#and everyone's just getting their opinions on things

[oceantornadoo]

inspired by a dramoine fic i read! simon riley x f!reader

it’s the third time today someone has handed you simon’s paperwork and you’re starting to get confused. in fact, there’s the distinct feeling that you’ve missed a memo.

first, it was the visiting captain, so you couldn’t blame him for confusing lieutenants. but then it was johnny turning in his mission report, muttering something about “cannae be late this time if ah give it ye, lass.” which was odd, considering you weren’t his direct report (you were gaz’s). but what really sent you over the edge was getting called into price’s office and being met with a load of folders addressed to one Lt. Ghost (Confidential).

“sir, i’m a bit confused as to why you can’t just give these to him yourself.” price looked up from his desk, eyes flickering from under his boonie hat. “hav’ you seen ‘im today, lieutenant?” you nodded immediately while trying to scoop all of this paperwork (that was not yours!) into your arms. “yessir, i saw him before breakfast and then during training and then…what?” price had silently quirked an eyebrow, his beard echoing the movement. “i haven’t seen ‘im all day, so i figure it’s faster for you to deliver since you’re more well-versed in his movements than i am.” huh. “i’m sure he’s just doing his ghost thing, y’know? slipping into shadows and…”, price patiently gave you an exasperated look, “but i’ll get these to him, sir. see you later!”

the problem was, you knew exactly where simon was. in your office.

his own had an unfortunate ground level window near the track, so he was always complaining about nosy recruits until you offered to share some office space. temporarily, of course. it’s not like you were using all the empty space anyways and it made it much easier to get the opinion of your fellow lieutenant on a report by walking over to his desk, rather than going up and down stairs. that was the second point he made, and who were you to say no?

after pushing open your office door, you beelined for simon’s desk, dumping the stacks of folders on his desk. “wot’s this?” his mask was off so you could see his eyes widen at the mess of papers. “everyone now thinks i’m a drop off box for your paperwork, so i got burdened with all of this when i was doing my rounds.” he nodded thoughtfully, taking a sip of his tea. “cheers, love.”

“what do you mean, cheers? don’t you think it’s odd for them to give me your paperwork? and why do we even have so much paperwork? i swear im drowning in it this week.” he snorted at your last sentence, opening the first folder in front of him while you rounded your desk, sitting in your comfy chair with a hmpf. “yer out an’ about more than me, tha’s all.” well, that was true. the infamous ghost was not known to be a sociable person on base. “i guess…” you turned to your old radio, passed down by a retired captain, and turned on simon’s favorite classical station.

“ya want mess or the pub tonight, love?” another great thing about being on base with simon - you never had to pay for dinner. “actually, that thai place we like is doing a special tonight.” he gave you a half-smirk, one cheek ticking up. “bloody raccoon. we had thai two nights ago.” you didn’t respond, instead blinking your best impression of puppy dog eyes at him. simon sighed, then shook his head at his desk. “olrigh’. the things i do.” you smiled and winked, dipping your head back down to your desk. “thanks, si.”

-

two weeks later, you were prepping for a duo mission with simon. price had been grilling the two of you for the past three hours, making sure you had everything memorized. satisfied, he leaned back in his office chair and rubbed his temples, the feeling of a headache coming on. “one more thing.” both of you snapped your head up at price, desperate to leave and eat. you’d already missed dinner and your stomach was complaining.

“the safe house is pretty small, basically a shack. one bed, no couch. i assumed ‘s fine since y’r datin-“ “‘s fine, captain.” simon cut him off, an out of character move that had you frowning. “it’s fine, cap. not like ive never slept on a floor before.” now price was frowning at what you said. he turned to simon, who shook his head imperceptibly before becoming still again. price’s brow furrowed but he didn’t push further. he got up from his chair, eyes flitting suspiciously between you two. “i’ll see you at 0600.”

“what was that about?” you whispered to simon after as you walked down the hall. “‘s nothin’.” you were missing something but it was so unclear what. “he thinks that we’re datin-“ “said it’s nothin’, sweetheart. he’s an old man. let’s get some food in you, yeah?” you nodded, letting him guide you to the kitchen. price wasn’t that old. and you were not dating simon riley.

-

the mission was beautiful, your best one in years. it was the first duo mission between you and simon, so the nerves of pulling your own weight had settled in hard. thankfully, your skills balanced each other out and you’d gotten the target in record time. now, all you had to do was wait in the safe house for exfil.

“you were so good.” you whispered once he’d locked the door. he only hummed a response, checking exit and entry points while you set up your packs, scrounging up MREs and testing the shack for electricity. price wasn’t kidding - it was practically a studio apartment. one bed, a bathroom and a decrepit stove. the soldier part of you was fine with it, but that small soft part of you ached for the warmth of your apartment. memories of yelling at simon for using all your shampoo even though he didn’t live there, of him running you a bath after a long day of training.

“you were good too, baby.” he snuck up from behind your spot on the floor and lifted you onto the mattress that had definitely seen better days. you hadn’t even checked it for bed bugs yet. “c’mere.” he pulled you into his lap, unbuckling your tac vest as you pulled off your bandana. you tugged off his mask - the hard shell since you were on a mission - and ran your nails through his short haircut. simon started kissing your neck, wet and sloppy like he couldn’t get enough. the unrestrained want he displayed sometimes scared you. the respective pulsing in both your chest and cunt scared you more.

“so are you sleeping on the floor or am i?” he flipped you over, your back flush with the mattress as simon loomed over you. there was still eyeblack around his eyes, caught on his blonde eyelashes as well, and you couldn’t help the hand that reached up to brush some of it away. “y’r funny, sweetheart.” you grinned at that - a real toothy smile. he bent down to kiss you, scarred lips caressing your own. simon bit your lip and you moaned, sliding your legs out from under him to wrap them around his torso. when you tugged him in he went willingly, grinding into your clothed cunt. his tac vest was still on, scraping against your shirt, hardening your nipples.

“keepin’ you in this bed all night.” cold fingers dipped past the waist of your pants. you were already wet, his fingers sliding easily up and down your slit as they warmed up. that’s when you realized he still had his glove on, his movements harsher than normal. wide eyes met his own, and simon stopped so you could make a decision.

it didn’t take much as you dug your heels into his back harder, meeting him in a sloppy kiss as his gloved thumb played with your clit. “fuckin’ made for me.” he whispered, and you chalked it up to dirty talk because obviously, you weren’t together. he just knew exactly what to do, giving your clit the right amount of pressure as his other fingers teased your hole, the stretch burning more than usual. it only took a few flicks and you were off, your orgasm settling through your bones like a warm cup of tea. “jesus, si.” he grinned, his scarred lips pulling up to show a beautiful smile. “know ya like th’ back of my hand, huh?” you shook your head, capturing the idiot in another kiss.

-

after the mission, after debrief and a hot shower, you made your way back to your base office. thankfully, paperwork had only slightly piled up. one envelope stood out though - a thick card-stock with glossy, swooping letters. an invite to london’s military gala, addressed to a Lieutenant & Lieutenant. simon’s name was next to yours, connected by a singular symbol. you turned to him in disbelief. simon had been going through his own backlog, but his head snapped up under the focus of your glare.

“simon, are we…dating?”

-

this was fun!!! check out the fic i linked it was so good and i couldn’t put it down.

[cybrasigilism]

Hi!! I’ve been reading a few of your works and I love your writing sm!! I’ve never done a request to a writer before, so I hope I’m not too vague or ambiguous (but I’m thinking what I’m about to ask could be TOO specific 💀), but I wanted to request an NSFW writing of Choi Su-Bong (Thanos) as a sub (and if you can, could you add a thing or two about edging him and/or overstimming him?). Personally, I’d preferably have them written as headcanons BUT whatever works best for you is most important, so I won’t mind whatever you decide to do :)

And if you’re uncomfortable with the request, ofc feel free to ignore! I appreciate it in advance if you do decide to write it, and I do hope you have a lovely day ❤️❤️

you won’t ever catch me turning down a thanos request, not while i live and breathe 😈🙏

TYSM FOR YOUR KIND WORDS BTW!! hopefully i did your vision justice :>

Submissive Headcanons! (Thanos/Choi Su-Bong/Player 230)

warning: smut and all things of the like (if you’re not used to seeing this warning on my page idk what to tell you) | not proofread | lowercase intended | sub!thanos | overstimulation | edging | begging | mommy kink if you squint | these are my headcanons for this character, please be respectful even if my opinions on the character differ from your own

character: thanos/choi su-bong (player 230)

A/N: we as a squid game society need more sub!thanos content, i’m happy to contribute my fair share. idk if this is ooc or not, because honestly i can see this guy being a total switch, but do with that what you will! enjoy :3 (lowkey running out of gifs for these stinkabutts) PS this may not be a read for you if mommy kink stuff makes you uncomfortable! i have many other thanos works that don’t contain that bc i know its not everyone’s cup of tea, i just thought it fit for these specific headcanons

MDNI! 18+ content under the cut, readers discretion is advised

  ———‿‿ ༺ ♰ ༻ ‿‿———

➤ thanos did not strike you as the submissive type, the absolute 180 that his personality made from the public eye to the bedroom was so drastic you could have gotten whiplash

➤ he will for sure be on his knees for you, both literally and figuratively. this man will do anything you ask of him, just as long as it means he gets to please you.

➤ he’s definitely the type to beg. he’ll give you the puppy dog eyes and go the whole nine yards if you agree to let him between your legs

➤ makes the most whorish sounds when you fuck him, especially when you praise him, even if its the smallest thing. even if you say something as simple as “right there, fuck yeah” he’ll be all over that shit, thanking you for letting him please you like that

➤ speaking of his moans, he gets quite high pitched when you guys get into it. i’m not talking anything crazy, just a lot higher than what you could have been expecting.

➤ some of the things you may expect thanos to say while you guys fuck can include:

“oh god, please keep fucking my cock, just like that”

“am i making you feel good, mommy? yeah?”

will straight up just call you mommy through his whimpers and whines if he’s too far gone

➤ goes crazy when you give him hickeys or bite his neck at any point that you can, whether it be before you guys have even stripped, as your jerking him off or while your actively grinding on his dick, he can’t get enough of it

➤ cries during rough sex, no further questions

➤ needs you to be touching him at all points of the sexual journey, loves when you rest your hands on his shoulders/chest as you ride him

➤ likes getting whipped THAT DAMN WIND AGAIN—

➤ goes ballistic when you pull his hair, the slutty sounds really show up then

➤ acts like he doesn’t like being edged, but he’s a sucker for it.

“fuck please…mommy just let me cum, oh fuck”

“i’ll do anything, i just need it so bad, i wan’ it p-lease”

➤ loves when you restrain him, it can be with anything. handcuffs, rope, your own two hands, ANYTHING

➤ choke him when he’s close, better yet, choke him while you edge him.

➤ he will cry when being overstimulated (trust you guys have a safeword set in place for overstimulating, as can be said for any other experimenting)

➤ loves physical touch during aftercare, it doesn’t have to be straight up cuddling, but just you touching/caressing him in any way at all

———‿‿ ༺ ♰ ༻ ‿‿———

thanks so much for reading! as per usual, any advice/constructive criticism on how i can improve my writing is appreciated and requested!

have a fantastic night/day lovelies 💌

tags: @gongyoosgf @kvstjwonnie @pink-apples001 @fiicalapsiholoaga

[crossdressingdeath]

You know what? I think a lot of DAV's biggest plot weaknesses ultimately come back to DAI, because a lot of them can be summarized as "Why didn't they get into [thing that DAI set up]" and... the answer is that Bioware was never going to be able to meaningfully engage with those things, and they should've known that when they wrote them into DAI. The Divine, Kieran's existence, Urthemiel's soul, the Well of Sorrows, all that stuff DAI set up that people are mad DAV didn't focus on? All of those should have led to pretty big alterations in the worldstate, and the worldstate has to remain roughly the same for everyone. We were never going to get the massive impact those choices should've had, for the same reason the Warden's boon at the end of DAO was quietly forgotten about as soon as Dragon Age became a series instead of a standalone game: the writing just can't support choices that would create such massive divergences. Like... take Urthemiel. Whether or not Mythal got Urthemiel's soul (and by extension whether or not Solas potentially had the chance to take it) should have been a huge deal! It should've led to two pretty different paths! Except... it can't. Because Bioware can only write one story for each game they make, which means the critical path can't really change beyond flavour text and occasionally which character gets a cameo slot; Mythal didn't get Urthemiel's soul in every worldstate, so Urthemiel's soul can never be relevant to the main plot. And the thing is, they would've known that going in! DAI was the third game, they must have known that worldstate variation could never be more than flavour text and cameos! Hell, you can see Bioware scrambling to make all the Divine options more or less the same in terms of impact on Thedosian society in DAI, which was definitely done to make writing sequels feasible. So why did they write Mythal getting Urthemiel's soul into DAI? And it's the same for all those other big, story-changing choices. People have differing opinions on the merits of including variable flavour text just to say it's there but that's not what this is about; in terms of the actual plot the variables cannot be relevant (unless it's something like the Warden ally choice where every option is ultimately the same in terms of plot impact, and even that one's pushing it; it never is explained how Hawke ended up friendly with Loghain). I think when talking about choices from DAI that DAV didn't engage with it's important to take a second to ask yourself if Bioware could have written a version of events that worked equally well with every possible outcome of that choice and could be tweaked to engage with every variation without having any major impact on the main plot. If the answer is no I think it's better described as a DAI problem than a DAV problem, because it's not actually DAV's fault that DAI wrote checks it couldn't cash.

[lukola4evs]

you don’t have to like my opinions

I totally get not everyone sees things the way me and some of my homies do. That’s cool.

but y’all are desperate to prove your point by sending in anonymous asks to other more popular Lukola echo chambers that literally won’t acknowledge that A was in Rome.

y’all understand that sounds illogical right?

they want you to believe someone with a celeb bf is just a crazy stalker and recording shit from google and fucking with their phone to forward the time to mess with meta data to post instead of just believing she was there and a wm costar and her followed each other when they met.

And then we got Luke’s besties t+c tagging and uploading A to their stories and eoy wrap up on ig but we’re still supposed to believe she’s someone that won’t go away?!?!

and I’m not even mentioning the his and her Spain posts because some of the ultralulus can’t handle that (she didn’t rent out a room and recreate a towel on the floor in the exact manner to match)

none of that line of thinking is logical you guys. Usually the simplest answer is the right one.

just because we don’t believe lukola is happening now doesn’t mean it won’t ever.

tomdaya dated other people and found their way back to each other so it is possible.

but if you have an issue or want to know what I or some of the homies think just ask in the comments or in my asks.

you don’t have to talk shit on anonymous blogs about me.

[mad-as-a-box-of-frogs]

I’m mean I’m definitely with you there on canon!Layla, and I really enjoyed how they showed her anger at being left behind in episode 2, her frustration with Marc in episode 3, her understandable confusion with Steven and eventual acceptance. Like I’m almost always on Layla’s side during season 1, and I find her response to things very reasonable, given what Marc put her through.

It’s more that I find the fanworks of her lacking, that her edges get shaved down so she can just jump back into a relationship with Marc (and Steven) right away. Personally, I don’t think anything about season 1 fixed her relationship with Marc, they were already so rocky from his inability to be honest with her in the first half, and then the realization that he was there at her father’s death and didn’t tell her, drops like this atomic bomb on their relationship, and she has to contend with the fact that Marc has never been truly honest with her a single day of their marriage. And knowing this is an uber unpopular opinion in fandom…. I think it’s gonna take a lot more than groveling from Marc to fix that, if they even should try 😬 (and I say this as Marc’s biggest fan, he’s my specialest little guy, I just think him lying to to Layla for that long torpedoes the relationship).

So in turn, I just love any fan work where Layla doesn’t have her edges shaved down, where she’s gloriously righteous in her anger at Marc, or fics where understanding Marc has DID is one thing but coming to terms with him having alters with their own lives is another (like fics where Jake has had secret lovers this entire time) and Layla reacts in ways that aren’t particularly nice but are incredibly human.

So I just tend to think most fanworks, to keep layla around, soften her to make her the best wife/girlfriend, shaves down the edges of her personality, and ultimately that’s fine, everyone is free to create whatever fanworks they want, I just wish there were more fanworks where Layla isn’t Perfect Wife/Girlfriend that is always understanding and never reacts badly from having her own needs neglected.

Also I think she should try kissing women before she gets pulled back into Marc and Steven’s shenanigans, but that’s just me. Hope this helps explain my thought process and I didn’t come off too harsh against the ships.

this has been discussed before but reducing female characters to the girlboss braincell holder in the name of combating misogyny in fandom is ironically also a form of misogyny

[blanska]

I've seen that some people were thinking along the lines of "why does Veilguard make the Antivan Crows seem like the good guys, when this is a fucked up organization who've done and are probably still doing fucked up things?"

I think it's fair to think that BioWare should have shown more of the different sides of the Crows. But I personally don't mind this because to me it makes sense contextually.

Example: in DA:O all we knew about Tevinter that they are the evil blood mages from the evil blood mage country. In DA2 we met Fenris and this point of view was strengthened and it wasn't just a random stereotype anymore, because we've heard from Fenris what they were like. We've seen the effects of their action on Fenris. And we got to meet some of the evil tevinter mages personally. So now Tevinter was the evil tevinter blood mage country that we know more horrible details about.

Then in Inquisition we meet Krem, who is an average tevinter person. And of course it's logical that a country cannot be populated solely by evil blood mages, but we've never seen an average tevinter person before who's just like anybody else. And more importantly we met Dorian. Who is nobility. Yet he is not an evil narcissistic blood mage. He is against that. He criticizes his country and his countrymen harshly. But he also loves his country and tells us about its values and beauties. Suddenly Tevinter is not the evil blood mage country. It's more than that. Now we can see a more positive side of it.

In Veilguard we get to see the struggles of average tevinter people and not a lot of narcissistic nobles surrounded by their slaves. But it does makes sense, because all we do is run around Dock Town and these types of nobles will not be waltzing around in those streets. But now we experience what it must be like to live in the country where the narcissistic nobles, the evill blood mages and good hearted revolutionaries fight for power.

So back to the Antivan Crows. In Veilguard their city is occupied by the Antaam. Of course they're gonna fight the invaders. The people of Treviso have different opinions about them in this situation. Some see the Crows as the heroes who fight on their side against their current oppressors, and some actually think that ruled by the qunari might turn out to be a good life. And some of the Crows might care about the people of Treviso, but even if none of them did, they would still fight the Antaam, just like the Thread fights the Venatori in Dock Town. The Antaam took their territory and power. For Rook and the Crows the Antaam is a common enemy, so we automatically see them in a better light. They are allies.

And if we ignore the things that have to do with taking back Treviso, we still don't see the ugly side of the Crows. But who are we meeting? Who are we talking to? We're talking to three Talons, the leaders who want your help in their revolution. They have no reason to tell you fun facts about how they abuse the children they recruit or the adults for that matter. For once they are busy fighting a common enemy instead of each other; that's what they're focused on.

And who joins our team? Antivan Crow royalty. Not just any royalty: the First Talon's personal favorite. I think everyone growing up in the Crows had a fucked up childhood and Lucanis is no exception. But his childhood was way less fucked up - compared to Zevran "son of Nobody" Arainai - because he was privileged af. The possible death of the First Talon's grandsons was propably not a part of their training. Lucanis never had to kill anyone who he didn't think deserved it. Once again probably because he's Caterina's favorite and she knows he likes to take down evil people so she gives him those targets.

So instead of evil tevinter blood mages, the Crows might come across as ruthless heroes of the people. Because we meet them when they are united against Treviso's opressors. We meet the ones who are in charge.and comfortable, the ones who are privileged. And it's fine because we've met Zevran too, who showed us the ugly side of the Crows. And hopefully we'll get to see more sides in the future.

[sukibenders]

Not some JayViks are calling Arcane, specifically the show creators and writers, even animators, homophobic for not catering to their ship...even though the show's main couple is wlw...

[mioakem]

If you’re able would you be down to summarize some of the notable bits of the stream? Don’t wanna give Dream’s stream more views :P and I also don’t have twitter

(If not the vibe then no worries! Thank u for all ur service in the mcyt drama wars 🙏)

ofc i can!

so basically hes just going through tubbos stream from earlier and nitpicking it

he starts by talking about how tommy used to joke about dream being a pedo (when he was 16 btw) and shows a super long text he sent to tommy saying how he doesn’t like it and doesn’t think it’s nice to do that.

then he talks about the qsmp/usmp thing. he said that tommy really wanted to join the usmp and apparently said “fuck quackity” (has no evidence of that) and then says how he stopped being friends with tommy when he dropped the “if youtubers were honest” video. he goes on a whole rant saying how tommy is fake and how he’s lying to everyone and then he starts shit talking tommy’s mom cause she was defending tommy on twitter. he shows the huge dm he sent to sarah (which was basically just saying that he’s upset that she’s active on twitter and defending her son). he says some more things about tommy, saying that he’s “on his knees” for quackity and also said that he wouldn’t be doing this if w*lbur was in dreams place

he then goes into the logan paul situation and, as expected, shit talks tommy for being friendly with him when he was 16. he starts saying that tommy just likes to start drama to get attention.

finally he gets into the mizkif situation and again says that tommy is just trying to start drama. Then he goes on a whole politics rant about xqc or whatever the fuck his name is and saying that his opinions on trump dont matter cause he’s canadian? he then says that his own opinions on trump don’t matter and that he doesn’t talk about politics cause he’s not a politics streamer. then he addresses the r slur and to summarize it he basically just said “how come nicholas cantu can say a slur but not me”. he gets super mad when that jack and harry found the nicholas cantù thing funny purely because they don’t like dream.

he also talks about the philza tweet and says that he never ever took credit for other people’s success while in the same breath saying that he shined a spotlight on creators during the dream smp. he also says that he gained absolutely nothing from the dsmp and that “1% of his subs are from dsmp”

he starts going off about aimsey and says that he thought that she was the one who set off the whole caitibugs in an attempt to cancel dream and george (she didn’t caiti was literally speaking out abt george groping her and dream covered it up)

that’s about it after that it’s basically just a long coke rant about practically nothing, i’ll def update if anything else happens in the stream but rn he’s just going insane lol

[theliteraryluggage]

Okay I'm gonna be That Person but. The thing about this is that it is specifically a Brotherhood thing. As in many other places, the anime has dialed up the .. let's call it gut punch factor, and of course dramatic visuals, quite a lot compared to the manga.

Classic example for that is when Ed sees Al's body in the gate getting out of Gluttony. Ed's reaction is the same and he makes the same promise, but in the manga he does it before the gate closes on him in the first place, BH added the bit where he punches the gate back open again to make the promise.

Same thing here, kind of.

We see Roy turning up and taking care of the mannequin soldiers, but his attack is not shown with the same detail and precision in the manga AND he does NOT actually burn them entirely to ash. He looks at what the others have been doing before he came, which is targeting their legs so they can't walk out into the city and hurt the citizens, and does the same, still a very powerful and precise attack, but he mostly just burns the legs off them to take them down.

And Ed is still shocked by the power of it, and how quickly Roy could do it when they'd all been fighting who knows how long trying to take them down. but it's significantly less dramatic. With good reason, I suppose: Ed tells Mustang to quit being dramatic and posturing and just HELP already, so he does.

Whereas in Brotherhood, that's exactly what he does. He makes a dramatic entrance, and he SHOWS OFF. Yes, in the manga he also makes a snide remark to Ed about how easy it was for him, but he does NOT immediately use lethal force, he only does as much harm as ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

The "They were the enemy. It had to be done." line from the anime is entirely missing in the manga. He is NOT a "kill without mercy" man anymore. He is NOT the man he was in Ishval anymore. And in my opinion that makes for an even stronger contrast with how he acts a little later with Envy.

I love Brotherhood, but there are many places where it trades the nuance of the manga for dramatic effect. So once again, I implore everyone, please read the manga 🙏‍

FMA:B Episode 30 vs. Episode 53 || for @bisexualwinry

“There are bad people who would be less dangerous if they were quite devoid of goodness.” Francois de la Rochefoucauld

[j-partneringrime]

tr!aimsey is such an interesting character especially their relationship with death, they’re someone who has become so intrinsically linked with death, starting as a morbid fascination with learning more about it which became more and more obsessive until he eventually overstepped trying to directly mess with it. And now it is a more desperate fascination with it and specifically trying to figure out how to reach it for themselves which unlike the normal curiosity that they went too far with, this is the opposite, a much more serious and desperate curiosity which he have basically given up on trying to figure out at this point. Because once death wants something, it gets it, which normally isn’t that big a deal because death normally wants you to die, which is gonna happen eventually, so no big deal. But if you mess with death too much and it decides it doesn’t want you anymore, that isn’t as simple, death actually gets to show its power, so it takes your magic you used to disrupt it to begin with, but that’s not enough for death, so it gives you immortality, or more accurately curses you with never dying since they can still feel the pain and the dying but without any of the relief of death and the pain stays with them even after coming back, with the burns from losing her magic, losing his eye from the enderman/creeper and now the sword slash from ros. They had nothing anymore except their studies and so she put everything into necromancy and learning more about death, and they did good, they got close, so close that death didn’t like it, so then they truly had nothing, not even their magic, they lost everything, even the one thing you always have in life, the certainty of death, was gone.

That could make you become such a deeply lonely person, I mean imagine if you lost everything, had no one, not even death itself wanted you, that would mess you up, but she has had a long time to come to terms with it and grow from it, which also means she’s one of the most intelligent, especially emotionally intelligent, people, which meant that when they did get close to people again, they were a massive help for advice and help for their friends, which is good for their friends but also for aimsey themself, having that connection that they need after so long, having meaningful talks gives a connection you can’t explain, even if those meaningful talks are mostly one way, since aimsey is very secretive about themself and her past and almost refuses to say anything about herself and dismisses any attempt to try to get him to open up, but even with all that, it is still massively helpful for a character who needs connection so much.

Until eventually his friends, especially tr!ros get too strong an idea in her head on what they should do or what she “needs” to do that even though she’s still coming everyday for advice, she doesn’t seem to actually be listening anymore, it didn’t matter how many times they tried to help ros, she just wouldn’t budge from this inherently flawed idea that she is convinced will help her, and everyone else, which isn’t just bad for ros but also for aimsey, who has needed this connection so much and has begun to rely on it, even if it’s annoying that he’s seemingly the only person who actually has common sense or foresight with how much advice she’s having to give out, they’ve gotten used to being able to express their thoughts and opinions on situations and having their friends listen and care so seeing that they’re no longer really listening and are just doing their own ideas anyway would really hurt. Trying to help and make plans to help ros, only to show up the next day and find out she hasn’t actually listened and just took what aimsey said and used their plan instantly without seeing that that wasn’t the actual plan aimsey said to her. So the advice and talks eventually became more desperate trying to get through to ros because this isn’t her, this is her getting tired of what’s happening and needing to fix it so forming an entire idea in her head without seeing that this idea wouldn’t work and already isn’t working because she needs it to work, so it didn’t matter how much aimsey tried to get through to her, it wouldn’t work, until eventually they talk about where this idea in ros’s head is rooted, which is respect, the idea that if she can get them to respect her, they’ll stop, which she is going about doing by making them fear her, even though fear and respect are vastly different things. And aimsey says that to her which leads to the most important question they’ve had, would ros kill aimsey to get everyone to respect and or fear her, and when aimsey asks ros this, their closest friend, the person they trust more than anything, the person they can count on, that they can both count on each other to pull each other back, to save each other from themselves, they ask ros… and ros hesitates, and that’s all they need to know, the fact that ros could hesitate means that in her head there is a part of her that would and that part just seems to be getting bigger and bigger the more she spirals in this idea of respect. And then ros says no, which as much as she says it, isn’t the truth, the truth is she doesn’t know if she would or not, and that’s the worst part, not only would she consider doing it but she won’t admit it, to aimsey or herself, they’re supposed to be helping each other and ros instead of being honest and saying she doesn’t know, lies and says no, of course not, she could never hurt him, which is of course coming from a place of love for aimsey and not wanting to ever think about and especially not say they’d ever hurt her, but to someone as perceptive as aimsey, they can clearly tell ros is conflicted on it and even though know they know ros is a good person, of course she is obviously, that was never in question, but even knowing what a truly kind person ros is, that doesn’t change the pain learning something like that has. So aimsey pulls them up on it and makes ros confront that side of her, for good or bad doesn’t matter, because it needs to happen to help ros, one way or the other, and so they convince her to fight, which or course ros tries to argue about but still tries to make aimsey see her side of it, still not seeing that her side doesn’t really exist, it’s just a desperate attempt to stop the fighting by any means, by any cost, not seeing that no fighting, no threats should ever make them turn on each other, would ever make aimsey turn on ros, especially not to gain some form of respect from the people they already don’t like. Ros is too caught up in protecting her friends that she can’t see her friends don’t need protecting, aimsey doesn’t need protecting.

And you can see how deeply this is affecting aimsey because they’re talk about how they’re glad they chose to be alone, they’re with their best friend and they’re saying how they’re glad to be alone, because right now this isn’t their best friend, or at least not that they can recognise right now, because he has spoke so much about how everyone is killing just to kill and how that is one of, if not the, biggest problems they have with them, so for ros to now believe that she needs to do that to aimsey to “protect” them and gain respect from others, even though she already has aimsey’s and the kingdom’s respect (mostly), is obviously gonna be upsetting for aimsey and a massive loss of trust. And they start fighting, they both swing, and then they both swing again, then aimsey stops and ros swings again and then ros swings one last time and aimsey is dead, but of course, it doesn’t last. Because if one of them was gonna die, they’d rather it be themselves, if that’s because they can’t actually die or because they can’t bring themselves to kill ros, we don’t know (although it’s probably almost definitely both). But either way ros still doesn’t get to live, because she killed aimsey and death doesn’t want that happening, the past times it’s been a mob but this time it’s a player, and they won’t allow that to happen, so it instantly makes one of its already dead kill ros… instantly, because you don’t mess with death or the ones death has already chosen to punish itself. And after the fight, his relationship with death comes back up, with her asking, basically begging, death to let them go and just let them die, but of course, they were denied again, because even after all that with ros, they still can’t have anything, everything they want always so close yet so far, always. And then after they both parted ways after the fight, aimsey when thinking about going to ros, thinks ros won’t want to see them, instead of themself not wanting to see her, after the fight, he doesn’t stew in what ros did and get angry, he just kinda goes crazy (and high and poisoned), both because of what happened with ros and also probably experiencing death again. Because even though, they just fought and definitely lost a lot of trust in each other, they still care about each other and want to protect each other above all else, because the amount of trust they have in each other, one fight, no matter how big, will change that. tr!aimsey is SUCH an interesting and compelling character, and their relationship with death and tr!ros especially is amazing! I can’t wait to see what happens next.

(this is mainly about tr!aimsey so tr!ros comes off a bit bad from their arguments, but I promise I think tr!ros is a genuinely good person, just conflicted right now and she is also an amazing and interesting character)

[anakinstwinklebunny]

bunny oh my heavens you're such an amazing writer like I stumbled upon your account and I'm obsessed rn. Like I read all of Teen Dad Sam Monroe and I was gagged when I realized I finished it so quickly-

So I was thinking if we could get a background story about how Sam Monroe and reader met? Or about how Sam was there while reader was pregnant? Ofc totally up to you queen

🦇 - bat anon

Author's note: YAUYUYYY WELCOME 🦇 NONNIE IN BUNNY'S FAMILY‼️‼️ tysm for all the kind words, hugging you tight till we both can't breathe 🙂‍↕️😝

You weren’t supposed to be his type. Too sweet, too cheerful, too goddamn put-together for someone like SAM MONROE, who barely survived each day and bitterness was like his second skin. He didn’t even notice you at first--why would he? You were everything good, everything bright, and he? Well, he was the guy skipping class, chain-smoking behind the school, and growling at anyone who dared look at him too long.

But you? You were relentless all the damn time. Not in an annoying way tho, but in a way that scratched at his walls without him even realizing. You’d smile at him in class, offer him notes he didn’t ask for, and one day, when he was sketching aimlessly during a particularly boring lecture, you’d leaned over and whisper, “That’s really good. Do you do this often?”

It threw him off, the softness in your voice, the way you didn’t seem disgusted in him or scared like everyone else. He’d shrugged, mumbling something about “just messin’ around,” and waited for you to look away. But you didn’t. You kept looking, asking questions, smiling like you weren’t sitting next to the grumpiest asshole in school.

But Sam wasn’t the kind of guy you were supposed to talk to, let alone fall for. He was trouble--every teacher at school said it, every kid whispered it. He walked the halls with that slouched, pissed-off posture, earbuds in. He didn’t care about his reputation, and he sure as hell didn’t care about people around him.

But you? You weren’t scared of him, and that pissed him the most.

Leaving the school's building you caught him behind the bleachers, a cigarette between his fingers, time to time between his lips while he sketched on the back of some crumpled notebook paper. Of course, Sam could feel you standing there like you saw a ghost yet, he didn't dare to look up at you, simply confronting you in the grumpiest way possible about your staring problem “What? Come to tell me I’m ruining my life?” he exhaled a cloud of smoke.

“Not really,” you said simply, voice calm as you stepped closer, leaning against the railing. “Just wondering what you’re drawing this time.”

That made him pause. Blue eyes flicked up to meet yours, suspicion written all over his face. But when you didn’t laugh or tease him like everyone else, he shoved the paper in his pocket without a care it would probably be destroyed afterwards “Nothin’. Just some stupid house.”

“You gonna build it someday?”

Sam blinked, caught completely off guard. “Maybe,” he muttered, shrugging like it didn’t matter. But for the first time, someone had seen past the walls he’d put up, and it scared him just as much as it intrigued him.

---

After a few weeks of you making a small talk with him, being super nice and super sweet, Sam himself began to try to make a small talk. Yet, he didn’t like how much he started looking forward to seeing you each day. It just felt..weird.. dangerous, to let someone like you get so close to him. But still he couldn't help it when you'd catch him in the hall, offering a soft smile that always made his stomach twist in a way he couldn’t explain. He’d walk you home after school, even if it meant dealing with the nosy neighbors who always gave him side-eye for his, in their opinion, demonic style.

And when more time passed, it turned into a thing--you and him. You’d sit with him at lunch, even when he would mutter, “Don’t you have better people to hang out with?” You’d drag him to study sessions, ignoring his protests that “school’s a waste of time.” And slowly, he stopped fighting it. He even looked out to all those meetings with you. To share classes with you he hated so much. To have you drag him to the library, the place he'd never been in, and help him study, help him learn.

Around you, he immediately softened--no, he wasn’t sweet, not in the traditional sense at least, but he had this gruff affection that came through in little ways. Like how he’d stand between you and a group of loud guys at lunch, glaring until they finally shut up. Or how he’d hand you his hoodie without a word if you so much as shivered and even force you to put it on, not taking any buts and no's for an answer

He didn’t smile much, but you caught that he started doing this thing where he’d smirk whenever you said something dumb or tripped over your words. He also started waiting for you by your locker, even if he pretended like it was no big deal. And when some jerk made a snide comment about you “slumming it” with Sam, he’d take care of it in his own way

---

So it wasn’t long before you were more than just friends. He kissed you for the first time in his car after a late-night drive. It was awkward--his lips chapped, hands clumsy. First sex came year later, in his room while his parents were out of the town with his stepbrothers.

He didn't last eight second.

You’d expected him to bolt, honestly. That’s what everyone said he’d do--Sam Monroe, the screw-up, the guy who never took anything seriously. But instead, he stayed. Although he did pace the length of your room, he did run his hands through his hair, and he did mutter curses all over, “Shit, shit, shit,” under his breath. "I fucking pulled out! I---i swear!! This fucking isn't real..I-im only seventeen for God's sake" he groaned, anxiously sitting on the edge of your bed

You didn't really use much protection..You just trusted when Sam would say he pulled out in time or use some old condom his friend gave him. So when your period was getting late, when you out of the sudden had nausea..you took the damned test. Out of sanity of your overthinking mind. But hell, did you prepare yourself for it to be positive..

The first time you told Sam you were pregnant, he froze. Like, fully stopped breathing, face going pale as he stared at you. “You’re… what?” voice cracking in a way that would’ve been funny if the situation wasn’t so serious.

“Ehm--wha--what do you want to do?” he asked, voice quiet, almost scared, eyes finally locking with yours. And when you said you wanted to keep it, he nodded, exhaled, hide his face in his hands with jaw tight. “Okay..um... okay..Then-- we’ll--figure it out, I guess..But I need time to think, alright?”

---

Sam threw himself into trying to figure it out. He started taking an odd jobs, fixing up cars for cash and doing whatever he could to scrape together some money. He hated asking his mom for help, even more his stepdad, but when it came to you and the baby, he swallowed his pride.

But still, he was himself in all of that--grumpy, sarcastic, and stubborn as hell. “You’re not eating that,” he’d grumble when he saw you reaching for something unhealthy, swatting it out of your hand and replacing it with an apple. But then, a few hours later, you’d find your favorite snacks hidden in your bag because he couldn’t stand to see you looking so upset.

Sam didn’t suddenly become the perfect boyfriend—damn, he never was---but he tried. He took on extra shifts at some crappy diner, even though he hated every second of it. He’d show up at your house with random things, like pickles and ice cream, grumbling, “Dunno if you wanted this, but whatever.”

He argued with his mom constantly about the baby, about how he was going to be a dad at such young age..

But it wasn’t all bad. Sometimes, late at night, he’d lie next to you, hand splayed over your belly, whispering, “Hey, little dude" (he was sure as heck it was going to be a boy) "It’s your dad....or whatever.. you're just my sperm..But..Don’t give your mom too much trouble, yeah?” He’d laugh quietly, breath warm against your tummy “She’s already got enough dealing with me.”

[bitchface24-7]

dude i love jayce so much it’s a problem like AHHH i wanna request sum fluff but i literally don’t care what it’s abt i js want him bro. like it can be domestic shit or like whatever LMAO i’m so bad at doing requests but i love how u write

T-T

I LIKE THE BEARD… - JAYCE X READER

synopsis: your lovely boyfriend Jayce has changed his look as he's gotten older. His hair has gotten longer, messier; and he’s grown a wonderful beard. He wants to get rid of it. You say otherwise.

warnings: Jayce is hot, fluff fluffy fluff, appreciating Jayce, Jayce getting flustered, some insecurities mentioned, pre-established relationship, man I don’t know this is fluffy self-indulgence that this anon and myself are craving, Grammarly is my beta

genre: m/f or m/m

p.s. Y'all don't understand how happy I am that people are requesting things and just talking to me in either my asks or my comment sections in my fics. Keep it up, love ya <3

Dating Jayce is a dream come true. You two have been friends for as long as you can remember. You've had a crush on him since you were both twelve; you're breaching into your thirties now.

He's always been a massive sweetheart, willing to help anyone out, incredibly smart, funny, witty, if a bit naive with a massive tunnel vision when he's inspired.

You love him with all your heart.

This new look has you blushing like a tween again, rather than you being his partner of almost five years.

Jayce isn’t a massive fan of it.

You can see it in the way he runs his fingers through his hair, or scratches his heavily stubbled cheek. You know he's only putting up with it for you. And you greatly appreciate that.

Jayce has always been handsome, but this… this elevated him to a whole new level.

So when you wake up one day, the other side of the bed cold, you know exactly where he is. He's contemplating how he looks in the mirror.

Judging every supposed flaw and imperfection he sees.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

You trudge your way over to the ensuite connected to your bedroom. Your hair is a mess, you quickly threw on one of Jayce's massive button downs, and you think your underwear is crooked.

With a light sniff, as you rub one of your eyes, you enter the bathroom and see Jayce; nitpicking his reflection in the mirror. His shaving kit is out. You feel a jolt of energy enter your body as your eyes widen.

“Sweetheart… what’s that?”

Jayce looks at you through the mirror and lightly shrugs, “My shaving kit. Gotta look presentable at the next council meeting.”

Your eyebrows furrow at that, “You were so proud of yourself when you first grew out your beard, then like a switch you didn't like it. What's going on in that big brain of yours?”

A sigh escapes the handsome man and his shoulders drop, “Some of the council members made comments about my new look. Something along the lines of me looking more like a ruffian than the Man of Progress.”

You want to throttle those council members.

You walk up behind Jayce, hugging his back and putting your chin on his shoulder, “Well I think you look even more handsome! You're not in your early twenties anymore Jayce. How you look and style yourself is going to change, it does for everyone! Do I still have the exact same look when I was in my early twenties?”

“No, you've changed a bit over the years.”

You run a hand through Jayce's longer hair and bring it down to his beard; the back of your hand caressing his face, “Your opinion matters most. Do you want to keep this new look, or do you want to shave it?”

Jayce looks into the mirror in a contemplative silence, before smiling at you and putting the shaving kit away.

“I like this look. Those council members can kiss my ass, they're just too lazy to make new posters and cups.”

You laugh at that, throwing your head back before kissing his shoulder. Jayce whirls you around and gives you a passionate kiss, he wraps his arms around you and lightly lifts you into the air. You wrap your arms around his neck.

“I love you, you know that?”

“I love you too.”

“You better, you're stuck with me for all eternity.”

You beam a grin at him, “I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, when's this meeting? Let's dress you up so nicely that those members choke on their own spit and hopefully die.”

“Babe! You can't say that!”

“Oh yes I can, they sure as shit can't hear me. We’re at home. What're they gonna do? Send in a swat team of enforcers and put me in Stillwater because I'm offended they made my wonderful, beautiful, sexy boyfriend upset! I don't think so!”

Jayce boisterously laughs as you drag him back to the bedroom, “The meeting is in about an hour and a half.”

You smirk, “Time to doll you up then.”

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

It honestly doesn't take that long to doll up Jayce. He's always been handsome.

You pull out his killer outfit. It’s an all-black ensemble with red accents. He's always looked so scrumptious when he wears it, and he knows it.

He gets dressed, puts a small bit of pomade in his hair so it loses its frizz, and sprays on some delectable cologne. There's almost fourty minutes left until he needs to leave.

He should've gotten ready a bit later. He's so gorgeous, you're itching to get your hands on him and ruin the work you two just did.

And he knows it.

He just keeps smirking at you, his dimples popping out each time. He lightly licks his lips, he even subtly poses for you. That bitch.

You walk up to him as he appreciates himself in the mirror (as he should) and squeeze yourself in between him and the dresser, you wrap your arms around his neck and fiddle with the collar of his shirt.

“Would it be so bad if you were… a little late to the meeting?”

Jayce looks at the clock on the wall, “Nah, we got time.”

Before you know it, he's picked you up and tossed you onto the bed. He quickly follows suit as you unbutton his top as he kisses your cheek and goes down to your neck.

Fuck those councillors who talked shit about your boyfriend. He's the most handsome man in the world, and you'll make sure he knows it everyday.

JAYCE WITH MESSY HAIR, A BEARD, AND THE ALL BLACK OUTFIT WAS MY DOWNFALL IN S2. WHY DID HE ONLY HAVE IT FOR O N E SCENE ISTG WHY DID THEY DO THAT?!?? PAPA ME WANT MORE MOVIE 🫴🫴

[crooked-wasteland]

I'm not going to post the whole thing because it just trails off into irrelevance and I'm not here to platform strawman arguments, so here's the relevant part:

This is what we call perspective taking. Because if you notice, no one is talking about Limbus but rather clowning on how the fans are clutching their pearls over the fact that Alex Brightman signed a piece of paper and it hurt Medrano's feelings, so this somehow must be some nefarious action and Brightman, a grown man, is now a victim of some kind. It's hilarious.

That isn't to say I don't have opinions on Limbus. Bringing a printout of their video thumbnail and having that in specific get signed with the text "I made this" being, frankly, weird. That's weird. That's really weird.

But everyone in this scenario is equally weird. Fans are weird for infantilizing a grown man. Limbus is weird for their actions. And Medrano is weird for thinking she's friends with her employees.

Alex Brightman is a grown, adult man who has many years of experience with handling fans and requests that make him uncomfortable. He has always been reasonably vocal about things not sitting right with him for whatever reason, including something as banal as "This could be used against my character potentially". He has always been generally selective and conscientious of the repercussions of such things.

I don't like how it appears Limbus used this in some way to try and co-opt Brightman's allegiances. Whether that was not the intention, or maybe it was. It seems weird to post that so publicly as well. Implying that, yes, Limbus did do this as a way of manipulating a storyline.

At the same time, people saying Brightman was coerced into signing it is hilarious and the narrative around Medrano and her employees being "friends" is frankly demented. You cannot be friends with your boss, truly, until money is not a factor in the relationship. The fact that Medrano is friends with all her important employees, and yet whenever someone stopped being her employee she also was no longer friends with them is something that is going to come up.

If all your friendships are tied to who you are paying, you don't have friends. In some ways I feel bad for her in how she obviously thinks she can pay people to be her friend. And in a way this shows her that calling anyone who you are paying a "friend" is not mentally good for really anyone. She'll find out who her real friends are when she no longer signs their paychecks.

But you should maybe slow down and really look at what's being said by people. No one here has actually said that Alex Brightman agrees with Limbus. All we said was that if such an action made him uncomfortable, he has shown previously that he is willing to speak up about that and even refuse.

The overall consensus is the reality that this man does not give any care to whatever dumpster fire the fandom is currently fanning. He's doing his job. It's not personal.

[postcardsfromheapside]

[heavy sigghhhhhhhhh]

Okay, it's 9:30 in the morning, but I don't want to go out in the cold yet so we're addressing THIS instead.

First and foremost, turning Emmrich into the victim (and then whining about the lack of Solas) is what's cringe here. Not only is some of this wrong (Harding only brings up the age issue because Emmrich expresses his own concerns and she then acts as a sounding board for him), but it's getting tiresome to act as if the other companions don't have reasons to voice their opinions (I'm getting particularly tired of people not listening to the exchange with Taash and considering how they might feel). You can apparently consider things from Emmrich's perspective, but you refuse to consider things from everyone else's.

I'll put this under the cut - I hope no one has plans because we're going to be here a while.

A lot of the complaints in the post neatly latch onto individual ones I've run across in the past, so I'm just going to make one big response.

Emmrich is my favorite character in Veilguard, and second only to Varric for the whole series.

But he can be stuffy, snobbish, overly pedantic, he gets into other people's business and loses emotional perspective when the academic focus takes over, is possibly attempting to make a major life change based on barely-addressed trauma, and is prone to bouts of melancholy where he has to be drawn out by his friends and/or lover about whatever is actually bothering him, rather than him communicating his issues. He is not perfect,

That's why it's very interesting in that post to see someone claiming that "no one's bullshit is called out." When the companions "dunk" on Emmrich, it's a two-way street. Sometimes the companion is wrong, sometimes Emmrich is wrong.

Neve and Emmrich resolve their issues peaceably - it's not toothless, it's just that they're both mature adults and neither of them get actively hostile with others if they don't have to. They talk it through over several conversations, and decide the other is fine - good company even! - and move on to sharing Manfred, sharing poetry (you have to read the codex), sharing spell books, joking with each other, they're my favorite to bring out together despite not having interlocking talents.

Davrin and Emmrich start somewhat peacably - Emmrich tries to encourage him that he will find Assan's siblings, and I've gotten dialogue about the books the lighthouse has to offer early on - and then they begin their magic and child-rearing arguments. And Davrin ISN'T IN THE WRONG.

1) while it seems silly to us for Davrin to be a Fade denier, what's more interesting to me is that he points out that in a group of mages arguing about the Fade, there's never a cohesive answer. It's like listening to philosophers or religious experts never coming up with one clear answer about their favorite topics to mentally masturbate over. Davrin likes "science". He's writing a monster manual, ffs. He wants solid answers. One thing I love about Davrin is he's never afraid to call something that's bullshit, bullshit. Weird magical things happening in Arlathan? Bullshit. (and they are) Living in the lighthouse and feeling like it's ooky spooky? Bullshit. (and it kinda is) Questioning the boss about the god stuck in their head feeding them bullshit? 100% should be doing that. You should be listening to Davrin more - he's the voice telling you not to go into the haunted house, y'all, it might save your life.

2) He's also not wrong about Emmrich helicopter parenting Manfred, and almost none of how Davrin handles Assan is any of Emmrich's business, or area of expertise.

We need to stop getting upset at Harding for talking Emmrich through his worries about an age difference (this is something I think Bioware handled badly in that not everyone headcanons their Rook at a younger age, but also, Emmrich clearly has an issue with aging due to his thanatophobia). He shows signs of distress, and she talks him through it and offers advice. For some reason, a large part of the fandom has decided to take his issues out on HER, which is *wild* but not unexpected given the deeply internalized misogyny I've seen displayed. Not only that, but Sylvia herself has come out on Harding's side, because she wrote Emmrich that way.

Getting irritated at Taash is honestly wrong on so many levels at this point. I don't diagnose other people or characters, so I won't get into the ND aspect (it's fine if you relate to it, I'm not stopping you), but I will say this: Taash comes from a completely different culture than Emmrich, which finds using dead bodies so "callously" to be abhorrent, and their particularly sensitive sense of smell makes anything having to do with death even more disgusting to them (have you ever smelled a corpse, or dead animals? My migraines enhance my sense of smell, and make normal things smell awful sometimes) and finally, they are IN THEIR EARLY 20'S AND FULLY ACT LIKE IT. That means not everything they do is going to be as mature as the rest of the party, who are in their early to mid 30's, (and Emmrich was listed as 50-52). You can outright tell Emmrich to cut the shit, and he reels himself back with zero disapproval because he realizes ALL of this in a single second. *He's* the grown-ass man and professor here and shouldn't be escalating their argument. He values Taash, and changes his entire behavior toward them IMMEDIATELY, because *he was in the wrong*. And Taash responds to it, in a positive manner. You do not need to protect Emmrich from Taash.

Even Lucanis refuses to talk to Emmrich about Spite in some dialogue, because he feels more like a academic project than a person.

No companion is explicitly "called out" because sometimes these characters are calling *Emmrich* out. You're just refusing to see that he might be acting badly in his very quiet, stuffy way.

**put a pin in the Davrin/Lucanis bit**

Now.

After seeing a series of screenshots ending with this:

I got a little fixated with finding out which route unlocked this dialogue. It turns out you, as Rook, can romance Emmrich while expressing distaste for death, necromancy, and the undead the entire time - effectively dissing his profession and life's work, to paraphrase the post I linked - and Emmrich doesn't actually disapprove. Any time you can express disaste without missing a flirt option, if you do that, he takes it in stride. And then you can flirt as normal. He is *used* to people feeling this way. I think all Nevarrans are. I rather suspect he doesn't give a shit what the companions think about his job, at his age - he's written books, he's given lectures, he's a senior Watcher. Their opinions don't matter. He's at the top of his game, he has nothing to prove to them. Rook hired him, not them. And Rook? If you romance him, and take this route, his answer to you is: "There's no shame in a little attraction to the forbidden, my darling."

This man is a fucking menace. He doesn't need defending - you need defense against his rizz.

Now, Solas.

Yes, Solas taunts him for being a lich. Solas also taunts Davrin for being Dalish and what he must have heard about Solas from his people. Solas also tries to flatter Emmrich if he remains human. Solas tries to butter up Lace by apologizing to her. It's almost as if Solas is the "god" of deceit and trickery and presents as many different faces as their are people or even aspects of those people. He will present whatever face he thinks he needs to in order to get under their skin, or throw them off their game. Solas doesn't care about Emmrich becoming a lich. He doesn't actually care about any of the companions. He cares about tearing down the Veil. What choices you've made do not matter to him on a personal level except inasfar as he can use you. That's who he is. I hate it for you if you haven't realized and accepted this by now.

There are a lot of people who think Solas and Emmrich "nerd out" in their dialogue, and I just don't see it. I've held back from this descriptor in this lengthy response, but Emmrich constantly displays a very "British" politeness - and he does it when Solas attempts to flatter him in the end game. Emmrich doesn't express a *personal* wish to have a conversation with Solas. He says there are things the Watchers wish to have answered. It's professional for him. Solas kidnapped Rook, someone who, romanced or not, Emmrich spent weeks making a damn good facsimile of the lyrium dagger in order to save. Emmrich isn't going to outright tell Solas to go fuck himself, because he's too well-mannered, and he's got an affinity about spirits. But he's not inviting him over for tea and crumpets.

I don't understand where the idea that Emmrich holds off from flirting back because of the age gap comes from. "I must be sure to live up to expectation" - do you...do you not see that as him flirting back? TBH I think this guy flirts first and then kicks himself because "that's the boss" (and probably gets told about what's happened with Varric) and only REALLY gets serious when he thinks "No, there actually is something here" when Rook has flirted a few more times after that, plus helped him in his personal quest. Age gap be damned. A lot of us did not play Rooks with an age gap, or that much of one - mine was my age, well within Earth "norms" these days.

Okay, back to the Davrin and Lucanis bit.

Saying that Lucanis is "okay because he's an assassin that only kills bad people" is missing the point. Lucanis fully admits that he has only killed people who are guilty by his own yardstick. I'm sure all the companions could agree there are some standards (children) but even in D'Meta's crossing you're faced with a moral choice where not everyone agrees what to do (free the mayor or don't) and it's very clear that not everyone has the same standards about what makes a "killer". So why should you assume that Lucanis is a guilt-free assassin? We know that he frees slaves, we know that he earned a reputation killing Venatori mages. But he demures from Emmrich's excited statements that he "empathizes" with all his victims. There's absolutely no way he was able to vet all his kills, and who decides who "deserves" to be killed? You're meant to contrast this with Davrin's warm empathy for the criminals who join the wardens and become "something better" - the kinds of people who start bad and change into something good, who get a second chance to help and contribute to Thedas society in a meaningful way. But the Wardens have their own dark history, they're often corrupt. Lucanis and Davrin are two *good people* propping up their own suspect organizations, both of which are doing the best they can in imperfect situations. It's like watching a gang member and a cop slowly understand each other.

Please for the love of Andraste. Go read widely and expose yourself to other things and other people. It will help you gain perspective. This is a GOOD game, and not thinking critically about the conversations and choices, or trying to see things from each character's perspective, is what's holding people back from enjoying the richness and replayability it has to offer.

[brighteststarz]

HOT TAKE

Feel free to disagree with me, this is just my opinion..but hear me out till the end plz this is LONG

I’ve seen so much Jegulus hate since the rise of it.

I joined the marauders fandom literally the year Jegulus got popular so it was the first ship I saw and I connected to it. I started reading fanfics for it that were LIFE changingly good.

Yet when it was growing in popularity it was also gaining a lot of hate for not being canon or for being so random(which yeah, it was random. It started as a joke but who cares?? It’s amazing) since when has canon mattered to you guys?

Anyways with the rise of hate it’s like they knew they couldn’t hate on it just for it making James gay/bi because that would make them seem homophobic, so they brought Lily into it and HEARD ME OUT. Some people just can’t stand the idea of a character they want to see themselves with wanting someone who’s not like them and they relate to Lily so they don’t like regulus.

A lot of people bring up that Lily gets bashed in a lot of jegulus fics like saying it happens too much but that’s not completely true it’s not that common. A lot of “Lily bashing” tags aren’t attached to jegulus fics they’re attached to Jily fics or jeverus fics and prongsfoot yet the blame goes to ONLY jegulus fics bc yeah some do bash Lily I’m not denying that but it’s not that common. The tag is common, but not just in jegulus fics.

Misogyny is bad, yes. However this isn’t a Jegulus issue, it’s a whole marauders fandom issue they always avoid giving the girls characterisation or they make the girls seem like a roadblock for ships like wolfstar or jegulus, or drarry ANY ship.

The problem isn’t just Jegulus tho.

Which brings me to my next point. People say “jegulus fics sideline Lily” which… c’mon. If she’s not the main character that’s not a problem. Guess what, wolfstar fics also sideline Lily, they sideline James as well. Bc they aren’t the main character for that specific fic. Guess what? Jily fics also sideline wolfstar and regulus and Mary. Just because your fav character isn’t a main character in the fic doesn’t mean it’s bad or misogynistic or bashing. They’re just not the mains.

Also, almost every Jegulus edit I see or Jegulus related video I see has someone in the comments talking about “Lily💔” / “what about Lily” /“everyones forgetting Jily” / “I miss Jily” /

Which by the way, no one is stopping you from consuming Jily content or making it.

Whenever I see a Jily video, do you know what the comments are usually? Not about Jegulus that’s what. However occasionally the captions will say something against Jegulus like how they dislike it which is fair you don’t have to like it but what does that have to do with your edit?

Why do I see more Jegulus hate that Jily hate when all anyone ever talks about in this fandom is how toxic Jegulus shippers are and how we’re bashing Lily all the time. Every Jegulus fic I’ve ever read had Lily treated like a goddess which isn’t to say there are NO lily bashing fics I know they’re out there but they’re not a Jegulus problem.

Another thing I’d like to address is how some Jily shippers have told me before that since I like regulus I MUST be racist because regulus is racist in canon? First of all, he is a blood purist, at most he is probably incestous in canon not racist but the glory of fanfiction is you can take that away from his character and make him better. Blood purist has to do with keeping the bloodline pure, keeping magic alive and power, not race. I’m sure there were black pureblood families as well. Also, I’m black, so telling me that I must be racist for liking regulus is kinda… I’m not sure how the blood purist thing got translated into real world racism making ppl think I must be racist for relating to regulus, babes the thing I relate to is being the younger sibling left behind in a toxic household😳

Also, in the very end he sacrificed himself so that counts for something to me and I headcanon he didn’t share his parents beliefs or changed his mind. People act like regulus is so bad but none of the characters in marauders era are perfect. Sirius grew up the same way reg did. Sirius revealed Remus’s secret to Severus. James bullied Severus(even though I think that was more of a rivalry/mutual bullying)

Also for the people who say “Jegulus is just another version of Jeverus” I firmly believe it’s NOT for many different reasons but we are all entitled to our own opinions.

Jegulus: best friends brother trope, slight age gap(one year I think?), death eater/(whatever James was?), strict abusive family/perfect family, sunshine x grumpy, anti hero/hero, rivals to lovers/occasionaly enemies to lovers, quite and reserved slightly evil and highly mean character falls in love with the loud class clown, gay reg x bi James or sometimes ace/demi sexual reg x bisexual James, slytherin x griffindor AND MANY MORE REASONS BUT I CANT THINK OF THEM RN.

Jeverus: romantic rivals to lovers(competing for Lily), slytherin x griffindor, bully/victim?(idk I don’t read many jeverus fics), pureblood who doesn’t believe in blood supremacy x halfblood who’s also somehow a blood purist?

(There are big differences but because I don’t read jeverus I might not be the most qualified to talk about the differences but there are key ones if you take the time to actually read a good Jegulus fic before assuming)

Also people hating on Jegulus because it erases jily because Jily should be the main ship since it’s canon. I hate to remind you but you know Remus canonically married Sirius’s younger cousin yet yall don’t have a problem with wolfstar. If your issue with Jegulus is that it’s not canon, then I hope you also hate wolfstar and I hope you only read fanfics of Remus being straight since canonically he is and you care so much about canon 🌝

One last note, I’ve seen people say they HATE how people say drarry is Jegulus coded it should be that Jegulus is drarry coded because drarry came first… it’s not that deep. Timeline wise James and regulus are older, they were born first, however drarry was a ship before Jegulus was, but WHO CARES? why is this a reason to hate Jegulus? Just bc people say drarry is similar to Jegulus? They’re also mad that Jegulus stole ❤️💚 from drarry but why is that an issue? What’s the big deal? This part of the hate feels so unnecessary and forced plz find a better reason to hate this ship. The people saying that Jegulus is erasing Jily are more creative than the ones who are pissed off about two emojis representing different ships. Calm down.

Frankly I think the hate is fake and forced & some people think the only way Jegulus could work is if it’s hella toxic and leads to Jily because James could never choose regulus over his wife? Everyone has different opinions but don’t hate on others for liking Jegulus just because you don’t(this goes for any ethical ship in the fandom). If you don’t like it don’t read about it.

That’s all! If you took the time to read this full hot take thank you for hearing me out! I would be okay with having a peaceful debate in the comments if you disagree 🖤

[calware]

Do you have any advice on how to write Dirk and Hal or know of anyone I could get tips from :0?

okay so first of all i want to say that i don't think that i'm really an 'authority' on the subject, or that anyone else really can be aside from andrew herself. but i do have some thoughts and opinions that i'm willing to share

#1 piece of advice is to reread the comic once in a while. or at least reread bits and pieces if that's too daunting or not feasible. the POV cam extension is really helpful for that because you can specifically reread just the parts where dirk is there (does not work for hal though iirc which is where the dialogue directory is the next best thing) anyway i suggest doing this because it's always better to have their canon depictions fresh in your mind so you aren't accidentally working off of purely fanon ones

i think this is more of just a writing tip in general but try to think about how much you intend to transform the character. and by that i mean how much you want to stick to canon characterization. no matter how far you go with it, your depiction should always be informed by canon, but you can go as far with it as you want as long as it's intentional. so for example, if you want to stay really close to canon characterization, go for it. but if you want to stick them in an AU, ask yourself how that will change their behavior, personalities, etc. and it you specifically want them to act differently than they do in canon, that's okay too as long as you justify it and make it believable to your reader. you don't have to be afraid of changing them as long as something happened to cause that change

i feel like these are the two biggest pitfalls people fall into, usually a combination of the two. either they just don't understand the character well enough to give a believable portrayal of them, they don't give the audience enough reason to believe their portrayal of them, or both. for example there are a lot of hal fics out there where he is evil and kills people for fun, which to me just tells me that the author didn't really get him. but the takeaway isn't that you should never make hal evil and kill people, just that you need to provide basis for the audience to believe that he would be evil and kill people while still feeling in-character for doing so. that's what i mean by intentionality, you need to understand why you make the artistic choices that you are making

i wrote down some common tropes (?) of hal writing i tend to see that are along the lines of "i see these a lot and they wouldn't be bad if the author just made them feel believable" if that's at all helpful. i can do some for dirk as well if anyone wants me to

3. avoid being reactionary. the homestuck fandom is so reactionary with its portrayal of characters, meaning that one mischaracterization will get popular, and people will complain about it and swing the complete opposite direction, leading to a different mischaracterization becoming popular. an example of this is everyone thinking dirk is the coolest ever, and then switching to think he's the lamest ever. just try to focus on your own perceptions of the characters based on what you read from the comic and what you agree with others on, don't form perceptions based on trying to break away from something else

4. this goes more for dirk than hal because hal isn't as popular, but just keep in mind that dirk isn't the main character. i think a lot of people attribute main character energy to him when they don't really have to. obviously if you write a fic about dirk, he's literally going to be the main character, or if he's your favorite character you're going to care about him more than the others. but that doesn't mean he's any more important, more special, more traumatized, more mentally ill, or what have you, than any other character. going back to the example from above, the people who treat him as both the coolest OR the saddest character are both portraying him as the Special Boy. when the reality is that they are all pretty special and he's not an exception

i hope that all made sense... if not feel free to ask and i can explain further if needed