#and you certainly don't have to justify that decision or how you feel

[inafever]

On how much Aziraphale has learned since season one:

This is about character development. Inside of a story, everything that happens, happens for a reason. It's meant to tell you something, to teach you or the character of your story, something.

So if the story continues and your character repeats the same mistakes again you know that they are bound to be doomed this time, and even worse the audience is going to certainly lose respect for them, cause they have made the same mistake twice, they haven't learned anything, they're gonna do it again another time, they don't deserve a happy ending. (yes I'm talking about good omens here) So you don't do that to a character that matters to you and you respect even the tiniest bit.

A Lot of us here are thinking that this is what has happened to Aziraphale's character at the end of season two, that he has done it again, repeated the same mistake again and has left Crowley to join heaven and it's been because of reasons like wanting to change Crowley (not true, see this post), still believing in heaven's goodness (not true at all), not being on the same page with Crowley (I'm gonna talk about this one especially in this post) and such likes. But these are the things he should've known better about after 6000 years and all the events that we've learnt about especially throughout season two. (It seems to be rather the whole point doesn't it?)

But we all seem to rather believe that he's made that mistake again nonetheless. so what we're doing here is trying to find reasons to justify the mistake and somehow make the reason behind the wrong actions something relatable to ourselves so we can forgive him when the time comes.

In fact I don't believe that he's made a mistake. for Aziraphale's character to be redeemable, what he has done, must be the only option that he's had for saving them both. I don't care what kind of situation could have resulted in him making this decision, but the only reason, the one and only reason, must be his love for Crowley. Otherwise it'll prove that he hasn't learnt his lessons or doesn't love Crowley enough to make a compromise, and in both cases, he's not worthy of love. He won't earn his happy ending by being tortured and feeling sorry and doing the apology dance for Crowley if he's hurt Crowley out of selfishness and stupidity again

But I'm sure he'll earn his happy ending and I'm sure he's learnt his lessons and it's too late for him to have unlearned them all in a matter of a few seconds. (He is an idiot but he's not stupid) and it's mostly because of this, that I believe the reason why he made that decision, must be very different from what it appears to be on the surface.

Anyway, this post is about what Aziraphale has learned and how he's changed.

I have made a post about their moments of conflict from both season one and two, it's here and you can look it up. This is where you begin to understand how Aziraphale has changed since season one because these are his dialogues after he's had a fight with Crowley in the bandstand, season one:

"even if I did know where the antichrist was I wouldn't tell you we're on opposite sides"

"friends? We're not friends. We are an angel and a demon. We have nothing whatsoever in common. I don't even like you"

"there is no our side Crowley. Not anymore. It's over"

And then there's season two, when they disagree on what to do with Gabriel, Aziraphale is the one to point out that they both rely on the life they've built together

He's asking him to help him take care of Gabriel together and in response Crowley leaves

In the final scene he asks Crowley to come back to heaven

"work with me" "We can be together as Angels, Doing good" "I need you."

He says anything he can think of literally to convince him to stay with him and it doesn't work

We start from "we're not friends" and arrive at "work with me. we can be together"

Even if we don't know the reason why he's insisting on taking Crowley back to heaven with him, this is an Angel that has picked up the pace. That wants them to be an us. No matter what.

But these are only a few dialogues. I think there's more than that. I think the show in five and a half episodes (out of six) has tried its hardest to make the point quite clear about how Aziraphale feels about Crowley (or how strongly he feels those emotions). all through the way he looks at him and through his gestures and soft touches from time to time

I'm gonna make another post of those moments separately and I'm gonna link it to this when I do.

update: (here's the post. not just average moments of Aziraphale looking cute, it's something about the way he looks at him)

And I'd like to even compare those wishful glances to some of those from season one, but I can't, cause they are nonexistent in there.

#remember season two is a test of faith guys #we're the job in this one #neil liked this #good omens #good omens 2 #gos2 spoilers #good omens spoilers #gos2 #good omens season 2 #aziraphale #crowley #ineffable husbands #aziracrow #gomens #gomens 2 #neil gaiman #good omens season 2 spoilers #good omens season two #good omens thoughts #good omens analysis #good omens meta #gos2 theory

[hyperactively-me]

Princess!reader finally slipping up and insulting King Ghost by calling him a murderer, or saying that she hates him for that reason. King Ghost finally understanding why she doesn't like him. I need the angst and drama aaaA.

In the dimly lit chambers of the royal quarters, a heavy silence settled. King Ghost sat at his desk, surrounded by the flickering light of candles, lost in the weight of his responsibilities. He had always carried the weight of the crown with solemn grace, ruling his kingdom with a firm hand and an unwavering dedication. Ruling with a strong hand was necessary for Kastron to survive, earning the respect of his subjects and the loyalty of his council. Yet, despite his outward strength, there was a void within him that he couldn't quite fill – the strained relationship with his own wife. 

You kept him at a cold distance that seemed impassable. He could feel your eyes on him, could sense the tension in the air whenever you were in the same room. He yearned to bridge the gap between you, to understand the source of your resentment, but it remained unspoken. He knew that you resented him for taking you away from your home, for throwing you into this role that you never asked for. 

That evening, during dinner, you were absentmindedly pushing around your food with your fork. Your posture was tense, your face scrunched up, lost in thought. 

Ghost clears his throat, the sound echoing in the quiet room.

“What are you thinkin’ about?”

“Oh, this question again,” you snap. 

Being immediately met with your hostility, he prepares for a blowout argument to occur. 

“Can I not ask how my wife is doing?”

Your gaze hardened, your fingers curling into fists. You slam your fork down, springing up from your chair.

“Your wife,” you scoff. 

“It’s what you are, are you not?” 

You don’t say anything. 

“Do you want to tell me what you’re thinking about? We’ve been playing this game of back and forth and I’m growing tired of it.” 

“You want to know? You really are asking me this? Fine, I'll tell you.” Your voice trembled with suppressed emotion, a volcano on the brink of eruption. “I hate you for what you do.”

If he wasn’t paying attention before, he definitely is now. He sets down his fork softly. 

“Tell me what I do.” 

His simple response, his nonchalance, his ignorance of the whole situation, of your feelings, enrages you. The anger that had been simmering within you finally bubbled over, and you couldn't hold back the torrent of emotions any longer. Your voice cracked as you unleashed the storm that had been building up for far too long.

“You’re a murder, a killer. You’re a murderer and I can’t stand the thought of being married to someone who has so much blood on their hands.”

Ghost's posture stiffened, his own anger simmering beneath his usually controlled demeanor. “You speak as though I enjoy it. As though I revel in the violence.”

A bitter laugh escaped your lips, devoid of any humor. “Maybe you don't revel in it, but you certainly tolerate it, don't you? You justify it as the cost of maintaining your power. Well, I can't stand it. I can't stand the sight of you, knowing what you've done.”

His gaze bore into yours, the tension between you like a physical weight in the room. He opened his mouth, searching for words to counter your accusations, but you interrupted him. 

“And not to mention, I’m here now. Yeah, I’m all of a sudden the queen of your kingdom, and everyone expects me to tolerate it and to know what I’m doing. I have no fucking idea what I’m supposed to be doing here.”

Ghost's eyes flashed with frustration. “You think I don't carry the weight of every decision I make? You think I don't question myself, every night, about the lives lost under my command?”

Your laughter was harsh, cutting through the air like a blade. "Your remorse doesn't wash the blood on your hands. And it certainly doesn't—”

“You don’t even know what you’re talking about, do you?” he cuts you off, the interruption slicing through the air. 

His voice is low and strained.

“You don't know the weight of these decisions this kingdom has had to face. You don't know the sacrifices I've had to make to protect this kingdom, to ensure its survival. Every choice I make, every life lost, it's a burden I carry with me every day.”

Your breath caught in your throat, his words penetrating the walls of anger you had built up. You looked into his eyes, seeing something raw beneath his exterior. For the first time in a long while, you saw Ghost not as a cold king, but as a man – a man burdened by the choices he had made.

“I never wanted you to see me like this. I never wanted you to be exposed to the violence associated with me, and I sure as hell never wanted you to despise me.”

“You’re too good for me, you don’t deserve to be in this kingdom with me. So I tried my best to shield you from this side of me, from the violence associated with Kastron. I want to work toward a better future, not only for the kingdom, but for us.” 

You take in his words, understanding the weight of it. You’re going to be here for a lifetime. You’re not going anywhere. And who are you if you back down from a challenge? No, you’re a fighter, and you’ll go down fighting for what you think is right until the day you die. 

“I don’t know if I can just…forget everything,” you say slowly. “And I’m not expecting you to.”

“But, I can’t live the rest of my life here resenting you. It’s exhausting. I mean, fuck, I’m the queen of this kingdom,” you shake your head. 

A deep sigh escaped your lips, your shoulders sagging as the weight of your anger began to lift, replaced by a complex mixture of emotions.

"I don’t want to resent you," you admitted, your voice softer now. You twist the wedding ring on your finger. Ghost pretends not to notice.

“How can I close this distance between us?” Ghost pipes up with a calm tone. “How can I be better for you?”

“I… I don’t really know…” you say. “I just want to get to know who you really are. Who Simon is.”  

He’s quiet. 

“I could say the same for you, you know. I want to know who you are as well.” 

You nod slowly. “Okay…”

“After all, we do have a lifetime together,” he grunts. You pick your fork back up and take a bite of food. You think while you chew, taking in the last few moments. 

“I hope, with time, we can find a way to…overcome this. Together.” You nod your head solemnly.

Silence settled between you, a tense quiet that held the hope of change. The journey ahead was uncertain, a path fraught with challenges, but as you looked at him, you saw not just a king with blood on his hands, but a man willing to confront his past.

The anger that had ignited your words was still there, but it was tempered now by a glimmer of understanding, a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, you could find a way to stand together against the darkness that haunted both of you.

- - - - -

(masterlist)

#damn #okay #simon ghost riley x reader #ghost x reader #simon riley x reader #simon ghost x you #simon ghost x reader #simon riley x you #simon ghost riley x you #simon “ghost” riley x reader #simon “ghost” riley x you #hyperactivelyme

[bitchesgate3]

Disclaimer: I have not romanced Minthara nor have I fully played the Dark Urge.

One thing I've experienced whilst having Minthara in my party since Moonrise is that there feels like there are narratively TWO Mintharas. And the Durge break up makes sense for one and not the other.

This 1st Minthara: Upon rescuing Minthara, all your initial conversations are deeply emotional. And later ones at camp are so deeply insightful that her maturity and experience compared to the other companions really stands out.

She understands the plots going on and the subterfuge and conspiracy. She reflects on her experiences with the Absolute, her understanding of the Chosen 3, her gratitude about being saved by Tav, her time under Orin's thrall, and gives us glimpses into the emotions that run through all these experiences.

How does a merciless woman grapple with being shown mercy? Her specifically. Not Dror Ragzlin. Not Priestess Gut. But her - singled out - for mercy?

This Minthara feels like she makes sense of these experiences for herself, to find a life to carve out on her own - integrated with her indomitable spirit. She is a dynamic and nuanced character and makes her a must-have companion for me on ANY playthrough.

However, another Minthara exists.

Minthara is most likely intended to be Chaotic Evil. She comes across as Lawful at times, but I think she was de facto made to be compatible with any type of evil, hence she must be chaotic. As opposed to Lae'zel who with Lawful Evil and disapproves if you are dishonorable in some way.

Astarion in EA was more overtly Chaotic Evil leaning Neutral Evil, and probably more conventionally chaotic because some of what he approved of felt like evil for shits and giggles. Following his whims and entertainment.

Minthara on the other hand is certainly calculated by comparison. She understands that seeding disorder is a way to destabilize an existing power in order to obtain it for one's self. This knowledge of undermining pairs extremely well with the overarching mindflayer plot. So while she may inevitably seek more secure power for herself, her ambient dialogue options encourage chaotic evil in this way.

And that's where this 2nd Minthara character comes in. She is the only companion that consistently disapproves of every "good" aligned decision the other companions make. She encourages you to make deals with Gortash and the Emperor (THE master manipulators), and has all these big plans for world domination right out the gate that she sort of assumes you're on board with.

The most egregious thing for me is that she grants approval for the silliest evil actions in the game.

It's clear to me that being opportunistically evil, selfish, and self-serving makes sense for a character like Minthara who utilizes chaos and fear for her own goals, but I find that because she is the only character who could possibly align that way, Larian gives her EVERY possible [calculated] chaotic evil approval that comes up.

So this 2nd Minthara ends up saying the most contrived, cartoonishly evil dialogue responses that really breaks immersion because it feels as if she's only saying that because she's the only companion who can.

That being said, I don't mind this "2nd Minthara"/Chaotic Evil Minthara existing and actually being a part of her character (because clearly this is intended and part of the authors' vision), but when the 1st Minthara seems to hint at possessing divergent thought while this 2nd Minthara seems stuck in her ways, I can't merge the two entities as the same one.

I actually think the game needs to add flags similar to Gale and the Crown where the more you agree with Minthara on her disapproving of the companions defying their dominators/approving when they align with them, only then you will get the Durge break up if you defy yours.

Just adding those flags - not even adding new content - would be an easy fix and I think would help justify why these two Minthara's even exist.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #minthara #larian #the dark urge

[amyriadofleaves]

outside it starts to pour — neuvillette | chapter one

synopsis: in the limelight of fontaine, the prying eyes of its people never truly tears their gaze off the iudex and you, the présidence du conseil d'état, which makes for baseless rumours to fester and echo throughout the theatrics of opera. you and neuvillette are challenged by the reputations the both of you are expected to uphold, and the weighty decision to navigate these intricacies rests upon the discerning judgement of fontaine's archon.

{ nav } ; { next }

ao3 : wattpad  ˚　.˚　

⌗ pairing : neuvillette x fem!reader ⌗ feat : neuvillette, reader, clorinde ⌗ warnings : n/a ⌗ word count: 4.0k

 ‘EVIDENCE REPORT | POISSON: 43 DEAD, 5 INJURED.’

To savour tea is to indulge. As your lips leave the cold porcelain teacup in hand, you wave your advisor away, leaving you subject to yourself and your thoughts alone. In the quiet aftermath, you willingly embrace the thoughts that fester alone—an intricate tapestry of reflections, good or bad. The shaky sigh that leaves your lips is a limbo between exhaustion and, as much as you despise it, the unwelcome embrace of fear. Your calm, yet frantic eyes skim over the report countless times before noting the words in bold:

NOT TO BE DISCLOSED TO THE PUBLIC UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. 

Brows knitted, you question the odd desperation at keeping this case classified. But more thought brings you to the conclusion that this is somewhat justifiable; from the moment you stepped into Fontaine, you learned that to rub a Fontainian the wrong way was to critique their favourite opera—or rather, denounce their perception of it.

With another sip of your tea, your hands hover above the prompt for your signature glaring at you on the final page. You don't fail to notice that you aren’t the sole bearer of this matter but instead, share the weight of it with your co-worker, the Iudex himself. You can't help but scoff. It undoubtedly comes as a surprise for you; this isn’t something within his area of expertise. He can certainly provide his input on it, sure, but any measures taken in terms of Fontaine’s state of affairs are your call. Whatever it is, you are already hot on your heels, the thud of your boots muffled by the awfully grandeur carpet that graces the marble floors of Palais Mermonia. Though not entirely focused on the world around you, you certainly are not unaware of the whispers and hushes that arise in your wake. You pay it no mind. Someone of your calibre is sure to be a topic of conversation; it is undeniable that it flatters you, despite how annoying it may be on the ears.

You rap the door to the Iudex’s office once—then twice—to no avail. Feeling a light tap at your hip, you look down to find a recognisable face staring up at you with curious eyes.

“Why, if it isn’t Sedene!” you tease. If the melusine notices the slight quiver in your voice, she doesn’t question it. At the met silence, you let out an airy chuckle. “Is something the matter?”

At your voice, Sedene's expression relaxes. “If you’re looking for your Iudex, I’m afraid he’s in the Opera Epiclese tending to another matter,” You can’t help but feel your smile unwillingly falter upon knowing of his absence. He is your partner in arms for this case, and if others see to it that he is needed, then it is in your duty to oblige, no matter how nauseating the idea of it is.

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Bringing the report up to your face, you try to compose yourself and shield your expression from the melusine’s line of sight.

This effort would prove to be futile in the moments that follow.

Sedene reaches up to drag the report from blocking her field of view. You know she despises the idea of being too short and having others take advantage of it, but you are mindful of the emotions crossing your face. With your bubbling rage at the Chief Justice’s involvement, you find that it takes a little longer to press your lips into a fine line and convince yourself that you have to either suck it up or take matters into your hands (by this point, you are extremely unsure which option you'd delight yourself to).

A soft paw-like hand begins to slyly wrap around your wrist. In an instant, your arm becomes captive to the ceaseless tugs of Sedene, who is jumping up and down in elation at her newfound revelation. “Oh! Oh! Sigewinne told me that expressions where smiles are replaced with frowns are signs of disappointment or sadness, or possibly both! So, this must mean that you are deeply disturbed by the idea of Monsieur Neuvillette being far, far away from you!”

The curiosity of Melusines never fails to amaze you.

You bring a hand to her mouth to prevent her from babbling any further. “Oh... hahaha… Aren't you a silly one! My dear Sedene, I’m afraid you've misinterpreted the means of my change of expression! I’m just concerned that his absence might delay the progress we shall very surely make in this situation—though, I certainly cannot disclose it because this is very, very, classified business.”

Noting the puzzled look she gives in response, you pat her head, albeit robotically, and fan yourself with the loose fabric of your blouse for composure’s sake. No one can see the head of Fontaine’s civil affairs under such humiliating circumstances. Confusion swirls when the unwanted heat begins to bloom from your neck up. What is up with you? You hastily bring your cold palms to the apples of your cheeks in a desperate attempt to quell the embarrassment that betrays your professional front. An incandescent blue shines brightly on the fabric of your coat, but that is purely your cryo vision working its magic. Ah, the wonders of Celestia are both a blessing and a curse indeed. 

Gingerly, you reach for the report secured under your arm. Your eyes ghost over his name unwillingly, and your nails have begun to dig into the lace of your glove; why does every decision end in his verdict? Do people not understand that his verdicts work only in the Opera Epiclese and yours—more just and logical—work in every other predicament that slips through the cracks?

Deciding to indulge in the idea of having time to yourself, you stride to your office with wavering confidence and slam the door behind you, back pressed against the wooden frame. Closing your eyes for a brief moment, the familiar patter of rainfall cascading down the stained glass windows of your office brings you a sense of comfort because at least there is something—or rather someone, out there who shares the weight of your burdens.

How you itch to search for whoever it is.

Snapping yourself out of your stupor, you force yourself to return to work; there are urgent matters to attend to. Thoroughly giving the report a once-over, you call in a subordinate.

Whether it is the weather or your own gloomy mood, the sluggish pace of whoever is to arrive at your door has you incensed beyond measure. When the foolish boy finally decides to show up, a headache begins to fester like a miasma from your right eye to your left temple. Pinching the bridge of your nose, you decide to keep the conversation short and concise.

“I expect emergency personnel to be stationed in Poisson by the end of today.”

The subordinate, whom you've come to learn is named Iaune, fiddles with his uniform. “But Madame, we lack approval from the Iudex—”

You bring a hand to your desk. “This is an order from me as your superior. The Iudex has proved his lateness in acting on this matter, and so I will be taking it from here.” At your glare directed towards Iaune, he nods profusely and scurries away, slamming the door a little too loudly, sending your migraine into full swing.

You aren't a supernatural being, and with the blurring of shapes and fatigue, accompanied by lidded eyes, it calls for a power nap. Slumping against the plush pillows of a leather couch that sits to the right of your office, you bring your hands to your abdomen and greet rest with open arms.

It is long past midnight when you come to.

Oh, no, no, no.

In a panic, you sit up to find a velvet coat slipping off your shoulders and onto your lap. You fight against the blur of your eyesight to study the fabric. The blazer is a brilliant Oxford blue, its lapels a blur between turquoise and cerulean lined with plates of gold. You feel at the fabric in curiosity; if not for your sleep-induced daze, you would notice that this very blazer belonged to Monsieur Neuvillette himself. Instead, you fold it over the back of a chair. With the paperwork in hand, you set yourself to his office.

One good thing to take away from this is how the migraine that had plagued you for the last half hour you were awake has now softened to a dull throb. You scan the palais for any sign of Segene, and… nothing. The same goes for everyone else really — your steps echo hollowly, and the stirs of gossip dwindle in the truancy of common folk. There is only one thing that brings you comfort and unease concurrently: the likely presence of the Chief Justice behind this door.

A gentle knock is what it takes to garner a muffled 'come in,' from the Chief Justice. Pushing the door open with your free hand, you are greeted with a grandiose office and the man you dread sitting at his desk.

You decide to skip the formalities and cut straight to the chase. "Monsieur, I am afraid that the prophecy is beginning to manifest itself in every corner of Fontaine. For this case, the spotlight lands on Poisson," you say, with a monotonous baritone that betrays nothing.

His ivory eyes widen a fraction, and he brings his fist to his mouth to stifle a cough. "So what I heard word of on the streets wasn't just paranoid drabble…" You can't help but feel your lower lid twitch.

"Well, word had it that you were too busy tending to business in the Opera Epiclese to officially hear it from the professional herself."

A gentle smile plays on his lips. "Very well then. Enlighten me." His gaze is imploring, almost expecting. With a sigh, you lay the report in front of him. You entertain yourself with an extra addition to your resume: experience in coddling the Iudex of Fontaine.

"Is there any reason as to why you lack any paperwork regarding this matter, monsieur?"

"I’d assume it was because of my preoccupation that they sought for you in my stead." With a deft movement of his wrist, two cups materialise as if conjured, a gentle azure glow tracing from his fingertips to the base of the cups. "Care for a drink?"

Crossing your arms, you can't help but order him around a little. "I’d prefer a seat, thank you very much."

He nods his head in complicity. "Oh dear me, my dearest apologies," and with a slight bow of his free hand, you find a chair at the very base of your ankles.

Easing into the seat—or should you say couch—is the easiest thing you've done today. Goodness, when was the last time you had a good night's rest? "Go ahead, you're free to read the report," you declare, the wave of your hand prodding him further. Fancying yourself a drink, you furtively take the cup of water he'd left on the edge of his desk.

To cure yourself of your boredom, you take to observing his mannerisms. A slight grimace, a squint of an eye—the look of surprise when he skims over the last page. Without preamble, he reaches for his quill, and you can't help but descry the way the ink dances across the page.

Once he hands the paperwork to you, you bow your head and turn on your heel to take your leave. The strained silence that hangs is broken with a chuckle from the Iudex. “I’d just like to inform you of your eligibility for trial at the Opera Epiclese.”

You hope he doesn’t catch the hiccup in your step. “I’m afraid I don’t follow, Chief Justice.” Back still facing him.

“Forgive me, Mademoiselle, but deploying personnel to Poisson without due consideration and an unsigned contract jeopardises not only the trust vested in our organisation by the public but also compromises the confidentiality integral to this matter.”

You couldn't help but feel your lips tug into a smirk. “I put full trust in your intelligence to excuse your greatest asset from the scrutiny of your judgement. What I did is justifiable and is justified, Monsieur Neuvillette ,” His name leaves your lips like the slice of skin against a blade.

“Oh? And by the word of whom, exactly?”

“Have you forgotten? I, too, have held your position alongside my name in your absence. I represented the word of the law, I wrote the books, and I am just. I am my own judge. Could you say the same for yourself, oh dear Chief Justice of Fontaine?”

____

IS THE END REALLY NIGH? WILL THE ARCHON ACT?

Clutching a newspaper in hand, diving into the inked sea of critiques and snark, you surf the waves of public disdain for the Hydro Archon herself. Albeit insensitive, the fiery opinions ignite the page, and you can't help but catch the raging tide of anger swelling through the populace. Welcome to the storm of public sentiment.

Despite the exaggerated theatrics of Fontainians, you developed a sense of indifference, your reactions reduced to a mere scoff. The overblown antics fail to provoke any genuine response, leaving you detached from the flamboyant displays of folly that had once captivated your attention.

Clorinde’s abrupt snaps bring you back from your reverie, and only then did you notice the newspaper in your hands, crumpled from your unwittingly tight grip during your trance.

“Earth to you? Now’s not the time to loiter around,” says the raven haired woman standing with arms crossed, a playful glint in her eyes contrasting the familiar tone of the champion duelist you’d grown a soft spot for.

You swat her away with the newspaper as one would a fly and laugh. “As the Head of Civil Affairs, I, too, deserve a break from all the buzz.” Stealing a sympathetic glance at the tabloid in hand, you sigh in defeat at the fact that you never truly can escape the ‘buzz’.

“God, how often have you been burning the midnight oil? I presume my boss hasn’t been too harsh, surely?” Clorinde implores; you had grown to notice that she’d pop a question whenever conversation grew dire — adeptly quenching her curiosity while addressing the pressing matter at hand, a skillful act of killing two birds with one stone.

Letting her in on such affairs wouldn’t hurt a soul, it seemed. And so you decide to amuse her a little. “If you mean ‘harsh’ as in pampering me, then yes.”

At the duelist’s raised brow, you stop abruptly. “I — uh, my, have I said something wrong?”

“No, not at all. Go on,” she waves a hand, prodding you further.

“Alright then. Where do I start — he’s an odd one, that man. His demeanour is different in both office and in court, as expected of someone of such prowess — and of course, he is expected to act by status quo. But over these past few days, I’d been greeted with nothing but candour from him — almost as if he’s… compensating for something,” You make a calculated decision to skirt over details as to why this might be. Sure, you have your speculations, but no conclusion you came to was concrete.

Clorinde makes a face. 

“This is the second time you’ve given me that look. Tell me what’s wrong or I’ll tickle you.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him going so far as to pamper someone as you say he has to you, let alone seen it with my own eyes.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re rarely at the palais,” you deadpan.

She considers this with a thoughtful silence. “Perhaps, for once, you are correct.”

“I’m wounded that you underestimate me so greatly, Champion Duelist of Fontaine,” you feigned a damsel in distress, eyes shut in faux consternation.

The town clock strikes twelve, its ring echoing throughout the city, and the sun seems to show brighter.

Gently patting Clorinde’s shoulder, a nervous expression plays on your face. “Nevermind that! As much as I absolutely adore the cool breeze of the autumn air, I’m afraid there are to be more problems than there are solutions if this” — you gently wave the now rolled scroll of paper in your hand — “isn’t settled.”

“Didn’t expect you to grow so accustomed to your new job, young woman,” A smile seldom seen manages to creep up and tug on the fine lines of Clorinde’s lips. 

Merely shrugging, you return her smile. “What can I say, it is me we’re talking about, I pretty much am the adapter of all — consider me an otter in all its glory.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“I’ll have you know that I am greeted with a soft mattress and plush pillows.”

Turning on your heel, you are met with a feathery wall of sorts. With horror, it dawns on you that this was undoubtedly not the type of ‘pillow’ you had in mind; this was no wall, this was someone’s chest.

This elicits a snort from the duelist.

There you are, standing merely centimetres away from the Iudex of Fontaine. Oh my God. You felt a growing flush rise up to your cheeks. Call it public humiliation, call it pride — but you simply cannot stand the image of your flustered self plastered on the tabloids all around the city. It had happened once, and you were certain it would be the last. The blame falls on Charlotte, of course, always nosing in on everyone’s business.

Almost in shock, you take a slow step back — in which the tap of your heel against cement echoes your humiliation, and you can’t help but grimace.

Through gritted teeth, you can only muster a pitiful: ‘Pleasure meeting you here, Monsieur…’ Despite the shakiness in your voice, it is hidden by the authoritative cadence you’d grown accustomed to during your time as the head of civil affairs. If it isn’t for your lowered gaze, you would notice the smile that ghosts over his face. But instead, in a frantic effort to maintain composure, you put on a brave face and take everything at face value, saving the impending embarrassment for later.

For a brief second you wondered how easier things would be if everything went in your favour.

“Good afternoon to you both,” The usual baritone of his voice sounds awfully frail. How odd. Another odd thing was how underdressed he appeared to be — his customary coat he wears in court nowhere to be found on his person. Both of you decide not to question it.

The two of you return the pleasantry with a stunned greeting.

She then offers the roll of paper to the Iudex. “I suggest you take a read. It won’t be long before everyone begins to question the acts of our archon.”

“I will take this into consideration. All actions in order to quell this matter are strictly confidential, Madame Clorinde, so I’m afraid I cannot disclose our methods with you at this moment.” At the word ‘our’, he gives you a side glance, perhaps in mocking, or perhaps in courtesy out of the goodness of his heart. At the thought of the latter, you drop the idea entirely, and entertain yourself with the more likely option — to which you can’t help but scowl.

“I shall take my leave, Chief Justice. Send my regards to Lady Furina for me, won’t you? I haven’t seen that walking chatterbox in a while,” She then levels her gaze to yours and winks. “See you in a bit, chenapan .” 

“Ta-ta,” Rolling your eyes, you dismiss her with a curt gesture. You can’t help but feel your heart slightly drop; it is inevitable that you will miss her — and as much as you hate it, there is a gnawing inkling that you won’t be seeing her for a while. No one warned you of how being the head of such a department would come with such responsibilities. Yet, the prospect of covering for the Iudex was even more burdensome.

The Iudex’s eyes follow her every move, and when she is finally out of his line of sight, he turns to you. “Which reminds me… I have arranged a meeting with Lady Furina, where you, the Présidence du Conseil d'État, are cordially invited.” 

Your brows knit. "And what's my role here? You have more sway with her than I do," Would it be blasphemous to say your opinion on your archon was a mixed bag? Sure, she was the archon of the land of your birth, but to say she brought you any semblance of reverence was a fruitless attempt at grasping at straws. The archon's influence over Fontaine remained an enigma, a puzzle you couldn't quite decipher. Unable to pinpoint why her dominance over Fontaine seemed a façade, you had kept the opinion to yourself and bit your tongue instead.

“Madame, I mean not to offend. You are not only my esteemed partner in arms but also possess a wealth of experience in this field that far surpasses my own. It is only appropriate that you take the lead as the principal force in this case,” Neuvillette interjects, his words attempting to bridge the gap of doubt. At your indifference, his jaw hands a little ajar, contemplating more ways on how to convince you with his flowery prose. 

“I beg for you to stop being so stubborn — this is all for the betterment of Fontaine. Please, let's find common ground and work together for the city's sake,” How flowery indeed.

You feel for the lace hem of your skirt and squeeze hard — you cannot lash out in public. “Me? Stubborn? I am promoted to being the Présidence du Conseil d'État, and suddenly all the world’s burdens fall upon my shoulders! Where is Lady Furina? What exactly has that woman done for the people?” What have you done? Your voice renders itself to a whisper in fear that Celestia above might hear your words of blasphemy. Challenge me, then. I dare you. 

Spite for the Iudex had been growing since his absence on the very day that news of Poisson had broken out. Maybe it was the comment he had made that night, or the way he had acted as if nothing happened, or how instead of an apology, he had opted to pampering you as if you were his plaything. The morning of, you had noticed that it was indeed Monsieur Neuvillette’s coat that had been draped over your shoulders, but you couldn’t bring yourself to push your pride aside and acquiesce into returning it. 

The sun’s rays seem to dim at your brewing anger, followed by the familiar patter of drizzle. Instinctively, you reach for your parasol, only for you to find that you had left it in your apartment. “Oh how lucky I am! The one time I leave my umbrella at home is when it starts raining!”

Neuvillette shifts in demeanour; he takes on a more softened look, hardened eyes now a confusion of regret and sympathy. “My… apologies. This inconvenience has caused you much distress.” Gloved hands reach for his own parasol, and you observe his every action with scrutiny. One can only imagine the look on your face when he opens his parasol, shielding you from the rain that has grown more fervent.

You push the hand holding the parasol away. “I am in no need of your pity, monsieur.” And when the reassuring shade leaves you, the rain seems to cascade with an indescribable ardour — to which you pay no mind; you don’t want the public to misconstrue your relationship with the Iudex.

“...And postpone the meeting for tomorrow. I have… matters to attend to.” Picking up your pace, you leave Neuvillette standing alone, a solitary figure in the midst of the sombre downpour.

a/n : dude I srsly dk how to navigate Tumblr but pls leave your thoughts on this and whether you wanna b tagged when I post my next chapter! im more active on my ao3 but ill probably start using Tumblr more often now!!

#neuvillette x reader #neuvillettexreader #neuvillette #clorinde #genshin impact #arranged marriage #enemies to lovers #divider by truegoist! #neuvillette genshin

[rius-cave]

So, yeah, maybe Eve didn't leave Adam in the Garden of Eden, but abandoned him sometime after their ascension to Heaven, like, I don't know, 1,000 years ago. Behind his back.

Like, she wanted to see what the rest of the modern world was like after they died, since I think that they barely saw any of it in their mortal lives. Then suddenly, she wandered into Hell at one point, saw that Lilith was having trouble giving birth to Charlie, and so Eve used whatever holy powers she had as an angel to help Lilith survive, but at the cost of sacrificing her physical form.

I think that would be about 1,000 prior to the official series, and when Adam found out about, like, some centuries later, he was so angry, he ordered the exterminations to get back at Eve and everyone in Hell like her. Then, over time, he did the exterminations for so long, he ended up repressing it at one point.

Maybe if Charlie and Lucifer meet Sinner!Adam in Hell, they could try to redeem him by helping him remember those repressed memories, but of course, it would be painful if he did. He'd probably lash out, like: "Yeah, you must know all about her life without me! Rub it in, why don'tcha!?"

Charlie: "No, it's not like that! You deserve a better lover! Or at least, a better friend!"

(Sinner!Adam pauses, closes his eyes, then screams and destroys a mirror or something that he saw Eve's helping Lilith back in Heaven, then groans in misery)

Afterwards, Sinner!Adam would gradually start realizing how petty it was to take out his frustrations through exterminations, learn the error of his ways, and actively try to seek redemption for all of the trouble he ended up causing Charlie, Lucifer, and the rest of the Hazbin Hotel staff.

Ooohh, that'd be interesting! I definitely feel like the show just glosses over Eve, like ???? I mean I get it, the show mostly is about Viv's OCs and not actual biblical figures lmao, but I feel like if you're gonna include Adam, there kinda needs to be something about Eve too ya know!! *Sigh* god I really hope that if Adam comes back we get more flashbacks of Eden hhhhhh I'd give my left eye for that.

It's an interesting cause for Adam's decision to start the exterminations though, that would certainly give him more reasons without it ACTUALLY being justified in any way.

#hazbin hotel #adam #ask

[utilitycaster]

on Laura's characters

This has been rattling around for a bit, and I've notably been pretty critical of how Laura's characters have been treated by the fandom, and I think a lot of the discussion of Imogen, overlaid with the discussion of Vex during TLOVM, has put it into to focus for me:

Laura plays characters that allow her to explore a lot of very selfish or self-serving behaviors, as well as the dark side of selflessness. This is, in my opinion, one of the very last lines people are squeamish about female characters crossing - and it's across the board, too. People who are comfortable with supporting women's wrongs often balk at supporting women's uglier, smaller choices, particularly for women who are otherwise portrayed as heroic. Sacrifice is still seen in a lot of women-centric media as the greatest gesture, and works where women are unabashedly self-serving are harder to find. It's why Delilah's nonstop villainy in the name of love gets a pass, but few people look head on at Vex's petty cruelty to Keyleth.

Vex is an incredibly selfish person. She is also unique among Laura's characters in realizing this about herself, and not liking it very much. It's mostly sympathetic - what are D&D shopkeepers but opportunities to haggle and ask weird questions, and Vex's anxieties about money are very justified - but less so when it comes to her possessiveness of Vax. It's very understandable that she feels protective and possessive towards him, but that doesn't negate her unkindness. Vex pressures Keyleth to the point of tears at least once (granted, it was a difficult day for everyone) and pushes at Vax as well, to the point where it causes a small but definite rift between them. At worst, this selfishness - this desire to have Vax for herself - is turned into jealousy of Vax, rather than of Keyleth, so that it can be reframed as in the name of romantic love (which is considered a more acceptable form of selfishness than familial, but that's for someone far wiser than I to unpack). However, even when that doesn't happen, it's often glossed over. The same is true for Vex stealing the broom. It's fine if you disagree with the alignment change decision - I don't particularly care for it - and Laura certainly didn't deserve hate for taking the item of a character who would never show up again. But it is a purely self-centered choice. She wants to fly, she sees a way to do so, and she takes the broom of an ally and lies about it. There's no in-game justification for this being anything but selfish, and it says a lot about her character that she does it, but the things it says are messy and difficult. I don't think you can appreciate Vex's full arc without understanding that it is her pushing past this selfishness. Holding grudges is perhaps the most selfish act of all, of keeping all that hurt to yourself and never granting forgiveness. "Sineath" is about a lot of things, but that is one of them.

Jester is much less selfish when it comes to material things, but she is, especially early on, frequently inconsiderate or insensitive. It comes from a place that is devoid of malice, but definitely does not think through the ramifications for others. This shows up when she's dismissive of sums of money that are immense for Caleb but mean little to her, or her willingness to deface temples despite the risk. However, Jester is, far more, an exploration of the darker side of selflessness. What does someone feel, when they think they must constantly be a light to those around them? Where do their frustrations come out? We see that it weighs on Jester in how difficult she finds it to balance the responsibilities and demands of Artagan during Traveler Con, and again, when she becomes aware of the potential self-sacrifice needed in Eiselcross. Vex had to learn to let go of Vax and her grudges and her need for approval from people who would never give it; Jester has to learn to start taking and putting herself first.

And then there's Imogen. Vex and Jester's selfishness was tempered by their extroversion and empathy, which at times makes it easier to ignore. While they may have self-interests, and struggle to regulate what they do or do not give (in different directions), they do, in the end, like people on the whole. Imogen does not. It's understandable, given the stress they put on her, but her powers and her judgement mean that she is a lot less able to create boundaries between them and herself. As a result, when she lets herself become closer to people, she doesn't recognize when treating her friends as a sounding board might be hurtful or insulting to them. This comes out notably in her repeated consideration of the Vanguard's position. It's fascinating because it can be seen as her trying to understand other people, especially her mother and the members of the Vanguard we've seen. There is legitimate hurt behind Tuldus, Ludinus, Liliana, and Otohan's motivations; but the person to talk over this with is not Orym, whose husband and father-in-law were innocent collateral damage to these plans, nor Laudna, who was murdered by Otohan.

I think people really shy away from the dark sides of all of these characters. People tend to focus on Vex's competence, Jester's role as the heart and light in the party, and Imogen's trauma, without realizing these are all perpetuated by that exploration of selfishness and selflessness. But given how central this is to all three of these characters, I think this is also why the fandom is often so quick to turn on them - they do not want to face how much Vex cares about her father and Vax, or how what Jester needs is not unconditional support nor concrete instructions, but honesty and a willingness to listen, or that Imogen has the capacity to do great harm to those she loves and does so, but these are all major parts of those characters. Ignoring that is how people believe Vex's arc is underserved; it's not, but you can only see it if you are willing to admit who she is at the start. It's easier for them to consider a Jester frozen in the early part of the campaign than the far more emotionally mature woman she becomes because of what it says about selfishness.

Imogen is interesting, because I've actually seen far more arguments of her as a complete monster than those absolving her. If Imogen becomes more unsure at Orym's words and needs a complete lack of judgment to come around that makes her truly heartless and unfeeling, rather than someone who has an understandably if unintentionally cold and strange way of understanding thoughts vs. words. vs. actions. I suspect this is because both Imogen herself, and the fandom, have less of a grasp on Imogen as her own person. And, to be fair, this is true of the fandom's perception of Vex and Jester; they just had better in-universe senses of self. But I'm interested in seeing if the perception of Imogen shifts back to how it was prior to episode 48, which is a more consistent discomfort with the way she puts herself first.

#cr tag #imogen temult #vex'ahlia #jester lavorre

[rabbiitte]

Sand betraying Nick hurt me more than any other betrayal 😭😭

Oh, Anon... You shouldn't have sent this, now it's your fault if I can't stop. Deal with me, please 😂.

A lot of people are talking about how Sand possibly manipulated Ray but few people are talking about this. I personally believe that Sand knew which buttons to press to elicit a response in Ray but it's debatable whether Sand expected to see Ray explode or not. However, what's not debatable is how Sand betrayed Nick.

Nick and Sand have known each other for a long time, in EP2 it's suggested that they used to spend time together. They even trusted each other enough to get to live together.

In the present, Nick trusted Sand enough to confess that he recorded two people having sex without their consent, only asking him not to disclose it. At the same time, Nick also confessed that he was in love with Boston and Sand was able to see the slow progress in BostonNick's relationship (even though he knows Boston never compromises with anyone) and how much it affected Nick.

These two were the only ones who could really be considered "friends" (without any other feelings involved) and yet Sand betrayed Nick's trust and showed that he doesn't care about what happens to Nick. Sand even revealed to Ray who had recorded the audio, something completely unnecessary if you ask me.

I really don't know if Sand didn't think about the consequences of his actions because his hatred for Top blinded him or if he did think about the consequences but decided to ignore them. I think it's important to think about the level of obsession that Sand has with Top, because he didn't care about the way his actions might affect his relationships or the relationships of his relationships. This is certainly something to ponder. Either way, Sand not only hurt Nick (because Nick knows what Sand did), but he put Ton and Nick's relationship at risk (which is also going to hurt Nick) and Nick could have to face legal consequences.

Now, many may say “deserved" to Nick because Nick also went through Ton's phone, Nick was the one who made the decision to record TopBoston and, of course, Nick is also questionable and manipulative. However, both Nick and Sand have acted problematically in certain situations and it's important to evaluate their actions individually rather than comparing them directly. Each action must be considered in its own context and with respect to its consequences. Same with those people who complain about putting Sand and Ton on the same level saying that Sand is not as bad as Ton. There is no such thing as who acted better or worse, both acted badly and to say that a character isn't problematic just because he isn't as problematic as certain character is to minimize and justify based on comparison. We're allowed to criticize the actions of each character without having to compare them with other characters' actions. Each character deserves an independent evaluation based on their own development in the series.

With all that said, I love the drama Sand is bringing to the series! I hope we can continue to enjoy his questionable attitudes, even if they make us suffer.

#only friends the series #only friends series #only friends series ep 6 #only friends #only friends meta #ofts #ofts meta #sand #nick #first #mark #sandnick #firstmark #thai bl #gmmtv #only friends series ep 1

[yggdraseed]

Unassorted Toga Thoughts

Because God knows I haven't emitted enough of those on Tumblr or at people in my social circle over the past few months.

I really like how Toga fills the role of a femme fatale character like you see in a ton of comic books and manga, but only the broad strokes. The female villain who's got sexual overtones, like with Toga needing to strip to use her Quirk.

But in Toga's case, Horikoshi really went out of his way to avoid making her the typical sex bomb, supermodal villainess. She's got a very average body, usually covers herself up quite a bit when she isn't using Transform, and her appearance can be legitimately unsettling.

Like when you go for the "misunderstood monster" archetype in a female character, it's easy to write other characters demonizing them right down to their appearance, but then make them conventionally attractive. I like how Toga is only going to be charming to some people. For others, her big, tooth grins and the shadows under and around her eyes will make it harder to see her that way.

Because the whole point is that a person's worth isn't in their appearance or how neatly they conform. Having aspects to her appearance that are unsettling doesn't justify how Toga was treated by her parents, just like the blood fixation that came with her Quirk did not, on its own, make her a bad person - and certainly not deserving of abuse. I think that to have made Toga too easy on the eyes would have damaged the message, that things she was born with and can't control are not her fault. Some of her actions are, but those actions were informed by people mistreating her and distancing themselves from her over things she couldn't control before she ever started to act out in any way.

I also feel like the exhibitionist aspect is an expression of how Toga wants to be seen, wants to be understood in her entirety, and wants to be wanted just for what she is. No masks, no disguises.

I know it's easy to see it as justification for a horny writing decision, and on one level it is just Horikoshi's horny side bleeding through the page, but I think there is still a creative thought process behind it. That being a sort of psychological outlet for how badly Toga wants people to see the genuine her, wants to form an intimate connection, and I think baring herself like that specifically and her overbearing, inappropriate shows of affection in general are the result of her needs for a deeper connection and to be desired not being met until she can't moderate them in a healthy way anymore.

I also just like the way Toga can be an allegory for so many different things without being locked into any one thing. The way her Quirk and the way it influences how she perceives and interacts with other people and the world in general can really resonate for a neurodivergent reader just as much as it can for a lesbian or bi reader.

Even though I don't think this is the strongest connection, I'm trans and felt a little of my own experiences reflected back at me through how Toga feels so unwanted and wants so much for someone to love her. Plus, you know... the transformation thing.

I've also got a much more organized little essay in mind for how Toga's parents and society in general have gaslit her into believing she's something she's not - i.e., a bad person. I'll get around to that one sometime soon.

#toga himiko #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #character analysis #himiko toga

[unecoccinellenoire]

Do you ever wonder what would it have been like if Nathalie had met Gabi Grassette instead of Gabriel Agreste? What if Gabriel hadn't changed his name and such?

Honestly I never had considered this scenario just because...it is Gabriel Agreste that Nathalie meets and falls in love with and a lot of that history is tied up in him being that person that would change his name.

If Gabriel still meets Emilie first then I feel like the version of him that stays Gabi (although we don't know for certain if that is his legal name or just a shortening he went by) Grassette is both less sucessful and sucessful less quickly. So maybe he's doesn't get into the rich conspiracy and he's not of interest to Tomoe so she never introduces him to Nathalie.

And becoming Gabriel Agreste, creating this persona and idea of what an Agreste is, is I think is very strongly linked to this desire to create Adrien as The Perfect Son/Model/Boy. Admittedly we don't know Emilie's feelings on the matter and her being the one to actually create Adrien and making him look so like her definitely speaks to a desire to have a biological child that no one else has any claim on. But I feel Gabriel in this scenario is much more likely to consider adoption or going abroard for surrogacy rather than chasing after the Miraculous.

So again we end up in a scenario where the canonical meeting with Nathalie doesn't happen.

But let's try again, maybe the boy that stays Gabi Grassette doesn't dare to dream the way the boy that becomes Gabriel Agreste did. He isn't brave enough to apply to art school, or to try to become a fashion designer amongst people who look down on him without a safety net, or ignore his parents' concern about his career. He's softer- less willing to cut off people he thinks might way him down.

So he doesn't meet Emilie. And if he does maybe he's not brave enough to reach up to this star out of his orbit.

And thus he doesn't meet Nathalie.

But you're asking about if he does meet Nathalie, except the first question is how?

What's Nathalie doing in Paris, or Normandy or the Region Sud or wherever Gabriel lives in France rather than hunting relics on the other side of the world. What's Nathalie's backstory? Is her life different too?

I think that regardless of their universe Nathalie and Gabriel always work well together. They have this instinctive understanding of each other and in some ways they're very compatiable- they both treasure the quiet times together, physical affection means a lot to them, they love fiercely but they're also mean- they don't care about the people they don't love and they almost enjoy that, certainly they'd be the type to cattily gossip about things together.

They have their differences. Both of them only truly cleave to a small network of people but Gabriel wants this wider adulation, he wants to be seen as sucessful, as good, as in love in a way that Nathalie has no interest in, and frankly prefers not to be perceived. Some of that internal/external validation discrepancy also shows in how Gabriel has to justify things where Nathalie owns her decisions.

All of that is still there. But Nathalie loved the Gabriel who's ready to take that leap of faith and do anything for what he wants. Can she love a Gabi who doesn't?

And is Gabriel resenful about how his life's turned out? Does he wake up and work and wish he'd chosen to do something he loved? Does he feel like he doesn't have a future or a career - just a job selling chips from a trailer in the rain?

Does Nathalie feel like adventure to him? Or is she put off by the anger she can feel inside him?

Or does he have friends? Is his life unexciting but full of love and life? Does he go for a drink on his free days and get unencouraged to settle down, and he's never go over the girl who got away but now Nathalie feels like another chance?

I mean it's a fun scenario because (unless you go full chip shop AU and Nathalie's his employee) Nathalie isn't his subordinate here so that changes the dynamicc in of itself but there's just so much to figure out how this would work.

That said, I'm pretty sure @silver-hibiscus does have an AU for this scenario so go send some questions her way.

#gabriel agreste #gabi grassette #nathalie sancoeur

[tanadrin]

Sogant Raha is gorgeous. Do you have any recommended resources for worldbuilders who might want to do something similar?

no, because i did sogant raha all wrong.

it started as a Generic (albeit extremely low-magic) Fantasyland setting for a conlang when I was a teenager, which gradually accreted details at the edges until it was a whole world. but i didn't know what i was doing when it came to conlanging or worldbuilding, and as i got older and read more about historical linguistics, and history in general, i became dissatisfied with it and rebuilt it from the ground up a few times.

sometimes when you build a setting from the bottom up like that you miss the consequences of major decisions. when i started trying to map the whole planet for the first time, years ago, i realized i had put the Lende Empire on the wrong coast--for it to have a big forest to the east rather than be a massive desert, it needed to be upwind of the mountains, i.e., on their eastern side. so i had to either flip all the maps, on paper and in my head, or make the rotation of the planet retrograde. i opted for the second one, because reorienting my mental map of the Lende Empire would have been terribly confusing.

another example: i didn't realize how dramatic the consequences for the climate for having a low axial tilt would be until roughly, uh, yesterday. i just wanted to rough out some climate details and maybe calculate day lengths at different latitudes and seasons, and it wasn't until i started googling around to find formulas for average daily and annual insolation at different points on Earth that i realized low axial tilt produces a markedly different polar environment than what we're used to. the result is certainly more interesting, but it means there's some notes i have that are now just, well, wrong.

if you are starting a project like this as a big worldbuilding project, and you know a little bit about climate and astronomy and stuff, i think working top-down can save you from a lot of errors like this. damon wayans' worlds on Planetocopia are like this: but then, he seems to typically start with one High-Concept Worldbuilding Idea, and then see what the results are. i just had stories i wanted to write, that turned out to be connected, and gradually built the world up from them.

in some respects, this means as a world, Sogant Raha is not particularly exotic. the stories i wanted to tell are stories about humans, in societies not too dissimilar from ours, so the world is not too dissimilar. if i had known at 15 or w/e everything i know now (and had access to similar resources), i might have intentionally complicated certain parameters more, so that i could play with the results. but the stories are what has kept me coming back to this world year after year--and while an ice planet of methane breathers would be more interesting from a high-level view, i don't know what being a methane-breathing being on an ice plant is like, and i don't think it would have had the same perennial narrative appeal that has kept me interested all these years.

i guess my actual advice would be some or all of the following: be omnivorous in your interests. the fun thing about conworlding is that literally every domain of human knowledge is relevant to it. be willing to make weird choices, and equally willing to force yourself to justify them. sometimes you make an artistic choice, and you come back to it a little while later and go "what the fuck was i thinking?" you're tempted to erase it. but figuring out how to make that choice work often produces a much more interesting result. pay attention to what projection you're drawing your map in. try not to think in standard fantasy archetypes. no matter how original your spin on the ISO Standard Fantasy Races, they're still ISO Standard Fantasy Races. full blown conlangs are optional, but constructing even simple naming languages can make worlds feel much richer. don't use apostrophes in the names of things unless that apostrophe actually has a phonetic effect on the pronunciation. read a lot of history. real-world history is bigger and weirder and more interesting than you can possibly imagine. it's good fodder for worldbuilding.

#still thinking about slapping a big fat landmass in the ehyran ocean at some point #all that space is just going to waste! #sogant raha #worldbuilding #conworlding

[spiders-hth-is-an-outlier]

I have this theory that what's wrong with Quentin is literally just like -- college. I mean, things are "wrong" with him, in that he's non-neurotypical and almost certainly has a depressive disorder, but I think the actual reason he's so visibly stressed and angry and self-loathing is that there's no environment more ill-suited to managing stuff like that than a place where people are constantly exhorting you to make massive decisions and simultaneously submit to nearly constant external assessments and everyone around you either has power over you or is in direct competition with you and you're expected to hyperfocus on yourself and your goals and be ready and able to justify every choice you make, and they say if you can do that you'll be successful but if you can't that's called failure, and also you don't ever sleep or have any privacy and half of your emotions are still mostly or completely new to you. He is like 22 at the beginning of the show, and he's furious with himself for feeling broken, but he is 22 and he's just limped across the finish line of a notoriously irrational and inhumane educational system. Quentin's biggest problem is that he's not capable of repressing how beaten to shit he's been by the last few years, but I guarantee 90% of his classmates are equally fucked-up and neurotic, they're just hiding it better. Quentin's not a good hider of things, have you seen his face? It's not built for that.

Anyway then he goes to Brakebills, which is exactly like Columbia except exponentially more so and also he's been training for this for ten minutes instead of his whole life and he fully thinks he's going to be expelled just as randomly as he was admitted, and the institutional solution Brakebills has settled on for this phase of student life is Brakebills South, so what more can you say about that. The reason Quentin starts to get better once they all flee Brakebills is that academia is designed to ruin people. Fillory is too, but sometimes you're allowed to stab your problems, and that really seems to be liberating for Q.

There are probably flaws in my logic here, but. Sometimes you don't so much need a quest to fix you as you need to do adulthood badly for a little while and gradually do it less and less badly, which Quentin did in seasons 2 and 3, but I suspect he might've just naturally done anyway if he'd managed a movie theater or whatever during those years instead of going to the school where they shove demons under your flesh. I'm saying he maybe didn't have all that many problems that required intervention, so much as they required just letting up on himself for two seconds.

#my hot take: quentin is okay actually #quentin coldwater #the magicians

[acourtofthought]

Hi, how are you? Sorry, I'm popping in here to rant away a bit.

I just really don't get why people want to read a story about a rejected bond?? They find the mates trope boring - but the 3 sisters+3 brothers thing not? If the mates trope is not for you, maybe don't read SJM books? Because in her universe, mates are the ultimate HEA.

I certainly don't want to read about Lucien and Az going through the pain and suffering of their bond being rejected. It would be the most miserable book in existence.

But ofc, this is the only way that a certain ship would work, so they cling to that one scene where Feysand discussed the mating bond and call it foreshadowing. I personally don't think Sarah wrote that to foreshadow a bond rejection, certainly not for the main characters, but it was important to understand for the readers that even if there is a mating bond, there is still choice.

The mating bond did not force Feyre to give Rhys a chance and eventually fall for him, same with Nesta and Cassian. Even though the males were aware of the bond.

They-who-must-not-be-named are so loud advocating for Elain's choices, yet they still ship her with a male that wants to coddle her despite her wishes and speaks on her behalf. Oh and what about her choice of giving back the necklace? She never gave back Lucien's gifts or Graysen's ring. She basically rejected him and I really don't see Az seeking her out after this to f/ck secretly.

The thing about Elucien is, short of declaring publicly 'I reject you now good sir', in my opinion they pretty much doing the bond rejection right now. It's been two years - they made zero progress in getting to know each other, they live far away from each other, trying to do their own thing. Yes we see the longing on Lucien, as it is harder on the males, but he still respects Elain and tries to give her space. The bond clearly does not force them to be together. So if Elain decides she gives Lucien a chance eventually, that will be because she chooses to do so. And this is where the choice thing comes in with mates.

I also feel like the Vassien ship is a byproduct of that ship, because they know if A+E were to become a thing, Lucien will basically go into the trash. So they try to justify it with 'but look he is sooo into Vassa he spoke this 3 sentences about her!!' which for me is absolutely ridiculous.

Another point conveniently forgotten, that not just Elucien needs to reject their bond if they want their ship to work, but also Azriel and Gwyn his future mate, and based on what we know about Azriel so far, I really don't see that happening. He wants the mating bond like his brothers.

I'm also fed up about the claims how this forbidden love would be such an epic love story. Firstly, this is not even forbidden love, because it would only take like 2 conversations to resolve the whole situation. If Rhys would feel they genuinely want to be together, he would do everything in his power to sort things out. And if you take into consideration Az's past and traumas, forbidden love would be the most harmful thing for him. It would take a huge toll on his mental health. He has so many issues and love alone will not able to heal them. I think his journey will be a dark one, much like Nesta's.

So if part of this fandom thinks Az's book will be him and Elain dodging the IC left and right and f/ck secretly, they will be in for a surprise...

Thank you for coming to my TED talk, it was sponsored by annoying instagram comments.

TED talks are always welcome 😁

I have to agree. A bond rejection would be so pointless and uninspired.

"Lucien, I don't want to be with you and I'm freeing you of our bond".

"Alright, I will respect your wishes".

That would be it. Despite what E/riels try to force as the narrative, Lucien has never pushed Elain to make a decision about the bond. He respects that he believes she wants nothing to do with him and stays away as a result, only coming around on holidays or when Rhys and Feyre invite him (considering he does work for the NC).

A rejected Elucien bond would look a lot like it currently does so what was the point of making them mates in the first place? In a novel, there's no point in adding something to the story just to prove it's a possibility when it doesn't actually add to the plot. How does a rejected Elucien mating bond really add to the plot in a meaningful way especially when we've never seen them try to interact with one another to prove they are not well matched?

If Elain and Lucien were spending time together and we could see that he was mistreating her or that they were poorly matched then we could understand why their bond didn't work and that they at least gave it consideration. But you don't give two main characters a bond in book 2, set it up so Elain isn't over the fiancé that left her (so she's not ready to address the bond), set it up so her sisters prevented them from interacting (so she can't address the bond), set it up that Elain first decides to have a rebound (which is all it can be since Az confirms they don't talk or see one another and this creates yet another roadblock for her not to deal with the bond) only to never have her talk to Lucien about their bond and reject it outright. We know she still has trauma so that's just adding to why she's not ready to deal with her bond or have a real conversation with him or her to know him. Just because Rhys's parents weren't matched (which they only figured out after getting together and the reason for that was because he was a cold, vicious man while she was soft and fiery) doesn't mean Elucien won't be and they definitely won't know for sure unless they try. SJM set up a bond between two heterosexual (in this scenario) main characters which in the authors words is the pinnacle of romance (if it turns out to be a soul mated bond) and if she's not going to attempt to explore what exists between them, what was the point? There are so many emotions that anyone with a bond is going to be feeling and for it to fizzle out without having them interact seems like such a waste. There's no tension in that, no raw emotion. (I added the heterosexual aspect because if there is any chance that Mor, a main character, was given a bond with a male, there would be a valid reason for a bond rejection because it wouldn't matter how special of a connection it was, the male could never be her ideal of peak romance. Same sex mating bonds are a possibility but as it stands, we haven't gotten hints that Mor has a bond with a female).

The fact that she's kept them apart for so long should be a hint to readers that she's building up to something big for them and having Feyre suggest "why make them mates?" in ACOWAR seems like an obvious misdirection to keep us wondering if they will get together rather than having it be so obvious. SJM is creating tension and uncertainty and that all makes sense if you want to be a good storyteller.

SJM didn't have Rhys casually slip in that Mates will always feel drawn to one another even if they reject the bond for no reason and that fact trumps Feyre wondering how the mating system works (especially when we know she doesn't grasp who Elain is or what she wants. Her reasons in questioning E/riel is based on them sitting quietly together and "how handsome they'd be" which are extremely shallow reasons. Knowing that even if you end up with someone else but you'll always be thinking of "the other guy" isn't all that romantic in a romance series.

There is not 4 books of buildup for E/riel. There is 4 books of buildup for an Elucien "will they or won't they?" accept their bond which was one of the MAJOR reveals in book 2 (not Az smiling politely at Elain, talking about how he and Cassian can fly while he stared at Mor's back with hunger elsewhere in the series) that we have yet to address and we've never really seen Elucien interact on a consistent scale. SJM didn't drop that bomb on readers then create the tension between Elucien after multiple books just to have them shake hands and walk away and she definitely didn't continue drawing attention to their similarities, changing Lucien's father to the High Lord of Day when we know Elain needs "Sunshine" for them to continue ignoring one another and not eventually realize how well matched they are (and nothing like Rhys's parents).

And you remind us of a good point. If Elain and Az would get together, that means there's a chance he finds his own mate someday (possibly Gwyn) and that means two characters would be together while always feeling drawn to others. I'm fairly positive none of us would want to marry someone in real life knowing our spouse feels a stronger pull to another at times.

Like you said, Fated Mates is a trope and when an author writes that trope it shouldn't be that surprising when their main characters end up with what they have decreed as the greatest possible love someone can be given.

#pro elucien #elucien

[butch-reidentified]

Your lack of self awareness about your own "dysphoria" is causing you to justify an extremely antifeminist industry and those profiting from selling marginalized women self-destruction. You have all the expected comorbidities (OCD/anorexia/body dysmorphia plus unresolved trauma from extreme homophobia) of someone in your position, shared with most female people who seek this surgery, and not someone with an implausible, never validated neurological disorder that coincidentally happens to map precisely onto misogynistic and homophobic ideas of the female body. Your "resolution" of symptoms is dependent on defending your decision and not the actual reality of the results. Your comorbid issues (especially OCD, which your wife is enabling) are obviously still raging through your life no matter what you say. It is a direct insult to every woman who feels violated by what happened to them to claim that not only are you one of the only people on the planet to truly need this surgery but that you read their stories of profoundly woman-hating trauma to convince yourself that you were a uniquely informed and more authentic candidate. P.S. I would "pull up" but I have a job instead of whatever grift you run. Good luck and hope you figure this out before too many other women see you as a role model.

LMAO this is so so amazing thank you. when I tell you this reads like TRA arguments... straight up making things up, projecting, absurdity, and ad hominem bs. delightful!

long post incoming but I am gonna break this down on a micro level bc I haven't talked about these topics in a minute + I'm high and it seems like fun, like a satisfying puzzle, kind of, to break this down into individual parts and address each part. Plus, asks like this provide opportunities to really dive into nuance and detail on several of one's ideas, experiences, and worldviews all in one place, which I've always enjoyed.

I am gonna preface by saying several parts of this are blatantly bad faith, and I am answering more for others to read than for anon. In particular, the claim that I said I am one of the few people who "truly NEED" this surgery. Given you clearly read at least some of my posts on dysphoria, certainly you saw that I repeatedly emphasized that I never have or will view this as a "need." It's also worth noting that most of my posts on this were written quite some time ago, and I don't remember everything I ever wrote on the topic off the top of my head, but I 150% do know myself and what thoughts and feelings I've had and which I've not had on the matter.

ok so first off, I have literally not ever ever even once encouraged anyone to pursue a single elective surgery & have very consistently done the opposite. just because I feel chill about my surgery personally does not mean that I support that industry, actually. in fact, if i knew everything i know about that industry now, I would not get the surgery... but that's a matter of choosing to boycott the industry, not a matter of how i feel personally about my individual experience. how I feel has literally nothing to do with my opinions/beliefs/values. I dont choose how I feel, but I fully choose my moral code.

in fact, my honesty about my story is not supporting that industry in a single way - it simply is not lying. people like you would have me lie to further a narrative rather than be genuine and candid, which puts us on the level with TRAs since that is precisely what they do. it comes down to this: you are asking me to either be silent about (lie by omission) or knowingly misrepresent (outright lie) my experiences because you lack the capacity for nuance to fit them into your narrative without harming the integrity of said narrative. But I don't under any circumstances do that, regardless of whether or not I agree with said narrative (and in this case, I very much do agree). If you cannot work the nuances of my lived experiences into your narrative about gender ideology and transition without it threatening the narrative that's on you; it's entirely possible to do. I'm not going to lie or censor myself just because you're limited in that way.

to be clear, my theory about neurological sex dysphoria is not "implausible;" it is also not something I'm insisting definitely is correct, or I would not call it a theory. And do you even have the qualifications to rule it such, knowing that I am a published neuro/neuropsych researcher (though now retired from that field because I recently found my truest passion)? However, it is not based on absolutely nothing. This answer is already waaay too long, bad habit of mine, but my #ntsd tag includes some posts that elaborate on this. The only thing I am going to specifically say on this matter is that having a processing disconnect (which has literally been visialized on fMRI) that caused my breasts to physically feel like a prosthetic attachment... is not "coincidentally mapping precisely onto misogynistic and homophobic ideas of the female body." This assertion doesn't even make sense in the context of everything I've said previously. I have never believed in the "body mapping" theory of dysphoria that you clearly are referring to by "mapping... onto the female body."

Additionally, I am not sure how you see logic in making this claim when misogynistic ideas of the female body are not known for being devoid of breasts. As I've said in practically every single post on this topic that I've made, I never went through a period of actually wanting to reject womanhood, be perceived socially as not-a-woman, or believing that womanhood and femininity were synonymous. That simply was not my motivation, and as I've said before, pain from chronic cysts was a large part of my decision. Lots of women on here have spoken about how they never went through those period either, yet I'm the only one I've seen get shit for it & get accused of thinking I'm better than other women for it. I never claimed or remotely implied that, and it has never in my life so much as occurred to me as even a hypothetical concept to feel superior about something like that. The only difference between me and most of the women on here who never went through those periods is that I had an elective mastectomy - but I did so while still entirely secure and at peace in my womanhood. Whether you find my truthful experience to be inconvenient or hurtful is entirely on you, not my responsibility to bury my own feelings and my own story for your comfort.

My lack of regret is not remotely "dependent on defending my decision." This is another statement that you would never make in a million years if you'd ever had one single irl conversation with me. I have no hesitation about admitting when I'm wrong. I do it /all/ the time. I don't have a pride issue, so "defending my decisions" is not something that matters to me. Again, you are projecting and you are assigning qualities to me without even the most basic knowledge of me as a person. I have not to date had a single human being on here miss quite this hard in an attempt to come at me. There's a lot about me, like anyone, that's ripe for completely justifiable criticism, and you've somehow managed to select some of the least applicable few assertions about me that you could find. Fact of the matter is I'm not prone to regret in the first place, and even factoring the dysphoria thing out of the conversation entirely, I genuinely like not having the inconvenience of large breasts and not having the pain of constant cysts, which i would still have if I'd gotten a reduction rather than mastectomy.

furthermore, you are making wildly unfounded claims. "lack of self awareness" lmfao this is pure gold. the people that hate me most in the entire world would laugh out loud if you tried to say that about me in front of them. I have plenty of flaws, plenty of areas I need to improve, but self-awareness is not one of those, not something I have ever in my entire life before this ask had a single soul give me constructive feedback about. so that was kinda trippy actually!

I literally do not have a single one of the mental health issues you're claiming I do, nor do I have any unhealed trauma at all (and have not in a long time), as I've spoken about in-depth more than once, especially since my first ever Neuropsych research publication was on PTSD and I previously worked as a trauma therapist for patients with comorbid substance use disorders. I have a number of genetic physical health conditions, but my mental health is honestly excellent. Not to say I've just been totally cheerful my entire life, but at this point in my life, I have been healed long enough that it's almost surreal to look back on a time when I wasn't, and I am deeply happy with my career, my marriage, my relationships with my family and friends, my home and my pets, my hobbies... all of it. And I'm incredibly excited for the plans my wife and I have for our future.

The body dysmorphia claim is especially funny to me because one literally cannot possibly be any more neutral and at ease in their relationship with their body than this. I have said it several times on here, but I place as much value on my appearance now as I did when I was 4. Pretty much the only time I consider my appearance at all is to make sure I look professional and sharp for something like a business meeting. I talk about true body neutrality being attainable fairly often specifically because I've experienced it firsthand, so I know it can be done. I have a strict rule against speaking on shit I don't actually know.

but if you think that by reading my tumblr blog, you know my mind better than I do and better than medical professionals, that's just blatantly delusional and peak chronically online behavior. ESPECIALLY as someone who does not know me in any capacity. the audacity to make claims about not only me but also my WIFE, who you know nearly nothing about and does not even use this site.... it's genuinely mind-boggling for you to be running your mouth about some "lack of self awareness" shit given the content and tone of this ask.

same thing with you deciding you are able to speak for "every woman who feels violated by what happened to them." that is lack of self awareness and it is projection. your assertion that I read those women's painful stories of woman-hating trauma before having my surgery "to convince myself that I was a uniquely informed and more authentic candidate" is SUCH bullshit even you have to know you're lying. that comment is so bad faith it's a bit impressive, but mostly just disgusting on your part. I read detrans stories freely shared by both sexes on public platforms, with the specific intention of canceling my planned surgery the second I encountered one single thing I might have in common with those stories in terms of motivation to get the surgery. There is such a massive difference between trying to learn from others' mistakes and using others' trauma to validate your choices. You are lying if you try to act like I wasn't very clear about which one I did. I waited 5 or 6 years from when I learned that this surgery was even a thing to move forward. I waited until my prefrontal cortex was "done cooking" as the internet likes to say. I pursued multiple other treatment options, not one of which was "gender affirming" bc I did not buy into gender ideology back then, either. And I educated myself on the experiences of those who regretted it with the purpose of minimizing my risk of regret by NOT moving forward if I found that I related to any of the motivations that led them to pursue surgery and ultimately regret it. I was not blindly stubbornly committed to surgery; I was always very much open to canceling if it felt right. Yes, having chosen that process of literally informing myself DID make me uniquely informed... that doesn't mean i'm better than anyone else, though. it's just the reality of putting a half decade of work and analysis and thought into a decision that absolutely nobody pressured me into, compared to the pretty common experience of being misled by trans ideology and/or rushing into this surgery. I am very much aware that I'm not special or superior just because I am flat out lucky enough to have not had anyone trying to manipulate, mislead, rush, or pressure me to get surgery, and insanely lucky to have not had pain or complications from it. And yes, despite my unconventional path to surgery, I also know I am very lucky to not regret it. All the more reasons I don't promote it.

you have constructed an image of me, my wife, and my daily life in your mind based on reading my blog and absolutely nothing more than that. even if you are engaging negatively with that image, criticizing it/me, etc., this is a parasocial engagement by definition.

The above is exactly what you have done. Parasocial interactions don't have to be positive. You are deluding yourself if you truly, genuinely believe you have the remotest understanding of who I am or how I live.

out of curiosity, did you intentionally fail to mention that I had medical reasons for my mastectomy in addition to dysphoria? or did you just conveniently forget about that despite how frequently I've talked about it?

as an afterthought: the implication that unlike you, I don't have a job is fucking golden given that you've clearly been reading a LOT of my posts and I don't believe for one second that you simply missed all the posts where I've talked about the fact that we bought our own home at 24, the fact that my wife and I own our own business, and the extra shit I do just because. but if you like, we can compare our records of how much time per day and week spent on social media 💀

thank you for this ❤️❤️❤️

#mine #ask #anon ask #anon #parasocial relationships #sex dysphoria

[chrkrose]

Hello. I've seen you answer an ask about Lyanna Stark. It's rare to see people point faults in her. Usually, they say Rhaegar is to blame, and Lyanna's age dismiss her actions. Even those who say she was rickless still go back to say anyone who points out her mistakes is misogynistic. What do you think of this say? Should we really not talk about it? Is Elia having negative feelings toward her that taboo and un-adult like? I have mixed feelings. I read many posts that defend her and that as long as you are young/child, you don't get blamed, but the thing is, I feel that it's not the actual reason. I feel that they just want to reject her mistakes and use the age and gender as an excuse to make the opposite person feel like an asshole for pointing out that a young girl carries some responsibility. And in a scenario where she and Rhaegar lived, I feel she would still be with him, and that just feels selfish and inconsiderate toward Elia. Is it really that bad to dislike a young person? Was all she did because of naivety? Because to me, she wasn't naive in that aspect (love doesn't change a man's nature). What do you think of her? I really don't understand how she is liked that much as nothing but victim. Sometimes, it feels forced other times self insert or uncare. I feel it's all to the hype George gives her from being remembered to having a rare flower as her motif to being jon's mother and Arya's aunt and being Rhaegar's love. Or am I being too emotional about what I see as justice? I wish to hear your thoughts.

I do think that Rhaegar bears more responsibility than Lyanna, both because of his age and because the exact circumstances around how she left with him remain unclear. But honestly, I feel far more sympathy for Elia in this entire ordeal. She was a woman of color who suffered greatly because of this situation, and a far more interesting character if you ask me. That matters to me more than what people assume about Lyanna's motivations, especially the idealized "fanon" version.

If Lyanna went willingly, her youth can explain and justify some of her decisions, but I find it unfair to excuse all her choices as a result of her age because fans certainly don't extend the same generous view to Jon (14 years old), Daenerys (13 years old), Sansa (11 years old), Robb (16 years old), Myrcella (10 years old), Arya (11 years old), etc, all of whom struggle with difficult decisions around the same age or even younger. I think it’s disingenuous to absolve her of the weight of what happened when these characters and many more aren't afforded the same grace.

Lyanna fans and Lyanna/Rhaegar shippers face a dilemma. Either she went and stayed willingly even after knowing about what was happening – making her a hypocrite for running off with a married man after her whole discourse about Robert and a pretty selfish horrible person given the brutal murder of her brother and father, never mind the civil war that followed it – OR they must accept Rhaegar held her captive once her initial feelings changed after knowing about her brother and father/ Rhaegar lied to her and never told her the truth about what happened because he knew she would leave his ass. That destroys their idealized image of a loving prince, and destroys the perfect impossible predestined love story they made up about these two. They can't have it both ways, but they sure try.

But this is all beating around the bush. Let's be real here about why Lyanna (and Rhaegar/Lyanna as a couple) have a somewhat significant fandom for the amount of development they have in the actual text. The reasons are: 1) she's white, and 2) she's a blank slate for self-projection. Far more interesting characters and couples (cough Nettles and Daemon cough) exist with similar levels of textual development and don't get nearly the same attention. That speaks volumes. Lyanna and Rhaegar are a blank slate where they can paint whatever they want, as long as they can ignore the more uncomfortable parts and the ramifications of their story.

This bleeds into how Elia is treated by much of the fandom. It boils down to racism. Were the racial dynamics reversed, the fandom response to these women would be fundamentally VERY different. Just look at how Nettles/Daemon are treated compared to Rhaenyra for further proof. What's the difference there in the dynamic? A married prince meets a girl and falls in love with her, abandoning his wife and children for her. You don't see fandom contorting themselves into saying that Rhaenyra deserved it, that she had it coming, rejoicing in her death, gloating about how she went down. And Rhaenyra was actually a terrible person. Elia was nothing but a good woman, who was married off to a prince and paid a brutal price for his lack of care and abandonment, suffering until the end of her life and dying in one of the most horrible ways I've read about in this series. And yet she's demonized. Again. Racism.

The truth is, her fandom project their own desires onto Lyanna. They love the "not like other girls tm" idea of her, they love the pick me girl energy of her story, and she fits the bill for their self-inserts. The misogyny runs deep even among those who considers themselves her fans or shippers of the couple, and they don't even realize it.

My dislike of her is a lot influenced by her fanon version, because the truth is that there isn't enough material for me to actually care about canon Lyanna outside of the tragedy that was her life. Canon wise she might be interesting and maybe a character I would enjoy, but the truth is that there isn't enough there. And if I have to care about characters who have that little textual development, I find other characters such as Elia, Ashara Dayne, Nettles, etc, much more interesting, engaging and worth of my time

#anti lyanna stark #anti rhaegar targaryen #anti rhaegar x lyanna

[utilitycaster]

I don't know which particular post about chetney you may be referring to in the post regarding to a potentially animated c3, but I personally see no harm in speculating how things could be adapted. It's both fun and a interesting creative exercise, provided one understands that they can't have solid expectations for something that would without a doubt be several years into the future at least. To me it's not much different than coming up with theories for how things may turn out - the fun is in the doing, not in being proven correct (though that would certainly be satisfying). I don't see why speculating how something would be adapted hinders one from enjoying the show as it is right now. Feel free to disregard this if I've misunderstood your post, I'm genuinely curious to hear more of your thoughts about this though

In the interest of keeping a vague post vague I am not going to provide more details, but it was about a hypothetical (ie, future in the current canon of C3) decision they felt would not be satisfying in adaptation, ie, it was not about the nature of adaptation so much as bleeding a little into decision making in Campaign 3. It was verging on "they should think about how this choice will play in the (hypothetical) eventual animated series", and that was what I didn't like. I love speculation on how a finished series might be adapted! I have engaged in a lot of that myself. This was not that.

But more importantly, I love complaining, and that post is me complaining. I think there's a really awful tendency in fandom spaces to think the only things you can complain about must be Problematic And Harmful, and also that complaining about anything means you are trying to shut it down, and those are both incorrect (and lead to the similarly toxic mentality of then trying to justify all dislike by saying things are Problematic And Harmful when they aren't).

Most of the things I complain about are not remotely problematic (though some are); many are just, in my opinion, really fucking stupid. And because I have some small number of manners and do not go onto people's own blogs or inboxes to say "hey your post is stupid" I just make a vague post about it, leave it untagged, and if anyone has a problem with my post I hope they will also either do the same on their blog or if they're really bothered, take steps to ensure they don't see my posts. You know that post that says "this website should function as a matryoshka doll of kvetching?" That is my mission statement. This blog is a place where I will be hating on harmless behavior all the time. Crack theories are a great example! I hate most of those and think the vast majority come from idiots trying to sound smart by over-complicating something that has a very simple explanation. They are also, largely, completely harmless, and people are welcome to come up with them, and I will not stop them. But I will be complaining about them on my own blog.

#answered #ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2 #i actually read an article recently about how people who bottle up all frustrations are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease #so if you think about it this blog is heart-healthy self-care. it's like a brisk walk for the mind. you're welcome.

[emi-writings]

I have to say one of the more disappointing aspects of the entire situation is that c!Wilbur seems to be being reduced to nothing more than "c!Tommy's other abuser" and losing almost the entirety of his character in that.

No, obviously we hate cc!Wilbur Soot here and would never support him. He is a terrible person, a disgust scumbag who doesn't deserve half the fame he has gotten. I won't ever watch another one of his streams, I won't ever watch his videos again, I have him blocked on Spotify (which I didn't know you could do before). I will not support even the support of cc!Wilbur Soot.

But c!Wilbur was a way better man that cc!Wilbur ever could be.

This was a man who started a nation because he saw people who weren't good at fighting and hadn't been around for as long were struggling with resources. And also to start a drug empire kinda? The drug empire part kinda got tossed to the side a little bit...

Then, due to a mixture of a lot of factors (getting betrayed, losing the war, etc) he ended up making a rash decision to validate himself as an attempt to "fix" his depression instead of healing from it: host an election.

Pogtopia was bad for c!Wilbur. The deepest pit he was in, where he decided that he was going to become the monster he felt like. Even then, he never intended to blow up certain buildings he built with people he cared about. He lashed out at people because he wanted to be hated. Does this justify his actions? No, certainly not, and the narrative makes that clear.

C!Wilbur's arc is about depression, trauma and self-loathing vs healing, self-acceptance and self-love. About how these things can impact yourself and those around you, even when you don't intend it to. Even if you intend it to effect other people in a different way than it did. It's complicated and messy. But it doesn't justify anything and he still needed to apologize, still needed to make things right with people.

A huge part of the healing journey with that character was also going from Ghostbur and Alivebur hating each other, to c!Wilbur trying to help Ghostbur in Limbo. A part of that was realizing that the environment of the SMP wasn't healthy and he needed to leave.

There is a lot of things about this character that I am seeing stripped away in order to have a cc!Wilbur punching bag... and I just feel really a sense of loss of community.

#emi rambles #emi rambling #the cc accidentally made a character who was a way better person than he was #and i just have feelings seeing people completely degrade the character down so much #like c!dream didn't get that treatment #so it just feels really unexpected #maybe it's just because I am sick of abusive men ruining things for me and taking away things I care about #and it's making me more stubborn #I could have gone into more detail but... #this stuff makes me tired