#i have so many thoughts lol

[meili-sheep]

oughh what if Diluc's mom is apart of the hexinzirkel(I am not spelling it ever again)

I know this is the if Diluc's mom was there they would have such a good relationship so think abt this as an au of sorts

SOME SPOILERS BEWARE!!

Oh god!!! And Remember the letters found in the Diluc skin event???? Of Alice asking in them that bc he takes good care of Klee that he wont mind that he is regarded as her own???

No im not saying Alice is his mom BUT WHAT IT SAYING IS!!! Diluc's mom (Calling her Umbra so i wont have to type it all out) is never mentioned even ONCE

And the lore vid of the hexinzirkel has like, a teacup and teapot that has the exact same design as the one in Dawn Winery!!!

And how does Alice KNOW HIM FROM A YOUNG AGE??? Bc she's never mentioned in Diluc's lines and that the letter implies she met him when he was young!!!

And ohhh god Diluc and Klee have interacted b4 and he takes good care of her... and he has a mischevious devious and trouble maker streak imagine if Klee got the idea of fish blasting from Kaeya recounting childhood stories of he and Diluc's shenanigans as bedtime stories for Klee...

Sure Klee calls him a weird grownup, but she sounds genuinely curious why Diluc is 'weird' compared to the other adults in Klee's life like the knights of Favonious who are supposed to be formal bc theyre well, also in charge of diplomacy

In Klee's eyes, Diluc is a weird grownup because his behavior is so so contradicting compared to everyone else. Kids are very perceptive afterall, so Klee could notice that Diluc is mischevious and a troublemaker behind the scenes but his face shows no sign that he is

Ouhh got off track but anyways--

Imagining Diluc calling Alice 'Aunt' but she butts in and tells him to call her 'Mom'

Maybe Umbra did something or got too absorbed in her circle of expertise with the Irminsul and thats why Diluc never mentions her

Also the delusion seems less of a fatui or abyss thing to me... instead more of an heirloom.

Like!! Why was Crepus looking like he was planning to give it to Diluc?? ON HIS EIGHTEENTH BDAY???

And it doesnt work like other delusions!!! The other delusions have an ELEMENT but this one has BLACK FLAMES AND CHAINS AND MAGIC CIRCLES

anyways thank u for coming to another one of...

-Leyline! Anon's Insane ramblings are back babey!!!!

So I am 100% on board with Diluc's mother being Hexinzirkel. Like there is a video. This one. Where they not only point out how the teapot is in the dawn winery, but the pattern on the teapot is not only on the dawn winery carpet but on Diluc's jacket.

Then there is the Diluc's star broach in the manga, which matches the Hexinzirkel star.

Especially considering the star and the teapot were things in the center frame.

So we are past the realm of coincidence in my book, even before Alice watches Diluc for a while and takes him in when Crepus dies. It would sort of raise the question of why she might not be more involved in his life if she's a sister of Diluc's mom. But I feel that could easily be explained by well safety reasons. You don't want to draw too much attention to it. Specially if she really wanted to settle down and live a normal life. Alice is just honoring her wishes.

This also makes me wonder if there is something biological in visions. Like Diluc being a possible Hexinzirkel child and probably got his vision around Klee's age. Do you see the line I'm making here? My theory is that there is a certain about of harmony you do have to have with elemental energy to get a vision and maybe having a powerful witch as a mother helped that?

As for the delusion, Diluc's delusion has always been different. So I got two ideas (Outside of Crepus getting it from the fatui in some way)

One. Diluc's mom stole it from the fatui, learning about their delusion research. Maybe figuring it would be best to delay their plans a little bit. So the Delusion is an early stage, one that His mom was playing around with, trying to figure out or "fix."

Two. Diluc's mom made it. And it's not a true delusion. At least not a Fatui one. This would sort of explain why Dottore, who should have known about delusions didn't recognize it at one of there's. And Crepus couldn't use it because well he simply couldn't handle the elemental energy in it. But Diluc could which is why it never backfired. And that works with your heirloom idea.

The only hiccup with that idea is the webcomic. But I don't recall if they were saying where that piece of the journal came from or who it was from that told them Crepus had the delusion.

And well, now It's sort of got me wanting to write more Alice and Diluc or Diluc and his mom, to be honest

#Leyline!Anon #diluc ragnvindr #diluc #diluc headcanons #I am at midterm #so this is just #bad timing lolol #i have so many thoughts lol

[thehallstara]

after just under two years and 69000 words (nice), it's finally done.

#s.txt #was telling kt earlier it feels like i just finished writing a novel which like. i kinda have. #anyways. expect bright fic sometime later this week for better or for worse kdjssk #also thinking abt maybe doing some kind of debrief post after i post it?? would anyone be interested in that? #this is just both the longest i've worked on a single project and the most words i've written for a project so far and just. #i have so many thoughts lol

[andiwriteordie]

Hi Andi!!!

(First of all so i finished chapter 20. And 21. It just… i have so many thoughts, but mostly just that it’s very Fitting. I don’t know. Hurts in the right way? The right kind of pain? It feels like… the right ending for this fic, which speaks to how well-constructed/plotted/planned the fic was, and I really like it).

This is on the rapid turnover in avatars between Korra & El. I was thinking about this earlier, and I was wondering if it could be because of the fact that the spirit realm is open? Like—avatars are naturally more “sensitive” to spirits, and more connected, and more likely to influence/be influenced. Before Korra, the barrier between the spirit world and our world meant that the avatars got time to develop this skill when it was developmentally appropriate—when they were prepared to take it on.

Now that the barrier is gone, the avatars don’t have that grace period. It’s kind of like how El’s sensitivity made her vulnerable to the demogorgon/Henry in season one, and to Billy/Mindflayer finding her in season 3. (Or how will’s sensitivity made him vulnerable to Henry in season 2–) a connection is a connection, it goes both ways. So, the next avatar after Korra becomes distressed while an infant/young kid, as babies do—big emotions, y’know? Only, because they’re an avatar… they’re vulnerable. Maybe they turn the spirits around them “dark” by feeding into the negative energy, and the spirits end up causing such destruction that the entire village dies. Maybe the avatar connects with an already-dark spirit in their distress, but their body is too young to handle being possessed, and so they pass away.

Three avatars die like this, and nobody knows how to stop it, until Brenner proposes a solution to the “sickness”: isolate the avatar from the spirits, from everyone and everything, until they have the necessary training. In the desperation to not have another avatar die before they hit their teenage years, people agree with Brenner, allow him free reign. So when Brenner says El’s “sick”—this is her illness. & that’s how we get El as a waterbender in time for the 80s.

Thoughts on that as a solution? Also, I was wondering about El connecting with her past lives/avatar state? And I was wondering about the spirit world/who can easily access the spirit world via the poles/who of the party has been to or will go to the spirit world, etc

(Ik that’s a longish concept suggestion & a couple questions in one ask, so sorry about that, lol. Thank you in advance for answering, & happy avoiding-writing!)

(ahhh yay!!! i'm glad you enjoyed it! this is now the second fic that i've been forced to sacrifice a "happy" ending on the altar of telling the right story, because i totally left my other fic "everything changes, what a shame" on an unresolved note as well lol. sometimes the story's bigger than just one fic, and i didn't think wrapping this one up with a happy ending did it justice!)

OH THIS IS GOOD THIS IS SO GOOD. a couple of other asks i've answered today have dived into some of the brenner/el background (gotta say, surprised everyone is like LET'S TALK ABOUT BRENNER/EL but i am not mad about it)!!! and building in some of those ideas of having people (most noticeably the avatars) with deeper connections to the spirits because of korra opening the portal. so maybe in that sense, henry is one of those people who has an interaction with a spirit when he's younger too. and will's entire time in the spirit world is another example of that, where then we see this overwhelming influx of spiritual energy in people—and again, avatars for sure (rip el is gonna have a Bad Time) but also airbenders who are the most spiritually connected of the four elements.

long and short of it, brenner definitely does weasel his way into getting what he wants with having his little waterbending avatar that he can manipulate. i love that in all of these ideas we know that brenner is sly and observing the world around him, seeing what is happening, and feeding into it. he's smart like that, and @messrsbyler and i at some point had discussed through these millions of asks lol having a world in which maybe the spirits are more feared again. so then you have a perfect storm where brenner can feed into the fear and can provide control and get himself power in the process. also a perfect world for will, who is about to get fucked over by the spirit world, to feel even more ostracized and different :D i am in pain!

el connecting with her past lives is not necessarily something i'd thought too much about, but either way, the only avatar who would have substantial advice for her is korra because of how short the turnaround is with the three avatars in between them. i am kinda leaning towards believing it'd be cool if el struggled with the avatar state because of a couple reasons 1) a slap in the face to brenner, who had wanted to manipulate the avatar for greater access to the spirits, 2) a cool parallel of will and el again, where will is not the avatar but has a deep connection to the spirits, but el is the avatar and struggles with it, and 3) it'd probably be too easy for her to have her spiritual powers figured out entirely? so maybe she has gotten to the point of being able to like remote travel/meditate into the spirit world (how she helps find will), but actually being able to talk to korra and even raava? that would be something i think would come later in her arc — something something about el finding her independence and that coinciding with her finally connecting with her past lives?

#andi's asks #stranger things/avatar au #god i hope i'm not annoying anyone with this #i have so many thoughts lol

[vintage-bentley]

The lesphobia aspect of Willow's sexuality is something that's always bothered me, just as much as a bi-erasure. It was actually one of the reasons I sent you some asks (back before I signed myself) about your opinion on Willow's sexuality as a lesbian because I'm aware I can only view it through the lense of being bi. - ash

I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees it! It’s really jarring as a lesbian to watch this woman be so happy dating and having sex with a man, crushing on men the entire first 3 seasons, being absolutely DEVASTATED when a man breaks up with her and when her crush kisses somebody else… and then suddenly it’s all “I’m gay now!”. That’s not how it works! It’s incredibly homophobic to believe that a woman can explicitly experience OSA and then suddenly be gay, because the underlying implication is that she’s still OSA and can always go back to men.

I wish she could’ve been gay (and I would’ve liked Faith and/or Xander to be explicitly bi). But she just wasn’t written like that. In order for her to have been gay, she’d have to have been written that way from the pilot. Instead, it really feels like everyone was written to be straight until Whedon decided he wanted a gay character, so he drew straws.

#I have so many thoughts lol #Tara’s a good example of how to write a lesbian #same with Kennedy #people don’t like Kennedy but I love her #probably because she’s my type lmao I love confident bratty women #and she’s GORGEOUS #anyway. #they both had no history with men and showed no intentions of getting with men #asks #ash anon

[crestfallencrest]

I am going to be SO honest today gamers. I thought too hard about flynn/yuri and yuri/duke today and suddenly 8 hours passed and now i ship flynn/yuri/duke.

#crest talks #i mean it was bound to happen i think #whoops #IDK JUST THOUGHT ABOUT FLYNN AND DUKE BEING FORCED TO INTERACT BC THEY'RE BOTH DATING YURI #and then they fall in love too? #thought about it all day i cant believe i've done this #by gods ive done it again #i have so many thoughts LOL #this is mostly modern au in my head btw

[cappycodeart]

"The dead one! Yeah I haven't thought about her in a long time!"

A little theory I've had about Winter King's original motives based on his heartless comment about Betty and Ice King's original motives for kidnapping princesses in the first place...... clearly she gave off Bad Ex Vibes…

#adventure time #fionna and cake #simon petrikov #winter king #candy queen #princess bubblegum #ice king #betty grof #fionna and cake spoilers #adventure time spoilers #at spoilers #spoilers #fan art #digital art #sketch #2023 #SORRY THIS IS SKETCHY I NEEDED TO GET IT OUT OF MY SYSTEM. I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS JERKWAD #SO MANY QUESTIONS SO MANY THOUGHTS AND NONE OF THEM WILL EVER BE ANSWERED LOL #I say bad-ex in quotes I feel like I hc that this Simon definitely had some ego issues to begin with... #and whether betty left him or died in the apocalypse he held that against her and became resentful instead #after he became Winter King he grew out of it and stopped caring because he's having a fantastic time now #but PB has always been a subconscious reminder of Betty. Why else would he target her specifically.

[stuckinapril]

friend wanted to see my tumblr, and when i told him i can’t show it to him bc it’s basically my personal diary he went “oh so I can’t see it but a bunch of strangers on tumblr can??” he literally does not get me. no one will get me like the people in my phone get me

#It’s just so different #even though it’s public it still feels secret and safe. i feel comfy sharing a lot more on here than I do in my actual day to day life lol #in my head I’m also just speaking to myself 90% of the time which helps #if a friend off tumblr saw my thoughts I’d feel so weird ab it #esp bc they might get the vagueposting about certain situations and tell mutual friends #no thank u. this is for me. I’m not about to start censoring my thoughts bc someone I know knows my tumblr #u guys literally saw me have LIVE BREAKDOWNS #meanwhile I’ll have the worst fucking day in history and tell no one about it. I’m already cripplingly private but way more so in real life #this is basically a low stress journaling outlet for me. it’s so important for me to maintain the separation #like this is actually my diary & has been so handy for letting out emotions / articulating thoughts / staying on track !! #& I’ve met so many kind people on here who actually get me. which is so hard to find irl bc I’m surrounded by pre-med gunners/overachievers #who are by standard not very good w emotion & can be competitive/judgmental. or at least it’s hard for me to be vulnerable in front of them #and I’m part of that crowd so I reserve my emotions only to a handful of very close friends #it’s nice to hop on here and express negative emotions!! or positive emotions!! just whatever I want and it’s low stress and people get me #I don’t have to worry about judgment or competitiveness etc etc #like everyone on here is so kind & nice & understanding. & just a breath of fresh air from the types I run w. it’s just nice to have this #so idk that’s why I think I’ll always be strict about keeping the worlds separate. it just works #p

[verflares]

(draconifies your zelink) oh whoops lol

+ an extra pic of em hanging out together :]

#(the weakest pitiful coughs youve ever heard) yay #modelled off those ancient scythian deer tattoos..... i like how theyre posed and thought itd be fun. also feat slight ld redesign #makes em look like how they'd might appear on a mural together. ish. LOL i get too impatient to try stylising that much #light dragon #loz #totk #dragon link #totk spoilers #link #zelda #princess zelda #totk au #loz au #tloz #artists on tumblr #sighs. is this enough tags. i hope so #this is very much for Me though bcus i have too many thoughts abt botw/totk dragons. its silly #i was glad to draw my boy again though. i have more ideas for him that ill get around to in like. uhhh. Who Knows. #my art #zelink #you know what. ill add it here too in like the loosest most tragic sense possible #what if we were trapped in mindless eternity forever....... together <3 #dragon link au

[8pxl]

PSA 🗣️ another scammer using genAI without disclosing it

pixlgirl has been posting generated AI (targeting fandoms) without disclosing it, passing it off as their genuine art and has apparently scammed at least one person into ‘commissioning’ them. this is a public PSA so yall can block them, and not interact. please do not harass them!

it’s incredibly shitty to be disingenuous while posting AI but even shittier to scam people with it 🤢 stay diligent yall

#i hate making ‘call out’ posts but kinda feel obligated since so many people have trouble spotting it #pixel art #pixelart #anti ai #i’ve been seeing them in the tags for a few weeks but saw they’re now scamming people so i thought id make a post #the animations they’ve posted are just filters on the AI lol #please don’t harass them #this is for those who don’t want to interact with AI #genAI #fuck genai #fuck ai #fuck ai art #zelda #pixel aesthetic #text post #these types of losers always just block me lol #art drama #drama #artist on tumblr

[preeningpisces]

Nanami NSFW Headcanons

Lemme know if you want me to elaborate/write something about any of these

18+ content below the cut, mdni, implied chubby fem!reader

Enjoy! 💙

☆ Starting controversial agaaaain, but like I said with Toji, I just don’t see him being a hard dom either. This man will never call you a whore, would be offended if you requested he call you a bitch or cumdump—I think he’d be okay with slut, but he wouldn’t say that unless you ask

☆ Very firm about his boundaries, he won’t do anything he doesn’t feel comfortable doing & you won’t be able to change his mind. Very respectful of yours & will never push them

☆ Lowkey loves to be praised & doted on. His ears turn very pink when you tell him how good he’s making you feel, or how big his cock is, or if you tell him his voice is sexy

☆ The fact you find his voice sexy confuses him—he thinks it’s too monotone, and he isn’t exactly the smoothest guy out there with his words. He’s not very talkative in general, and that extends to sex as well. Once you express how much it turns you on, however, he will dirty talk more, and more often as he builds confidence doing it (dirty talk is hard you guys, be patient with him!!!)

☆ Nanami is stiff, and awkward when your sexual relationship begins. He doesn’t have a ton of experience, and his stoic nature can make moments of passion challenging for him. If you’re more experienced, you’ll probably take the lead, and it’s something he’s very thankful for.

☆ If you’re less or equally experienced, he’ll take the lead. He’ll be honest about his own lack of experience, and the two of you will explore uncharted territory together—so sweet

☆ Even during the early stages when he’s awkward his intensity, observant nature, generosity, and thoroughness have an allure of their own

☆ He definitely warms up with time though, so don’t fret. Sex has never been at the forefront of his mind, so he discovers his kinks/preferences through your relationship

☆ As I said before, Nanami is a very generous lover; making you feel good makes him feel good. He’s the type that can come from eating you out, which is especially hot if he’s dressed in those formal clothes of his

☆ He loves toys, uses a vibrator on you almost everytime you have sex. Nanami is a very practical person; the vibrator makes you feel so good, and allows him to put more focus on other ways of pleasing you—why wouldn’t he use it? The notion that some men hate them bc they threaten their egos bewilders him

☆ Your vibrators are basically never dead because Nanami is on TOP of those things; he’s gotta make sure it’s ready for whenever the mood strikes you guys. The days you’re home and he’s at work you’ll occasionally get a ‘is the vibrator on the charger?’ text, reminding you like a parent would their kid about the chicken they’re supposed to thaw LMFAO

☆ Not a tease at all. If you say please he’s gonna do it!! If you tell him you want to be teased in the bedroom he’ll try his best but it doesn’t take much before he relents :/

☆ Breeding kink yes, but I just KNOW he’s a vasectomy man (unless yall decide to pop some kiddos out). He’s just too responsible to be risky, & doesn't want his partner to feel obliged to take on the responsibility of birth control all alone. Perfect man, truly

☆ Nanami loves some good ol’ fashioned missionary—who doesn’t? But he also really enjoys positions where he can just hold you close, and focus on the intimacy of the moment and the physical sensations rather than the visuals. Prone bone, and cuddlefucking are prime examples; when he rests his head in your neck, his free hand squeezing all your softness, he’s in heaven

☆ Nylons, pantyhose, stockings: wear them if you want to get destroyed. If you got thigh-highs that pinch your leg? Hoooooo boy. He’s not typically a biter, but the squishy parts hanging over the stocking will be gnawed on. Just accept they’ll be bruised, you’ll be ok

☆Nanami is very appreciative of lingerie, and does not tear it off, he’ll have you keep them on the whole time

☆ Huuuuge sucker for scents. Perfume, soap, laundry detergent—he appreciates good smells, and once he starts associating certain smells with you they get him going

#Nanami smut #nanami x reader #nanami x you #nanami x chubby reader #chubby reader #idk why I have so many thoughts for him he isn’t even my favorite LOL #dreams of nanami ☁︎ #headcanons ☽ #nanami headcanons #dreams ☽ #wet dreams ☽

[crystalliumdaisy]

redesigning star dresses part 1!

notes and individual pieces below <3

keep this in mind i love the og stardresses! i just wanted to challenge myself and i’m an inspiring fashion designer!!! my goal was to create dresses that reflect the spirits and u could easily match them up.

these were my initial sketches, i wanted every dress/outfit to have a different colour and silhouette to make them more recognisable.

aries ~

- pink was the obvious choice for a colour. I didn’t want to use any major black like in the og design because aries design is so light and bright!

- i really think the og stardress hair is lacking. A fun fluffy 80s hair adds to the whole sheep aesthetic and creates a different silhouette to other designs.

- the 80s hair also inspired a more 80s look with fluffy legwarmers and big hoop earrings.

- i also wanted to bring in those pink pompoms on the side of aries dress so i made them star shaped and put them in lucy’s hair

taurus ~

- why put her in a bikini if she’s a cowboy??? this haunts me everyday.

- I couldn’t put her in mainly black and white cos that’s virgo i comprised and landed on a brown.

- for inspiration it was pretty obvious to go with a cowboys and the wild west! i always disliked the one leg pants her og design has so i modified it to a cut out.

- her og design was a mix of the aquarius and scorpio one and it always didn’t stand out to me, so i think by exaggerating the cowboy aesthetic it stands out much more.

gemini ~

- her og design is actually one my favs. so i really only made minor changes

- the colours stood out against other dresses and were easily identified as gemini. the dual colour symmetrical dress is a great way to reflect the double spirit.

- Gemini is a pretty symbol spirit so to reflect them i used circular shapes and organic lines. i changed the head piece mainly because i struggled drawing it but i realised it made the design too top heavy anyways.

- i extended the dress width and length mainly for silhouette reasons (she wears so many skin tight dresses) as well as to give a nod to the dresses the alternate geminis wear.

cancer ~

- my issue with cancer star dress isn’t the dress itself. I actually love the dress in the manga. it’s the colour. WHY IS GREEN?!?

- if it weren’t for the symbol i wouldn’t be able to match this dress with cancers design, so it had to change.

- other than that there’s no major differences, the ribbon tie is meant to resemble scissors, i love the claw shape hair ties in the og design so i brought them back and i brought the stripes in cancers top to her bow.

leo ~

- i was inspired by beauty and the beast, in the movie the beast kinda looks like lion.

- i swapped the yellow and black in the og design since it has a pretty similar colour story to virgos dress. The og kinda gets lost next to leo since the black doesn’t have variation and leo is in a deep black too.

- i wanted to make her hair bigger like a lions mane and curled around her face.

#fairy tail lucy #lucy fairy tail #fairy tail fanart #fairytail redesign #redesign #fairytail #fairy tail #lucy star dress #lucy heartfilia #i did this for funsies and i actually love the results #fashion and fairytail two of my fav things #part 2 will come soon i have so many thoughts about the sag design #don’t take this seriously i love the og designs lols #daisy art

[artsyhamster]

Calypso knows how to throw a party

#ofmd #ofmd s2 #John feeney #izzy hands #just the thought of tagging the rest of the crew makes me tired sorry- #anyway take this mess of values and colors i dont want to work on it anymore #maybe i will try somethign related to this ep again in a while #should restrict my color palette then #i threw so many gradients and overlay layers over this you have no idea lol

[cozylittleartblog]

a little Postlet. . because i Miss them

#deltarune #queen #rouxls kaard #lancer #art #doodles #comic #rouxls is a leetol different. for fun :) idk i drew him like that and i didn't hate it #Twelve Percent More On Model Than Usual #i have lil bits of dialogue scrawled down everywhere and i found that second one i thought it was funny #i have so many drawings and doodles and entire posts that ive started. that i just don't finish for so me reason #no energy. why do i have the energy to start them and go 'omg this is gonna be IT ill TOTALLY FINISH THIS' #and then i don't lol. why don't i just finish something instead of starting something else #its da adhd babey!!!! #anyway thats why this post is small #normally i sit and over-analyze things before i post them. are all the layers on. did i forget anything. does anything is badly drawn. etc #i'm not doing that. i am scheduling this for atime when i am asleep and it will be posted by the time i wake up #and whatever is in the art is what is posted. it is what it is.

[vanyafresita]

after seeing this post by the artist afkeii on instagram, i got inspired to write a poem... and then i drew something to make it into a zine...

the way i feel about romantic love is... complicated... but i've known i'm on the aromantic spectrum for over a year now ! yippiee !

if you'd like to have a physical copy, feel free to [download the print version here] , and check [how to put it together / make a 8-page zine here]

#zine #personal zine #art #aromantic #aromantic spectrum #my art #id in alt text #that was very... interesting to write and draw about #dont ask me how i feel about romantic love its too tiring to explain #(<- thats a lie- do ask me about it as much as you want i have so many thoughts on it. probs more questions than answers tbf tho) #also yeah the black ring on my middle finger and right hand is bcs im asexual too #but ive known im ace since i was 13 so i dont have nothing poetic to say about it cuz its been just a normal thing for me for so long lol #aight its getting late and i need to go sleep byeeee

[haunted-xander]

I think one of the (several) reason for why Shadowbringers is so good is because the narrative is more about the individual characters than it is the Greater Conflict.

Like, the Greater Conflict is definitely there, obviously, it's what keeps the story going, but the focus is always on the people, much more so than the other expacs. HW and STB also have some level of character focus ofc, but it's very selective and even then the focus is based on them in the specific context of the current conflict.

But in SHB, the story bends around the characters' narratives, rather than the other way around. The story forms to put them in situations that challenges their flaws and limitations, by forcing them to confront it and actually deal with it. Even just at the very beginning, you see the twins being dealt a terrible hand that very neatly clashes against their faults.

Alisaie is confronted with a situation that she can and could never do anything about. She has no means to help the patients (at the time at least). The only way for her to help them is by eradicating the source of the affliction itself: the Light. But the Light isn't just some Big Bad she can kill and be done with. Even when all the lightwardens are down the Light is still there, it's just more manageable. Alisaie learns to not only see the bigger picture, but to care for it for her own reasons. For all that she has participated in Big Operations, it has always been because that's what others were doing, what others cared for to be done. She feels for the people of Doma and Ala Mhigo, but she didn't set out to liberate their homelands because she has any personal investment in it. But other people do, and she cares about what other people- be they strangers or friends- care about.

Caring about other peoples feelings and opinions isn't a flaw by itself of course, but doing things without any sense of personal purpose, is. This is what SHB helps her fix and confront, because it is personal now, she does it because she cares.

Alphinaud is forced into a situation where diplomacy and negotiations does and would never work. He can't talk himself into Eulemore, and he sure as hell can't convince Vauthry or the free citizens to let go of their life of ignorant luxury. The problem here also isn't as straightforward as a corrupt ruler, because even after Vauthry is revealed for the bastard he is, it takes considerable effort and convincing to get them to get off their asses and get to work. It's one thing to change the minds of people who wanted the same outcome just in a different way (like Ishgard- they rejected unity with the dragons, but they still wanted an end to the war), but it's another thing entirely to convince people that another way of life is even worth it.

And this is what SHB teaches Alphinaud, that words and deeds can achieve much, but that there is much more to diplomacy than appealing to their wants and/or sensibilities to convince them of an alternative outcome. His development may not be as immediately noticable as some of the others (largely bc he had a lot of it already from HW), but it is still very much there.

Urianger's development had already been build up and sort-of started already, but we don't really get to see it until it near explodes in his face after we kill Vauthry. Even after he swore off secrecy, he's forced to confront his morals when the Exarch bids his assistance. Urianger has always been looking at the greater picture, to the point he'd almost lose himself in it if it wasn't for the overwhelming guilt he feels. He works with the Exarch, because he knows he's the only one capable of it, and he hates the very fact that he is. When the climax of the plan is about to be executed, he is pained to the point that even he can't mask it anymore. He has betrayed their trust once more and once more it will result in the death of a friend.

But it doesn't, and that's what's needed for him to confront himself. As terrible and unexpected as the circumstances around it was, it did show him that there are other ways. There is no one way to solve a problem, the first choice doesn't need to be the only one. And he would find those other ones of he had just talked to the others.

The pay-off doesn't quite come until EW, where we see him actively make the choice to go against his first instinct of acquiesing to the Loporrits' plans, and instead chooses to consult us, but that scene wouldn't have made sense or even happened had it not been for his development in SHB.

Now, Y'shtola is a bit of an odd one because while she does get her due focus, she doesn't quite get the same amount of development as the others. Rather, it shows how she thrives when not held back by others interests and (often somewhat needless) bounderies. Her intelligence and charisma have the chance to shine, her independence and confidence now rewarded rather than punished. In ARR, she is constantly annoyed by the Maelstroms way of dealing with things, and how no one bothers to actually listen to her. Her advice and reprimands are almost entirely ignored until the problem blows up in their faces and they have no choice but to concede that she was right.

Being independent and confident aren't flaws by themselves, but her sometimes aggressive approaches to telling others off does her few favors. In SHB, she has the Night's Blessed who actually heed her word and respect her, they listen to her and actually take what she says- be it advise or reprimand- to heart.

She does also, however, have to deal with Thancred who, much like the Maelstrom, ignores her reprimands and doesn't listen to her. The difference here is that her bluntness actually serves a purpose. In ARR, her bluntness lacks tact and meaning, simply a result of frustration. The Maelstrom won't listen to someone who doesn't come up with fleshed-out arguments and solutions, but Y'shtola doesn't bother giving them any until she knows they'll listen. But with Thancred, she does give him the solution. It's just that the solution is him. His words, to be precise, and his acceptance. And he needs to be reminded of that, and she does. It doesn't automatically solve anything, but that's simply how it is with complicated situations like that.

Speaking of Thancred, his narrative is probably the most important of all for SHB. He's always been shown as a capable, but ultimately self-destructive man who genuinely does not know how to deal with himself in a healthy manner. Theoretically speaking he knows, he recognizes that he is self-destructive, but he still has no idea how to actually fix it. It's been shown as early as ARR when it results in him getting possessed, but it's not really made a point of until it almost ruins his relationship with Ryne. Up until now he could just ignore his problems, but with Ryne he can't because now The Problem(s) aren't just his anymore. Anything that would hurt him now would also hurt her, meaning that if he wants to continue doing the one thing he actually cares about (protecting his loved ones) then he needs to get his shit together.

But Thancred doesn't know how to. And for all that his friends try and try to help him, he doesn't know how to. He's paralyzed. Thancred is so deep into his self-destructive habits that it takes the threat of both his and the person(s) he loves the most in the worlds deaths to get him into action. He doesn't know if it's Minfilia or Ryne who will return, and I'm not sure he expected to survive Ran'jit. He only has this chance, and if he wants to die without (as many) regrets he has to do something now.

And he does. He does and what it is he does is tell Ryne that whatever happens, it has to be her own choice. That he will accept any outcome, that he will still care about her no matter what, that as long as she lives or dies as she wants to, that he still loves her. He still loves her. And it works, because that's what he's needed to do all this time, to be able to just tell her that she matters. That he cares.

He tells her to live her own life, and he learns to live his own too.

#had to put a cut bc this got WAY long lol #replaying shb as you do. goes insane. as always. it has me in a chokehold #the story primarily focuses on thancred & ryne but EVERYONE gets character development. yes even y'shtola. its just not as apparent w her #OOUUGH *explodes* #i have many more thoughts still but if i start rambling in the tags ill never stop so i will spare you. this time #alisaie leveilleur #alphinaud leveilleur #urianger augurelt #y'shtola rhul #thancred waters #ryne waters #shadowbringers #final fantasy #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #ffxiv #xander rambles #xander being insane about ryne #SHES INCLUDED SO IT COUNTS

[pkaykim]

Infiltrating moonrise towers

#bg3 #astarion #tav #baldurs gate 3 #i thought it was so funny she just says this... also that this would be the 1st option for things tav wants that arent compromising #to the mission... lol.. embarrassing #im kind of obsessed w my tav.. i have so many thoughts #like guys i rolled so high on that ‘distract hrr w lustful thoughts of astarion’ roll #comics