#and i don't think he is able to break out of it at this point and see the humanity in others.

[crossdressingdeath]

Ah, I think what we're getting into here is the difference between Andrastianism and the Chantry. There were a lot of different Andrastian sects(? Cults? Not entirely sure what the right word is, but I'm gonna go with sects) when the Chantry was first founded; most of them aren't around anymore (at least some of them gone because of the Chantry and its habit of wiping out every other religious group it can, see the codex entry on the Daughters of Song for an example; that one's especially nasty since they were pacifists and the Chantry steamrolled over them anyway), but even in the games' time period there's still a couple, most notably Chantry Andrastianism and Tevinter Andrastianism. Orlais chose a very warlike sect to follow right from the start, which might just have been because that's how Orlesians are but it's still a thing to keep in mind: the sect the Chantry came out of was already one that glorified war above most other things. How convenient for an expansionist empire! The Chantry itself was absolutely created from that initial sect with propping Orlais up in mind, and it has stuck to that mandate pretty consistently throughout Thedas's history (even up to the occupation of Ferelden, the Orlesian king put in charge had a Chantry advisor; as far as I'm aware there was no significant Chantry presence among the rebels, at least not in any official capacity). It's also important to me to keep in mind that in the games there is a vague acknowledgement of how Andrastians don't necessarily follow the Chantry and many don't agree with it; Anders is a devout Andrastian, and he understandably despises the organization. Varric is Andrastian, and Cassandra comments he wouldn't be caught dead in a Chantry. Basically the Chantry as an institution and Andrastianism as a religion are not the same thing, the Chantry was created with a specific goal that Andrastianism did not share, and after a point they have to be discussed as separate entities.

I sort of agree with the "institutions are at their heart the people" thing? But also that only goes so far when we're talking about an institution that is fundamentally not in it to do good, or at least not for anyone who isn't already wealthy and in a position of power. I think the best example is Mother Giselle; she was working in Jader during a famine, and she demanded the Chantry step up and offer aid to the people who were starving. She's the epitome of someone determined to do good within the Chantry and fulfill their supposed mandate of charity. And... the Chantry refused to help. Just straight up refused to send aid no matter how many times she entreated them to help these desperate people. Eventually Mother Giselle fell back on a hunger strike, and that worked (although the Chantry insisted she feed herself and her fellow sisters first, which they merrily refused to do; I have issues with Mother Giselle but this is very good, gotta respect the determination). But the Chantry was so furious with her for "shaming" them and forcing their hand that by breaking that famine she ensured she would never be able to move any higher in the institution than she was already. Mother Giselle was fighting the Chantry the whole way and was punished for succeeding. That's kind of the running theme in the Chantry; there are a lot of genuinely good people who are genuinely determined to help! But outside of the individual level they consistently find themselves stymied and slapped down by the organization they serve, because the Chantry does not actually exist to help and does not actually want to. There comes a point where you can't take the intentions of people who join up as the true purpose of the institution, because the institution absolutely does not agree with those intentions and will do everything in its power to shut them down. (Also I mean there comes a point where it's like... hey if you people are in this to help people why aren't you quitting when it becomes clear the organization is going to demand you hurt people at every turn, Keran DA2 you will always be famous to me.)

FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT. Thank you Dorian for being the best once again and pointing out that hey maybe if the Chantry didn't treat their mages like shit and traumatize all of them they'd get possessed less often.

[pinkcaraz]

ok short summary of things taylor talked about during his just chatting portion of the stream (11/27/24). i definitely missed some stuff bc his stream was super quiet and i was doing other stuff but yea i summarized most of the points. also i left out a few parts about details on league since i didn't rly think anyone would care that much about it LOL.

taylor got home 5 days ago, had training today, will probs start hitting tmr, said he should have maybe taken more days off

he saw the novandy news, said it'll be super nice to have andy back and that he was def not expecting it

he hasn't finished arcane yet, he's waiting for morgan to watch it together

he bought a custom (?) cloud pendant (i think from an anime i'm not sure) for a chain

talking about watching faker at worlds and how insane it is bc he could see his screen and see that he was tabbing around watching all the different perspectives

wants caedrel to coach him LOL told chat to spam him to coach him in league

scuffed stream 😭 he's fumbling w his mic and facecam

he said hes former top 100 NA fifa player, said team italy should have invited them so he could smoke them at fifa LMAO

got asked why does he take off left shoe during breaks? theres a spot that hurts when he slides around so taking his shoe off to let it chill helps relieve the pain

jealous of jannik and iga for being able to slide into backhands (he was more specific about the type of shot but i missed it)

bragging about his win rate in league (again)

talking about frances' serve time violations in shanghai thought the first 2 calls of time violation were bs, but def thought the one where he faked the ball toss was valid

said he'd answer controversial tennis questions LOL

got asked why sour cream and guac? bc he doesn't like spicy that much

london airbnb incident - they booked the airbnb the day before they got there, he thought the people trying to rob the airbnb probs thought they weren't there, morgan noticed sketchy people walking up to the door in the middle of the night, he tried to bolt the door but there wasn't a bolt so he held it shut w his body, he had his racket w him and said he would have hit the intruders w a slice forehand if they got in LMAO

thoughts on racket smashing - thinks it's entertaining, ok if not putting others in danger/at risk, thinks it's entertaining for people/fans to see, somewhat humanizing effect on the player, not healthy to keep anger in, don't do it on grass tho bc it ruins the court

talking about his match v daniil - thought that one game was funny but didn't think he was intentionally throwing the match

tommy and frances playing mind games by overcomplimenting their opponent (thinking about the laver cup fed '05 moment)

hits ohbhs in practice sometimes bc he thinks his "one-y" is unbelievable, rule is he's allowed to hit it until he hits a bad one then goes back to normal

any profits he gets from the stream will go to charity ! he's interested in donating to things that help kids

players don't pay for hotels while they're in tournaments but pay for everything else

thinks michael (his coach) should def win best coach, sportsmanship award will probs go to carlos or casper

thinks most improved award should consider older players more like draper, popyrin, musetti, himself, also jasmine paolini, etc. bc it's more impressive when older players improve compared to younger guys who have more time - for ex, gmp improved a lot this yr in ranking bc he was alrdy good and finally got time to actually play to raise his ranking

preference on armstrong vs ashe - more of a preference about which times to play, armstrong has better times for him

can go through like 5 pairs of shoes during a hard court major bc of all the sliding around

said he heard a lot of positive feedback about the wta finals from the players - players were taken care of well, knows that the previous wta finals tournaments have been rough

was gonna go to usc for college if he went to college, he verbally committed to usc, but didn't really plan on going to college

taylor bought and had flowers sent to morgan in LA

said watching worlds was super sick and he thought the opening ceremony was amazing, gumayushi's pose went hard

he doesn't save vods bc he doesn't want people to clip stuff and pull stuff he said, said he feels it allows him to be more authentic on stream

slkjhfajkf he talked about the liking a homophobic tweet on accident and said he freaked out bc he was having a chill no phone day and when he went to check socmed he was like "omg i'm canceled" IM DEAD

favorite league character to play rn is viego, he wins a lot of games on him

thinks the tennis calendar should def be shorter

[petriwriting]

I Hate you. - Theodore Nott X Reader

Requested. Thank you lovely anon!

A/N: Reader is a gryffindor and a muggle born.

Theodore Nott hated you. You were a Gryffindor, so there was already a natural rivalry at play. He would talk over you, and sit in front of you in class so you couldn't see what was going on. He was sort of a bully, and although you did not hate him the same way. You in fact, loved him. Since the first time you saw him you had been infatuated, enamored with his mysterious and cold demeanor.

You turned to your attention towards professor snape, who had asked you a question while you were absent-mindedly elsewhere. With your head in the clouds, something about an ingridient. you mustered up the courage to try and think of an anwser, but fell short. Your face became white, others thought you might throw up or pass out right then and there.

What was most embarassing and frustrating was that Theodore Nott was laughing at you, and his laughter caused the whole class to giggle. The girls swooned at he and his friends, something about a bad boy slytherin was just so attractive.

"I-I-I'm so sorry professor," You finally stuttered out.

"What was the question?" There was an eye roll from Theodore at your clueless self. "Miss L/N," Snape quipped back. "If you are not going to pay attention I suggest you leave this class and come back when you are prepared." He snapped suddenly, now you just want to cry.

"And Mr. Nott," he stood over Theodore's desk. "Yes professor?" he said with his doe eyes, Snape always favored slytherin students, and he always rewarded them the most house points. "Might you be able to asnwer the question since you began this silly banter?" He asked with his arms folded. "Yes sir," Theo said quickly. "Mugwort is used as a physic boost, aiding in dreams and it is said to aid Legilimens by enhancing their nature powers if ingested as an infused tincture." He answered very matter-of-fact in his tone.

"Very well," Snape said. "Well done. 25 Points to Slytherin House." He said.

You shuttered in the back of the class, wanting to leave but being too proud to dip out the back of the classroom. It was a potions lecture, which could go for hours. You were embarassed and exhausted. Even if you did manage to sneak away, It wasn't safe. Students had been getting cursed outside school grounds, and even during school hours. It was wisest to wait.

. . .

Upon the end of class, you had gathered your things and tried to apologize to professor snape, but you were brushed off and dismissed as being distracted during class. It was not fair in the slightest.

On your way out of class, Theodore had bumped into your shoulder hard, without an apology. "Nott!" You exclaimed, smacking him with your text book. "Oh merlin, it's you." He said sarcastically enthused. "You didn't have to be so rude." you stated.

He rolled his eyes, his demeanor trying to remain cold and unrelenting. "It's not rude if I know the answer." he snapped. "You foolish little rat," you spat out. It just came out, you didn't want to start a fight or an argument with the boy, but you couldn't help it. You had loved him endlessly and had been nothing but kind to him, but you were at a breaking point.

"Who are you calling a rat?" He stepped up. you doubted he would be aggressive or actually violent, his friends had already scurried down the halls without him. he stood tall over you. "You, you don't always have to be such a twat!" you snap at him, your anger is apparent, your face is blushed.

"Twat?" he asked. "Really?"

you folded your arms, ready to stand your ground if need be. although the situation didn't escalate further quite as you had imagined. At Theodore's words, your face fell and tears began to run down your cheeks. they were hot.

"Don't call me a twat you blood-filthy bitch." he spat.

You had already gathered your things, rushing off and running towards the nearest exit, trying to find somewhere private. The weasley twins saw you rush past, and you could tell they felt bad.. they gave you a sympathetic look but didn't pursue you further. None of your friends were around at that time of day.

You found yourself on the castle outskirts, alone, tired, crying and vulnerable. That is when you saw the hooded figure, a black cloak, a birdlike mask. and then darkness.

. . . .

You woke up in the hospital wing, hours or maybe even days later. it was quiet, the nurses were in the corner joking with one another, your head hurt. your vision was fuzzy and you felt sick, as if there was a heat in your chest.

Madam Pomfrey rushed to your side, taking your temperature and feeling your cool, but warm feeling skin. "Oh dear," she exclaimed. "You've been cursed." she says, cursed? Your head turns to her in confusion. "We don't know how or who, but you have been. Take this," she says offering you a small purple vial of a foul smelling liquid. "healing potion, dear. It'll help lessen the curse affects." she explains.

You nod slowly, taking the vial like a shot. It tasted like burnt peppercorns and sour grapes, mixed with sand. it was awful.

"And someone left this for you," She said, gesturing to the ornate vase of colorful poppies by your bed side. "Now rest up, you will need plenty of it!" she ordered. you nodded again.

You reached over to the vase to see a little note sticking out of it. It was silver lettering that read TN. Theodore Nott. you ripped it open, angry. It was probably another insult, exploding flowers or some bastard and cruel prank. a final blow. It read the following, your eyes had to re-read to see what the cursive silver ink had written.

I'm sorry for what I said. Can we meet for a butterbeer sometime?

You rolled your eyes and ripped up the paper, tossing it onto the ground.

[moongeonight]

You should rest

Summary: Jayce finds a tired Viktor working in the early morning, they will definitely have a conversation

A/N: This was supposed to be a drabble but I extended it a little 🥹 I love arcane and these two, nothing else to say

(this is a tickle fanfic!)

------------------

Well... It was 4 in the morning , Jayce had returned to the lab because he forgot some plans that he had to organize for tomorrow, after that he could maybe go to sleep or- oh who was he kidding, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep again... But still... he had to try-

He almost spit out the cup of coffee he was drinking when he saw Viktor working on an invention in the lab, since when was he here?! he quickly approached Viktor leaving his cup on the side of the work table.

"Viktor...! why are you here? you should already be resting you know...? I thought you were back in your apartment! It's 4 am for God's sake!"

"Good morning to you too Jayce and... I could ask you the same thing, Shouldn't you be sleeping instead of drinking coffee and working on your plans?" viktor said without taking his eyes off his work and taking a sip from his own drink.

"I just came here to organize some papers... I didn't think I'd find anyone here, I didn't even see you when I came in, I thought I was alone!" Jayce replied by sighing and going to sit in one of the armchairs, staring at Viktor who was working on some kind of Hextech core.

Viktor just hummed quietly as he finished soldering some wires, he just ignored him and continued to work, he was in a slightly bad mood today and didn't really feel like dealing with his partner's ramblings.

"...Hey Viktor?

Viktor was still ignoring him, not really in the mood to talk to him

"Yes?..." he said in a monotone voice, not taking his eyes off the project he was working on.

"Are you mad a me...?" Jayce got up from the chair and went to sit next to him, although he was still a little away, but he was close enough to see what Viktor was doing.

"Is it something I said? Or did I screw up on something...?" Jayce put on a soft but worried expression.

Viktor looked at him for a few seconds and then went back to work.

"No? Why would I be mad at you? I just have a lot of work to do today and I'm not in a very good mood to go through your usual rambling"

"Hey...! I don't ramble! I just talk a normal amount..." Jayce said letting out an offended and almost dramatic tone.

"You really have a weird concept of how much talking is considered normal..." Viktor said in a slightly sarcastic and teasing tone, with this, a smile appears slightly on his face.

Jayce notices that little smile Viktor had on his face, he seems a little relieved that he's not mad at him, he leans slightly towards Viktor and starts staring at the invention he was working on, trying to divert the conversation a little.

"Hey... what are you even doing?"

Viktor didn't seem to care that jayce got closer to him and continues to explain to him what he is doing.

"I'm just trying to make some small adjustments to this core here..." he points to the big and complex hextech core.

Jayce looks at the big and complex core for a few moments and sighs.

"...Viktor i understand that it is important but... it's still 4 in the morning, you should be resting not working on more things! Besides, you've already done so much today, don't overwork yourself, Let's go to sleep and we'll work on this in a few more hours-"

"I appreciate your concern but you and I know this can't wait until tomorrow... besides, I'm almost done with it anyway"

Viktor interrupted him and continuing working on the core, a few more details and it would be ready... or at least that was what he was telling himself for the last 2 hours.

"You always say that and it just means more hours..." Jayce says looking at the time on the clock.

"it's almost ready but you always find a new detail to change, you should take a break, just a little one" he said with some concern putting a hand on Viktor's shoulder.

Viktor by instinct wanted to shrug his hand off, but decided to endure it for a while, he was really getting tired at this point but he didn't want to give in so easily.

"I really can't go to sleep with this only halfway done... it's almost ready, just a couple more minutes and I'll be done with it, I promise"

After saying that, Viktor went back to working on the core, he was so focused that he didn't realize how close he was to Jayce until he accidentally poked him with some wires, causing Jayce let out a small "ow" and rubbed the area slightly.

"Sorry- " viktor said in a distracted tone while arranging the things he had in his hand so as not to poke his partner again in the process.

"You have to be careful you know..I'm right next to you..." Jayce said as he noticed Viktor making some adjustments to the hexcore by raising his arms and leaving his sides somewhat exposed.

When he noticed this detail, a mischievous smirk was drawn on Jayce's face, and without thinking too much of the consequences, he started to lightly poke Viktor in the sides, trying to make him stop working for a moment

Viktor was so focused on his work that when Jayce poked his sides he almost dropped his tools, he looked at him a little angry and confused.

"Jayce...! What the-" he complained in a slightly annoyed voice, but that only made the taller one continue poking his sides and abdomen.

Viktor tried to stay focused, but it was impossible, the tickles made him drop his work and try to push Jayce's hands away from him.

"C-Cuhuhut it out!" he said while he tried to suppress the laughter in his voice.

Viktor was still trying to move away and continue working but it was practically impossible when Jayce kept poking him, so he finally gave up on his invention and decided to stop him by grabbing his wrists.

"Okay! Fihihine! Just stop it already..." he give up trying to sound serious but there was a hint of annoyance and even a little laugh in his voice, Although Jayce was too entertained to stop now.

Jayce continued poking him in the sides for a few more seconds until Viktor grabbed his wrists and told him to stop, but he just looked at him with a victorious smile on his face. It was the first time he had seen Viktor laughing and smiling in a long time.

"...You almost never take breaks, I just wanted to make you forget about the inventions and your tiredness, and have a little fun....maybe you should smile more often you know...?"

he said in a soft voice but also with a slight teasing tone, Seeing that Viktor was holding his wrists, he sent his hands to Viktor's armpits.

Viktor almost yelps from the sudden contact, he quickly lets go of Jayce's wrists and tries to move away.

"Ah- S-stop-! J-Jahahayce...! dohohon't you dare-"

Viktor was trying to move away from Jayce's hands, letting out nervous giggles as he was too ticklish to endure it, he also hated the fact that Jayce was stronger than him, which made it difficult for him to escape at the moment.

Jayce, on the other hand, seemed like a little kid who had discovered a new game, he kept tickling Viktor and wouldn't stop, so viktor just started pushing him away.

"J-Jayce! Hahaha...! for god's sake- S-stohohop it! I'm t-tehelling yohohou...!"

Viktor kept giggling and trying to get away from his partner,he was practically trapped on his seat, he grabbed his cane from his side and without thinking much he hit Jayce on the chin.

Jayce was completely entertained with the situation he had created, until Viktor hit him in the chin with his cane, he stopped tickling him and slowly rubbed the area that was now a bit sore from the blow, however he still kept a smile on his face even after what had happened..

"Ouch... Viktor...!" He said that in a slight complaining tone but at the same still with an entertained smile, since he had never seen Viktor like that...

Meanwhile viktor was panting out of breath, that little tickle attack left him breathless.

"You absolutely deserved it... I told y-you to st-stop but you d-didn't..."

he said in a bit of a snarky tone while glaring at him slightly it was still evident by how much he was breathing and the slight red color on his cheeks.

Viktor quickly grabbed his cane and stood up from his seat, he still looked a little red and his clothes were somewhat messy, he look at the work table where he had his invention, then at the clock, then he stared a little bit at Jayce, he had an annoyed and slightly embarrassed look while his cane was making a very loud noise on the floor every time he took a step.

"Fine, you win, I'll go rest" he grumbled and started walking away to ther door of the lab.

Jayce look at him as he walked away, he still wasn't sure why he started tickling Viktor like that, but he definitely found it a little entertaining to see Viktor laughing and smiling, even if that smile was only there for a few seconds.

"Oh wait, Viktor-..." He got up from where he was sitting and went after him.

Once he caught up with Viktor he called out for him again, now being a little quieter.

"Hey Viktor....uh I'm sorry about earlier...I just thought that you needed a break from working so much, I didn't mean to annoy you." He sounded a little embarrassed and nervous, and it was evident in his eyes as he looked at his partner.

"... It's alright I'm sorry too for hitting you with the cane" viktor kept walking towards the exit of the lab, with a firm grip on his cane.

"still, you should have respected my personal space too" he said but once he reached the door he stopped, he looked back at Jayce for a moment and then looked away

"Well, Goodnight" Viktor finally said about to leave but he adding one more thing.

"Oh and... don't think I won't get revenge for that."

Jayce stopped and looked at the door for a few seconds after hearing Viktor's last threat, and in response he simply let out a small sigh.

"....Oh shit"

[wannabanauthor]

What should happen to BuckTommy in Season 8b

Eddie's thinking about moving to Texas, right?

Well, he has to pack, and he calls his two favorite buff men to help him pack and load all his stuff.

Tommy did not know Buck was going to be there, and vice versa.

They stare awkwardly at each other before noticing that most of Eddie's stuff is already packed.

Cheeky bastard.

He locks them both in his house with the parting, "Figure it the fuck out, then I'll unlock the doors."

Buck and Tommy are more than able to break down the door if necessary, but that wouldn't be a nice thing to do to their best friend's house.

They try to out-wait Eddie, but several hours pass with no communication from him.

Buck is doing his best to not look or talk to Tommy, but all the doors are locked, including the bedrooms, so he's stuck in the living room.

The kitchen doesn't have any baking/cooking ingredients, just prepared food in the fridge.

Buck is without his coping mechanism, and at some point he breaks down crying in the kitchen.

Tommy wants to comfort him, but he knows he's the reason Buck is like this, so he feels stuck and doesn't know what to do.

He hands Buck a tissue and some water, but Buck turns around and ignores him, trying to hide his sobs.

Tommy goes back to the living room and sits on the floor.

"Why?" he hears Buck say.

He gets back up and goes into the kitchen.

"Why what?" Tommy asks.

"Why did you give me a second chance just to break my heart six months later? Why didn't you tell me that you only saw us as a temporary thing? Why did you even give me hope that we could be something more?" Evan asks, in between sobs.

"Evan, I'm so-"

"It's Buck. You don't get to call me Evan anymore."

"I'm sorry."

Buck stops crying and looks at Tommy. There's anger and heartbreak written all over his face.

"Fuck you, you don't get to be sorry," Buck says.

"But I am. I didn't plan any of it. It just happened. You asked me to move in, and I panicked. I've been hurt before, and I knew I couldn't survive it if I moved in and then lost you."

Buck scoffed, but out of irony, not amusement.

Tommy stepped closer to him, and Buck remained where he was, almost as if he was sizing Tommy up.

"You kept putting me on this pedestal, and I knew one day you'd see me for who I am and leave," Tommy says.

"Is that what you think of me? Out of the two of us, you're the one who has left me, twice," Buck points out, and Tommy winces at that.

"You're very impulsive, and we hadn't even broached that topic before. I thought I was okay with you setting the pace, but I guess I wasn't. I thought it was in our best interest to end things now then later when it would hurt more."

Tommy pauses for a moment and looks at Buck. Really looks at him. His own heart breaks when he picks up on the little details of how Buck had been handling the breakup, The flour under his fingernails, his stubble, his longer curls, the bags under his eyes, the fidgeting with what's ever in reach, currently tissues being torn into little bits.

Tommy knows in his heart that he practically broke the man he loves, and it makes him feel even worse. There is still a part of him that wants to run, but he can't run again. Not after seeing Evan like this.

"I'm scared, Evan," Tommy confesses.

Buck's head snaps up in surprise, and he squints his eyes as if he doesn't trust Tommy.

Tommy feels the panic rise within him, but continues his train of thought. "Evan, I love you. But i'm terrified that one day you'll get tired of me and find someone else. It's happened before, and-"

"I'm not him. I'm me. From the first moment we met, I knew that I wanted to be with you. I didn't understand it at first because it felt so different from my past. I mean, you're not the first guy I've had a crush on. At all," Evan says.

Tommy clears his throat uncomfortably. He'd rather not think about Evan's past crushes.

"We spent nearly every free moment we've had together," Evan says. "I thought we were ready to move to the next step."

"I wasn't ready, and I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I should have stayed and talked it out, but it felt like the room was closing in on me, and I needed to leave."

"And you left, then ignored me for weeks," Evan says. "I felt like I was going insane and imagined our whole relationship."

Tommy steps into Evan's space and uses two fingers to lift Evan's chin. "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, Evan. I love you so much, and I'm terrified because it's never felt like this before."

Evan gives an amused chuckle. "I guess it was my turn to see you at your worst."

Tommy cups Evan's cheeks. "I am so sorry, for everything. I feel like I don't deserve a second chance, but I'm still ask-"

Evan cuts him off with a kiss.

Tommy relaxes and kisses him back. It feels like coming home after a long day of work to the arms of his partner. He never wants that feeling to leave.

"I love you too, asshole," Evan whispers against Tommy's lips.

They both chuckle at that.

"Where do we go from here?" Evan asks.

"Couple's counseling. I want us to work. I want us to be forever," Tommy says and gives Evan the tenderest kiss.

"That works," Evan replies between kisses.

They don't stop kissing or holding each other until they're nearly out of breath.

"Finally!" they hear from outside and jump.

Eddie's standing outside with his phone in hand, and on the screen is a live camera feed showing.

"Now, let's get something to eat," Tommy says and kisses Evan again. He was going to kill and thank Eddie, but for now, he's happy just to be with Evan again.

He looks into Evan's eyes and knows that this is it for him. Evan's the one.

[needanaccount2readarcaneposts]

It's clear to me that the writers did not really put much thought into the AU beyond ~vibes~, but if I had to square it with Am*nda Ov*rton's godawful headcanon about Vi's death changing things, it might be something vaguely like:

Everything plays out pretty much the way it already did up until S1E1.

Vi dies in the heist; the rest of the kids are arrested.

Silco, who already has his cannery full of Shimmer & goons, sees the opportunity and jumps on it.

He makes the same pitch to Vander: "Join me and fight. I don't need to beat them. I just need to scare them." As in: rattle Piltover badly enough that it brings them to the negotiating table.

Crucially, Vander's motivations have now changed. In the main timeline, he rejects Silco's offer in order to protect his children; in good timeline, he now has a reason to accept: to save his children.

Together, he and Silco reach a compromise that takes advantage of the high-profile nature of Vi's death.

Between Silco's network and Vander's community-building, they organise city-wide labour strikes to bring Piltover's economy to a standstill. Mines, factories, docks, everything. These strikes are backed up by Shimmer - enforcers and strike-breakers sent to intervene get to FAFO.

After the first round of successful strikes, Vander's remaining children are released without charges, but now that Zaun has successfully mobilised and achieved something, and has Shimmer as a line of defence, the strikes continue. Demands may or may not include any combination of: reparations, workers' rights, profit shares, environmental protections, legal protections, self-determination (council representation? devolved government? full independence?), etc. etc. etc.

Unable to break the Shimmer-backed strikes and with a significant portion of their economy knee-capped, public sentiment in Piltover starts to turn against those Councillors unwilling to negotiate.

Eventually, the public and economic pressure wins out, and Piltover enters into negotiations with Zaun.

Without the yoke of Piltover's exploitation around their neck, this begins the process of kick-starting Zaun's own development towards what we see in episode 7 (with an assist from Heimerdinger who pops in approximately 4 years into this timeline).

Shimmer is still around in a limited capacity (you can see it here and there in some of the chemtech lanterns), but primarily used for chemtech and medical purposes (likely still a valuable export in this regard, boosting Zaun's economy independently of Piltover).

The notion that, "Silco just went and got his eye fixed in Piltover!" is... lol. Like it isn't a whole plot point in S1 that even with all the trade & knowledge exchange in the world, Piltover can't do shit for the kinds of chronic/degenerative conditions caused by toxic waste in Zaun, and that even in S2, an actual Piltover Councillor needs to use Shimmer for his pain management. BUT SURE, let's just say that because this is an 'everything worked out' AU, bodyswap Heimerdinger reconciled with Singed and they made super-mega-turbo medical advancements or some shit, why not.

TL;DR I resent the idea that Vi's death just made Piltover decide to ✨stop oppressing✨ Zaun, and instead prefer to attribute it to her death being the catalyst for mass direct action, backed up by real force, in order to force concessions from Piltover.

Edited to add: I think this slots in well with S2, mess that it is, for a couple of reasons:

Going back to S1, it dovetails in extremely neatly with characters and their motivations as they exist in S1 Act 1, and how those characters' actions and choices exist in a web of cause-and-effect with other characters and the setting. Vi's death & the kids' imprisonment changes Vander's motivations (the lynchpin) -> Vander allied with Silco is able to moderate his plans -> both of them, as former miners-turned-revolutionaries, likely have a history of labour organising -> the domino effect begins to fan out.

Likewise, topside, it puts the Kiramman family under pressure because someone died on their property -> they have a history of philanthropy (sponsoring Jayce) and doing at least one (1) charitable thing for the undercity, so Cassandra is likely to lead the side of the Councillors arguing for negotiating with Zaun -> etc.

Good Timeline Vander is wearing a very similar fit to the exact outfit we see Silco wearing on the Day of Ash, has stolen his revolutionary manbun look, and has a Hound of the Underground tattoo (amongst others) where he used to wear his brace. To me, this visual language is intended to suggest that he set aside the guilt and fear that immobilised him (the bracer) and took up the cause of Zaunite liberation once more.

It allows for a parallel where Vi becomes the face of this movement, even though she never intended to be, just as main timeline Jinx becomes a symbol of the revolution without ever meaning to.

After making that essay about all my gripes with act three, I wanna delve into what rubbed me the wrong way about episode seven. Now, don’t get me wrong, it is my second favorite episode of the season (right behind episode four) but everything just felt off, and now I’m able to explain why.

It felt fake. Artificial. Too good to be true. Too polished. Everyone in Zaun was basically a Piltie lite and I hated to see it. I know Zaun doesn’t even technically exist, as it never did officially get its freedom, but Piltover and Zaun are known as twin cities for a reason. They are intertwined, yes, but also completely different. Zaun has its own vibe. It’s punk, patchwork, unpolished, mismatched. But also vibrant, brilliant, thoughtfully crafted and beautiful in its own way. It’s unique. It feels so real, and for the au to strip all that away and make Zaun feel like a shell of its former self was not it.

Zaun has such a rich culture. Not without its own host of flaws ofc, but what culture is perfect? And obviously there are political reasons for why Zaunites do things the way they do (it’s because Piltover’s oppressions forces them to get creative). While I resent the reasons as to why Zaunites have to be so resourceful and creative, I adore the things they were able to build in spite of their hardships. Makes me identify with Zaun even more. The au took all that away. Everything that made Zaun what it is wasn’t there, and I didn’t care for it.

Furthermore, the whole au falls apart if you stop and think about it. Why would Vi’s death be anything more than a drop in the bucket to Piltover? They had been oppressing Zaun for centuries? Vi is not only a Zaunite, but she was also a teenager. There’s a lot to be said about how teenagers aren’t really seen as kids by a lot of folks, and are “less innocent” and their lives are seen as “less important” (though ofc no one would admit that have that kind of bias). Plus when you consider that by virtue of being a Zaunite, Vi would already be considered “less than”, her life would not matter to Piltover WHATSOEVER. Best case, and I do mean best case scenario, they give Vander some financial compensation so he could afford to give Vi the proper funeral she deserves. But I’d bet money they never would’ve even considered doing that if I’m being realistic.

Also, that’s just a horrible message to send. Vi, the parentified child, who spent her whole life fighting like hell to protect her loved ones, had to die in order for not just her family, but her city to flourish. HUH??? That’s an awful thing to imply! Vi dying would NOT have lead to everyone else being fine. It would not have led Vander and Silco to forgive each other. It would NOT led to Zaun prospering economically. It would not have led to Zaun becoming just like Piltover in the worst of ways. That doesn’t even make any sense! Correlation does not equal causation, but those two things have no correlation to begin with! Obviously I know that’s not the message the writers meant to convey, but that’s what they ended up doing imo, and I don’t like that.

Lastly, why are we acting like Hextech is the problem? The oppressive system of Piltover existed way before Hextech came along, so why would its lack of being there affect things that much? Cause if not Hextech, some other revolutionary technology would’ve been invented that somehow only benefits some and hurts everyone else who isn’t as privileged. And yes, ofc I know Hextech only exists precisely BECAUSE of the systemic inequalities between Piltover and Zaun, but it is by no means wholly responsible for these inequalities. Responsible for widening the gap between Piltover and Zaun? Yes! Responsible for the existence of the gap in the first place? Hell no! And it felt like it was framed that way.

Anyways TL;DR I wasn’t a fan of the au episode because I felt like it unintentionally sent a horrible message and didn’t stay true to what makes Zaun, Zaun. It ripped out all its best parts and functionally turned it into Piltover Jr. and a fan of that I am NOT

[thedreadvampy]

sometimes I forget that my experience has been. um. not 'your experiences are not universal' vibes but more like 'your experiences are EXTREMELY atypical'

[utilitycaster]

I keep tagging posts with both of them and there's pretty much infinite reasons why, down to the nuances of fandom behaviors surrounding them, but I really do think Ludinus Da'leth is rocketing towards a Moc Weepe Midst ending. It's true that I think he believes his bullshit more - Weepe didn't really have an ideology other than a belief his actions were inherent and inevitable - and he's certainly more intelligent, but I think in the end he really just wants someone to tell him that everything he's doing was correct. And the thing is, if they don't, even if they are sympathetic towards his trauma, it won't be enough. There's no way to stop him. If you tell him he's wrong in general he'll cling to the ideology, and if you tell him his ideology is valid but his response is not he'll cling to the trauma as justification. There's no reasoning or compromise to be had. I do think what we'll see of Aeor will be complex and lacking an easy answer, but even if it is entirely simple and clear cut, if Bells Hells says "your pain is entirely justified, but also you've done so many murders that you didn't have to do" he's not going to accept it. I do think we're in unstoppable force and immovable object territory.

[dazais-guardian-angel]

kinda wild to me that one of the most compelling aspects of both Chuuya and Kunikida's characters to me, that I never really see talked about, is how they're heavily set on a doomed crash course towards complete and utter destruction, and how I am so, so worried for them both.....

[kingofdinosaurs]

ok i stand by this one and it's still crazy to me that no one ever brings this up so let's break it down in an extremely disorganised stream-of-consciousness way:

minazuki already textually likens himself to nyx avatar and thus by extension ryoji and pharos. i have a feeling tsukiyomi is kind of analogous to thanatos within this dynamic but there's not much real textual support for this besides margaret referring to tsukiyomi as "passed down" to sho rather than an innate part of him the way izanagi is to narukami or orpheus is to p3mc. [headcanon alarm blaring] i also vaguely believe that minazuki is still to some extent present as tsukiyomi but i have literally zero textual evidence for this one, it would just make sense to me

related, i think it's very interesting that elizabeth is wielding thanatos in arena. like that's at least a PIECE of ryoji... i think it's kind of cool with that in mind that seemingly thanatos is aligned with elizabeth's goal to find a way to free p3mc from the seal. great teamwork you two ☺

I've pointed this out elsewhere, but minazuki's title specifically referring to him as a "messiah" is really hard for me NOT to associate with the p3mc's ultimate persona.

plumes of dusk are mentioned as being a physical part of nyx's body in the p3 club book q&a (links to a translation here if you wanna check it out: 1, 2). this q&a has a weird amount of REALLY KEY INFO tucked away in it that i don't think is really covered anywhere else? which is odd, because plumes of dusk alone figure in incredibly heavily to the plot of the arena duology

pharos giving p3mc the contract is really interesting to me because like. again refer to that q&a but to some extent every shadow and cognitive being is connected on a fundamental, existential level to nyx, so it does kind of make sense to me that a being built to be a literal herald of her would be able to offer the same things that philemon does without necessarily checking in with big phil about it (not that phil hasn't clearly made contact with both aigis and p3mc, but he isn't nearly as active in their lives as he is with the prior games' protagonists).

this would also make sense to me to extrapolate to sho, since he's TEXTUALLY a wild card, offered the aid of the velvet room (and at some point destined to accept it), and also has his own chunk of the Harbinger of the Fall taking up space in his grey matter. i don't think we ever actually see him encounter philemon though, butterfly or otherwise... this feels odd to me, because philemon IS implicitly present in persona 3/4, plus the black butterfly in shadow aigis' intro feels (in conjunction with the general aesthetic and motive similarities of kagutsuchi and nyarlathotep) to have some kind of meaningful intent behind it, however small.

this is only present in p3 and the answer but it's really interesting to me that the wild card powers are in that game tied explicitly to the doomed, imminently mortal nature of both people who carry those powers (although aigis gets to duck it because she's awesome i suppose?)

i tend to assume that this is somewhat related, but when the p3 protag first awakens to their persona AND SPECIFICALLY ALSO THANATOS, they go into a coma for about a week afterwards. this would be simple enough to chalk up to exhaustion, except that neither of the other main game wild cards do this. similarly, aigis falls unconscious twice during the answer: once after awakening to her inherited wild card, and once at the end of the game, in a manner where her waking up is a genuine miracle. then we have sho, who explicitly went into a coma for multiple years after an operation specifically focused on minazuki - a being born direct from the same source as the p3mc and aigis' wild card powers. it's an interesting little wrinkle that only these 3 characters seem to have to contend with.

the blue eyes thing comes up a couple times in persona 3, and again in ultimax once sho is seemingly wielding whatever power he gets from the plume rather than what he borrowed from kagutsuchi. i will not lie I'm not huge on the kotone cutscenes project's decision to make her eyes red in the awakening scene - it's cool in theory and makes sense in commitment to kotone's flipped colour scheme in ui elements and character design, but the blue eyes weren't yuki-exclusive at all, just signs of nyx's involvement. pharos has similarly eye-searing blue eyes after all. arguably there's a similar situation with aigis and her equally uncanny blue eyes, since the anti-shadow weapons also run off plumes of dusk - parts of nyx. anyway i think it's interesting that both sho and yuki (as of reload) have blue eyes, although they're generally a lot less unnaturally bright (don't worry about sho's dancing render, that one's just weird)

speaking of eyes, sho, the anti-shadow weapons, pharos, and (in some places such as the awakening scene in the movies) the p3 protag, all have a similar odd dual-ringed iris. i initially would have assumed this was a stylistic choice to convey how the anti-shadow weapons presumably have camera lenses in place of the normal human eyes the rest of the cast have, but the fact it shows up on these other characters specifically is really interesting to me as a design choice, especially since it's permanent on sho and not just tied to certain temporary events like it is for the p3 protag

i have a better abyssal wings gif now

this is relevant because reload also fully released in the intervening time and once nyx avatar reaches the final phase in that game, this happens:

i feel like this kind of speaks for itself wrt similarities. i do kind of really appreciate more recent persona games' attempts to seemingly codify some shared visual language across similar parts of its worldbuilding. as you might have guessed from the length of this post, it's a thing i'm into

what's the conclusion of this post? well, mostly that it feels really odd that nobody ever brings up that minazuki outright mentions what he is IN TEXT and "what he is" is something of an analogue to pharos/ryoji... like that's really interesting and puts sho in a kind of singular position regarding where his powers came from, or possibly implies some equally interesting (in a horrifying way) things about what was done to strega to give them their artificial personas... there's a weird amount of worldbuilding you can string together here to think about but it feels to me like a lot of people didn't even catch this line in the game, and i think that's a shame.

this isn't really an infographic, more like a testament to how nuts this has been driving me for the past year

[bacchuschucklefuck]

oh fuck I got class swap fabian I think. I kiiinda know what I want him to look like now

[longagoitwastuesday]

I have learnt things about Geto that I wish I could unlearn

[rosynova]

there isn't really any concrete correlation between these lines but i just wanted to point them out together because they make me happy every time i come across them :')

[chirpsythismorning]

📝 💐 🛼 💔⏪️💭🧊🌄❤️‍🩹

More Than Words by Extreme

previous ⏪︎ now playing ⏩ next back to playlist

[sysig]

One better (Patreon)

[so-called-quail]

'Trapped in the end!' said Sam bitterly, his anger rising again above weariness and despair. 'Gnats in a net. May the curse of Faramir bite that Gollum and bite him quick!' 'That would not help us now,' said Frodo.

Sword in hand Sam went after him. For the moment he had forgotten everything else but the red fury in his brain and the desire to kill Gollum. But before he could overtake him, Gollum was gone. Then as the dark hole stood before him and the stench came out to meet him, like a clap of thunder the thought of Frodo and the monster smote upon Sam's mind.

Now he tried to find strength to tear himself away and go on a lonely journey – for vengeance. If once he could go, his anger would bear him down all the roads of the world, pursuing, until he had him at last: Gollum. Then Gollum would die in a corner. But that was not what he had set out to do. It would not be worth while to leave his master for that. It would not bring him back. Nothing would.

Sam and vengeance in today's entry