#the gifted character analysis

[canisalbus]

Machete and Vasco are so pomegranate-and-the-hand-that-slices coded. To me.

Pomegranates are seen as messy, bloody, inconvenient fruits. You slice or tear or bite and in return for your effort you come away underwhelmed, disgusted, and stained too deep to wash. The consumption of a pomegranate is a violent act of defilement, for both the fruit and the eater.

But that is because most do not understand how to open a pomegranate. They have little patience for the precise carving. They see no point in coreing the fruit gently, no reason to be reverent as they pull the quarters apart. When done correctly, opening a pomegranate leaves little mess. Your fingers will still stain, your knife will still slick, but there will be no pool of crimson drowning both you and the fruit.

The seeds are only sweet to those who understand the merit of a light hand and intricate slicing. Why put in so much effort for a food so bitter and clearly armored against consumption? Surely it must not yearn to be eaten.

(^insane about silly catholic dogs)

.

#absolutely losing my mind over this #how dare you come to my house and deliver a poignant character analysis cloaked in metaphors and symbolism #I went all day thinking about pomegranates #doing late christmas shopping? pomegranates #glazing ham? pomegranates #watching futurama with siblings? pomegranates #they're still kind of an exotic fruit where I'm from and I only got around to trying one a handful of years ago #some fruits offer themselves readily but pomegranates are hard and resistant and require a bit more specific handling #I looked up a guide and even then the kitchen counter ended up a murder scene #I've gotten better but I know some people can open them very neatly and I still haven't figured out the right technique #I love you anon I love the fact that you've clearly been rotating my silly catholic dogs in your head #and are able to put your thoughts into words with such marvelous grace and eloquence #surely it must not yearn to be eaten UNFATHOMABLE #answered #anonymous #gift art #Vasco #Machete #pomegranates are canonically one of Machete's motifs/symbols but I never thought of them from this angle #at least not this extensively

[sleepyburito]

My Beliefs as to Why

my idea as to why Veritas wasn't accepted into the Genius society and why Nous (the Erudition) hasn't gazed upon him: 

his goals with knowledge are overall very selfless 

Ruan Mei is creating and discovering new life for purely selfish reasons, her own curiosity

Screwlum is exploring human nature for his own curiosites 

Herta seems like she's doing things for her own amusement 

Veritas 'seeks to distribute knowledge to the entire universe to cure the persistent disease named ignorance '. While yes he collects knowledge for himself, he still overall has an entirely selfless goal, to educate people who want to be educated and even those who simply need to be. That and he 'firmly believes that intellect and creativity are not confined to geniuses'. 

Nous is a machine and the literal embodiment of logical behaviour, to them, Veritas's actions and goals aren't logical. Possibly the idea of letting the ever illogical emotions affect one’s work feels very illogical to them. 

According to a conversation he has with Screwlum at the end of Mundane Troubles;

Dr. Ratio: The ruler of Planet Screwllum is indeed well-versed in the human mind. It's a pity you are as much in the ivory tower as other geniuses — you still got one thing wrong.

Dr. Ratio: To stand aside and observe is the best treatment one can give. There is a disease called "foolishness" that is harder to cure than any ailment.

Dr. Ratio: The Path of Erudition has neither reason nor logic. While geniuses wander among the stars, the ordinary can't even trace their footsteps. Those less gifted have no choice but to walk alone, enduring a lifetime of tumbles and triumphs...

Dr. Ratio: ...but even a life marked by failure is a life worth living — it is only in moments of solitude and despair, when help is absent, that fools grasp how to pick themselves up.

Dr. Ratio: I have a fastidious nature — I cannot stand fools, idiots, or imbeciles. Seeing them fills me with dread. Regrettably, this space station is just like the Intelligentsia Guild — devoid of geniuses and filled with mediocrity.

Screwllum: You wish to uproot the researchers' blind worship of geniuses.

The Genius Society all seem to accept their titles of Genius and don't feel the isolation on the pedestals they've been placed on. 

But Veritas has been placed on that pedestal before, he has felt the pressure and expectations, he has felt the isolation. 

So while yes he would like Nous to cast their gaze upon him, they likely never will and I honestly think that’s for the best. Without their gaze he gets to continue his work without interference really

@secretly-nous

#honkai star rail #dr ratio #veritas ratio #character analysis #I just really like Veritas as a character and wish he could be talked about more #along with the genius society #as a former gifted kid they all hit hard as characters #hsr dr ratio #genius society

[tonyfavgirl]

We don't talk about Marcus Volturi's power enough

I just saw a comment on TikTok about how Marcus has the most "trash gift" in Twilight, and, okay, everyone has their own opinion, but I am absolutely outraged. Like, omg, how do people not see how useful his gift is?

Man, Aro reads people's minds, so he sees people like they see themselves. Marcus, on the other hand, sees the bonds between people, which allows him to understand how individuals are truly connected to the world, often beyond their own comprehension. He can literally use his gift for manipulation, espionage, breaking people, dismantling covens, and so much more that it isn't even funny.

Aro wanted to keep him in the Volturi by any means possible, even by killing Marcus' beloved wife—Aro's own sister, who also had a gift. Just with this information, we can already see exactly how much power this man has at his fingertips.

Considering that in the book canon, Marcus is only 19 years old when he becomes a vampire, it's quite possible that older vampires who were transformed at a more "mature" age might have initially ignored him while the Volturi were ascending to power. Age often commands respect among vampires, and being a teenager technically, Marcus may have been dismissed as non-threatening in the beginning (maybe even later).

However, when you analyze the power dynamics within the Volturi coven, it becomes clear that Marcus played a crucial role.

Marcus likely served as a sentinel, watching over the coven and ensuring there were no leaks or betrayals. This is especially significant because Chelsea, who could manipulate these bonds, was born much later, after the Volturi were already very powerful.

E. G. Marcus undoubtedly identified potential traitors before they even realized they were inclined to betray the Volturi, making him an essential pillar in the construction of their power and ensuring their continued existence as the ruling coven throughout the centuries.

#the truth is that I could continue writing about this all day #but I think this is enough to at least hint at my point #if I was the one with a gift powerful like that omg #the volturi #twilight #marcus volturi #aro volturi #volturi coven #volturi kings #chelsea #character analysis #twilight saga #vampires #vampire gifts #twilight renaissance

[denkies]

Some of yall do not know the difference between "media that glorifies Bad Thing" and "media that portrays Bad Thing and the audience has to use critical thinking skills" and its actually concerning

#for a bunch of ''burnt out gifted kids 🥺'' yall don't use those gifts of critical thinking much huh #media that contains uncomfortable topics (especially horror) is not glorifying said topic by default #killing stalking is the first example that comes to my head. it was just a horror series that had gay people. #wasnt glorifying the horrors at all. in fact it actually portrays the horrors as Bad and Not Okay At All #seeing our mc rationalizing the behaviours of his abuser due to stockholm syndrome is upsetting to us as the audience. #and yall were like ''it glorifies abuse and murder 🥺🥺🥺'' no babygirl. it contains abuse and murder as a subject. #you are just incapable of critical thought and you assume the portrayal of any subject is glorification. touch grass. #thats like watching hannibal and being like ''this show glorifies cannibalism 🥺'' it very much is not. #there was also the manga Star Lover that y'all were canceling for ''glorifying pedophilia'' and when you read it it's about A VICTIM OF CSA #like its literally about a character who is sexually abused by her uncle and this is an integral part to the story. its not fanservice. #sometimes media is created with the belief that the audience has the ability to think for themselves #and therefore should not have to a Explicitly State "hey this morally bankrupt concept is bad!'' #because you should be able to come to that conclusion on your own <3 #media consumption #a.txt #media and information literacy #media analysis

[mike-milkyway]

Sanji is self sacrificial because he has the deeply ingrained thought that the Strawhats could find a cook that isn't as high maintenance and problematic as he is.

He time and time again decides to sacrifice himself because for years he didn't even consider that his dream was posible, finding the All Blue isn't his top priority when he thinks it inconveniences others because he himself isn't his top priority.

He figures that his role is replaceable, he's sees himself as a pawn on a bigger game that is overshadowing him, so why even bother if he can save the people that do matter.

Anyone can cook, but not anyone can be the king of the pirates, not anyone can become the world's greatest swordsman, so on and so forth. He always feels like he owes something to people for treating him as another human being, because the ones who were supposed to treat him that way didn't.

He thinks that if he can protect the people who have real potential then maybe he's worth that. This is one of the things about Sanji that make him such an interesting character, at least to me.

In the other hand, the strawhats don't think this way. They don't think about him as just as the role he fulfills, they see Sanji as Sanji. As a friend, as a crew mate, as family, even.

Sanji is irreplaceable, if he couldn't cook he'd still be of huge importance to them exclusively because he is who he is.

No doubt Sanji applies the same logic to everyone else in the crew, we've seen that time and time again, it's just that he has a hard time using it on himself.

#vinsmoke sanji #one piece #straw hat pirates #i just got volume 84 of one piece as a birthday gift so now im just in a character analysis mood #sanjis my baby girl #ill protect him #i love found family

[fumifooms]

Hey what're your thoughts on how marcille and chilchuck show affection for marchil?

I mean, marcille seems to be the type to be the most blatantly affectionate of the two, but I want to know your headcanons and observations on the subject. How do they communicate their wants for affection, and what do they view as signs of affection (ex: hugs, small gifts, ect.) and such?

Sorry it took me this long to answer!! Thank you sm for sending a marchil ask my way I swear I love them sm, they spark joy and even if I have uhh -checks- 67 drafts already I love dropping everything for them when the mood comes hehehe. I love talking about love languages actually! Little did you know that the first post I made on this blog was about analyzing the love languages of an ot3 lmao. The only reason why this is so late overdue is because as always I’m going to talk so much about it. The pics I put in it are relevant but I don’t put them right beside where I make my point, so stick with me even if they’re a bit jarring at first, they’re just meant to show aspects of them~.

Marcille and Chilchuck’s love languages

+ their domestic romantic dynamic. I’ll say, I ended up talking even more than I expected, and though it is in a marchil context I think my analysis of the characters is relevant even if their partner was anyone else, so non-marchil shippers might also enjoy this post! Give it a shot maybe~

To open it up, I think this post is very relevant. Marchil is def a ship where the ways in which they say they love each other feel more subtle, for Chilchuck at least.

Their perspective, boundaries and overlap

I think Chilchuck and Marcille recognize the other’s way of showing affection well, though it’s very obvious that Marcille and Chilchuck’s ways are super different. Marcille is very open and loud and Chilchuck… Isn’t. Chilchuck is reserved while Marcille loves to get all the affection she can get. Marcille could be seen as too much while Chilchuck would be too little. One could even say they aren’t compatible, but I think that’d be a mistake.

Yes Marcille loves big grand gestures and a lot of open communication, but her thing is analyzing people as they are, like how when she imagines how it’d have been like as his wife she put in details like how he’d be annoyed at having to wait for her to get ready and didn’t idealize that part of their relationship. She’s very good at putting herself in others’ shoes, at understanding why they might feel this or that way. She typically doesn’t seem put off when Chil is snappy or discouraging at her, like when she shows him the ball of Izutsumi’s hair that she shaped into a cat lol. (The panel at the start of this section was when she was disappointed in him for cheating on his wife, so her good esteem for him was gone). She has a high esteem of Chilchuck’s intentions and has good faith in him overall, so instead of going "He’s annoyed at waiting on me… Am I annoying to him? Does he dislike me?" or "He didn’t notice I got upset when we were out drinking with his colleagues. Does he even love me anymore? Would he care if I left him?" she goes "Oh that’s just how he is, I know if there’s an actual issue he’ll tell me, and he still has my best interests at heart.". Who knows if she’d always be able to rationalize and keep that optimistic attitude up long term, but it gives me a good impression that she would! Or that at least she’d communicate about it if she felt their relationship had a problem. She loves to confront people about that sort of thing! She can be more insecure and meek when the topic is sensitive to her like her being a half-elf, but when it comes to relationships like that, I believe she’d stand up for herself if it came down to it. The way she said that his wife might have left to "test his love" and see if he’d chase after her is a bit worrying to me, but ultimately I think that was her dramatic novels fan self talking and not something that she’d do herself. If she did leave, she would sooo leave a super long dramatic letter about how she felt and the situation and he’d reply and they’d make up I think. ANYWAYS!

Of course everyone needs to be shown some affection once in a while regardless of if she knows well how he is or not, and Marcille would be very unashamed about asking that of him. She’d respect his boundaries with public displays of affection as much as he’d demand it, but she’d be her usual overt self with stealing kisses or making him say I love you regularly. 0 PDA would be rough on her if Chilchuck wanted it that far, but she’d do it, she’d be able to twist it into something endearing too, like her being like "No one else gets to see him this way but me, I have this sweet side of him all to myself" and "He’s just reserved like that, it makes the time when he does show it all the more meaningful", them cuddling a ton as soon as they get home and Marcille feels touch starved, etc etc. So what I’m getting at with all this is: Marcille’s love languages are very self-evident and hard to miss so unless Marcille suddenly acts mopey and doesn’t tell him why, and unless Chilchuck has some anxiety (what with his ex wife just up and leaving without him having been able to see the warning signs), he would feel very confident in her love for him and comfortable in the relationship, if not a little tired or frustrated with some aspects of it if she sometimes does too much.

Meanwhile, like mentioned, even if Chilchuck’s love languages are more subtle, more rooted in casual domesticity rather than big gestures or words, Marcille would see and recognize that and not hold it against him or feel burdened by it. She highly values communication —in a way they both do, even if when it’s about feelings Chilchuck becomes a bit of an ostrich hiding his head underground— so if there’s a problem she’ll for sure confront him about it too. Chilchuck is good at voicing when there are practical problems or when he’s uncomfortable, and Marcille is good at voicing when there are emotional problems, so they’re pretty complementary in that way.

Surprisingly I think if she ever did a marriage proposal it’d be very private though, it’d be a big deal to her and she would want to talk about it in the comfort of their lonesome, already thinking through the grief and how everything would work. I think Chikchuck would also prefer a private proposal, but on the other end I could totally see him thinking she’d love this grand fancy gesture of a big public proposal and organize one for her (Ooh good fic prompt right there). Once they’ve talked it through though they’re both very enthusiastic about it and openly talk about it with friends and coworkers, and Marcille gushes about her fiancé and they both have bachelor parties on their own end and whatnot. The big day would be a fun one, and the daughters would be the perfect wingwomen I believe~

Their love languages

Alright now that the groundwork is done let’s do this thing! Ok so the "official" love languages are words of affirmation, physical touch, gifts (giving and receiving), quality time and acts of service.

Marcille

Starting with Marcille, she’s pretty balanced I’d say! In the sense that she cranks them all to the max. Oh yes, and part of it is that she’s very aware that the time they have together is counted, so she wants to make the most out of every moment.

Idk if it’s fair to say that Marcille has something like separation anxiety, what with her getting mad at Falin when she left and they didn’t see each other for 4 years, and with during canon with Falin and such, because they’re all intense situations that don’t necessarily show how clingy(or not) she would be under normal circumstances (and she doesn’t live with them so she’s def ok with distance to some degree), but also I def think it’s fair to say that due to her experiences with loss she’s scared of taking her eye off of someone she loves for one moment and for them to disappear, also like how we see her talk to Izutsumi when she thinks she’s going to prison. All that to say that yes, quality time!! She adores quality time, she’s the kind to soak up in someone’s presence even if they’re doing completely different things in the same room. She loves talking with him, cooking with him, bathing with him, even just chilling on the couch together. Post-canon they’d both be rather busy I imagine, so it only makes those moments they share more important. They’re trying out the long distance thing and making it work with the power of communicating well 🙏 Again, she’s big on acts of service, would resurrect you, would bathe you, would nurse you back to health or do something for you. Since she’s observant I could see her noticing subtle things in Chilchuck’s routine that she could help with, like getting his mug of coffee for him each morning, etc. I feel like those things are so natural to her that she wouldn’t mention them to Chilchuck or talk about how she does these things, so if she’s doing too much Chilchuck has to tell her because she won’t realize otherwise.

Gifts. We see with how she showers Chil in apology gifts intended to be from him to his family that she does value gifts! Giving wise, I think she’d be the type to be out shopping, see something that reminds of you then get it for you casually. It’s probably resulted in a few joke gifts that did not land lol, like idk modern AU a grumpy cat mug, or socks with "If you can read this bring me a beer" written underneath them. She’ll also put her heart and soul into gifts sometimes, especially for birthdays which mark the passage of time for her and even if a year passes by a little fast she makes it a point to always always go all out about it, she wants to show that he matters to her and thinks of him a lot, so she’ll put all of herself into picking out an heartfelt gift. She can get a little stressed and perfectionist over it but she does genuinely enjoy picking out gifts and giving them. Receiving wise, she’s also super big on it! She’s the kind to instantly value gifts more than other, maybe better suited options she has, like if you give her an ugly hair accessory or a mug she’ll 100% use them all the time from then on… Until she passes onto something new and the item gets sidelined a bit, but then when she’ll find it again years from then on she’ll be struck by memories and emotions and how much it all meant to her. I could see Chil getting her choker necklaces like she often wears for example, or books he can’t begin to understand about magic theory. It’s not as much of a ‘love language’ as the other ones I think, but she does really appreciate them, and if Chil makes an effort to get her flower bouquets somewhat regularly it would for sure make her feel really loved and happy. Oh yes! Also I def think that if she took up sewing or (personal hc) she’d love felting bc of when she did a tiny Izutsumi with her hair, she’d love making handmade gifts! She’d weave him a bracelet. She’d write him letters and put a nice scented oil on them.

Physical touch ohhh she’s big on touch. Even platonically we see that she’s very casual with her touches and does it a ton to most people (mostly Falin, Izutsumi and Chilchuck, but with her being a healer it also happens with Laios etc) and likes to cuddle or hang onto others, in daydream hour artworks, when sleeping with Izutsumi in an extra, etc etc. Even if she had a romantic partner I think she’d keep doing that with her friends and maybe even favoring Falin when she’s there for platonic touch, but I also def think that she’d be super touchy feely with her partner both in public and in private. As long as it doesn’t interfere with what Chil’s doing and he can remain cool and collected™️ he wouldn’t mind I think, so they’d be holding hands often and like, if he were to sit down on a couch with a beer she’d just drape herself over him and they’d chill out there (until they talk and she makes him laugh too hard and he spits his beer out all over them rip), not unlike how Izutsumi would. But YES physical touch is def a big love language for her, wether they’re arguing or just sharing a soft moment together, if he put his hand to her cheek gently she would melt into his touch. And she loves doting on others herself and touching them and feeling like they’re real and warm and alive, so yes yes touch is a big thing to her. Words of affirmation aren’t a big deal to her to give out, because it’s so natural to her, but they would mean a lot to her to receive. She can get insecure and feel lonely/alone, and having someone be supportive and tell her that she is valued like in the mandrake chapter lifts a lot of weight off of her shoulders, and I imagine that’s doubly meaningful when the words are each and all true and earned when they come from Chil. Whenever he says "I love you" unprompted it’s like an arrow to the heart. Again, if he made the effort to be romantic and like idk, tell her poetic things like it’s a love letter she would absolutely melt. "My boyfriend is the best, most romantic most loving most virtuous man" @ everyone in hearing distance etc etc. She wants to keep his words all to herself and be a little greedy but just maybe while kicking her feet she’d go "and then he said blablabla~" with friends and coworkers at the palace (who may or may nit be willing listeners lol).

So because of all of this, of how she values all of them, I think she’d cherish whichever love language her partner does the least! She likes variety, and like we’ve talked a bit she adapts herself to whoever she’s with a bit. She’s personally a big cuddler, but she’d value whenever Chilchuck says that he loves her etc more in the end because she knows how much that means for him and how many feelings were put into that gesture for her.

She wants the full range of affection, everything that someone is ready to offer. She wants the full storybook romance experience babyy, if it’s a crumb of love she’ll take it and gobble it up whichever form it takes. They all mean something to her in different ways.

Chilchuck

Chilchuck is more picky. He knows what he likes and what he doesn’t like, and he doesn’t like to compromise much (though learning to do so is part of his arc in canon). His favorites are acts of service and words of affirmation, and physical touch selectively, imo.

First of all, Chilchuck is a more private person by nature, but I think it’s also worth pointing out that he has some stress over how things ended with his wife, so someone growing on him and him getting to trust them etc also just takes slower. Wether you think Chilchuck will largely be open and comfortable once the confession’s done and they’re dating, or if him opening up and growing used to being loving and loved again is more gradual even throughout their romantic relationship, his love languages will differ depending on what "stage" he is at. For example, I think he’d actually love receiving words of affirmation, they’re just not his highest priority and he needs to highly value them and trust them first, trust that they’re not lies or that you don’t have shit judgement. For the rest of this though I’ll assume they’ve been dating for a good while and have grown used to it and are very familiar with each other. Like Marcille maybe his insecurities creep up on him sometimes, but with the power of communication and support those moments tend to be short lived 💪 She keeps him from using alcohol as a bad coping mechanism & distraction too much.

Ok so starting out with quality time… I’ll get it out of the way but yes I think they’d be sexually active, though with how they work away from each other like with his wife and he spent 4 years holding out fr her his libido isn’t as intense as we’d asssume I think, and for elves "often" might be like once a month, so who knows. This is gonna come back in the physical touch section~ But yes Chilchuck spent a lot of time away from his family, so I think if he values quality time he super values the quality more than the quantity of time spent together. That said, I also headcanon that he gets stuck in his head a bunch about it so as long as he thinks about his family to motivate him on the job for example, he also half-asses the time he spends home and he’s generally too tired to go out and do big things, just wanna relax, so idk!! He might be a bit of a neglectful lover and Marcille needs to poke him so they go out on dates, but yes I think in a similar way to Marcille he really appreciates the time just spent together, even if it’s working on their own thing in the same room. As for conversations or emotionally meaningful moments, I think emotional stuff tires him out quickly, unlike with Marcille where she seeks emotional stimulation from books, so spending time being heartfelt and vulnerable together would be appreciated, but would need to be kinda rare for him to not be exhausted dead lying on the pavement and unable to keep up. Feeling gets him tired too, he never knows wether to repress or let the love grow or how to word what he’s feeling etc etc. At least at first, dates that are activities and allows him to just have fun without thinking much are best. It’ll take him time to grow more used to feeling emotionally naked with her and for it to come more easily and naturally, but they’ll get there and they’ll be sooo domestic. So in the end! Quality time is appreciated but not particularly important, Chilchuck can really keeps the love going even when spending a loooong time away from each other or keeping the moments spent together casual. Oh yes I haven’t gone into that in any of my posts so far I think, but part of why he’s so casual and seemingly dismissive with his wife imo is because the relationship was sooo based on familiarity, respect and trust to him, they’ve been together forever, he trusted that they loved each other and were in this together and that he didn’t have to be extra for her to feel comfortable in the relationship because he trusted that she knew him well enough, trusted that she would stay with him even if their relationship wasn’t perfect, etc etc. So imo as long as he’s like "I love her and that’s enough for me, I trust that if there’s something up she’ll tell me and we can figure it out, I trust in our relationship to stay strong even if we don’t see each other much" then he can seem very casual and neglectful from an outside perspective. But make no mistake he thinks about her all the time and sighs forlornly because he wants to sleep in her arms after a hard day of work and has horny dreams of her 10/10 she matters a lot to him.

Acts of service!!! Biiig big one, there’s little more that Chilchuck values receiving than respect, though he’s much more stingy about giving it out, what with his teasing and insulting snappy remarks and how he’s always laughing at Marcille in canon. But yes like mentioned just before, Chilchuck likes familiarity in a relationship, so his partner anticipating his needs and going out of their way to do services for him would be suuper appreciated and would make him feel loved, would make him feel understood which in turn makes him feel safe that he doesn’t have to try and be someone he’s not to satisfy her and that she understands him well enough that she wouldn’t leave him due to miscommunication. Doing big favors would also be appreciated, but he prefers to live a routinely daily life imo so the acts of service would show themselves in small ways, like idk letting the water run in the bath because he knows Marcille will want to take a relaxing bath when she comes home from work. It’s definitely the love language that he does/give out the most imo, they’re the way he’s most comfortable showing that he cares and that he thinks of them and that he loves them, and he can feel safe doing them in any context wether he has all the eyes in the world on him or if they’re alone. He’s also generally protective, and looking out for her would fit into this category imo. But yes post-canon, I think one way in which this shows is that he’d do her hairdos, maybe even daily if possible. He loves blonde hair and he’s agile with his fingers, but he doesn’t value complicated hairdos much, but he’d learn a lot of hairdos for her, because he loves her and knows how it was once super important to her, and also bc he wants her to slay out there and at the same time he’s doing himself a favor by prettying it up hehe. He had a thing for undone long hair but he loves Marcille and when in the final chapters her hair was all messy the unfamiliar sight of it unsettled him, so besides just wanting her to get through the day without eating her hair and getting the urge to shave it all off, he also just does it because it feels so her and he remembers that side of her fondly (yes, even if that used to make her take even longer to get ready in the mornings).

Might surprise you might not but I think gifts are everything to him. Like the cowl from his daughter that he always wears, and all the mementos from his family we see he keeps in his room, like the dragon plush and the flower. Maybe they help him feel that the love people hold for him is real and exists/has existed at least at one point, maybe it’s about the memories, maybe it’s about being able to keep hanging onto them even after a relationship is over, idk!!!! But I think having gifts from his loved ones makes him feel like his life is fuller and warmer and like he always has some love surrounding him. For that reason he would super value gifts that Marcille would get for him. She overdoes it a bit and often gets him stuff for no particular occasions, mostly stuff that’s useful and that gets consumed so it’s not a problem or a bother though, but when it sticks it sticks, like a durable pair of gloves in a style he likes that she got for him. I don’t think photographs exist (at least not for the non-dwarves) but if they did oooh he’d be keeping stacks of them, would have some framed, he wouldn’t want people to know because he thinks he’d look corny but he wouuuuuld. He’d also have the "this reminds me of Marcille" moments when out into town, looking at jewelry or food that she likes (I imagine this is often the sort of gift/act of service he’d get for her, meals that he picked out because she loves them), but he’d also have the instinct to get her a gift on special occasions, and he’s s bit clumsy with it but he wants to make the item meaningful. He knows what she thinks is romantic, the woman has made plans for him to apologize to his wife with gifts after all, but he also knows that she loves gifts that scream "him" too so the man just doesn’t know what to do to make it as best as he could and he really doesn’t want to fuck it up. I think once he’d made a little metal sculpture-puzzle for her, like a little rabbit out of metal scraps, and he’d be so self-conscious about it but my god she’d adore it sooo much. It’d be cute if he got her a locket, even, and then with the help of imported dwarven technology they could get a picture of them or even all their friends into it and it becomes her most precious item for the following centuries. Ouuugh that’d make a sweet fic where he plans out a birthday party for her…… But yes yes, practical gifts… He knows she values ornamental useless things, unlike him, and though he doesn’t fully approve he also wants to do right by her so he’d go out of his comfort zone and find pretty gifts for her. I touch upon it a bit in my fic Grind Me Down Sweetly (named bc ground coffee beans & it’s meant to be like her slowly getting through the walls he built around himself :] Finding a newfound vulnerability with someone new but finding it soothing, sweet even if a lil bitter bc it’s coffee), and for example he gives her money for a favor she did for him as a friend. She doesn’t want to accept it, because to her doing something for her friend to help them out is more meaningful than getting rewarded for it, but for him respecting each other’s time and abilities is a big thing too. They end up compromising somewhat, because she then spends that money on gifts for him/them to share, so it ends up being a gift to the both of them for a shared effort~

Alrighty physical touch. In canon we see him get touched quite a lot, and when it isn’t patronizing or crowding (like others going to pet his head) he doesn’t seem to mind at all. But it’s a question of wether he’d enjoy it here. We don’t really saw that I think? He often doesn’t mind touching others but usually his touches have a practical purpose like pushing or pulling someone out of danger, and when it isn’t he doesn’t seem to enjoy it, like when Izutsumi sleeps in his bed. As far as I remember the only time we see him happy for touch beyond the few meaningful hugs like when he wanted the party to head back to the surface, was when his succubi were seducing him, sooo overall I get the feeling he’s not big on touch. Like being open with his feelings it’s something he’d keep for the more occasional time rather than something he does often. He is casual with touches but doesn’t give it out and seek it out naturally, so Marcille being very clingy’s not a problem, and as we see with Izutsumi always sleeping with him he’s ready to sacrifice his comfort for others too sometimes. I think being Marcille’s lover though I feel like he’d warm up to touches more, like she’d love to have him rest his head on her lap and to massage his scalp so eventually Chil looks forward to that as part of their routine and it relaxes him and feels right. I think he does like kissing, the routine goodbye peck feels warm and soothing, but with touch what he’d like the most would be making out and having sex and whatnot. Listen it’s super meaningful to him like, the peak of being vulnerable and naked and pouring out his emotions for someone for him. But yes she hangs onto his arm, holds his hand, goes to hug him from behind when he’s cooking, etc etc, and he doesn’t dislike it, but it’s not one of his love languages perse in that sense. It’s more that physical touches are a part of her, so he associates those with her, and so in a way he quite likes them, but it’s nit something he gravitates towards.

Words! I forget what I’ve mentioned already and what I haven’t oof, but yes Chilchuck values respect a lot, and with his last relationship he now values straightforward communication a lot. "If you want to leave me, at least please tell me first" style. But just with the way he is in canon too, where he hypes up his professional skills a lot, getting earned praised does mean something to him. Inversely, he devalues himself interpersonally quite a bit, calling himself a coward or selfish etc etc, and ultimately it’s Marcille telling him that he was a virtuous husband and that he may still have a shot with his wife that makes him see the glass half full and reflect on himself more positively! Remember what I said about Chilchuck first needing to value someone’s opinion before putting stock in their words? This is the canon moment that makes me feel the most like she earned that trust from him, he values what she says and her perspective. He knows her words aren’t empty and he’s able to trust in them more than he trusts his own judgement about himself. So yes yes, he loves getting told that he has qualities, that he’s skilled and manly and handsome and virtuous and kind, though he doesn’t need to be told "I love you" he’d still find it nice ofc. I say this because as I’ve said I think his way of being in a longterm relationship is soaking in the familiar casual soothing energy of it, he loves knowing her and noticing the little things (much like her with how she notices that he hates having to wait on someone for example), and he trusts her love in him, so he doesn’t feel like being told I love you is necessary, but it is a nice bonus.

And this is the bit where the post I linked at the beginning becomes especially relevant. I think Chilchuck shows his affection in subtle but thoughtful ways that showcase just how much they know each other, because to him love languages are less about proving how much love one holds for another but about defining the bond that they share, about quality more than quantity. He’s not one for big gestures, he just wants to feel connected with the person he’s with. Access intimacy, in-jokes, being protective/attack dogism, knowing the little details (Marcille’s favorite) and voluntary vulnerability… These truly ARE more in line with how Chilchuck shows his affection. And thus Marcille would see them for what they are and greatly value them as well.

Last points

… Help I forgot to talk about how teasing is like their whole thing lol

Ok so more concisely, Marcille will receive and give as much affection as she’s allowed, while Chilchuck needs to have the right setting right mood for it and makes more efforts for her sake to outwardly show it.

Edited in: Short section about pet names!! Chilchuck likes to call people by name and finds that in itself to be intimate but with half-foot names having ‘first names’ where Chilchuck’s is Chil, he might instinctively shorten it to Marci. Otherwise I’ve thought it’d fun if he gave bunny themed pet names teasingly, like his silly rabbit like the meme or harebrain rip, ‘bun’ would have the benefit of being related to food… But also I could see him defaulting to calling her ‘love’, ESPECIALLY if they had a conversation about pet names and discussed it- it could be a more sustainable way for her to feel loved since he’s not regularly showing his affection outwardly much or saying "I love you", that’d be sooo sweet I think. They discussed pet names, and since he doesn’t regularly say "I love you" or show affection all that much, having him call her love as a pet name eases all of that and makes her feel so special and loved. He takes a bit of time to get used to it and not feel silly and self-conscious, but nowadays it slips off the tongue so easily.

How do they communicate their wants for affection: Marcille will blatantly ask for it and/or make the first move herself, except for when she senses that Chil is tired and needs his space. Chilchuck will blink in morse code, and Marcille will somehow understand (to his upmost relief and adoration). He’ll grab her sleeve subtly to ask for her attention and touch, wordlessly walk up to her and reach for her face to leave a tender kiss on her lips, quietly speak to her if he wants to tell her something. And, you know, the other half of the time he feels horny and on top of the world so he indulges her wants for big passionate gestures and being very blunt and forward about it.

What do they view as signs of affection: They recognize each other’s way of showing affection well enough, but it’d be more about which signs they prefer I’d say. For example, Chilchuck does love getting smothered by her kisses and affection sometimes, but if it’s in public 99% of the time the embarrassment will win over, so it ends up meaning more to him that she doesn’t, that she holds back for his sake and she loves him enough to do that and she doesn’t blame him for it and she cares and she would stay with him even if he’s maybe flawed and- It means a lot!!! It’s like an act of service in that way. They compromise and do acts of service sooo much for each other, like she hurries in her care routine so he doesn’t have to wait on her for long, but then he sees her get out ready with her hair a mess and he takes the time to tie it up nicely for her. But yes Marcille overanalyzes everything and will seek out signs of affection into literally anything, but values whichever way to show affection she knows is hardest to do for Chil beyond the ones that feel so heartwarming because they just scream "Chil" to her. Meanwhile Chilchuck values her keeping in mind his boundaries, values her words and her being there for him, an unchanging fixture in his life offering him unconditional love through thick and thin. He values how well they know and understand each other, and how they communicate when things don’t feel as easy. Like, you know, when one of them becomes a dungeon lord and threatens humanity for example.

The compromises that being in a romantic relationship inevitably brings, and having to put some efforts to understand the other person and better the relationship, are points at the heart of Chilchuck’s plot with his wife imo. With the bicorn chapter, Marcille and Chilchuck have already hashed out a lot of their differences and come to a deeper understanding, so I’d say they’re halfway there to making it work :) Oohh what if I gave you hope in the world sometimes being a good bright p’ace where things can go right and love can be fulfilling and rewarding, and what if you gave me a concrete real example of the virtuous man figure that I’ve always idealized in books even if no one real can be as flawless, and the compromise both our outlooks on lives mixed to make made something beautiful and productive…

A bit like how the sweet & salty sandwich feels like an ill-fitting mix of ingredients but still tastes surprisingly good… Like perhaps a sweet woman and a sour man would go well together after all.

I’ll share this lil marchil song analysis @thatsmimi did once of Soap by The Oh Hellos to be the note I leave this post on~

#Ask #Marchil #Sorry according to my dates this was asked on like the first of december aka 2 months ago. I had 67 drafts when writing this up at first #Which dates it a lot already lmao #About the Marcille changes her fave love language depending on her partner thing: for farcille I think it’d be gifts and acts of service #For laimar I think it’d be words and acts of service and- Dammit it also depends on when in the timeline it’s set #Marcille donato #chilchuck tims #dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #Yahoo I am now freeeeeee #Spoilers #dungeon meshi manga spoilers #Love languages #character analysis #ship analysis #analysis #This is 6k words #Headcanons #I feel so 🤓 rn I’m sorryyy I just love this topic it’s like getting to the core of each character’s psychology and shit it’s so AAAAAH #Handing you this post like a cat bringing you a bird’s corpse #They’re literally bittersweet ough they get to me

[spidey-bie]

Not a single one of y'all have physical touch as one of Hobie's love languages. I'm not mad about it, just disappointed. Look at how he interacted with the other spider teens:

Literally the first thing he does after seeing Pavitr was immediately dap him up and then give him a noogie.

He's only met this kid today and he went and slung his whole body on him. Literally this man says boundaries? What's that? And doesn't wait for an answer.

#GIFT GIVING #Y'ALL ARE SAYING GIFT GIVING #EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE BOOK #but not the one the very thing we saw in canon #im sorry but im very passionate about this specific detail #this and acts of service #seeing as how he's giving Gwen a place to stay in his dimension and all that #hobie brown #my bae [🎸] #character analysis #jay and the spiders #hobie x reader

[petrichormore]

Alright time for me to once again defend q!BBH and his paranoia. (Everything following is about the characters, not the CCs)

Um. Yeah the paranoia is warranted.

The paranoia that his friends are now holding against him is the very same paranoia that has saved lives repeatedly in the past. Nothing about his circumstances have changed enough to warrant being any less paranoid, and it’s not as though his friends didn’t know about his paranoia beforehand. It’s been a consistent part of him, of course he’s not gonna be fully trusting of even his closest friends. Because here’s the thing people don’t seem to understand: he never was.

He never fully trusted Forever. He never fully trusted Baghera. He probably never will. He trusts them as much as he possibly can, but not fully. I see a lot of people criticizing his distrust of them as though he hasn’t already stretched far beyond his comfort zone for them. As if he hasn’t given them access to his base. As if he hasn’t already told them he trusts them, as much as he is able.

Which, by the way, he would be completely in the right to disallow them access to his base - it’s his house. And also, because it’s election season everyone is hiding themselves on the map and distrusting each other - it’s not just him being paranoid.

Especially the hiding-on-the-map thing; I’m not gonna be a hypocrite and say it’s wrong of them to hide themselves when it’s ultimately their decision but in doing so they’ve forced Bad into a position where allowing them access to his house is now too much for him. Except he can’t revoke access because he’s scared they’ll react negatively. Which I imagine they will, even if he comes forward and tells them ahead of time which I’ve seen people suggesting. He’s outright stated that the main reasons he’s concerned with people hiding themselves on the map is 1. because if an egg is an danger he won’t be able to find them and 2. (specifically with forever and baghera) they can now enter his house or be around him without him knowing even while he’s online. That’s too much for his paranoia, which is fair.

“Oh, but he’ll lose the support of his friends if he can’t constantly prove he trusts them in a way that they approve of.” He can’t give them something he doesn’t have. Something he’s never had, for as long as they’ve known him. He cares so much about everyone on the island, even people he doesn’t like, and if his friends turn against him just because he won’t let them use his villagers then damn he’ll… probably just keep caring for them anyway. Because that’s just what he does. Bad is a person that cares very much and trusts very little.

#but he will never trust them again #at least not in the way he does now #idk if people turn on q!bbh of all people just because he doesn’t want people invading his house when he’s not there then #maybe it’s actually them who don’t trust him as much as they think they do #or say they do #like forever and baghera literally had a conversation where they acknowledged that Bad letting them into his house is a HUGE step for him #and they acknowledged that they can’t take that kind of thing for granted #so why are people saying he’ll lose his friendships if he doesn’t gift them his beating heart in a jar or something #make it make sense #qsmp #qsmp analysis #in defense of q!bbh #qsmp badboyhalo #q!badboyhalo #q!bbh #q!bbh character analysis #also cellbit and forever know absolutely nothing about BBH’s plan for the presidency and it’s kinda funny

[heckinggno]

(NOTE: just to be clear I'm not bashing any of the three characters I mentioned. I just found it interesting how she's been pushed away from the family members that she has a lot in common with.)

Isn't it crazy how Mirabel is connected Alma, Bruno, and Pedro? All three of key figures in the Madrigal family plotwise?

Mirabel has Alma's loyalty and love for the family, which emboldens her to have the courage to make hard decisions that no one might agree with, and yet this trait that she shares with Alma is—ironically enough—what drove them further apart from one another throughout the length of the movie.

Like Bruno, she's treated as the black sheep of the family due to her lack of gift. This shared connection of being the "dirty secret" of the family causes Bruno to go into hiding for her safety, but despite his best intentions, him hiding away is actually what makes Mirabel's situation worse in the long run because he disappears on top of everything else that was going on with her.

And with Pedro, she is referred to as his "gift" to the family, their one last miracle from their savior. They share the same courage that urges them to protect the family, but it is this same courage that causes Pedro to lose his life.

What I'm trying to say here is, despite having so much in common with these people, they almost always end up leaving her behind. And while it's true that Pedro's death isn't directly connected to her, Alma feared the implications of Mirabel's giftlessness because it could be a sign that the Miracle is fading—that the thing that gave Pedro's death meaning would one day disappear. In the end, this causes her to isolate Mirabel from the family due to her strange lack of connection to the Candle, which Alma connects back to Pedro.

At this point, Mirabel has already been disconnected to three key figures in her family from childhood. If Encanto had been a different genre, Mirabel would've been a character doomed by the narrative 😔

#encanto #character analysis #mirabel madrigal #i love her a normal amount #but i cant stop thinking about the implications of her every interaction with these characters #(except for pedro) #like??? all of the baggage that they carried has been passed down to her #she was the one who had to bear the brunt of their trauma and grief #she didnt even stand a chance from the beginning #im firm in my belief that her story wouldve ended in tragedy if this wasnt a kids movie #cause her place in the narrative practically solidified when she didnt get a gift #what could a little girl do against all that? :((

[marinaiguess]

okay but i am so normal about blaze in 06 like, my girl could control fire, even the flames of disaster, even the ones that were destroying their world (or the future). in rush, we see that she considers her powers a curse. do you think it was the opposite for 06? in a world that was slowly burning to ashes, it must have been pretty fucking useful to be able to shield yourself and your friend from fire and to help fight what was the cause of the destruction. then again, i’m not sure she trusted everyone with the knowledge that she could control fire; i’m guessing silver was the only one who knew. so, it was a gift only few knew about and could take advantage of. but on the other hand, do you think she cursed herself that her powers, weird though they were, weren’t enough to warrant the future’s safety? do you think she cursed her flames for not being powerful enough to combat iblis?

#do you think the reason why she stays as silver's mentor most of the time #is bcuz she doesnt fully trust herself to make decisions of her own? #maybe she's scared or even mad at herself #for not being able to save the world #bcuz. why else would anyone need fire powers #if not to defeat iblis? #what was her cause? her purpose? #do you think that's why she stepped in and sacrificed herself? #she needed to have a purpose. a goal. a r #a reason why she was the one with the flames #was it a gift or a curse then #UGH #sonic 06 #blaze the cat #character analysis #sonic #sonic the hedgehog

[charmquarkstrangequark]

Young Agent Lockwood

Or

My HC About Young Agent Lockwood That I Hold to be Incontrovertibly True Despite No Supporting Evidence Whatsoever

(Also, Spoilers from the books, so don't read on if you want to remain pure)

-Gravedigger Sykes sought young Lockwood out. He read in the paper about Jessica's death, saw the mention of the earlier deaths of Celia and Donald, and realized Anthony was all alone. Having gotten into ghost hunting himself for similar reasons, he realizes he can offer young Anthony a mission, something to focus and be active on to assuage his guilt.

-Sykes had friends at DEPRAC who filled him in on the back story, namely, that young Anthony had managed to use a rapier to destroy the ghost that killed Jessica despite the obvious shock of finding her very blue and dead just seconds before. Impressed by his early and natural talent, Sykes encourages young Anthony to continue to pursue fencing, and signs him up for every competition.

-Prior to recruiting young Anthony, Sykes ran a small independent firm, mostly dealing with cemetery issues, hence his nickname. He isn't very polished, and the wealthier clients thus choose to engage larger firms rather than Sykes.

-Once he meets young Anthony, with Lockwood's natural grace, manners, and posh accent, Sykes realizes Anthony is his ticket into better earning jobs. He takes Anthony to a shop to buy him a suit, but upon seeing the boy's shock at the expectation of buying something off the rack, Sykes pivots and takes Anthony to a tailor instead. Thus begins Anthony's obsession with bespoke suits. Sykes encourage the tailor to make the suits just a half size too small, to emphasize the boy's height, and young Anthony gets used to the feel. Sykes has less than zero knowledge about fashion, so he gets a subscription to a men's fashion magazine, tells Lockwood to memorize the season's looks, and bases the boy's wardrobe on what's in the glossy pages. To this day, Lockwood carefully peruses the fashion magazines to make sure he's not out of touch.

-Young Anthony becomes the face of Sykes Psychical Investigations. He learns to use his natural good looks to charm the dowagers into hiring his company for their higher paying jobs. This is the start of viewing himself as a "mansion specialist" rather than a graveyard agent. It was Sykes who felt mansions were a better job, and Anthony looks up to the man.

-One day, Sykes hands young Anthony a copy of the Times with a story about Rotwell gracing the front cover. "You're a thousand times better than him," Sykes tells Anthony. "One day, it'll be your face on the papers and in the gossip rags." Hence young Anthony's prurient interest in gossip magazines and his burning desire to be on the front page of the newspapers. It's Lockwood's "This will be us" moment.

-Sykes dies on a job because of a mistake made by the other junior agent in his company. The other boy is overcome by fear and cannot act quickly enough; Sykes jumps in to save him, but due to his age, does not have enough talent to truly see the ghost, and is killed. Young Anthony is not there because he's competing in a fencing competition (the one in which he poked Kipps in the bottom, and Flo took the championship). Feeling guilty that he wasn't there to save the day, Lockwood never signs up for another competition. He hangs the newspaper clipping about the competition on the wall to remind himself what happens when he pursues his own interests instead of the Job. He also decides he will never be overcome by fear; he will always be the first one through the door, the one to keep his cool, the brave one.

-With Sykes gone, the boy whose fear caused Sykes' death quits ghost hunting and becomes a relic boy, and it's really just Lockwood left. He goes to DEPRAC to see if he can take over the company, but for legal reasons, he can't carry on without a "Sykes" at the helm, so he decides to learn how to create his own agency.

-He's researching the process at the Archives when he meets a newly fired George. George hasn't told his parents that Fittes fired him yet; instead he sneaks out every morning and spends the day at the Archives. He sees Lockwood struggling to figure out where to start. Feeling sorry for the slightly younger boy, George helps him locate the necessary books and documents, negotiate the red tape, and find the loopholes that will permit a 14 year old to start an Agency AND qualify for DEPRAC insurance. Along the way, Lockwood's charisma and enthusiasm infect George, and he signs on, telling his parents he's found a better job offer, one with more upward mobility than stuffy old Fittes. George and Lockwood are spending a lot of time at Portland Row, getting things in order, and at some point Lockwood just offers George the empty bedroom on the landing that used to be Celia and Donald's study, and George accepts it. Being used to the domesticity provided by his family, George begins to take on simple cooking and cleaning chores. George's mum also takes pity on young, orphaned Anthony Lockwood and insists George invite him to all their family holidays.

-Eventually the boys take on an assistant, Robin. But Robin is a bit older than either of them, and doesn't take orders well. One of these incidents results in Robin's unfortunate passing, and Lockwood immediately decides he will not tolerate any agent under his leadership to buck his orders in the field; it's just too dangerous. Also, having three teen boys in an agency run by the youngest among them resulted in too much peacocking. Thus, Lockwood places an ad in the papers, looking for an agent, preferably female, and not above fifteen years in age. The first few interviews are disasters, and Lockwood is feeling frustrated and defeated. Then the door to the living room opens and in walks George. Behind him, in a jumper, skirt, leggings, and a little cap, with hair cut short in a bob to avoid ectoplasm burns, is a wide-eyed girl with a northern accent, a feisty temper, and the ability to save him from himself.

#lockwood & co #lockwood and co #anthony lockwood #george karim #lucy carlyle #l&co character analysis #There's no supporting evidence for any of these but it just feels right #renew lockwood and co #I just know George's mom gives Lockwood Christmas gifts every year

[skyview-temple-spring]

This bitch

From kung fu panda 2

Is Ghirahim coded

#Ghirahim to link in skyview temple: you may call me lord Ghirahim. now that we're gotten the pleasantries out of the way #get out of my house #it's a parting gift. in that there'll be part of you. part of you here part of you there #I'm working on my character analysis of him using the og translation I promise

[valeriefauxnom]

You know, the more I read about Narcissistic Personality Disorder, the more I become curious if the writers were actually using it as a guideline for Emile's character and plot involving him. Yes, yes, it's not particularly unique to create a selfish character nor one that has a comically grandiose perception of themselves, nor do are these traits comprehensive to what NPD is, but let me explain, because BOY the dude is a checklist.

As always, long post.

First, let's break out the good ole DSMV. It may not be perfect, but hey. It's what I've got to work with for Official Sources to escape pop psychology sites. Here's the diagnostic criteria for NPD:

How does Emile stack up?

1: He immediately establishes a sense of identity that he believes he is more great than a Greatwyrm.

2: Much of his actions in the main campaign are born from a desire to live out his dreams of power, fame, and recognition.

3: *Gestures vaguely at 98.4% of what Emile says in Dragalia lost* He often refers to others with derogatory names, especially those that reinforce the status differences between them. Honestly, his vocabulary regarding this is rather impressive. Ingrate, peasant, dreck, peon, clod...

4: Here's where I might start to suspect the writers were doing more than just writing an egotistical character. NPD is defined in part by the excessive need for admiration and reinforcement (more on that later). Emile occasionally voices sentiments like above. See also this quote in his Gala story, in which, despite being in desperate need for money, ultimately personally valued the praise he got from the customer more. He's always been a character desperate for positive response.

5: A bit hard to distinguish from some of the standard entitlement royalty does get, but...yeeaaah. Emile is very much entitled in a way that Leonidas, who also expects absolute obedience of subordinates to his orders, isn't. He seems to believe that everyone automatically, no matter who they are, will immediately acquiesce to his will without question, without having any basis for their subservience. Take how he expects, -despite knowing that nobody recognizes him as Emperor at the moment, -a street artist to give up tools of his trade simply because he demands it.

6: Again, quite a large chunk of his motives in the main campaign is exploitive behavior of others. He lies to make Mercury believe her home is in danger and that he can stop it, then establishes he views a pactbound dragon as a slave to his will. Chelle agrees to lend him her androids, and he immediately absconds with the remote she 'accidentally' left lying out to serve his own needs.

Even smaller things in chapter 4, like his demand for Euden to escort him to the summit, is taking advantage of Euden's sense of justice and fairness to ensure he can undergo Jupiter's trial (which he thinks he will win). Take his scheme to foster love for him once he yoinks the throne while everyone else is gone is manipulative. He creates a 'bandit problem' and then sets up scenarios to swoop in to save the day. People see through this one, but it's still manipulative.

7: *Gestures vaguely at Emile again* Emile is...lacking in empathy or consideration for others' lives. I feel like this is pretty self-explanatory.

8: We can see this even in the comics. His first appearence in them checks off several of the traits we've already discussed and adds in 'assumes others are jealous of him' to the book. But even sticking to 'pure' canon, Emile is long, long established that jealousy of his elder siblings in particular is a driving factor regarding his behavior. There's many examples for this, but I'll keep it short since I already used an excuse to drag out the comic.

9: *Gestures vaguely at Emile yet again* Honestly I'm not even going to add any pictures for this point. I think when even your NPC unit description claims you as 'haughty' it's an established character trait.

That's NINE out of nine traits, when FIVE is the requirement for a potential diagnosis. Key word being potential, because we place more requirements on a diagnosis than just matching some features.

But I'd like to go a bit deeper into it. It's one thing to constantly drag out all the moments of Emile being Emile, but digging into the whys of it all also is compelling to me and this argument.

Here's another small exert of the DSMV:

Though hinted at in chapter 4, we gradually came to know more and more about the deeper side and reasons behind Emile's behavior. The long and short of it was: he's jealous. He knows he's inferior, deep, deep down. And we've one connecting factor for what flipped the switch to the degree of behavior he spirals into in canon: Euden. Emile spells it out early himself.

From what we know of their relationship before canon, Euden seemed to be the adoring sibling eager to learn whatever Emile deigned to teach him and was generally subservient as he was to all his siblings. He, unintentionally, fed Emile's ego at being able to instruct an inferior, feeding that need for affirmation. Thus, when canon rolls around, Emile is gravely wounded (emotionally), by Euden's betrayal of 'stepping outside his place'. He's the pillar that's allowed Emile to raise himself so high, and now that he's moved, Emile falls.

In that same conversation, Emile explicitly cites the 'degradation' Euden is putting him through, and thus enters another long-lasting characteristic of NPD. Enter his rage.

Among all his other motivations for appreciation, Emile cultivated quite a potent desire to harm Euden in particular. Several times he expresses a desire or tries to kill him with his 'own two hands', but I think the Persona crossover event is a goldmine for demonstrating the extent of how enamored he is with thoughts of violence regarding Euden in particular after his 'offense'.

He doesn't just want to kill Euden. He wants to short drop hang him (ie, the non-instantaneous kind that leaves you suffocating, though who knows if they even know the 'break the neck instantly' variety either, to be fair). He wants to break him mentally and quite possibly physically, judging by how quick he is to call in Shadows to beat him. Somehow, I'd speculate just by the sheer pleasure he takes specifically in seeing Euden in despair and misery (he should take notes from Ciella) it'd be a quick jump to actual torture if Euden hadn't immediately been busted out as planned.

Why? Again: though his elder siblings left Emile feeling unappreciated and inferior, Euden is the one to have raised him up before dropping him. It's personal. Therein is his fragile self-esteem, so dependent on the one he viewed as inferior.

All this culminates to a surprisingly replete picture of what NPD actually looks like. It's not just base selfishness or some excess ego, but a incredibly strong and persistent pattern of this kind of behavior, all in fulfillment of a need to acquire adoration. It's the fury that can follow the broken self esteem when that adoration isn't given. It's the vengeful fantasies of harming those who wronged him, the lower empathy for others occasionally paving the way for acts of violence.

Somehow, Emile is still compelling (to myself included), despite him being much of what people loathe in the real world. He's bombastic and dynamic in a way that his more emotionally-composed siblings aren't, and that lends him well to comedy in its own way. It doesn't hurt that he's like. Probably the 2nd most common of the royal fam to pop up, after Euden. He's the Saturday morning cartoon villain who is the lowest on the totem pole of threats and thus safe to have a laugh at until he rolls 20 and starts causing very real danger.

That aside, I threw together this for a more light-hearted thing regarding Emile:

Edit: I remembered Zardin. I think it's kinda funny how Emile is a "better", more complete representation of a narcissist is and does than the supposed actual narcissist himself. I think it's a case of Emile being the 'technical' one while Zardin is a 'literary' one. Aside from being obsessed with his looks just as OG Narcissus was, he's... not really displaying many traits that I can recall from him. Still interesting.

#dragalia lost #dragalia #character analysis #dragalia analysis #Forcibly bringing up the fact again that Aurelius and Audric both gave Magnus the authority to kill Emile. I think they knew #There was a Problem but not necessarily the extent to which Emile could go. Either way: did all the siblings have assassin-guards #That were ready to kill them if they grew too too evil? I suppose it's a good way to cull the worst eggs but. Still. #Now to get back to Secret Starfall writing! Got about 5k now. I do hope my recipient enjoys the gift though! #Sorry if any other fics are a bit delayed with that in mind. Other Things To Write(tm) call! #Scaling included as with it being likely right there at the climax I need to try and nail the landing!

[theartgremlin2]

Apparently people are complaining about this week’s Bad Batch s2 episode being uninteresting. While I was a little bored while watching, that has more to do with the episode’s pacing than it’s actual content. The comparison between Tech and TAY-0 made it quite fascinating to me.

One of my main gripes about Tech has been how underdeveloped his character is. He’s the smart one! He’s got a big, beautiful brain and an ego to match. Occasionally, he behaves a bit robotically because of how direct and literal he takes things. I don’t think I’m the only one who has felt like that. It seems to me that the writers realized it too, which is why TAY-0 is the perfect person to contrasted against Tech in this little character study of an episode.

TAY-0 was quite capable of doing his job. He was the current champion racer when we are introduced to him. Cid wouldn’t have bet so much on him if she didn’t have every confidence in him. We’ve seen her do it with Omega, and she clearly thought she would win that wager with Millegi. Not only is TAY-0 a competent Pilot, he is also relatively intelligent. He knows how to fix his speeder, and how to re-assemble himself. He even has a certain sense of art, though that isn’t really explored. He is very similar to Tech in that he has an inflated ego. This is likely from all the praise and popularity his skill as a pilot earns him in the races. However, TAY-0 has one glaring flaw: he’s inflexible.

The move where the two rival pilots who trap their opponent and saw into their speeder is not a new strategy. The announcer and the crowd all know what’s going on when a pilot gets trapped between these two in the tunnels. TAY-0 has seen these rivals do this likely several times, and yet he is incapable of adapting to the situation when it happens to him. In addition to this, when Tech is attempting to repair him, TAY-0 insists that Tech is doing it wrong. He cannot imagine the possibility that there might be another, possibly even better way to re-assemble himself. And this inflexibility is why TAY-0’s ego comes off so gratingly. He behaves as though he knows best in every situation because he is a great racer! There is no need for him to learn anything from anyone else!

Tech is already a magnificent pilot. We have witnessed him flying the Marauder in ways that rival Anikin Skywalker’s ingenuity. He has probably gotten the Batch out of more tight spots than you could count on all you and your closest friend’s fingers and toes combined! In contrast to TAY-0, however, Tech has the humility to admit when he doesn’t know something. He does not claim that his experience piloting the Marauder makes him just as good a racer as the droid. Instead, he recognizes that this is a different skill, and spends time familiarizing himself with it before he decides he can do it. And once the race is over, he does not soak in the praise that the racing fans pour on him. He savors the glory for a moment, accepts the praise, and moves on.

This is not something I ever thought I would say, but Tech’s humility is what makes him a compelling character. He can be a smartass. He can be annoyingly correct. This actually put me off the character in the first season. I was not a big fan of Tech. But he can also be endearingly eager to learn. S2e2 even foreshadowed the closer look at Tech’s humility we were going to get by allowing him a moment of revelation when Romar points out to him that the Serennians had existed before they became Separatists.

This development has softened me a little towards the character, and I can’t wait to see more of him!

#tech bad batch #tbb tech #tbb season 2 spoilers #the bad batch season two #character analysis #episode analysis #am I the only one who wants TAY-0 to get a little development from this too? #please let him have a think and realize that maybe he’s not the Force’s greatest gift to being-kind #I also really hope that Tech and Romar become good friends #it would be a cute elder-teacher dynamic #GremlinReflections

[101flavoursofweird]

The Pariah and the Prodigy

I love how Willow and Gus parallel each other as characters. They have a lot in common (as BFFs often do) but they’re still they’re own people and they bring out the best in each other.

Willow was a powerful plant magic user, but she started off in the wrong track studying abominations, as her dads believed this would offer her more future opportunities. This— along with being bullied for years— stunted Willow’s confidence, her happiness and her true potential. She gained the undeserved nickname ‘Half-a-Witch Willow’, just because she was considered a late bloomer with her magic. Amity shunned Willow when they were little because Willow was viewed as a ‘weakling’.

Gus can be seen as a parallel to Willow. He was known as prodigy from a young age— at least, when it came to illusions. His father hoped he would become a master illusionist. Gus skipped a couple of grades and took on more advanced classes. Other students sought Gus out for his talents and acted like his friend, only to take advantage of him. This led Gus to believe that people would only want to be around him if they had an ulterior motive.

Gus joined the Human Appreciation Society and in time, he became the club’s president. He was concerned when his title of president we threatened. He admitted to feeling overlooked and ignored in the past. 

Gus seemed to project an air of confidence, but deep down, he was insecure about his youth, his abilities and his apparent nativity. He definitely had a case of Imposter Syndrome, where everyone thought he was smart, but Gus still doubted himself. (Because who is Gus, without his abilities? Who is Gus, without his title?)

When Willow met Gus— after he had been tricked into doing another student’s homework— she helped him calm down, saying that she sometimes got ‘wrapped up her own thoughts too’. Willow kept Gus out trouble (like when she disapproved of with his plan to bring the banned Luz to school, or saved he and Luz from the hungry locker), while occasionally going along with his schemes. 

In return, Gus stood up for Willow. He didn’t scream in the face of Willow’s bullies, but rather, he quietly defied them, like when he swiped Willow’s hair clip back from Boscha. By the time the club fair rolled around, Willow set up Hexside’s first flyer derby team. Sure, Gus joined her on the team, but the other members were drawn in by Willow’s speech and Hunter’s flying skills. Gus warned Hunter not to mess things up for Willow, as this had been in tough year for her. Gus had experience of fake friends and he didn’t want the same thing to happen to Willow.

I’ve occasionally seen people wondering why Hunter was the one who got to snap Gus out of his in illusion nightmare in Labyrinth Runners. Why couldn’t it be Willow? We’d seen her calming Gus down in a memory with her breathing technique— something that Gus passed on to Hunter and Hunter tried to use again on Gus, but he just ended up making Gus laugh. In a way, Willow did save Gus…

But I think the reason why she couldn’t do this in the moment was because Gus needed an outsider’s perspective. Willow is his best friend, so of course she would say what Gus needed to hear. Gus had only met Hunter once before Labyrinth Runners. What did Hunter know about Gus then? Gus is Willow’s friend… He uses his staff differently to everyone else when flying… He felt like Hunter stabbed him in the back… But until Labyrinth Runners, Hunter didn’t know the true extent of Gus’s illusion powers. He didn’t help Gus because of his abilities. He helped Gus because Gus helped him (because Gus is a good person) and Hunter wanted to return the favour… and maybe he relates to Gus with the whole trust issues thing.

#Character analysis #willow park #Gus Porter #augustus porter #Willow (TOH) #Gus (TOH) #hunter the golden guard #the owl house #I’m sorry I’ve written a bit more about Gus’s character #(Can you tell he’s my fave? Former ‘gifted kid’?) #But I love them both #Willow & Gus #I hope we see more of them together in For the Future #*Edits title* #THIS WOULD MAKE A GOOD FIC TITLE #I’ll write it after I’ve finished the Camila and Darius Spa Day fic

[fumifooms]

Howl’s moving castle dunmeshi AU

I’ve cracked the code I know why I love Marcille x Chilchuck so much. They’re literally just like Howl’s Moving Castle Howl and Sophie. Okok indulge me for a sec I’m about to dump so many pics and ramble for a bit. I want you to see my marchil vision. It’s fabulous extra cringefail hopeless romantic drama queen x grumpy old sad angry caring hardworking person cursed to be here & cursing fate and giving tough love to everything in a miles radius. No one is safe. From either of them. Calcifer or Micheal is Izutsumi. Wait wait no Calcifer is Senshi and Michael is Izutsumi. Senshi as Calcifer works bc Calcifer is just chained to Howl and is there reminding Howl to not die and take care of himself, giving hints about how to break the curse to Sophie, also the fire demon cooks the eggs and bacon checkmate. And then LAIOS IS TURNIP HEAD OH MY GOD THAT WORKS OUT PERFECTLY. Chilchuck & Marcille, screaming terrified of the weird scarecrow chasing after them, meanwhile the weird scarecrow that’s harmless: :(. Wizard Suliman is Falin and the second fire demon is Winged Lion, so bam everything comes full circle.

I’m assuming most people who’ll see this post maybe saw the movie but not the book, and what you need to know is that the movie makes Howl so much dreamier and collected and cool, whereas in the book he’s just a drama queen 24/7 that’s it. He’s a wet cat dressed in expensive sparkly glittery gowns that needs to be yelled at to do anything he needs to do. He complains. He bemoans. Meanwhile Sophie is, honestly pretty like in the movie? Less contrarian and anger issues but will grumble and yells while cleaning nonetheless. Hardworking but will pathetically sit down on a chair in a dark corner to cry about her aching bones and OHH this is ALL because she’s the eldest child and she was doomed for unhappiness and no one can ever love her… So she’ll whack everyone into order and purge her feelings through aggressive cleaning and using weed killer. IS THIS NOT GIVING MARCILLE & CHIL TO YOU?!

There’s this funny widespread take from the fandom:

And it couldn’t be more true in a marchil context either. Like come on. For all of this post just swap the names of Howl for Marcille and Sophie for Chilchuck.

(Last one with the art by Cookiekappa on Tumblr)

Tell me this isn’t so Marcille. Tell me Chil wouldn’t run away from home thinking he’s failed life and is no longer in shape to work and now has to waddle in self-pity, seeking out wizards which he hates and finds shady bc it’s his last option, and then end up a maid & cleans everything out of spite and also worry for the person living there. Tell me Marcille wouldn’t throw a depressed slime tantrum so bad that it causes a partial town evacuation because her wails summon unknown horrors, over her HAIR. Forget slime she’d blow up the house instantly. She would breakdance as refusal to go see the king. Chilchuck would call her a slitherer-outer and she would gasp in offense and they’d have a fight.

Marcille having full on poems laying around and then Chil & Izu seeing them and being like "Ah yes, this must be a spell, it makes no sense and is so extra, just like how silly our resident witch and her magic is". Izutsumi going "Okay peepaw I’ll teach you how to use a magical bucket just take one step forward-" and they immediately fuck it up and they’re left stranded in far unknown lands. Chilchuck complaining that HIS BACK HURTS. And at every turn or something mildly inconveniencing him "NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS TO THE MIDDLE CHILD".

And can we talk about the aging motif, the curse… Marcille never letting herself grow close to someone even though she does all these grand gestures for them at first. Meanwhile her fear of loss stares at her straight in the eye whenever she looks at 90 years old Chilchuck, and her deciding to not run away from their relationship is what ends up healing both of them. She gets over her fear of intimacy and he grows over feeling like a terribly dull unlovable failure. Me sobbing when I remember how Sophie’s curse of being old is a self-inflicted manifestation of herself thinking she’s romantically unlovable and weak…….

This is it for now but rest assured that I want to make art of this, have these memes for now

#Dungeon meshi #au #marcille donato #chilchuck tims #marchil #Fumi rambles #crossfandom stuff #I might edit in other details or things I think up of for this au wether scenes or analysis points #I did interpret chil’s character differently than I usually do in order to make him fit more in sophie’s shoes but it still fits imo #My soul needs an absolutely seething malding old Chilchuck maid au. It sparks joy. Go get it peepaw fuck shit up clean that house #He has a strong will and a gift he can speak life into things because he can motivate ppl by speaking frank and true ILY