#It would have been so easy. So easy

[mirateski]

burn - for the single-word fic prompt!

(I don't want to think too hard about how long this has been sat in my inbox. So I won't.)

With the spectre of the Aery looming on the horizon, Ar'telan's misgivings are too loud to ignore.

(m!WoLxHaurchefant)

It was not a proposal he enjoyed.

It wasn’t the first time people had tried to convince him to fight dragons. Even befor ethey had fled Ul’dah, he had kept his silence in Coerthas, but he had be able to deflect before. Aiatar, Isgebind - with both of them he had managed to avoid a fight to the death.

Nidhogg would not be convinced.

It was clear from Hraesvelgr’s words that Nidhogg’s anger was beyond mortal ability to reason with. Perhaps his peers could sway him, but they were equally mired in sadness and grief. He wondered if Tiamat, revered and lost as she was, would be equally weighted down.

Estinien would not understand his concerns. Ysayle might have done, if she had not been shocked into immobility. Alphinaud was young and too detached from the idea of honoured creatures to feel his discomfort. He was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Ishgard was too zealous, in both hate and belief, to feel the plight of a man who had lived with dragons as kin - parent, friend, guide, historian. Dragons not lost to madness, but mourning all the same.

He wondered if there were any left who did not mourn.

—

They had returned to Ishgard proper, sans Ysayle, to find a way through the veil of wind that surrounded the Aery. the Manufactuary had ideas, with the Ironworks, that Ar’telan was not smart enough to understand. It would take a little time, they said, so Ar’telan found himself alone with his thoughts. Such things did not work well for him in Ishgard.

He walked across the Steps of Faith, eyes taking in the damage from the latest attack. He recognised the wounds that Vishap had left in its assault on the walls. Thought about Ysayle, who had justified her goading and supporting under a veil of righteousness. They thought they were different to each other, and yet could not be more similar.

Ratatoskr would have condemned them both.

—

Central Coerthas was cold, as was the norm in the twisted post-Cala mity climate, but for a mercy it was not actually snowing. Ar’telan trudged along the half-buried path towards Camp Dragonhead, still conflicted. To discuss his misgivings was heresy to Ishgard. Though he did not ascribe to Ishgard’s Halone, it still put all who heard him in danger. Made them complicit. Just as the Crystal Braves had done in Ul’dah, he had become a weapon for his enemies to use against those he cared about, this time of his own making. But he could not ignore the wound that festered in his heart.

—

“Ar’telan!” Haurchefant’s greeting was as enthusiastic as always. Though he did not leap from his chair to embrace him - there were too many eyes in the room for that - Ar’telan could read the desire in the smile that spread across his face. Incorrigible as ever.

“Haurchefant. Have you a moment to speak?” he asked, hands quick around the words. The implication was clear - perhaps clear enough that the Echo translated it, unbidden. In private.

“Of course! Corentiaux, please inform me if an emergency arises,” the knight said, all but launching to his feet as he did so. Corentiaux, clearly misinterpreting the nature of Ar’telan’s visit but still willing to cover for his commander, saluted in acknowledgement and tacitly said nothing.

—

A truly private room was difficult to find in Camp Dragonhead, but the room was empty, at least. The benefit to his signing was that it was harder for nefarious types to eavesdrop upon, but Haurchefant’s words would still be heard clearly enough.

“We have spoken to dragons,” Ar’telan began, which made Haurchefant inhale sharply. “In Dravania. The Great Wyrm Hraesevelgr told us of Nidhogg’s rage.”

“It is quite the rage,” Haurchefant agreed, which made Ar’telan grimace, ears pressed back against his head.

“Yes,” he agreed, a single movement which hurt to say. “Even Hraesvelgr feels it is unquenchable. HJe is so angry that he will let Ishgard persist only so he can punish it further.” He shook his head. “If we are to keep Ishgard safe, Nidhogg- Nidhogg must die.”

“It is a truth Ishgard has long known, yet found impossible to achieve,” Haurchefant said, his voice quiet. Ar’telan had spoken to him of Meracydia before. On his meeting with Midgardsormr. Of all those in Ishggard, only Haurchefant truly understood what it meant for him to say what he did. “And you are uniquely placed to do it, now. Did Hraesvelgr offer aught?” Ar’telan cringed at the question.

“Sorrow and silence,” he replied. “He will not stop us should we try. That is all.” He sighed. “But he is not Tempered. He is all but lost in rage, but there is no primal source. He is of the First Brood. Bahamut is dead. Tiamat is lost. Ratatoskr- Ratatoskr is dust. How can I continue man’s folly and feel justified? How is it right?”

For a moment, Haurchefant was silent. Sombre thought ill-suited the knight, but Ar’telan knew the look. He had worn it when Francel had been accused of heresy.

“Ishgard is not Meracydia,” he said, voice quiet. “If Nidhogg were like those you knew, it would be easy to call it wrong. If he and his horde did not slaughter without thought, the question would be easier. But if he is not Tempered, why does he feel such rage?” Ar’telan swallowed his nerves.

“King Thordan and his knights slaughtered Ratatoskr, and ate her Eyes.”

Haurchefant sat in stunned silence for several long moments. When he regained his wits, his voice was barely audible.

“Unprovoked?”

“Avalon and the dragons lived together before it. Yes. The Echo showed me what they did.”

“And Nidhogg’s ire has lasted a millennia in retaliation,” Haurchefant said, shaking his head in disbelief. “What selfish motives of our ancestors. What bitter damnation to run in our blood.”

“But none of those who live now should bear the weight of that.”

Haurchefant sighed. “No. But equally, what Ishgard began should not fall to you to finish,” he said. “The Azure Dragoon is with you, is he not?” Ar’telan nodded.

“He swore to me he would not attack unprovoked, but… I do not trust him. His rage runs as deep as Nidhogg’s does. He suffered the same loss. The well of anger is bitter and deep.”

“And what did Midgardsormr say?” Haurchefant asked. Dangerous words to speak aloud, and they both knew it. Ar’telan’s ears twitched nervously.

“That Nidhogg was lost. His rage has consumed him for too long. But I can’t- I won’t give up on that hope. I can’t. If he is not Tempered, what traps him is his own mind, his draconic nature. Time feels fleeting, and in the Song, Ratatoskr’s death is yet a raw and open wound. If it could but heal…”

“If his own sire cannot heal that wound, what chance does a mere mortal have?” Haurchefant said. “I know it hurts. That the complexity cuts like a knife, and even with Midgardsormr himself backing your actions, your people - your own heart - may never forgive you.” Of course he would know how it felt. Years under the weight of it, but he had never found an answer either. He had given everything to Ishgard, and still…

“Even if it saves Ishgard, I do not think I can do it,” Ar’telan said, fingers shaking as he formed the words. “Even if I’m the only one that ever could, I… I can’t. I can’t.”

Without a word, Haurchefant closed the scant distance between them and pulled him into a hug. Ar’telan closed his eyes, fingernails catching on the rings of Haurchefant’s armour. It wasn’t an escape. It was never an escape.

“I am sorry, my love,” Haurchefant said, voice barely more than a whisper. “Know that I will not blame you, no matter what action you take. Just… be sure to come home. Do not petition the wall so intently that he consumes you. Please.” Ar’telan’s fingers tightened, just for a moment, and he pulled away.

“I will try,” he said, the movements uncertain. “I… I’m sorry. If it had been anyone else…”

“Then you would not be staring down Nidhogg’s fortress to begin with,” Haurchefant cut across. “Follow your heart. It has led you well enough so far, I would say.” Ar’telan managed a tremulous smile.

“I don’t know if I would agree with that,” he said, “but I will try.” He shook his head, trying to collect his wits. “Thank you. For listening. I know it is not precisely safe for you to hear such heresy.”

“With the news you bear, I wonder that the notion of heresy will last overlong,” Haurchefant said, a bitter undertone to his voice. “I will keep my silence until you return, with whatever fate you bring of the wyrm. But it will not go down easy. This history, or Nidhogg himself.” Ar’telan sighed.

“I know,” he said, and wished that he didn’t.

[watchingwisteria]

listen there really was just something about how in the book, snow’s 3-page descent from hesitant lover boy to deluded mfer happens entirely in his mind. lucy gray gives him no indication whatsoever that she suspects him, that she’s going to leave or betray him. he’s just sitting quietly in the cabin waiting for her to return when that seed of calculated suspicion, which he has needed to survive the capitol, takes a hold of him and chokes the life out of any goodness left inside him. it really drives home your terror as a reader that “oh my god did he kill her? did she escape? what happened to her? why would he even think that?” in a way that when the movie had to adjust for visualization it lost some of that holy shit this guy has lost it emphasis.

[inkskinned]

one of the things that's the most fucking frustrating for me about arguing with climate change deniers is the sheer fucking scope of how much it matters. sweating in my father's car, thinking about how it's the "hottest summer so far," every summer. and there's this deep, roiling rage that comes over me, every time.

the stakes are wrong, is the thing. that's part of what makes it not an actual debate: the other side isn't coming to the table with anything to fucking lose.

like okay. i am obviously pro gun control. but there is a basic human part of me that can understand and empathize with someone who says, "i'm worried that would lead to the law-abiding citizens being punished while criminals now essentially have a superpower." i don't agree, but i can tell the stakes for them are also very high.

but let's say the science is wrong and i'm wrong and the visible reality is wrong and every climate disaster refugee is wrong. let's say you're right, humans aren't causing it or it's not happening or whatever else. let's just say that, for fun.

so we spend hundreds of millions of dollars making the earth cleaner, and then it turns out we didn't need to do that. oops! we cleaned the earth. our children grow up with skies full of more butterflies and bees. lawns are taken over with rich local biodiversity. we don't cry over our electric bills anymore. and, if you're staunchly capitalist and i need to speak ROI with you - we've created so many jobs in developing sectors and we have exciting new investment opportunities.

i am reminded of kodak, and how they did not make "the switch" to digital photography; how within 20 years kodak was no longer a household brand. do we, as a nation, feel comfortable watching as the world makes "the switch" while we ride the laurels of oil? this boggles me. i have heard so much propaganda about how america cannot "fall behind" other countries, but in this crucial sector - the one that could actually influence our own monopolies - suddenly we turn the other cheek. but maybe you're right! maybe it will collapse like just another silicone valley dream. but isn't that the crux of capitalism? that some economies will peter out eventually?

but let's say you're right, and i'm wrong, and we stopped fracking for no good reason. that they re-seed quarries. that we tear down unused corporate-owned buildings or at least repurpose them for communities. that we make an effort, and that effort doesn't really help. what happens then? what are the stakes. what have we lost, and what have we gained?

sometimes we take our cars through a car wash and then later, it rains. "oh," we laugh to ourselves. we gripe about it over coffee with our coworkers. what a shame! but we are also aware: the car is cleaner. is that what you are worried about? that you'll make the effort but things will resolve naturally? that it will just be "a waste"?

and what i'm right. what if we're already seeing people lose their houses and their lives. what if it is happening everywhere, not just in coastal towns or equatorial countries you don't care about. what if i'm right and you're wrong but you're yelling and rich and powerful. so we ignore all of the bellwethers and all of the indicators and all of the sirens. what if we say - well, if it happens, it's fate.

nevermind. you wouldn't even wear a mask, anyway. i know what happens when you see disaster. you think the disaster will flinch if you just shout louder. that you can toss enough lives into the storm for the storm to recognize your sacrifice and balk. you argue because it feels good to stand up against "the liberals" even when the situation should not be political. you are busy crying for jesus with a bullhorn while i am trying to usher people into a shelter. you've already locked the doors, even on the church.

the stakes are skewed. you think this is some intellectual "debate" to win, some funny banter. you fuel up your huge unmuddied truck and say suck it to every citizen of that shitbird state california. serves them right for voting blue!

and the rest of us are terrified of the entire fucking environment collapsing.

[just-a-living-meat-thing]

Trying my hand at this meme :)

Following Matsuda’s “death” in the Yotsuba arc

[gigglesandfreckles-hp]

it's 11 in the morning and i'm once again seething that harry potter didn't become a professor!!!!!!!!

[okayto]

Neopets is so funny right now. It's a 24-year-old website and half its pages haven't been updated in 15 years. Its ostensible audience is children. The core active audience appears to be nostalgic 20-40-year-olds. Old code means no accounts or pets can ever be renamed. The virtual pound is full of virtual pets named after Justin Bieber. It has an economy and inflation is rampant. New ownership is combating this with the stimulus of random super-rare items via daily quests and events, while the equivalent of Neopian Upper-Crust complain that their investments are deflating. You can't say seaweed or grapes.

[feeltheillinois]

adam parrish + the potential for villainy

maggie stiefvater, the dream thieves⎮interview with bugs by @nutnoce⎮unknown source⎮maggie stiefvater, the raven boys⎮@veniennes on tiktok⎮maggie stiefvater, call down the hawk⎮warsan shire, souvenir⎮unknown source⎮art by @gender0bender⎮maggie stiefvater, blue lily, lily blue⎮clarice lispector, the hour of the star⎮art by @heavensghost⎮maggie stiefvater, call down the hawk

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

Sometimes I feel like celiac disease doesn't actually count as a disability since it's so easy and stress free compared to deadly allergies, but then I remember that I have to meticulously plan every trip I go to and play 4D chess with uni campus restaurant menus and for a brief moment there was genuine consideration if I should be put on growth hormones because I was so small from not getting enough nutrients

[s0fter-sin]

soap's whole deal being sniper and demolitions gets me going bc on the surface they sound so different but when you get into it, you realise it's bc soap's smart

sniping is all math; calculating distances and wind interference and bullet drop. something i think people overlook is he was listed as a sniper first so it can be implied that he's better at it than demolitions. he does more sniping in both campaigns than demolitions work; in capture or kill, ghost specifically calls on him to take down the aq snipers

and demolitions is math with a hit of chemistry; knowing what mixes with what, knowing how much to use, recognising environmental factors and adjusting accordingly. it's not just about the boom; so much work goes into contained/ planned explosions. especially when having enough power for a breacher charge and not bringing down the whole building is the difference between mission success and failure

the chemical bombs he makes in alone can't just be any old cleaners, they have to have the correct reaction to each other; he just knew off the top of his head what would mix with what to create what reaction. he would also potentially have to recognise them by sight/smell bc they would’ve been written in spanish

soap would also have to know architecture; recognising structural integrity and weak points so he knows exactly where to plant a charge to bring it down and how it'll come down

he has an incredible soldier's mind people just forget that bc he's sociable which itself is a skill

we know he tends to buck against orders he doesn't agree with like when he pushes back against ghost in capture or kill and shepherd when he tells them to release hassan

he gets closer to people and sees if he can trust them and that's when he follows them without question. really think about how he talks to alejandro and rudy; he asks about their home and alejandro's family and rudy's relationship with him. those aren't questions you ask a stranger after a few hours of knowing them. that's not even touching on his relationship with ghost

he also deliberately brings people of higher ranks down to his level; talking informally with ghost and giving him a shoulder punch, addressing alejandro (a colonel!!) by his first name and rudy by his nickname despite literally just meeting them. he personalises all of them and it’s in direct opposition to the reason most characters do that; it’s not due to insubordination or lack of respect, the more he respects and trusts someone, the more casual he is with them

he digs into people; he wants to know what makes them tick and that determines if he can one, trust them and two, follow their orders. once he decides that, he's the ultimate soldier; he bleeds loyalty which makes him vicious when that loyalty is taken for granted

he isn't naive or bubbly or insecure; he's an incredibly smart and aware soldier. he's aggressive and bloodthirsty and loyal and intuitive and i love him so much

[damiel-of-real]

that fucking flower i hate

[fearandhatred]

what i like to do to assure myself that i am unique, and not just one of many small, white, indistinguishable, perfectly cylindrical checker pieces in jesus and satan's backgammon game, is — i'll say a group of words that i think no one has ever said, in that order. -bo burnham

good omens + textposts, part 2/?

[bonefall]

Hey, what makes a character a 'plot device but not a character'? And how do you not do that? I'm trying to do it on purpose but also I need to still make them interesting because it's on purpose, yknow?

A good skill to pick up is to learn to criticise criticism itself. A "plot device" is simply a thing that moves the plot along, it's a neutral literary analysis term! Usually, when people are angry that "a character has been used as a plot device," it doesn't mean they hate plot devices. It means they're gesturing at something deeper.

Runningwind and Bumble are equally plot devices in their deaths. They are both killed by the antagonist to escalate political tension. Runningwind is rarely "accused" of just being a plot device, and yet, we're talking about Bumble for the same thing.

So, why?

Well, Runningwind is just a background character, but in life, he was a part of the community. He was characterized as impatient but responsible. Yet, he wasn't SO important that he died with a bunch of unresolved plot threads.

He is mostly an extension of the entity of ThunderClan. His killing by Tigerstar, and the fear and paranoia that settles on the group after this, feel like a progression of the story insteas of something forced.

Bumble, on the other hand...

Is hated immediately by Gray Wing, when she's established as Turtle Tail's friend. Bumble's abuse at Tom the Wifebeater's hands invites even MORE investment. The rejection is shocking and upsetting. There's a story there about our main characters being imperfect; jealous, bigoted, and judgemental.

But, she is simply killed off. Everything they set up for this character is gone with little personalized fanfare. It's not a tragedy with a lesson about cruelty, or something anyone regrets.

It's just... plot. Gray Wing whinging that no one will like his shitty brother now that his body count is 2.

More than that, in the discussion of women in particular, "Fridging" was coined to give a name to the way women characters often don't get their stories told at all. There is a CULTURAL trend of female characters facing disproportionate violence, for the sake of advancing male plots.

Bumble has a lot going for her. Petal had a lot going for her. Turtle Tail had a lot going for her. Bright Stream had a lot going for her. When they died, they took their potential with them.

It's not always wrong to kill off a character of high potential, mind you. In Gurren Lagann, Kamina's death is sudden and shocking, leaving a massive hole in the hearts of the cast that never heals. Grappling with that loss, but also letting his memory fuel them, is a major theme of that story.

All that to say... there's no formula for avoiding it. You've gotta identify what the deeper issue is, in your specific narrative.

I can't say for certain what that will look like for your story, but here's some things I keep in mind;

When you make characters who exist to die, make sure they're people before you axe them.

Ask yourself; what about them does the cast miss?

If they just miss them because they were (pre-existing relationship), go back to the drawing board.

Fluttering Bird as an example. Who was she? Dead sister. Why do they miss her? Dead sister. No traits until after her death.

Runningwind was short-tempered and helpful. Kamina was a valuable leader who made people believe in a brighter future. Swiftpaw was fiesty and desperate to prove himself. The better characterized, the more profound the loss usually is.

If this is a female character who is dying just to serve the plot, be aware of cultural bias and tropes. How is the gender ratio looking in your cast? Is this happening disproportionately with your girls?

Note how Quiet Rain's litter had both a boy and a girl, but the girl was chosen to be "weaker" and wither away.

And how most of the time in DOTC, whenever a man had to be upset, a girl would get killed for it.

If you ever feel like the character on the chopping block is NOT a full character, ask yourself why it needs to be a character at all. You don't need to spend narrative time building out someone when a literal object of high value might suffice.

"My sister died when I swore to protect her and I can't face my family" = Old. Tired. Ive seen this.

"I lost my heirloom sword when I swore to protect it and I can't face my family." = Fascinating. Why was the sword so valuable? Will they really not take you back? How did you lose it?

When you do kill off "high value" characters, try to make sure you're not leaving too many plot threads hanging. Or at least make a point of how they will never get closure.

[hitmeupaep]

honestly so funny that when prompted to do a supernatural podcast jensen doesn’t start at the beginning of the show with his “brother” instead he decided to start FOUR SEASONS in with his wife and her boyfriend

[sidoopa]

some selected frames from the upcoming animation!

[scribz-ag24]

sth sth dusknoir clinging beyond expectation to grovyle. cant believe thats a line in the game

[thedramaticduke]

Disney: Yeah, sorryy, we don't know how to make villains without queercoding them and people didn't like the twist-villains, so we stopped making them alltogether :( I hope you like 3593 intergenerational family-traumas!

Dreamworks, while creating not one, not two, but three amazing villains: Pathetic