#also interesting is that some of it does come from a built up resentment from social isolation and bullying as a “nerdy prude”

[lesbitching]

it’s nowhere near the worst interpretation and i do understand how it could be assumed or even be compelling if you’re very interested in the lords in black but one of my biggest pet peeves is the interpretation that the lords in black are manipulating grace and deliberately driving her to where she ends up the entire play. such a big part of what makes grace work is her role as the driving force in the play, an active agent who’s actions directly lead to all the calamity and tragedy that occurs later through sheer religious guilt, desperation and neuroticism. taking even some of that autonomy away from her makes her significantly less compelling.

[moonsaver]

Moon.. I've come back for the 3rd time...

I came across someone who said that Sunday's wings are clipped, and it got me thinking. A bird with clipped wings usually has impaired flight. So what does this mean for Sunday?

He could have done it to himself as a form of self-restraint to stop him from getting distracted by temptations and to stick to getting towards his goal. However, that.. It wouldn't make sense, not for me anyway. For a man who wishes that he could fly with his sister, it would be a rather acontradictory action.

No, wait. He certainly could have done it due to his self-destructiveness. He feels as if he himself does not deserve the privilege and the freedom to be able to fly because he does not matter. All he is supposed to do is reach his goal and make the people in penacony not have to be burdened by the harshness of reality, all of that for the exchange of himself. If this were true, then in the end, he became the very bird he wanted to cage in order to protect.

hhgKHQH but then there's Mr. Gopherwood.. according to research, there are some bird owners and trainers who choose to cut primary feathers to inhibit flight. So what if Sunday was forced to have his wings clipped because of the dreammaster, to control him, to ground him?

It could take months or even years for a previously clipped bird to heal, depending on the severity of the clip and how long its wings were clipped. Even then, if the birds wings were cut incorrectly, it may never be able to fly ever again. Perhaps this is why he said, "We were supposed to fly into the sky together," followed by him saying, "If only I could.", because he meant it both literally and figuratively.

In the end, no matter the reason, Sunday is still a bird trapped in a cage, unable to spread its wings and fly.

Hello nonnie! Always happy to have returnees, haha.

Also, this is very neat. Heartbreaking of course, but very neat.

I personally don't believe Sunday's clipped wings came to be as a form of self-harm. But I could be wrong? Majorly, I believe it would mainly be attributed to more of a symbolization, and some "incident" that would happen that follows it.

The analysis about gopher wood doing to to sunday seems more plausible, although that's also a bit conflicting in my opinion. If gopher had directly clipped sunday's wings, I feel as though sunday would have much more built up resentment towards him, despite as a reverent dreammaster. However, at the same time, sunday was highly manipulated by him, so perhaps he never did anything about it. In the end, I dont think gopher would have done it himself, at least not directly. Perhaps it must have been a form of punishment? A sort of "sacrifice" to be tethered to his responsibilities as the Head, instead of Robin who chose to become a singer? Maybe an accident? Who knows. But there's huge symbolization about him being the bird that can't fly, versus Robin soaring the skies, as they envisioned with the Charmony dove. It's also a huge thing with "staying safe and being taken care of in exchange for freedom" vs "risking everything in order to pursue what you want", it's a sort of condensation of their personal ideals.

Regardless, that's just how I feel. I could be wrong, because I don't think I'm that good at analyzing or such, lol. Anyways, this is very interesting to ponder about.

[cartoon-buffoon]

I decided to read the Epic Mickey graphic novel—which by the way it's just chilling on the Internet Archive? Like you can read it at any time and I'd highly recommend doing so—but I noticed something very interesting in regards to the heart and the entire real plot point of Epic Mickey. I LOVE over analyzing stupid meaningless things in relation to my favorite characters so this is another stupid rant, sorry if someone has analyzed this before me it's just a neat thing I noticed.

WARNING: rant by someone who hasn't played Epic Mickey properly, sorry if the game contradicts whatever I say somehow. Also SPOILERS for the Epic Mickey graphic novel, I'd recommend reading it yourself because it's pretty cool.

Okay I'm aware the heart is a metaphor for fame, yeah the toons stuck in wasteland are stuck there because they are forgotten. However one thing I find interesting however is how the heart seemingly changes a toon's personality as well? It's for like a single panel where they show the heart does more for the toons than allowing passage in and out of wasteland. It at least affects them in some way.

This is right after Mickey gave up his heart to save Gus and Oswald who the blot had grabbed, now up until this point Mickey was very happy go lucky. Until his heart was stolen, and he suddenly lashes out at Oswald?

This is really random and out of character from what we've seen until now and in fact Mickey himself seems like he's aware he's not acting himself. As soon as the heart gets stolen we see Mickey who is generally jokey and happy suddenly get mad and outright confrontational. Look at how he gets up in Ozzie's face! Now Oswald did have a reason to be mad at Mickey, his reason was TOTALLY justified and idc if it was an accident Oswald had all the right to mistreat Mickey for ruining wasteland and killing his wife. Yet Mickey always just took on the chin, he felt remorseful yeah yet he just kinda took the insults, this is the first case of Mickey fighting back and Oswald wasn't even insulting him!

Later on when using the rocket we also see Mickey start writing his will when the plan to self destruct the rocket starts going up in flames.

Although comedic and funny this is pretty fucking grim if you look at the fact that he's just casually preparing for his death. After the rocket crashes we also see him give Oswald some slack and make a snarky remark.

Now not exactly out of character for Mickey to be funny it's still interesting how his way of being funny in this instance is taking a small jab at Oswald's piloting skills.

Later on we also see Mickey get serious and be really aggressive when fighting the blot.

Now this could just be of course Mickey deciding to right his wrongs and taking things serious, but I find it interesting that this comes AFTER he loses the heart.

This spring of sudden aggressiveness only awakens after he loses his heart and we see from the panel right after he loses it and Mickey seems dazed and discombobulated. AND THEY JUST GRAZE OVER THIS DETAIL! "I just... Feel so..." AND THEN BOOM! The comic just goes "alright keep it going, move the plot along we only got so many pages" and nothing comes of this. They never clarify what Mickey is feeling, this detail is just passed over, yet it seemingly affects the way Mickey acts for the rest of the comic (or at least until he gets his heart back). What I find so fascinating about this is Oswald and his character, we see him be pretty dynamic and go through a character arc, we learn he has resented Mickey and he built a eutopia for him and other forgotten toons until Mickey ruined it with the tinner. From there his resentment turned to full on rage due to his grief of not only losing his world yet also his wife, yet we see when Mickey tries to right his wrongs Oswald comes to realize Mickey isn't a threat and he acts a lot better. By the end of the comic we also see the two being best friends and relationship patched up.

We never really see Mickey go through a character arc though? Yeah he rights his wrongs and fixes the world he fucked up, yet that's the bare minimum and we see the wizard intended for it to play out like this.

I mean, I guess Mickey learned a lesson although I don't think "don't mess with magic and things that aren't yours" is a lesson, that's common sense. Mickey is the protagonist of the story and he fixes what he messed up and in the process rekindles his relationship with his lost brother, that's pretty much it. I find this really interesting as generally Mickey is just a tool to tell a story and he rarely shows his character. The time he DOES show character its usually not referenced by Disney or acknowledged, like Runaway Brain.

Fun fact, Runaway Brain which is one of the few instances Mickey is more of a indepth character is also referenced in this very comic!

Now of course this could be pure coincidence and I 100% think I'm reading WAYYYY to far into this, but it's still interesting to see this comic reference an instance of Mickey being a character with depth. I don't wanna talk about Runaway Brain too much as there's a YouTube video that does a better job of analyzing it better than me, but if you're unfamiliar with the movie it does something unique in the fact that it gives Mickey flaws, painting him (haha get it paint?) as a video game addict.

Got off track a bit but circling back around to my point: Mickey has never really had personality once he became a Disney mascot. In the classical shorts we see him be a lot different than the sterilized mouse we have now and it's only recently did we actually see Mickey get some of his actual charm back (I love the Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse so much and all the stuff related to it). Now as much as I love Oswald he ALSO didn't have much of a personality when being owned by Disney back in the silent era and it wasn't until Epic Mickey did we get to better understanding him and his personality considering he actually talks and he's in a setting with a genuine plot that's more than humor. Oswald in Epic Mickey is this actual character who changes as the plot happens, meanwhile Mickey stays constant UNTIL HIS HEART IS STOLEN. The games could be different or something idk, it's entirely plausible this theory is counteracted by the second game. But at least in the comics we see once that heart is snagged he acts more dynamically and becomes more than just a jolly cartoon character trying to fix his mistake.

I think the heart is more than just fame, it's also a reflection of character and a company's treatment of a character because of fame. Mickey is the mascot, he's flawless, he's the face of a corporation, his heart or aka his fame is what makes him him and it's the image Disney crafted for him. Without a heart toons end up like Oswald, old, bitter, and resentful, yet also dynamic and capable of change and I find this concept so cool yet once again in the graphic novel, IT'S A LIKE A SINGLE PANEL! This idea is kinda just discarded and left as an inference to be made and possibly entirely retconned or countered by the second game or the first game! I don't know, I haven't played either nor the awful 3Ds game.

Alright well that's all, I just wanted to make this little rant because I wanna procrastinate on some stuff I gotta do and I love coming up with theories or overanalyzing things. I don't know how to end this so have this screenshot from the graphic novel that made me go "what the fuck does that mean?"

(seriously wtf are gus and Mickey on?)

[nalyra-dreaming]

Regarding future season structure, I do see the show moving away from a narrated format after TVL but I do hope we get some flashbacks of other characters (not full seasons) bc I do hope we get some TVA moments and if they are doing past DM🤞. And Marius.. hate him or love him he is an interesting character.

I know they keep calling S3 TVL and I might be wrong but I got the sense that they are doing TVL/QOTD at the same time with TVL as the focus for S3. Tbh I always thought of both books like a duology bc they go together so well.

I'm torn on TVL being one or two seasons bc I do think there will be some pushback if past Lestat takes up more than 50% of the season. I am not downplaying Lestat's popularity but if Louis is missing for more than 50% of the season? Yeah won't be a good look. I also don't really see the show going back and showing too many previously established scenes from Lestat's pov in Nola.

So imo it makes sense to me to stretch TVL to two seasons but to also do QOTD as the current story going on at the same time.

Either way I'm beyond excited bc I love both books.

Arguably, I think they have already started on QotD (in combination with Amel, imho). Because we have the ever increasing vampire population, the "great conversion". "Those who must be kept" have been named, several times, the importance of the blood of Akasha has been pointed out.

TVL and QotD were always a story that went together, and I am not sure how much episodes they will give us, but I do think TVL will end on the show with the same cliffhanger the book does: namely Akasha coming in and kidnapping Lestat right after the (a) last? concert - and worse here, I think it will be from Louis' arms.

S3 will not contradict or reshow all of S1&2. TVL doesn't do that either. And the season 3 press release has been clear:

“In season three, resentful of the perfunctory portrayal in the trashy bestseller ‘Interview With The Vampire,’ the Vampire Lestat sets his story straight in a way only the Vampire Lestat can—by starting a band and going on tour. Gabrielle. Nicholas. Magnus. Marius. Those Who Must Be Kept. They join Louis, Armand, Molloy, Sam, Raglan, Fareed and others we can’t tell you about yet on a sexy pilgrimage across space, time and trauma.”

There will be Louis. Of course?! The show is built on Loustat. But we are not on IWTV anymore. This has also been stated:

"Sam worked really hard for two years as a supporting actor, and I think Jacob is very excited to do the same thing for him, and put Sam front and center," Jones tells EW. "We've just scratched the surface with Sam, who's an incredible actor."

To repeat in what I said in my recent PSA (reblog): I don't care about actual screentime percentage. Or top billing, or whatever. They said they would keep Jacob and they better(!).

IWTV was Louis' story, narrated by him. TVL, QotD, TtotBT are all narrated by Lestat (for the most part). That will reflect, but I also think that there is no way we will not have a LOT of Louis in the story.

[candyskiez]

I like hearing ppl infodump n u seem like a cool bean. would u be willing to talk abt shou from mp100(?) a bit with just a lil context added in for someone who only has a passing familiarity with the show. side note: plural mob be based

SLAMS DOWN ON TABLE. Before I get into this I want to say this is not a Serizawa hate post. Because I am reading what I wrote and it sounds like it at points. It is not. I was writing what I think Shou feels about him. I love Serizawa and I love them being friends, this is me talking about Shou having complicated feelings about his trauma. Okay? Okay.

Okay okay so. Shou is the son of a guy who tried to take over the world, and his entire life was spent trying to stop him. And then someone did. Someone stopped Claw. His dad got locked up. And Shous whole life had been built around trying to stop him, he had zero time for anything else other than occasionally visiting his mom (who left when he was a kid. We don't know what happened. We don't know if she tried to take Shou with or not. All we know is that Shou kept her presence hidden from his dad. We don't know how Shou feels about his mom or if he lives with her after his dad gets locked up. We know he had adults who were also rebelling in claw (the organization his dad ran), and he seemed to trust them a lot. I like to imagine they're a weird family and like. I imagine there's some Shit there. I like to imagine at least one of them was kinda giving up on everything, not really caring one way or another about what happened to everyone because they're just. Done. But then this wide eyed idealist of a kid comes by and he wants to stop his dad, holy shit the boss has a kid, and the kid is taking all this on himself. Maybe they didn't think they could fix anything but they had to save this kid. Did they believe Toichiro could be stopped at all? What were they like? We don't know much about them. How many of them were just in it to protect the kid? In hopes that maybe that idealistic, weird little boy that stumbled over to them would come out of this still a good person? God. I'm sorry I'm emo about found family. Don't mind me.

And I'm just. Okay. Okay. I think so much about how we get to know what other claw members are up to after everything, but...not Shou. Besides in fan books and stage plays, we uh. We got very little. And that makes him very interesting to analyze.

I just. Always think about how Serizawa stopped Shou from hurting Toichiro and how Serizawa got a happier life. Does Shou ever resent Serizawa? I think so much about their potential claw dynamic. Maybe he was one of the few who was kind to him, but was so disgustingly *loyal* to his dad it made him feel sick to look at. Serizawa would bring him snacks if he looked upset but would always respond to any criticisms of his father with the same unwavering Faith in him. Serizawa would comfort him after he lost a training session, Serizawa shielded the man who hurt him the most. Serizawa was a victim, Serizawa turned a blind eye to him. He needed to save Serizawa, and Serizawa never saved him. Did he feel responsible for Serizawa?

I think he felt like it was his responsibility as Toichiro's son to be the one to stop him. He needed to save everyone. He needed to make things right. He wanted his dad to go back to being who he was before things got really bad. I feel like. At first, Toichiro was an okay dad. And that's why it hurt so bad when everything went to shit and he started being so fucking horrible. Because Shou knew he was fully fucking capable of not sucking and he CHOSE to treat them like this anyway. He couldn't recognize him. He was a stranger with his dad's face and he had no idea what he did. Did he ever think if he could just fix Toichiro his mom would come back? Everything would go back to normal if he could just make Toichiro be a good person again? How long did that thought last?

I just. I always think about how aimless Shou strikes me as being the few times we see him in season three. He doesn't know what to do now. He had this whole purpose and plan. And then it didn't work. He didn't stop his dad. Mob did. His dad's alive. His dad changed his mind, but he's arrested. His mom and dad aren't together. Everything feels like it's tied up in a neat little bow for everyone except for Shou.

Of course we know that's not the case, but Shou doesn't know. Shou doesn't know that Serizawa was fucking panicked about disobeying Reigen even when their lives depended on it, Shou doesn't know that Mob's haunted by that battle. So from his eyes, it's very likely that he thinks he's the only one who hasn't moved on.

He goes from being always so dramatic sounding in all his lines in s1 and 2 to in season three just sounding...so much less? I don't know how to describe it. He sounds so much less...well. Everything was over for him, y'know? He built his whole life around carefully avoiding his dad and saving everyone and being the hero and then. Everything's done, and he didn't have a plan for what he'd do after. It all seemed like the end of Everything, and that'd be it! Nothing after that. But it's all over and he still has to live. Now what? Now what does he do?

How is Serizawa a functioning adult with a JOB now? Minegeshi joined when they were a teenager, how are they just...okay now? How did everyone, EVERYONE else get to move on, but Shou couldn't? Everyone else got their nice little ending, and Shou has nowhere to go. Does he tell his mom everything? That his dad tried to kill him but suddenly decided fine okay murder is wrong now, not soon enough to never have done that to him? Does he ask if he can stay with her? Will his lackeys want anything to do with him? Will Ritsu Everything's done and nothing's over, not for Shou, but everyone just fucking moved on. Everyone seems to be a better person than him now. Everyone seems to be fine in a way Shou just isn't.

Not to get back on my Shou and Serizawa bullshit but. Do you ever think about Shou seeing him again. And having no fucking clue what to think. Serizawa is just ...fine now. Suddenly he's no longer the guy who trailed after his dad and did horrible things for his dad without a THOUGHT. Suddenly he's smart and responsible now. Suddenly he's soooo good now. Where was all that when he needed it? Where was this functional, kind guy when he was TWELVE and trying to stop fucking terrorists. Where was this guy he would've done ANYTHING to have on his side when he was trying to save everyone from the man who raised him. Where was he. Why did he change now. Why had EVERYONE changed now. Why was Minegeshi trying for Mob, not Shou. Why was Serizawa trying for Mob, not Shou. Why was Toichiro trying for Mob, not Shou. Why didn't he MATTER. Why had NO ONE cared that he was in hell, that he wanted things to be okay. What's that one line. "If [Serizawa/Toichiro] has truly changed, it means he was ALWAYS capable of change. It means that I just wasn't worth changing for." And like. Objectively that's not what happened, objectively there were other factors and Serizawa and Toichiro are on very different levels, but Shou is like. Barely thirteen. He's BARELY thirteen. He is a child and all he's gonna see is that nobody cared when he needed them to. And now he's lost and has no idea what to do and everyone's just fine. Like he didn't almost die. Like his dad didn't try to kill him. Like he wasn't in hell for twelve goddamn years. Like he hadn't tried to save everyone. He's thirteen. He's not handling this well.

I feel like he just. Has no clue how to be normal. He doesn't know who he is now. He doesn't know what to do. His whole life orbited around stopping his dad and now his dad is different and locked up and he can't see him all the time, and things were so much worse back then so why does everything feel worse now. He doesn't know who he is now. He doesn't know what he wants now. I think so much about he says hes never using his powers again. Is he just trying SO hard to be normal. That's what he decided he wants now. He wants to be a normal kid who has friends and that's the only way to do it. He didn't have a Reigen in his life who'd tell him like he told Mob that powers are just another attribute. Maybe one day he'll talk to his lackeys, and maybe they'll hold him and tell him that that's his choice but that his powers aren't a curse or a weapon, they're just a *trait.* Or maybe he won't. I don't know. It's just so fucking. God. Shou, man. Shou.

Maybe one day he comes to spirits and such for Ritsu and sees Serizawa. Maybe they fight. Maybe they don't. Maybe they'll talk. It's just. God. Shou has so many loose ends in his life. Is he just trying to leave claw behind by never using his powers again, like he might think everyone else did? He went from "I need to save the world" to "I need to be a normal person." Did he shave his hair to look normal or did he shave it after he had a long talk with a friend that made him reevaluate things. What happened to him. If he has the spirits and such crew still, maybe he'll end up realizing that his powers are just another part of him. Maybe he'll realize they're not a curse or another thing his dad shoved on him. God. Aughhh. Sorry for being ill about Shou and possibly ooc about him but. Aughh.

Once again this is not an anti Serizawa post. I love Serizawa. Shou however probably has some Issues and I like to address them and try to give him more closure. Because I love him. Again, sorry if this is ooc, I'm still trying to get a grasp on him. If anyone who has a better grasp on him wants to add anything PLEASE let me know. I do not fully understand this guy yet but I would love to try to

[mrs-gauche]

If the Spirit!Solas theory happens to be true—and I’m confident it is—then it really gives you a new level of respect for how much restraint this guy has.

I’m talking specifically about his interactions with Dorian. The part where Dorian is trying to convince Solas that enslaving spirits is cool and neat and not wrong because ‘spirits aren’t people.’

Imagine having the strength of character to listen to someone tell you to your face that you are not a person and therefore undeserving of the most basic civil rights without immediately decking them in the face.

Solas puts up with tool much, man.

Oh yeah, definitely! 😂 (As much as I feel for Dorian just trying to find some common ground...) I guess that one line in Tevinter Nights does a great job of putting Solas' attitude on this matter in a nutshell.

[…] roared not in anger, but with quiet contempt. "From this moment, should you ever bind a spirit, then your life is mine."

Keep in mind, Solas has witnessed spirits suffering from the consequences of creating the Veil for at least a thousand years at this point, if only from the Fade. When he's saying "It hurts. It always does." to the Inquisitor after returning to Skyhold and Wisdom's death, he's referring to the countless times he had to watch his friends being drawn to the waking world, either forced, or to see them “wish to join the living”, only to be twisted, bound, corrupted, killed, you name it.

"How small the pain of one man seems when weighed against the endless depths of memory, of feeling, of existence. That ocean carries everyone. And those of us who learn to see its currents move through life with their fewer ripples."

Much like a lot of his banter with Sera taunting him about his grief for the past, at this point, Solas is so old and has witnessed so much history, so much pain, that Dorian's remarks couldn't possibly evoke any real anger from him. It's so insignificant compared to what he has seen. There's a reason why Weekes keeps emphasizing how friggin tired Solas truly is. This is after all the general perception of spirits in present Thedas, aside from a few cultures like the Avvar. He can't blame Dorian for Tevinter raising him to think of spirits as nothing more than "amorphous constructs", just like he can't blame the Dalish for the knowledge lost to time. Similarly to any other argument he has with the other companions, Solas' frustration/resentment is almost never aimed at them personally, but rather at the current state of the world that shaped their perspective. (As is also evident in how his banter always ends up with them eventually coming to terms and grow a mutual/respectful relationship. The only exception being a low approval Inquisitor and Iron Bull if he chose the Qun over the Chargers… In that case, the hostility was definitely personal. 😂)

(That being said, I'm SO hoping for any kind of serious emotional outbreak from Solas in DA4, since there's still like a thousand year old trauma that needs to be addressed. lol)

But yeah, I think, going by his actions in Tevinter Nights, Tevinter is definitely not ready for what's probably coming for them in DA4, now that Solas is actually able to change things. 👀 And isn't it interesting how he will now be facing the Imperium, which was essentially built on the ruins of the empire he brought down/the same slavery based system he once rebelled against, so history kinda repeats itself? lol

I think it's also very telling how Solas will immediately counter Dorian's comments on the treatment of spirits in Tevinter by directly comparing it to slavery.

Dorian: "There's no harm putting them to constructive use, and most mages back home treat them well." Solas: "And any that show any magical talent are freed, are they not?" Dorian: "What? Spirits don't have magical talent." Solas: "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were talking about your slaves."

But the beautiful irony in this, as I've talked about in this post, is how this draws a direct parallel to how Solas, in return, doesn't recognize the people of the waking world as real either, at least not until after the Inquisitor considers Wisdom a living being worth saving. This and his admission to the Inquisitor after he returns to Skyhold is imo the turning point in his character development. Imo, this is what leads him to say "Not at first. You showed me that I was wrong." in his high approval ending in Trespasser.

And this is also why I think that the theory of Solas intending to save the spirits first and foremost would make for such an interesting story actually.

The waking world doesn't view spirits as real people. Just like Solas can't accept the people of the waking world as real. So, what will happen if he tears down the Veil, and the Fade and the waking world become one again? The Inquisitor was potentially willing to save Wisdom despite it having already turned into a Pride demon. And in doing so, the Inquisitor unintentionally put up a mirror in front of Solas' face and basically went "If I can see them as real people worth saving, why can't you?".

And if the spirit origin theory is true, then it could make for a fascinating inner conflict. Solas, living in both the waking world and the Fade, having been a spirit and a corporeal person, is now facing the question of who "his people" actually are. Where does he belong? After all, his biggest fear remains to "die alone".

While this was said in more of a joking manner, Weekes' words from 2016 really put it into perspective here. Solas sees himself in that old fisherman he saw in the Fade. He is "the one who lived". So, I picture it like this… Solas is left alone in the Fade after the creation of the Veil. Spirits are now his only company for the next thousand years. Whether or not those spirits were the remaining souls of the elves he tried to save, we don't know, but regardless, I truly believe they are his people. But he is not a spirit. At least, not anymore.

Cole: "You don't need to envy me, Solas. You can find happiness in your own way." Solas: "I apologize for disturbing you, Cole. I am not a spirit and sometimes it hard to remember such simple truths." Cole: "They are not gone so long as you remember them." Solas: "I know." Cole: "But you could let them go." Solas: "I know that as well." Cole: "You didn't do it to be right. You did it to save them." Inquisitor: "Solas, what is Cole talking about?" Solas: "A mistake. One of many by a much younger elf who was certain he knew everything."

In this banter, Cole reveals to us that Solas' mind immediately goes from "It's hard for me to accept I'm not a spirit" to "the people that were lost when Solas created the Veil". To me, this pretty much confirms that the people of Elvhenan and spirits are connected, if not one and the same. It's assumed that the Evanuris mined the Titans to somehow create bodies for spirits to inhabit, and that Mythal gave Solas a body against his will. There's also the theory about the creation of the Veil having caused the separation of body and spirit.

You know, I've written so much about this in previous posts and I don't want to sound like a broken record, but if we consider all those little clues and look at all of his dialogue in that context, it just makes so much sense to me, that what he wants to do is primarily to save the spirits/destroy the barrier for them to enter the waking world without their purpose getting corrupted. There's also still the matter of the Blights and red lyrium otherwise probably consuming the entire world. 😅 I think that's what he's referring to when saying "What I am doing will save this world" in Tevinter Nights.

And remember, "Dread Wolf" is still literally an anagram for "World" and "Fade". 😂 Both worlds colliding is quite literally in his title. lol Whatever the six eyed high dragon sized Dread Wolf actually is, as far as we know, he only seems to exist within the Fade, but how exactly is he connected to Solas and what will happen to him if he tears down the Veil (which btw is also definitely gonna happen… I mean, besides the fact that the Veil is getting weaker regardless of Solas' actions)? ANYWAY.

Sorry for rambling so much (and I feel like my English is a little rusty, too 😖), but I haven't talked about this stuff in a while and the lack of news is killing me. 😂 But your message gave me something to think about again, so thank you! :)

[thenationaltreasuregazette]

Patrick's House, A Headcanon

I mentioned that I have a headcanon the Patrick's house and the house we see young Ben exploring in the opening scene are one in the same.

It doesn't change the story in any fundamental way, but I think it adds a nice bit of texture to the Gates family.

The House

In the prologue, Ben explores the attic of house that belongs to his grandfather, John Adams Gates.

I suppose it's equally possible that Ben is searching around in his own attic for a scrapbook that his father hid away when he gave up treasure hunting, but couldn't quite bare to get rid of due to the family history element. That is until Patrick says

PATRICK Come on, son. Time to go. You can...say your goodbyes.

This makes it clear that he and Ben are the ones leaving his father's house, not the other way around.

The Money

The other thing Patrick makes very clear in the opening scene is that the Gates family doesn't have a lot of money.

PATRICK You know what that dollar represents? The entire Gates family fortune. Six generations of fools... chasing after fool's gold.

Not only do the Gates' not have a lot of money now, they never have since they're been putting their time and resources into treasure hunting--an activity that doesn't pay (until it does). Each individual Gates may have found some interesting historical items, like Ben's George Washington campaign button, or John discovering the Silence Dogood letters in a desk from The New England Courant, but not enough to make treasure hunting worth it to Patrick anymore.

If they had been able to make what Patrick considers a decent living, he might not be so resentful of it. And by in this moment in the attic he's clearly resentful of it. He's a single dad who regrets a lot of his choices. If he and Ben were headed home to the house Patrick lives in in story present, the resentment of treasure hunting could still be there for other reasons, but every time he brings up why it's such a waste of time, money is his first reason.

When Ben and co arrive after the gala Patrick says

PATRICK Sure, sure, I know, I'm the family kook. I have a job, a house, health insurance.

Which implies that not only does Ben not have these things, but Patrick may not have for a long time either. The way he's setting himself apart from the rest of the family with these makes it seem like it's been a normal part of Gates' family life to not have these things. Patrick likely didn't either until he became whole or partly responsible for taking care of Ben.

At the time of the prologue, Ben and Patrick probably live in an apartment, and possibly not a very nice one. Again, since so much of Patrick's resentment for treasure hunting is tied to money, it's likely that for a while he didn't have any. After giving up the hunt, Patrick would have been behind his peers in terms of career development, possibly significantly so. It's not a stretch to guess that he felt that sting pretty keenly.

It's also unclear what his present job is, or how long it would have taken him to get to the level of stability he has when we meet him in story present.

John Adams Gates

But if that's the case, that the Gates family has never had enough money for a house like that until Patrick leaves the treasure hunting world behind and gets a "real job," then why do I think the house was John's?

Well for one thing, the housing market even back in 1974, when the flashback takes place, was vastly different than today. Judging by the state of the attic, John has been there a decade or longer. There was a time, starting around 1950, where you could afford a single family home on one person's salary #postwareconomicboom. I mean look at these average housing prices going back to 1964. Oof. Ouch. It's ridiculous.

Hillcrest was built in 1937. John may or may not have been the original owner of that house (because I'm not sure he would have ever had built-a-house money) but it's possible that he was able to "get in on the ground floor" of the neighborhood.

After John died, the house would have passed to Patrick.

The Wives

There's another possibility for how John came by that house that I think is even more plausible: John inherited the house himself.

We don't hear much about the women of the Gates family. They're basically non-existent in the original film other than the vague ghost-of-a-dead-Disney-mother who haunts the narrative. But we have to presume there have been at least one in every generation, since we keep getting new Gates men.

My actual headcanon is that the house belonged to John's wife or her family. (Though I image a fair bit of tension there since she was almost certainly "marrying down" when she picked John.)

Legacy

Something about a house being in the Gates family for a few generations just feels right to me. In the three months later epilogue, the motivation Ben gives for choosing the house is a historical one. Riley put it, "someone did something in history and had fun."

It makes sense to me that the Gates family would cultivate a similar sense of history in their own home, even if they don't consciously realize that they're doing it. It's also just practical? In both the first and second movies, we see how much stuff each one of them has. Being a treasure hunter is, for the Gates family anyway, also being a collector. They need somewhere to keep all of that stuff, and a big old federal revival house in D.C. seems like just the thing.

Idk, I just like the idea.

What do you think?

[antigonewinchester]

on the topic of fandom reactions to Cas in season 6, it makes me think abt 2 things I've heard recently.

one was this post, about a show I haven't seen but made some interesting points abt western fantasy media & how characters who are intending to do the right thing but seriously mess up are rare: there's the very common Good Guys vs. Bad Guys, there are stories where All The Guys are Morally Complicated, sometimes there are shows about just Bad Guys, there are the shows about Good Guys Turning Bad, but it's rare to see a character who is trying to be good but still messes up majorly. I think that's part of the 'problem' with Cas in S6, in that his overall intention (stop Raphael/the Apocalypse) is good, but the way he goes about it, keeps secrets, the gaslighting, is really not good. it's also Cas intentionally making those choices. he doesn't go "dark side," he doesn't go full villain, he's trying again to prevent the end of the world and fucks up in how he does so.

second is from a talk I was listening to the other day, which proposed American culture is built on an idea of the "final judgement," or the idea people are judged as Good or Bad and given the fate they deserve. this talk suggested that our criminal justice system isn't based on justice but on finality: the judgement of crimes is a Final Judgement, so it matters less whether than judgement is actually true vs. there is a judgement being made, and it's more important for judgement to be applied & upheld than for those judgement to always be true. (which is, for example, reflected in this horrifying real-life case of a father accused of killing his son on incredibly faulty evidence, and the court's & judge's refusal to consider his innocence years later).

all of this comes together in a complicated mess around Cas in S6. he has good intentions, but acts in bad ways, but he's not a villain, but he's not a hero either, so what does someone do with him? to call him Bad in S6 feels like a final judgement, and how is Cas supposed to come back from that, so people default to calling him Good. and frankly there's a similar failure of moral imagination on the writers part in how S7 and Cas's arc is written, because its framing turns into "Cas feels really really bad & was trying to do something good & should they forgive him?" they don't want to take Cas beyond the 'point of no return,' so they de-emphasize the messed up stuff he did and focus on Sam and Dean (well, really Dean's) resentment towards him as a conflict to solve. because that's an easier conflict, and a more understandable conflict for the audience, versus trying to do something more complicated with Cas changing as a character because of his mistakes.

[magmas-stuff]

Dr. Eggman: Full Delusion (character overview)

This post aims to analyze the main antagonist of the entire franchise, Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik, discussing the facets that make up this honestly really interesting villain. Hopefully it won’t come across as too surface level, since his character is one of key importance to the entire Sonic brand.

Ego City

A look into Eggman's mind from Sonic Dream Team concept art.

Eggman (especially Classic Eggman) is, at his very core, an extremely childish individual. He throws loud tantrums when defeated, and doesn’t hesitate to gloat when succeeding. He builds expressive, toy-like robots to make up his army. His goal in life is to transform the world into a theme park built in his image. The name “Eggman” was adopted entirely out of spite.

He has a clouded view of morality, operating under the strange notion that, somehow, under his leadership, the whole world would “magically” see an age of peace and prosperity (despite referring to his own actions as evil quite frequently). And most prominently, he thinks extremely highly of himself, if all the monuments of his visage didn’t make it clear enough.

I am genius. I am great. I am brillant. I am smart. I am wise. I am an emperor.

It’s not fully known what led to this sort of behavior, but some guesses can be made. Ivo, in his own recount, did not receive much attention from his family after the passing of his cousin Maria, whose death was covered up as an accident aboard the Space Colony ARK.

He resents her for this as, in his words, she received “all that love” that he deemed rightfully his, as he was actually alive ("Right! There!"). It’s also told that Ivo regarded his late grandfather, Professor Gerald, as his “true hero.” The young Eggman was inspired by him to become the scientist he grew to be and "do good for humanity," just as his grandfather before him. Despite how greatly their methodology differs, Eggman still seemed to think he was following Gerald’s footsteps, this being especially apparent when he learns about Gerald's final moments.

Translation by @browniestash!

In Eggman's mind, Gerald was a hero, one whose research did naught but benefit humanity. But, then and there, what he saw instead was a grieving, vengeful man with the dying wish to destroy the world that wronged him, moments before his execution. Despite this provoking him to briefly question his whole goal, it did little to halt the doctor’s conquest in the grand scheme of things. In fact, nothing seems to be able to crush Eggman’s spirit, as no matter how many defeats he faces, the doctor will always come back and ready to try taking over the world again.

Need to control

Seeing as he surrounds himself with robots programmed to answer to his every command, it’s no surprise that Eggman is something of a control freak. To maintain a position of power upon others, Eggman will employ all levels of manipulation and deceit to ensure his will is carried out, and seems to struggle to think of others as anything more than pawns to his plans. And he will not hesitate to discard his tools once they stop being of use to him.

This is in harsh contrast to Sonic, a free-spirited hedgehog who stands against opression and inspires others to live out their authentic selves. Perhaps Sonic being this untameable entity is one of the many reasons that leads Eggman to hate him as much as he does, even if there is a mutual sort of respect the two share. Because it has been shown time and time again what he does with those he does not respect.

Despite all this, this manipulation does seem to have a limit, most notably during the ending of Shadow the Hedgehog, where he admits to Shadow that he lied about having built him, given that there was a big chance that would be their last interaction. Somewhere, deep within his heart, Eggman felt some form of remorse or guilt over misleading Shadow and messing with his sense of identity, so much so that he needed to tell the truth even if it meant losing a pontential pawn for his future schemes. It seems it takes mankind being entirely controlled by an alien overlord to get that out of him. This more human side of Eggman’s is also further explored in Sonic Frontiers with Sage and the doctor coming to see her as family. Overall, the theme seems to be that hiding beneath all the narcissism and basic disregard for others lies something resembling some form of a decent human being.

Conclusion

And that's Eggman. An incredibly intelligent, incredibly immature, manipulative egomaniac who loves being in control and thinks that he and he alone could singlehandedly run the entire world with his wisdom better than anyone else. As a note to end on, it'd be wrong not to link an analysis by Voiced By Mandy that discusses the relationship Eggman and Shadow have, which I can't recommend it enough.

[jamethinks]

Damian and Melinda Thoughts

One panel of sxf that always confused me was the one where Melinda picks Damian up and immediate starts having these conflicting thoughts. It could just be my stupidity showing but I really don't understand Melinda and her relationship with her family. Only thing I was interested in over the Martha Henderson storyline was getting more info about Damian's family life but I doubt that's coming anytime soon

Anyways here is my person headcanon(?) about them that I intend on using for my fanfics (that will never be posted hehe).

tldr; Melinda never wanted Damian and has a hard time loving him because she associates him with pain.

An obvious guess would be some form of SA from her husband but honestly that perspective is a bit contrived and oddly over done. I am a bit tired of the "woman in loveless abusive marriage" trope so i really tried to come with a more interesting alternative.

I would like to think Melinda is actually interested in her husband and respects him and his ideologies to some extent. I also think a more interesting dynamic would be one where she is actually attracted to him, even if it was an arranged marriage overtime she gained interest in him.

She also does love Demetrius and was very happy to have him. Particularly due to the social response she got from having him (the heir to the Desmond Group). I also do think they are older parents so Demetrius may have came after a lot of suffering and pressure.

But obviously getting pregnant was not an easy process and the same would have been the case for Damian. And in his cases I'm guessing it was a real battle both emotionally and physically. I would also like to think she didn't want a second child and was satisfied with Demetrius alone, she didn't want to have to go though everything again but didn't have a choice.

In the end, Damian was an actual burden to her. A specifically unwanted child. The resent really built up when he was a small child and probably clingy and very needy. I also see him as the sickly type.

Additionally, some people may have caught onto her lack of interest in him and criticized her for it. She's overall seen as a poor mother but no one is actually interested in understanding why she feels the way that she does.

She does make an attempt to love him but she's still conflicted about the whole thing. She lacks that natural maternal connection and it leaves her feeling mixed about him.

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

IPKKND + Zodiac Signs

(An in depth explanation as to why I chose the sign per character and tagging @chutkiandchotte for the wonderful analysis on zodiac pairs!)

Nani, an aries because: opinionated, headstrong, do their things their own way. Usually they take charge or situations and can be impatient, hotheaded and do not apologize (remember the whole pressurizing Arnav into marriage and never quite apologizing for her own mistakes eh?) Also Aries hate when they're taking the backseat and aren't the most important person behind the wheel of their life. An Aries needs to reminded they're a leader, not a tyrant. And a good way to make Aries made is to steal their power and Arnav constantly bickers with Nani that really he's the one making decisions, not her!

Taurus ♉️ Anjali Raizada

Anjali was Taurus because: homebody, hates big changes, stable, grounded, grateful, diligent, stubborn, but great listeners and very very dependable. And no matter what, they will overcome their obstacles. Also, Taurus does not respond well to criticism nor to change and can eventually become reckless. However, they do have strong emotions, are attracted to people who make them safe and comfortable (she initially felt deep gratitude to Shyam) and they're incredibly loyal. Great family people.

Gemini ♊️ Shyam Manohar Jha

Shyam as a Gemini comes from the unfair bias of viewing them as two faced people. But hey, the goods of gemini really applies to him! He's charismatic, has a good sense of humor, knows a little about everything, literally being a lawyer is one of the best careers a gemini could have, incredibly intelligent, perceptive (he's the first to smell what's between Arnav-Khushi and genuinely sniffs out every secret around him). He has an uncanny ability to exactly understand someone's personality, is a very good lie detector, and can easily switch based on situations. Also, he can quickly fall out of love and abandon people.

Cancer ♋️ Khushi Kumari Gupta

Khushi is Cancer because of her heightened sensitivity - otherwise she exudes all the energy of a Leo (who literally think they're the kings of the world!). Also a cancer always takes on other people's problems and that is the definition of Khushi Kumari Gupta. She has many moods (some contradictory!) but also a deep core self. It's hard for her to share her fried with others and have learned how to hide her pain to avoid burdening anyone else. She often pretends she's ok when she's not. Also, the slightest provocation gets to her! Slightly traditional, does not like change, hate surprises (remember in sangeet she had to know what's going on!). Also cancers are often in love with the idea of love! And they're terrible hiding their romantic feelings (cue a very flustered Khushi!). And Khushi cannot understand why everyone isn't a nice person. And she loves deeply, very very deeply. A romantic relationship plays a key role in her as a person and it shows!

Leo ♌️ Manorama Raizada

Mami is Leo because she is vain, has a really big personality, wants to always stand out, is very creative and is very interested in luxury! Typically Leos are bold, warm and an ultimate performers! She's brash, over bearing and loves to brag. She always wants to feel important and be the center of the universe! She hates being bossed by Nani, and hates being told what to do! But secretly hates that she doesn't have the wisdom herself! Her resentment to Payal is obvious given how she's forced to say yes to the situation! However, Mami is also very loyal and when she loves, she does love from the bottom of her heart! She loves it when she's made to feel special! And despite having a big social circle, she has a hard time opening up her heart to her few true friends and are scared of being vulnerable. Her relationship with Khushi is built on reluctant friendship and it's very sweet to see that.

  Virgo ♍️ Payal Gupta

Payal is a Virgo because she's intelligent, introverted, has a difficulty expressing her emotions and likes to be needed/useful. Also, she's very very modest and is happy by the smallest gestures (so when Akash does the small thing of buying vegetables to buy potatoes, it really means a lot). And she's perfectly aware of consequences - unlike Khushi! So it makes perfect sense why she realizes her marriage cost a lot to her family and fights to tell Raizadas the truth than hiding it because she fears the worst will happen if they hide Shyam's truth! Also she appears very rational and has a deep set of feelings that is tough to see superficially. And as a Virgo it takes time for Payal to fall for Akash. Virgos usually have a great control of reality that might unfortunately overpower love at times!

Libra ♎️ Akash

Akash is Libra because he's conflict avoidant, sees every side of the picture, has a tough time making decisions and is compassionate and empathetic. And sometimes he might be so concerned about other people's feelings that he might just let other people make decisions for him (he readily agrees to cancel his own sangeet because his cousin isn't ok with it!). So it makes sense why his mom and cousin can push him over given Akash's personality. Akash doesn't exhibit the other aspects of Libra because honestly we don't see much of Akash at all!

Scorpio ♏️ Arnav Singh Raizada

Arnav is Scorpio because he's completely fine with silence, one can't be sure if he's joking or serious, he has eyes that look straight into your soul and has the personality of infinite complexity. As a Scorpio, Arnav is always scanning, perfectly picking pressure points to get the answer they're seeking (hence the all why farak padta hai to Khushi). And honestly, Arnav is very lonely. He has a ruthless view of the world. Everyone either wins or loses. He's blunt. He does NOT lie nor spreads lies. And Arnav is scared of nothing except vulnerability. Opening up is the scariest part because pain is familiar, hope and trust not so much. And he doesn't have a favorite color - dark is perfect. So people do fall for Arnav much faster than he'd ever fall for anyone and when he does - it's fiercely possessive. And his flirting is *phew* - you know the one to whisper, challenge, watch from the mirror, catch you staring, offer smug smiles. And as a Scorpio he is attracted to who pushes his boundaries and brings out his most intense desires and profound fears - intrigue, passion and lust. And just as much as he loves passion, he hates it too. And weirdly while he desires intensely, he hates it if it overtakes his rationality. Which is why he ends up marrying a personal who is the exact opposite of who he verbally said he'd ever want! And to go further into why he's a true blue scorpio is because he will never make his feelings known. First there's a venomous, pentrating look to test the person in front. After that, the look softens. And they usually pursue their interest with intensity of pursuing an enemy. And he will seduce Khushi with magnetism. And tbh, he is pretty loyal and can do anything for his loved ones - morality matters little (cue whatever he feels he is doing for Anjali). Also he understands emotions well and will often help Khushi even before she realizes she needs it (while violently denying anything he feels for her - also the scene where he pays off everything in the hospital)

Sagittarius ♐️ NK

NK is Sagittarius because he forms his opinions off pure emotion, is obsessed with improving himself, is very true, the friendliest person at a party and is just a fearless adventurer. He is overly aspirational, loves to learn and is incredibly open. The opposite of all of his cousins actually! He loves to have a good time, and uses his ability to tell the truth like a power - which works so well against Arnav who just does not express anything. (And he enjoys watching Arnav burn in the discomfort of his own feelings). I just love NK.

Capricorn ♑️ Mahinder Raizada

Mamaji is a Capricorn because he's motivated by duty, is responsible, disciplined and mature to a certain extent. We don't see much about Mamaji in general apart from the fact that he eloped! Lol! Which is hilarious but also understandable if he views it as a moment of weakness instead of adventure! (There's no question doubting his love for Mami though). But he is a value centric man.

Aquarius ♒️ Lavanya Kashyap

La is Aquarius because (water sign like Khushi!) is because she's often an outcast, thrives in large groups, tries to be weird, finds normalcy boring and loves freedom. She likes intelligence, is obsessed with figuring people out (terrible to be attached to a scorpio) and she doesn't see her unwillingness to compromise as selfishness. In fact she's clever, very clever and can make solid friends. And she hates it if someone tells her that she's wrong.

Pisces ♓️ Aman Mathur

Aman, my man, is Pisces only because he's amazing. I have no idea who he is. He's just there'. lol.

Navigate the blog

Tagging: @butaneandthebeast @shiyaravi @shaonsim @thenainitaldisaster @maansiloves @muttonthings @sapnokiduniyaisalwaysbetter @bengudill @myloveforstuff @laad-governess @laadgovernorandsankadevi @leila1 @lostafpanda @magicfeltmybloop @honeybellexox @featheredclover @goals1024 @bigfatreader @simplycurlz @persephone-with-a-cat @sankititaliya @ijustchangedmyname @noor1025 @bitchy-bi-trash @thecharlesboyle @minpdnim @starzin8s @zaphbeeblebrox @white-thebeauty @bunnypassionsworld @scorpio-smiles @exosexosekai @whateverworks91

(I might be missing a lot of names so just comment below so I know!)

[cephydeluxe]

Ohhh I got some asks for the v/mc/rika polycule!! 🤓

1. Do you have any songs/music you like to associate with them? A playlist maybe? 👀 Or just a couple of songs or something, I'm a music nerd, hehe

2. How would you describe their affection towards one another? Are they rough with each other? Gentle? Or do they differ in how they give their affection to each other? I guess case and point is: who's the one coming out covered in bite marks, pfft

3. Are there any feelings of jealousy involved between them? It'll probably be easy to imagine v getting the short end of the stick, but, uh.... he's kind of canonically a freak. So it's highly debatable if he would even get hurt or upset by anything, really. Man's a weird one, and we love him for it. But what about Rika or MC? Do either of them have to deal with feelings of envy or insecurity? Rika's a highly anxious and insecure individual, while MC will have to deal with V's and Rika's mutual obsession with one another. It's an interesting dynamic! I wanna read up on how you see it for them, for better and for worse <3

OMGOMGOMG ‼️‼️‼️ tytyty for asking, I love their dynamic sm,,,, this will be very, extremely, audaciously long lol (u have opened the autism pandora box) it’s all under the read more

TW: unhealthy relationship dynamics, mentions of trauma and mental illness, physical, emotional, and mental abuse (the unholy triforce 😭), also sexual themes too (you know a ships good when you gotta bring out the long ass list of triggers JHASGJDS)

1. MUSIC

I have like a hundred playlists for these freaks and they’re all have a thousand songs in them that VAGUELY remind me of them, so, I’ll give you my top 5 :)

1.

This song is THE QUINTESSENTIAL Rika song, 100%, no doubt. Rika’s jealousy and envy of V’s “light” compared to her “darkness” is at the heart of what killed their relationship and plays a huge role in the creation of the mint eye. V certainly isn’t nowhere near as vain as Julius Caesar, but Rika couldn’t fit the role of Brutus here any better than she already does🥺🥺🥺.

“That the people would see me too as a poet, and not just the muse” is such a good line for rika’s thoughts and feelings on their relationship augh, she sees v’s ability to love her, to “save” her, and constantly compares it to her hatred of everyone in her past who mistreated and abused her, and wonders “why can’t I have the ability to love others? why am I in agony even now in this relationship? why can’t I be the savior and not just v’s muse?”

Totally encapsulates Rika’s slow mental decline as V keeps enabling her, it stoked her “devil” and it starts to create a vicious cycle of “heap on the love, get jealous of v’s light, become resentful and aggressive as an unhealthy coping mechanism, “test v’s love” (hurt him), remorse, hate herself, resolve to be “cured” by the light, repeat”. She has no idea what romantic love actually looks like, so she gets it confused with obsessive hatred.

^^^this is totally the scene where she stabs him LMAOSDHSJJHD

“I don’t want what you have, I want to be you” it’s such a good line, it’s Rika 100%,,,,, augh 🥺🥺🥺

2.

This song makes me froth at the mouth soooo bad thinking about V/MC affair hijinks (I’m delusional), but I think the general vibe fits with Rika feeling scorned and cheated at the end of V route. Like instead of fabricating a woman up, she lured MC to mint eye which set up the events that led V and MC to fall in love (kinda), smh she set herself up 😒

3.

Casual/Deep story V vibes at their finest,,,,, imagining V wandering alone through his old, and frighteningly chilly, house, the one he built with Rika to be the foundation for their new happy life,,,, trying to remember her face after finally losing his vision completely and having spent so long apart from her,,, while questioning the nature of their relationship for it to end like this,,,, calling out her name in hope she’ll come back and the past 2 years will have been a dream,,,,, hell yeagh (hooked up 2 life support)

4.

All of kikuo’s songs remind me of mint eye, but hole dwelling is Rika/MC vibes 100%.(could also be ray tbh BUT THIS AINT ABOUT HIM ‼️) Rika tries to convince MC to stay with her by appealing to the hurt, scared, and confused childlike side of her similar to the way the song does. “The outside world just wants to hurt people like us anyway, but don’t worry, I’m always here for you, I understand you. There’s no need to change, it’s uncomfortable and scary, just stay in this place I built for you and me.” MC fuckin HATES this shit, but being in a place like mint eye wears down on you, so mc will occasionally (and very begrudgingly) lean on Rika for support. It’s very sweet (delusional).

5.

Ok this oldie sticks out jahshj (I’m a fnv freakazoid) but it’s totally MC singing about V 🥹💕. I wouldn’t say it was “love at first sight”,,,,, but it was totally “attraction at first sight” lmao (big difference). Their attraction was really quick to spark, they had a lot of things in common and similar views (not so much in other things LOL) like their love for art in all forms, their introverted nature, their mutual appreciation for all things romantic (aka, their both in love with falling in love), and their similar martyr complex lolololol. MC singing this while spending a sleepless night tending to a sickly drugged V, while lamenting her newfound budding feelings for him,,,(cephy stop obsessing over romance as a tragedy challenge: impossible)

Some honorable mentions

(^^^ V would never describe his relationship with Rika so cruelly, EVER,,,,, but the vibe of love performed as art for others instead of something to build with someone you care about,,, it’s immaculate)

11. AFFECTION

Their dynamic can be confusing, but don’t worry, you can’t possibly be more confused than they are, and they’re IN IT lol. Generally their dynamic is, the “ring leader” (Rika) and her two adoring affectionate “lovers” (V and MC) (more like playthings tbh). They have a whole web of dynamics though, ray made a chart to keep track of it all so when inevitably Rika has a meltdown over a perceived slight and needs him to vent to, he can keep track of what’s what (kinda)(poor guy).

Rika/MC affection: USUALLY MC does NOT want anything to do with Rika,,, but V can be super suffocating,,,, and Rika is extremely persistent with getting MC’s attention, and the line between hate and love can be extremely thin (especially in their case). MC tends to relent when rika’s upset though, she doesn’t like seeing her cry (she tries to convince herself lol) and will comfort Rika when she does. MC generally follows Rika’s led in moments like this (overstepping her bounds, even accidentally, is a recipe for disaster). Rika knows this, and will take full advantage, cue 7 hour cuddling session that takes up MC’s whole day, even if she had something planned with V 🤭🤭🤭 Rika is also wayyyy more happily (and sexually) affectionate with MC than with V lol (cause she’s closeted lesbian- wHO SAID THAT) Mutual biting, but the one biting is usually Rika.

V/MC affection: my sweet lovers,,,,, they are much too sweet to each other considering the circumstances,,, V (despite his relationship with Rika) has never felt so genuinely attracted to another person before, it’s always been a conscious choice he’s made for the sake of his art, his love, his obsession, his guilt, his light. So when his feelings for MC spring up outta nowhere, he has a kinda catholic reaction to them ahdghshgd. “Good heavens, what is this feeling??? For a woman I met a week ago, no less….. What a sad excuse for a man I am, how could I love anyone else besides Rika….i should stop…(proceeds to call MC for the 50th time that day just to hear her voice)” and MC,,,, MC has never had a more embarrassing crush on a guy, ever HEHEHE she doesn’t know how to cope with his flustering when she reaches for his hand, his old timey romantic gestures (getting her flowers and walking with her on the side farthest from the road)(throwing his coat on a puddle for her to walk on HSHSDJ). He can be a lil too much at times, (which sometimes frustrates her, she feels smothered at times, and it’s her first relationship (good lord) and she’s not a well adjusted person either) but they both have this really cute, almost innocent, puppy love thing going on, it’s cute 🥰, it’s also the only kind of real affection v gets lol (poor guy). MC has a bad case of “cute-aggression” that gets exasperated by V’s smothering, so it’s usually her giving out the bites hjajhd V takes anything she gives him, he’s so touch starved. Rika usually butts in on their time together, but more on that later.

V/Rika affection(or lack thereof) : these two,,,, the apocalyptic disaster couple themselves,,,,, well for starters Rika keeps him at a looooong distance, in most cases. The reason (at least she believes) they broke up in the first place is because rika’s devil was being burned by V’s love, BUT she admits herself that she “needs” v’s light to fuel her darkness. V also feels an obligation to shine his light on her, the initial obsession and intrigue long dead by now, but he still genuinely cares about Rika’s wellbeing, very much so. They “love” and “need” each other like a sick person needs their meds, but the sick person doesn’t feel affectionate towards their medication, right? No real heart-warming connection towards their pill bottle, it’s just something they need to live. In fact, wouldn’t they feel resentful of their medicine?? Having to constantly depend on it for survival, all the while dealing with side effects when they would rather do anything else?? Yeah that’s their relationship lol,,,,,(somebody get a therapist on speed dial) There’s Biting here too, but it’s all Rika, and not at all playful as her bites with MC, and her bites are nowhere near as passionate like the ones MC gives him.

111. JEALOUSY AND INSECURITY

Oooh lord 😭😭😭 Rika’s practically made of it, V unfortunately enables it, and MC cannot stomach it (except when she gets jealous too). Most of their fights (that practically rival ancient Chinese civil wars in casualties) stem from someone (usually Rika, never V) feeling jealous or insecure. It’s a miracle this poly trio even happened. It’s a complete scientific mystery as to how the poly trio is still going.

Rika’s jealousy and insecurity: I could write a detailed analysis on rika’s insecurity that would rival the Lord of the Rings in length and it still wouldn’t convey just how bad she’s got it, so I’ll try and give the cliff notes instead. She feels she “needs” to be loved in order to be validated as a living being, worthy of living happily. So when she feels “left out” (not the center of attention for 2 seconds) she spirals, thinking she’s being left alone just like so many times before in childhood, just like a defective doll her adopted parents didn’t want, and that maybe they were right, she couldn’t possibly deserve love. Panicking, she usually interrupts whatever V and MC have going on, and insists on reassurance of their love for her, and if she feels she’s being slighted, she’ll fly into a rage, handing out punishments and tests of love, but you can tell she’s biased cause MC’s “punishment” is being confined to Rika’s comfy bedroom for a week and V’s punishment is being locked in the dungeon for 3 weeks 😭😭😭😒😒😒 Usually best case scenario is

V/MC enjoying a moment together alone cuddling

Rika immediately being alerted via her sixth sense

Rika barging in like “make room bitches”

Rika settling smack dab between them lol

MC’s jealous and insecurity: She HATES Rika’s jealous fits so fuckin much lmaoooo 🤭. She convinces herself she would never get jealous ever…… which is an outright LIE it just manifests differently and less often. She hates V’s tendency to distance himself from her to appease Rika, it makes her insecurity flare badly, cue her starting a spat with Rika, and hoping V will take her side. It’s stupid, petty, and downright goofy behavior honestly, but it’s her first relationship (good lord) and she’s got the worst fucking partners ever 🫠🫠🫠 how else is a sheltered neurodivergent girl in her early 20s to cope.

V’s (non existent) jealousy and insecurity: As you have correctly guessed,,,,,, V is definitely not a jealous man HJDDSJSJSF 😂😂😂😂 He is weirdly secure in the relationship, due to Rika’s dependence on his “light” and though his relationship with MC is very new, he feels the tight bond (trauma bond lol) they have and doesn’t worry about whether or not she’ll leave him, also due in part to the fact he doesn’t worry about them not returning his affections, he’s more worried about whether or not he deserves to love or be loved in the first place. If he found out one of them saw someone else outside the trio, he wouldn’t be upset besides somehow twisting the event into somehow being his fault like “if my light was strong enough they wouldn’t have had to go somewhere else for it, was I neglecting them??? 😢😢😢”(poor guy) This trait of his tends to set the other two off, as they mistake his laidback “I’m cool with everything” security as aloofness, and spiral into their insecurity 😑😑😑 it also has the hilarious (debatable) effect of usually ending spats between Rika and MC.

*Rika and MC arguing over something* “V!! What do you think?? Whose side are you on!?”

V:*deep breath* I think you’re both right. 😇😇😇

“Are you fucking kidding me-“ “SEE I TOLD YOU, isn’t he infuriating????” “V just pick a side!!!” “THATS WHAT IM SAYING!!” “Ugh you’re so right-“

(queue lesbianism, hilarity ensues)

They’re a complete disaster together, but you’d have to have the strength of fucking Zeus to separate them, it’s ludicrous.

[lollytea]

fuck yes worldbuilding for the Huntlow Neverland AU. FUCK yes. love everybody's deals they're so interesting. question: what's the deal with Hunter and Belos? and do you have any backstory ideas for Willow beyond her history with Amity (which i love)? it's interesting that her main friends seem to all NOT be fairies

I dont really know about Belos I don't care about him all that much. What I imagine is that he and Caleb visited Neverland as children. They were orphans and didn't have any other sanctuary besides each other but Neverland seemed like their safe haven. Caleb eventually met a wild and rowdy Lost Boy named Evelyn and he decided that he wanted to return to the mainland with her and grow up. Philip was hurt that his brother wanted to leave the life they had made for themselves here but he reluctantly returned home with them. Real life adult problems commenced, years and years of tension and built up resentment on Philip's end, maybe he got really into religion (???) Caleb and Evelyn got pregnant out of wedlock (???) I dunno, blah blah blah blah stab.

Philip returns to Neverland to hide from his guilt (and the police) and relive his glory days but all it does is fuck up his sanity and now he hates this stupid fucking place with all his heart and soul. Its no longer his escapist fantasy from his boyhood. Its a vile abomination. Its Hell and he needs to destroy it somehow.

He and the Collector have a very weird relationship. It's not really as personally antagonistic as Peter Pan and Hook but rather, Belos is the "bad guy" in the Collector's games, which he obediently plays along with (keeps him alive). However, the Collector is very insistent that games be fair and so, he grants Belos' requests that he always have a Special Player on his team so his chances of winning are better. It makes the games more fun that way anyway.

And so, every few decades, the Collector returns to the mainland to bring Belos his Special Player. Upon his request, its always a baby or young boy that he steals from the nursery of the Wittebane family.

(A family which now believes themselves to be cursed because they so frequently have their children stolen in the night.)

The boys never last long. Belos isn't careful with his playthings and they often die before they even make it to manhood. Sad.

(Also. For reference. The subject of "growing up" on Neverland is kinda slippery. In some variations, Peter was actually the only one capable of remaining young forever, while Lost Boys aged and died all around him. In some variations, everybody who lives on Neverland remains in an ageless state. What we are gonna do in this case is make aging a state of mind. You grow old if you feel old. And honestly, most Neverland dwellers do as time passes. Except King and the Collector. Although, time is very weird here. Sometimes a few years in Neverland is just a few weeks back in the human world.)

As for Willow, I imagine her backstory BEGAN with the fight with Amity. But after that she became a lot more meek and less confident because she felt discarded and unloved. This made it very easy for other fairies (Boscha) to make her a bullying target. Willow is clumsy, Willow can't always control her magic, Willow isn't as fast at flying as Boscha, Willow is this and that and whatever.

Things are tense when Amity appears in Neverland and Willow does not want her there. And then she actually becomes kinda friendly with Boscha which hurts even more cuz Oh. So you don't hate fairies? It's just Willow you hate?? Huh. Good to know.

Her confidence begins to gradually build again after some time spent with Luz, Gus and eventually patching things up with Amity. And then Hunter comes along and he makes her feel like the most wonderful fairy in Neverland.

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Ideas #30: A Maiden Dark and Fair, but make it f!Jon/Renly

As some of you may be aware, I have a slight obsession with female Jon Snow fics, in large part because of the pairings it makes possible to secure the Iron Throne. So many interesting houses, so many potential grooms...

To which, I've spent the last several weeks trying to figure out how to make an arranged marriage between a female!Jon Snow and Renly Baratheon work.

Just imagine it:

Robert Baratheon is not a particularly liberally-minded man. He sees his youngest brother prefers men to women and, rather than make other arrangements for the succession of Storm's End, concludes that Renly just hasn't been offered a woman pretty enough.

Bobby B has also always wanted to join his bloodline to House Stark. His son deserves a woman like his own beloved Lyanna to be his queen. Joffrey and Sansa are of age - only Sansa takes after her mother, so that would be like giving his son a Tully bride, no matter how beautiful. Maybe they can betroth Tommen and Arya?

But wait! Ned has a bastard daughter - a beautiful, of-age bastard daughter who is said to be Lyanna come again, Alys. A bastard, yes, but Robert can do a favor for Ned and legitimize the girl and do a favor for Renly by marrying him to the most beautiful woman in Westeros.

Naturally, the only one pleased by this is Robert.

However much all other parties do not want this marriage to happen (Renly has no desire to marry a woman; Alys was intending to become the next Old Nan; Ned is worried someone in the south will see Rhaegar in Alys' features; the other great houses are offended the king's brother is marrying a bastard, &c), Robert does, and it's his opinion that matters.

And so Alys Snow becomes Lady Baratheon of Storm's End.

Much to everyone's surprise, Alys and Renly become friendly on the journey back south. It makes the marriage rather more bearable, but doesn't change the fact that everyone in Westeros expects heirs from them before too long.

There are two ways I can see this going: 1) Alys, being a Northern bastard without recourse to the Wall or the Faith, has spent most of her youth training as a midwife. Before Bobby B got involved, it was her intention never to marry - in part to avoid complicating the succession, in part because she's asexual despite Westeros not having a word for it - and help care for her siblings' children. She takes a very practical view of things, and after some trial and error with a medieval funnel, their problems are solved.

Or: 2) After spending some time together, Alys and Loras get along well enough that the three of them settle into something of a polyamorous relationship. Bi!Loras facilitates sex between his lover and his wife - dealers choice on the details - and while it's nothing any of them would have sought out, it works well enough for them. And if one or two of the kids look more Tyrell than Baratheon? Well, who knows who Alys' mother was anyway?

Fast forward two or three years to the events of canon, with Robert dying (either killed by his wife or his own bad habits) and the War of Five Kings breaking out.

Perhaps Ned still loses his head, but I like the idea he managed to avoid becoming hand of the king and thus was safely in Winterfell at the time.

Perhaps Stannis declares himself as king, but perhaps Alys helps to mend fences between the younger Baratheon brothers. This involves visits to Dragonstone - and the discovery (via dragon egg, a very similar looking portrait, a purple-eyed child, &c) that Alys might have a claim to the Iron Throne.

And so the War of Five Kings becomes a war of two kings (Joffrey and Balon) and a queen.

Bonuses include: 1) Ned not revealing Alys' birthparents until long after she guessed it by other means. This should be an awkward, uncomfortable conversation that Alys by no means makes easy on her uncle followed by some screaming (Alys has a lot of built up anger and resentment about her treatment at Winterfell, however good she might have had it compared to other bastards) and lots of tears; 2) a cache of dragon eggs at Dragonstone, including one that hatches into a dragon that looks completely black except under certain lights, where her scales shine deep purple; and 3) Loras, quite unexpectedly, finding a BFF in his lover's Northern wife. Their relationship should be reminiscent of Kirk and Spock, and at least twice a week Renly should have cause to bemoan the fact his wife and boyfriend get along better than he does with either of them.

And that's all I have. As always, feel free to adopt this bun, just link back if you do anything with it.

Other Jon Snow Headcanons: Aegon the Unyielding | Aemon the Adventurous | Baelor the Brave | Lady Arryn | Lady Baratheon | Lady Lannister | Lady Stark | Prince Consort | Prince of Summerhall | Queen Mother

More Terrible Fic Ideas

[b0vidine]

Hey! Incase you didn't notice in the tags that AU I’ve been posting about these last few days is called Encore, this post is going to be explaining that AU for anybody who may be interested. 

This is just copy and pasted from my explanation on discord so if you read that one this post is nothing new.

I’m going to try to explain this simultaneously quickly while also in depth. I also want to say not everything in this AU is set in stone and things are subject to change as well as I don't have everything planned out. Anyways, onto explaining the AU. This AU is based on the idea of Whole being in the headspace. After a while of making music he started to run out of ideas and the loop wasn't keeping his audience as entertained as it used to. At first things were good, HMS were happy to have him there, and he enjoyed their company. However, being happy isn't entertaining. 

Slowly he tried more and more to find inspiration with the three but it wasn't working. Whole found he has a ridiculous amount of power in the headspace, seeing that it’s his own brain. One thing led to another and Whole turned the headspace into a theater and HMS into marionettes. I have literally nowhere else to mention this so it’s getting mentioned here, HMS are little in this au like maybe a foot tall. (as you likely noticed) Whole began to manipulate the three, changing them to create a more interesting story. Initially he wanted to erase the three’s memories to create blank canvases to work with however he lacked the ability to fully erase the memories. So he settled for shifting them around, and by that I mean he gave all of Heart and Soul’s combined memories to Mind. 

Due to this Soul has no clue who Whole is. Soul based a lot of what he did and who he was on Whole, now that he doesn't know who Whole is he’s lost that. Soul now lacks anything to push him forwards so he tends to act impulsively doing whatever the first thing that comes to his mind. Soul is typically just left on stage strung up, he’s easy to control and if he escapes it’s no big deal. Heart on the other hand is harder to control, he’s always been based on his emotions and his emotions aren't something Whole can take from him. Whole decided putting in the effort to keep Heart on his strings at all times wasn't worth it so instead he keeps Heart near him. By "near him" I mean in a birdcage in his “workshop”  (a room in the theater he works on songs and other things in.) Whole lets Heart out every so often to help him write music and to receive his thoughts on things he's working on. Heart sees Whole as a friend, he doesn't understand that being treated like a neglected pet bird is a bad thing. He only wishes Whole would let him out more or perhaps give him a better cage. He has some built up resentment against Whole for this but not nearly as much as he should. 

Mind like I said before has the combined memories of Heart and Soul, that’s every memory of every loop, all of their combined thoughts and feelings, all of it. Mind because of this tends to be more delayed when speaking or thinking, he considers his thoughts as well as Heart and Soul’s using their memories to try to find the best decision. He tends to be very quiet spending a lot of time in his own head. He now sees Heart and Soul as strangers now that they don't have their memories they are merely hollow shells of his old friends. Mind is more Heart and Soul than they are. He has a hard time bringing himself to speak with them often but he also cares too much about them to just let them wander around clueless.

Whole made the theater to control Heart, Mind, and Soul, to have them put on shows and test out story ideas. If they won't make interesting things on their own accord then he will make them. I’d also like to mention now that even though Whole does a lot of shitty stuff in this au I don't want to seem like I'm villainizing him or anything. He doesn't really see Heart, Mind, and Soul as separate from himself. So at the end of the day he's only hurting himself right? 

For the basic story of the AU I don't have a whole lot planned, for now all I have is Soul escapes from his strings and eventually finds the other two. I’ve been bouncing around the idea of Mind bargaining with Whole to give Heart and Soul their memories either through games, tasks, or some other means. Though like I said in the beginning of this it’s a work in progress I’m still thinking on these things. 

and as typical in my text posts I’ll include art and by art I mean Heart, Mind, and Soul’s full designs seeing I haven't posted them yet.    

(Don’t ask why the art style I drew Mind in is so different from the other two I literally did all three of them in one night idk what went wrong) 

Anyways,, that’s all for this one, till next time. 

[masterqwertster]

How do you think the Hells would handle a de-aged soft Ashton from the In a Situation Prompt list?

Prompt

19 De-aged

Oh yes! I have many thoughts about this with two main variations: Retains Memories and Only Childhood Memories. (I kind of favor only childhood memories)

Also, my preference for a de-aged Ashton is essentially half-and-half: they're reduced to a Shifting age no later than the Shift reaching their bellybutton (in my usual feet up fashion), as it adds some shenanigans/angst while still allowing for I Was Soft Once.

Retains Memories

So anytime an adult character is de-aged to a child, they should be more emotional, even when they haven't lost their memories. Kid bodies just aren't built for the usual calm control of an adult because the chemical soup of the brain is changing and adjusting as we grow towards adulthood.

Which really sucks for Ashton, who puts a fair bit of effort into controlling themself and hiding certain emotions.

It's so much easier to become upset like this, and with his adult memories, Ashton knows how to turn upset into battle rage. And he instinctually does that when his emotions get too strong. Also, while his body no longer bears the marks, his soul is still laced with dunamis, so all the battle rage temper tantrums are accompanied by his chaos magic, and it's even more uncontrolled than normal.

Que Bells Hells doing their best to keep their baby-fied friend as calm and happy as possible. And Ashton resenting and loving the attention and care in turns.

Ashton is also more cuddly as a kid because the chronic pain is gone. Still hates being touched by strangers, of course, because that's a matter of trust. But with Bells Hells? They're not avoiding touch anymore and are, occasionally, willing to instigate. It's also interesting to (re)discover how nice it is to have someone brush their hair, run fingers through it.

Oh, and a sprinkling of "Ashton doesn't know how to be Soft anymore" is also appropriate since they have twice as many memories of being stone, as discussed in part already here in the Bodyswap section.

Only Childhood Memories

If Ashton only has their memories up to the age their body is reduced to, they're going to remember Hishari more clearly and have the wariness that Greymoore has started to beat into them, but not the full cynicism and brokenness of adult Ashton.

If the de-aging takes place on the road, Ashton's not going to attempt to run off on Bells Hells immediately. But he is going to be considering it since he has no memory of how he got where he is or who these people are (even though they already know his name).

If it's in a city, Bells Hells definitely has to worry about Ashton running off if they can't quickly gain his trust (which he is predisposed to trust them because his soul knows them and its got fucking dunamis bullshit in it). And if Ashton does get the chance to try running, Bells Hells is very thankful that Ashton can't or doesn't remember how to use Pass Without a Trace, so he can't get away without Orym's Passive Perception noticing/catching him.

It turns out that the old adage of "the quickest way to a person's heart is through their stomach" holds particularly true of little Ashton. They have a large appetite and are used to Greymoore telling them "no" when it comes to seconds or larger portions. Meanwhile, Bells Hells are continuously offering more food if they think Ashton looks hungry. Growing children need nutrition! And it's pretty clear that Ashton has been underfed as a child. The freely offered food makes Ashton willing to stick with them on the merit of "getting to have a full belly on the regular" alone.

And while it's very tentative at first, the moment little Ashton feels comfortable with a member of Bells Hells, he's cuddling up to them, looking for and luxuriating in comforting touches. He hasn't really had that sort of thing since Hishari, so he's happy to have somehow found himself in the care of such nice people. Bells Hells kind of adores this cuddliness, and quietly laments that adult Ashton can't have this so freely with his chronic pain.

Little Ashton gets cagey talking about where they're from pretty quickly after deciding they want to stick with Bells Hells. They don't want to be sent back/abandoned again. But with careful coaxing and promises that they're keeping Ashton no matter what, Bells Hells can tease out some information about Hishari as it was. They care less about knowing more about Greymoore since adult Ashton seems to remember all they want to know about there.

Also, little Ashton needs to ride the FCG segway at some point since he's small and (probably?) light enough for it. Maybe a Too Sleepy to Walk ride.