#she’s also like. a really bad mother and incompetent person in general so :/

[abbaswift]

#you get into long term relationships with the biggest losers in town

Wow I want that quote on the shirt

WISH i was lying! i know you didn’t ask but my mum is the worst at picking men. i mean bottom of the barrel. she just thrives on volatile relationships. my mum’s first boyfriend smashed my grandparents’ new stained glass window in a rage, my dad was kind of a deadbeat and also an extreme gambler but he was still by far the best man my mum dated (rip big garry x), my mum was with my sisters’ dad for twelve years and it was abusive from both sides and he was insane and literally ended up in prison for unrelated sex offences 😀 her next boyfriend BENJY (legal name) didn’t go to prison but should’ve done purely for being mean to ME!!!! hated him!!! he literally moved in two weeks after my mum split up with my stepdad (because she’s a serial cheater) when i barely knew him and even said i didn’t like him. he also said my autism was all in my head… like yeah that’s where my brain is babes x his brother and mum lived on our sofas for like a year with their stinky dogs until they both went to prison for drug charges (the mum got caught smuggling drugs into the brother’s prison which is so funny actually) and my mum’s current boyfriend / fiancée (don’t know the current status) is as dumb as rocks and also is in prison right now for drug charges and now he’s made enemies with the local mob who keep targeting my family (machete break-ins, bricks through the windows etc) but my mum still wants to MARRY HIM when he gets out of prison. like be serious. he’s ugly, stupid, has a criminal record AND has a bunch of gangsters after him!!!!! this is the same woman who judged taylor for her relationship history so as you can guess, her self-awareness levels are below zero <3

[ushsblog]

Why Calista Has Such a Good Relationship with Cedric: An Analysis and Headcanons on Calista's Family Dynamics.

I’ve been thinking about why Calista likes Cedric so much and I’ve come to some interesting conclusions. I’ll break it down into points to explain my ideas.

(Long post)

1. How the world perceives Cedric.

For this, I think it’s very important to consider the interactions between Cordelia and Cedric before resolving the incident. It seems that despite their animosity, they have reached a truce for Calista’s sake.

Of course, they still have their conflicts, and Calista knows this because neither of them tries too hard to hide it. In reality, I think they do try, but both have short tempers that lead them to end up arguing.

In this scene, I like to believe that Cedric is afraid to say "No" to Cordelia because he tries to maintain the little peace they have created. Cordelia, although condescendingly, treats Cedric somewhat better in this episode.

If you notice, their arguments become more accusatory when they are alone. Like the scene before Calista and Sofia arrive with the mirror in "Through the Looking Back Glass"

In front of Calista, Cordelia limits herself to dismissing Cedric with small comments. For example: "Don’t be embarrassed to admit you forgot the spell" or "Don’t bother, we have delicate things and we don’t want... anything to happen to them" (Well, she doesn’t say exactly that, but that’s the vibe).

Anyway, these comments certainly have an impact that Calista does not overlook. She is aware that her mother sees Cedric as incompetent, as a failure.

I wouldn’t be surprised if, visiting her grandparents, Calista also heard similar comments from Goodwyn. Because he doesn’t seem to mind dismissing his son in public either: "Cedric the so-so" (Goodwyn about Cedric in Mystic Meadows in front of Sofia).

That’s why I like to believe that Calista says: "Any friend of my uncle Ceddy is the bestest best friend of mine."

Because, in reality, there are few people she knows who have a good image of Cedric. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sofia (besides Winnifred ) was the first person Calista knows who gets along well with her uncle.

Now, where does this lead us? Well...

2. The pressure that Cordelia inadvertently puts on Calista.

With this point, I’m not trying to say that Cordelia is a bad mother who pressures Calista to be perfect. No, at least not exactly.

In fact, I think Cordelia is a good mother. She cares about Calista and knows her perfectly. I like the next scene because it shows a bit of what I’m saying.

Despite being in a hurry, Cordelia doesn’t scold or yell at Calista. She gets down to her level to talk and make her understand that she can’t take her agenda without permission, and she kindly asks her to return it.

Of course, like any person, Cordelia has flaws as a mother. One of them is that often, unintentionally, she generates pressure on Calista not to fail. Let me explain.

By saying it’s unintentional, I mean that Calista, seeing how her mother treats Cedric for being a poor sorcerer and making mistakes, might get the idea that if she make mistakes, she would be treated the same way by her mother. Even if it really wouldn’t be like that.

Certainly, Cordelia asks her to behave, but she doesn’t scold her directly as she does with Cedric, because her issue with him is completely different. But, at least before looking in the mirror, Callista didn't know that.

3. Calista’s internalization of the fear of disappointing others.

That said, I believe that if Calista really thinks that if she fails like Cedric, she will be treated the same way by her family, it explains a bit of her anxiety to get along and prove herself in front of the witches in "Too Cute to Spook."

Now, although I said that what Cordelia does by generating this expectation for Calista is inadvertent, the next scene really catches my attention.

I always wondered why, at that particular part of the song, Cordelia caresses Calista in such a way. To me, it seems a bit like a kind of warning for Calista.

It’s probably not intentional, as I said, but I find it curious.

Anyway, continuing with this point...

It’s not very well explained in the series how complicated the spells that Calista does are, but it seems to me that for a child, she can do an incredible amount of things. She can make herself float, create illusions, create objects out of nothing, and, more interestingly, she can undo spells from a more experienced sorcerer (Cedric).

I say this because of that scene in "Gone with the Wand" where Calista frees Cedric from the nets he created for Morgana and ended up trapping him. I doubt that Cedric, wanting to trap Morgana, would have cast an easy spell to break.

What I mean is: Calista is a prodigy. At least, she seems to be.

Surely Cordelia must feel very proud of her, as must her grandparents, knowing how much Goodwyn cares about the magical ability of his descendants. So, wouldn’t that feed the fear of disappointing them?

This phrase, although it can be understood in the context of that episode, gives us a glimpse of how Calista perceives herself.

And, Who can understand that feeling better than anyone? Her dear Uncle Ceddy.

4. The relationship between Calista and Cedric: why Calista loves him so much.

Cedric loves Calista, that’s not in doubt. He listens to her, comforts her, and makes her understand that certain things are wrong in a compassionate way and not through scolding or mistreatment. His first instinct when they are in danger is to protect her (and Sofia), which undoubtedly shows Calista how much he cares for her.

If Calista feels that fear of disappointing others, Cedric could be the only person Calista sees who won’t abandon her if she turns out to be a failure instead of a prodigy.

If, in some way, Calista feels pressured by her mother’s expectations or the people around her, she finds a safe place in Cedric because she knows he won’t judge her, he won’t demand perfection from her.

Calista can be totally herself with him, I'm not saying she isn't with Cordelia, but if she's taking care not to have any flaws...

In the same way, that idea could fuel the empathy she feels for her uncle. She feels bad that Cordelia is hard on him because, even on a very different level, she understands what it feels like.

I should also add that Calista has a good image of Cedric; she has seen him perform spells perfectly. She believes Cedric is a great sorcerer, but if that great sorcerer is not enough in the eyes of his family, What fate awaits her?

Well, that’s basically all I have to say. Thank you for reading, and as always, I’d be happy to hear any comments!

[thegreymoon]

The Story of Minglan

Nice 💛

***

LMAO, "chief of a brothel" 🤣🤣

Madam Wang is brutal. Poor Gu Tingye, he will never shake his poor reputation.

***

Who is she again?

***

Sis, you are so barking up the wrong tree.

No amount of calling Gu Tingye "Second Uncle" and being mad your brothers don't follow suit will make him interested in you.

***

Who the hell are all these new people?

I can't keep up.

***

She really does love making a fool out of herself.

***

Wait, what?

They STOLE it from her?

***

Was the stepmother the one stealing her things?

***

Why are everyone's siblings such assholes in this drama?

I need to call my brother and tell him I love him because he's awesome.

***

Not drunk, just a selfish imbecile.

***

OH MY GOD 😐😐

LIKE, THE SHIT YOU WILL GET HER INTO, DUDE.

***

I know we're supposed to be on her side here, but I'm already sick of her whining. SHE ALLOWED THE PIN TO GET STOLEN AND LOST. AND NOT JUST THE PIN, BUT MULTIPLE ITEMS.

She seems incompetent and dumb and they are making the sister evil just to generate this fake drama. The Sheng siblings are much more nuanced, even when they are bad, we see reasons for their behaviour. This just plays on, "Hurr durr, children of the second wife are mean to the poor orphan!"

It's annoying because the main storyline is already all about that and they are not doing anything new here, they're just regurgitating the same theme, only worse and with a less sympathetic heroine.

***

I mean!!!

Cartoon villain behaviour.

If this was Molan and Rulan being petty and one-upping each other just because, I could buy it, because we have precedent for their bickering that feels realistic, and they are actual rivals because of their mothers' rivalry. They are both equally at each other's throats, they match each other's energy. But this? There is no conflict here. Yanran is such a soggy doormat of a person, she is no threat to the sister, she's just insignificant, so we end up with this situation where the sister seems to be having a one-sided feud with her for no reason except that she can. They are artificially upping the stakes with "But it's her dead mother's heirloom!!" to make us care, but it isn't working because the whole thing feels so contrived. If it had been ANYONE ELSE playing against her for the pin, I would have found it more believable and the tension for the purpose of this whole scene would still have been there, because she can't just go up to a random woman and demand that she surrenders her prize if she wins.

Recently I learned a hilarious Chinese idiom, "draw snake, add feet", which warns against overdoing things. This is a prime example.

***

LMAO, shows how much you know the woman you claim to love.

***

His stupid face 🤣🤣

Go fuck yourself, Qi Heng.

***

This spineless coward.

Also, there is no chance Gu Tingye won't let Minglan win, he's so amused by her and already interested in Yanran. The evil sister set herself up here.

***

LOL, stanning madam Wu!

***

OMG, DUDE, STAY IN YOUR FUCKING LANE

***

SO TAKE A FUCKING HINT!!

Everyone in this episode is being so stupid and annoying, except for Minglan and maybe Tingye (but the jury is still out on him).

***

Oh, fuck all the way off.

***

Oh, Jesus Christ 🙄

I haven't been this annoyed by so many people at the same time since this drama started. I want to stab them all. Gu Tingye is the only one who gets a pass (OK, and Rulan too, because she was the only one there genuinely having fun).

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Made it through chapter 4 and talked about it with my mom. And hoo boy is there a lot to unpack 🤣

First of all, she got really mad at Crowley for leaving us at school and going on a vacation. (She legit was ready to punch Crowley when he refused our call). She did find the send off cute though but felt really bad for Riddle. She hopes that he'll become his own person and not his mother's puppet.

Then there's how she feels about the Scarabia duo. She ADORES Kalim, and calls him "that little sunshine" and thinks his Unique Magic is cool. She legit CRIED when Kalim cried omg 😂.

As for Jamil. She didn't really like him at first. At first. Though she thought he was handsome and charismatic. But after his true motivations were revealed, she absolutely hates him 😂. She literally dissed Jamil when we were pretending to praise him, calling him "Medusa and Jafar's love child". BUT when she saw his backstory, she did feel empathy but not sympathy towards him. In her own words, "While I understand where he's coming from, as being told to hold back your true skills is both frustrating and will make you envious and jealous of others' freedom, to pin it all on one person (Kalim) isn't the best or healthiest option."

She says that there are multiple people who deserve blame. His parents because they told him not to be better than Kalim. "They basically are the ones who started the fire of hate in his heart." She says. The whole class system, for obvious reasons. But the one person who deserves the most blame is Crowley for accepting a bribe from Kalim's parents and making Kalim housewarden with a bullshit excuse. All of them were really unfair towards Jamil and pretty much said the same thing "You're a smart boy, you understand right?" That line alone is enough to piss Jamil, and anyone really, off. She does praise Jamil for showing his true colors and vowing never to hold back in the end. In conclusion, my mom is kinda accepting of Jamil. For now.

She also found the Octavinelle trio hilarious but threatened to turn them into sushi when they told us to pay for the damages at Monstro Lounge and when Azul tried to get Kalim in a contract. She also expressed surprise at the Tweels and Azul's relationship.

During the end of the chapter, she actually deadpanned and said "who's this condescending Queen Bee" when she saw Vil.

Overall, she thought that Chapter 4 was the best chapter in her opinion.

Now I'm waiting for how she feels about Vil in chapter 5 cause it seems like she despises him more than she did Jamil. 😂

[I think this is the same Anon from this post and this post!]

chksbskwbzks It’s been pretty interesting hearing these hot takes from your mom 😂 (I guess because this isn’t a perspective I hear from very often?)

I’m split on Crowley leaving for vacation and not answering his phone when Yuu tries to contact him. Yeah, it’s irresponsible for him to act like this, but I think we’re more offended by it knowing that Crowley is, in general, this level of incompetent (especially when we REALLY need him to come through for us in this very moment). Keep in mind that this is winter break, and teachers/staff usually also have this period off for the holidays themselves, so it’s normal to receive no responses or delayed responses during this time, no? I don’t think anyone really expected a super serious incident like this to unfold while they’re away as well.

The sendoff was really cute! 😭 It was nice briefly catching up with the characters we met in previous episodes!! I only wish we got to hear about the aftermath of the conversation that Riddle said he was going to have with his mother… I doubt that all of their issues went away with a single talk, but 🥲 just confronting her about the past is a good start. Maybe Riddle will have the chance to explore other career options for his fourth year internship (instead of concentrating on magic medicine like his mother wants him to). He could tackle law for one semester, then dabble in other areas for the remaining two internship periods.

xbsjwbksnwkw Why does your mom sound like such a cinnamon roll?? We could always use more Kalim appreciators 🥺

I think a lot of us have pretty complicated feelings surrounding Jamil 😂 Having empathy for the character rather than sympathy (the latter of which I think Jamil may actually take offense to, as this would be “pitying” his situation without truly understanding why it’s so awful for him) is similar to my own thoughts on the matter. It can feel so bad constantly being put down and having to hold yourself back from reaching what you know is your full potential, but it also wasn’t right for Jamil to blame it all on one person. However, it was the easiest thing for his young mind to do to cope with his circumstances, as Kalim embodies a lot of the issues Jamil has and is “soft” enough to be a convenient sponge for Jamil’s anger.

… Okay, but Jamil’s OB looks pretty ugly. I’ll give you that much 😂 It pretty much is a mishmash of Medusa and Jafar—

Mmm, Jamil’s trauma is unique in that it’s something deeply systemic and difficult to dismantle. It was definitely his parents who planted the ideas in him, but it was society that perpetuated it and kept Jamil down rather than encouraging him or recognizing his abilities. Crowley plays into this too, and I think his words are the ones that claimed Jamil’s last straw and set him plotting to overthrow Kalim. I really like that TWST didn’t neatly resolve Jamil’s issues at the end of the episode, but rather introduced it (and the start of his character growth) as Jamil deciding to live in his own way.

A lot of people tend to misunderstand Jamil’s issues with Kalim on an individual level rather than a societal one, and it sometimes leads to talking down the seriousness the Viper family’s circumstances 💦 I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen “Jamil should have told Kalim about his frustrations; Kalim is kind and would understand, he would set Jamil free” without the fans recognizing the consequences of it. (Ironically, this is also something Kalim does in 4; he tried relinquishing his dorm leader seat and even offers to leave school to appease Jamil, but the offers are all refused.) Jamil has to consider his family and how his liberation would affect them and ultimately their legacy and livelihood (which Jamil brings up in episode 4 when expositing his motivations); it’s akin to generational trauma because it can’t be resolved overnight. It requires difficult conversations, acknowledging wrongs, and working as a widespread collective to fix it. The blame is not solely on Jamil not communicating; it’s also in part on the society and the systems in which he and his family operate.

… I mean, regardless of the reason for it, it was still legitimate damage to the lounge so I think (even if it was scummy to do), Octavinelle had every right to demand compensation. Otherwise, he’d be eating up the costs for that significant damage, and that’s not smart for a money grubber reputable business owner like Azul to do. And hey, what’s an octopus to do when he runs jnto Mr. Moneybags Kalim? He’s got to take advantage of opportunities and potential suckers customers while he can!

Azul and the twins’ relationship is so complex, man 🤡 I could honestly talk forever about it if given the chance bisvsjwnzksiwjd (but instead, I’ll link this post to get the basics of my thoughts out—)

I find it so funny (?) when people call Vil a “Queen Bee” type because while he definitely comes off as one at first, I found that (in the long run), I see Octavinelle as acting more like the stereotypical high school Mean Girls than Vil does 😂 Like, Vil certainly gives off a strong first impression (and not a very positive one), but I do think he ultimately has a stronger moral compass than most of the OB boys we’ve seen so far.

(Note: If you play EN, it has cut out content from parts of episode 5 😣 so I’d recommend looking up “Minna de Yahoo” and the deleted ending scene to get the full episode 5 experience!)

Anyway!! Episode 4 was also my favorite for a long time, the writing was pretty solid and I loved all the character interactions 😌 but then episode 6 happened and that one became my favorite—

[eiseryn]

Vailei Siblings

The eldest siblings and older twin sister, Mingxuan (明萱) is a responsible and caring doctor/medic. In my headcanons, she would have been mentored by Elise as well as her mother Lei, so she should be capable in general doctor healer stuff as well as drug making. Her motto is "work-hard, party-hard" so she has some uh pretty bad coping mechanisms when she's off work. I really like her personality and I imagine if I were to play these siblings in a campaign, she's the first one I'd play :3 I hope she girlbosses hard 🥺 She has many angel/feather motifs in her design and her theme colour is green (more dark green). Her colours are supposed to be earthy and warm!

The middle child who definitely feels like a middle child, Yuelan (月兰 / 月蘭) is the younger twin sister to Mingxuan and older sister to Ceres. She's rather anxious so comes off as cold, and has always lived in her twin sister's shadow. However, she has skills of her own, being a skilled decker/hacker (in my headcanons she would be trained by Artemis... if Artemis is alive after the campaign that will determine the fate of these siblings being canon XD). She is very catgirl-like and often styles her hair into cat-eared buns! She really really likes cats! She also has a combat kitty as her bot who does some fighting for her as well :3 Her design is based off of a russian blue cat (dark grey-blue fur, green eyes) so she needs to look as cat-like as possible! Plus of course, she has lots of moon themes from her name!

I'm particularly proud of the Chinese names I picked for the siblings cuz they both have "moon" in the first character and a flower (daylily for MX, orchid for YL) in the second character. I imagine MX was born in the day? Afternoon hopefully and YL at night. It's possible MX was born in the morning and YL at night but that's a long ass labour... RIP Lei XD

The youngest and only son of the three siblings, Ceres is heavily doted upon by the rest of his family. He is almost a carbon copy of his father in terms of looks and some parts of his personality (ex: his laid-back/easygoing personality), which has caused him to potentially have some daddy issues. He also has a hidden violent (yandere LOL) side when his loved ones are threatened or harmed. He feels very unskilled/incompetent compared to his older sister and the only time he feels free is when he's driving, usually on his motorbike. In my headcanons he has both cars and motorbikes but his signature motorbike is a model that has CHEETAH (he's built more for speed than strength) scrawled across it. He's supposed to be a catboy with toxic/poisonous colour themes (green/purple), with lots of sharp diamond/crystal shapes, and he's just a little dangerous 😳😳😳 But he cares a lot for his family so once you harm them it's over for you.

A little diagram that shows more design features in these siblings! :3 I tried to make it super clear what the main ideas are for each of them! One thing I want to point out is how they all have different necklaces! Mingxuan's is a feather for her angel themes, Yuelan has a moon for the her name, and Ceres' is from his mother, which was a gift (see the bonus stories I wrote for "Those Who Leave, Those Remain", specifically the bonus story "A memory lost to space and time") from the original Ceres! It also generally describes their sibling dynamic really well. They are a family unit of 3 siblings (and their parents if they're still alive but y'know parents aren't alive in cyberpunk XD) so DO NOT SEPARATE!!!

I imagine MX spends most of her days at the clinic doing her doctor work, Yuelan works at home but may spy on her siblings as they do their work to make sure they are okay, and Ceres often is being a driver? IDK what he does (kept man???) but he def makes medicine deliveries for MX! Maybe he's a guard for the clinic on the side? XD He is a "support" as in he "supports the enemies' rights to die". All three of the siblings can fight as they are the children of a runner and a doctor who can apparently shoot better than a sniper XD

[technofinch]

is mulligan the captain of his ship or just a crewman? is the atmosphere strict or more relaxed? also, what does the ship look like? is there anything that distinguishes it from other ships?

ahahahaha so 😅

mulligan is the captain, originally he was just the pilot on the Ophelia but he kind of 'inherited' the position after everyone senior to him left, died, or refused the responsibility. he never really wanted to be captain, but he honestly did a pretty decent job of it? relatively speaking.

then the incident happened, and suddenly they were no longer under company jurisdiction, and as soon as he figured out wtf was going on mulligan immediately called for a new vote for captain bc he didn't want to just. assume the position. (everyone immediately elected him captain again anyway bc there wasn't anyone else qualified who was actually willing to do it. lmao)

the atmosphere in general is very chill, mulligan does Not run a tight ship and he trusts all the other crew members to take care of themselves & do their jobs, but in crisis situations he gets very stressed out very quickly. this tends to lead to him making bad decisions and then yelling at the crew for not going along with said bad decisions. rip

as a quick aside, the other crew members are -

miranda, ship psychologist, incredibly competent bitch who sees the rest of the crew as 'interesting case studies' at best and incompetent children at worst (i love her. mulligan does not)

karina, the science officer, who has been through a Lot and is primarily concerned with getting the information she wants, through any means necessary (specifically about android technology and xenomorph biology)

jack, the first mate/engineer, who is very good at their job and mostly just kinda puts up with everyone else. mulligan's favorite

reed, the marine assigned to guard the ship, kind of an asshole. he wants mulligan to be a better person (soldier) and mulligan wants him to fuck off lmao

reese, the medic, who was Definitely Not originally trained as a medic but that's Classified so she isn't gonna talk about it <3

so The Thing Is that since the Incident and them going rogue and leaving the company, they're in a lot of debt and wanted for theft/in mulligan's case desertion. the plan was to fake their deaths, sell the Ophelia as salvage, and scrape together enough cash for a different ship that wouldn't immediately put a target on their backs. that didn't work and the company knows what they did, which led to reese going rogue and running off in the ophelia to take a secret government contract and earn enough money to clear our names (despite mulligan specifically telling her Not to do that)

we're currently holed up in a backwater scrapyard run by a mysterious and thankfully very patient individual named Curio, who is in the process of building a new ship for us to use (and by 'new' i mean 'cobbled together from mostly-broken bits of other ships and we still can't really afford it but it's fine') while we do some odd jobs for them

the original ship Ophelia was a very standard M-Class Bison freighter, with a mu/th/ur 6500 computing system affectionately nicknamed Thursday bc the crew agreed that calling it 'mother' was weird and we weren't doing that <3. it looks basically identical to the nostromo from the first alien movie, if that's a useful point of reference for you! we only recently found out the other unique thing about the Ophelia, which is that it had specially reinforced walls for transporting xenomorphs specifically, which is why reese had to take it to go do her highly-classified government contract. yay!

the new ship isn't built yet and doesn't have a name, but it is Very Much going to be falling apart from the moment we step foot in it bc we had to cut alll the corners to get something we could even begin to imagine affording. it's significantly smaller than the ophelia, BUT miranda did specifically and from her personal funds have a jacuzzi installed. so at least there's that. <3

[alvariearmy]

Some of my theories for Scarlet Hollow so far. Posting before episode 4 comes out to see which ones survive it and which ones are destroyed or altered in some way! Who knows, maybe one or two of them might even be confirmed.

And yeah, most of these theories will be long, but mostly because I am providing "evidence" as to why I think they are plausible!

Spoilers under the cut!

Reese is a werewolf. Fairly popular one, from what I have seen, but I feel like there is a lot more evidence for this theory than for vampire. (Though I would love him either way, Reese is my favorite romance option, especially with the likelihood of him being... not human.) First thing that tipped me off that he might be more than human is that he seemed to be struggling to eat. But open playing that scene several times, I realized he wasn't struggling with the food, necessarily. It feels like a misdirect now. But thinking about it, that was the first point where we started to see Reese frustrated or angry at all, and it was only then that he felt bad and rushed off. Add that his mother was scared of him and quickly ushered us out of the house... classic werewolf, transforms from anger. He also describes some of his symptoms, with one being that he feels like there is something moving under his skin constantly, and his skin is also... very stretchy. Beast lurking just below the flesh, maybe? And the final hint I can think of right now is that you can ask Stella if she believes in other things, such as ghosts, vampires, and werewolves, and she focuses in on werewolves as potentially being real. Of course, I'm still open to vampire, but werewolf currently seems more likely to me!

Pearlanne killed Wayne, and Tabitha killed Pearlanne. I don't know if it is outright confirmed or not that Pearlanne killed Wayne. I mean, we aren't even fully sure Wayne is dead, but he certainly looks and smells dead. If you spend the third day with Tabitha, you learn that Pearlanne had chased off previous lovers, and we know that Tabitha has not had the best luck in general with relationships, likely largely thanks to Pearlanne. So if Wayne was harder to scare off... it would make sense for Pearlanne to kill him. Based on all the things we've heard, from our mother Vivian and from all the people in town, Pearlanne was never the gentle sort. I would not put something like murder past her. (Alternative: She did not kill Wayne, but cursed him in a way that makes him appear dead and created a disconnect between his body and soul. Would be a neat twist.) Now, the second half of the theory... I don't know how much Tabitha really liked Wayne. Maybe she loved him, maybe he was just another lover who ended badly. Either way, he was Tabitha's last straw, and after his disappearance, she had enough and offed her mother. We can learn that Pearlanne died in her sleep, supposedly suffocated from sleep apnea. Which is plausible, sure, but it feels too clean. And Tabitha noticeably feels anger towards her mother, and she is uncomfortable with the idea of the police poking around too closely. Seems unlikely that she vouches for us on the second morning purely out of the kindness of her heart. So, she killed her abusive mother and is hoping the police remain incompetent enough to stay out of it.

Tabitha definitely knows more than she is letting on. I am still unsure of the degree, but even beyond my theory that she killed Pearlanne... She is weirdly protective over us. The first day, she barely talks to us, but she blows up our phone when we are out with Stella. She then puts up a curfew, she drags us into town with her, all to try and make sure we stay safe. I do believe her in the maze, when she says she does not know about certain aspects of the family history or what is hidden in the forbidden wing of the estate. But she definitely knows a lot more than she lets on. And if you can Talk To Animals and speak with Dustin, he talks about a second person living in the house; I am assuming Tabitha is the sad person, so that means the second one is the scary person. I suspect Tabitha knows something about this "scary" person, but she is not saying for one reason or other. Maybe they are the person we hear playing the piano if you manage to break into the forbidden wing?

Sybil is definitely something powerful. A witch? Maybe. Or maybe something even greater than that. Mystics have a strong reaction to just meeting her. In my mind, that is how I imagine it would be to meet an angel. Not to say I think Sybil is an angel, necessarily, but it is something I am not ruling out. It could just be that she has powerful magic and is just a very powerful witch. I hope to get more hints about Sybil in episode 4, to see if maybe this theory can get a little more substance.

[rikutokataki0907]

Elephants in the fucking building

It was a literal shock for me when the protagonist was alive, like wow, my observation skills are weak while watching this heart wrenching story. It was more impactful to me after I realized that it was a true story.  The movie gave me a lot of emotions, from confused to angry, with also a bit of happy feeling. This movie exposes the old stigma that is slowly changing in my generation.

In the movie, it was seen that the idea of LGBT was not welcome by the majority of the society. In the eyes of Mary Griffith especially, she sees it as a sin to the Lord. In hopes of maintaining the closeness of Bobby and God, she has done horrible inconsiderate acts just to do it. At first Bobby kept it a secret because he was scared that no one would understand and guide him to the correct path and apparently he was right. It came to the point where Bobby got overwhelmed and tired of trying to please and enlighten his mother of his true self. He decided to end his life because of depression, he could no longer take the negative emotion in him because of Mary’s denial in his gender expression.

After the death of her son, Mary went through the 5 stages of grief. It was a rollercoaster experience, a lot of in denial moments, very powerful bargaining but in the end, acceptance was the endpoint of it all. From the hater to a supporter, It all goes to show that everyone can change their views maybe for self affirmation but mostly for the good of your soul.

One fact that maybe half of the people I met through my life know is that I’m an only child. It could be a little lonely but I could manage, I have tons of cousins to bond with. Ever since my parents got annulled when I was freaking 5 years old, it took a couple of years for my father and I to talk with each other again. At first I was a bit shy maybe because our attitude didn't have a vibe but as time went by, I got to know my father more. When I turned 14 or 15 years old, there were situations where I needed to lie or keep some important information a secret to make the situation stabilize. I am aware that it is not the only option but with my environment, this set up works the best.

Because of my history in having bad experiences of being a snitch and being honest for my own benefit, I learned that being a snitch is not the way to make friends in my current generation hahaha. I begin to be so quiet that my jolly old self is slowly vanishing from my reality. I thought that maybe with this method, I could make a lot of friends that could trust me. Alas, that method has its limitations. Confusion bombarded my life and I do not know anymore how to cope in being alone, no one to lean on and no one can be my shoulder to cry on.

It was at that moment where grief overcame my system and doing something about it did not visit my mind. Denying the existence of the problem was my first action, keeping myself busy and not letting anyone know my true feelings resulted in feeling numb and shutting down my overused mind. There were times that my emotions went haywire and I easily showed irritation to incompetence, impatiency was a noticeable result of that. Here comes my favorite word: Overthinking. Wow, was this my everyday hobby? I often felt guilty when I did something or someone wrong, skyrocketed anxiety was visible and my insecurity with everything I did was filled to the brim!

Crying was really not my thing, it makes my nose stuffy and my head achy. If it occurs though, I produce it as silent as I can be. I have this trait where I do not want pity from others but I just want them to understand the severity of my situation. In the end, being aware of my loneliness came from my lack of communication skills. The only person to change it is myself and my mindset about it. I hope in the future someone would barge into my narrow life and be my living validation that I still have a purpose in life.

[worstloki]

Okay, this is gettin’ real screwed up here.

I watch a lot of TV. Probably too much. And I’ve seen characters beaten to their knees before, sometimes even with collars. And yeah, there’s usually someone standing over them, and it’s been a woman sometimes. The kind of scene we got in episode 5 of Loki is not new ground.

But here’s the thing. In EVERY OTHER SCENE I can remember like this, the person kneeling is the hero. They’ve been brought down, fully humbled before the sneering villain, and in a few minutes something will happen to get them back on their feet again. It’s usually a tense moment, a “what if they break?” that makes you want the hero to win. You aren’t rooting for, or even liking in some cases, the person standing. You’re cheering for the person on their knees.

This doesn’t seem to be the case with the Loki show. Yes, the viewers may be rooting for Loki, but there’s no hatred for Sif there. She’s not proved herself to be a cold, heartless villain, ruthlessly pounding the hero until all he can do is kneel at her feet.

Except…she did kind of do that. But it isn’t treated as something bad. It’s treated more as something Loki deserved, in my opinion. The show wants us to feel like he deserved to get repeatedly beaten up and told horrible things, just for cutting off a lock of Sif’s hair. I’ll grant, it’s peanuts compared to what happened to him in the mythology. But it’s still bad. Especially since they had him acknowledge it, repeat her cruel words back. They’re playing it off as if Loki is still the villain by himself, and is only good because of other people- Mobius, mostly, but Sif is part of that.

That’s not the way Loki’s character is. In the comics particularly, his biggest arcs are always about reinventing the labels given to him, changing “villain” into something good, something he can use, and doing it by himself. Yes, there’s outside influence, but ultimately Loki is the one who decided to change.

The show is not letting him do that. The show is portraying him as a stubborn jackass who refuses to change until other people show him the light- either with psychological torture presented as therapy, or with beating him up a bunch of times until he gives in. The show and its characters are forcing Loki to become good- they aren’t showing him doing it by himself. He is not becoming one of the good guys, he’s being essentially enslaved by them, and the show is passing it off as somehow all that good influence finally rubbed off on Loki’s cold, villainous heart. That’s why him betraying Mobius was shown as so bad even though Loki barely knew him and had been psychologically tortured by him- Mobius is written as a character who can choose to be good, and Loki is written as a character who must be forced to be good.

And something about an entire show revolving around an independent character being treated as a villain, literally enslaved by the “good guys” (back when the show still wanted us to think the TVA weren’t shady as all hell), beaten to his knees with a collar around his neck until he accepts that he deserves to be alone because he isn’t “good” like everybody else…that doesn’t go down right for me.

The TVA being presented in not just a neutral but often reliable light is something I thought would change once Loki literally called out their propaganda and Sylvie called them fascists, but, for some reason the authoritarian genocidalists are not being presented as a bad thing and it irks me too.

It's especially weird because of the way what Loki claims to have wanted by making choices for people and what Mobius claims the TVA do ARE THE EXACT SAME THINGS, except Loki, until the show, hadn't done that of his own volition and was being tortured during the invasion and is treated terribly for something he didn't even succeed in doing, while the TVA successfully erase events on a mass scale but are presented as having a higher (or at best, - equal) moral ground.

The exact same thing was done in Ragnarok where Loki's "turning point" from a tricksy villainous scoundrel happened because Thor left him frying on the ground and gave him a pep talk filled with lies and general slander about how he could be better - and people see that as good because Thor is framed as a hero, and it's because instead of accepting Loki is a complex character they take what the narrative tells at face value and that is that Loki fights the protagonist(s) so he's bad.

I personally don't like the narrative pushing a character that is canonically an abuse victim and attempted suicide and was tortured right after as someone who needs fixing because he's lusting for power and needs it to gain a sense of control during a retcon which is occurring for the sake of calling him a complete bad guy who needs to change (probably because no actual original character development could be thought of?) after he was just confirmed as queer and colloquially (i assume) called a narcissist because of twisted love.

That he deserves to be alone was presented neutrally as a joke even as he was repeatedly getting beaten to the ground, and then both people he could call friends were removed from his immediate vicinity right after.

Loki isn't being presented as a character that has done a huge mix of good and bad in the movies, he's being presented as an oft incompetent idiot that deserves what he gets because he shouldn't have run away from captors, or he cut Sif's hair, or he killed his mother, or he dared to think he had any importance or could do something good, because the truth is he's an evil lying scourge.

"But maybe," Mobius says, "Maybe he wants to mix it up. Sometimes you get tired of playing the same part. Is that possible? He can change?" And everyone's already forgotten that moments before the mission Mobius said to Loki's face that the TVA has pruned a lot of Loki variants because he's so nice! look! he has hope in him when no one else does! It's also easy to forget the "and hey, if it doesn't work, I'll delete him myself," right after because the guy was smiling through it and the scene is followed by Loki really badly trying to explain the logic of being a trickster who everyone knows is a trickster.

A lot of people payed more attention in Ragnarok than to the other Thor movies so it's not a new retcon and people seem fine with the extremely strange take that 'loki is bad but he can do good sometimes,' because the character is more animated and acts foolish and that's generally more fun for comedy, which is fair for people to prefer imo, people find different things entertaining.

But I do solidly hope the show doesn't go that way though and takes a side with Loki on the narrative stance eventually because I've seen a lot of people who just. miss that the TVA's concept is bad. And those who think they're "reforming" Loki. As if the guy needs anything but a break at this point lmao he only got away from Thanos like 2 days ago please just let him rest for a bit he's a fail villain and it's cringe to have your supposed 1st open queer character get beaten to a pulp by Sif and then put wack sexualizing shots for it too :/

it's like the show itself is trying to sell the angle of "Loki is a villain" and I'm a clown who is still wanting that to be intentional because if it is? It could be amazing and playing with how different parties are framed would be s p e c t a cu l ar and could encourage people to reassess the hero coding in other movies including ones Loki was previously in - but we're reaching the last two episodes and I don't feel like that'll happen.

I feel like even if Loki does reach the end of the show as a transformed person it'll be done leaving the audience with "perhaps you're not so bad after all, Loki," and then also give credit to Mobius or Sylvie or whoever else was involved, simply because as even of yet Loki hasn't taken on a lead role in the show. I'd argue he hasn't really contributed anything worthwhile to plot either. As you've said, he's being shown as someone who needs to change but isn't really motivated to. Aw man they better not make romantic love the reason he wants to change.

[tuz-on-ao3]

so in Ep 32 because of a conversation Niao Niao has with the crown prince encouraging familial love the emperor decided not to punish this one military dude. Said military dude is in fact incompetent and shouldn't be there and some other stuff that honestly I forgot about it. But the General Ling Bu Yi says that becasue of her actions the palace opinion will turn again the Empress and the crown prince/emperor.

So she may have to suffer the consequences of her own recklessness, which I think will be good for her character development. Because Niao Niao has never really had to do that before. So much of her life went wrong due to other people's bullshit. So no matter how good or bad she was it would suck for her because her grandmother adn third aunts are assholes. Now she is in a situation where she has power, but doesn't know how to deal with teh fact that she has to make her won future. And because of the person that she is, her life will never be uncomplicated.

But she's got good points because no one really explains to her clearly why interfering with the palace is such a bad idea. It might be because a 15 year old would naturally have trouble thinking of the long term consequences of her schemes in an intensely complicated political situation that is impossible to separate from family because said family in question is the ROYAL family. I feel like everyone around her underestimates the effect her upbringing had on her. She says in this episode that she doesn't care about consequences and acts willfully and girl I get it. It wasn't your idea to get involved in palace intrigue and this bullshit, but one, you have a massive inferiority complex which your mother did not help you get over. And at the same time you are so fucking good at getting what you want, but there is no way out of the consequences of your own actions. Like no one's life is like that, and you are going to get hurt really really badly by not caring. And at the same time, there is such a joy in having a character who is unrestrainedly herself. these complex fucking characters, y'all.

Also crown prince, I feel like maybe you got the wrong thing out of Niao Niao's pep talk. BE a bit more capable. I'm waiting for the scene where he gets his shit together and slaps someone.

[apiscircensis]

ok so here’s the first of the ocs

"Are you prepared for what's next?”

Morgan Heerser 🦑 bio under the cut (wall of text ahead)

Biographical Information Gender : Male (Squid merman) Age: 18 Birthday: February 28 Star sign: Pisces Height: 168cm Eye Color: Ice Blue Hair Color: Seafoam Green Family: Grandmother, Mother

Professional Status Dorm: Octavinelle School Year: Third Occupation: Student Club: Board Game Club Best Subject: Magic History

Fun Facts Dominant Hand: Ambidextrous Favorite Food: Shrimp, pastries Least Favorite Food: Stale bread Dislikes: Liars Hobby: Gambling Talents: Playing the piano

Personality

He’s gloomy, distant, and temperamental and is perfectly willing to demonstrate it. He has little patience for incompetence and becomes angry easily when people get on his nerves. He values loyalty and a strong will.

Though he was knowledgeable about it, he had no actual experience with life on land before coming to the NRC, and his human body can be a bit frail. His true merman form however is massive and incredibly strong.

Despite being a reclusive loner, he’s also a hopeless romantic. He’s an avid reader of poetry and lover of music. Though he would never admit it, he yearns to one day find a love as strong and vast as the sea itself.

Inspired on Davy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest)

Biographical Info 

- Morgan was homeschooled by his very elderly grandma and absent party mom. They're both very intelligent women and powerful witches. Mom is very loving but just too much of a free spirit to commit to the life of a single mother so she leaves often, sometimes for days at a time. Morgan doesn't resent her for her absences, but does wish she had been around more often while he was growing up. Grandma is more strict but not at all restrictive. She is very well educated and knowledgeable in general, and tells interesting stories, but is just too old to be fun to be around lol

- His family lives past the outskirts of the nearest town , and even in town there aren’t many children so he’s mostly interacted with adults throughout his life. There are a few people in his hometown that he has good relationships with, but in general children and adults alike tend to find him a bit creepy so they avoid him a little. He's reclusive by nature so he's never cared much.

- Despite that, it is known that he is a powerful being and mage just like his mom and grandma, so he has had his run-ins with people wanting to use that for their own benefit, which has made him generally weary of others' intentions. He hates being lied to.

Trivia

- Morgan was an infinitely curious child and would spend most of his free time either exploring the deep sea or educating himself on anything he could about the world at large, from history of any given country, to science, to shitty popular media. He recognizes there's still much he doesn't know, mainly in regards to common things like sports, entertainment, technology and such (as those things move really fast) but he's never afraid to ask "stupid" questions.

- Aside from being an intensely lonely child with too much time and easy access to bad romance novels and couples’ mementos found at shipwrecks, his love for love comes from his fondest childhood memories being of the time he would spend with his mom being told countless stories, legends, and songs, all of them ultimately revolving around love.

- It was at one of said shipwrecks that he found the piano he learned to play on. He told his grandmother about it and she enchanted it so he could play it underwater. She also taught him the basics of musical theory, but Morgan mostly taught himself to play by ear through trial and error (Grandma, also being a weary, reclusive loner has always been more content to have Morgan exploring the depths alone than mingling with people, so she was pleased at this development).

- He never really had any intention of visiting the surface world until the possibility of studying at NRC came up. He's undecided about what he wants to do next because he's still very much a reclusive loner lol, but at the same time his previous life seems a bit too quiet to him now.- The hardest part of adapting to school life for him has been the sheer amount of people he's made to exist around at all times.

- He originally intended to join the Pop Music Club, that is until he found out it was actually just chill & chat hour for the extroverts lolol. He'll still play with them if they invite him to tho, and occasionally plays at the Mostro Lounge as well.

- Despite being rather antisocial he has good people skills that he uses to get what he wants out of others. This includes sweet talking Heartslabyul students into inviting him to their tea parties (he has put on a bit of weight since he came to school lol (not that he cares)).

- He loves trinkets as much as the next merfolk but is content with just looking at them. He’s fascinated by Jacob's bottled ships, but not so much the snow globes. He absolutely despises those tacky feathers Blake wears on his hat.

- He struggles with chronic leg pain. It’s a bit of a mystery what exactly causes this but the working theory is that some ingredient in the potion that allows him to take human form may not fully agree with his body. He has been doing research with Prof. Crewel to figure out what’s up with him and how to fix it, and has sort of unwittingly become a case study for Pomefiore students interested in the field. He’s careful to not overexert himself and manages fine most of the time but it’s not rare to see him using his cane in the late hours. However, one too many flights of stairs or a particularly heavy PE class can have him miserably limping his way through campus the rest of the day. He keeps his discomfort to himself, but it's known that he becomes more temperamental when he's in pain. Generally he gets better with rest but sometimes Jacob will offer to massage his legs for him if he notices him being particularly sulky.

-

Morgan was the second character of this batch that I thought up and the first I designed. I wanted to give him something of a frail appearance, with a bit of a “young master” vibe, because I like the idea of a character that seems unassuming at first glance but is actually fearsome and imposing.

[beclynn-herondale]

Similarities that I see between Jace and Céline

(these are just my thoughts. Press read more to see them.)

↑ this chaotic energy. You think he got it from Stephen? Nah.

Her anxiety reminds me of Jace's. And like their thought process was similar in ways.

They both struggled with belonging.

Céline corrected Robert when he said "Just like a warlock. Always for sale."

And Céline was like "Always on sale."

Again Jace energy.

Céline knew Amatis, Stephen's wife. At least, she knew enough. Amatis was sharp-tongued and stuck up. She was opinionated, argumentative, stubborn, and not even that pretty. There were also rumors that she still secretly associated with her werewolf brother. Céline didn't much care about that—she had nothing against Downworlders. But she had plenty against Amatis, who obviously didn't appreciate what she had. Stephen needed someone who would admire him, agree with him, support him. Someone like Céline. If only she could make him see that for himself.

_

Jace's smile was as bland as buttered toast. "Go on, go after him. Pat his head and tell him he's still your super special little guy. Isn't that what you want to do?"

But he couldn't look at Simon without wanting to kill someone.

“And even back then, in that stupid coffee shop. When I saw you sitting on the couch with Simon, even then that felt wrong to me—i should have been the one sitting with you. The one that made you laugh like that. I couldn't get rid of that feeling. That it should have been me.”

↑ Their bitterness, anger, jealousy, and envy towards the person who had the person they wanted and in general has the same energy in my opinion.

They both were angry and jealous of people who had it better or they considered to be good—Like, that was why Jace hated Simon so much at first, because Simon was everything Jace thought he'd never get to be, he just didn't realize it.—And Céline was angry of the kids in the academy who had loving parents and good childhoods, and weren't damaged like she was—they both were angry because somebody was someone or had something they thought they'd never get to be or have. (In Céline's case she never actually got it, not really.)

They both like to wander around when upset.

They both aren't too fond of the Silent Brothers. And I think that has to do with their head being full of certain things they don't want others to know, and the Silent Brothers speak in your mind, almost like they're reading your thoughts.

They're both observant, which could be from growing up in abusive and toxic environments but could also just be they're observant people.

They both can tell when someone is off. We see this when Céline sees through Valentine's mask. Jace often saw through the lies of people in TMI and still does.

And the both hate being pitied. Like it angers them when people pity them, we see that with Jace quite often in TMI, but we see it when Dominique says this: “Every Downworlder in Paris knows about poor Céline Montclaire, wandering the city like a murderous little Éponine. We all feel a little sorry for you.”

And then Céline thought this: Céline lived with a steady, secret simmer of rage, but now she felt it boiling over.

↑ Again, the above reminds me of Jace. He lived with anger that he kept under control but would boil over when triggered.

They're both sensitive. And get hurt easily.

“I wish I could be more like you,” she admitted.

In what sense?

“You know, just shut off my feelings? Feel nothing. For anybody.”

There was a long pause, and she wondered if she had offended him. Was that even possible? Finally, his cool, steady voice spoke.

This is a wish you should dispense with. Feeling is what makes us human. Even the most difficult feelings. Perhaps especially those. Love, loss, longing—this is what it means to truly be alive.

__

“I think—my father was sorry he had a parabatai,” he said. “Now I have to go live with a man my father was sorry about. I don't want to be weak, I don't want to be sorry. I want to be the best.”

If you pretend to feel nothing, the pretense may become true, said Jem. That would be a pity.

↑ They both wished to feel nothing, and had Jem tell them that wasn't as great as they thought. But they both still desperately wanted to not feel.

When she was a child, her parents had often refused her iratzes after training sessions, especially when her injuries were caused by her own mistakes. Let the pain remind you to do better next time, they told her. All these years later she was still making the same mistakes.

_

“No! it's better for your parents not to know it happened at all. It was just bad luck that one of them got me. I'm a good fighter,” Jonathan protested sharply.

“It's my fault I got hurt,” said Jonathan. “I know excuses are for incompetents. It won't happen again.”

↑ this bit on making mistakes, or when getting hurt.

Céline always carried a misericord blade.

↑ Reminds me of someone else who always carries blades.

They both were aware of the consequences of putting a rune on someone that they weren't 100% sure were Nephilim, and it was different circumstances but they did it anyway. Jace gave Clary her first rune and Céline gave Rosemary her first rune (I think).

More furious at her own instinct for mercy. After all, her parents had never shown any to her. Her parents had done their best to teach her that mercy was weakness, and cruelty was strength.

_

Jonathan said the word "weakness" with horror. Jem wondered what a man who had drilled a boy to fight like that might have considered weakness.

↑ Mercy, kindness, gentleness, etc. Was taught as weakness to them both growing up.

They both hate being predictable. Kinda like when Rosemary knew Céline would keep her secret. Céline hated that she knew that. Remember in CoA when everyone was guessing that Jace said no to Valentine, and he hated it.

They both never really felt like they were ever a kid. Because again, the environment they grew up in forced them to grow up faster than they should have. Which is why Jace didn't think of himself as one when he threw himself into battle.

like Jace I don't think Céline liked to upset the balance of things, meaning they don't pry and don't pressure. Which often gets them labeled as "not too bright" or "unobservant" they're both observant, they just don't say it out-loud. Jace is definitely like this, but I see Céline as this too. Stephen said she always needed to be told what to do, but I don't think it was that exactly, I think she just didn't like to upset things. Which growing up in an abusive and toxic environment does that. But I think it's also just part of who they are.

That sweet and obedient daughter of the provençal countryside. They knew how devoted she was to her parents. Such a dutiful daughter.

↑ Valentine often called Jace his obedient son. I see Jace in this part as well. Sebastian called him Valentine's "sweet boy."

She could close the door on the past, start again. She could choose a life without pain, without suffering or fear.

But who would she be without pain?

This also reminds me of Jace. Obviously he did end up choosing to walk away from Valentine. But there are times he doubted, because in reality he himself didn't know who he was without the pain he'd experienced, without his past with Valentine. And they both believed that the pain and suffering had made them stronger. Jace later knows that isn't true, but I see the similarity there.

They're both said to have vulnerability about them that made you wan to protect them. To keep them safe. Jocelyn said you couldn't really hate Céline, and I think it's kinda the same with Jace.

Both of them refused to ask for help. Thinking they could do it all on their own.

Céline could tell how much it hurt—and how determined the woman was to reveal no pain. She knelt by her side. Rosemary flinched away. “Let me see—I can help."

_

“Tell me what happened first.” She tried to yank her wrist back, but his grip was incredibly strong. “I can help you.” — this is in Clary's pov.

↑ Their willingness to help the pretty stranger they didn't know.

They both often felt they didn't have a choice in some things.

They both felt achingly alone at some point. And very much misunderstood.

The thought of losing the only family they ever had scared them, and they were willing to do anything to keep them. Even if in Céline's case hers wasn't that real.

They were both said to be beautiful, and breakable. Fragile almost. These were Jocelyn's words. That beautiful things were easily broken.

They both grew up denied of love and care.

Céline had low self esteem in a lot of areas. We often see Jace as the confident character who doesn't have insecurities or low self-esteem. but he does. Jace didn't like himself, his looks don't play a part here, he didn't like himself. He actually didn't feel good enough or worth much, that's why he made so many superiority jokes, because he truly didn't feel good enough but had to make everyone believe he did. Céline didn't feel good enough either, but she tried not to let it show.

Their childhood gave them bad coping mechanisms and suicidal tendencies. They both self harmed in ways, believing that pain made you stronger is one of them.

We often look over the fact that while some of Jace's mental struggles did come from the trauma of his childhood and growing up around war, that he was already at a high risk with a mother who experienced similar things. Because if you have a parent who has mental illness the offspring are at higher risk of developing one. And his childhood didn't help with that.

And we know what they both truly wanted was to be loved and safe. Really. Jace always thought he wanted to fight all the time, but by the end of tmi he realized he just truly wanted to be happy and left alone, he just wanted Clary and his family. Céline wanted that too, but she never got it.

You all realize they would understand each other, right? Like if Cassie ever did something where they somehow met, Céline would understand Jace and he would understand her.

Céline would have never raised Jace with anything but love and care. She would have made sure he never knew a childhood like hers. But he did. He ended up knowing what that was like. And it would have broken her even more to know that.

But she would probably stab Valentine in the face, which I'd like to see.

Friendly reminder that Jace looks like her around the eyes (no I won't shut up about this.)

There's probably more but until we learn more we won't know. Just remember he may be a Herondale but Céline is also there.

@khaleesiofalicante I tagged you 😎

[zuko-always-lies]

Why Azula Staying a Villain Will Only Lead To Bad Stories[anon submission by justanotherthrowaway1950]

People say that Azula should stay a villain usually do to some combo of the following: she was born evil; her mental illnesses are untreatable (especially in her time); it would cheapen the redemption arcs we have already seen; she exists only to be a foil to Zuko; she needs to remain a villain to show what would have happened if Zuko had everything he wanted at the start of the show (and why what Zuko wanted at start was ultimately bad); and that she is better as a villain. But regardless of all that, I think the best reason against keeping Azula a villain is that we have already seen what Bryke will do if they keep Azula a villain.

Illogical power buffs despite spending two years in captivity to the point one could make a credible argument that she is the strongest non-Avatar, non-bloodbender, and non-sprit fused character in the franchise.

Shoddily relying on vaguely alluded to asylum abuse (and a word of god statement) to justify one of the smartest and cunning characters in the franchise engaging in several half-baked plots that don't really seem to further any of her goals or help her satisfy any of her desires.

Giving her Gaang-tier asylum inmates to serve as her new hench-women, either because they are scared of her and/or being manipulated, which doesn't make sense since she no longer has any political power and thus they can ignore her once she breaks them out. Not to mention she doesn't seem to have regained all of her mental faculties (ex. her Mochi rant during Smoke and Shadow and how her eyes bulge out like crazy!Azula in The Search at the end of the rant). 

Or because she became non-ironic friends with them, which doesn't make sense since Azula during her time in the asylum was clearly not in the mental state to take care of herself, let alone make friends not relying on her status or fear-mongering. Especially when The Search has Azula blame "Ursa" for making Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee stop fearing her, heavily implying Azula still thinks fear is a good way to maintain relationships. Not to mention two of them almost killing Aang after incapacitating him if it wasn't for his plot shield granted by LoK (he needs to die as a 66 year old man so he can reincarnate into Korra).

But most galling, how everyone starts acting stupid and incompetent (and thus denigrating them and their arcs/character growth) whenever Azula is involved so Azula can remain a credible threat despite The Gaang all being masters in their respective fields and having the resources of several nation-states at their beck and call plus a PMC (The White Lotus).

Like when Azula burned all those letters, how come Zuko didn't order his guards to pat her down?

When Azula escaped into The Forgetful Forest and Zuko said he tried, does that mean Azula managed to evaded an Avatar State power seismic sense? Or that she evaded June's shushu? Did Zuko call Toph or The White Lotus to help him capture one of the biggest threats to his throne and world peace? And so, what does it say about them that a mentally broken Azula still managed to evade them?

How was she able to break out six girls from her old asylum without Zuko finding out? Moreover, how come Zuko, or anyone for that matter, never asked any of the asylum workers what Azula was hallucinating about? For if they did, maybe Zuko wouldn't have taken Azula to find her literal trigger warning and put his beloved mother (and her family) in danger. In addition, how come no one asked Azula who "she" was?

But I admit all of the above this assumes Azula was getting relatively modern treatment and that anyone cared about her mental health, which doesn't seem to be the case. I don't blame them (I don't believe abuse victims have to help their abusers and nor do I believe that the oppressed have to help their oppressors) but still, are they world leaders who have been proven to be highly competent in the past when dealing with sensitive issues? So what changed? 

How come Ukano was willing to work with Azula to restore Ozai for the sake of his nation and family when not only is Fire Lord Zuko indebted to him for life due to Mai saving him at The Boiling Rock (not to mention Zuko offering him a job when his governorship disappeared after Bumi retook Omashu), but also when one of the first things Ozai would do after taking back power is killing Mai for her treason (imo, it is clear that after Zuko's defection, the only punishment for treason was death, with no chance for life in prison like Iroh had)?

How come The Gaang plus Zuko don't spend every waking moment after Smoke and Shadow hunting down Azula when she has made it clear with her actions (engaging in mass kidnapping with her own terrorist group and manipulating other terrorists groups to serve her ends) that she would do anything to turn Zuko into a tyrant? Especially considering this the same person who conquered Ba Sing Se as a 14 year old with just two childhood friends and her brother and thus her threat to Zuko at the end of Smoke and Shadow is anything but hollow?

For doesn't The Gaang have a responsibility to ensure that the fragile peace they have built remains? Especially when it is mostly their fault that Azula got free and that it is their general incompetence that allows Azula to remain free and a threat?

But on a more serious note, the biggest issue with Azula's character, or the comics in general, is LoK. For thanks to LoK, we know everything ends up being ok and that Zuko has a long and prosperous reign.

Thus, LoK hamstrings' Bryke's story choices; for example, if I told you that at one point Azula would escape after being cruelly locked in an asylum for two years due to being a madwomen and that she had become the GOAT fire-bender (her lighting manipulation and smoke generation put her in a different tier from everyone else imo) and H2H fighter in ATLA, you would assume that Azula would be leading a plot to overthrow Zuko and eliminate everyone in her way along with everyone who betrayed her en route to restoring the old regime. But instead we get Joker!Azula whose "true destiny" is to make Zuko have one day bad so he'll turn out like her even though the audience knows thanks to LoK she'll never succeed, making the whole thing a waste of time for the reader. And now Bryke wants to write more stories for Aang's time?!

IMO, unless they retcon LoK and/or the comics, it appears the stories they can tell will be lackluster for the reasons I already articulated. But who knows, I might be completely wrong (and boy do I hope so).

-Submitted by justanotherthrowaway1950

I think you raise some excellent points. The comics do no character any favors. Joker villains tend to be incredibly stupid and boring, and turning Azula into one of them while ignoring all of her canon motivations was beyond stupid. And you're right, if Azula is still trying to involve herself in politics in order to further Fire imperialism, she should be remaking the world in the process and continuing to be an active threat. She has the power to single-handily destroy the entire post-war order, and the Gaang should be acting like she does, not fucking off to their own lives and ignoring the problem.

Ironically enough, there's an argument to be made based on LoK that Zuko largely turns into the same sort of tyrant his father was, just acting for a different cause. But apparently Bryke see nothing wrong with extrajudicially locking people up forever in torture prisons designed to just barely keep people alive.

The one point I would like to make is that I haven't heard any evidence that Bryke are actually interested in doing more stories in Aang's time. Avatar Studios has said nothing to that effect. Ironically, their involvement with the comics might prevent them from doing more damage there, because they would almost certainly have to retcon the comics in order to tell a story post-war and they might be reluctant to do so. The other thing is that they had an opportunity to do a story in this time period in the past, and instead chose to do LoK.

[voltronfandomhag]

Albegas/Gladiator Voltron Revisited

A few years ago I posted about Gladiator Voltron, the proposed third Voltron season which was to be adapted from Lightspeed Electroid Albegas. Ultimately it was abandoned in favor of producing another batch of Lion Voltron episodes. About a year ago Toei released the first two episodes of Albegas with English subtitles on Youtube. You can watch both episodes here and here. 

This post is meant to be an update of my first Gladiator Voltron/Albegas post, with more detail about the characters and setting. I also briefly share my thoughts on the show based on the two episodes available.

SETTING AND STORY

In the future, the nations of Earth have been at peace with each other for many years. Our three protagonists, Daisaku, Tetsuya, and Hotaru, are talented students at Aoda School, which is famous for its robotics program and located near Mt. Fuji. Their lives are turned upside down when the evil alien Derringer Empire, who already rules the galaxy, invades Earth. Earth’s only hope against this threat is the super robot Albegas and the three teenagers piloting it.

THE HEROES

Our heroes are teenagers who attend Aoda School in Japan. Each of them created a robot for a school competition. Their bots were later improved and modified so they could combine into Albegas. 

Daisaku Enjoji

Daisaku is brash, confident, loud-mouthed, and a total cad. Despite his bad grades, his skills in robotics are apparently superior to both Tetsuya and Hotaru’s. He comes from a working class family consisting of his painter father, stay-at-home mother, cheeky younger brother Jiro, and a younger sister. Both he and Tetsuya have a crush on Hotaru, though Daisaku is more blatant and perverted about it. His hobby is soccer. Pilots Alpha Robo (black).

Tetsuya Jin

Tetsuya comes across as more reserved than his two teammates. Like the others, he’s a student at Aoba School and skilled in robotics. It’s unknown what his grades are like, but at least one of his teachers, Ms. Danko Kibi, scolds him for his rebellious attitude. He and his sister grew up orphans with no other family to take care of them. Currently he lives alone in the school dorms. Tetsuya feels lonely and envies those who still have parents. What happened to his parents, along with the whereabouts of his sister, aren’t mentioned in the first two episodes. Unfortunately, he’s  something of a slob; his dorm room is a mess. Like Daisaku, he also has a crush on Hotaru. However, he’s more subtle about it and expresses exasperation at Daisaku’s pervy antics towards her. His hobby is playing guitar. Pilots Beta Robo (blue).

Hotaru Mizuki

Hotaru is the daughter of Professor Mizuki; her mother isn’t mentioned, but it’s implied she’s been out of the picture for a long time. Beautiful, intelligent, and feminine, she’s the star of Aoba School and her class representative. Despite being adored by her teachers and the heartthrob of her male classmates, she’s bullied by her female peers. She also longs for a mother figure; there’s a scene where Hotaru outright tells her father and his assistant, Saeko Asabuki, that she approves of their relationship and hopes they get married so Saeko can be her stepmother. While annoyed by Daisaku’s caddish ways, it’s implied the attraction might be mutual. Her hobby is tennis. Pilots Gamma Robo (red).

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

The allies, family, and friends of our heroes. 

Goro Kumai

HIS JAPANESE BLOOD TINGLES! A well-meaning but bumbling classmate of the main trio who serves as the show’s comic relief. Goro does his best to help defend Earth with his self-made gorilla robot but he’s simply out of his league. Daisaku considers him a burden while Hotaru pities him.  He has an unreciprocated crush on Hotaru. 

Professor Mizuki

A brilliant scientist and Hotaru’s father. His knowledge of robotics is second to none. After the main trio’s robots were nearly destroyed by invading Derringer, he not only rebuilt them, but made them much more powerful and able to combine into Albegas. He also serves as both a mentor and the voice of reason; he tries to encourage the trio to exercise caution and patience. However, his words often fall on deaf ears, and the trio’s insistence on rushing headlong into battle against his repeated warnings frustrates him. But he believes in the trio’s abilities. It’s implied he’s sweet on his assistant, Saeko Asabuki.

Saeko Asabuki

Professor Mizuki’s assistant and love interest. She’s soft spoken, beautiful, and lady-like. Hotaru wants her as a stepmother.

Ms. Danko Kibi

An overbearing, outspoken and strong willed teacher at Aoba School. She takes her job very seriously, is fiercely proud of the school, and believes it’s important her students grow to be strong, stout, and fearless. Despite not being the head teacher, she often gets her way through sheer force of personality.

THE VILLAINS

The villains aren’t very fleshed out, but given I only had two episodes, that’s not very surprising. Anyway, the Derringer are an evil purple-skinned alien race of conquers who have set their sights on Earth. They desire our planet for its beauty and consider humans primitive. Albegas is humanity’s only effective weapon against their superior technology. Their giant robot Mecha-Fighters are the Derringer’s most fearsome weapon.

Lord Deran the Great

Supreme ruler of the Derringer. We don’t actually see him in these episodes. The only information we learn about him is he desires all things beautiful as his own.

President Azass

The leader of the invading Derringer force stationed in a base orbiting Earth.

General Duston

President Azass’s top officer, at least during these first two episodes. He’s ruthless, prideful, and doesn’t take humans seriously.

General Catastra

Another army officer on President Azass’s orbital base. 

Dyme

Yet another Derringer officer. He considers Duston an incompetent moron for not taking Albegas more seriously as a threat 

LIGHTSPEED ELECTROID ALBEGAS

The three robots that compose Albegas (Alpha Robot, Beta Robo, and Gamma Robo) were not originally designed to combine together. Instead they were individually built by the main trio as entries into a school competition. When the Derringer attacked Japan, the three teens attempted to fight off the invaders in their robots, but were soundly defeated. Professor Mizuki, seeing the robots’ potential, both rebuilt and heavily modified them, making them far more powerful and able to combine together into multiple configurations. However, the three pilots, at first, don’t know and understand just how extensive the modifications were despite Professor Mizuki’s repeated warnings. Unfortunately, circumstances in the first two episodes have not given them time for proper training. As a result, the pilots are learning about Albegas’s abilities, and how to use them, in the heat of combat.

As stated, the robot comprising Albegas can combine in different ways, with each combination having its own specialization.

Denjin Dimension

Alpha, Beta, Gamma. This is the basic combat configuration. Can use the finishing move Denjin Sanbai Sword.

Sky Dimension

Beta, Alpha, Gamma. We don’t see any of its abilities, but I’m guessing it specializes in flight and/or aerial combat. 

Professor Mizuki mentions four other modes: Space, Sea, Underground, and Rescue.

My Thoughts

Do I think American Voltron fans missed out by not having Albegas localized? Not really. Between this, Golion, and Dairuggar, I feel this was the weakest show of the three, and I don’t think it would’ve captured kid’s imaginations the way Lion Voltron did. Granted, in some ways Albegas has more elements in common with GoLion than Diaruggar: small number of pilots, planet bound, faster paced, and a simpler story. But, again, I only have two episodes to go by, so I could be wrong on some of those points. But I’m interested enough that I’d watch more episodes if they became available.

[differenceonlyyoucanmake]

12 Dancing Princesses Thoughts/ Headcanons/ Assorted Stuff that Came to Me in a Dream

I’m kind of tired, so this may be incomplete. I wanted to put it out there, though. My dreams have mostly been from Courtney’s perspective, not an omniscient one. Because of this, there may be some gaps.

Ashlyn:

- Deserved so much better

- It actually makes me upset. I woke up from one of my 12dp dreams in TEARS because she deserved so much better.

- After Isabella passed, Ashlyn took on the role of being a maternal presence to her sisters. She did this extremely well, but it’s also heartbreaking how she pushed herself to grow up.

- Randolph was not a capable father during the lowest periods of his grief, and Ashlyn definitely had to compensate for this.

- Randolph... could have been kinder to her, especially after the queen died. He couldn’t look Ashlyn in the eyes. She reminded him too much of his late wife.

- Isabella wanted Ashlyn to inherit her belongings and position, but Randolph had his own favorites (I promise I don’t think he was an evil person, but he could have done better).

- I think Ashlyn would identify as bisexual.

- She knew several instruments, but was most attached to the flute. Her most treasured memories involved Isabella giving her flute lessons.

- She was expected to be the mature one all the time, so she repressed a lot of her own frustrations in favor of caring for others.

- She was closest to Blair and Courtney.

- She was a little soft spoken, and one of the most “ladylike”; Ashlyn was one of the sisters who struggled least with Rowena’s lessons.

- The younger sisters had a hard time remembering that she was a person capable of all sorts of feelings. They expected parental behavior from her, and got really confused when she expressed negative emotions.

- Some of the sisters assumed Ashlyn didn’t care for sweets, because she would offer hers to the others whenever they got any. In reality, she thought this was kind behavior. She showed sacrifice in several, seemingly inconsequential, ways.

- Despite seeming so mature, she always felt as if she stopped growing up after her mother passed.

- As the sisters grew up, Ashlyn really struggled with finding her purpose. She didn’t get the power her mother promised her. She put her own ideas and prospects aside to care for her sisters. She ended up floating from kingdom to kingdom, with varying success in several different courts. She eventually came  to live with the other eldest sisters.

- Despite being (in my view) cheated out of her kingdom, Ashlyn seldom expressed frustration or resentment. She adopted the attitude of a retired noble early in life, spending a lot of time on composing music and serene hobbies.

Blair

- horse.... horses..... sleeping in the stables...... with the horses

- I’m kidding! Mostly!

- Blair was bold and opinionated. She also loved witty conversation and comedy.

- What else did she love? Horses.

- She would sneak out all the time to ride.

- Her favorite horse was black and very tall.

- She was closest to Ashlyn and Courtney.

- Blair was sick in childhood.

- Though the older sisters were known for being more refined and elegant, Blair pushed this notion plenty.

- She loved adventure.

- All of the sisters missed the golden pavilion, but Blair struggled with this a lot.

- She didn’t have as many problems with Randolph, but sometimes she would CAUSE problems on purpose (mostly defending Ashlyn and calling out his favoritism).

- She turned her own estate later in life into a close replica of the pavilion. The grounds were massive.

- She was intelligent, but struggled with many academic tasks. If she needed to read something that was challenging, she would often hand it to Courtney for help. She would only have motivation to read if it was about subjects she loved.

- This is ironic, because she later came to be a published writer. I believe these were short works, similar to pamphlets.

- Blair enjoyed throwing and attending large balls and gatherings. She was still chasing the thrill of the magical visits she’d make with her sisters.

- Blair was considered extremely beautiful, and drew admirers wherever she went. She accumulated many pieces of ruby jewelry this way.

- She also liked wearing capes and cloaks.

Courtney

- Generally shy, Courtney made an exception when she stood up for Ashlyn.

- Courtney longed to travel, and books provided her with a form of escapism until she was able to.

- She had a health scare after the events of the movie, and this somehow tarnished her standing in society??

- She wasn’t straight, probably a lesbian.

- She was well read on political matters and the history of their kingdom, and would often be the first one to noticed Randolph’s incompetence in certain areas.

- She was a young teen when she first started rewriting her father’s treaties in her spare time. She learned after the first time not to bring her drafts to him.

- When Ashlyn and Blair left home, she grew closer with Fallon. Both had a streak of wanderlust, and gravitated towards the romantic.

- Courtney published poetry under a pseudonym starting at a young age. This probably helped her somewhat. As she grew up, her poems grew in notoriety, and many debated who their true writer was. A significant portion focused on love between women and feeling trapped.

- I think she had been to Apollonia (Antonio’s kingdom in Island Princess) several times, and knew both Luciana and Antonio from an early age. I think this was the case for many of the older sisters.

- After their mother died, the girls traveled less, and met less new people. Courtney was bothered by this.

- She was generally thought of as calm and quiet, but she felt emotions deeply ( even if she didn’t always express them).

Delia

- Athletic and spunky

- Delia enjoyed more structured sports.

- She was prone to sunburns.

- Delia was enamored with the sun and light. She would hang prisms next to her windows to watch the light refract.

- She was closest with her twin, Edeline. They enjoyed playing croquet together and (though it was usually harmless) gossiping.

- Delia had a temper. She would deal with guilt afterwards if she lashed out at someone.

- Her emotional regulation issues came to light after her mother died.

- Delia dealt with a lot of guilt in general. She didn’t feel as put-together as her older sisters, or as carefree as the younger ones. She felt guilty for not fitting in, and expressed feeling like an inconvenience to those around her.

- Outsiders thought she was dim-witted, and she internalized this.

- Delia often had a problem of interrupting people or speaking loudly, so it was advised that she stay quiet when visitors came. This really hurt her self esteem, since she was always happy to make new friends.

- Rowena had offended her when she was a young girl, and Delia never forgot this.

- Delia liked birds, and hummingbirds fascinated her.

- She had to learn to accept herself later in life. 

- She discovered people who appreciated her for who she was, and finally left her inhibitions behind. 

- After that, she became known for her charisma and charm.

Edeline:

- Edeline shared a lot of interests with her twin, such as sports and outdoor activities.

- She enjoyed making others laugh.

- Once Genevieve married Derek, Edeline took it as her cue to BULLY that poor man.

- Seriously, it probably warded off suitors for her other sisters.

- It was usually in good fun, though.

- Edeline disliked rules and structure.

- She was closest with Delia.

- She often stood up for her twin.

- Edeline had a good ear for gossip, and had her own methods of fact checking stories she’d heard.

- Something happened with her at Genevieve’s wedding?? Maybe she broke something??

- Edeline traveled some, but found her way back home eventually.

- She DESPISED Rowena. None of the sisters liked her, but Edeline couldn’t stand her from the beginning.

- Edeline would have loved to know about the concept of roast humor.

- She liked to have sleepover-like setups in their bedroom. She would build forts and encourage the others to come tell ghost stories. When the memories of her mother came to her, she felt the need to DO something, even if the action wasn’t necessarily related.

- She became known for her humor.

Fallon

- Fallon was pretty much independent, until she and Courtney bonded.

- Fallon always wanted pets, and was jealous that only Genevieve was allowed to have one (besides....bugs and the horses, who were kept outside).

- She would try to befriend wild animals, and nursed some injured animals back to health.

- I don’t think Fallon was straight.

- Fallon was sensitive, and had a hard time dealing with Rowena’s harsh treatment.

- Fallon had nightmares, and would often go to her older sisters for comfort.

- She enjoyed the company of others. She would spend time with servants and other people considered to be below her station.

- Fallon played the harp.

- She loved the softer aspects of life. 

- She devoted time to charitable causes.

- I just know that she did that classic princess trope of posing as a commoner. That’s such a her thing to do.

- She gained a reputation for being eccentrically kind. She had a large family of animals, who she took EXCELLENT care of.

Genevieve

- You may have noticed that the older sisters were generally closer with each other. Well, Genevieve wasn’t, and she made it that way.

- She.... liked to act like she was in charge. She often undermined Ashlyn’s efforts.

- She was Randolph’s favorite.

- Genevieve got along better with the younger sisters, especially Lacey.

- She probably did have leadership skills, but a lot of them came from acting like she did.

- Like I’ve implied above, she got a lot of power after she married, instead of Ashlyn.

- Derek wasn’t a bad person, but he was a COBBLER. How did she get more political power by marrying a COBBLER?

- She butted heads with Blair and Courtney quite often after the events of the movie.

- Basically, she had Main Character Disease dsfghjk

- She traveled less than the other older sisters.

- Admittedly, she wasn’t a poor leader.

- I have a feeling she adopted a lot of children later in life.

- She and Derek had a pretty long transitional period after they married, meaning they spent more time really figuring out who they were as a couple rather than jumping into their duties right away.

- Genevieve kind of symbolized the cutoff for the sisters who had lots of solid memories about their mother and those who didn’t.

- She was one of the best dancers out of the sisters.

- She was brave and self-assured.

- She knew what she wanted, and she would get it.

- After Twyla, she got some other cats. They were mostly orange and/or long haired.

- She never quite shook her habit of being late.

Hadley

- Hadley was closest to their twin, Isla.

- As Hadley grew up, they became more comfortable being gender nonconforming. They may have been trans, but I don’t remember.

- Hadley enjoyed fencing.

- Stilts were Hadley’s first love, and led to appreciation for other daring activities.

- Hadley also loved the ocean. Many of their adventures involved being at sea. They spent years sailing longside their twin on a ship Genevieve gifted them.

- Rumors swirled that they were a pirate. Though these weren’t true, Hadley didn’t mind.

- Hadley was energetic and intuitive.

- Hadley was an athletic risk-taker. They enjoyed acrobatics and other feats of the human body.

- Hadley became known for their adventurous exploits and fencing prowess.

- Though Hadley initially idolized Genevieve, she eventually sided with Ashlyn and the other older sisters once she learned the whole story.

- Hadley stayed with the older sisters after whatever scary thing happened with Courtney.

- Hadley mentored people, and may have been a teacher.

- She really missed the times when all of their sisters got along.

- There were rumors that Hadley was affiliated with darker forces, when in reality Hadley was one of the most well-adjusted.

Isla

- Isla was closest to Hadley.

- Isla liked adventure, but she was less daring than Hadley.

- Isla stayed our of most business involving the older sisters, preferring to spend time with her twin.

- She loved swimming.

- Isla had a collection of maps.

- She was known for being easy going. 

- She sometimes had to bring Hadley down from an idea that seemed too dangerous.

- Isla was the voice of reason in some situations.

- She never lost her passion for dance, and learned new styles through their travels.

- Isla had pet birds.

- She was admired for her grace and acrobatic talent.

- Isla enjoyed circus-like acts.

- She was more bothered by the pirate rumors than Hadley.

- Isla enjoyed researching magic, and trying to find a way back to the magic pavilion. 

- Isla was non-confrontational.

- She tried many forms of artistic expression, from writing to painting.

- Isla was loyal to Hadley, and would be there for her twin no matter what.

Janessa

- Janessa maintained her love of insects.

- Since they were so young when it happened, none of the triplets remember details of the magic pavilion. If their sisters weren’t there to confirm their memories, they would have thought it was a dream.

- Janessa grew up to be very interested in science.

- Janessa found the proper way to care for insects, and took pride in how well she did it.

- She was prone to worrying.

- She often lamented the fact that she was so young when they visited the pavilion.

- Janessa was considered obedient and passive.

- Janessa heard how much she looked like her mother (though not as much as Ashlyn). She had mixed feelings about this, because she couldn’t really remember what her mother looked like.

- Janessa was closest to Kathleen.

- She became close with Edeline and Delia when she got older.

- Janessa knew she wasn’t Randolph’s favorite, and took this personally. She tried, especially in her youth, to gain his approval.

- She also knew that Genevieve preferred Lacey, even though all the triplets looked up to Genevieve.

- Janessa balanced her love for science with her royal duties, and used what power she had to provide exposure and resources to research institutes.

Kathleen

- Kathleen was creative and unconventional.

- She was closest with Janessa, and became close with Isla later in life.

- Kathleen was known for her paintings.

- She started out painting things like landscapes, then moved into less traditional subjects.

- Her royal portraits were renowned in particular. They captured royalty doing activities that were important to them, or in significant fantasy settings.

- She painted portraits of her siblings and father. These became their favorites. She captured: a relaxed Ashlyn writing music, Blair on horseback in mid-air, Courtney in her library, Delia in the sunlight, Edeline in a fantastical outdoor scene, Fallon with her animals, Genevieve dancing, Hadley fencing, Isla swimming, Janessa surrounded by flying insects in the sky, and Lacey at work.

- Though she tried many times, Kathleen was not satisfied with her attempts of painting her mother. She felt like she was simply copying pre-existing portraits.

- The only painting of her mother she was somewhat pleased with was one of Queen Isabella walking away, her back to the viewer as she walked into a golden pavilion.

- Kathleen tried to paint the magic pavilion, and these painting had a fuzzy, dream-like quality.

- Her art gained a significant following.

Lacey

- She was Randolph’s second favorite.

-Lacey was unshakably loyal to Genevieve. She didn’t understand why the older sisters were upset about her being given power and land.

- Lacey struggled with illness as a child. She was inspired by the healing water at the pavilion to study medicine.

- Lacey struggled with muscle strength and coordination well into adulthood.

- Despite this, she continued dancing.

- She looked very similar to Randolph’s relatives.

- She felt the need to defend Genevieve, and would often challenge her older sisters because of this.

- Although Ashlyn never challenged her, Lacey harbored resentment towards her. She blamed Ashlyn for the fact that Genevieve’s approval wasn’t universal.

- Lacey was interested in scientifically based medicine, as well as magical remedies.

- Lacey was always closest with Genevieve, and lived with her for a long time.

- Lacey idolized Genevieve and Derek’s relationship, often heralding it as the pinnacle of romance.

- She searched for a way back to the magical world, believing it contained the key to eternal youth and immortality.

- Lacey didn’t care for travel as much as some of her sisters, but she usually enjoyed when she did leave her own kingdom.

- She grew up to be Genevieve’s closest adviser, and an accomplished healer.

Canon Noncompliant Things

- The sisters left the pavilion by dancing in birth order. Although Derek did leave by dancing with Genevieve, they weren’t responsible for leaving in the first place. Once again, Ashlyn doesn’t get the credit she deserves dfghjk

- Genevieve had an actual wedding, not whatever that was that was shown at the end of the movie. It was smaller than a lot of royal weddings (because Derek didn’t have many connections or people to invite), but it was a serious affair. 

[stxleslyds]

MY TOUGHTS ON PART THREE OF RED HOOD BY CHIP ZDARSKY :)

A DC RENDITION OF THE SONG “MOTHER KNOWS BEST” FROM TANGLED.

Here I will leave the links to my reviews of Part 1 and Part 2

Well, here we are, three issues in this story of only six parts and i still cant tell if i like it or not. What i know for sure tho is that Zdarsky never read any Red Hood books, i had my suspicions but now i am at least 95% sure.

This Jason has been nerfed. We had a perfectly balanced Jason back in 2005 he was smart, skilled, confident and strategic. Then from 2011 to 2020 (let’s put the fact that Lobdell is trash aside for a moment) Jason was skilled, he had the whole “chosen one” thing going on with the all-castle, and in some moments you could even see him being quick witted and confident. But now in this first half of this story he is extremely insecure, his skill set and expertise is barely there and is presented as just reckless. 

The other day i was talking about how DC treats Jason, how they just can’t decide on who he is, what motivates him or what he wants. His personality is a whole ass mess, it was fine in 2005 and 2010 when Winick wrote him but then Lobdell from years 2011 to 2020 just couldn't decide what he wanted to do with Jason or his relationship with Batman and his rules. After Lobdell finally left Jason was passed around people who either only read Lobdell's work, or didn't read anything from him or didn't take into account Jason's life because their book was set in a future that may never happen. 

What i am trying to say is that Jason doesn't have a personality, and writers don't really add things to the Jason that we “know”, what they do is start his story from zero over and over again. There is no consistency to Jason's character and while you could argue that maybe this new start could be the definite version of Jason Todd/Red Hood i will point out that this nerfed version of him is a major disservice to the character that he was when he was brought back to DC.

It’s simply not nice. 

And in this particular issue the “Jason isn't that good at this whole vigilante gig” is even more pushed because of the whole “batman knows best” bullshit. I am not getting this (anthologies) book with a Red Hood story just for Batman to come in and be like “I am actually good at this job, you know nothing AND i have the moral high-ground”, this is NOT it.

If you are reading a Red Hood story chances are that you will be interested in Red Hood not Batman. 

Oh one more thing, Jason was an excellent Robin. He was kind, smart and skilled. I liked the flashbacks in UtRH because it showed Jason being all that but he also understood a couple of things about the kind of criminals that Gotham had, your common thug is easily scared of the concept of Batman but the dress-ups knew that no matter what they did the Bat would never kill them, that’s what Jason thought about criminals there.

This Robin Jason is treated rather poorly by Zdarsky at times, he feels insecure and inferior to Dick but he is also dismissive of him and the Robin mantle in the first issue, now in this one he is shown as way too reckless (which is kinda bad because it feeds into DCs favorite trope of “Jason’s death was Jason’s fault”) and his stance on “low level” criminals is weird, like it was made clear that drug related criminals are Jason’s biggest issue, thieves were not. 

Those are my general thoughts on this issue and the current state of Jason’s characterization. I have some panels from this issue that i want to talk about in more depth tho, so here we go. 

The issue stars were we left off once more, Tyler defends Jason and when Batman asks who he is Tyler says that he is the Blue Hood, that was really sweet of him, that child is adorable and he needs to be protected. 

Once the Bat distracts Tyler Jason tells the Bat that the man he killed was Tyler’s dad. 

There are a couple of things i want to point out from these panels, Jason feels incredibly guilty, not about killing Andy but about leaving Tyler in a situation that is similar to the one he was left in when his own mother died. He still believes that Andy was not a good man and deserved to be dead, after all he was drugging his own son and was the reason Tyler’s mom overdosed and is now in the hospital. It just hits incredibly close to home for Jason and i understand completely. 

The other thing i want to point out is that Jason says “I know your rules. No killing in Gotham” so, this is (to me) confirmation that Jason hasn’t killed in a long time and that he has been sticking to the Bat's rules (at least in Gotham). Andy (a drug-dealer) is the only person that Jason has killed since the events of UtRH (that are apparently canon in this story because it was mentioned in the first issue). 

Following this conversation the Bat says that he will take care of Tyler’s mother (yikes, i really thought in my last post that Jason was the one who would have tried to get her the help she needed, to me it seems more appropriate if Jason does it given that this is his story but what do I know) 

This is where this Red Hood story transforms into the Batman show.

Not only will Bruce take care of Tyler's mom but he will clean up the mess and shut down the making of the drug all by himself. Jason tells him that he will do it but the Bat tells Jason that if he wants to do it they will have to do it together because there is no way he is letting Jason out of his sight, he made a mess!

Yes, nothing like making the lead character look incompetent at his job. Love that for Jason.

Before the team up starts Batman and Red Hood go to Leslie's place to leave Tyler with her. This is a good moment only because there is a dog involved, well…Tyler, Jason and a dog are involved, best panel in the whole issue? I think yes.

Maybe I have a couple more panels that are my favs in this issue, here they are, a lil bit of positivity in this extra bitter post.

Now I will be honest, I hate Batman (Bruce’s Batman, love Dick Bats he was the MVP) so him saying that he is helping a Robin makes me want to shoot him. You are not helping; you are overtaking, as you do. Never a team player, the Batgod must always be the center of the show.

Back in the new cave Bruce talks to Jason about the drug and who he thinks might be behind it's production. He also makes sure to let Jason know that he is very smart and might be the only person outside of Crane's circle that knows how analyze a very unstable compound…weird flex but okay. He also teases Jason about his detective skills. Yay.

Flashback time! Get ready!

Robin Jason and Batman are at a crime scene and Jason doesn’t seem to be in the mood to play CSI: Gotham with Bruce.

At one moment Jason says “and then we will stomp the guy who did this” (“this” being murder), which makes Jim Gordon (who came to see if batman was done playing Sherlock Holmes) uncomfortable, so Batman tells Jason to wait for him. As Jason is going he sees someone acting suspicious.

Back to present day Batman and Red Hood are visiting the woman that created the compound that makes Fear Gas, the interrogation starts well but because this is the Batman show and Jason is bad at reading people and asking questions we have a scene that shows Jason being a bit too much.

I honestly thought that the first question was fair, but then after they leave the office they were in Batman basically goes on a rant about the things that Jason missed.

Ok, I get it Batman = good vigilante. Red Hood = Incompetent.

Zdarsky is honestly trying to make us believe that Jason hasn’t picked up any of those things, in his years as Robin with Batman AND Nightwing? They both taught him, there is no way Jason doesn’t know the basics of how to read people. Also do you guys remember Jason in UtRH and Lost Days? That guy read people perfectly, how is UtRH canon in this story, did Jason lose his skills in the explosion when he blew up the Joker?

As if that wasn’t enough Batman calls Red Hood reckless after they don’t agree on what to do next.

To this I say the following: Never again make me believe that Jason will willingly work with Batman. They don’t work together and neither are willing to meet each other halfway, even less let the other lead. This makes the idea of Jason following the Bat’s rules and him being part of the “Batfamily” the joke that it actually is.

They don’t work well together anymore; bring duality back to Gotham 2021.

Back in the past where the previous flashback is resumed we have Jim telling Batman that the new Robin seems a bit too rough around the edges. Did Jim ever meet Dick as Robin? I mean, don’t get me wrong, Dick was a sweetheart but he also beat criminals alongside batman every night. It just doesn’t feel like what Jason said was that much of a violent statement or anything, maybe I just don’t get it.

But don’t worry if you don’t get it, because we are shown Robin Jason going after that suspicious man, he is beating him asking if he knows anything about the murder or what exactly he was doing so close to the crime scene when Batman arrives. Through Batman we are told that that man was no longer a criminal, to which Jason says this, “…The guy is a jewel thief! He will always be a thief” and Batman responds “I refuse to believe that. Didn’t I meet you in the middle of stealing the Batmobile’s tires?”

I can’t believe Bruce went full “It’s over Jason. I have the moral high ground” on Robin Jason.

I mean Jason is OOC, we know this, but he has to be that way in order to make Batman look better when compared to a child. DC hates Jason Todd #Confirmed.

It kinda reminds me of that thing DC does with Dick and Barbara, Dick is skilled and smart as long as Barbara isn’t in the room, if she is then Dick will forget to check if there is someone inside his apartment and then be thrown across the room by her and then be told that he sucks at putting security in his living space.

Moving on...back to the present one last time Jason is interrogating a man while he dangles him from the edge of a building (did Dick teach him that? I bet he did.) After getting some information he calls Oracle so he can make sure that the place he is going to is safe. Oracle tells him the she will help him but she did not like the fact that the last time she helped him someone ended up dead.

Now, fair warning, Barbara and Jason big NO for me and after Geoff Johns and his antics in Three Jokers I have zero love for their “team-ups”.

Jason says this, 

Believing in him? Excuse me? Chonky, baby, she only helped you find a building.

All I can do at this point is pray to whichever god or whoever hears that this does not lead to Jason pinning for Barbara. We don’t need it (Barbara doesnt need it), I might be overreacting, I hope I am, but nobody wants that kind of drama right now, thanks.

When he arrives to the place he was looking for I think everyone can tell that it’s a trap, everyone but Jason apparently. 

How on earth does Jason not realize it’s a trap up until it’s too late? Are you joking? Is this a Red Hood story? Are we really doing this? Just how incompetent is Jason in Zdarsky’s eyes?

Freeze…is it Freeze? I don’t care but he is there, he freezes Jason and that’s the end of the issue.

Listen, I wish I could say that this is the worst Jason has been treated and that this book is horrible, I wish but I can’t. I can’t do it because this isn’t the worst characterization or book of Jason, this is still a pretty good story, could it be better? Yes.

I mean this story is written by someone who obviously doesn’t know Jason and that sucks but it still isnt the worst characterization and it messes me up. Three Jokers was worse than this, certain plot decisions in Future State: Red Hood were worse than this (in my opinion) and Lobdell’s New52 RHatO was pure trash (that is the worst book, just horrible please dont read it). 

I am saying this only to make it clear that even tho this issue was painful (mostly if you don’t like Batman) I still have hope that it can turn out to be good. I cant help it, i want and need this story to be good and there is still time for it to get better. 

Alright thats all i have to say, let me know what you thought about this issue and my review, bye!