#and weird writing choices

[alphacrone]

the thing about nate ford is he’s unpleasant, unlikeable, and uninteresting. but his importance to the other core four, his relationships with them and the way he helps them grow, is SO GOOD.

[annasofthe11thdimension]

Waltz

[lizzybeeee]

DATV explaining the 'Regret Prison'

A REGRET PRISON IS STUPID AND I'M TIRED OF PRETENDING THAT ITS NOT

TL;DR: a prison can serve as a metaphor but it shouldn't be entirely comprised of a metaphor.

From what I understood from what the game gave us: Solas has made a new prison to move the God's too - since bringing down the veil would free them from the Black City. This new prison is separate(?) from the fade or so far removed/contained that bringing down the veil would not compromise it...apparently. We interrupt his ritual, Solas gets sucked into the new prison he made, and the elven gods are free.

When Rook gets kicked into the fade they're physically there - which means it's a physical place in the fade, like how it was a mixture of physical/thought when we entered it in DAI. Which makes sense - the gods are real and living beings, they need to be in a place, there must be some aspect of physicality to it.

Alright, cool, it's a Black City 2.0 - I assume it's better defended to prevent people breaking in/out again?

NOPE.

We get there and it's a 'regret prison'?? It's tied to the regrets of those within it? Composed of regrets??? Solas had to wait for the right moment for Rook to be sufficiently 'full of regret' that they could switch places?

So is the prison tied to Solas's regrets? If so, how can Rook escape? The prison seems to work around the idea that it relies on the regrets of the person it's holding to work - which is how/why Rook was able to be trapped and later free themselves (along with whatever remains of the team apparently being able to do something on their end, not that we hear about it).

WHICH IS STUPID!

Are you telling me the prison intended to hold to megalomaniac elven gods was going to imprison them based on their own regrets? Is Solas assuming that Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain are as self-pitying as he is? They'd break out quicker than Rook did! He made a time out corner for the elven gods to sit in and gave them an out if they reflected on their emotions/regrets or decided that they don't regret what they did. Elgar'nan, a spirit of tyranny, is not going to 'regret' his actions - he is going to justify them by telling himself and others that he knows what's best.

We can come across some of Solas's regrets in the prison if you run around a bit and explore:

Remnant of Failure - talking about the orb from Inquisition.

Remnant of Parting - talking about Mythal

Remnant of Reflection - more vague, talking about the Titans I believe.

So maybe he altered it - maybe he intended the prison to be 'locked' with his own regrets because after a millennia of having a pity party he still can't bring himself to self-reflect and look to the future. But what if Solas died? Or if his guilt lessened - would it diminish the strength of the regret prison?

We already have pre-established lore (though DATV has shown they don't really give a crap tbh) that once the being that has claimed/altered an area of the fade is slain, it's influence diminishes both in and outside of the fade. So if the prison was tied to his regrets then it would require Solas to basically live forever to keep it stable - especially if he brought down the veil and removed the one barrier that kept the world and the fade apart.

Rook and Solas needed some assistance to exit - but it doesn't seem like it was much! Solas used his dagger and Rook just...got out through a fade tear? This is Solas's 'more secure' second prison? It has a worse track record than the Black City! If Rook - who is not an elven god - managed to escape the regret prison what is to stop anyone else from breaking in and out of the prison?

And what did Solas intend to do with the blight - the bulk of which is apparently in the black city?? If bringing down the Veil would free the gods in the black city doesn't that mean that the blight would also be released?! Did he have a plan? Why does he go fully ahead with bringing down the veil at the end if the black city is still there and filled with blight?!

I get it: the 'regret prison' is a metaphor for how Solas holds onto the past and how Rook can move past their regrets and grow. He's trapped by the past - it's a prison. Cool. But this prison is supposed to by a physical place to contain the gods - not just to solely contain Solas. The mission is literally called 'A Cage for Gods'.

The Black City is an actual place that's so far out of reach of anywhere else in the fade that no mage can ever reach it while in dreams - let alone physically, which was only done once and took tremendous effort/blood sacrifices. It made sense - it was cool to see floating in the sky in DAO!

Though it's not said specifically, it's strongly implied that Arlathan is the Black City. You can see in the concept art that floating elven city is exactly the same as the black city in DAO! It's this foreboding thing just lurking in the sky - a constant reminder of the sin that led to the horrors of the blights and darkspawn. A real place with lore and history that also serves as a metaphor for the hubris and destruction of those who call themselves gods and act as tyrants -> for both the evanuris and the magisters.

I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THIS BIOWARE!

WHAT IS THIS KINGDOM HEARTS NONSENSE???!!

[fatedroses]

Many things were used to describe the mad hermit of Amaurot: a drunkard, degenerate, cynical, and even monstrous by those who stirred trouble for the newly appointed Azem. But nothing could prepare Emet-Selch for what he would see for himself, when offered a chance to meet the Sun's Shadow.

[unicornpopcorn14]

Do you ever think that if Dazai one day decided to do things the conventional way, or act the closest thing to what people call normal, how much that'd freak out the people familiar with him?

-> Dazai walking into the PM with no bandages on, wearing a casual outfit fit for his age, to which Chuuya does a double take at, gaping in horror.

At first, Chuuya'd take on their normal bickering, rub his eyes dramatically as if he's seeing things- "Who the fuck are you???" He'd exclaim. But then he'd bombard him with questions, ask if he'd run out of bandages, tell him he has extra rolls in his office-

"You're acting as if being wrapped up in gauze is normal, stupid slug."

"It is for you."

-> Dazai finishing his whole plate of curry, asking for seconds, and Oda would watch him with eyes widened a fraction, his own version of a shocked stare.

He wouldn't say anything, because he's afraid that drawing attention to the action would make Dazai stop doing it. He'd share that with Ango later, though, and Ango wouldn't even believe him.

→ (tw) Dazai not expressing his infatuatation about suicide for an entire week, disappearing for Kunikida to find him in his dorm instead of the usual river.

He's sit with him, ask if he's okay, fumble his words when he touches on the subject. Because how can you approach someone about your concern regarding their lack of suicidal tendencies, lately?

-> Dazai showing up early to the ada, taking his coat off, and immediately working.

The whole agency would hide behind the entrance, watch him with wide eyes as they share questioning looks.

"He- He didn't flop on the couch at all???"

"He didn't even look its way!"

"I mean, that's great, but something just doesn't sit right with me-"

"Is he sick?"

"Even I can't explain what's happening right now."

"Someone do something!"

And ppl often assume that Kunikida would be ecstatic about this, but no, I believe he'd be the most horrified one of all, trying to make sense of things but ending up empty handed. 😭

Fukuzawa would come up to find a swarm at the door, watching something inside that he'd assume to be a spider at first.

"What is going on here?"

"Dazai's working."

Fukuzawa'd rush to confirm, and sure enough.

He'd sigh in resignation, knowing this day would come.

"Get the exorcist."

~

It's endlessly amusing, how Dazai has his own version of conventional that if he were to deviate from, just slightly, panic would ensue through the people he's familiar with.

Even if it leads him to do healthier actions.

Something is wrong, and they need to figure out what, because this isn't the Dazai they know.

[moonstarsandspacedust]

I just started the fires of heaven and I’m obsessed with how Rand:

1) shows next to no interest in the various women coming onto him

2) sees a naked woman and his only thought is “wow she’s sunburned”

3) has multiple homoerotic encounters

And then describes a man as “probably attractive to women”. In conclusion: Robert Jordan was a coward.

[wellijustfinnihedoneofthebooks]

I understand why everyones so mad about five x lila (i dont like it either) BUT i do think the setup of it (lost in time with no one else to rely on, protecting eachother, ect) would probably make five fall in love with just about anyone. Just like, this is kind of what he always imagined having with deloras. So i dont fully agree with the wide consensus that its out of character for him to fuck his brothers wife (in this specific scenario)

That being said, he absolutely wouldnt give up on his family over it.

[necrotic-nephilim]

there is not enough femslash in batcest circles. the girls deserve to be just as weird about each other as the boys are. if BruDick gets to be weird father/son/brothers/lovers/friends/rivals/soulmates then it is only fair that Babs/Cass get to be mother/daughter/sisters/lovers too. Something about that deep intrinsic but undefinable love that is born out of trauma, especially if you consider Cass not knowing what healthy love looks like in the first place. i think it's fun and deserves just as much fandom content.

besides that, you can get even more niche with rarepairs like Helena/Steph. Huntress/Spoiler: Blunt Trauma is already a fantastic comic and even though it's their only real canon interaction it has so much potential. very comparable to TimJay in how Helena tries to get Steph to understand her morals and the corruption you could play with it.

batman: huntress/spoiler: blunt trauma (1998)

that comic also highlights on how both Steph and Helena are outcasts of the Batfamily and don't have the approval of Bruce to be doing what they do in "his city". I think there's so much Potential in Helena taking Steph under her wing because Bruce won't let her in and it becomes a weird codependent toxic sapphic mess. I think the protectiveness Helena feels over Steph from the get-go is so clear and the way she wants to look out for Steph, wants to make sure Steph understands the real world? I love them. Helena should be allowed to steal Steph, actually. I think it'd be fun.

there are a lot of other possibilities too like Babs/Steph or even getting weird with Helena Bertinelli/Helena Wayne and the existential question of "is it selfcest or not." But these two specifically live in my head rent-free, especially Helena/Steph and one day I'll convince everyone else to ship it too.

[jessepinkmvn]

i think the worst thing about the menendez brothers show is that ryan murphy absolutely believes they lied about the abuse and it bleeds through every single episode right up to the very final scene

[alvindraperzzz]

I get kind of annoyed when people say how much they miss YJ Cassie  and want DC to make her the way she was then, only to turn around and say how much they hate modern Cassie or how out of character they think she is. It doesn’t make sense. Since 2019, Cassie has been written more like she was in YJ than she has in a long time. This is a Cassie who isn’t weighed down by all the grief and trauma she went through in comics Graduation Day forward. She’s proactive and impulsive. She’s goofy and stubborn, acts like Diana and Donna’s little sister, and fangirls over superheroes. If something’s wrong then she’s going to interfere no matter who says she shouldn’t. She’s the closest DC is ever gonna get to bringing YJ Cassie back. If you don’t like her then maybe you should reassess whether you actually like the character, or if you only like the personality fandom assigned her based on a haircut she had twenty five years ago.

[mutopia]

proud of morpherine nation for coming out of nowhere and holding steady in the top 3

slightly less proud of whatever happened at AO3 to make that the primary tag

[cadybear420]

HSS:CA critics: "HSS:CA has a lot of problems and was such a huge dip in quality from the OG HSS trilogy, the sabotage arc was especially awful"

Me: hehe |:) right on

the same HSS:CA critics: "Ajay is a terrible character and was by far one of the worst things about the CA trilogy especially after he accused MC of the sabotage why is he a LI"

Me: not hehe >:( leave Ajay alone he's not that bad

[shalom-iamcominghome]

Ugh, I got to talk with my rabbi again and getting to talk about Psalms and then g-d and why g-d decided to leave His nature open-ended and then about how I feel about am yisrael and how I now can't stop thinking, "these are my people" and why I have such a complex relationship with yisrael was honestly kind of healing. I also told him what my hebrew name will be and now two people in the world know it, and there's something special about that, too. There also isn't a word limit for the questions my beit din will ask because I was so scared that I would go over any word count tenfold (there's a questionnaire portion and I might have to write in some answers)

Give it up for my rabbi for being a champ for two hours straight while I was yapping away 😭

[sonknuxadow]

its been talked about a lot that ian flynn haters who constantly complain about everything he works on and talk about him as if hes this evil man whos out to destroy the sonic franchise are annoying and yeah i agree but honestly i think people who worship the ground he walks on and act like hes the King Of Sonic whos single handedly responsible for anything good that comes out of the franchise and could never make a weird writing choice ever and whos every word and opinion is canon information regardless of context or source are annoying too just in a different way . basically i think people need to be more normal about him all around hes literally just some guy

[peggingeddiediaz]

[lacystar]

so im late to the party but. the until dawn remake . made Hannah look worse??? not in terms of graphics but. as a person? they changed mike's prank note to her to be something sweeter rather than the "you look nice in that top but you'd look nicer out of it" thing. hes like just asking her to hang out. so then when she goes and immediately starts taking her top off she looks like . unnecessarily promiscuous??? UD is really weird with mike in that they want him to be the hero of the story but also he cheats on his girlfriend and is sleazy and gross towards Hannah but the more they want to hero-ify him the more they backpedal against that but they dont do it enough so it just looks contradictory??/ in my opinion the sort of point of UD is that every single character except for MAYBE sam (and the sisters obviously) are bad people or have the potential to be bad people. this is not a story with heroes. the way they form fit mike into being an attractive boy version sam to appeal to girls who think hes hot actually harms the story more than if they just leaned into the fact that hes a bit of a dick yk. anyway. such a weird change to make your douchey main character look better but make the actual victim of what is to some degree sexual harassment and also the one who DIES look worse??