#I could see someone with a bad faith take assuming I meant that it was part of the problem

[secondbeatsongs]

for anyone too young to know this: watching The Truman Show is a vastly different experience now, compared to how it was before youtube and social media influencers became normal

before it was like, "what a horrifying thing to do to a human being! to take away their autonomy and privacy, all for the sake of profits! to create fake scenarios for them to react to, just to retain viewership! to ruin their happiness just so some corporate entity could harvest money from their very humanity! how could anyone do something so evil?"

and now it's like, "ah, yeah. this is still deeply fucked up, but it's pretty much what every influencer has been doing to their kids for a decade now. probably bad that we've normalized this experience"

[ooctlt]

I really like this blog most of the time, but sometimes you take reasonable earnest asks that are trying to be thoughtful, and are such a dick about it.

Like if it's the characters being dicks, fine. But you could say something in the tags or post to indicate you're not just viciously mocking someone for trying to engage.

I still haven't submitted an ask since seeing your response that led to comments along the lines of "anon should go die in a hole" for asking, pretty reasonably, why harrow would want to stay with people she didn't seem to like or want to be around or interact with.

(i know, because she does like them and does want them around but doesn't know how to show it) but it's an ASK blog. How do we hear that from her unless someone ASKS

i understand it might be surprising and a bit hurtful to see an ask answered with the characters being mean/flippant, and for that i do apologize that it wasnt made clear that it would be a common thing in this blog. id like to issue the disclaimer: there is always the possibility that the characters here will not take your question well. they might answer rudely, and instigating behavior is not only encouraged but expected on both ends. this does not reflect my personal opinions as the artist; there are over 250 asks even after i constantly compile duplicates, and i will answer the asks that i personally like.

i will assume you are referencing the two most recent posts where gideon acts rudely and i repost an old panel: for the former i thought anon was really sweet for being so heartfelt and encouraging, but gideon isnt the kind of person who needs to be told shes brave for doing that by a stranger. it was a simple act of survival. and harrow is still very much in the passive deprogramming phase. the latter response was meant to kickstart (spoilers) what i will call the "dicks last resort" arc, where i clean out the inbox and share more simple, low effort, but potentially rude responses*. this is because i have roughly drawn almost daily for 87 days straight, and would like to recuperate without being burnt out because i love this blog and i love art.

this leads me to my next point: some of these answers will be curt and short and rude, because they are easy to draw. if i only prioritized the "good" asks or to make certain ask responses kinder, or longer, it wouldnt be a daily blog. it would be a monthly blog where 5 asks get answered among 100s. i didnt anticipate people asking about harrows piercings, and i considered shutting it down by just having harrow say she likes them etc. but i did want to give more insight into harrows character even if she wouldnt say so herself, and that took roughly 3 full unemployed nights. if i treated every ask in good faith the same way i wouldnt have time for anything else, because they take more effort and have to be seriously considered for the future. i can retcon their favorite ice cream or play off griddlehark fighting - it takes more to keep track of a narrative about people talking Around their issues

* by rude responses i mean "this will affect the 679ers negatively, much like making your sim 🧑‍🤝‍🧑➖➖ someone" there are a few asks planned to hurt in the same way one drafts a bad end in a visual novel, and this type of interaction is encouraged. of course if you dont want them to get worse dont send asks telling gideon she should flirt with MILFs (you cant send this ask now i already said it), but i encourage the banter.

TL;DR this is the "characters think you are weird for personal questions" blog. i am sorry i didnt warn of the ask-response banter, because i also enjoy drawing these characters being dicks. i do like when aggravation and conflict leads to character development. "how do we get earnest answers unless someone asks" sometimes you will never explicitly get that from them, and thats what the dead ends are for: to let you know to try something else and read between the lines

[1moreff-creator]

Regarding your revised Eden!Culrpit Theory Post:

If you're okay answering this, why do you believe that people who believe Hu is the culrpit have to be reading her actions in bad faith? You said that Eden taking the tape means there's more physical evidence for her being the culrpit so arguments about her putting on a facade come from less of a place of bad faith.

However, Hu's wire is involved with the crime & there's no explanation for how it got there. 'Nico took it' but we don't necessarily know that or how, so there's arguably no less reason to assume Hu could be involved as well.

This isn't meant to be inflammatory either, I genuinely just want to understand what you meant by that; I'm impartial one way or another but I don't understand why you would need to be reading Hu's actions in bad faith while you wouldn't also be doing the same for Eden.

ty for answering if you do, and if not ty for reading anyway. ♥️

Hey! Yeah, honestly, I feel I expressed myself pretty poorly in that section of the post you’re referencing, in fact I’ve decided to edit it because I believe it came off as more aggressive and meaner than I intended it to. So it’s fair of you to ask for clarification.

CW: Eden!Culprit, discussion of murder attempt

Technically speaking, both theories revolving around Hu trying to kill someone and Eden!Culprit require some level of “bad faith reading”, in the sense that suspecting anyone of murder is going to make you look at most of what they say in a negative light. So I was wrong to use that term with Hu. I think a more accurate way of saying how I feel about it (and keep in mind this is just my opinion) is that “the level of scrutiny Hu and her lines are placed under is not justified by the concrete evidence of the case(s).”

That should make my feelings a bit clearer. I see the tape’s disappearance from the gym as near irrefutable evidence that Eden is the culprit, so I’m willing to bend and twist her lines of dialogue to fit the evidence. Dialogue has an openness of interpretation that the tape, in my opinion, doesn’t, though I get why that’s not how everyone feels about it.

However, I don’t quite see an equivalent for Hu. The wire in the Ace crime scene doesn’t incriminate her any more than the turpentine used incriminates Rose, or the letter written to Arei (by itself) incriminates Eden. I can pretty confidently say that either Ace or Eden took the tape from the gym; I cannot confidently say that Hu took the wire to the gym.

Despite Nico being caught mid-murder attempt (and they admit they did try to kill Ace), Hu is nowhere to be seen; none of her dialogue afterwards implies she was there; none of Nico’s dialogue points to her being there (their secret quote doesn’t count, we don’t know if that’s gonna be said this chapter or not); unless there’s some method theory I’m missing here, I’ve never really seen a method that requires Hu to be there alongside Nico, and Nico never denies being the one to take the turpentine, meaning they must have been involved since the start. You get the idea.

You need to somehow get around all of that if you’re going to believe Hu is involved in the Ace case, plus the fact that a lot of her dialogue seemingly contradicts the notion at first glance. Meanwhile, the only assumption Nico!SoloAceAttacker requires is that Nico, somehow someway, was able to take the wire at some point; and given there’s precedent to believe they can and would do something like that (turpentine), I find it quite easy to believe.

Obviously, it’s a matter of opinion. To some people, the wire is a smoking gun that proves Hu’s involvement, the same way I feel about the tape for Eden. And I guess, in that case, I can’t really blame them for reading Hu’s dialogue in a different manner. For me, though, the wire has perfectly acceptable workarounds. And I feel Hu being involved in either crime scene makes far more assumptions than simply saying Nico did everything themselves, which then by Occam’s Razor makes me inclined to believe the latter.

Thanks for the ask, and sorry if anyone felt hurt or offended by my original wording, it really wasn’t my intention.

[jq37]

Here's my conspiracy theory for the Ratgrinders and Buddy Dawn: He was always meant to be a disposable pawn. They wanted the Bad Kids to go to the Last Stand and have Buddy be the cleric so they could kill him and leave the Bad Kids to die. And they wouldn't have to worry about failing because (and here's the crazy part):

They have a body double of Lucy prepared.

That would explain why Ivy wasn't shocked to see Fig disguised as Lucy (Ivy already knows there's a second Lucy around) and why the Ratgrinders specifically asked for someone from another school (they could write him off as "not technically part of the party" and thus, his death doesn't affect their grade)

It's really making me crazy that they haven't chased the "Ivy noticing Fig as Lucy" thread harder. I've been obsessed with it for so long at this point. It could just be a matter of Ivy clocking that it was someone in disguise as Lucy because she has high Passive Perception or something, but if not then it's a huge loose end! We've had body doubles on this show before (Lydia had one made by Aguefort I believe) so it is something that we've seen can be done. Still doesn't explain why she'd be so chill with seeing the double just casually at Fabian's house party.

I think Buddy is def a pawn. The only question is to what end. Killing Buddy to leave the Bad Kids to die is def possible--insane overreaction but that's kind of the nature of this season. I don't think they'd be able to claim that Buddy isn't part of their party--he's a transfer but he is a student--but I think they would be able to take The Last Stand if they wanted to and didn't want to go pass fail. Also, iirc, they didn't ask for a transfer. They asked for a *Helioic* cleric. Assuming I'm remembering correctly, that would mean there was something about that specific faith that they were interested in. My OG theory is that they were trying to create another Kristen they could control--like if you wanted to create Batman so you found a rich kid and killed their parents after a screening of Puss in Boots 2.

Even if they have a double of Lucy to swap in once Buddy is axed, I believe the rule is that if your party comp changes at all, you're cooked. And I think swapping your cleric would be a change in party comp. But who knows. Maybe there's something in the bylaws that can combat that? They really need to read those bylaws.

[sniffanimal]

it's something I'm still also working on but genuinely taking 10 seconds to reread what you're about to post and thinking critically about it can be extremely good for you and anyone who sees your posts and comments.

when you're about to post something, take just a second and think "what is the gist of my comment, and is it what I meant to say with it". maybe pretend you're overanalyzing your comments for possible bad faith readings or something, if that helps. could someone get offended or hurt by what I'm saying? can I rework this to be more kind or positive?

think about if the thing you're about to say is genuinely nice (not backhanded nice like "I HATE this thing but I'm so glad you love it!") or if it furthers the conversation at all or stops it dead ("I disagree" versus "I disagree with most of this, because... though I can see the point earlier because...")

I'm not trying to push a toxic positivity like "everything you say online needs to be positive", for example I wouldn't call this post positive. But it does set up a discussion that can be had, and I hope the idea of "assume good intentions online" isn't so controversial it offends.

I'm sorry that critical thinking and discussion questions aren't just something for canvas assignments. you need to engage with people online under the correct assumption that they're real people with feelings! if you wouldn't want someone to say it to you, don't say it to someone else.

[opinated-user]

Catching up on stuff I missed and that whole debacle with Batman’s food just doesn’t make reasonable sense no matter what way you slice. Why do you need to show a receipt for buying cat food? Does this person not know what a receipt is for? It’s mainly for being eligible to return an item if it wasn’t satisfactory to your tastes, but you can’t just do that with food, because you have to have ruined the packaging in some way in order to use it. No store is going to take back a cereal box someone opened up because the cereal turned out to be stale. You keep receipts for shit like buying clothes in case the clothes might not fit, which is actually what happened to me a few weeks ago when buying new jeans so there’s an example right there.

And second, this has to assume that Courtney wouldn’t, you know, feed her cat, like she said she was going to. What kind of person would just intentionally starve their cat, if they weren’t already abusive to their pets? The fact that she considered pawning off her laptop, which is going to have long term consequences in any capacity, just to feed the poor guy shows she clearly was really to take the long term hit just so she doesn’t have to lose her cat.

And third, how the fuck does this relate to Lily using money that was supposed to go to Mikala (not sure if that’s spelled right) immigration fees to buy a new desk. This is a giant stretch to put those on the same levels of seriousness. I can reasonably understand that Courtney’s current situation could mean that she can use some of the money meant for cat food to buy other things, since I can reasonably assume that her Ko-fi was made for that purpose, and Courtney’s character means she would probably be upfront if that’s something that happened, and good on her for doing that anyways, she seems to be tight on money as is. Meanwhile, Lily committed actual fraud. I’m not sure if this could count as charity fraud, but even someone like me, with no law experience, clearly knows taking money meant for something big and spending it on something else is legally questionable.

THERE WAS AN ENTIRE CONTROVERSY LATELY WITH THE COMPLETIONIST HAVING DONE EXACTLY THAT, WHY DID NO ONE QUESTION THIS

Sorry if this is long-winded and redundant at this point, but I saw that whole thing when catching up on the LO drama and I just needed to vent my whole frustrations with that.

i have to thank you, anon, for putting everything i have felt about that particular situation so succinctly. after everything was said and done, i have a strong feeling that sparky was behind those messages. just like i'm almost sure that he was behind all the "apparently" messages that LO is getting with archived links of our posts. why? because that's exactly how he used to talk to me just to hear my response. the only times we talked at all was when he wanted to bring some new thing that LO had said or done. that without even bringing up he confessed to Brittany he just likes to stir the pot to see what happens. that's his way to try to sympathize with you, to show you that he is on your side. "i bring you all this stuff that you can use against the people you dislike, so that must mean that i'm good in your eyes, right? only a friendly person would do that!" nevermind that even back then, i'd find weird the frequency with which he did it because... sometimes he'd share completely innocent and small messages from LO and i'd have genuinely no idea of how to respond because they were completely useless to prove anything. that's the exact same thing he is doing with LO, but he has upgraded now to just completely lie or intentionally misrepresent everything to self that distorted version back to LO. LO's being played like a fiddle, just like he played all of us for a while until he revealed his true colors. i have no doubt in my mind that only an individual acting in bad faith would seriously try to take me trying to talk about LO scamming her audience, literally going out of their way to copy my words, spamming me with multiple messages even after i blocked their IP by using a VPN, as somehow Courtney being the one to scam everyone because she didn't show the receipts for cat food. but of course that LO only cares about having something, anything, against the sibling that is dennouncing her, so she won't bother to use reason, logic or even check if the allegations are true before just publish them for her audience to stick only with whatever she tells them. they already believe that a 6 year old can be blamed for the abuse perpetrated by an adult after all!

[summitclan-chronicles]

On the evening of the halfway mark of November, I thought it would be good to go over the expectations of SCC. Expectations are meant to define the community & how it is meant to behave; a simple guide to ensure everyone knows what is appropriate behavior with each other. These are barebones, non-negotiable. While they fill the same niche as rules, I like to call them expectations since I tried to make them as positive/pro-behavior wherever I could, and remove the aggressive, restrictive, negative feeling of a "rule." However, if I need to start using rules ("no [thing] allowed!"), I will.

All Members are 18+. As a baseline this roleplay will only be open for those over the age of 18. While nothing inappropriate happens, it just is a very daunting task to manage a space with both minors and adults in it. Considering there are other roleplays going down to as low as 13 being allowed, and with the intent of the roleplay getting into the "gritty" end of being a warrior as much as the joy, I thought SCC could sit comfortable as an adult space.

What if I'm a minor? I hear you and I understand how hard it can be to wait for a roleplay you want to join. However, it's better for everyone if you wait! There are lots of places you can go in the meantime. You're also free to follow the blog, read our posts and send in asks. And here's the thing: SCC is designed to last beyond myself, the current admin. The idea is that if I cannot head the roleplay, someone else can, and systems are in place to ensure Summitclan does not lose its way. If all goes well, SCC will be there when you are old enough to join!

Behave in Good Faith. In today's climate it's very easy to fall into sand traps of assuming everthing everyone says is the worst version of itself. With a world growing so thorny, it's important we cultivate trustworthy spaces where we can break down those defensive walls. By promising to take everything we see in good faith while participating in SCC, we foster a community that can be truthful, calm, and curious about one another.

Welcome the Unpredictability. The reason SCC is a roleplay is because players bring a certain home-grown, organic feel between characters that can't be replicated by a single writer. In many roleplays I've found myself caught in a web of complex plans among other complex webs, and I thought this would best be left behind in SCC. The true "draw" of a roleplay is not knowing what the future holds - so unpredictability is explicitly encouraged and welcomed. Planning is of course allowed, but try to let the unknown in!

Be Light, for Light's Sake. It can be exciting and fun to write an angsty character, and not everyone has a perfectly peaceful life. But in the same way, not everyone is having a nightmarishly bad life either. Why not have a character with a close relationship with their mother? Why not have their whole litter live to adulthood? Why not give them a constructive rapport with their mentor? Tragedies and joys come in equal measures, and it's the mark of a well-rounded character (and writer!) to have highs and lows balanced.

Understand, And Be Understood. SCC is a roleplay made by an English-speaking person with an English community in mind. We welcome all people from everywhere, of course! For ease of moderation, please come with the expectation of English usage - if you choose to send a message in a different language, it's best to provide translation so you're not misunderstood!

Take it Slow. SCC is, majorly, a story about characters & the many ways their lives can intertwine. In order for big, defining moments to hit right, we need to establish the small, sweet, soft moments first. The day-to-day grind of cleaning dens, sorting out bad prey, border patrols, telling stories to kittens and celebrating holidays can create complexities we don't even write - allowing characters to become creatures of their own, somewhat outside even their writer's control!

Uphold Your Wellbeing. Not every conversation will be for everyone - some topics may make us feel afraid, anxious or unwell. In these moments it's important to realize that it truly is just a discord server. You won't ever be judged for taking a step back - muting the server for a period of time, or a specific channel/category, can do wonders. If a member is struggling to remove themselves from a highly stimulating scenario, we have gentle measures in place to give people space to feel those emotions without having access to other members, avoiding brash decisions and protecting staffs' ability to study what went awry and how to better manage it.

Speak and Share Freely. Not every idea can be used when it is said, but we have a dedicated list for suggestions & who brought it up (and who contributed, if anyone). Should the staff need inspiration for a plot or fill in a hole, they refer to the list and pluck ideas from what people have said before! You never know - a year and a half from now your totally random 2am idea might define a significant point in your character's story!

Appreciate Members & Characters. In a roleplay where each member has only one character, it's extremely important to remember that a character does not and often will not directly correlate to a member's behavior or views. A character that is a huge jerk likely has a member that is perfectly kind and gentle (especially in a roleplay where those traits are encouraged!). Likewise, a character that is very good should not stop you from reporting bad behavior and holding others accountable for their actions and choices.

Always Act In Kindness. Like all the other rules, this ensures other members can trust you, and you can trust other members. Rest assured that in this roleplay you will be among friends, and if any act in an unfriendly way, they will change their ways or find themselves quite unwelcome. This does require some effort - in order to trust others one must be trustworthy, and prove as such continually, which I plan to do as a member of my own roleplay. As long as the community puts in the effort to uphold these expectations even when no mods are present, it will run strong and noone will have to worry about whether this is a good place to be.

What about staff? Staff are given hard rules, which correlate to what have been listed. While these are not shared publically, staff are handed scripts & methods to use in order to diffuse and redirect tense conversations, open up curiosity where there might be room for aggression, and promote positive, patient interactions. They will inevitably be held to a somewhat higher standard than typical members as the intended authority and role models, but should things go sideways we use the same tactics on members and staff alike!

On this lovely night I hope you have all eaten well, done something kind for yourselves, and learned something new. As we draw closer to 2024 and our follower count grows little by little, I find myself even more excited to meet everyone and see your applications roll in - be that now or in the future when that big birthday hits!

Goodnight... or morning!

[alyjojo]

Thinking of You - April ✂️ 2024 - Sagittarius

Whole of their energy towards Sagittarius: King of Wands

Feelings: Ace of Wands

Intentions: 7 Swords

Actions: 5 Pentacles, The Hermit, 2 Wands

Well if nothing else, this person is extremely attracted to you, they find you to be the center of attention & a commanding presence, you do it for them in that regard. This could be a fling or side piece sort of energy, they see you moving towards a new beginning, one full of passion & sexual desire (I assume with them). It’s not going to last though, and I’m not sure on which side that’s to blame, you? The oracles here being Calm & Self-Care could have you or them focused on peace in yourselves, not necessarily planning a future. Maybe just some temporary fun. At the bottom, they’re unsure from the get go 💯 If you two get together, it’s purely impulse & attraction.

Their feelings do hope to grow, but there’s issues at the bottom. A bad cycle, bad karma, bad timing, something is off with this or someone just isn’t ready. They do have romantic feelings for you, though it doesn’t seem meant to be. They’ll flirt, date even, try to, maybe even feel some kinda butterflies, it’s very possible this is a 3rd party situation - this most likely being the 3rd party. If so, they know, that could be the bad karma I’m seeing, and if this is a crosswatching read - you being the lover - that could be what you fear. This person wants you bad 💯

They intend to dance around issues, hide whatever they need to hide. If they’re a side chick/dick, they could be aiming for more, but they’re not trying to cause drama. Or if it’s switched, then this person knows you want more and they’re ducking & dodging accountability left and right because they don’t want the drama. No intention on there ever being committed, lasting, long term love. Just sex. In action, they feel left behind, not important or prioritized, like you don’t really care about them (because you don’t 💯 or switch). They’re staying to themselves and trying to move forward, hoping you’ll come around again and take this leap of faith with them, with The Fool clarifying your energy. I don’t see it, they have to worry about themselves. It’s possible they love you, they definitely feel something more than just passion. Or know you do.

Messages:

Their side:

- Sneaky Messages

- Love at Work

Your side:

- I am DAMAGED 🤕

- Lighter skin tone

Oracles:

Peace. It starts with releasing the bullshit 🕊️

Calm 🧘🏻‍♀️

Inner Peace - Simplicity - Meditation

Self-Love 💆

Self Concern - Self Healing - Independence

Possible signs:

Aries, Aquarius, Cancer & Virgo

If you’re dealing with:

Page of Pentacles can be many things, but most of all they’re a good friend, it’s the “friend zone” card for romantic readings. This is someone that won’t say something they have no intention on following through with, they’re a planner and a studious person, could be focused on school or studies, planning a future and lining up their steps to apply effort to. Not flighty with others, maybe just this person. Someone could be apologizing as well, or you are.

Aries - feels pressured to be nice even though they’re disappointed in you - or switch it

Taurus - overcoming something shocking and life changing successfully, with grace even

Gemini - holds back from you because they have several options and they’re waiting for clarity on the one they want? The one that makes them happy or idk - it’s a competition with them

Cancer - feels bound and unable to reach their happiness because of family, someone else’s decisions - or it’s just taking forever

Leo - expecting financial blessings as a reward for their hard work, or yours

Virgo - talking to a couple of different people and not sure which is the right one, or simply getting advice from others because…help

Libra - seems to have suspected something of you and they’re turning out to be right 💯

Scorpio - could be married to them or in a deeply committed relationship, that’s currently in the process of a major change - positive ones

Sagittarius - coming back around and you don’t even care, or that’s switched, there’s no real communication or deep bond going on here

Capricorn - could start working at home or you form a closer relationship with them at work, could be literally working on a home - or the relationship

Aquarius - passionate messages back and forth, could be someone new you’re seeing, they see lasting future potential with you

Pisces - loved you deeply in the past and loves you still, nostalgic & always thinking of you

[broodwolf221]

okay banter practices to try and get my new inky's voice down a little bit and it's still elusive but this does help

also ajkfjkalf this is so long? over 1k of just banter. so. under a cut it goes

Valyris: Solas. Solas: Yes? Valyris: You seem contemptuous of the Dalish. Solas: I understand why you would believe that. Valyris: Are you saying I’m wrong? Solas: I do not hold them in contempt. Pity, if anything. They are wrong, but they do not realize. It is... tragic. Valyris: You do realize we don’t want your pity? Solas: [laughs] Oh, I am quite aware.

Solas: Your clan taught you your magic, I presume? Valyris: Yes. Solas: Your Keeper taught you well. Valyris: I’m surprised you dare compliment anything the Dalish have done. Solas: [sighs] If I offended, I apologize. Valyris: It is not your words which have offended, but your opinions. Solas: Hm.

Solas: I wonder, what would you have me do? Valyris: What? Solas: For the Dalish. What would you have me do? Shall I go and tell them their entire history is wrong? Tell them the truth I’ve seen? Valyris: [laughs] You’re so arrogant. Why not listen? Solas: [pauses] They are wrong, my lady. Valyris: [sighs] It is faith, Solas. Belief. You may think it is wrong, but we do not. You could learn a great deal if you sat and listened with an open mind. Solas: And swallow all I know to be true? Valyris: You say you’ve seen our truth in the Fade? Solas: I have. Valyris: And you say that the Fade alters things, that each memory is changed by observing it, that each is real - but none is the only truth? Solas: I... take your meaning, my lady. Valyris: Then perhaps, someday, you will also take my advice. Listen to the Keepers. Choose your own beliefs only. Ours are not a matter for debate.

Varric: You’re quiet. Valyris: I’m concentrating. Varric: No, you’re just quiet. Concentrating was what we were doing ten minutes ago, killing those demons. Now we’re just walking. Unless you have to concentrate on that? Valyris: What would you have me say? Varric: Anything? Valyris: You talk too much. Varric: [laughs]

Cole: Armor all the time, the old memories, Herald but I don’t believe- what will my people think? Valyris: [sighs] I do what I must, Cole. Cole: You do. It doesn’t make you bad that you’re angry about it, though. Valyris: I... thank you.

Vivienne: So, Herald, I assume your clan taught you magic? Valyris: They did. Mostly my Keeper. Vivienne: Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you meant to take on that role? Valyris: Yes. When our current Keeper... when she passes, I will take on that role. Vivienne: Ah. Valyris: I do what I must, Madame de Fer, but I am still of my clan. Vivienne: Of course, my dear.

Sera: Herald of Andraste. Valyris: [sighs] Please don’t call me that. Sera: It’s your name, innit? Valyris: It’s not my name. It’s not even my title. And I don’t believe in Andraste or the Maker. Sera: Sure, sure, elfy gods and all. You got that all over your face. But... Valyris: But what, Sera? Sera: Well... what if it was Andraste? Who saved you, I mean? Valyris: I don’t believe it was. Sera: But what if? Valyris: Then she made a bad choice. Sera: [snorts]

Iron Bull: We gotta work on your wicked grace face. Valyris: My what? Iron Bull: It’s a game. Valyris: Okay, and...? Iron Bull: It’s about not showing your cards all the time. Valyris: You’re not making any sense. Iron Bull: See, like that! You’re showing your cards all the time. You’re way too expressive, boss. Valyris: What? Iron Bull: [laughs]

Valyris: Bull... Iron Bull: Yeah? Valyris: What did you mean, before? Iron Bull: About what? Valyris: Wicked grace...? Iron Bull: Oh, that. You try to keep yourself to yourself but you’re doing a real bad job of it. No disrespect intended. Valyris: Meaning? Iron Bull: Meaning... your reactions are as plain as the nose on your face. Valyris: Fenedhis.

Dorian: So... I’ve never spoken with a Dalish before. Valyris: And I’ve never spoken with someone from Tevinter. Dorian: New experiences all around, I guess. Valyris: Hm. Dorian: Look, I just... I hope this won’t be an issue between us? Valyris: I care deeply about my people, Dorian, but my focus is on their future, not their past. What is done is done. If you are truly committed to restoring the peace, to stopping Corypheus, then I see you as an ally. Dorian: That is most gracious. Valyris: Not at all. We need all the help we can get. Dorian: There is that.

Blackwall: I, ah... Valyris: Yes? Blackwall: Well. I am... very curious about your people. But I don’t know how to ask anything without sticking my foot in my mouth. Valyris: [laughs] Blackwall: There I go. Valyris: [still laughing] No, it’s alright. Ask your questions as you will. Blackwall: Ah. Then I suppose I will, my lady.

Blackwall: What we were talking about before... Valyris: Yes? Blackwall: Do your people truly travel all the time? Valyris: Not all the time, but frequently. We will often stop for a season or two in a particular area. Sometimes she- ah, humans will come and drive us away earlier. Blackwall: Damn. You’d think we’d give it up after all these years. Valyris: You’d think.

Blackwall: May I ask about the markings you wear? Valyris: Yes. They are called the Vallaslin. We use them to honor our gods. Blackwall: And yours...? Valyris: Honors Dirthamen, the god of secrets and mysteries. My magical talent was discovered when I was quite young, and I’ve always asked too many questions. My Keeper thought it an appropriate marking. Blackwall: She was more right than she knew, looks like. Valyris: [laughs]

Cassandra: Your clan must be proud of you. Valyris: For what? Cassandra: Well, you’re closing the rifts. Helping people. Valyris: I suppose. Cassandra: Do you disagree? Valyris: I... no. But I want to be with them, Cassandra. I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be at my Keeper’s side, learning our history, our magic. I’m supposed to be in training to be the next Keeper. Cassandra: Surely they will understand? Valyris: Would you understand? What if your Andraste had allied herself with another group? What if that group had oppressed yours for ages? Cassandra: I... do not know what to say. Valyris: [sighs] I apologize. It is not your fault. Cassandra: You must miss them. Valyris: All the time.

Cassandra: I take it you plan to return to your clan, then? Valyris: As soon as I can. Cassandra: The Inquisition will not be the same without you, I fear. Valyris: Perhaps not. But I have been away too long as it is. Cassandra: I cannot in good conscience ask you to choose us. Valyris: But you hope I do. Cassandra: I believe you were sent to us. I pray that you are able to fulfill your purpose... and that you are able to find your peace, wherever it is. Valyris: ...that is kind, Seeker.

[msfbgraves]

hey <3 it's funny how different people tale things isn't it. i've been following the ~discourse~ and i find the pearl clutching over terry "cheating" rather bizarre. you've mentioned before it could very possible that super affectionate daniel would cheat(?), which is more unusual to me, as i interpret omega biology and nature to be very faithful for various reasons (most notably safety). terry processing his feelings (which is already a challenge because he's an Alpha) via sex makes a lot of sense to me as a seasoned a/b/o writer and reader.

fanfic is writing, writing is art, art is meant to challenge us. i think this sort of issue comes about in fandom/fanfic because a) the world is a garbage fire and people want to escape and soothe via stories - understandable - and b) there's a small but significant part of fandom communities that is very puritan and demands perfect morals/ethics in all fics at all times. i mean sure, write your extremely pure, ethical fics if you wish, but imposing that on everyone else...? no. absolutely not!

i'd rather read the messy, the complex, the nuanced stories - and yes, the dark stories - personally. i'm defo weak for softness and fluff too. but two things can be true, right? right. terry can deeply love daniel, he can also be selfish and cruel sometimes. that's reality, and that's what the best fanfic does - weaves the surreal (say, a/b/o) with the real (complex, difficult relationships).

Storm's over it seems, but I had no idea it was such a sensitive topic. I've always seen it as a sorry fact of life. Regrettable, but circumstance and intent matter. And omegaverse is a free for all. There are no rules because well, they don't exist. Shoking, I know!

And yes, for unrelated reasons I have seen so many mafia movies with the men being despicable, unapologetic, sexist brutes that I kind of assumed that a mob boss could at least be capable of it in my fic too? For a seasoned Don to think, this guy is bad news, uh... to only see him be sweet and loving could make you think "what was Don LaRusso afraid of?" Let there be consequences to selling your child to a dangerous criminal. Let's see what happens when you marry someone who has never had to take no for an answer! I actually find it interesting to see what it does to Terry, going through life with that Alpha and mob boss entitlement and finally understanding the cost of that to others and himself. For him to change, to need to change for love. That's the good stuff, baby. To see what entitlement can wreck. And maybe, unlike so many mobsters in films, to understand they have to change their ways before they're too old to throw a punch. And what heroism it takes for others to stay long enough for that to happen. What sacrifice. Knowing how much he owes his mate. That's my fantasy. To see that before they're 80 and on wife nr 3 because the first two couldn't take the abuse anymore.

Of course people also want escapism and no one should have to read what doesn't give them joy. I also understand the fun in essentially collaborating with a story in real time. But even though influence is welcome and valuable, I still think that an author should have the final say on their story. The idea that protagonists can never be unlikable, not even for a second, is strange to me. People fuck up, that's interesting! Martin Luther King jr. cheated on his wife, that does not negate the good he's done!

Of course I understand to want a fantasy world of fluff too... but then I'd recommend, and I mean this sincerely, The Babysitters Club. I read the hell out of that for precisely that reason. My protagonists mess up and deep love is both the force that keeps people alive but does not - and again this fascinates me - solve everything.

[stevishabitat]

This is what happens when a tool created by Black folks gets appropriated to the wider internet.

Black folks wanted to have conversations online without white people inserting themselves and offering opinions about things that were frankly none of their business.

So you would see variations on "white people DNI" on posts particularly about things like colorism, misogynoir, Black LGBTQIA+ issues, etc.

The DNI wasn't on their personal profile or a pinned post or something. It was on the specific post to let people know that although the post was public for everyone to see, it wasn't for Everyone to Comment On.

And of course, like everything else on the internet, it spread beyond the Black creators to everyone else - without the cultural context. DNI disclaimers were added to everything from queer topics and feminism, to sports and media fandom.

To the point where you had posts with "X Character Stans DNI".

But at least it was still on the posts themselves, or in tags, so you could see that this particular post, wherever you happened to come across it, was meant for a particular audience. If you didn't fall in that category, maybe just scroll on.

The jump to putting extensive and vague (or hyperspecific) DNI lists in your profile or on a pinned post or carrd or something... That's just so far outside the original intent.

The expectation that someone will 1. Look at that list before they follow you or respond to a post and 2. Actually do what's asked? Seems like a very strange thing to assume on the internet.

I mean, yeah maybe people will take it in good faith and be like "hmm maybe this person's stuff just isn't for me", but there are lots more bad faith people who will use that as an excuse to put their Troll Hat on and see if they can get a reaction from you.

If the thing you're putting in the DNI isn't that big a deal, then having a troll bother you with it might be annoying but not terrible. If you're listing things that are actually triggers for anxiety, a phobia, or ptsd? You are putting yourself at risk by publicizing it. Because bullies sniff that shit out like sharks on the hunt (see also: advertising that you're a teen 😱 don't do that!)

It's reasonable to list the topics you commonly post about, to give potential followers a heads up about what they're likely to see in your posts - in your profile or pinned post - especially if you aren't great at tagging.

Make that list clear and easy to find and read. That makes it easier for visitors/potential followers to decide if your blog is a good fit for them.

A simple line like "I reserve the right to block as I see fit" serves as enough warning that if people rub you the wrong way you aren't going to engage.

Honestly, you don't owe anyone on the internet a reason for blocking or filtering or using tags to curate your internet environment.

You don't owe any random stranger a welcome into your living room. You can say "No Thanks!" and firmly shut the door. If they try to shove letters through your door, you don't have to read them - put them straight in the recycle bin.

"xyz DNI" blocking people is YOUR job, sorry. You cannot ask the world to simply move around you, you have to take control of your online experience or you will be fucking miserable forever. Most people don't read your bio/pinned/carrd before touching the posts that cross their dash anyways.

Also maybe worry less about if someone who likes something you hate clicks on your tumblr post. I promise it is not that fucking serious.

Also-also if you have this DNI because your friends/moots said or implied you have to otherwise you're somehow Bad and/or will be punished by them if you don't, that's kind of fucked and maybe you need less controlling friends.

[taxfraudhousewife]

hey toga

getting a job didn’t cure the depression

the new kind of depression

at least it’s not personal anymore

at least everyone doesn’t hate me for reasons no one can place but everyone can see

i don’t know what to do now

i have so many questions

i wish it didn’t take me so long to think of them

i’m sorry i took so long

i really wish you were here

my friends don’t want to do illegal shit

my mom thinks i’m brainwashed

maybe you are too

i can’t decide if it’s better or worse than regular brainwashing

what the fuck did you do

i haven’t even internalized your actual death how am i supposed to internalize the fucking concept of socialism without tearing myself inside out

how did you hold your outsides out

what kind of outside did you even have to grow

i think mine is bad

i know yours is worse

how did you just sit inside your own outside

i can’t keep it separate

maybe we’re not supposed to

but everyone else can

i can’t tell if you did

i assume not if you were abusing that many substances

but you weren’t as insufferable as i am

that extremely likeable disposition

i know it’s wrong to be jealous of you

it’ll never stop until i am you

i wouldn’t have to be become you if you were still here

if you took me with you or not i could’ve been something else

someone whose muslim jesus is alive and well

im so desperate to be the person you might’ve turned me into

but there is no one to do the turning

except for me

who still really misses you

me who can’t just let you go

maybe i’m just a woman who needs a man to follow and serve

so ready to throw the second brick that the first no longer crosses my mind

and boy have i seen my beloved men be strong and brave

but maybe that’s why i put too much faith in them

it could’ve been you

i will never get over that

a god i would fight to my death for

isn’t that dramatic from me of all people

id probably get you killed a lot sooner

you’d never let me come in the first place

you’d talk me out of it and i’d obey because that’s what religious freaks do

who knows how long i’d spend believing im meant to follow the rules

because you’d say what you need to say to keep me from becoming you

i’m not anything like you tho

i’m too scared to do anything alone

and jesus louisis i am so alone without you

and i’m so fuckin lost and i miss you

my friends say let it eat itself

but that would make you an accelerationist

and i have that same accelerationist demon inside

but he’s just as afraid to act alone as i am

it’s so lonely

that’s the point

and i could get over myself for the sake of actual human connection

i could let the world eat itself

maybe even be happy

and you wouldn’t blame me

you’d probably encourage it

i know you wouldn’t want me to throw away my undeserved place in the machine for ideologies and promises

i know you wouldn’t want me under the fireworks and orchestras

it must’ve been hard

the balance between keeping the teenagers safe and radicalizing them too far

teaching revolution without violence

when you know it’s not possible

i assume they weren’t as hardcore loyalist as me

i assume they know better than me that nothing is possible without violence

i imagine you desperately wrangling angry nineteen year olds

your incantations are only half as effective on them

i keep wondering if you were afraid that you’d set them up for death so young

wish you’d wrangle me

or choose not to

but an active choice rather than dead omission is all i really want

i could hate myself less if you carved away what you deemed excess

if i could keep everything in me that i learned from you

if the reactionary anger slathered over the grief could melt away in your light

if everything in me had your seal of approval

come on muslim jesus

you’re the closest thing i’ll have to a real prophet

i’m sorry i thought you were too smart for your religion

i get it now (in a way)

you showed me where to find fundamental truths about the universe

maybe in a way you were too smart for your religion

but your golden light didn’t come from your smarts

your light was fever hot and smelled like ketosis breath

damp like my gong gongs jungle and dehydrated like my grandmas sand storms

scaled like a dragon and sweetly sung like a bird

i felt like a cat laid in the sun

is it crazy how bad i wish i could curl up with you again

i used to fantasize about your angry nineteen year olds busting you out and sending you here

sometimes i still do

they were strong and able to pull it off because of what you gave them

sent you here swollen and bruised but with your organs intact

and you just needed to rest for a week and you voluntarily rested

because you believed those angry nineteen year olds had east turkistan in the bag

and i doted on you like you did me when we were both younger and more functional

and between the doting i curled up beside you and watched you write and after every word i’d ask

what’s that say

you’d respond in perfect russian

and i would say naxui and roll my eyes at you

and you would roll your eyes at me

and i would press my brow to yours and try not to cry

cause at this point in the maladaptive daydream i’ve remembered it’s not real

if i could cradle that giant asian head and just hold on for five more seconds

i don’t need enough time to confess my undying religious devotion

but enough for you to know that even tho i can’t say it to anybody i love you

and i believe you

[lovewithoutresin]

You've already implied through your reblogs that taylor shouldn't be singled out for her private jet use, which is fair, but what are your thoughts specifically on how she threatened legal action against someone who was posting information that's required by law to be publicly available?

Hi anon, I think the posts earlier also expressed this, but here's my sense of the issue.

I admit first of all to not having seen much of this issue outside of people talking about it, so please take my words with a grain of salt here. But according to what I've heard, this person isn't simply tracking her emissions. They're actively posting her whereabouts.

I have no way of knowing what Taylor's intentions are or what specifically she sent a cease and desist about - whether it was the emissions tracking or the location tracking specifically that got her. I can only give her the benefit of the doubt on that part, and that's often what I try to do with people in these situations. But she is well within her rights to prevent her current location and travel patterns themselves from being tracked, given the severity of her security risks.

People tracking her jets to stalk her was a big issue back during rep era as well (see the LWYMMD video and her sawing off the plane wing) and frankly, while her emissions should be public and she is not entitled to being unaccountable for her impact on the environment, she IS entitled to whatever privacy she can manage. You or I (most likely) could travel anywhere in the world without everyone else in the world hearing about it. She should also have that.

I don't know how emissions are USUALLY meant to be publicly available, whether they get reported through an agency or some other way - again I am WOEFULLY under-informed on this issue and I won't pretend otherwise. But I'm sure there are ways that don't require a constant monitor on her available to everyone. I also won't pretend not to believe she should cut down on the amount of air travelling she does, OR that I believe it would ever be remotely reasonable to ask her to fly commercial when she does.

I do believe it also came out at one point that she does buy significant carbon offsets, which doesn't eliminate the issue obviously but does make me feel significantly better about it and shows an awareness of the impact private jet use has.

Anyway, I think the cease and desist was within reason. There IS often a narrative built up around Taylor (and there has been for YEARS) that she's too heartless and lawsuit-happy and those accusations bring an undertone that I REALLY don't like (although I think this is a good faith questions you're asking, anon, so this isn't directed at you in any way).

Ultimately I would just say that, while everyone is free to interpret her actions and the reasons behind them however they wish, you have to understand that there are reasonable explanations for them too, and I personally don't see the point in erring on the side of assuming malice (even if it's a bad habit we all fall into sometimes).

[girlcalledwhatsername]

@themandilorian hope you don't mind me picking up these tags because I'm having a very similar experience right now. Personally I don't mind, or even quite like, being told that someone will read something I've written later. But I had seen it around a few times that people don't like to hear anything that might read as "I want this work to be finished" so I don't put that in when commenting. But what's scary about this conversation right now is that a lot of people are saying they "just don't see it as a compliment" and then going on to explain it in a way that makes such a comment seem malicious. Like you said, this doesn't feel like engaging in good faith.

Because even if I read all these people's views on why such a comment is fully rude I can only understand it for this particular comment and there's bound to be some other social cue I'll miss another time with another comment because I couldn't possibly have guessed how it can be taken maliciously (like I couldn't possibly have guessed for this comment before I read what everyone here said) and it will end up being torn down as something purposefully horrid, or taken in such a starkly different light from how I meant it. I love leaving comments and I do try to follow some common "do it this way!" things that people post, but I'm also one of those people who leaves much longer comments and whenever I see a post like this I realise that I no longer know which parts of those comments secretly have a much much worse meaning to others.

Someone mentioned it would be like going to someone and saying "I'll totally eat this cake when it's ready" and that why would you be saying that. But, I genuinely don't understand that? Do you not say stuff like that?

And again I'll reiterate that I have read this so I know now to not do a comment of this type but I also don't understand connotations leading that way so this just means there are more innocuous things I may be saying that people are taking in utter bad faith. Because again, lot of people are reading this as genuinely being in bad faith or that the author was right to clap back or that the reader in question actually doesn't care. It isn't being regarded in good faith whatsoever. [Side note, but also what I've talked about before, with autistic people never actually feeling fully safe in their interactions if you can't even handle the "didn't pick up on this social cue" part of autism and NEED to read everything as a personal attack]

And this is such a weird experience for me rn because other than being like, a writer myself and being a reader who leaves big comments and all that, I do also very much read WIPs, but I know my limits and it's very weird to assume that people not willing to read them but being willing to leave a comment anyway are being brats demanding a finished product. I know my memory issues start acting up and I have trouble following WIPs often. I had to abandon a lot of things I was reading halfway because I kept having to go back over and over because my memory is that bad. Now because I know this from people telling me this is Bad I tend to just not say shit and leave wips alone while I'm having those issues. But earlier, if I'd seen a work that I'm interested in and was actually excited about I'd have wanted the author to know I'd like to come back to it, that they have an interested audience, etc and I have no way of knowing if I could have framed it in the Correct Way to avoid offense, before I knew what was offensive (and again, the reasoning is still very varied and not making a lot of sense across different answers - much like with ANY social cues? Yk those things?)

Authors are well within their rights to hate some interactions and ik how discouraging it is when people don't engage with your work - it's not exactly an uncommon experience for me either, none of us are getting much encouragement. But like the tags said, it's also very discouraging as an autistic reader knowing that if and when I slip about on a social cue it'll be taken in the worst faith by, worryingly, quite a Large number of authors if these notes are anything to go by. And it also makes me sad to think there might have been people like me who didn't engage with my own works because they read some rules of engagement that scared them off.

Tldr; I've droned on for ages bc I don't know if I've gotten my point across. This isn't just about One Rule. It's not just about One Social Rule for many of us. It's about the realisation that such unspoken arbitrary rules can apply to a ton of what we've been saying and we will never ever know, and therefore we can't know if our comments would be taken in bad faith even if they don't say this stuff. For all that we talk about how the super long and regular comments are awesome we sure aren't willing to engage in good faith as a default

I've got a question about the general feelings? etiquette? of commenting on in-progress fics with "so excited to read this when its completed" or something along those lines. Because I personally like them, and thought they were generally well recieved and encouraging, aka I've seen authors replied positively. But then the one time I tried to leave a similar comment, the author basically went "I don't know why you comment if you hadn't read it." So, whats the general feeling?

Oof. This is one of those things that's kind of a crap shoot anon. Some authors will take it as a compliment, others will absolutely hate it. It all comes down to how that author feels about readers who don't read works in progress.

Some authors don't post their works until after they've finished writing them - or at least not until they have enough chapters finished that they have a buffer built up and then they can post on a schedule. Other authors post each chapter as they write it.

In either case (but maybe more so for the latter group), authors rely on getting feedback as they post a work in order to know that the work is being received well by its intended readers. If there's silence (a lack of kudos or comments), the author might decide to stop posting the work. They'll assume no one wants to read it and therefore they shouldn't bother to post it.

For a writer in that mindset, someone saying they won't read it until the work is complete feels... bad. Like that person doesn't want to support you during the hard part (writing and posting) and is only going to show up when the work is done.

An even bigger factor, and one that could be in play no matter how the author goes about writing their story, is that comments are kind of a big deal to most writers. They're few and far between and each one is precious because it's a signal that someone is reading and they care and they're telling you that they're reading and they care. But your message explicitly says that you're not reading (yet) - which some authors may take to mean that you don't care, but which either way means that they saw that wonderful comment notification only for it to be "check back later".

Obviously not every author is going to feel this way about things, but I hope that by explaining why some might you can understand it a bit better? Some suggestions for other comments that might be more universally appreciated:

this is just the kind of fic I love!

this one's going in the bookmarks!

this is such a great premise!

All of which you might mean, but they leave out the part where you won't be reading the fic itself for weeks and/or months.

I will caution, however, that if you leave a comment like this when they post chapter one and you don't come back again within a couple of chapters, a certain percentage of authors (and it's not a small percentage) will assume that you loved chapter one and hated chapter two and that's why you didn't come back to comment again.

[seidenbros]

I would like to request from your song prompt list. Mcfly, the heart never lies "if you wanna fight I'll stand right beside you." With Jaskier x reader 🥺❤️

Thank you two so much, because you made me take a trip down memory lane, especially when I figured out that the song came out 15 years ago and that I am OLD. I still remember listening to it for the first time, seeing the video and all the times I've seen/heard that song live. It ended with watching a few McFly videos and crying my eyes out, which is probably the reason why this turned out so angsty - that wasn't my initial intention. I still hope you like what it turned into <3

(Taken from this list and here are some other prompts, but feel free to request anything <3)

Warnings: blood, death, angst, hurt/comfort Word Count: 1668 on AO3

_________________________

“You don't need to do this,” Jaskier said, pleading with you as you. You'd talked about this before, because you'd always been a fighter, always someone to protect your family, your loved ones, and he knew that. He'd known you long enough to know that you wouldn't step down from this, that you would put your armour on and fight. People always assumed that you weren't one to fight when they looked at you. Delicate hands, not buff like your brothers had been, a sweet smile... You looked like someone to pick flowers and songs if they were honest, but that was most definitely Jaskier's part. Well, the songs at least, but he also loved his flowers, though he didn't necessarily walk around picking flowers every day.

“You know I do,” you said, running both hands over your face, through your hair. It wasn't that you wanted to fight, but you had to. Your brothers had already fallen, there were only your younger siblings and your mother left. They were looking up to you, putting their hope and faith in you. They'd never said that outright, but you knew it. There was nobody else to protect them.

“I just wish... it were different. I don't want to lose you.”

You knew that, he'd told you that again and again, making your heart swell more with every time he'd said these words. But never more. You were friends, had been ever since you were children. You'd even travelled with him and Geralt, seen a little bit of the world, which had been good for you, since you'd been able to hone your skills with Geralt's help. You'd been able to wield a sword before because your father had taught you well, but Geralt had helped you perfect your skills, and that had helped you a lot so far. He'd even given you pointers about your armour. If he were here now, he'd help you, stand with you, but he wasn't. He'd gone back to Kaer Morgen weeks ago like he always did.

“Well, I don't want to lose you as well, and I don't intend on dying, so relax.” You grinned at him, tried your best to reassure him that nothing would happen, that everything would turn out fine, even though you weren't convinced. Every time you fought, you could end up in a puddle of your own blood and you knew that. You'd seen your brothers fall, you were there and hadn't been able to protect them.

“You're not gonna lose me.” Jaskier looked confused for a moment before he reached for your hand, gave it a little squeeze.

“I know, because you're gonna stay right here, you understand me?” You turned to face him, tried your best to smile at him, but it didn't work. He was NOT going out there to fight, you wouldn't allow it. He wasn't bad with a sword, even better with daggers, but knowing he was out there, would make you distracted and put both of you at risk. You fought better when you knew that he was safe.

“Ahhh and you think you can make me?” Jaskier tried to lighten the mood a little, grinned at you, while he turned your hand in his to interlace your fingers. He'd done that a million times, and it had never meant anything. You were friends after all, right? It was just that you'd fallen in love with your best friend somewhere along the way. You couldn't even say when it had happened or what had been the one thing that had brought that change about. At one point, you'd simply looked at him and your heart had started beating rapidly in your chest, your stomach doing somersaults over and over again until you felt kind of dizzy. At first, you'd just ignored these feeling, had thought you'd eaten something that had upset your stomach. But then... you'd figured out that you were in love with Jaskier. Of course, you hadn't told him, because you didn't want to lose him as a friend, but with everything that was going on, maybe, tonight was the moment to tell him, before you didn't get the chance anymore.

“I'll chain you to the bed if I have to.” Your look was stern, because you would definitely do it, if it meant that you could keep him safe.

“Kinky,” he said with a chuckle. “But that's something we can try out some other time.” He was joking of course, but the words still managed to make you squirm, thinking about all the things you could do. Not the time and place to think about it, but Jaskier had put that image in your head right now.

“Didn't know you were into that kind of stuff,” you said, trying to keep the lighter tone going, but you didn't manage to do so as well as he did.

“There's a lot that you don't know about me.” Jaskier winked at you, grin still in place, but he realised that your smile was faltering. He scooted closer, took your hand in both of his now. “Y/N look at me...” His tone was serious again by now, so was the look he levelled on you.

“Jaskier...” you whispered, not sure whether you wanted to hear what he was going to say.

“Listen... If you wanna fight, I'll stand right beside you and if you fall, I'll be right behind you, pick up the pieces and put you back together.” Tears were already welling up in your eyes. He was a poet, not only in song, but sometimes in words as well, and he proved it to you once more right now. You had to cast your eyes downward, because you didn't want him to see your tears. You were brave, you were strong, but in moments like this, you felt your walls crumbling down around you. It usually happened with Jaskier, but he was also the one to wrap his arms around you and just hold you.

“Look into my eyes,” he said quieter now, bringing his fingers to your chin to lift you head up so that you had to look at him. He took your hand and out it right on his chest. “You know that the heart never lies, my love.” You bit your bottom lip, trying to keep yourself from crying, but it didn't work. Tears were falling down your cheeks, wetting his hand, but Jaskier didn't mind.

He let go of your hand, to pull you into his lap, hold you tight against his chest. Your couldn't stop your tears, and he let you cry, simply held you. You cried out of fear, but also out of love for the men who held you in his arms, because you loved him, because you couldn't stand the thought of losing him.

You didn't know how long you sat there in his arms, your head buried against his shoulder. His scent was soothing to you, made you calm down slowly. Jaskier ran his hands through your hair, settled it in the back of your neck and rubbed his thumb beneath your ear again and again. It felt good, intimate in a different way. Maybe this had a little bit to do with what you did next. Slowly, you raised your head, brushed your tears away and looked at him. Your other hand was still resting on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath your fingertips.

For a few heartbeats, you looked into his eyes, before you leaned in to kiss him. You closed your eyes, revelling in the feeling of his soft, warm lips against yours. His hand on your neck stilled, but the hand on the small of your back pulled you even closer against his chest, your hand now trapped between your bodies. It was a sweet kiss that lingered a little, but then you pulled back, not sure whether it was really the right thing to do, doubt kicking in all of a sudden.

“Gods, do you know how long I've waited for this to happen?” Jaskier asked with a laugh, leaning his forehead against yours.

“What?” you whispered, trying to comprehend what he'd just said, but his words already made your heart beat even faster.

“I've tried to tell you that I'm in love with you for I don't even know how long.” Jaskier pulled his hand from your neck and cupped your cheek with it. “And you were apparently oblivious to it. It thought you didn't react to any of my advances, because you didn't feel the same way and didn't want to hurt my feelings, but...”

“Jask, I had no idea!” You pulled back a little to look at him. “And here I was scared to tell you, because I didn't want to lose you as a friend.”

“You'd never lose me one way or another...”

It was bad enough that it took a moment like this, impending doom, to make you take that step and finally realise that you were both feeling the same way, but at least, you now knew that your feelings weren't unrequited.

“And if I die tomorrow-” You started, but you were immediately cut off.

“Don't!” Jaskier said, brushing his thumb across your cheek, looking into your eyes. “Let's not think about that, because you won't. I won't allow it!” His serious tone made you smile despite the situation. “Besides... there's no time like the present, right? So let's just enjoy this evening together, and then we'll face tomorrow together. Okay?”

You nodded, because you didn't want to think about what awaited you the next day. Enjoying your time with Jaskier was far more appealing than thinking about anything else. And so you found yourself kissing him again, this time not stopping until you both had to part for air... You had a long night ahead of you.

[kurisus]

Chapter 101 thoughts

I found this chapter to be kinda uneventful (which is great for me seeing as I'm still reeling from the last two), but I still have a few things I wanted to talk about. Spoilers under the cut.

It seems like Kazuma has calmed down and shaken off GGS for the time being, but I don't think we're totally out of the woods yet. His numerous death flags aside, he got smacked at the end of a pretty big chapter. Not only was it the 100th, it was the start of the final arc. Plus Mizuchi said she meant business when she got him, which also means...She wasn't aiming to kill when she attacked heaven? Even though she's covered in blood from that? She put her hand through a whole guy.

I think Kazuma's bought himself some time, so while I'm less worried I'm not ready to be optimistic about his future. Because in thinking about it, more occurs to me: Whatever happens to Kazuma at the end of the series may likely indirectly affect Yukine and Nana, as well. They're all hafuri, they're all nora, they've all been hit by GGS. If Yato has to unname Kazuma to save his life, what will happen if trash dad revokes the name of Hagusa? The name Yato gave Yukine is cracked through, so it follows he'd also have to release Yukine to save him. If Nana isn't impervious to GGS like we previously assumed, Bishamon would have to unname her to save her life.

For now, it's kind of looking like the three of them will all share the same fate, whether that's a good or bad thing. I can't explain it, really, but they're all pretty similar to one another and all going through the same thing. In any case, I'm 99.9% confident Yukine won't be dying (again) in this series as it would serve no purpose, narratively or otherwise, so with any luck neither will Kazuma :^)

Anyway, considering trash dad's reaction to Mizuchi implying she was holding back, can't wait for him to find out she's been getting the Hiyori Therapy Treatment. I'm sure he's going to be thrilled to hear that. Kick his ass, girl.

"This has been quite a day" "And it's about to get worse" reminded me that the events of the last, like...15 chapters have all been happening in a single day, and probably the rest of the series will continue to happen on this day. Oh, boy. That makes me exhausted to think about. Everyone needs a nice, long nap. Even trash dad! But his can be in hell <3

Speaking of, more Father backstory crumbs, and they're just as confusing as the last few times. It looks like Kaya was someone who helped heal him after he nearly died, and he returned the favor to the rest of the village after coming back from Yomi, so they all started worshipping him.

I guess the thing that's confusing me is that this story is being told by someone who (a) wasn't there for any of the events he's describing and (b) views Father in a much more positive light than the rest of the cast. How do we know that this is true, and not just what Father has made them believe?

I know we're all pointing and laughing at bald Father but I really do wonder why he didn't have hair. Did he shave it because of his faith? Yet it doesn't seem like he really believes in Buddhism, despite dressing the part. Maybe it was just a way to make himself seem harmless/trustworthy, yet he seemed to have dropped the disguise at some point anyhow because he was shown with a full head of hair in Yomi.

Anyway, Take has finally grown bored of listening and wants to hit things with his sword. (Relatable.) I think either he will be physically stopped, by Ebisu or the gravekeeper, or his attack will trigger some kind of booby trap. They're in a very weird, liminal space, and I would not at all be surprised if Father had something in place to prevent people from killing him once they found it--after all, a previous incarnation of Ebisu visited there and died.

I also wonder if Father could be alerted to someone trying to attack his grave and make his way there. Guess we'll see!