#this is an excellent thread

[ride-a-dromedary]

Alright, the jack in the box is wound, and the coherence is coming to me. Halsin and the dryad, I was talking about his response if the PC indicates that he is most comfortable after a supper large enough to induce hibernation:

"Mindless gorging...? No, that is not right. I did not realize you thought that of me."

And why this keeps catching in my mind is not necessarily what he says, but how he says it (so I am commending Dave Jones' voice acting here). The rest of Halsin's responses to incorrect answers are generally even toned and corrective; firm, usually, but not inherently overly emotional. Much like a teacher correcting a student. But this one...he sounds genuinely surprised and taken aback that the PC would even suggest that. The "no, that is not right" is even firmer on its heels. And the last part...the last part, his voice is smaller. Less forward. I would not go so far as to suggest hurt, but it is approaching that territory. It comes so fast after his firm no, that it almost sounds like something that slipped by accident. Like something that was meant to be muttered under the breath, but it slipped from him because the surprise was so organic.

Alone, it doesn't mean too much. It's a slight offense to an obviously nonfactual statement. And that's likely all it is. I'm about to read too deep into this, I am aware.

But combined with the other things spread throughout Halsin's dialogue, particularly the implication that he is otherwise used to people making commentary on his physical appearance or the physicality of his being, it suggests an extra layer of hurt. An extra layer of: "I did not expect this from you, of all people." Not quite a betrayal, but approaching one.

What makes it particularly catching, is that one of the things you are able to wrench (and I say wrench because getting Halsin to share mundane personal details about himself is a production - and it makes *sense* it's a production if a. We keep in mind that Halsin himself doesn't seem all too sure who he is beyond his preoccupation - which elves are prone to but Halsin also just has...a lot on his plate that have evidently stunted his identity formation - to the point where he even claims he was forgetting who he was, and b. If he is used to questions concerning himself and his experience leading into questions regarding his sex life or his physical activities, see: the companion banter with Wyll and Karlach, he likely...doesn't really keep ready details about himself personally on tap anymore. He's so unused to people being interested in Halsin, that he's taken aback when they are. It becomes the "In the moment, I forget everything and anything I like to do for fun" mentality - no one really cares about what I like to do anyway - if you will. He even goes so far as to joking that the PC may be a doppelganger because *why else would they want to know these things*) out of Halsin when you ask him about himself is that he has a sweet tooth. That he likes honey, and people find that amusing. He chuckles, but his face falls, evidently prepping for the PC to make a similar comment (and he attempts to beat you to the joke about that, though a PC can still call that "on the nose" to which he responds that there is little point in denying oneself if it doesn't hurt anybody - indulging isn't a bad thing). If the PC instead chooses that he should pay little attention to what others think, he gives that infamous: "sometimes I think people look at me and imagine my feelings can't be hurt" line. Which implies - regardless of whether he verbalizes it or not - things in this thread hurt his feelings. Comments or assumptions about his body and his person hurt his feelings. He won't say it, but they do. The PC is likely aware of this by this point in the relationship.

Halsin does not otherwise bring up eating or food to any level of significance or directness - the sweet tooth comment was the only time (you could assume outside of canon interactions that they've had other conversations between them and that perhaps this was brought up, but we are going to base this solely in what Halsin reveals in canon). He brings up hibernation, but specifically the sleeping part of it. Nothing else.

So, the PC then potentially goes ahead and makes an assumption of him during the dryad. How'd they arrive at this conclusion, as it obviously surprises Halsin that they did? It reads, very much, that the PC is making this assumption based on the comment about his sweet tooth, his comment on indulgence, and his physicality (note: the ha ha bear and hibernation thing almost seems like an afterthought - Halsin latches *very* quickly onto the "mindless gorging" part). All things that he has shown very evident discomfort (which is ironic because the question is when he feels most comfortable) or hesitance towards (he claims there is nothing wrong with indulgence, but never seems to indulge himself beyond sex, if that. Gee, what does that remind you of?)

Halsin entrusted this individual with this information, as frivolous as it was, potentially revealed that it hurts his feelings when people make assumptions of him, and this individual then went used that information and made the assuming connection: "So, this is a big man. He said he liked sugar, so he must like to eat and indulge. It must be his favourite thing to do because look at him." I am going to essentially ignore everything else I could have possibly heard, and make a bear hibernation joke that has nothing to do with sleeping being a comfort, but emphasize the eating part.

So, yeah, he's a little taken aback - incredulous, you might say. A little hurt. Resigned, almost. Because at that point, you can make a very logical assumption that Halsin came to a very quick snap realization that perhaps this person was not so different from the others as he thought. That it always eventually comes back to that. What else was he expecting? When has it ever been any different for him?

#BG3 Musing #Halsin Posting #does this make sense i don't think it does but it's like...jumping from a - z based on assumption and you know what they say about that #note: this isn't actually this deep i am just making it this deep - also yes i'm aware it probably means none of this #i have a degree in bullshit #but this is also why halsin should have had a legitimate bear like build of a body #i understand why he didn't - but this is *verbatim* what fat individuals receive as assumptions on their person #*all the time* that oh you must overindulge yourself you must eat a lot you must you MUST #and in that thread of thought of halsin's relationship with his body #there's also something to say when halsin says 'my ears are all yours...any part of me is yours should you wish it' #because he *begins* by offering his sympathy and understanding...but follows it up with 'but if i am more valuable to you in this way #then that's fine too - i'm used to that' #almost parallels (inadvertently) astarion's: #'i think i'll enjoy having halsin around not for his wit or wisdom he'll just make an excellent shield if we're attacked' #he's self aware #and in regards to how halsin sees his body as a separate entity - a. body dysmorphia and b. i don't think he truly does #halsin claims he sees his body as a vessel to serve nature and wrinkles his nose at vanity - but i feel there is enough old hurt in him #that this can never be true of him even is he so desperately wishes it was #does he have a level of confidence in himself? obviously he does - but it is marred - it's an exchange #there's always going to be that little voice in the back

[marlynnofmany]

May your day be full of joyous whimsy, and things made just because you can

#I used to make these all the time as a teenager #this one is just a skeleton model #the finished Toothpick People would get clothes/skin/hair from colored thread #I made a couple excellent dragons and gargoyles with cellophane wings #and a wizard I still remember fondly #good times #I described it all to someone new today #who suggested a dab #how could I resist? #fyi superglue isn't any faster-setting than white glue #it's just stronger once it does #and more annoying to get on your hands #anyway this is fun and I recommend it #arts & crafts #toothpick people

[nettlestingsoup]

normal ways to start a fanfic that will upset absolutely no one

#YES I'M STARTING ANOTHER PROJECT #i'm itchy #i've been editing for too long #i need to be writing nineteen new things at once just to deal with the editing boredom #we're making excellent progress on the red thread but it isn't tickling the creative bones #so now we have this #of which i currently have about 2k #ao3 author #stray kids fic #minchanjin #hyunjin gets resurrected don't you worry

[umbraastaff]

But before he could reach his intended altitude, a few yards short of the stalactite-dotted ceiling, something pulled him to a stop — not a bony hand at his shoulder this time, but a fuzzy constricting sensation around his scythe-bearing arm. When he looked down, he saw a web of tangled red threads, impossibly thin yet ensnaring him from wrist to mid-biceps — and every single one of them led back to Barry Bluejeans.

- Fear The Reaper A Lot, Actually by @anistarrose

#taz kravitz #barry bluejeans #the adventure zone #taz balance #anistarrose #fic fanart #my art #barry #kravitz #balance #arts #i really really enjoyed this fic and this art has been rotating in my brain since i read chapter 8... #rose does some of my favorite taz writing that's out there and i don't say it lightly #anyway exposing myself by choosing this to draw but god DAMN!!!! love me some emotions manifesting as physical lich form #the psychic connection sending words through electrified threads... #the determination made manifest by every tiny thread being uncuttable... #so yeah uh the whole fic's excellent have a good!!! night

[size-two-shrimp]

Watched 2 videos about Jurassic Park analogue horror and another one about a paleohorror twitter thread and I'm now mourning the lack of content. It's so cool.

#the twitter thread was _Archesuchus_ btw #they did an excellent job #grahhhh dinos beasts theyre all so cool not enough realistic looking scary things around theyre always squashed and stretched #or at least they are in the media i consume

[affixjoy]

Been having a lot of feelings about my catholic upbringing thanks to reading How The Light Gets In by spaceisgay (chancellorgriffin) and hearing about @strangenewwords desire to write hot priest Bones so I guess this might be the year I get even weirder about Jesus/Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar.

#I’ve had thoughts worthy of confession about those two for decades #specifically the 1970s movie version #but I saw an excellent thread somewhere ranking the betrayal kiss in various productions #and that made me feel even more unhinged about their relationship

[scriptmyworld]

the calloways hearing that ira’s terrible and kidnaps children and kills people and just shrugging it off like yeah he’s not a great guy but he has what we need to do what we want so we’ll deal with him for now.

and then it immediately coming to smack them in the face when it comes to light that he traded their daughter.

#THAT’S KARMA BABY #excellent work matthew #I didn’t put all the pieces together at first but maryne’s insane twt thread helped #like jesus christ #okay I think that’s it for me #critical role #cr spoilers #fearne calloway #the calloways #ira wendagoth

[andithiel]

How deep is our love?

Written for the @hdcandyheartsfest prompt 14: "Valentine's card". I had a lot of fun with this (I've missed writing fed up Draco and Harry being a little shit!) and I hope you'll like it. If anyone is interested in the cards, you can click the links but do so at your own risk. Thank you so much to my lovely friend @crazybutgood for the beta 💕 Wishing everyone a very happy Valentine's Day whether you spend it with someone or not 🥰 Established relationship | 762 words | Teen and Up (for language)

It’s nine o’clock when Harry saunters into the kitchen, his horrible Gryffindor lion slippers firmly on his feet and his dressing gown open to reveal his red flannel pyjamas. 

“Happy Declaration of Monogamy Day!” He plops a bright pink envelope on the table in front of Draco, almost hitting Draco’s freshly poured cup of tea. 

Draco turns the envelope in his hands. His name is written in overwrought cursive gold embossed letters on the front, and on the back, there’s a wax seal shaped like a heart. He looks up at Harry, eyebrows furrowed. 

“What’s this?”

Harry smiles sweetly, eyes glittering. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s a Valentine’s card!”

Draco narrows his eyes at his husband. He’s known him for too long to be fooled by that innocent demeanour. “Why?”

“Can’t a bloke be romantic for once? ‘Tis the season, after all.” Harry tilts his head, gazing at Draco from under his fringe and batting his eyes.

“In the six years we’ve been together, you’ve never given me a card for Valentine’s. In fact, we both agreed ages ago that the entire holiday is stupid and capitalistic.”

Harry shrugs. “I guess being with you has made me change my mind.” He presses his lips tightly together, but small huffs come out of his nose. “Don’t you want to open it?” he says, voice oddly strained. 

Draco gives up, flips the envelope over, breaks the seal and pulls out the card. Harry makes a sound like he’s going to laugh, but quickly reins it in.

The card is the same pink shade as the envelope, with a messy sketch of a person bending over, holding their arse cheeks open, and the text says “OUR LOVE IS DEEP LIKE A BUMHOLE”. Draco stares at it: it’s the ugliest card he’s ever seen in his life.

“Do you like it?” Harry says, his voice still strained and a bit wobbly. “I walked past it and it made me think of you.”

Draco looks at him, at his eyes shining with tears of suppressed laughter, then down at the card again. For once, he’s speechless, until—

“Is that my fucking face inside your arse?”

This is where Harry loses it: he snort-laughs so loudly that Draco’s afraid he’ll wake the neighbours across the street, slumping over the table and continueing to laugh so much that his entire body shakes. Draco starts giggling as well, but not loud enough for Harry to hear, because he’ll be damned if he shows Harry how amused he is.

“I mean,” Harry manages eventually, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, “it is one of your favourite places to be, so I thought it was fitting.”

“Did you, now?” Draco says, and Harry nods, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Yeah. In fact, I knew you’d be so grateful that you’d want to give me a card, and— oh? What’s this?” 

He reaches his hand into one of the pockets of his tattered dressing gown (the one that Draco has tried to get rid of for months, but that strangely ends up hanging by their bed after every attempt), and pulls out another envelope. It’s a darker shade of pink than Draco’s, but with the same elaborate letters embossed on it, spelling out “Harry”. He hands it over to Draco.

“Could you read it for me, please? I seem to have misplaced my glasses.” He quickly crams his glasses into one of his pockets.

Draco reluctantly takes the envelope, eyes narrowed at Harry again. He slowly breaks the seal and opens the flap. Harry leans over the table expectantly while Draco pulls out the card.

“Being in a relationship with me means that: you’re one lucky bastard. Just your annual reminder,” Draco reads aloud. He looks up at Harry, whose glasses have miraculously returned on the bridge of his nose.

“Well?” Harry says with an entirely too smug tone to his voice. He folds his hands under his chin, tilting his head.

Draco can only snort, “You gormless twat,” at which Harry snickers.

“That good, huh?” He gets up and rounds the table to sit on Draco’s lap, and Draco doesn’t chastise him for getting his trousers all wrinkled. “Happy Valentine’s Day, you pointy git.” He nuzzles into the crook of Draco’s neck, because he knows how it drives Draco mad. 

Draco tugs at his hair to be able to reach those soft lips that he, through some divine intervention, has had the pleasure and privilege to kiss for the happiest six years of his life now. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Scarface.”

#drarry #hd candy hearts fest #andithielwrites #harry potter #draco malfoy #rating: t #prompt: valentines card #i tried to write them as that thread you know #the one where people drive their SOs crazy #doing things they hate to love/love to hate #i imagine draco and harry would excel at this #andi’s candy hearts

[vimesbootstheory]

with the UPS strike looming I feel like it would be such an amazing time to re-read Going Postal, like it would hit so good right about now

#if you haven't read it it's got major plot threads #about mail delivery (obviously) but also about terrible corporate types restricting labour rights #also the villain is a deliberate parody of (pre-presidency) trump and the fate of his character gives me some excellent wish-fulfillment #discworld #(reacher could also be a parody of many other media-related billionaires eg rupert murdoch but the tump/trump reference is pretty clear)

[freeddead]

//thread tracker my beloved... 😦 please hold while i devise a new system by which to track my threads

#i will be your ticket taker. 『 ooc 』 #//well there goes my evening plans LMAO #//gotta spend the night picking thru 2 months of notifications across 6 blogs #//and fiddling with an excel document #//it might be up by the time i get off work #//but i still probably SHOULD make an offline thread tracker for this exact reason

[echthr0s]

my toxic trait is that whenever people start talkin about how such-and-such is an allegory for some real-life social ill or whatever I can physically feel myself losing interest

#partly why i find fandom boring a lot of the time. everyone's just arguing about the most boring shit #''anders was wrong and if you like anders you're bad'' oh my god shut up. anyway what if anders was a furry. can you be a furry in thedas #anyway this was actually prompted by a post about a/b/o which is generally an interesting trope to me #but then the thread got into how a/b/o plays with real-life social dynamics and i could feel the ''oh. never mind'' in my bones #that's boring to me. like i don't think it SHOULDN'T EXIST so don't get any ideas here. i just don't PERSONALLY find it engaging #and if people start applying earth-based social implications to any of the shit i do here i would be. a bit peeved #i need to make more ''my toxic trait is'' posts bc i think i do have some excellent ones tbh #singularity.txt

[contac]

#threads #excellent film #nuclear war #nuclear winter #nuclear fallout #aftermath #cold war #arms race #1984 #superstation wtbs #TBS #vhs #gif #mushroom cloud #nukes #sunday #january 13 #radiation

[himedachi]

tfw you get so soft && happy with serotonin from fluff and comedy threads.......... happy rin is happy 💞

#▶┊ beneath the mask. ( ooc ) #tbd. #i'd say i excel at these kind of threads the most fjdkdd #i love serious threads too but it requires a little more *brain power* for me to do

[assortedvillainvault]

Hades ,Jafar, Maleficent agree to each other to take down each other's adviceries(spelled wrong i know. Sorry about that)

Maleficent vs Hercules

Hades vs Aladdin

Jafar vs Philip

Sorry for the wait for this one, this is such a cool idea!! Esp because switching heroes removes the villains narrative foil, so they're free to do their typical villainy and actually win this time...

Maleficent vs Hercules:

Ok so this is a match that is actually pretty even - herc has dealt with giant beasts all his life, so Maleficents dragon form isn't as much of an advantage compared to with Philip. Plus Herc and Pegasus can fly, so.

Instead, she's at her best doing as Hades would - luring and tricking with words and deals, except she can wrangle the rules of hospitality so freaking well that Herc's chances of shooting himself in the foot are nigh inescapable.

She's going to have to keep her distance and probably kidnap his allies to threaten him with their harm/death, but chances are he'll unfortunately fall for it and she'll make sure not to leave any loopholes.

Just hope Herc Doesn't manage to get within grabbing distance otherwise she's getting shishcabobbed on every tree in the immediate vicinity.

Gods v fairy is also a concern, but she's certainly got the arrogance if not quite the power to go head to head with the Olympians if it calls for it.

Hades vs Aladdin

Weirdly this has kind of been done in the show, 'Hercules and the Arabian Night' episode, but a couple of distinctions need be made here.

In that instance Hades misguided Aladdin into fighting a fellow hero then sent Jafar to fight in his stead when they breached the underworld, he never actually encountered him face to face.

Obviously Hades has every advantage under the sun in a one to one situation with Aladdin. He's immortal, stronger, faster, has magic and has been playing the smart man's game for centuries compared to Aladdin's 20ish years of street smarts.

He could also play the 'see your dead friends and family' card seeing as Al has almost definitely lost people in his life and Jafar did turn up in the Greek underworld, it's not impossible that others did too.

Sans genie, Hades wins so long as he doesn't give Al the chance to weasel his way free by sending henchmen or giving him chance to talk.

Jafar vs Philip

Hilariously the easiest matchup in this set, Jafar wins hands down.

Philip is way too black and white, too noble and too traditional in his role as a prince and knight not to fall for Jafars manipulation or backstabbing.

Sure he's faced down a dragon fairy which gives him a combat edge against Jafar's giant cobra form, but Jafar would probably be able to keep his head and not let it get to combat in the first place.

He only went full scalie against Aladdin to show off and prove a point. Philip isn't important enough in Jafars headspace to warrant the same effort.

Jafar could go the long route and ruin Philip politically as an envoy between the two kingdoms, hypnotising Philips allies and court against him at every turn before killing him when he's at his most alone.

Or he could be dramatic - and find a way to magically cripple the Rose Kingdom.

...would be even need to? King Stefan ruined his country's entire economy in the 16 years it took between aurora's curse being laid and activated, what could break the upcoming king worse than fighting his own people for being unable to fix his predecessors actions? All it would take Jafar is some well placed nudges and Philip would have a full peasant uprising on his hands.

Plenty of distractions to kill him to. :P

Ooooh this was fun, thanks again for the ask!!

#thalassa responds #disney villains #maleficent #hades #jafar #switching enemies is an excellent thinkbunny #the villains get to go ham and the narrative doesnt shoehorn them into being defeated #enrichment in the villain enclosure #heroes get Consequences #... seriously fuck Stefan the spinning wheel thing was fucking stupid #nobody can make thread or clothes for the next 16 years because you snubbed the dragon next door?? #a couple harsh winters and lack of tax income for upkeep is going to result in a very shakey position for you sir

[falllpoutboy]

2016-2018 was really an elite era of cinema we may never get back

#la la land moonlight the favourite logan a quiet place the shape of water #planet of the apes rogue one phantom thread i tonya #ready player one hereditary alien covenant vice love simon crazy rich asians arrival #excellent cinema like you cant outdo the doers

[blxxditout]

All of the best things are happening to me. My goodness.

#// I don’t usually watch shows or anything that’s the new big thing but #// THE BLUE EYED SAMURAI….. #// enemies to rivals to lovers??!?!!! #// the development in all the characters is so excellent … it makes me so happy #// AND THE THREADS AND THE ASKS IM GETTING??? #// it’s like Christmas came early #// I’m so <3333333 happy #// I’m literally winning rn #🩸『 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗗 ┊ ooc 』