#I will be the change I wish to see in the world if I must

[instantpansies]

oh my word THANK YOU!!! i've been trying to say this since the wicked movie repopularized all of the "wicked is canon" stuff, but you've put it in a way i wasn't able to. YES. certainly wicked is allowed to be a derivative work that recontextualizes Oz. assuming that whatever is in wicked retroactively and automatically changes details about the story (ie, that the scarecrow and the tin woodman knew each other before the events of Wonderful Wizard and/or the MGM film) is simply incorrect.

i'm all for incorporating a body of work that may not be fully compatible into a coherent canon that works as an alternative parallel to the original. i think it's completely fine and understandable that people are hooked on wicked and will want to understand some characters through the lens of wicked. but assuming that wicked's popularity makes it truly canon, or assuming that the history it presents is accurate to Baum's Oz, is ignorant to both the original context of the Baum books and the long history of Oz adaptation.

i'm also a bit of a hater, as i personally believe that understanding Wonderful Wizard characters through a lens of wicked, especially the musical but also the book, is a less interesting way of analyzing the text and symbolism present in that story than either the Baum novel or the MGM film presents as each stands alone.

wicked is, certainly, its own thing. of course it exists in the context of over a hundred years of adaptation before it, but that context is simply not known by most people. it must be able to stand on its own, and i believe it does. but when this retroactive wicked lens is applied to that context and history uncritically, we will run into problems.

i almost want to blame the seemingly recent, but really just more visible shift in fandom to a need for everything to be canon and confirmed? like, it can be difficult to reconcile in our minds that so many different versions of oz are allowed to exist and don't have to be compatible. wicked "confirms" things viewers are left wondering about after the mgm film, so therefore it must be canon, and therefore it's appropriate to correct people on facts they "get wrong" when they contradict wicked canon. that's how the thinking seems to work, at least in my observation. and that way of thinking seeps its way into the secondary or deeper oz fandom, which has led to (in my view) a sort of soft shift from Baum-centric understanding of oz as a whole to a binary star system where Baum and Maguire are seen as co-creators of a more true or real world and story. i'm exaggerating, certainly, but i've seen this shift occur over time. i hesitate to bring this up bc it sounds like i'm whining about the fandom's natural changes and how things aren't the way they used to be, and i guess i am. i digress.

anyways, your original point. yes!!! while oz became baum's most profitable endeavor, and throughout the series you can see him sort of wishing his other books were more profitable so he could expand in different directions, that doesn't mean he didn't care about continuity or cohesion at all. i'd argue he cared more about cohesion and telling a story that made sense and continued to make sense as it was expanded, than he cared about maintaining particular canon details through the whole series. oz changed as baum's tastes, needs, and audience changed, and that is just as important as the changes that would be added by adaptation later on. (hell, many oz fans don't think of the 1902 musical or the silent films as canon, despite them being created by Baum, both because they're less well-known and because they do change things up to better fit their respective media and contexts). this sense of inconsistency, whether overblown or minimized, doesn't mean that wicked is canon compliant with the baum novels. wicked directly contradicts baum's work in some cases--which again, is completely fine. it's a derivative work that takes certain aspects of the original books and the mgm film, synthesizes them in a grimdark expansion on especially the political aspects of the world, and seeks to tell a unique story that allows you to think about Wonderful Wizard and MGM in a different way. but it is not itself an explanation for Baum's supposedly undercooked or unfinished world. it is not itself a part of the original story (i mean this in the context of canonicity of baum's work. oz fans know how complicated oz canon is.) but instead is--as it claims to be--another branch on the complex tree of oz adaptations.

tldr. wicked does not "explain" anyone's actions in Wonderful Wizard or MGM. it seeks to provide an alternative context, or an alternative explanation, certainly. but it does not retroactively "fix" the story. it's perfectly fine to think about the original story or the mgm film in the context of wicked, if you like the alternative history it provides. policing others' adaptations and understandings of the story, or implying or directly stating that wicked should be incorporated into others' headcanons or interpretations or adaptations, or claiming that wicked is canon simply because baum didn't care about canon so everything is canon, is not helpful or productive or good. in fact, that actively makes oz analysis less fun, in my opinion. i hope my point is made here i've been trying to say this for months but as usual i was completely unable to get my thoughts across until acted on by an outside force (seeing this post). so thanks!!

I've seen a lot of people lately harping about how "Wicked isn't canon to the Oz universe", "it's just glorified fanfiction", etc., and I can't express how silly that is, and how annoyed it makes me every time I hear it, lol. Baum's original Oz books were never meant to be some canonical series — they contradict each other constantly; Baum called it a "fairy story" with loose cohesion at best; and it only became a series at all because the first one got popular enough that Baum felt a duty to the fandom to keep making more (even after he had wanted to end it). And the 1939 film is every bit as much "fanfiction" as Wicked — it changes the story in both major and minor ways, including a complete shift of framing (i.e., making Oz into a dream rather than a real place).

Maguire's great contribution to the overarching legacy and lore of Oz was to harmonize the very weak "canon" of the older works with a different shift in framing: recontextualizing all of the prior Oz material as a revisionist history (going off of Baum's own idea framing of himself as a "Royal Historian of Oz"), and attempting to tell "the true story" behind the other works (fictively of course — we're never meant to literally think Maguire's version preceded Baum's, irl). In literary studies, this is called an urtext. The Wicked Years and its adaptations are as much "fanfiction" as the 1939 film: it's just self-aware of that fact in a way that earlier works weren't, and uses that perspective to deconstruct the material and explore deeper (and darker) themes — not simply adapting or reimagining the original text (as the 1939 movie did), but actively challenging it; interrogating it. It's not meant to be "canon" as such: it asks you to ask whether (and why) there is such a thing, and what that might say about the stories that we are meant to literally believe in, in real life.

[fanfoolishness]

Number 10 with your Ingellvar x Lucanis is calling out to my angst fueled mind, please!

You write so beautifully btw 🥰 and your rooks are GORGEOUS

Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this one, it really got rather out of hand!

Prompt: a kiss out of desperation. Liesl Ingellvar isn’t sure what’s real, but Lucanis is there for her. Set very shortly post-game so full spoilers for the ending. Angst and hurt/comfort and feels, 1429 words of them! Enjoy :)

———

What’s Real

Gray mist swirled around her, settling clammy dew on her cheeks and hands. Beads of it slid down to gather at her chin. She wiped it away, unsettled.

Stone rose up out of the mist, half-recognized, messy sketches of the Grand Necropolis yawning before her. But this was not the Grand Necropolis she knew; though it was ever changing, ever mutable, it still always felt familiar in the sweet-musty scent of the grave, the preternatural stillness, the sense of vastness far beyond mortal ken. This place she was in now felt like a tarnished reflection, a pale imitation of what she knew. She traversed the wending trails in cautious confusion, feeling hemmed in. Constrained.

”This isn’t home,” Liesl muttered to herself. “It’s the Fade.”

But if it was the Fade, why did she feel so uneasy? She had long ago mastered herself and her dreams, and hungry spirits held no dominion over her: she knew who she was, and what she was about. There was nothing to fear here.

Except she knew better.

Varric’s voice came behind her, kind and caring, proud and warm. “Hey there, kid.”

”You’re gone now,” she whispered, blinking back sudden tears. “I let you go. I understand everything.”

”You sure about that?”

The fear choked her, made it hard to breathe. She couldn’t be back in Solas’ prison. She’d fought her way through. She’d been called home. But she couldn’t remember how she had escaped — if she had escaped — and cold dread staggered her heart. With a great effort she turned to face him.

Varric chuckled, shaking his head. He stood before her with an easy smile, Bianca on his back, hands on his hips. The mist billowed around him as his smile drooped. “I’m sorry, Rook. We messed up. We tried though, didn’t we? Wish I could write it all down.” He sounded so tired.

Then Varric shifted in the fog, his shape smaller, slighter. Familiar red hair blazed through the mist. Harding gave her a sad look.

“You’re here,” she said. “Gosh, I wish you weren’t. It’s not a nice place to be.”

”Harding, I’m sorry —“

Harding waved a gloved hand at her, shrugging. “You made a choice, and so did I. I knew that this was part of the deal! I think you did, too.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “It’s so chilly here. No one told me it was going to be so cold.”

Liesl dashed away tears with the back of her hand. She wouldn’t cry. This wasn’t real. Was it?

Harding sighed. “I just wish my Ma was going to be all right. With all this, you know?”

“I’ll tell her how brave you were,” Liesl said fiercely.

Harding gave her a sad smile. “But how are you going to do that, Rook, when you’re trapped here?”

No. She had to get out. Had to escape. She turned and ran the other direction, nearly running into another figure.

It was Solas. Not the brash young warrior of the Crossroads, nor the wise tactician speaking into her mind. He was Wisdom made Pride, his eyes cold and sharp and calculating. The Dread Wolf drew nearer and even through the mist, she could see the bruises mottling his face, the mouthful of blood staining his teeth.

“You’ve outdone yourself,” Solas said, raising the lyrium dagger. Before she could arm herself or reach for her magic the dagger was beneath her chin, pressing against her pulse. “But the Veil falls now. It must.” He gave her a rueful smile. “I regret you will not see what will become.”

The dagger nicked her throat, and the world went blue, then white.

—

“Rook! Liesl! Wake up!” Hands on her shoulders, a voice in the dark, a shower of violet feathers. She blinked, shaking, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. Lucanis was beside her, candles flickering behind him, Spite’s wings gone once more. She knew this place. It was Varric’s room… no. It was the Lighthouse infirmary.

She scrambled up to a sitting position and stared at Lucanis for a long and terrible moment, her chest heaving. Was this real? Was this the prison? Would Lucanis vanish, just another trick? She clapped a hand to her throat, but there was no wound.

Her head throbbed. She buried her face in her hands, overwhelmed. The cot sank and shifted as Lucanis sat down beside her.

“Oh, Rook, Rook, Rook.” He murmured her name like a prayer, voice raw and cracking, and then his arms were around her. He pulled her in close, holding her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He was warm and solid.

She took a deep breath. He smelled of stale coffee and sweat, elfroot, a hint of injury. Injury. She — she remembered —

“We did it,” she mumbled. “Didn’t we?”

“We did,” Lucanis said softly, lifting his head. He brushed away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes with the pad of his thumb. “We won. But you were hurt. Do you remember?”

The battle with Elgar’nan, a blow to the head, running on sheer willpower. Pleading with Solas with her head pounding, Lucanis holding her steady as the dizziness worsened. A flash of light as the Veil mended and stabilized. The others, some injured, but all alive. It was coming back to her in bits and pieces.

“I remember,” she said. “But I — I thought I —” She shivered, bowing her head. “I thought he’d trapped me again in the Fade. That he was going to tear the Veil down. I saw Solas — and Harding — Varric —“

She raised her head, looking over at the cot that still held Varric’s folded jacket, the shattered remnants of Bianca. He was still gone. It had only been a dream, not an echo, not a spirit, not a trap.

“I’m sorry. They’re gone. But you’re awake now,” Lucanis said. “You’re safe.”

But the fear still lingered. She pulled back from him and he reluctantly released her from the embrace. She turned her gaze from Varric’s bed — no, it had never been his bed — and stared into Lucanis’ worried face, seeing him more clearly now.

A large bruise stained one cheek. There was a bloodied split in his swollen lip. The shadows beneath his reddened eyes were deep and dark, and his hair was tangled, nearly snarled. Clearly he had not left her side since Minrathous or attended to his own injuries.

“Are you all right?” Liesl asked, resting her hand on his chest, against his rumpled waistcoat.

“Told him to rest. Heal. I would guard you. Wouldn’t listen!” Spite growled, a violet aura flickering around Lucanis’ body for an instant.

“He’s stubborn, that’s for sure,” Liesl agreed, almost smiling. Spite laughed.

Lucanis shook his head, the flicker of Spite dissipating once more. “I am fine,” he said. She touched the bruise on his cheek and he winced slightly. “Mostly fine. It’s of little concern. We were all more worried about you. Emmrich and Bellara did what they could, but there were many injured, and supplies were low. This?” He gestured to his face. “Is nothing.”

She nodded, her head aching with the motion, and grimaced. He brushed the hair back from her forehead, peering concernedly at her eyes.

“Rook, you should not be up yet. You must rest,” Lucanis said.

But if she rested, the Fade awaited her. Harding, Varric, they might be there again, the fears and griefs she’d barely had a chance to name before she’d had to return to the fight. She couldn’t face them, not yet.

Not alone.

“Tell me I’m here,” she breathed, desperate to believe him. “Please, Lucanis. Tell me I’m here.”

His dark eyes were too bright, glittering in the candlelight. “Oh, Liesl.” He stroked her hair, her cheek, and drew her into a shaky kiss. “You are here with me, I promise. I love you.”

She kissed him back, sinking against him until they lay entangled on the narrow cot, pressed tightly against each other. She could feel his hands, the rise of his chest, the jut of his hips, the way his legs fit in with hers. The way he fit with her.

“I believe you, Lucanis. I love you.” And she did, in a way that felt realer than real, a rich and deep love unbound by Fade or dream. She could feel him against her, smell the familiar scent of his hair and skin, hear his breathing. She knew he spoke the truth. She breathed deeply, safe in his arms.

I’m here. I’m here.

We’re here.

[aventurineswife]

Hi! Can you please do a Sunday from Honkai with shy fem reader. Shy fem reader is based on a wishing star whose grand wishes like the character Star from Disney wish movie 2023 please. Fem reader can fly, does magic & change into a human or star form, sorry about my poor grammar.

Where Dreams and Stars Collide

Summary: On the Astral Express, Sunday notices your inner turmoil and takes the time to connect with you. Through a tender conversation, Sunday helps you confront your idealistic vision of a painless reality, offering wisdom on the balance between peace and growth.

Tags: Sunday x Female!Reader, Shy!Reader, Transformation (Human/Star Form), Emotional Support, Slow Burn, Philosophical Exploration, Light Angst.

Warnings: Mild angst, Reflective themes.

A/N: Might've made some few changes since I have never watched the video (heard a lot of negative comments about it so, idk anymore 💀🧍‍♀️)

The Astral Express had always been a place of strange wonders, a train that traveled across worlds, weaving through stars and galaxies. Among its passengers, one stood out, a being of pure wonder—a shy, ethereal girl who could transform between a human and a shimmering star, her powers guided by the grand wishes she carried deep within her heart. You were the Wishing Star, whose wishes weren't just dreams but destinies in the making, waiting to touch the lives of those around you.

Yet, despite the power you held, you were a quiet soul, hesitant to reveal the full extent of your gifts. Your soft voice was often drowned by the bustle of the train, your delicate hands hiding your magical prowess as you clung to the warmth of your friends aboard the Astral Express. Among them was Sunday, whose presence had always intrigued you. With his golden eyes, navy pupils, and gentle air of nobility, Sunday radiated a calm yet powerful aura. But what caught your attention the most was the quiet kindness he never failed to offer, his gaze never pressuring you, always patient.

One evening, as the train moved through a quiet sector of space, you stood near the window, gazing out at the shimmering cosmos. The stars outside felt so distant, just like your own desires—grand and untouchable. The wishes you kept locked away, the dreams that could never truly come true. You let out a small sigh, unaware that someone had quietly approached behind you.

"Is something troubling you, my star?" Sunday’s voice was soft, a question wrapped in understanding.

You turned, startled by his sudden presence. His smile was warm, and though you were nervous, you managed a small nod. It was rare for you to speak openly, but Sunday’s gentle demeanor made it easier. “I… I wish to help others. I want to make their dreams come true, but… I’m not sure how.”

Sunday’s eyes softened as he observed you, his gaze steady but not intrusive. “You have a grand wish inside you, one that can light the universe. But sometimes, even the brightest stars must be patient and trust in their path. You’ve already helped more than you know, just by being you.”

You looked down at your hands, a faint blush coloring your cheeks at his words. “But my wishes… they’re so big. I can’t do it all at once.”

He moved closer, his presence comforting, as if the weight of the cosmos itself had lifted in his gaze. "Not all wishes need to come true at once. Some dreams take time to grow, and others are meant to be shared." He paused, his voice dropping to a soft whisper. "A world without pain… where people can escape the suffering of life, is that not the dream you hold?"

Your heart skipped a beat. He understood. You had always kept that wish hidden, unsure of how others would react. "Yes," you whispered, meeting his eyes. "A place where everyone can be at peace, away from pain and hardship."

Sunday smiled, the faintest hint of sadness in his eyes. "It’s a beautiful wish, my star. But sometimes, the world needs more than just peace. People grow through struggle and loss, even when they cannot see it themselves."

You hesitated. “But isn’t it better to escape the pain? To live without suffering?”

Sunday's gaze became distant for a moment, a quiet ache in his expression. "I once thought the same, that people could be free of their suffering. But the truth is, peace without growth is an illusion. The dream you wish to create—it's not weakness, but a mercy. Sometimes, all we can do is protect others from the pain we cannot shield ourselves from."

His words echoed in your heart, a blend of his own philosophy and his understanding of your wish. You felt a warmth spread through you, not from the bright stars, but from his words, his gentle nature. For the first time in a long while, you felt understood.

"Thank you, Sunday," you murmured, your form flickering with soft, golden light as you began to shift between your star and human form.

Sunday chuckled softly, his voice a melodic hum that soothed your soul. "You are more than welcome. And remember, you are not alone in your journey. We all have our dreams, even if they are vast and complex. Together, we can help them take shape."

You blinked, surprised by his words. "We?" you asked quietly.

His eyes softened, a knowing smile tugging at his lips. "Yes, my star. I may not fully share your vision, but I will always be here to help guide you." He reached out a hand, gentle yet firm. "The universe is vast, and though it can be full of pain and hardship, it is also filled with the possibility of dreams. And those dreams are worth fighting for."

As you gently placed your hand in his, a quiet understanding passed between you. For the first time in a long while, you felt as though your wishes could truly matter.

And maybe, just maybe, you weren't so alone in the world after all.

[gallaghergirl97]

So now that we have a confirmed White Collar reboot… and we currently have Leverage Redemption…. We need an official crossover!! And I can already see how it’s going to go:

Naturally, notorious art thief Neal Caffrey and THE Parker have, of course, crossed paths before, at least once. So, when the leverage crew needs to send Parker into the FBI offices as Special Agent Hagen for the job for their latest client, and she runs into Neal…. Oh boy! Chaos ensues!

Will Neal keep quiet about recognizing Parker? Will Neal be able to resist getting involved in the delicious con that Leverage is conducting? Will he and the leverage team work together to help their client and/or solve the case Neal is working on with Peter? Or will Parker and Hardison both end up needing to retire their FBI aliases for good because Peter is just that damn observant and good of an FBI agent?

Ohhhh it would be amazing if they explored this concept!! And if the writers of either show don’t… I might just have to do it myself!

[arlathmyheart]

Interesting. I reckon both yes and no.

Rook is a people person who helps others much like felassan.

However Rook is still in the leadership role and fighting against the (surviving) evanuris like a young fen harel did. They are unexperienced but smart and willing/forced to act when necessary.

Rook bridges the gap as a kind of conscious fen harel who never loses sight of the cost of sacrifice. They keep their principles intact presumably.

Like felassan ROOK keeps morale high and stands with their cause. For instance they never see themselves as akin to a god.

Like solas they end up having to make hard decisions, some of which they regret.

Notably Rook has millennia less experience of various wars and memories from fighting the evanuris than solas. Thus less regret etc.

Rook mostly differs from solas in their ability to move on from their regrets etc.

What is interesting is how solas uses his regrets. He cherishes some and he values memories. He paints his or wishes to forget some. They work slightly differently for him. This may or may not be due to his spirit nature.

What will they call you when this is over?>

As rooks dialogue after the treviso/minrathous choice shows they go forward by choosing either: confidence, pragmatism or acceptance.

Later in game datv plays into the idea that rook acts as hubris (fen harel) to a solas who is becoming too prideful akin to elgarnan. They ruin his plans. They show him that he could have another path. They show that he could be beaten.

Rook maintains that the veil must remain. The cost is too great. Solas would only sate his conscience and not deliver the world/elves. Very pragmatic.

Solas seems to tell himself that it is for mythal to an extent (and all he has sacrificed). It is hard to tell if this is a overjustification or not. They have so much history. Plus we don’t learn if he was truly bound and enslaved to her will or just loyal to her due to their friendship/kinship? And her benevolence.

We do know for sure that Solas also sacrificed a lot of himself and others lives. He let spirits/people die for him as well as giving up his spirit form and essentially his own principles (his actual nature of being) He was a spirit of wisdom that she weaponised. This twisted him from his purpose to pride.

The main difference seemingly between the two is that rook is not from a spirit (presumably) and that they do not work alone (or else you get a bad ending)

Rook also doesn’t seem to have a mythal figure guiding them except for perhaps the player? Or even Solas himself.

Rook then acts as a young solas who had instead trusted his friends (if he had many/any? This is something that we don’t really learn. The relationships solas had were very strained despite time as he says himself). Thus Rook may be akin to a version of the past fenharel had he talked with felassan and chosen to act on his advice.

Presumably this would have changed the outcome of the past and solas may have then acted differently. This would not change the nature of pre veil mythal however.

The painful irony is that becoming the dreadwolf was presumably solas’ first main action against mythal/the evanuris after years of not being listened to. This was when he finally took a stand and tried to change things for the better. Felassan was the one who helped create the myth of the dreadwolf. He was supposed to keep solas in check.

Oh my god. This unplanned essay has made me think that more accurately: VARRIC is truly the character akin to felassan.

Going by masked empire and celene/briala as parallel to mythal/solas as the two have an odd/abusive relationship where each uses the other while maintaining a somewhat loving relationship.

Solas has his chance to rescind the past somewhat with Varric at the ritual. Varric tried to give him another option. Again Solas refuses this. This is expected given felassans fate in TME.

To listen to Varric/felassan in that moment would be for Solas to forfeit the past and to accept all his wrongdoings ended up just that. That unwittingly down the line he had made exclusively bad decisions despite having best intentions. (He is smart enough to half predict/know this and so he can only really either blame himself or mythal for it is she who is the one that continued forcing his hand and not listing to his reservations) She made him take a body, she maintained that to end a war titans should be sundered. He was the one who went along with it and made the dagger and (made/utilised?) the prison for the titans dreams. He followed her regardless thus being complicit in the events that unfolded.

Therefore Solas is also to blame for not acting against her and letting her continue with her version of events. (that is a lot of guilt) He does not move against her until he becomes fen harel. However in acting as fenharel he also ends up acting alone, thinking it the better option.

However young Solas still wants the best for Mythal (and hopes she will join his rebellion) but he ultimately loses Mythal when she tries to chastise? The evanuris for experimenting with the blight and they murder her.

Ironically in doing this she acts alone and it is her deference and pride of godhood that likely made her think she would be untouchable. If she didn’t care about her title she may have joined solas. Is she acted on solas’ advice solas may also have had more cause to trust in others beyond using them for his rebellion.

However we can’t truly tell if instead Mythal was utilising politics/manipulation for control rather than bringing more war on the elves. (a kindness?) We just don’t know enough about it.

“In desperation” then solas plots his revenge and seals up the blighted gods. This is no mean feat. He also doesn’t tell felassan his plans. The veil was created as a side effect of his powerful spell which thus altered the world and lead to the fall of elvhenan. He is far more ruthless now and yet imprisons the gods rather than killing them. (Presumably they could be freed if they managed to move past their regrets which would require them to self reflect or even feel remorse at all for their past tyranny). They are very powerful and hard to kill.

We don’t find out how exactly the prisons work as another is made. Presumably the first is the black city which also contains the blight. The second is the regret jail that rook is familiar with.

The difference here then must be varric’s effect on Rook. Or possibly more relevantly the inquisitor.

Varric acts as mentor and story teller. His is a slight guiding hand. He maintains actual faith in the inquisitor (no matter what they say) and imparts his kindness onto rook. He tries to change solas’s mind. His written stories will shape others thoughts.

He feels guilty for the lyrium dagger. He has lost Hawke. He by all rights is like felassan in TME.

Now the inquisitor themselves is one of the only living people in thedas that can conceivably understand how SOLAS felt during his rise to infamy as FEN HAREL. They are the closest to god like status in modern thedas and the inquisitor, having killed Corypheus, knows what it is like to raise an army or to fight a false god (or Titan?) on their own.

Inquisitor relied on their advisors and interestingly solas/Varric in their rose to power. They both shape how inquisitor feels about spirits or faith.

If anything then the inquisitor may be closest to a pre veil mythal or evanuris who is trying to keep a status quo of peace in a breaking world. Like solas they acted as a god and saved the world.

Ironically fen harel too has the option to be like the other evanuris. He both is and isn’t part of the pantheon. The question of their godhood lies in their morality and lust for power.

Now to change his mind solas hears from: mythal, rook, and inquisitor.

I think we are righting past wrongs to an extent: THIS MIRRORS THE REGRET DEMON STORY BEAUTIFULLY. TRICK WEEKES YOU!!!

Rook offers Solas another option despite it all (like Varric/Felassan) to give up the past. It is a lot of trust to simply hand him the dagger and yet a spirit will become what it is expected to be.

Rook keeps their faith in solas despite his betrayal. This could be a similar idea to how a young solas still followed mythal. It is a complex relationship depending on the players pov (datv solas = preveil mythal) (rook = preveil solas)

Fix 1- ROOK/YOUNG SOLAS LISTENING TO HIS FRIENDS AND STAYING TRUE TO SELF AGAINST FEN HAREL/MYTHAL. - sate conscience

Mythal (Mythal) concedes her part in using him and twisting him to pride . That they both did awful things that were wrong. He is released from her service.

Fix 2- FORGIVING HIMSELF FOR THEIR PAST BAD DECISIONS - forgive himself/mythal

The inquisitor (post veil Fen harel) tells him that he is free to find a better way. He now can see the way.

Fix 3- CHOOSING A NEW PATH FOR HIMSELF - freed spirit

It is sad and he is alone (unless solavellan) but now freed Solas chooses to seek atonement. He starts to move forward. I think he is so brave and I love him for it.

He is scared of dying alone and yet his life sustains the veil. He is scared to die and yet also scared to be alone. Plz give him Lavellan tho guys he is a good boy at heart.

This was unplanned. It is imperfect and it is late but it is my current musing on the subject. I may revisit this writing in time.

Honestly? Rook is more a foil of Felassan than Solas, Inky is Solas' foil.

[asbestos-11]

they're so sick and disgusting, i need to shoot them on sight (said lovingly)

reblogs highly encouraged *cocks gun*

[nyanrial]

teeny micah!!!!!

[starshower1215]

Veterans Appreciation Post [Ongoing]

No thoughts, simply Humanity's Tallest and Humanity's Smallest being deadly beyblades together, as Humanity's Strongest duo.

This is so strangely gold. Their pairing deserves more attention. They're literally brothers in arms.

Then Mike and Erwin's relationship:

The first name basis rather than usage of Erwin's title, the inexplicable trust in Mike's nose. Truly, it isn't that big of a deal, but we really should appreciate the veterans more.

[britneyshakespeare]

Had the extremely upsetting experience of a mutual of like 6 years going off on me for occasionally making posts about supporting Harris because apparently that makes me a g n cide denier who refuses to learn and grow, with all of my views just being assumed not even from what I've told them I believe or what I've posted before, but just because I DON'T post particularly the kind of things they THINK I should be. When I pointed out how much they were just completely assuming about stuff I'd never talked to them about, I was told it doesn't matter what I do in real life or "care" about if I simply disagree with their conclusion and vote for her anyway. Like they were absolutely not sorry for the level of maliciousness they not just assumed of my character, but for some reason thought appropriate to bring directly to me before unfollowing me. No apology whatsoever for how discomforting or upsetting that might be and certainly no acknowledgment that I could disagree with them and still be a good person. I just got another even longer rant about how they fundamentally can't fuck with me because of this one thing, no matter WHAT else I do in my real life (which I pointed out that they do not know), and how I'm directly supporting fascism.

Like seriously what is it about Tumblr that makes people think they know someone based off of occasional posts? There were just such DEEP assumptions they were making of me and going off of very little or absolutely nothing. Around the time I first became mutuals with that person I used to express my personality and beliefs and talk about what was going on in my life a lot more openly, but I've significantly scaled back on doing that in many ways for many reasons. One of my major ones is privacy and the way I've had strangers outside my followers and following circles just find random things I say and dogpile me for it. I was fundamentally changed after some T Fs did that to me like 3 years ago. I also just didn't have many conversations w that person anymore (I message people in general on here like 10x less than I did circa 2018-2019, which I'm somewhat sorry about!). My point is to say I think this person felt comfortable assuming that they knew me, especially who I am in 2024 at the age of 25, much better than they actually did.

One of the specific things they accused me of was being afraid of learning and growing (because I don't perform social media activism on here like they think I should). Like AFRAID to take criticism. When again I've never received criticism from them or had to respond to any criticism on here before as pertaining to my views on... well, absolutely any of the issues they accused me of not caring about. They essentially treated it as if the only thing in the world I cared about was the US election and characterized me as the most out-of-touch liberal they could possibly imagine, because I'm not "pushing" Kamala Harris to be better (Oh?? Should I do that on here?? Does she read my blog??).

And most hypocritically what they said was that I only *sometimes* *vaguely* post pro-Harris things (I often post like 5 or fewer things in a day though?). But here's the kicker. "Because I know I'll get shit for it. And rightfully so."

Really????? Not a single person, anon or not, in my messages or in a tagged post or anything, has ever given me shit before for saying who I'm voting for. I'm actually NOT afraid of "getting shit" for that opinion, I just don't start fights with people who are anti-voting. And why should I??? I genuinely don't believe in trying to change the minds of strangers on the internet about that sort of thing. I'm just not confrontational about it; that is so not the same thing as being "afraid of getting shit." I'm not posting ENOUGH about my support for Harris, therefore I'm afraid. But therefore they can also make all these assumptions about me being their strawman for an ignorant Harris supporter.

I'm afraid of getting shit but I still post anyway? But if I weren't afraid of getting shit I'd be posting a lot more?? This is ALL based on their assumptions of what my blog *should* look like, based on what I really and truly believe. My level of posting every now and then is an accurate gauge of my feelings on complex, sensitive, global issues. Because I'm voting for the Democratic presidential candidate and I'm ok sharing pretty much just that little glimpse of myself.

I really don't think that person knows just how inappropriate and insulting that is to just say all of that to me. Like they really know what's going on in my head. Their first message began and ended with like "I'm sorry I love you I just can't take it anymore" but they clearly weren't sorry enough to try and be more respectful to me, and they didn't love me enough not to default to extremely ungenerous assumptions and attacking me based off of those instead of any actual words I've said that they take issue with.

Online radicalization is real and it's not necessarily bad because your political views can start to fall well out of the contemporary Overton window. The way you find it appropriate to treat people whose views, however common, seem to fundamentally misalign with yours... that does matter. You can't just assume the worst of everyone and then act on that in how you approach them as individuals. And then be shocked that you don't stay friends with them. You can't be confrontational with someone about an issue you've never had an honest conversation about, and then expect them to take your bad faith in them as reasonable well-meaning criticism.

I'm afraid of criticism??? I'm afraid of criticism. No I'm not. This person and I have never had an issue before where they criticized me and I got harshly defensive. It was ALL projection. The entire tone of their messages was as if all their anti-voting posts recently were somehow in communication with the occasional go-vote-for-Harris posts that I make. That's not a conversation. I don't post for your satisfaction. I don't post in "response" to my mutuals I disagree with. I just post what's on my mind, sometimes, about some things. I really again can't stress enough how baffled I am by this

[anderfels]

imagined davrin in a barong tagalog and felt something alter in my mind

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

blog maintenance

hope everyone is having a lovely weekend :)

i just went through my whole blog! made a few little changes i thought i would share:

i tagged posts from specific episodes, so now if you want to see any ice content, you can look up "#1x08" and so on. this will make it easier to access any gifs, meta, jokes, etc for if you're really in the mood for thinking about one particular ep. it was also fun to see which episodes i post about the most- ice and revelations are, to no one's surprise, on the top of the list!

and i included my own episode writeup in each of the tags as well, even though it would probably be much easier to just go to the masterpost and find it there if that is what you're looking for. but hey! now you have options!

also! i went back and added a "read more" bar to all of my reaaaaaally long posts that previously did not have them. i did not think to start implementing this until around s3, so if you ever went to read or reblog a post from before then, it was novel length. well! now this is no longer the case! and it will only BECOME novel length if you click the option to read more!

i was put on this planet to Sort and Organize.

[mishkakagehishka]

Like we'll never make proper progress bc too many women have internalised misogyny and are quite happy with it bc they see their successful conforming to gender roles as something they should be proud of and other women's "unsuccessful" conforming as something to shame. Why? My assumption is bc they also don't want to have to conform 24/7 and are bitter when confronted with women who have decided they won't bother anymore. I like to think that bc then there's at least some hope for them.

[thompsborn]

me, 30 minutes ago: its 1 am and i should sleep <3

me, immediately after: refreshes tumblr, decidedly does not go to sleep

[therosebunpost]

This idea flopped in my old blog, but I wanna bring it back because the idea fascinates me, and I think it could be really interesting!

So, major three story cross over here with Stranger Things, Free Guy and Spree (2020)

(Tiny warning, I’ve never seen Spree, I just read the synopsis on Wikipedia, so forgive me if Kurt is OOC)

Imagine Steve, Keys and Kurt being triplets though! Steve’s the oldest, Keys is the middle child and Kurt is the baby of the family. I just think they would just be such an interesting trio. Steve, the popular jock. His parents favor him the most at first, with Keys and Kurt being in his shadow. At least, for a while before Steve realizes that the person he’s becoming is Bullshit. So, he changes. He cuts the toxic people out of his life and actually becomes a babysitter for a bunch of rascals??

Then Keys becomes the favorite of their parents. He’s smart, and they use that to impress the people around them. Well, until Keys says he’s getting into video game development. Then they promptly drop him, because they wanted someone to run the company. Someone to skyrocket it into the future, but Keys is just like “No??” They try again when he effectively becomes successful in his endeavors, but he’s sick and tired of working under their thumb, so he refuses again.

Kurt, oh Kurt, he’s just waiting for his parents to finally see him, but they completely skip over him. Despite looking like his brothers, despite their own encouragement, Kurt just…gets missed a lot. He’s the shadow in the room. The third, Forgotten triplet that people think is just a little off. Too socially awkward to be charming like Steve, not smart enough to do anything for the company like Keys, so it leads him to some dark places.

Can you imagine the chaos of their stories happening at the same time though? Like, Steve comes home one day, beaten and bruised. Keys is just like “What the fuck-“ Then you just have Steve spilling everything to him. The monsters, the Russians, fucking Vecna. (Keys, who I can see being at least DND aware, just looks at him funny before treating his wounds) Bet, Keys gets roped into everything and you just have the hilarity of the party mistaking one for the other all the time. This is when Keys spills that he may, or may not have created artificial life. Cue excitement from Dustin, and subsequent gripping from Steve because of course Henderson likes his brother more. (He doesn’t But Dustin still thinks Keys is cool as shit)

Kurt has been doing…something during everything. Obviously Steve and Kurt tell him about what’s happening, and of course Kurt is jealous. Why did they get all the adventures, all the thrill and he’s left behind? He tries to join in, but Steve knows how fragile Kurt is. How he already is going through a lot mentally, so he says no. “I don’t wish this on anybody man.” Steve explains, hand on his shoulder. “Keys is coming with because computer stuff can be like, useful you know? Just stay here, don’t tell mom and dad.”

Everything changes when Kurt comes home one day, bloodied up. Obviously Steve and Keys are freaked, asking him what happened. Kurt just shrugs, eyes vacant, and dead. “Saw one of those…dog things. Tried to attack me. I killed it.” Then he’s just shuffling up stairs to clean up, but there’s a dread in both of their stomachs. Steve knows what a demo-dog attack looks like, Key’s just got done listening to a police report about a missing person last seen using Spree.

[thesaltyace]

how fucking sinister is this. i cant imagine the emotion i’d feel if i saw someone wearing a jet black baseball cap with a propeller

[medicinemane]

Anyway, hope you're all doing well

I just... I haven't slept and also I've got like... 2-4 days of tumblr to catch up on... mostly to make sure I don't lose anything I want to keep requeuing

In many ways I'm probably doing better than I have been in a long time... maybe ever, but... I've got zero focus, I can barely watch youtube videos, I certainly can't play games... I can't get myself to clean... I don't know man

It's like... it's like my mind's empty except for some thick clear goopy sludge... it's like being over at a strange house sat alone in a big room waiting for people to come back... not wanting to touch anything so you just sit there staring and feeling out of sorts, except it's just constant in my own house in my own room... just saw Bart flop down in front of my door and realized I'm so out of it I forgot I had cats

It's like I'm living every moment in the moment, but not in a peaceful way, in a I'm untethered from reality and trying to figure out plans or how to deal with getting everything sorted out is just kinda painful kinda way

Then my mood... well... I kinda have no mood. I'm fucking numb if I'm honest. I have flavor opinions like "I'm worthless and should kill myself", but I actually don't even feel depressed right now, I feel nothing

I don't see much point to my future even if everything goes great, and I would like to kill myself, but I have zero interest in even considering it right now even though I have everything I need around if I just stand up and take a single step

So... much as it probably sounds like I'm just pure in the trash right now, I'm actually in many ways probably doing better than I ever have before... I'm just also real messed up right now at the same time

I don't feel hopeful, I never feel hopeful, but I do feel like I can maybe guide shit into a good position, it's just once again I figure that even if I do everything I want to with being able to help other people out and stuff, I'll still just kinda end up alone in a crowd

You know... funny thing is I'm thinking "the fuck is even the point I wanted to make?", and I realize... my point was actually that I'm doing pretty good and not to worry... not sure how well I'm selling it, but it's true

I hesitate to assign anything to myself, my stance on me and anything I can't conclusively say tends to be no comment... but if I were looking at someone else describing what I'm feeling in my position, I might be inclined to say burnout... months of having to be on and clean and manage everything and... all that... well it's one explanation, who knows if it's correct

Anyway though, I'm good, don't worry, know I do appreciate you all and wish I had more brain power to say more to more people... it's just maybe kinda sad that this is my version of doing good... the fuck is wrong with me if I wake up everyday feeling like I've been beaten with clubs... and for me this is kinda peak... what's that say about my baseline?

Doesn't matter, only thing to do is keep moving forward

Guess insomnia paired with not really being able to think, like words just kinda pop out with no planning... guess it makes me ramble real bad, this was supposed to be like one or two paragraphs being positive

It's a Beautiful World