#I know this isn't really about Cullen as a character but I want people who have that tag blacklisted to be able to avoid this

[pascaloverx]

Moonlight

Summary: You and Edward Cullen used to have a romantic relationship. But fate seemed not to believe in the possibility of a vampire and a potential she-wolf being together. Years after your separation, you return to Forks. Edward is committed to Bella Swan, and Jacob Black has his own pack. What happens when, upon your return, you begin to transform into a she-wolf and both Edward and Jacob seem eager to revisit the past with you?

Author's Note: The characters in this fanfic do not belong to me but to Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight universe. The story blends events that happened in the Twilight saga movies with invented ones. If you're enjoying the fanfic, please interact. This story will contain inappropriate language, a possible love triangle, scenes of violence, and romance. I would appreciate it if those who enjoy the fanfic could leave a comment and like (kudos). Engagement helps me know that there are still people reading. I hope you enjoy this chapter ❤

FIVE SEVEN

SIX

Edward insisted that you go to his house after you had sex in the car. As you said you would stay by his side in the heat of the romantic moment. It seems stupid now, but it's what you can do now. So at this moment, you are finishing your shower in the bathroom of Edward's almost-suite-like bedroom. He is currently informing his family that you are at their house. Your mind tells you that they will hate your presence, especially after his recent breakup with Bella. That's why, after finishing your shower, your plan is to look for a place to rent.

"You were wrong, they reacted better than you imagined. But they want you to come down for breakfast with them," Edward says, entering the bedroom and then opening the bathroom door, holding a towel for you to dry off. Sometimes you forget that he reads minds. You step out of the bathtub and wrap yourself in the towel. Edward kisses you gently while holding your face with both hands.

"Now try to tell me the truth. Your family doesn't have to force themselves to accept me here just because I'm homeless. I'll rent a place before Rosalie tries to throw me out the window. And I need to talk to Sam. But I can have breakfast with your family as long as none of them pretend to eat food." You say while putting on some clothes, and Edward turns around to give you privacy. When you finish dressing, you kiss Edward on the cheek, and he turns to look at you. Honestly, as he stares at you, a warm feeling of affection fills your heart.

"Don't you want me to go with you? Since you plan to reveal our relationship..." Edward says, holding your waist, and you hug him. Then you lightly slap his head, showing your annoyance at him reading your mind.

"Our agreement about you staying out of my mind still stands. I admit I'm scared of his reaction, but we're all grown-ups. And even though I can't read your mind, I can assure you that I won't run away or be afraid to admit that I feel something for you. Even if it could lead to a significant war between vampires and wolves. And you're definitely not coming with me," you say, laughing a little at Edward's reaction to hearing that he isn't going with you. Holding his hand, you head downstairs to have breakfast with the Cullens. The table is set, and it's clear they went to great lengths to make you feel welcome.

"We didn't know what you like to eat, but Bella used to have pancakes and bacon. Sometimes waffles and scrambled eggs. You're not exactly human, but you probably enjoy the same food she did. I know you two have similar tastes in many things," Rosalie says as you finish coming down the stairs. You look at her, knowing she isn't happy about your presence in her house, but you can't blame her.

"Rosalie, take it easy," Edward says, placing his hand on your shoulder, as if to show he's on your side. You breathe in and out, trying not to get upset. After all, do you really have the right to be upset?

"Edward is right, Rose. We have a guest, and we will treat her well. Y/N, I know you'll forgive Rose for her tone. We're just adjusting to this new situation," Carlisle says with some grace. He’s a good father. It makes you miss your own.

"I'd like to thank all of you for your efforts. But you don’t need to pretend. I know it’s sudden for me to be here; I promise I’ll leave. It’s too soon for us to be in this situation. Too soon for Edward and me to be together, but to be honest, Edward and I have had a relationship. We were secret lovers before he met Bella. That doesn’t justify anything, but perhaps Edward and I feel like we waited too long to be together." You look at all the Cullens in front of you, feeling like you’re making a confession. They seem to understand you, at least a little.

"Dear, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that it’s none of our business. As long as you and Edward are happy, we will support you," Alice says kindly. But you know it’s hard for them to support you both.

"I think it’s too early to talk about support. Not to be rude, Y/N, but just a few weeks ago Edward was ready to marry Bella. You can’t expect…" Jasper says, and you feel guilt washing over you. You’ve spoiled someone’s happy ending. You can't even respond. As the Cullens look at you with a mix of fear and concern, you see Edward wanting to comfort you. But right now, you need to leave this house. You should never have come. You run outside without saying anything more, hearing Alice cursing Jasper while Rosalie takes pride in not being the one to reveal that Edward was going to propose to Bella.

“Y/N, stop. Just listen to me for a moment. Don’t push us away. Don’t use this as an excuse to run from me,” Edward says, trying to stop you from getting into your car. You’re trying not to cry, trying to stay composed. But it feels like you’re back at square one.

“You were going to propose to her. Do you know what that means for us?” you say louder than you intended. Your emotions are overflowing.

“It was before you came back. Before we realized that what we felt before still exists. My decision not to propose was also a way to protect her,” Edward explains. You somewhat understand him, but right now, the anger towards Jacob feels justified. You feel like a terrible person.

“I’m not going to leave you. I’m tired of running, but I need some time. We both need to start over, slowly. I’m going to talk to Sam about us, and in the meantime, try to have a conversation with your family and your ex. But don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” you say, letting the tears roll down your face before going to Edward and giving him a soft, comforting kiss on the lips. Maybe, just maybe, you and he are meant to find a way through this together. After the kiss, you say goodbye to Edward and head towards Uley's house. You know he'll find out your big secret eventually. It’s better that you tell him. As you approach the house, you see Sam and Emily. Immediately, Uley seems to harden his expression when he sees you.

"I never supported your relationship with Jacob, but you’ve definitely managed to get yourself into a worse relationship. You and a monster whose heart doesn’t beat. A damned bloodsucker, a vampire. Do you have any idea what that is? An abominable union. Your father would die if he were here to witness this." Sam is too enraged, but Emily touches his hand lightly as if calming him down.

"We talked about this, Sam. Don’t be rude to her. I’ll make some tea for us," Emily says gently, giving Sam a kiss on the cheek. You watch as Emily leaves you and Sam alone.

"My father died knowing this. Knowing that his daughter fell in love with a cold monster that survives on blood. He found out just before he made me leave Forks. Before he died. He reacted like you, and I was too young to defend myself back then, but I’m not now. I’m not going to lower my head and let you walk all over me. If you want to resolve this, face me. You may have your pack, but you’re still a weak man. You can’t see beyond your own nose. That’s why you’re an imperfect leader." You don’t mince words as you let your anger take over. Sam looks at you almost with disgust now.

"I’m giving you the chance to leave and forget this ridiculous romance of yours. If you continue, I won’t hesitate to end this fairy tale of yours, even if it means hurting you." Sam threatens. You laugh at him, as if his attempt to intimidate you has only amused you, but the truth is, it’s frightening. And in reality, apart from Edward, you don’t think anyone else is on your side right now.

"So it’s pertinent for you to know that she will have the support of my pack. Hurting her means hurting me, Uley," Jacob says, appearing out of nowhere and surprising both you and Sam. He stands beside you, staring down Sam. You wonder how he knew you were talking to Sam or how he arrived so quickly, but it's good to see him there, even if you and he are currently at odds.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[flippinpancakes64]

the cullens with reader who is a VERY popular movie star, but only plays in horror movies as the killer (and she makes them watch her movies)?

The Cullens with a Horror Movie Actor

Thank you for requesting!

In your request you mentioned “she” but I hope you don’t mind that I changed it to be more gender neutral

Anyways I hope you enjoy!

Edward:

He thinks it's pretty sick tbh

I feel like he might have wanted to be an actor at one point

So seeing you living out your dreams is huge for him

You wouldn't need to force him to sit down to watch your movies

However I feel like he'd get a little in his own head about you being a killer

If you're still human he'd probably start that line of thinking where if he turned you you'd become a real-life killer, how your characters are just fake people but that's like the real him, blah blah

Just cut him off with a big 'ol smooch

Alice:

Again, very supportive

She'd make a whole day of it every time one of your movies releases

Of course, you would need to bring her as your plus one to the premier

She might give you pointers tho tbh

Even though they're not really for you

"Blood doesn't actually spurt like that, it's more of a stream"

As if you control the sfx

Either way she loves it

Thinks you are the most talented actor/actress ever

She would buy posters of your movies and frame them

Jasper:

He gets a little freaked out tbh

First of all, don't go to the theater with him

All of the people getting scared at the same time in such a concentrated group absolutely fires his brain

The sight of human blood (fake or real, on the screen or not) triggers him juuust a little

He also gets a little put off if your character seems to really enjoy the horror they cause

It reminds him of the way newborns love to hunt and kill

He's gonna need some one-on-one time with the real you after watching the movie

Just to remind him how you really are

Don't worry, it's not that he doesn't like what you do or that he doesn't like the movies

It's just the fact that it unsettles him a little thinking about what you could be if he ever turned you

He will watch them though

Rosalie:

She thinks it's badass

Hands down she loves it

I mean she went around killing and torturing her abuser in a wedding dress

That is so horror movie material

And even though that isn't her anymore, I feel like she'd love a good horror movie

And with you as the star? It's her new favorite

Instantly the whole movie is switched around for her

Who cares if you're "supposed" to be the bad guy

Those hitchhikers MUST have done something bad to deserve this

She will gladly sit down and watch them with you

She might even turn them on herself a couple of times

#1 Fan

Emmett:

Don't invite him to the movie premier

He'll show up in a shirt that says "I love my partner even though they're a psycho murderer" of smthn

In all honesty though he loves it

He loves seeing the people around him be strong and brave

He LOVED it when Bella was able to crush the rock and jump super high and hit Jacob

So I feel like he'd get a kick out of you in a mask with a chainsaw

Esme:

I feel like she's not too into horror movies

Absolutely shocking take I know

She just gets enough blood and guts and suspense in her daily life yk

But she will watch it for you

She won't say anything but she also gets a bit unnerved by you being the villain

I feel like she sort of has that underlying feeling of being a monster

So seeing the stuff that she has to do to survive dramatized on screen and played out by none other than her partner

It strikes a chord deep in her heart

She will also need some one-on-one time with you afterward to remind herself that that is not you on the screen

Carlisle:

I actually think he'd be quite the horror lover

I feel like he has a fascination with the way sfx and prosthetics are made for movies

Unironically I think one of his favorite film franchises is Saw

So he would be more than happy to sit down and watch your movie

He has absolutely no issue with you being the villain

The only thing he cares about is talking specifics

He's like Alice but worse

He points out every set error

He's like those old YouTube videos of people pointing out every error made in *insert movie here*

"Look there's one of the boom mics"

"That blood is a bit too pink, and runny"

Vampire! Bella:

Again, she thinks it's badass

She's only recently gotten a handle on being an agile killer

So in her mind she's still that clumsy girl sometimes

Seeing her partner on the screen being a badass killer makes her so proud

Unfortunately another one you shouldn't take to the premier

She is wearing one of those god awful dresses with one bad image of your face printed all over it from redbubble or smthn

And no she won't take it off or change

She already had to sneak out of the house without Alice seeing it

[kevin-day-is-bi]

Beginner's Guide to Batman (and Batman-related) Media

(based on my knowledge and the things I enjoy)

Live action Batman movies are very hit or miss. Most of them are fairly middling, but the Dark Knight Trilogy is generally pretty bad. Poor Bruce characterization, white-washing, inaccurate representations of Gotham, etc. I have several thousand words written on that trilogy, and many more on live action movies in general (all of which are accessible thru my pinned post). The Batman (2022) is pretty widely regarded as being good and accurate. It has a much more emo depiction of Bruce. A major pet peeve of mine is that I, personally, don't think it's a very good Riddler, but everything else is good.

As for shows, those are generally less accurate but more enjoyable. Gotham is not technically canon I don't think but it has better aesthetics, canon accuracy, and character design than every live action movie imo. It starts with Bruce seeing his parents' murder and goes up until he first decides to become Batman. Gotham Knights is a much more AU-style show, detailing the death of Bruce and how his adopted son (invented for the show) handles it. It also has Stephanie, Harper and Cullen Row, and Duela Dent, plus great queer rep. Heavily recommended for people who want to know more about general character personalities or who enjoy AUs. Titans has Dick, Jason, and Tim, and while I personally don't think that they did well with the characterization of the other Titans, the Robins are well-done. If you want a good idea of Dick right after he became Nightwing, you want to see Jason as Robin, or you like Tim pre-Robin, this is the show for you.

As for animated shows, the usually widely loved ones are Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and Batman: The Animated Series. B:TAS is largely accurate to the comics at that time, though it plays a little fast and loose with the Robins (goes straight from Dick to Tim). Plus, it's the first appearance of Harley Quinn! Additionally, I enjoy The Batman (2005), though it plays with the timeline a little and targets a younger audience. Batman Beyond is amazing if you want to get into the future of Batman/Terry McGinnis universe. The accompanying movie, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker covers Tim becoming Joker Jr.

Speaking of animated movies, there are a Lot. Standouts include the Batman Unlimited movies, which are some of the only ones to include Tim. They're very futuristic, so if you enjoy AUs or the science side of Batman, these are the ones. There are a lot of AU style ones, like Gotham by Gaslight (which I personally really love but don't think is anything particularly special outside of being interesting for characters), The Doom That Came to Gotham, and Batman Ninja. Batman Ninja isn't one of my favorites, but it is very good and has general good characterization. If you want to know more about how Barbara became Oracle but you don't want to read one of the most sexist comics ever, watching the Batman: The Killing Joke movie is a good way to do it. It frames the movie from Barbara's perspective and focuses on her story. If you want to know more about Damian, Son of Batman and Batman vs Robin are good. They detail him becoming Robin and his brush with the Court of Owls. Batman: Under the Red Hood is absolutely necessary viewing for anyone who likes Jason, as it details him coming back to life and becoming the Red Hood (along with having one of the all-time most depressing lines in-context ever).

When it comes to media that doesn't have Batman in it but is Batman-affiliated, Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn is a really good post-Joker pre-Ivy look at Harley, and it has Helena Bertinelli (Huntress), Dinah Lance (Black Canary), Detective Renee Montoya, and an AU-ized Cassandra Cain. The show Young Justice, particularly the first season, is a really good look at Robin!Dick in non-Bat teams, as is the animated Teen Titans. Both take slightly different routes when it comes to his personality, but both are equally good (especially if most of what you know about Robin!Dick is "holy dental hygiene, Batman!" or his vague backstory). They also both provide introductions into other team families, particularly Young Justice, so if you've just gotten into DC via Batman and want to know more about other characters, YJ is the way to go.

My personal idea of best piece of media for any character:

Bruce Wayne

Pre-Batman - Gotham

Batman: The Animated Series

Alfred Pennyworth

Batman: The Animated Series

Barbara Gordon

Batman: The Animated Series and The Killing Joke

Kate Kane

Batman: Bad Blood

Dick Grayson

As Robin - Young Justice

As Nightwing - the Son of Batman/Batman vs Robin/Batman: Bad Blood trilogy

Jason Todd

As Robin - Titans

As the Red Hood - Batman: Under the Red Hood

Tim Drake

As Robin - Batman: The Animated Series

As Red Robin - Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem/Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts

Stephanie Brown

Gotham Knights

Damian Wayne

Son of Batman/Batman vs Robin

Feel free to send an ask about a specific movie or show (or if you want a detailed list of everything a specific character has ever appeared in!) - I'm currently watching every Batman movie in existence and writing reviews literally so I can provide better recommendations to people (on part 41 rn). I will gladly provide more details about any movie or show. Also if you want to know more about specific media or what media a specific character has appeared in that is Bat-affiliated but is not a Bat, I probably have info! Anyone who's ever been a Titan, most Supers, most of the JLA, etc.

I can do another of these for comic recommendations if anyone wants bc I Do have opinions, I've just had some folks ask questions about specifically non-comic media recently!

[baphometsss]

solas is canonically bi and i will die on this fucking hill.

trick talking shit about it on twitter in 2015 or whatever means nothing to me. oh you wanted to avoid the depraved bisexual trope, did you?? you mean depraved bisexuals like iron bull who will literally betray and try to kill you in trespasser if you sacrifice the chargers? depraved bisexual zevran who tries to kill you and will try again if your approval isn't high enough in dao? depraved bisexual anders who commits an entire act of terrorism? depraved bisexual isabela who will run off with the qunari artefact in da2 and never return if your approval isn't high enough?? i could go on and those are just the depraved bisexuals. there are plenty of good, non-depraved bisexuals in this game too (leliana, josephine, fenris kinda depending on how you play it), so it's a moot point anyway

esp since as far as depravity actually goes, he's fairly good about the romance. like, his ultimate goal aside, he makes a point of saying in trespasser that he wouldn't sleep with lavellan under false pretenses. that's more than can be said for blackwall, who doesn't think twice about the potential consent issue of sex with someone who doesn't know who you really are

if it wasn't the fact that a good chunk of solas's romance lines were voiced with the male VAs in both base game dai and trespasser, i would be inclined to believe that this was an intentional choice, but given that and the fact that both solas and cullen use gender neutral language in their romances, and only cullen has a line which specifically turns the inquisitor down for being a dude, i find it much more believable that they literally just ran out of time

iirc neither solas nor cullen were going to be romancable to begin with but then they had a bit of extra time and they decided to do it, only to run out of time before finishing the male VAs lines

honestly i'm just frustrated by the fact that we have inconsistent writing and weird cop-out answers that people cling to bc they're offended that their precious straight boy might not actually be straight. i actually saw someone complaining on reddit about how 'refreshing' it was to see a straight character in dragon age like?? what. are you playing the same game? blackwall, cassandra, cullen (who was meant to be bi too but ig had either the same issue or his va was just too much of a bigot to do it), morrigan and alistair all spring to mind lol you're not short on straight people

in any case we can retcon our inky to be nonbinary, so unless they fuck it up by deciding that he's only into female elves and lock out all the nb solavellans who had to choose between male and female inky in dai, which is unlikely, it seems like it won't matter much.

just let me be gay with my silly egg man and i will be happy

[crossdressingdeath]

DAI does that with a lot of things. Morrigan gets to claim to be a Elven expert, even though you know that is far from the truth if you've played Origins where she didn't know shit. Cullen gets final say in his dialogue options despite you knowing that he's lying. Grey Wardens gets shit on and the Inquisitor can wildly overstep.

DAI has this weird mix of a) expecting you to have read all the books/comics so that they don't have to explain anything and b) assuming that you haven't played the previous games so they can try to rewrite what happened.

Yeah, the required reading for DAI was ridiculous. WEaWH is always the big one because most of the others you can get by without it (even Cole's backstory isn't necessary to appreciate and understand the character, and enough of it comes up in-game to get by), but knowing what Celene and Gaspard did is kind of fucking important, Bioware. And then even when Celene purging the alienage comes up it's used as a mark against Briala for being in a relationship with her at the time even though if I'm understanding the excerpts I've seen of TME Briala breaks it off as a direct result of the purge and (as Dorian rightly points out) that'd be more Celene's scandal than Briala's anyway. Like, they try to make Celene purging the alienage into Briala's crime because she was sleeping with the empress at the time and that's just... ugh. But it's like, I would argue that it would be fair and honestly best practice to assume that people playing the third game in a series have played the first two games? DA has an overarching narrative even if the connections aren't particularly close, if someone wants to start partway through they can but the writing should expect people to be familiar with the games' stories. Maybe have some codex entries summarizing the previous games or a little intro cutscene, but... I don't know, I'm worried about the fact that apparently DAV doesn't need you to have played the first three games when literally all the setup for it is in DAI. Expecting people to have played all the games in a narrative-driven RPG series and not to have jumped in partway through is fair! Expecting people to have read five supplementary novels and two coffee table lore books to understand the plot is ridiculous. At least Tevinter Nights and The Missing so far seem to only be relevant to DAV in that they show some glimpses of what's been going on between games and give us a point of reference for some of the new characters...

The thing that gets me with DAI is that the game really wants you to side with the Templars whether it makes sense or not. Like... let's take the choice between mages and Templars as an example. The game wants you to side with the Templars. It really does, it tries its best to dissuade the player from siding with the mages if you go that route (Cullen's little "Oh... it's so dangerous... we shouldn't do it..." routine is notable when compared to Leliana and Josie, both of whom favour the mages, being very professional about you picking the Templars), it does its utmost to claim that the rebellion was unwarranted when it absolutely was not, the rebels are constantly framed as weak or mean or evil or stupid while the Templars were just misled (by... a guy who told them he'd let them murder all the mages and left out the "in service to Corypheus" bit, they still joined his little walkout to murder people, but the game doesn't get into that), it even lets you switch quests well past what should've been the point of no return if you're on the mage route (WHY CAN YOU SWITCH AFTER LEARNING THERE'S A FUCKING MAGISTER IN FERELDEN TRYING TO ENSLAVE A BUNCH OF MAGES, BIOWARE, WHY THE FUCK IS THAT AN OPTION) whereas with the Templars you can't even learn what your advisors' plan for getting you in alive is until you're locked in. And I'm not going to lie, CotJ is legitimately the better quest. I did it once to see and god damn it is quality, I don't dislike IHW but... yeah CotJ is definitely stronger.

But then you actually look at the story and... why the fuck would you side with the Templars? They left the Chantry because the Divine told them not to murder people. That's explicit, people tell you that repeatedly. They're making excuses for it, but there's always an acknowledgement that... yep, that's why the Templars left, they wanted to kill people and were mad about being told no. Leliana (the most familiar face among the advisors and given Cassandra's previous appearance was threatening Varric and Cullen's was playing yes man to Meredith for nine years and only changing sides once she became a threat to him/because not doing so would mean fighting Hawke Leliana's the one people are most likely to want to side with) is pro-mage and dismisses Cullen's claims that the Templars could help close the Breach as speculation. Which... it is. This situation is completely unprecedented, no one knows what's going to happen. But given mages are incredibly powerful and Templars are repeatedly portrayed as mostly useless in any sort of real danger that doesn't involve children or indoctrinated Circle mages (it is not a coincidence that the only people locked in the tower in Broken Circle who survive with their minds and bodies intact without the demons actively choosing to let them live for funsies are mages; the only Templar who's alive and unpossessed is Cullen, and the demons very obviously could've killed him at any time and just chose not to because they were having fun toying with him) I'm gonna say the mages are a safer bet. Also because... they invited Quiz. That could be a trap, but you know what's definitely a trap? Walking into a fortress full of heavily-armed mage killers who openly want you dead. Meeting with the Templars is really, really stupid (especially if you're a mage) and you don't even learn the plan for getting you inside unharmed until you actually select the quest. Also that plan is basically just "if there are witnesses with societal power the Templars can't murder you unprovoked" because reminder: the Templars are the absolute worst. Why would you ever want these people around. And then if you meet with the mages first like "Well I'll figure it out once I've heard what they have to say, I don't have to commit if I do things this way so I might as well" you learn that there's a Tevinter magister serving an evil Tevinter cult just chilling in Redcliffe and why the fuck would you go to the Templars at that point this needs to be dealt with. The game wants you to side with the Templars but it gives you no reason to do so, I really wonder sometimes if the writers weren't talking to each other at all.

[panlight]

So true, literally all of your options could be written and the story would not change fundamentally. Lol "SM deciding something first and then working backward trying to justify it" seems to be her whole thing. Like with Jacob and Renesmee, they just had to be together, and instead of thinking like, maybe its not a good idea to let a boy imprint on a baby, she goes with "I should write Quil imprinting on a baby first so the audience gets used to it and it is not as gross anymore! like NO

The imprinting one is SUPER fascinating to me because when you look at the books as-published, it seems like weird way to tie up the "love triangle" in a neat little bow. Like, whoops, got this leftover character here oh hey maybe he ends up with Renesmee, good thing I already established how imprinting works with Quil/Claire.

But when you look at how the books were written, you realize that Jacob/Nessie was already a thing in Forever Dawn, which was the original sequel to Twilight. That means SM knew that they were endgame but then still wrote New Moon and Eclipse the way she did, with Jacob and Bella growing closer. Why . . . why would you do that when you already know he's ~destined to be with her daughter?

Another thing I think was a "work backwards" example is the climax of New Moon. I think she had this vision of Bella running through Volterra to save Edward from sparkling in public and then had to work backwards to get there, and that led to all the weirdness of, you know, Bella going cliff diving solo, Alice seeing it in a vision, Edward pretending to be Carlisle on the phone, Jacob answering the phone at Bella's house, the misunderstanding about Harry Clearwater's funeral, and Alice being in Forks for 2 days yet somehow Rosalie doesn't know Bella's alive. She wanted this Romeo and Juliet miscommunication and dramatic rescue and, IMO, worked backwards to get there rather than be like, "okay, how would people actually behave in this scenario?" Surely the first thing Alice would do upon discovering Bella was actually alive was call home and let the other Cullens know. And Jacob has to pick up the phone because Charlie's not home to do it and it can't be Bella, not because it makes sense for him to do it.

And like I get it, This isn't really a knock on SM so much as a comment on the writing process. I'm sure anyone who has written fiction has done something like this at some point. You have this big important scene in your head and then you've got to hammer out how to get there and sometimes it's not . . . it's not super elegant. This is where "kill your darlings" can come in because sometimes you just have to realize that big cool scene you wanted won't work or can't happen how you wanted it without breaking everything else.

[fuckmeyer]

Hey girl!! Love your works. Duh. And there are some themes and characters that you explore really well. Again: duh.

So I have a question: what do you think of Charlie as a father?

Like I know people tend to really love him (which I think is partly because of the daddyification and billy burke). But while he is not an horrible father he is far from a good father imho. From what I get from your twilight (I have to admit it's been a while since the first book), you kind of like him. Could you please tell me why?

first: thank you! really appreciate you reading and for taking time out of your day to let me know what you think! so glad you like it:)

second: i agree with you. i think a lot of love for Charlie actually stems from movie!Charlie who doesn't get enough screen time to showcase his flaws (& also is kinda daddy even tho Gil is RIGHT THERE).

but, like all parents, Charlie Swan is flawed. i think he's trying his best but isn't totally equipped to step into a fatherly role, especially for a daughter, & it shows.

canon Charlie let his wounds from his marriage consume him to the point where it affects his relationship with his daughter

we learn that Charlie only spent time with Bella during the summers, & on a few trips to California. granted, Bella hated Forks & refused to go after a while, but it's incredibly sad that 1) Charlie was only seeing Bella once every 9-10 months to begin with, and 2) he seemed to give up being in her life once she "put her foot down." especially knowing how selfish & chaotic Renee was, i find it sad that he didn't make more of an effort to reach out & make sure Bella was okay.

well, now Bella's back, & it's clear he has a hard time showing love outside of acts of service. kinda. he bought her truck and put snow tires on, but both those happen in book 1.

&...that's really it. they don't do anything together; it seems Bella has the option of watching TV with Charlie, or going out to dinner. but Charlie makes no attempt to find common interests or activities they can do together.

it's prob directly related to his relationship with Renee. last time he showed emotion & affection, he got burned. we can tell he still hasn't moved on from his heartbreak since he still has pics of her around the house in Twilight & has kept Bella's room almost untouched. i'm sure subconsciously there's part of him that's afraid to make the emotional investment in his daughter because for all the investment he made in Renee, it wasn't enough.

Charlie wants so badly to be helpful to others

credit where credit is due. acts of service is Charlie's love language, and he is consistently trying to help others. one of the reasons he & Renee split was because he didn't want to leave his aging parents alone in Forks. he forgives Bella & is there for her after she weaponizes his trauma. in NM, he picks Bella's lifeless husk off the ground, tries to help, checks in on her almost every time she has a nightmare, suggests therapy, prods her to start going out again, etc. he gets in a fight with Billy defending Bella when she & Jake were fighting. in Eclipse, he encourages Bella to develop other friendships outside of Edward and the Cullens. he's the Chief of Police, for god's sake. his whole life revolves around serving others, & he consistently tries to do so despite the aforementioned trauma.

however!

Charlie is misogynistic

i mean, he's a boomer. he grew up in a world with more traditional gender roles. he implicitly upholds patriarchal ideas that contribute to the internalized misogynistic views he extends to his daughter.

for one, Bella immediately picks up all of the cooking & cleaning when she moves in. yes, she wants to be helpful. yes, she should have chores. but Charlie never stops to think about why Bella feels compelled to run the entire household (you don't think she deserves a break after her lifelong parentification????). he never bothers to pick up any new skills to help out. even in the middle of Bella's depression, she keeps the house clean & running. we find out in Eclipse he is still so inept at cooking, the lifelong bachelor somehow doesn't know not to microwave jarred spaghetti sauce with its metal lid still on, or how to cook noodles. she says doing laundry is "out of character" for him. when she leaves and he gets with Sue Clearwater, suddenly it's Sue who's running the household for him. hmmm

SECOND (please stand back as i am about to get feral), Charlie's attitude toward Jacob & Bella's relationship in Eclipse is absolutely abhorrent. he pushes her to reach out to Jacob when she doesn't want to (because Jacob just told her he'd rather see her dead than a vampire!!!). when she refuses, Charlie calls her "petty" & her behavior "unattractive." he's "smug" when he assumes she and Edward are fighting. not only does he congratulate Jacob after learning Jacob kissed Bella without her consent, but he snarkily tells Bella to "pick on people your own size" AND asks Jacob if he'd like to press charges AND admonishes Bella when she suggests she should beat Jacob with a baseball bat. LIKE!!!! YOUR DAUGHTER WAS JUST ASSAULTED!!! BE FUCKING FOR REAL RIGHT NOW IF IT HAD BEEN EDWARD THE BOY WOULD HAVE BEEN SHOT--

Charlie admits his mistakes & shortcomings

after this horrid scene, Charlie admits "I feel like I don't always do everything for you that I should," and does reference her hand. although he does state she has the right to not be sexually assaulted (wow, nice), he seems to regret more that he never taught her how to throw a punch. he also admits feeling helpless at the end of NM.

ultimately, Charlie loves his daughter

even when she literally becomes a monster, Charlie is willing to swallow his overwhelming discomfort just so he can be in her life. despite all the turmoil she puts him through-- emotionally manipulating him in Twilight, suddenly running away in New Moon, faking her death in Breaking Dawn-- he's willing to stand by her.

tl;dr: i like him in the sense that he's a flawed character (& flawed father). i think he loves her & he's trying. & whether you consider Charlie a good father probably depends on how it compares to your relationship with your own father ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[sapphim]

What do you think about the differences between allying/conscripting the mages vs. allying/disbanding the templars in Inquisition?

Also, what are your thoughts on the writing of In Hushed Whispers vs. the writing of Champions of the Just?

I don't understand the first question. What differences? There were no differences.

Champions is, unfortunately, the superior quest, in that it is actually a Dragon Age quest, and Whispers is like, "there's time travel now?" That's what we were all saying in 2014, we were like "since when is there time travel? there's fucking time travel now? why is there time travel, suddenly?"

They're both clearly trying to get funky and weird with it, which I respect, but Champions does it by playing around with fun aspects of the setting like demonic possession and weird fade sequences and Whispers is like "you go to the future (!!!??) and then it doesn't matter."

(Champions didn't matter either which is unfortunate because it was maybe the only part of the base game that bothered to play around with its own themes, and might have unintentionally made some promises re: examining abuses of power that the game wasn't prepared to keep, but w/e. It was like a glimpse into a version of the game that cared about the ramifications of its own conceit (they just handed you an army of religious fanatics (!!?) and now you're meddling in international politics (!!!??)), however hamfistedly.)

Anyway, Whispers was a bit like "now that we have this knowledge about the future we can act to prevent it!" But like? Didn't matter. Prevented it anyway. Oh well! I'm harsher on Whispers than Champions bc if you're going to introduce time travel out of absolutely nowhere then it should matter. That's my opinion. If Champions just wants to fuck around with a fade sequence then more power to it.

Also I may be remembering this wrong because it's been over 5 years since I've played Inquisition but didn't Leliana (and/or Josephine? I really don't remember) like.. stab Cullen in Champions? That was fun. That's a big point in its favor. This isn't character hate btw I would say it's fun regardless of who got stabbed. I respect women's stabbing rights. Like when I finally decided to let Florianne stab Celene. That was fun!! I don't know why I didn't let her stab her sooner! Dragon Age is, at its heart, a series of games about stabbing people with knives. I'm not saying "bring back murder knife," but yes I am. I'm saying that. Bring back murder knife.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Do you think breaking dawn went off the rails or was Vampire Baby the logical next step for the series? If not, what do you think the logical next step would have been?

This really isn't a question you should ask this blog for a few reasons:

I greatly differ in opinion than most Twilight fans and probably won't give you the answer you want on any topic

This blog isn't about Meyer or what people wanted from the series. It's about the series as is and trying to make the jigsaw puzzle fit together without relying on outside knowledge.

But I guess i can give it a go.

Did the Series Go Off the Rails?

Depends who you ask/what the point was supposed to be. For a YA series, it was a slap in the face, but it was after a series of several slaps in the face.

Twilight was the normal-ish, starting book, you had your romantic lead, your main character teenage girls can project on, you had people hating on it but at the time they hated on the way they hate on things like Barbie: because it was too girly.

"Real Men Vampires Don't Sparkle!"

(Yes, there were other people hating on it for much more legitimate reasons, but that was the big one you heard from people who didn't know anything about the books.

It's the one you still hear, actually.)

Then you get New Moon, which by all accounts, was a suicide novel on Meyer's part. The male lead dumps the main character, we don't see him for the vast majority of the book, the main character slinks into an insane depression that she never recovers from until the end of the book, and we're introduced to an entirely new cast of characters, a new supernatural thing, when all Bella as a character wants is for the Cullens to come back.

Now, they marketed it well, it became a love triangle. NOW JACOB IS AN OPTION! But if you look at what Meyer wrote, Jacob was clearly never an option even in New Moon. Bella dumps him the second she has a hint that Edward may have returned (Carlisle's car in front of her house). Even in Eclipse, Bella never really debates her choice, is just sad as she realizes she loves Jacob too but not enough to give up Edward and stay human.

It was a novel that I'm sure had her publishers asking, "What the fuck, Stephanie? Where's Edward? WHERE'S EDWARD?!"

Eclipse gets us back on track a little bit. We now have our male lead back, our female lead is dating him again, they have renewed conflict in the form of the secondary male lead and the love triangle and this new-born army thing in the background no one actually cares that much about. It's still a weird book, but it's relatively normal.

Then we get book four, Rosemary's baby, and the publishers died. Just died. Teenage girls don't want to read Rosemary's Baby. They don't even know how to market this anymore, it's not even a fucking trilogy like normal book series, they just say "It's a Saga! PLEASE BUY!" and promote nothing about its actual content.

My point is, though, the series was always off the rails. Twilight alone has insane shit in it, easily overlooked especially when you're thirteen, but it's fucking insane.

New Moon though was certainly something an ordinary series would never have done.

To say it went off the rails at Breaking Dawn is like thinking there were rails to begin with and not just Stephanie riding a missile waving a cowboy hat, "YEEEEHAAAAAAAAAW"

What Was the Next Logical Step?

Eclipse would have ended with Bella and Edward's wedding, Jacob shows up to offer his farewells and it's bittersweet, we never see Bella become a vampire. Just her hope for the future and knowing she's finally a Cullen.

That's how a normal series would have ended.

However, a normal series never would have gotten us to that point, would it?

[theluckywizard]

Get to Know the Fic Writer

Thank you for the tag @leggywillow 🥰 Gosh I think I did this last year? Things have changed a bit!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

43

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 463,350

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In the Shattering of Things (Cullen x f!Trevelyan, Hawke x f!Trevelyan) 141

The Boy Who Talked Too Much (Alistair x f!Cousland) 67

Some Kind of Witchcraft (Cullen x f!Trevelyan) 59

Unvarnished (Blackwall x f!Trevelyan) 57

The Protestations of the Commander's Bed (Cullen x f!Trevelyan) 46

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Always! Oh man alwayyyys. I am so grateful for anyone who takes that extra moment to share something they liked or a thought that popped into their head. Truly. It's a special kind of reader that leaves comments. They really are the fuel that keep me going! Especially on my long fic I feel like I'm getting to know some of my readers and I love the discussions I've gotten into about my blorbo and her interactions with canon characters. OR just canon characters!

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Probably Fractures. I wrote it especially for Whumptober and in it Cullen's obsession with Samson led to a throwdown in Emprise that nearly left him dead and Rose is understandably at her wits end with him. They have 'make up sex' that does nothing to resolve any of the feelings of betrayal and abandonment and anger that Rose feels.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Probably The Commander, the Tevinter, and a Bottle of Lightning a Cullen & Dorian, Cullen POV fic where Cullen's romance with Rose Trevelyan seems to finally be coming to a head at long last.

7. Do you write crossovers?

Not yet! Probably won't though.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

The closest is maybe vocal dislike of an original character. He's a competing love interest though, so I get it. People have their preferences and want to nudge me a certain way.

9. Do you write smut?

LOLLLL yes. 4 of my top 5 above are explicitly smuts and my long fic has 4 at this point. My friend @nirikeehan says "be the smut you wish to see in the world" so I try to write joyful, consensual, authentic feeling smuts that also capture the awkwardness/silliness/normality of sex. My hope is that someone reading it who isn't quite experienced with this stuff gets to see a really positive, realistic portrayal.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not yet!

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I can't show my whole ass in the midst of a multiship long fic, so I will keep quiet on this one 🤐

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

A Splinter of Light (my Rose and Dorian get stranded in the future during In Hushed Whispers Nightmare!AU fic)

15. What are your writing strengths?

Believable dialogue and banter, authentically drawn characters readers can root for, lively descriptions

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

PLOT. It's just always been a struggle for me. World building too. LISTEN. There's a reason I'm writing fan fic LOL. Though I recently got Scapple (from the Scrivener makers) and it has been a game changer! I'm using it for my long fic and my other major WIP Kiss Me Moonstruck right now.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I've done it for a few select lines during Wicked Eyes Wicked Hearts, mostly to underscore how bad Hawke is at speaking Orlesian. But generally I will just note when a character is speaking in a new language.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Dragon Age! I stumbled into it a smidge over a year ago (after playing for 9ish years) and love it so much!

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

Cullen/Bethany Hawke

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Oh man, barring my long fic which is my baby and still in progress it would probably have to be my new Cullen POV fic Thirst that digs into the lead up to his crisis during the Perseverance quest. But Kiss Me Moonstruck is my Hawke x f!Trevelyan MatchmakingMoms!AU WIP set during DA2, Act 2 and mannnn nothing makes me smile and laugh like this fic. I can't wait to publish it!

Tagging @delicatefade, @bluewren, @samseabxrn, @rowanisawriter, @greypetrel, @nirikeehan, @spicywarl0ck, @monocytogenes

[lilmeowchow]

MY TWILIGHT FANCAST!!!

(Btw all actors were chosen while keeping their younger selves in mind)

Michelle Trachtenberg as Bella Swan

This is basically how I've always pictured Bella, minus the blue eyes. She's got the full lips, heart-shaped face, and super pale skin (you can't really tell in this photo but she's as white as a ghost).

Cillian Murphy as Edward Cullen

What do you want me to say? Imagining Edward as Cillian Murphy isn't the most hilarious shit ever? Cause it is. I think what really gets me is that nothing about how Edward is described goes against the idea that he's a Cillian Murphy lookalike (except his green eyes). Don't care if it's silly, it's MY silly little rabbit. If you don't like having fun then I GUESS...

Jeff Ward as Edward Cullen

Are you happy now?

Eddie Spears as Jacob Black

He could turn up the bitchiness to 11 and I'd love every minute of it. His annoyed expressions would be great for Jacob Black. He also has a large frame and would be able to become big like Jacob did. Really fun actor to watch.

Sarah Gadon as Rosalie Hale

While she isn't very tall, she has the elegant and untouchable look I've always imagined Rosalie to have. She's undoubtedly beautiful and glamorous in a more subtle way than people usually expect when they picture Rosalie.

Tom Welling as Emmett Cullen

I think he's a great fit for Emmett. It's said that Emmett has a boyish face but a muscular body and that's literally what Tom Welling is. He's surprising super buff, like he has massive gains, but still has a youthful face. I even think he'd do a good job at portraying Emmett's personality.

Rachel Leigh Cook as Alice Cullen

Whenever I think of girls with big eyes, I think of Rachel Leigh Cook. I don't think that young Winona Ryder is a bad fit but I've always seen her as more of a tomboy while Cook looks very cutesy even when she had a pixie cut. I also see Cook as a better fit for the energy Alice has. She's really small too which helps.

Alex Pettyfer as Jasper Hale

The main reason I chose him is because he fits the two things I think of when I think of Jasper, good looking and unapproachable. There's a lot of young handsome blond actors but not all of them call pull off the RBF required to play Jasper. He doesn't really have that hardened by war look but he does what he can.

Brittany Murphy as Esme Cullen

This one is a little crazy but hear me out. I think that Brittany could bring a lot of Esme's character that we don't really see to the surface. Esme is borderline unhinged (shes an immortal being and spends her time as a housewife making food no one will ever eat) and seems like the type of woman who's soft and warm hearted but has a bit of a depressing air to her. Brittany could portray this special flavor of despondent very well. I almost didn't choose her because it's suggested that Esme basically has chubby cheeks but Brittany's face is also heart shaped so yolo.

Jude Law as Carlisle Cullen

I've always imagined that Carlisle is the kind of guy who looks older than he actually is. When he pretends he's in his thirties it's still a stretch cause he looks like he could be 27 max but it's not as shocking as if he was a 23 year old with baby face. Jude Law is a pretty handsome guy and I do imagine he would distract nurses at the hospital if he were a doctor. I also think he's handsome enough to be "better looking than any moviestar" Bella has ever seen. Jude Law is an amazing actor and would do a great job too I just know it.

[therealvinelle]

What's your opinion on the fandom's obsession with Smeyers mormonism? I'd just recently discovered your metas(and they're so interesting btw they brilliantly expand upon the almost kinda psychological horror esque feel of the characters and story). But then I go into your replies and tags expecting everyone to marvel at your genius exploration of what's eluded to in the canon text or just the likelihood or natural outcomes of certain scenarios and decisions that have/may have not happened in the context of the overall story. Instead it's most of the time just a bunch of people going, "Aha. Confirmed it! That's so because Meyers a Mormon" or "See, that insert literally anything happened because of the Mormom themes, characterizations and ...idolization??? of insert literally any character/aspect of the lore. "

It would be a lie to say it isn't irritating even speaking as an atheist because it literally stifles any actual exploration of nuance within the books. Any theory, character analysis, or legitimate in/out of universe explanation in regard to canon can be boiled down to such an archaic supposition. And it's not just your blog. I see it everywhere here on tumblr when discussing anything twilight. Even people indifferent to twilight and twilight antis alike are of such strong conviction that they erase any character's belief or motivation or really anything Meyer has said in regards to that matter

Seeing as I'm running a doylism purist blog I obviously agree with you. The author's religious belief are a non-issue to me when I read Meyer's works, or anyone else's for that matter.

I say that, but there are exceptions - there's something strikingly Calvinist permeating the world of Harry Potter in that people are born good or bad and the juxtaposition between Tom Riddle and Harry Potter seems to boil down to Tom being a bad person who will make bad choices while Harry is a good person who will make good choices, and this extends to the rest of the cast and the Hogwarts houses as well. However, these are children's books with Good Guys and Bad Guys and I won't pretend to understand what's happening in JKR's brain, and so you won't see me saying that Harry Potter is Calvinist: merely that there are parallels that can be drawn.

Similarly, taking a step outside the YA genre I find that Victor Hugo's own political and religious personal journeys are reflected in Jean Valjean and Marius Pontmercy, but while it adds to the reading experience it doesn't make me see the characters any differently. They stand on their own.

I bring up these examples for a reason - sometimes, no matter how Doylist you want to be, you read a book and you can tell that, "oh this is an allegory for apartheid", or "I can tell the author is writing about personal experiences with trauma" or the plain old "you know, this feels like the author was projecting a lot" (frequently found on Ao3).

Twilight, for me, is not one such work. My thoughts on Mormonism and Twilight are summed up here, but one point I feel I should make is that although Twilight never read as Mormon to me, I also straight up know very little about Mormonism, so who knows, maybe I would be picking things up if I was more into it. As it is, however, the analyses of Mormonism in Meyer I've seen have been consistently reductive and superficial, where things like "Carlisle is a young blond leader -> Joseph Smith, the Cullens are a perfect family -> they're mormons, nobody in this YA series drinks alcohol -> they're mormons" are presented as compelling evidence, so I've yet to be convinced of it.

To actually answer your question though, I would just block "Mormonism", "LDS", and "Joseph Smith" on tumblr saviour and smile blissfully at my Mormon free dash. In fact I would do that anyway, regardless of what the Twilight fandom is posting.

[greypetrel]

HI ARJA I’m so curious about your moby dick AU lol you always have the best AUs

HI ROWAN I'm glad you asked! :D It's gonna be a big ass rant, so it's under the cut. I'm very excited about this AU, it tackles some things I love and have first-hand experience of, so yeah, I'll be chatty about it ahahahah.

I've posted a chapter at random on AO3 and you can find some snippets in the whale au tag!

So, it's "Zoologist Aisling who thinks whales are the best thing after sliced bread saves Cullen, who happens to have survived a shipwreck caused by a whale". Shenanigans happen.

It was an idea of @shivunin (thank you again) and I'm currently trying to give it a little outline not to go totally at random. I am thinking about characters background, it's a non-magical AU and so stuff needs to be adapted. The title of the WIP is old, I realised after that... You know, it's a Moby Dick INSPIRED thing. The first idea was having Aisling as Melville and Cullen as Ishmael teaming up to write Moby Dick. Cullen has the sailing parts, Aisling filling in with conspiracy theories about whalers and spite over naturalists. And both of them inserting a gay relationship because I'm still a big part of the Bi!Cullen agenda, and that book is terribly gay.

I did realise later on that there's a limit to the horrors I'm willing to put characters through and write, and cannibalism is really NOT one. I also moved it to another period and to the 1900s because I already did research for another original project and I'm more familiar with it.

The title of the file will change when I'll have a better one for this AU.

For now I do have a background for Aisling, what she's in Nantucket to do, and I'm so happy to say @melisusthewee jumped on the bandwagon aboard with Quinn and Horatio, but I'm letting her introduce you to them in this. I'll just say that Aisling refers to Quinn as "Mr Arch-Nemesis".

She's in Nantucket for a research over sperm whales behaviour, restore her family's name (dad was a scholar too, but alas, he was caught being a member of the Fenian society and giving money to the Irish revolutionaries... She's the Royal Society's favourite person, yes) and hopefully put a brake on whale hunting (the 1900s saw the peak of killed whales, you can bet miss "I'd adopt a dragon if Bull didn't constantly prevent me to try and befriend one" won't be ok with it). Dorian and Josephine -whom I couldn't fathom being there with her, seriously I can't picture Dorian on a ship if not in first class, unless he was beaten unconscious before boarding and dragged on. Josie finances ships, sure... but being on board of one and working? A whole different thing. So, they're Aisling friends, but they stayed in London to get her fundings.

Cullen needs to find reason to get to the sea again, he was a harpooner and worked on ships all his life... After being the sole survivor, he needs to find his centre back and get on with it. The crazy whale fangirl may or may not help him on this.

And there was only one bed, of course. (have I already said that Moby Dick is VERY gay?) (I had a blast reading it, thank you so much @salsedinepicta for making me curious about it! <3 Also if you want to throw your characters in this GO ON.)

I thiiiink I may change names and design and also do something fully original. I'm particularly enthusiastic about it because it allows me to tackle stuff I experienced in my life (I did some sailing! Very little and purely recreational, but still) and to re-use some research I already did for another original project which I love dearly, but it's definitely more than I can chew on my own. If I don't chicken out because the place is linked to some trauma, I maaaaay add a part in the seaside town I spent a lot of time growing up.

But again, let's see how it goes, researching on Italy isn't the easiest thing ever if you're not aiming at Rome or the Renaissance, and we're talking about a pretty regional side of Italy. I have good hopes because the people are very very very much into their own history and claiming it back, so I may find some good infos without spitting too much blood.

it's a work in progress, but there's gonna be more about this!

[animezinglife]

Let's Get to Know Each Other's Inquisitors! 20 Questions

I don't know about you all, but I love getting to know other people's characters and seeing all the love they put into them.

Tag some friends and have them answer! Yes, @sweetjulieapples, you can absolutely tag me back!

What is your Inquisitor's name? Mira Trevelyan

Type of build/combat style? Rift Mage. It seemed practical given her immediate challenges. Otherwise, she mostly uses fire and lightning!

Is your Inquisitor close with his/her family? She has a few people she's close with, but overall, she isn't. They weren't good to her when she began showing signs of magical ability (they made it about them and their reputation) and are too much like Orlesians in playing the Game. Mira has at least once sibling she's still on pretty unconditional good terms with along with a cousin who's a total sweetheart, August. Who, if you follow, is kind of my "non-canon" Inquisitor.

Closest friend in the Inquisition? Varric and Dorian! Varric is kind of her rock, and she and Dorian bonded instantly having had similar experiences in not being accepted in their families for things beyond their control (even if the nature of them was different).

Love interest? Cullen, obviously. Mira's very guarded with her heart no matter which type of relationship. She initially had no intention towards him beyond simply thinking he was good-looking and wanting to be able to work together well. She was really surprised by how candid he was in general (a quality that's extremely attractive to her) and the kind of boyish optimism he had towards the Inquisition. Long story short, they worked together a little too well, and he (unknowingly) chipped away at that guardedness while she did the same with him. They're built on trust and openness, and Mira started to realize how safe she felt with him (and he with her). Falling in love scared her, but she realized she could fall safely and that neither one of them had any idea if they were going to see tomorrow. That made her more willing to take the risk.

Your three favorite traits your Inquisitor possesses? Above all else, I think it's the love she has for people and their wellbeing that I favor. She's highly empathetic and genuinely cares for everyone. She's also balanced, nuanced, and fair in her approach and possesses the humility to lead with an open mind and rational hand.

Does he/she like to read? She loves it, though hasn't had any time to since she became Inquisitor. She was a model student in her craft and is extremely well-read. I have a headcanon that she goes down the Swords and Shields wormhole hard once she has more time to do so. I fully believe she and Cullen would have nights where they just read together--him probably with nonfiction texts (he seems the type) and Mira with her "terrible and wonderful" smut. She always looks forward to being able to catch up with Cassandra about them.

Can he/she cook? She can keep herself alive if she needs to, but she's pretty much never had to do it. She didn't cook meals when she was growing up, didn't cook them in the Circle, and didn't cook in the Inquisition. She's very teachable and takes life skills seriously, though. I think it's something she would like to learn and will as soon as she has time.

Favorite season (spring, summer, fall, winter)? I actually think she would love winter and spring most. She loves the beauty in the world falling quiet for a while and coming back to life again.

What would your Inquisitor consider the perfect day? A perfect day for Mira would be a quiet one: tending to small, unimpressive responsibilities, enjoying a beautiful day outdoors, and maybe having a good book in hand. The giant puppy Cullen adopted probably sprawled at her side and snoring loudly.

Does he/she like the Game (and is your Inquisitor good at playing it)? She's excellent at playing it having done so from a young age, but she despises it. Transparency, authenticity, and humility are among the three qualities Mira values most, and those don't exist in the Game.

Is your character good at Wicked Grace? She's average!

What will be his/her favorite memory from the Inquisition? It will be the people she met (i.e., the friends she made along the way).

What's one regret your character has? She regrets every single life she couldn't save, and it wears on her. I think there's a period too in which she struggles with this pretty significantly. Losing Stroud in the Fade crushes her.

If an actor or actress were to play the role of your Inquisitor, who would you pick? I have no idea who this is (and am guessing she's actually a model), but I found this image on Pinterest and this is the closest to what I had in mind for Mira's look. Totally open to suggestions if you know of someone who looks like her!

What would your Inquisitor's childhood dream have been? Mira has always adapted to the situation she's in and tried to be her best within whatever role is placed upon her. I don't think she had a dream of her own, or at least, wouldn't have admitted it to herself. She would've thought it too vulnerable of a dream back then. I think above all, she would want a safe and loving home full of people she loves and who love her back.

Is his/her life anywhere close to that dream? It's closer post-Inquisition. She's on better terms with her family overall (even if it's not perfect, they too grew from accepting partnership with the Inquisition and reconnecting with Mira), married for love, and has pretty much become a full-fledged Rutherford at this point. I like to think that even though they'll always continue to good, she and Cullen have a nice, cozy house in Ferelden near that spot he took her on the lake. It's a place where nobody (except the dog Mira insists to Cullen she didn't spoil) expects anything from them other than to just be.

What's the hardest part about being Inquisitor for your character? Deciding people's fates or sitting in judgment. It makes her sick knowing what its like to feel powerless in her youth (because of how her family treated her for her magical ability). Josephine is the one who reminds her how that power can be used however she'll wield it. Mira is largely considered merciful and even more widely considered fair.

Does your Inquisitor have any skills or talents others wouldn't expect? I like to think she's a bit on the musical side. She never would've had any interest in becoming a bard, but she can play around on certain instruments and has a nice singing voice.

What would be your character's ideal happy ending/HEA? Peace. That's it. A quiet, peaceful life full of love.

Thank you for the ask!

[exhausted-archivist]

Envy!Sebastian: Thoughts and Meta

Been thinking about the envy demon designed for Sebastian in the cut da2 dlc Exalted March and it’s really a great narrative thing.

So, I'm going to cover this in parts because this is going to be long and I'm going to shove it under the cut. But I'm going to talk about this in the following groups: How Envy works The Narrative Impact of Envy How I think Envy!Sebastian would happen

The TLDR:

Envy isn't like other demons, Sebastian wouldn’t have to be envious of anyone. Envy is called envy because it is envious of those it steals the face of. Additionally, envy doesn't possess a host like other demons because envy replaces them and will either kill or imprison its victim. The goal for envy is to gain more power, skill, and become more grand and inspired and it will do anything to achieve that and even hop to a new victim to climb the power ladder.

The narrative impact of envy is one of deep psychological horror, especially when considering that it passes off as a perfect replica that more times than not lovers and friends don't notice the swap. In envy's pursuit of more power, it will do anything within the swapped person's logic to achieve that. Taking extreme actions if it can be excused by some in character means. In the case of Sebastian that would be his faith, self-perceived duty, and vengeance.

I can't summarize how I think Envy!Sebastian would play out so that's all below the cut.

How Envy Works

So first things first, envy is a rare demon. It's not common despite the feelings and motivations of envy might be in the people of Thedas. It doesn't possess its victims. Technically, unlike other demons, envy doesn't have a host. Envy gets its name because it is envious of its victim. The goal for envy is to become you.

It is an ambush demon that once it traps you, it takes its time learning you. It's primary goal is to know you so well that it can take your shape and be you. Once it believes it has learned enough about you to be you, it will shapeshift to take your form and then it will either kill you or imprison you.

Envy picks its victims based on merit; typically people of leadership positions or high standing. Once it has taken over someone's identity it isn't ever satisfied. Envy seeks out more; more power, skill, inspired identities.

We know from the codex entry about envy that once it takes over someone it does so in such a complete manner that it even adopts their tics, desires, compulsions. Envy is so difficult to discern from their victim that most never catch on to the swap.

We also know that envy is called such not because of the traits of people it targets but the trait it embodies. In the codex entry for Envy's Dogma we learn that envy takes Lord Seeker Lucius's form because of an offer so "impossible to resist" that it spends weeks studying and learning the Lord Seeker's face that once it finishes he is stowed away and hidden. Then when encountering the Herald at Val Royeaux it disdains the player character (pc) until they show up at Therinfal redoubt. Where then it is noted that seeing the pc rise in leadership, leading nobles whose "power chokes a country", and that the Inquisition is growing to be far larger than the templars. It is so full of envy at the thought of what the pc will become that it described it as "unbearable" it is "seething, consumed with want".

The Narrative Impact of Envy

So how does all that tie into the narrative implications? Well, it means that Sebastian would be at such a high position of power to even be attractive to envy. However, since we know Corypheus is the one who made the arrangement with envy to take the Lord Seeker's face, he could also do the same with Sebastion only in this case without Sebastian's compliance unlike the Lord Seeker.

This gives us two narrative options for how this replacement plays out. Either Sebastian is dead once envy is done, or Sebastian is imprisoned. To which we get narrative parallels with Cullen and his imprisonment, but also we have parallels to Anders' internal conflict of when Justice takes over. While it is different in the sense that Anders/Justice is a consensual arrangement, it doesn't negate the guilt or trauma that comes inherently from someone doing something in your name. With your face. But I'll go more into that late.

The other parallels we see is that both Sebastian and Anders would be radicalized by a spirit/demon. Anders in a bit more of Justice is amplifying Anders own want/need for justice. Where Sebastian, envy would just be taking the actions to the extreme, in the name and logic of Sebastian's faith and self-perceived duty to protect those from magic. Going so far as to use Sebastian's potential guilt in failing Elthina, of not reporting the abomination and blood mage Hawke kept as company, the internal conflict he has over such things because he was swayed by the other companions, and in doing so failed in his duty. All of that would be used as justification for whatever extreme actions it would take to meet its goal. A goal that would likely lead envy to covet/envy Hawke themselves.

Another aspect of all this is in the betrayal this would imply to Hawke. Both as a companion/friend/lover, the inherent betrayal that would come from whatever radically extreme action Envy!Sebastian took, likely with not a word to Hawke would be an echo of Anders. It would then double down on the realization, once it was discovered that envy wasn't Sebastian, that Hawke couldn't tell there was something off. There of course would come with a degree of limiting the player's agency as they did with Anders, but as da2 is written, the lesson from both of those brings the question of "Did I ever really know them?".

How Do I Think Envy!Sebastian Would Happen

To me it makes the most sense that it keeps with Corypheus planting envy. Sebastian wouldn't be complicit or anything, but he would potentially be an easy mark that would then be able to grant envy access to more powerful faces, such as Hawke.

From there I think envy would slowly build on things, trying to accrue more power, more land, more standing, till eventually maybe Envy!Sebastian capitalizes on Sebastian’s faith that he goes from being almost blindly pious to radically extreme in his religious fervor. Which I believe if it built up to him attempting to annex kirkwall during Exalted March dlc under the guise of cleansing and seeking out the corrupt, it makes sense regardless of what his standing with Hawke is or if Hawke allowed Anders to live. Because Kirkwall is so corrupt and has lost its way from the Chantry. This might be the tipping point that gets Hawke to realize something is wrong and try to talk Sebastian down/confront him, and this would be when they were betrayed because envy takes the chance to steal their face.

When the dust has settled, and if Sebastian was imprisoned and kept alive. When he finds out what envy did in his name, when he sees his friends, companions, and potential lover look at him with distrust and fear? The guilt of it all would be unbearable I think. The guilt of not being strong enough to fend of envy, of being weaponized against those he cares about. The trauma of running into people who were negatively affected by envy but only know his face to blame. Walking in a world with no knowledge of details attached to his name, where he could walk around the corner at any moment and face the consequences of actions that were not his but are his fault.

Because how could anyone expect pious Sebastian to be the target of a demon that wasn't rage or vengeance? How could anyone believe that he would become victim to a demon? Pious Sebastian with an anger streak. It makes me wonder if the motivations that would be weaponized when replaced by envy are what motivates him to keep a book about red lyrium in his bedside in Knights Errant.

[panlight]

I know you did astrological charts and the birthdays of the Cullens a while back (btw I want to see an updated version in case your opinions changed becuz mine have lol) but I'm pondering those of Bella, Edward, and Jacob. (Also if Ren was a "normal" pregnancy what could her sign be?) I know canon has them as Virgo, Gemini, and Capricorn respectively, but I feel like at least one of those signs isn't very accurate. I'm especially conflicted about Jacob as I did research on the 12 signs but it didn't connect. Your thoughts? Any new headcanons for the main trio and/or the Cullens?

I don't really know enough about the common traits of the signs off the top of my head to say. I'm not so much an astrology girl in real life, but I think it's fun in fiction as a tool to help flesh out a character. Pick a birthday and look up the astrological traits and pick some of those for your character, etc. Or, to work backwards when the author didn't give any of the major secondary characters birthdays to try and pick one for them based on traits. That's sort of how I settled on Feb 18 for Carlisle. We knew he "recently" had a birthday when Bella visits the house in March, so his birthday would be presumably in March or the later half of February. Feb 18th puts him on the cusp of humanitarian Aquarius and compassionate Pisces so that seemed like a good fit.

I think Virgo broadly works for Bella; they're practical, useful, hardworking, can be judge-y and perfectionistic. They aren't super creative or artistic, but they get stuff done but are prone to stress for all the pressure they put on themselves.

Edward's a Gemini (Jun 20) but on the cusp with Cancer, so he could have traits of both. From one website: "Gemini-Cancer cusps are playful, sensitive, romantic, and intelligent. They're highly perceptive and are more emotional and sentimental than they outwardly seem." I mean other than maybe playful (he has his moments but overall takes everything Super Seriously) that's not a terrible surface description of our vampire Romeo.

Jacob's a Capricorn (Jan 14). In descriptions I see a lot of words like persistent and loyal, which works. Negative traits like arrogant and controlling, which could fall into his post-wolfening character shift I guess. They aren't conventionally romantic but show affection and love with smaller gestures. He's not saying Bella is his life now or his life has no meaning without her, but he gives her candy hearts and warm sodas and spends time with her when she needs his sunny presence.

If I could assign a different birthday to one of the three it would probably be Jacob. I could definitely see him as more of Leo; loyal, a natural leader, generous, charming, talkative (telling Bella the secret history like, right away). I think that might fit his original sunny personality better?

Renesmee would probably have been born in late April or early May if she had been the product of a typical human pregnancy based on some rough dates I threw into a pregnancy calculator. That would make her a Taurus (like me!). Stubborn, dependable, set in their ways, appreciates the good things in life, gentle until riled, maybe with an artistic streak. I don't think I'm a very good Taurus example (the whole hedonistic thing is not me, lmao), but maybe Nessie would have been? I see some common traits with Virgo, which might complicate the mother-daughter relationship in the future. Sometimes people who are too similar don't get along well (looking at you, Rosalie and Edward).