#at a convenient opportunity

[ravencat35]

Typical Ukrainian experience is to refuse projects due to the presence of Russians there, who don't give a shit about their citizens committing genocide

[aroaceleovaldez]

the dynamic of demigods thinking which other demigod is the most powerful is always amusing to me because. like, we know the big 3 kids are all the most powerful. That's just a fact of their universe. And then we know nearly every character views Percy as the strongest demigod, and most people are very rightfully intimidated by him.

and you look at the powers of the Big 3 kids and there's Percy, but then you realize Nico is just kind of objectively more powerful than him but simply chooses to hang out in Percy's shadow like he's Percy's scary dog privileges. Like, the two of them are pretty equally capable of causing multiple different apocalypses. Nico just also has like four different instakill powers and it's not like he doesn't use them. He very much uses them! Not infrequently, even! And they don't seem to take a significant amount of energy from him! And other demigods are pretty intimidated by both of them! But Nico makes a conscious point to keep his cards close to his chest and not let on exactly how dangerous and scary he can be if he wants to. People are already scared enough of him without knowing anything about him and he doesn't like that. Percy doesn't think about that nearly as much, and so usually just goes in guns blazing and that's part of why he's considered a wildcard. And then Nico himself puts Percy on a pedestal, so those who do know more about Nico's abilities then presume Nico knows something they don't about Percy that implies Percy is even stronger than him.

And even on a meta level Nico's narrative role requires him to be functionally more powerful than Percy, because he very often serves the purpose of getting Percy out of situations he can't handle on his own. That's just part of his function as a character! But also narratively he can't overshadow Percy so he just takes a backseat of his own accord and that's very amusing to me.

[hinamie]

so just know, I'm healing / even though it don't feel like it

insp

[lepusrufus]

To whomever pointed out Aylin also changed during the curse you're sO RIGHT

[yumedoca]

As a little farewell gift to the remake, here's a small analysis on Ataru and Lum's final exchange in the series.

Personally, I find this exchange very interesting and that it has two very important meanings to it, especially considering how it is phrased:

Ataru saying that he'll eventually say 'I love you', just not now. He basically admits that he loves her here, but indirectly ;) Like, he's not even trying to be tsundere!! There's no 'I don't like you, idiot!!', no 'Yeah, whatever, I guess...' and no ignoring or going 'hmph!'!! He openly states how he feels here and I find this incredible character development considering he could've said any of the previous mentioned but didn't. Early, middle and even the first half of later UY era Ataru would never say such words and would've easily jumped at the options I mentioned but here he basically says 'I love you but I'm not going to say the words until my deathbed'!! It really shows how far Ataru's come especially regarding his relationship with Lum. His major character arc in the series is about growing more comfortable with showing his true self and accepting his emotions and you can really see that he has mostly achieved that by the end. It's beautiful to see how much he's changed and even though this is already so great, what really gets me going feral 100% is the second meaning to their exchange..

The subtle promise in this exchange. Lum tells Ataru the she'll make him say 'I love you' even if it takes her entire life, which suggests that she won't leave him alone till he says the words. Her adding 'even if it takes my entire life' to it, more or less would have what she says mean 'Hopefully, I'll be with you, for life'. Ataru's response is that he'll say it on his deathbed which means that Ataru would only say the magic words right before he dies, which would mean that he wants Lum to be with him till then or to say it in simpler terms, his response would more or less mean 'I want to be with you for life, too'. And since he's supposed to be saying 'I love you' on his deathbed, his words here could also mean 'I'll love you till the end'. This acts as a sort of promise between them, a promise that they'll keep loving and being with each other till the end of time.

To others, it seems like all they're going to do is fight for life, but Ataru and Lum know what they truly mean because no one understands them more than each other.

[gojoest]

lowkey had a very scandalous idea earlier this week, still very undeveloped though

[b0amagination]

Tastes of Whumptober: Day 11

I had an absolute blast with this prompt and I've been looking forward to it for a while. I should've gone and bought some wine so I could write being IDed from experience though. Unrealistic writing 😮😮😮

Convenience Store

Each item was set neatly on the conveyor belt.

A roll of duct tape. Kleenex. Air freshener. Trash bags. Zipties. Rubbing alcohol. Superglue. A bottle of merlot. Disinfectant. Sponges. Latex gloves. A wrist brace. Ibuprofen. A hammer. And a bar of chocolate.

A bright beep sounded as the cashier scanned each one.

“Doing some home improvement?” They smiled, placing the superglue onto the other side of the conveyor where one of their customers, the shorter of the two, was busy bagging with their head down. The other stacked the empty shopping basket with the others and pulled out their wallet.

“Definitely an improvement project,�� they nodded back with a knowing look. “The whole thing just needs to be demolished and rebuilt at this point.”

“Oh I hear you. A pipe burst in my basement just last month and my spouse had to stop me from tearing the whole thing down then and there.” The cashier scanned the wine and paused. “Your ID please, Mx.?”

They flashed it with a toothy grin. 

“I’m flattered!”

“Just doing my job. Thank you.” They typed something into the system and picked up the next item. A few items later, a snort broke their calm demeanor.

“Hm?”

“Oh my goodness, I’m sorry Mx! Just had a funny thought.” The cashier scanned the hammer. 

“Do share! Lord knows we could use the humor.” They elbowed their partner who smiled meekly and nodded along, balancing with a crutch under their arm. 

“Well, sometimes home improvement supplies look a lot like premeditated murder supplies,” they giggled, and the taller one broke out into raucous laughter. The shorter just shook their head. “Sorry, I meant no offense.”

Realizing they were being addressed, they fixed the sullen expression across their face.

“Ah, none taken! I’ve just had a tough day, what with this shithead and all.” A playful poke to their partner who just laughed again.

“You’re in for it when we get home!” They stuck out their tongue.

The other went back to catch the items they’d missed in that time, slipping the chocolate bar in their pocket. 

“Alright, cash or card?”

“Card please.”

“Your receipt?” 

“Sure, why not.”

“Perfect. Have a good one!” 

“You too!”

The taller one took most of the bags, but the other still managed to carry one. They were almost out the door when a voice shouted out.

“Oh! Excuse me, I think you forgot one of your items!” The cashier held up the hammer, and the couple turned around. Neither came forward to claim it, but with a nudge and a whisper, the shorter allowed the cashier to drop it into their bag. “Can’t do any demolition without that, can you?” 

“Absolutely not, I’m glad we didn’t forget it!” The other didn’t say a word, struggling to lift the bag now, and then the two were gone. 

.

“Interesting what you choose to forget, darling.” A hissing whisper in their ear, so different from the friendly persona they put on in public.

“I don’t… I don’t know what you’re implying,” they averted their eyes as the trunk of the car opened. Fuck. 

Their captor’s foot landed on their broken ankle and they had to suppress a scream.

“I let you have one good leg for today. Don’t let me regret it.” The bag was taken right out of their hand. “In.”

They crutched up to the passenger door but a clearing of the throat stopped them.

“Childlock doesn’t work on that seat.”

Somehow, climbing into the back was more humiliating after that comment. The door was slammed shut before they could do so themself, and they felt the car shake with how hard the trunk was slammed. A horrible indicator of what was to come.

“I behaved around the store,” they grumbled when the doors locked and the engine turned on. 

“And then you fuckin’ ruined it.” 

“Black and white thinking much…” 

A fist flew against the passenger headrest and they were suddenly grateful to be flinching in the backseat.

“I’m buying a car with blacked out windows. That way, next time, I can throttle you in the backseat.”

[suntails]

B&W

[autisticaradiamegido]

day 126

aradia in my fit for the ren faire today

[wonder-worker]

"It is too easy to dismiss [Leonor of Navarre] as an overambitious schemer who would do anything to obtain a crown, shedding the blood of her own siblings and her subjects in order to attain the throne. However, a deeper investigation of her long lieutenancy and ephemeral reign shows a woman who fought tenaciously to preserve her place but also worked tirelessly to administer a realm which was crippled by internal conflict and the center of the political schemes of France, Aragon, and Castile. She tried to broker peace, fight off those who opposed her, repair the wounds caused by conflict, protect the sovereignty of the realm, and keep the wheels of governance turning. Leonor was not always successful in achieving all of these aims but given the background of conflict and the lack of cooperation she received from all of her family members, bar her loyal husband, it is a huge achievement that she survived to wear the crown at all. Many writers have argued that Leonor deserved the troubled lieutenancy, personal tragedies, an ephemeral reign, and a blackened reputation, basing their assumption that she committed a crime that cannot be [conclusively] proven. However, a more fitting description of her would be that of a resolute ruler who successfully overcame a multitude of challenges in order to survive in a difficult political landscape and gain a hard-fought throne.”

— Elena Woodacre, "Leonor of Navarre: The Price of Ambition", Queenship, Gender and Reputation in the Medieval and Early Modern West, 1060-1600 (Edited by Zita Eva Rohr and Lisa Benz)

[raayllum]

don't get me wrong callum is undeniably a prince and it plays into his family dynamics and his initial sense of unworthiness when the story starts a lot, but i'll never fully understand the hang up that it's a Big part of his ongoing story when his own brother, the king, says "remember who you are" and just refers and reiterates his mage identity (4x06), and that's the only one that callum seems to significantly care about either (5x07)

[greyeyedmonster-18]

(also, stop buying art from target and ikea and Home Decor stores.

please just stop.

if you want a basic something or other for your home, and you have one person in your life who knows how to draw/make/paint things. Ask them if they wouldn't mind painting a picture of a sunset or creating some abstract squares etc for you. and pay them. not target.

i can almost guarantee they will say yes.)

[aroacettorney]

tbh aup should have more moments where ludger is morally challenged. early arcs of aup did quite well in this regard where he had to pick between securing his goals/survival and genuinely taking care of the people around him (esp those who were not his people). nowadays, its just endless action scenes where he bruteforces through all the problems with his opness that contributes nothing to his character development because everything is already perfectly and conveniently aligned.

[eggmeralda]

do you ever feel casually suicidal? like you're not depressed or anything you're doing fine but also it feels like a convenient option

[hexelein]

Everytime someone hc the stardew valley bachelors and bachlerottes as monosexual or uses the word "playersexual" a fairy dies

[mayybirds]

Important question, do more of the RE8 villagers survive in this version?

Yes, very much yes. I can't, at this time, guarantee any specific characters other than Elena (definitely) and Luiza (probably), and an undetermined number of unnamed villagers, but I definitely plan for some of the villagers to survive.

While the total wipe-out of the Village in RE8 is a lot more believable than other "total wipes" like Raccoon City or the Pueblo in RE4, as it seems significantly smaller than both RC or the Pueblo, and has a more intelligent breed of bioweapon under specific instruction to exterminate the Village, Resident Evil has a weird and kind of uncomfortable history with complete massacres over its long history that I'm always inclined to push against. It's lazy, uninteresting writing to me when it's a trope recycled so frequently... especially given it's very clearly mostly used to provide clean narrative "closure" between each game by eliminating any other survivors other than the main protagonists (and Wesker lol). Like... RE4, for example, functions as a contained narrative because the Pueblo dies at its end. Its function is over in the continued story of "Resident Evil"... it only matters going forth in the context of Leon, Ashley, and Ada as characters. But as a writer, I'm much more intrigued by a version of that story that involves other survivors. What would it mean to live through something like that, not as the hero outsider protagonist, but as a civilian? How do you even recover? Who would you be after?

The weight of the horror of the complete destruction of a place that's isolated to a single game becomes faded when it's the same shit in every game. I'm sick of it, and bored of it. It would hit harder if it wasn't every damn game... better to take it apart and try something new with its empty box.