#bc i have seen hostility to those exceptions

[thedisablednaturalist]

We need to talk about how so many queer spaces are inaccessible and even actively hostile to physically disabled people.

[homophyte]

it is interesting to me that ive seen lately (n yknow this is subjective and likely not any real social force just what ive seen) many queer people simultaneously talking about taking back and embodying unpalatable and ‘unmarketable’ queerness (the recent return to the terms faggot and transsexual come to mind) which i think is pretty evidently shaped by the conservative moment were in of demonizing queer ppl and especially gnc and trans people as predators--it reads as a return to queer isolationism in the face of external hostility, imo--while at the same time ive seen a lot of rallying around the “original” 6 stripe rainbow flag as opposed to any of the purportedly ‘factional’ flags of different queer identities, with the assumption being different identity flags divide us while the rainbow flag encompasses everyone and its kinda fascinating to me bc the rainbow flag is probably the single most marketable and palatable and uncontroversial symbols of queerness which has been seamlessly uptaken by those who wish to sell it back to us as gets pointed out every pride month with all the cringey pride merch.... i dunno you could maybe take that as a point of hypocrisy and claim the queer community is itself in a conservative moment rn where its returning to a sense of history and historical continuity (perhaps even out of that sense of external threat) or even that the queer community has for some time been in a conservative moment given the like, decade of identity discourse and lashing out at any people deemed to not have a sufficiently established history or however we should categorize the bihets/ace discourse/transtrender-tucute discourse/pan discourse/bi lesbians discourse (because lets be frank its essentially all the same discourse just keeping up its momentum by leapfroging from one target to the next) which i think is, like, SOMEWHAT true but not entirely? its more interesting to me, in any case, as an expression of a conflict the queer community is facing given that current state of affairs RE antitransness and that very recent history. like, the simultaneous need to retreat to a safe sense of community which is welcoming to the very things the outer world is demonizing ie mutable gender, complex or contradictory experiences of gender, gender expression which is hostile to the cis binary, but also the ways in which it has to grapple with those discourses which have largely defined the community infighting for again the past decade. its queer people begging the question ‘how can we make the queer community welcoming to the girlfags and genderfucks and tboys who are being threatened when we have spent so much time making the queer community a hostile place for anyone with a non-conventional or not easily (or even just palatably) sortable sense of queer identity’. and the answer it seems to be grappling with at the moment is like, welcoming all that diversity of experience but being absolutely averse to naming it. yes we love all the fuckery with gender and sexuality never be marketable but like, ew, why are you calling yourself [insert microlabel here]. you can be genderweird but you cant call yourself genderweird. you can only exist as queer in the broadest possible way (the all-inclusive gay pride flag!) but if you try to name the specifics or use those identity labels weve been fighting over for years youre doing it wrong (the progress pride flag is now ugly and cringey and ‘too much’). i think theres something also to the way (at least on this site) transmisogynistic discourses have really taken hold as legitimate (though yknow i wont downplay how much a problem transmisogyny has like. always been in queer spaces no matter what) in the name of protecting n defending trans people. like its just regurgitated transmisogyny but its being mobilized supposedly in the service of helping trans people. idk its definitely getting a little late for me to string this together fully coherently but theres a throughline there, in the ways certain ideas are being consolidated and reified as ‘yes were more progressive now!’ when i think theres definitely something to question there in terms of like...are we? are we actually? are we doing better by the people were trying to help or are we setting strict standards and forcing ppl to adhere to them again?

[thelikesoffinn]

been thinking about it lately and Ascended Astarion = Dead Dove content and I'm not sure that's really understood, even by the writers. when I finally got around to the character I decided to ascend him with, I was SUPREMELY disappointed by the conversations options following it. it seemed like the dialogue choices were trying to push the narrative on my character that they made this choice w/o considering the consequences and they are bound to regret it. the closest I could get to answering his question of "why did u let me go thru w it?" was "I wanted u to be powerful".

but with that character? my accept Bhaal durge? that isn't the reasoning. at all. (related: "what do u want as a reward?" "ur body" was the closest answer my character could give. otherwise I'd've answered "murder :))")

for context, this run was born of a conversation w my friend discussing supposed content no one had seen bc "no one's that evil". we thought, what's more evil than killing literally every npc? I failed the conceit of the challenge immediately bc I can't handle senseless animal cruelty in my games. killing children? fine (u need a mod to do this in BG3, but I am thankfully plenty delighted to use mods), killing a neutral animal npc? no can do.

so I started this durge (they are the only character that can come close to "killing" Gale with that first interaction) run with the intention of killing everyone except Shadowheart (only a cleric of Shar can truly kill Aylin) and Astarion (bc I need to smooch him). (and there is a mod for playing an origin character as durge, which would have meant playing as Shadowheart, but I MUST smooch Astarion and I don't tend to do het or female romances, unless I'm forced to (*sighs dreamily* oh, Garrus Vakarian). I'm just not interested in that set of equipment in that way, so may as well just make a durge dude.) somehow something went wonky and Halsin ended up joining us and I was so perplexed I just allowed him to stay. (he's meant to attack if u destroy the grove but free him anyway, but instead he just showed up that night and went straight into his Moonrise spiel. is it bc the wolf Silver never aggro'd me and thus survived???) so I fixed the Shadow Curse all while killing every single humanoid and hostile animal in acts 1 & 2. including Thaniel, which makes Halsin's talks later in act 3 of getting news from Thaniel and the Grove hysterical. idk what I did but I sure as hell broke this poor man.

(on a related note, Halsin will give out to u when u accept Bhaal, but will still give u the "u have exceeding my expectations, also we should bang" in the same conversation. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID BUT IT'S DARKLY FUNNY.)

in the conversation when Astarion is expressing surprise that u let him go thru w it, my durge is just like, yes my motivation is that I like to kill ppl :))). it's not a sex thing for him (that is separate from the murder!), but he's still fine w the outcome. yes, Astarion looks down on him, but that's fine! he's allowed to be wrong about that, durge doesn't care. so long as Astarion lets him kill ppl he genuinely just does not give a shit.

(I actually had the idea that if Halsin were to ever rediscover his morals and tried to leave he'd ask Astarion to turn him so Halsin would not have a choice. as I said, this durge *does not fucking care*.)

this is probably the only character I will play that would let Astarion ascend bc I enjoy dead dove SOMETIMES, but not always or in large doses, but I get so few dialogue options that convey that in an rp sense! I don't think the writers/devs REALLY took that into consideration, sometimes. like, yeah, there are going to be ppl making fucked up choices but surely no one would go THIS far! for THIS reason! honey, u need to look up the Dead Dove tag on AO3, there are absolutely ppl making choices for those fucked up reasons.

(and I understand the whole "this confirms to Astarion about sex yadda yadda". even if that's not Tav/Durge motivation, that's how ASTARION would *interpret* it.)

(oh yes, and also, don't let Orin abduct Yenna. it doesn't matter whether u find out in camp or the sewers, Grub will not survive. I was devastated. if I'd known, I would have made sure Halsin was available for her, but she won't abduct a party member or someone ur romancing.)

long story short, I want to play a durge that even ascended Astarion finds unsettling. that's the dream.

Hello there, duck!

Your run sounds delightfully evil! I wish I could play one of those, haha, but I'm too soft hearted. My one evil run with my durge Salira was ended before even entering the grove because I felt horrible after getting rid of Gales hand! Seriously, I can barely take killing the squirrel as durge, and I always save Alfira because I feel horrendous otherwise!

(Fun fact, on all five runs I've done Yenna just vanished at some point and grubs was left standing in my camp, which was like...eh?)

And yes, Halsin is always somewhat of an issue, isn't he? He's just running around, causing mayhem in peoples games because he seems slightly bugged out, haha. I had one run, where he wouldn't go to the spot where we save Thaniel because he joined the fight against Marcus at Last Light and somehow got stuck, for some reason. Same run, none of his vocals would play, which was also very interesting. Everybody would make noise when they climbed or got hurt but Halsin was always silent and just there! And in another run the dude really straight up hated me - he was so mean and snappy, I swear to god he wanted my Durge dead - and then he suddenly went: "Hey you're super cool and strong and I just want to gently fuck you beneath the moonlight if you'll let me" and I was like: Say what.

Regarding the dead Dove: I've talked to people of Discord before, and some of them mentioned something similar a couple of times, but personally, I do think the writers actually knew what they were doing here!

Of course, I do agree that it relies heavily on the regret notion and that it somewhat shoehorns you into a certain narrative corner, I noticed that too when I was ascending him for research - I hated doing that, but all for the asks, haha - but I thought it was really fitting for what it is!

The bad ending, that is. I know we all somewhat forget that because of how people view him as a character, but ascension is the bad ending. Even on an evil run, where your character may have considered all options, it is very likely that Tav hasn't accounted for one very important part of being a true vampire.

The obsession.

It's still somewhat mild in the game, though definitely there, but it will only get stronger as time goes on, and it will probably get to the point that the only escape is death. Either his or Tav's. So, in the end, ascension will come with an armload of regret and the writers were making sure we know that.

And, on top of that, even if we let him ascend in a pursuit for power - or in in your durge's special case: murder :) - we still cast spawn Astarion aside because he doesn't fit our needs, thus making it very clear to him that who he is isn't enough and his behaviour is the price we now pay.

It's pretty much the same with all the other companions as well - justiciar Shadowheart and ascended Lae'zel, for example. However, it doesn't bother us as much, because we have different expectations towards ascended Astarion than, for example, dark justiciar Shadowheart. We don't expect a positive narrative here, a narrative where becoming shady-shar's loyal subject isn't an objectively dumb decision to make, so we don't mind the dead dove as much. It's exactly what we've been expecting - and Aylin even warned us how Shadowheart would change upon becoming a dark justiciar - so yepp. This went exactly how we thought it would and this is what we wanted.

Astarion, however, is a somewhat special case, because his bad ending is, by far, the one that gets the most romanticised. He's so heavily romanticised by so many, that the bad parts nearly start to fade, even with those who don't like the ascended ending. It becomes just 'the other ending', if you will.

And yet, it's still the bad ending.

Ascension is the bad ending for a character that we've somewhat given up on. That we misunderstood so deeply, mayhaps, that we traded his entire being for power and, quite frankly, beauty. We showed him that he isn't enough, we let the boy run and hide the only way he knew how and now we're faced with the consequences and yes, it's really dead dove but...what did we expect?

[mysterycharacterflowers]

Round 1; Dandelions 1 Vs A bouquet of willows and chives

If you know who they are, or are pretty sure of it, please don't tell until this poll has ended!

First, let's talk about the Dandelions 1

Why this flower was chosen: Dandelions, bc they 1) are not native to where this character creator is from. This character grew up in a kingdom that wasn't too fond of half-elves, and never quite belonged with the rest bc of that. 2) Survive and thrive in extreme + hostile environments- again, she grew up with a lot of things stacked against her, but manages to stay happy and optimistic despite it all. 3) are really cute, and she is also really cute. 4) she's dandelion coded. Description: in another world, where she'd been born in a happier place, she would've been a scholar, studying ancient religions and magic. if she'd been born in a modern world, she'd be a gamer. unfortunately, neither of these are true, and instead she's a half-elf wizard who grew up in a very oppressive kingdom that hates pretty much everyone who isn't a high elf or a drow. she's bought fully into her country's propaganda, and struggles to be seen as "good enough." because she grew up an outsider due to being a half-elf, she didn't really have any friends, (especially since the wizard training school she went to was like. i cant even think of a fictional example bad enough. it had a fucking mortality rate, schools shouldnt really have those), other than her sentient spellbook (whose sentience she had to keep a secret from everyone for fear he'd be taken away and she'd be alone). she's an unpaid intern for one of the ruling council of the kingdom. she was sent on her current mission with the expectation that she wouldn't be coming back. she's sweet and helpful but doesn't really trust anybody except her spellbook. i love her

Check their post here

Now, let's talk about the bouquet of willows and chives:

Meaning: Willows for Sadness (because hes an emo lil man) and Chives for usefulness (*) Description: – (*)This bouquet is OBSESSED with being useful to others – Hes the trans aroace ghost of an overworked programmer 80s dudebro. – Hes also in a queerplatonic Poly relationship with ANOTHER 80s dudebro, a shadow guy who looks like Krobus and an evil ass robot whos only screen face is ':D' – Also hes also trying to get all these shapeshifting masks so that he can ascend into godhood and... idk form a cybercult maybe. – Hes PERSONAL enemies with the Council (and it was good) – His gender is 'whatever's funnyest' – He watches Soap Carving Videos to fall asleep to.

Check their post here

[autismvampyre]

ok so audhd rant/asking for advice

we had a psychologicist come to the class to explain autism and adhd today. the reason why is bc i have faced a lot of discrimination, ableism and bullying from my peers bc of my disorders. my teachers felt we should all learn what the words mean and why they should never be used as insults, and how that can affect someone, which is a nice sentiment.

the person they picked was recommended by my mother, which should've been my first warning sign, bc try as she might my mother does not understand the autistic community. she trusts the professionals which is good bc im not a doctor and they're qualified, i get it; but also i dont fucking trust professionals to understand me because not once did my doctors help me understand when i was diagnosed. i asked to meet her before she came to the school, but my mom insisted she was great so i held back and tried to be hopeful, because even if a lot of my experience with professionals has been negative doesn't mean they're all bad and ignorant

anyways, she was exactly like every other psychologist ever and explained everything in the most basic way ive even seen. she literally sounded like the people who explained my diagnoses to me when i got them at age 11 and those mf's were literally useless. it took me years to actually understand what my disorder meant and i only figured it out by talking to other people with autism and adhd instead of reading shit by professionals and autism moms. the way we are portrayed by psychiatrists is not my experience at all and they often use outdated language and speak in very broad terms and don't bring up any of the things that i find important. i know not everyone with adhd and autism is the same but i genuinely cannot relate to the way they talk about us at all. like, this psychiatrist didn't even mention executive dysfunction and kept talking about how it "isn't an excuse" and fucking everyone agreed.

i feel like almost an anti-vaxxer, claiming i know better than doctors, so i genuinely do try to understand and accept doctors but i just cant fucking stand it. am i wrong for thinking she's wrong? like she has a degree, but she also doesn't seem to understand me and idk if im just a weird outlier even in my neurodivergence or if im right and she doesn't truly understand. like im not a doctor, im just a person who has these disorders but i genuinely feel misrepresented and like all these explanations are for other people to understand that they have to put up with me. i feel infantilised and really fucking bummed. like, i knew she wasn't gonna be perfect bc she isn't actually in the community but the level of generalization and misinformation was so disappointing

i feel fucking crazy. cause who am i to disagree with her when she's the professional, yk?? im no one. they won't listen to me. my classmates can't empathize with me like they do each other, and so many of them think they get it bc they're white teenage boys with adhd that are low support(and im happy for them that they feel good about it!! genuinely! and not saying they aren't valid, but in my experience many of them tend to unknowingly invalidate other people with the disorder who are different than them/have higher support needs) and can't seem to understand that other people have different experiences and struggles with the same disorder. i also live in a very conservative city, and even if the school is more liberal, we are still very high in MUF(the moderate party's youth) and you can tell because everyone i know is either apolitical or conservative, except me and the three leftists. it's a hostile environment, and i feel like im rambling but whatever. i needed to get it off my chest

[ajdrawshq]

@ your tags on my post, i am shaking you like a maraca and yelling "YESSSSS"

i wanna see how kh3 tackles that whole thing because it's so eerily similar to what happens in the manga. and in the manga, he is in so much pain and agony, AND HE'S STILL FIGHTING. ROXAS IS THERE WITH HIM, HIS ONLY COMPANION, and then kh3 just tripped and fell on the glass table.

also, i think about this constantly, i want them to do something with it so bad.

YEA i cant wait to see the rest of kh3 manga chapters and how they handle everything, i especially loved the manga versions for days and kh2 and the way their stories were told - even tho kh3 has a Lot going on that might be hard to show well.. amano's been good at it so far tho so i have faith :]

but yeah that whole thing with Roxas is just . oughh. im not gonna lie even i forgot that Roxas was like. still there with Sora when he perishes until i thought abt it writing those tags but now that ive realized that. why the hell did they not take advantage of that!!!! like ok i get that it was more focused on the destiny trio in the ways i talked abt in the tags but yknow. what happened to "he makes up the difference"?? that wouldve been a great moment for it to shine!! ik they already make an example of it during the Xemnas n Saïx fight but still!!

part of me wishes Roxas couldve have more outward influence on Sora the way Ven did. granted, he arguably had an affect on Sora back in kh2, and while i dont remember if it was canon or even intended, that could be applied to both his appearance (his lighter hair, mostly) and his behavior (his hostility towards the organization members; ive seen this argued both as smth Roxas had influence over and purely based on Soras experiences thus far, and i believe in both personally) but Ven in kh3 was literally able to speak and somewhat act through him. im pretty sure this was meant to show that Ven was fully ready to awaken or smth like that, and that wasnt sonething that was needed for Roxas; hes alright, just needed a body/vessel for himself. but i still think itd be a cool way to express the earlier sentiment. and it wouldnt necessarily have to be Roxas "taking over" either, the manga shows very well how Roxas gives Sora strength from within and that he definitely does make a difference

to be fair tho...... whether that wouldve helped Sora in the moment that he gives in to his despair, im not sure. in kh2, both manga and game, hes in a very different mindset than kh3. in that part of the manga especially, despite thinking everyone (except Roxas) is gone for good, he still has the belief that they can live on within him. and that, plus the literal strength hes getting from Roxas, is keeping him going despite it all. in kh3 his self confidence is beyond fucked, and he truly believes in that moment that hes lost Everything, not just his friends. thats hard to come back from

i wonder if he were to remember that Roxas were still there, if that wouldve helped. whether for comfort in the way that hes not really alone then, or for motive to keep living bc if he dies then Roxas is gone too, or whatever reason, i think it couldve changed something, even if its just a little bit. hell, itd have been great if something like that happened afterwards in the final world. id like to think Roxas had a hand in Sora surviving ..... not sure how but its a nice thought. either way i do wish Sora n Roxas' connection and that moment they have in san fransokyo had more....... More. in kh3. it was a great opportunity that they didnt use/forgot about n im now sad abt it forever

[cantarella]

Genuinely, why are so many wlw artists jumping on the nvfr/fcltte train? I’ve had to unfollow and mute so many ppl in the last week alone. Maybe it’s a little dramatic of me, but a lot of these artists were somewhat of a safe haven within a fandom that’s drowning in misogyny/lesbophobia and now I feel super disconnected again.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen an implied familial relationship made so explicit in my life, and yet people don’t see it? There are those who ship it out of (lesbophobic) spite, but there are so many who genuinely think they’re soulmate material. I feel like I’m going a little crazy, but I’m glad there are some here who understand!

if you think you're spiteful dw bc I block every shipper I find in the wild so you can't possibly beat me💜

anyway, I can't quite tell either bc the minds of these people are an enigma but a lot of them have a shitton of internalized homophobia which manifests in a superiority complex, stacked on top of desperate need of approval from cishets, which is also stacked on top of many internalized heteronormative views to work through

also genuinely most of them just have shit taste. like idgaf if some of them hc neuvi as a lesbian that's still a man in canon you can't hide behind that to pretend this isn't some wattpad self insert period romance type shit

but honestly I would just leave it alone and not mind them if they didn't suddenly decide that actually none of the wlw pairings are canon (when hyv is known to use coding and actively made them explicit before censorship got to them) but this het one, somehow, is and to harass anyone who disagrees. some of my mutuals got put on blast for thinking they're not canon and that the fans are too pushy, so now they're getting called slurs daily. how fun right? all this ofc endorsed by these wlw accounts who couldn't care less about the peace of mind of other lgbt people as long as their precious fuckass ship nobody except them and homophobes like doesn't get insulted

anyway, considering the situation out there is in fact that hostile I'm glad I can at least provide a good dumping ground for the thoughts of people who think the same, it's nice to know I can do that much

[dbphantom]

Ehehe mermaid show fanfic go brrrr

S2 merman Lewis (Haters can Cope. Haters can Seethe, even.) with a dash of Rikma and a side of Charlotte sympathy

SHE'S EASILY HURT but it's fine her gf is here to comfort her (who glides.)

I'm trying my best to be in-character for all of them. I don't really know how close I am, it's really hard for me to judge that because like. I'm the one writing them. Of course I'm going to think they're in-character. But I think, at the very least, that it fits the vibe of an OG episode.

Oh, also, this is my 'personal' rewrite, not the one I've talked about before that I was developing with my friend. I think both are neat, this one just follows the OG show a lot more closely with a few... 'minor'... changes. I really wanted to keep those kinda "too serious for a kid's show about mermaids" character-driven drama vibes of the original... The goofs are still around, but they're not showcased here.

As for content... It's what kid me wanted out of s2 (and, further on, s3... I have a bit of that written as well, but I wrote most of it while high and I hate golf with a passion, so it's not The Best......) so it's pretty much just suuuuper self-indulgent XD

I hope you like reading a bunch of existing scenes with new angles applied for funsies, because that is the majority of it LMAO

Also, Charlotte deserved better both in-universe and in writing, and she will (hopefully?) get it in this fic, so help me god-

And IK Rikki seems kinda aggro in the last scene. She... Is. Yeah. She is. Tbf, she is in the OG too. She's my favorite merm, but I also wanted to keep her in-character which means she is a bit hostile until the volleyball bit.

If it helps, she's also a little less mean during the power showcase scene bc she gets to rib on Lewis for not having any powers except for the dream vision stuff (hey did I mention I latched onto double trouble as a kid like a baby bird wrongfully imprinting onto a human?) because their sibling-like rivalry is a dynamic I live for

(That's what I do! IT'S WHAT I LIVE FOR!! To help unfortunate fanfic like yourself. Poor words with no one else to write them...

I'll admit that in the past I added OCs. They weren't kidding when they called me a bit cringe.

But you'll find that nowadays, I've mended all my ways. Repented, seen the light, and made a switch.

True? Yes.)

[erigold13261]

How did the NSR cast forgive B2J post revolution? Bc I just find it nearly impossible for the NSRtists to forgive those two after they’ve done massive damage to everyone although they helped.

I mean, there was music magic that helped a lot. I'm sure that there was some bitterness between the NSRtists and B2J, but not a lot. They SEEMED okay with B2J at the end of the game, but that was honestly a crisis situation that was happening, so we can't really use that as how everyone feels about each other.

Like Eve had a full on conversation with Zuke and was able to reconcile with him right then and there. So I doubt she was all that upset at getting her ass kicked a bunch since she and Zuke were now on good terms (and he even implied of him hanging out with her so she could get to know Mayday).

Sayu's Crew seemed more scared of getting hurt by Mayday than anything else, and when they were not hurt and Mayday was just looking out for them, I doubt they would hold a grudge against her or Zuke.

Yinu honestly cared more about her piano than anything in the moment, and when it was musically magicked to perfect condition she probably let go of any and all anger she felt. Mama is probably still bitter toward B2J until they fully apologize and probably do some things to make up for their actions.

DJSS seemed fine with them at the end, saying they weren't as bad as they thought. His ego was put in check and he was a bit more humble because of B2J's actions. His head was also fixed thanks to music magic. I can see him making snide comments here and there, or trying to get them to do something for him. Like imagine B2J hanging out with DJ and they tell the two to get them an ice pop, which at first the two refuse until DJ goes like "So cracking my head open is easy but getting an ice pop is hard?" And then May or Zuke go and get ice pops for all three which DJ kinda protests but in the end doesn't care since he has a pop at least.

Neon also seemed fine with them, especially when May started crying and he went into dad mode. I can see him being a bit more wary of B2J at first, trying to make sure his kids aren't in danger or anything. But soon he would warm right up to them and try to help them out of the sewers or get better instruments. He's try to collab with them and get their ideas for how to better reconstruct NSR for the people. Neon would just try to be really nice and all that to them. He would be pretty easy to forgive once he sees the hard work they did to rectify their actions.

1010 on the other hand would be the least easy to forgive B2J. At least at first. 1010 were out of commission whenever B2J apologized to all the NSRtists, so when 1010 did end up at a meeting with B2J they were all super wary and kinda scared because no one really told them what happened (Neon just forgot). Most of 1010 tried to act the usual way with Mayday like they did in their boss fight, with the exception of Eloni and Purl.

Eloni was just terrified of B2J, only warming up to them once Rin, Zimelu, and Haym became friends with them. Purl though was not only scared, but hateful too. They hated B2J but were also terrified to say anything. The hostility coming off of Purl was seen by everyone. They didn't even try to hide it like the others. Purl never said WHY they were acting like that, but it was obvious they hated B2J.

Their fear was not as easy to see. If you watched their movements you could see them flinch whenever May or Zuke raised their instruments, or step back while the two walked by. Even when trying to sleep, Purl would have nightmares and bad thoughts about losing everything and everyone to B2J, which only made any kind of friendship with them that much more difficult. It took a very long time for Purl to forgive B2J, but at some point they do and even though they aren't the best of friends with May and Zuke, they respect the two.

[daybreakrising]

as promised, here are my thoughts on 2.3-

just to preface this post, though: p.enacony has been my least favourite of the storylines so far, simply bc i didn't engage with it as well as previous storylines. so be prepared for opinions that reflect that.

gonna break this down into sections for ease, starting with:

the plot

i've seen others say similar things, but the writing here felt... rushed. disjointed. like they took two different storylines and mashed them together last minute to make up a new patch. it was short, which i felt is part of the issue - not enough time to showcase certain elements (like the charmony festival, which... had like 3 seconds of screentime basically after all this hype for it), and they rushed through other elements to reach the end. the result of which was... not a bad story, but one that didn't grab me at all and i ended up just tuning out from.

now, i've said this before, but p.enacony in general has felt like a drag to me (too many lengthy dialogue scenes, huge lore dumps one after the other, etc) and that's due to my own personal preferences in storytelling, so i thought maybe it was just my lack of engagement with the plot that led to these opinions, but then others have said the same thing, so... i honestly feel like they just wanted to wrap p.enacony up and move on without putting much thought into how to do that in a satisfactory manner.

as for the final cutscene.... i cannot tell you the sigh i let out when MC was caught by f.irefly and they had that whole moment amongst the fireworks that was so painfully cheesy and had clearly romantic undertones to it. what was the point of that except to further force that connection onto us, the player? why are we supposed to care so much for this particular character over all the others we've met along our journey? it just added nothing to the story and made me switch off even more than i already had. i usually love watching the cutscenes but this one was just.... eh.

("but lauri, if it had been a male character with TB-" no. no. i hate forced romance on the player - regardless of the combination it comes in. i feel the same way about characters who are pushed onto traveller in g.enshin.)

f.irefly

again, just to really drive this home: these are my opinions and i'm allowed to have them, even if they don't align with yours. i'm sure i like characters that other people don't, and that's fine. we all have our tastes.

but i'm sorry, i really can't bring it in me to care about f.irefly. part of it is the forced connection with TB, part of it is the writing (for example: characters who are shown to be hostile towards s.tellaron hunters = perfectly warm and welcoming to f.irefly instantly despite the fact "sam" is known to be a very dangerous individual), and part of it is the hype. i tend to switch off from something if there's too much hype surrounding it, and that's definitely a factor here.

i've talked about my issues with the character before so i won't go into it again, but to be clear: i'm referencing canon only here, bc the writing and plot have failed her in my opinion. i'm prepared to have my mind changed by those who write f.irefly as a muse and can do better than what canon gave us.

and finally, some additional thoughts-

please, PLEASE HOYO give us more of the a.venturine & b.ooth.ill partnership. what happened in that hotel room ??? what did they discuss ??? what are they doing next ???? WHY DID WE ONLY GET A BRIEF GLIMPSE OF THEM- (i am so looking forward to whatever chaos that partnership is going to cause)

loved the jade & topaz interactions, i just wish that whole plot was expanded on - feels like maybe the entire story for 2.3 should have been more focused on that rather than throwing in the s.parkle bullshit after it (sorry, i still don't like s.parkle, and i don't think that little side-plot added anything to the story. also felt very anti-climactic after all the hints from the start of p.enacony)

g.allagher. g.allagher. i'm sad that we didn't actually get to "see" him again but the little send off he got was nice. loved the scenes with siobhan too, who seems to be his only other connection in p.enacony outside of m.isha/m.ikhail.

really looking forward to where we're going next. please, please, have a more engaging story-

and, to end off... the group chat. THE GROUP CHAT. honestly this exact moment had me wheezing:

i have never vibed with this man more

[z-kira]

they remind me of those!lawlight a bit except they don't have a kid. maybe B, but he'd be L's kid and not light's, who's the mentee. i feel like L and light take turns being the unhappy housewife... but the role is usually light's, and light who refuses to let go of his political power does have more similarity with louis who used to cling to his humanity/morality

ACTUALLY that would make the prime minister position the equivalent of claudia, since it was L who gave it to light and regrets it. and being prime minister is the "prize" for all of the sexual abuse light endured, his complicity in the government (even though at that point, he's no better than them), like how louis saw claudia as his redemption for the destruction wreaked upon his street. and it's a very human thing to still want redemption, "what good can i do after what i've done?" except light's path is obviously corrupted and he's too narcissistic to see or care

and obviously L/lestat is the european away from his home country who doesn't gaf about local customs while light/louis used to struggle for power before L/lestat (rich, supernatural powers) came to relieve them of that burden. it's a great coincidence light also has a sister, though the estrangement (as in, alienation, not hostility) is one-sided on light's part. but the sexualities are switched around bc light and lestat are the ones who are bisexual

EDIT: louis and light needing to keep up appearances to be seen as straight men, claudia/PM eventually becoming a point of contention between both LLs due to them driving a wedge causing separation, lestat/L both pressed to give up antoinette and stephen (and they are both killed via supernatural means), lestat/L's primary nature as liars, "i made you"

[hungry-skeleton]

Different anon - just to offer a different perspective about tumblr etiquette. For context, I've been on the site since 2011.

(trying to remember the numbers without looking)

2. Adding a lot to a reblog - Honestly as long as it's not actively hostile/rude and it's not blatantly wrong / deceptive / scammy, it's generally fine. The length of the added information is mainly a factor once it gets into "okay I've been scrolling a while when is this ending", but even then, as long as it's not those things, still neutral.

3. Avoiding flames - again, don't be hostile, but also, be willing to accept criticism. So much of the Actual Flamed Content is bc someone doubles down on their initial hostility/wrongness when someone criticizes a comment on a reblog. If you actually take a minute to reflect when that happens, very often a You Right, My Bad-type response fixes it. Plus use te tools at your disposal: block people who consistently start shit, turn off anon, mute posts that are popping off. You could even change your inbox message to address that you've "learned your lesson" (you see this a lot if you click through popular posts. "What's the gender neutral term for spouse" might have as their entire Inbox message "If you're here to tell me a gender neutral word for spouse, don't worry I've got it").

4. Activity on people's pages: might sound harsh, but like, unless someone has it in their bio (which I've never seen, but, could happen), I don't think it matters. I usually do that and eventually end up following, but if they were to be upset with the activity I......just feel like I'd move on?? Like, if they don't declare "don't interact with my old posts" on the "interact with old posts" website", it's not really something you'd be doing wrong, and is in fact something they should decide if they want to put boundaries on. You're using the site properly; there are a bunch of posts celebrating that very interaction for a reason.

6 Following - In my experience (personal and watching things unfold for others), people who notice you've unfollowed and raise a stink about it are Drama You Don't Need. I've not seen the follow-for-follow thing really work out here except maybe in fandom creation circles (or like RP blogs), but even then, I see drama. IMO it's not worth worrying about, except for people you know irl who might start shit about it (honestly just mute them if so), or people you're friends with and chat with. Outside of that, fuck 'em it's your dashboard. Anyone who gets upset about it needs to work through why it matters so much to them - there's no algorithm, and if you're already not engaging with Their Content (as is usually the case), why does it matter that Follower Count Goes Down?

There's not really a Right Answer for these as far as Culture bc it depends on what corner of tumblr you're on. But hopefully more perspectives help!

More perspectives are always welcome ❗👍

[mysterycharacterflowers]

Dandelions 1

Why this flower was chosen:

Dandelions, bc they

1) are not native to where this character creator is from. This character grew up in a kingdom that wasn't too fond of half-elves, and never quite belonged with the rest bc of that.

2) Survive and thrive in extreme + hostile environments- again, she grew up with a lot of things stacked against her, but manages to stay happy and optimistic despite it all.

3) are really cute, and she is also really cute.

4) she's dandelion coded.

Description:

in another world, where she'd been born in a happier place, she would've been a scholar, studying ancient religions and magic. if she'd been born in a modern world, she'd be a gamer.

unfortunately, neither of these are true, and instead she's a half-elf wizard who grew up in a very oppressive kingdom that hates pretty much everyone who isn't a high elf or a drow. she's bought fully into her country's propaganda, and struggles to be seen as "good enough."

because she grew up an outsider due to being a half-elf, she didn't really have any friends, (especially since the wizard training school she went to was like. i cant even think of a fictional example bad enough. it had a fucking mortality rate, schools shouldnt really have those), other than her sentient spellbook (whose sentience she had to keep a secret from everyone for fear he'd be taken away and she'd be alone). she's an unpaid intern for one of the ruling council of the kingdom. she was sent on her current mission with the expectation that she wouldn't be coming back. she's sweet and helpful but doesn't really trust anybody except her spellbook. i love her

(The picture was taken from this site!)

[jemmo]

the eclipse ep 2 - the reprieve

i cannot tell you how much i absolutely love the moments in this ep where it’s like akk is considering and testing out his feelings for ayan. im talking mainly about the series of scenes from akk with ayan’s hoodie to when they’re in the bathroom together after feeding the dog, it’s the sweetest moment in the whole show so far, bc we actually get to see akk at ease around ayan. that’s so rare and so surprising, it makes me wonder what prompted this softness, but you can see it when he approaches the hoodie, when he picks it up and feels it in his hands, analyses it, smells it, you can see his brain ticking thinking “what is it about this boy that’s getting to me like this? what is that i can’t stop thinking about? what is it that’s making me confused?”. 

but it’s not like he even approaches those thoughts in a hostile way, it’s more genuine curiosity, you see it in how wide and wondering his eyes are, and even more in the expression he makes when ayan catches him, there’s no initial anger or annoyance to it, it’s wide-eyed and caught out, like he’s been snuck up on in a moment of innocence and vulnerability.

and then of course he puts on that anger, let’s the harshness to return to his voice and words, which just makes it even better when he’s confronted by ayan’s innocence and sweetness. he tries to insight an argument but there’s no argument here, just ayan doing something kind, and that face returns, the wide eyes, the genuine shock, bc oh fuck he’s not fighting, he’s just being cute. 

It’s the pin all over again, except this time he doesn’t run away, he lets himself slip into this rare moment of being relaxed and real and genuine. they feed the dog, they mess and joke with each other and at no point do either of them try to start something, they don’t get hostile, and notably they don’t bring up anything about the school or rules or morals, it’s them without all that exterior stuff that fuels their fight, without it there’s really nothing to fight about.

and then the bathroom. i adore this scene. like seriously, genuinely, with all my heart this scene is my favourite so far. ayan looking up and across at akk tentatively, almost as if he’s thinking “he’s being nice… why is he being nice?? what kind of move is he trying to make??”. 

but then akk looks back and again he’s so wide eyed, idk just something about how big and shining akk’s eyes are in these scenes, it makes it genuinely feel like he’s opening himself up to feeling something, giving it a chance. and he doesn’t even look away, doesn’t do that classic thing of being caught staring and avoiding it, he just openly stares for so long with so much boldness and curiosity.

and I don’t think ayan knew what to do with that, bc instead of taking the interaction somewhere else, he offers up something familiar to them, he tries to start an argument, comes at him with an argumentative tone, like saying “come on, let’s do what we always do”. it’s a chance for akk to back off, to explain away these subtle things he’s doing, this different way he’s acting, ayan gives him that out. 

but akk doesn’t take it. instead he considers ayan for a while, eyes flitting around but still not leaving him, and then he says “nothing”. if he wanted to start an argument, if what was on his mind was something hostile, he’d voice it, we know he has no problem doing that. so by saying nothing, it’s not just him for once backing down, not going in to attack mode, it’s almost giving away that he’s not here for that, not even thinking about that, this interaction is so removed from this back and forth fight they’ve had going on.

and that’s only made more clear when he says the dog is cute and then splashes him with water. that’s such an un-akk thing to do. we’ve maybe seen him have more fun when he’s in his dorm with his friends but we’re so used to seeing him straight laced and and controlled, considered, that this free smile, this silliness, this compliment, it’s so shocking, to us and to akk.

and that’s not even getting into the line about the dog, bc we all know what that means, us, akk and ayan. he compared ayan to a dog and then called the dog cute, it couldn’t be more obvious. what has my mind reeling is what was going through akk’s mind when he said that, was it spur of the moment, an impulse, was it considered, did he have to work up the courage to it. what made him 180 so much, feel so free and relaxed in himself and so bold and confident to say that, it’s insane, bc this isn’t some huge turning point, all their other interactions carry the same tone of tension and hostility, this doesn’t change anything, it’s almost like a reprieve, an oasis, some kind of aside, it’s so polar to all else and so interesting bc of that, bc you have to wonder why. akk and ayan’s interactions to me are very much dictated by how they’re both feeling coming into them, is akk partially frustrated, has he just spoke to a teacher or his friends about needing to crack down on rules, is ayan particularly focused on uncovering stuff about his uncle or equally are they just not in the mood to fight, they just wanna have some space and not have to deal with it. to me, this interaction is almost like they found each other in a rare moment where they both weren’t fixed on their goals or morals, where they were both off guard and more them than the things they represent, and that’s what gave us this moment, and that’s how all the external factors made it this isolated thing that didn’t continue after.

but then my final thing about this scene is the way ayan looks after akk leaves, bc you see the initial confusion, the way it goes from “wait he’s not fighting back??” to “wait did he just call me cute?” like did he understand wrong, did that just happen?? but it’s like as he accepts that it did happen, his mouth creeps up more and more into this smile, this grin, and that’s what I wanna know. 

I wanna know if this smile is one of those “this school is gonna be fun” smiles, where he’s kind of delighted that he’s affecting akk and making him act this way and getting to see this side of him, almost like the joy of actually being surprised by him. or is it a genuine “that was cute, I liked that” smile, bc how akk feels is already pretty obvious, it’s his ability to accept how he feels and let it out that is gonna be his set back and how he grows. ayan is different, bc he has no issue voicing things, he’s bold and in your face, he’s not holding himself back, the thing is we don’t know how he feels, we haven’t had a sign yet that tells if he does like akk too. all his flirting in ep 1 was always combative, and he dropped that vibe as soon as akk walked away from him, stopped smiling, cold reset to what he was thinking about before. he doesn’t do that here, mainly bc he wasn’t trying to get akk to get off his case, he wasn’t up to anything, and the fact that instead of one of them walking away and ending the interaction, the fact that ayan says “hey, wait”, he’s going after him. 

this is the kind of tiny, subtle storytelling I adore bc as I said, we don’t know how ayan feels, bc in a way he voices so much and puts on such a front with what he says that we almost can’t trust his words, there’s no knowing what’s true and what’s just to get a rise out of akk, to cover his truth, to get what he wants. so how do we get an impression of how he really feels? by how he acts. and when you look at their past interactions, through all of ep 1 and 2, the scene always ends when their interaction ends, either bc one of them walks away or bc they stop talking, we always see the conversation end. this is the only time we get any kind of allusion to an interaction continuing after the scene cuts, as well as the only time that one of them leaves and the other one pursues, tries to carry it on. and it says so much that it’s in this single scene where they don’t fight, that when it’s all dropped they seek to be around each other more, and that it’s ayan who is going after him. mr ‘mind your own business’ is trying to make this fun, relaxed interaction go on longer.

[thedreadvampy]

trying to work but despite not having really. been in the fandom for ages I'm getting all het up about how with TMA fandom like. people were given these really dense and interesting and nuanced character arcs over multiple series for a core cast of female characters (Melanie, Georgie, Basira, Daisy) and IMMEDIATELY AND UNQUESTIONINGLY ignored those, pasted this exact character traits and complexities onto their fanon versions of male characters, then periodically complained that women weren't interesting or were Bad.

like this is a complaint I've been seeing about various fandoms for the last 15 years at least tbh (it's been going on longer but I wasn't there) but I really FELT it this time

people really haaaaated like Basira and Daisy for feeding the Fears and being cops, Georgie for being Mean To Martin and walking away from a friend in crisis, Melanie for being hostile and distrustful, and they'd like decide that that was All Those Characters Were and deem them Bad and Boring. but then the exact same people would go away and justify the exact same things from other characters or literally like. sprinkle them in where they aren't even there in canon to add spice.

like YEAH Daisy and Basira are cops who abuse power to do huge harm, that's like. the key tension of their characters like ultimately they've done things that are unforgivable and how they respond to that (Daisy tearing herself apart and then eventually falling back into her violent desires, Basira closing her eyes to it and continuing to find justifications). but it's wild that people would be like 'if you're invested in this character you're a cop apologist' then go straight into calling Elias or Peter their poor little meow meow bc it must be Sooooo Haaaard Having To Be A Murder Capitalist. and they would go on to put the narrative arc of trying to handle having done unforgivable things and trying to resist your Avatarhood onto men who either have only the vaguest gestures at that beat (like Mike or Michael) or onto men who like literally their whole deal is embracing their place in systems of abusive power (Elias and Peter)

like I legit saw people calling Melanie boring and saying her only character trait is being angry and then FAWNING over Gerry for being a Cool Monster Killer or weeping over how HARD it was for Jon to be so paranoid that he couldn't trust anyone. inventing backstory tragedy for people that mirrored Melanie's and then totally ignoring her stated history. absolutely HATING Melanie for being Mean to Jon and Georgie for being Mean to Martin even though both of those men are consistently harsh to those around them.

(honestly like so much of Melanie's nuance in particular got transplanted specifically onto Gerry in fandom)

Tim's the Fun One and Sasha's the Shy Sensible One even though in canon the little bits of Sasha we see show her as silly and light and confident in her own worth and matching Tim joke for joke. Georgie gets sidelined so that Martin can be The One Who Cares For Jon. When Georgie walked away because she couldn't help Jon that was seen by a lot of fans as selfish and unforgivable but when Martin did the same thing except instead of therapy and support he went into playing with the Fears that was laudable and sad.

and like. Jon. like so much about these characters specifically is that they're like. often a foil for Jon. making different choices in similar situations. Daisy and Jon handle realising they're monsters similarly but differently; Melanie and Jon handle paranoia and being stuck in the Archives similarly but differently; Georgie and Jon handle dealing with situations that aren't fixable similarly but differently; Basira and Jon handle embracing the reality of the Fears similarly but differently. and I feel like a LOT of the time where Jon came out looking less favourable in these comparisons (which is often - Jonny doesn't go easy on his protagonist) big chunks of fandom either ignored it or straight up changed his response to look more like the sympathetic ones that his female compatriots took.

TL;Dr I guess but the point is where female characters made bad choices or did morally dodgy things they were judged much more harshly by fandom than male characters - an unambiguously evil man was granted more space for nuance and sympathy than a morally grey woman. when they were given tragic or sympathetic or positive emotional beats those were consistently lifted and put onto male characters, even if that meant elevating a tiny background character like Mike or Gerry by attaching someone else's story arc to them. and then the fandom complained that they were boring or unlikeable. it is simply. bollocks.

[lvlpin]

I really like writing out the little quotes things into an actual proper text. Also, it's Ms. Torres bc I think Cesar's dad is gone (not sure if its divorce or death he just doesn't exist)and it's only her and Cesar.

Uhhh, alternate's all just kinda have the it/it's pronoun on default but some might adopt identities and gain new pronouns. At least, that's my canon.

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

"Hey mom? How much does it cost to adopt?" Cesar called for his mom as he shoved another piece of toast at the alternate he had found.

It looked exactly like him, all except for the black and white eyes instead of his brown ones, and was looking through the kitchen. It was completely drench.

Now, a normal person would freak out. Ever since the news of creatures that can shapeshift and are extremely hostile to humans, the general public has been on edge. several creatures being able to shapeshift and having an extreme hostility towards humanity, everyone has been terrified.

A normal person would try to hide, contact the police, just do everything else except for what he did.

The first thought that crossed his mind was a couple of box kittens he had found by the street years ago. He brought them in, convinced his mom to let him take care of them, and cared for the litter until he had to give them away since his mom didn't want to keep a cat.

The alternate just kinda reminded him of the box kittens. It was probably the wet clothings, or the way it rummaged through the fridge, or maybe the wide eyed look when they made eye contact. Whatever it was, it made him pity it.

So he did what a normal person wouldn't do and went to grab some towels to dry it then made some toast for it.

During all of it, the alternate didn't try to kill him, or leave. It just used the towel he gave and then sat on the counter as he mixed the eggs together.

"Well, I was wondering if I could." He stopped answering as he spotted the alternate trying to drink the eggs from the bowl. "Hey! You can't drink those, they're raw." He scolded, pushing the bowl away.

The alternate just looks at him with its creepy eyes and the bowl before trying to sip from the bowl again. It made a weird whining sound as Cesar grabbed the bowl away. He just shooed him and told him let him cook the eggs first before eating.

Cesar poured the bowl into the pan and set a quick timer for about 2 minutes. "Sorry mom, but as I was saying-"

He got distracted when the alternate somehow managed to knock over the fruit stand, which was thankfully empty.

"Cc? Are you okay over there?" Ms. Torres asks, now worried that something is happening over where her son was at. She stood up and rushed to the kitchen when she heard a bang from the kitchen as well as some cursing.

What she found was her son, and another son? One of them was lifting up the fruit stand save for the newspaper that fell out. While the other one picks up the fallen papers.

"Cesar?" She asks cautiously, two heads snapped to look at her. The two of them were practically identical, mirrored right down to the little bit of hair hanging under the cheek. The only difference were the eyes, her son's shocked brown eyes and the others-

She shrieked when she registered the sight of the other Cesar's eyes. Two pale white pupils standing out in the sea of void, unnerving similar to the eyes of a corpse.

The Cesar with the odd eyes didn’t react at all to her outburst at all while her son rushed over and asked if she was okay.

“Cesar, who was that next to you?” She shakily asked before remembering the alternate reports from months ago. Whatever was next to him, it has all the traits of the alternate.

“Is that one of the things from the news?!” She gasped. "Why is it in the house Cesar?"

"Can we keep him?" Cesar asks, hopeful. "Listen, he was wet, cold, and was trying to take our bread."

"You can't just- take an alternate in mijo!" His mom sputtered, waving her hands in front of his face. "Haven't you seen the news? La policía said that you shouldn't go near them."

“But look at him! he clearly needs some food and a nice place to sleep.” Cesar argues, as if he wasn’t trying to house a terrifying creature from satan.

Ms. Torres just looked at her son and alternate, not budging on her decision.

To the alternate’s credit, it hasn’t tried to escape or attack. Just kept its grip on Cesar’s suit, darting its eyes between mother and son.

"He hasn't tried to kill me yet ma, at least let him stay for the night." Cesar pleaded, pulling out his two weapons against his mom which was his baby voice and big eyes, "He could stay in my room, there's enough space on the floor."

"You are ridiculous hijo." His mom sighed, unable to resist Cesar's eyes. "Okay, he can stay but only for tonight and if he lays a hand on you, no more alternates in the house. Okey?" She said, giving a threatening look at the alternate.

“Okay, thanks mama.” He said, giving his mom a hug. Ms. Torres just gave an exhausted nod and hugged her son back. “Love you Cc.”

The alternate just stood there as Cesar and his mom hugged.

Unfortunately, that’s when the kitchen bell rang, reminding Cesar that the eggs were done.

He shot up and ripped himself away from the hug then ran to the kitchen to save the eggs. “¡Ay cagar los huevos!"

The alternate was about to go follow the teenager as well but getting stopped by Ms. Torres placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll let you stay for now but if you lay a hand on my baby boy. I will find a way to kill you all.” She warned it, “Comprendida?"

Sar felt the familiar fear that he always got when Gabriel gets mad with his supposed to be victim's mom. Damn parents figures and their special ability to terrify anyone in the name of their kid. He nodded quickly, then quickly left to follow Cesar and the eggs.

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

Google translate Spanish translations cus I don't know Spanish at all La policía (police) Ay cagar los huevos (oh shit the eggs) Comprendida? (Understood?)

-sunglasses anon

shoutout to ms torres for being The Mom Ever(TM)(C) as sar out here fearing for his life fr LMFAOOO