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theresattrpgforthat · 1 year

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Hi do you know any space western ttrpgs? Preferably those that let me play aliens.

THEME: Space Westerns

Hello there! The following games can all be classified as Space Westerns, although I don’t think there are any with specific rules that provide different options according to your chosen alien species. However, I don’t think there’s anything that specifically excludes you from being able to play as an alien either.

Vultures, by Batts.

Vultures is a game that puts players in the position of bounty hunters in a post-mecha world, hunting down the rogue pilots and soldiers that refuse to turn in their license and submit to the new Space Mom mega hegemony. The universe and its people are shaped by Before, the war where massive war machines, sinister warminds, and the mechs that walked the stars, caused massive, planet-wide destruction and left the universe in a mess of mecha wreckage.

How long before you make a choice?

How long before you rebel?

This game functions on a simple, sturdy background. Roll d20 and try to get over 10. You build your character out of skills, a background, and develop them with relationships, each adding bonuses to your rolls.

Vultures combines an unforgiving authority with a light-hearted tone. Character have only 1 health and are under the constant watchful eye of Space Mother, but stepping in to help out a friend is always rewarded and players have the ability to gain Luck, which downgrades what could be potentially lethal harm. Your job is to hunt down those nasty rebels and deserters who keep getting in the way of total hegemony, which will take you across a galaxy dotted with the bones of the mechs that tore the galaxy apart. A Hegemony implies the governance over many entities, so there’s plausible argument for the inclusion of alien species, even if there’s no acknowledgement of them in the game text.

I cannot over-recommend the use Safety Tools for Vultures, as it can confront a lot of themes around war and authoritarianism, but once your table has achieved a common ground, it can tell a very compelling story.

Outlaw’s Gamble, by Mitchell Daily.

Go on daring adventures, brave the darkest corners of the Wide Open Sky, evade the Sheriffs, and break the Fundamental Laws of the Universe with reality-warping abilities.

In Outlaw's Gamble you play as Outlaws (it's in the name after all) who go far beyond breaking mortal laws and break the very laws of reality itself, seizing upon great power in the process. But wherever there are laws, there are those who enforce it. Using your powers can mean great gains but draws the attention of the Law itself and the Sheriffs that serve it: the River, the Mountain, the Canyon, the Desert, and the Grave.

Outlaw's Gamble is played with a deck of playing cards. Challenges can be resolved quickly with a high-card wins system or the stakes can be raised with wagers and poker hands. The poker-style way of resolving conflict is probably one of the most obvious nods to the space-western genre. If what you like about Westerns is the mythology of dangerous mavericks, beholden to no-one and always operating outside the law, you might want to check out this game.

WildSpace, by TheChaya.

Wildspace is a role-playing game in which players explore the galaxy, investigate ancient secrets, outwit enemies and get rich doing so.

Wildspace is an Old-School Renaissance-adjacent game about post-apocalyptic wild west-themed adventure in the far future. Take on the role of diverse characters in their journey for fame and fortune across the endless space frontier.

Your characters are built up of a number of different pieces: stats, specializations, known languages, and character class. The languages available here tell me that there is definitely alien species involved in this world - it’s just that your species doesn’t define what you can do. This is also a game with a heavy list of inventory, including special powers and tech. So if you like kit-bashing pieces together to make a unique character who’s just trying to make their way in this wild, wild galaxy, this might be the game for you.

Space Bounty Blues, by The Nerdy Paper Games of Rob Hebert.

A GM-less, planet-hopping, neo-noir RPG for 3-6 people inspired by the greatest sci-fi bounty hunter anime of all time.

It’s the turn of the 25th century, and humanity has spread throughout the Inner System, a network of colony clusters connected by Transit Gates that make faster-than-light space travel possible. Of course, anywhere people go, crime goes with ‘em. And when you can blow jurisdictions at the punch of a hyperdrive, The Man just can’t keep pace. That’s where bounty hunters like you and the rest of your crew come in, with a license to run down and arrest the System’s Most Wanted throughout all six colony clusters.

But remember: this ain’t some license to kill; you only get paid if you hand over a bounty that’s still breathing.

Space Bounty Blues has three traits: Hard, Sharp, and Smooth. You get +1 in one, -1 in another, and 0 in the last. Each character also gains an Edge and a Trouble: your Edge gives you +1 to all relevant rolls, while your Trouble is a problem you just can’t shake. Space Bounty Blues is GM-less, using an online generator (and your own brain) to generate plot details that the group will tackle together.

This game carries elements of inventory keeping, and characters collect scars that can take them out of the game, but you won’t find long lists of equipment or a map that you crawl across, conquering traps and minor obstacles. Finally, the spotlight is meant to move from one character to another, and while each player moves through their “solo”, the rest of the group play NPCs. If you’re looking for a game that guarantees your character will stand out, you might want to look at Space Bounty Blues.

Marine Ice Cattle Drive, by Evey Lockhart.

On a frozen planet, underneath a dim, pink sun, lumbering ice-cows dive and graze in beautiful lavender bays. Heavily bundled cowhands keep careful watch, counting the dangerous minutes until their meagre payday.

All the while rich assholes, who never get closer to the work than orbit, just get richer. The more cowhands that don't make it off the Ice Ball, well, the less the bosses have pay.

Marine Ice Cattle Drive is a 20 page, colorful zine, outlining a new Sphere and Adventure for Troika! the scifantasy ttrpg. Available in both a heavily illustrated .pdf format as well as epub!

Because this is an adventure designed for Troika, I can see this as being the most likely option that allows you to play some sort of alien - Troika is a game about multiverses and various different worlds (called spheres), so it makes perfect sense that your alien buckaroo is getting in on this dangerous, freezing space ranch adventure. While this is an adventure, not a stand-alone setting, you could probably take a lot of pieces from this sphere to make your own story.

Orbital Blues, by Soul Muppet Publishing.

This is the rock and roll future of yesteryear that never was—and nobody wanted. It is an intergalactic age of cowboys, outlaws and bandits playing on an interstellar stage. It is a time of hyper-capitalism and a cut-throat gig economy. Unreliable trash-heaps carry scrappy underdogs to their next gig, and corporation freighters lumber across the horizon laden with an empire’s bounty.

These are the music-fuelled, moon-age daydreams of a rebel space age. These are your ORBITAL BLUES.

ORBITAL BLUES is a lo-fi space western roleplaying game from SoulMuppet Publishing, written by Sam Sleney & Zachary Cox. A roleplaying love-letter to off-beat sci-fi, vintage music, and cooperative old-school styled roleplay, Orbital Blues allows you to play out rules-light tabletop adventures in the style of space westerns such as Cowboy Bebop, Firefly and Guardians of the Galaxy

Characters of Orbital Blues are centred about their personalities, their quirks, what they want and what they can do. There’s also a pretty palpable homage to Cowboy Bebop, similar to Space Bounty Blues. With most of these games, the feel of a space western has more to do with the people who make up a crew - and it emphasizes that your crew is a rag-tag bunch of misfits, unable to find a place in the honest economy of a larger galaxy. What Orbital Blues brings to the table is a critically-acclaimed system of Troubles - problems the characters struggle with that help each character define and explore a narrative arc. As a result, there’s also some fascinating third-party content that provides add-ons and adventures for your players. If you’re on the fence about this game, you can check out the Quickstart/Playtest, released by Soul Muppet for folks who want to try before they buy.

Additionally...

If you want more options, I also recommend checking out the submissions to the Space Western Summer Jam on Itch.io, from 2021!

#dnd #space western #space #tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #game recommendations #I really have a hard time picking a favourite out of all of these #asks

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izzyizumi · 6 months

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Digimon Adventure Last Evolution: Kizuna ~ ~ Meiko Mochizuki’s (Canon) Appearance (as Younger Meiko, same design used in Tri) + Meiko & Meicoomon

“Mochizuki...” - Yamato Ishida (Taichi also watching), Voice wavering, in growing shock

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carolinanadeau · 1 month

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In Praise of Sally Ann Howes

As I've made it one of the purposes of my blog to share photos and songs and general positivity about the wonderful English actress Sally Ann Howes, I thought I'd make a post to talk in much more detail about all the great things about her and why I adore her so much!

This classy English beauty possessed a highly expressive face and eyes, an astonishingly powerful soprano, a great sense of humor, and the world's most charming laugh. One thing I cannot stop saying about Sally Ann is that she did not and does not get nearly enough credit and recognition for her immense talent and prolific career, and it's precisely for that reason that I'm here to do my part in giving it to her!

This overlong rambling post is a combination of biographical information and my personal fawning over her performances... whatever I felt I most wanted to put out there in the world and what I'd like people less familiar with her to know.

Click on Keep Reading and I'll take you on a journey!

As she preferred to work on the stage and didn't really pursue a film career, the catalog of Sally Ann's work that can still be viewed today is unfortunately small - though you can find almost all of her early films on the internet if you look hard! In her early film days, mostly made before she was able to pursue her true passion of musical theatre, her extraordinary singing talents weren't utilized by the producers at all.

However, we were fortunately blessed with exactly one musical film role from her, and it's an iconic one: the aptly-named role of Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), the golden-haired, golden-hearted candy heiress who falls in love with and eventually marries Dick van Dyke's character Caractacus Potts after joining him and his children on a madcap adventure. She's a sweet, intelligent ingenue with hidden depths and one of my favorite sorts of character arcs - the uptight, lonely woman who becomes more and more warm and open as she discovers newfound freedom and joy in life and falls in love.

There is something about Sally Ann that just glows in every scene of Chitty, and it's not only that bright blonde hair! The way she widens her eyes sometimes, the way she raises her eyebrows, her gentle and soft presence in the happiest scenes, and the particular airy lilt she has to her speaking voice are all so distinctive and appealing, and I can't take my eyes off her. And her smile! When I say she glows it's barely even a metaphor, the woman just emits light.

(Funnily enough, I started to realize that many of the laudatory quotes I've found about her also refer to her in this way, like this quote from a 1965 TV Guide article, from playwright Sidney Kingsley: "She's luminous as an actress. I mean that literally. In Brigadoon she really lit up the stage.")

For me, I'm weak for any actress who can do the defrosted-ice-queen trope so incredibly well. Truly starts out as closed-off and prim, and nearly reverts to that state when she and Caractacus have a Big Misunderstanding near the end, but in the scenes where she's happy and carefree, the warmth just radiates off of her.

She also has the most adorable chemistry with Dick van Dyke in an annoyances-to-friends-to-lovers relationship that absolutely shaped my young brain. Whenever Sally Ann and Dick glance at each other, whether with irritation and frustration early in the film or with warmth and affection later on, their chemistry is obvious and natural, and there's so much expressed in each one of those glances. One has no difficulty believing that these characters are going to be very happily married.

(Here's a cute on-set interview where she talks about, among other things, how easily she and van Dyke clicked.)

While I acknowledge that the character of Caractacus Potts was absolutely originally planned to be an actual Englishman, Dick van Dyke played him with an American accent, and to me they will always be an adorable English-American couple. It's a whole part of the charm of this pairing to me!

Sally Ann also had a great relationship with child actors Adrian Hall and Heather Ripley who played Jeremy and Jemima Potts, and did her best to help make them more comfortable and happy during the many very long days on set. Having been a child film star herself, she knew a great deal about how difficult and alienating it could be. The genuine affection the three of them shared is obvious in their scenes together, especially in the extremely adorable "Truly Scrumptious" number, and it really makes the developing mother-child relationship between the characters so believable.

The beach scene, where so much of the relationship between Truly and Caractacus and the Potts children is developed, is incredibly cute and heartwarming, and a lot of that rides on Sally Ann's performance and how her previously prim-and-proper character shows herself to be warm and loving, once she (literally) lets her hair down. We've already seen how happy the Potts family is together; now we see how Truly fits in perfectly and makes them all even happier.

Look at her! Literally glowing!

(One thing I should mention: I think both the plot and the love story of CCBB are greatly improved if one just treats the "dream sequence" as real events, which was possibly the original intention anyway, so just note that is always the perspective I'm coming from here. It's the only way to make some things make sense and for the characters and their relationships to fully develop.)

"Lovely, Lonely Man" is Truly's big solo moment, and was probably the least comprehensible part of the movie to me as a kid (lol), but is now indisputably one of the very best parts to me as an adult. It's an exquisitely beautiful love song, especially the bridge, and I somehow love it more and more every time I rewatch it. Sally Ann's dreamy, graceful movements and the way the whole scene is shot make her look like a princess, and the slow build of the song is masterfully done. She has this distinctive crisp way of articulating her words while singing, especially the closing consonants like N and M, that I just love to listen to. The string section and the building countermelodies are so beautiful it makes me want to weep. Everyone involved in creating this scene and song deserved an award, I'm being so serious. While it's not the highest of soprano songs and doesn't fully show off Sally Ann's astonishing range, she shows an incredible amount of vocal control here through the many diminuendos and crescendos, and she's mesmerizing to watch and listen to. One of her "glowiest" scenes, for sure!

While I've seen people call this song irrelevant to the plot, I strongly disagree - the romance is part of the plot, of course, and while I didn't fully understand the meaning as a kid, this song establishes how much Truly's outlook on life and hopes for the future have already changed since meeting Caractacus, and how much happier she is with the poor Potts family than she's ever been in her life of luxury. Plus, now we know for certain that she's head over heels for Caractacus, but he doesn't know... increasing the dramatic irony of the pining and yearning to follow!

youtube

In the reprise of "Hushabye Mountain", which was sung in a much earlier scene by Dick van Dyke alone, Caractacus loses the will to continue the song because he's overwhelmed with emotion thinking of his children being held captive. Truly comes in to aid him with the final verse - another pivotal moment in the developing romance - and Sally Ann's singing here is nothing short of breathtaking.

And of course, I can't neglect to mention the "Doll on a Music Box" number, where Sally Ann, who was not a trained dancer and in fact considered herself to be "appalling" at it, performs an incredibly precise, incredibly impressive clockwork song-and-dance number while on a spinning turntable! She practiced it so well that she managed to successfully complete the shot in a single take, prompting the stage full of extras to burst into applause.

This is another important character moment for Truly, though it's disguised in a diegetic performance: though it's another thing that went over my head as a child who only got to see the movie once, the lyrics about being trapped up on a music box and longing to be freed by love pretty clearly symbolize how trapped the real Truly's high-society life makes her feel, and how she yearns to break free from class restrictions and live happily-ever-after with Caractacus, as it's only with him and his family that she really feels free.

Then there's that incredibly warm romantic look that Truly and Caractacus share at the end of the song when she silently acknowledges the love confession he's just made while singing in counterpoint with her, though they're still in a dangerous situation and can't give themselves away by appearing too human and breaking their disguises... sadly this vital moment is cut off on all the Youtube videos of the scene I can find, because none of the people who clipped it understand that that's the whole point of it all, apparently. But here's a gif!

The character of Truly doesn't exist at all in the original (quite different) book by James Bond author Ian Fleming - surprising, I know, given her name! - and, honestly, the fact that Truly and the romantic subplot of this movie exist are why it had such a strong impact on me as a child, and very much why I fell in love with it again as an adult. Even though the score is wonderful anyway and the story is charming and magical, I can confidently say that I would not have become as completely enchanted or had such a strong desire to revisit it again and again if there'd been no Truly and no love story. The fact that Sally Ann's performance makes Truly so loveable is, obviously, a pretty crucial factor there.

Sally Ann's delivery of "Well, Mr. Potts... now you'll have to marry me!" after Caractacus kisses Truly... that slide from prim mock-outrage to the playful, warm, you-can-hear-the-smile-in her-voice conclusion is flawless. Not even exaggerating when I say that this was the moment that made me into a hopeless romantic as a 9-year-old child. Sure, this wasn't the first movie I'd seen where two people fall in love and live happily ever after, but I distinctly remember that this was the first romance story that had me in a giggling, kicking-my-feet, "I ship it so hard" state of mind. And after revisiting it as an adult for the first time last year, I have confirmed that yes, child me already had great taste in fictional romances!

Oh, I could say so much about the difference in her body language between the two scenes where Caractacus carries Truly out of her car that's become stuck in a pond. The first time, Truly is affronted and extremely embarrassed by the situation, holding herself so stiffly and awkwardly to avoid an accidental embrace that she causes him to nearly lose his balance and drop her. The second time, when they're in love and they know it, she snuggles right up into his arms without hesitation and it's the cutest thing ever. Sally Ann was 5'6" but looks so tiny in that scene!

(And that kiss! Maybe I'm getting off-topic here in terms of strictly focusing on Sally Ann's contributions, because Dick van Dyke deserves tons of credit for making this kiss so good... but wow, the kiss. Several times I have called it "the Most Kiss they could have gotten away with in a children's movie." Again, giggling, kicking my feet etc.)

While Truly's costumes and hairstyling are rarely historically accurate (the film is set around 1910), the stylized nature of her fashion is iconic and memorable in itself. Sally Ann also completely pulls off playing a fresh-faced ingenue who is 12+ years younger than her actual age - and I do wonder if the aging-down of Sally Ann is at least part of the reason why Truly wears her hair loose throughout most of the movie! Either way, it works perfectly and I was shocked when I first learned how much older she was than her character. (If you watch her in The Admirable Crichton, where she is also in Edwardian costume and was closer to Truly's actual age, she really doesn't look all that much different. If anything, I think she looks even more glowingly beautiful in Chitty!)

Also, as for Truly wearing her hair down... it may just have been an intentionally anachronistic stylistic choice, but in-story, I think it actually contributes to her character by showing a willingness to flout convention and pursue whatever will make her happy instead of what's expected of her, which happens to be a key theme of her character arc.

Another thing that led me to adore Sally Ann as a person as I learned more about her over the last year: in the 1960s, she appeared as a panelist in quite a few episodes of the game show To Tell the Truth (as well as a few episodes of Password), and these can be found on Youtube. I really adore how her personality shines through - she's unfailingly bubbly, witty, self-deprecating, and a bit quirky. Just listening to her speak is a delight and she has one of the best laughs I've ever heard. Here is one of my favorite little moments that I clipped.

By all accounts, she was a delightful person to know and work with, witty and clever, very professional, and very serious about her craft. She also always maintained a great affection for and pride in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and her role as Truly, which is always a wonderful thing to know about an actor in a beloved role.

Another bonus: here is a super charming interview with her after a backstage disaster at What Makes Sammy Run? on Broadway.

She was also, along with Twiggy and Diahann Carroll (as Julia Baker), one of the first three celebrities to have her likeness made into a Barbie doll.

Two of her earlier films I recommend are the comedies Fools Rush In (1949) and The Admirable Crichton (1957), if you can find them (hint-hint, you can.) You may also be able to find the 1966 TV movie of her reprising her Tony-nominated role of Fiona in Brigadoon with Robert Goulet, and although I feel like the oddly close-up way the film was shot kinda does a disservice to the actors at times, it's still amazing to be able to see and hear her in a role she performed on Broadway.

Richard Rodgers once called Sally Ann "the greatest singer who ever sang on the American musical stage." Now, I don't quote this to claim this superlative as some kind of objective fact. If you know anything about me, I am very, very strongly opposed to pitting women against each other and all the Golden Age sopranos are absolute queens who deserve crowns, no matter how much mainstream success or present-day name-recognition they have/had. I just think it's phenomenal that she received such high praise from a man who worked with many of the best musical theatre singers who ever lived... and to think, many people today have never even heard her voice. Without her performance as Truly Scrumptious, it's possible almost nobody would in the future! I am so glad that Sally Ann's lasting legacy was ensured by such a beloved film role.

Sadly for us, many of the theatrical roles which she originated (and thus, for which cast albums featuring her exist) were in shows that either flopped quickly or at least did not enter the theatrical canon, so she never achieved the level of mainstream recognition she clearly deserves. But Sally Ann also played such legendary and challenging roles as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Fiona MacLaren in Brigadoon (for which she received a Tony nomination), Maria Rainer von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Anna Leonowens in The King and I, and, much later, Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music. She received great acclaim for all of these performances and, judging by what we know of her process on My Fair Lady, was excellent at making roles distinctly her own and never merely imitating another performer.

Even in her iconic original role of Truly Scrumptious, you don't get to hear the true full power of Sally Ann's extraordinary soprano. For that, I highly recommend listening to "Another Time, Another Place" from Kwamina (1961), and "Something to Live For" from What Makes Sammy Run? (1964). I'm always sad that we don't have any recordings of her in her "fiery" star turn as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, but you can at least hear her do a Cockney accent, be silly, and sing "With a Little Bit of Luck" with Bing Crosby here!

If it weren't for the enduring success of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, few people might have even heard of Sally Ann Howes today, and that would be a terrible loss. I cannot overstate that I am so grateful that we all know who she is because she played this role and we get to see her give this radiant performance of a character that's all her own. Maybe this sounds strange, but I think the fact that this was Sally Ann's only musical film role (and the ONLY role most people will ever see her in) makes it even more precious, and makes everything she brings to the character that much more distinctive and unique and special.

Both for all of the talent and charm she brings to the role itself, and everything else that I and many other fans have been able to learn of so much of her otherwise-obscure work because of it, the world is incredibly lucky to have the lovely Sally Ann Howes immortalized as our Truly Scrumptious, and I wouldn't have it any other way 💖

#*mic drop*#sally ann howes #chitty chitty bang bang #and that's why you should vote for... wait there's no poll involved? I may have gotten carried away ;)#ok so I doubt anyone will even pay attention to this post but if you are going to tag or comment on this BE KIND AND POSITIVE ABOUT HER #like this is obviously a labor of love on my part here... don't be weird or backhanded. I don't need to hear how you disagree or whatever #and no pitting women against each other on my posts I am so serious #this is a fan post! this is a stan post! this is a celebration! do not derail!#I feel like I need to sprinkle holy water on this post before I release it out into the world #oh Sally Ann we're really in it now #also parts of this are poorly written I know. it's literally just an infodump about my Special Interest English Lady what do you expect lol #the switches between formal tone and informal fangirling are intentional btw #this is what I'm using my degree for apparently #I know I mixed in a lot of character/story analysis here and maybe that's slightly off-topic from lauding her performance but hey #it's not like I'm getting graded on this. and I mean you can see these things in her character BECAUSE of her performance #take my hand. love her with me. life could be a dream #you know the lyric in Hamilton - 'I wrote my way out'? that's what this was for me. I wrote my way out of a mental health crisis with this #when I came up with this idea I was going to save it for her birthday but that is sooo far away. so I'll post now and reblog it then!#I'm shocked tumblr can even handle whatever I'm trying to do here #I wouldn't have put SO many photos except that I needed to use multiples so I could make them smaller!!#my original post #long post

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scaryspears · 9 months

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Mileena Zoldyck

[Warning: This is a long post]

I just want to rant about this story I came up with when I was 15-16 where instead of being killed by D'Vorah, Mileena is banished to a different realm, which is the Hunter realm (HxH). She joins Gon and Killua on their adventure, and becomes fiance to Illumi all the while trying to make Meteor City become a kingdom by trying to gain rulership of it. I'm actually half lying because I don't want to acknowledge the weirdness of the original plot. I also wrote this before the whole "Sindel was evil this whole time" thing, so she's still under Quan Chi's spell somehow because I actually like good Sindel. Also came up with it before Mileena was added to the game so I pictured the mkx version when coming up with ideas.

The whole making a kingdom out of Meteor city thing is because I figured Mileena would be drawn to it, she won't give up being queen that easily and if she's stuck in this realm she might as well make due with what she can. The whole concept of Meteor City is that it's a place that is not only not recognised in the map, but it is a country that is a junkyard filled with, outcasts and inhabitants that have no record of existing. Any trash could be abandoned there including people (children). Only few people know of Meteor City's existence which has played an advantage for the mafia to hire the inhabitants as assassins and hitmen. The inhabitants also have a strong bond with each other. If I did not explain well then please check the wiki page for better information. Mileena herself is an outcast and was an assassin, and growing up in Outworld, a place that isn't very friendly, Meteor City would probably be like a walk in the park.

"We'll accept anything you leave here, but don't ever take anything away from us." - Meteor City's motto.

The goal isn't to take anything away from Meteor City, but to reform it. Change it, using the bond that the inhabitants have for each other and the large population against them. According to the wiki it is ruled by an assembly of elders so I'm not sure how easy it would be for her to take over. I'm not sure if she will rule fairly either, considering she is spoken poorly of when her being a Kahn is brought up. She wasn't massacring tribes like Kotal, so I'm not sure.

When I came up with this idea it was right when mk11 came out. It was another one of those things where I come up with loads of ideas but end up not writing anything. I was super annoyed that Mileena wasn't in the game and read a Naruto x Mortal Kombat fanfic where Mileena is the mother of Hinata, and figured "why don't I make my own version but with HxH". To be honest, mk11 Mileena just feels like a continuation of mk9's Mileena, not mkx. Mkx seemed more mature and adapted out of being a server and to a position of leadership (to some extent).

Nen type: Specialist

Nen abilities

Shadows - The ability to make clones of herself (This ability has set backs as the clones are more of an illusion and cannot make physical contact with objects. If they appear to a non nen user then they appear blurred)

Midnight Pretenders - The ability to make her face look more human and less Tarkatan (ability lasts for no more that 2 hours and cannot be used at the same time as another ability)

Queen - Armour that enhances her abilities and protects her from attacks, and even gives her a pair of sais (armour looks more Edenian than Outworld) The outfit was made by playing a dress up game.

Made up intros

Killua: You're getting married to Illumi?

Mileena: The agreement was that your family will let you be free to make your own choices.

Killua: You should know that it won't be that easy.

Illumi: Your father does not approve of me.

Mileena: Your mother doesn't approve of me.

Illumi: If you stop insulting her then perhaps she will grow fond of you.

Kikyo: You belong in Kukurou mountain with us.

Mileena: Don't you hail from Meteor City yourself?

Kikyo: It was in our family's best interest.

Silva: You are the perfect wife for Illumi.

Mileena: Only because Killua does not want to be heir.

Silva: Killua will change his mind.

Zeno: Shang Tsung warned me you are a clone.

Mileena: Here to tell me I'm a perversion of nature, grandfather?

Zeno: I'm here to test you, as Illumi's fiance.

Mileena: How are things between you and Ging?

Gon: Things have been fun, Mily-san.

Mileena: For his sake, it better.

Kurapika: Is it true that you're going to marry Illumi?

Mileena: I saw an opportunity and stepped in. Forgive me.

Kurapika: Just remember, Killua is our friend.

Mileena: A zodiac, eh? May prosperity continue.

Leorio: Stop, you're making me blush.

Mileena: How do you do it, Leorio?

Mileena: Meteor City is home to many assassins.

Frost: Are you saying I must take it from you?

Mileena: I want your help rebuilding and protecting it.

Mileena: Meteor City welcomes you.

Kabal: I'm not an outcast, Mileena.

Mileena: The entire Black Dragon are outcasts.

Mileena: So all of that, and Tanya is dead?

Kano: You want someone to blame, look in the mirror.

Mileena: It was your job to kill Kotal.

Mileena: When I gained the throne you abandoned it.

Erron Black: Aw, are you upset, Princess?

Mileena: At everyone who has betrayed me, yes.

Raiden: Your actions cost lives, Mileena.

Mileena: It is not my fault you involved yourselves in my affairs.

Raiden: You disguise your conquest as charity.

Sub Zero: You've learned better self control.

Mileena: Tarkatan blood makes me the perfect savage.

Sub Zero: Savage enough to join the Zoldycks?

Scorpion: A wasteland is now your home.

Mileena: Still on Quan Chi's leash?

Scorpion: I wasn't trying to insult you, Mileena.

Jade: Kotal being Kahn must still burn you.

Mileena: I am Outworld's true ruler!

Jade: Save your slobber, dog.

Liu Kang: You are more like Shao Kahn than Kitana.

Mileena: In all the ways that matter, I am.

Liu Kang: You shouldn't be flattered, Mileena.

Kung Lao: Illumi chooses wives poorly.

Mileena: Shut up and die, shaolin.

Kung Lao: Touched a nerve, have I?

Mileena: The inhabitants of Meteor City are off limits.

Baraka: There must be a flesh trade if we are to be allied.

Mileena: Oh Baraka, not even I would feed off of them. The mafia on the other hand.

Mileena: Meteor City does not have any riches.

Kollector: It's riches are through you, Princess.

Mileena: My father has no claim to it, Kollector.

Mileena: Your flesh looks tempting.

Johnny: Yeah, everyone wants a piece of me.

Mileena: Too bad. I'm getting married.

Mileena: Face the might of Meteor City.

Cassie: You haven't changed a single bit.

Mileena: I do not intent to.

Sonya: Kronika's trying to screw you over, Mileena.

Mileena: No one here deserves my obedience.

Sonya: Seriously not liking this idea.

Jax: We have Shang Tsung to thank for you?

Mileena: Your opinion does not matter.

Jax: I only state facts.

Jacqui: Your mother in law is quite the nightmare.

Mileena: Can you relate, Jacqueline Briggs?

Jacqui: With me and Takeda? Dad won't give us a break.

Ermac: When Kotal sent you to a far away realm I didn't picture this.

Mileena: You are not welcome to the hunters realm.

Ermac: I do not wish to go there.

Reptile: You run in circles, Mileena.

Mileena: In what way, treacherous snake?

Reptile: By taking hold of a kingdom that is not yours to take.

Noob Saibot: Kronika promises you a kingdom.

Mileena: Meteor City needs me.

Noob Saibot: Outworld snickers at your weakness.

D'Vorah: Kotal Kahn should have killed you.

Mileena: An action that will make you incredibly pleased.

D'Vorah: As it would, you disgusting clone.

Cetrion: You took advantage of the Chimera ant invasion.

Mileena: I should always take advantage of something.

Cetrion: There's no virtue in taking cities.

Geras: Tarkatans have a history of servitude.

Mileena: That will not stop me from ruling my kingdom.

Geras: Your kingdom? Meteor City is a breeding ground for low borns.

Kotal: You belong with Baraka, Mileena.

Mileena: I belong in Meteor City, usurper.

Kotal: Your blood is Tarkatan, not that of realm.

Mileena: Leave Alluka out of this.

Kotal: She holds power you cannot be trusted with.

Mileena: She is not to be touched by anyone.

Skarlet: Meteor City is an ugly home.

Mileena: The people there are just like us.

Skarlet: Define your meaning of us, Mileena.

Kitana: Make no mistake, you are a monster.

Mileena: Yet, I am still alive.

Kitana: Under whose authority?

Sindel: You claim to not love Illumi, yet you see yourself in him.

Mileena: I did not wish to control my sister.

Sindel: Then why have you agreed to start a family with him?

Nightwolf: Meteor City wasn't yours to take.

Mileena: It is my duty to turn it into a better place.

Nightwolf: But are you the queen it needs?

Fujin: You're a clone, Shao Kahn is not your father.

Mileena: It matters not. I am Mileena Zoldyck now.

Fujin: My heart overflows with pity for you.

Rain: What is this Phantom Troupe?

Mileena: Unlike you, they are not treacherous to Meteor City.

Rain: They will serve me if they know what's best for them.

Mileena: You are not touching a hair on Kalluto's head.

Rain: Replaced Kitana already?

Mileena: Kalluto is family.

Sheeva: It's not enough to stay my hand.

Mileena: You don't want to be allied with Meteor City?

Sheeva: In the end you betrayed Goro.

Shang Tsung: An invisible hand must guide Outworld.

Mileena: I have no place in Outwold, I will be ruling Meteor City.

Shang Tsung: Nevertheless, I will be the power behind the throne.

Shao Kahn: Come back to your family.

Mileena: I have failed you, father.

Shao Kahn: Even so, our family is not complete.

Zoldyck Bonus

Illumi: Oh, you're Mileena's mother.

Sindel: You better treat her well, assassin.

Illumi: Every Zoldyck must honour their partner.

Kitana: What do you see in Mileena?

Illumi: She understands the Zoldycks traditions as assassins.

Kitana: Only someone like you would wed themselves to someone like her.

Illumi: Your abilities are very impressive.

Skarlet: You are heavily impressed?

Illumi: Hisoka is going to like you a lot.

Liu Kang: Your wickedness makes me sick to my stomach.

Illumi: I'm glad my blood lust warns you.

Liu Kang: It is not something to be proud of.

Illumi: You created my fiance.

Shang Tsung: I am certain she will function as any other woman.

Illumi: If not... you will splice our DNA.

Shang Tsung: Let me see those needles of yours.

Illumi: Nen cannot simply be stolen.

Shang Tsung: Your friend Chrollo says otherwise.

Shao Kahn: What are your intentions with my daughter?

Illumi: She will give birth to many future Zoldycks.

Shao Kahn: If this is true you will die.

Illumi: I do not have advice to give you, Bi Han.

Noob Saibot: We have much in common, Illumi.

Illumi: Your interest in Skarlet is between the two of you.

Shao Kahn: Aid me against Kronika.

Silva: You are going to con me.

Shao Kahn: Where did you get that idea?

Sindel: I heard Mileena's been giving you quite the run around.

Kikyo: How could you have raised such a vile girl?

Sindel: Careful how you speak.

Gon: You're one of Mileena's big sisters, I'm guessing.

Skarlet: What gave it away?

Gon: I know those hungry eyes from anywhere.

Gon: You don't deserve to be Mileena's older sister.

Kitana: That clone is not fit to live.

Gon: You're worse than Illumi.

Kitana: You and Mileena are friends?

Killua: We don't get along, but Gon likes her.

Kitana: Children are very naive.

Zeno: Mileena is much like Kikyo.

Shang Tsung: Is that a problem?

Zeno: So long as Mileena gets on her nerves, no.

Zeno: You cannot embrace being old?

Shang Tsung: I prefer more bearable appearances.

Zeno: Then you haven't embraced dying.

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twilightguardian · 1 year

Note

Xel went whining to his friends that you blocked him. Figured you deserved to know that they were shit-talking you over on a forum called Nyanarchy where he and Fairen come together to bemoan the persecution that comes with being a RWBY fan or some self-serving crap. His exact words are that you're "fucking weird and obsessive."

Thank you for the information, Anon.

I didn't want to have to block him, but once he reiterated that he refused to take Raymond at his word, I felt there was no reasoning with him. He wanted to be malicious toward Raymond and Fixing RWBY and I felt that was dishonest. He can compare this or that to politics all he wants, but that doesn't make the justification reasonable.

This isn't politics.

This is a cartoon fandom on the internet and someone is taking a significant portion of their time and energy to create something they have passion for. Whether you like Fixing RWBY or not, at the end of the day, one has to be a fan of something in order to spend multiple months on such a project. And to see someone refuse to be understanding of that because it's not an artistic venture they personally enjoy, but to also spread lies about them and their project makes me sad.

I'm a deeply creative person. A lot of the things I do stem from the passion I have for something, even if my conclusions have a negative bend. I did not like Digimon Adventure 02. It famously split the fandom back in the day. I have seen plenty of people post rewrites of it on fanfiction.net and other websites. I liked Adventure tri. and I know a lot of people didn't, and know of at least two rewrites of that. I don't get mad at people who want to rewrite tri. because I happened to enjoy it. They're allowed to express their discontent as much as I'm allowed to talk positively about it, and I'm happy they're doing it creatively. Dissatisfaction, unhappiness, sadness, pain, all stem creativity just as much as positive emotions do.

I'd like to think of myself as a reasonable person, and one that tries to see the best in people if I can see something there. That's why I reached out to Lilith as a fellow creative despite some nasty words exchanged. That's why I engaged with Xelian despite having lurked and seen previous discourse in rwde and the Rwby fandom and how he acted and who he engaged with. If he acknowledged that mindset is incredibly twisted and allowed for no one to defend themselves, then I'd unblock him and try discourse again. But that cannot happen when he effectively calls Raymond a fake fan and my friends in the SH gullible idiots who don't know they're being used. That's incredibly rude and ignores their own words and agency on the matter.

If he wants his dissatisfaction with the accusation with porn forums to be acknowledged, he has to acknowledge the strife he's causing with his own words and have some basic human decency.

I asked him for proof that the anon was lying. He said he couldn't prove a negative. But he could easily prove where he has an account on a site that he's not banned from in prominent RWBY circles. That would be enough for me. While it wouldn't prove that he has no account on porn forums, it would mean he doesn't have to engage only there. But I still stand by that it's not a big deal if he did. Assuming he's an adult, of course.

But how can I take him at his word when he lies about not being friends with Lilith? We have it on record he says he doesn't talk to Lilith, only reblogs a few things when he happens to agree with her, but apparently is a stool pigeon and goes onto this forum to have an old hen party with Lilith and co. Gotta be friends with someone to do that. As far as I'm aware, that's a rather small community.

I wouldn't have even cared if he said he was friends with Lilith because he was at least willing to talk to me and not block me practically on sight like Lilith did. But ultimately I felt I had to block him because it felt like he was being malicious, and I didn't have the energy for that and his mental gymnastics attempting to justify why he's not a massive hypocrite.

#rwde #rwby #toxic fndm #anonymous

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royalnightshadeart · 4 months

Text

Royal Review of 2023

2023 was the first full year that we operated as a business and it has been an adventure. I honestly don't know what to say, except "Thank you"

Everyone's support of our endeavor has been so essential to us getting our footing in the beginning. We are grateful to all the people who cheered us on, bought our merch and shared our posts and art with their friends and family. It really bolsters our confidence to keep pushing forward.

We did a decent amount of conventions and events this year, considering we had no prior experience. We're happy to have been accepted with our mostly original artwork, since we weren't sure how far we'd go without a lot of fanart.

Quel Aside: I personally was so happy to see so many of my old con friends again after so long. And they all seemed really happy to see me too~<3 I hope I run into even more friends at future cons.

Some of my other favorite interactions this year was hearing people say somethings like:

"Welcome!" (when we mention it is our first show) "I'm glad to see you at this event" "I remember you from this other show" "My friend bought this for me at a different show" "I can't wait to see you next year"

We got complimented so much on our art, even when people didn't buy much it felt like they really liked our style. It just makes me want to lean in even more. We're only just getting started.

To be honest all of this started because we wanted to make more art and get our work out there more to share with other like-minded people with similar tastes. This past year has really shown how difficult it has become to just be an artist. Hell, even just existing in general has become a challenge. Even with starting this new business the both of us still have day jobs to have to juggle in between all of this.

We wanted to be able to make the kind of art that we love without having to fundamentally change who we are and diminish our passions and love for our craft in order to 'reach a wider audience'. You can't do that working at a big studio, or making only merch that is popular and with 'wide appeal'. I feel like you lose a bit of something in the artwork that way. And with how 'generative/artificial int. art' has become pervasive in our social media culture, it feels like a downright attack.

It's never been easy. But we knew this. Even with all the new struggles and obstacles that crop up we keep on creating. We can't stop making art. It's part of who we are. So we'll keep on pushing through all the challenges and difficulties. Because doing this is important and worth it to us.

Last year had a lot of positive and fun things but it also was pretty challenging and we had a lot of our doubts and setbacks. But we acknowledge and move on. I think we got off pretty well all things considered. A lot of our stumbles we will learn from moving forward.

If there's anything this year has told me is that we cannot give up. No matter how bleak things can seem sometimes. No matter how many others are 'doing the same thing' as us, or how many things backfire, or events deny or waitlist us. We're still unique in our own way and what we bring into this world through our art is valuable. Success is measured differently for everyone, and for us I think this first year was victorious.

We can only hope to grow. Thank you.

#Blog #2023 recap #2023 review #small art business #small business #small artist #quelblog #RNBlogs #Archive2023

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shihalyfie · 2 years

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Astra’s character story as it pertains to his role and duties as the iemoto heir

A while back, I made a post about the role of Sora’s position as iemoto heir in her character arc, so I thought I should eventually get around to discussing this in the different context it was presented in Appmon for Astra’s character. Because the issue is presented upfront and center and even explained a bit for the audience in much greater detail than it was in Adventure, understanding the cultural background behind Astra’s position isn’t as important to understanding what’s going on with his character arc as it is for Sora, but some of the nuances might be better appreciated with that context, and understanding the situation behind one of them helps greatly in understanding the other. So let’s dig in!

Disclaimer: Like with the Sora post, getting information on this topic involved research on my part (usually from Japanese-written blog posts and articles about the matter) and I am absolutely not a learned expert in this topic, I only wrote it because I felt that what I do know would be helpful for others, but I fully acknowledge and accept if there’s any need for corrections on my part.

Astra’s character arc can be said to be the one that most closely resembles the kind of character story you’d see out of a classic Digimon series, especially that of Adventure, in that it’s very deeply rooted in a home life problem and also has to do with the topic of future life prospects in a way that might be relevant to the audience. (He is, interestingly, also the only member of the Appmon main cast to be the approximate age of the older series protagonists, being eleven years old while the others are middle school age.) So it’s interesting that his backstory also brings back a character background story from Adventure, mainly Sora’s background of being an iemoto heir and her personal struggles of what she wanted to do in light of having inheritance expectations.

I already summarized the duties of an iemoto in my previous post about Sora, but for those who haven't read it, I'll recap a bit and describe it as it's more relevant to Astra in particular. The concept of an iemoto dates back to the Heian period; it refers to the head of a “school” of a traditional Japanese art, but in this case “school” doesn’t mean just one specific institution but rather a specific style or form of the art. So for instance, back in Adventure, Toshiko was the iemoto for what would be called the “Takenouchi style of flower arrangement”, and here Astra is the prospective heir to the position of iemoto for the “Asuka style of tea ceremony”. In the modern era, the iemoto system is currently considered effectively a form of cultural preservation, because iemoto are instructing people in learning a particular style of the art in a very specific way, and the head family is responsible for its maintenance and preservation.

I cannot emphasize enough that this is an extremely prestigious position that should not be taken lightly -- it’s so prestigious that back in Adventure, Sora’s father took on the Takenouchi surname upon marrying Toshiko and not the other way around because the surname held such prestige and value that it was effectively the modern equivalent of marrying into a family of nobility. In addition, because “preservation of the brand of art” is so traditionally ingrained, the expectations for Astra to inherit the position is based on the traditionalist idea that the position must be kept within the family. It’s not just “it’s a prestigious position you shouldn’t pass up” -- it’s “you’re taking this position whether you like it or not, because we actively do not want other people taking up this position.” Again, much like a modern form of nobility or royalty. Students of the school can be granted licenses to practice the style once they finish their training, but only the iemoto has the authority to issue those licenses and be considered the one everyone defers to for that style.

I brought this up in the Sora post, and I’m going to bring it back again because I think it’s the most internationally well-known depiction of an iemoto that simply isn’t recognized much as one because the term was fully translated (to “Master”), but the Kurain Channeling Technique in Ace Attorney is an example of one of these schools. While its nature as being relevant to a secluded village means it’s a lot more traditionalist than it would normally be in modern society, all of the stuff about hereditary expectations, fights over inheritance, the preservation of it “within the family”, the fact there’s a specific “style” for which there’s a single master of, and the elevation of the family head to prestigious status are all part of it. Of course, the part where actual spiritual powers are in the bloodline throws a nail in it (an older child can be passed over as the heir if their spiritual powers aren’t strong enough, and while in real life iemoto were traditionally exclusively male, the female-only nature of the Kurain channeling powers made their iemoto exclusively female), you get the gist of it, and you also see how Mia (Chihiro) had to practically cut herself off entirely from the family and village in order to escape expectations of being the next iemoto, leaving the role to be passed to her younger sister Maya (Mayoi), and with the next potential successor being Maya’s cousin Pearl (Harumi) if she couldn’t take the role for any reason.

But times are changing! Even Adventure depicted a version of it that would be unthinkable in its traditional form, because iemoto were originally exclusively male, and so a plotline like Adventure’s where both the current holder of the title (Toshiko) and the child expected to inherit it (Sora) are female is going against the grain a bit. (We also find out in episode 20 that Astra’s mother was originally British, and you’ll note that nobody seems to have a problem with the fact that there’s a non-Japanese person in the family of a very strictly regimented traditional Japanese school head, something that probably would have been very heavily frowned on a century or two prior.) Nowadays, there have particularly been talks about how an iemoto position being exclusively hereditary is kind of outdated; the system itself has been criticized for being too traditionalist and secretive, and there are schools that have considered more democratic or merit-based systems of succession as a result.

Because of that, Astra’s story is not a straightforward one about a strict father who enforces inheritance on the child and a child who outright rebels against all odds, but one where things aren’t as clear-cut, which was explicitly stated by staff to be intentional in order to reflect the modern era and changing times. In Astra’s introductory episode (episode 7), we meet him and his father, and we learn that his father has outright said that Astra doesn’t have to inherit the school if he really doesn’t want to. Yet Astra agrees anyway, and even reiterates firmly in episode 20 that he has no intention of leaving the school behind.

The thing is that Astra grew up with this school, and he has his own love and passion for it. He does have respect for the traditional culture the Asuka school of tea ceremony is active in preserving; even when he requests AppTubing time from his father, he still holds firmly to addressing his father with full respect and honorific language (and there’s no indication that anyone enforced his 30-minute AppTubing limit but him himself, still wanting to maintain his hobby in a disciplined manner, or at least as disciplined as you can get when you’re turning the house’s pond into slime). Also note that he wouldn’t do these things if he didn’t also personally feel that he wanted to uphold all of this -- he addresses his mother, who’s outside the jurisdiction of the school, by her given name (no, Westerners don’t normally do this, we promise) and speaks with her casually, and while he willingly puts his hair down at home, when he’s dragged against his will to Alcatra Temple in episode 46, he still keeps his hair tied in stubborn defiance because this is the one time he really did not want to be there.

So it’s not like Astra’s desire to inherit the school is completely because “he has to”. He knows that, technically speaking, he’s allowed to reject this lifestyle if he really wants to. But he knows, deep down, that his father would want him to be his successor even if he’s not forcing him to. He’s terrified of the prospect of the school he calls home, and the many enthusiastic students who have dedicated their lives to the craft, falling apart and not having anyone to rely on if he chooses to not inherit the position. He has relatives whom he knows are proud of him, and he doesn’t like the idea of letting them down by being a very capable heir who throws the position away. He knows this school well, cares about it, and has an interest in it, and that’s enough for him to double down on his decision to inherit the school regardless. Even if there’s been modern pushes for the iemoto position to adapt to the times and stop being so forcefully hereditary, it is still a system that was built up over centuries with that assumption, and, practically speaking, there’s going to be a lot of inconvenience and trouble placed on the family and school if he chooses to leave it.

But while Astra wasn’t against it per se, he was still living his life with a sense of inevitability, that one way or another he was going to inherit the school, and that would be the end of it. His strong belief in that is why he initially rejects his own feelings about AppTubing even when he was initially entranced by it, because he himself felt like such things weren’t appropriate for the life he needed to live.

The phrase/catchphrase Astra is associated with throughout the series revolves around the word noreru, which has been translated half a dozen ways that you can pick your favorite among, but literally, it means “to ride [on something]”, and more substantially means something along the lines of “being on board with something” (the nuance of which he and Musimon use to declare whether they like something or not) but also “going with the flow”. In other words, the question Astra is initially confronted with is whether he’s willing to jump into the unpredictable whirlpool of his feelings and watch where life takes him, instead of continuing to walk only on the path he felt was predetermined for him. Ultimately, bonding with Musimon helps him think a bit more flexibly, and he opens his AppTubing channel to show off “things he likes” and “things he’s interested in”, even though he’s still continuing to maintain his more tightly regimented way of life at home and asking for a mere thirty minutes per day to experiment with AppTubing. Of course, his immediate family is supportive (we later find out his uncle Ryuujirou isn’t as much), even if that means turning the pond outside into a slime pond.

The thing is that being an iemoto is a hell of a lot of work with training and duties involved, and in episode 20 the kids discuss the idea that Astra taking on the position may involve him having to give up AppTubing at some point, something Astra has also considered. This isn’t an exaggeration -- after all, the beginning of the episode has Astra discuss with his father the possibility of him getting sent to a temple in Kyoto to train for two years, and we learn that Ryuutarou studying tea in England was how he met his wife. Even if we look back at Adventure, Toshiko also had to do similar training in her youth in Kyoto (it’s also where she met her husband, too), and being so busy with her duties as a flower arrangement iemoto was such a prominent issue that it’s a big reason Sora initially had grievances against her -- Toshiko constantly had to attend to her students to the point Sora resented her giving them more of her attention, believing that she cared more about her position and the students than her own husband and daughter (and unfortunately her dedication to her job meant that she really could give off this impression, even though it wasn’t exactly true).

Even with Astra getting a little more open-minded about his future thanks to Musimon’s encouragement, ultimately, he still sees his future as an iemoto as somewhat of an inevitability, and his work in AppTubing something he may have to consider as a temporary experiment of playing around before he gets back to doing “serious business”. But once we see his Dreammon-induced nightmares, we learn that even with his own personal feelings in the equation, he considers the idea of abandoning either path with equal weight of despair; he hates the idea of leaving his fun and thrilling new interest behind, but the thought of leaving his family home in ruins hurts him just as much.

In the end, the real point of Astra’s final decision is that he has to do what he personally wants regardless of what other people tell him he has to do -- and given that nobody was telling him that he had to be the successor, the real “restriction” Astra has to fight is the insistence on “you can only do one, you can’t do both, and you have to give up one thing you like in order to keep another.” Astra’s resolve is that he’s going to do both AppTubing and tea ceremony at once, which, ultimately, is still somewhat of a “pure traditionalism be damned” attitude about it, but in this way he’s still allowed to preserve everything near and dear to his heart in a way he wants. This is also reflected in his declared reason for rejecting the Kyoto study trip at the end of the episode -- he’s not just saying that he wants to defer it for the sake of deferring it, but rather that he still thinks there are valuable things he can learn in Tokyo (or, in other words, he wants to go at this at his own pace in his own way, and that he’s still capable of continuing to study here for the time being). Certainly, given what people he meets and experiences he gains over the rest of the series, you can’t argue he's wrong!

At the time Appmon aired in 2016-2017, YouTubing in the form of “an online variety show by amateur entertainers showing off something cool” had only just started to take off in Japan (YouTube had not been a particularly popular video site there prior to then), and the series initially received backlash over the decision to have a Digimon main character be a functional YouTuber, with accusations along the lines of “look at this show trying oh-so-hard to be hip and relevant.” But at the time, real-life children were filling out career surveys saying that they wanted to be YouTubers, and so, in line with Appmon having a consistent theme about being open-minded towards things and accepting the change of the times, Astra chooses to reject conventional lines of thinking and restrictions -- by being an early adopter of AppTubing as a career, by declaring that he wants to fuse it with a traditional Japanese art form, and by deciding that it’ll be possible to juggle both a traditional and a modern lifestyle at once. The answer is not a specific wrong or right way of life to choose, but rather “whatever you feel you want to do right now is the best” -- again, pretty much taken right out of an Adventure character story.

(Speaking of which, some years after this series, Kizuna would basically confirm Sora herself as being in the same direction; in conjunction with the 02 epilogue, it’s made clear that Sora reconciled with her mother and gained an appreciation for flower arrangement, but still continued to have problems as long as she still saw it as an obligation and not something she specifically wanted to do, leading to a need to find a resolution that didn’t involve her cutting off the family she’d reconciled with but also allowed her to find her own passion.)

Also, a fun little tidbit: episode 46 reveals that one of Astra's biggest fans, someone he and Musimon only know as "Hinarin", is actually someone named "Asuka Hinagiku" who is thus implied to be one of his relatives (I mean, it's possible that the surname is a complete coincidence, but it's highly unlikely the series would drop this reveal of a shared surname for no reason). Astra and Musimon seem to be unaware of her identity, and it’s unclear whether Hinarin knows of his in return, or what exact relation she has to him (perhaps she’s Ryuujirou’s daughter?), but we know that she’s apparently so tied to being in the hospital that Astra wanted to do a show just for her so that she could indirectly get to see the stars.

Depending on what her relationship is to Astra, had Astra decided to give up on being the successor to the school, it’s possible that she would have been next in line, since, in cases where the child of the main family bloodline can’t inherit the position, it’s usually passed to the nearest member of a branch family. However, Hinarin being so hospital-bound means that it’d be very difficult for her to accept that kind of responsibility, and if she and Astra are the only accessible Asuka family members of their generation, that really might put the Asuka family in even more of a bind if Astra weren’t to be the successor. That said, despite Ryuujirou’s concerns about whether Astra’s AppTubing would make him a sufficiently dignified successor for the sake of the Asuka family, it seems that Hinarin, as a member of that family, is getting a hell of a lot of happiness and enjoyment from Astra’s work there -- so even though it’s not relevant to tea ceremony, it seems Astra’s capable of bringing happiness to his family either way.

Astra’s penchant for wanting to go against the grain also seems to come from somewhere, too -- apparently his dad was the main perpetrator behind getting himself and Ryuujirou out of Alcatra Temple a generation prior. Considering that this seems to have involved the temple being on fire, there's a hell of a story there, so the following generation of Astra and Hinarin being into wacky AppTube videos seems downright disciplined in comparison!

#digimon #appmon #asuka torajirou #torajirou asuka #shihameta

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scaip · 3 years

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When villainesses take the lead

We are the generation that grew up watching shows such as Digimon, Inuyasha and The Vision of Escaflowne. There is something attractive about works that involve journeys to other worlds with fantastical settings and exciting adventures. Let’s say, you have your normal fantastical plot: a common person falls into another world. There, they may develop or discover the possession of magical powers, live lots of magical occurrences and even may end up finding love! Magic Knight Rayearth, SAO and Zero no Tsukaima come to my mind, among others.

What’s so interesting about this type of fictional works? We receive the chance to explore themes of our interest, fulfil personal fantasies and escape from our common lives (the real world is already complicated on its own). This article shows how Escapism has its value.

There is a very interesting paradigm going on on Asiatic media concerning travels to other worlds. In fact, according to TV Tropes, this type of fictional work is called Isekai in Japanese media and it’s treated as a genre of its own. And yet, nowadays I find a very interesting twist in this type of media, a twist that makes things very entertaining.

The names of the works I’m talking about sound cliché and melodramatic: ‘My Next Live as a Villainess’, ‘Death is the Only Ending for the Villainess’, ‘The Villainess Lives Twice’, ‘The Villainess reverses the hourglass’. Others are more indirect, such as ‘The Abandoned Empress’ and ‘Your Throne’. Most are told from the point of view of females who have a traditional antagonist role.

I’ve always enjoyed ironic consumption, and these titles worked as magnets to me. What I ended up finding was a refreshing surprise: common women who fell into fantastical worlds made from the plots of novels and games they consumed in their free time, or more traditional ‘villainesses’ who travelled back in time to fix what was wrong in their first lives. In the first case, we would see normal girls who found themselves inside the bodies of ‘villainous’ characters and desperately trying to avoid their bad endings by the use of their knowledge of the plots while commenting on clichés and traditional tropes. In the second case, we see female characters who more or less identify with their ‘villainous’ role and try to change their bad outcomes while learning about themselves and what drove them to make their bad choices.

What do these types of works have in common? They are genre deconstructions. According to TV Tropes, deconstructions happen when a fictional work takes its elements apart and shows how certain elements would work in real life, by contrasting them to ‘real situations’ or parodying them. Sarcastic main characters help, too.

There is a very interesting trend among Asian Media (mainly works made by Korean authors, but there are Japanese too) concerning the deconstruction of traditional stories directed to the female public.

Why is this expression of the isekai genre so interesting?

First, because most stories deal with settings of historical fantasy, where we can indulge ourselves with beautiful Period dresses, gorgeous mansions and attractive love interests. One can’t help but remember the works of Jane Austen or the Brontë Sisters.

Second, because the twists of these works feel refreshing. We consider other points of view. We see why villains become what they become. We get to learn new plot points. Deconstructions give an interesting dose of realism and pragmatism to stories. They are refreshing because they give new angles to an old genre and we can identify with the situations.

But let’s not forget: the focus of this essay is villainesses. We get to see the story from the point of view of female characters who don’t portray themselves as good people and some even feel content with their roles.

Raised in a world where women receive lots of double standards, being pressured from young ages to be proper and good and yet receiving worse punishments than guys for doing the same things like them as a result of unrealistic expectations, along with some unhealthy extremes of social justice culture, where we are oddly pressured to change ourselves and learn from our mistakes yet we are not allowed to fully grow from them, it isn’t hard to identify with villainesses. After all, it is unavoidable to find ourselves as the villains of someone else’s life events. We are not perfect people and we fuck up sometimes. Especially when we are young.

So, why are villainesses so interesting? Because they fuck up, too. These characters don’t try to be saintly good girls and they acknowledge their situations. There is an interesting dose of cynicism underlying these works, in some, it’s more open than in others, such as ‘Your Throne’. Some female leads are noble demons who try to not drag third parties into their schemes, like Medea Belial in the work I previously mentioned. Others define themselves as villainess yet behave as anti-heroines are their worst, such as Aria Roscente in ‘The Villaines Reverses the Hourglass’. And others are heroes who still place themselves in the roles of villains, like Catarina Claes in ‘My Next Life as a Villainess!’’.

What do these three have in common? The leads also have internalized in themselves some moral standards about good and evil.

I don’t think it is surprising to find these types of works during the current fourth wave of Feminism we are living in. Terms such as internalized misogyny, double standards and deconstruction are concepts I learned these past years thanks to social media. So, why do I believe these types of Isekai novels that focus on villainesses are so relevant? Because we see other females’ points of view, we understand their positions and sometimes get to see that the true villains are other characters. Most of the villainesses of these works are, in fact, women with terrible social reputations who behave as anti-heroines at their worst.

There is a reason why the social settings of these stories are during past times. The authors of these works are deconstructing tropes from both old and new media. They are giving voices to Other Characters and show them in a realistic light, they write about flawed women who try to survive in a world full of unrealistic expectations, and that is true for both past and actual times.

It isn't hard for me to recall works such as Northanger Abbey or Jane Eyre. There are reasons why Period novels are still relevant these days, but that it’s not the topic I want to address in this essay. Here is this interesting article that analyses the success of Jane Austen works, while this note from the Guardian does the same for the Brontë sisters. Of course, experts and critics would get annoyed at me for putting Jane Austen and the Brontë Sisters on the same page, but please, bear with me: I’m talking about fictional works that deal with abuse, machismo, dysfunctional families and difficult childhoods, subjects still relevant to today. So, what’s so interesting about recalling these themes? It’s the way some Asian authors knew how to retake these stories, added some fantastical elements and still deconstructed others, providing us with a refreshing result.

Most of the isekai works I mentioned above are told from the point of view of young girls who are isolated for their social positions, because they come from other worlds and know that their ‘new bodies’ are doomed to die and more.

Imagine being reincarnated as the pretty daughter of a noble family and yet... you find yourself hated and isolated from others, in a situation you cannot control. And you can be murdered in cold blood if you don’t make the right choices. These works make it very clear some situations are ugly and dangerous. They are not painted in a romantic light. And the main characters acknowledge it.

Naturally, there are aspects we could criticize of these works. For example, the main leads usually are white thin ladies in gorgeous period dresses, who despite their issues still benefit from privileged backgrounds. And few of these works address LGTBQ+ representation, as most of the endgames are attractive male leads.

But then, this is not about pitting people against each other. It’s about acknowledging a new paradigm in story-telling, one that subverts and parodies plots.

Change is brought over by small steps. And I think we are going on a good path.

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Update (July 22nd): I see this post is reaching some people. If you feel like it, what about buying me a coffee?

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iliveiloveiwrite · 3 years

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A Ghost is a Wish // G.W.

Summary: Three years after the events of Potions and Constellations, George Weasley cannot help but wonder of the ghosts that haunt the many rooms of the enchanted castle he now calls home.

A/N: Part two to Potions and Constellations! I have decided to make a mini series out of it, focusing on Professor!George and his many adventures at Hogwarts. Title is a quote from The Haunting of Hill House (I love that show so much). I don't think you necessarily need to read the first part to understand this, but some parts could be confusing.

Warnings: time skip, ghosts, spectres, hauntings, swearing, grief, established relationship, fluff, cute, fred is dead.

Word count: 3.8k

At this point in his life, George Weasley has been teaching three years. It wasn’t meant to be a permanent post, but rather a position filled until someone more qualified was found for the job. That was what McGonagall had led him to believe so many seconds, minutes, hours ago.

Yet, three years later, George was still to be found lecturing day in and day out to scores of young witches and wizards about the benefits and downfalls of potions and their ingredients. He didn’t say it often, but he had found his home within the walls of the dungeon that served as his classroom. He felt nothing but comfort as he meandered through the stone corridors of the school, greeting students by name, always getting a happy response in return.

Three years later, and he finds himself wholly in love with you and ready to dedicate his whole life to the profession of teaching in order to remain close to you. He misses his brother; the grief of losing someone so close to you isn’t something that simply fades over night, but having you close by, willing to share that burden makes it all the easier.

The grief of Fred still weighs him down; it still crawls up his throat and threatens to suffocate him, but he finds ways of managing whether it is planning a new lesson or distracting you from your own school work. However, it cannot be ignored for long and though the burden has been halved, George still finds himself missing and wondering about Fred.

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George paces the front of his classroom, his hands moving in circles as he explains the task to his class. A rather light potion for Sixth Years to be brewing but given that it’s Friday afternoon and Potions is the last lesson of the day for these students, George decides to go easy on them.

“I want you to revisit a potion from Second Year. Collect the ingredients for and brew a Wiggenweld Potion. You have the rest of the afternoon to do so and you can chat amongst yourselves. I’ll be making rounds so if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Auden Vincent raises his hand, waving it so fast there is genuine worry he might hit another student. Deciding not to repress his smile, George acknowledges the Sixth Year.

“Sir,” Auden begins, “Did you enjoy your time at Hogwarts?”

“What does that have to do with a Wiggenweld Potion, Auden?”

Auden shrugs, a large smile on his face that shows he knows exactly what he is doing. “I can’t help but be curious, you haven’t been here as long as the other teachers.”

“Three years, Auden. I’ve been teaching you Potions for three years.”

“Still,” The young teenager argues, “I think we would like to get to know you more.”

George sighs and glances at the clock. Knowing Auden and his tendency to disrupt lessons, George chooses to give in to the teenager. “I enjoyed my time at Hogwarts very much. Now, please, get on with your potion.”

From the frown that spreads across Auden’s face, it is clear that George has not given enough information. Already, the fight begins to light in Auden’s eyes, more and more questions rising to the brink, ready to be dropped into conversation and derail George’s lesson.

“Auden,” George sighs, “Before you ask any more questions, understand that I attended Hogwarts through the Second Wizarding War. Whilst I enjoyed my time at the school, I also fought in the war.”

Any argument Auden was going to pose falls flat; the fight leaves his eyes in a second. The teenager nods wordlessly before turning his attention back to the set work. George feels awful; he would love to do nothing more than to tell his students about his time at Hogwarts, but all of his memories contain Fred, and even though it’s been years, and even though his grief doesn’t haunt him as often as it used to, he just isn’t ready to verbalise such happy memories.

Rolling up his sleeves, George starts to wander around the classroom he has made his own. A whole wall is dedicated to lines and lines of ingredients; each one sealed in jars and carefully labelled. Think back to his own lessons in this very classroom, George can see how the room has lightened with his presence. The darkness that encompassed Snape completely absent as George expertly weaves through tables and past students.

He smiles encouragingly at every student; letting them know where they’re going and where they need some improvement. George believes that it is important to revisit past potions, to keep minds sharp and fingers nimble before moving onto something more difficult.

It’s as George is leant over the cauldron of Alexandra Shea that the door to the classroom opens. “I’ll be one moment,” George calls out before pointing Alexandra in the right direction.

“Take all the time you need, Professor Weasley.”

George smiles before he can help himself. Your relationship had never been a secret; the whole school knowing the two of you were in love long before either of you realise, but George still tried to keep some level of professionalism around students.

Tried being the operative word.

You stand by the doorway, one of George’s jumpers hanging from your torso, the sleeves are so long that they swallow your hands. A tired smile is on your face, your hair barely brushed into some semblance of a ponytail. Professionalism be damned when you look like that.

You’re perfect, he thinks as he brushes himself down before walking over to you.

“Love,” George greets as he sends the class back to their potions, “What are you doing up? You’re teaching tonight.”

You shrug, a soft smile spreading across your face, “I missed you. I wanted to see you.”

George smiles, feeling the familiar flush spread up his neck and to his cheeks. Years on, and you still make him feel like a teenage boy experiencing his first tryst with love. “Consider me flattered, Professor,” George flirts.

“You should be,” You counter, the soft smile still on your face, “Will I see you tonight?”

Friday evenings had been reserved for you two. Your schedule as the Astronomy Professor meant that you worked markedly different hours from George, but regardless of the piles of work and awkward hours, Friday evenings were set aside for you both.

Reaching out for your hand, George tangles your fingers together before squeezing. His gaze doesn’t leave yours as he replies, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I have to know the story behind Corona Borealis.”

You shake your head in exasperated fondness, “You’ve heard that one before.”

“I’ve heard them all before,” George reminds you; knowing your curriculum just as well as his own, “But every time feels like the first time when you tell me the story.”

You roll your eyes, “A flirt, Weasley. That’s what you are.”

“Only for you,” He mouths, not letting his students overhear every word of your conversation. George brings your hand to his lips, dropping a kiss to the back of it before dropping it, “Go back to bed, love. I’ll come see you before dinner.”

The smile on your face grows as you stand on your tiptoes, pressing a long kiss to his cheek – an innocent act that only holds headier promises for the future. “I’ll be waiting, Weasley.”

A flush spreads across George’s face as he watches you go, closing the door behind you. He waits a moment, calming down before turning back to the class. His students try to look as if they haven’t heard the whole exchange, intensely focused on the potions brewing in front of them.

“Not a word, Auden,” George warns, pointing at the student before throwing himself back into the melee.

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Over his time as a Professor, George had come to known the ghosts of Hogwarts. As a student, he hadn’t bothered getting to know them – believing that pranks and jokes were of a higher importance that hearing the histories relayed by Professor Binns. However, now older and wiser, George made sure to spend time with the spectres that floated down corridors and through walls. He spoke to them, hearing their stories, understanding their histories.

George doesn’t admit it to anyone why he seeks out to know the stories of the ghosts of Hogwarts. He doesn’t tell a soul that he’s trying to find the answer to the one question that has plagued his mind since he took up the job offer from McGonagall all those years ago.

Nearly Headless Nick had greeted him with the same amount of gusto as he had when George was a First Year worried about spending his first night away from home and his mum. Nick often checked in with the Gryffindor he had watched grow up; often floated to the dungeon to see how George was doing, frequently staying longer to talk about anything and everything that occupied either of their minds.

The Bloody Baron was harder to talk to. A staunch Slytherin, the ghost was dedicated to his house, but warmed up to George somewhat when George explained how he worked and spent most of his time in the dungeon teaching Slytherins.

Peeves the Poltergeist has only ever respected a handful of people. Begrudgingly, he would admit that he admired the Marauders – confessing it now as they had all passed on and his words could not be used against him. Nonetheless, Peeves would tell any soul who would listen for than one minute that he respected the Weasley twins and their dedication to all things mischief. For George, it was easier to talk to Peeves. They could compare prank ideas and products for the shop, and slowly but surely, George grew to understand Peeves backstory.

Late at night, however, George couldn’t help but wonder whether there was one more ghost in the castle he had yet to meet.

The curiosity niggled at the back of his mind; the very idea of it settled deep within his bones, stirring him to life in the middle of the night when the ghosts were at their busiest. Countless times, George had woken from a daze to find himself with his hand on the handle to his door, ready to turn and find out for himself.

On one hand, George desperately wants to know whether there is a chance.

On the other hand, George knows that he barely coped in the months after the war. He knows that if he doesn’t get the answer he so desires, it could the setback he has been dreading.

----------

The corridors of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry have always had an uncomfortable atmosphere to them. When filled with the rushed footsteps of students, the pathways have a lighter air to them, but after the students are safely tucked up in their beds, the darker parts of the castle come out to play.

George’s grip on your hand remains tight as you both wander through the corridors of the school, keeping an eye out for straying students. Scores of portraits decorate the stone walls of the castle; each one a prominent figure throughout the history of witchcraft and wizardry. Each one is asleep; their snores punctuating the silence between you and George.

Checking the old watch on his left wrist, George sighs with relief, “Midnight. We can get back to bed now.”

You smile, happy for your extra-curricular task to be done, “Thank Merlin. Let’s head back.”

Something feels different about the corridors as the both of you make your way back to your shared rooms. There’s a charge to the air around you, something electric that only has your steps quickening the closer you get to your rooms.

It’s the odd flashes of silver you spy out of the corner of your eye that have your steps beginning to falter. There was a ghost nearby, but it could not be Peeves – you hear him before you see him unless he has something especially sinister planned. It’s not Nick, the Baron or the Friar – they’re all at Ravenclaw Tower, trying to persuade the Grey Lady to socialise more.

It has to be someone new.

But as you catch eyes with George, you realise that it has been years since a new ghost has made Hogwarts its home. The Battle of Hogwarts had created ghosts and spectres galore, but in the aftermath, they had all found their peace and moved on.

“Georgie?” A voice calls and George promptly freezes, his hand falling from your grip as he trips up on thin air.

“George?” You murmur, puzzled at his sudden stop.

He can feel the colour drain from his face; feel the unwelcome churning of his gut as memory after memory washes over him. That voice… he hasn’t heard that voice in years.

“George… it’s me,” The voice calls out once more; it sounding stronger now, surer of itself.

Steeling his nerves and his heart, George turns in the direction of the spectral call.

He meets a face identical to his, but not. He meets a face that has not aged, has not hurt, has not cried in years. He meets a face entirely youthful and at peace.

George meets the face of his twin brother, Fred.

“Fred?” George whispers, voice breaking from sheer disbelief. In that one word alone, you can hear the years of grief and upset. You can feel the tears that will surely fall later tonight; you can see the pain written across George’s face.

Fred smiles: it’s as watery as you can get for a spectral vision, but it’s there. “It’s me, Georgie,” He reassures, “I promise.”

“It’s been so long,” George states needlessly. “So long,” He repeats as if counting the days of absences for his brother, noting each second, minute and hour that he has been without his twin.

“Who’s looking after the shop?” Fred asks, changing subject, dragging his brother away from the dark path he once wandered alone.

“Ron,” George answers, “He has some help from Harry on the weekends when it gets busier, but Ron is managing a lot. I think Bill is wanting to help out more too.”

“That’s good,” Fred nods. “You seem to fit in well, Professor Weasley,” Fred comments, gesturing to the robes now adorning his brother’s frame.

George laughs, his hand reaching for yours once more as you remain silent through the whole exchange, “Who would have thought it?”

“Not me,” Fred snorts, laughing at George’s bark of protest. All too quickly, Fred’s eyes are drawn to you, standing by George’s side, hand clasped in his ever so tightly. Your heartbeat quickens at seeing the stark youth on Fred’s face.

“It’s been too long, (Y/N),” Fred greets.

“How are you, Fred?”

“Better now that I know he isn’t alone.”

“You were watching?” George asks, tone aghast.

Fred gives his twin a look that coveys not only his brother’s stupidity but also the overwhelming brotherly love Fred has for his twin. “Of course I was. That’s how I knew I could come to you now. You aren’t alone, you’re managing.”

“I haven’t been alone for three years,” George points out as if would make an ounce of difference to Fred’s reasoning for showing up tonight.

Fred rolls his eyes. “I know that, but you weren’t ready. I could have appeared months ago but chose not to. I wanted you to be okay after I go again.”

George’s hand tighten around yours; his knuckles whitening as Fred’s words sink in. “You’re not a regular ghost of the castle are you? Not like Nick or Peeves?”

Fred shakes his head. “I have to go back,” He says, gesturing behind him as if the place in which he now belongs is right there within reach, “But I wanted to see you, so I got my wish.”

“I got mine too,” George says so quietly you wonder whether you’ve misheard him.

“You look old,” Fred laughs, defusing the tension that threatens to boil over any moment.

George snorts, speaking without thinking, “That’s what life will do to you.”

George immediately freezes as the words leave his mouth. He meets Fred’s gaze, a thousand apologues ready and willing to fall from his lips as rain would fall from the sky. Sorrow is written in every premature line, and in every blink of his eyes, but George doesn’t get to speak the words

“I know,” Fred replies. The both of them more than aware that those two words cover more than the apology left unsaid just now by George. They cover years of repenting on George’s behalf; for not being there, for not saying goodbye, for not protecting his brother.

“Will you do me a favour?” Fred asks, drawing his brother back from the depths of his mind and his grief.

“Anything.”

“Tell Mum, I’m okay? I know she worries, and I know she misses me. I just… I need her to know that I’m okay and I’m looked after.”

“I’ll floo home this weekend and tell her,” George promises; conviction and determination weighing down his voice.

“I have to go,” Fred comments, sadness in his tone as he glances back behind him, as if hearing a call only audible to his ears alone.

“I miss you,” George whispers as Fred fades away.

His twin brother pauses, lifting a hand to him, “I’m always with you, George.”

Those are his final words before he fades away back to the afterlife; the place in which he watches over every member of his family, keeping an eye on them like a determined guardian angel.

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The walk to your shared room is completed in a daze. You had known Fred from your time as a student; unable to get away from the stories of his pranks, but as your relationship with George progressed, you felt as if you knew him better.

Fred’s visit was unexpected, and as your hand only wraps around George’s tighter, you can only wonder what was running through his mind.

He doesn’t speak as you push open the heavy wooden door to your rooms; doesn’t speak as you lead him to the bed. “Love,” You say gently, “We need to get ready for bed.”

George does so woodenly; still in a daze with what he’s just experienced in the corridor. You watch him with worried eyes, chewing on the inside of your cheek as he pulls back the covers and slides into bed.

Tomorrow, you promise yourself. Tomorrow you would broach the subject; you would let him have tonight to work through the flurry of emotions no doubt rushing through his veins this very moment.

As your eyes grow heavy, you fist your hand into George’s thin t-shirt, reminding him that you’re here.

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George doesn’t sleep. He feels your breathing slow; watching the exact moment your eyes start to flutters as dreams begin. Gently he shifts in bed, sliding out from the covers and leaving you behind as he tries to work through the events of the evening.

He wanders out to the small living area; big enough to fit a couch and a table that is used more for marking than it is for eating. George slumps down onto the couch; running a hand down his face and waiting for the inevitable tears to start flowing down his face.

At the same time, he feels such sorrow and such relief. For years now, George has carried the weight of his guilt surrounding Fred’s death on his shoulders. On his more dramatic days, George would compare it to the weight Atlas feels when holding the Earth. George has carried this burden for so long, and in a ten minute conversation with the ghost of his dead twin, he has been absolved of it.

He doesn’t know the extent of what he is supposed to feel.

George stares into the permanently lit fire; questioning all he can about the events of the evening. The guilt and grief he carries for his brother is what kept him from replying to McGonagall all those years ago; it was what had him rejecting the idea altogether. Instead, after a conversation with Ron, he said yes, and so far, George had yet to regret such a decision.

After all, if he had said no, he would not have met you, and would not have fallen in love so desperately.

George thinks of you; thinks of how you stood by his side, hand holding his tightly as George spoke to his brother. You had to have questions. George had told you everything; he couldn’t keep a secret from you. This was discovered early in your relationship when George had blabbed about the presents he had got you for Christmas – way too excited to know your reaction rather than wait.

He continues to stare at the fire; mind running through memories of Fred, wondering whether McGonagall would give him next week off to go home and be there for Molly when George inevitably passes on Fred’s message.

How does he do it? How does he begin to live his life now that Fred has forgiven him?

He has carried this burden for so long; passing it you when you asked to help. For years, after his death, Fred was a massive part of his life. George has lost count of the times over the years that he has heard something hilarious and turned to share it with Fred only to find he no longer stands at his side. How George rushed home the weekend he asked you to be his partner; desperate not only to tell his mum he thinks he’s found the love of his life, but to tell Fred as well to find his mother waiting with happy tears in her eyes and no sign of Fred whatsoever.

“George,” You rasp from the bedroom door, voice heavy from disturbed sleep, “Come back to bed.”

George nods, not speaking as he climbs back into bed. Positions change immediately. Usually, it would be you who would cuddle up the redhead, wanting to wrap yourself around him and fall asleep with his scent enveloping you. Instead, it is George’s turn to hide his face in your clothed shoulder as your arm wraps around him comfortingly. His whole body shudders as a fresh wave of grief overtakes him, but you’re there for every battering and every sob.

“I’m sorry,” You whisper, running a hand through his hair.

George shakes his head, calming himself down long enough to whisper, “Not your fault.”

“I’m still sorry,” You repeat, “It wasn’t as if you were expecting that tonight.”

“I wasn’t,” George admits, tears starting to slow, “I didn’t think I would see him ever again.”

“Are you glad that you have?”

George nods; his nose brushing your collarbone, “I am. I miss him just as much as I did in the beginning, but I know I’m going to come out of the other side now.”

“You do?”

“I do. I have you.”

******

General (HP) taglist: @chaotic-fae-queen @harrypotter289 @theweasleysredhair @kalimagik @heloisedaphnebrightmore @nebulablakemurphy @figlia--della--luna @probably-peeves @big-galaxy-chaos @annasofiaearlobe @imboredandneedalife @levylovegood @awritingtree @haphazardhufflepuff @stupxfy @chaoticgirl04 @accio-rogers @starlightweasley @dreaming-about-fanfictions @lestersglitterglue @msmimimerton @obx-beach @izzytheninja @slytherinprincess03 @bbeauttyybbx @breadqueen95 @acciotwinz @kashishwrites @slytherinsunrise @kylosleftbuttcheek @remmyswritings @they-write-once-in-a-blue-moon @ria-rests-here @superbturtlemakerathlete @inglourious-imagines @ithilwen-lionheart @now-its-time-for-a-breakdown @ilovejjmaybank @theonly1outof-a-billion @phuvioqhile @moatsnow @storyisnotover @himooonlight @missmulti @amourtentiaa

The Weasley Twins taglist: @whizboingies @seppys-return-to-madness @hexmione @ickle-ronniekins @oh-for-merlins-sake @somekidinacoma @wand3ringr0s3

#george weasley x reader #george x reader #george weasley imagine #george weasley imagines #george weasley

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lynkhart · 3 years

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MAJOR spoilers for the C2 finale of Critical Role so read at your own risk of you haven’t caught up!

I have so many feelings regarding Caleb and Essek’s intertwining character arcs I needed to explore, so strap in folks, you’re in for a bit of a ride! (But seriously though, this is like 4000 words long, I basically wrote an essay 😂)

At the start of the campaign, Caleb Widogast was dripping in guilt and self loathing and refused to believe he could ever absolve himself of his sins. Essek Thelyss was a cold, aloof individual who betrayed his people for selfish goals, and their differing yet mirrored narratives have been an absolute delight to watch unfold.

In the beginning Caleb truly hated himself. He shot down any attempt at a compliment, described himself as a ‘disgusting person’, outright rejected the idea that he was worthy of love, and never let the blame shift from him for what he’d done. When Beauregard and Veth/Nott pointed out that he was coerced and manipulated into killing his parents, he reacts in an incredibly visceral way, and I’ve seen several comments likening it to a victim of child abuse who was groomed into believing they were as responsible as their abuser, and I think that’s exactly how it was meant to be read. He doesn’t see himself as a victim, only a murderer, and punishes himself for it every day. We see this in the way he presents himself, dirty and unkempt because in his mind he doesn’t deserve to feel good about himself in any way. Other than Nott/Veth and Beau to a certain degree, he purposefully isolates himself from the rest of the group and it’s a long time until he feels relaxed enough in their company to drop his defences a little.

(Speaking from a purely meta point of view, Liam did an absolutely phenomenal job of showing this through body language and I’d love to see someone do a compilation video of it. He starts off very hunched and guarded, leaning his body away from the closest person to him and avoiding eye contact and physical touch; but by the end stands tall and sure of himself.)

Early on there were a few moments where he had the option to do some pretty dark shit, and I’m sure there’s a possible timeline where he gave into his desire for revenge and really lost his way, but I’m glad he stuck it out and worked through his trauma in the way he did. His PTSD and disassociation when casting with fire was tragic, but over time he was able to work through it thanks to the constant love and support of his friends who kept him from going off at the deep end.

Molly’s death was the catalyst for change in a lot of the party, and Caleb is no exception. On the verge of leaving the group prior to his death, the grief they shared, combined with their frantic attempt to rescue the other half of their party put things in perspective and gradually he learned how to be a person again, to care.

Altering time to save his family had been Caleb’s only goal in life, and so when Essek and by extension, dunamancy was introduced, you could see his eyes light up at the possibilities.

A huge turning point for him is aligned so closely with Essek’s redemption arc which feels quite apt I think. When Essek confesses to his crimes, Caleb delivers a beautifully iconic piece of dialogue where he acknowledges their similarities and how much he himself has changed as a person since meeting the Mighty Nein. (Source - CR wiki)

‘You listen to me. I know what you are talking about. I know. And the difference between you and I is thinner than a razor. I know what it means to have other people complicate your desires and wishes. And I was like you. Was. I know what a fool I have been for years. You didn't account for us. Good. That is life. Shit hits you sideways in life and no one is prepared. No one is ready. These people changed me. These people can change you. You were not born with venom in your veins. You learned it. You learned it. You have a rare opportunity here, Thelyss. One chance to save yourself, and we are offering it.’

This is not the same Caleb we met back in the Nestled Nook inn way back in the first episode. While not yet fulfilled or entirely convinced of his own worth, he knows he’s on the right path. That alone is progress enough, but that he uses his own experiences to help another escape those same chains of guilt says such a lot for his development. When he tells Essek that his ‘venom’ was learned, he’s also talking about himself and his own history of being manipulated and gaslit, with the implication being that it can be un-learned just as efficiently.

Caleb Widogast is selfish no more, or at the very least, doesn’t let his goals undermine anyone else’s anymore. Contrary to what he himself might still think, he is in no way a bad person. He loves fiercely and cannot abide seeing those he cares about in pain.

Early game Essek is what Caleb could have been if he’d rejected his friends and focused solely on his own selfish goal to undo his mistakes. Both are impassive at first and see the Mighty Nein as means to an end...until they get to know them and then their fate is sealed. The Power of Friendship wins once again!

At the beginning Caleb said he wanted to ‘bend reality to my will’ (sic) and in the end he does just that, though not in the way he originally intended. Destroying the T-Dock, and by extension the one thing he’d been building towards from the start, the chance to go back and change time, for me personally was the absolute peak of his journey. I rewatched the scene where Caleb revealed the truth about his parents death today, and it was really jarring to see just how far he’d come since then. It made me oddly proud actually.

I always felt like his plan to save his parents was the one thing holding him back from truly accepting their deaths, which is why the final scene of him in the cemetery with the letters for them hit so hard. He never truly gave up hope that they’d be reunited, but ultimately he realised he was merely postponing the inevitable and never allowing himself to live his own life. While time travel shenanigans would have been incredibly interesting to explore in game, choosing to let the past lie and not go back for them finally allows him to grieve and move on, and perhaps most importantly of all, to forgive himself at last.

I know some people were annoyed by Caleb’s decision in the finale to spend the rest of his life teaching rather than continuing to adventure, but I see it as the natural conclusion to his whole arc and his own personal victory.

He looked Trent Ikithon in the eyes, a man who he’d spent years wanting to kill and run from in equal measure, stripped him of his power and his voice (and ultimately his ability to harm anyone else) and finally spared his life so he had to live with the indignity of his defeat for the rest of his miserable existence. You couldn’t have asked for a more damning rejection of everything he’d been brainwashed into believing as a child. His dismissal of Trent’s position in the Assembly played into that as well. He never really wanted power for the sake of it; he had no desire for politics, he just wanted his family back, and while he didn’t get the one he started with, he made a new one for himself in the end.

As Caduceus once very wisely said:

‘Pain doesn’t make people; it's love that makes people. The pain is inconsequential; it's love that saves them.’

Caleb gets to break the cycle of abuse and teach a new generation of mages the way he should have been, with kindness and respect, and I’m pretty sure he’d have introduced a handsome drow as a guest lecturer from time to time. 😉

Speaking of...

Essek described himself as selfish and as a coward, forever putting his own wants and desires first, yet over the course of his journey with the Nein we see his priorities change drastically.

Having friends gives him people to care about, something he’s never had before, and it changes his outlook on life completely. For me, the first time we really see this is when he joins them for dinner in the Xorhaus and stops levitating. It’s a subtle thing, but meaningful. He explains that it had become an expectation of him, a quirk he’s known for, and so to feel comfortable enough around the Nein to drop that pretence is quite bold I think.

Much later, when he chooses to destroy the mini beacon they discover in Aeor in order to give everyone a long rest before the final confrontation with Lucian, he’s essentially giving up everything he betrayed his people for, just to keep his friends safe. The existence and context of that single artefact could have had an earthshattering impact on the Dynasty’s entire culture, forcing them to reevaluate their entire belief system and attitude to the Luxon, something he’d wanted from the start, something he helped start a war for, but he offered it up as a sacrifice without a second thought.

I’d say that’s a pretty big morality shift, and I’m super interested to see if Matt reveals if his alignment changed in the post campaign Q&A. I have a feeling he set him up as a potential BBEG but the party was like ‘no, you can’t have him, he’s ours now’ and that was the end of that. 😂

I think it says so much about the other characters too, that they befriended this person they barely knew, and when he was revealed to have done such terrible things, their first reaction was to give him comfort and an opportunity to atone. Jester held his hand while he confessed, and afterwards, while they didn’t immediately forgive him, they saw the good in him and wanted him to be better, which ultimately feels like what the entire campaign was about, leaving places (and people) better than they found them. It’s obvious that he’s never really had many friends before and has therefore never had the opportunity to be emotionally open with anyone, so seeing him gradually warm up to the Nein and allow himself to soften around them was really lovely to watch.

(Obviously, from a realistic moral perspective, he still fucked up big time. He’s still a godsdamned war criminal and really should have been put on trial for what he did, but I think from a narrative and personal point of view, his redemption arc was far more satisfying, so I’m glad it happened the way it did. (And not to derail but the rest of the gang have done some pretty horrific stuff as well, though perhaps not quite on the same scale)

He has a few moments towards the end that I absolutely love because they show that beneath the guilt and anguish, there’s an incredibly sweet and sensitive soul in there, just wanting acceptance. His dry jokes which often don’t quite hit, (the ‘I will punish the bakery’ line is such an under-appreciated one 😂) his simple joy at learning to garden in the Blooming Grove, and realising that he’d never been asked what his favourite food was before was actually kind of heartbreaking, because it highlighted how lonely his life must have been until that time. There was a moment pretty early on I think when he cast disguise on the party and Jester asked if he could cast it again to change the look of her outfit a bit and while he seemed to find it amusing, he refused, not wanting to waste a spell on such a frivolous request. Cut to their time in Aeor where he burns a fly spell just so he and Caleb can flirtatiously swoop around each other for a couple of minutes, all the while trying to beat Lucian to the city.

His breakdown when Molly’s resurrection failed really cemented to me how much he’d grown as a character. He never met Molly, his only knowledge of him was secondhand, through the eyes of his friends, but seeing it fail just broke him because he knew how much it hurt them to go through it all over again.

His comment to Caleb about not admitting defeat and wishing he could do more did get me wondering at the time if he was going to try and do something crazy, perhaps sacrificing himself via the Temporal Dock to make amends or somehow forcing another reroll, but I’m glad he didn’t. The conversation following that with Fjord was one of my favourites- he shows him acceptance and belief in his potential for the future, something he’s lacked for a long time, and when Caleb bluntly affirms afterwards that he is indeed an official member of the Mighty Nein, it’s the start of the rest of his life, and something he’s exceptionally grateful for.

It all leads to that final moment in Aeor with Caleb, when, presented with the opportunity to alter time and undo everything, he chooses to accept his decisions and carry the weight of his sins for the rest of his long life. That’s...huge.

He’s essentially choosing to live the rest of his existence as a fugitive, forever on the run, with no guaranteed peace or safety. He chooses to spend his life making up for his deeds, rather than looking for an easy way out.

I think that may have had a big impact on why Caleb ultimately made the same decision, as if Essek had been up for altering his timeline I think he’d have struggled to resist it himself. The conversation they had earlier in Aeor about their priorities and resisting temptation really comes to mind as well.

Now, to the relationship.

It was subtle, and not as ‘in your face’ obvious as the other characters, but I’ve been watching and hoping for a long time and I must say, it feels good to be vindicated.

(And if you have any doubt, both Matt and Liam confirmed on Twitter that their post finale relationship was 100% romantic)

I’d been hoping that Shadowgast would be a canon endgame relationship for a while, so the finale, and the aforementioned T-Dock scene in particular had me quite literally shaking with emotion as I watched live. Here you have two men, both damaged and guilt-stricken in their own ways, who find in each other a kindred spirit and a path to redemption.

They’re both very guarded and closed off people, but Essek in particular has a definite shift in the last arc of the campaign especially when it came to his interactions with Caleb. At the start he was quite aloof and stoic, though charming, and they had an instant connection through their shared love of the arcane, (anyone who couldn’t see them making heart eyes at each other when Essek was describing the different types of magic he could teach Caleb was clearly blind) but by the end he was incredibly open to showing his vulnerabilities and that takes a lot, especially for someone whose primary focus was to stay in control of every aspect of his life. The ‘Caleb, I’m scared’ moment during the Trent fight in particular made my heart ache.

No, we didn’t get a dramatic declaration of love or a cinematic mid-battle kiss, but I’d argue that their relationship was just as, if not more intimate than any of the other main characters were. They understood each other in a way the others didn’t, their shared guilt, feelings of inadequacy and their obsession with magic forged a deep connection from the get-go. Neither of them are big fans of PDA I think, though Caleb is tactile as hell (forehead touches and kisses, oh man, I’m so weak for those 😩👌) and some of their most iconic moments have them putting themselves in harm’s way to protect the other. Essek shaking off his forced guilt trip immediately after the now infamous forehead touch in ep140 was beautifully poetic, as was using his fortune’s favour to pull Caleb out of the rubble moments before. Caleb trying to include him in his Sphere of Invulnerability in the finale and Essek staying close to him the whole fight despite being obviously terrified of Trent was the icing on the cake. It’s clear that they care for each other a great deal; whether by the finale they’d consider it love is up for debate, but we know that’s eventually where it ended up and honestly, I love that. I deeply appreciated the fact Matt and Liam both emphasised that they took their time with their relationship, letting each other heal in their own way before they took the next step. All too often in media, and real life too sadly, a romantic relationship is seen as some kind of quick fix, and that a lover will somehow complete you or make all your problems vanish. They knew this wasn’t the case here, and that made it all the better.

While I would have *loved* to have seen them together as a couple right to the very end, the change in their relationship felt right, if bittersweet. I doubt they ever stopped loving each other, and if anything, choosing to shift to a deep and lifelong friendship over a romance that would cause them both so much pain is one of the kindest things you could do for someone you love. After all, friendship isn’t a downgrade, just another way of experiencing that same love, and it wasn’t as though they broke up and never saw each other again, it was pretty strongly implied that they remained a major feature in each other’s lives, they just changed their label slightly. Caleb would hate to have forced Essek to watch him wither away, and although his eventual passing would hurt Essek regardless, incompatible lifespans being what they are, having a period of time to adjust to it, to give them a buffer between the inevitable heartbreak was actually really sweet.

Their romance was no accident, they knew going in that it had a time limit, that it wasn’t going to be forever for one of them, and the fact they did it anyway says so much. They began their adventure wholeheartedly believing that they were both, in their own way incapable of love, only to later find it with each other. Whether their relationship lasted for a couple of years or multiple decades is irrelevant, what matters is that while it did they had a happy and fulfilled life together.

I know some folk wanted Caleb to use the transmogrification spell on himself so he could live on with Essek as another elf, or make him human instead, but that would have been way out of character for both I think. If they could have backwards engineered one of the rejuvenation stations in Aeor and used it to extend Caleb’s life by a hundred years or so, so he’d have a similar lifespan to Veth, now, I could have seen him possibly doing that, so he could spend more time with his best friend too, but nothing further I think. He longed to be reunited with his parents too much to postpone death unnaturally like that.

That both Caleb and Essek ultimately chose to live with their mistakes and make peace with themselves was incredibly cathartic, and I couldn’t imagine it playing out any better.

The fact Matt has explicitly stated Essek is Demi too means so much to me personally because the latter is a label I’ve been identifying with a lot recently, and it’s so rare for aspec relationships to get any representation! It has honestly given me a lot to think about over the last few days, and I really appreciate it.

To conclude, here’s a bit of shameless self promotion. I wrote this after watching the finale and honestly feel like it sums up my feelings on the nature of their relationship pretty well.

‘A casual hand on a shoulder, a waist, a wrist; a gentle kiss placed on a forehead is common between them now, an intimacy born of trust and mutual affection. Over time it grows, like a fire born of seasoned timber; gradual and steady, no spluttering kindling that flares and sparks, but a slow burn, one which lasts.

Their love is embroidered into every aspect of their lives together. Acts of service, of comfort, of understanding.

Sometimes a kiss leads to more than a kiss, sometimes it doesn’t. Either way they are content.‘

So yeah, I love these two wizard boys so very much and I couldn’t be happier with the conclusion of their stories. ❤️

#Critical Role #Critical Role Spoilers #CR Spoilers #shadowgast #Essek thelyss #Caleb Widogast #C2ep141 #C2ep141 spoilers #critical role finale

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bitchesofostwick · 3 years

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Inquisitor as a Companion: Ellinor Trevelyan

(template via dextronoms)

Inquisitor’s name: Ellinor Trevelyan

Alternate name: She offers only her surname Trevelyan upon meeting her. With the Inquisition perk Nobility Knowledge, the Inquisitor can unlock the dialogue, “Trevelyan...as in the noble house Trevelyan of Ostwick?” She will immediately dismiss this comment but neither confirm not deny it. Later, upon achieving “warm” approval level, she will acknowledge that she is the daughter of Bann Jaime Trevelyan but no longer associates with her family. Only if the Inquisitor achieves “friendly” approval will she reveal and allow them to call her by her first name, Ellinor.

Race, class, and specialization: human, dual-wield rogue, assassin

Varric’s nickname for them: swift (for how she’s quick with a knife)

Default tarot card: Knight of Wands, symbolizing energy, passion, inspired action, adventure, and impulsiveness

How they are recruited: Ellinor is found in the Storm Coast along the water. Upon approaching the area, the game enters a cutscene in which a woman dressed in an elegant but otherwise muddied and soaking wet traveling dress interrogates two rogue templars on the whereabouts of an unnamed apostate. She describes a young man with tan skin, dark straight hair, high cheekbones, and brown almond-shaped eyes all while the camera pans around her so the player can see the features she describes are also features she embodies. One of the templars makes a snide remark: “Can’t say I’ve seen ‘im, but I don’t mind what I’m looking at right now.” Ellinor promptly pulls two long daggers from behind her back, making quick work of ducking, dodging, and slashing at the two large, slow templars. As she wipes the blood from her face, she notices the Inquisitor and their party approach and sarcastically thanks them for their “timely assistance.” The Inquisitor can then ask her about the apostate she’s looking for, and she reveals that she’s been searching for her twin brother, Avery, a mage formerly of a Circle in the Free Marches. She explains that her travels have led her to Ferelden, and she has reason to believe he’s nearby. The Inquisitor can then select one of two dialogue options. Choosing The Inquisition may have the resources you need to find him, if you’re willing to help our cause in return. will recruit Ellinor. Choosing I see. Best of luck. will not recruit Ellinor.

Where they are in Skyhold: Ellinor can be found standing along the wall in the main hall of Skyhold. Before Skyhold has the necessary renovations, she will either sharpen her knives or read through a journal until spoken to by the Inquisitor. Upon renovating the main hall, she will lean against the wall, eavesdropping on the nobility that stand near the dais. If interacted with, she opens the discussion by saying, “Nobles leak a lot of secrets, if you can stand listening to them babble for long enough.”

Things they generally approve of: Generally any pro-mage actions. Ellinor is also in favor of swift and often knee-jerk acts of justice. A harsh critic herself, she will have respect for an Inquisitor who makes confident, borderline unforgiving choices. Of the main quest judgements, Ellinor will greatly approve of executing either Gereon Alexius or Knight-Captain Denam. Although of noble background herself, she will approve of most dialogue options that are humiliating or negative toward nobility; for example, she greatly approves of sentencing Florianne to farm work and even slightly approves of sentencing her to be the Inquisition’s court jester. She will also approve of a rogue inquisitor selecting the Assassin or Tempest specializations.

Things they generally disapprove of: Any pro-templar actions. As such, she also disapproves if a warrior Inquisitor chooses the Templar specialization. She will disapprove if Alexius is made to work with the mages or with the Inquisition (upon being spoken to after the judgement, she will frustratedly say that Fiona’s mages and/or the Inquisition’s mages deserve better than a Venatori magister), and she greatly disapproves if Knight-Captain Denam is conscripted to the Inquisition. Generally, she will have little respect for an Inquisitor she finds naive or too forgiving.

Mages, templars, other? Due to her personal experience with mages and templars--her twin brother being taken to the Circle by her elder sister, a templar, she is staunchly pro-mage. She has no patience for templars, and shortly after recruitment, the player will experience a cutscene in which she and Cullen are caught in a heated argument in Haven (this cutscene is skipped if she is recruited after reaching Skyhold). Her opinions on the Circles and Templars are less severe if the Inquisitor has a positive relation with Vivienne and Cullen, respectively. If her personal quest is completed with Avery safe, she will have a positive stance toward a reformed Circle governed by mages.

Friends in the Inquisition: She is good friends with Dorian, Sera, and Leliana. She is cordial with Josephine as well as Vivienne, although she is more warm toward Vivienne if the Inquisitor has a friendly relationship with Vivienne and if Ellinor’s personal quest is completed with Avery safe. She dislikes Cassandra. She despises Cullen upon her being recruited, although after the player completes Cullen’s Perseverance quest (choosing not to make him take lyrium), she will be softer toward him.

Romanceable?: Ellinor can be romanced by Inquisitors of any race and any gender. Flirt dialogue options are present in dialogue shortly after recruiting her, although she will be put off if these options are selected before the Inquisitor has gained enough approval with her. When a “warm” approval level is reached, she will be visibly flustered (but flattered) at any flirtatious dialogue, and although she will still dismiss or not reciprocate flirting, the player will get slight approval for the first successful flirt option. When a “friendly” approval level is reached, Ellinor will be openly receptive to flirtatious dialogue, but she will not strongly reciprocate before her personal quest is complete, saying, conflicted, “I came to Ferelden to look for my brother, and that’s still what I’m here to do. If things were different…” Upon speaking with her after completing her personal quest (with Avery safe), she will thank the Inquisitor for their help, saying she never would have dreamed of receiving such support in her journey to find him and will thank them tearfully. The Inquisitor can choose the relationship dialogue Of course. I love you. and although she freezes first, as though in shock, she will then kiss the Inquisitor softly. The kiss deepens, and the scene fades to black. The next time the Inquisitor speaks to her, she will reciprocate warmly if romantic dialogue is chosen.

If Ellinor is not romanced, she will not explicitly be paired with any other character; however, she will speak more softly of Cullen (post-Perseverance, if he is not made to take lyrium again). If the Inquisitor selects the dialogue I thought you hated Cullen. she will swiftly brush them off, clearly flustered and red-faced. No other romantic implications are made.

Small side mission: “Stealing Plans.” Ellinor learns that her elder sister, Knight-Captain Bryony Trevelyan of the Red Templars, is in the Western Approach. She believes Bryony’s personal journals and letters, kept in various Red Templar camps, will contain the information she needs to narrow down Avery’s possible location. The Inquisition engages in a fetch-style quest in which they must retrieve journals from three separate Red Templar camps. At the final camp, the Inquisitor will encounter minor boss enemy Knight-Captain Bryony and has no choice but to defeat her.

If Ellinor is in the party, when Bryony’s health is depleted, it will cut to a brief scene in which Ellinor deals the killing blow. Upon speaking to her, after, she will not wish to discuss her sister at all (or for that matter, ever again).

If Ellinor is not in the party, upon returning the journals to her, she thanks the Inquisitor and asks if they encountered her sister. The Inquisitor can lie (No, I didn’t see her.), to which Ellinor comments with determination that “she’s still out there, then.” The Inquisitor can consequently tell the truth (Yes. She’s no longer a problem.), but Ellinor will reply irritably that she wishes she’d been the one to do it.

Regardless, the Inquisitor will gain approval when the quest is complete.

Companion quest: “Quite a Pair.” Ellinor has determined that Avery has been on the run in Ferelden, as she suspected, but is now captive in a Red Templar stronghold in the Bannorn (at a unique standalone map location). The Inquisitor, Ellinor, and the rest of the chosen party travel to the stronghold and battle through groups of Red Templars until they reach an upper tower to find Avery Trevelyan battling a Knight-Captain. In a cutscene, the fighting pauses, as whoever the Inquisitor aligns themself with with have the undeniable advantage. The Knight-Captain offers the Inquisitor invaluable information, promising to betray their broken Order and reveal intelligence on the Red Templars’ movements, locations, and even Corypheus’s plans in exchange for letting him finish off Avery. Ellinor will passionately and emotionally advocate for Avery instead, telling the Inquisitor that the Knight-Captain lies, and that even if he were telling the truth, the Inquisitor cannot choose information over the life of her brother.

Option 1: The Inquisitor chooses to restrain Ellinor in exchange for the information (which unlocks a war table mission to gather more intelligence on Red Templars). She screams in agony as the Knight Captain kills Avery. Afterward, she breaks away and attacks the Inquisitor, who must kill her.

Option 2: The Inquisitor chooses to help Ellinor and Avery. They battle the Knight-Captain and are rewarded with a unique weapon that can be looted from his body. When the battle has ended, a cutscene ensues. Ellinor will run to Avery and meet him in a tearful embrace. He will ask how she found him, and she’ll explain that she’s been looking for years, and that it was the Inquisitor who helped her finally reach him. After the cutscene, Avery will heal the party and is recruited as an agent to the Inquisition. Upon speaking to Ellinor back at Skyhold, the player will see a cutscene in the tavern as Ellinor and Avery talk and laugh together along with other members of the inner circle. Seeing the Inquisitor, she will kindly excuse herself from the merriment to thank them properly for reuniting her with him.

Tarot change option 1: Three of Swords (representing heartbreak, emotional grief, sorrow, pain, and hurt)

Tarot change option 2: Nine of Cups (representing contentment, satisfaction, gratitude, and wishes come true)

#inquisitor as a companion #inquisitor as companion #inquisitor trevelyan #dragon age #dragon age: inquisition #ellinor

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izzyizumi · 2 years

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PLEASE ALSO NOTE: {My headcanons for the characters of this series VARY} {for this set particularly; I headcanon most as M-spec/Multi-gender attracted*} {this post/my contents ARE NOT for people who cannot respect this fact or M-spec people / M-spec headcanons / MF relationships in general!}

#digimon adventure 02 #miyako inoue #ichijouji ken #kenyako #ken x miyako #miyaken #inoue miyako #kenmiya #inoue family #ichijouji family #osamu ichijouji #miyako and osamu #momoe inoue #chizuru inoue #mantarou inoue #kenyako interaction #izzyizumi kenyako gifs #izzyizumi 02 gifs #izzyizumi gifs #miyako inoue is a good character #kenyako compilations #(OK but Genuinely I Take A Long Time Compiling These)#(Please be respectful if you choose to Interact on this)#(Please actually regard the info on this post ThankYou!)#(I am compiling these mainly for my actual own reference)#(but I'm glad when others can use them for reference too)#(FYI this particular post was queued for years because I intended it to be a gigantic compilation of literally every dialogue they have)#(That one is now on hold until I can actually finish it because I lost steam for a while so yeah if you interact Pls be respectful)#(I avoided posting Kenyako things for a long time because people ignored my rules last time around with a Big Ship so Please Dont Do It THX)#(If that happens again I WILL Block people and I really don't want to have to so PLEASE actually acknowledge what my banners ask THANK You)

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rumtumfucker · 2 years

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My Cats Fanfic AU/Headcanons

I'm currently working on a cats fanfic au, of which you may remember from this post, so I thought I'd come on and explain some of the thoughts behind this au! Since it's not too obvious from that one clip and I really like talking about this au hehe.

For the basics, this is a human au (I'm too much of a coward to write cats kissing) , and set around 15 years after the plot we see in the Jellicle Ball of the musical, I refuse to acknowledge the impact this will have on old deut and the other oldies. (You cannot force me to write this but it could be interesting?? Maybe??)

This means that Rum Tum Tugger, Munkustrap and Mistoffelees are all around their late 30's, kittens like Pouncival, Victoria and Electra are in their late 20's-early 30's (I don't have a clear time frame for them just yet but in human years I imagine them being around 16-19 for the Stageplay.) I am also focusing on a light-hearted, slice-of-life tone so please don't worry about any dark themes surrounding the aging cast.

This also means lots of new kittens!! I'm not very good with creating ocs, but I plan to have a good mix of kitten ocs and existing characters. In this au, all of the characters live close to each other/in the same town! Currently unclear, but they do all interact quite often.

Ship Shenanigans!

One of the fun parts of this concept is I get the chance to explore the character dynamics of Cats in a human context, but also with the knowledge of these characters knowing each other for many years. As such, there's plenty of ship/marriage content! I'll explain some of the ships/families I have planned out so far:

- Tugger and Mistoffelees have been married for around 10 years and they have 2 kids (I wanted to include the 7 kids I really did but it got very difficult to write quite quickly), Tugger is currently a music artist/producer and loves to strum little songs for Mistoffelees. Speaking of Mistoff, he's in a little bit of a worse position. After years of being a successful stage magician, he's found less and less success and money in the profession, and nowadays mostly spend his working time at children's parties showing off magic tricks. As rewarding as seeing their faces light up is, he can't help but feel he's letting himself down, seeing his past. (THIS IS THE PLOT OF THE CURRENT IN WORK CHAPTER BTW) Tugger is definitely more of the family man, but both of them love adventure and spontaneity, so their time together is not often boring. Factoring in the kids, they both live happy and fulfilling lives with each other. God I love their dynamic.

- Munkustrap and Demeter live much more structured lives than their brother/in-law respectively and his husband. I don't have clear jobs for them yet, office work seems plausible for both but I could totally see Munkustrap being the local child-minder also. Looking after kids is his talent after all. Demeter was never one for kids really so they never ended up having any themselves, but Munkustrap ends up spoiling his niece and nephew as if they're his own. As the woman of the Family, Demeter has also been given the job of helping out Tugger and Mistoff's daughter where possible. Demeter and Tugger also have a close relationship outside of being in-laws. Tugger is a very good listener and great at giving advice, more so than his more logical brother, Tugger excels in helping his friends talk out their frustrations, and that's exactly what Demeter has needed often in her life. This goes for most of the Jellicles also, but Demeter and Tugger turned out to have a very similar sense of humour, strangely enough. Mistoffelees and Munkustrap often enjoy ganging up on Tugger together, but Tugger isn't one to hold a grudge over something silly.

- Bombalurina has remained single throughout the years, she never did find the perfect person, but she doesn't mind because she has a fulfilling social life. Her, Tugger and Demeter are exceptionally close, in duos or all together. I don't have too much planned on her yet? But I would like to write a chapter around one of her errand days, involving brunch with Tugger and grabbing a coffee with Demeter, I may also draw some parallels to Grizabella in her aged up? Since in the musical Bomba was supposed to represent everything that Griz had lost. It's something to think about at least!

-In truth, I haven't really thought about characters like Alonzo, Plato, Cassandra, Pouncival etc. Although I would love to explore as many characters as possible within their own chapters. I'm also trying to stop using a character's relationship to Tugger as an anchor point but what can I say, he's a socialite!

- I would like to explore Macavity also, but I don't have a clear idea of him. I imagine he's in his early 40s, the idea I had was somebody, perhaps mungo or rumps, visiting him while he is in jail? Or maybe a new, younger cat who he is training as a criminal? Like a mentor trope but they're thieves. I made that on the spot while writing this but wow, I wanna use that now.

That's everything I have planned for this au/fanfic so far! I'm very excited to start releasing it but I'm such a slow writer 💀

Thank you for reading! Whew, that was long!

#cats musical #cats 1998 #tuggoffelees #rum tum tugger #bombalurina #demeter cats #mister mistoffelees #cats headcanons #fanfic planning

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bogkeep · 3 years

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hmmmmmmmmmm maybe i’ll write an Introspective Musing Post about my relationship to religion and their depiction in stories because i’ve pondering about this topic lately

so for those who are reading this and DON’T know what’s been going on... there’s this webcomic i fell in love with some years ago, about six years actually, that depicts a post-apocalyptic fantasy/horror adventure set in the nordic countries. it had, and has still, some very uncomfortable flaws regarding racial representation, and the creator has historically not dealt very well with criticism towards it. it’s a whole Thing. my relationship with this comic has fluctuated a lot, since there are a lot of elements in it i DO love and i still feel very nostalgic about, and like idk i felt like i trust my skills in critical thinking enough to keep reading. aaand then the creator went a teensy bit off the deep end created a whole minicomic which is like... a lukewarm social media dystopia where christians are oppressed (and also everyone is a cute bunny, including our lord and saviour jesus christ). which is already tonedeaf enough considering there are religious people who DO get prosecuted for their faith, like, that’s an actual reality for a lot of people - but as far as i can tell, usually not christians. and then there’s an afterword that’s like, “anyway i got recently converted and realized i’m a disgusting human being full of sin who doesn’t deserve redemption but jesus loves me so i’ll be fine!! remember to repent for your sins xoxo” and a bunch of other stuff and IT’S KIND OF REALLY CONCERNING i have, uh, been habitually looking at the reactions to and discussions around this, maybe it’s not very self care of me but there’s a lot of overwhelming things rn and it’s fantastically distracting, yknow? like, overall this situation is fairly reminiscent of the whole jkr thing. creator of a series that is Fairly Beloved, does something hurtful, handles backlash in a weird way, a lot of people start taking distance from Beloved Series or find ways to enjoy it on their own terms, creator later reveals to have been fully radicalized and releases a whole manifesto, and any and all criticism gets framed as harassment and proving them right. of course, one of them is a super rich person with a LOT of media power and a topic that is a lot more destructive in our current zeitgeist, and the other is an independent webcomic creator, so it’s not the same situation. just similar vibez ya feel as a result of this, i have been Thinking. and just this feels like some sort of defeat like god dammit she got me i AM thinking about the topic she wrote about!!! i should dismiss the whole thing!!! but thinking about topics is probably a good thing so hey lets go. me, i’m agnostic. i understand that this is a ‘lazy’ position to take, but it’s what works for me. i simply do not vibe with organized religion, personally. (i had the wikipedia page for ‘chaos magic’ open in a tab for several weeks, if that helps.) i was raised by atheists in a majorly atheist culture. christian atheist, i should specify. norway has been mostly and historically lutheran, and religion has usually been a private and personal thing. it turns out the teacher i had in 7th grade was mormon, but i ONLY found out because he showed up in a tv series discussing religious groups in norway later, and he was honestly one of the best teachers i have ever had - he reignited the whole class’ interest in science, math, and dungeons and dragons. it was a real “wait WHAT” moment for my teenage self. i think i was briefly converted to christianity by my friend when i was like 7, who grew up in a christian family (i visited them a couple times and always forgot they do prayers before dinner. oops!), but like, she ALSO made me believe she was the guardian of a secret magic orb that controls the entire world and if i told anybody the world would burn down in 3 seconds. i only suspected something was off when one day the Orb ran on batteries, and another day the Orb had to be plugged in to charge. in my defense i really wanted to be part of a cool fantasy plot. i had no idea how to be a christian beyond “uuuuh believe in god i guess” so it just faded away on its own. when i met this friend several years later, she was no longer christian. i think every childhood friend of mine who grew up in a christian family, was no longer christian when they grew up. most notably my closest internet friend whose family was catholic - she had several siblings, and each of them took a wildly different path, from hippie treehugger to laveyan satanist or something in that area. (i joined them for a sermon in a church when they visited my town. my phone went off during it because i had forgotten to silence it. oops!) ((i also really liked their mother’s interpretation of purgatory. she explained it as a bath, not fire. i like that.)) i have never had any personal negative experiences with christianity, despite being openly queer/gay/trans. the only time someone has directly told me i’m going to hell was some guy who saw me wearing a hoodie on norway’s constitution day. yeah i still remember that you bastard i’ve sworn to be spiteful about it till the day i die!! i’ve actually had much more insufferable interactions with the obnoxious kind of atheists - like yes yes i agree with you on a lot but that doesn’t diminish your ability to be an absolute hypocrite, it turns out? i remember going to see the movie ‘noah’ with a friend who had recently discovered reddit atheism and it was just really exhausting to discuss it with her. one of these Obnoxious Atheists is my Own Mother. which is a little strange, honestly, because she LOVES visiting churches for the Aesthetic and Architecture. we cannot go anywhere without having to stop by a pretty church to Admire and Explore. I’VE BEEN IN SO MANY CHURCHES FOR AN ATHEIST RAISED NON-CHRISTIAN. i’ve been to the vatican TWICE (i genuinely don’t even know how much of my extended family is christian. up north in the tiny village i come from, i believe my uncle is the churchkeeper, and it’s the only building in the area that did not get burnt down by the the nazis during ww2 - mostly because soldiers needed a place to sleep. still don’t know whether or not said uncle believes or not, because hey, it’s Personal) i think my biggest personal relationship to religion, and christianity specifically, has been academic. yeah, we learned a brief synopsis of world religions at school (and i remember the class used to be called ‘christianity, religion, and ethics’ and got changed to ‘religion, beliefs, and ethics’ which is cool. it was probably a big discourse but i was a teen who didnt care), but also my bachelor degree is in art history, specifically western art history because it’s a vast sprawling topic and they had to distill it as best they could SIGHS. western art history is deeply entangled with the history of the church, and i think the most i’ve ever learnt about christianity is through these classes (one of my professors wrote an article about how jesus can be interpreted as queer which i Deeply Appreciate). i also specifically tried to diversify my academic input by picking classes such as ‘depiction of muslims and jewish people in western medieval art’ and ‘art and religion’ when i was an exchange student in canada, along with 101 classes in anthropology and archaeology. because i think human diversity and culture is very cool and i want to absorb that knowledge as best as i can. i think my exchange semester in canada was the most religiously diverse space have ever been in, to be honest. now as an adult i have more christian friends again, but friends who chose it for themselves, and who practice in ways that sound good and healthy, like a place of solace and community for them. the vast majority of my friends are queer too, yknow?? i’ve known too many people who have seen these identities as fated opposites, but they aren’t, they’re just parts of who people are. it’s like... i genuinely love people having their faiths and beliefs so much. i love people finding that space where they belong and feel safe in. i love people having communities and heritages and connections. i deeply respect and admire opening up that space for faith within any other communities, like... if i’m going to listen to a podcast about scepticism and cults, i am not going to listen to it if it’s just an excuse to bash religion. i think the search for truth needs to be compassionate, always. you can acknowledge that crystals are cool and make people happy AND that multi level marketing schemes are deeply harmful and prey on people in vulnerable situaitons. YOU KNOW???? so now’s when i bring up Apocalypse Comic again. one of the things i really did like about it was, ironically, how it handled religion. in its setting, people have returned to old gods, and their magic drew power from their religion. characters from different regions had different beliefs and sources. in the first arc, they meet the spirit of a lutheran pastor, who ends up helping them with her powers. it was treated as, in the creators own words, ‘just another mythology’. and honestly? i love that. it was one of the nicest depictions i’ve seen of christianity in fiction, and as something that could coexist with other faiths. I Vibe With That. and then, uh, then... bunny dystopia comic. it just... it just straight up tells you christianity is literally the only way to..?? be a good person??? i guess?? i’m still kind of struggling to parse what exactly it wanted to say. the evil social media overlord bird tells you the bible makes you a DANGEROUS FREETHINKER, but the comic also treats rewriting the bible or finding your own way to faith as something,, Bad. The Bible Must Remain Unsullied. Never Criticize The Bible. also, doing good things just for social media clout is bad and selfish. you should do good things so you don’t burn in hell instead. is that the message? it reads a lot like the comic creator already had the idea for the comic, but only got the urge to make it after she was converted and needed to spread the good word. you do you i guess!! i understand that she’s new to this and probably Going Through Something, and this is just a step on her journey. but the absolute self-loathing she described in her afterword... it does not sound good. i’m just some agnostic kid so what do i know, but i do not think that kind of self-flagellating is a kind faith to have for yourself. i might not ever have been properly religious, but you know what i AM familiar with? a brain wired for ocd and intrusive thoughts. for a lot of my life i’ve struggled with my own kind of purity complex. i’ve had this really strange sensitivity for things that felt ‘tainted’. i’ve experienced having to remove more and more words from my vocabulary because they were Bad and i did not want to sully my sentences. it stacked, too - if a word turned out to be an euphemism for something, i could never feel comfortable saying it again. i still struggle a bit with these things, but i have confronted these things within myself. i’ve had to make myself comfortable with imperfection and ‘tainted’ things and accept that these are just, arbitrary categories my mind made up. maybe that’s the reason i can’t do organized religion even if i found one that fit for me - just like diets can trigger disordered eating, i think it would carve some bad brainpaths for me. so yeah i’m worried i guess! i’m worried when people think it’s so good that she finally found the correct faith even if it’s causing all this self-hate. is there really not a better way? or are they just trusting she’ll find it? and yeah it’s none of my concern, it’s like, i worry for jkr too but i do not want her within miles of my trans self thANKS. so like, i DO enjoy media that explores faith and what it means for you. my favourite band is the oh hellos, which DOES draw on faith and the songwriter’s experience with it. because of my religious iliteracy most of it has flown over my head for years and i’m like “oh hey this is gay” and then only later realize it was about god all along Probably. i like what they’ve done with the place. also, stormlight archive - i had NO idea sanderson was mormon, the way he writes his characters, many of whom actively discuss religion and their relationship to it. i love that about the books, honestly. Media That Explores Religion In A Complex And Compassionate Way... we like that i’ve been thinking about my own stories too, and how i might want to explore faith in them. most of my settings are based on magic and it’s like, what role does religion have in a world where gods are real and makes u magic. in sparrow spellcaster’s story, xe creates? summons? an old god - brings them to life out of the idea of them. it’s a story about hubris, mostly. then there’s iphimery, the story where i am actively fleshing out a pantheon. there’s no doubt the gods are real in the fantasy version of iphimery, they are the source of magic and sustain themselves on slivers of humanity in exchange. but in the modern version, where they are mostly forgotten? that’s some room for me to explore, i think. especially the character of timian, who comes from a smaller town and moves to a large and diverse city. in the fantasy story, the guardian deity chooses his sister as a vessel. in the modern setting, that does not happen, and i don’t yet know what does, but i really want timian to be someone who struggles with his identity - his faith, his sexuality, the expectations cast upon him by his hometown... i’m sure it’s a cliché story retold through a million gay characters but i want to do it too okay. i want to see him carve out his own way of existing within the world because i care him and want to see him thrive!!! alrighty i THINK that’s all i wanted to write. thanks if you read all of this, and if you didn’t that’s super cool have a nice day !

#rambles #i wrote this for me and theres no obligation to read it

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