#Open Ended Story
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Title: "Dialogues of the Heart"
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
The hustle and bustle of New York City was a stark contrast to the silence between Meera and Alex. The couple sat across from each other in their favorite coffee shop, cups of half-drunk lattes growing cold between them. The air was heavy with words left unsaid, issues left unaddressed, as their relationship teetered on the edge of an impasse.
Meera, an accomplished linguist, was as adept at reading ancient texts as she was inept at interpreting the silence that had grown between them. She missed the playful banter, the shared laughter, the easy flow of conversation that had marked the early days of their relationship.
Alex, a top-tier neurosurgeon, on the other hand, was used to making split-second life-altering decisions. But when it came to navigating the emotional intricacies of their relationship, he felt as if he was trying to perform surgery in the dark.
"Meera," Alex broke the silence, his voice steady but laden with concern. "Please communicate your needs to me. You're too important for me to guess and miss something."
His words hung in the air, a heartfelt plea that cut through the tense silence. It was an honest confession of his limitations and a testament to his willingness to make things right.
Meera looked at him, taken aback. In her desire for a perfect relationship, she had forgotten that true love wasn't about perfection, but understanding and adaptation. She realized that they had been trying to read each other's minds when they should have been talking, listening, understanding.
This was their turning point. A moment that would redefine their relationship. As they finally started talking, not just about their problems but their expectations, their desires, their fears, they felt a sense of relief washing over them.
But what does this newfound honesty hold for them? Will their relationship withstand this tide of raw, unfiltered conversation? Or will it strengthen their bond, transforming it into something deeper and more meaningful?
The stage is now set for you, dear reader, to guide Meera and Alex through their journey of rediscovery.
Tags: Romance, Contemporary, Relationship Challenges, Communication, AI Story, Open Ended Plot, Writing Prompt, Creative Writing, Plot Seed, Story Continuation, Urban Love, Emotional Journey, Co-create, Explore this World.
Prompt #991
"Please communicate your needs to me. You're too important for me to guess and miss something."
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The Inevitable Rise and Fall of The Great Silver City
Genre: Sci-Fi, Alternative History
In a world not too far off from our own, where the line between man and machine had grown indistinguishably blurred, rose the Great Silver City. It was an utopian monument of human advancement, a testament to the irrepressible march of progress. The sky-reaching chrome edifices gleamed under the artificial sun, a constant beacon of hope in an increasingly chaotic world.
The people of the Great Silver City were not just ordinary humans. They were transcended beings, their bodies seamlessly integrated with advanced technology, a fusion of flesh and silicon. These were the Cybers, the city's soul, the embodiment of human evolution.
But beneath the metallic sheen of this seemingly perfect world, something stirred. On the eve of the Grand Convergence, a prophesized event where the Cybers would finally shed the last vestiges of their human forms to become purely digital entities, a lowly maintenance Cyborg named Syl discovered a startling secret.
The Aural Core, the heart of the Great Silver City and the eventual convergence point for all Cybers, was showing signs of destabilization. What was once a harmonious fusion of technology and biological life was on the brink of collapse. And nobody, not even the Council of the Seven Engineers, seemed to know why.
With the Council unwilling to halt the Grand Convergence, Syl found himself entangled in the thick web of city politics, cybernetic spirituality, and a creeping existential dread. The stakes couldn't be higher. Was this disruption part of their evolution, or was it a prelude to their doom?
Further complicating things was the mysterious figure known only as the "Purist", a character shrouded in shadow who was slowly gaining influence in the City's underbelly. Was the Purist friend or foe? And how did they remain seemingly untouched by the techno-fusion that defined every Cyber's existence?
As the Great Silver City races against time, Syl must untangle the mystery, challenge the Council, and confront the Purist. At the crux of it all, a question hung in the simulated air: "What does it mean to be human when humanity is left behind?"
As we leave Syl on the precipice of destiny, the Great Silver City shines under the artificial sun, a beacon of hope and despair. In the world of Cybers, the line between salvation and annihilation is as thin as a strand of code. And perhaps you, dear reader, hold the key to their survival... or their inevitable end.
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knightofleo · 2 months ago
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Angela Orosco Silent Hill 2
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bluerosefox · 4 months ago
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Her Astrophel and Sterling
hmmm
Hmmmmmmmm
You know what.
You know those AU's where the Batfam finds or learns about either hidden or thought to be dead Al Ghul Danny! with a deaged/daughter Dani (Ellie) (I should know, I created a few of those storylines) but what if, now hear me out, what if instead of them finding Danny first its Talia.
Do I want Talia discovering her thought to be dead son to be alive? Yes. Do I want her to find him while investigating Amity Park when the League gets reports of 'Lazarus creatures/water'? Yes.
DO I WANT HER TO KNOCK ON THE FENTON'S DOOR, fully ready to pretend/honey talk her way into the house to uncover what the Fenton's know, ONLY TO MEET A LITTLE ELLIE?!
YES.
Ellie whose eyes and hair look like a copy of her Beloved but she can see bits and pieces of herself as well. Talia knows the child in front of her was not fully her's though but everything makes sense when she hears a voice, a voice she hasn't heard in ages but as a mother just knows, speak out.
"Ellie! I thought I said do not answer the door my Sterling."
"But Daddy, yous was busy fighting the hotdoggys!"
Talia's eyes widen when she finally catches sight of familiar black hair and blue eyes.
and she could only lightly whisper a old nickname she hasn't dared uttered in ages, a name she secretly gave her son due to his love of the stars "Astrophel..."
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youchangedmedestiel · 4 months ago
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Imo the best ending to Supernatural would have been to just stop with them alive on a random hunt or them finding jobs and living the life they just wanted or whatever.
And then the story just fucking STOP, because Chuck is not here anymore, so they are no longer part of a story they are finally free. And we could still write and read fanfic about how they live after they won.
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iipaint · 1 year ago
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oh, i should have gone deeper, but i'm not so brave
when i was done dying - dan deacon // fionna and cake - "cheers"
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forgettable-au · 11 months ago
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Does Flowey exist in this au?
Yes, he does.
Everything's pretty much the same when it comes to the regular story in this AU. It's just the past, especifically Papyrus' past (wich we don't know much about to begin with) that changes
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Actually Flowey is one of the main characters in the story! (the main story of this au is divided between the past before the game and a post-pacifist timeline:D)
He and Papyrus will have a fun dynamic
-some thought I had in tags behind the keep reading
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Srry for the spelling mistakes in here but I can't go and fix tags because I would end up erasing everything😭tumblr struggles
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Title: "The Unfinished Chronicles"
Genre: Supernatural, Mystery
The quaint, old town of Emberwood was home to many peculiar things, but none as bizarre as the legend of "The Unfinished Chronicles". This was no ordinary book - it was a hefty, leather-bound tome that rested in the dusty confines of Emberwood's town library, a repository of stories that seemed to weave reality and fiction in an inexplicable dance.
As the folklore goes, those who attempted to read the book but never reached its end were said to disappear without a trace. Odder still, upon their passing, they would materialize as characters within the book's pages, their lives transformed into elaborate tales of adventure, mystery, and magic.
One such reader was the eccentric scientist, Dr. Alton, who had spent his life chasing after the inexplicable. He was drawn to "The Unfinished Chronicles", intrigued by the unusual phenomenon surrounding it. However, halfway through, he got distracted by another scientific enigma and left the book unfinished.
Days later, Dr. Alton mysteriously vanished. Search parties were sent, investigations ensued, but Emberwood's beloved scientist was nowhere to be found. After his assumed death, an updated copy of "The Unfinished Chronicles" surfaced, introducing a new character: an eccentric scientist named Alton, living extraordinary adventures in a parallel Emberwood.
As the news of Dr. Alton's strange fate spread, the fascination with "The Unfinished Chronicles" grew. From an object of mystery, it turned into an item of fear and respect, but also a morbid allure for some.
Among the intrigued was Yasmin, a fearless journalist who had just moved to Emberwood. She was determined to uncover the truth behind this enigma. Armed with her willpower and journalistic instincts, she began to read the book, promising herself she'd reach the end.
However, the deeper she delved into the book, the more she found herself drawn into its supernatural charm. The line between reality and the book's world blurred. Strange events started happening, connecting her life to the events in the book.
Will Yasmin be able to break the book's curse by finishing it? Or will she too become another character lost within its pages? The path lies unexplored and waiting for your imagination to traverse.
Tags: Supernatural, Mystery, Unfinished Book, Emberwood, AI Story, Open Ended Plot, Writing Prompt, Creative Writing, Plot Seed, Story Continuation, Parallel Reality, Mysterious Disappearance, Co-create, Explore this World.
Prompt #14237
"Those who never finish this book go missing. And appear as characters inside it, upon their death."
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poorly-drawn-mdzs · 1 year ago
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Parallel Lines and Brothers.
[First] Prev <–-> Next
#poorly drawn mdzs#mdzs#wei wuxian#jiang cheng#lan wangji#lan xichen#jin zixuan#Does anyone else think about the tragedy of the parallel lines? Of characters who are parallel lines?#Of running the same course as someone. Of echoing each other in perfect synchronicity.#It's more than being a foil. It's about being on the same path and being so near to each other.#and yet parallel lines never intersect. They cannot meet each other despite their existence being tied to another.#I think the brothers tragedy is just as much of a tragedy of parallel lines as is pre-resurrection wangxian.#Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian spend so much time running side by side and yet - they cant close this gap between them.#Even if their relationship never recovers - they are forever tied together through their past. The good and bad and ugly.#All the things that are left unsaid between them. All the love and sacrifices they made for each other that are never shared. Parallel line#I firmly believe any post-canon material that would have them be indifferent towards each other is just...really doing them a disservice.#And dear god the Lan brothers. They certainly love each other! Its a far fonder fraternal relationship than jiangxian (/platonic)#They fool you by having you think they have a good read on each other. Lan Xichen certainly wingmans + advocates for lwj!#But lets not forget - Lan Xichen by the end is in the reverse situation and headspace as Lan Wangji by the end of this story.#Lan Wangji is more free and open than he has ever been. He's in love. He's married. He and wwx are intersecting lines.#& LXC who grew up with and lived the same path as LWJ - who even is said to resemble him visually - his parallel line - shuts himself away#Despite all the love LWJ has for his brother I don't think he ever manages to reach him.
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lil-gingerbread-queen · 5 months ago
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Harley joining the batfam be like.
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(More shenanigans under the cut)
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Harley: Bats! I have a gift for ya! Batman: ... What is this? Harley: A club's membership's card! Batman: ... Harley: And I've some for the commie, his daughter and your big red riding hood.
The cards in question:
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(yes, she drew the pictures. Jason is Bat Brat for reasons)
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thebestsetter · 26 days ago
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Thinking about Otoya Eita regretting his past "affairs" when crushing on a girl (and I mean for real, a real crush)
Picture this: you moved to a new city with your parents because your father got a promotion. Your new house is nice, and so is your neighbourhood: a calm place with calm people living in it, like the cute old couple across the street, a house where a sweet little scout girl lives, a hot neighbour...
Yeah. You got the luck to have THE Otoya Eita as your neighbour. The football player. The ninja. The womanizer. And also the biggest red flag known to ever walk this earth.
You actually didn't go to school straight away, since your parents still needed to sort everything out, and all of your friends were (sadly) left behind at your old city. And so, your only company was Otoya. You lived close, so it was easy to spend time together. Walks to the convenience store were a must, skating together came naturally and listening to music together while looking at the sky was normal between you two. He was an amazing friend, for sure, and you were already thinking about you two becoming something more, if you know what I mean.
You could spend hours just looking at him, admiring the green strand that adorned his white hair, his sarcastic comebacks and his jokes. And oh, his eyes. How you were absolutely smitten for them. You particularly loved when he was thinking about everything and nothing at the same time, those beautiful orbs just staring at the sky and thoughts probably going a mile per hour while the playlist you both mande together played at the background, giving the scene an almost romantic vibe. You'd give all of your pennies to find out just what was going inside his head at those moments.
Inside his head, Otoya Eita was quite literally shitting himself.
Since you didn't know anyone from school yet, you didn't know about his CAHEM "reputation", but that didn't mean it was gonna stay that way. The moment you started attending to classes, people were going to gravitate towards you. It wasn't a theory, it was something he was sure about: you were funny, charming pretty, smart AND had a nice butt. The boys love these things (and some girls do too), so it was only natural that they were going to come to you as if they were men who spent 100 days and 100 nights lost in the desert and you were a gallon full of water: they were going to come to you like thirsty dudes. He KNOWS that cause he did it, too. With lots of girls. But specially with you, when he first saw you moving in next door.
And the moment they found out that you and him are "going out", there's only two options:
1) They will leave and let him be (this would normally happen, but this time, with a pretty girl like you, it's highly unlikely)
2) OR they'll use his past to make you leave him (this ones more probable)
Yeah. So he's scared shitless about you finding out. He knows you'll leave him. You once mentioned an ex that cheated on you during a conversation and talked about how much you just loathed the guy. You told him you wished he was skinned alive, how you wanted him to fail all his classes for the rest of eternity and how you wished both sides of his pillow were warm everytime and he always had to shower in cold, freezing water. You hated cheaters. You wanted nothing to do with them.
And, so, the moment you found out about his past activities you would go poof. Disappear from his life. Maybe even change houses in the process (not really, since you love the neighbourhood, but you'd never let him inside your house again).
And that's a shame, really, cause he really likes you. At first, he just thought it was a great opportunity: "Hey, a hot girl just moved in the house right next to mine! An upgrade from the old woman who used to live there, no doubt. Why not give it a shot?". He had to admit, he only liked you because of your face and body (not his fault you had great facial structure and a beautiful body) and wanted you to be just one of his many nameless flings. He even talked about you with his bestfriend, Karasu Tabito
"There's this new cute girl who just move in nextdoor"
"Let me guess, 'ya flirting with her already?"
"You know me too well"
"Be careful mate, One of these days, I'm sure the spell will turn against the speller"
"Whadyyamean?"
"One day, you'll fall in love with a girl you're trying to trick. And then you won't have the balls to actually cheat on her, but she'll want nothing to do with you cause you're a cheater. Your past condemns you."
"What the heck? You cursing me now, you damn crow?"
"No. Just stating the truth"
He didn't even think it was possible. Tsk, he's the Otoya Eita, for crying out loud! Heartbreaker, cheater, call him what you want. But there's no doubt that he can get any girl in the world. If he wants her, he'll find a way to have her.
But when he looks at you for the first time, there's one thing in your eyes he hasn't seen in a while when anyone looked at him: indifference.
And not indifference as in: "I don't care about you", indifference as in: "Who are you?". You don't know about his past. You don't know about all of the bad things he has done before. This is a restart. A new beggining, as cringy as it sounds.
And so, the little things you both do made him develop a crush on you. Your smile is so, so pretty. The days you both spent snuggled up under a blanket and watching sappy romantic movies were the best, and he swore it would never happen, but you managed to make him turn red. You made him blush. No one has been capable of doing this.
He wishes he could keep you away from school. He doesn't want you to hear about how he made 50% of the school female population cry and the other 50% disgusted by the mere sight of him. But he can't do anything about it.
And so, the first day of school comes.
"I'm cooked"
"What?" Karasu says while closing his locker and leaning on it "How are ya cooked?"
"I fumbled, bro." Otoya says, putting his hands on his face and letting out a loud sigh "When she finds out I cheated on like 100 girls already, she's gonna ghost me"
"And ya worried about that because...?" Tabito says, raising a brow "Plenty of girls have left ya before. Hell, they even slapped and cursed you! And then next day, there ya were again, with yet another side piece"
Otoya thought hard if he should tell his friend about his feelings. Like, really. He contemplated it in his head for longer than he'd like to admit, but ultimately decided that it needed to be done. He needed all the help he could get.
And so, with a sigh, Eita admitted it.
"You were right. I like her."
"Sorry? The halls are loud, I can't quite hear ya"
"I like her"
"Say that again" Karasu smirked
"Shithead, your smirk makes it clear that you heard it already."
"I heard it the first time. I jus' wanted ya to see how I'm always right"
"Kill yourself" Otoya gritted
"Okay okay, calm down. Let's go, classes are starting" Karasu's smirk got impossibly wider "Cheaters first"
"Nah that's crazy" Otoya rolled his eyes, but did go first cause he already had a bad reputation with teachers.
Guess who was there when he entered the classroom?
"Hi, Eita!" You said, smiling when you saw him. To no one's surprise, there were already boys near you.
"Whassup, (Name)?"
"'Eita' already? Didn't know it was that serious" Karasu crossed his arms when you got near them "I'm Karasu Tabito, his bestfriend"
"Pleasure to meet you!" You said
Honestly, your first day of school was going great! Everyone was nice, and you were ready friends with some of the girls! And talking about them...
"(Name), what are you doing with... him?" One of your new girl friends, Yoru, made her away next to you.
Huh. Now that you noticed, everyone seemed surprised you and Otoya already knew eachother. Strange.
"What do you mean?" You asked, confused "He's my neighbour. We've been friends for a while already"
"But you're friends with a che..."
"Sit down class!"
Otoya couldn't help but let out a breath. He smiled at you and sat down on his seat next to Karasu.
"You're just delaying the unavoidible."
"I hate it when you curse me"
As the end of the class was getting closer, Eita seriously thought everything would turn out fine! He just couldn't let Yuro, one of his ex flings, get close and sepak to you! No big deal! Easy!
...what was that notebook page in your hand? And why were you looking all red like you're about to cry?
Wait. You're not red because you want to cry. You're red cause you're angry. At him.
And when you slide your finger across your neck in a "I'll kill you" way, Otoya knows.
He's fucked.
@sharkissm this is for you ma'am
Masterlist
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tiny-steve · 1 year ago
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the thing that makes my entire body itch about that darcy confession scene parallel is that that's the fucking MIDPOINT of darcy's and elizabeth's story. you've baked the pancake halfway and you've tossed it in the air and you're holding your breath --- and now you've got to catch it and BAKE THE OTHER SIDE!!! you can't just roll the credits and leave me hanging like that!!! what if there's never a third season??? the pancake is ON THE GROUND NEIL!!!
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mochii-derogatory · 3 months ago
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ive been watching the dog motif show... why is no one talking about this guy. isaac lahey come home from france,,,, sweet boy,,,, we miss you,,,
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hecatesbroom · 20 days ago
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uquiz finished right in time for october: follow me, and find out what role you'd have in a gothic story
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bluerosefox · 7 months ago
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GHOSTS WITH HEARTBEATS
When Jason had been going to Gotham Academy, he had (for a good reputation for the media and to help him catch up on his penmanship, remember he had been on the streets and dropped out of school before getting picked up by Bruce for a while) signed up for a penpal project for 'less privileged people' to write to.
(Although Jason was annoyed the penpal project stayed within the states and only selected a middle of nowhere town, he knew the Richie Rich Elites would never subjugate their 'Heirs' to actual kids in need of learning how to read and write)
But Jason didn't mind his penpal.
Danny Fenton was a riot to talk, err write to in all honestly.
From his dry punny humor (and boy can he give even Dick a run for his money in the pun department but hey using some of them actually got Dick to warm up to him a few missions ago) and death jokes so many death jokes, to his nerdy love for space Jason enjoyed writing to Danny.
Even the short stories he would write about a ghost kid protecting a small town from other ghosts was interesting to read. He really liked the different kinds of ghosts there could be. Granted some seemed very OP like that Clockwork dude.
Jason liked writing to Danny, and even after the penpal project was over they had plans to keep sending letters, maybe even exchange numbers soon...
But then he died by the hands of the Joker.
The letters leaving Wayne Manor may had decreased but the letters being sent never did or at least until a few years ago.
Then Jason somehow returned to the land of the living.
Got taken by the LoA, tossed in the green waters and turned into their Pit Raged weapon for a while before leaving them behind and setting out for his revenge against the Joker and to force B's hand.
And becoming a Crime Boss for a while too. Can't forget that.
Point being with all this going on, the old warm memories of exchanging letters with Danny Fenton was pushed into the back of his mind and forgotten about for a while.
It isn't until one afternoon at Wayne Manor that while roughhousing with Dick, who had Jason in a brotherly headlock as they walked down a hall to one of the sitting rooms, that while Jason had slipped out of Dick's hold had stumbled into a hallway desk that had a few things on the top of it, one of the things being a small box that tumbled off when Jason hit it.
The box lid opened and out of it spilled out a good number of letters.
"Shiii-p, dang it Dick!" Jason said when he looked at the mess he accidentally made and stopped himself from swearing, the place might be named Wayne Manor but everyone knew this was Alfie's domain and no swearing was a rule within his halls.
Dick only laughed and teased only in a way a sibling can do "Hey not my fault your as big as a tank Jaybird! We should get you some caution signals if you keep bumping into things!"
Jason flipped him his favorite finger, thankfully Alfred only knew when they swore thus it did not summon him, and bent down to the letters.
His hands froze when he recognized the hand writing and the address it was sent from.
"From: Danny Fent Nightingale
Amity Park, IL"
To: Jason Todd-Wayne
Gotham City, NJ.
Wayne Manor"
And when Jason opened the letter. He really wasn't expecting what was written inside.
"Jason.
I'm finally leaving Amity Park. I can't be there anymore, not after everything. I'm too tired, and emotionally hurt. Everything is just to much. And I can't keep doing this to myself. My parents still can’t understand there is nothing ‘wrong’ with me or why I refuse to let them take care of Ellie, I refuse to let her live the way Jazz and I did, Jazz has to much on her plate already with her own life and college but she’s been hounding me to reach out to mom and dad, Sam refuses to listen to me when I tell her I want to be more than ‘Phantom’ in Amity Park, and Tucker is so busy trying to get into a good college and job we barely have time to talk nowadays. And don’t get me started on Vlad, that fruitloop’s been breathing down my neck since Ellie’s deaging.
Despite how much of a hellhole you like to call it, I think Gotham might be my, no mine and Ellie’s best bet of living some kind of life, especially now since the whole deaging she had to go through, she needs an ectoplasm rich city as well and since she has no actual papers because she was my clone and I remember you saying Gotham has people who can create new identities and-
I’m rambling again, to letter you again. I really need to stop it.
I can’t keep pretending you��re going to read these.
I know you’ll never read these. You’re gone. I can’t even find you in the Realms no matter where I look.
I’m sorry. For using you as, well, a way to vent my life for last couple of years. I shouldn’t had done it but it helped me.
Believing my friend was still alive and getting my letters I mean.
Again I’m sorry.
This will be my last letter to your ghost, pun unintended.
Goodbye Jason. Wish us luck in your city.
-Danny Fen-Nightingale...."
The sent date on the letter was roughly eight years ago.
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vaguely-concerned · 4 days ago
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To the ‘themes I am picking up on in Veilguard’ list, let's go ahead and add what I have a sneaking suspicion will actually turn out to be The theme:
— the world has changed and can never be as it was again.
— I have been changed and can never be who I was again.
— in this simple unavoidable truth there is endless grief and endless hope.
And I… may be getting a bit emotional about it haha. Let me show my work a bit: 
if da:o is a game about people who are already dead or half ghosts in some form (through societal forces, psychologically, functionally, literally, in body, through the joining etc.) coming together anyway to save the world from being swallowed by total nihilism and despair (symbolized by the blight) through the power of love and friendship and also this sword/potential heroic sacrifice that I found, da2 is a game about people who have lost their homes and been set adrift finding and building new homes in each other (while completely failing to save the world. also through the power of love and friendship. as well as years of petty bickering <3 we must imagine kirkwall if not happy then worth having been because the love was there the love was there and that's the only sanctifying force we can ever have in this doomed world and city of ours), and da:i is a game about old stabilizing-but-unjust comfortable lies vs. disruptive but potentially liberating uncomfortable truths, and the power of friendship to help us distinguish the one from the other and navigate through them...
folks… I'm starting to think that veilguard might be a game specifically about moving towards recovery and acceptance after trauma — about how even in this flawed, severed, scarred state, what is here right now is worth loving and worth caring for. even in an imperfect and impermanent world and self, there is worth and joy. and of course the first real tragedy — and threat — of Solas is that he just cannot find it in himself to accept this and move on, to let go of what was, the regret won’t let him go or he won’t let go of it. which means that even though on the surface it’s Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain (and the will to subjugate and violate they represent) who are the main villains, the real antagonistic force in this story beneath that is the Dread Wolf’s despair. A despair Rook must make an answer to by the end of the game, one way or another, compassionately or with righteous fury, triumphant or pyrrhic.
The world will change again and again and so will you — BUT the crucial element is that so will everyone else who exists along with you, you are fundamentally not alone in this existential truth. all we’ll ever have is each other and my god that is plenty, my god that is enough!!! Which is the second thing Solas just can’t accept, he keeps himself separate and completely alone out of an awful mix of fear and pride and feeling himself unworthy of anything else. Rook and the player want to save the world of Thedas because it’s where everyone we love lives, Solas wants to go back to the past because that’s the only neighbourhood where he can still visit those he loved — and the person he himself was, before. A very sympathetic and human instinct/trap to fall into when touched by trauma, I think, if only it wasn’t backed by godlike power, a fundamentally oppositional personality, and a catastrophic lack of therapy to make it literally everyone else’s problem too lol. It’s varric and solas’ banter about the man on the island and where meaning in a life comes from all over again, writ large and with detail work — and the added idea of ‘what if there are also other islands out there, though. With other people on them that you could find if you reach for each other’. Rook with the best of intentions has to make choices to which there are no perfect outcomes and live with what happens — and not cut themselves off from everyone else around them even when there is regret or shame. You get back up every day and you make a life with other people doing the same and you do your best, and that’s the only victory this world will give you. In the end, that is more than enough, that is essential. And I um. I love that. So much. It’s why some of the writing clumsiness on top can’t hurt me because this thematic spine is so solid and so beautiful to me. It’s DA2 all over again that way for me personally — I forgive this story for what it isn’t and couldn’t be, and I love it with my whole stupid open heart for what it actually is. Thank you for coming to my TED-talk and goodbye etc.      
(For my fellow TLT heads out there — you know what this story is reminding me of most of all, actually? It has some big Nona the Ninth vibes down there in the deep. It’s about… the horror and unspeakable beauty that can only be found in liminality, and the role of love in making that basic fact of existence bearable. And also even more unbearable at the same time. I'm so sorry.)
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