#There's so much disagreement and everyone's answer has problems!

[thefaestolemyname]

Internet Archive just sent me an email reminding me they have tons of free audiobooks and uh I figured I should pass the message along.

The Internet Archive has tons of free audiobooks

Universal Access to All Knowledge for the win!

[goodgrlguides]

A Good Girl's Guide to Getting Over Rejection and Belittling

Where you are is not where you will remain.

Starting off, we of course need to be willing to fix and change the problem but remember that where you are right now, is not where you will remain. Having that hope will also push you forward and give you motivation to move on. Rejection is never something that should be taken lightly.

When you are ready, start working on yourself.

You can never suddenly just start changing, especially if you grew up feeling rejected and belittled. When you are ready, you can begin working and fixing the problems in your life. But never use that as an excuse to never get around to the problem. When you're ready has nothing to with feeling ready, it's about understanding that where you are isn't right and wanting to change that, even if it hurts.

Recognise that you are never the problem.

People reject others for countless reasons that include lack of responsibility or hatred which is a problem from within themselves. If you were rejected by someone, know that it is not your fault and that not everyone sees you the way that twisted person must have seen you. Know your self-worth. Have confidence in who you are. Have confidence in who you will be if you are still working on yourself.

Never seek validation in people.

A common mistake that a lot of people who were rejected make is that they look for validation in people or things and that is completely normal. It's normal, but it should not be a place you stay in. Never try to make people like you or try to make yourself popular, you'll never benefit from that and end up sadder and more rejected than before. Remember that a person's praise only lasts for so long and it can take even one humanly mistake for the person to change how they see you. People can sense when someone is desperate for something, and it instantly puts them off. Grow yourself, instead of trying to gain attention from people that will eventually see you as a hassle and drop you easily.

Never fall into the wrong places and make yourself vulnerable because of rejection.

People easily find that being rejected makes them vulnerable, but that really should not be the case. I've experienced rejection a numerous number of times, even if it wasn't from people alone, and that had made me build up trust issues and put up a wall whenever I'd talk to someone I didn't trust. I still struggle a lot with trusting people, but I recognise that I was not meant to be in this place of constant defense mode. What really is most important is to not fall into the wrong addictions and circles and using rejection as an excuse. Nothing can ever be an excuse for stupid decisions. Trust me, it's much harder to shake off addictions, than it is to shake off rejection.

Build an immunity to belittling and control your reactions.

Recently, a figure in my life has been constantly trying to belittle me in any case they can find. I figured in moment like this, control your reactions and don't let your irritation show on your face. That puts you in a vulnerable position and people like that grow on the vulnerability and embarrassment. Keep calm and answer them accordingly without starting unnecessary fights and disagreements.

As always, it was a pleasure having you and remember: Be a good girl.

XOXO, Good Girl Guides.

[socksandbuttons]

So i seen that you had an thngy of sa show cslled "killcode and Erath show" and I want to know if you hsve like silly ideas/HCs about KC and Earths dynamic?

well first of all. While there WILL be disagreements and slight betrayal. Not to the levels of SOURING the relationship like laes has currently (it makes me sad, not even a fun sad) However lemme think of somethings on the spot here I've mentioned KC and Earth would go see Barbie and vibe with that. KC isn't like a huge fan but he enjoys it, and will be sat to hear Earth go on for hours about Barbie movie lore. Dude is like nodding and going Uh Huh while also he's lost where he was in this lore dump. Absolutely would spoil baby sister, all she has to do is give puppy eyes and he's like '... my weakness' Good thing he doesnt have much money. Earth meanwhile the first meeting still... baffles her cause when she does ask about what that was about KC never gives a direct response (She seems to dismiss when he brings up he had a bad encounter with their father... He hasnt realized yet thats a deliberate coding thing in Earth) Earth is capable of lifting KC. Even if he's at full 20ft height yeah she CAN and she will. Big bro also deserves to be held. Earth being hit on by Monty when she's not totally aware yet? KC is lurking in the distance 'Greetings' 'HOW LONG WERE U THERE' 'When you and Foxy were discussing how to neg her' '...You know I wasnt going to-' 'I wouldnt have been standing there the whole time if I didnt' 'dude ur terrifying even doing nothing' 'I have a welcoming aura' 'SAYS WHO?' Earth says so. KC still has the tendency to leave for a while and not be able to be reached which Earth is a lil sad when he does so but leaves him to have his space and all. Later on she does get more on him about that 'What if we need you? How am I suppose to contact you if- if you won't even answer?' KC staring at the emotion situation the family is in and Earth trying to 'fix' that... Yeah I think he'd be a lil more trying to get her not to do that. Helping with her need to be useful to the family as a therapist... by actively making sure she ISN'T being one for them. She's here to be their sister. KC however is a good listener. Earth also being the one to teach KC on how to be more present with the family. (Cause dude while he was about being family... he still didnt check in during a lot. Albiet he wanted to live how he wanted still-not even a letter) Sibling dynamics of older sibling just letting the younger Vibe but also making sure theres a firm word in if someone steps out of line. Like Earth will point out KC's nonsense- However KC being here let's Earth learn without taking that role of 'I am responsible for everyone and take care of them'. Sun's relationship with Earth would still develop as her looking out for him, but KC will be here for New Moon and Lunar so she's not taking everyones problems on herself. Theyre the down to earth duo of siblings during the crazy shenanigans that keep happening. While also having silly moments themselves. KC will scare sun with 'I did and oopsie woopsie' on purpose cause it just makes everyone uncomfortable. 'Ew i dont wanna hear that again'

[utilitycaster]

I really can't wait to see another of the BH to confront Ashton on his recent attitude*, it's been extremely fun to see Taliesin play Ash these past few episodes, i read it as him falling into old habits (pre shard) and it's like seeing boiling pot about to explode in everyone's faces

*idk how to describe it other than this, language barrier and all

Hey anon,

I answered something similar a few days ago but I don't think a confrontation or calling them out is actually the best move. That doesn't mean it won't happen, and that it won't be interesting if they do, but sometimes the best response you can have is letting someone's ranting go unanswered. Don't give them anything to push back on and be patient and pleasant, and they'll either calm down or else prove themselves to be absolutely not acting in genuine good faith anger, but rather a desire to provoke.

I think attention-seeking is a quality Ashton has. It makes sense, after a life of frequently being neglected! As others have astutely noted, the problem is he's still at times acting as though he is still a nobody (or a Nobody) and not a high-level adventurer invited to speak at a global war conference. They haven't really processed that from those squalid beginnings, they've become someone who commands a small but certainly well-above-average measure of power. They assume that no one in that chamber has done the same, even though we know that's not true (Vex and the Bright Queen both have certainly known helplessness, though perhaps not for a long time). I don't think that the Dynasty is certain to treat Ashton poorly given his abilities, but he did very much ignore a warning from Essek just to get some additional attention that hasn't even garnered any new information.

It is old habits, and Ashton is raging mostly against the gods instead of the mortal hubris of their parents and the excessive force of Jiana Hexum, but I just don't think calling them out will achieve anything. I think if they want to talk to the Arch Heart, that could be very interesting, but ultimately while their behavior is infuriating and unwise I feel a lot of people have taken a very punitive stance towards it that I think would be unhelpful. Like, the party has made their feelings clear through polite disagreement - I don't think we're in a shard situation where anyone feels pressured or like they can't tell the truth - and so if Ashton gets themselves blown up again, well, that's a consequence of behavior. But yelling at them probably will make them blow themselves up faster.

[iamnmbr3]

hi there! During some weeks i've really become a fan of your drarry posts(sometimes daily;))..they're so detailed and convince one in a way that they can't say "nah, you're delusional..drarry doesn't exist!(platonic or romantic)"..and tbh i agree with 98% of your opinions( 2% is in little details lol)

I have some things to say:

-in room of requirement scene harry asks draco whose wand is this in his hand and draco replied his mother's [i love how he answers with honesty here bc mostly he doesn't answer straightforward..it's obvious to me how much he changed and how exhausted he is:(] then harry laughed, admitting that situation is not funny at all(as far as i remember)...do u think why harry laughed?the only reason in my mind is he missed bickering with draco hahaaaa:)))

-in shrieking shack voldemort told lucius that perhaps draco's decided to befriend harry(i love voldy for this^^)...do you think he told it to terrify lucius or despite draco's fear, he actually saw any sign of draco being inclined to harry and his side and seeing that courage in him to change his side?

-In your last meta you told "I think he definitely doesn't want to admit that there's something in Draco that he's drawn to." This is also about harry describing draco's appearance..there are some ppl that are actually gorgeous( either according to other ppl or harry) like tom riddle, cedric, cho ginny etc & there are some that look ugly(harry makes it quite clear lolll)..and some average face which harry does not bother to describe much more...as far as we're told draco is some sort of average(ofc you can think of him as handsome like i think but he's not that type of handsome that everyone agrees on like cedric..that's what i think)but harry tells good things about his appearance in a very weird way...it looks like he knows he looks good but he doesn't want to confess that directly...

Thanks for reading, keep going!💙

Thank you for this lovely ask! It truly made me smile so much to read your kind words. I'm so glad you've been enjoying my posts! And for the record I never mind if people disagree with me (as long as it's polite; and if it's not, it's the rudeness I mind not the disagreement). Discussion and respect for different opinions is what fandom is all about.

I think you raise some really fascinating points here!

1) In the Room of Requirement scene I think Harry's bitter laughter also kind of parallels Draco laughing humorlessly when they run into each other in book 6 when Harry's on his way to the Quidditch match. I think partly Harry's also just relieving tension and laughing at the absurdity of the whole situation and how they always come back to each other. And yeah I also love how Draco responds honestly to Harry.

Also very notable that when Harry asks why the three of them aren't with Voldemort, Crabbe and not Draco is the one who says that they're going to be rewarded and that they hung back to capture Harry. Draco, who has no problem answering Harry's previous question (about his wand) or his next question (about how they got into the Room) is notably silent here. (I wrote more about his motivations in this scene here btw).

2) This is such an amazing point about the shrieking shack scene that I never thought about. But wow. You're right. Great catch! This bit is actually so interesting. So Voldemort says:

"If your son is dead, Lucius, it is not my fault. He did not come and join me, like the rest of the Slytherins. Perhaps he has decided to befriend Harry Potter?"

This is such a strange and specific thing to say. Sure it could be him just messing with Lucius. But he could've done that in so many other ways. He could've just threatened to kill Draco. Or questioned his loyalty more generally. Voldemort doesn't even say something like "perhaps he has deserted me and fled" or speculate that Draco has betrayed him and joined the flighting against him. He suggests that Draco has "befriended" Harry specifically.

Also in this scene Voldemort is thinking about other things and not really paying attention to Lucius or particularly trying to torment him. Lucius is the one who brings up Draco and this is Voldemort's response to the topic.

We know Voldemort can read minds. Despite Draco's best efforts (which given that he's alive despite saving Harry in the Manor, must have been pretty good) to shield his thoughts something must have leaked through, something that gave Voldemort pause. When Lucius says that Draco would never befriend Harry, Voldemort just gives him a noncommittal response and says: "You must hope not." Which sounds to me like he isn't buying it. And indeed, where does it turn out that Draco is (clearly without orders or permission from Voldemort)? With Harry. And I've already discussed in my other meta why I don't think he was planning on killing Harry or handing him over, despite what Crabbe and Goyle thought.

Voldemort's comments are especially interesting given that right after the Room of Requirement scene Draco is attacked by another Death Eater who also seems to think he's not on their side, despite the fact that Draco's name is well known and he has a Dark Mark. So...what happened to make him think Draco wasn't on their side?

3) Yeah I absolutely think Harry thinks Draco is good looking but tries to ignore it. I think they are both exactly each other's type.

[rosaemoux]

The reason why ppl don't like the tim&cass twin hcs is bc typically the hc of tim being "Asian coded" is just stereotyping East Asians as rich and smart with overbearing parents. (Esp when done by ppl who aren't EA themselves.) The reason why I don't like it is bc its often just another way for fanon fans to erase Cass's actual personality and use her as a silent prop next to a man. Also, Cass is canonically older than Tim.

Honestly that's fair. The fandom has a tendency to be... weird about Cassandra, making her out be a therapist 24/7 for the boys, or flattening out much of her personality to just be a docile older sister to everyone (the whole "everyone's favourite sister is cass" or "cass is exempt from all the family problems because she's cool) while ignoring Cass's problems and making her 1 dimentional.

And yea, the stereotyping the fandom does can be very annoying. I enjoy some of Tim's asian headcanons but sometimes people do stories without actually researching the culture they're making about and falling into classical stereotypes of asian people.

Also, yes she's 2 yrs older than him. To me that's part of the fun of the headcanon, them just meeting eachother and gradually deciding to be "twins of choice", while everyone else is like: you're literally not the same age ??? Idk it feels silly, but I like it.

My favourite thing about their dynamics is how they compensate what each other is missing and how much they canonically disagree about stuff (like how after Wargames they're both grieving Steph and think Batman did something wrong, but while Cass thinks Batman should have worked less with the police, Tim thinks he should have worked more, and they just decide to agree to disagree because they're stubborn people and would be arguing all day).

So yea, I really like making them hang out together, because it can create very interesting disagreements and stuff (In my reverse robins au, Cass and Tim are respectively The Bat and The Joker because of that).

Thank you so much for answering anon !

[cursed-sonic-opinions]

back in September of 2023, just a few months into my Sonic hyperfixation, i had finally run out of Silver's appearances and lore to dive into. i missed him terribly (even back then i considered him a son to me) so i started listening to Ian Flynn's podcast, the BumbleKast. it was so much fun! i was having such a great time listening that i decided to make a Tumblr blog where i could share clips and transcripts with Sonicblr. i created bumblekastclips and began posting the funniest moments from the show i could find, doing my best to emphasize that none of the show was canon in any way and it was just two dudes having fun goofing around.

i really enjoyed running that blog and sharing my favorite answers with the tumblr community. i was hopeful that people would see that Flynn is a fan just like they are and that even if we have disagreements on the quality of his writing, he absolutely doesn't deserve the death threats, multiple doxxing efforts, and misinformation spread about him. he really is just a completely normal guy with a great sense of humor, and so is Kyle. not long after i created BKC, i joined the official Bumblekast Discord, and to this day, that is the single best move i have ever made. it is a small, intensely friendly, personal community where i have made some of the closest friends of my life. i am active in there every day, and many of its members feel like family to me now. hell, i have even met one of them in person twice (last night he came over to my grandma's house where we've been staying during her hospice care and we chatted, had pizza, and both lost playing Team Sonic Racing. it was incredible fun!)

through the BKDS, i have also gotten to know Kyle, the Bumblekast's co-host. he is an incredibly nice, super funny guy who is an absolute blast to talk to in VC and play games with. i am fortunate to now also be able to call him a personal friend as well as the host of my favorite podcast. he is so kind and when i am feeling down and struggling, he always makes an effort to tell me that he appreciates the energy i bring to the community and that i'm wanted there, and i believe him.

it's because of this community i have grown a lot as a person. my friends there have helped me through what, so far, has been the worst year of my life. my anxiety has gotten easier to manage. or at least, it had. as many people know, the show has swarms of people who hate it, and those people started creating problems online by posting clips out of context and trying to get Ian in trouble with SEGA. sadly their efforts worked, and Ian had to make the decision to ban Sonic questions from the show entirely.

it broke my heart, but i completely understand why he made that choice, and given the circumstances, i think it was the right call. SEGA also insisted they change their policy on people who post unauthorized clips, which means that SEGA indirectly killed my transcript & highlights fan blog... but honestly, i don't really care. that blog had its run and i am happy to leave it in the dust. i care so much more about the show's future and the well-being of my favorite podcast boys. some silly blog is nothing to me in the grand scheme of things.

however, a day or two after Ian announced this change, i received an anonymous ask from one of Flynn's countless haters. bumblekastclips always received metric shitloads of hate and harassment, which i always just deleted and moved on from. i intended to do the same with this particular ask, but with time, it's really started to bother me. i can't remember the specifics because this was weeks ago now, but it went something like this:

"I just wanted to say 'Thank You' for running the Bumblekastclips blog! Because of you, now everyone on Tumblr knows how much of a god awful writer Ian Flynn is. You brought so much attention to his stupid little podcast that not even SEGA could ignore it anymore. Because of you, Ian Flynn might even lose work from them in the future! That would be so great, he would never be able to damage Sonic's writing and reputation ever again! I'm so happy. Thank you! Because of you, more people than ever before are figuring out that he doesn't deserve to work at all. I hope you know that when he stops getting hired, it'll be all your fault. Their stupid little show will never make money ever again. Kyle and Ian will go hungry and we have you to thank for it. You're my hero!"

like, that's comically evil, right? bumblekastclips only had like 330 followers, max. the average transcript got maybe 20 notes. it seems like a stretch to claim that SEGA came down on the boys like that because of shitty little a tumblr blog that posted only a few clips each month and had long stretches of inactivity. when i received this ask i just rolled my eyes, blocked the person, and deleted the ask... but as time has gone on, what they said has really been eating at me. i started BKC to share my appreciation for the show. i wanted people to laugh because so many of the questions had gotten me to laugh to the point of tears. the absolute last thing i ever wanted was to disrupt the show. the idea that the boys have lost a significant portion of their income because of me has been bothering me so, so much. Kyle is my friend, and so are a lot of the other members of the BumbleKrew. as unlikely as it may be, the idea that this all happened because of me makes me sick to my stomach. sure, it's a stretch, but far more unlikely things have happened. oh, god, what if i'm a burden on the community i love so much?

🦔‧₊˚✩彡

[lola-andheruniverse]

Anon who asked me about "sides" in the caryl fandom and which one I place myself on because you believe I "switched sides"/changed my opinions:

I'm not posting your ask because you named people and that's not something I do on my blog or generally agree with. The only instance you'll find me naming or tagging people is in fic recs posts, so that caryl authors who are on Tumblr can read them and be found by readers who'd like to reach out.

If you have a problem with the opinions, feelings and/or behaviors of a particular individual/blog, I ask you to 1) please reach out to them directly so you can express your disagreement or 2) use your block button, so you no longer see content you don't like. I believe that our fandom is big enough to hold every single caryler out there who wants to join in, regardless of their opinions, posts or feelings. People should feel free and safe to post whatever they want, either 'positive' or 'negative'. I have no problem with anyone in the fandom and I respect everyone's opinions, even when I disagree with some stuff I read.

Please, I ask you to not use my ask box to indirectly badmouth, bully or attack any caryler.

That said, the answer to your question is after the cut.

I'm not on either "side" and never have been. I'm just another enthusiastic fan that loves Carol and Daryl. Since joining the Tumblr fandom just before the pandemic (I was a lurker for many years), I've been using my own critical thinking skills and knowledge of AMC's shenanigans to form my own opinions.

I'm confident in TBOC because I believe there are concrete reasons that support how I'm feeling, from Melissa's return, to filming spoilers and rumors, to Tribeca and SDCC. You're free to agree or disagree with my interpretation of these facts, and to feel positive or negative about it.

I also continue to believe that AMC/Gimple hijacked the original caryl spinoff to highlight the richonne spinoff because it follows similar decisions made before to give Rick more screen time at the expense of all the other TWD characters. I believe Melissa had no choice but to opt out of the original spin-off and negotiate new terms to ensure that Carol's (and therefore Caryl's) story was respected and told with integrity. To me, that's why there were things to be sorted out, as she said, and why she lengthily discussed Carol with Zabel and co. even before scripts for the France spinoff were written. She was involved since the beginning, yes, but she only signed on when she got what she wanted. There is no greater supporter of Carol than Melissa and we have known this for years. I'm glad she's back in her own terms. I believe it was a pretty difficult time for her, as she expressed it by basically refusing to promote 11C or the series finale, and by not saying anything about the whole mess on SM, while other cast members/friends such as Laurie Holden and Khary Payton spoke out in her behalf.

I believe AMC tried to make money off just Daryl because he's their original character and it backfired in their faces. They also made a mistake using Norman to save face as he should have been protected from the SM backlash. Norman has never been a reliable narrator and I always take every thing he says with a grain of salt, but I don't think he's intentionally malicious. I appreciate how much he loves Daryl and is considerate of his fans, even when I don't approve of his behavior. I just wish he would keep his frustrating mouth shut. I believe Norman had lots of input in S1 and that he initially thought he could pull it off without Melissa. But there's no Daryl without Carol and no Carol without Daryl. It's crystal clear how much Norman's happy for having Melissa by his side, and how much they love each other and are excited for S2. I'm glad they are reunited, both for them and for us, but I believe everything worked out in the end because Melissa didn't give up on getting what she wanted. I believe she had lots of inputs in S2 and is satisfied and happy with the final result.

So, that's how I believe things have gone these last two years. Again, feel free to agree or disagree with my interpretation of facts. None of us will ever know exactly what happened, but each of us can decide what to believe based on our own judgment of the facts. That's what I do and will continue to do.

In the end, for me, the important thing is that Melissa and Norman are happy and that Carol and Daryl get their hard-earned happy ending. It's everything I ever wanted and I'm going to enjoy it. I hope you enjoy it too.

That's it. Caryl on!

[sgiandubh]

I am not a shipper, just not what I see when I look at all I have seen over the years. However, I am truly appalled at the amount of Sam hate I see on so many Tumblr blogs. I don't understand why anyone would follow his career and map out every move he makes if they hate him so much. Their criticism of his acting is always the same, but I would bet none of them has ever done any acting or knows how actors train and prepare. It just makes me wonder what brought them here in the first place. I would never waste so much time and effort on an actor I don't like. Makes zero sense to me.

Also seems to me that everyone in this fandom has decided what they think/believe and cannot seem to have a normal discussion or disagreement at all. Believe what you want- I have no hate for anyone myself. I just come here for fun and to follow two actors I really like. I am sure Sam and Caitriona really never intended all this chaos when they took these roles.

Dear Not a Shipper Anon,

I hope you know, by the time I answer you, that you landed on an ultra shipper page and I also hope you can live with this detail. Barely joking, here - and yes, I decided to give you space and a short answer, because even if non shippers believe I am either a totally retarded, brainless idiot or (at a minimum) the devil incarnate, I am still open to different POVs than mine, as long as they are politely expressed.

If you do not 'see' them together, that is strictly your problem and loss. We, as a group, do not 'see' it either: we know they are together, have been so for a very long time, and still managed to make the relationship work, despite a long list of ehrm, oddities that would seem unacceptable to many. Among us, chances are we do not agree on everything, yet the essential is we all know they are not just co-stars, but so much more (lovers, partners, parents come to mind).

You are correct. I think it would be impossible for you to change my mind about it, as I have no intention of changing yours. We already entered Year Eleven of this saga and by now any dialogue between Antis and Shippers is completely impossible. Also, I am not very friendly towards 'shippers on the fence', who usually follow/share and comment also on the more prominent Anti blogs (BCAC, CRT, Moo, Purv). These people are usually blocked, because I simply can't with stupidity and lack of integrity rolled into one.

So yes, there is a lot of hate. Directed mostly towards S, because he is (and will always be) the main object of desire in this very feminine fandom. And make no mistake: all the women hating S desire him. Deeply. Impossibly. This and also simply being nasty people IRL - I can easily think of one or two legit Fascists, but will control my anger and refuse to name names. Last, but not least, I am going to tell you a secret, Anon: they are not very bright, either. Parochial fools, which I suggest you ignore.

I am sure S & C never knew what they were up to when they took this once in a lifetime opportunity. And I am also positively convinced they had no idea it would last for so long. I can only hope they have, by now, all the support they can use. For all the rest, they have each other.

The picture below has absolutely nothing to do with my answer to you, but I have promised @robinshill a picture I took in the Old City of Kashgar showing its savage destruction by the Chinese bulldozers. If that was the situation in June 2010, I can only imagine it now. Imagine and weep.

[vigilskeep]

how would the protagonist become the herald? without corypheus to blow the temple up?

that sure is a question. to which i have answers. definitely. for sure

okay my thought is roughly that there is still a rifts problem, which is likely to be a natural consequence of, you know, however many terrified mages there are being chased across the continent. i think that’s viable without whatever corypheus was doing, and is a much more believable but still dangerous fallout of widespread mage conflict than “the mages are crazy and kill indiscriminately!” i also can imagine that old god solas, if we’re doing that, is finding this a helpful cover to work on his own magical agenda, so we can still have an angle where his mistakes lead to the herald being affected with something along the lines of the anchor. he’s also likely to specifically engage with the black city, because of its link to the old gods and their fall, if he’s seeking more information about his own background

if the black city appeared through a window to a large number of your average people of thedas, and that window could be opened and closed at the will of a figure seemingly blessed with holy light and possibly not otherwise a mage at all, perhaps thus saving a city from this enormous rift, conclusions might be jumped to!

this is incredibly vague i know, i am really a vibes person not a logistics person i’m doing my best here. nevertheless i don’t think it’s that much more half-baked than why everyone in vanilla dai suddenly jumps to the andraste’s herald conclusion, except in this universe the point is that the people you are with would be actively encouraging this perception because they are the underdogs who have to do that or die, instead of the extremely weird caveat in vanilla dai where they’re somehow raising an army based on Not Not Saying That, and the protagonist’s active and public disagreement has zero consequences at all

it’s also still easy enough to wrangle a woman to appear behind the herald through the rift as “andraste”, which seems to be the deciding factor in the vanilla game. obviously it wouldn’t be the divine, here. perhaps a companion for the origin, or perhaps someone created the illusion on purpose. lots of directions to go

to me andraste’s herald says, “this person is a harbinger of the end times and the maker’s return” so i would be digging up everything the chant of light has to say about where the world is headed and what might be considered a sign of that. which is really fun for drawing on real history as well because people who believe the end times are coming right this instant are always up to some stuff

[this-acuteneurosis]

Can I just say how much I appreciate the fact you don't stray much from the movies?

It's just so refreshing to see a fic that is built on a clear, unbiased and simple canon base. This way, as you demonstrated, a writer not only has the ability to further explore the main themes and ideas introduced in the source material, but they can also go ahead and naturally develop their own by branching out on those fundamentals. They can offer their perspective by using the source material to their advantage, instead of working against it or even worse, trying to include all contradicting canon aspects. Part of writing a fic is kind of like offering your input in a conversation/disagreement. You have to listen carefully to what the other person is saying in order to form your answer...If you're listening to a thousand different people who are all saying a different thing (in this case, The clone wars, legends, novels, comics ect), you won't be able to give an answer that makes sense, much less give a structured and stable opinion.

I love how you were like "I know star wars is entering an era of a shit ton of spin off content with seemingly no end and most star wars fans know shit like who chewie lost his virginity to and what the kessel run is but screw this. The movies and maybe some late night wiki research is enough."

And you were right.

It's so funny, because I feel like I do ultimately stray pretty far from the movies. Not in terms of events I guess, but especially the prequels, I reject some of the underlying assumptions of what is said on screen and just treat it like fallible people strongly asserting opinions that no one calls them on. See: everything I ever assert about the Force/Anakin's "destiny."

I do think it helped me to stick with limited material. And it wasn't even because I saw all of this new SW content coming. I've mentioned this before, but when I started writing Don't Look Back (when it was just Like Fire and I naively believed I was gonna be done in 200k words, lol, rip past me) I hesitated a lot because as far as I was concerned, I wasn't a Star Wars Fan.

I'd watched the OT and PT multiple times. I knew that novels and games and cartoons existed, I knew people had consumed them all. I had been reading some SW fic because @mylongsufferingroommate had been sending me stuff they were enjoying and I was having fun with it. But like, I would never have called myself a Fan. I got goaded into writing this fic by people who knew me too well and really wanted a political thriller. I wouldn't have called them Star Wars Fans either.

Limiting myself to the six movies I had watched was a preemptive defense mechanism against a fan base I wasn't sure would want to accept me. My thin skin is my own problem, but every time I think about writing in a new fandom the same sort of nerves take me: what if my fanon is "wrong" and people are mean?

I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you so much to everyone who gave me a chance and encouraged me and were excited and shared that excitement.

And please, for the love of all the sky and stars DON'T GATEKEEP FANDOMS.

Don't tell people their canon is too big (@blue-sunshine-mauve-morning and @chancecraz have amazing fics that are much more compliant than mine to the broader canon, as a quick example), and definitely don't tell people their canon is too small. Walk away if you aren't enjoying something. Give compliments when you like something that is unique in a fandom you're familiar with. Be patient with people, be kind.

I could easily have given this story up if people hadn't been patient with me. I got comments as early as my first chapter from people who were angry with a single thing that I said and felt the need to tell me I was wrong. I could have left. I could have stopped.

I'm glad I didn't. But I wonder how many other people have.

[nerves-nebula]

Hey. Yknow fusions?

This idea can be taken in multiple ways, but there's 2 most popular ways.

Characters go in sync and fuse, becoming a mesh of both, and usually break apart upon major internal disagreements. Steven Universe style.

Or characters are forced together in a body that is basically hc one person and half another.

But either way I'm curious as to what would occur in your iteration for either situation.

i have a character who's a forced fusion and he has. so many emotional issues about it. like he loves the people he's made of but they kind of hate each other, my mans is Mentally Ill <3

ALSO I think I've said this about a million times but YOU SHOULD JUST KNOW THAT I'm so fucking obsessed with body sharing and fusions (consensual or forced) and the idea of HAVING to share a life with someone. It's one of my favorite concepts to explore.

SO WITH THAT SAID!!! apologies it took so long to answer this, I just wanted to give it the time it deserved <<33

Donnie + Leo: most confused motherfucker ever. hates himself, loves himself, furiously frustrated with their state of being. he wants to be taken care of and NEEDS to be adored. everything she makes is brilliant one moment and terrible the next. he is NOT having a good time and she will make it EVERYONE'S problem. (he/they/she)

Donnie + Raph: What if Raph was more irritable and suicidal? what if debilitating guilt kept him going even FURTHER past his boundaries?? this motherfucker can hold so much guilt. hobbies include sleeping and neurotically upgrading the home security system. has a sort of surveillance state situation going on in the lair and will deny it whenever asked. (faggot gender)

Donnie + Mikey: A sweet, excitable, sensitive, artistic boy :) strong morals and a penchant for making friends. very passionate about mixing art and science (they're better together!!) likely the most functional of all the fusions. still hella mentally ill, but in a sort of "I'm going to go quietly insane in my room and secretly fear everyone thinks im awful" kind of way. (he/they)

Mikey + Leo: Most confident motherfucker ever. always righteously angry about something. no impulse control, too violent for her own good. gets herself hurt a lot. Will attack at the slightest sign of provocation. (any pronouns)

Mikey + Raph: overprotective bundle of energy. somehow always hyper and tired at the same time. really into home decor & repair (mixes artistic desire to create and express oneself, with the pragmatism of fixing up the home). probably loves food more than anyone in the world. (any pronouns)

Raph + Leo: Biggest Big Brother Ever. 100% annoying, 100% loving. Will lie to her little brothers for fun (that bug is poisonous. yeah, and if you touch it you'll die in three days. Oh, you already touched it?? :( better write your will!) he carries the world on his shoulders and cracks jokes about it. (he/she)

anyway here's doodles of my favorite fusion ideas.

[regheart]

Considering Frank and Alice were aurors in extremely trying times, probably under Barty Crouch Senior’s leadership, I wonder if they shared some of his “whatever it takes” attitude to fight death eaters. When Lupin confronts Harry about using exclusively expelliarmus against DE, Harry’s answer reminds him of James. I wonder if James and the Longbottoms ever went head to head about strategies to fight Voldemort and his followers.

that's an interesting question, anon!

one thing about crouch, he doubles the strength of his attacks once they fail. the state apparatus hasn't been enough, we should use illegal weapons. there are too many death eaters, we should arrest every suspect without trial. and so on. that's obviously ineffective in a way the text implies, but also because it's dealing with the aftermath without dealing with the cause of the problem. and realizing that is what i think it's the biggest difference in approach between the ministry and the order (and the order and any other more left-wing leaning individuals)

i believe that frank and alice, being aurors, had the means to fight against voldemort in the name of the ministry, and if they decided to go and join the order, they must have had strong disagreements with the way the ministry was doing it. and i think crouch's politics, even beyond the decision of allowing law officials to use unforgivables, must have been a part of that

it would also seem plausible that even within the order people would have different views on how to fight the war. it's a bit tense already that they're all under dumbledore's command, not everyone could be always happy with that, and i'm sure some people didn't became part of the order because they disliked dumbledore, and some others did despite of it

with the longbottoms it's safe to assume they were aligned with dumbledore, and being some of the most light leaning characters, i don't see any textual implications that they might have enjoyed or preferred crouch's methods of handling things. they are brought up close to his name only as victims, never as perpetrators

but it's a bit naive to think that they've fought a war without being changed by it, right? moody doesn't kill unless he has to, remus and kingsley go "murder is okay" once the situation gets worse, the longbottoms might have fallen in between

so, did they kill? yes. i think they would've been bad at their jobs if they didn't. i also think that they must have avoided it as much as they could, because of plausible deniability (no killing on the spot just because someone is in a suspicious position) and because they, and the order in general, valued information above making critical hits and getting lower ranked death eaters to rattle on each other and maybe on the ones closer to voldemort is a better deal than just killing them

this actually matters a lot less during the second war, everyone knows who the death eaters are because they're the ones in power and killing before you get killed might be the best strategy. for remus, at least, i wonder if his pragmatism on the matter relates to a regret of not killing in the past, maybe because he was torn between what seemed like the safest option and what james thought was right

and i always have a lot of trouble trying to figure what james did during the war (that's a whole other post), but seeing frank and alice, who were probably people he admired immensely, being very rational about killing might have put his beliefs in check and i don't think he liked being aware of how cruel he truly was

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Catch and Release

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam

Summary: AU where Jason doesn't die in the explosion and he and Tim end up attending the same high school months later.

Chapters: 10/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Sebastian Ives, Jack Drake, Janet Drake

Relationships: TBA

Additional Tag: Jason Todd Lives, Jason Todd-centric, POV Jason Todd, POV First Person, Tim Drake Has Issues, Tim Drake Has Issues, Tim Drake is Not Robin, Jason Todd is Not Robin (Anymore), Bruce Wayne Needs a Hug, Alfred Pennyworth is the Best, Alfred Pennyworth Knows, Stalker Tim Drake, Jason Todd Has Chronic Pain, Jason Todd Has PTSD, Angst with a Happy Ending, Unlikely Friends, Injury Recovery, Emotional Baggage, Rage, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating

Chapter Ten: Snow Day

I made dinner for Tim and me at the beginning of March. It was snowing out, so we skipped school that day, and Tim’s nanny bought groceries. Real food. Celery, carrots, lamb cutlets, potatoes. All the fixings for Irish stew. Tim sat in the kitchen with his laptop, offering me the occasional glance of gratitude. Tim didn’t say much that afternoon. “This isn’t a pity meal… I’m making this because it’s freezing out, and I’m going to commit fratricide if I have to eat another greasy pizza,” I half-joked. Tim grinned.

“Jason, you’ve been here for a few weeks-.” We heard the front door open.

“Tim! Tim?” Janet shouted. She sounded excited, but Tim and I were petrified. We didn’t know how his parents would react to me living in their house. Tim shut his laptop and stared at me.

I nodded. “In the kitchen, Mom!” Tim called.

“Hey, something smells good-.” Mr. Drake looked at me and then Tim.

“Jason’s making dinner, Dad,” Tim explained. Janet rushed into the room and embraced Tim. It was a while before she noticed I was there. “Mom… Hi… Jason made dinner. He’s living with us now.”

His mom’s smile faded, and she ran a hand through her hair. “Jason, is something going on at home?” Janet asked.

“My-. Bruce and I had a falling out,” I answered.

“How long have you been-? Sorry, I don’t mean to interrogate you,” Janet whispered.

“Does he know you’re here?” Mr. Drake questioned. I nodded.

“I’ve been here for a little over a month-.”

“Jason’s a great influence,” Tim commended, “He helped me raise my grades and made dinner.” Tim’s parents seemed concerned with my presence and that Bruce hadn’t asked me to come home.

They didn’t say anything else about it, though. I made everyone a bowl of stew, and Tim poured drinks. His parents had wine, and we had sparkling grape juice. We quietly ate before Janet leaned over, kissed Tim's head, and whispered something. Tim smiled. "Okay," Tim replied.

"Bruce Wayne?" Mr. Drake questioned.

"Jack-."

I nodded. "Hey Tim, how's your part of the group project going?" Jason questioned.

"Almost done," Tim replied, "Stew's good…"

"Thanks,” I smiled.

Dinner was mostly quiet. Janet sent us upstairs afterward so she could talk to Mr. Drake. Tim could hear them arguing. “Tim, I’m sorry-.”

“It’s okay. Mom and Dad always fight like this. You just happen to be the subject of tonight’s civilized disagreement,” Tim replied.

“What are they saying?” I asked.

“It’s not like he brought home a stray puppy or kitten from the snow,” Tim mimicked his father.

“He’s having problems at home… And he’s a good influence on Tim. It’s not normal for a boy Tim’s age to spend so much time alone,” Tim replied in Janet’s voice.

“Your dad doesn’t want me here,” I mumbled.

“It doesn’t matter what Dad wants. Mom told me during dinner that you can stay as long as you want,” Tim replied, “Dad’s more worried about the legal stuff… He thinks Bruce might sue him or something for harboring a runaway.” He rolled over and bumped into me.

I playfully pushed him over, and we lay on his bedroom floor, hoping things would work out. “Come with me when I get my cast off tomorrow?” I asked. Tim nodded.

He patted me on the chest. “Hey, it’s coming around… My dad told my mom that whatever happens is on her from here on out. He’s upset, but he’ll get over it. Mom’s gonna make him come up here… Let you know you can stay here,” Tim explained, “Five… Four… Three… Two-.” Janet knocked on the door.

Tim jumped up and answered. “Mom-.”

“Your room is spotless,” Janet whispered. “Look… That’s not why I’m in here. Jason, does Mr. Wayne know you’re here?”

I nodded. “I told my-. I told Bruce I didn’t want to come home and that I was safe here with Tim,” I whispered, “He doesn’t like it, but he won’t fight you on it. As long as I’m safe and in school, he won’t bother you or Mr. Drake.” Janet pulled up a chair, sitting in front of us.

“How old are you, Jason?” Janet questioned.

“Sixteen… I’ll be seventeen in the summertime,” I answered.

“You’re sixteen… My son is fourteen… And I see how your influence on him has been nothing but positive. We’re so happy to have you here, but I still think my husband is right about one thing. We need to talk to Mr. Wayne about this,” Janet suggested, “Can you call him for me?”

“Right now?” I asked.

Janet nodded, and I pulled out my phone and reluctantly dialed his number. He answered before the first ring finished. “Jason, what’s wrong? Do you need me to come-?”

“No, I don’t need anything… I’m fine. My friend’s mother would like to speak to you about my staying here,” I explained, “You might have to speak to both his mother and father-.”

“Why can’t you come home so we can talk-?”

“Please be an adult about this, Bruce. I don’t think I should come home right now,” I replied.

“You want me to be an adult about this, but you won’t listen to anything I say. I’m the parent, Jason-.”

“And I’m tired of listening to you telling me how you’re the parent when I’m shouldering all this by myself,” I interrupted, “Now, do me a favor and talk to Janet Drake, please.”

“Fine… I’m sorry… You can hand the phone over to Mrs. Drake now,” Bruce replied.

I wanted to be kind… But I couldn’t force myself to forget. I handed the phone over to Janet. “Hello, Mr. Wayne. Can I call you Bruce?” Janet asked. “Cool… Hi, I’m Janet… The resident mom. Jason’s a wonderful kid, and it’s not a problem keeping him here. I wanna know if he can stay here until he’s ready to go home… Uh-huh… Yeah… No, I get that. I understand… No, Jason’s a sweetheart. That’s no problem.”

Tim threw a footbag at my head, and I caught it without looking. “Sick,” Tim whispered.

“You’ve gotta be a lot faster than that,” I grinned as I tossed the bag to him. I hoped Bruce would let me stay. I always wanted a brother to joke around with and laugh with, but Dick and I never had that chance. I don’t blame Dick because of how things started out.

With Tim, it was different. It felt like we’d been brothers my whole life. I almost forgot his mom was talking to Bruce. “Think we can take the stew to lunch?” Tim asked.

“Mr. Ames might let us use the microwave if I promise to check in with the counselor,” I replied. We lay on the floor next to each other, staring at the ceiling. “I kinda like the counselor.”

“Like a crush?” Tim questioned.

“No, not like that… Mr. Finney’s just-. Mr. Finney’s nice. I’ve only been there once, but I like talking to him,” I explained. Janet returned my phone.

“Bruce said okay, but only as long as you keep all your appointments and behave yourself… I don’t think that’ll be an issue. I’m leaving you alone, but don’t stay up too late. It’s a school night,” Janet warned.

[wordsandrobots]

Ride and Gaileo: Fighting.

[For this ask game; this answer contains spoilers for Iron-Blooded Orphans and my fanfics.]

Ironically similar.

They both benefit from excellent training (Gjallarhorn's elite/the Turbines) and innate advantages (raw talent/Alaya-Vijnana). They're also both extremely reckless. Gaelio, in his prime, because he's a thoughtless prick who's never had to face the consequences of his actions. Ride, post-canon, because he's ceased to see any value in his own life beyond acting as an instrument of vengeance/revolution. Overall, I'd say Ride is a much more careful mobile suit pilot. I doubt he's ever put a lance through an ally by accident. But then he was actually trained to act as part of a group, whereas Gaelio seems to be specialised at charging off on his own.

Or did you mean interpersonally?

Well, post-canon, post-Wishing on Space Hardware, also ironically similar. They both suffer from this problem where their mouths run ahead of their brains and the temperament to double-down on it until they realise they've dug themselves into holes.

Gaelio remains an insufferable snob but he's also chronically guilt-ridden and thus while he still has a habit of giving acerbic or sarcastic responses, it is really tremendously easy to make him think everything is his fault. Honestly, just leave it a minute and he'll get there on his own.

Ride is an irascible hot-head wrapped around an iceberg of self-poisoning anger. But -- and this is important -- he cares. About everything and everyone. It's the main trait he shares with Orga: if he sees you as a person rather than a target and if he thinks he's responsible for you (which if you're in his proximity, he does), he will look after you to the very best of his ability. And he's not mean. He doesn't like seeing people suffer. So, again, however much he might snarl and bite (verbally, possibly literally) during disagreements, it'll burn out quick and leave him regretting losing his temper.

Basically, they wind each other up near-constantly, then spend hours navigating the awkwardness that comes of one side defaulting to constant self-loathing apologies while the other stews over feeling like he's in the wrong. It's somewhat cyclic.

There. Hah. And I managed to answer that without letting you trick me into revealing the Terrible No Good Very Bad slash-pairing idea that came out of thinking too hard about the aftermath of Wishing on Space Hardwa -- GODS DAMNIT.

[eliteprepsat]

Logical Fallacies: The Uses and Abuses of Straw Men

I have a friend who likes to tell me about disagreements he has with others. When he tells me about his arguments with his friends, family, or coworkers, he likes to discredit the other side by ventriloquizing his opponents in a baritone and belligerent voice, his mouth drooping, his eyes wide so as to really make it clear: this person who disagreed with me is a dope.

Almost everyone I know—myself included—is guilty of pulling something like this at some point. It’s a useful strategy for framing yourself as the voice of reason and your opponent as an irrational putz. It’s often funny and effective, but it’s also dishonest. If your opponent really is so irrational, then why the need to misrepresent the tone of their voice? Why not just take on the argument itself?

This is the colloquial version of a strategy we witness in all sorts of writing, from political speeches to academic books, a logical fallacy known as the “straw man.”

The straw man fallacy occurs when a speaker refutes an opponent’s argument by misrepresenting that argument entirely. Instead of taking on the argument itself, the speaker constructs a “straw man” version of that argument—as weak and flimsy as a scarecrow—and knocks it down with ease.

Here’s an example from the Idea Channel at PBS:

Mike: “I don’t think it’s too much to ask that when a media creator wants to show heinous or awful stuff, they do so in a context that shows that that stuff is heinous and awful.” Straw-Man Mike: “Oh, so now we’re not allowed to show violent or terrible things unless we include some long-winded sermon about how bad things are bad? I think creators should be able to show or do whatever they want.”

Mike asserts a pretty moderate suggestion (“I don’t think it’s too much to ask”) rather than a strict prescription. Straw-Man Mike responds by replacing that suggestion with a cartoon version: representing violence in media requires the supplement of a “long-winded sermon about how bad things are bad.” Straw-Man Mike aligns Mike’s suggestion with censorship, verbosity (“long-winded”), and redundancy (“bad things are bad”), attributes that are not at all apparent in Mike’s actual position.

This is a dishonest strategy, as it misrepresents the initial argument. But there is also a finer point to make here. There is a fine line between constructing a straw man and pointing out the logical conclusions that, though not immediately apparent, might emerge from a position.

For example, Straw-Man Mike could potentially be correct in asserting that contextualizing violence has some necessary relationship with censorship. This is a worthwhile matter of debate. The issue, then, concerns the merits and pitfalls of censorship. Are cultural expectations surrounding the representation of violence a subtle form of censorship? If so, is this form of censorship a problem? What are its potential merits, and what are its proper limits? How do we go about answering these questions, and who gets to answer them?

This is suddenly a complex issue—as all genuine debates on substantive issues should be.

The straw man misrepresents the argument at hand, and, as with all logical fallacies, it should be diagnosed when it rears its head. But it also can serve a purpose. In tearing down one argument and building an extreme alternative, straw men can sometimes plunge us quickly into the heart of the matter. That’s a good thing, as long as we’re willing to explore where that leap into the deep end actually leads.