#and also it's not like there isn't still time to rectify some of this in canon

[silent-partner-412]

ok i need to ramble bc playing a second time, the failings of sea of stars' story are sooooo much more apparent to me and it's fucking heartbreaking (SPOILERS AHEAD)

first of all. after back to back banger moments with the introduction of mesa island and re'shan, the whole clockwork castle sequence, the garl death arc, and the introduction of serai's world, the story just. decides it doesn't want to do anything fun or interesting anymore. the last vestige of something interesting happening is at the top of the tower in serai's world with the birds where you get the gay ass moment with young re'shan and aephorul, and then re'shan fucks off for the entire rest of the game. the normal ending pretty much comes immediately afterward, save for a very boring sequence where the artificer gets made. and nothing happens in the normal ending either! you defeat erlina, aephorul admits defeat, and the game ends. it's so fucking underwhelming, ESPECIALLY considering how much momentum they build in the second third of the game.

also... the true ending. look, i'm glad you actually get to fight aephorul, and garl coming back is... cute. it's nice to have another character around i actually care about after a very long time of serai carrying the cast of this game on her shoulders after aephorul leaves. but come the fuck on. garl's death sequence was so well done, and it's practically just thrown away for the sake of a reference to chrono trigger.

to me, it feels like a handful of things could've gone wrong here, broadly speaking. first, it's entirely possible that sabotage studio didn't understand the best parts of what they created here, and didn't lean into them. i wanted more of aophorul and re'shan and their divorced lovers ass relationship, i wanted more of erlina and brugaves and how the solstice warrior coalition might be more toxic than is let on, i wanted more of serai and the story of her world, and i wanted a hell of a lot less of zale and valere. or if nothing else, i want a version of zale and valere that have more going on than they do. i wanted more explanations about this world, i wanted more drama, i wanted more intrigue, and we just don't get enough.

second, i think they may have shot themselves in the foot by trying to make their games into a cinematic universe of sorts. the messenger is a fun game, and it's cool that there are tie-ins, but that game was NEVER built to be the foundation of worldbuilding for an RPG. the story and writing just wasn't made for it. the fact that there are so many tie-ins is cool, but probably a bit too ambitious considering just what the messenger is.

finally, i think it might have just been rushed. it really does feel like the story just... ends out of nowhere. i feel like we're missing, like, at least five hours of game here. it's weird to think about since it's not like this is a small game, and it was five years in between it and the messenger. but it would explain a lot about what happened to the building momentum and the lack of any actual climax.

look, i love this game, or at least i really want to. i still think the music, visuals, and combat are a 10/10. the levels and world design aren't perfect, but they get the job done, and there are so many locales here that i just adore. the story and writing do SO MUCH well, they just stumble right at the finish line. the game has so much heart, and i can see why i got a little high on all its best qualities last year. but i'm not sure i still hold it in as high of regard.

[ddaz3d-and-cc0nfused]

Write some baby Reid stuff?!

ೇ teach me ― spencer reid .ᐟ

pairing .ᐟ college!spencer reid x plus size popular girl!reader

summary | who knew that seven minutes in heaven could lead to spencer losing his virginity to the girl he thought was completely out of his league?

warnings | reader teaching spencer how to please her, light breast play, heavy consent reassurance (bc reader wants to make sure his first time is memorable), praise, sub!spencer reid, dom!reader, praise kink, heavy use of nicknames, petting if you squint, stripping, riding, unprotected sex, creampie, lack of foreplay, vaginal sex, teasing, a sprinkle of comedy in there cause i couldn't help myself, loser boyfriend!spencer plain and simple.

wordcount | 1472

۶ৎ a/n .ᐟ | HIYAAAA this is the much demanded part two of my dry humping kinktober fic, but you don't have to read it to understand this one (but it would be preferred!!). i'm also writing this because I have something planned for this year's kinktober and i'm trying to set us up for greatness here sooo!! we'll definitely be seeing this couple again ;]

— links .ᐟ masterlist || ao3

Oh God, Spencer was shaking.

He was about to lose his virginity to the girl of his dreams, and he was fucking shaking.

You had to cut the man some slack, because throughout his college career, all he had been worrying about was working toward his first PHD, and his mother, who he had left back in Las Vegas.

As soon as he had entered your empty dorm room, your hands were on him. You tugged lightly on the roots of his hair, attempting to coax him into doing something, because right now, he was as still as a statue and yet trembling at the same time.

“Spencer…” You separated your lips with his and he immediately frowned. “Yeah - yes, yes? Are you okay?” Oh God, you were going to tell him you didn’t want to have sex with him anymore, that everything leading up until now was a mistake and -

“I should be the one asking you that.”

“What?” He asked nervously with furrowed brows.

“Well to start, you're shaking like you're cold and you aren't kissing me back.” He started to pick at his cuticles again. “I- I-” Stop stuttering, damnit!

“What?” You teased with a small smile, “Can you only get hard in public? Is it a kinky thing?”

“What?! No, no!” Spencer sputtered incredulously. His eyes were wide and frantic to the point where he stopped picking at his nails. That wasn't what this was at all! How could you think - oh. Oh. You were being sarcastic.

“I'm just kidding, Spence.” You took your hands off his body and he almost chased their warmth. “We don't have to do anything you don't want to; we can just watch a movie or something. My roommate isn't going to be back for who knows how long.”

“No - I… I want to. I'm just… nervous. I’m -” He gulped. “I'm a virgin.” His confession was muttered and meek but you heard him. The man looked up at you through his long eyelashes, his brown irises boring into your soul in wait for your reaction.

You bit the inside of your cheek and examined him for a moment. “How about this,” You grab him by his hand. “I’ll show you what to do and we'll rectify that tonight if things go well.”

You took a step toward him and his back but the door with a quiet thud. “And I'm sure you're a quick learner, aren't you Reid?”

“Very! I'm a very quick learner!”

“That's what I like to hear.”

You led him over to your twin sized bed and stood by it. You had no idea how the both of you were going to fit on it, but you were really just flying by the seat of your pants right now.

“Take off my dress.” You command softly. “O- okay.” His quivering hands grab at the hem of your dress and tug it up, all the while he was watching your face.

Spencer sucks in a breath at the sight of your bare chest and panty clad lower half. He was throbbing where he stood, and he almost died of embarrassment.

“Touch me, baby.” You encouraged him lightly by grabbing his lithe and shaky hands and placing them on your heavy breasts. He all but gasped at the feeling, but he quickly covered it up by clearing his throat.

He pinched your nipples gently and it caused you to moan quietly.

“Is this okay?” Spencer asked with a swallow. Your hands left his own and your fingers dug into his biceps, your lips rolled in between your teeth to hold back your sounds. “More than okay.” You breathed.

It goes on like that for a moment and the need that was pooling in your gut was nauseating, and your blood was rushing to every part of your body.

“Spencer…” You sighed. “Take your clothes off.”

His eyes widen in disbelief, his hands all but snatching them off your breasts and to the buckle on his khaki pants. His fingers are uncoordinated and nervous but he manages to get it out the loop while you work on pulling your thong down your legs.

You can tell he’s trying not to stare at your newly nude bottom half, and you approach him and drag your fingertips across the band of his underwear. “Can I take this off, pretty boy?” You ask just in case. He nods dumbly. “Yes, yes please.”

He decides to take off his shirt while you rid him of his boxers. “You’re so pretty, Spencer.” You coo and look up at him through your eyelashes. His cheeks flush a deep red, just like they did in the circle. “T - thank you! You are as well and… and you’re pretty all the time too!” You just chuckle. “Thank you, baby.”

“Get on the bed.” You command, and he scrambles to follow your words. You’d work on teaching him foreplay later, because right now you need him inside you, badly.

“I figured this was better than trying to have both of us laying down on this tiny ass bed.” You joke and straddle him.

Spencer’s hands are raised, like he doesn’t know what to do with them. You take them wordlessly, placing them on your naked flesh. He can’t help but squeeze the meat of your hips, the fat of them spilling out from between his nimble fingers.

“We’re gonna take this slow, okay? Because I don’t want to overwhelm you.” You placed a hand on his cheek and grabbed his cock. He yelped, his hips shooting up at the simulation. “Easy boy, easy.” You coax.

He attempts to steady himself, teeth biting down on his bottom lip in order to try and keep his composure when the tip of his cock brushes against your entrance.

“Ready?” You ask. He nods like a maniac. “Mhm!”

Then you sink down.

Spencer sounds like he’s getting his soul stolen with the way that he moans out loud. It’s a mix between a scream and a whimper really, and his eyes practically roll back into his head. His grip on you tightens, holding onto you like a lifeline, and you honestly think that his fingers are going to bruise, but you don’t tell him.

Your legs are shaking and your stomach is tight and you’re smiling deliriously like a mad woman. He feels so good and he’s filling you up so well. It reminds you of how people say the skinniest guys are always hung.

Spencer’s fully sheathed inside of you and he’s trembling, uncontrollable whimpers and whines spilling from between his lips.

“You’re so warm please…” He begs, his hips jumping up once more. You yourself yelp in surprise and he’s instantly apologizing. “‘M sorry, ‘m sorry, I just - just need more, please…”

“I got you sweetheart, just hang on.” You lift up until his tip catches your rim before sinking down again. He chokes on his own spit.

You manage to find a rhythm and Spencer desperately follows you, trying to offer you some pleasure as well. You know he is bye the way he’s constantly searching your face for any kind of disappointment.

“Do you not -” He huffs. “Does it not feel good?” It brings out a sad mewl. “It feels great, baby, I promise; but we can worry about me later. Tonight is about you, okay?” You force him to look at you and accept his words. “Okay.”

Your legs are getting tired but you’re determined to make him cum and by the look on his face and the scrunching of his eyebrows, he’s close.

“You close?” You huff out, sliding up and down at an overwhelming pace, even for you. “I - yes! Where should I…” Cum. Where should he cum is what he wanted to ask but he’s too embarrassed to. “Inside me.” You say with a smirk.

Spencer really wants to question it, but all thought is thrown out the window when he feels his stomach tighten and his legs lock.

“I - I’m -” But it’s too late by the time he tries to tell you, because he lets out a long whorish moan, and his back arches off the wall.

You grin down at him as he paints your inner walls white, your hands that were gripping his shoulders rubbing at the skin of his neck and down his upper arms. A shiver shoots up your spine but you welcome it nonetheless.

You soothe him back down to earth through his aftershocks and tiny whimpers. You feel him go soft inside of you but you don’t try to get off just in case he still needs you there comfort wise.

“Holy shit,” You laugh. “Are you okay?” You ask in disbelief.

“I feel wonderful.” The undertone of his murmur is giggly and it’s probably the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.

ೃ⁀➷ my lovely taglist!: @alina02 @louderfortheback @minervadashwood @their-love @fandomsarelifee @theendofthe70s @nomajdetective @mgg-theprettiestboy @phoenixblack89 @celtic-crossbow @hallecarey1 @bunnybabe-babydoll @dixonzzgirl @violettavirus @khxna

[blorbocedes]

true hate's kiss for brocedes

Toto calls just as Lewis is about to go film a vine with Kendall Jenner.

"Lewis, we need you back at the office. We have a, erm, delicate situation."

"What do you mean?"

"As you are aware of the generous Petronas sponsor gift - the cursed spindle - that sits in our factory."

"The cursed spindle which sends you to sleep for millennia, yeah."

"Well, it appears Nico has accidentally made contact with the spindle, and subsequently fallen into a deep slumber. If this is not rectified immediately, he of course cannot race this weekend."

Lewis tugs at his collar. He'd much rather be on a yacht in his free time than make the drive all the way to Brackley just to help out Nico.

"Yeah, so call his wife. True love's kiss and all that."

Toto pauses for a second. "Ah, Lewis. This isn't a cursed spindle from fairy tales," he says in a condescending tone, "Only a kiss borne from true hatred will wake him."

Oh.

If Nico sleeps through the weekend, that's Lewis' championship secured. He's sure if he was ahead in the points, Nico wouldn't wake him if the situation was reversed. Maybe. He just might, just to hold it over Lewis' head.

Lewis stops himself from saying he can't kiss him because he's a man. It's 2016, and homophobia is totally cringe. So instead, he opts for the safer: "I can't be going around kissing married men! A bunch of people hate Nico, just get one of his haters or someone from Sky Sports."

It is a part of their sport, with adoring fans comes also passionate haters.

The phone is wrestled from Toto, and the German voice of Vivian speaks through. "Lewis, I swear to god if you do not get your ass back right now to kiss my husband. I still have all the negatives from the parties from my Nokia digital camera."

Lewis winces thinking of his mid 2000s fashion. Well, that's permission from the missus.

At Brackley, Nico's on a bed breathing steadily. He totally looks like he's just asleep. Lewis isn't sure they're not pulling an elaborate prank on him.

"We'll, uh, give you some privacy." Toto closes the door where Vivian and other Mercedes employees were watching.

Nico's lips are the slightest touch of red from where, presumably, Vivian had already tried her true love luck. This better be worth it.

Lewis breathes in. Imagines Nico telling the press he didn't really lose the championship because he didn't get a fair shot, because of the curse. Implying slyly that Lewis' title is illegitimate, in that annoying know-it-all way he could spin things. He imagines Nico never waking up, forever frozen like this. It would probably make the work environment better. Never have to ignore each other over breakfast, awkwardly hold the elevator when they leave their Monaco apartment at the same time, never spend race weekends trying to stick the knife into the other, metaphorically.

Wake up, motherfucker, Lewis thinks, no love lost between them. Wake up so I can fucking beat you.

And not for the first time in his life, Lewis brushes his lips against Nico's.

Nico gasps, opening his eyes.

[housemdork]

house md rewatch: 2x06, "spin"

wilson is so "hate yourself" by tv girl here.

some freaking out about james wilson below. that's why this one is so long.

i think the overall theme of this episode is pleasantly cut-and-dry. to quote wilson: "you'd be surprised what you can live with." this applies to house, stacy, the patient (jeff the famous cyclist), wilson, and cameron. for expediency's sake, i'll run through that laundry list as orderly as possible...

house and jeff must live with their respective drugs and conditions. jeff dopes with blood transfusions to give himself an edge, and chase and foreman attempt to draw a false equivalency between this and house's vicodin. but, like in cameron's view, this doesn't work (at first). house's disability/condition predates his vicodin addiction, whereas jeff's doping came after (later found to be untrue.) i'm glad cameron disputed this comparison because it gets drawn a lot. house is coping, engendering some sympathy and understanding, while jeff is trying to get ahead. house feels subnormal; jeff wants to supersede "normal" altogether.

but it turns out that jeff's condition was being conveniently treated and hidden by his blood transfusions. so, in an odd twist, the parallel between him and house does stick. their respective addictions allow them to perform their jobs; their "normals" are different than most, and their substances help rectify that - if we don't factor in the collateral damage substance abuse incurs, of course.

but god is there tragedy in the ways this comparison still doesn't quite fit. the patient's blood transfusions are essentially a cure-all, and he can hide the secret benefits from the public. his muscles work like they're supposed to. house even administers the drug to relieve the symptoms in jeff's right leg - the same leg that vicodin can't fix in house's case.

the line from foreman to jeff is telling in this regard: "i doubt there's anything wrong with you that you didn't do yourself." in jeff's case, this isn't true, but it makes the endemic house question reemerge - how much of house's life is his own fault?

meanwhile, stacy and house must live with the tension that exists between them, though house cannot abide by this. house sabotages stacy and mark throughout the episode and reads way too much into stacy's resulting behavior, looking for confirmation that one of house's emotional extremes exists therein: love or hate. as we know too well, this annoyingly psychoanalytic tendency of his carries over tenfold to cuddy, but it's still super prescient here.

over the course of the episode, they enter each other's personal space in 2 polar opposite moods: fury and guilt. both instances highlight their dysfunction; they both impede on the other's ability to perform their jobs.

by the episode's end, stacy asserts to house that, despite her loving him, she also hates him, and they'll just have to live with that if they want to work together, and if she wants to hold onto mark.

predictably, as the titular, unstable character, house violates the established theme and refuses to live with this new arrangement. he exploits the condition (that he, notably, has no choice but to live with) to gain access to stacy's psychiatric records, and we all know how this plays out lol.

in an episode about worship of the imperfect (more on that later), it's powerful that house is kneeling at the filing cabinet that contains stacy's records. kneeling at what he cannot contend with; kneeling and searching for truth; kneeling and corrupting his promise to live and let live.

i'll mention here re: worship that house is flagrantly characterized as god/jesus in an episode where jeff is worshipped by adoring fans. even the way house "heals" jeff through the injection mimics jesus healing those unable to walk. time and time again, i love the house = god (except not quite) parallels.

cameron must live with the burden of her moral compass. cameron is repeatedly ridiculed (no surprise smh) for being so unyielding toward jeff when he admits to taking drugs as a cyclist. it sounds naive of her, but i think she makes a decent argument about the difference between lies for self betterment and lies for overall betterment. maybe that makes me naive and/or a narc, too. oh well. her almost choice to rat out jeff to the press is an interesting decision point for her, and says a lot about her character, forever contrasted with wilson.

she says that kids worship jeff, and that they can't/shouldn't love someone who is a fraud, and implies that jeff doesn't deserve their adoration. again, this seems naive, until she reaffirms house's earlier diagnosis of her behavior: she has his dad's "insane moral compass that won't let you lie to anybody about anything."

to wilson's cheating history, she raises the fact that she fell in love with her husband's best friend while her husband was ill. upsetting revelation, but we'd all be lying if we said it wasn't at least a little understandable. wilson, assuming that cameron is about to relate to him and his disaster of a love life, seems relieved by this, until she drops the bombshell that she never acted on those feelings; when wilson says "you can't control your emotions," she says, "just your actions."

in this moment, cameron (at least to me), fully confirms that she is not to be written off as naive. instead, 2x06 confirms that she has been painfully aware of her own emotional strife, self-inflicted because of her convictions, and forever burdened by her self-control. this is how cameron lives. wilson is surprised by what she can live with.

and that brings me to the man of the hour himself - wilson. i wanted to write about cameron first to emphasize how insane he is in this episode. wilson must live with the consequences of his own actions...after the episode confirms (via cameron) that those actions are entirely preventable, and that wilson has predicated his moral code on a faulty perception of love in the first place.

despite being on her ass about compromising her medical license in order to rat jeff out, wilson admits that he won't expose her (FOR THE TIME BEING LOL). this conversation reveals just how big of a ball of contradictions he is. cameron brings up the idea of kids worshipping jeff, a word that jeff himself defined earlier as "to love unquestioningly and uncritically," and wilson immediately takes issue.

"if love is based on lies, does that mean it's not a real feeling?...have you ever cheated? well, i have. you want to punish him? good for you. but you can't do it without hurting the people who love him."

damn, wilson. what a very harsh, shallow, and selfish way to go about life. no wonder why cameron takes a shot at you and your failed marriages: "is that how you justified lying to your wives?" oh, wait, you weren't finished?

"i always told them."

wilson is so persona-heavy that he can't even keep up the weight during a conversation that he started. this reopens the issue over love in 2x05 and reaffirms wilson's answer - can love exist without truth? not really. to cameron, wilson confirms that he's cheated, and that either he's lying about what love is, or stating that he's never loved his wives because he's been truthful with all of them.

and this conversation, this revelation, unnerves wilson so much that he does, in fact, rat cameron out. stacy just happens to not believe him. this is crazy petty of wilson (and not wholly in character, imo), which speaks to how much this false idea of love that he forces upon himself hurts him. this is how wilson lives. strung up by his obsession to remain morally upstanding, and failing himself every time because he's weak-willed (in this respect).

he makes a final attempt at absolving himself to cameron (and the audience tbh) when she confesses that she fell in love with her husband's best friend. he looks legitimately relieved when she admits to the first half:

this prompts him to make an insane admission of his own: "everything was fine. i met someone who *clears throat* made me feel...funny. good. and i didn't want to let that feeling go."*

then, riding the wave of having found a potential infidelity confidant, wilson assures cameron that, "what happened to you...how can anyone go through that alone? you can't control your emotions."

aaaaand cue cameron's fantastic retort.

i think wilson is profoundly affected by this realization that NO, there is no justifying your cheating, even at the metaphorical altar of house md's current leading moral compass. when he says that "you'd be surprised what you can live with," he sounds excessively bitter. for good measure, 2x06 hands us these visual parallels: cameron content at home, reliving memories, versus wilson, restless at the hospital...

i LOVE when these 2 interact. it never ever bodes well.

now for a major question i have, plus part of my wilson comphet thesis:

who the hell was he talking about to cameron there? (THANK YOU, LOVELY MOOT, FOR HELPING ME FIX THIS) he's talking about the time he cheated on bonnie. if he has had 3 wives, seasons 1 and 2 would have seen him with the mythical julie, who he's about to lose anyways.

i'm not arguing at all that wilson is talking about house here...mostly because i can't textually swing it. but, if you'll walk with me, i can explain further why this exchange is so crazy.

wilson admits, in a roundabout way, to not loving his wives. as we know, and will come to know more, he finds needy people, "fixes" them, resents them, and moves on. he needs to feel needed; it's not sustainable.

cameron has just described falling in love with a best friend who did not exist in her and her deceased husband's domestic sphere. they fell in love at the hospital. their bond, rendezvous, etc. was spatially founded there, already a future workplace for cameron.

wilson is thrilled to learn that someone as morally upstanding as cameron has Something Wrong With Her Love Life. in an episode underscored by diagnosing everyone's own Normal, for a moment, he thinks he's find a normal that's compatible with his own...until it's not. cameron doesn't actually have the same issue (for one thing, she's a better person than he is lol).

currently, wilson cannot exist peacefully within his own domestic space because his relationship with julie (most likely) is so bad. he's taking refuge in the hospital.

wilson is bitter, frustrated, and a little disgusted by his own admission of "you'd be surprised what you can live with." cameron has confirmed to wilson that he's in the wrong. that he's wrong.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY FUNNY. HOW WAS IT DIFFERENT.

WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP THE FEELING.

WHY DO WE NEVER GET ANY FOLLOW UP ON THIS.

why is the chorus of the concluding song "none of us are free."

[stormandforge]

And just like that, Forge has a name.

I almost choked when I heard it. I use captions, so I could see I hadn't imagined it, and I was in absolute shock. I repeated "DANIEL?" in disbelief about 10 times, my hand on my mouth and my eyes wide. I looked at my husband to confirm I wasn't going insane. Then I stared into space for the rest of the episode.

X-Men '97 using Forge's real name was the last thing I expected. And the way they did it, too, so casually, in conversation. I'D BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR 30 YEARS.

You might think it's a small thing, but before X-Men '97 episode 10, so before yesterday, Forge didn't have a real name. He was introduced in 1984. Let that sink in: that's 40 years without a single Marvel writer bothering to give him a name.

The fans, myself included, came up with headcanon to justify the decision and sometimes made up names for him in fanfic (Jonathan Silvercloud being the most famous one - no it's not an alt reality name, it comes from fic), but no Marvel writer took the time to explain or rectify.

This was frankly insulting of them, especially when you consider Forge's constant presence in the comics, and the ridiculous number of names some other characters have. Also, and perhaps most importantly, Chris Claremont had already planned a name for him:

All Marvel needed to do was use this name to make it canon. Or perhaps ask Claremont if they could use it. (And if they didn't want to speak to Claremont, they could still just...make up another name. You know, that thing writers do all the time.) But no, even after the name was announced on Twitter, it still was never used, on panel or elsewhere.

Enter a simple piece of dialogue in X-Men '97, and boom, Forge has a name. It wasn't that difficult, was it? Such a small move, but it shook me like a bomb. It's a historic moment for the character, and for the people who love him as much as I do. It's like he was finally given an identity, and with it the basic dignity he deserves.

I had imagined all sorts of scenarios in which his name would be revealed - all quite dramatic or emotional. But I guess the best way to retcon something that doesn't make sense is to pretend it never happened. So revealing his long-withheld name in conversation, natural like, is absolutely perfect. I love that Forge doesn't even react, because, you know, it's just his name, no big deal.

(I'm a bit sad that Ororo wasn't the first one to call him by his first name, but hey, you can't have it all.)

As far as I'm concerned, the name is canon now. '97 isn't the comics, but it's still Marvel, and that's good enough for me. I've waited long enough. And if the first name Claremont wrote is canon, then so is the last.

Which means: Forge has a full name. *SQUEEEEEEE*

I don't know who made the decision to use Forge's name or why, but I want to thank them. They righted a major wrong.

Now catch up, Marvel Comics. Everyone deserves a name. Even the monkey wrench repairman with non-flashy powers.

Everyone, meet Daniel Lone Eagle.

[nightmare-foundation]

it is only complex bc abuse is always done with purposeful intent. that is the textbook definition. who accidentally abuses someone? you don’t have to label his emotional incompetence as abuse. cause it’s not. that makes no sense… cause his character isn’t one dimensional. it’s literally just a character flaw, even if it hurts someone’s feelings. just like how jason is a hypocrite and dick practices escapism instead of dealing with his problems. majority of the times when he’s fighting another bat or bird, it’s either mutual or out of his control, so yeah ima give him grace by ignoring highly ooc comic runs. cause no one’s character is consistent, especially if you’re the freaking batman. idk, speaking generally when u literally get to build-a-bruce wayne is mainly just a skill issue, so maybe u just want him to be abusive?

Anon, abuse can absolutely be unintentional. You can unintentionally hurt people like that. Abusers don't always look at the people they abuse and think "I'm hurting and abusing them"- a lot of the time they really aren't aware they're being abusive and even think they're being helpful. I'm not saying some abusers go "whoopsie daisy!" And slip up like how you'd accidentally drop a vase. I'm saying the abuse Bruce puts the batkids through, especially Dick, is something he's doing not knowing he's being abusive or neglectful.

As an abuse victim, yes this is possible. My dad is abusive, but he isn't at all aware of it. Does he still love me to absolute bits? Of course. I don't doubt that he loves and cares for me. Is he still abusive? Absolutely. This is the case for Bruce.

His emotional incompetence is absolutely a character flaw, but how he goes about it with his kids is harmful. Take this example:

>Robin: Year One #3

This is just after Dick was nearly beaten to death by Two-Face. Bruce is genuinely afraid here, he's blaming himself for what happened to Dick and thinks that firing Dick will keep him safe. But he communicates absolutely none of this to Dick; he just yells at him, fires him, and then gives him the cold shoulder for months. Dick feels like such a failure that he runs away, thinking that Bruce doesn't want him around anymore. And i don't think this is ever really rectified or resolved. Dick becomes Robin again, but Bruce insists that he follow orders like a "good soldier".

And this incident still weighs heavy on Dick years later, thinking of it as his failure, especially since the whole situation was so traumatizing.

>Robin #0

And this is just one example of Bruce being emotionally incompetent and hurting Dick in the process. There's also the entirety of Batman #416, Batman #408, and NTT #55, all separate incidents where Bruce is unable to communicate and hurts Dick in the process. This is very present throughout their entire relationship, and there's far, far more examples of Bruce's emotional immaturity/incompetence being harmful, not just to Dick, but to the rest of the batkids as well (I believe it's one of the reasons Jason ran off to find his birth mother).

Bruce pretty much never communicates, not even to offer praise. This is something that frequently comes up and is even joked about (Dick being weirded out in Batman: Under the Red Hood when Bruce thanks him), but is a strong point of insecurity for the Robins. In fact, Dick wasn't even sure what Bruce really thought of him, if he thought about Dick at all (Gotham Knights #14). Jason also doesn't believe Bruce loves him, thanks to the sheer differences in communication styles and beliefs (which, honestly, the tragedy of that warrants it's own post), and I believe Damian has stated that, if it made Bruce happy, he'd stop existing (I'm not sure what comic it's from, so take this with a grain of salt). I'm not sure about Tim, honestly, since I haven't read his comics, but I wouldn't be surprised if the pattern continued with him too.

And ALL of this stems from Bruce being emotionally neglectful. A lot of issues in the batclan comes from this, honestly. Neglect is, by definition, abuse, even if it's just emotional neglect. This is often paired with Bruce miscommunicating if not outright being verbally abusive (such as yelling at Dick, as seen above), or even physically abusive (Nightwing #30, NTT #55, and at least half a dozen other instances with Dick alone).

Speaking of, I also don't believe Bruce being physically abusive is actually OOC, mostly because it's a trait that's been present since the Golden Ages, and Bruce is the one who decided beating up criminals was a good alternative to therapy. Bruce in general has a lot of anger issues, and is a pretty violent person. This is nothing new, and if you don't count the Golden Ages as canon, it's been at least present since the 80s. It's been consistent over a long period of time, and because of that, i really don't see Bruce being physically abusive as OOC, except for in certain cases (such as RHATO #25 and Gotham War, both incidents that I don't believe are in character when it comes to Bruce's opinions on Jason killing based on previous comics).

I don't really "want" Bruce to be abusive. I think it'd be better if he wasn't, but at this point, the batkids' characters hinge on him being abusive or at the very least neglectful, otherwise, aspects of their characters don't particularly make sense. Also, all of this is stuff I've picked up on as I slowly get through comics and read more meta posts. I'm not the kind of person who makes things up, and if I'm proven wrong about something, I typically reevaluate my thoughts, step back, and admit that I'm wrong. And so far, I really haven't seen any real evidence towards the "Bruce isn't abusive" column beyond people saying "these comics are out of character"- which is subjective.

Also, I only don't like it when people say that he's not abusive and then list things that are abusive. Mostly because it's genuinely dangerous.

Also also, I'm not saying Bruce is irredeemable or an awful person. He certainly isn't great, but he's absolutely capable of change and he loves his kids to death. There's almost nothing he wouldn't do for them (except kill, obviously, which is honestly something I agree with him on). I think he's stubborn and hot-headed, but once he actually sees the harm he's caused, I think he's fully willing to change, even if it's hard for him. Bruce is far from heartless. He cares a lot! He's just fucked up and has a ton of unresolved trauma that messed up his parenting. I really can't state how much I believe Bruce cares for and loves his family.

Anyways, at the end of the day, I believe Bruce is abusive. Abuse has a lot of nuance to it, and to a lot of people, abuse is always done intentionally and knowing that what they're doing causes harm. But this isn't always the case. Bruce is, imo, a really good depiction of an abuser who genuinely loves his kids and thinks he's doing right by them. And I honestly prefer his character this way; Bruce is WAY more interesting to me if he's fucked up like this.

Sorry this took a minute to answer, I have a lot of thoughts on this topic.

[shadowshrike]

Interfering with Halsin's Portal

It's pretty well known that there are a few situations you can get in where Halsin is well and truly angry rather than disappointed or worried, but I don't think a lot of folks know one of those situations is if you mess with his portal to the Shadowfell. It's a heartwrenching bit of acting. It's also fundamental to the plot of my in-progress fic Girdled Roots, so I figured I might share it with the other Halsin-lovers out there who have never seen it.

EDIT: Please be aware this is datamined dialog and may not be visible in game. It appears to be intended to trigger if the player attempts to enter the portal, which I don't believe is possible in the final game, or at least I couldn't find a way in the most recent version. Sharing this is simply to enjoy the incredible acting and get some plot bunnies moving, not to make any commentary about the game's canon.

Halsin's Initial Reaction

Halsin: No! Stop! Halsin: It's gone... that was our one chance. You've doomed this place to darkness! Halsin: I warned you - told you this was my burden to carry. Why didn't you listen?

The pure rage and despair is visceral. Prior to this, Halsin mentions this portal has been a century in the making, but he's so calm and measured (even upon success) that it is easy to dismiss just how much agony has plagued him as he hoped to make things right. This chance is everything to him. It has guided his every action for a century. It is a hundred years of work, prayer, and guilt to rectify the horrific fate of both land and people that came to nothing because a stranger he trusted refused to listen to him.

The portal breaking is the only time we hear Halsin speak the truth of its importance to him without a hint of emotional regulation. He is wild with pain. This man who is always thoughtful and slow to anger in the face of horror with the wisdom of age and suffering to guide him has become too overwhelmed to show any kindness.

Player response

The player is given several different ways to respond, and Halsin's reaction varies a surprising amount depending on how understandable their reason is. In most cases, he states that he needs to be alone afterward.

Option 1: I'm sorry - I acted on instinct. Halsin: Words won't repair what's been done to this land. Nothing will... I need to be alone.

You can hear the ache in Halsin's voice, but he's somewhat understanding of this response. He projects more sadness than unchecked rage. The player has admitted to making a mistake, and Halsin isn't the type of person who hold onto vengeance when an apology has been made, but he's not naive or people-pleasing enough to say "it's okay" or offer comfort either. The safest thing for everyone is for him to step away to grieve when there is nothing more to be done.

Option 2: I did all the work here - I couldn't just let you take the glory. Halsin: Glory?! There's no glory here. Now there's nothing here - only shadows and the total absence of hope. Halsin:  There is nothing more to be said... I need to be alone.

Pure fury radiates from Halsin's response if the player focuses on the idea of being some grand hero rather than actually caring for the outcome. What the player did was an unforgiveable act, dooming everything that Halsin holds dear, and you have the audacity to complain about not getting glory from it. Again, he steps away, but this feels more like he's doing it because he believes you're worthless to reason with rather than because he needs a moment.

Option 3: I saved your grove - I figured it'd be best if I handled this as well. Halsin: We were this close to healing these lands. Now your arrogance has torn open the wounds once more. Halsin:  There is nothing more to be said... I need to be alone.

Halsin is still frustrated with this response and unmistakably angry, but it's significantly toned down from the idea of wanting to go through the portal for glory. More like he thinks you're a self-important idiot than a truly terrible person.

Specialized player responses

There are also three special responses you can give if you have a particular class or diety.

Druid: I thought my powers were equal to yours. Halsin: It wasn't just power this needed - it was wisdom, understanding. I suffered along with this place for years trying to understand the curse... and it seems I will continue to do so. Halsin:  There is nothing more to be said... I need to be alone.

Interestingly, he responds much more intensely to a druid than some of the other player choices. It might be in part because he feels like a druid should know better. He lectures the player like an Archdruid would initiates in his Grove, alternating between angry and explanatory, trying to get the player to understand why they were wrong and the sheer magnitude of their error. He ultimately ends in a much more resigned place here rather than personally resentful. Like a father-figure being forced through further life trials because of a child's foolish indiscretion. Frustrating, but inevitable.

Selunite: I trusted in Selûne to guide me through the shadows. Halsin: My friend - I wish you had trusted in me.

This is probably Halsin's most simple response with the least vitriol. He fully understands this answer, even if he's disappointed by it. The fact he calls the player 'friend' suggests a certain tired acceptance of this being a natural behavior for a Selunite trying to do good. We don't see this calm in other responses where Halsin was surprised by the player's choice.

Sharran: The Shadowfell is no place for non-believers - I couldn't allow you to soil it. Halsin: I should never have trusted an ally of the Dark Lady.

If you've ever taken Halsin along with Shadowheart in Act 2, then you know he is absolutely scathing toward her and her faith. He likely isn't as angry if a Sharran breaks the portal because it is utterly predictable. It merely confirms a truth he already knew and talked himself out of. That Sharrans cannot be fully trusted in matters of their goddess, even if one was good enough to rescue his people from the goblins.

[heartofsol]

Elise & the Duke

Elise's relationship with her father isn't discussed very much. I think it's actually one of the most interesting aspects about 06.

In a flashback, he's shown telling a young Elise "Don't cry" and "Become a strong queen who doesn't cry no matter what happens" in response to her grieving over her mother's death, which is...not great. A child should be allowed to grieve over their deceased parent. Although the Duke means well and says this because he genuinely believes strong leaders never cry (which is far from the truth), that doesn't make what he's doing okay. It doesn't matter that he's saying it in a soft and gentle tone, either. To a child, it's likely gonna seem like a dismissal of their feelings (which it is). This also shows that he was telling Elise to never cry before he used her as a vessel to seal Iblis.

Another thing I find interesting is that Elise says "I understand everything my parents said to me now." It could imply that Elise's mother held the same sentiment as the Duke, but we don't know for sure.

Now, onto the Solaris Project. Some time before the project began, the Duke told Elise that Solaris' power would allow them to travel through time and rectify past mistakes. The main reason the Duke began the project was so Elise could see her late mother again. Once again, good intentions, but the Duke experimenting with supernatural forces beyond his understanding cost him his life and hurt many people, perhaps his daughter most of all.

So long story short, the project goes wrong and the Duke is fatally wounded in an explosion but shortly before his death, he sealed the Flames of Disaster in Elise and pretty much left her clean up his mess. She was cursed to never shed a single tear, had to rule an entire kingdom at a young age, is relentlessly pursued and kidnapped by a madman who wants to harness her power, and when she makes a single friend, he gets murdered right before her eyes by the creature that her father experimented on all those years ago. Elise is suffering the consequences for her father's actions.

And how does Elise feel about her father after all this? She still loves him deeply. She doesn't express any anger towards him or angst about the way he treated her, or that he inadvertently caused her suffering, even though she has every right to do so. You get the sense that she doesn't even realize her father's "love" was actually quite abusive, which is just really tragic. She's been conditioned to accept this as her role in life and you can see it in her behavior. At the start of the game, Elise lacks confidence, is unsure of what she can do in her situation, and even blames herself for the things that are happening. Her attitude gradually changes when she meets Sonic, who encourages her to be more proactive and truly enjoy life instead of being restricted by her role as a princess.

Yet people get on Elise's case for breaking down once at the tail end of the game over the fact that she'd lose the memories of her only friend and would be separated from him?

Elise doesn't mean what she said in this moment, and blows out Solaris' flame to save the world seconds later. She had to bottle up her emotions for a decade and now has to say goodbye to the person whom she grew to love over the course of their adventure. Her reaction here is more than justified.

Elise is such a good character 🤍

[excessively-english-jd]

On Woolly Mammoth De-Extinction

So. My thoughts on mammoth de-extinction.

Let's start at the beginning. What is de-extinction? It's basically what it says on the tin: bringing a species back from extinction. De-extinction has been a popular topic for decades, particularly since the release of 1993's blockbuster Jurassic Park which famously featured the concept. Since then, a lot of research has gone into the science around the theory.

There are a few proposed methods to facilitate de-extinction: cloning, genome editing, and selective breeding. Of these cloning is the most widely talked about, and also the only method which would result in a 'pure' de-extinction instead of a hybrid species, which can be important to distinguish depending on the goals for any given de-extinction project. However, each most certainly has limitations. Cloning often results in a lot of health problems [1] - even Dolly the Sheep, arguably the most successfully cloned animal, died prematurely due to health issues tied to her clone status. While cloning is an older technology and has a bit more history behind it, it still isn't particularly successful. Genome editing is a relatively newer technology, with a lot of trial still needing to be done. Currently, although there have been leaps in synthetic biology, and an array of genome editing and genome recreation has been done, this has mostly been in the realm of bacteria and viruses, which have far simpler genomes than more complex animals such as mammals [2]. Finally, selective breeding may have some successes, but requires a lot of chance and a lot of time. So overall, de-extinction is a science in its infancy, and currently has very few real, tangible successes.

So why do we want de-extinction? There are a lot of reasons.

In a world where we are increasingly aware of our impact on the planet, there is a desire to 'fix' our mistakes. Many species, like the dodo or the Tasmanian tiger, have gone extinct directly due to human threat or due to unnatural pressures introduced by humans. There is a societal guilt felt here, which some people may want to rectify. This is a theoretically noble intention, but ultimately tends to place emotive reasoning over logic and practicality.

Reviving extinct species could also potentially help to revive extinct ecosystems and environments. This is one of the biggest arguments being used by Colossal for resurrecting the mammoth [3] - an aim to also resurrect the mammoth steppe ecosystem. We'll revisit this. The theory here is to recreate a natural balance that has been lost, similar to proposed reintroduction programmes. A success story in terms of restoring ecological balance would be the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone [4] - keystone species such as apex predators or large megafauna can influence a whole environment including animal populations, flora assemblies, and even soil properties. With extant species this absolutely is a good path forward, although it does require careful management - with extinct species this becomes a little more difficult. In a joyous occasion, I get to quote Ellie Sattler: "the question is, how much can you know about an extinct ecosystem? And therefore how can you ever assume you can control it?". How can we be sure our actions will have the outcome we want? It's a delicate balance.

Yet another facet is the possibility of learning more about the species we de-extinct. This is why dinosaurs come into this conversation so often despite the (sad) fact that it's not realistic. When you have an animal that has been extinct for so long that there's no living memory of it, little or no historical record of it, no bodies and no closely related or similar species, natural human curiosity runs wild. What did it look like? Sound like? What colour was it, how big was it, how fast? What was it like to co-exist with? The older a species is, the further removed it is, the more this curiosity is raised. Sure, the Yangtze River Dolphin is extinct, but we remember that being around. Sure, a passenger pigeon is extinct, but we have paintings and accounts, we have modern pigeons. Now a dinosaur? Sure birds exist, but they're so far removed from Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops that they just don't compare. There's huge differences and we want to learn about them. But here there will always be the question of: how much is real, and how much is created? How can we know how much a recreation is the same as the original? The question of nature and nurture has to come in here - whether we're enacting some form of Forbidden Experiment [5] on extinct species and how that will affect what we might or might not learn.

To once more return to Jurassic Park (sorry), I feel there's one more possibility to acknowledge: profit. In our current capitalist society, de-extinction is expensive. It takes time, resources, manpower, and equipment. This is not cheap and of course, anyone investing in it is going to want to see returns. Of course, a lot of scientists will be in it for passion, for knowledge, for advancements. And perhaps generating profits will be for good cause - like a zoo charges entry to fund its conservation projects, a de-extinction project could charge fees to fund further research and additional applications. De-extinction could be like the panda - a public facing, popular and charming money machine to fund smaller, less appealing projects, creating a funnel into other projects [6]. However, there is also the possibility that knowledge gets hoarded with a price on its head, and it could be that interest shifts more to increased revenue rather than ecological betterment. I won't harp on this point, but I think it's worth acknowledging.

This brings us back around to mammoths and the specific efforts to bring them back from extinction. How do these considerations apply to this project?

Cloning was once, I believe, proposed for mammoth de-extinction. The problem to my memory is a lack of intact mammoth cells. Without a well preserved cell with genetic material to transfer into an egg cell, a clone cannot be created. However, a complete mammoth genome has been sequenced - in fact, several have been, and there's quite a few papers published [7]. That means we know the full genetic code of the mammoth. Colossal, the main company working on mammoth de-extinction, is going in this direction: using genome editing to, one day, create a hybrid elephant with mammoth traits encoded into its DNA [3]. Immediately, I want to point this out - this will be a hybrid animal, with mammoth-like traits. There is a question here as to whether this is actually de-extinction, or actually a kind of artificial evolution. The animal might look superficially like a mammoth, but is it a mammoth? Can we learn anything about mammoths by observing this animal? Will this give us a glimpse into the past? I'm going to keep referring to this hypothetical animal as a mammoth just for clarity's sake here, but this point should stand.

This leads into another concern - will this animal behave like a mammoth? Obviously, there are no extant mammoths, so how will a baby mammoth learn to be... a mammoth? Elephants are complex social animals, who pass on knowledge. In Africa, it is known that elephant matriarchs can be instrumental in teaching younger generations about locations and foods that can be important during exceptional droughts [8]. We don't know how much nature and nurture affect us, let alone other species - did mammoth matriarchs teach their youngsters where the grazing was best in the thick of winter? Did a young mammoth learn what food could or could not be eaten by watching their herd? Will a mammoth, 4000 years separated from the last generation of mammoths, act the same way? Eat the same food? Follow the same migration patterns? Will the surrogate elephant family be able to cater to the social needs of a young mammoth, or is there some unique mammoth behaviour or instinct that we aren't aware of, which an elephant herd will not provide?

Here we come to ethical questions about quality of life. Keeping elephants in isolation is agreed to be cruel and damaging - a social animal needs access to its social group. Perhaps a solution to this mammoth problem is simply to create a lot of mammoths, which seems to be the intent - but that still leaves a lot of infant mammoths with no adult mammoths. There is that possibility that a surrogate elephant family cannot provide this necessary socialisation. Can they even provide the right nutritional demands? Will elephant milk properly sustain a baby mammoth? Additionally, the current proposal is to have the surrogate mother be an African elephant, as they are larger and more able to potentially carry a mammoth baby. But African elephants live in savannahs on an equatorial continent. That will not be a suitable habitat for young mammoths, but is the Arctic circle a particularly suitable place to house African elephants? Are these species able to cohabit for the decade or so it takes for a young elephant or theoretical mammoth to truly mature? The world is very different than it was 4000 years ago when the last mammoths roamed; is the climate still suitable for mammoths and the flora they ate? Have the air quality and UV radiation levels changed too much? Are there new diseases that a mammoth may not be capable of fighting off? Basically, is the modern world truly capable of supporting a theoretical population of mammoths in a way that allows them to be healthy, happy, and without suffering? I don't know the answers to these, I haven't researched enough into specifics, but these are just some examples of the questions I would have.

The theory of this project is to reintroduce the mammoths to Siberia, where they will facilitate a return of the mammoth steppe habitat. As a large megafauna animal, it's thought that they are a keystone species in allowing this habitat to exist, by clearing plains, trampling certain vegetation, and packing snow and ice. The aim is for the mammoths to clear areas of Siberian forest and allow the steppe to reform. There's two problems I have here: one species does not an ecosystem make. What about other coexisting species that might have contributed? Woolly rhinos? Deer, bison? What about predator species like the cave lion or sabre cats? Hell, Neanderthal humans were part of this ecosystem, do we know that they didn't contribute to maintaining the steppe? In Australia some habitats are suffering because Aboriginal land management is no longer being used - the same thing has happened in parts of North America where Native peoples have been driven off their land and not been allowed to continue maintaining it [9]. Humans are part of their ecosystems. Is a mammoth really going to be enough to revive this habitat? Second: what about the species who already live there? It's not like Siberian forests are empty. Have you ever heard of the Siberian tiger? They're an endangered species, and one of their major threats is a loss of habitat due to deforestation, particularly in the Russian Far East. Other animals live in this ecosystem, like bears, and deer, and moose. Are we going to enact extinction on these animals, just to bring back the mammoth? This ecosystem has evolved. In the absence of mammoths and the steppe habitat, forests have taken over, populated with new animals that evolved to fit into the niches left open. This is, at the end of the day, a natural process on Earth. Something ends, and something else takes over.

Now why do we want the mammoth steppe back? Because, the theory is, it could help tackle the climate crisis. Mammoth-packed ice and snow would thaw slower in summer months. Large open plains covered in snow increase the albedo of the Earth, reflecting more light and heat away. It is thought that mammoth steppes were a carbon sink, which would hold carbon and reduce the amount of it going back into the atmosphere contributing to the greenhouse effect. This is a great theory, but as mentioned, there are problems with it. The mammoth steppe was, at the height of the mammoth, a massive ecosystem that stretched across most of Eurasia and into North America. Where the hell are we going to put all of that now? Those areas are inhabited, either by humans or by other species. Sure a small reserve could be made, but will that small reserve actually have a noticeable impact on the climate? What's the game plan for if it turns out to do nothing, or very little?

Also, surely, there are easier, more efficient, more proven, and less expensive ways of tackling climate change. Why not invest this money into overhauling infrastructure to be more eco-friendly? Solar power, wind power, green land management, reforestation, low-carbon alternatives? Putting caps on industrial power use and source, abolishing fossil fuels, enforcing use of sustainable materials? There are bigger and better impacts to be made elsewhere, and maybe those should be focused on first. We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Our world is warming faster than ever, and not enough is being done to reverse or prevent this. But we also live on a warming Earth as the planet recovers from an ice age - in its time, it will continue to get warmer and warmer. This is a natural cycle which is seen throughout (geological) history. Does it not seem cruel to bring these animals into a world not suited for them, when it is currently only set to get worse? Is it ethical to bring them back from the purpose of 'fixing' this? Especially when it will take so much time to see the theoretical benefits - this isn't going to be achieved overnight - and could lead to suffering in the meantime.

So, ultimately, I have several reservations about mammoth de-extinction. I've probably missed things out here, or not explained with full clarity. I have based this mostly on my own pre-existing knowledge and basic surface research, and this isn't my specialty, so perhaps some of this isn't as relevant as I think. I've also just rambled for several thousand words, so forgive me for errors. But, to summarise:

Will a created mammoth act the same as a true mammoth? Can we guarantee that a mammoth in the modern day will act how we hope it will?

Can a mammoth be cared for adequately? Can its physical, spatial, environmental, nutritional and socio-emotional needs be met?

Is it cruel to create a mammoth when it will be unique and alone, isolated from it's own kind? Will infant mammoths suffer for the lack of adult mammoth care?

Are current climatic and environmental conditions correct to sustain mammoths? Could damage be done to them if it is not?

Is there space for a mammoth population? Are there large enough areas with the correct conditions?

Are we sacrificing extant species and environments for the sake of reviving the mammoth? Is that justifiable in a climate of rapid biodiversity loss?

Could these resources be better applied? Should we advance this project while the climate crisis is still so severe?

Is it ethical to create an animal for the purpose of theoretical climate control? What are the consequences if we do not see the benefits we hope for?

Could this technology be misused, or restricted for the sake of greed, power or influence? How are we guaranteeing that the benefits will be shared and used well?

Is there anything we can learn from resurrecting the mammoth? Will a modern mammoth really tell us anything about mammoth behaviour, biology, or ecology?

Is this even going to really be a mammoth? Is this truly de-extinction?

Now I do want to just mention that there are some potential benefits. Primarily, the technology being developed for this project is wonderful, and could be used for many applications. Colossal does, it seems, have plans to implement their technology for the conservation of elephants. I do think that de-extinction could have its place - but I personally think we should first focus on near-extinct or recently extinct species, lost within the past 100 or so years, to minimise some of the risks above and to prevent further loss of biodiversity on our planet. I think that the choice of mammoths is purely one of iconism and publicity, but technically that can be useful in conservation, so long as resulting resources are then properly redistributed.

To finish off, here are some articles and papers which cover the topic:

"Meet the ‘woolly mouse’: why scientists doubt it’s a big step towards recreating mammoths", Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00684-1

"A mammoth undertaking: harnessing insight from functional ecology to shape de-extinction priority setting", D. J. McCauley et al: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2435.12728

And the sources I cited:

1 - Cloning Fact Sheet, National Human Genome Research Institute, https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Cloning-Fact-Sheet

2 - Synthetic Biology, National Human Genome Research Institute, https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/policy-issues/Synthetic-Biology

3 - Mammoth project page, Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences, https://colossal.com/mammoth/

4 - "Trophic cascades in Yellowstone: The first 15 years after wolf reintroduction", W. J. Ripple & R. L. Beschta, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320711004046

5 - Language Deprivation Experiments, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_deprivation_experiments

6 - Flagship Species, Wikipedia, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagship_species

7 - "Complete genomes reveal signatures of demographic and genetic declines in the woolly mammoth", E. Palkopoulou et al, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25913407/

8 - "Elephant Memories May Hold Key To Survival", ScienceDaily, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811200337.htm

9 - "Traditional ecological knowledge and restoration practice", R. Senos et al, https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/50696

[ponytailzuko]

my miraculous "enemies" au

i wanted to post something to give context to art i post so here it is! i think you can consider this my "miraculous rewrite" if you want to call it that...? but its just me wanting everyone trying to steal each others miraculous. that's literally it. i love drama. details under the cut:

The Premise:

When Fu was a child training with the Order, they left him to guard a Miracle Box for as long as possible without food or water. Eventually, Fu got curious - he opened the box and a beautiful array of animals spilled out. Tikki and Plagg act like the angel and devil on Fu's shoulder: Plagg, along with many of the other kwamis, urge Fu to use his Miraculous to transform in order to get food from the kitchens. Tikki warns him otherwise, but Fu transforms with the Peacock and the Black Cat, and the destructive power of his emotions go on a rampage, destroying the Order.

In the destruction, Fu loses most of the miraculous and the grimoire. They're scattered all across the world, falling into different people's hands. Tikki vows to help Fu rectify his mistake of trusting Plagg and help recover the lost miraculous.

What Does This Change?

Miraculouses and grimoire pages are spread around the world, so magic is pretty commonplace. Superheroes and supervillains have existed in Paris before "canon."

Adrien finds the Black Cat independently from the Guardian. He makes a deal with Plagg - freedom for freedom. Plagg gives Adrien powers that allow Adrien to get out of the house, and Adrien lets Plagg do whatever otherwise - no commands, unlike his past holders.

Hints of the Black Cat hit the news and Fu sees it. Fu is out of shape, and the Black Cat holder looks young. Tikki goes out to choose a new holder - Marinette. Marinette is mostly the same in this; she uses the Ladybug for stopping supervillains, but this time she doesn't have a partner.

The Black Cat has a terrible reputation... After all, Plagg was locked up in the Miracle Box and never used for a reason. Ever since its been out, people have used it for horrific purposes. Fu and TIkki are sure that Chat Noir must be up to something. If he's not, then it'd still be safer to keep Plagg in the box. Marinette, with no experience, takes their advice to heart.

Instead, she and CN are 'frenemies.' They end up working together to defeat supervillains, but before Ladybug gets the chance to take his Miraculous, something always goes wrong!

Chat Noir is unaware that Ladybug is working for the Guardian. He assumes she also gained her miraculous independently and he wants to be friends! He's never made friends before, though... why do his attempts keep going so poorly!?

When Chat Noir does figure out what Ladybug is trying to do, it turns into a competition on who can steal one another's Miraculous first. Plagg is adamant to never be put back in the box again.

When Chat Noir is first spotted in Paris, Hawkmoth doesn't reveal himself at all. Instead, he akumatizes people to try and lure CN (+LB) out and assess them. LB + CN are both unaware that the supervillains they put behind bars are actually akumatized. He tries to pit them against each other until the two accidentally break an object and discover an akuma. Oops :/

Eventually, after discovering Hawkmoth's existence, Ladybug and Chat Noir make a "truce" to work together to defeat him before getting back to their business (trying to take each other's miraculous lmao).

i have so many little things in this au and a bunch of doodles that i'll finish one day, but that's the general gist. later on, other characters get miraculous (also independently) which you know... it adds to it. writing isn't my personal forte and this is too much for more than the occasional comic from me. so i might write an outline for how i'd write the full thing at some point. (shrug)

TLDR: Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Hawkmoth all want each other's miraculous and team up and break up in different combos until eventually Ladybug and Chat Noir team up like in canon.

edit:

[utilitycaster]

What were the 3 good f/f books you recently read? I'm always looking for book recommendations

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree; I had side-eyed it bc it was usually referred to as Cozy Romance which isn't really my thing, and I guess you could fit it into that but that wasn't really the main vibe, which was about starting over and following a weird passion.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield which @revvethasmythh has mentioned a few times- won a British prize for Queer Lit. Literary horror magical realism about a lesbian couple, one of whom was in a submarine voyage that went wrong and who returned changed. Beautifully written, incredible book, and a quick read as well.

The Warden by Daniel Ford. This is mostly about a wizard noble who just graduated at the top of her class in Wizard College and after signing up to be a Warden (not to be confused with the Dragon Age ones, but basically, lending your skills as a wizard to a community in exchange for room and board) was assigned to the middle of nowhere, to her chagrin. However, there is, in addition to the main plot, a romance with a woman as well as reference to past romances with two classmates, one man and one woman (ambiguously poly) and it's book one of (I think) a trilogy so I assume Aelis continues to be a good-aligned bisexual triple-major incl. necromancy wizard in a world with six moons that influence the flow of magic, ie, this book happens to be For Me Specifically.

(I'm not much of one for romance novels that are Primarily Romances so if you are looking for that I don't really have that but if you want Fantasy/Sci Fi With Political/Magical Plots But Also Women Are Romancing Each Other In It I can provide further recs; I probably have mentioned them in the past though because I do not read as much as I'd like to and have been on a several year journey to rectify that with varying success)

(the other book I read recently was The West Passage by Jared Pechaček which is not f/f but is vaguely queer in doing some weird stuff with gender, and is also just an incredible vibe with some very cool worldbuilding, still highly recommended)

[cassiebones]

Please Chill

Please, I am begging you all to chill out. I'm speaking specifically to my wlw Agatha fans right now. Even more specifically to the ones who are angry that the last episode revolved around Teen/Billy.

He is a main fucking character. His backstory is important to the plot. We only get nine episodes in this series and the plot needs to move forward. We cannot do that without revealing who he is and what his motivations are, from a storytelling standpoint.

I studied creative writing in college. I worked really fucking hard to get into my program, too. I took classes on novel writing, mainly, but also in screenwriting and playwriting. I took classes on TV writing in the mid 2010's at a time where the trend was shifting to streaming services putting out entire fucking seasons at a time.

But I remember having to wait a week for an episode of a show I loved. I remember what happened to my favorite wlw characters. I remember being absolutely devastated by Lexa's death in The 100. I know you're scared of it happening again, but there is so much evidence on the contrary to prove that it's not going to happen here.

Firstly, I don't think for a second that some of the actresses who signed up for this would have done so if they thought they were going to pull the same shit. I don't think Jac or Kathryn or fucking Aubrey, who legit said that she signed up because it's a queer show, would do that.

But i don't know. Because the show isn't over. We have three episodes left over the next two weeks. I, like you all, am praying that they're not about to pull some bullshit, especially considering the majority of their current fanbase is comprised of queer people.

But you can't just call them lesbophobic because they focused on a canonically gay character rather than your favorite lesbian ship for one(1) episode. They have confirmed that Rio and Agatha are estranged exes. They showed us so much flirting and yearning and longing. From a storytelling standpoint, they are building that tension for a great payoff. Its's gonna happen. Please, just be patient.

I was upset, too. I did not want them to shift focus to Billy. When I saw that that was going to be the majority of the episode, I was upset. I made a couple posts about it. But I still watched and it was honestly a pretty good, important episode. And fucking funny as all hell. We truly saw the aftermath of Wanda's actions. Wanda, who wasn't trying to be malicious or harmful, but she still caused so much harm.

As much as I would have loved to see Rio, I understand why she wasn't in this episode just yet, but she'll likely be in the next one. It was probably only like 2 minutes after he threw them into the mud that Agatha crawled out. Also we see Lilia and Jen in future promos, so they'll be fine.

I predict that the next three episodes are going to be longer and more plot heavy moving forward. I really hope we see more of Agatha's delusions from the POV of Rio, because Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey are fucking hilarious and I know it's going to be just as funny as last night's Teen POV.

I want to see people theorizing about the next three episodes and what's going to happen and how they're going to rectify anything, but I'm seeing so many negative posts about why your favorite lesbians didn't kiss or fuck yet on this Disney show. Please, just be fucking patient. It's coming.

That being said, if I am wrong, I will be the first to admit it and be super salty about it. I hope I'm not, but who knows? I'm not going to make a snap decision either way. You shouldn't either.

[gladsforthelads]

Your mcs are soooooooo cute!!!

What do you think they're first date was like with their love interest?

Aww thanks!!!

I think my girls are cute too. ^_^

Hmmm.... As in terms of their first dates? I think it'd be a little hard between work, missions, and trying to coordinate days off. But I'll give it a go~

XAVIER & SELENE

Let's face it, these two work together more than anything, and while they're partners, they don't always have the same days off. Even when they do have the same days off, Xavier is unintentionally sleeping those 12-13 hours to physically recharge himself. Selene would text him, asking him if he was available, and her texts would go unread and she'd receive apology texts at like 2am.

So how does Xavier remedy this?

They have a really really tough mission, they're both exhausted, and on their way back to their apartments, he very casually sets up a reservation at the really nice hotpot spot downtown Linkon. While he is a lean, mean, meat eating machine, he knows that Selene is more of a vegetarian by comparison. She actually enjoys salads and greens, and he makes sure the hotpot spot they go to has the perfect balance of meats to greens.

He honestly doesn't know if she actually enjoyed it or was so starved after their mission she just consumed everything she saw, but she's asked if they could go again sometime, so that gives him some sort of hope he did right.

2. ZAYNE & LYLA

With Zayne being both a doctor and a workaholic and Lyla also being a workaholic, their schedules rarely match up unless Nero forces Lyla to take time off work. She's getting better about it because she's trying to open her schedule up more to match Zayne's availability, but with how new she still is at the Hunter's Association, she's still got a long way to go (at least in her head).

So, how does Zayne attempt a first date?

It was one of those usual checkup times where she waited around for Zayne after work and Zayne surprised her by stopping in a coffee shop on the way home. He got the second sweetest thing on the menu while she got the sweetest and they split a cheese croissant (though they really should have gotten two). It was as simple as that, but it set things in motion where Zayne started carving more time out of his busy schedule for her, and it's been that way ever since.

3. RAFAYEL & CORDELIA

Whenever Cordelia isn't actually bodyguarding him for one of his exhibitions or a special event, she is actually working as a Special Task Hunter and doing her job. Between Rafayel and her real job, she has very little off time, and when she is she's trying to catch up on sleep as much as possible. If she's not in bed, she's typically off running an errand with Rafayel or for Thomas and has on more than one occasion fallen asleep on the couch in Rafayel's studio. It's really draining her with how little free time she has and is desperate for a good R&R.

So, how does Rafayel rectify summoning her for the most mundane things?

Does exactly that because he knows she won't refuse her unless she suddenly gets called into work and sets up a quiet little picnic right on the beach, timing it just at twilight. She is, of course, agitated at first, but when she sees what he's actually cooked up, she easily forgives him and does take a little nap on his lap as they watch the sun go down.

4. SYLUS & ELARA

*Canonically, I count the Magnum Opus card as the official first date, so this is sort of a tag along to it. Yes, this is the one with the mannequins.

They both have entirely polar opposite schedules, night and day differences, only Elara has less free time and flexibility in her schedule compared to Sylus. While she's investigating other special cases, she's also trying to find Tobias, and other tedious missions that are back-to-back and apparently things only she can do. She texts Sylus when she can, sends messages with Mephisto when she can't and tries to sleep in as much as posssible.

So, how does the big bad boss of Onyichinus do?

Makes ridiculous demands for her to meet at the mall and try to act like a normal couple. She's entirely thrown by this, thinking this is some sort of coverup for what he's really after but as the day progresses, she realizes that it is simply that, a normal date. It's so normal that she doesn't know what to do, until he starts trying to buy every article of clothing, shoes, and jewelry he can find just for her. There's no way much of that will fit into her closet, which he knows, and that most of it will have to be stored at one of his bases, which he also knows, but her favorite thing about the date was getting ice cream on their way out the mall. She got a triple chocolate fudge cone, and he surprised her by getting a matcha dipped chocolate cone.

It was the closest she felt to anyone, and she secretly looks forward to more outings with him.

5. CALEB & MELORA

Caleb is of course the new colonel up in Skyhaven and Melora is busy training, fighting Wanderers, and writing up reports about her mission, so the time they get to actually spend with each other has to be planned months in advance and plenty of prayers to Astra that there won't be any outside interferences.

So, what does Melora do for one of their planned visits?

She scopes out the local fair happening in Linkon! They had all sorts of festivals that they went to as children, but since they've become the adulty adults they are, they haven't had much time for much else. With how busy Caleb's job keeps him, Melora really wanted to plan an event where they could relax, cut loose, and act just like they did as kids again.

Caleb is pleasantly surprised by the planned event and is so excited he can't help but feel like he's back in their childhood, especially when she gets them both red candied apples.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I hope you enjoyed this~

Please feel free to drop me another ask!

[autisticandroids]

Ok I’m really curious, while I thought Chikhai Bardo honestly fell a bit flat and was a bit too close to just being a generic dead wife montage, I did think it at least gave Gemma *some* amount of agency, elaborated on her at least a little (still not enough tho imo, which I hope S3 rectifies). Anyway what I’m curious about is why you seem to dislike it so much, because while that irked me I couldn’t say I quite thought it was particularly repulsive (might be a blindspot on my part idk).

so there are two parts of chikhai bardo: the dead wife montage and gemma's innies. i'm going to discuss them separately.

first, my more ardent critique:

so the thing about dead wife montages. in fiction. is that they suck because they are misogynistic. but they also suck because they are lazy. the point of a dead wife montage is to convey to the audience in extremely efficient shorthand that we should Care About This Guy's Feelings For His Dead Wife And Understand Why He's Mourning Her. they are extremely economical in terms of information: all they give you is You Should Feel A Warm Fuzzy Feeling For This Woman Who You Know Nothing About. this is why people don't like them: they're not just sexist, they're cliche and manipulative. they use shorthand to the point of near parody. they're messing with your emotions in an unearned way, and they're kind of a waste of your time.

but the reason shows and movies still use them is that they are highly economical. you can use two to five minutes of screentime to introduce, explain, and kill the dead wife so the actual action (avenging her death, grieving her, trying to get her back, whatever) can begin.

severance showed me dead wife montage for half of the episode runtime. like. yes. unbelievably sexist, but also a waste of my goddamn life? twenty five minutes or so down the drain where the show conveyed almost nothing. that's actually why i initially thought it was a joke: the idea of a whole episode of a show dedicated to Dead Wife Montage is like a thing you would say to make fun of something. because dead wife montages aren't just sexist they're kind of pointless. like that's runtime of a movie/show that the writers and directors put no thought into because all it does is serve a mechanical purpose.

it is incredibly annoying to me that past gemma is given so much screentime and the show has so little to say about her. like, what do we learn in the dead wife montage? she was a professor. she likes plants. she had a miscarriage and it caused marriage problems. she had a fight with mark before the crash (which maybe caused him to blame himself for her death). and that last one is much more a thing about HIM than her! the plants thing is also more about him: we learn that he doesn't quite listen to her but he tries, and then she forgives him. mark is the agent in that interaction. which makes sense, it's HIS memory. and that's the other thing isn't it: we aren't seeing gemma, we're seeing his memory of her.

also, if you are ever planning on making a woman's CENTRAL CHARACTER TRAIT and i mean her CENTRAL CHARACTER TRAIT being sad about a miscarriage, consider: not doing that. like quite literally the only time we ever see her really do anything other than react to mark in the montage is 1) when we see her tell devon she's pregnant and 2) when we see her cry in the shower. that's IT.

but also beyond my critique of the misogyny, here's like. a quick reimagining of the flashback parts of chikhai bardo if they were good and not a waste of time:

gemma comes home from work. she gets a glass of water in the kitchen. mark walks in and they avoid each other's eyes. maybe gemma reminds mark about the party (it was a party, right, that she was going to?) and he gives a non-committal answer, or just an "mm." this tells the audience two things: one is that this is a flashback, obviously, and the other is that there is a strain here between the two of them.

next scene: gemma reaches out to mark (emotionally or maybe physically) and he rebuffs her. calmly, maybe a little bit passive aggressively. but she is clearly stung. she dumps her water and pours herself a whiskey instead.

next scene: gemma goes to her bedroom and sits on the bed, obviously depressed. she switches on the television and something symbolic plays. or she looks at her phone, or picks up a book. or even looks at the chikhai bardo cards. whatever. we do the symbolism in this segment.

next scene: we start on mark at his stupid typewriter. gemma comes in obviously tipsy and ready to lash out, and once she does mark matches her energy. they have a knockdown, drag out argument about... something. either it's not clear what they're fighting about, or they're obviously fighting as a proxy for something else. at one point, one of them picks up a [baby toy] [piece of wood obviously from not yet assembled furniture] [screwdriver] [something like that] and throws it at the wall. in the background, you can just make out the ikea box for a crib. this allows the discerning audience member to pick up on the foreshadowing, and the less discerning audience member to have an a-ha! moment when they get to the crib disassembly scene in the finale.

next scene: the fight continues, but gemma accidentally cuts herself on something while she's gesticulating. mark immediately softens and rushes to clean the cut and get her a bandaid. we show the audience that this marriage may be on the rocks but there is still love here and gentleness, this relationship is salvageable, times are just hard right now.

next scene: i don't know, they make nice or something. but then one of them puts their foot in their mouth somehow, and the coldness returns.

final scene: gemma tries to get mark to come to the party with her (as an obvious attempt to repair bridges) but he won't. she goes anyway because she's mad. the audience realizes with dawning horror that this is the night of the crash.

this does the things that the dead wife montage does (shows us mark and gemma Before; sets up Sad Miscarriage; shows us a reason for mark to blame himself for gemma's death) but it's not boring. and it shows gemma doing things and making choices, it lets us get to know her as a character. probably a better writer than me could do more justice to it, i just thought of this in five minutes and it's super cliche. but it's something that would get us 1) a chikhai bardo that is not a waste of all our lives, and 2) an actual character study on gemma and on gemma and mark's relationship. instead of a dead wife montage. you'll notice that this rewrite doesn't actually address my political critiques! it still centers on Sad Miscarriage Plotline! which is like fundamentally misogynist and not less so if it's better written. it still centers gemma's personhood on mark, which, ditto. so the symbolism girlies who are sooooooo excited to see a woman's personhood being attached to her ability to reproduce can be satisfied.

because like. the misogyny of the dead wife montage sucks ass. but it's also just insulting.

it would also allow gemma to emote and be complex and have thoughts and needs etc. in a way that ms. casey does not. more on that in a moment.

second, my more nuanced critique:

i would really, really have liked to like the innie bits of chikhai bardo. the whole "dozens of innies, each given a unique sort of everyday suffering, forever" premise is like so deliciously fucked up. it's a beautiful extension of the "severed to give birth" plotline in season one. and it's really miserable to watch! "my hand hurts" is such a chilling line. like that really has some get up and go as a horror premise. it like brings you back to the fundamental horror of the severance premise in such a sick way.

but the thing is...

okay. record scratch. so in season one when we first met ms. casey, my first thought was "hey man, this is kind of racist."

like her eternal smiling calm, her submissive gentleness, the fact that she appears to have no personality outside her role... well. Yeah Of Course You Cast An Asian Woman For That.

and then we find out she's an innie. and gemma's innie, at that. and i'm like, okay. benefit of the doubt. they're going to subvert this. we are going to see gemma scout kicking and screaming, desperate to escape next season. or we are going to see her totally suppressed, because they can't control her except through brainwashing.

and then chikhai bardo begins, and we see ms. casey smilingly calm, submissively gentle, cheerily submitting to her role and noncommittally answering questions and being led around empty-headedly. and then i realize oh god. this isn't ms. casey. this isn't another innie. this is gemma scout. this is just what she's like.

(it's interesting that the only parts of her which are not like that are her multiple innies. her mini-innies, as it were. the ones in the rooms who go through the tortures) (check this post out for thoughts on the fact that we're not really meant to care about them).

like the thing is. it's one thing that her innie is like that. you can convince an innie that almost anything is normal, because they don't know what's normal. they're new people under your absolute power. but gemma scout knows what the world is like and presumably knows she's being held captive against her will and she's just like. chillin. she doesn't even think of rebellion until they mention (drumroll) her husband. because a woman only exists in relation to her husband. she makes a break for it as though she has never yet, in three whole years, considered trying to escape. because she is so obedient. so subservient. so consumed by her role.

and if you look at the finale this holds true! gemma is clearly herself when she's not in the rooms, because she recognizes mark and cheerfully escapes with him!

and then in the elevator, ms. casey wakes up kissing mark, and says "what is taking place?" which. i must say. killer laugh line. but then she doesn't react really at all after that. she doesn't push mark away. she doesn't refuse to go with him. she doesn't get freaked out that he's covered in blood. she just passively lets him drag her through the hallways without emotion.

because that is gemma's core character trait, other than being sad miscarriage lady, i guess. calm passivity. man that's fucking racist.

[i feel like i want to add something about how the episode racialized her? the title + her in the dress at the white man's feet + the cards + etc. but i don't have my thoughts together on it + don't really have the words and concepts to express them. someone else could analyze that though.]

[variousqueerthings]

ohohohooooooo we just had s4ep3 👀👀👀👀👀

feel like ive gotta copy-paste some of the thoughts had onto here, rather than rewrite them, but suffice to say for the moment, big big character growth for one ray kowalski

the trajectory from early s3 to now as something that at first was very inward-facing (he's aware that his life isn't what he wants it to be, but he isn't at a point where he can pinpoint why and so he's at that stage of jerkily sharing and then withholding emotions, looking at himself and not taking in how others may feel (stella, fraser), and thinking more about how he feels bad, without knowing yet how to challenge that) to end s3pt1 (commitment to change) to these three episodes:

baseball: growing confidence in himself, less insecurity easy money: putting fraser's story first (on a meta level as well, s3pt1 very much pulled fraser back for a bit, and now he's slowly coming back into focus again at the point when ray is starting to take more action) ladies man: looking at his past and taking responsibility for those actions and how they affected someone else and the idea that it's never too late until it's too late (and he made it just in time!) (also like. none of that was his fault. but you get how he feels like it was his fault. and i think it's more that he probably felt like something was wrong about it all for years and it took him all this time to dare face her and ascertain for the first time that she Didn't kill her husband, so it's less that first mistake, and more the subsequent avoidance of trying to rectify it maybe.... things to think about. i am gonna go ahead and hc that beth and ray remain friends btw)

and throughout, he's been less and less ray vecchio. i believe mentioned off-hand in the first of these, but otherwise, he's stepping more and more into his own shoes/his own skin -- and a lot of it also (maybe?) related to those anger issues he has. because ep3 really started us off with that "hey, remember how ray has some really bad anger issues. let's see if he can make a conscious choice to work through those" which is what he did and ended with "guilt, sadness, shame, regret"... much much harder to feel, but he allowed himself to feel them, at last (and cry)

which is also interesting, because fraser is trying to facilitate that/support him and he's LETTING him now, it's more honest, more Real, unlike the false start back in early s3pt1 (especially episode 4 when ray was tryna work through his stella feelings in.... less than optimal ways... stellar ways.....)... which means im holding out for fraser to fall to pieces a little bit at some point as well, because he is Brittle!!!

if i think of this season as a mirror-ish to one another, albeit sort of shifted, because baseball was a bit of an outlier (bdth/easy money being about fraser losing something pivotal and needing to carry on, eclipse/ladies man dealing with events in ray's past that he feels shame about/hasn't been honest with himself about/needs recontextualisation in the present), potentially around episode seeeeven to mirror bounty hunter? throwing it out there as a maybe maybe, i could be overreading this mirror thing (we'll see)

but point is we're really seeing ray having floundered and struggled to identify his emotions and how to act, rather than react to the world and he's pushing against that! and he's feeling his feelings

(something... SOMEone........ who shall not be named.................... could do with? maybe?) (oh but see fraser's very well-adjusted, because he doesn't ever get angry or sad or lonely ever ever, he's Happy-go-lucky just doin' his job 😔😔😔) (fraser acknowledgement that he imagined killing his "father's killers"/gerrard and me like "i know bby, i saw you point a gun at him and throw a knife next to his head, but it's still 👀👀👀👀 to hear you say it out loud.... but also you're STILL doing it for ray's benefit and not your own, i think!")

[redjennies]

me in 2011: idk Oghren wasn't my first choice who should be the returning companion from Origins to Awakening, but I like him. I think it was cool that they showed that just because he married Felsi, he's still fucked up from what happened with Branka and you can help him with some things that he wasn't ready to deal with in Origins so I guess it does make sense for him to return. also he's my bestie now, and I love him. :)

me in 2017: okay, yeah Oghren's writing and "jokes" often are the result of misogynistic and homophobic writing that plagues Origins, but let's not pretend Alistair doesn't also make openly misogynistic jokes and he's the fandom darling who "respects women." so let's not pretend this is about Oghren and social justice so much as it is about who the fandom at large finds fuckable.

me in 2025: fuck it, Oghren is utterly fascinating and rivals characters like Loghain and Morrigan in richness of character. he is a reflection of the ugliness of the Orzammar caste system and how even the relatively privileged warrior caste are chewed up and spit out by dwarven society once they stop being useful. by the nature of his caste, he was supposed to die a long time ago in battle, but because of his wife's elevated status as Paragon, they were thrown into a world they were both entirely unprepared for as that sort of class mobility is nigh impossible to achieve in Orzammar, and neither could adjust to a life of idle luxury. they hated each other, and still, that deeply ingrained sense of honor and loyalty has him track her down through the Deep Roads years after she abandoned him to his disgrace and witness the trail of horrors she left in her wake as she betrayed and sacrificed both her family and his to feed her obsession with the Anvil. and still, he thinks he can talk some sense into her and asks the Warden to spare her because that's his wife and perhaps, because he sees that same maddening lack of purpose in her that he feels in himself. worse yet, he is painfully aware of all this as evidenced by how he pre-emptively monologues all his faults and self-loathing to the Guardian in the Temple of Sacred Ashes before the Guardian has a chance to say anything. by his own admission, he is a thoroughly humiliated man who has lost his family twice over, his dignity, and now, his home. he is so thoroughly removed from what his culture taught him honor and purpose looks like, and unlike Sten, there is no easy fetch quest that can fix that. so of course, he spends the majority of Origins milling about in camp, drunk and unable to talk about much less move on from his grief. he only starts taking the smallest of steps towards a better life fairly late into his approval, the biggest of which is not completing his personal quest but by maxing out his approval and having real conversations with him about what happened with Branka and assuring him that he isn't useless and that he can change. of course, when he returns in Awakening, he is still only on the second half that journey. of course, he runs away from his responsibilities out of fear of fucking it up again when traveling with the Warden is the only thing that has given his life meaning in Maker knows how long. obviously abandoning his wife and child is not the "good" thing to do, but it is the understandable thing to do given everything that's happened to him, and he shows his growth by rectifying that mistake and not accepting defeat. that is how you do a fucking damn good character arc, and anyone who disagrees with me can meet me on the Proving Grounds.