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#it may sound odd but they just feel similar yknow
mommyashtoreth · 21 days
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not aboit cro&azi but: opinion on the shallowness and frankly odd pacing of nina and maggies relationship? like one day theyre having stilted conversation, the next maggie is crying over how in love she is.
Hmm. Strokes my wizard's beard. Good question. Good Omens fans have caught on to how much I love the sound of my own voice but not on to the other facet of my deeply annoying yet hilarious and charming personality, which is that I love being contrarian. So, in that fashion, I must disagree with this assessment. As we discovered last night it's been a while since I've watched goomer (I may rewatch it soon, I may not, who knows) but I still think it's abundantly clear that Maggie has a huge crush on Nina from afar, and uh. this is gonna sound crazy but when you have huge unrequited crushes on people it can make you nervous and awkward when you talk to them. Idk I come from an Az-and-Crowley school of relationships myself, where you hang out with someone for eight kajillion years as Totally Platonic Girl Best Friends until one day you just fucking snap you NEED to fuck them so badly, but lots of people experience relationships the way Maggie does, it's a suuuuper common romance trope, and that doesn't make it bad writing! I think we're just so used to seeing this kind of trope be applied to straight relationships and the "platonic gal pals for eight kajillion years until one day you just fucking snap" thing be applied to gay relationships that people aren't ready for this "awkward stuttering and blushing because he looked at me! He let me borrow his pencil!" sort of trope being applied to a wlw relationship. I don't really think their relationship is oddly paced at all, it feels "awkward" because it IS awkward. Nina is someone who, like, barely knows Maggie exists, was in a presumably-monogamous relationship up until very recently, and got a bunch of water dumped on her and then had a trade meeting turned into a Regency ball because these two freaks who are her and Maggie's narrative foils can't just talk to each other normal. And she reacts normally to that I think! I don't think their relationship is badly written (it's probably paced better than, like, Newt and Anathema's, for instance, but I understand the difference in tone between s1 and s2 making those feel like two different cases), it's just yknow, under weird circumstances. Idk I just think it's funny how many goomenheads are completely convinced that Crowley is somehow in total unrequited gay love with Aziraphale (who literally wants him back so badly it makes me sick), and yet I'm here talking about how Maggie is kind of in semi-unrequited gay love with Nina and that's Fine. It's a good character thing. They parallel Az and Crowley in a lot of ways (a romantic obsessed with something near-obsolete who Doesn't Drink and a fast-living cynic who deals with bad shit by instantly initiating Wine Drunk With No Man To Feel Up Wednesday; they're even cast to kind of Look similar which I think is funny), but the structure and context of their relationship is not the same and thus cannot be compared. It's not a Writing Flaw or a Plot Hole or anything to me, it's just the simple difference between "crush before friends" and "friends before crush"
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hello !
i. have a sort of close, sort of not friend who i know struggles with an ed & suicidal depression, and i was wondering if theres any advice for sort of. how i can support them ?
i tHink theyre in therapy, but they dont go into much detail about anything & have a very cynical outlook on their future & 'odds of surviving',, , ,
naturally im kind of. very worried. i care about them a lot, but i dont feel like its my place to try and confront them directly about anything; im not part of their INNER circle of friends, we catch up maybe every few months at best, im pretty sure the only reason theyve told me anything is because they know i have similar struggles.
im sort of lost on whats appropriate for me to do, i want to support them in any way i can, but without being too forward or aggressive because im aware were already sort of distanced enough that theyd probably just ghost me if i suddenly started giving weird camp counsellor vibes.
idk. i dont wanna lose a friend yknow. any advice would be helpful.
Hey there,
First of all it sounds like you are a very nice and caring person for being so worried about your friend. It doesn’t matter if the friend in question is close or distant, they are still a friend, a person who deserves to be loved and cared about!
I know how difficult it can be to be worried about someone but not knowing the full story, so for example, if they are in therapy or not and what other kinds of help and support they may be receiving.
I think in this instance, it’s of upmost importance that you acknowledge your worries about your friend but you also make sure that you look after yourself and more so if you are going through similar struggles as them. So don’t forget about your self-care and just being kind and gentle to yourself.
Perhaps the best way to express your concern to your friend is just letting them know that you are there for them if they are needing you or someone to talk to. Let them know that they don’t have to talk to you about anything relating to their mental health because sometimes just talking about general things can be just as helpful!
Unfortunately, it can be quite difficult knowing the best ways to go about giving someone support. Just do what you feel is best (I think you have the upper hand in regards to struggling with similar things) and remember that sometimes not talking is OK as well, sometimes it’s just really nice to know someone is there for you and cares greatly!
I really hope that this has helped a bit and please do let us know if we can help to support you in any other way!
I’m thinking of you and hope that you are going well!
Take care,
Lauren
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captainshyguy · 3 years
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yknow i’ve been thinking about quirrel as a character and how unique his vibes feel and its like, genuinely the only character that feels in the same ballpark is like...legolas?? 
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toosicktoocare · 4 years
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prompt:  if you are interested..! i’ve always been wondering what happened to jon once he was finally able to get treatment for his hand. burns get infected the most easily, is all i’m sayin, yknow? (love your work! have a great day)
I can finally write this because I finally got to that point in the podcast, lol
Set directly after episode 92, AKA the episode where the archives squad is finally reunited, Elias confesses, and general insane shit hits the fan that, as Tim so nicely puts, is the usual around here.
Little soft JonMartin just because 
Jon’s rummaging through the archives, briefly scanning statements he wants to take with him back to Georgie’s, the only distraction from his otherwise reeling mind. It’s almost funny, he thinks, how his mind has taken to an endless, internal monologue despite the very obvious pain drumming almost rhythmically against his temples. He’s lost in a whirlwind of how’s and what if’s, and the statements, he thinks... well, the statements may be the only drug that can temporarily take him away from himself.
“Jon?”
Jon jumps, not having heard the door open over the sound of his deep, frantic inner voice. He whips around, one file clutched a little too tightly to his chest, and sees Martin hovering in the doorway, almost as if he’s afraid to enter.
“Sorry,” Martin sputters softly. “I did knock.”
“It’s... fine,” Jon sighs out, the initial anger of being startled dissipating along a low breath. He studies Martin, eyes flicking all around for any sign of injury or distress, but Martin just looks hesitantly worried for him, and Jon finds that he has kind of missed that look.
“Are you alright?”
Though soft in tone, Jon can physically feel the weight behind each word in the short yet not so simple question. He debates on what he should tell Martin, or rather, if he should tell Martin anything, but his present, physical well-being comes back by a burning twinge across his burned hand from where he’s gripping the file too tightly. He hisses sharply between his teeth and lets the file fall from his hand.
“Jon! What’s wrong?” Martin’s already starting toward Jon, both hands reaching outward, and Jon quickly finds that his feet do not actually want to move, so, carefully, he extends his burned hand out away from where he’s had it cradled to his chest.
Martin’s fingers are incredibly gentle around Jon’s thin wrist, such a drastic contrast from the fear and worry so evident across his face.
“Oh, Jon... This... This doesn’t look good at all. Have you gone to get this looked over?” Martin’s careful as he twists Jon’s hand around, eyes sinking the more he takes in the angry red welts of what appears to be a rather aggressive burn.
“I haven’t had time,” Jon admits, detailing, to himself, the events of the last week that have taken up the time he should have been spending on looking after himself. “It’s been... Well, it’s been a week.” He laughs at this, small, bitter, yet alarmingly overwhelmed, and if not for Martin’s steady presence, he thinks he may just crumple to the floor. Still, his knees begin to shake, and Martin’s quick to catch on and guide him down into a chair.
“I’m going to get a first aid kit.”
“Martin,” Jon calls out, stopping Martin at the door.
Martin freezes and looks over his shoulder, his face an undistinguishable mess of emotions, and Jon swallows back the practiced words of “I’m fine,” saying instead, “thank you.”
The panic that flicks across Martin’s eyes doesn’t go unnoticed, and Jon quietly berates himself for always worrying his staff as Martin quickly disappears down the hall. He sinks back against his chair with a groan and cradles his hand to chest once more. For just a moment, he allows his head to tilt back against the chair until he’s starting at the dusty ceiling. He feels weak. He thought, considering Elias’s confession, that he would feel better now that he’s physically inside the archives, but he still feels relatively weak and slightly panicked. There’s a tightness pressing against his lungs, and he can only pin that on the apparent need to record statements.
“You’re still here, Jon.”
Jon musters up as much energy as he can to cast a sharp, dangerous gaze to Elias, who’s leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed casually.
“What do you want, Elias?”
“I didn’t see you leave. I was curious to know why you’re still here.”
“I’m-”
“He’s here for me.”
Jon’s jaw snaps shut, and he leans forward, eager, curious, for he’s never heard Martin speak with a tone of finality such as that. He watches, both brows raised, as Martin squeezes past Elias to get into the archives, and he’s unable to pry his eyes away as Martin drops to a crouch in front of him and opens the first aid kit.
“You’re hurt-”
“Will that be all, Elias?”
Martin looks over his shoulder toward Elias, and Jon can make out the tension tightening Martin’s muscles through the sudden defensive, stiffness of Martin’s back and shoulders. 
Jon holds his breath, almost afraid to see the scene play out, but Elias lets his arms fall to his side in a visble show of defeat.
“Of course. I’m sure you’ll see that Jon is tended to.” He disappears down the hall, and Jon swallows thickly, a lump forming in his throat. 
Martin’s uncharacteristically quiet as he pulls supplies out of the first aid kit, and he wordlessly holds his hand out, prompting Jon to drop his burned hand atop Martin’s outstretched palm.
“I’ll do what I can, but you should still probably go to a clinic.” Martin says, pulling out an antiseptic cream. “This is going to sting, but we need to try and prevent infection.”
Jon can only nod with eyes shut tight and grit his teeth as Martin begins smoothing the cream over his hand. It burns terribly, but, it’s an almost nice distraction from everything else that invading his thoughts. And, he thinks, at least the clear presence of pain means he’s still somewhat human. The bandaging that follows doesn’t hurt as bad, and Jon manages to pry his eyes open to watch Martin’s delicate yet thorough work.
When Martin’s sure he’s finished, after having studied every inch of Jon’s wrapped hand, Jon doesn’t pull his hand away, and Martin doesn’t let go.
“Are you alright?”
It’s the second time Martin’s uttered that single question, and Jon shakes his head, his hair slipping from where he’s had it tucked behind his ears to now frame darkly around his face. “Are you?” He asks, voice cracking slightly.
“Christ no,” Martin laughs, nervous, and his fingers thighten just a fraction around Jon’s hand. “We’ve been doing our best to get on without you here, but...” Martin drops his free hand atop Jon’s knee. “It’s just not the same without you here. Tim’s been absent more than he’s been here, Melanie... well, she’s great actually, but now she’s bound to this place like the rest of us. What’s with that anyway? Our hearts out now connected to this place?” He realizes, a breath too late, that he’s rambling and that Jon’s grimacing before him, and he stops himself with a low sigh. “Sorry, everything’s just really screwed up right now.”
“I know,” Jon manages, voice barely above a whisper. He shivers slightly, feeling suddenly cold, and Martin frowns at him for the umpteenth time in the fifteen minutes they’ve been together.
“Cold?”
Jon nods, feeling an odd chill washing over him, and Martin leans forward to brush the back of his hand to Jon’s cheek.
“You’re quite warm actually. I think you’re running a fever.”
“That would explain the splitting headache,” Jon mutters, wincing when Martin cups his palm over Jon’s injured hand once more, a little less gentle than he’s been thus far.
“Your hand is really hot. This may already be infected. Jon, you should-”
“Martin, it’s fine,” Jon says, though even he can’t quite believe himself. “I just haven’t been sleeping well. Every time I try, this overwhelming feeling of dread washes over me and constricts my lungs. I think...” He pauses, eyes dragging toward the pile of statements he’s handpicked so far. “I think having those nearby will help.”
“Jon, that’s not okay. You’ll work yourself to death.”
“I have to work, Martin,” Jon says, voice low, leaving little room for argument, and Martin nods and slowly gets to his feet.
“Fine, but promise you’ll sleep first. And that you’ll get yourself to a clinic for your hand. I’m not above following you to wherever you are staying and taking you to a clinic myself, you know.”
“I know,” Jon mumbles, a hint of a smile trying to creep at his lips. He grabs the files, careful of his hand, and starts toward the door, stopping when Martin calls out to him.
“Jon?”
He looks back, one brow raised in silent question.
“Could you... Well, do you think you could...”
“Go on, Martin,” Jon presses, voice sounding more demanding than he means for it to.
“Can you text me?” Martin flushes at the look Jon shoots him. “Not like that! Or... Well... It’s just... You disappeared, Jon, and I was really worried. Could you just text me every now and then so I’ll know you’re okay?”
Jon can feel a similar flush burning up his neck to his cheeks, and he looks away quickly and clears his throat. “Sure,” he stutters out. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Thank you.”
Jon forces himself out of the room, fleeing the weight of those two words that are threatening to squeeze his rapid heart into thousands of fragments. He keeps his eyes cast to the ground, moving on muscle memory alone, and he doesn’t look up, doesn’t even breathe, until he’s standing outside in the chilly air. He turns around and cranes his neck to view the building in its towering entirety, and as if it means anything or holds even the slightest inch of power, he mumbles quietly into the cold air.
“Don’t hurt him. Don’t hurt any of them.”
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felassan · 4 years
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Sorry if you've answered this question before, but I was wondering what choices that can be made from the past three games do you think will have the biggest impact on DA4? Personally I think that whether or not Morrigan has old god Kieran will be important considering his scene with Flemythal and the subsequent Solas and Flemythal scene at the end of Inquisition.
Hi Nonnie, I don’t remember answering one like it recently so not to worry. :) Ooh this is a great question, thanks. Let’s see. Cut for length. warning, Tevinter Nights spoilers below cut.
for me this is a tough question! thinking back on the choices we’ve made over the years, browsing the Keep for a refresher, I feel it’s quite a tough call. for one thing, DA4 for me presents a slightly different sort of premise choice impact-wise as a subsequent game compared to that posed by the existing ones. in previous installments we stuck largely around the same areas of the map game-to-game. We went from Ferelden to Ferelden. then we played a Fereldan fleeing Ferelden and what befelled it, to a relatively nearby city-state. we had a Fereldan’s perspective for that whole game, and the city-state filled up with a lot of Fereldan refugees. consequently ~Ferelden~, both in terms of culture and related choices, like Fereldan storybeats, were quite present in DA2. Kirkwall was nearby and Fereldan-filled enough that some of the ripples of things the Warden chose were mentioned, encountered, felt during the game. then ofc we went back to Ferelden. Ferelden combined with Orlais, to be sure, but Ferelden all the same. we’ve been a Fereldan in the Marches and a Marcher in Ferelden. 
moving to the far north, to the distant Imperium and perhaps even beyond.. Tevinter is very culturally distinct from the south. it’s geographically distant, has its own Chantry etc, does things in its own way, is fairly dominant as a Thedosian world power, and is sort of isolated from the south in that it seems fairly closed off to like, the average southerner? these things combined with the way Tevinter is a general sense don’t really make it feel to me like a place where waves would be felt from many of the choices we made in the south. I’m invested in and appreciate BioWare’s knock-on effects, meaningful choices and choice-import system for this franchise, so this isn’t me saying I don’t want it. it’s also still going to be a DA game, so this isn’t me saying there won’t be any ‘ripples’ at all or that our choice won’t matter. I just think the radical shift in setting, compared to the prior shifts, for this installment presents BW with a less complicated and relatively cleaner slate to work with than previously. not completely blank, but more so than usual. I think this is understandable and quite strategic - 4 games worth of choices means more and more variables to track, more resources to ‘express’ those choices in game, is just very complicated in general. at a point it grows arms and legs and becomes either exponential/unmanageable or ridiculous, whether thru the amount of handwaving, retconning, footnoting big things, etc. thinking about it, in Tevinter, how much could it really matter who rules in Orzammar, say, or Ferelden? How much could it matter whether Hawke sided with the mages or the templars? yknow? given the location and stuff I tend to think a higher proportion of choice impacts than ‘usual’ will be expressed as things like differences in Codex entries and other ‘flavor’ stuff such as ambient dialogue or offhand dialogue references. letters, a war table-esque mechanic, etc.
Example: Who became Divine had quite differing outcomes and developments across the south. Sometimes I think showing these in a new game set in the south would pose a problem with the sheer.. differing-ness, divergence. I’d worry about them retconning some of those epilogue slides a la DAO, or minimizing things. Thankfully tho ofc as it turns out, we’re not really going to be in the south to see it first hand, so it’s not a big problem in the end.
there are also some places where I think we may subscribe to a different idea or two (thats cool, these games engender such diverse opinions and neat discussions). for me: In the scene where OGB Kieran is with Flemythal, Urthemiel’s soul passes from him to her. if Morrigan reappears in DA4 therefore, whether or not he is in tow, her son is no longer the OGB. In the Solas and Flemythal post-credits scene, I don’t think that Solas absorbed Flemeth herself, Mythal herself, her godhood or her possible-Urthemiel soul - just her power, her strength. I therefore don’t think Solas is in a situation where in some worlds he’s absorbed Urthemiel and some worlds has not. I also believe that if Flemythal is still out there, if she has grand designs and a plan/intent, her ‘movement’ on that front would progress regardless and not really be influenced by whether or not she carries the soul of Urthemiel. I could easily be wrong given the DA4 hints towards old god stuff, but this is my feeling at the moment. Also, we see Flemythal passing something away through the eluvian in the post-credits scene. That’s the same regardless of whether she has Urthemiel, so it’s not Urthemiel or not just-Urthemiel. whatever it was, it’s not Urthemiel-dependent. if she was passing her godhood to Morrigan or something (who knows?), Morrigan receives a godhood regardless. back to if Morrigan reappears in DA4, if this was the case, Morrigan’s received a godhood regardless (Mythal), and therefore has received a big power-up or development, regardless.
I tend to think the OGB choice was a Biiig smoking gun of a choice in DA:O, at a time when they weren’t sure if there would be a next game or not (remember the DAO epilogue slide retcons?), if that makes sense. There were folk at the time who believed that the main plot of future games should revolve around the existence (i.e. omg my son!! he exists!!) of the OGB. a tangent but I remember folk calling for him to be the PC or to be a companion in DAI lol, which.. yeah. the choice in the end wasn’t ignored or footnoted - Morrigan in DAI has her son or does not, and if she has him he is the OGB or he is not. things still play out in that part of DAI in a fairly similar way, and if she has the OGB, that thread is resolved in the Flemythal transfer scene. Flemythal collects and off she goes. then seems to die, lol (I don’t think she’s dead but that’s another post I’ve made 7 times already). I think this was their way of what I’m calling ‘expressing’ and fairly neatly tie-ing off on that particular significant divergence. if she lives, I don’t see Flemythal’s importance or power/role being diminished by “possible absence of Urthemiel”. I suppose in a general sense I think of the choices as things they ‘express’, and the choice thing in general as actually more like.. the clever illusion of choice. [with the caveat that I have limits or specifications like if the PC killed or caused the end of a companion, they should stay dead]
Back to the question, because this somehow became a schpeel. on reflection yeah, mm, I definitely find this a difficult and dizzying topic to consider. Perhaps there are less choices that I foresee/would guess have the biggest impact or an impact in DA4, and more choices that I would like to see have an impact on DA4. Some of these things that I want to see ‘expressed’ or come back to mean  or influence something are (beyond the obvious like redeem/stop and “Did the Inquisitor befriend Solas or not”):
prior to DAI, despite some of the way the ramble above sounds, I would have said the OGB choice. Post DAI I now feel like this was satisfyingly expressed
I can see them handwaving the Warden leaving Sten locked in the cage and saying he didn’t die when the darkspawn came and somehow got out and returned home, so they can have him as Stenishok. Ok... fine. What I do want to see reflected though, if we encounter Stenishok (invasion and all that), is whether the HoF recruited Sten to help during the Blight and what his opinion of them in the end was, so did he think they were honorable, did he respect them. So i.e., or the standin metric for that would have to be I suppose, whether or not we returned his sword. I think the Qunari under Sten would invade regardless of his opinion of the HoF (went into that here, warning, TN spoilers at link), because that’s the Qun, and IC for Sten, but if he came to respect the HoF I want to see that reflected in the nuances of how he thinks of the people of the south and conceives of his previous experience there.
this one is definitely more like straight up wishful thinking, but with the new prominence of the Crows.. whether the HoF recruited Zevran and Zevran is alive and well. I went into that a bit here, ctrl-F Zevran (warning, TN spoilers at link).
whether the HoF killed the Architect. if he’s alive he should really be out there doing either nefarious or intriguing things, especially considering the new weird and wonderful darkspawn phenomena and the continuing mysteriousness of the Wardens, the implied civil war, odd/lack of news out of Weisshaupt etc. what does he think of the new darkspawn developments in Hormok? What did he make of the rise of his peer Cory?
whether the HoF allowed Avernus to continue his research, with/without constraints. ok, it can be one of the things that inspired the surviving HoF to search for a cure for the Calling, but I’m intrigued. the power of blood, the Taint, the Wardens, sending the research to the ever mysterious First Warden.. again all very thematic with current things.
whether Fenris is alive and well. I love him and he is always alive and well in my worldstates, I think returning him to Danarius is an awful in-universe thing to do. but if he was returned to Danarius or Hawke killed him or never recruited him, look, I don’t want to see him handwaved or “he’s there anywayed” into the DA4 plot if he appears in it, or at least not in the same way each time. (I don’t want to see “slave Fenris off to the side on a Tevinter street” in-game, I think there’s no need for that at all, but if you did give him back I simultaneously don’t want a “I escaped and now I’m the same Blue Wraith/DA4 Plot Thing anyway” if that makes sense, he just shouldn’t be in the exact same role/position at all. just for clarity on this if he was given back I don’t want or need to see it. No thankyou! that’s not what I’m sayin) I actually don’t want to see him in DA4 in a general sense really, and definitely not as a companion or in a major role (but I am Living for and love his comic content, that’s swell!). but that’s another subject centered on wanting to see more new chars and less old, stuff like that. I also think they should stop retconning or handwaving/asspulling/writing around in-game character deaths that the PC chose or caused like they did in those cases with Leliana, Anders etc. Stahp.
If Merrill is alive and well and didnt destroy her eluvian, I think we could do with using her eluvian expertise in the next game given the eluvian network, whether that’s via research notes or somesuch or an advisory/Morrigan-in-DAI type capacity.
if Feynriel is alive and well and left to study in Tevinter, I think we could do with using his abilities/knowledge of his abilities in the next game, given the sleep-threat.
if Cass got the book of Seeker secrets. alright, do they know yet if they can help the cured Tranquil with their emotions? c’mon, spread the knowledge of the cure. this is less because I want to right all social and societal wrongs in Thedas or whatever and more because this as a plotline really interests me in terms of storybeats and implications. for example I’d like to see curing a Tranquil in-game, not just in a book, and the premise of a recently-cured Tranquil companion grabs me a lot. I think it’d be interesting to explore them re-adapting and stuff with the rebounded flood of emotions and everything, trying to help them along the way etc.
who drank from the Well, although I can see this being kinda complicated to write, especially if Morrigan reappears and/or the Inquisitor returns as an NPC or as PC. my mind categorizes this as almost OGB-choice tier in terms of significance and complexity.
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