#so many implications .. so much characterization .. what does it all mean

[soullessjack]

there are a lot of underrated parts in ouroboros in terms of jacks overall characterization but one that really sticks out to me is how noah tries to pin jack as either the chicken that sacrifices what she loves for the greater good or the snake that kills out of obligation to his nature and jacks response to it is “fuck you im both of them actually”

[codenamethebird]

God I have so much to say about Melinoe's characterization, and the fasinating implications about her future arc/the overarching plot of hades 2. I want to make a larger think piece with pictures but for the moment I'm just going to focus on this one specific thread.

In the wake of the Prometheus reveal, she has a slew of convos about his motivations for siding with Chronos, and the gods basically all go: this is his vengeance for us punishing him a tad cruelly. And Nemesis is like, yeah the gods 100% deserve it. But Meli's responds that he must have more motivation than just vengeance, it can't just be that. But when Prometheus explicitly goes, 'I'm doing this because the gods are horrible to humanity and I love humans,' she basically goes, no he must be lying. That motivation is both too pure, but also humans kind of suck why would you care about them?

Mel's humanity hot takes deserve it's own essay (Ms I think Humans should have never gotten fire and are better when they are dead), and I just want to focus on the former for now. She can not comprehend that Prometheus is fighting the gods for noble reasons. It just does not make sense to her. Mel's world is so black and white. She doesn't understand the nuance of the situation, and the thought that the gods might be actually in the wrong doesn't even get close to crossing her mind.

It's a fascinating (and horrifying) result of her upbringing. Of the constant state of war and the very convenient big bad that is Chronos, the evil monster who stole her family. If she accepts that his side isn't completely evil, that they might even be right in some (even many) respects, she would have to grapple with her whole life. Everything she believes would be thrown into question, the literal thing she was training her whole life for.

She can't have Prometheus fighting for a noble cause, because he fights for Chronos whose the Bad Guy tm. But he also can't be fighting for something as simple as vengeance, because that would also mean she would need to really think about what he's angry about. If the punishment was truly so unnecessary cruel.

When talking to Odysseus about Prometheus, when Ody's saying how much he respected him for stealing the fire despite knowing the consequences, Mel says that it was the price to be paid for breaking Olympus's decree. To her, Olympus's rules are sacred and ultimately good. Unquestionably. Prometheus broke the rules with intent, so to her, why would he be so angry at the consequences? Especially if he knew because of his power they were going to happen.

So he must have another reason, some secret machiavellian plan that drives him. Except as I already said, it brings her right back to him doing it for humanity, which she also can't accept. Because that would be admiting that the gods did something wrong to humans. She twists herself into knots to justify her worldview, and it's fascinating! She's so messy I adore her.

Please Supergiant please the final surface boss has to be a human pleeeaaasse (preferably a living one). Or at least have one (or more) show up in some other capacity. Mel needs to come face to face with the other side and have it utterly destroy her worldview.

And/or have (Pan)Dora betray her for Prometheus, that would also be very fun haha.

[aromantic-diaries]

Yknow I feel more represented by characters who aren't confirmed to be aro/ace or even written as such, but can still be interpreted that way because of how they're characterized, rather than characters who are confirmed to be aro/ace through word of god while the actual story has no implications of that character being aro/ace beyond them not having a love interest. The latter kind of waters it down to not wanting to date or have sex which isn't really all there is to it. I get that not all representation has to be a 100% accurate, deep and touching depiction of the aro/ace experience, but that doesn't mean completely ignoring the character's identity beyond not giving them a love interest.

I will elaborate with two examples under the cut

So for the word of god representation, let's take Lilith Clawthorne from the owl house as an example. I think she's a great character, I liked her, and I think the owl house is a fantastic show that deserved better. However I don't think of Lilith as good representation because the only real confirmation we have is outside of the actual show. It's not in the canon material, she doesn't have a love interest but she's not even the only character who stays single so that doesn't mean much. She isn't shown to be any different from anyone, her being aroace isn't really relevant in any way. I'd say the best word for describing this type of representation is Passive. We know she's aroace because it was confirmed outside of the show, she doesn't have a love interest, but it doesn't really go beyond that. I get that the show was cut short and maybe it would have been elaborated on more but that's just a generous assumption on my part. My point is, I don't really see any real aro or ace experiences reflected in her character, neither mine or anyone else's. She doesn't really represent any actual aspec experiences at all which is why I don't consider her to be good representation. I still understand the community's attachment to her though, we take what we can get and what we get is very little. So while I love the owl house, the aroace representation is pretty dissapointing compared to the great representation of other queer identities and I'm kinda bummed that the aroace character still gets sidelined in an otherwise very queer friendly show

For another example I'll bring up my all time favorite, Rudy Waltz, protagonist of the book Deadeye Dick by Kurt Vonnegut. Deadeye Dick is not a feel good story. The story is dark, bitter and the conclusion is no different. Still, I would describe it as oddly comforting and pretty funny at times. So what does that have to do with anything? Well, our Rudy can very well be interpreted as asexual and probably aromantic as well. He isn't referred to as such, he describes himself as a neuter, the author states in the preface that the protagonist's disinterest is a metaphor for his own declining sexuality, and the book was written before the term aromantic was even coined. However, as an aromantic asexual reading the book, I could not help but deeply relate to Rudy's lack of interest in ever having sex or finding a romantic partner. I felt kinship with him as he described knowing how many people there are who are just like him and yet they go unnoticed by most people, because I was one of those people. I related to him and the way his disinterest in sex was met with such confusion from another character. Despite not being described as such, Deadeye Dick is very much in part an asexual and an aromantic story because the protagonist's experiences line up with that of someone on those spectrums. You could argue that calling him aroace is problematic due to him fitting a negative stereotype due to his emotional detachment, or that he only fits the label because of said detachment, but that does not change the fact that he is still better representation than a character who was confirmed outside of the story with no real implications. I see myself in Rudy more than I do in Lilith because Rudy actually feels like an aroace character

Anyways, rant over. Feel free to disagree with me

[pipnchips202]

while i eat up practically every valgrace fic i see, down bad jason grace for leo valdez is always one of my absolute favorites; so, here are 5 valgrace fics where jason is the pining one :)) (for the most part)

1. hopeless case by restinreeses

rating: teen and up

warnings: none

“Nico,” Jason wheezes as he slams the door to the Hades cabin open. “Nico, I think I’m in love with my best friend.”

“No, really?” Nico drawls, barely looking up from his book.

Or: in which nico is jason’s wingman this time around.

AHHHHH!!!!!! this is REALLY good; i love the characterization and the many implications of jason having helped nico get with will prior to the events of the fic. also, platonic jasico will ALWAYS get me.

2. EP: things leo does; by jason grace by jacksonpercy (robertmontauk)

rating: not rated

warnings: none

God, he loves Leo’s laugh. It’s more like a giggle than anything - all high-pitched and bubbly; his mouth stretches into the widest smile Jason’s ever seen, and his tongue sticks out of his tongue just a little bit, and holy fuck Jason’s in love with Leo.

Shit.

[leo does things sometimes, and jason notices.]

i was very much obsessed with this fic at some point (still kind of am, actually). it’s basically a 5 + 1 of jason just pining for leo and i LOVE it. small warning though, there is a mention of kinks in the second chapter, if that’s weird for you. it’s really just an offhand comment and doesn’t get brought up again, so do with that what you will. they are teenagers after all, and as a teenager myself, i can confirm i’ve thought of similar stuff several times! but, anyway, this fic is really good.

3. staring at me (with your lips and tongue) by ethannku

rating: teen and up

warnings: none

“You really believe all that?” Leo asks, and if Jason were more aware of the world, he might’ve registered the hopeful breathiness in his voice. But as it is, he’s far too focused on the hand on his chest. He nods anyway, once he realizes Leo’s asked him a question.

Leo huffs and leans closer while simultaneously pulling Jason closer.

For a moment, they just look at each other, their noses inches apart. Leo’s breath comes in soft puffs on his face. There’s a hint of a smile on Leo’s face, but the corners waver as if he’s having second thoughts. Jason registers Leo’s eyelashes flickering, and his blood sings when he realizes he’s looking at Jason’s mouth.

Or; Jason is down bad, and Leo might be too.

this one’s really good, too. lot of kissing. a few suggestive references/jokes but no suggestive actions, just kissing. also has many piper moments mixed in :)

4. Crooked Glasses by thebigqueer

rating: teen and up

warnings: graphic depictions of violence

leo & jason confess their feelings for each other in an arcane-themed alternate universe.

~~

Leo has always been flirty. When he casually smirks at Jason and tells him how handsome he looks; when he bites his lip suggestively and tells Jason that no, he doesn’t mind if he changes his shirt in front of him; when Jason asks what’s for dinner and Leo responds, “Not sure, but I know you’re the desert,” Jason doesn’t make much of it. Sure, an occasional blush and an attempt at jokingly flirting back, but Jason knows he doesn’t mean it. Besides, he isn’t special. If Jason had to count the amount of people Leo had made out with just in the past year, it might take both his hands.

But lately it’s been different. There’s a softness in Leo’s eyes when he catches sight of Jason, a more soulful smirk when he offers that they sleep in the same bed, a hopefulness when he asks Jason if he wants to come with him on his next haul.

i’m gonna be honest: although i plan to someday, i’ve never seen arcane. and this is an arcane au. however, even though i know absolutely nothing about arcane, i did understand this, i think. i’m putting it here because a) it’s well written, b) it does in fact feature pining jason grace, and c) i have very limited options when it comes to valgrace fics anyway, so i don’t have much of a choice. yes, there is action and a mild fight with sherman yang and connor stoll, but it’s not that graphic in my opinion, but that’s just me; what’s more graphic is actually the gratuitous descriptions of leo’s gorgeousness from jason’s pov (understandably so). anyway, this is a good fic; if you’re not familiar with arcane, you can probably still read it, because i enjoyed it quite a lot!

5. hold me, thrill me, kiss me by restinreeses

rating: teen and up

warnings: none

“You love me,” Leo declares, his smirk widening with every passing second. “You, the great Jason Grace, love me.”

He fumbles for his words, but they melt in his mouth as Leo's hands snaked up the small of his back – those delicate fingers tracing patterns into his skin that burnt worse than his SPQR tattoo.

“I wouldn’t call myself great,” he mutters at last. Leo leans in, raising one thick eyebrow.

“I dunno,” he says, “I’d say you’re pretty great.” His lips brush over Jason's, once, twice. “You know. For loving me.”

...

In which Jason falls and Leo catches him.

okay, so i was debating whether or not to put this one because jason is still dating piper during this fic. she doesn’t make an appearance, she’s only mentioned, but jason and leo kissing is referred to by the both of them as an affair, which might make some uncomfortable. however, this has absolutely gorgeous writing. is jason still in love with piper during this fic, though? no. a bit complicated. however, it is, once again, pining jason as promised. they kiss a lot in this one, too.

enjoy!

— piper <33

[ragnarlothcat]

I know I’m a chronic overthinker but I’ve been in the same fandom for three years or so now and I was reflecting that writing seemed so much easier when I first started out. Just looking at my output since 2021 shows a clear trend: I’ve been writing much less and it’s been taking me way longer.

I figured that I’d gotten a little burned out and that three years is a long time to focus solely on the same two guys making out and that there’s a limit to the number of situations I can put them in before I start to get bored. But I don’t think that’s quite my problem because even now, a million years later, I have ideas for dozens of fics and AUs that would be interesting to explore or funny to write.

No, it’s that I’ve let the larger fandom overwhelm me and it’s left me constantly second-guessing my writing. And I don’t mean that I’ve gotten nasty comments or asks, because I haven’t! All the other fans have been consistently wonderful and fun people with really valuable insights. And it’s not that I’ve been obsessing over stats or comments or worrying about going against popular headcanons. I mean, I’m just as excited as anyone else to see an AO3 email in my inbox but I’m also perfectly happy posting niche fics for an audience of me and my three weirdest friends.

It’s more that after so long engaging with other fans and other fics and the general meta, I’ve ended up writing too self-consciously. I’ve read so many interpretations of canon events, analyses of characterization and comparisons between fiction and real-world politics over the years, and I’ve enjoyed them because I genuinely care about these stories and these characters! I like seeing what everyone else thinks and then considering their points of view, no matter how bewildering they might seem at first.

But now it feels like I’m writing almost defensively, like I have to justify every choice I’m making based on this enormous and contradictory body of information. Three years ago I’d have written a scene in a few thousand words and moved on to the next plot point with my momentum intact. Now I’m constantly wringing my hands over things like physical details (I guess he’s not exactly a redhead) or broader social implications (is this trope misogynistic?) or finicky logistics (these locations are too far apart for this scene to make sense) or controversial character nuance (does writing this guy as a kind, doting husband make me an abuse apologist???) and the result is that I’m paralyzed with indecision and a ridiculous need to support everything I write with a lot of context that isn’t especially fun to write or, I suspect, especially fun to read.

I’m aware that this problem is entirely in my own head and that no one has asked me for any of this. And it’s not that all those questions aren’t interesting and important things to contemplate. But I miss the days of sitting down at my laptop and going “wouldn’t it be funny if these dorks played a video game together?” and then writing exactly that.

I don’t know. Were my fics better three years ago? I kind of doubt it. I’ve looked back at some of them and if nothing else I now have a better grasp of what tense I’m supposed to be using. But I definitely had more fun writing those older stories, which maybe feels more important.

[neonfretra]

so obviously macklin celebrini is a little gremlin, as we have discussed, but I am fascinated by the implications... do all 1OAs speak in cursive and go four legged? or is macklin uniquely some sort of tbh creature? because every time I look at a neon macklin doodle that's what I think of immediately

yippee!

LOL got me curious about the lore of my own drawings . i fear tumblr doesnt like displaying images the way i want so this ones goin to be long as hell

the tl;dr: i dont even think macklini drew the short end of a stick, i think he pulled out a whole worm. what.

feel i havent drawn too many 1oa players... how many times can one person draw a player quadrupedal????

(connor mcbugvid)

uh oh!

(goalie fighting with fleury and sway / how to ride a bike with jornton and macklini)

well at the very least 1oas are not inherently quadrupedal???

(macklini balling / macklini sushi boat)

funny enough i got some bipedal macklinis from the preseason and then it slowly phased out????? though the quadrupedal macklini ALSO came from the preseason???

(hill discovers a taste for crime / gubbi discovers a taste for blood / a taste of bobrovsky)

ive also drawn goalies with more quadrupedal tendencies? (though the hill drawing set DOES imply hes a human running on fours for love of sport. and the gubbi is also the horse so???)

(i dont know if bobrovsky is quadrupedal. its possible! what do you mean i should know . what do you mean thats my own drawing.)

macklini is also the only one who talks in cursive so far… (jumbo does NOT talk in cursive i can tell you that much) (though macklini the IRL guy also doesnt so im not sure how we got here???)

i fear macklini just has some insane characterization from me by the looks of it??? why cant i be doin some normal rpf like athletes kissin each other why it always gotta be macklin celebrini is a quadrupedal yippee boy that talks in cursive

[thalfbloodloser]

You bring insanity to a boringly sane fandom. I would like to hear your latest thought on ivorycest... Whatever nugget you may be nursing. If that is alright

✦ aw, thank you! you're so sweet 🐌🧡 it's very much alright - no one in here ever sends me fun stuff anymore. your ask was a breath of fresh air, anon! truth be told, i haven't been thinking about ivorycest all that much, but get ready for a HUGE text-block jumpscare because you just gave me the perfect excuse to write about them ➜

✦ sometimes it pains me to see so many folks avoiding ivorycest like the plague, because, like ranfren itself, it's so unapologetically insane that you can't really hate it. even if you try. if you have a dash of sense of humor, you'll see it's hilariously canon compliant!

i've seen lots of people argue that "anything romantic/sexual between randal and luther would be inherently out of character", which i'll admit is a reasonable concern, but it's just not true. the issue is characterization: people keep projecting human-based tropes and behavior on cryptids, and that's where the knee-jerk "eugh" reaction comes from. because yeah, randal and luther aren't going to declare their Forbidden Love for each other and then passionately kiss under the moonlit sky, nor are they going to feel guilty about their attraction and part ways with a tearful "we can't! this is wrong!". it would be completely unnatural behavior for them. all that? made for humans. and pretty basic humans, at that. for ivorycest to work, both in and out of canon, you gotta fully embrace the weirdness, see beyond humanity and forget all old expectations you might've gotten from any other couple of siblings!

from my point of view, it doesn't even feel like it fits with the rest of the "-cest"s. and not because of the possibility that randal and luther aren't even biologically related (i seriously doubt they're even from the same species) - we all know that adoptive siblings aren't any less siblings just because they don't share DNA. plus, pseudo-incest is still a thing - but because they're so, so far from human nature and from other brother/brother ships that it's almost laughable, and sometimes genuinely puzzling, to apply ANY human labels to them at all. for example, would you call luther a cannibal because he eats people? no. because it'd be like calling a human cannibal for eating cows, and that makes no sense. words mean things.

to us, at least.

coincidentally, that's half of my point.

the ivorys adress each other as "brother", sure, but you cannot look me in the eyes and tell me that they fully understand what that means or that they care about it enough to follow the moral/ethical guidelines attached to such terms. you simply cannot. most times it feels less like they see each other as family and more like they're just...roleplaying.

but if you decide to call someone "daddy", just when does that make them your father?

randal, who could (but perhaps shouldn't) be considered the most resourceful of the two, uses "brother" as both title and honorific - like one uses "sir" or "ma'am" - but doesn't seem to be overtly attached to the familial aspect of it. again, he's not a human, and, as far as we know, our siblinghood doesn't come naturally to him - much like pain, guilt, conscience and a whole load of bodily functions that he also seems to lack. luther, on the other same hand, understands the caretaking implications of being the "older brother", but that's pretty much where his brotherly-ness begins and ends. if anything, he's incorrectly using the sibling label while playing parent; just without any trauma and/or responsibility attached to it. there's also the fact that he's the most powerful entity in the household and randal - no matter how many pianos he "possesses" or how many times he shoves himself in the space between the wall and the fridge - cannot possibly overpower him, also adds to this parent/kid dynamic; hence granting luther the (almost-meaningless) title of "master" and the authority over their dysfunctional home. that still doesn't mean randal perceives him as anything but a housemate, or playdate, for he doesn't really seem to keep up the role of mischievous little brother unless he's bored (often, not always).

so they use the word, but it lacks permanent meaning. in that sense, classic incest tropes - no matter if brocon or dadson flavored - don't really work. there's power imbalance, sure, but the familial bonds needed to reinforce that imbalance simply do not exist. randal is babied because he likes to be. he likes being taken care of and likes having rules to break. it's a character he plays. luther "takes care" of him because he himself likes doing it. he likes being a parent and likes having a reason to lecture & discipline. it's a character he plays. they don't actually need this dynamic to thrive, and it wasn't imposed on them by parents/caretakers or any set of misfortunes that we know of. they just deliberately chose to partake on it.

consequently, i don't think they feel what humans perceive as familial love (healthy or unhealthy) for each other. they're simply two powerful entities - whom we can assume have been at least friends for a long time - playing make-believe. creatures who have little to no regard for humanity as a species, and are only interested in their own antics. of course they do eventually commend certain humans for their achievements, and seem to find all sorts of comfort in our art/creations/traditions, but outside of that? they see humans as fragile beings as intelectually insignificant to them as most animals are to us. randal forcibly keeps one as a pet. not far from "master" luther, who keeps two.

again, the ivorys are clearly intelligent, specially regarding their own survival. they're not behind being purposefully dense when it comes to anything human that is even slightly inconvenient to them (huh? eating the delivery man's arm when we order pizza is bad? haha, i would never have guessed!). they have the means and understanding necessary to behave (and perhaps look) 100% human, they just...choose not to. they can bend reality itself to their whims, turn themselves and others into inconceivable creatures, all while feigning absolute normalcy at the chaotic world around them (werewoofs, carpet cats with human faces, alive walls and furniture...), and you think they'd draw the line at willingly distorting something as frivolous as family hierarchy?

tch. please.

with that said, by the rules of their own game, if they were to partake in any...non-platonic activities, it would only be considered incestuous because they decided it would be - by creating the dynamic and environment in the first place. and they would simply not fucking care if it is upsetting, distasteful or imoral by human standards. and that's the ship's whole flavor - that's why i love it so much! precisely because there's no such thing as the "oh, no! i accidentally fell in love with my sibling! woe is me!" (which i also love) with the ivorys. there's also not a "normal" way to ship them, even if you're adamant about them not being related or not seeing each other as family, because they're two fucking weirdos.

their whole relationship is so tastefully bonkers that i genuinely wouldn't be fazed if they spawned another creature to be their "littlest" sibling. honestly, who could stop them? and who's to say that, in their cryptic way, they're not a married couple? or buddies into weird roleplay? ultimately, it is undeniable that they - in at least one sense of the word - love each other enough to enable each other; and to indulge on each other's silly/straight-up-criminal fantasies.

to me, there's no (human) romance, nor seduction, involved. randal knows he'll get nothing by jumping on his brother's lap and performing the most disgustingly horny hentai rip-off scenario ever. much like he'll get nothing in exchange for sweet words, flowers and chocolate. it's part of the game. he knows he'll receive only a "<3" (♥︎) - which him and luther seem to be able to pronounce out loud - or a hummed, blank-faced lecture about needing either a nap or to drink more water. if luther is having a bad day, he might even receive some sort of punishment. and those are the reactions randal wants, the normalcy (if you can call it that) he counts on. if he wanted a different response, something genuinely human, he'd have forcibly gauged it off sebastian, nyon or even nyen. likewise, luther knows better than to come too close or to grab randal by the waist, lest he get bitten or not-so-playfully snipped with scissors.

but there's intimacy. so much intimacy. on waking up to the other's figure looming over them, on physically crawling under each other's skin, on wrapping hands and claws around each other's organs and muscles and bones, on faux eyes staring into faux eyes, on a eerie smile pressed against unmoving lips, on the suspension of disbelief, on the lingering smell of copper, on the flashing lights and sappy endearments and and-

and, i suppose, on the sex too. i don't think i can picture them having human sex - really, who am i to guess what these creatures are packing in their pants? for all we know, they might as well be ken-doll smooth down there - but if they were to ever consummate their relationship sexually, i feel like it would probably be as uncomfortable, off-putting, disturbing and offensive to the eyes as everything else they do. genuinely revolting from any possible point of view - unless you're a true monsterfucker. a ritual so gross that, for us, it resembles nothing but a cacophony of unthinkable horrors molding together wetly, but that, to them, feels nothing but heavenly from beginning to end. as close to divinity as such wretched demons/creatures are ever going to get.

anyways. enough, my apologies-

the conclusion is that...me shipping these two isn't even about wishing they'd get together, because, in their fucked up way, they already are. it isn't about spiting other fans either. it's about having fun coming up with increasingly nonsensical scenarios hoping to come close to their freak ✦

[probablyaparadox]

Oh gosh here we go again- the peak of my hyper fixation on something where I finally post a theory... SO CROCODILE- (Y'all love this guy on tumblr-)I'm going to be very truthful, this started out as a head cannon which I found evidence for in this theory to bring my idea's to completion, and really ties up my thought process together.

What are the key takeaways? 1. Crocodile specifically Avoids having a ring on ring finger, and this could be because he has a spouse 2. Him having lost them in some way, and Iva knowing about them. But why Iva? And why do I say them? Y'all already know- I'm saying Crocodile is gay, and has a husband, well somewhere out there. This makes logistic sense because well, why Iva becomes answered, but we also have a subtle hint in crocodiles overall design. Firstly

Crocodiles Outfit is surprisingly evocative of the victorian dress. Mostly thanks to the vest and cravat look. Additionally, the victorian era began in 1837, very close to when Cigars became popular. I bring this up partially because I think it's cool, and partially because it allows for some implications to come across, as one piece's world spans socially over several decades in terms of atmosphere and acceptance. Mostly that the victorian era was a time where being LGBTQ+ was still considered taboo. So while most of new kama is living in the times of 1970's to modern day, he is very much living in the victorian era. One revolves around being loud and proud, and the other very much around subtleties. What subtleties does he have? Well. For starters, It's a very- Choice colour with the purple vest there. (this is mostly a joke, although purple is associated with signalling, it's usually a different manner as far as I'm aware.) What I actually want to talk about is the earring. Most characters in one piece Wear double earrings if they are wearing them (I.E. Law, bart, Nami, Blackbeard etc.) For those of you unaware, Earring signalling goes like this. Right is gay, left is straight. I could only find three characters wearing a single earring. 1. Zoro on his left. 2. Benn Beckman on his right (Good for him!/hj) and 3. Crocodile on his right. So with this ramble aside. I think his interactions with Iva and the gays TM make much more sense. He's down with the gays because well. He is. They literally give him an entirely new outfit, just like they do for the rest of the LGBTQ+ people they bring in. And why IVA SPECIFICALLY would know that he is married, as per Iva knowing and being all gay peoples parent (/hj). In all seriousness I think it would make sense in this context that he asked Iva to help with his wedding or something of the like, since he (and presumably his husband) likely didn't have many connections to people who could do wedding stuff non-judgementally I.E. a cake or getting someone to do the vows. It's very wholesome, but it's something that I could see as Crocodile wanting to be kept secret, as he's been characterized as someone very secretive. This part is pure speculation/almost definitely false; but. I could definitely see some sort of "held hostage" situation. As Crocodile said "If you want to protect something, do it right." This could be someone who is protecting something, but also someone who lost it. I mean, they've forced the other warlords into similar corners, with the protection of Amazon Lily, or the release of Arlong (and likewise the safe return of all the escaped slaves from the Sun pirates who just wanted to go home.) It makes the "wanting to have a power that can match the WG or any nation in force" goal of his have a much more interesting reason than "KING OF THE PIRATES." We got enough folks aiming for that already, and I feel like if you beat an early antagonist that badly and just keep using him, you gotta have some kind of pay off that doesn't involve him getting beat again.

[mhsdatgo]

do you like Aemond ?

Henlo anon <3

Depends which Aemond we're talking about 😭😭😭 Book!Aemond had me clutching my pearls like how can someone be so infuriatingly bad at the job he was nearly at his bro's throat for is so over me like I wanted to curbstomp him so bad. No you don't get it I was tweaking every time that bitch boy's name popped up.

Show!Aemond?? Much better. He's interesting and intriguing, there is so much to his character that despite being left unexplored can be filled in if you're creative enough. His dynamic with every character is worth analysing, he steals the spot in almost every scene he's in (if this was the showrunners' goal then I'd say they succeeded) he's one of the characters I'm the least disappointed in.

I DO feel like he's about to fall into the unnecessary shock value hole like many characters before him and it feels like a slap to the face to be honest 😭 I've got quite mixed feelings about shock value as a whole like there are some instances where I praise it but you'll never see me doing so with shock value in HOTD specifically. It is all linked to sexual traumas somehow and either don't make sense or look more like rage (and problematic fans) bait than shock value.

For example since we're talking about Aemond, we could talk about how he seems to have developed this morbid Oedipus complex (a child's unconscious attraction towards the mother) towards Alicent. Literally the only thing that's missing is the hostility towards the father who is cold in his grave by this point and he's not even worth bringing up. It (supposedly) manifests through Aemond's feeling of entitlement to Alicent's forgiveness, which he doesn't get and thus takes to calling her BY NAME and a fool. Apparently guilt is something Aemond feels only when he's sure Alicent is willing to forgive him, love him and cherish him no matter what he's done. This is a version of Aemond that is so out of touch with reality that he cannot for the life of him comprehend when he's gone too far. (or better, HE DOES, he's absolutely sure the answer to his "I messed up" will always be "I forgive you and I'll move on". When that doesn't happen and Alicent is indeed chilly because he indeed went too far, his guilt turns to bitterness.)

Do we even know what brought him to develop such a mentality?? Is it because, in his eyes, Alicent has always been the one to defend him from whoever? Because we as viewers know for a fact that is NOT TRUE. Like I'm sorry I'm saying this as an Alicent lover but I heard her say the following phrase with my own ears:

"You may cuff him about as you wish at home, but in the world, we must defend our own."

There are A LOT of implications here. The main one being that image is the most important thing to her and should something like Aegon becoming the ringleader of a pack that is SET on treating Aemond like shit come out, it would soil the family's image. Doesn't mean this cannot continue as long as it isn't known. One could argue that it's not like Alicent could know how much of a toll the bullying was taking on Aemond but the way the whole instance of him going to his mother was treated tells me it wasn't the first time, and that therefore, she pretty much knew.

Moreover, that's her child covered in dirt and ash crying about how he was humiliated before the whole Dragonpit, there are no subtleties, there is no way to be mistaken. But that's beyond the point.

What kind of sick fuck came up with this jealousy? Entitlement? How to call it? That Aemond feels towards Alicent and what good/efficient does it do to either of their characters. That's the question, and the answer is NONE THAT'S RIGHT. Doesn't make sense, and was added in because they just wanted more sick fuckery in the show. (because Dyana's rape and future arc isn't enough)

Moving on to the other greatest problem I have with Aemond's characterization: THE INFAMOUS BROTHEL SCENE. COMING UP ON YOUR SCREENS IN A FEW HOURS. ASKERS: NONE.

OOOOUFFFHHHHHHH I've got so many problems with this scene. First of all, what kind of coping mechanism is that? I'm fully convinced this scene is made for nothing else other than fanservice because the implications are nasty. He likes older women, that's fine, valid, relatable and all, but WHY make it the consequence of yet another sexual trauma?

If the streets are right the woman that is cradling him as he lies in her lap naked is the brothel madam that is seen in ep. 8 "The Green Council" (Michelle Bonnard)

Which may or may not be woman he was brought to by his brother at the age 13 to be sexually assaulted by. Look, having Aegon bring his 13 year old brother to engage in sex he's clearly not an enthusiastic party in was already a bad choice, it felt like another bad quality given to Aegon the showrunners didn't know what to do with. But their ADAMANCE on making some kind of subplot out of this because you added it, why the fuck would you forget it? Feels so forced and makes me feel the topic should've stayed that way, unexplored.

Now his relationship with Alys is going to feel like a trauma response too! And that's if they don't go with the "Alys bewitched Aemond and brought him to his death" storyline. (Honestly would be better at this point)

When Aemond and Madam first meet on screen (supposedly for the first time since that nightmare of a birthday) Aemond is clearly CLEARLY uneasy. So fucking uneasy. And it's in the script too:

[creds: @darksvster]

It's something neither her or him have forgotten, and clearly a weak point for Aemond (understandably so.) Yet apparently, in season 2, we'll see him in the arms of the same woman AGAIN! CUDDLED UP LIKE A BABY EVEN!!!

I'm projectile vomiting so hard the recoil throws me out the window and rolling on the road below. There are problems here. A LOT of problems. Who decided it would be good? WHO?

So basically yep. Aemond's characterization appeared solid up until this new season, it seems. There's much more to cover up and I'm ready to RANT about everything I will be seeing on screen but things are looking grim. I just hope I won't have to watch Aemond come back to the woman that traumatized him for more than five minutes at best.

Thanks for the ask anon <3

[meltingchaos]

I just have to gush about the Lucifer parallels with Belos.

Firstly, the emperor's coven sigil. There are four wings and, going by angelology, an angel with four wings is a cherubim.

There are implications in Ezekiel that imply that Lucifer may have been a cherubim.

Ezekiel 28: "You were the anointed cherub".

It also describes him as "covering cherub", meaning he would have covered the throne of God with his wings. Cherubs were throne bearers, upholding the throne of God. They also were appointed with guarding Eden. Both of these facts are similar to how Belos made it seem like his relationship with the titan was so close, acting as a prophet, beholding the titan and yet covering secrets such as how only he could commune with them, writing it off as the titan working in 'mysterious ways'. Also, his protectiveness over the human realm, albeit misguided and an excuse to fuel his delusions, is similar to how the cherubs were made to guard Eden. I also like to think that the triangle and circle in this sigil have some correlation with God, showing trinity and eternity. As for the sword, it makes me think of many artist renditions of St. Michael the archangel, battling Lucifer at the fall, often shown defeating him with a sword in hand.

Which brings me to my next point. The DRAGON. Oh how the dragon Belos made me so happy.

Through posessing the titan, Belos gained wings and a much more monstrous look, much like a dragon. Lucifer during the fall turned into a dragon as well!

Revelation 12: 3-4: And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.

Revelation 12:7–10: Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Belos, in his mind, believes he's a hero, trying to liberate humanity. He sees himself as some sort of saviour to humanity, delusions of grandeur. That same idea of liberation is what he brings to the boiling isles, much like Lucifer in paradise lost and other stories, saying he wants to free angels and yet still placing himself as the new leader / deity.

Finally, Belos' chosen name. 'Belos' is strikingly similar to 'Belial'. A pagan angel who was also cast out by God, much like Lucifer. Belial, in the Old testament is later personified as the devil in Christianity as well. (In Hebrew, the word Belial is used to characterize the wicked or worthless. So you could say Belos' name literally means worthless and I think that's pretty cool.)

I should also mention that Belos comes from the word Bel, meaning master / lord. As does Belial, also having the word for 'lord'.

That man thinks very highly of himself. Sure does remind me of Lucifer hmmm. Demon of Pride and all.

Gosh I just,,, it's so cool,,,

There are even more instances but this post is already long so I'll leave it at this lol.

Tldr: Belos thinks he's like Jesus but he's so much like the devil and it's hilarious.

[mamawasatesttube]

13, 16, 21, 24

13. worst blorboficiation

jason todd. fanon tim is also annoying as hell but at least he doesn't prompt people to start spewing literal straight up copaganda

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

SHOVEL TALKS. theyre rooted in so much gross misogyny and very often also racism lmfao what is the appeal to you people??? the idea of a father figure being overly invested in your virginity???? 😬😬

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

this is incredibly specific and also incredibly bitchy but. you know that one yjdc panel of tim looking at kon's statue and saying "i didn't know what i was feeling". so many people reposted that all over the fucking place and would not stop talking about it and it was Right as i was getting into the fandom and i just remember so vividly thinking like. wow! this is so extremely bland and says nothing and was clearly just written in to get attention and be tweeted and tiktoked about. geoff johns was accidentally way queerer than this. chuck dixon was accidentally way queerer than this. judd winick's closet scene was WAY queerer than this. this is clickbait. this is literally just bait. this doesn't even confirm ANY sort of romantic feelings. it's like very vaguely implied but "i didn't know what i was feeling" about grief that consumed your life can have so many nonromantic implications as well. like. this is nothing. this is nothing!!! everyone shut up about this panel it literally says NOTHING.

but that also goes back to how i feel like a lot of recent comics have been full of clickbaity panels. like they just want to get this specific shot talked about on twitter or whatever. :|

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

does "mentioning that fandoms can perpetuate racist stereotypes" count? i mean imo thats not even ~discourse~ thats just straight up people refusing to think about their own internalized biases i guess.

oh i know!!! saying "i headcanon kon as a gay man" because you get so many people going "well i think he's generally queer or bi" because you know. he doesn't LOOK like a stereotypical twink, and as we know, all gay men are skinny white twinks ONLY,

(i'm sure there's something even more rancid than this but i'm just drawing a blank right now. so we get what was rancid to me PERSONALLY as opposed to what might be more rancid on the general level?)

"choose violence" ask game!

[traincat]

Hey, so quick question: which version of Spider-Man you consider canon? I mean, the writers SAY a lot about the character and while he’s relatively relatable, he’s ALSO a wish fullfiliment kind of person so you can imagine yourself as him.

For example: he’s POOR, so WHY the heck is he still in New York since that's a EXPENSIVE City to live on? He hadn't suffered NEARLY as many tragedies as some other characters like Hulk or Jessica Jones.

Or, he's a loser, but... that's not true at all?? I like Peter, but I can't deny that he isn't necessarily THAT much of a woobie or an overall asshole on occasion (he ain't this saint people tend to claim, if anything he occasionaly behaves like a kid??). To be honest, he kinda has it... easy? Like, he can't have relationships, he's almost NEVER not in one, yet... they claim otherwise.

So yeah, I DO like the little asshole, but Marvel's tendency to retcon and don't show, but tell is... really confusing.

(The only thing that DOES help over that is their admitance it's on purpose, that it's not supposed to be realistic, still... is annoying.)

So I have a direct answer to "which version of Spider-Man do I consider canon" and then I have a lot of more nebulous thoughts about "versions" of characters, reader interpretation, and canon.

My Peter Parker is always going to be 616 Peter, from 1962 through to ugh. Probably about 2014, that's when I personally think the steady downhill slide in characterization that started around Brand New Day entered into irrevocable character damage territory. And I've talked before about how I think, despite what various creators may have said and despite different movie interpretations and the kind of fanon that shows up when you have an extremely large fandom with various levels of interest in actually reading the original-original source material, 616 Peter has traditionally remained a remarkably consistent character. Like yes you have to allow for different writers having slightly different takes, and no superhero who has been written by different creators over decades and decades is ever going to be 100% consistent, but given those factors, and given the character's growth -- like, these are all things that just apply to superhero comics by their very nature, but Peter Parker went five decades where he was a character who just made sense. When I call him fully realized, I really mean it. He feels real and completely fleshed out.

Which is why I kind of feel like the rest of your inquiries veer into more of a discussion on reader interpretation vs actual hard canon fact. And when I say reader interpretation I'm talking about the people who write the comics, too, because again we're working with a medium where fans often become creators, and bring all their own previous interpretations and related baggage with them into the story. Which has pros and cons! I don't mean to make it sound all negative.

I've talked about the relatable trap a lot and that I think there's been a troubling cultural shift from "this character is relatable because he relates to the basic human condition" to "this character is supposed to be relatable so he has to be exactly like me and have all of my exact problems" which feeds back into what you're saying re: "IS Peter a loser? Does he have troubles with girls?" Because it's like, if he's supposed to be a reflection of the Average Comic Book Reader (which I don't think he is) and if the Average Comic Book Reader is a Stereotypical Nerd (insulting implication) then obviously he has to be a loser who has problems with women. But like you said, that's not actually what's reflected in the comics. So what we're up against is this conglomeration of various reader interpretations all kind of tossed together and competing for attention and drowning out the actual comic character. Which is also the problem with calling him wish fulfillment -- whose wishes are we fulfilling? (My wish is to just read good Spider-Man comics currently, so obviously not mine.)

I also think it's a trap to go "well he's poor so obviously he shouldn't live in New York City" when the comics themselves go into this. His aunt and uncle lived in that house for a long time; most likely it's paid off. When he's lived in trendy Manhattan neighborhoods, it's often been in apartments owned by Harry Osborn. Mary Jane pays their bills a lot of the time! We have canon explanations for these things, we don't need to be having arguments about how they're not realistic because at the end of the day, Peter Parker is a fictional character -- writers have the ability to make these things make sense. He's in New York because he is New York; I don't see people jumping at the bit for him to move to Boise, Idaho, or for him to move back to Portland.

I think it's easy to say Peter hasn't had as many tragedies, or has suffered comparatively less than other major comic book figures, but that's opinion. His parents died! His uncle died! His aunt being in ill health in his youth meant an incredible about of responsibility was foisted on him much younger than his peers, leading to a sense of isolation! His girlfriend died! His best friend tried to kill him! Repeatedly! His best friend died! He was cloned! He was convinced that he was a clone and that his whole life was a lie and that he wasn't the real him! His clone, who he viewed as his brother, died! His baby died! On the same night! He thought that his aunt died but actually she'd been replaced by an actress and so he suffered through that grief and loss and tried to move on and then it turned out she wasn't dead! The world assumed his wife was dead for months and his friend group tried to force him to move on! The entirety of One More Day hinges on his inability to move on from the fact that when he instinctively saved his wife from gunfire, he left his aunt in the path of it! Like it's ALL tragedy, it's tragedy all the way down. Spider-Man is a tragedy. But because Peter Parker has earned this false title of being like, a funny little guy who is perpetually in high school and only ever cracks jokes and never engages in Serious Violence or whatever, that gets lost in translation. But for me, that's not a "version" of Peter Parker. That's just misinformation that's unfortunately become popular on a cultural scale and now it's impossible to get away from it. It's not an honest reflection of the source material.

Show, don't tell is the basis of a lot of writing -- whether or not you think that's good advice -- and I think a lot of these issues come down to people looking at small slices of a very large story and thinking that because it doesn't tell them everything in a huge Star Wars credits info dump at the very beginning of the each individual installment of the story that the whole thing doesn't make sense and that they need to "fix" it by declaring that if Peter is poor, he can't live in New York. If he's ever joked about having women troubles, he must be a total loser, so it's not realistic because he's actually always dating someone. Because a bomb didn't go off in his face, he's suffered less than other heroes. But that's not how long running superhero stories work, and sometimes it is necessary to look at the big picture to grasp the smaller details about a character.

[nightmarist]

I like the historian on the Hakkon DLC

KENRIC: "When spirits are willing to talk, most historians love the chance of a firsthand report." INQUI: "You're not concerned about the literal existence of an Avvar god?" KENRIC: "Not particularly. If the Jaws of Hakkon once bound their god to a dragon, it's likely just a powerful spirit. (cont.) That isn't to downplay the important cultural significance to the Avvar. But magic does not equate godhood. (cont.) Every Blight comes from the "Old Gods," which are also dagons corrupted by outside influence. (cont.) Sometimes, I wonder if we really know what we mean by gods."

I like this conversation. On one hand it does still have a bit of underlying implication that "The Maker is the Real God & these other gods are not real gods, just spirits, mortals" etc ignorance, but it does bring forward the cultural significance of what "god" even means regarding varied definitions per culture.

The Dwarves don't have "gods" per se, they have the Stone, the stone-sense, and the Paragons as a version of Ancestor veneration or Hero Worship (some, to my knowledge, can be Paragons while alive, but I'd have to replay dwarf origins to remember).

The Elves with their destroyed history elevated their circle of immortal beings to godhood mythologically, and while their understanding of their own pantheon has changed over the eras through colonization, they're still a legitimate "type" of god as their pantheon are ascended beings that even predate humans to the point one of the evolved (though incorrect as we find out) mythologies is that the creation/evolution of humans is what made elves lose their magic and isolate themselves.

The Avvar worship spirits and know they're "spirits" (besides the other primordial gods of the pantheon) but do not let that deter them from venerating these animistic beings and gain their blessing the way "real" gods would, which, if a "spirit" does everything a "real" god does, then that.. makes them a "real" god. Because the definition of a "god" is so vast and nebulous an soupy per cultural ideology.

Humans worshiping "The Maker" enjoy the idea of the untouchable, non-literal entity much the same way the Avvar look at their personification of the Sky and Mountain and Winter.

I like this conversation also because, well, the Maker is supposed to live in the Fade. "The Maker" itself could be "just a powerful spirit" , also not to downplay the significance but it's not a bad thing to be tangible or intangible. It's a real world conversation, also, gods that are tangible (animism, personification, etc) vs intangible are no better nor lesser than each other culturally (despite, you know, ignorance, elitism, colonization, etc).

Not only that but, if the Maker and the Tevinter Imperium and the Elves and Spirits all existed so long ago, Elves even before humans, and the idea that Solas/Dreadwolf is the individual who created the Veil and split the material and ethereal worlds apart to trap the "gods" that could very well include "The Maker"

I know I've been ornery about the way Dragon Age seemingly treats non-chantry (non-christian) religions, but I can 100% forgive characterized ignorance if it does turn out "oh, the Maker is also one of the spirits-turned-god and the idea of what is a god varies culture to culture whether its a powerful, elevated mortal, a powerful (conditional?) immortal, an ethereal entity like a spirit, a spirit taking mortal form, and many others, as they are al part of this ecosystem and thus can each be venerated accurately and appropriately with no real right or wrong answer" or some other interesting twist. DA gods dont have to be "just" spirits or "just" mortals turned immortal etc, they can all be "gods" without downplaying their influence and power and apotheosis.

Sidenote, I wonder if the Avvar would think of someone/thing like Cole to be blessed or apothesized.

I get so excited when it comes to mythology, real world and fictional. They're so much fun, and the conversation, again real world or fictional, can also be fun.

[mycochaotix]

My “real”nonbinary friends and fam, please read this and tell me your thoughts!!! —r/nonbinary user commented:

“I feel that Blair White and others like her are calling out bad behavior and demanding personal accountability. We all can live our lives as we see fit, but demanding nullification of sexual orientation in relation to one's gender or having a melt down over misgender pronouns without self realization about how we present ourselves is narcissistic and provides our detectors against the lgbt+ community with reason to vilify us.

Non-binary people are not the problem, to be clear. It's people who believe being non-binary qualifies them for special victimhood status and who go on public forums to decry society's ills for not recognizing their non-binary lifestyle on sight that creates this negativity.

If you know you are emotionally mature enough to get through your day and live your truth without being angry someone isn't into you or that the days your presentation may lean one way or the other on the gender spectrum and gracefully correct and move on, you know you aren't the problem.”

- they were downvoted many times when I saw rhe comment, so I asked chatgpt why and replied to them:

“Asked ChatGPT why your comment is being downvoted, it said: “This comment appears to express a negative view towards individuals, particularly non-binary people, who assert their gender identity and seek recognition. The use of terms like "meltdown" and the implication that asserting ‘one's gender identity is narcissistic’ may be perceived as dismissive or transphobic by some. “ 🤷🏽”

- they responded to my comment with:

“I mean, if you like feel that someone crying over a stranger at a fast food restaurant calling them "Ma'am" while taking their order on Tik Tok is good representation, we're at an impasse. That's not real life and it doesn't represent real non-binary people.

Edit: More importantly, if we ourselves do not call out bad behavior in our own community and ensure that negative representation isn't the only viewable commodity, we're practically committing self harm.”

- i replied with:

“Up until this comment, I havent made a personal belief claim about your comments. Just saw you being downvoted and wanted to understand why :) hence why I asked chatgpt.

Honestly, your comment reflects that you seem to be trying to police or gatekeep what anyone gets offended by. Why does that matter. Most non binary people i know are too concerned about being hate crimed to actually get offended at a mcdonalds worker incorrectly assuming their gender… much less asserting their correct pronouns when being misgendered.

Your use of “real non binary people” is quite problematic tbh. I think you may have an insulated understanding of Queer people thats influencing your perspective in an unhelpful way. Im a real non binary person and I disagree with your perspective and characterization of non binary people. Your edit is something im not comfortable addressing specifically tbh, I process it as problematic and not worth pursuing as you seem set in your beliefs.

Your feelings, and mine, and whatever queer scapegoat you are bringing up from tiktok, all matter and are valid. You dont know the trauma history of the person who is offended at being misgendered. To be misgendered is uncomfortable, especially for trans folkx and especially for those who are aware of the insane, incessant gender norms, mores and expectations on us at all times.

Calling out bad behavior is fine, but looking at situations empathetically, and from as many perspectives as you can, is going to aid you on identifying behavior thats could be a meaningful change to call out , and behavior that you just dont like and want to stop someone from doing because of your discomfort.”

—

Queer, and specifically: Transfam, please tell me if im far off here … or what yall think!

-mcx

———

update:

[lovingoverwatchguys]

Soldier 76 and Tracer [warning: long post]

A lot of this boils down to headcanon, because this storyline is clearly incomplete (and will probably be expanded upon later...hopefully) and also is often implied rather than said aloud, but I really do think Soldier and Tracer have the kind of father-daughter dynamic in canon, the same way people give him and Dva one in fanon.

At this point, I think it’s pretty well-established that Jack wants to look out for Lena’s safety. Consider what he says when you select her in the Uprising event:

(This line truly touches my cold, dead heart.)

And when he sees her get killed in-game: (I believe the ‘seeing teammate get killed’ voicelines were taken out of the game because there’s already so much audio clutter. Which is understandable, but a bummer, because there was so much relationship insight in them)

Plus the iconic:

A lot of the time, people have the idea of the new generation of Overwatch being the ‘kids’. The thing is, while someone like Cassidy might have been Overwatch’s kid, I’d say Lena was Jack’s kid in particular. He quickly takes a liking to her, and she admires him a lot. I think she even still would defend him. In the London Calling comic, despite her polite smile, she doesn’t seem to like the public perception of other Overwatch members:

When you look at someone like Angela, who clearly holds resentment or at least regret towards Overwatch’s fall, versus Lena, who seems to remember it fondly and hate how people perceive it...it’s clear to me that she still believes in it. And not just in the abstract sense of ‘likes its original ideas’; she believes in how it was, including the leadership.

Including the Strike Commander. 

As of right now, we haven’t gotten a ton of canon material regarding the relationships between the characters between the time of Retribution and the Zurich explosion. We have the Ana comic where she ‘dies’, but that doesn’t really go very deeply into anyone’s mindset other than Ana herself. The scraps we have at least seem to imply that Lena fit right into the Overwatch ‘family’. 

With that thought in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised if she formed a bond with the Strike Commander, even with the bubble he put himself in. She was certainly at least in touch with the people closer to him. She also seems to be quite familiar with Ana. 

I think Jack cares about Lena and has a specific protectiveness of her, moreso than the other ‘next generation’. Like some kind of father, if you will. (Also, the gay and lesbian thing might be a coincidence, but it’s still worth considering...)

Now, let’s talk about parallels. (Thank you to @lenaperseveranceoxton for inspiring parts of this post, echoing a lot of how I already felt, but giving a couple new details I hadn’t thought of, in this post )

There are a lot of things about Soldier 76 and Tracer that are similar, and I don’t think this was an accident or excessively basic characterization. And I think Jack picks up on this. (I’m unsure about if Lena does)

Now, I could talk about how he refers to her ‘potential’, but I think the biggest piece of direct evidence here is this part of the Uprising comic. Lena comes to try and convince Jack to put troops in London, despite the fact that many governments are very deadset on not doing that. (When you think about it, that probably does mean he put his surrogate daughter over the law...be gay do crimes moment.)

The thing that informs Jack to make the decision to send troops into London is this after his conversation with her: 

The implication I got was that Tracer, with all of her spirit and belief in doing what was right, reminded Jack of himself when he was younger and more idealistic. It reminded him what he originally created all of this for.

And while this is hopeful and all, Jack does eventually lose that type of idealism (well, to some extent, but I already went off about that elsewhere). Meanwhile, Lena is left with it.

Now, there’s also Vincent and Emily. Lena is still with Emily, and her decisions are often influenced by her caring for her girlfriend. Lena will do things to protect her and retain their happy relationship.

Meanwhile, Jack split with Vincent over his job. Unlike some people, I don’t think Jack is still in love with Vincent as a person; Vincent represents the life he gave up for the Commander position, and how sad he is about that. It’s not even about who Vincent is now. Who knows if they’d even still be together? What it’s about is living a life with a family and not constant stress. Something simpler.

So, Lena is someone who hasn’t given up that life yet. But she’s still young enough that she someday could.

But all of that just leads me to the speculation that Jack doesn’t want Lena to go into this, because he fears that she’ll end up the same way he did. The idealistic person getting their dreams crushed by the cruel world of politics. He wouldn’t want her to be part of new Overwatch, because he thinks she’s putting herself in danger.

You know what I think would be cool? If ultimately, that was what pulled him back into this whole fight once and for all. Obviously he has plenty of reasons to want to go back, but I’d love if what pushed him over the edge was protecting Lena and feeling responsible for keeping her from what he went through. It’d be a nice parallel, and a moment where he could show how much he genuinely does care. And most importantly, it would show that he still has something to learn from the younger people. I think that’d be a good growth moment for him, and could even be a nice theme for the audience.

Okay, maybe I also just want them to have cute moments together. Maybe I want him to try and take her fishing or some other lame old man thing. Is that so wrong?

In conclusion: sometimes a family is a gay old man, his lesbian daughter, and her cute girlfriend.

[revivisection]

RT ask: 2 4 6 8 14

😁😁😁 #love#friendship#friends#loveandfriendshipwithfriends

2. What is their Origin? Who were they before they became a Rogue Trader?

crime lord babeyy. soon as i saw it, of course that was the origin i was gonna pick. cosmas formed in my mind like aphrodite out of the sea. who did i castrate to make him… it was first born out of necessity, boy’s gotta eat (and also keep the other children he was looking after alive (don’t worry about it)), but he’s also got ambitions. he may be a super smart guy who does a lot of things but i don’t know jack about shit so we’re keeping it vague 💯 he’s cold trading he’s thieving he’s making connections he’s recruiting (realizes i can’t say goon anymore) people he’s territorial he’s a businessman he’s a father figure he’s uhhhh killing people etc. it’s like rogue trader shit but illegal because he doesn’t have a warrant (yet).

4. What does their name mean? Is it significant?

cosmas means order and decency, which is kind of funny… it’s also the name of a saint. according to a quick peruse of wikipedia, cosmas and his twin damian provided medical services for free, sort of in line with rt cosmas’ iconoclast actions, and they also survived a few attempted executions before finally dying, which is like how rt cosmas viciously clings on to life. and i like the name cause it’s space-y. i don’t imagine the meaning would remain in-universe, but cosmas has gone by many names and this was the one he liked best in the end. he named himself after the universe itself, which feels right for him.

as for his last name, the game gives you one based off your origin (besides sanctioned psyker, for some reason). the one for crime lord is “stubbs” which, i don’t know why i’m mr. stubbs, but i like to imagine it’s a nickname he picked up for [reasons pending, possibly forever]. not really a surname, but you say it like one. he had an actual family name before that, but he’s long shed it.

he becomes a von valancius and uses the power of that name often to his great advantage, but he doesn't really internalize it. it's a title, it's something he can use, it's not a name name like "cosmas" is to him.

6. What is their Conviction? How adherent are they to it? Does it change at all over the course of the game?

iconoclast, which is based in me wanting to be Nice in a Video Game, and then i had to turn it into actual characterization later. i stick to it pretty closely, though i’ve made a couple dogmatic/heretic choices too. cosmas is quite resolute in his beliefs (one could say stubborn), he’s not easily swayed, especially not by the most argumentative of his companions.

encroaching on question 7 territory here i guess, but i have trouble really explaining it so this is how i gotta say it. cosmas took up/was put into a caregiver/protector/leader role early on in his life, and chose to continue to be that person rather than look out solely for his own survival. he has more care for the common people than expected of his position because he knows what it’s like, he’s been one of them, but there’s also a possessive aspect to it, everything he has investment in (emotional or material) belongs to him. he is like a livestock guardian to me. born from my own reluctance to trade my people units i guess, they’re just little stats in a menu, but some of these offers are shady as hell… what are you going to do with them… guess there’s a lot of compassion in that guy, i’m just really caught up in his personal issues that your chosen questions don’t really touch on lol.

8. What was their Triumph? Do they take pride in it?

apex of brilliance, he got his hands all over a whole star system. where exactly it is, what it or any of the planets are called, who fucking knows. maybe one day i’ll know but i am Not acquainted with the. whatever it’s called when it’s geography for space. i mean i guess it’d be astronomy but the implications are different. anyways, he’s very proud. sure his domain as a rogue trader is much larger, but it doesn’t feel like he earned it like he did with his star system. i think i picked this one in particular because of the int stat boost...

14. Who was the most important person in their life prior to becoming a Rogue Trader? Is that person still in their life now?

his right hand, his enforcer, his sister, damia (after cosmas and damian because i had to). they’ve been together since early days when cosmas had his own gang of unfortunate kids, though only he and her made it to adulthood. they’re not bio siblings but they basically adopted each other. he left her to take care of things back home while he went to the koronus expanse, so they’re cut off from each other during the game. i’d say they generally get along and work together well, but they don’t always agree and cosmas Has To Have His Way Always, which can and has caused friction. i also think their relationship was strained by [question 9 related event] which they left unresolved ^_^ he misses her but trusts her not to fuck things up while he’s gone. she’s always fallen into following him since she was the younger one, he took on a guardian role for her, she’s his best subordinate, there was a lot of potential left untapped there. maybe even surpressed. i don’t think they see each other again for a long time, a lot changes during then, damia feels sort of abandoned, but she also doesn’t want to take second place by cosmas’ side again. their reunion might not be the happiest.

before writing this my idea for damia lacked conflict, which made imagining her really boring. things can always change, and she’s still not really a character, but now that i’ve laid down some issues there i like her a lot more.

fun fact, their stupid nicknames for each other are cosy and damsy. it came to me one day and then never left my brain, so this is real lore now.