#adds a lot of depth to the story i think

[apollos-boyfriend]

something i think is really interesting about purpled’s characters is how they simultaneously come off as super intimidating and powerful but also kind of childish. because what purpled plays is just an amplified version of himself, he doesn’t really change his speech patterns, and he uses a lot of real “childish” language in his speech as a joke. so you have this intimidating warrior, a force of nature in and of himself, saying stuff like “no take-backsies” completely straight-faced

[bookshelf-in-progress]

If I hurry up and finish this draft, I'll be able to edit! I'm so excited!

[amelikos]

Thinking about the portrayal of ancestry in Horizons.

[torgawl]

i keep thinking about how “is this what justice means to you, answer me neuvillette”, despite having been used in a case all those hundred of years ago, was probably a question that haunted - and still haunts - neuvilette during the entire time he has been chief of justice. i keep thinking about how they highlighted his struggles through time with both carole and wriothesley's trials. how guilty and powerless neuvillette must have felt for not being able to support and save those he recognised as vulnerable and victims before a system that corrupted their fates but that he wasn't able to change despite his position. the theme of being a casualty of a system no matter if you're the victim or the perpetrator in its eyes. the way neuvillette took, in both cases, things into his own hands. even if it was too late to fix the hurting carole and those who cared for her went through, even if it was too late to save her life; even if it was impossible to change wriothesley's past, his verdict and subsequent imprisonment; neuvillette went above and beyond, making use of his influence, to allow both melusines and wriothesley the opportunity of a better future - to melusines by making sure they weren't discriminated, to wriothesley by supporting his attempt at a second chance in life. i think part of the reason he's so intriguing is our awareness that this internal conflict he's bound to have is so complex. you have a chief of justice, or a judge, that is supposed to be imparcial and follow the law stictly confronted with situations of social injustice, unable to protect those who rely on him. you have someone who understands better than anyone what it means to be an outcast, being able to relate to those who are ostracised and have their pain weaponise against them. you have, in vautrin's case, a friend who cannot even showcase his own pain and is still expected to fullfil his juridical duties despite being personally related with those involved in the case. someone who people constantly turn to but whom he feels like he has no right to turn to himself. it's about the conflict between his feelings and his duty, between what's expected of him and what he can actually do. i think that's why the end of his story quest is so emotional and why it's so heartwarming to have him realise he isn't an outcast anymore, that he has a community there for him too. because a system is a system and he will probably never be able to save everyone, because yes he isn't human, but it doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to belong or that an active demonstration of love towards individuals and people he can relate to rather than the theoretical concept of humanity isn't meaningful. in fact, i'd it's a lot about that, about finding ways to be kind and how community gives meaning to life; how personal relationships and targeted kindness can shape society, or at least i think so

[sskk-manifesto]

:/

[just-sp-in-inginthevoid]

"Takeomi is Sanzu&Senju's half-brother" headcanon, sure

But is the Akashi grandmother biologically related to him or not... Hm....

[fragmentedblade]

I've actually found a coherent (negative) criticism on Jingli.u's quest!! Wow!! It's in Chinese on weibo

This user said her behaviour is very double standard. That she criticises and condemns both Dan Fen.g and Yingx.ing severely for trying to bring back Bai.heng in any way, but then she goes to visit Bail.u and tells her that seeing her is better than any medicine. And the user is right! That's exactly why they did what they did (well, I've always been of the opinion that Dan Fen.g had more reasons going on based on the in game information), so why the insistent asking to Blade?

The user also says that Jingliu doesn't really behave at all like a friend, that while very believable that she loved and was close to Bai.heng, it's hard to believe the same thing when it comes to Yingxi.ng and Dan Fen.g. They said that nowadays we still see instances through the Xianzhou in which they are both spoken about in positive terms, that Yingxi.ng is talked about as a legendary furnace master, and we can even stumble upon good opinions on Dan Fen.g, but that Jingli.u never shows that kind of understanding for people in theory she loved, knew personally and was close to.

I don't agree entirely with this, I do think there was a lot of fondness from Jingliu shining through despite everything (especially towards Yin.gxing, in my opinion), but I do think it's a somewhat fair criticism. I loved how they mention that despite everything the Xianzhou's view on Yingxin.g and Dan Fen.g isn't just negative. They're right, and it's a detail I love.

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

finally bought Freedom Planet 2 since it came out on Switch recently, woo. I'm interested enough in the story but it's been long enough since I actually took in the first game's story so I'll probs replay that first.

[goldentigerfestival]

boy does Fluri make me feel things. a lot of things. i love. them.

[erythristicbones]

i don't feel like copying what i wrote, so take some screenshots of me having brainworms for the JDK villains again. primarily spurred by me going "hey wouldn't Nisha and Artemis and Apollo make cool rockstars instead"

[andromeda3116]

fighting the powerful urge to just like. go ahead and post the next chapter. because i am so happy about a scene i've added and like. i know that this fic has a tiny readership but i really love this scene.

[azems-familiar]

Not me seeing your latest reblog and going 'okay before I rb this myself' *puts on Lelesu fan hat and waves Lelesu flags and hollers from the sidelines everytime she appears in a fic* (I have a Corrain set too dw)

i appreciate that a lot!! really, i do. and i do, logically, know that the people who care about the stories i craft do like her; however, when i used to try harder to ingratiate myself in the established ffxiv community here on tumblr, i found that she got very overlooked - and i'm pretty sure that's because of a mix of reasons including her being a lalafell, in a straight-passing relationship, and having "boring" ship stuff going on. (the reason i say this is from observing various fandom trends, and also from experiences i've had with other ocs of mine in other fandoms, the things that tended to make people appreciate them vs not appreciate them.) and the other stuff i mentioned in the tags just kind of combines with that, and that plus my "controversial" opinions about parts of the msq and certain characters (yes i'm talking about the ancients/ascians/hydaelyn here) leaves me feeling kind of isolated from much in the way of community.

and like, it is what it is, of course. i've made some really good friends here who i'm super grateful to have! but the thoughts stick around.

[prosebushpatch]

i am going to continue to... overwhelm the narrative with characters

[nikibogwater]

Actually while I'm thinking about it, I just wanna say that the more live-action remakes Disney shlups out like shoveled manure, the more amazed I am that Cinderella (2015) exists. It breaks literally every standard of Disney's LA remakes.

It's not a shot-for-shot remake of the original 1950 animated film, though it does include small references and homages to it, but only when such things can be incorporated organically into the story.

The creators understood and respected the cross-cultural significance of the Cinderella story. They didn't want to "fix" it, or add some wacky twist to it, they just wanted to make the best possible version of the Quintessential Cinderella that they could.

Everything that could be done practically was done practically. The carriage was a real, the horses pulling it were real, and all of the other animals (with the exception of the mice and lizards, since their performance was a lot more involved than the others') were real living animals, the lizard footman and goose carriage driver were wearing prosthetics instead of just having their animal features added in post, the Fairy Godmother's dress had little LED lights sewn into it so that it would actually glow for real, the ballroom set was built by hand and included real chandeliers with more than 2000 total candles that were all actually lit for the scene, and I could go on but you get the point.

There's a ton of attention paid to little details that make the world feel real and lived in. Ella's shoes are always a little scuffed and dirty. Her farm dress is faded and wrinkled. When she breaks down and runs away to the woods, she rides her horse bareback (which, once again, was a thing Lily James actually did, no stunt-double or editing in post), because not only is that something a country girl like her would know how to do, but it also makes sense that with as upset as she is, she wouldn't want to waste time with saddling the horse. When she's dancing with the prince, it's visually obvious that he is leading her and giving her cues because of course Ella wouldn't know the latest ballroom dances, and would need him to guide her through it.

Hey speaking of dancing, y'know what else this movie does that no other LA remake has been allowed to do (at least not to this extent)? ROMANCE. Land sakes alive, this is one of the most unabashedly and yet still tastefully romantic movies I've ever seen. Ella and Kit are just oozing romantic chemistry from the moment they lock eyes for the first time. It all comes down to the fact that these two characters both have the same core values of courage and kindness, which makes their admiration for each other feel grounded and believable. Richard Madden also really sells Kit's feelings for Ella with the way his eyes go all big and soft whenever he looks at her. And don't even get me started on Lily's performance as Ella. Her quiet awe that someone as powerful as the prince loves her. The timidity and fear that she's not really worthy of that. The selfless determination to protect him from her family's cruelty, even if it means she'll never see him again, I'm just-- *banging my fist against the table and screaming into a pillow*

Absolutely god-tier costume design. No notes, I think Sandy Powell's work speaks for itself. Btw, in case you were somehow still wondering, yes, Ella's ballgown is fully practical--those layers upon layers of dreamy silk skirts are real. CG was only used to brighten up the blue color to make her stand out from the crowd more.

Wicked stepmother was allowed to actually be wicked. The movie never tries to make you sympathize with Lady Tremaine, or shift the blame off to someone else. And her villainy is given an extra layer of depth with the reveal that she is a dark reflection of Ella. They've both lost people they loved, but where Ella refused to let her grief get in the way of kindness, Lady Tremaine became utterly consumed by it. She views the death of her first husband as a sort of twisted justification for pursuing all her worst impulses. She despises Ella for her ability to flourish even while enduring terrible suffering, for being everything Lady Tremaine was either unable or flat-out refused to be.

Also Cate Blanchet absolutely SLAYS in this role. Hands-down my favorite portrayal of the wicked stepmother character.

Anyways, TLDR: Cinderella (2015) is the only Disney live-action remake that can justify its own existence and that's because it actively defies everything the LA remakes are today.

[jadeshifting]

— SCRIPTING YOUR FAMILY. ( i swear it can work even if they’re not dead )

　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　 　　 　　　　

— DISCLAIMER. script what you want !! this isn’t judgement or an attempt to convince you of anything. i still have ded family in some realities, don’t worry :^)

alright, so a lot of shifters skip right to scripting their DR families straight into the afterlife. gone, nonexistent, dead and buried. this is for a myriad of reasons, though for me and everyone i know, it has a lot to do with backstory, or the idea that family ties are going to cramp our style or get in the way of our dream life and the plot. but, for anyone who’s interested, let’s flip the script (pun intended) and talk about why creating an original, unique family for your desired reality can actually make your experience richer, more meaningful, and a whole lot more fun !!

WHY KEEP THE FAMILY DRAMA?

first off, let’s address the elephant in the room: family can be a lot. but scripting them out entirely can be like throwing the baby out with the bathwater !! there’s tons of potential to consider there. a family offers plenty of opportunities to add depth, lore, and a whole bunch of emotional layers to your DR. think about it—what’s a life without a little family drama, a bit of cozy love, or even a quirky aunt who always brings the laughs? it doesn’t have to be a big, happy family—it can be whatever you feel like you need, whatever fits

HOW TO BUILD YOUR DR FAMILY

　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　 　　 　　　　

— SIZE MATTERS ( but not really ) .　　. 　 ˚　. when scripting your DR family, start with size. do you want a big, loud, chaotic family with siblings running around, or something closer to a small, tight-knit crew? maybe you’re an only child who’s the apple of your parents’ eyes, or perhaps you’re in the middle of a bustling household where everyone’s got a role to play. there’s no right or wrong—just what feels right for you, and what you feel like you need in that specific DR

— CHOOSE YOUR ROLES .　　. 　 ˚　. who’s in your family? a loving, supportive mom who’s your biggest cheerleader? a cool dad who’s kind of your best friend? maybe a set of grandparents who tell you the most insane stories about their youth, or a mouthy sibling who keeps you on your toes. think about the roles that would enrich your life in your DR. remember, these people are there to support your life, not unnecessarily complicate it

— CONNECTIONS .　　. 　 ˚　. now, here’s where it gets fun (in my opinion): your relationships. are you super close with your mom, the kind of close where you can endlessly gossip and have deep life talks? is your dad the type to give you space but always manages to have your back when it counts? maybe you have an insane sibling rivalry that spans over a decade. the relationships you script can add so much flavor to your DR—it’s all about creating connections that resonate with you, and support you in all the ways you want to be supported

FITTING INTO THE LORE ( making it make sense )

if your DR has a specific lore or world-building element ( Hogwarts, Marvel, etc. you know ), weave your family into it !! maybe your mom’s a legendary witch, or your dad’s a top Auror. perhaps your family runs a magical bakery, or you’re part of an ancient lineage with a complex magical or academic heritage. the point is, your family should feel at home in your DR, adding to the story rather than feeling like an afterthought that detracts from it

SOME IDEAS FOR YOUR DR FAMILY

　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　 　　 　　　　

( just to get you started )

— MAGICAL LINEAGE .　　. 　 ˚　. your family has a rich history tied to your DR’s lore—maybe you’re descendants of a powerful wizard, or you’ve got a long-standing feud with another powerful family. drama

— ECCENTRIC GROUP .　　. 　 ˚　. a family full of eccentric or seemingly ridiculous people—a dad who invents magical gadgets, a mom who’s an expert potion maker, siblings who are always concocting some mischievous or downright strange plans

— TIGHT-KNIT TEAM .　　. 　 ˚　. quiet and likely unassuming—just a small, close family who’s been through everything together together. you lot might not be flashy, but their love and support are solid and you know you can always count on them

— CHAOTIC CLAN .　　. 　 ˚　. a massive, bustling family where everyone’s got their own unique role. maybe you’ve got siblings with vastly different personalities, parents that always have something insane to say, or aunts and uncles hailing from faraway places. family gatherings are always an ordeal

DON’T STRESS THE DETAILS

here’s the deal: scripting your DR family is about enhancing your experience, not stressing you out or detracting from all the things you wanna do. whether you want to create a sprawling family tree or just script a few key members, it’s all up to you. and remember—at the end of the day, your DR is personal to you. it’s about what makes you feel connected, supported, and ready to dive into the adventure of a lifetime

so, build that dream family !! whether they’re magical, mundane, or somewhere in between, totally supportive or bringing never-ending drama to spice things up, at the end of the day they’re there to add richness and depth to your DR. and trust me, it’ll make your journey all the more special if you let it !!

　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　 　　 　　　　

[vorestarr]

I think this is a place where it's helpful to play the friend route with Astarion as well as the romance, because some of the ascended path outcomes are still true in the friend route.

He still offers to share power with friend Tav if you have high approval and let him drink from you, he still talks about creating a new world, he still talks about being protected, etc. And honestly to me, a lot of what he says as an ascendant sounds similar to the way he talked in act 1, when he'd first broken free of Cazador's influence and was trying to figure out how to keep this freedom.

So romance aside, to me, the difference with ascended and spawn Astarion is his perspective. Not that he lost a soul or doesn't feel love anymore or even that he is a different person, but that he's stuck in a particular way of thinking, while spawn Astarion is stuck in a different way of thinking.

I think a lot of it comes down to the cycle of abuse narrative as well. Cazador was treated poorly by his vampire master until he killed him, then he treated Astarion the same until Astarion killed him. Now here's Astarion, who ascended because he believed it was the way to ensure Cazador did not gain more power and also to ensure no one could ever do to him what Cazador did again. Is he right? No, we see that the non-ascended route works for him too. But he doesn't know that in the ascended path, and ascending kind of locks him into that kind of thinking. Because he's given up so much, sacrificed 7000 souls, there's no going back and there's no questioning it now.

I think that's the thing for ascended Astarion: he can't go back. Spawn Astarion has chosen not just to not ascend, but also to begin the process of grappling with the terrible things he's done and that there are ways to move forward to try to right some of those wrongs. Ascended Astarion argues those 7000 spawn are already dead, he already killed them centuries ago when he brought them to Cazador, that's in the past, there's nothing he can do, the world is terrible, all he can do is look after himself and make sure he has the power to stop things from hurting him that way.

To me, that's the key difference in perspective.

And when we apply this to the romance paths and see the difference in how ascended vs spawn chocies play out, I think for me, things fit into place.

Ascended Astarion loves Tav, he didn't stop loving Tav, his feelings for Tav haven't changed. But Ascended Astarion wants to make sure he can't lose them. He wants to make sure no one can take them from him or hurt them. He offers them parts of his power, offers to share his world dominating throne, offers to make sure things don't hurt for Tav the way they hurt for Astarion. I think all of that is an expression of love, but it's coming from someone who is convinced the world is terrible and cannot change and the only way to ensure you aren't hurt is to have the most power and control. And he learned this because this was how he survived those 200 years.

The difference with spawn Astarion is that he's opened himself up to the different idea (and very painful idea, for the record, looking at his reactions to being confronted by his past conquests in the dungeon, by the families of the children he kidnapped and the children themselves, etc) that things can change, even things that have already happened, and his previous way of thinking, while protective when he was in Cazador's control, is not the truth of the whole world and does not apply to all situations.

So it's something like, staying in your trauma-response pattern of thinking because that's what saved you before, versus going through the painful process of learning a new pattern of thinking because you are no longer in the trauma situation and that pattern doesn't exactly apply anymore.

And I think in the context of the romance, to me, that doesn't make the Ascended path bad or evil. It makes it messy, it makes it painful, it means Astarion feels like he can never loosen his grip, it means he can never stop looking over his shoulder because that's what he's had to do for 200 years. I think it's a safe path for him in the way that sticking to what you know is safer than taking a risk on something new. I think his romance with Tav was not safe in the same vein because it was something new, because it made him question things, because he can have realizations like "I don't think I want anyone to think of me in terms of sex." And if he starts having those realizations, who is he? How does he learn who he is again?

He knows who he is as a vampire ascendant. And he knows how to have a relationship with Tav based on all the relationships he had as a vampire spawn. He tries, I do think he really tries, to be good to Tav in that relationship. But deep down, he has all the insecurities and fears he had as a spawn, but he doesn't have the tools or ability to address those fears, and that reflects how he frames their romantic relationship.

tldr; he loves Tav even if he ascends, but that love is framed by the fact that he lives his life with the fear of any vampire master - that someone will take it all away from him one day.

I'm not

Tryna make discourse here

But I'm curious about Ascended Astarion. All evidence I can see points to the fact that his love for you dies and warps into possession, obsession. Like you're his favorite pet, and not an equal or a partner or even really a person

But I've seen some fans of ascended Astarion state that they believe he does love you, he's just blinded by his new powers and will mellow out in a bit.

I wanted to point out how spawn Astarion speaks about loving being in the sun,

But ascended Astarion, who CAN walk in the sun, speaks about wanting to blot it out completely and plunge the world into darkness

Spawn Astarion says he wants to be equals with you at his grave scene

Ascended Astarion breaks up with you if you do not agree to become his spawn, and, if you DO agree, he believes you are degrading yourself.

I understand that there's a wealth of ways to interpret things, but I haven't seen any evidence of Ascended Astarion having.... How can I explain my feelings here...

He seems to me to have lost his soul and his ability to love. I see the desire for power, control, safety, possession. Obsession. But I don't see love, or affection beyond "obey me and you will be my most treasured possession"

Again, please, no hating on one route or the other I'm looking for legit like, literary analysis of the scenes we have been given for evidence. I'm even trying to refrain from pointing out my own opinions based on what I've seen to some degree so I don't overly colour this post while asking for more info. Also

Question: is Ascended Astarion a full vampire, as well as "the vampire ascendant" like is he a true vampire? Or is " the vampire acendant" a different kind of creature than a full vampire since he did not drink the blood of his master? Do we have any in game or canon explanations?

I'm curious! Help me