back to basics. We're back to the old patterns. We're back to Wolverine and whatever team represents the school and the "Xavier style" of mutant ideology against Scott's black ops "Magneto style" aggressive protection. And again, we have a Scott who doesn't seem to buy into that conflict while everyone around him does.

I had a theory briefly that the sheer irrational reaction of everyone around him was because Scott, as the Phoenix, right after killing Xavier, somehow mind-whammied the world to feel exactly what he did: a deep love and idealization for Charles Xavier that, while occasionally disappointed, never truly faltered, and a deep and complete loathing of one Scott Summers.

I still think that theory works, and might well explain why no one seems to remember that they were pretty fucking mad at Xavier at the end of the Krakoa stuff (with Logan actually trying to kill him.)

The other theory I have is simpler though, which is that Scott ends up being the focal point for all of his fellows grief, despair, and helpless, pointless anger because they think he can handle it.

If Charles Xavier is the spirit of the Dream, then Scott Summers is the embodiment of the X-Men. (I think there's even a point in one of the Captain Krakoa issues where we're told that "I am the X-Men" was basically his campaign speech at one of the Hellfire Galas). And as such, he's always going to be there: strong, implacable, steadfast and invulnerable to whatever they send his way.

And that leads to something really interesting, because as we've seen in X-Men #3. He's NOT. And that's not really surprising, it's not like Scott has ever been a paragon of good mental health. But the panic attack is new. And assuming that it's actually a panic attack and not some indicator of possession or powers going out of control or something, then it's a vulnerability that he might not be able to hide.

And that makes me think we might, FINALLY, see an actual resolution to this decades long thread.

And if not, well, if I didn't enjoy watching Scott Summers suffer, I wouldn't be reading X-Men comics.

(Also, Jean's actually alive now. She's in space at the moment, IIRC, but I really don't think she's going to tolerate this bullshit for too much longer, if and when she finally notices it happening.)

[girlactionfigure]

🟦 COLLAPSED TALKS THAT KEEP GOING? - MORNING NEWS

ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

▪️US AIRCRAFT CARRIER LINCOLN.. arrives in the Middle East.

▪️TERROR - SAMARIA - IED.. terrorists threw a bomb from a passing vehicle towards the wall near Beit El (A).

▪️The parents of the kidnapped Hersh Goldberg-Polin will spoke at the Democratic convention.

▪️ECONOMY - INSURANCE.. the seven insurance companies will refund close to a billion shekels to hundreds of thousands of policyholders ifor a fee that was charged without informing the customers.

♦️LEBANON - LARGE WAVE OF AIRSTRIKES.. overnight. Aita El Sha'ab, Al Khayyam, Shuba, Mhabib, Wadi Alaziya, Ramya, Nabatia, Kotharit Al Said, Adlon.  IDF: Overnight, the IAF struck Hezbollah terror targets in more than 10 different areas in southern Lebanon.

♦️GAZA - AIRSTRIKES.. this morning. Loud explosions are clearly heard in many areas in southern Israel.

♦️SAMARIA - COUNTER-TERROR OPS - TULKARM.. overnight.  An IDF D9 dozer was hit by a mine and caught fire.  2 airstrikes!  Forces closed in on a building in the nearby village of Aktaba and fired a shoulder-fired missile at it - a number of arrests were made inside the building.

⭕”only” 1 round of ROCKETS from HEZBOLLAH at Rosh HaNikra overnight.

🔸DEAL NEWS.. Senior officials in the Israeli security system: “(US Sec State) Blinken made a mistake when he told the truth that Hamas is the obstacle to the deal and not Netanyahu.”

.. Representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad met in Qatar, and announce - the ceasefire talks have collapsed:  "The movements emphasized that any negotiation should include a complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Strip. We place the responsibility for the failure of the mediators' efforts on Israel.

.. Washington Post report: In the US it is estimated that Hamas leader Sinwar is interested in the deal because he is "imprisoned" underground and Hamas suffers from a shortage of ammunition and supplies.  

.. ( Notice the conflict with the statement from the terror movements - the US sources all are giving reasons why negotiations should succeed - while the terror movements continue to not move an inch while blaming Israel.  Similarly notice daily US statements demanding Israeli flexibility, but only once have we heard about Hamas being intransigent. )

.. US Pres. Biden spoke to PM Netanyahu: Biden emphasized the urgency of reaching a cease-fire agreement and the release of the abductees and discussed the removal of obstacles the latest in the deal.

🔹Sources close to Hezbollah: 'As soon as Hamas officially declares that the talks are over, from Hezbollah's point of view it will be a green light for a response to Shukar's assassination' and perhaps even immediately.

[charlesoberonn]

Re: Your tags under the ghost post

Hi, sorry this is very random but I couldn't stop thinking about this for the past 20 minutes.

You said that there would be a lot more ghosts and most of them would basically be cavemen, i.e. very long dead. However I doubted both of these statements since a) the general population was much much lower not too long ago and b) the time humans have existed is tiny compared to how many of us there are now, so even the longer time frame wouldn't do much to increase the relative number of cavemen vs AD humans.

So I did some googeling and indeed the number of people who have died in all of history is estimated to be around 100 billion and only about 10 billion of them lived in pre agriculture time. So there would only be like one cavemen ghost for each human alive now and only about 10 ghosts total. So in fact, it is very possible that OP would only meet a single ghost in their close vicinity and it's not too improbable that they would be from the 17 hundreds.

Dang, never had somebody check my math on a Tumblr post before.

Thanks, I guess.

So there wouldn't be as many hunter-gatherer ghosts but these ghosts would represent the longest time period.

[raayllum]

Been thinking about it partially as I come closer to it in fanon S6 / divergences where what I'm writing (in prose with zero constraints) vs what I think the show is actually more likely to do (such as in this case) with the Celestial elves because like

If we look at it just from a storytelling standpoint, there's a few things we want to take into consideration.

Why Skywing elves?

Despite being an aspiring and then full fledged Sky mage for most of the series (5 seasons) as his defining... career trait? with Ocean only added at the end, Callum's attachment to the Sky arcanum is incredibly important from a thematic standpoint. I talked about this in more detail in terms of how TDP writes from theme to begin with, but it would not surprise me if a lot of the series fell into place after decisions were made regarding "mage boy has Sky-Freedom powers" and "big endgame big bad is Stars and Destiny embodied," i.e. like what kind of dragon Zym would be in order for Callum to have a reason to sacrifice his primal stone, why have Callum learn Sky magic first, etc etc.

The Celestial Elves, presumably, could've been any group of elves. We know from Tales of Xadia that Sunfire elves had a chant about warding off dangerous Star dragons from the Great Orb, and that Karim-Pharos are poised to be future pawns, so there is a decent link there. It also could've been cool if the Celestial elves had had elves from all over, showing both intergroup workings and that the Stars were bringing them together in some manner.

If Sky and Skywing elves by thematic extension represent Freedom, then it makes sense for these to be Skywing elves who have perhaps forsaken notions of freedom for ideas of pre-determinism or destiny, i.e. our circumstances beset all of our choices, or that fate/destiny is real and unchangeable. To have the same arcanum and similar abilities as Callum, but to already be warped to Aaravos' will / thematic graces of destiny and fate - to amplify what he's scared of and to accentuate what he might become (at least in terms of what he's scared to become).

On that note, I think it makes sense for them

To be Antagonists

Partially this is because of precedent. Most elves, when in groups, have been more antagonistic with one or two rising to the forefront to be allies. We see this in arc 1 with Moonshadow and Sunfire elves, with the majority being antagonists especially at first (the assassins, the Sunfire soldiers) with Rayla, Lujanne, and eventually Janai being allies / exceptions - even if the Sunfire elves as a whole quickly switch to being allies as of 3x08/09. We see this again in S4 with the Drakewood Earthblood elves being mostly antagonists, Terry as more of a grey area, and only N'than (and possibly Mukho the Mushroom mage?) being downright allies. This would mean that Astrid and maybe another Startouch elf might be more sy

Plot / Misc Reasons

Of course, the biggest reason for the Celestial elves to exist is to, presumably, give exposition regarding Startouch elves to the main characters and to extradite subsequent views / philosophy about Star magic and the arcanum (arcana?). If they are loyal to Aaravos, they would likely provide a perspective on Startouch elves different than one Callum might be coming in with and give more credence / context to Claudia's assertions of Aaravos as well, given that she's the one character currently with a positive view of him. It also doesn't seem they can entirely be good guys given their 1) isolationist nature and 2) having not one but two super OP objects that the protagonists definitely need. While they may not end up being villains, I think we can somewhat safely assume they will initially be obstacles, if only in giving tests (of love) like another certain Startouch elf...

[kissing-in-chaldea]

Maybe this is controversial but I hate being a transbian

I hate my gravel ass voice and facial hair. I hate having to take pills every day to kinda-sorta have a feminine body, all while my dad says he doesn't understand why I take them. I hate being so tall and broad-shouldered that it's hard to find affirming clothes that fit. I hate not having a pussy. I hate that the thing between my legs instead of a pussy is a deal breaker for most lesbians, especially since I can't afford bottom surgery. I hate knowing what a massive fucking hypocrite I am for having a genital preference despite being pre-op. I hate being forced into T4T despite it not being what I want, just so I won't be alone.

I hate feeling like a predator because I'm transfem and still attracted to women. I hate knowing I creep people out. I hate having worse fashion sense than basically any cis woman. I hate getting nervous when I have to use public restrooms because today might be the day it gets me yelled at or beat up. I hate getting turned down for jobs that I know I'd be great for and wondering if it's because I'm trans. I hate wondering if the jokes I make about being "transed" by subreddits like r/egg_irl and r/wholesomeyuri aren't really jokes. I hate having a target on my back due to the current political climate. I hate wondering if the politicians who are supposed to represent me will take away my healthcare.

I'm not planning on detransitioning, but God does being trans suck sometimes.

[acourtofladydeath]

"All Things End"

Presenting my updated fic with an immersive reading experience!

This fic holds a special piece of my soul, and I wrote it as a keyboard smash direct to post through a river of tears. I've reread it many times, but decided to step back and really revisit it.

With much help from @chunkypossum and @pippsmcgee this piece has been properly edited, updated, and even rewritten in spots. Much alcohol was consumed and many tears were shed in this process by all parties. I cannot thank them enough for their understanding of past tense, emotional stamina to relive this over and over, and never ending support as I obsessively messaged them with song ideas and editing updates. @pippsmcgee deserves incredibly special thanks for her editing services, which are, to quote her, "drunk enough to be clinical, but not so drunk I can't do subject verb agreement."

For the immersive component, I've created two playlists to go along with this fic. The "'All Things End Direct' Accompaniment" playlist has been formulated and tested to be listened to as you read the fic, with each song matching a specific scene or emotion you will encounter. The timing of the playlist should work out so that you only have to finish listening to the end of a song before proceeding to the next chapter. The first and last song are posted in the pre notes of each chapter in AO3.

The "'All Things End' Extended Playlist" includes all of the songs in the previous playlist as well as additional songs that did not match the timing of the read, but do match the emotions. This playlist is continually updated as I come across new songs that deserve a place here.

My wish is that this fic touches you, my readers, as much as it has touched me to write and curate the playlists. There is beauty and love to be found everywhere, even in death. Thank you for interacting and I sincerely hope you enjoy.

Please hydrate and get tissues before you start.

Below the cut you can find a full break down of each song per chapter, including explanations and authors notes.

Chapter 1: Inside Fading Out

"All Things End" by Hozier, the first four songs are all meant to be iterations of the emotions Azriel experiences as he learns and processes his mate's diagnosis and prognosis.

"Breathe (2AM)" by Anna Nalick

"Amen" by Amber Run

"The Call" by Regina Spektor

"Light" by Sleeping At Last, this song represents Azriel's will power to stand by his mate and take care of him no matter what.

"I'm Not Gonna Miss You" by Glenn Campbell, written during his own battle with Alzheimer's and meant to parallel Eris's own. On the extended playlist, you can find the song "Tell You About Her" by Ryan Nealon, which he wrote about his grandma and her struggle with dementia.

"Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane, meant to accompany Azriel and Eris together in his last days, and represent how they still find each other.

"I Will Follow You into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie, to indicate the love these two have for each other, even in the darkness of disease and death.

Chapter 2: Broken Pieces

"Come Sweet Death" by Johann Sebastian Back, performed by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra

"Adagio for Strings, Op. 11" by Samuel Barber, performed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic

"Ghost" by Micky, the song that started this entire playlist and represents Azriel's emotions after losing his mate.

"Saturn" by Sleeping At Last and Tim Fain. This song inspired Linna's eulogy to Eris

Chapter 3: What Remains

"Hurts Like Hell" by Tommee Profitt and Lauren Strahm, performed by Fleurie and Tommee Profitt, this song reflects on Azriel's state of mind after his mate's funeral. This song was also one of the initial inspirations for this chapter. The second song that influenced this chapter "As The World Caves in by Matt Maltese covered by Sarah Cothran can be found on the extended playlist.

"Impassioned Lament" by Andrew Achilles DiMestico. The story of Patroclus and Achilles heavily inspired me while writing this fic and this song represents Azriel's flight to the Night Court. I wrote the entire fic to my Patroclus X Achilles playlist, also available on spotify.

"Breathe Me" by Sia, represents Azriel asking his Night Court family for help.

"Homeward Bound" sung by Peter Hollens, meant to reflect on Azriel realizing his home is in Autumn and leaving the Night Court for the last time.

"To Build A Home" by J. Swinscoe, Patrick Watson, & Phil France and performed by Patrick Watson, & The Cinematic Orchestra. This song is meant to reflect on Azriel and Eris's relationship with the tree and with each other. It accompanies Azriel's last day and him stepping through the veil with Eris.

Chapter 4: Outside Looking In

"Life and Death" by Michael Giacchino, performed by Michael Giacchino, The Hollywood Studio Symphony, and Tim Simonec. This is the death theme that plays in the show "Lost" and reflects on the pain of the moment.

"Brother" by Kodaline. Instead of sharing the meaning of this song, I'm going to share a line that carved out a bat boy sized piece of my soul.

Oh, brother, we go deeper than the ink beneath the skin of our tattoos. Though we don't share the same blood you're my brother and I love you, that's the truth.

"On the Nature of Daylight" by Max Richter, performed by Chris Worsey, John Metcalfe, Louisa Fuller, Max Richter, Natalia Bonner, & Philip Sheppard. A bittersweet song that reflects on love and loss.

"Think Of Me Once In A While, Take Care" by Take Care

"Into the West" performed by Peter Hollens. This is meant to be the song that Azriel sings from the symphonia during the funeral, and a song he would sing to Linna when she had nightmares. Other songs on the symphonia can be found in the extended playlist: "Edge of Night" performed by Peter Hollens, "Lullaby" by Sleeping At Last, and “Dear Theodosia” from the Hamilton soundtrack written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and performed by Leslie Odom Jr and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

"Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole. This song represents the underlying theme of the fic. That even deep within his disease Eris still remembered his mate. The song was intended to tell the story of how love can surpass everything, even death, just as it does in this fic.

If you've made it this far down, thank you so much for taking the time to join me on this journey. It's truly been a labor of love and I'm so excited to finally be sharing it with you all.