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time-is-restored · 7 months

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btw not to make everything about My Fucking Guy but i honestly think one of the things that seperates q!phil out from the other islanders is the approach he takes to dealing with the lack of agency + control all the islanders have over whatever the fuck the federation's doing.

it shows up most prominently whenever tubbo is excitedly telling him about the 'progress' he's made with cucurucho or various investigations (ie: trapping him into a corner with the 'do you have free will' questions), and phil always shoots it down w an immediate 'that doesn't mean anything. curucuho will say anything to mess with you. you can't take anything he says as true.'

and it's not that phil is... a paticularly pessimistic character? he's just EXTREMELY practical. like, he's yet to give up on anyone EVER finding ANY answers (he was the one who initially gave the federation that one week ultimatum w the cage for a cage stream), he just doesn't trust the idea that curucuho is ever going to voluntarily give them. they're uncontrollable + senseless - you might as well argue with the weather.

and like, if that's how he sees the one (1) and only point of contact the islanders HAD with the federation for months, it explains a lot abt his characters lifestyle! ofc he sits on the wall all day, talking to his kids, and keeping his head down. he believes that the federation wants nothing more than to drag the islanders into sick games + tasks just so they can fuck with their head (ie: curucuho revealing he was the one cellbit gathered all that information for). and while he can't totally PREVENT any of that from ever impacting him, he can make sure his kids are well fed, well protected, and as happy + comfortable as he can manage. this is objectively not a perfect situation, there is a guaranteed amount of suffering + fear that he can't mitigate, but he can at least account for it.

like, he REFUSES to engage. whenever curucho shows up, he treats them with total ambivalence. he's not going to get riled up by anything they do, he's not going to get super attached to the guy, he's just gonna laugh it off and irish goodbye it when things drag on. the ONLY time he's strayed from that general guiding principle has been since he's lost his eggs, and can no longer afford to let the federation's fuckery go: those are his fucking kids.

hence the completely unprecedented levels of outward rage and sadness and terror he shows throughout the birdcage streams - almost all directed directly to cucurucho. it's all a completely fair + proportional response to the horror the islanders are being subjected to, but it feels so different bc until now, q!phil has been so dedicated to not reacting, and not giving the federation any sign that they're actually getting to him.

#qsmp #q!phil #LIKE. does anyone else think this! i genuinely believe its like one of the major #traits of his character i feel like u can trace it through Everything.#the man lives with the constant knowledge that sometimes all it takes is a tempting ravine and a badly timed creeper to end a life #whether that life belongs to a stranger or someone you love more than anything else in the world #you COULD rage against that. you could scream and shout and tear your hair out and grieve for the futility of it all #but what does that change? the days march on. death waits either way #and that's not to say he's a laizesfair kind of guy. anyone who's seen him stress out abt chayanne's risk taking + freak out #whenever his kids don't have enough autofeed grist can see that he cares DEEPLY. which resolves into his very distinctive #defensive + protective playstyle. the goal is not to win the fight the goal is to *survive* the fight etc #but the only way that mindset doesn't spill out into unchecked paranoia + complete agoraphobia is with acceptance #'shit happens: the philza minecraft story'#i also think it even manifests in the nightmare sequence w his last words to chayanne? 'they didn't want us to live. we were never supposed #to survive' or whatever the exact wording was #he is FURIOUS and deeply hurt and sad abt the deaths he says so explicitly later #but at the time the first thing he reaches for is. exhausted acceptance. it wasn't their fault. it wasn't his fault. they did their best.#they could only do so much in the face of the federation's Overwhelming Hostility. y'know?#mine

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batrachised · 2 months

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an update on what I DID do this week, because it mainly involved taxes and cleaning (I made zero progress writing, and in fact moved backwards because I decided I want the novel to be in first person...alas!)

this week, I have:

taped a bedraggled attic duct

changed a musty dusty furnace filter

boiled an ant hill

caulked a leaky creaky shower

hatcheted a stubborn tree root

defeated a threatening bush via clippers

Dug up an unwanted root with a shovel

Raked leaves...so many leaves (but it's spring batrachised! you might be saying...yes, yes it is. that is how long these leaves have been there)

did my taxes (in less than 15 minutes, I'll have ya'll know)

met a woman straight out of an lm montgomery novel who informed me the previous resident died of cancer but that it was their fault bless their heart because they spent too much time sun bathing

emailed a mother superior about yarn

what will next week hold?? hopefully some actual writing...we shall see, we shall see

#the accountant brag #“yeah I can do my taxes in sub ten hoping to reach sub five next year”#<- none of that is actual accounting culture the shorter your taxes take the less wealth you have lmao #yes i'm moving and I should have known that any other goals would be ridiculous but lent is FORTY DAYS #i STILL HAVE TIME TO WRITE #the recipe I'm unworried about #but then novel...BIG YIKES

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thedragonsfate · 7 days

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FHJY thoughts under the cut bc I gotta sort my brain and can't be succinct to save my life

I think there's something interesting in acknowledge like

of COURSE Kipperlily underestimated the bad kids.

She's hated these kids from day 1. I know a lot of people want to acknowledge that it's not unreasonable for Kipperlily and the rat grinders to think the school is run unfairly (and you're right! it's a fair conclusion)

-- but we also gotta consider that this is something that took root in her VERY EARLY. Before the bad kids got really very good. Two bad kids die on the first day of school, they spend a significant amount of their second semester freshman year just. In Prison.

Of course what follows I'm sure spurs that hatred, but she all but declared Riz to be her nemesis with Jawbone freshman year.

She's probably got some good ideas of how stuff should change, but also she saw this random Goblin boy with a briefcase in rogue class and decided she Hates Him, for a reason none of us can fathom when several of the other bad kids give off worst first impressiona

She's a teenager, a kid, with anger issues. As much as their can be important nuggets at the core of her motives, she's a teenager without emotional regulation skills. That combination is BUILT to breed resentment and feelings of entitlement. and it's built to actively ignore any evidence of a different perspective.

We talk about how she doesn't understand them, takes Kristen as entirely uncaring, doesn't expect the bad kids to do so well in the Last Stand

and OF COURSE she doesn't. some of this because she of course is not privy to all of the bad kids interactions that we are as an audience. but a lot of it is probably because she's a teenager who's decided she's being slighted and as a result is never going to take the bad kids actions on good faith. she's doubled down and while I have a feeling she's extremely perceptive, she's also in an emotional place that means she probably is ACTIVELY ignoring any evidence to the fact that maybe the bad kids are just ALSO working very hard, and that the school itself may also work against them sometimes.

Add to that a god corrupted into rage (negative in this case) and conquest, and a nefarious faculty member as a potentially directly manipulative adult in her life trying to make something big and destructive happen. Kipperlily strikes me as the kind of person who knows she's smart, and knows she's clever, but is so blinded by her emotion that she is probably missing some of whats clearly in front of her as far as all the Jace business goes. She certainly is about the bad kids.

Jawbone can only do so much to help her in her sessions if he's being actively worked against. Emotional regulation is hard to learn from zero AS AN ADULT and she's probably coming from the negatives if my impression is correct, and is doing so as a teenager.

I guess what I'm trying to say is like

In a vacuum? Sure augeforts comment about trying being stupid or whatever does seem like another slap in the face for Kipperlily, one that justifies some of her feelings.

But not about the bad kids. and not to the extent she has taken them.

And to take that at its word feels weird to me because. To anybody paying attention? The bad kids are and have been trying SO SO hard in class. Them having to take the last stand in the FIRST place is specifically because the school system is treating Kristen unfairly DESPITE her best, GOOD efforts. I'm certain the rat grinders are on some level aware of Gorgugs EXTREMELY uphill battle with schoolwork this season, even if it's just Maryann catching part of a convo with Porter or Ruben hearing about it from his uncle. I HIGHLY doubt that Oisin was oblivious to the way that Adaines academics were affected by her not having the money for the correct materials - she still was able to excel mostly but the effects of that roll being at disadvantage for so long are still THERE. Jawbone pinned down and mentioned to Riz his similarities to Kipperlily within maybe 2 seconds - there is 0% chance he hasn't brought something similar up in Kipperlilys sessions. She may not like it, she may not have the emotional intelligence to see it this way, but his efforts almost certainly mirror hers in a way that makes them equally hard workers, absolutely determined to keep themselves afloat despite it being an uphill battle. Something that she feels she deserves to be rewarded for, and to an extent implies that if just a few circumstances were different she would be able to see equal value in his work.

And sure you can say she may be able to see that and be angry that their work is rewarded and hers isn't, but we see time and time again that she and her party don't always put that same level of work in? Mary Ann at blood rush, absolutely uncaring but doing well specifically because she's got some magical enhancements. The suspicious circumstances of Kipperlily finding the Rogue teacher. Even just the natural advantage of Oisin having more than the funds he needs to excel in wizard class.

But even regardless of that, she seems to refuse to see that any scenario in which others are praised for the same thing she's done, while she is ignored etc, is the sole responsibility of the school here. the bad kids are not her enemies in that fight - augefort is. The bad kids are not going around being consistently given advantages from the school, they're earning the things they get and hitting their own academic road blocks, and they aren't acting better than other people in a way that goes beyond like. Teen stuff. And yet her sights are trained so unblinking on them.

I can see Fabian and Kristen's popularity and personalities coming off like it supports that they're being treated better or feel some superiority. And it's teen stuff to quietly hate those ppl at your school! it's p normal!

But it always brings me back to her SPECIFICALLY hating Riz. Bc Riz isn't a rich kid throwing parties that everyone loves. Hes not sniping out comebacks the way Kristen does, sometimes without even thinking. In a lot of ways he's the/one of the least abrasive of the group to an outsider. Which makes me SO much more inclined to call bullshit that this is truly, honestly rooted in an acknowledgement of any of the REAL problems that come up with their school system.

It's complex, but I feel like we can't exalt their perspective as a Truth of the world like it seems some folks do when these characters themselves do not play fairly. What is fair about the way they interfered with the exam. What is fair about what she did so easily to Buddy Dawn. What is fair about the murder of the couple that owned that farm. Depending on what happened - what is fair from them about Lucy's murder. Certainly what is fair about their hand in Yolandas.

This idea that things are unfair isn't untrue. But not in the ways she thinks, and shes moved so far beyond that notion at this point. Kipperlily probably DOES believe that she's uniquely a victim of this system, or at least that everyone but the bad kids is. But she's moved so far beyond that. Whatever divine rage magic is involved has ensured that, as well as probably some Adult manipulation, and severely underdeveloped emotional regulation skills. and for me that means like. obviously she is unjustified in her actions.

Augefort is absolutely unhinged. his school has never been run in a manner that rewards buckling down in the classroom and the classroom only. It's an adventuring school in truly the most chaotic and violence rewarding sense, and that information is given freely by Arthur augefort at maybe any turn

Saw something about the theoretical being just as important as the practical. and yes! absolutely! a very good point that I'm glad was brought up - going to the classes is important and I think this season has really emphasized the ways in which that's true at least in terms of Staying in School and Honing your Skills

I do think, in the same breath, that that STILL means that the practical is ALSO just as important as the theoretical. It CAN'T be one or the other, it HAS to be both.

and the bad kids are DOING both. regardless of what it may count for, the rat grinders xp leveling by continuing to do freshman level combat in order to excel more on paper ISN'T them really doing the practical part of what theyre learning in their higher level classes. And the bad kids do not get credit for their saving of the world REGARDLESS. Not on its own merit, and to get the credit they'd have to jump a hefty academic bar that sort of invalidates the point of practical efforts in the first place, not to mention works against students like Fig and Kristen.

The school is actively rewarding Kipperlily and her party's cheat code practical use of their skills, over the bad kids putting just as much if not more effort into their LITERALLY WORLD SAVING missions. whatever favoritism shes seeing, or that there may be occasionally, Kipperlily fundamentally takes the bad kids in bad faith. It's not ABOUT what is ACTUALLY unfair to her at this point.

from her perspective every accolade or accomplishment from them HAS to come from favoritism in order to fit how her view of whats actually unfair has been warped. for her it doesn't MATTER that they've been trying because they MUST not be trying as hard as she is. it doesn't matter that they visibly saved the world three times, one of which was livestreamed and included several party members dropping, successfully because surely it's a fluke, or they were given better opportunities than others for no reason, or they're being falsely worshipped for what MUST be a less dangerous quest than it seems (despite us seeing clearly on the first day of school that nobody is putting a pedestal up for their night yorb win)

What could have been a justified spark of frustration with a system has shifted into a vengeful sense of entitlement that to me? fully abandons the good of wanting to change a school system actively working against some (/all?) students.

idk maybe this all sounds like jibberish I just

Kipperlily in her current state is INCAPABLE of not underestimating the bad kids bc that would require some acknowledgement that they have worked and bled and died to reach the level they're at.

You cannot separate the girl who sneaks in to the Last Stand to sabotage another party's chances of passing, of staying at school, of continuing school, of one of them from potentially keeping their god alive, and of being brought back from what she assumes is certain death - from the slighted teenager running for class president to make things "more fair"

you cannot separate the girl who easily slits her own party clerics throat without second thought from the girl who thinks she's been slighted by an unjust system

What she means by unfair is inherently colored by her being that same person

Augefort can say whatever nonsense he wants, and it doesn't really justify her current frustrations at this point because her version of fair is fundamentally unfair now.

Shes a child who's become corrupted, just like Buddy. but unlike him - she's become genuinely nefarious and vengeful. Unlike buddy she is actively plotting. Harming others with full knowledge of it. We don't know how much of it comes from her on her own, or the rage baking underground, or Stardiamonds direct involvement - but I think this most recent episode should make it clear that like

Whatever truth there is to the school being run in a way that is unfair to its students, and regardless of what she says or thinks

Kipperlily Copperkettle is not operating from that grounded perspective. and I don't think she has been for a long time

#fhjy #kipperlilly copperkettle #thats all I'm gonna tag #anyway hopefully you can tell that I'm not like. pro everything at augefort #we've seen so clearly teachers / faculty / rules / lack of rules work against the students #ESPECIALLY we've seen how that's effected the bad kids #but Kipperlily is not. on that page anymore.#I won't call her names that's just not how I feel abt.her as a character #I do think a lot of this may still just b EXTREMELY misguided #and ALSO #you're responsible for your actions #thrilled that she is / was??? in some form of therapy #devastated that whatever is going on here big picture has completely warped her perspective #to see her actions as the viable option for her to reach her goals #also this is SO rambling and opinionated I'm down to agree to disagree I'm just #I just needed to vent some abt it and like #explore KLCKs character a little bit #welcome to ignore but I am gonna tag it a LITTLE in case someone wants to chat abt this #long post

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theprinceandthewitch · 7 months

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I'm pretty much done with TOH lol.

A braver and more energetic soul can try giving this show a constructive critique... because I will actually, wholeheartedly lose my humanity while writing out the script.

There is like... a problem this show has that permeates the whole thing: It says its going to do one thing, but then does something completely different. Like how the first two episodes of the series make you believe Luz is going to learn how her inability to separate fantasy from reality is actually inhibiting her growth as a person... only to make her a chosen one and to give her everything she ever wanted without Luz changing the way she treats people.

#TOH critical #Reaching Out is my most hated ep along with the series finale bc of how guiltrippy Luz is in RO #Oh yeah Amity i know you have a very valid reason for hating me rn bc its my fault your abusive dad found out you skipped tryouts...#...but you cant be mad at me bc my dad died on your special day. Also I am jealous of you for having an Alive Dad #even tho i know your father is a horrible person and treats you like dogshit lol.#i can never forgive them for lobotomizing Amity's character #like Luz can lie to her face repeatedly and she'll be like... this is fine im sure it wont happen again...#still crazy to me how Amity gets the female love interest treatment you see with m/f ships... how could you do this to her #i want to see the Amity who actually had a spine and was willing to kill to achieve her goals #but no she gets reduced to ''bad but sad girl''... and i start fighting and killing

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constantvariations · 8 months

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Why Some People Don't Like Jaune Arc

I've seen some folk confused about the dislike towards Jaune, such as @the-sapphic-raven and @foxgirltail so I thought I'd compile all the reasons (that I can remember without a whole-ass rewatch) in a single post. For the most part, it's not the character himself that earns ire but the way he's used

Volume One

All the goodwill Jaune built up by being sweet towards Ruby is immediately soured by his chauvinistic attitude towards Weiss and his dismissal of Pyrrha, a strange choice given this is supposed to be a progressive society/show. And Pyrrha, the prodigy of the entire school, is somehow into being treated like dirt

There's also the matter of his sneaking into a school dedicated to protecting people from man-eating monsters despite the fact that Jaune had negative skills (while somehow being from a long line of warriors). It makes for good story, but it's also an incredibly selfish and dangerous decision that put people, most directly his teammates, at risk due to his inexperience. This would've been smoothed over had he actually been proactive, but instead he sleeps in class and Pyrrha has to take initiative in training him

The biggest problem comes in the "Jaune Arc" where his generic bullying plot not only overshadows the anti-faunus attitude, not only comes before Blake or Yang get an arc, but takes up an entire twenty-five percent of the first season. That was a whole month of Jaune instead of RWBY back in the days of release

Volume Two

Once again, Jaune has a disproportionate amount of time dedicated to him but this time he's joined by Neptune so we can have a love triangle between these two and Weiss. Given that Jaune and Neptune are voiced by Luna and Shawcross, the writers who, yknow, write Weiss's every word and action, this comes off as super creepy. Additionally, he pursues Weiss despite her multiple unambiguous rejections, and the narrative is clearly on his side. And then, after learning that Neptune turned down Weiss - something well within his right to do - Jaune gets pissy and confronts him with language objectifying Weiss as some sort of possession and forces Neptune to reveal something he's obviously very ashamed about

There's also the man-in-a-dress "joke" that shouldn't be considered a joke in a gender-equal society, but that's simply more bad writing choices with Jaune as the victim

Volume Three

There's not as much here since Jaune plays more of a supporting role to Pyrrha, which is where he really shines as a character. There's that bit during the Vytal Festival with the team name shenanigans throwing off the scene's rhythm, but it's more of an annoyance than anything else

But then after Pyrrha sends him away, instead of calling Glynda like he'd been about to do or any authority, he calls Ruby and breaks his phone before calling anyone else. Grief does make people do stupid things, but this is goes beyond that. This was a choice of the writers to refuse Pyrrha backup so she could die, leading into the most consistent complaint of Jaune in all subsequent volumes: trauma hogging

Volume Four

While Ruby, Ren, and Nora get only outfit changes, Jaune gets upgrades to both his armor and weapon using Pyrrha's crown and sash. This is pretty blatant favoritism since Ren and Nora don't get anything of hers to symbolize their connection to Pyrrha despite them also being teammates and friends. This trauma favoritism continues when Ruby wakes from a nightmare about Pyrrha only for the scene to be about Jaune's feelings. We never come back to Ruby's trauma (unless you want to count that one talk with Oscar in V5, which still isn't great) and Ren/Nora are completely passed over

Then in the Nuckleavee fight, instead of Ruby being the one to rescue Qrow from oncoming attack because she's got the speed and that's her uncle, it's Jaune who saves the day. It's Jaune who gets that silent handgrab with Qrow, which means nothing because these two don't really know each other but would mean a wealth of things had it been Ruby instead

Also, the sword sword "upgrade." It's not Jaune's fault that it's poorly designed, I'm just legally obligated to say it sucks every time I talk about this fight

Volume Five

When Qrow and Lionheart talk about Raven, Jaune knows she's Yang’s mom despite the two of them sharing maybe 10 words with each other. Yang didn't even tell Blake, her own partner, much about Raven, but for whatever reason she told Jaune? Sus

The climatic fight nerfed everyone, but Weiss and Cinder got special stupid juice specifically so Jaune could be the main character. Cinder spent the last two seasons building up and reinforcing her hatred of Ruby, even agreeing to Raven's alternative plan just for a stab at the kid. Yet her attention during the big fight is solely on Jaune because...? And he goes toe-to-toe with her! She was trained by a professional huntsman for years as a child while Jaune has, what? Maybe a year of training? And she's a Maiden! The deck is so stacked against Jaune it's not even funny

Then to punish him, instead of attacking Ruby - who's entirely preoccupied by Emerald, his very first friend, and the person he crossed continents to follow - Cinder goes after Weiss. His crush. Who conveniently forgot her sword isn't a wand and her glyphs can do just about anything so her aura could be broken

Weiss got fridged so Jaune could discover his semblance. Female empowerment at its finest

(Before anyone tries it, no, I'm not saying Ruby should've been fridged instead. The situation as written is set up so that somebody HAS to be fridged, which is stupid. This could've been revealed in a million ways that didn't involve girls being maimed)

Volume Six

Getting aggressive with Oscar was out of line. I understand (not condone) Qrow being violent because he's been in the game longer than any of the kids and just watched an entire HD powerpoint of Ozpin's lies. Being Oz's spy was essentially his life

Jaune does not have that same depth of investment. One can argue that he was acting on his grief of Pyrrha, but that falls flat when neither Ren or Nora come even close to the same reaction

Once again, Jaune hogs all the Pyrrha-related trauma, even getting a visit from her mom(?) while looking at a giant statue of her (despite the fact that Pyrrha blatantly said in V2 she didn't like being treated like she's above others)

Volume Seven

Jaune hogs the camera for JNR's new landing strategies, his hair is dumb, and grown women fawning over a teenager is gross, but overall Jaune this volume is fantastic. Super swell in his supporting role here and that bit where he compliments Nora after her failed flirting always makes me giggle

Volume Eight

Imma be honest, I don't remember much of V8 and I do not have the time, will, or energy to rewatch it, so I'll just skip to the biggest thing in the volume: Penny's death.

Jaune did not try hard enough to save her. Whereas any other time this trope of mercy killing during combat has been implemented, it's typically done as a reluctant last resort after every other option has been exhausted. Cinder was still preoccupied with Weiss and Jaune's pretty beefy; he could've made a dash for the exit while still healing her

Instead, he boosts her aura for a whole 2 seconds before agreeing to stab her in the heart.

Another fridge for Jaune's collection

Volume Nine

Everyone's fears of Jaune stealing the spotlight once again get confirmed. He gets a legendary role in a story loved world wide, a pedestal only matched by Ruby's weird deified status in the rtx V9 epilogue, which may or may not be canon

Weiss is into him for "being mature" despite never having shown a preference for older men. Not counting villains we have Ozpin, Oobleck, Port, Klein, Qrow, and Ironwood; all of whom could've been used to establish this trait, yet it only comes out with Jaune? Highly suspicious

His relationship with the paper pleasers is incredibly terrible. He has no respect for their culture and treats them like children despite their obvious intelligence. It rings far too closely to missionaries "saving" people, usually of color, in third world countries

Then, when Ruby finally snapped and is venting her frustrations, Jaune cuts in to take his rage out on her. Jaune, at this point, is at least in his mid thirties, so we get a grown ass man yelling at a seventeen year old girl who then runs away, putting her in a vulnerable position that is immediately taken advantage of. Nobody blames him for being upset, but as an adult he now has a responsibility to take care of how he treats people significantly younger than him

Not even an hour after Ruby drinks the tea right in front of them, the entire group hugs Jaune with big, bright smiles. Ruby not once had someone actually comfort her despite her obvious failing mental health, but Jaune gets comforted by both the team and the narrative

Thanks for surviving this far

Feel free to add on, but I'm tired of this being in my drafts so Jaune be upon ye

If y’all disagree with any of the points, I'd love to hear your view and have a nice discussion

#rwde #by discussion i mean going into the conversation w the goal of reaching an understanding #even if that understanding is 'we see each others points and still disagree'#im not having another gold sec or whatever his url was #mf really thought 'damn way to be wrong abt everything' was an acceptable thing to say to a person #just bc youre not outright calling someone stupid doesnt mean we cant read behind the curtain

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blackpearlblast · 6 days

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Please DONATE, SHARE or REPOST to help my family in Gaza via this linkhttps://gofund.me/d83e0ef5

please help them out and share this! this is a verified campaign.

#dp #gaza #free gaza #free palestine #palestine #received #thank you for reaching out i hope you are able to meet your goal very soon

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ask-richard-jackdaw · 9 months

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Richard,

I hope you don't mind, but I happened upon you deep in thought in the castle courtyard and...well, the sight took my breath away.

I used a Muggle contraption (I believe they call it a camera) to capture these still images. You look almost corporeal...

E 🖤

E, my dear,

I am most intrigued by this Muggle contraption, and even more so — by how well you were able to capture me and my heart with it. And what a coincidence! I must admit, I had no idea that anybody was there at the time as I was most likely preoccupied with matters regarding me... Well, you said it yourself, looking corporal. If you have the time, allow me to explain.

You see, for the past two weeks I have been experimenting with something known as ancient magic. I cannot really see it but I can feel it when I am somewhere near the source, and I can really feel it if I touch it. If I spend plenty of time doing just that and focusing on being corporal — I seem to become so! Well, whatever part of me is surrounded by magic anyway.

That photo you took — I believe it was the first time that I have attempted to fully step into the stream of magic a day or two ago. The reason I needed to conduct some experiments first is rather serious as well: when the magic starts sipping away (and it never holds for longer than one day) I... Well, I am yet to find a way to make the transition back to my ghostly form less painful. As much as I was craving to feel, I forgot that pain is an integral part of life as well.

Needless to say that as fun as being able to be me again was, by the time I walked all the way back to the castle in my human form (and I got lost so many times since I could not just fly above the land toward the castle, oops) I was so tired that I just fell asleep on a bench somewhere near that area your camera captured me. When I woke up — I was a ghost again. At the very least, whatever pain I might have gone through that night, I slept through it.

I do hope that you are doing well, my darling. The sight of me should not be taking your breath away but instead making your heart beat and your soul soar. I hope you continue working on those still images because I did not get a chance to look at myself in the mirror that night. You are my only witness and I am honoured to have you share that special moment with me.

Thinking of you, always,

Richard Jackdaw

P. S. May I hope that someday I would be granted permission to call you by your proper name, my lady E?

#richard jackdaw #The Real Boy Thursday #hogwarts legacy rp #hogwarts legacy #cuffmeinblack #asks #E #tw: death #Ah I was going to do my 3rd Journal entry today regarding my advancements with ancient magic #But your letter couldn't have come at a better time #I am sorry for hijacking your letter for my selfish reasons #I am forever in your debt #[I do not wish to truly resurrect Richard]#[But I do want to roleplay him as an alive character as much as a ghost]#[Was planning to set this whole thing up before I start reaching out to other blogs but you guys jumped on him in the best of ways]#[And I gave in]#[But the goal is: take both ghost and alive asks into account without having to explain how it's possible]#[As soon as Richard figures out his/magic's limitations he will no longer be addressing his experiments]#[I am here for fun rp and everyone is free to pick any other reason as to why Richard is sometimes alive XD doesn't really matter to me]#[Any alternative universe works as long as you somehow manage to convey it in your asks!]

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utilitycaster · 7 months

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I am never not yelling about tag spamming (perhaps in penance as a prior sort of tag spammer to an extent) but like...I don't think artists understand that tag spamming, even relevant-ish tag spamming, is going to hurt you in the long run:

To give just a couple examples:

if you are a general artist who makes D&D content and you throw non-CR D&D stuff in the CR tag? blocked and reported. I am not going to see your work ever again - and I have bought D&D art off Etsy and am open to commissioning things in the future but not from you. Should have kept it in the D&D tag.

If you tag every Critical Role post with every character and cast member and I go into a specific character tag and find irrelevant shit? decent chance of blocking you; I will not see your stuff again.

Something I've noticed: I have a handful of ship tags blocked, as many people do. If you are an artist who tags non-ship content with that ship? you're splitting your audience. This happens a lot with solo Imogen art, honestly; if you don't ship tag you lose half the fandom, and if you do ship tag you lose the other half. I've seen some great stuff with a weirdly low number of notes and realized that it's because people aren't checking the Imogen solo tag, or I've seen stuff I would have blocked out only because a trusted mutual came upon it and I clicked through my tag blocks.

And to be clear, tag how you want and take the consequences but I think people don't realize that more eyes on your work, if the work is in the wrong place, means you'll lose followers before you even got them.

#brought to you by just saw solo Pate art tagged with LAURA BAILEY like pal what was the thought process #do you think this will increase your reach. do you think people looking for a pretty actor will be like oh ho ho A Rat i want to see this #no you're gonna be blocked!#but like. there is value in targeting appropriately actually; i don't think the extra eyes actually translate to extra reblogs #let alone commissions/sales if that's your goal

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eternal-work-in-progress · 13 days

Text

hehehheheheheh I have been writing obsessively recently so have an Unnamed Ruined Reality Alternate Universe Oneshot

this is a concept I made and outlined with my friend and I have finally actually translated it into proper written word??? Unimaginable

also woopsies general AU stuff before you read: Filii/Filiae/Filius/Filia all take the place of the species Steve! The different Filii use different languages so their subspecies name is translates (ie. yellow -> Galben in Romanian, aquamarine -> Aquamarijn in Dutch, violet -> Violetto in Italian)

Griffin ran from the room, away from his mother, away from the horror he felt while looking at her. Caliban watched him go. In disbelief, she muttered, “No… Why would you run…?”

She stood still, staring out the open door to the hallway, her cell’s only source of light. Something moved to her left and her head snapped toward it immediately. And she saw… Athena. The glorious, loyal, deadly, traitorous Athena. The poor woman looked exhausted. She turned to Caliban with no hate in her eyes, which Caliban did not deserve.

“Because he knows what’s best for himself,” Athena spoke softly but intensely. “And so do I.” The general turned to leave the room.

Caliban could not allow that. She… She wanted Athena to stay. Stay with her. Why wouldn’t anyone stay? Why wouldn’t anyone listen?! She’s not insane! She’s not dangerous! She shouldn’t be stuck down here! They’ll leave her here to rot. No, no, no, the queen of nightmares will not rot before her traitors do. This traitor will not leave.

The Queen stepped forward and her restraints tensed immediately, chain pulling against chain. Her head rolled forward, as though she had little control of her own body, as though she was possessed. The Queen was a caged animal. With a sudden and very raw anger, she screamed.

“ATHENAAAAA!”

The general stopped, bracing her weapon, but did not turn to the animal.

“YOU ARE NOT SO PURE.”

From the moisture in the air and the water sunk into the bricks, the general summoned a fist of water and ice to encase her right hand. It seemed she was preparing for a fight.

“YOU ARE A MONSTER! YOU ARE A MURDERER! YOU ARE A WARRIOR WHO HAS LOST HER FAUX GLORY. YOU HAVE KILLED THOUSANDS AND YOU ARE PRAISED. YOU ARE GIVEN TITLES OF RENOWN. BUT YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE IMPURE.”

The general spoke lowly, something unreadable clouding her face. “I never said I was pure.”

“YOU TAKE AWAY MY SON AND EXPECT ME TO SIT HERE. WAITING FOR SOME SAVIOR.”

The general took a deep breath…. Athena kept walking away. But the Queen could still see her. The Queen continued to scream after her. She could not stop herself.

“ATHENA. WHAT MAKES ME DIFFERENT FROM THE SOLDIERS YOU HAVE KILLED IN BATTLE? WERE THEY NOT FILII LIKE YOUR ELITES? WERE SOME NOT CHILDREN? WERE THEY NOT SIMPLY ON THE WRONG SIDE?”

Athena kept walking.

“I ONLY ASK, ATHENA, WHAT I’M CERTAIN OUR FELLOW LEADERS HAVE ASKED YOU.

“I STAND ON THE WRONG SIDE.

“WHY HAVE YOU NOT KILLED ME?!”

The Queen fell to her knees, having lost the battle against her metal restraints. But her corrupted eyes remained trained on Athena’s figure in the hallway, which had stopped moving. The Queen finally remained silent.

…Athena returned to the room. She walked over to the Queen, standing over her while the infected woman sat in her shadow. The Queen stared up at her old friend with her furious red eyes.

“...We have not killed you because we so desperately wish to save you,” whispered the general, leaning down closer. “I vowed long ago to never kill without reason. To never take a life that could be salvaged.” She still held her weapon in her hands and weariness in her eyes. This was what she came here for.

The general stood back up, straighter. “...I am sorry, Caliban. More than you know.” She gripped the weapon tighter. “Let me grant you peace.” This was what she came here for.

And yet, she saw something shift in the Queen’s eyes. When the fury faded, her eyes held only immense tiredness. And yet she smiled softly. Caliban bowed her head.

Athena looked down upon her. “...Tell me truthfully, Caliban… Did the Darkness really help you?”

Caliban bowed further. Her friend heard pain in her voice. “Please kill me….”

Athena’s eyes widened, she could hear her own heart beating. After only a second of consideration, she took the risk of wrapping her best friend in a hug. Caliban could not return it with the chains around her wrists still pulling, but she leaned into the Aquamarijn, savoring this last comfort, this last moment of lucidity. When Athena spoke, her voice was small and quiet, “I’m so sorry, Cal.”

Then, there was silence for a long time. “...Rest well for us…” Athena whispered. She raised her weapon behind Caliban’s back. The Galben did not brace herself for pain or death. All she did was nod, still leaning on her friend. Athena felt Caliban’s warm tears fall onto her shoulder.

“...Tell Griffin…” Caliban said when she decided she should speak, “...I’m sorry.”

“I will, I will. We love you so much.” Athena let the embrace linger for a minute longer.

“... You were wonderful.”

The final blow was swift and simple, to her back. Athena dropped her weapon right after, wrapping both arms around Caliban. The Galben did not scream. She died as she lived.

In pain.

But loved.

Athena laid her body down gently. She didn’t try to stop any tears from falling. Taking Caliban’s hand, she sat next to her for a little while. Grieving. The Galben looked at peace, despite the scars of Darkness… Athena stared at her face, thinking of it all. Their laughter, their joy, their girl’s nights. Their fights and disagreements, their friendship growing deeper. The Darkness. The glowing lights on Caliban’s dress and jewelry slowly dulled. It pained Athena.

She didn’t have to watch, she knew. But she would anyway. Caliban was her best friend. Athena would sit and stay until she was completely gone. So she sat.

Amadeo, Chief Violetto, walked slowly through the underground hallways of the Outpost with a crossbow in hand. He wanted to be safe, in case Athena had been unable to handle the Nightmare Queen. He doubted that she would fail—she was the one who suggested this, after all—but… just in case. He hesitantly poked his head through the open doorway and scanned the room for any sign of a struggle or fight. There was none. Then he saw Athena, with Caliban in her arms.

“...Athena?” he whispered.

Athena did not look up.

Amadeo walked in further. The cell was so isolated. So dark and wet. They’d all regretted placing Caliban here. But her behavior was just becoming too erratic. He saw Athena sitting quietly, staring at the Filia Galben, who looked to merely be asleep. But the scars… They’d looked so shallow, but they’d run so deep. Amadeo knelt down next to both of them, facing the back wall.

“...We’ll miss her,” he said.

Athena gave a small nod. “Always.” She felt guilt. But she knew this kill was in mercy. Caliban’s last words rang in her head. Please kill me. I’m sorry.

Amadeo relaxed his shoulders and set his crossbow down away from the women. There was pain in him. There was always pain in him, but there were times when it became clearer. This was one of those times. “There was no fight?”

“...She asked me to end it herself.”

He leaned back and looked at the ceiling. “She was still there?”

Athena was silent for a moment. “Do you think… we still could have saved her?”

Amadeo had been in Athena’s position before. He took a deep breath. “...No. Whatever was left of her… It was just suffering…. You saved her.”

…Athena brought one of Caliban’s hands to her face, placing it on her cheek. It was already cold against her skin. “...How is Griffin…?”

The Chief Violetto sighed and looked back down to the wall. “Vaughn is comforting him. He knows this was all we could do.” He frowned sadly. “We won’t be able to give him a proper coronation. …But I don’t think it matters at this point.”

“There is nothing to rule over…” Athena said. Four. There were four Filii Galben left. Amadeo rubbed his face. He was… exhausted. They all were exhausted.

“...Where will we bury her?” Athena asked quietly.

“...I don’t know if we should with all that Darkness, Ath…”

Right, Athena thought.

“We could… ask the Rojos to cremate her?” Amadeo suggested. “It’s just… The Royal Galben tombs are unreachable…”

Slowly, Athena nodded.

“...I’m sorry. You were closer to her than any of us.”

Athena… gave a small smile. Amadeo assumed the gesture was meant for his sake, but she still stared at the corpse. “It is alright. I would rather her be at peace than in pain. Even if by my own hand.” But she had cried and would again. She grieved for every kill she committed. Amadeo knew.

He thought and thought in their silence. About the World Beyond and Below. About his fellow leaders. About death and sadness. He didn’t cry for Caliban, he couldn’t. He had no tears left in him. He thought about Pietro. How Amadeo had held his body in the same way Athena held Caliban’s. How the same thoughts had run through his head. How doomed and ruined everything felt.

But he had allies now…. He was not alone in an old, corrupted village. They would all comfort Athena. They would all honor Caliban somehow. Griffin would be given the title he deserved. They would all continue to try.

He shut his eyes and stood, grabbing his crossbow. “I will… go inform King Rei.”

“Alright.”

He… he walked away. And Athena was alone again. With a body that was slowly getting cold. More tears fell.

#this is definitely still rough around the edges and awkward in places #but finally being able to properly express these scenes is INCREDIBLE #a goal finally reached #now to expand on it #ruined reality #ruined reality au #Queen Caliban Valentina #General Athena Proxima #RR yellow leader #RR Griffin #General Proxima #btw both yellow leader and proxima are women here #and Griffin is the yellow leader’s son #*grabs you* work with me here #suspend your disbelief

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