#; headcanon.

[pavlovianpanic]

For Sam: Does Sam feel like she’s a final girl archetype, and how does she feel about it? 

How did her feelings for Hannah affect her choices going into the prank, and how or what did she do to lessen her role in it, if anything? What did she feel about Hannah going into the snow, and did she want to follow her? Does she, in any timeline? Would she, if creature!Hannah found her in the mines, let Hannah eat her if it meant sustaining Hannah? Did Sam’s love ever develop that far, could it?

i don't think sam actively sees herself that way, not in the way josh sees people as tropes. sam understands them, but she doesn't live or die by them, which is ironic because that trope is what saves her life usually. but as a person? no, she doesn't see herself that way, especially because a final girl insinuates she is the only survivor, which she typically is not. if sam is the only survivor, then i think ... she might start to see that in media more, notice it more, and it is a haunting thing to try and disassociate with. it reminds her less of herself and more of josh, i think. the way he sees the world is now all over, and she's starting to understand him in his death in a way she couldn't in life, but she had to be that role to understand him, feel me?

this post i wrote about sam and hannah really dives into it, i think. it covers like everything about them as far as what we know and have seen, thus what i can surmise.

but going into the questions that post just did not answer or address:

to brief ... no, which i do talk about in my post, she did not want to go after them (hannah and beth respectively, but this means hannah specifically). i know this because she tells mike not to go after them. that is sam telling him that, not anyone else, and the others just sort of listen very easily to that. yes, you could infer the "i think you're the last person she wants to see" line as just to mike but everyone that's there and awake in the snow before beth leaves is actively part of the prank. in theory, hannah would want to see none of them, but if sam lacks true guilt or association, you would think she a) as an athlete would feel comfortable going after them because she also knows this place better than the others assumedly being hannah's bff, b) she is hannah's best friend, and c) the odds are better for beth now. but sam, as i have talked about, is very self-motivated. everything she does is to preserve herself, which is fine, it's needed to survive this situation, but it doesn't always bode well for others. no one is perfect. but hey, maybe in another life ... another timeline? maybe. until dawn is more stringent on their timeline multiverses than say life is strange is imo.

sam loved hannah, i think, and i do talk about that, but they drifted, which i also talk about. i do not think sam would submit to hannah in that way, hannah was always submissive to sam (and everyone else), thus that dynamic cannot change. sam knew hannah as dead. this is not hannah (to her). this is something else using hannah's body. it can't be hannah. it can't be hannah or she'll come undone entirely.

because of sam's innate ability to want to live and survive, at least as we briefly play her, no, i don't think she would give herself to hannah. she would do anything to escape and survive, even going against creature!hannah, which is now her active enemy. the whole dynamic with creature!hannah and sam is very interesting, the way she can kill sam is very "you stabbed me in the back" as a lot of hannah's kills are symbolic.

[themortalitasi-a]

The guilt Emmrich feels when Rook becomes trapped in the Fade is overwhelming. He shoulders the blame entirely, knowing it was his words that urged Rook to reach for the blade.

The burden is so much if they are in a romance, as their last interaction was a fight the day before. Though Emmrich tries to make amends the next day at Tearstone Island, offering an apology, Rook assures him that it's alright and promises they’ll talk more once they return home.

But Rook never comes home.

In the weeks that follow, Emmrich is just simply devastated. The weight of Rook’s absence and his own perceived culpability just crushes him.

He's there in the Lighthouse replaying every moment, every word, as though he might find a way to undo it all. It's why he tries to craft the dagger, he's desperately trying to find a way to get Rook back but also he just needs to keep his mind busy.

Otherwise, he can't escape that gnawing belief that he is to blame for everything.

[wernerherzogs]

the thing is. eddie chosen as the designated driver by the captain while the team was rushing to save buck's life tells us everything we need to know about his driving skills.

[nursewashing]

what do you think made anya realize she was a lesbian?

lack of attraction to men was the first sign, probably! this is something that anya hasn't exactly been consciously aware of, for the most of her life—for her, she always just had this feeling she was different from her peers when growing up. she wasn't quite like other girls—always a bit quirky and unusual. when girls her age started crushing on boys, anya simply didn't.

being raised by 'traditional' russian parents didn't aid in her discovery, as neither of her parents were particularly keen on informing her about gay people—at the same time, though, it wasn't the worst it could be. neither of them really pressured anya to be with men, so there was that.

anya most likely would've discovered her attraction to women in a distant, faraway manner—through media, after moving to america. maybe through some of those reality tv shows that are her guilty pleasure. maybe she saw too many sexy women on tv and eventually realized, 'oh, god, i'm into them! now it all makes sense!'

...but that'd likely not be something she openly shares, or admits to herself too offen. now, in a scenario where she develops affection towards another woman, THAT is where anya would, for sure, acknowledge her lesbianism. without a shadow of a doubt. falling in love with a woman would definitely make her realize that she is, in fact, so gay.

[nobodyexpectsthe]

also the way pirith wants kids but doesn't think he should have any due to the nature of his work and the target it would put on them. he thinks maybe one day, when his work is done. but the work is never done and he'll mourn for the life he could have had.

the best he does is sets up an orphanage in one of the neighboring villages and makes frequent visits. and he's an excellent uncle to any children the inner circle have.

[mskwtz]

if you call him elijah he fears for his life thank u

[recitedemise]

Gale's ambition is a result of his hunger for affection — or simpler yet, for approval. Upon meeting him, it might be easy, too easy in fact, to cast him as haughty and far too proud. And he is, don't get me wrong, eager to highlight, present, and parade his genius, but gallivanting merrily for the sake of vanity? Heaven forbid. In truth, it's more an attempt to wrangle praise.

Growing up, Gale Dekarios, a prodigy, was valued primarily for his vicious intellect. In that way, he was few in his companions and fewer in his friendships that would hold for years. Still, as he was only just a boy, he had learned to mold himself in a way they'd favor. In time, he grew to advertise it all, plastering his intelligence like a some gaudy ad. It's what they fancied, he had decided, never sought for his company or his too-spirited rambles, so why fumble through the legwork at having them grasp his quality? This way is far kinder — and far more painless.

It stands to reason then, unfortunately, why being chosen by Mystra only made this worse. Again, she had sought him for his mind. She had kept him in her cradle for his aptitude at spellcraft. Their love had been paltry, so vacant in a flavor as to toe on spartan; however, starved for affection and a tentative kindness? Gale, a stricken fool, couldn't see the truth.

To summarize, Gale was obscenely insecure, absolutely a strutting peacock for better opinion. Through some encouragement, however, he can slowly — and very carefully! — begin to curb that habit.

As a closing note, I think some dialogue at the end of the game captures this perfectly:

Who cares [what people think of you]?

Gale (at the party, content): Not me, of course. Gale of Waterdeep might have craved such attention, but Gale Dekarios does a heroic deed purely for its own quiet satisfaction — and the occasional hearty 'thank you.'

We love a more anchored, self-assured king. :)

[pavlovianpanic]

the ultimate masterpost for my headcanons for sean prescott, nathan prescott, and mark jefferson! this will be linked on my pinned and updated as i make new metas! ever looking for something major? here it is!

sean and nathan - the diploma and photo

where does mark live?

an intro to what mark is like in max's nightmare sequence

dark room references

mark and max: an overlook

mark and rachel: an introspection

mark and rachel: a sequel discussing also chloe and rachel, featuring max and frank, and a bit about nathan as well as the jessi palmer lore drop ie 'the incident'

jessi vs. jessie vs. rachel: who is who?

difference between mark and nathan's work

prescott ranch house and barn meta

nathan and rachel

when does nathan come back to arcadia bay

sean and caroline: an introspection on nathan's parents

more about sean, caroline, and mark

nathan's cut note about rachel to mark

sean, nathan, and blackwell

nathan and victoria / pt 1. (a mostly canon overview)

nathan and victoria cycles post

more nathan and victoria

victoria fixes nathan's face for him

nathan's comfortability with going into victoria's dorm + the kate marsh situation

vortex club origins

nathan and "good touch"

sean paid for the bunker

sean and nathan discussion feat. nathan's rage

kristine prescott's email to nathan

sean and abuse

nathan's type

where does nathan hookup?

nathan's social life

nathan's bpd diagnosis

mark and drug use

"when writing mark..."

sean is interfering with the rachel amber case

clearing up mark's timeline and more about him

sean and mark: how they met / how we got here (with bonus content featuring nathan's mother)

mark and sean's in-game call

nathan and eating disorders

nathan's skin and hair color hex #

how mark and nathan operate together

nathan and post-coital tristesse

clarifying sean and nathan

nathan's computer and sean's correspondences

nathan and body language

prescott name meanings

nathan and taylor (v's bestie)

nathan cannot see shades of grey

sean and his mother

similarities between sean and nathan (and more)

nathan and v dance together / nathan loves dancing

sean and altruism

sean or mark? who is talking to nathan? it's sean

nathan and sorry

nathan's family (or at least dad) knows he's on drugs

nathan and his sexuality (LIS)

nathan is out of warren's league

nathan and warren 1

nathan and warren 2

nathan and warren childhood hc

why nathan is a second-year senior at blackwell, not a first / ie why is nathan 19, not 18

more about him being a second-year

caroline and kate parallels

nathan makes his own choices

nathan and "the un-self"

what would nathan think about the UD cast?

nathan's signature scent

nathan's cologne at parties (vortex is plumeria-coded to me)

all LIS colognes and perfumes i've made

constants and variables (from BSI to LIS)

why kate? (huge trigger warning)

more kate context

even more kate, nathan, and mark context including sean

comparing josh washington and nathan prescott's mental illnesses

sean’s bully tactic with nathan

portland is not right next to arcadia bay

stats about arcadia's bay population

how would nathan react to being "the victim" or "the model"

does nathan play football?

what drug is nathan using to dose girls?

mark and max's discussion about kate

mark and colorblindness

more on mark's colorblindness + how he sees rachel's earring

mark and kate's folder in the dark room

how the game deceives you of mark in the office and uses david to deter suspicion that nathan and mark are connected

warren and nathan's only non-violent scene / more mark and nathan deterrence from the game

does nathan have powers?

a follow up on a nathan with powers verse

nathan and chloe

a bit about nathan and chloe

mark and 'private pain' as well as more jessi stuff

nathan's persona and commentary about his photography habits

more about mark in the industry with bonus how rachel being missing is unusual ie she is the 'gone girl' of the series

more proof that rachel being missing is unusual

nathan's series of texts to max and sean's text to max

nathan and the police

all of nathan's actions even if you remove that he killed rachel and/or hurt kate plus removing him basically from the dark room entirely and why nathan is still dangerous

mark's family

kate has always stood out to mark

[vorashvan-a]

HEY. so this arm?

this blog will be canon-divergent in that it is a prosthetic. before the game came out i had suspicions it was, but the devs since came out and said it was a gauntlet. SHOO i say!!!!! bellara does have an arm prosthetic.

she is missing most of her arm due to an incident involving the tears of june artifact. the tears of june, when unstable, separates objects nearby into their constituent pieces. this includes people. bellara, unfortunately, was too close to the artifact in their efforts to stabilize it and her arm was claimed in the process.

the gauntlet that she stole is fitted over the prosthetic and functions just as well as it usually does.

[idolbound]

One thought before my Mother™️ comes over:

It is rare that Meredith goes out to the parties thrown by the nobility, but when she does, she typically chooses the dress shirt and trousers (like that of her concept art), but sometimes she will wear a dress - form fitting and accentuating her best features, hair styled appropriately, and maybe even a touch of make up - and most people don’t realize it’s her until they hear her speak. While not often worn, she still remains just as confident in her appearance too.

[weptfreedom]

it is possible, though exceedingly unlikely (given their "crimes" of abandoning the war), that something of who his parents were exists, still, within the Fade. He has no way of knowing, and the likelihood they'd remember him is even smaller than the chance of their continued existence. Emithas has never looked, and Ilriane before him had no opportunity to.

[zimwy]

limitations placed on barnes as a result of his war crimes and scarring of america include that he is no longer allowed to participate in any forward facing government branch and has limited suffrage rights. although he was pardoned for the majority of his crimes and did not face any real imprisonment for more than a few days to months at most, a certain degree of removal was necessary to take in the eyes of the US. this mostly means bucky is not allowed to vote on elections (something he kind of jokingly derides, but doesn't care strongly about) and would not be allowed to do anything like running for office. he literally assassinated john f. kennedy and innumerable politicians, including other US politicians. he would be barred for life.

it doesn't really affect him much, as he wants nothing to do with the government in general. he's just thankful they don't try to monitor him; then he'd have problems.

[pavlovianpanic]

there's a pair of male orcas off of the coast of south africa that kind of coincidentally protect whales but mainly hunt sharks for their livers to eat. if nathan is a whale, who are the orcas and sharks here

so, nathan is the whale. we know this for several reasons: he listens to whale noises, the dead whales in-game are foreshadowing nathan's death (presumed), and it's a common theory or accepted fanon that the whale is nathan's spirit animal. spirit animals are seen in-game as a thing, rachel is the doe (max's spirit animal) that leads her through the game, and there's a whole speculation on if rachel is also the doe or if rachel is appearing as the doe to max in the form of max's spirit animal. i can see either tbh.

so, that aside, what whales are in oregon?

gray whales, humpback whales, orcas, blue whales, minke whales, and sperm whales.

i'm not an expert, but these seem like blue whales to me?

the whales on the beach seem maybe a little varied, but follow this, too? i think?

not really important, the idea of 'the whale' is nathan's motif here, not a specific one, but just fun facts.

for cross-examination, here are the whales of florida:

right whales, humpback whales, fin whales, and orcas

okay, so nathan is the whale. we know this for sure.

the orca: sean

sean protects nathan, but also allows nathan to be in shark-infested waters. orcas can easily kill blue whales if they so choose. seeing a blue whale in africa is possible ... but rare. interesting!

the shark: mark

mark is a threat to nathan actively. sean would feast on anyone's liver, even mark's, but there is a dangerous entanglement they have going. as mark can kill nathan in one route (save chloe / sacrifice the bay), it makes sense that he would be the shark.

interesting note: nathan hangs out, and seems very comfortable at, the two whales diner. just another motif for us.

in a way, sean will always be the orca ... and everyone else is a shark going after "his whale" / his legacy. funny bc i have sean call anyone he sees beneath him a "grouper fish".

[vorashvan-a]

I know in my heart of hearts that bel would love and adore pride and prejudice (2005) starring keira Knightley and Matthew macfadyen directed by joe wright.

[idolbound]

The way that I approach Meredith in either of her redemptive AUs (e.g. Inquisition or Veilguard), is that, after her red lyrium idol sword, Certainty, blows up in her face (and ergo seen as a rejection from the Maker after she called on Him), being exiled serves as an important purpose to helping Meredith realize she was wrong, and understanding that she went too far.

After being exiled out of Kirkwall (think a bloodier, more injured and rushed version of Cersei being walked through King's Landing), for the Inquisition verse, she ventures amidst the outbreak of the mage-templar rebellion, trying to not only heal and recover, but to survive without a direct supply of lyrium. In some ways, she'd have access to supplies here and there for the right amount of coin but as the conflict continues, it becomes harder to get. As the Inquisition forms and moves to Skyhold, and word spreads, she makes the perilous journey there (scarred up, far weaker, and gaunt looking than she once was), and begs the Inquisitor to allow her to join; she is basically a sellsword at this point looking for lyrium supply to stave off the awful effects of withdrawal, but also as a way to try and at least redeem herself and to give herself purpose again. Of course, Culllen and Varric won't be happy she's there, but if accepted, she tends to keep to herself, finding quarters in basically a storage closet, sleeping on bags of feed for the horses and keeps her head down, going where she is demanded to go. She's like a ghost in Skyhold, knowing she failed Kirkwall and failed herself. Over time, with the completion of her personal quest (retrieving personal items from the Gallows/Kirkwall), she finds a new resolve and will survive for about 7-10 years after the Inquisition is over before lyrium dementia will finally set in. (If her personal quest is not completed, she will die serving the Inquisition).

For Veilguard, the tale is spun a little differently. In those 3 years, she still spends time reflecting on herself, but as access to lyrium becomes more difficult, she becomes more desperate and instead, after slowly, horrifically going through withdrawal and looking far worse for wear, she ends up travelling west to enlist with the Wardens as a last resort to save herself from an inevitable end (by, well, choosing another inevitable end). While she has years of experience as a templar, she ends up re-training to serve on the front lines against darkspawn, and eventually, some believe her ability to successfully suppress magic can be useful against certain types of darkspawn, so they secure a supply of lyrium which reinvigorates her strength and capability. But in this time, she is also much of a loner among the Wardens. While they accept nefarious types and criminals, those who know what she did let her know as such, even if it risks having solidarity in the ranks. But in this time, of course, she spends it fighting and giving herself to another cause (all she knows how to do is to serve an institution and something greater). Only after Weisshaupt, can she surface as a possible companion for the Veilguard, should they require her services.

For both verses, though, I think the act of redemption does not necessarily mean that Meredith is suddenly a good person. She's not. But! what it does mean is that she has been removed from the social institution that shaped her personal beliefs and allowed her to oppress mages; it is hard to see the evil when you are inside of it, but once exiled from the Order and Kirkwall more broadly, and spending time alone, she comes to realize that using the idol to gain more power and control was too much, and in a way, it's almost like how mages use blood magic to achieve similar purposes, and that is the very thing she hates the most.

Ultimately, she knows what life she has left to live is an early death sentence; she saw how her adoptive father slowly faded away from lyrium-related dementia, and knows that fate will likely be hers, too. So, Meredith believes that achieving redemption for herself is not to make up for the lives she has hurt and harmed, but to serve and protect others until her dying breath; it is the least she can do because it is all she has ever known.

She still holds prejudice towards mages (and that will always be ingrained in her), but she lacks the power to do anything about their existence now. She cannot let go of her early childhood trauma and general fear of what magic can do, but she has been removed from her station and the means to persecute mages. If the Inquisitor or Rook has mages in their ranks, she accepts it without argument (but she will be avoidant or weary around them, always keeping a watchful eye, just in case).

Also, in this sense, living in exile (despite living under rather unprecedented or... interesting times), is the first time Meredith has ever lived a normal life outside of the Gallows and the Order, and the demands of the Chantry. So this also plays into her redemptive arc by allowing her to experience things she's never gotten to do before, understanding life from a vastly different perspective (even if it is during a time when the world may be ending, and for a very short time compared to her old life).

In the end, redemption for Meredith is not a full 180 degree turn around for her character, but regret weighs heavily upon her; regret for what she did, regret for failing Kirkwall, and regret for never having a life outside of it.

She is haunted by ghosts; she is haunted by herself.