#like how humans are humans and thus that doesn't honestly say much about them.

[nibbelraz]

I am endlessly entertained by the prospect of MBJ just having literally no clue how human physiology works, and thus believing everything he hears (which, paired with SQH's propensity for saying dumb shit without thinking, is a recipe for disaster)

like:

SQH: ugh if I read any more expense reports my eyeballs will fall out of my head

MBJ: *frantically gathering as many expense reports as he can carry before shoving them into the fire*

SQH: *literally watching all his work burn up in flames* i-

MBJ: please hold in your eyeballs

______

SQH, offhandedly: lmao wei qingwei ate so many bao buns at the festival that I honestly think he's going to turn into one

MBJ, absolutely horrified, actually gives his condolences to the (very confused) human man because this affliction which will soon take his humanity is a fate worse than death. Also he starts hiding SQH's melon seeds

_____

SQH: ugh I'm so stressed out i'm gonna EXPLODE

MBJ: NO-

Yes YES OH man Shang Qinghua definitely has no filter when complaining about stuff, Poor Mobei he's learning so many awful things about humans and how MUCH DANGER THEYRE IN (how much danger his favorite human is in)

He tries to learn more about what can happen to his poor human so he's spying on Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghuas meetings only to hear them BOTH dramatically explain how tired they are, Shen Qingqiu with some peak lord duties juggled with Binghe and Shang Qinghua with just the amount of paper work and how they both won't make it if things don't slow down soon which prompts Mobei to immediately tell Luo Binghe that his consort is going to DIE if he doesn't get rest immediately this second

I can see this getting SO out of hand so fast, He'd bury Shang Qinghua in blankets and hold him tight so absolutely nothing can bother him and he'd be safe

#svsss #shen qingqiu #luo binghe #shang qinghua #mobei jun #moshang #bingqiu #i would read a fic about this immediately i love how they cant communicate #because i know Shang Qinghua would be WAY too confused to even try to put together wtf is happening with his king #he misses his melon seeds #and his work keeps getting burned #my king what are you doing? Are you trying to make my work longer? #also Binghe would wholehearedly belive Mobei if he said his shizun is dying from lack of rest #immediately making Shen Qingqiu lay in bed and latching onto him and hiss8ng at anyone that bothers them #nib text #ask

[onskepa]

Hello! Can you do a reader who is a siren with the sully family + metkayina?

Hellooooo!! Honestly this idea was a long time waiting! Glad you requested! Enjoy~!!

Pt 2

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

Tirol

Water is essential for life, be it of fauna or flora. Water is a important element in keeping things alive. Land or sea, water is everything. There is nothing to argue about that. And no one knows better than the reef na'vi.

Water is their very life. A piece of their soul, their whole being. So who is this human to say she understands them?

Well meet Tirol. A human who came along with the Sully family. Many of the Metkayina clan were hesitant to accept Tirol. But the sully family that out of everyone in the family, Tirol needs to live here. Tonowari nor Ronal understood what they meant by that. Until one certain day.

During practice, Tsireya, ao'nung and rotxo were too busy helping neteyam and lo'ak that they didn't see tuk getting carried away by a sudden wave. She couldn't hold her breath much longer and was beginning to drown.

Lo'ak was the first to notice, screaming out tuk's name, the other teens turned and all panicked, quickly swimming towards tuk, but they were too far, they wouldn't make it in time!

tirol who was in the marui doing something heard the teens screaming out for tuk. She turns to see tuk struggling to keep her head above water. Panic struck her and without a second thought, Tirol jumps into the water to save tuk.

In less than 3 seconds, tirol grabbed tuk and held her above water. Tuk was choking out the water but was breathing alright and hugged tilor tightly.

Neteyam and lo'ak reached the two girls and released heavy sighs, checking on their little sister making sure she is ok.

Tsireya, ao'nung and rotxo stayed where they were, confused. A human is smaller, thus less energy and not as fast as a na'vi. So how was tirol able to make it to tuk when she was at the same distance at them yet made to tuk faster?

As the three swam closer, their heads still above water, ao'nung couldn't help but ask. "How were you able to swim with your little human legs?" ao'nung asks, tsireya hits him slightly at the back of his head which doesn't phase him.

The sully kids chuckled as tilor smiles. "Look underwater" was all she said. The three did so, and almost choked, they couldn't believe it, everything about it was beautiful as it was strange.

Instead of human legs, what they saw was one big long tail with fins! The scales glistening against the underwater lighting, the colors shinning through giving is a shiny look. The scales were of something else, blending the tail and the upper part of human skin. The tail was so hypnotizing, the fins were also of something else. Transparent yet elegant looking, flowing so beautifully.

Tisreya was amazed, she had never seen anything like it before! Lifting her head up, smiling so excitedly. "Amazing! your tail is so beautiful!", Tirol blushes slightly but is happy she nor the boys are freaked out. Rotxo came up, letting his mouth run before his mind, "how can you pee??". Both ao'nung and tsireya hit his head double time.

"please excuse my friends stupidity" ao'nung says. Toril giggles in amusement, "it is alright, but I am not going to answer that question". "Are all humans like you?" tsireya asks, tirol shakes her head. "Not really, I am called a siren".

"How about we talk more in the shallow areas" neteyam suggests, everyone agrees and does so. Gathering in a circle so everyone can admire tirol's tail, questions were being made.

"So what is a siren?" tsireya was the first to ask. Tirol and smiles and answers, "a siren is half human fish, we have the godly ability to sing. But not just singing a lovely tune no, our voice is our power. I can lure anyone with my voice in a hypnotizing way, and I lead them wherever I please".

The three reed children stared in amazement. "Have you ever used your...power before?" ao'nung asked. Tirol nods and explains further, "I have, I even assisted in battles against the sky demons, I would hide in the deepest lakes, violent rivers, and lure the sky demons to me. Once they reach the deep areas, I would remove their masks and drown them. It has taken time but it is more silent and effective".

The more tilor explains, the more entranced they are. Of course they would ask her to sing but was denied of request, "Whenever I sing, even if I don't mean to on purpose, anyone who hears me will be affected and I don't want that".

The three kids nodded and rotxo asked, "is that why you came with the sully family? Because of the wide ocean?". Tirol answered as she began to weave some seaweed, "two reasons really. The first is yes, because of the ocean. I loved the lakes and rivers but I longed for wide spaces, swim more than tight narrow areas. Second is for what I am. Once the sky demons found out what I am capable of, they will be after me. So joining the sully family, I came here. And I am so happy that they brought me. I love the ocean! the reefs, the animals, everything, truly I feel more at home than in the lakes and rivers".

Rotxo grinned and stood up, "well come on then. Lets see if your tail makes you faster than us" he challenged. Smiling at the invination, tilor was quick to move through the shallow water, making rotxo eat sand.

Laughing and new feeling of energy, everyone went back to the water and swim along side tirol. With her beautiful tail, she looked at home under water. Communicating with na'vi sing language, she said her under water jokes. The reef kids loved her jokes will the sully kids cringed at how terrible they were.

After a long day of swimming, everyone returned to their homes tired. Tirol sat at the edge of the walk ways, drying her tail for her legs to return. Tuk and kiri sat beside, handing her a bowl of freshly cooked stew. "I swam so much today, weird to say I am glad I am feeling sore and tired. I never used this much energy back at home" tirol says with a big smile on her face.

"We can tell, you swam none stop all day, but I am happy you like it here. You seemed to adjust more quicker than the rest of us" kiri comments. Tiorl pulls tuk on her lap and tuk feeds her. "Yes, but in no time the rest of you guys will adjust too. This is our home now".

The next few weeks, the whole metkayina clan now knew of tirol's ability, while she still refuses to sing, she speaks stories of her ancestors, and tales of her fallen sister clan, the mermaids.

Ronal and Tonowari were amazed of tirol's skills and all that makes her a siren. They were quick to accept her more than the sully family. Which the family dont take offence to, but tirol uses her new found acceptance as a bridge to get the two along.

To say, Tirol truly feels at home, being where she truly belongs, in the ocean. Where it is her natural home, and thrive in her true element with her long time friends and her found friends.

Aaaaaaaaaaand that is this it for this one! Hope you all like it! Until next time! See ya!

Tirol = song [vocal]

#avatar #avatar the way of water #na'vi x reader #na'vi avatar #avatar 2 #na'vi x human #lo'ak #kiri #lo'ak sully #tuk sully #neteyam sully #tsireya #ao'nung #rotxo #siren #siren reader #tuk x reader #kiri x reader #neteyam x reader #lo'ak x reader #tsireya x reader #ao'nung x you #ao'nung x y/n #ao'nung x reader #rotxo x reader #avatar rotxo #rotxo x you #atwow

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

What do you think constitutes as a 'monster'? In the scary monster Halloween event mummies, vampires, werewolves, skeletons and dragons seem to be monsters but there was also the ghost pirate, so do ghosts constitute as monsters? Is 'monster' a term used for creatures that aren't part of the main four species (humans, fairies, merpeople, beastpeople)?

I honestly don't think what counts as "monster" and "non-monster" is a huge distinction to make, nor is it strongly defined in the world of Twisted Wonderland. I also don't think it's something as simple as "these specific 4 races are not monsters and anything outside of these 4 are monsters" because that's just a really arbitrary decision. The labels themselves (if this is the case) are also extremely unfair, as it implies negative things about the non-dominant species when they really haven't done anything to warrant it and can't control the population of their species to come "out" of that monster label. I think it's much more likely that what makes something a "monster" is how it compares to a human in terms of life functions. For many of the "monsters" listed (vampires, mummies, skeletons, ghosts, etc.), they have unnatural means of coming into existence. These creatures are not "born" like a normal living creature would be. Rather, they "turn" or are "made" somehow. In the case of the werewolf, they're also "unnatural" in a magical sense because people are not able to shift into different forms on their own. Even beastmen cannot just assume beast form; Jack's the exception due to his UM. Merfolk need to take a special potion to maintain their human forms, and can only shift in cases when they want to revert back to their merforms from their human forms. They'd need to take another transformation potion to gain legs again. Because a werewolf defies these constraints, that may be what makes them "monsters".

Finally, we come to dragons, which is a particularly special case. We learn that Malleus himself, being a dragon fae, has ancestors who are real dragons. We also learn that beastmen are descended from real animals, and, from this, can probably also deduce that merfolk are also descended from various sea creatures. For this reason, some fae, beastmen, and merfolk are "monstrous" in some regard. However, the label "monster" is seen as derogatory, and is meant to be clearly distinct from just "animal" (see: Malleus's reaction to Rook saying he is "more monster than animal" in Rook's PE vignette). Therefore, beastmen and merfolk are off the hook for this discussion, since their ancestors are animals and not "monsters".

I also considered intelligence being a factor for the monster/non-monster distinction, but that doesn't seem to hold up when you consider that Phantoms and Grim are also called monsters or beasts. Buuut there are cases of intelligent Phantoms, and Grim himself is capable of human speech which is incredibly remarkable. We also don't know enough details about dragons themselves to know if they are "wild" and incapable of human speech. The one thing I could say about dragons that makes them different from humans (and thus fit into my earlier proposal) is that they probably produce eggs that have to be incubated to hatch (similar to chickens, I guess??), if Malleus's birth is anything to go off of. This creates a distinction between human reproduction and dragon reproduction--and since Malleus and other dragon fae have elements of both, it supports the idea that it can be difficult to reconcile with one's humanity vs being seen as something inhuman from the start. This could explain why Malleus takes such offense when Rook comments in the vignette I indicated: it's questioning his humanity.

#twst #twisted wonderland #Malleus Draconia #Rook Hunt #Jack Howl #disney twisted wonderland #notes from the writing raven #question #twst theory #twst theories #twisted wonderland theories #twisted wonderland theory

[onehundredandeleventropicalfish]

Dream has a nasty habit of giving advice and not taking it himself:

He tells Orpheus to grieve for Euridice(I'm not sure if I spelled that right) and then get over the loss, but he never got over Orpheus' death;

He tells Hob that taking away someone's free will is dishonorable. Yet he imprisons Nada and unmakes Gault for defying him;

He warns the fox lady against revenge but he wastes his precious energy on trapping Alex's mind in a nightmare after he gets freed.

He's such a bastard and I love him

He loves and cares so deeply for everyone, yet he's petty and spiteful. He never stops loving yet he can be so cruel to those he cares about

I don't remember where but I read this somewhere about Dream: "he can love without forgiveness and forgive without love" and I think that sums up Dream pretty nicely. He's full of contradictions and that's what makes me love him as a character so much

you know, ironically, while it's absolutely true that dream can be hypocritical, you're definitely not wrong, those first two actually aren't, as far as he sees the world

because the thing that hurts dream the most is that he cannot see himself as a living being - he is endless, he has a purpose, that's the extent of his existence

and therefore he doesn't dream, doesn't have a story, shouldn't want things for himself

and this is why he causes his own tragedy, because he is a person and he does need the things that make up someone's life, but he refuses to believe so

so when he's talking to orpheus, the important part here is "you are mortal, it is the mortal way"

dream would benefit greatly from being allowed to mourn orpheus, but he can't, he has a job to do, and allowing himself to grieve would interfere with his purpose. so he has no choice, he has to bury it

"so live" only applies to orpheus, as far as dream's concerned, because he doesn't think the endless live

gault falls under the exact same logic. dream sees his creations as extensions of him and is always surprised when they go beyond that. and if he's not allowed a life of his own, if he has to spend eternity fulfilling his purpose as it was given to him, they do too. they're not mortal, they don't live, and thus they don't have free will

(i'm honestly super curious to see what happens in the show from here because gault didn't exist in the comics, and dream actually acknowledging she was right is a major step forward that comic dream never managed to make)

and nada had free will

she just didn't think she did

that's how hell (or any afterlife) works, in the sandman universe, there is no being that judges it. death doesn't decide where you go, and neither does anyone else. you go where you believe you should

which is what makes sure people get to the right afterlife for their particular religion, but also it means that everyone in hell believes they deserve to be there

dream may have put her there, but he didn't have the power to keep her there. when she says "only your forgiveness can free me", that doesn't mean dream has to formally pardon her, it means she can only leave when she stops feeling like she was in the wrong here. and a part of her hates him for this, but a part of her is also stuck feeling guilty, and that's what's keeping her in hell. it's still a shitty move on dream's part, don't get me wrong, but when he said that to hob he was not currently doing anything to prevent her free will. had she truly decided what dream did was unfair, she could have left

revenge, however, that's where you're absolutely right. dream knows, on so many levels, that revenge causes more problems than it solves, and yet this is the one indulgence into human feelings he actually allows himself

he tells the fox not to, he tells hob revenge is a bad idea, he's constantly explaining to people he cares about not to take revenge because it will get them hurt. he is the prince of stories, and he knows how revenge stories end

(destruction even says he was disappointed that dream is still viewing everyone as stories, he'd hoped one day dream would realise people are people)

dream, though. dream doesn't have a story, so who says his revenge has to end in tragedy? he pushes down all his emotions for the sake of the world but anger doesn't want to leave, anger is good at convincing you it deserves to stay, anger can be righteous

if everyone else is just a story, well, the end is that they get what's coming to them. they deserve to be punished for hurting the people dream cares about, and who better to ensure the end of the story than him?

(and he doesn't realise how much his own emotions are influencing those decisions. he thinks he's being rational. he's not. what you were saying about him being both loving and spiteful always makes me think of orpheus - he loved his son more than anything in the world, he was a genuinely good dad and he did everything in his power to keep orpheus from tragedy. but then when orpheus ignored him and got hurt anyway, dream couldn't help but be angry at orpheus for causing their entire family so much pain, and that's why he walked away)

all the endless have different ways in which they see themselves in comparison to mortal beings. the more emotionally healthy ones realise that there's very little difference between the two. and then you get desire who explicitly admitted (in internal narration) that their entire sanity is hinging on believing that they are in control of the universe, they physically can't believe dream when he says they serve humanity and not the other way around. and dream, who sees everything and everyone as a story, except himself

he's not a living being, he doesn't follow their rules. he's not playing the game, he's the referee

except that's not and never was true

and that is the root of all of dream's problems

#sandman comic spoilers #dream of the endless #the sandman #ask #meta #mine #orpheus #nada

[androgynousblackbox]

OKAY, so I haven't actually finished the book yet so maybe my opinion on this will change, but I honestly feel like the gringo booktubers I watch all have no idea of what to do with Tender Is The Flesh and are fundamentally wrong about it? Like, saw someone trying to say "this book tries to criticize the food we eat rather than the industry", which sounds like absolute fucking bullshit to me because a BIG portion of the fucking book is all about how the industry is treating "the meat" like fucking dogshit and how the characters themselves, the ones who work inside of the industry, are disgusted whenever anyone even attempts to say there is something good about it. There is this constant cognitive dissonance where the characters know what they are doing is inhumane and awful, that they are treating "the meat" horrible, but it's their job, what are they going to do, and at the same time they feel it crosses a line whenever someone call "the meat" human or are even beyond inhumane when someone says the meat "have a good life" because they get treated as studs. Also, like in general, I feel all of them miss the part about this author being argentine and thus how that colors their vision of how the industry works. The biggest industry in all of the argentina, the one that gave us any kind of possibility to survive in this world, was the meat industry, we actually fucking need it because we have nothing else to offer, and yet, all the powerful people who are involved with the meat industry in this work are all foreigners: a japanese man who collects skin of people and threatens his employees with skinning them alive, a gringo, that is literally called gringo, and a german man who is to utterly dettached that has no issue calling "the meat" human and also make inhumane comments about them. At that point is very obvious to me that this isn't about just criticizing an industry, but criticizing a system to whome the industries are merely a reflection of. It's not about the world, it's about a country being so set on their old ways and traditions that are literally willing to eat each other if it means having a foot in the outside world. Because otherwise we have fucking nothing. And this ALREADY fuck us over in the real world. The protagonist is literally the representation of that! He literally asks himself why he keeps working on this shit if it makes him miserable? Because he is the best at it, because he gets paid and he needs the money. CAPITALISM ALL THE WAY DOWN, BABY. Like, the meat food industry is bad, but also think about why they are bad and why the powerful people want it to be bad in the first place. Like, the books says that indigenous, immigrants and other POCs are the first humans to being eaten. The poor and elderly. Why do you all think that is?? Like, I just generally do not understand how you can read that and come out thinking "this person just wants me to be vegan and I don't like that"/"this person doesn't criticize the food industry", like I am a very fucking firm believer that vegans who spend every breath trying to make you vegan are shit and just eat whatever, but even I got that it was meant as something else than that. And how people keep saying that the ending "comes out of nowhere" when it's literally foreshadowed at the beggining at the book while doing the world building? Were you even paying attention at all at that point? Like, I literally saw someone being "I think this book overstimates how much it would take for the world to be okay with cannibalism", like THAT IS NOT THE POINT. The point is not to write "how it's a world where human meat is mandatory", but rather explore the idea in which the way we ALREADY eat each other gets taken to it's extreme. LITERALLY WHAT ALL DISTOPIA FICTION DOES?? Anyway, again, I might change my mind when I finish the work myself, but even by reading the start myself and knowing a bit about the background of this author, I just do not get any of these reviews at all.

#tender is the flesh #andro is talking

[daisha-mochizuki]

ranting time for my 100th post

Okay. I need to scream to someone.

As an autistic person myself/someone's who is *most definitely* on the spectrum, I find that I am becoming more self aware, thus becoming aware of other people's autistic/neurodivergent behavior.

Continuing on with that information...

Does anyone else think/agree with me if I were to say that there's a pretty high chance Izuku is autistic, or at least on *some sort* of the neurodivergent spectrum??? Maybe someone else has said it before I don't know but I went on an entire spiral last night as I was trying to come up with ideas for an AU I'm doing😓

But, just listing some of the stuff he does that I personally do that I know is a hyperfixation:

Hyperfixates (most obvious being All Might/Toshinori Yagi [who could also be a special interest not just a hyperfixation], but also the other heroes and even villains)

Constantly trying to be optimistic about things/MASKING.

Immense guilt weighing you down when you think you've done something wrong even if it's something as small as putting something in the wrong spot by accident

Having hundreds of notebooks and other things to keep track of data from hyperfixations/special interests

Collecting objects of hyperfixtion/merchandise and shtuff for hyperfixations

Having a strict schedule/routine to follow (his training schedule *cough cough*)

RAMBLING NON-STOP ABOUT SPECIAL INTERESTS/HYPERFIXATIONS

When we look at Izuku's rooms, there's obviously the All Might special interest. We know all about his notebooks, and (if I'm remembering correctly) there are thirteen of them. While to some it may not seem like much (maybe idk I don't have normal interactions with people), those notebooks are filled to the *brim*. There's also *more* notebooks than that, as there's ones about his classmates, and ones about OFA, and other stuff as well.

When he was training, yes I know All Might made the routine for him, but Izuku took the routine and made it his own and followed it everyday (even though it grew unhealthy).

Izuku is honestly just a kid who doesn't know how to have a normal human interaction unless he is put in charge and is under a sort of stress in his brain. It may not seem stressful to others, but in order to have the "confidence" to be in charge, his brain creates stressors in order to function "correctly" in those situations.

He studies and trains obsessively, and is a people pleaser to all extents.

There's probably more that I could talk about, but *I've* been rambling here for a little while here now😭😭

Hope my ramblings made sense :D

(Also yayyyyyy 100 posts😭👍)

#artwork #my art #my artwork #digital art #my hero academia #my post #oh #god #gosh #ramblings #rambles #midoriya izuku #izuku midoriya #yagi toshinori #mha toshinori #bnha toshinori #my hero academia toshinori #mha #mha bakugou #boku no hero academia #bnha #screeching #autism go brrrr #autism #actually autistic #just some thoughts #just some random thoughts #just some ramblings #i've connected the dots #✨️autism✨️

[nocreativityfornames]

Nb!Belphie is making me think about S1!Belphie and I need to get these thoughts out so here's me making a post about it

You know how after MC reveals that they're human Belphie immediately shows distrust of them and goes for an attack? How even after getting past the fact they're human, he still gets super protective over Beel when he expresses wanting to make a pact with them, almost like he's scared of his brothers getting too close to MC?

The explanation I came to for this is that after what happened to Lilith, aka her death ( not really but it's what he believed happened at the time ), Belphie must've developed an irrational fear of humans. But not in the way you'd think, he's not inherently scared of them, he's scared of what the consequences of getting close to one could be. He's scared of his loved ones getting too close to a human, because the last time that happened, he lost his sister.

And no matter how illogical that fear might be, given that they're no longer in the Celestial Realm and thus, are no longer in danger of being subjected to any punishments for associating with humans, he still fears that. Trauma at its finest, it doesn't make much sense.

So when he sees his brothers not only getting close to a human but also making pacts with them, he feels on alert and uneasy. Even more when it comes to Beel, given how close they are, and how protective he already feels over him.

And thinking about this, as I stated in the title, made me think about S1!Belphie. Because what if during S1 Belphie was still dealing with that fear? What if that was also part of the reason he didn't want the exchange program to happen?

I mean, we know he hated humans. We know he despised them and wanted them away from him and the Devildom, that he blamed them for Lilith's death ( and also himself ), and couldn't bear the thought of the program happening because it would mean demons meddling with humans in a way that wasn't the usual "want to corrupt them/have their soul" dynamic and we know that he felt betrayed by his brothers when they were supportive of the exchange because to him humans were THE ENEMY and by accepting this arrangement his brothers were disrespecting Lilith.

And so, once trapped in the attic, his plan was to kill MC and ruin the exchange program. For all reasons above.

"He also planned to end humanity." Yes...and no?

I mean, yes, the game alludes to Belphie wanting to destroy humanity more than once, these are screenshots of it:

But honestly? I don't think he ever seriously considered doing this.

Yes, he hated humans more than anything, but I don't think he ever seriously wanted to kill ALL OF THEM, no. I think that he probably only said that in the heat of the moment, being so angry at Lucifer and all.

But maybe that's naive of me, maybe he DID want to end humanity. However, even if that was the case, I'm thinking he most likely gave up on the idea not too long after because it never gets brought up again after the flashback of him lashing out at Lucifer, or the scene with Diavolo saying he was a danger to humanity before locking him up.

Because come on, even if Belphie wanted to end humanity, he would've never been able to. I mean, there's no way that after killing MC his brothers would've just let him get past them and make his way to the human world. And through the 8 layers of hell no less, since portals can only be opened with Diavolo and/or Lucifer's permission.

And even if for some miracle he could escape the brothers, that's still 8 layers of hell to WALK through and he'd still have Diavolo, Barbatos, Solomon, and Simeon trying to stop him.

So yeah, there's no way that part of his plan could've been accomplished, and spending that much time in that attic alone in his head, he must've realized that and gave up.

Going back to the topic of why exactly he wanted to kill MC and end the exchange program though...

What if beyond all that burning hatred towards humans, he was also scared? What if he feared, too, that his brothers would end up taking a liking to MC? After all, the second human exchange student was assigned to their house, they were supposed to live with them, be in their lives 24/7.

What if Belphie was scared that his brothers would get close to that human? Scared that by befriending them, his brothers would be destined to meet a terrible fate later on?

What if he was scared of his family getting hurt?

Because again, he's got that irrational fear ( it's more a theory than a fact but you get what I mean ) that associates getting close to humans with danger, pain, grief, and all sorts of terrible stuff, thanks to his then unresolved trauma with Lilith, The Great Celestial War, etc.

And so by killing MC and ending the exchange program, he not only thinks that he's teaching everyone a lesson, revenging Lilith, and honoring her memory by reminding the others of her, but he's also convinced that he's protecting his brothers.

He's convinced that MC is a threat to his family, and that he's doing good by eliminating that same threat.

#and that makes everything more heartbreaking because imagine being the brothers in that situation #seeing ( MC ) someone they had grown to love so much be killed by their own brother #and have said brother claim to their face that he was protecting them from said person #obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me nightbringer #obey me belphegor #obey me screenshots #omnb #omswd #thoughts thoughts thoughts! (⁠๑⁠•⁠﹏⁠•⁠) #☙ no creativity for names ✾

[aikoiya]

I just do not understand the insistence that animals must be sentient.

Because if they were, then why are the animals that kill other animals not labeled as murderers?

Hell, why aren't cats seen as malicious, mini, jigsaw killers considering how they play with their food. Why aren't ewes looked upon with disgust for often trampling orphaned lambs that a farmer tries to get them to adopt? Why aren't wolves seen as bullies for hunting in packs to kill prey? Why aren't dolphins more acknowledged for being effing rapists?

If you believe that animals are capable of reasoning, then that automatically makes all animals that eat meat into exactly what humans that eat meat are, thus they should be looked upon with every bit as much scorn as certain vegans look upon regular ass people. And it'd also mean that any animal that hunts is a murderer.

Hell, many animals are cannibals! In fact, plenty even eat the young of other animals or even their own young if they're so much as lacking in B12!

Literally! Mother hamsters are known to eat her own babies if she's put on an all-corn diet! They don't even have to be dying because of it!

You can't claim that animals are all sentient & then not hold them responsible for their actions! That's hypocritical! Because if these animals are sentient, then they are making the active decision to commit these actions & should be held acountable for them! Period!

Seriously, unless an animal is specifically an obligate herbivore, they will likely still eat meat given the chance!

And, whether you like it or not, animals are only as vegan as their options. As soon as times get tough for a deer, it's gonna be eyeing up any little Tweeties or Thumpers they come across. Same with horses, sheep, ect.

In fact, if animals are as deserving of life & respect as us, then doesn't that make having pets the same as slavery? And how do cat owners even justify feeding their pets? At least those that force their cats into a vegan lifestyle are being consistent even though they're abusing the poor things. Those cats aren't gonna live to be 10 years old on a diet like that & they'll be miserable the whole time.

Like, how do people twist their brains into so many directions just to justify their lifestyles??

Seriously, humans are so freaking unique within the animal kingdom. We are probably the only creatures who would do all this nonsense for the sake of critters that honestly don't give an eff.

Like, dude, whatever. You don't wanna eat meat, then don't. No skin off my brow. More brisket for me! But don't moralize your choice & don't demonize those who love a delicious steak.

Here's what some don't seem to understand; those animals are gonna die anyway, whether it's by the hand of man, a predator animal, sickness, or old age. Their days are numbered no matter what. And, quite frequently, they'll still get eaten. So, in the end, what's the difference if a sheep is eaten by a human or a buzzard or a coyote?

You didn't save that sheep's life. You only postponed the inevitable. Because if you're not the one who eats it, then someone or something else will. You cannot stop it.

And it's likely going to hurt regardless, so saying shit like "anything to reduce at least a little bit of the pain in the world" is just pure naiveté. You haven't reduced the pain in the world even a little. And in fact, considering how a lot of animals don't even care if their food is all-the-way dead as they're eating them, you could even say that that animal might end up experiencing even more pain than if they'd been killed by a human.

And that isn't even taking into account sickness or accidents! How do you know that that animal's last moments won't be spent in complete misery or abject fear??

Because one of the things about humans is that, for the most part, we prefer our food dead-dead before we eat it. And we intentionally go out of our ways to make death as painless a transition as possible, even for the animals we're gonna eat.

If we're gonna keep it 100, ya'll. Humans can be some of the gentlest, most merciful killers on earth.

Hell, we have laws against animal cruelty!

And, the thing is, animals... don't. Period. In fact, most don't make it to old age.

So, in the end, your efforts were meaningless.

#humans are weird #vegans confuse me

[strqyr]

Sorry for bothering you but. Shoves my posts into your face. Oz parallels Darkness; he begs for humanity not to be punished for his actions like how Darkness didn't want the Jabberwalker punished for his. Destruction is not the enemy of Creation, destruction begets life (decay is an extent form of life), it's change. Oz embodies change to the highest degree and values it highly. He is demonized time and time again and he thinks he destroys everything he touches. He freely offers knowledge and especially choice. (<- this is all also why I think an allusion of his is Lucifer) Not only that, but he freely offers magic as well.

I just. Gestures wildly. Oz parallels Darkness so heavily that I'm so willing to bet that once Oz and Salem actually Talk, and Salem says something she believes about him, that he'll say "Is that truly what you think of me?" Or some form to parallel The Two Brothers. If he doesn't I'll fucking eat my hat and I don't even have one

yeah, oz definitely has more parallels with darkness than he does with light. like, while the gods don't embody only one specific gift, darkness is still associated more with destruction, and that is where oz's curse comes to play: he lives, he dies, and he reincarnates into a body of a like-minded soul, and with each life he's changed.

and i think what makes it even more poignant is that. . . it didn't necessarily have to be that way? if ozma's first reincarnation is anything to go by, he could have just taken over and remained unchanged, but he learned to live with each of his hosts, living their lives as much as they lived his.

in general i find oz's relationship with each gift quite fascinating. he uses the sword to end the bloodiest war in the history of remnant, and in the aftermath brings change. he uses the staff to raise atlas, making using it again quite a hurdle, highlighting the stagnancy of creation without destruction. he established the academies, institutions of knowledge and learning, but keeps the same secret close to his chest that brought him despair when he got his answer from jinn. he offers choice and encourages others to think it through instead of taking the first answer (as much as the circumstances were awful, at the time), but it is slightly undermined by the knowledge he keeps to himself that may or may not influence the choices others make.

and so much of it is informed by his own past, his own experiences, his own fear of what might happen that at times "slows" him down, where he doesn't quite follow the gifts as they should, while also following them in a different manner.

and, idk, it somehow makes me think of V9 and balance that isn't two forces locked in never-ending battle, but an ecosystem, an organism, a living breathing thing, that will find its own equilibrium, only requiring love and patience to see things through to the end.

and it's just. oz. that's oz, in a way. yes he's made mistakes and missteps along the way, but especially now that he's with oscar, he's closer than ever to finding the true balance, me thinks—and that's why it worries me that they were both fighting against the merge because that's. that's two (or more) forces locked in a battle of balance. "thus, balance cannot be restored with force or calculations" y'all i am concerned.

. . .where was i. i feel i got off the track lmao but yeah. yeah, i honestly think the like. biggest turn of events or something, words escape me, comes from salem because there's something she doesn't know about oz. it's the same as with everyone else—including ozma himself—learning about salem's immortality, just this time it's time for salem to learn something that changes her view of oz and that's where, yeah, something akin to "is that truly what you think of me?" might come out.

#rwby #ozma #nightmare-foundation #ask.strqyr #also it's no bother and sorry for taking a while to answer #my life has been taken over by hades 2 lol

[elysiumarchieve]

Scaramouxhe x mute reader? Headcanins before and after he became a 'god'

NAUR i think that honestly would be so cute😭 protective lover scaramouche who always knows exactly what you want and need MY HEART hc that he knows sign language

and PLEASE tell me if there is anything wrong, i tried researching more on mute people for this because i actually have never met anyone who is mute, so i tried my best😭

scaramouche x mute! gn! reader

warnings: fluff?? scaramouche isn't as much of a little shit in this as he usually is, he has a soft nonexistent heart, sort of 3.2 archon quest spoilers

✧ this is the embodiment of "they asked for no pickles" meme if you actually ask me

✧ scaramouche, although far more attentive when it comes to your needs, is still the same little shit you'd expect him to be. just because you're mute doesn't mean you're dumb and you understand him very well

✧ however, the difference lies in how he really treats you compared to everyone else - you're his beloved s/o and anyone mishandling you earned themself a nice warm place in whatever hell teyvat possesses

✧ scaramouche learnt rather quickly what you like and dislike and what things make you comfortable and uncomfortable. there is no need for you to even try and tell him you're feeling unwell, because he'll already be on his guard and leave at the slightest discomfort you might experience - he reads the room too well for someone who usually doesn't give a damn about human emotions and their needs

✧ there are people bothering you? the next day you find them on their knees, beaten up and bruised, begging you to tell your lover off and how they didn't know you were with a fatui harbinger (you didn't even know scaramouche found out about this)

✧ when accompanying him, he always makes sure you're 'heard'. he'd often say things such as "we're going this way" and waits for you to agree to it before continuing any further - it's all about you and what you think. you still have a 'voice', even though you can't speak to him like anyone else, but that's exactly why he puts you above everyone else

✧ a king of non-verbal cues. he's attentive to a point that it feels like his eyes are always on you, taking in every movement of yours and reading you like a book - there is no need for words in the first place. one unsure glance to the side and he'll be there, asking you what's bothering you

✧ while i doubt he knew anything about sign language before meeting you, he put in a lot of effort to learn it rather quickly for you. one, it would make it easier for him to know what you're trying to say and second, he doesn't need anyone to translate it to him nor do you need a notebook or anything else to talk to him

✧ tell him about your day! it doesn't matter how you do it, but he simply wants to see the excitement in your eyes when you go about what you did. he's genuinely interested in what you do

✧ after having received the gnosis and becoming a 'god' in that sense, you clearly saw him less and you were actually under the supervision of the sages who didn't even dare to say anything to you (i mean, your lover was literally becoming their god, what were they supposed to do?)

✧ staying with the doctor of all people wasn't an option either for you. who'd willingly stay with this madman in one room? not you unless you have a few screws loose

✧ if you came to visit scaramouche during his deification, he'd tell you about all the things he knew now - the knowledge he had gained, the things he suddenly felt.. except that he was still your scaramouche, being a little shit about everything

✧ fuck haypasia, his true first follower was always you, the person who was by his side even way before all of this. he had however to commend the sages for keeping you a secret from the traveler thus far. if they found out about you he would've been sure to try and hide you away from them (they could use his only weakness against him, but that would be low, even for the traveler)

✧ he allows you to sit down on these giant mecha hands to bring you closer to him and unless you're afraid of heights, is actually amazing. you look so tiny and vulnerable in his hands but he knows exactly that he can protect you even better now if you needed it (i'm thinking rn, if his arms copy every movement, can the mecha fingers too?? sign language mecha confirmed)

✧ if you manage to establish the same connection to him the way haypasia did, he'd definitely tries visiting you throughout the day, watching you from the shadows and making sure you're okay - this was his gift for you now that he was a 'god', his everlasting protection over you that he promises you

✧ besides that, he can read your thoughts now too, so your conversations would also be a little different from before. sometimes he'd just hold you on his mechanical hands and listen to what you have to say in your thoughts as he answers you whatever it might be

✧ in his eyes, you're beautiful on the outside and on the inside. he can tell from your mind that you're genuine about him and also his goals and it secretly reassures him knowing he has someone to actually keep true to what they promised him - in the end, all he ever wanted was to have a purpose, whether that might be through you or the gnosis he desires so much, he atleast knows that there is one more thing int his world to give him a purpose

✧ unlike any of the false promises made to him a long time ago, he'd make sure to keep them. as for now, he had become a god and he could give you everything you wanted if you just would be a little more patient for him

✧ he has everything he wants now, he finally has the heart he was designed for, he was finally the god he was always supposed to be and he had you, the one person who stood through it all with him up until this point

✧ he'd probably watch over you in your sleep - standing there with crossed arms right next to you, an endearing look in his eyes you would've never thought scaramouche could ever possess and a proud, small smile (he didn't care if anyone saw him, but the naked human eye could not perceive his form unless they were a special case like the traveler)

✧ to say that his ego grew with that realisation would be an understatement, and yet he'd make sure you're okay and that you're safe - even when that pesky traveler, his annoying flying creature and that child archon came to fight him, he'd be sure to make sure no harm would ever befall you and that you were secure and far away

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin #kunikuzushi #headcanons #scaramouche x reader #scaramouche #side note #i love haypasia actually #she's just like me fr #i'd be the same if i had SCARAMOUCHE as my god like damn girl gimme ur tricks

[bloodpen-to-paper]

PSA regarding cultural exchange and internet culture. Its a rant but its something that needs to be said

I'm already seeing the Qsmp admins calling for understanding and patience with the announcement of the Korean CCs that will be joining, and it frustrates the hell out of me that any of it needs to be said because people on the internet are so poisoned by cancel culture that this opportunity to engage with Korean culture is beginning with stress.

Its an issue that extends far past this server unfortunately, the modern standard for morality on the internet is insanely unrealistic and honestly very anti-human. So many people, most people actually, do problematic things in life and make mistakes, which is completely normal. Its how we are and how we're supposed to be, its how we learn and grow. But having someone get dogpiled/harassed online and potentially even risk losing a career for saying or doing something vaguely problematic that they should be encouraged to learn from is so incredibly harmful and makes the online place more toxic than communal.

There's a legitimate line to draw between something we should encourage someone to reflect upon and a genuinely irredeemable act, and if you can't tell the difference you then shouldn't be speaking about it online. To all the people who dramatize an easily fixable situation, you're part of the problem of people not knowing how the fuck to act when there's miscommunication, differences of opinion or people doing/having done something problematic but not ill-intentioned. Genuinely good people are being either pressured off the online space or terrified to ever make a mistake because people who don't touch enough goddamn grass are so drama-addicted that they make a situation negative when it literally never needed to be. You're toxic and you're making everyone else toxic, the problem is not the person who accidentally said something offensive in ignorance but is willing to learn from that, nor the person who misunderstood a situation and could be convinced to reflect on their actions, the problem is you, adding unnecessary fuel to the fire and blowing shit out of proportion when it could be resolved so much easier. If you're someone who does this, I hate to sound like a boomer but holy shit you should be ashamed of yourself. There's enough bad in the world as is, stop posting and do better.

And here's the funny part, and I don't care how many people this pisses off: current online cancel culture is xenophobic as fuck. People in different cultures have different ways of life, and though that doesn't necessarily excuse some of what goes on in other nations, the current standard for "dealing" with culture clashing takes no account to how someone's culture can make them act differently than you, and they shouldn't be demonized for it even if some of what they do isn't the best. People from multi-ethnic backgrounds, especially children of immigrants, understand that some of our parents say the most cancellable shit imaginable but are still good people at heart. Strangers online wouldn't understand that at all, and their need to complain about everything online with such hostility and lack of nuance would and is doing the exact opposite of what it should be doing; instead of getting people to see different perspectives and learn why their behavior can be harmful to others, thus encouraging them to do better, online witch hunting either drives them away from wanting to interact with anyone, and/or actively pushes them further down problematic avenues where they aren't demonized for harmful behavior.

I am so sick and tired of everything thinking cancel culture is normal, because it is so incredibly not. Its exhausting seeing the same thing play out over and over as someone who's actually interacted with people of different ages, gender and ethnicities, and who knows what these people are like in their hearts, while also knowing the internet would eat them alive without a second thought to who they are or why they act the way they do.

People say and do problematic things, it doesn't mean they're bad people. It means they're human. I encourage everyone to remember that.

#psa #discourse #culture clash #cancel culture #mcyt #qsmp

[sleepyone2three]

This has been sitting in in my drafts for forever so I decided to finally finish it up! Thus, may I present:

How the demon bros would react if Lucifer had locked them away instead of Belphie

Can we talk about how lucky Lucifer was that it was Belphie he locked up and not one of his other brothers? Of all the sins, sloth is probably the best suited to being trapped in an attic. He can sleep the entire time and be giving into his vice at the same time. Meanwhile, if it had been any of the other brothers things could've been so much wilder! Just thinking about it has me rolling to be honest, so I decided I had to write this 😂

Mammon

Mammon would go stir crazy so fast. The only reason he hasn't completely lost his mind is the fact that Lucifer didn't bother to take Goldie away when locking him up. He has so many mental lists of the things he'll buy as soon as he's out.

Honestly, Mammon would probably whine a lot the entire time he was there too. He'd be bored out of his mind and unable to spend/get any Grimm. What kind of torture is this???

Lucifer honestly might get so annoyed with it that he'd resort to cursing Mammon so he can't talk. Ah... peace and quiet finally. This probably only leads to Lucifer feeling uneasy though since Mammon being quiet usually means he's thinking up new schemes or causing trouble.

You think Belphie got lucky with how trusting MC is? Mammon is probably one of the worst liars... ever. Mams is doomed, no way MC would be falling for any of his tricks.

This doesn't mean MC still wouldn't help though. They're horrible about sticking their nose in other people's business, even if it is well intentioned. So you know they're still going to get involved in all of this somehow.

I think Mammon would use MC to the point of getting out, but I can't see him planning to kill them. Lucifer already locked him away for being pissy about the exchange program, imagine what he'd do if Mammon killed Diavolo's precious exchange student *shudders*

Even if Mammon did hate humans, he's too soft to stick with that hate after getting to know MC. He'll probably try to rationalize that this one is an exception to the rule, his amazing influence being the reason of course.

The only plus side to all of this is that the witches and debt collectors can't find him.

Levi

Why did Lucifer lock him away in the first place? Dude is already a shut-in so he wasn't actually planning on doing anything. Maybe saying he would sick Lotan on Diavolo before allowing a normi human in their home was taking things too far though...

Honestly, as long as Lucifer at least left him with a gaming console and some anime, he'd probably be fine. Though, he would be very upset about not being able to keep up with the latest releases.

Levi would stress so much over if Mammon had sold his games and merch. The only way to stop him from spiraling with this would be if Lucifer promised to lock Levi's room with an equally powerful barrier.

Also freaks out that nobody will feed Henry 2.0 and his best friend will starve to death. Lucifer isn't totally heartless though, so he promises he will make sure Henry is well cared for until Levi has come to his senses.

Would probably plan to kill MC once out, but after talking about anime/games with them he isn't as sure anymore??? They seem to like the same stuff as him and don't call him gross... no! It must be some sort of ploy to gain his trust! This was just like in an anime he'd watched a while ago, Help! I've Been Locked Away By My Strict Older Brother And Now A Human Is Taking Over The Underworld! Ah, how life immitates art sometimes...

Satan

Oh geez, Satan would be furious if this happened. You think, he hated Lucifer before? Get ready for a whole new level.

Where does Lucifer get off, thinking he can get away with this!? Locking him away like this program isn't utterly delusional from the start anyway! If Satan didn't know better, he'd say that the elder brother had planned this from the beginning of even developing the exchange program. But that would require Lucifer to pull his head out of his own ass, so it's definitely not the case.

I mean... he'd have plenty of reading time at least? He's fuming to the point of having destroyed the entire room already, but he'll still be able to read plenty afterwards.

Lucifer tries to nudge Satan in a more positive direction of thinking, dropping off books that try to exemplify the beauty and potential of humanity. For the first time in his life, Satan refuses to even consider reading multiple books. Would possibly even consider destroying them in front of Lucifer, but I'm not sure he could actually go through with it.

Would 100% plan on and go through with killing MC once out. They'd have to really make an impression and connect with him if there's any chance to have things go otherwise. Even then, it's unlikely to stop this outcome. Consequences be damned, he will have the satisfaction of seeing how delicious Lucifer's expression will be upon seeing Diavolo's little pet project go up in flames.

Would take not getting to see his kitty friends pretty hard. He misses them and sometimes worries there isn't anyone else feeding/giving attention to them with him gone. If MC really wants to get in good with Satan, offering to check in on the feline population of the Devildom might be a solid starting point.

Satan does have to admit though, MC is an interesting human if nothing else. Unafraid to go against Lucifer's orders? Likes reading as much as him? Snuck a cat in to see him??? M-maybe they aren't the worst...

Asmo

I'm pretty sure his online following would form a search party if this happened. Radio silence from Asmo's accounts is unheard of and Lucifer better have an official statement about Asmo being in the exchange program if he doesn't want hordes of lesser demons showing up outside of the House of Lamentation.

Asmo's never really had to "rough it" and living without all his beauty products within reach is going to make him even angrier at Lucifer. This only gets worse the longer he's kept there, every flaking skin cell fueling his rage.

Gets a single zit and somehow finds a way to blame it on a human being in the house. Dramatic sniffles and crying commences as he's trying to sway Lucifer with his theory, though the elder seems less than convinced.

Would probably consider agreeing to the program once he's been without his products long enough, but is also called out on lying by Lucifer.

Baby boy would just be all smug and waiting for Solomon to try summoning him, thinking there'd be no stopping him from leaving at that point. Too bad Lucifer took this into consideration. Solomon is now mildly concerned and very curious what the heck this exchange program actually entails of the participants that could null the effects of a pact. Asmo's just whining about how cruel and unreasonable Lucifer is to do such a thing. And would you look at that? Lucifer's headache just got worse.

MC won't have to do much to begin swaying Asmo if we're being honest. This is especially so if he's feeling like he's become less attractive due to not being able to keep up his hourly daily self care routines and regimens for so long. Just sitting down and treating him like he's worthwhile even when he's "an abomination," will go a long way. Sneaking him some decadent lotion or products he mentioned offhandedly will seal the deal though.

They cared enough to actually listen when he looks like this? Even though they're not affected by his powers?? Maybe he was a little quick to shun the idea of the program... at the very least, they could make an adorable new plaything! Just thinking about all the makeovers and sleepovers had him feeling a little excited!

Beel

He ate his way out.

I don't know what else to say, even Lucifer isn't powerful enough to stop such an appetite. Besides that, no demon in their right mind at RAD would be down with their star Fangol leaving for an exchange program!

But in all seriousness, Beel is a simple demon with simple pleasures. MC just needs to bring him some food and show him that they aren't a monster who's out to hurt his family. Man just doesn't want to lose anymore family and was a lil hangry is all. Lucifer's the one who overreacted to the whole display.

On the plus side, the House of Lamentations food budget actually managed to build up a decent reserve while Beel was locked away. So you can be sure there's going to be the most amazing and decadent feast anyone has ever seen once he's out.

Belphi

Just glad it's not him I suppose 😂

Though he may actually be low-key jealous that it's not him. Just thinking of how much he could sleep without being woken up has him rethinking his stance on the exchange program.

But MC is so sweet and makes a good cuddle buddy/pillow for his naps, so he can't be too upset.

#obey me shall we date #obey me #obey me asmodeus #obey me mammon #obey me belphegor #obey me Leviathan #obey me Satan #obey me Lucifer #obey me Solomon #obey me MC #obey me headcannons #obey me imagine #my writing

[bermuda-n-drangle]

Wilds of Eldraine Is More Arthurian Than Throne of Eldraine Was

Wizards of the Coast personnel, most prominently Mark Rosewater, have been transparent that Eldraine began its creative life as an Arthurian/Camelot inspired plane. Which it still is, but it was originally just that. However, they'd run some polls, and general public's recognition of things from Arthurian legend was limited in scope compared to the actual breadth of source material. So, to avoid a second Kamigawa, they supplemented it with the "fairy tale plane" premise, which has also been on the short list for years but didn't have enough thematic legs to stand on its own. They would play off each other: fairy tales needed a kingdom of humans, and Camelot legends needed a magical element outside the kingdom.

It was a pretty great idea. Then, the set came out, and the "Arthurian half" of it was received much more mildly than the fairy tale half. So, in Wilds of Eldraine, the fairy tale half is given much, much more prominence. This is obvious in every aspect of the set, from key art to draft archetypes, to the absence of Knight typal.

So this post's title probably seems like a weird sentiment to have. But I feel like Throne's Arthurian side feel flat because it was barely there to begin with.

Here, walk with me through a creative exercise. Suppose you have been tasked with making a setting inspired by Arthurian legend, the way Theros is inspired by Greek myth. You do not yet know that you will be given a fairy tale parachute later on. What's step one?

You probably said "make an analogue of King Arthur and/or Camelot". Because that's the right answer. And that is, indeed what they did.

Sort of.

Eldraine's Camelot is Ardenvale, and its high king is the Good King Algenus Kenrith. He underwent many trials to claim his crown, and all of the realm looks to him for leadership.

King Kenrith's card is not in booster pack, and his entire role in the story is that he is kidnapped and turned into an ungulate.

That's a pretty odd way to handle the King Arthur of your King Arthur setting, in the set that's introducing the setting. But okay.

You have your Arthur expy, and you have his kingdom. What is Step 2 in making a resonant facsimile of the Matter of Britain?

If you said "make four more Camelots"... Well, I'd say that's an odd pull. Given that there was only one Camelot in the source material. However, I did say that in this scenario you were designing for a Magic set, and if a plane doesn't have five or ten of its main gimmick, Richard Garfield will just die on the spot.

This is how we get the five courts. There is Ardenvale, yes, but that's just the white guys. Each court is a different take on the virtues of knighthood and chivalry. Ardenvale values honor and loyalty, Vantress values wisdom and knowledge, Locthwain values determination and persistence, Embereth values bravery and valor, and Garenbrig values strength and fortitude. Thus, the Knight, which is traditionally very white and sometimes black, can be in any color it wants this set and still make sense.

And that was very cool of them, honestly! However, it doesn't get us any closer to the setting feeling Arthurian. Setting aside that you're making a Magic set, ask: once you have King Arthur himself and Camelot, what do you need next to truly be Arthurian-evocative?

There's a pretty good chance that you said either Merlin or Excalibur. And Eldraine does indeed have those! Sort of.

This is Gadwick the Wizened and Embercleave. The former is from Vantress, and the latter associated with Embereth.

I have just told you all the lore about Gadwick and Embercleave.

They are both part of cycles of cards. Gadwick is the only card in his cycle that has anything to do with King Arthur conceptually, and in-universe he does nothing significant and is unrelated to Kenrith or Ardenvale, so it's really only process of elimination and word of God that places him as this setting's Merlin. Embercleave is part of a cycle of artifacts meant to represent different artifacts from Arthurian legend. Except the blue one, which is another fairy tale thing, and the green one, which is... Stonehenge, for some reason.

In fact, Embercleave almost did not exist. It was originally the Irencrag, this world's Sword in the Stone-- or rather, Stone with the Sword. (Note: Excalibur isn't even the sword in the stone, Excalibur was from the lady of the lady, the stone sword is different, look it up) Knights of Embereth, as a rite of passage, stick their weapon into the rocky edifice, and if they can pull it back out again, they are worthy of knighthood. And that's a very fun, cute way to take a recognizable motif of the source material and expand it into a whole cultural thing, genuinely.

But you're telling me early drafts of your Story of King Arthur Plane didn't have an Excalibur? Like, I'm glad that you caught it before you went to print, but where are your priorities where that almost happened? And it's not like Arthurian myth has some kind of dearth of legendary relics! Rhongomyniad, Failnaught, Carnwennan, the Ring of Dispel, the Green Sash, Prydwen. There, I just made another five color cycle with one to spare, and I wasn't even trying!

But fine, it's fine. You have your King Arthur, your Merlin, and your Excalibur, and even your Holy Grail, even though not a one has anything to do with the other and only one of them will do anything of significance within the story. You also almost had a Morgan le Fay analogue in the form of Sheoldred the Whispering Witch, but you cut her later in design because you wanted Eldraine to be a breather period after WotS and not another immediate ramp-up (good call, btw, but her replacement, Oko, is very much not a Morgan).

Is there... anything else? Something... synonymous with King Arthur, present in virtually every pop culture depiction of the man in some fashion? Something that a layman might naturally finish the sentence "King Arthur and his..." if prompted?

That's right, his Round Table!

King Arthur's iconic Round Table, which he famously sat at all by himself. His Round Table which was definitely intrinsically magical and NOT, by any means, a symbol of a regent placing himself on equal footing with those who swore allegiance to him.

In case my sarcasm is not portraying my frustration adequately: there are no Knights of the Round Table in this set. There plenty of knights, sure. A glut of them. And, as seen above, there is something of a Round Table that some of them are associated with. But there is not elite fellowship of legendary knights with the King counted among their distinguished and exclusive ranks.

The set Throne of Eldraine have five legendary knights at uncommon, plus a sixth if you count the commander precon. None of them have any lore or characterization beyond "hey remember how we said knights of this color are like? this is one of them".

Lancelot, the peerless master of weapons whose base desires doomed the court to infighting. Bedivere, the king's first knight of unfailing loyalty and single arm. Kay, the king's stepbrother turned protector, know for his mix of fire magic and swordplay. Gawain the gentleman, whose arrogance is tempered into humility. Mordred, the child of the king and his worst enemy, traitor to the crown. Tristan of the tragic romance. Galahad, Agravain, Percival.

Not a single one of them has an intentional parallel in Throne. All real estate for legendary knight characters in what is, ostensibly, The Legendary Knight Setting, is dedicated to going "knights are in all five colors in this setting isn't that neat".

And one might think "oh, they were just worried that the average consumer isn't going to have the knowledge of the specific of King Arthur's court". And ordinarily might be inclined to agree with you, but: they printed Questing Beast.

Yes, everybody's favorite 4/4 for four with three keywords and more further upsides than most would care to count. The questing beast is an actual thing from Arthurian lore, and like a surprising number of other mythical creatures, it probably originated from someone poorly describing a giraffe. Still, it's extremely obscure. I count myself the biggest authority in Arthurian stuff in most of my friend circles, and I'd never heard of this thing until its card was spoiled.

So this thing that almost nobody had ever heard of, it gets to be in the set, legendary, at mythic, and strong enough to warp standard, PLUS explicit lore importance. But making room for a single Knight of the Round Table? In the Camelot setting? Couldn't be done.

I'm not asserting this is actually true, but looking at the set, I can't help but feel that whoever pitched "let's do an Arthurian world after War of the Spark" knew nothing about King Arthur stuff besides what cartoons and movies made casual reference to. Like, really. Assume that you aren't allowed to say "there's a king" or "there are knights", because those are both things true of very many planes, and tell me, how would explain what makes Eldraine "Arthurian"?

Oathsword Knight is a Monty Python reference, is that anything?

So, yeah. The set comes out, and according to market research, the Arthurian side of the plane "tested poorly", which is to say, most players didn't realize it was there, which is to say, they realized it wasn't. So, in response to this-- I mean, by sheer coincidence, the Phyrexians destroyed all five courts in the invasion. References to them still exist, but Eldraine is focusing much more on the fairy-tale side of things this time, hence the name Wilds of Eldraine. There's knights, but no knight typal. Humans, but no adamant.

And then something funny happened.

I won't go into every last detail of Wilds of Eldraine's story, but: Will and Rowan are in disagreement of how The Realm should be salvaged. Rowan, frustrated with ideas like "social reform" and "negotiation", wants to do so with her magical prowess, and is willing to swear fealty to her evil witch aunt to make it happen. Will, meanwhile, is more level-headed, and wants to untie the realm by simply being a good leader and trusting the people to believe in him. And at first, they don't. But Syr Imodane, knight turned raider turned knight again, sees his earnestness and decides to place her loyalty in Will, and others follow after her.

One day I was thinking about Imodane, who features prominently in the story, and I had a small realization. The prosthetic arm, the mixture of fire magic and melee combat, being first to join. She's sort of like Bedivere and Kay rolled into one character. Except, you know, meaner, and a woman of color.

Then, like a flash, it clicked for me.

Algenus was never the Arthur. He was the Uther, THAT'S why he barely did anything. Will Kenrith is the King Arthur, the boy who became king because somebody had to. Eriette is the Morgan. And Rowan, her pawn and Will's flesh and blood, is the Mordred.

And just like that, they've done it. They have captured, not just the surface-level aesthetics of the Matter of Britain, which are by themselves nothing extraordinary, but the SPIRIT of it.

Many people thought getting rid of the courts would dilute the setting's Arthurian theme to nonexistence, but honestly? The courts never had anything to do with the Arthurian theme, not really. Apparently, they were just getting in the way.

Ultimately, making a setting "Arthurian" is a foolhardy task, because the setting of King Arthur himself isn't interesting, and it's not what makes the tale of Camelot interesting. But making STORY "Arthurian", making its cast and their relationships and their arcs and their virtues line up with what the tale of Camelot explores? That's something. Strange that it took making a limited archetype about evil candy to accomplish this, but we got there.

#mtg #eldraine #long #essay

[tempkiriri]

Tiger & Bunny Week (Day 1)

Technically I'm late but uhhhhhhhhhhhhh

April 2: Favorite Character, Episode, Movie, and/or Song

Most people seem to be doing them all, but I'll be skipping movie since there's only 2 of them.

Favourite Character:

MY CRINGEFAIL SON IVAN!!!! I relate to him immensely, even his dynamic with Edward I'd say I can somewhat relate to with someone in my life. It's uncanny. He tries his best to be outgoing but anxiety and self esteem issues sure are fucking bitches, so he can only really do it behind a mask. Even in S2 whilst his whole outlook may have taken a bit of a rollback, that's honestly realistic, not everyone can just keep marching and continuously improving themselves, there are setbacks and holes you can fall into at times. I wish we knew more about his personal life beyond his backstory of getting bullied as a child + what vague stuff we have of his hero academy days, a lot of heroes suffer from this, however. His passion for his hobbies is also just like me. He's cringe but he is free, just like many of us wish to be. Runner up is Keith I love the Autistic dog man

Favourite Episode:

I gotta go with Sky's The Limit. The title is a very OH GEE WHOS FOCUS EPISODE IS THIS kind but genuinely it doesn't prepare you for the content. There's a wholeass lore drop, an intense fight scene with a robot, and of course Keith being Keith. It also puts into focus just how much pressure heroes are put under when it comes to the rankings, and second place apparently not being enough for Poseidon Line is a very corporate reality. It's go big or go home. The ending is also like OH MY GOD IM CRYING???? Like, we know Cis isn't very capable of behaving like a human, but Keith doesn't realise she's not human at all, he treats her as any other person and falls harder than an anvil for her despite their short time in contact. It makes me think that Cis had a potential to be something, someone more than she was initially made for. And these two are a bit of a guilty pleasure ship that me and like 2 other people in the west side seem to ship and yes I will be taking those "Keith is still lowkey in love with her even in S2 era" crumbs thank you-

Favourite Song:

Oh shit this is where it gets tricky. I have so many, so I'll split it into categories:

OP: Earth Diver ED: Pilot Character Song: GHHHAAAAAA DONT MAKE ME CHOOOOOSE Other supplementary Song: Orion Wo Nazoru Hero Cover

I can't really put to words for Earth Diver, but I really like how it starts and kinda soothes you into the song before it really kicks. The lyrics are also very passionately sung.

I really like the calmer tone of Pilot and even though the explicitness of the shippyness isn't as heavy as Aida, the subtlety honestly fits them more. The credits themselves are also just beautiful; the visual aspect of them hits immensely hard in ep 14 especially since you saw what could happen to their suits in the fight the episode prior, and they're both no longer in their prime. Closing it out as they stare at the sunset makes me emotional and Proud Fiesta I love you but goddamn why did you return for Episode 25 that was a fucking mood killer I stg.

I love a lot of the character songs, with the ones from Best Of Hero very enjoyable romps, especially Mikirezakura and Thanks and Thanks Again, the energy these two songs have makes you wanna coreograph something. Some other highlights are POWER OF JUSTICE and Aaa Hero Suit. (Also Hidden Heroism actually kinda sucks it tries to be Mikirezakura 2 and thus loses out on an identity of its own which is very disappointing).

I love the harmony of the heroes cover of Orion, I can really picture them all in recording booths singing next to each other...who's the cheering guy, though? I've listened to this cover so many times and the line the cheering guy seemingly sings just sounds like Hirata's Kotetsu, I don't get it. I get wanting to balance the lyrics between groups and characters evenly but that was an awkward way to do it.

#tiger and bunny #tiger & bunny #tnbw

[dangermousie]

The defeated, bleak look on his face now that there is nobody to see and he reasonably thinks this place will not hire him (and they wouldn't have if not for ZY) so he has no job and no prospects and he wants his justice but how when he doesn't even have enough to live on, really.

He calls her Ms Zhu and not princess and I die a little inside (but of course, since it long went from a taunt to their private endearment and pet name.)

They are so broken but there is still so much longing there! Also, he may say all sorts of things but he keeps looking at her like a starving man at a loaf of bread.

She has always been such an innately, thoughtfully kind person. Like when she asks him what he likes about this company thus basically implying he's applied because he has a choice as to whether to look and applied because he's interested, not because he's desperate for anyone to take him.

Oh, girl. Honestly, she's straighter than a ruler and LX always loved that, but after Gao's betrayal it must hit harder. But also, the way she says it with such conviction to a man one step above a breadline.

The way he tries to push her away, almost desperately. The thing is, it isn't just because he accepts and knows that what he did was unforgivable and chasing her would be an insult to her (and unlike Gao, he's clear eyed about consequences; he is the opposite of that weasel in how much delusion he allows himself. Yes, he did it to protect her but he’s unsparing enough to believe that that this still doesn’t negate that he did it), or even because the social gulf between them became a Mariana's Trench sized ravine. It's not all selfless. It's because he is also trying to protect himself, desperately. He was closed off when we first met him in flashback and she slowly dragged him out to join humanity and disarm and then all that horrifying trauma happened. So he retreated and retreated ten times harder. He is hiding behind his walls and he wants to stay there, safely numb. He doesn't want to allow himself to be vulnerable and to feel.

But he IS jealous! The first thing he brings up is "elegant" (ie upper class) boyfriend omg!

Poor damaged puppy, you don't stand a chance!

#cdrama #chen feiyu #zhang jingyi #lighter and princess

[pencilofawesomeness]

Hey Pencil, can I ask you what you think of Neuvilette's character after the end of the current Archon quest? Not gonna lie, I was a bit disappointed at how he and everyone else treated Furina, but I was curious about your thoughts on the matter

ohohohohohohohoho anon. Dear sweet anon, you've activated my trap card, otherwise known as the Pencil Essay card, because I have sooooo many thoughts about this.

I will say though, I see Neuvilette in context of the story quests too, especially Furina's, as well as his friendship stories and voicelines. So, er, spoilers for that I suppose, but I can't separate those bits away from his character at this point. Anyway.

I frickin love Neuvilette. As a character, he checks a lot of boxes of traits that I adore, like being hella old, a dragon, somewhat isolated from normalcy, a cinnamon roll that can kill you, and Doing His Best. Now, as an important addendum to this, the fact that he is a dragon is a crucial part of the basis, because that's where a lot of conflict starts. He's separated from his kind, he's not a human yet he is confined to a human form, he remembers that the elemental authority should be his but Celestia took it and the archons have it now. The idea he has that he will forever be isolated, and that there will forever be a certain taste of bad blood between him and the rest of the world is founded. And yet. AND YET. Long ago, Focalors asks for him to help lead Fontaine, and he!!! Agrees!!! Neuvilette's character is rooted in a sense of justice and fairness, and in such, he tries to remain open-minded, and thus, he must witness things for himself. When he is presented a change in perspective, he accepts it.

Honestly I thought the Archon Quest did this rather nicely. He worked with Furina, believing her to be Focalors, for years. While Furina did waaay too good of a job in being as showy as possible, their close proximity meant that some of her true ethics and anxieties did make themselves known to Neuvilette. He knew when Furina was panicking and lying, just not why. Likewise, he has had inklings of when she's been sincere, and also, has a better perspective on how other people perceive her. More on that in a second.

Knowing what we know in hindsight, the Archon Quest is....very harsh. But. I understand why it happened that way. It was very clear that neither the Traveler nor Neuvilette wanted to put Furina on trial, however, neither of them were able to get her to tell the truth in private, and time was of the essence. The threat of a whole populace dying (and!!!! People have already died at this point!!!! Civilians!!!) is kind of a big deal. Something happens, or they all die; full stop. Hence, calling out the big guns. Which, to their credit, was just meant as a display of pressure on an actual deity, not an actual trial with death sentences and the discovery that Furina was a stressed out human all along. Focalors wanted that, however, so all according to plan. But very much not what Neuvilette wanted.

Fast forward. For Neuvilette, I think there is something really special to be said that he cares about both Focalors and Furina. He's only ever seen glimpses of both, but when Focalors aims to die to give Neuvilette back what is rightfully his, he protests! He doesn't want that! If there was a way for Focalors to undo the sea, he would accepted that, despite the janky usurped power thing. She is making a divine sacrifice, one that nobody else will truly know, and he mourns the person that is lost for it. Meanwhile, for all that Furina acted as a mask, and acted as if she was entirely self-sustainable, Neuvilette has shown to be concerned over her as a person. He caves so quickly to meet with Arlecchino when it's clear she's nervous, he asks Traveler to look after her, he tries to ask her when she's clearly being flighty. Even little things, like when he tells Traveler to acknowledge Furina at the beginning of the quest when she's showing off, because he knows she equates attention to success (just not why) and he is throwing her a bone. Yes, he is exasperated just as frequently, but Furina is not making it easy at that stage. Her entire schtick is to purposely keep people at arm's length, to be entertaining before she's likable, so really, I think there's an impressive amount of patience to be had.

The thing I have noticed about Neuvilette is that he is the kind of just that is caring. The law is for the sake of the people, and thus, people have become his focus. He denies this for a long time on account of believing himself to be forever an Other, but it is persistent all the same. He quickly wants to see the melusines treated well and with respect when they are integrated with society. He wants to see justice for those who are hurt. He understands, even, when those who do wrong are not bad people, like with Wriothesley. Neuvilette is, at his core, a kind person; however, he is terrible at expressing care in ways we would expect it. In part because he's just Like That, and in other part because he spent so long unaware of it. Usually, this means that he takes things at face value. If a melusine is being threatened, then there is a problem regarding humans' view of melusines again; if Wriothesley crawls out of hell with a Vision and the new title of Duke, then that means he found something to live for and he will support it; if Furina asks for space, then he tries to give her space. Neuvilette is a sincere person, even if sometimes he misunderstands the emotional complexity afoot.

Back to Furina. When it's revealed that she is a human, and she absolutely crashes, Neuvilette may not be the picture of fatherly comfort, but he is there for her in the way she asks, and even, in the ways she doesn't. She wants to be left alone, because Furina is tired of a facade and at this point she believes that everyone will hate both the fake her and the real her. Neuvillete obliges, and he arranges to pay for her apartment and food and make sure she is taken care of, when Furina is clearly not thinking that far ahead. It's clear that he would visit more often, but he's busy being the effective Archon now, and also, he doesn't think Furina would want that. Face value interpretations and all that. However, Neuvilette still appreciates the good that Furina did accomplish, in the mask and out of it. He doesn't fully understand Furina's hangups, but he respects what she does or doesn't want to do.

Now, Furina absolutely hit that depressive slump of a crash. Homegirl is living off of noodles like a broke college student. She thinks the world hates her and that everyone only put up with her because she was the archon and a superstar. Did she need someone to intervene? Sure. But she pushed Neuvilette and Clorinde away when they awkwardly tried, so Furina has to go through the long story quest way, and come to a bit of her own realization that people genuinely respected her ability to act as a skill and a thing of beauty, not just as a lie.

Furina's story quest offers the very best presentation of how Neuvilette sees her, and how, in his own way, he apologizes but also respects everything she has done and is. When Furina goes on stage, despite her valid reservations, and she gives it her all for that actresses sake, and she gives it her all because its real to her too, and Neuvilette sees this and sees her bravery, her spirit, and all of the hard work that Furina has given Fontaine for 500 years. So he tears a chunk off of his power and he gives it to her, in the form of a Vision.

The Visions are such a wonderful representation, because now that Neuvilette is the sole sovereign, without Celestia's janky throne in the way, he has full power over the granting of Visions. He can stop if he wants, because Visions are made by ripping chunks off of the god in question, but Neuvilette has studied and he has learned that humans are amazing and they earn their ambition, and he wants to give to that. So it's an incredibly purposeful gesture here and it carries the meaning of his care and respect in ways that he cannot articulate.

Neuvilette is kind. He's stiff, dutiful to a fault, has trouble being vulnerable and recognizing it in others, but he is trying, and he is kind. He gives credit where credit is do, and he tries to do the right thing, even when he misses the mark. He accepts when he's wrong, though, like with Focalors and Furina, like with missing how the general populace adores the melusines now, like with Childe when he honestly was baffled by the oratrice's absurd verdict. He's an old dragon and he's slow to catch up, but he makes that effort anyway, which I think is really neat. Neuvilette learns and he implements that. In Lantern Rite, he listened to Furina and finally managed to take a vacation, and he made a dumb little dragon ladle and had fun doing it. And he walked away from that realizing why taking a break was important.

So, er, yeah. I think Neuvilette is neat. Furina too. I really wish we can see them interacting more now that Furina is finally getting it through her skull that people do, in fact, want to be her friend and spend time with her, and I would love to see more on the implications that Traveler has told him of the other archons' exploits and he is forced to admit that they also either have no idea what's going on or that they known of them took the elemental authority on purpose/for the sake of it, but that's either an end-game thing or we'll never get it. Alas. Still I think Fontaine and all of hydro is in good hands with him.

Also he's an awkward dragon yall know I love grandpa dragon men who have parental bones but have no idea how to use them on purpose. I have. a type. of course I'm looking hard at neuvilette he's got the whole package

So uhhhhhh yeah. Yeah. I will. End it there.

#genshin impact #neuvillette #pencil essay #anon #ask #character analysis #if you look closely you can tell I love furina's story quest #i wrote this unedited at 3-4 am so #like most of my tumblr essays this is not my best work #but it is my raw unhinged work which is why we are all on this hellsite #but yeah honestly i do give neuv credit for his patience #if i had to deal with furina acting like that i would have strangled her #the cast doesn't get clued in on her inner actions until the last second #we get a bit like with arle stabbing her when she was petting a cat #also its mad frustrating to try to help someone who refuses help so I get it #especially when nobody knew furina's reason #because she couldn't tell anyone #focalors' master plan was brilliant but cruel #which they both knew going into this #so uhhh yeah the archon quest was rough but I get it