#basically just saints campaign

[romancantthinkofausername]

if youre cold, theyre cold put them in the microwave

[landfilloftrash]

[Saint Barbarian Rollo Enters The Fight]

oh yeah normal church occurance dw about it

[arti-cat]

me and @calameowri making a whole AU inspired by one in-game image and this sentence is still sending me

[foxstens]

scavenger reputation sure is confusing

[anothermonikan]

hey guys guess who just beat rain worl- *trips and falls into a puddle of tears*

[merlinfromberlin]

Downsides of becoming a queer historian you don't realise until you are in waaaaay too deep:

sometimes you have to read an article on "TrAnSvEsTiTeS" that was written by a white straight cis-man in, like, the seventies and it's just a guy who took Freud too seriously and is like: Men wear women's clothing because their mothers were ~homosexuals~ (if you know what I mean) who project on their little boys and their fathers were beta b#ches who let the household be run by a woman and didn't protest.

And all that while doing research for your paper that's due in four days that's about a really cool topic like - in this case the question of whether or not St. Mary/Marinos can be understood as a trans person and it's really fascinating because like, you can definitely read Marinos as a trans man from a modern point of view - even though it's always a curious discussion because obviously we can never know what Marinos would have chosen to call themselves. Except that we literally know that he would have rather been punished severely for fornication and fathering than child than tell people that he had a vagina. Like. As in Marinos told noone, they only found out after his death - so, I don't know what you want me to make with that, but that's not very cis. And that's basically what my essay is about. :D

And then there come the 80s and 90s scholars again and there all like this person is definitely a WOMAN - like, what do you mean, SHE lived her whole life as a male monk in a monastery and rather get expelled than tell people about HER vagina that made it impossible for HER to father a child and never told anyone and people only found out SHE was a WOMAN after HER death? Well Obviously SHE was in denial about HEr Womanhood.

Or- my favourite cishet interpretation of the story: well, obviously that story is written for cis men because St. Mary is a personification of the guilt men have for desiring women the shouldn't and acting on that because you see- she was punished for it and she couldn't have done it but it isn't revealed until after her death so men have stories that make them feel guilty and help them stay on the right path.

But like. Seriously. It's an absolut shit-show.

[theflorasdiary]

The problem with this show are not the characters or how the episodes are made,but the writers that decided to develop a literal masterpiece into a circus.

The campaign for season two literally started with making the audience choose between team black and team green:we had two trailers,two official posters and even the actors were “divided” to promote their teams.

So they basically told us to pick a side since the beginning.

Then they procede to turn team black in the saint team:making them the victims of the patriarchy,the heroes of the story.They showed us team black as if they are more Targaryen then the other team only because they know a prophecy and use this fact to excuse them from anything they do.

They made team black loved and worshiped by the small folks after Rhaenys killed hundreds of them during her dumb and useless girl boss scene and after Rhaenyra starved them.When in the book the small folks hates Rhaenyra and her incompetence,they will literally kick her out of the city and she has to run away or they will kill her just like they did with the dragons.The small folks instead loved team green,they loved Helaena as their queen and blamed and hated Rhaenyra for her death.

They forced use to like Rhaenyra just because she is one of the main characters,pushing on her the role of strong female character that is fighting a male society and then again just because she is a woman she is excused for everything that she does.We had to sit and watch two scenes of her giving birth and two of her weddings because we needed to empathize with her.We need to see her on her dragon constantly so that we can see Daenerys resemblance.They had to make her a saint,of course she wouldn’t want to kill a child she is too good,she would never hurt Helaena,everyone is loyal to her and she can do no wrong.They even took down Nettles to not show us Rhaenyra racism and the way she wanted to have a little girl killed because her pedo uncle-husband was rumored to be her lover.

On the other side we have team green that was completely dehumanized,stripped down of every good aspects they had in the book,changing and canceling everything.

We had never saw Alicent give birth to children that came to her out of marital rapes,we also did not see her getting married as a child bride to a man that will abuse her.Apparently the love of her life is Rhaenyra instead that her own children,she betrays them and her own side of the family in favor of her ex best friend that didn’t do anything to help her in the past and instead laughed in her face about her trauma.They keep telling that Alicent has never sacrificed anything when she has sacrificed her all life for duty and family unlike Rhaenyra.

Healena is totally marginal as the “weird bug girl” that just rants things out.She was a dragon rider that enjoyed being with her dragon Dreamfyre,yet in the show apparently she doesn’t like that.Even her dragon legacy was taken by team black,because now Dany dragon eggs comes from Syrax.In Viserys last days Helaena used to visit her father with her children but again this was taken from her and put on Rhaenyra instead.She was also stripped down of her coronation,of the way she was loved as a queen and how Aegon made sure that she was remembered as the true queen during the dance.They took from her the grief and mourning of her son one of the things that will literally drove her to death,because only Rhaenyra can cry her son and no one else.

Aegon was transformed into a rapist,because you can’t like him,you can only like Rhaenyra.There was no scene of him and Sunfyre beside the battle of Rook’s Rest,they have the strongest bond between a dragon and a dragon rider,he loved Sunfyre to the point he changed the family sigil to a golden dragon.They took down his will to fight,his family support and loyalty to him,his rage as a father that had lost his son.They took two of his sons,because Maelor do not exist and now he can’t have any more children because in the show he had lost his penis.They made him useless and pushed him on the sidelines in his own story.

I still don’t understand why they had to make Aemond betray his brother when in the book he was loyal to him,also in the book there was no indication of Aegon bullying him so again i don’t understand why choose this path.Daemon had a “redemption arc” after his betrayal one but of course Aemond can’t,only team black can.

Criston Cole is portrayed as an angry incel that still hates one woman that coerced him into having sex with her after he told her no multiple times.So much wasted potential in this character,when in the book he was one of the masterminds of team green,convinced Aegon to take the crown,took care of Sunfyre and served his king just right.

Daeron…sorry who?What do you mean that there is a third brother?I just know that his character will be completely destroyed,he probably will be a bastard with dark hair and we already won’t have the Maelor storyline for him,we definitely won’t see him making Ser Hugh and Ulf change sides or any of his victories with Tessarion.He will probably be marginalized like he already is,because again you can only like team black and only them can have the best.

How can you “pick a side” like they desperately want you to do,when they do shit like this?Literally forcing you to like team black because they are paint as the saints/good guys and assassinated every good thing about team green?

Keep telling me that this show is not team black propaganda and that’s is fair like this.

[hellobykittys]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 (𝐈𝐌)𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓.𝐈𝐈𝐈 ✦ 𝐂𝐋¹⁶

SUMMARY: Charles Leclerc, a Formula 1 star, faces the decline of his reputation after breaking up with art curator Alexandra Saint Mleux. Under pressure from his team, he is forced into a fake relationship with one of the most popular influencers of the moment. NOTES: English is not my first language, so there might be some writing mistakes. I apologize for that, and feel free to point out any improvements. WC: 3.4k WARNING: teasing, fake relationship

PREVIOUS PART | MASTERLIST | SMAU VER | NEXT PART

Monaco was especially sunny that morning, the calm sea reflecting the clear, cloudless blue sky. For Charles, the scene felt almost cruel, given the weight he had been carrying ever since Sofia and Lorenzo presented the PR plan to him. Now, the most delicate part of the operation was about to begin: the first public appearance with Y/N.

The meeting had been carefully planned to look casual and discreet, far from prying eyes. Of course, strategically placed paparazzi would make sure the moment was captured, but the idea was to create an authentic, almost spontaneous vibe. The plan was a drive through the streets of Monaco in a sports car, followed by a stop at a low-key café. Simple enough to stir up a buzz without looking forced.

When Charles arrived at the meeting point, a mischievous grin already played on his lips. He spotted Y/N from a distance, flawless as always. She wore a white summer dress that could have come straight out of a fashion editorial, paired with simple sandals and sunglasses reflecting the shimmer of the sea. She looked like part of Monaco’s perfect backdrop.

He waited for her to get into the car before greeting her.

“You look like you just stepped out of a summer campaign,” he said as she opened the door, his tone laced with a bit of teasing.

Y/N raised an eyebrow, her expression already skeptical. “And you look like you just rolled out of bed,” she replied, giving him a pointed look at his slightly messy hair and basic t-shirt.

Charles chuckled, adjusting the steering wheel. “Give me a reason to look good, and maybe I’ll make an effort.”

Not in the mood for his banter, Y/N just rolled her eyes and settled into the seat. Charles started the car and drove at a slow, relaxed pace through Monaco’s narrow streets, which seemed to irritate her even more.

“You know you’re going to have to look interested, right?” she said without looking at him, her eyes fixed on the view outside.

“I am interested,” he retorted, leaning slightly toward her. “Just not sure if it’s in the drive.”

Y/N turned her head to stare at him, her look making it clear he was already testing her patience. Before she could respond, Charles spoke again.

“I didn’t know you had a place in Monaco,” he commented casually, referring to the house where he’d picked her up earlier.

“I don’t,” she replied, returning her gaze to the road. “It’s a friend’s place. Would be weird to have a boyfriend in the city and stay in a hotel, don’t you think?”

Charles raised his eyebrows, surprised by the logic. “Your mind works fast. How did you come up with that?”

“I won’t take credit for this one,” she said, crossing her legs elegantly. “It was Sofia’s idea. Since your house wasn’t an option, my friend kindly lent me a room.”

He laughed, caught off guard by the comment. He hadn’t even considered offering his house—well, Sofia probably made sure that wasn’t an option. “Sofia really thinks of everything, huh?”

Y/N shrugged, turning her attention back to the scenery.

The comfortable silence was broken when Y/N turned on the radio and picked a random song from Sabrina Carpenter’s new album. She began humming quietly, as if she were alone.

Charles raised an eyebrow, surprised. “So you like Sabrina Carpenter?”

“I do,” she replied, not bothering to look at him.

“Great,” he said, smiling. “We should go to one of her shows on my week off. What do you think?”

Y/N turned to look at him, her gaze sharp. “Like you did with your ex?” she teased, her voice dripping with irony. “Going from Swiftie to Carpenter. I don’t think your fans will like that. I can already picture the TikToks with ‘Déjà Vu’ playing in the background. I’ll pass, but thanks for the offer.”

Charles laughed, clearly unfazed by her sharp tone. He even seemed to enjoy it.

“So you were following my old relationship? How cute. Didn’t know you were also a fan of mine.”

“In your dreams,” Y/N shot back immediately. “I’m just a chronically online girl.”

Charles laughed louder, taking the chance to tease her even more. “Well, at least you admitted you pay attention to me.”

Y/N rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the smile that escaped.

The café they chose was small, discreet, and strategically positioned with a partial view of the sea. The place was perfect: charming enough for a date, secluded enough to avoid crowds, but of course, there were a few paparazzi already strategically spread out.

Charles and Y/N settled at an outdoor table, the sun in Monaco bathing the area. Before she could pull out the chair, Charles jumped ahead, making sure to exaggerate the gesture as if it were a scene from a romantic movie.

“Thanks, Prince Charming,” she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Anytime, my princess,” he replied, a mischievous smile on his face, more for teasing than to please.

Y/N just rolled her eyes and adjusted her dress as he took his seat at the table.

A few minutes later, the waiter appeared with the menu, leaving them to decide at their leisure. The silence between them was slightly uncomfortable, but not unbearable—more like a tense calm.

After flipping through the menu for a few moments, Y/N closed it and made her choice. “I’ll have a lemon water and a chocolate tart.”

Charles raised an eyebrow. “Chocolate tart? For breakfast? That’s pretty bold of you.”

She smirked, challenging him. “And you? What are you going to order? Something more ‘appropriate’?”

“An espresso and avocado toast,” he answered with a touch of theatricality, closing the menu.

The waiter took their orders and left, leaving them alone again.

Charles leaned back in his chair, watching Y/N intently, and asked the question that seemed to be bothering him. “Okay, so what do we do now?”

Y/N crossed her arms, leaning slightly over the table. “What do couples usually do on dates like this?” she asked, as if it were obvious. “I believe they talk, right? At least that’s what I used to do.”

Charles let out a short laugh. “Sounds easy when you say it like that.”

“Because it is easy,” she shot back, with a superiority in her tone. “Or maybe you’re less experienced with relationships than you let on.”

He leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “I’m a great boyfriend, ma chérie. I’m just trying to figure out which version of me you want the public to see today.”

Y/N gave an ironic smile, adjusting her sunglasses on her head like a tiara. “Surprise me, Leclerc. Just try not to overdo it.”

Charles flashed a mischievous grin. “Overdoing it is my specialty. You should know that by now.”

She just shook her head, murmuring something softly that Charles couldn’t hear, but it sounded like a challenge. The tension between them was almost palpable—a mix of competition and chemistry that they both stubbornly ignored.

“Are you going to want me to accompany you to the Monaco GP?” Y/N changed the subject, her tone casual. “I was thinking… I think it might be a bit too soon for me to go with you. Maybe it’d be better if I went with some friends.”

Charles raised an eyebrow, clearly uninterested in her concerns. “I think all this caution is over the top. Aren’t we supposed to make people think we’re together? So just show up with me there.”

“Yes, but there’s a difference between letting people know and rubbing it in their faces,” Y/N explained, as if it were obvious. “I’ll go with some friends and we’ll meet in more discreet parts of the paddock. It feels more natural.”

Charles sighed, a half-smile forming on his face. “I don’t get why you ask for my opinion if you’re just going to decide everything on your own.”

“I just want to be nice and make you think your opinion matters,” she replied, with a sweetness that was obviously fake.

“You’re evil,” he said, amused, but with a tone of surrender.

The brief silence that followed was broken by the waiter, who brought their orders. Y/N thanked him politely, while Charles just nodded, still observing every move she made as if he were trying to figure her out. He seemed to study her as if she were a puzzle full of unexpected twists.

“So,” Charles began, stirring the sugar into his espresso. “If we’re going to pretend to be a couple, we need some backstories. You know, those little tales that all couples have.”

Y/N cut a small piece of her pie and looked at him over her lemon water. “And what do you suggest? Should we make up a romantic trip to Paris or something?”

“Why not?” He shrugged, as if it were the most obvious idea in the world. “It’s cliché, but it works. Or maybe something simpler… like our first date?”

Y/N laughed quietly, a sound that mixed irony and amusement. “No one’s going to ask us that, but you’re right. We need to think of some details: how long we’ve been together, what we know about each other… those things real couples would know.”

Charles leaned forward on the table, his gaze full of mischief. “I could tell you all about me right now, but you’ll have to do the same. It’s a test.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and took a sip of her water. “I don’t mind telling you the basics. Now, if you really want to seem convincing, you’ll need to put in a little more effort.”

“Effort? I’m a Formula 1 driver, chérie. No one knows how to perform under pressure better than I do.”

She smiled but didn’t bother to respond, focusing on finishing her pie. Charles watched her for a moment, noticing the smile that seemed sincere, almost carefree—a curious contrast to the controlled and flawless persona she usually displayed.

“You’re taking this more seriously than I thought,” he remarked, lifting his espresso cup, a mix of surprise and admiration in his voice.

“It’s not just your image at stake,” she replied simply, but there was something in the determination of her tone that caught Charles’s attention.

The conversation took an unexpected turn. They began sharing basic details about each other—hobbies, likes, and even a few funny stories that came up spontaneously. At some point, without either of them realizing, they laughed together, as if they were long-time friends. From a distance, anyone watching would see just another couple on a casual date, exchanging smiles and light conversation.

As Charles finished his coffee, Y/N made a comment about the pie, but before she could continue, a fan approached hesitantly, interrupting their conversation.

“Charles, can I take a picture with you?” the boy asked, admiration shining in his eyes.

Charles smiled warmly and stood up without hesitation. “Of course!”

Y/N stayed seated, watching the interaction from a distance. She saw the driver crouch down to meet the boy’s eye level, exchanging a few words before posing for the picture. The scene was incredibly genuine—something she’d never admit out loud, but it made her smile faintly.

When the picture was taken, the boy looked at Y/N, hesitating for a moment before saying, “Sorry to interrupt your date. You’re really beautiful, and you make such a cute couple.”

Y/N blinked, slightly surprised by the comment, but quickly regained her composure.

“Thank you,” Charles replied, winking at the boy. “You’ve got good taste.”

The boy laughed, thanked them again, and ran off toward his parents, leaving the two in a brief moment of silence.

“Cute couple, huh?” Charles remarked, sitting back down and crossing his arms with a mischievous smile.

Y/N rolled her eyes, but a nearly imperceptible smile appeared on her lips. “Just a polite kid trying to be nice. Don’t get too excited.”

“Yeah, sure,” he teased. “But maybe he’s just saying what everyone’s thinking.”

“So that means our plan is working,” she replied, taking one last sip of her lemon water. “But for today, I’ll let you enjoy the compliment.”

Charles laughed, and for a moment, the teasing gave way to something lighter, almost comfortable.

After a few more minutes of conversation, during which Charles managed to get a few more laughs out of Y/N—to his satisfaction and surprise—they both realized that time had passed faster than expected. He called the waiter to ask for the check, insisting on paying, which earned him another skeptical glance from her.

“You know you don’t have to try to be a gentleman with me, right? I’m not impressed,” she said while he signed the receipt.

“I know,” he replied with a provocative smile, standing up to push her chair in. “But I like to keep up appearances. What if the waiter decides to tell some tabloid I’m a terrible boyfriend?”

She let out a soft laugh, grabbing her purse and adjusting her sunglasses before they headed toward the car together.

Outside, the Monegasque sun was still mild, but the sea breeze made the weather pleasant. They walked side by side, a discreet distance apart, but the curious glances of a few passersby were already starting to appear. Charles opened the car door for her, which earned him another skeptical look.

“I didn’t know you liked acting so much,” she teased, settling into the seat.

“It’s not acting,” he said, leaning in slightly to look at her closely before closing the door. “It’s natural charm.”

She rolled her eyes as he walked around to the driver’s side, starting the car with a smooth motion.

The drive back to her friend’s house was calm, but not without the usual comments. He insisted on driving slowly, claiming he wanted to enjoy the view, which left her slightly impatient.

“Are you scared to drop me off or are you just trying to annoy me?” she asked, pretending to sound casual as she fiddled with the strap of her purse. “You’re definitely enjoying pretending to be my boyfriend a little too much.”

“Maybe,” he admitted. “But you don’t seem all that different.”

Y/N just shook her head, choosing not to fuel the conversation any further.

When they finally reached her friend’s house, he stopped the car in front of the gate. Before she could open the door, Charles stopped her with a comment.

“See you at the Monaco GP? You’ll need to be in front of the podium when I win the race.”

She paused, looking at him, confused, before smiling enigmatically. “You’re way too confident for someone who’s only won once on this track.”

She opened the car door and got out, walking toward the entrance without looking back. Charles watched her for a moment, chuckling quietly to himself before starting the car again and driving back home.

Even after he had turned the corner, the interaction lingered in both of their minds—though neither of them would admit it.

The heat of Monaco was beginning to give way to a cool breeze as the sun set, painting the sky with shades of orange and pink. Y/N had just stepped out of the shower and could hardly wait to throw herself on the bed and relax. Pretending to be the girlfriend of a Formula 1 driver was proving to be more exhausting than she’d imagined.

She flopped onto the soft mattress and, almost instinctively, grabbed her phone. Among the notifications and irrelevant messages, one caught her attention. It was from Clara, asking about a picture of her and Charles kissing at a club.

Y/N’s heart sank for a moment. She clearly remembered that night. One of the few times she’d let her guard down, and Charles… well, he had been irresistible, more charming than usual. But how had that photo surfaced now?

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered to herself, sitting up on the bed and zooming in on the image to take a better look.

She let out a deep sigh and opened Instagram. The post already had hundreds of thousands of likes and a flood of comments. Some praised them, saying that she and Charles made the perfect couple, while others speculated about the “fake” nature of their relationship.

As she scrolled, a mix of discomfort and irritation washed over her. It wasn’t just the invasion of privacy; it was the fact that this could ruin all the work they’d done to control the narrative.

Meanwhile, at Charles’s house, the driver was lounging on the sofa, distracted by a game on his console. His older brother, Lorenzo, walked in with his phone in hand, wearing a mischievous smile.

“Hey, petit frère, you didn’t tell me things were going on with Y/N,” he said, plopping down on the couch next to Charles and showing him the phone screen.

Charles paused the game and looked at the photo. His expression was a mix of surprise and irritation. “Where did you get this?”

“It’s everywhere. Someone posted it just now, and it’s already gone viral,” Lorenzo replied, trying to hold back his laughter. “So… wanna tell me what happened? If you two had something going on, you could’ve told me, it would’ve made my job and Sofia’s a lot easier.”

Charles huffed, tossing the controller aside. ��It was months ago, at a party. Nothing big. Just one night.”

Lorenzo raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. “Nothing big? Doesn’t look like ‘nothing big’ to me when you’re kissing like that.”

“You’re not helping,” Charles retorted, rubbing his temples. “This is going to mess everything up. We had a plan, and now this photo pops up out of nowhere.”

“Well, you know how the internet works,” Lorenzo said, still amused. “But honestly, you two look pretty natural in that picture. Maybe this helps, you know? Shows you’ve been together longer than planned.”

Charles shot his brother an exasperated look. “You really think Sofia’s going to buy that? She wants everything under control, and now there’s a picture from months ago that could ruin the whole plan.”

Lorenzo shrugged. “You get yourself in trouble, little bro. Not my problem, but… just out of curiosity: was it just a kiss?”

Charles hesitated for a moment before shaking his head, a sly grin creeping across his lips. “Of course, it wasn’t just that. But she acted like it never happened. I woke up, and she was already gone.”

Lorenzo burst into laughter. “So, that’s why you’re always trying to get under her skin. It bruised your ego, huh?”

“Shut up, Lorenzo,” Charles grumbled, but there was amusement in his voice.

Back at Y/N’s house, she decided to call Sofia before the situation got any more out of hand.

“Please tell me you saw the photo,” Y/N said as soon as Sofia picked up.

“I saw it,” Sofia replied, her voice calm but tinged with concern. “I’m already keeping an eye on social media. We can’t ignore it, but we also can’t look desperate to control it. I’ll come up with a strategy, but you need to talk to Charles. You two need to align on what you’re going to say if anyone asks.”

Y/N sighed, already tired just thinking about talking to him again. “Alright. I’ll call him now.”

She hesitated for a moment but finally dialed Charles’s number.

“Y/N,” he answered quickly, his voice alert.

“So, you’ve seen it?” she asked, getting straight to the point.

“Of course, I’ve seen it. Lorenzo hasn’t stopped laughing since he found the photo,” he replied, mixing frustration with humor.

“Great. Now I have to deal with you and your brother,” she retorted, rolling her eyes.

“Look, it’s not the end of the world. We can use this to our advantage,” Charles suggested, trying to sound optimistic.

“Use it to our advantage?” Y/N repeated, incredulous. “Do you have any idea how much this could complicate everything? All the work to look like the perfect couple is going down the drain now!”

Charles paused, his voice softening. “Or it could show we really have a history, that what’s going on now didn’t just come out of nowhere. I think people will buy it.”

Y/N stayed silent for a moment, thinking it over. “Okay, maybe you’re right. But we need to make sure we’re on the same page.”

“We’re already on the same page, chérie,” he said confidently, and something in his tone, as annoying as it was, managed to reassure her in some strange way.

“So, should we meet tomorrow to iron out the details?”

“It’s a date,” he responded, and Y/N could almost picture his smug smile on the other end of the line.

“It’s not a date,” she shot back, ending the call before he could respond.

Still holding her phone, Y/N flopped onto the couch, taking a deep breath. If the day had already been long, the night was shaping up to be even longer.

tαglıst: @charlesgirl16 @sltwins @lizzyzzn @seonghwaexile @weekendlusting @kahhorri @oikarma @freyathehuntress @nichmeddar @janeh22

[thetrueressii]

ok ive reached like peak cringe, making au comics im almost embarrassed fkjashdkasjhd anyways have a very small comic with saint, hunter, and enot with zero context

ok context

enot and saint were students of sliver of straw with enot being saint's senior, enot goes on a journey one day in pursuit of more knowledge and further sliver's teachings

this journey ends after they managed to get into rubicon and beyond, getting brain blasted with all the information/knowledge of the universe in like 2 seconds and goes crazy and also gains god like powers that are above anything else in the world

theyre basically just happy chaos lol, idk how else to explain their character without going into an essay

basically theyre a dnd dm in a campaign where he forgets the rules the moment the session starts and starts improvising for their own amusement, to the benefit or detriment of the players (i.e. everyone else that isn't him)

he also likes to fuck with saint

(they also may or may not have caused arti's whole revenge arc)

[cephalofrog]

been playing rain world and thinking about saint again recently

full rain world spoilers below

I hate the "saint is the triple affirmative" interpretation. hate even more how it appears to have become the accepted truth in the fandom

first off, my dislike for this interpretation is not logical. it isn't something I can be convinced out of using canon evidence, because my reason for not interpreting the story this way is not evidence-based, it's because I don't find it to be a satisfying conclusion to the entire story of rain world.

but here's some rambling about logical reasons why it doesn't make sense anyway

if saint was created as the triple affirmative by sliver, that makes them extremely old - they came into existence LONG before spearmaster's campaign even started. if they came into existence with the purpose of ascending iterators, they sure took a long time to ascend any iterators - like okay, travel time and whatever, but you'd think they'd get at least one or two more before all the iterator comms break down entirely post-spearmaster. SM and hunter managed to get from SRS and NSH to the pebbs/moon area pretty quickly.

they also have fur, which seems to be an adaptation for the cold judging by the lizards in the campaign, despite the world not being cold at the point at which they were created. this could be easily explained by sliver just being very forward-thinking, but...

if sliver created saint, their entire triple affirmative thing comes across as incredibly thoughtless, which imo contrasts with sliver being forward-thinking enough to make saint immune to cold. like they finally created the magical rat that will ascend them all but didn't even think to send out a message beforehand like "hey guys I'm trying something new if I send out the triple affirmative and die right after this it worked and you should be visited by a flying green dude with an ascension beam at some point in the future"

there's also the thing of... wait so how does this whole iterator ascension work again? cause saint's timeline loops. after they ascend, they end up back in sky islands, with the iterators back where they were. this could be explained by "later playthrough loops aren't canon and pebbs and moon are ascended if you got em" but there's literally a specific gameplay mechanic - carrying stuff in your stomach between campaigns - meant to make it clear that the campaign is a loop.

anyway. the real reason I hate the theory isn't related to any of this - it's that it absolutely destroys pebbles and moon's story, thematically speaking.

sliver of straw's triple affirmative/death is a random event that could mean basically anything. the futility pebbles felt around trying to solve the great problem caused him to assign meaning to sliver's death that wasn't necessarily there - they found the solution, and it was self-destruction. that's what they were trying to tell everyone. it wasn't a random event, the triple affirmative was real. one of the bugs in the maze found the way out, and he's going to prove it to everyone by following them and escaping.

and that's what leads to the events of the main story. this random event - this horrible tragedy, the death of someone who seemed to mean so much to so many people - was assigned meaning by someone desperate to prove that his entire existence, and the existences of everyone around him, are not futile. the ancients created the iterators without knowing whether the answer to the great problem could ever be found, and this is the result of that.

a nihilistic, hopeless person, abandoned by his creators to work forever on an unsolvable problem, assigns meaning to a random tragedy, and tunnel visions on what he has to believe is what he's been looking for - because it is an unimaginable understatement to say that the alternative would be worse than death. and then, in his self-destructive desperation, he kills his sibling* and dooms himself to the slowest, most painful death imaginable. this is the legacy of the ancients' dead society, the result of all of their stupid ideals and obsession with karmic perfection. (*as far as he knows)

but saint being the triple affirmative undermines all of that. not only does it make sliver's death less of a tragedy and more of a noble sacrifice - like yeah, sure, they were loved, but solving the great problem was far more important - but it also makes pebbles look less desperate and more just kinda stupid. like you thought that the solution was self-destruction? nah, it's a magical flying rat. in this version of the story, pebbles wasn't striving for something that didn't exist, he was just not smart enough to figure out the real solution.

even outside of canon evidence, that sucks. it causes pebbles' story to go from being about how you should value the people around you over the impossible striving that life always seems to expect from you or you're gonna end up hurting them and yourself to how you should just be smarter to find the right solution to all of your problems.

anyway as for my own interpretation of saint, I think that the campaign is just a representation of what it's like to be an echo. reliving the moments that led up to your failed ascension over and over, reaching maximum karma and gaining superpowers because you're just that karmically pure - you are a saint, after all - and then letting your ego consume you at the crucial moment of ascension, over and over again, cycling into infinity. (I don't think they actually had superpowers prior to ascending, I just think that they kinda thought of themselves so highly that they thought they should have those powers.) then contrast this with the world as the age of the iterators and the rain finally ends, and you have an unchanging echo reliving the same few cycles over and over contrasted with a world that is, at last, changing and moving on.

yeah it doesn't make sense with the joint iterator dialogue in rubicon (at least, the final line doesn't make sense). I don't care. it's what makes me happy as an interpretation. you can pry my morally dubious hypocritical ego-driven saint from my cold dead hands

[its-rat-time-babey]

“The Artificer’s campaign has little impact on the overall story” bitch I cannot stress how much of an impact the Artificer had on the entire world. You just need to pay attention to some things.

By the time of the Artificer, Scavengers are basically in the middle of a massive golden age. They have a Chieftain (with a mark of communication (maybe Five Pebbles gave them the mark and citizen ID drone and tried to use them for something but they rebelled and found Metropolis)) with armour made from Red Centipede Scales, they have a permanent home in metropolis above the rain, they figured out how to harvest electrical scrap and broken down Rarefaction Cells from the ruins of Looks To The Moon and pieces of Five Pebbles to make electric spears and Singularity Bombs, they even have specially trained Elite Scavengers, which did exist before in the time of the Spearmaster but it’s still worth bringing them up.

Overall, Scavengers are at a golden age of invention and life in general.

And then they anger the Artificer, who slaughters countless Scavengers, kills their Chieftain and drives them out of Metropolis, locking the gate behind them.

After that, a new Chieftain is never made, armour like the chieftain once wore is never made again, Scavengers suffer a massive population loss, they can’t enter Metropolis without a Citizen ID Drone and Elite Scavengers slowly disappear as the methods used to teach them and the knowledge of how to scavenge and create electric spears and singularity bombs is lost, with the last Elite Scavengers being seen in the Hunter’s campaign, which happens next in the timeline. In other words, the Artificer literally sent Scavengers into a dark age.

It takes until the time of the SAINT for Scavengers to show real signs of recovery, now appearing in larger numbers than before. And even THEN Scavengers never do anything like they did during the time of the Artificer. The Artificer plunged Scavengers into a dark age for countless years, and they STILL haven’t recovered.

And that’s not all. According to the wiki, Scavengers are afraid of Slugpups, most likely because they remember how the last time they killed one they were hit by the full force of an angry explosive lobbing goddess of destruction that slaughtered countless members of their kind. They are afraid of Slugpups in all campaigns, even the Saint’s. So even by the time of the Saint Scavengers know not to mess with Slugpups, presumably because the last time they did so is a legend among Scavengers by that point in time.

Hell, the Artificer’s existence even explains something about the Hunter. The reason that the Hunter starts with a negative reputation among Scavengers is because they look like the fucking Artificer. Scavengers look at the Hunter and see the goddess of vengeance and destruction that they’ve only ever heard of from stories.

Both of them have red fur and a scar on one eye, and will the time gap between campaigns, there’s a good chance that only a few Scavengers that saw the Artificer in person are even alive by that point in time (without even taking into account how the Artificer murdered so many Scavengers that it’s probably rare that a Scavenger saw them and lived to tell the tale), meaning that the Artificer is probably told about in Scavenger stories and her appearance would therefore differ, leaving the most obvious details like the scar on one eye and red fur.

[raintailed]

INV REAL!!!!!!!!! it's just a concept but yes. real

Uhh my inv has Lore. Basically, MARS (the eldritch thing masquerading as an iterator) decided it would be fun to make a simulation where they put a scug through hell versions of the vanilla regions, just to see how hardy a scug can possibly be.

Except because MARS is anomalous and weird and stolen iterator parts don't like that, uhhhh the simulation became Real and formed a whole entire Mirror World. the Mirror World is basically Inv's campaign but it includes all of rain world and it is exceedingly weird.

Also Mirror World's timeline placement is totally fucked up because different regions have different world states basically? The mirror vanilla regions are in hunter's worldstate, since the simulation was made right before Moon was revived. But there are other regions that appear to be from Saint's time, from Spearmaster's time, or even from when the ancients were still around. It's very weird

ANYWAY uhh. my inv is based on five-lined skinks and has inverted countershading! because it's fun :]

[transmascpetewentz]

I hope this isn't intrusive but what the fuck is happening with the trans community right now? I don't think I've seen this kind of thing like. ever?

I personally find it very hard to understand/keep up with. Basically, a vocal group of transfems and self hating transmascs have decided to group together against transmascs talking about transandrophobia using tactics such as lying, harassment campaigns, and blaming trans men for every instance of transphobia ever.

It's really funny how the people who are vocal about anti-transfem harassment campaigns (which, to be clear, are bad) are now the ones pushing anti-transmasc ones. This infighting needs to stop, but I'm not going to sit here and pretend like "transandrophobia truthers" (never use that term bc it's antisemitic, but transandrophobes use it so I'm just using their language) hold equal blame to the transandrophobes who have decided to stir shit.

A lot of people talk about this discourse as if it's transmascs vs transfems equally, but I remember a few months ago when transmasc discussion existed in relative peace. The anti-transmasc crowd is reactionary, and while not everyone raising awareness about transandrophobia is a saint, the discourse isn't equal on both sides.

[ahsoka-in-a-hood]

I don't. The thing is I am a Star Wars Prequels fan first and foremost, here. I like the original trilogy, it's fine, but that's not what keeps me awake at night.

I don't give a shit about the sith. I don't find them interesting. I was always here for the impossible situations the jedi and the protagonist senators and other kinds of heroes were finding themselves in. The ones without an obvious answer. The ones they could get wrong. The ones they would get wrong because it's a tragedy, and sometimes I like to cry my eyes out over made-up people.

And even after several years of fandom, that's still basically what I want. I want the jedi (and other characters) to be put in the situations. I want them be unsure what the right path is. I like watching them make mistakes.

Some call it nuance, some call it flaws. I'm tempted to just call it being people. That's the sweet spot I'm after: not saints, not devils, just people. People fuck up. People are very varied. They have a culture- does every aspect need to be dissected for faults? Can it not exist even in a state of imperfection?

It can get complicated, maybe. I've encountered plenty the attitude that the jedi are evil because they are humans but are meant to be more than that. I have blocked absolutely relentless commenters of this who would show up on every post with this exact philosophy

… But it can become a subtle distinction. For some time I was blissfully unaware of Filoni's views on the simple basis that the jedi in the clone wars were more real and human than the generic antagonists I tended to see in fanfic.

It is a distinction, though. Human (derogatory) and human (empathetically) are different approaches, which does show up here and there.

The thing about star wars, and the prequels, and the jedi, is that no matter how you try to slice it, the story of a genocide is inextricably woven into a story about jedi. Every one of your #shots fired about their eventual downfall is accompanied by…. a systemic extermination campaign by a nazi allegory……….. and even if that's not something you're willing to contemplate, that's just going to make people uncomfortable. Especially if you start adding talk about a shadowy cabal secretly controlling everything who also steal children etc. Listen, I know that the jedi are fictional. That's not what you should be considering when you say these things.

So you end up with these two fundamentally diametrically opposed stories:

Here's this religious minority who are literally in touch with their divine force. This does not make them gods, so they have flaws, weaknesses, and make mistakes. They are murdered. This is the beginning of an imperial age. (compassion is at the centre of their philosophy. anyone can be compassionate, with or without the force.)

Here's this bunch of corrupt overpowered secret police who hold their position by maintaining a mythology of super-humaness, but psyche! Wealthy elites are also degenerate humans, which is of course forgivable in US, but not THEM. They were supposed to be the model minority. KILL THEM

[randomgods]

What are your thoughts on survivors campaign? :0 And how well do you think downpour preformed as a DLC for Rain World?

Ah!! Two questions I have a lot to say about!

I love The Survivors campaign to death. Their campaign IS Rain World. Before everything, before the Hunter/Monk update, before Downpour, The Survivor was it. That was Rain World—how it was intended to feel, play, be experienced. It is vital to play The Survivor's campaign before anything else. The Survivor is the lens that you see the world for the first time. All the questions, all the frustration, all the wonder. As The Survivor you learn what it is to be a slugcat. You learn how to move, how to explore, what you can eat, and, perhaps more importantly, what eats you. There is no experience quite like the vanilla campaign.

I think we may take for granted how special The Survivor's experience is because we get so caught up in all the cool abilities and lore of the other cats. But none of that would be as exciting or as impactful had we not learned and grown with The Survivor. Their limited abilities are how the game was meant to be experienced, you're not supposed to be special in Rain World. You are a small animal that rests near the bottom of a brutal food chain, exploring a world that has history and beings who are far greater than you will ever be. You are a fly on the wall witnessing the death rattle of an era that has long since abandoned you.

But on top of everything, the pure wonder of The Survivors campaign is astounding. You get to experience every creature, every region, every room for the first time. The beauty and mystery of the world is unmatched here. Sequences like unfortunate development, general systems bus, and the void sea are so unique and awe inspiring. It will be a very difficult task for anything to live up to experiencing those for the first time.

IN CONCLUSION! The Survivor’s campaign is incredible, and I think we all need to give it a little more love.

AS FOR the Downpour DLC. It certainly preformed well in terms of bringing people into the game lmao! The fandom is HUGE compared to how it used to be prior to the DLC. For better or for worse. I'm just happy it isn't so lonely around here anymore at least.

But I personally loved it! A whole lot!! Not everything, but basically everything. I think it does an amazing job expanding on the world, the lore, and the story. There were multiple times where I was so excited and emotional over how the DLC was handling everything. I think The Rivulet and The Saint’s campaign are really amazing overall. And I also adore all the new gameplay mechanics. Though, as stated previously, they do take away from the original purpose of the game. I’m very very happy with it ultimately. I could write essays about each campaign but I shall save that for another time!

Also hiiii sunfish it’s great to see you :) I’ve always loved your work! Thank you for asking these questions I really appreciate it

[sneeb-canons]

heart is the lowest-empathy of the bunch. he gets caught up in his own emotions, no time for anyone else's. if someone else is upset when it's happy, it'll be annoyed at them. if someone else is happy when it's upset, it'll... also be annoyed at them. it's an involuntary response, sometimes he feels bad about it later. usually he doesn't. whether or not he acts on it depends on how pissedoff he is

mind is the highest-empathy, by some counts; she is the most capable of properly understanding others' feelings, but what she decides to do with that information varies. they generally (try to) remain composed, of course.

soul doesn't know what an empathy is. has considered herself low empathy in tthe past due to not really reacting to others pain with much more than 'uhm. Awkward!!..." but also cannot bring himself to kill an ant in his shower because it Feels Bad despite threatining the other two's lives as, yknow, a major point of the loop so?? who even the fuck knows. Not them certainly (just like me fr)

theyre all also alexythemic as shit. they rarely know how they feel unless the emotion is very powerful and even then it's basically either 'Good' or 'Bad' with little recognition for nuanced tones--with the exception of anger, which they feel clearly and distinctly.

that even applies to heart, of course! must suck being an incredibly emotionally driven person who cannot distinguish their emotions (minus anger and spite, of course) to save their life. not like i would have any experience with it. haha. slowly turns to the camera

On a slightly lighter note, uhh

i have a special interest in rain world so. they all get to be rw fans. yayayayay.

[rain world spoilers from here on out LOL sorry.brainrotting]

mind mains spearmaster, and has probably actually speedrun their campaign once or twice. big into movement tech. once wanted to make her own region mod but couldn't come up with any interesting ideas and eventually gave up. sees themself in five pebbles in a 'recognition of the self in the other (derogatory)' way, but would never admit to it.

heart mains artificer. has claimed to relate to them, mind told him that this is what some might call a 'red flag'. has several really cool region mod ideas but no lediting skills, alas. a lore guy more than a tech guy. despite not knowing much in the way of movement, is a force to be reckoned with in arena mode. also relates to pebbles, but in a slightly different way

soul mains rivulet (gotta go fast!) and genuinely cried when getting their ending with moon. tends to prefer vanilla to downpour, but has an attachment to each individual downpour campaign (it's complicated). ascension supporter. out of all of them, i think soul is the most likely to actually engage with the fandom. saint kinnie, because of fucking course they are /silly

Headcanon #602