#I have my qualms with this quest. I have them

[fragmentedblade]

Blade compared the relief from pain death brought him to the moments spent with his friends drinking together.

His desire for death as both a release from pain and from the condition of existence in which he finds himself now, so similar to that which he most hated (hated so much as to dedicate his entire life and self to fight, up to the point of crossing unthinkable barriers for shortlife species); but death also almost like a returning to the time that was, the joy and pride it brought him, and the friends and self he lost

[taliesin-the-bored]

Tag game: tag nine people you’d like to know better.

Tagged by: @oneshoulderangel (Thank you for tagging me!)

Last song: At the moment, I have "Losing Your Memory" by Alan Star stuck in my head, which I suppose makes it my current song, not my last song. Hm. I get songs stuck in my head very easily, but the last one I had there for a significant amount of time was a mashup of different language versions of "Les Rois du Monde" for about a week. "Lehetsz Király", the Magyar version, is probably my favorite of them. It's worth a listen.

Currently watching: Normally, the answer would be "random mostly terrible old movies/shows" or "nothing much", but I currently have a hyperfixation on the musical Roméo et Juliette and have been watching it in multiple languages. (Thus, the song).

Three ships: This is hard. Maybe as a result of being on the ace and aro spectrums, I'm more likely to care about which characters are interacting than whether it's romantic or platonic. Here goes:

Kedivere/Bedikay. It can be romantic, platonic, or queerplatonic, but whichever way, I'm here for it. I probably spend too much time thinking about how in Cullwch and Olwen, when Cai gets mad at Arthur and marches out, Bedwyr stays behind, keeps acting like nothing's happened, and isn't the one to avenge Cai's death. The feeling of betrayal on both sides has a lot of unexplored potential. And the version where Bedivere dies and Kay fights to bring his body back safely while mortally wounded himself... And the version where Bedivere survives Camlann and Kay isn't said to fight in it, so they might be left together after their world has fallen apart...

Platonically or queerplatonically, Galahad and the Grail Heroine. I really like the tragic Grail Quest friendships, but I like theirs most, maybe because there's something weird and otherworldly about them both. I like it when characters are strange and endearing and doomed by the narrative.

Ever since reading John Matthews' retelling, which I read before the original, I've had a soft spot for Caradoc and Guinier. The Story of Caradoc is very disturbing, and I have some major qualms with Caradoc over a detail Matthews cut out, but all the same, there's a reason these two have the best track record with magical fidelity tests. Each of them would go to the ends of the earth for the other, and together, they're stronger than any curse.

Favorite Color: Blue, particularly royal blue and some teals.

Currently consuming: Black licorice with chocolate.

First ship: This is a hard one, since through elementary and most of middle school, I tended to go along with whatever I thought the author's intentions were and was more likely to unship something. The first non-endgame ship I got invested in was Sonya/Nikolai in War and Peace. I didn't like Nikolai, but Sonya did, and she was my favorite character, so I wanted her to be happy. The first non-canon couple I thought was meant to be together was also in War and Peace: Marya Bolkonskaya and Julie Karagina. My eighth grade self did not think their letters could be interpreted platonically. I still don't.

Last movie: If the musical doesn't count, the last movie I watched was Quest for Camelot, which was awful. Though not Robot Monster-level bad, Robot Monster has an elegance to its simplicity which Quest for Camelot lacks.

Currently working on: Various fics, most of them Arthuriana or CotRK-related (I am woefully behind on the Badfic Bingo), and (theoretically) an epic-style poem, though I haven't gotten much of it written for quite a while now.

Tagging: @gawrkin, @emperorcandy, @wildbasil, @gorewound, @knightsofsomethingorother, @ladyminaofcamelot, @tasosotaso, @amashelle, @gingersnaptaff (I have no idea who's been tagged so far, apart from the people on @oneshoulderangel's post, so I apologize for any multi-tags)

[sepublic]

Alright, let's talk about some details from the TOH pitch bible;

A lot of the stuff is what we've already seen and/or in line with the show. What's interesting is that King WAS a former King of Demons at one point, and we would've had an episode where he runs into his old gang and chooses Luz and Eda over them. It makes me wonder if he even had a connection to the Titan in earlier drafts, if he wasn't recognized as one back in the day because he just wasn't big enough, etc. Eda makes a deal to help remove the collar, which IS the source of King's woes, placed by a 'mysterious wizard', I wouldn't be surprised if it was Obron AKA Proto-Belos.

What gets me is that Tibbles originally started off as a friend to the protagonists, while Bump was an antagonist! Coupled with Tibbles being re-elected as mayor after Bump is deposed for corruption. I like the detail of Bump being a parasite controlling a body from the head, because it carried over into his final design with Frewin, and before we got confirmation Frewin was a separate entity, I loved the joke theory that the imp on Bump's head was the REAL Bump!!! Seems that was always the implied story of the design, I love it. Tibbles being the demon fan of human stuff would eventually become Gus instead, so this is technically Proto-Gus too…?

Interesting how Bump and Tibbles' alignments switch completely with one another, and it makes sense that with Lilith no longer the principal in the final draft, it goes to Bump, who ends up being really chill and a subversion in his own right! Interesting, but I do prefer the final Bump we got, and that's fine by me, because when the concepts aren't as interesting as the final product, it means we got the best possible version.

I've already discussed Obron and William in a separate post, and Pupa is someone we've been told about in a previous livestream. Lilith would've been both head of all covens (and not just the Emperor's Coven) AND principal at the same time, and she seems much more of a jerk to Eda in general; She has no qualms with cursing Eda because of a direct order from Obron.

Apparently the curse would've been an AGING spell, which settles my questions on how it would've been portrayed in earlier drafts! This goes along with Eda's older look. Likewise, there would've been a subplot of Eda considering Luz's sacrifice as a way to restore her youth, which likely goes hand in hand with Obron's orders to bring Luz to her, etc. The 'Bloom of Eternal Youth' quest, which Eda and Lilith go through together as their sisterly relationship is explored, feels like a carryover from this past idea.

I think I prefer the final draft; I like that the curse isn't just aging Eda, but also takes away her magic, makes her turn into a beast, etc. I like Lilith being a lot more complicated in her relationship with Eda, instead of just hating her and cursing her without hesitation. The redefining of the curse makes it less about age, and more a chronic illness metaphor, and I like how Eda in the final draft is upfront about having to learn to live with it, deal with it, on her own terms. She isn't trying to find a cure (although Lilith being promised one by Obron feels like a carryover of Eda's moral dilemma with Luz), and that adds another nice dimension to her conflict with Lilith, as well as Gwen. It's pretty frank in its own right about normalizing disability, and those who play an antagonistic role (however brief) are the real weirdoes for making such a fuss about it.

The Bat Queen would've had more of a recurring role based on the description, which saddens me; I always got the vibe she was planned for more, but between all of the other stuff the show had to juggle, plus the shortening, she ended up getting shafted despite being one of the earlier characters. Sashley, Pasha, and Bruno are also interesting, with Pasha in particular giving me freaking Philip Wittebane vibes with his grossness, beard, and anti-demon attitude; He even starts off as a potential friend to Luz because fellow human, only for his true bigotry to show. Makes me wonder if Philip ended up incorporating Pasha, we also have bodily transformation because of consuming magical stuff... P-names.

(Also, I like how in the drawing of typical Demon Realm denizens, I can see an eye demon who resembles a past drawing of Dana's!!!)

Eda was actually a late bloomer, which creates a parallel with Luz in one way, and their relationship is referred to as sisterly (in the final draft it’s explicitly maternal). So Eda wouldn't have been the talented youth, in fact things may have switched between her and Lilith; Lilith's disdain may have partially come from Eda not being as innately talented as her.

Luz and Amity's dynamic seems like it would've had Amity retain a lot of her more stand-offish, pragmatic personality even as a friend with Luz, and this would've come up more; So basically, she'd remain more like S1 Amity. That, or this part of their relationship would've lasted longer, and then we would've seen character development as Amity unlearns a lot of the issues her parents passed on. I also wonder if the Willow who cameos in the pilot was originally supposed to just be an extra separate from ‘Paulina’, but then they combined the two together.

The themes are exactly as I expected, glad to see they're still there, nothing changed! Luz becoming a witch and defying all odds to do so, putting in real work and passion. Celebrating individuality amidst conformity, plus Luz trying to impose her own fictional tropes onto the world, only to have to put that aside... Just like Wing it like Witches. It seems Amity would've had more involvement with Luz's journey to become a witch, though we still do have a carryover of that disconnect with her rant near the end of Covention.

I love the Demon Realm being situated BELOW the Human Realm, way to be subtle about being Hell you guys lol... Apparently portals to the human world are a lot rarer to find and use, which makes me wonder if the pilot's 'dimension port' doesn't have access to the human world; Meaning Amity is Luz's only way back, so her improved relationship with her is linked to getting back home. There's a gag about the Knee having service with the human world, but I can see how that didn't make the cut, for dramatic purposes; It seems like the premise for a S1 episode or at least a B-plot. Would Luz have struggled to communicate with Camila through this, or would her search for wi-fi be for mundane reasons?

Apparently Luz's magic would've required a lot more steps to complete, and I see why the show simplified things down to just glyphs. I wonder if there was always going to be the connection of glyphs as a gift from the Titan, or if the Titan and her story was going to be less intertwined in the overall narrative. There also don't seem to be nine main covens, just the many, many covens, some of which are pretty ridiculous, and Covention's sub-covens seem a callback to that.

Luz's first spell would've been levitation, and THEN she would've infiltrated Hexside, with Amity being a lot subtler about exposing Luz, though in the final draft she does figure that out as the way to go in I was a Teenage Abomination. Yeah, I prefer Light being her original spell, feels so much more symbolic and personal, etc. I wonder if the Titan is even as much of a character in early drafts, and if there's still the whole connection/relationship with the land and learning to respect it aspect. Some of these hypothetical episodes push the idea of Amity as a more episodic, typical popular kid antagonist, though in the final draft, the show goes through her character development and explores Amity's romantic relationship with Luz and its complications.

It seems the idea of the Mirror Ghost was split into Adegast and Vee, with Adegast being the one who offers the easier narrative for Luz to believe in about becoming a witch (only to be a fraud who uses uncanny puppets), and Vee being a doppelganger whom Luz communicates through with mirrors. Interesting how Yesterday's Lie was born from this. We saw the test animation from Spencer Wan for TOH, so I guess we know what Luz's puppet-doppelganger is called! And we can safely call her Proto-Vee. I wonder if she also would've been a sympathetic character, I always thought she reminded me of Lake from Infinity Train (and speculated her to be as such since Enchanting Grom Fright), and now the similarities are even MORE apparent!

Alas, The Good Witch Azura, or 'The Unassuming Princess' seems like it'd have been a lot less dear to Luz's heart, as the pilot also reflects; In the end, it turns out the author is just Eda's ex using her adventures as basis, and including private information. I remember when I once speculated that Raine, before we saw their face, would've been just like this as the author of Azura... Again, I think I prefer Azura as being a lot less mean-spirited in the final draft, and instead a celebration of who Luz is as a person, her relationship with fantasy and fiction, etc. We also would've had a Luz birthday party, the Quincenera we've been hoping for since S1...! In the final draft (and episode) we still get that Human-Demon Realm disconnect, though by that point, Luz is much more attuned and chill with the isles.

There’s definitely more of an episodic, sitcom feel to this pitch bible, especially when you compare Proto-Yesterday’s Lie to its final version. Makes sense, Dana is pitching this to Disney executives, though her statement on Understanding Willow feeling truly like her show makes me wonder if she always intended to push TOH in that more serious, emotional route we got.

[aphroditelovesu]

I would cry for something for a Yan! Lucien Vanserra 🥺💖

"I will love you until the day my existence fades away." — Lucien Vanserra.

❝ 🦊 — lady l: oh, how I miss Lucien, especially the one from the first book 😔 he deserves more, much more! I hope you like it and forgive me for any mistakes!

❝tw: obsessive behavior, possessiveness, protectiveness, implied death and toxic relationships (?).

❝🦊pairing: yandere!lucien vanserra x gender neutral!reader.

Lucien Vanserra is a devoted, loving and caring male. He has lost so much and suffered so much in his life that all he wants, all he must do, is make sure his loved one is happy and safe. That is all that matters to him and Lucien will make sure his wishes are fulfilled.

He knows that his darkest thoughts are wrong and Lucien tries to fight them at any cost. His greatest fear is hurting you and he will never forgive himself if he hurts you or harms you in any way. He loves you deeply, so much so that the mere thought of hurting you makes him desperate.

Lucien idolizes his darling, puts you on a pedestal and will do anything for you. Ask him for anything and he will do it without question. He wants to please you above all else and will have no fear or qualms about going "too far" in his constant quest for your approval. He wants you to love him, to be as devoted to him as he is to you.

His obsession manifests itself in such a subtle way that you will hardly notice that there is anything wrong with the way he acts. Lucien is good at disguising his feelings and he will only make you feel what he wants you to feel: security and love. He will never let you feel fear or any kind of negative feelings towards him. Lucien cannot let that happen and he will not.

He is a master at hiding his own emotions conducting his interactions in such a way that you only notice the sweetness and dedication he exudes, having lived under the violent control of his "father" and brothers. Even when obsession takes over, Lucien manages to mask any signs of possessiveness with genuine affection, ensuring that you never see the dark side of his love. He controls his actions with precision, always maintaining a facade of perfection so that you never have reason to suspect his intentions.

Lucien's manipulation is more subtle and you will hardly notice it. His smiles, the way his eyes follow you all the time and how words with ulterior motives come out of his lips are very strong clues but again, Lucien will not let you realize how sick for you he is, how desperate. At least, for now.

Lucien is a fae male and as such, he has a high level of possessiveness over his darling. He is not the controlling type, he will never try to restrict you in any way, not when he knows very well how that could end. You will have complete freedom, of course, as long as you never risk your life, Lucien will leave you free to do whatever you wish.

Although he will never act in a way that could hurt you, Lucien is still very possessive and does not like the idea of ​​other males around you, especially if he does not trust them. He will growl, show his teeth and make his disdain clear, his words sarcastic but full of venom and, if it is really necessary, Lucien will drive them away from you permanently.

Having lost so much and suffered at the hands of people who should love him, Lucien is somewhat paranoid and protective of you, but he will always be careful not to overstep your bounds. Lucien is protective to the extent that he can control it, never forcing himself into your life and always respecting your space, even if it destroys him inside. You are more important to him than the obsession that increasingly consumes him.

You are the light that guides him in the darkness, especially after the traumatic events of Under the Mountain. You keep him going, an extra motivation to fight and stay strong. Lucien almost sees you as a kind of deity, always worshiping and adoring you wherever you go. There is nothing this male wouldn't do for you. He will love you, and be devoted and loyal to you completely.

Lucien will spoil you with anything you desire. One of his love languages ​​is to give you things he knows you will like. Absolutely anything you desire, anything you want to ask for, is yours. Just ask and you shall have it. Lucien will feel useful when he can provide for you and he loves the smile you give him when you receive something you like, so ask for it.

Lucien Vanserra is, above all, a man who strives to be worthy of the love he receives. He wants to be the fortress that protects you, the safe haven where his darling can rest in peace, without fear. And it is this devotion that guides him, that gives meaning to everything he does, even if some of these things are monstrous. He knows that true love requires sacrifices, and for him, there is no sacrifice too great if it means your happiness and safety.

[lillotte17]

Okay, I’ve done 2 play throughs and I’m well into my 3rd, so I feel like my review of the game can be (mostly) fair and not as emotionally driven as it was when I finished the first time. (this is very long >_>)

I want to start with the good things!

The game is beautiful. BEAUTIFUL. I was not crazy about the stylistic change of the graphics from DAI at first, but once I started playing, I really loved it. The maps are huge and unique. I find something new every time. I love all the little puzzles and sneaky little side quests you can find. I the little sneaky cameos of items and songs from other games.

I love the mechanics of being able to use companions’ special abilities when they are not in your party. I still wish we got 3 people in our party instead of just 2 for balance reasons, but otherwise I find the fighting really engaging and dynamic.

I love that they brought back specific banter spots, shortened the time between when the next banter triggers AND allowed for recovery of the conversation if it got interrupted by something. Thank you for my LIFE. Waiting for certain banters to trigger in DAI was awful lmao.

I really appreciated the effort they put into the CC, allowing for greater body type differences and the various gender options. Long hair, curly hair, please and thank! The CC took some getting used to, but once I got the hang of it, it’s fun just to build characters, lol.

I really liked the easy upgrades and enchantments for your armors, and I LOVED being able to wear whatever the best armor was, but have a different armor visible. Great call, team! Do that for always and ever. The only qualm I had was that I would have liked to be able to change the colors on some of the outfits, but really, there was such a good variety, this is a very minor complaint.

In terms of storyline, my favorite quest was the Blood of Arlathan, and I also liked the final push at the end through Minrathous. Big surprise that the things I liked best was actually getting to fight with Solas on my team again, lol. But those where also the times where it really felt like everything was on the table, you know? Weisshaupt was a strong contender, too. That quest was so fasted paced, it made it a little hard to appreciate just how much was going on around you. But asking your local assassin to stab a god-cloud is never not funny, so that one gets good points, too.

Overall, the gameplay is really strong. The rollout was really smooth. I didn’t really encounter any bugs, except for one time I managed to change all the subtitles to French? But I think that might have been a user error. If I was just here for a generic fantasy game, this would get 10/10. It’s fun to play and it’s pretty. You can stab stuff, and throw magic around, and there are dragons.

However…

The storyline and the pacing was a mess. Which is honestly baffling from a BioWare game. I am not saying this with spite or hatred, because I know that EA tried to kill this game repeatedly, so it’s kind of amazing that we got anything at all, BUT it’s still frustrating, because…I can SEE IT. I can SEE all the pieces of a REALLY good story. An AMAZING story. The story I WANTED to play!!! And it’s like…it all got put together wrong.

The nearly nonexistent romances are honestly the worst offenders here. Even if they wanted to keep the rating down to make it more accessible to a wider audience, there is no reason why I should only have ONE opportunity to kiss my love interest over the course of an 80+ hour game. SOLAVELLAN had more unique romance scenes and kisses than you get with Lucanis and he DUMPS your character before coming back to steal your hand. Not to mention the fact that it is possible for your LI to die before you ever get to actually say you love them or anything. Davrin was my first romance. At the end of Tearstone Island like…I wasn’t sad. I wasn’t feeling my PCs grief that her boyfriend whom she had kissed exactly one time was dead. I was PISSED. I don’t think I have ever been so mad about a writing choice, and I am a certified Tragedy Enjoyer. It didn’t even feel like a good tragic blow, because they didn’t take the time to build up the romance before killing him. And Rook hardly gets a second to mourn afterwards, so it was just kind of a nothingburger that made me feel like I wasted all the time I had spent playing for it. (I went back and changed it so he lived but jfc)

Speaking of killing characters: Varric. It was a mistake. I know what they were going for. I see what they were trying to do. But it was a mistake. First of all, they relied way too much on the idea that the player has played the other games, in the sense that the story just opens with Rook already with Varric, who they have known for over a year, and then they turn around and nerf him in the first act. There’s no time to establish how Rook feels about Varric, or how they feel about this quest they’ve been on for so long, you just get thrown into it without preamble. And then, Varric is just kind of… there. He’s Rook’s cheerleader, but he almost never has any real advice, and you almost never get to have a discussion with him. Which means, when you find out what happened to him later, the emotional blow is relying almost entirely on your attachment to Varric from previous games instead of the game you are currently playing.

Also, I figured out he was dead pretty early on, so the reveal had almost no impact, and felt a bit ham-fisted, if I’m being honest.

The second reason it was a mistake is that…it just felt like an excuse to make the player hate Solas. Like, it honestly feels like that is the only reason they did it. Which seems so unnecessary? The man is responsible for the fucking blight and the death of the titans and is currently trying to tear the Veil down, and you think that’s not ENOUGH motivation for the PC to want to give him the middle finger???

Which brings us to: Solas. I love this man. I love Solavellan. I love his story. I love THEIR story. But…if I had played this game first, I don’t think I would have cared about redeeming him. All of the companions tell stories about second chances and redemption and being able to change your nature, and I KNOW that was supposed to be in reference to Solas, I know it was but… It just felt like they did almost nothing to SHOW you how much he was trying to do the right thing every time he fucked up. How badly he wanted to be a hero and a protector, and someone giving wisdom instead of orders. When we saw his regrets and talked about them with the team, I really thought it was going to be relevant later. I thought it would come up in conversation with Solas, and depending on how you talked to him about the things you saw, you could slowly guide him towards choosing a better path at the end. I thought it would all be on Rook, and their choice to take a chance to try and redeem him or not. But in the end, it didn’t matter. It only unlocked Mythal. She was the only thing that made a difference. Not Rook. Not your Inquisitor. Not any of the other choices you made in the entire game or the one that preceded it. Don’t get me wrong, I am SO grateful they squeezed a Solavellan ending in there for us, really and truly. But the fact that he was so in love with her during DAI that he was about to give up everything without her even asking, and he’s so torn up about her during Trespasser that he can hardly let her close to him because just being in proximity to her makes him want to stop everything and stay with her, and then when she shows up at the end of Veilguard and asks him to stop…he pauses for even less time to consider the option than when ROOK asks. And then Mythal holds more sway with him by like 1000%. Just. Felt very much like a downgrade. (Also I wanted a hug. He needed a fucking hug and my Lavellan would have hugged the Bad Choices right out of him)

There are other things. Dwarves getting sidelined again. Slavery in Tevinter barely being touched on. The weird idea of the Crows being a good option for orphans with nowhere to go. The SUPER uncomfortable end of Bellara’s quest where a non-elf Rook can have an opinion on what she should do with the history of her people. But those are kind of like…small potatoes. Typical BioWare story flubs tbh.

I know, my complaints are much longer than my praises, but I really do like playing the game. Really and truly. It is a good game, and I am eternally grateful that they got it to us at all. I just…wish we could have gotten the story I think they wanted to tell us, instead of what we ended up with. But as they say: That’s what Fanfic is for. <3

[another-goblin]

I really liked "Luminary Wardance", maybe even more than the main quest from that patch. But I have a problem with Boothill's involvement. As I see it, either the writing was bad for that part even by the HSR's uneven standards, or I'm missing something (which is quite possible, so please correct me if I'm wrong), but that's my problem.

1. Boothill is described as "extremely optimistic and unrestrained. He is a member of the Galaxy Rangers who swore to punish the wretched by any and all means." That little event before his release described some of his crimes: wild, fun, and chaotic; I don't remember him derailing trains full of orphans or something. He was appalled when Aventurine accused him of killing his bodyguards. So basically I understood him as a character who, despite all the hardships, under his inhuman appearance and gruff manners, hasn't lost his humanity and fundamentally is a good person, valuing human lives. 

Was I wrong?

Because now he has no problem killing an innocent, disabled, and severely mentally ill kid in this supposedly friendly competition, basically for no reason.

Look, he's grinning maniacally; he crearly has no qualms about this; he's aiming for the head:

2. But let's imagine Luka wasn't swift enough. The floor of the arena is covered with his blood, brain matter, and skull fragments, exactly as Boothill threatened.

Luka's father receives terrible news back at home (would Boothill send a little apology letter? like, "whoops, sorry", or "same, bro", or "he had it coming"?) He's left alone to grieve the violent loss of his child on this dying planet, once invaded by the IPC and abandoned by the universe. Wow, well done, Boothill. That will show the IPC!

As a writer, how little should you care about the story and the characters you are writing about to not notice the obvious parallel?

3. But why did he do that? The writers give us the flimsiest excuse: 

Boothill: I wanna see every news outlet in the cosmos buzzin' with the headline "The IPC's most wanted man stole the spotlight at the Wardance. He came out with the fudge blazin' and sure made them IPC shirtbags choke on the humble pie."

Okay, let's pretend he killed Luka, this fan favorite underdog, in front of the whole universe. Let's pretend he wasn't spooked away by some IPC cops (and we'll talk about it later). He fought Yanqing and killed him too. He just proved in front of the whole universe that he's actually as cruel and dangerous as the IPC propaganda said. And he got a new powerful enemy (because I don't think JY would be reasonable about losing his child like this. I mean, how many greiving fathers can we get in one hypothetical scenario?)

I don't think the IPC higher-ups will lose any sleep over it! 

4. Was there even a need to kill anybody? It's explicitly stated several times that "by holding the Wardance, they're demonstrating to everyone that they've returned to a state of peace and safety" (and it's not to satisfy people's thirst for blood or something). It's a festival, not some kind of death fight. I've got the impression that it's mostly for younger people to have fun and prove themselves. Most of the competing powerful adults don't even show their full strength. Nobody is expected to kill anybody. Yanqing decisively defeated Luka, and they ended up being friends.

Don't tell me Boothill isn't skilled enough to aim for Luka's arm to disable it with a shot (I mean that's what ended up happening but not for his lack of trying!). Or, if he wanted blood, why not just shoot Luka in the kneecaps? He'd probably need two new prosthetics, but he'd definitely be alive.

5. I already showed that Boothill would've achieved nothing if he won. But what about Luka? Maybe it's his fault? Was he too prideful? Was giving up an option for him? Absolutely not. He wasn't just representing himself, the children of the Underworld who believe in him, and that little girl who died, but his whole planet. It's the first time most people even hear about Jarilo-VI. And the first impression is crucial. Jarilo-VI is far from being safe, their chances for survival are tiny. Any support he can gain might be the matter of life and death for his homeworld. And we know that it worked because JY offered the Luofu's help to Jarilo in the end.

6. Btw, he only "fought" Luka because he knew he's much weaker than him, and then he ran away from some random IPC cops (who wouldn't have arrested him anyways because the Luofu clearly don't consider him a criminal, and they probably wouldn't allow the IPC to just arrest people on their territory). I'm not making this up, he literally says it himself:

Boothill: This kid (Yanqing) is young, but he's got some serious skills. Facing him will take too long and there's no guarantee of winning. It ain't worth gettin' caught by those forkin' IPC hounds over a competition.

So "I don't want to try and kill that kid because he can actually win". Our hero, everybody.

I mean, I'm not the only one who sees this, right? Again, it's very possible that I'm missing something important, and it all makes sense. Is he supposed to be a coward as well as a cold-blooded murderer? I don't believe that. It looks like a terrible slander of Boothill by the game's writers. Is everybody okay with it?

7. This whole confrontation kind of makes sense as the lowest point in Luka's story until you look closer. Getting to their lowest point is an important part of a hero's journey, but it usually happens in the beginning, indicating the need for the hero to change and grow, or in the end, as a test. But it happens in the middle. And it kind of doesn't change anything much?.. He gets over it and just continues competing.

The kind of character our hero loses to is also very important. It might be a mindless goon or a "for me it was Tuesday" type of villain, unrlated to our guy in any way, allowing the story to concentrate on the hero's journey. Or the antagonist's personality might be important for the story, highlighting their personal relationship with the hero or their conflicting ideologies; our hero overcoming the antagonist not only physically but mentally too, probably allowing them both to grow.

But it's neither. Boothill isn't a faceless goon, he's a complex character, a protagonist of his own tragic story. Their ideologies or goals don't clash (other than the serfuce level "I want to win this competition"). They don't have any personal history either. Boothill just appears, attempts to murder Luka, and basically disappears from the story.

8. Speaking of, you know what would be great? If instead of threatening Luka and then shooting him point blank, they actually talked. If Boothill had some character development by realizing that other people's struggles might be more important than his own pursuit of revenge sometimes. I mean, Luka was literally fighting to save his planet.

But instead, it feels like the writers just used Boothill as a tool in Luka's story, ruining him in the process.

9. Okay I'll shut up now. I'm too wordy and anal retentive. I just needed to get it out of my system. But I could go on and on. The more I think about it, the more problems I see. Like, why was their confrontation clearly styled after a classical cowboy standoff when only one of them had a gun? It makes no sense. Why did the journalists and fans have problems with Boothill's gun after the match? Didn't we just fight Topaz and her goons, who use guns too? Why wasn't it a problem then? Why did Luka faint after shielding himself from the bullet? I don't think he was wounded. And if he was wounded seriously enough to faint, then how did he manage to recover fast enough for the next match? Especially considering that the Luofu's healthcare mostly consists of feeding people normal food and giving them pets. Speaking of which, what was that dialog with Natasha in the beginning? Is he also terminally ill?… And why was Boothill borderline abelist about Luka's prosthetic arm? Yes, it was IPC branded at this point, but it's not like he just hates everything related to the IPC. He's basically good friends with Aventurine, and he had no problems sharing a small ship with Topaz and Jade. Btw, despite HSR being as vague about characters' ages as possible, it's kind of implied that Luka's underaged ("The tea served there isn't suitable for someone his age", "That red-head boy is actually… Luka from Belobog?" and so on). Boothill nearly killed a (probably) actual child in cold blood. A kid from a planet that just nearly survived IPC's military invasion. What were the writers thinking???

[quirkwall]

Spoilers: "Bloodbath Quest" pictures under the read more.

Before it all, here's one of my coolest Lucanis (Spite) pictures yet. A shame the subtitles got in the way.

I really enjoyed this quest. Fighting a boss in a pool of blood was oddly epic, it was a pretty good setting for a fight. Especially if you play as a mage and imagine how tempting it must be for them to juuuustt use what's already so available, so ready, so much... better and faster.

Regardless. It's pretty obvious Illario is betraying the family and trying to pull some strings. The fact Zara called him "amatus" is proof enough.

However, that was my only qualm with this quest. I am playing a Tevinter elf. My elf speaks the language, he should know she was about to say "amatus", he should have had some dialogue about that. Oh well, one can just pretend he and Lucanis didn't quite get the word. It was an intense moment after all.

Anyway here's some piss poor pictures of the boss fight area plus some more Spite, Illario and Zara.

The fight itself was mid. Not the best in the game by far. The setting though? Easily one of my favourites, but I might be biased.

[crispywaffles2]

Hi I love you writing, so I wanted to ask you about some headcanons about a relashionship with The brotherhood members and a Male S/O

I hope you have a good day kisses

Of course!! Thank you for requesting, it means so much to me! I really hope this is up to par! Kisses! (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)

Brotherhood with a Male!S/O

Azure Lion:

He is the most supportive boyfriend ever

Azure pushes you to your limits and encourages you to go beyond!

He's a little less affectionate with you when you're around everyone else, mostly because he doesn't want to have to endure their endless teasing

When you two are by yourselves though, expect a lot more contact

From small things like gentle shoulder squeezes to more obvious things like peppering kisses over your face

He isn't hesitant about roughhousing with you at all, and treats you as if you're just another member of the Brotherhood (he's way more affectionate with you but yk)

He's a lil old fashioned, not in a toxic or bad way though

He's the type that believes men should be strong and capable so that they can protect the ones they care about

Best believe hes urging you to train with him or join him and the brotherhood on their silly quests

If he were to get drunk (which is surprisingly rare), he would be all over you

He would NOT be ashamed to get handsy in front of everyone else in his drunk daze (much to Wukong's demise. He's exaggeratedly gagging at you two the whole time)

He values quality time with you where he can be vulnerable without his sworn brothers teasing, so he might take you on quiet, secluded dates, just to be close and cuddly with you without the pressures of others

Peng:

Their so fruity its not even funny.

They have absolutely no qualms with showing you off and letting everyone know that you two are together

They call everyone 'darling', including you, but be prepared for some other more exclusive nicknames

'Dear, love, and sweetheart' are just a few of the many they'd call you

They're always touching you in some way, whether it be wrapping an arm around your shoulders, resting a feathered hand atop your head, or leaning against you

Maybe its because they want everyone to know you're theirs, or maybe its because they like knowing that you're there beside them. Who knows

Just because you're partners doesn't mean you won't be subjected to their teasing

They always have something to say

"Hm, your hair is a bit out of place darling. I'd fix that up if I were you."

"I knew you were helpless, but I didn't think it was to the point where you had to rely on others pointing out your clothes are on backwards."

But If their quips start bothering you and they notice, their always quick to reassure you in their own.. special way

"You are such a twit. You know I don't mean any of that my love. My only real insults are reserved for that damn monkey."

They love giving you kisses everywhere except your lips (just because they like teasing you)

They think its funny when your face goes red after they give you a teasing slap to the rear

Even though it might be hard to tell, under all of that teasing and jest, Peng loves you dearly

Yellowtusk:

He is so protective of you

Not to the point where it's overbearing, but he still has a tendency to be a worry wart

"Have you eaten today dear?"

Please just reassure him you're alright, don't leave him hanging

He's definitely the wisest of the group, and follows his head more than his heart

Because of this, the Brotherhood sometimes tends to drown him out

If you're willing to sit through his ramblings or stories then he's eternally grateful

He's not really one to initiate things like kisses, so you'll have to take the reigns on that part cause he's a little shy! (and he's worried he might hurt you with one of his tusks)

He has no problem initiating things like hugs and cuddles though

If you ever come into his study while he's working on something, he'll happily plop you down on his lap and explain what he's doing while he works

You two are so comfortable and casual around each other that someone could mistake you two for just friends at a glance

But Yellowtusk knows that he doesn't need hugs or kisses or cuddles to know that he's utterly head over heels for you

[starglitterz]

♡ 神っぽいな (GOD-ISH)

❝ look down on me behind your mask, but what are you without it? a candle barely burning can't be said to be alive. ❞

✧ feat ; dottore, gn!reader

✧ warning(s) ; toxic relationship between a weirdo and his creation, implied experiments on humans, implied torture, reader is Going Through It, overuse of em dash & italics LOL

✧ a/n ; happy february! i have been Obsessed w this man ever since playing the sumeru archon quest 😵‍💫 idk if this can even be classified as x reader but here we are ! the lyrics i used are from lyrinae's english cover of god-ish (the original is a vocaloid song by pinocchiop) bc i felt like this song rly suits the doctor JSDJKS,,, i hope you all enjoy :) !!

“you disgust me.” you spit the harsh words out, eyes narrowing as you glare at the man (can he even be called a man anymore?) in front of you. “it pains me that my most beautiful creation thinks so lowly of me,” dottore sighs exaggeratedly, bringing one hand up to caress your cheek. the tips of his black gloves are hidden razors, sharp enough to draw blood and that is the sole reason why you don't recoil from his icy touch. yet another addition to the long list of weapons he keeps on his person at all times – the doctor is strangely paranoid for one who claims to be godlike. 

you shudder as he leans towards you, breath warm against the skin you fear he’s going to scratch apart as punishment for your insolence. though dottore designed you to be pristine and perfect, you know better than anyone else that he holds no qualms about damaging what he made with his own hands. you doubt he's ever seen you as a person, simply viewing you as a means to an end in his furious quest to ‘enhance’ humanity – and now you represent nothing more than his success.

a smirk curves dottore’s lips, fangs peeking through like a wolf showing its canines as it hunts its prey, “you really are stunning…” he stalks ever closer, trapping you between his arms as your back presses against the cold steel of his operating table. you don't want to go back there. merely being in this room is bringing back a flood of memories so horrible you’re almost trembling – the doctor does not believe in anesthesia, and so you’ve been wide awake every time he carved you open for the sake of ‘improving’ you. “practically a miracle,” he continues admiring his handiwork in a low murmur, tilting his head ever so slightly as he fixes his gaze on you, red eyes gleaming wickedly in the dark. a sardonic smirk mars his features at the thought – how could you be a a gift from the gods when he doesn't even believe in them?

“get away from me.” you hiss, though there's a barely perceptible tremor in your tone – dottore is your creator, after all. it’d be foolish to go against the man who built you when he could just as simply dismantle you. “come now, don't be like that.” he coos, and the sound of his voice grates against your ears like nails on a chalkboard, “i don't bite. at least not without reason.” he chuckles at his own joke, using one finger to tug at his mouth and show off his serrated teeth – they could pierce through your skin so, so easily.

the doctor’s face is mere inches from yours as he whispers, a sadistic smile gracing his lips at your terrified expression, “scared, are you?” you swallow, willing yourself to ignore the question as you suck in a ragged breath, “i haven’t looked at a mirror since you…” you can’t bring yourself to finish your sentence. what word would you even use? after all the time you’ve spent with him, you think you just might be brainwashed enough to say he was simply ameliorating you. “and that is your loss,” dottore chuckles, his hand slipping lower to caress the curve of your neck, his thumb hovering dangerously close to your pulse point, “as i said, you're exquisite.”

you wonder if he can hear your heart beating desperately against your ribcage from fear, then you remember – you don’t have a heart. not anymore. and that makes you even more upset as you hiss, “you ruined me.” for some reason, this strikes a nerve with him, and he grabs your chin roughly, forcing you to meet his eyes. “my darling…” his pupils are dilated, and his laugh is almost manic as he replies, “i made you better than your puny human form could even dream of being.” 

“now, you're flawless.” dottore grins, a wild, reckless look in his eyes that reminds you again just how insane he is. “all these years of experiments, of hearing your delicious sobs and pleas…” he pauses for effect, relishing in the stifled whimper that escapes your perfectly crafted mouth as you remember everything he's done to you, “it all culminated in the you that you are now.” “stop.” you beg, but it's worthless now – there's no more bite behind your words, and dottore knows he’s broken you once again. though you've long since realised you will never best him, you still argue with him whenever he brings you to his laboratory, doing your best to fight back with what little mental strength you have left – some part of the doctor wants to cut your pretty head right open to see what's ticking in there and remove the source of your hatred. 

but it matters not, for dottore will continue teaching you the same lesson as many times as you need until you get it through your thick skull. 

he created you, and you would be nothing without him.

( and if you refuse to grasp this concept, he can always create a new version of you – one that doesn't talk back so much. )

i can Never be normal abt scara or dottore,,, anyways this is one of my favourite pieces that i've ever written, and i really hope that you all like it too ! please do let me know what you think :>

© starglitterz 2024. do not repost or modify in any way – reblog / follow if you enjoyed !

[sonicreferencephotos]

Why I Dislike Sonic Speed Simulator

I sometimes see people in the notes of Speed Sim refs saying that maybe they should start playing it/get back into it. I want to ask, for your sakes, that you do not. The only reason I still play it is for this blog. I would love to stop. I keep going so that no one else will have to play to unlock characters for references. I will also be adding a disclaimer to future Speed Sim posts. Maybe this is a bit excessive, but this game is starting to break me.

I understand that some people like the game, and you all control what games you choose to play. In my opinion however, playing Speed Sim is really, really not worth it.

If you want a specific explanation of the problems, you can read it below the cut

Problem 1: Gameplay

The gameplay of SSS is simple, to put it kindly. There are a few different aspects of the game, each of which has only the bare minimum amount to do.

You can run around the world. This lets you collect rings and experience. You can also destroy badniks, which exclusively consists of doing repeated homing attacks until you destroy them. They can technically hit you, but all that does is knock you back.

You can do time trials. Actually somewhat fun. Not much more to say about them.

You can enter races. PvP races which are fine. Fun at first, get boring when you have to grind for race tickets.

You can fight bosses. By "bosses" I of course mean "Eggman" and "Eggman but with more health." It is almost exactly the same fight. You run around breaking shield generators, dodging the same two attacks, and then deal a set amount of damage to him before the shield returns. Repeat. Your prize is spins on (one of) the gacha wheels.

You can complete quests. Actually decent! At least until you run out of quests. Good thing there are daily quests to keep you "entertained" with their repetitive tasks. Also, ignore the fact that the tasks for quests are just engaging with the rest of the mediocre game.

All of the above mechanics grow dull and grind-y very quickly. Soon, every part of the game becomes a chore. The game itself even seems to have realized this, and thus includes an auto-run feature, so you can collect rings and xp without needing to do anything!

I am generally of the opinion that it's a bad sign if a game is un-fun enough it needs to add in the ability to skip the gameplay, but that's just me (that's part of why I stopped playing Star Rail).

Problem 2: Skins

We all know the real reason people play SSS isn't the game itself: it's the cool outfits! 95% of which are only available during limited events and/or by spending actual money. You can also expect to do a lot of boring grinding if you don't spend money. Speaking of spending money...

Problem 3: Microtransactions

Time to talk about the true "heart" of the game: Robux. Now, I will give Speed Sim itself half a pass on this one, as from what I've seen, Roblox as a whole has what I would consider an unsavory emphasis on microtransactions, especially for a game with a playerbase of 50% children aged 12 or under, and another 15% between 13 and 16 (Statista: Roblox user distribution worldwide 2022, by age group). With that being said though, Sonic Speed Simulator doesn't seem to have any qualms about asking for money wherever they can.

I could make a whole other post about all the ways this game offers for you to spend money. You want more spins on the gacha wheels? Spend money! You want to get three gacha eggs for the price of one (certain vending machines only)? Spend money! You want to skip the animation you have to watch every time you buy an egg from said gacha machines? Spend money! You want to do less grinding for xp/race tickets/event objectives/candy/whatever? Money, money, money!!!

The game has a lot of the trademark warning signs for a cash grab gacha game:

Several different kinds of currency, most or all of which can be purchased with premium currency

Many different skins to unlock, using the assorted currencies mentioned above (including ones that are specifically only purchasable with premium currency)

Gacha wheels. Many, many gacha wheels. (Not counting the dozens of vending machines, I can think of at least four)

Grindy gameplay that can largely be skipped by spending money

Again, if a game is un-fun enough to have an option for players to spend real money to skip the gameplay, that's a bad sign.

Problem 4: Crunch

I haven't done much looking into it myself, but I've seen many people say that GameFam (the company that creates Speed Sim) treats its employees very poorly. The game advertises its weekly updates, which requires a lot of crunch in order to get content out quickly. This is obviously bad for the people involved, and also has negative effects on the game.

Many features are clearly rushed, and there's a general lack of polish. From glitching through the map, to races starting several seconds before or after the countdown ends, to untextured models, to many small bugs, it's clear that the developers are not given enough time to clean things up before they have to move on to the next week's content.

*

Thank you to anyone who actually read this far. This was a long post, but I wanted to be thorough in my explanation. This is probably the last dedicated post I will make about this, since this is really not what this account is for, but I still think it's an important one.

You are welcome to ask questions about any of this — preferably in the replies so as not to clutter the sonicreferencephotos feed — but otherwise the disclaimers are all I'll be saying on the topic for the foreseeable future. Take care of yourselves.

[aconflagrationofmyown]

Three Way Script

A Sarge and lil Mama fic

Warnings: rather angsty and with some strong language -but with a load of gentleness and love thrown in as is typical with this universe, please note the subjects covered here relate to infidelity and the death of an infant. Everyone herein is coping and not in a very tidy way but they’re tryin’.

Note: this is written in experimental first person view from Ann-Margret’s perspective. I’ve zero intention to vilify anyone and even had a little bit of qualms regarding using her in this at all. As is, I’m creating more of a character for her in the form of “Thumper” and her dynamic with the fictional Presley’s than any true resemblance to the lady herself. Cheers 💋

Dedicated to sweet @ab4eva who loves her hot tamale

Circa: summer of ‘63 on the set of Viva Las Vegas

It was a dark and deathly quiet quarter to four in the morning. I’d just been decked in the face by a sleepwalking Elvis Presley for trying to wake him up. Face throbbing, nerves strained from our undefined tryst, I clumsily chased him as he wandered outside, strangely stubborn in his unconscious quest for air, or space, or -her.

I didn’t know the etiquette for this, for any of it. I’d told him just that as he, a married man of such notoriety, pressed his lips against mine and told me that we had a connection.

He and I.

As if I couldn't feel it thrumming and seething and tugging between us during every scene and more concerning still, in the lulls between, in the quiet and unpretentious moments of rest when it wasn’t our characters, when it was just us. When he admitted to being gutted by the loss of his child, estranged from his ever-ebullient wife in her own bereavement, envious of his son, not even four years old, who occupied his space in her bed and took comfort from her body while he was obliged to dance and sing his way to another hit as if he wasn’t fragmented by the grief of it all.

“I thought you’d be all tough n’shit, a real firecracker.” he’d breathed with immense relief after uncovering that gooey, soft, vulnerable place inside of me that something about his grief and his hollow smirk and his lonesomeness had almost immediately unleashed in my soul. That urge to comfort, to assure him he wasn’t going out on a limb, it had me spending my days making a fool of myself for him.

Yet it seemed the price for such misplaced loyalty and pleasure was about to be extracted as I trailed him, calling out to him in vain, ignoring my aching jaw in an attempt to stall his sleepwalking, quelling the panic I felt at what must be done.

His guys didn’t know he was here with me and I wasn’t sure if I should tell them anyway, though I would have at this crucial point if I could have found or telephoned any of them. Tell them he was about to wander bare as the Lord made him into the studio lot.

I had to spare her that at least.

I had to call Graceland.

When I had entered my studio apartment earlier that evening Elvis had been sat in the kitchenette chair, twirling the landline cord around his finger, feet propped up on the Formica table, perfectly at home in my space, saying his goodbyes to a child or four. He gave me a dazzling smile as I stepped over my own threshold yet held up his finger for silence in my own space as he finished speaking with his family.

“Your phone ain’t bugged like mine is.” he had said casually by way of explanation for his entitlement to my rented room and then took me in his arms. I’d forgotten to press my point regarding privacy and rumors after that.

Now I fumbled the receiver off its hook and with all the cold, dreading heroism of a soldier launching a nuclear missile, I pushed redial.

One of the Presley cousins answered, I calculated the truth would get me where I needed fastest, so I said outright “Elvis is sleep walking on the lot and no one knows how to wake him”.

I was asked to hold and about twenty seconds later the receiver picks up again and this woman’s soft drawl comes over,

“Thumper? Is that you? Is he with you?”

Elaine was anxious. I could feel the strength of it through the phone, a visceral connection with a total stranger just by the waiver of her voice. So very anxious in that way that people who’ve been in a rash of losing things start to freak over the slightest possibility of another blow. It was the first time we’d ever spoken and yet I told her the situation as it stood, clear and concise. She knew of me -not just of Ann-Margret but of Thumper- and god knows I knew of her.

Elaine gained strength with details, demanded how long he’d been asleep and if he had his eyes open at all. With the first question I thought she was trying to trap me and get me to admit something I was more than ready to own up to. But then I realized she was just trying to triage. I gave her all the details I could tell and she gave me some suggestions.

“Make sure you duck away when you touch him or he’ll wallop you in the face, Thumper.” she warned with the surety of a veteran and her tone was so kind it took me ten whole minutes later to process the fact she had anticipated everything that had occurred and would occur. Despite that she was kind.

She was still kind after she suggested I let the dream run its course and maybe try to steer him from the gates or keep the outer door locked, and I had to tell her sheepishly he wasn’t wearing anything. Again, instead of what I was expecting she just let out a little huff and said

“Why didn’t you say? That makes things easier, you’ve got an ice pail, don’t you?”

So I ended up tossing ice at Elvis Presley’s chilled skin till he woke up and startled. Then led him back inside and when he saw the phone off the hook he got spooked and yelled at me that it wasn’t something to call the police for.

I said it was his wife instead. It was like he turned into a little boy then, he just yanked a sheet off the bed and curled into a chair at the kitchenette table and picked up the receiver.

I heard him whisper,

“Tink?”

before he waved me away and off as if this wasn’t my place that he had crashed in. But they were still softly chattin’ in a foreign sort of gibberish on the line by the time I gave up and fell asleep with the lamp on and him mumbling to his wife about his dream and asking to talk to a kid if one was awake.

He was gone when I woke up, so were his clothes.

Next I saw him, he was on set looking chipper, full face of pancake makeup disguising his exhaustion, playing cards with the boys waiting for the director to show. A quart’s worth of makeup was lathered to my own face, meticulously plastered on my left cheek five layers deep to disguise the purpling bruise he’d given me.

He acted like nothing, and I do mean nothing of any sort, had happened the night before. It was puzzling and I began to realize just how well he could compartmentalize everything. Lines and paces and dances and duets, he moved through them all that day with ease, belying the man who told me the night before he didn’t think he could keep going on like this.

‘This’ being the continuing of the smiling and dancing and grinding for all the nation to applaud, anything to market his resilience, once again having to rebound from his unsellable grief. But a child buried comes back in a man’s dreams.

“They made me choose, Annie,” he’d wept to me, “came out in their coats and said ‘which would ya like us to save, Mr. Presley?’ What was I s’posed to say to that, Thumper?” he begged me for an answer like I had an opinion on such a horrific conundrum. It’s times like these when a twenty three year old starlet isn’t sure what to say. “I can’t live without her! Can’t keep ‘em all well and happy without her, chose her. Now my baby girl’s dead.”

Her was always Elaine. And baby girl had been named Joe.

Josephine Belleaza, though her daddy couldn’t say her name, the name he’d lovingly chosen in happier times, couldn’t say it aloud without sounding strangled.

“It wouldn’t have changed a thing.” I kept insisting, I didn’t know what else to say except the truth of it, “They just ask those things to put it back on the -the- the patient.” The victim, the father, the parents. Putting those sleepless nights about choices back on his shoulders. As if a child drowned in the amniotic fluid that had once been its home and haven could be revived if the mother was cut apart to take it out. It was cruel, there never was a choice that god hadn't already made. “Wouldn’t have changed a thing. She doesn’t blame you, does she?”

“No, no never.” he’d sighed bitterly.

We talked a lot about her for a young co-star and her married leading man, laying in those twisted sheets he laid me out on, reveling in the fact I had no old memories etched on my skin, yet was soft and giving in all the ways to mimic the familiar one. It was an unfair usage, but when you’re in love you take a married man happily even if he seems as if he’s looking for more and less than your unstoried body could ever give him. A respite from things associated with dreams gone wrong, turned dark and twisted. He made me feel like a lifeline, he made me feel indispensable for him getting up each new day, he made my body rejoice and thrum from even the smallest of child play beneath the sheets, he made me fall in love with him.

And then he railed at me for calling her. I was the lifeline to get him back to her alive, sane and somewhat devoted. I was never his wife and according to him I should never have made his wife listen to his passing dalliance recount our tryst. It was unfair, I had done it to protect him but the minute the cameras stopped rolling he had cornered me and cut me down for the night before.

“You told her about us!” I accused him right back, righteous and misled all at once.

“There ain’t no us!” and he said it so easily.

That was true, I’d never met a fully grown man with such drive who found a way to make love in every possible way except the typical insertion method. I had not pressed it before, thinking it connected to his fear of pregnancy. “You told her about me being Thumper!” I clarified my complaint.

“Course I did!” he acted like I’d cracked up, “I tell her ‘bout all of ‘em, she’s accommodatin’ like that. Don’t mean she should have to have salt rubbed in the wound by talkin’ to ya. Ain’t fittin. She’s my wife!”

That stung, the categorization. There was little ole me, one of an apparent host of good time girls, and then there was her. And the fact she was his wife, that he really had his priorities straight despite his wandering eye, was a virtue lost on my love sick heart.

I was just furious and hurt.

“Did she put you up to this?” I seethed and he said no, no she hadn’t but this was just the way of things. He told Elaine about all his friends, which he considered me one, and on the flip side he kept them separated from his family life. It was traditional and tidy and archaic and we fought bitterly over it and made up in my bed.

He was gone again when I woke the next morning. But across the room in his stead was a large spray of roses he must’ve allowed in, shaped in a heart like a valentine, though the month was July. I anticipated conciliatory words in his childish scribble on the note. Instead, there in a delicate cursive was a quote, from Anna Karenina, I recognized,

“There are as many kinds of loves as there are hearts”

and down below in tiny, achingly gentle words was the sentiment:

“to a very tender young lady, for her pains and kindness to us, hope the cheek heals by the time I come and kiss it, all my thanks, -Elaine.”

———————————————————

I so hope I can crank out another of these or one for Gigi before too long, and a happier one at that, but for now I hope y’all enjoyed and thanks for all the love and questions flooding into my inbox for this make-believe family, it makes me so soft 🥹

Hope y’all enjoyed xoxo, lemme know below if you’d like to added to the taglist

@paradsol000

@eliseinmemphis

@prompted-wordsmith

@ab4eva

@foreverdolly

@powerofelvis

@butlersxbirdy

@crash-and-cure

@elvisabutler

@heartbrake-hotel

@stylespresleyhearted

@thatbanditqueen

@crazymadpassionatelove

@myradiaz

@ash-omalley

@whatstruthgottadowithit

@arianatheangelgirl

@steph-speaks

@burningloverdoll

@angelface-555

@lookingforrainbows

@missmaywemeetagain

@coolgirl462

@kingdomforapony

@18lkpeters

@richardslady121

@from-memphis-with-love

@lillypink

@artlover8992

@pennyroyalcreep

@notstefaniepresley

@ellie-24

@renaissingle

@waiting4brucewayne2adoptme

@presleyenterprise

@marriedtopresley

[bysithis]

Writing prompt number 14!

Writing prompt 14: A quest gone very, very wrong

ahh thank you!!! <33

this piece is about my girl madlen – loyal thieves' guild member and all-round babe. in this case, i am interpreting 'quest' rather loosely as. y'know. crime.

also. this got, uh. longer than i meant for it to lmao. but i hope you enjoy! thanks again for the fun prompt :3

Madlen's career within the Guild, as short-lived as it was, had just been going too smoothly.

That must be it, she tells herself. Things were going well for once, perhaps for the first time in years, and so, of course, the gods see fit to shit in her dinner. All of them. All at one. She isn't sure which one to blame in particular, so what choice does she have but to tar them all with the same brush?

Yes, that's my lot, she thinks, grimacing. A platter of golden, glowing, divinely-wrought shit. Perfect.

From outside her cell, she hears the grating whine of poorly maintained hinges and the soft thud of leather boots as one of the guards enters the jail. It must be lunchtime, she guesses, and guesses correctly; after a couple of minutes, a dented tin plate is shoved beneath her door. For the first time today, she pushes herself up from her rickety old cot, going to retrieve her meal.

What do we have today, then? Bread: dry, stale. Standard. And – by the gods. An entire inch of cheese, just for me?

A measly dinner, but one she should be grateful for, as the guards are so fond of reminding her. Sighing through her nose, she goes to sit back down on the edge of the bed, balancing her food on her knees, picking off a bit of mouldy crush from her bread.

The most aggravating part of this is that it's not even her fault. Madlen had spent weeks stalking her mark – weeks. Following them from dawn till dusk, learning their routine inside and out, noting when they'd be home and when they'd be out. Fortunately for her, they were a creature of habit, each day the same as the one before, operating as regularly as a Dwemer automaton.

Unfortunately for her, however, they must have lost a cog somewhere: the Fredas before last, that schedule deviated.

That day, the mark came home earlier than expected. That day, the mark wasn't alone. And so, that day, young Perennia Fulced – on the arm of some big, burly Nord, with straw-like hair and eyes the colour of granite – had the misfortune of coming home to find a thief in her bedroom.

Madlen, on the other hand, had the significantly greater misfortune of taking a punch to the nose – apparently, Jarl Beer-Belly of Whiterun had no qualms about hitting a member of the fairer sex – and a short trip to the local jail. Her new home, apparently, until such time as...

Well. However long the Jarl decides. If only she'd had the coin to pay the fine.

Maybe I can escape. It isn't the first time the thought has crossed her mind. No lockpicks, but there were other ways to get the job done; that wouldn't prove an obstacle for too long. But where the hell are my things?

Again, the squeaking of hinges as the guard leaves. Madlen looks down at her remaining bread, pressing her lips together. What, no dessert?

The first few days here she spent in a panic; she had never been to prison before and really hadn't made any plans to visit. So, when that rusted-over door clanged shut behind her; when she heard the key turn in the lock; when, later that first night, the man in the cell over started whispering to her, voice hissing through the damp silence—

When all that happened, she didn't take it all very well.

Now, she is at least calm – mostly, just because she decided she would be. It's better than the alternative. And, besides, things could be worse. Bread and cheese may not be the meal of kings, but she's lived off of less.

A little while after dinner, the door outside swings open again. Madlen, lying back in her cot with the plate resting on her stomach, doesn't bother getting up. Light, barely-there footsteps approach her cell, stopping outside the barred entrance. Still, she doesn't bother even to look up.

'If you've brought more cheese, great,' she says, staring up at the ceiling. 'If you've brought more bread, forget about it. Half of it was mould.'

'I hope you don't think I've come all the way from Riften just to bring you your supper, lass.'

At the familiar voice, Madlen's eyes widen, head snapping in the direction of the door. Finding herself met with a familiar face, she bolts upright, sending the plate clattering to the floor and bits of mouldy bread flying everywhere.

'Brynjolf? What—' Cutting herself off, she gets to her feet, crossing over to the door. Staring out at him, she wraps her fingers around the cold iron bars, leaning in as close as they'll allow her, as if to prove to herself it's really him standing there and not some trick of the light.

'What are you doing here?' she finishes, voice lowered to a hush, eyes tripping down over his face, over the familiar quilted doublet, down to the dusty tips of his boots, and then back up.

Brynjolf smiles, the skin at the corners of his eyes creasing. 'Pleased to see me?'

'I'll say.'

'Then I hope you'll be equally pleased sharing a carriage to Riften.'

'Oh, I'd be ecstatic,' she replies. 'I hear it's a lovely trip this time of year. But, Bryn—'

Predicting Madlen's question, Brynjolf holds up a hand. 'I know a guy who knows a guy. Let's leave it at that, shall we?' He pauses, giving a meaningful look around. 'At least until we're out of here.'

That time comes mercifully quickly. Brynjolf left after just a couple short minutes, replaced by another visitor an hour or so afterwards – one of the guards, an unsmiling lad with a terrific case of helmet hair. The friend of a friend, Madlen wonders, giving him a once-over? Or just a man doing his job? Either way, he does a fantastic job of looking like he doesn't want to be here. A sentiment with which Madlen can empathise entirely.

Soon enough, she's handed her pack and led outside, the guard all but shoving her out the door.

'See we don't meet each other again,' he warns, voice cold. When Madlen turns to retort, he's already disappeared back inside.

Probably for the best, she reflects. I'm not chomping at the bit to visit again.

Brynjolf meets her at the head of the stairs leading down to the Wind District. Behind him, the city of Whiterun basks beneath a high, pale yellow sun, too small and far away to chase away the bite of the wind, but welcome, all the same. Besides, after days spent cooped up in the stifling stone underbelly of Dragonsreach, Madlen welcomes the chill in the air, nipping at her cheeks and nose.

'There you are,' Brynjolf says, conversationally, as if he's just been waiting for you to come back from a trip to the market. 'I was beginning to think you'd given them some lip and changed their minds.'

'Me?' Madlen intones, arching her brows; she's in high spirits – and it shows. 'I would never.'

With a shake of his head and a low chuckle, Brynjolf turns, taking the first few steps. 'You're a bad liar, Madlen.'

'Given my trade, I should hope not.'

'I hate to bring up the recent past, but you got yourself thrown into Dragonsreach dungeon, lass. You might want to give your trade a second thought – or a first one, for that matter.'

The words are spoken lightly enough, but they sting a little, like soapy water finding a fresh cut. Madlen's immediate reaction is to go on the defence. To explain herself. To tell Brynjolf what really happened. Instead, she takes in a lungful of sharp, clean air, slinging her pack over her shoulder and falling into step alongside him.

'How did you find out?' she asks at length. They've reached the bottom of the stairs, now, Dragonsreach looming behind them.

'A little bird told me.'

'Ah, of course. Such gossipy waterfowl we have down in the Rift.' Here, she pauses, glancing across at him from beneath long, pale lashes. 'I was surprised to see you. Guess I figured...'

Another pause. Brynjolf waits, patiently, for her to finish, gaze fixed straight ahead of him.

'Well, you know,' she continues, picking her words carefully. 'I've not been with the Guild all that long. Didn't think I'd be worth the trouble.'

At that, he draws to a slow stop, turning to look at her. 'Is there a question in there?'

Madlen purses her lips. 'Do you go to such lengths for all you new recruits?'

For a while, he doesn't answer, the silence stretching for just long enough that she starts to wish she hadn't bothered asking. And then, finally, he smiles, humming a quiet laugh. Starting to walk again, he half-turns, tossing an answer over his shoulder. 'Just the pretty ones.'

A younger, less experience version of her might have blushed at that. As it is, Madlen just rolls her eyes. 'Oh, ha.'

'To tell you the truth, lass, Mercer was against it. Bailing you out.'

'Oh.' Somehow, Mercer's thoughts about it all had barely entered her mind. 'Why?'

'It's like you said. You're new. So new you've still got a shine to you. I look at you and I see potential. You just need a little breaking in, you know? Like... like a pair of boots.'

'A pair of boots? Gee, thanks.'

He ignores her, continuing, 'Mercer... doesn't see what I see. Not yet. Doesn't mean he never will. Just give him time.'

'I guess.'

'You can give me a full report once we hit the road. Then maybe we can figure out a version of events that'll satisfy him.'

'Sure.'

Madlen lapses into quiet, then, looking ahead at nothing in particular as the two of them trot down the stairs towards the market. As much as she may not care for the man, she's not so stupid as to think Mercer's opinion immaterial. In the coming weeks and months, she'll have to work hard to earn back his trust – though, given how little of it she'd apparently won in the first place, that hopefully wouldn't take too long. Silver linings.

'So,' she says, finally. 'You really came all this way just for me?'

Brynjolf smiles, a crooked thing. 'Well, not just for you. I came for the meadery, too.'

Madlen snorts. 'Gee, thanks.'

'And I need someone to help me carry all those bottles.'

'Yeah, yeah.'

'Just wait till I've paid for them before you leave, yeah? Don't want you getting done for stealing twice in as many weeks.'

'Oh, for the love of Mara...'

[mokagachas]

share with me your great wisdom of of snake gal and water gal for I have not played arknight is a bit

hm okay alright ( muses )

I’ll say right off the bat I’ve mentioned on this blog before that while I don’t dislike romantic ships by any means I find myself very rarely “shipping” characters by pure definition of the word I mostly just enjoy their dynamics and parallels and My Goodness ho’ol and mumu have that in droves with one another

The vast TLDR oversimplification of the two of them: Ho’olheyak and Muelsyse are the last/some of the last of each of their respective races, Ho’olheyak being the last of the K’uk’ulkan and Muelsyse of the elves. Both are long life species naturally, but Ho’olheyak has gone through a torturous ritual at a young age that all K’uk’ulkan go through where she is implanted with the memories of generations of K’uk’ulkan before her. The procedure cuts her life short, and while we don’t know exactly HOW short, its presumably not very long to go

Muelsyse and Ho’olheyak both go on quests to find out what remains of, or what happened to, their people. They both have rather different approaches to it, however, with Muelsyse holds out hope that she’ll find other elves still alive, going on a lone quest to hunt down what remains of them and ultimately discovering that yes, most have died out, partially due to their weakness to originium. Despite this, she herself stays in densely populated city areas and interacts with Infected people frequently, enjoying being a social person while also feeling agonizingly alone. Muelsyse is decidedly a Good Person.

On the flip side, Ho’olheyak almost agonizingly relies on using other people to get the information she wants, seeking less about the specificities of what happened to her race and moreso their purpose and affect. She infiltrates secret organizations, double and triple crosses whenever it suits her whim, and is an utterly self-serving person who has no qualms in committing atrocities to get what she wants- though this is not to be confused with commiting atrocities for the pure joy of it. She ultimately finds a “god” robot thing (long story) that more or less tells her that everything she’s been working for is more or less worthless and she doesn’t necessarily fall to despair, but she does become incredibly languid and passive, though she keeps her trade mark asshole-ish ness.

Muelsyse flat out says it in Ho’olheyak’s files: “We each have what the other lacks.” They’re characters that are Definitely built to be the inverse of each other despite having rather sparing direct interactions in events but being littered in each other’s files. It’s really interesting to me!

But while their long life parallels (or robbed lack thereof in Ho’ol’s case) and relationship with their ancestors are the most obvious connections to be drawn between them, what fascinates me the most is their social parallels and how their experiences have changed how they interact with the world.

Both of them feel incredibly alone in one way or another. For Muelsyse, this comes near to breaking her at times. Despite the people around her that she cares for, and who care for her, she has such a different life experience than everyone else that she feels a disconnect that cannot be bridged. Despite this, she does her best to form genuine connections with those around her, even if they fail to give her what she wants.

Ho’olheyak is alone and at least Thinks she doesn’t care about it. She doesn’t respect many people, if any at all. She shatters every possible connection she could have with a shrug, pursuing only what could benefit her and seeming impartial to what she does to have her way. She is alone yet clearly wants for more: why else would she be seeking for meaning in the K’uk’ulkan so desperately?

These are two people who have had such violently different lived, yet the closest either of them can get to finding someone who can even begin to comprehend the life they’ve led and the struggles they’ve faced is in the other person. They acknowledge to themselves that the other person share similarities, but have trouble crossing that final step due to how the other has acted is so contradictory to their personal motives.

They’re both drawn to and reject the other… I like it :)

[thatoneluckybee]

quick new warriors arc thoughts

can be entirely summed up with: Didn't we already do all this?

Spoilers for literally all of the books below up to this point I have problems

We've had the "oh noooo! We can't contact StarClan anymore help!" drama for THE PAST TWO ARCS NOW (the broken code and a starless clan). That will be TWELVE BOOKS. I appreciate that we're seeing the moral dilemmas here, these kitties seriously need to learn to think for themselves sometimes, but this is getting very boring. It's the same dilemma three times over.

TWOLEGS AGAIN??

I think it's an interesting concept to explore, of what would happen if the Moonpool is destroyed. I'm tired of StarClan crisis plots but at the very least this is a new one. But twolegs? Once more, haven't we already done this? Firstly, twoleg destruction was already the entire problem with the early books of The New Prophecy. We've already seen this. Secondly, SkyClan being in danger has been seen ALREADY as that's what drove them out the first time!

I don't actually have any qualms with this I love Tawnypelt. My girl needs some time to shine I'm happy for her. However I am very scared because last time an elder was important early on (Sandstorm with Alderheart) said elder DIEDED. Also worried about mischaracterization a bit but ehhh

Okay so Shadowsight again. And kinda Frostpaw again. Nothing stands out here yet so just need to wait and see until more is revealed about Moonpaw. Girl please be interesting

Though I did complain about repetitive plots I WILL say there seems to be a way to make this arc good in my opinion. The Erins said this arc includes the "importance of an old friend" or something like that. They seem to be bringing back older characters and points (I.e. Tawnyprlt the beloved.) so there's a chance the repetition is intentional and will be important. Already we see multiple things connected to past arcs and books

SkyClan being threatened in the same way they were when driven from the forest territories. I believe this could serve as an important point to hammer in the idea we've seen the past few arcs where the cats are torn between tradition and reality. They fought so hard for SkyClan to stay only for this to happen AGAIN. Is it a sign they should leave for good? <- Because there's always those random background cats making horrible decisions in the cat political sphere.

Changing Skies as the arc title may also indicate SkyClan being important. Or it could talk about changes to StarClan. Or maybe a drawback to Clear Sky?

The book being titled The Elder's Quest also hints on a possible tradition theme. Tawnypelt being included is interesting, so I wonder if she'll be the "back in my day" old woman or the "I like the youngin's" old woman

[musewrangler]

“However,” Anakin continued, preparing for the tougher part of this conversation. “You were angry.”

“Of course,” she shrugged. “It’s frustrating!”

“Mmm,” he agreed “but you need to know that anger…anger which is not controlled, leads to the Dark Side.”

That snapped the eyes of both twins to his.

“Is…that what happened to you?” Luke asked. He was more curious and open than his sister. He had no qualms asking Anakin questions like this in his quest to know more about his power and history.

“It…is part of what happened,” Anakin replied. “And that is not something I wish to discuss at the moment. You are both…supremely gifted. Perhaps I have not mentioned that enough.”

He could feel someone else shoving at his mind and he sighed internally.

<Perhaps it is time for me to speak to them,> the Lady told him eagerly.

<In due time,> he agreed. <You MAY notice, Lady, that we are having a serious discussion.>

<But you are rather deficient in giving them sufficient fuel, Dark One,> she informed him loftily. < I can help there.>

His young Super Star Destroyer was nearly as frustrating at times, as these near twelve year olds.

<You mean encouragement, Lady?> he asked her dryly.

<Yes, that. The thing you never give my officers.>

Oh they were not discussing this right now.

[kindwhispers]

Ballroom e Youkoso: Dreams, Passion, & Self-discovery through the art of dancing

Spoilers ahead!

This will always be one of my top favourites of mine. One of the many things I loved about this manga– aside from my obvious adoration in its magnificent art (especially its motion art) is how it explores the intricacies of finding your own dreams for yourself. Tatara is on a constant pursuit of understanding himself as he digs into ballroom on a deeper lens; the becoming of a pair with Chinatsu being the fire that ignited Tatara’s self-discovery, how his realizations in staying in the ballroom world & encountering more people- especially Bres arc- is foisting him to ruminate on his dreams, purpose, motivation, and the courage to keep up despite it being a place that is still so enigmatic & distant from his own grasp.

There are lots of chapters that have been introspective & I really love ALL of the characters (they’re all so beautiful) i can’t wait to see how Tatara’s experiences in ballroom will mould his growth as a dancer & as himself. I still don’t understand why they cut a certain scene from the manga in the anime considering Tatara’s feelings & admiration for Shizuku is imperative for his quest in entering ballroom dancing. esp. how he views his own motivation as asinine (and acknowledges it as part of his self discovery).

One of my favourite chapters includes the one with Chinatsu- Tatara on his quest for the essence of dancing, confronting his qualms about himself leading up to a harmonious moment with Chinatsu and becoming one with her. Their growth as a dynamic has been wonderful, I love them so much (and before everything has been said and done, I am a platonic!chitara admirer). I also love the way Tatara has been recognizing ballroom as a bridge that connects him to the people he admires until he met these people who provoke his convictions to himself… now that he’s gained awareness, he HAS to fundamentally think about his own dreams for himself.

After Bres, I really love how discernible Tatara’s growth is as seen through different lenses (Chinatsu, Kiyoharu, Marisa). His ruminations abt his motivations in ballroom and seeking what’s beyond it allowed him to flourish & I can’t wait to see how it’ll pan out for him. Also side note, I just wanna reiterate how much I appreciate Tatara & Kurauchi’s relationship. They met not too long ago but the influence they’ve had on each other through their conversations alone have been so meaningful, and how much of their multifaceted layers of themselves are being constantly uncovered.

I want to see him face his love for Shizuku & realize it’s fine that his feelings for her, wherever it might come from, is his reason why he dances! That after all, ballroom is the pathway that makes way for him to reach the people he admires. So happy that he always has convos with Kurauchi that hinders him from running away from his feelings & finally confront it.

& Tatara on his feelings for Shizuku: I think, whether it comes from a place of profound admiration or romantic love, it’s a lot deeper (doesn't mean it's romantic, it also doesn't necessarily have to be, but it's definitely an immense feeling that is significant to him). I’d love to see how Tatara will address these feelings & if this will bloom into a new approach w dancing.

Tatara has been building his self-confidence through dancing, & to me he is constantly learning to love ballroom through the people he started it for & the people he dance with. Which is so interesting!!! I’d love to see more of his growth as a leader too, and Tatara who has his own sense of pride as a dancer.