When Senshi was young in the dungeon the majority of the adults he were with ostracized him. All except Gillin, who died to make sure Senshi had something to eat: unseasoned boiled meat that may or may not have been one of their comrades.
It really puts into perspective why he was so nurturing towards Chilchuck. When Chil reveals he’s 28 to the party, Senshi responds by telling him that he thought he was older. Senshi was in his 30s when he and his comrades got trapped in the dungeon, so it’s safe to assume that he thought Chil was at a similar age.
He met a young boy who was, from his perspective, forced to do dangerous work in the dungeon just like he was, and so, Senshi made an effort to look after Chilchuck in the same way Gillin looked after him.
Mind you, when Senshi was young in the dungeon he had to starve for weeks, eat the horse he loved, and finish it off spending the next i don’t know how many years wondering if he committed cannibalism.
Senshi understands first hand the value of nutrition and proper eating, so when he’s with the party he makes an effort to make sure they’re all eating a full and balanced diet. Not only that, but Senshi INVOLVES them in the process of getting food to eat, always preparing it in front of them and narrating every ingredient in the process so that there’s no doubt about what they’re eating.
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Thinking a lot about Orym choosing a rabbit when asked what animal he would pick if cursed with lycanthropy.
Because, it makes sense. Orym is small, quick, agile, jumps well, and is highly perceptive. That definitely evokes rabbit imagery. But a lot of Orym’s identity is also tied up with being a protector – giving people AC bumps, the shield being as much a part of his fighting style as his sword, even his title: Saviour Blade of the Tempest. He wants to be a “Shield that protects Exandria”; his priorities about saving the gods are less about the gods themselves, and more about protecting the people of Exandria from the unintended consequences and bloodshed of releasing Predathos. And it would’ve been very easy to pick a large, strong predator to try and evoke the sense of a protector – a wolf, for example, an animal associated with loyalty and protecting its pack. Yet Orym chose a rabbit.
And I think that’s interesting, because rabbits are often seen as ‘cute’ animals – but they’re also a prey animal. In fact, they’re a common food source for many animals across several ecosystems: foxes, wolves, wild cats, dogs, birds of prey like eagles or owls, coyotes, stoats, and humans (and that’s just off the top of my head). Rabbits are skittish, easily frightened; to be rabbit-hearted is to be timid or cowardly. They are not generally associated with fierceness or prowess in fighting. Mice and rats are prey animals too, but typically seen as vermin (rabbits are sometimes seen as vermin too, but a farmer could eat a rabbit – they wouldn’t eat a rat). Deer are prey, but they have hooves and antlers that bring a danger to hunting them, for any animal – the difficulties of hunting rabbits are more related to their evasiveness, speed and good hearing than any life-threatening danger they might pose. Rabbits are, first and foremost, prey animals. They are killed and eaten, so that another animal might live.
Which made me think a lot about one of Orym’s other key traits: self-sacrifice. Bait and switch doesn’t just bump up his ally’s ACs, it specifically switches their place to put him directly in harm’s way. Goading attack is meant to encourage enemies to attack him instead of his friends. He literally made a deal with a hag, essentially exchanging his own life for power to protect his friends. How many times has he gone down in a fight? He’s not the only tank – but unlike Ashton (and Chetney, who also uses ‘self-sacrifice’ in his fighting style with his blood curses) he has no abilities to reduce the damage from the hits he takes (barbarian rage and the werewolf form).
(Side note: I think it’s pretty interesting that Chetney, the wolf, has attacked Orym, the rabbit, more than anyone else when losing control. That Orym’s facial scar was given to him by a friend, not a foe).
Of course, Orym isn’t the only character with self-sacrificial tendencies (FCG wins by a landslide), but I just can’t stop thinking about how weirdly perfect it is that he chose a rabbit for his animal. Rabbits are prey animals. They are eaten, so that other animals may live. Orym takes the hits, he goads and switches with his team mates to put himself in danger, he makes a deal with a hag at the cost of his own life. He’s a soldier, throwing his life away for a cause over and over again because Ludinus must be stopped, because Keyleth has put her trust in him, because it’s the only way to protect his friends, to protect everyone, because it’s the right thing to do. Orym is a rabbit. He’s always been a rabbit. That day in Zephrah, it could have easily been Orym who died instead of Will and Derrig – “unfortunate but necessary sacrifices”, as Ludinus viewed the attack. It’s unfortunate they had to die, but it was for the greater good, according to Ludinus. It’s unfortunate that a rabbit has to die, but it will feed a family of foxes, or stoats, or even a hungry human, so it’s acceptable, right?
Orym is a rabbit. He is giving himself to a greater cause that could very easily kill him – he already willingly signed his life away to Nana Morri. Because that’s what rabbits do. They die to feed others.
And the theme of being disposable is present across the entire group, not just in Orym – Bell’s Hells has been called a “party of NPCs” before. Aside from FCG’s death, I’d say Laudna perhaps fits this theme the best: she was literally murdered and hung from a tree simply because she looked similar to Vex, acting as a warning to adventurers she had never met before. But FCG’s death was – rightfully – viewed as a terrible tragedy by the group. Laudna’s decision to remove Delilah, finally freeing herself from her abuser and emphasising she is more, and deserves to be more, than just some disposable puppet – this was rightfully viewed as a very good thing! But Orym seems to be embracing this identity of self-sacrifice instead, rather than this mindset being properly challenged or acknowledged as a bad thing. After all, there’s no time. There’s too much at stake. Keyleth, Bell’s Hells, all the memories of those who have died in this fight, all the people who might die if Predathos is released and kickstarts a second Calamity – they’re all relying on him, right? A rabbit feeding so many animals with his sacrifice. And it’s not malicious compared to the way that, say, Delilah killing Laudna was an incredibly evil, fucked up and unnecessary thing to do. If Orym died to save everyone else, well, at least everyone else would be saved, right? Saving lives is good, isn't it? How could he complain?
Because rabbits are prey animals, and Orym is a rabbit too. Destined to die so that another animal may feed.
Except, that’s not true. Rabbits are more than just prey. They’re highly social, and thrive best living with others. They’re playful, they enjoy running around and kicking their legs just to show their enjoyment. They’re inquisitive and mischievous, even being associated with tricksters in some folklore and stories. They’re also associated with innocence, playfulness, spring, youth – all manner of things, depending on the story or culture. And they’re not helpless, either, even if they might be thought of as such. They can bite and scratch and draw blood quite easily if they want to! In fact, freezing up isn’t their only response when being attacked by a predator, they are known to fight back if cornered. They can sprint quickly, they have excellent hearing and senses of smell, they know how to evade predators.
Rabbits are prey, and they are also survivors. They have their own social dynamics, their own habits and dislikes and preferences. They are more than just a wolf’s meal. And Orym is more than a soldier, too. He’s more than a “necessary sacrifice”, he’s more than just a shield and sword. He deserves more than to die for a cause. He deserves a happy ending, just like everyone else. I hope he remembers that.
Orym is a rabbit. And the message isn’t that he shouldn’t be a rabbit. It’s that rabbits are worthy of surviving, too.
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so i'd already posted abt this but throughout the last part of may and most of june i was out of work because of a leg injury. when i started working again they cut my hours down to 1 shift a week, i've asked for more shifts and gotten stonewalled. im applying for other jobs but uhh. it's not going great
i thought i was going to be ok this month but a short term gig i was depending on fell through and now i'm $700 short on rent and i have another $130 in bills coming
i've basically exhausted all my options trying to get govt assistance and selling plasma and shit. ive gotten into debt that will take me years to climb out of. maybe it's kind of a lost cause to try fundraising this down to the wire but i dont rly know what else to do
tldr i'm in a really bad spot. my commissions are still open, donate if you want, boosts sincerely appreciated
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'Nimona can't cook' guys Nimona has been alive for 1000 years, and has had to probably take care of herself for that whole time. Nimona can cook because she's had to cook for herself with limited ingredients for eons. Nimona wasn't scared of the arrow because she's probably had injuries worse than that that she's had to figure out how to treat by herself. Nimona can fight so well because she's had nobody else to fight for her. Nimona probably has the best self-preservation of anyone in the kingdom because she HAD to, she had no one else to take care of her. Gloreth was the first person to accept Nimona as she was (before turning on her), but even then, Gloreth couldn't take care of her. She was a child. The first person we ever know of who takes care of her is Ballister, but before that she had no one.
So yeah, I think Nimona can probably cook, and can do basically everything else needed to survive
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currently thinking about Carmen being that boyfriend who buys every snack or drink you mention in ridiculously large quantities and just keeps them in his pantry/fridge for when you come over.
you complain that you prefer apple over orange juice, he buys you two packs of those mini bottles stuck together with plastic rings; sometimes even packing them into your lunch for work that day.
you're sitting on his couch with a bag of chips you were snacking on, he buys two party sized bags and keeps them in a specific corner of his pantry.
oh, and this man will continue to restock on your favorite snacks, and you don't bring it up a single time just in case you'll risk the chance of him stopping.
yet he doesn't say a word. not even a, "I got that stuff you told me you liked," because he thinks it's just natural; he's supposed to remember all your favorite things. why would you need to even think about it, let alone thank him???? it's his job, goddamnit!!!
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god it’s soooo difficult to put into words but like. while lestat’s love and violence and emotional impulsivity could be stifling at times and even dangerous, it was his love and insecurity that was the problem. he didn’t want to keep louis on display, he wanted to love him and be loved by him. of course, problems arose because lestat is both a terrible communicator and has severe uncontrolled abandonment issues and rage and unresolved trauma, but his actions came from a place of deep, deep fear of being alone and wanting someone to love/someone to love him. he wanted to travel with louis, he loved louis for his hobbies, he loved sharing his interests with him and opening up when he could. he wanted him and louis to experience life, the world—together. armand is not like this. he’s obsessed and “in love” with louis the same way you become enamored with a rare bird, a priceless one-of-a-kind piece of art. he’s a thing to keep, to take care of, look but don’t touch, etc. like all of the art in his penthouse. he controls louis’ safety, his eating schedule, his time outside the house (which at this point seems nonexistent). he keeps the books out of reach. he keeps an artificial tree and light and pebbles to placate his deeply depressed lover. he doesn’t want to travel the world with louis, he doesn’t want louis to be out on his own, and he frames it all under the guise of protecting him. louis is reserved and depressed in a way that is so opposed to his depression in the rue royale era. whereas before he was incensed with guilt and anger and fear and grief and sadness, now he seems like an empty shell. his deep well of emotion, even negative emotion, has turned to apathy. and obviously this could very well be caused by claudia’s death and lestat’s disappearance, but armand very obviously is not trying to help louis. in this state, louis is at both his most vulnerable and his most likely to go along with armand’s whims, to sink further and further into that apathy because then his trauma won’t hurt so much. and it just plays right into armand’s hands…..
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