#but by the end fully giving up on the idea. giving up on

[b0r3dtod3ath]

Survived a cricket match!

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♡ an: requests are open and give me some feedback on this!

It was one of these rare weeks where Oscar wasn’t tied up with racing commitments, and he’d managed to snag a couple of tickets for the big game.

You, on the other hand, knew nothing about cricket. Sure, you had caught a glimpse a few times when Oscar was watching a match on his phone but you never fully grasped it.

You two arrive at the sun-soaked stadium that was filled with team colors, waving flags and chanting. Oscar tried to explain the basics of the game during your walk to the seats but most of it went in one ear and exited through another.

As the match started you tried to follow along but failed. You looked at Oscar, whose eyes full of excitement and anticipation looked at the field. You didn’t want to interrupt him but you were really lost. Finally you spoke up in a half-whisper “Oscar, I don’t think I get it. So it’s like baseball? But longer? I have no idea what’s happening”.

He chuckled and squeezed your hand, finding your confusion cute. "Okay, so the bowler-" he pointed to the man with the ball, "-is trying to hit the stumps behind the batsman. And the batsman-" he shifted his finger, "-is trying to score runs by hitting the ball and running back and forth between the wickets”.

You blinked. "Runs? Wickets? What are stumps again?"

"Alright, let’s start simpler," he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

For the next twenty minutes, Oscar patiently explained the rules. You tried to follow, but every time you thought you understood something, a new term would pop up and scramble your brain.

At one point, you leaned into Oscar. “Why is it called a ‘googly’? That’s not a real word”.

He laughed, “It’s a type of delivery by a bowler. Trust me, it’s a real thing”.

"Oscar, this is so confusing. Can’t they just run laps or something? That’d be easier to follow”.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You’re impossible” he teased.

"Not my fault! Who even decided to make a game last this long?" you shot back and slumped in your seat “I think I’m going to bring a book tomorrow”.

The next day, you showed up armed with a book and a thermos of tea. Oscar saw you take out your stuff and burst out laughing. "Tea now? Are you setting up a whole library in the stands?"

"Hey, cricket’s long. I’m prepared for the marathon," you replied, holding up your supplies. "You focus on whatever this is, and I’ll focus on my chapters. Deal?"

"Deal," he replied, clearly amused. "But don’t come crying to me if you miss the best parts".

"Don't worry, I won't" you say opening your book.

Throughout the game, you occasionally peeked up at the field when Oscar got particularly animated. "See that?" he shouted at one point, gesturing wildly.

"Totally," you replied without looking up from your book.

"You didn’t see a thing," he accused, narrowing his eyes.

You grinned. "But I heard the crowd, so I know something good happened." He shook his head, laughing, and gave your hand a squeeze before turning back to the game.

When the final innings began, you leaned over to him. "So… are we winning?".

He sighed dramatically. "You don’t even know who we are, do you?"

"The yellow ones?” you asked hesitantly.

Oscar laughed, shaking his head. “Yes, the yellow ones. You’re lucky you’re cute”. He winked. Despite your disinterest, he didn’t seem annoyed.

Apparently the game ended with your team winning and the two of you were making your way to the car. "So, what do you think?”

You smiled, “Honestly? It was long and I still don’t think I get it. But I had fun just being here with you”.

Oscar wrapped an arm around your shoulders. “That’s all that matters. Besides, now you can say you’ve survived a cricket match”.

You laughed, leaning into him “Survived is the key word”.

“Thanks for coming with me, even if it’s not your thing”.

December 29, 2024

[piracytheorist]

You know how elevated fandoms would get if we openly discussed stuff like Nightfall's emotional motivations without questions about shipping coming in because this has absolutely nothing to do with shipping. I just can't help looking away from how happy Twilight looks in Nightfall's imaginings. She's imagining their wedding and she doesn't even see herself smiling. Of course she would be happy if it happened (it won't), but the focus of her own fantasy is his happiness.

And what I'm trying to say here is that if the genders were reversed, if Twilight was a woman slowly building a relationship with a guy she's fake married to, and Nightfall as a guy came strutting in, all confident that he'll win her heart and make her happy, fully prepared to dedicate himself to her, with her and her happiness as his top priority, the fandom would be drooling over him. Think about how many love triangles are created because a confident broody guy appears who is willing to fight for his female beloved's heart even by steering her away from the one the fandom first shipped her with. Think about how many of those "dark, broody men" become fan favourites and blorbos. But the moment this happens with a woman we're ready to crucify her - even when the narrative itself wants you to sympathize with her.

Like, I'm not saying y'all should love Nightfall right the f now. But fandoms are weird in a way where they prioritize shipping and are also much more critical of female characters than they are of male characters. And Nightfall is the perfect victim for this combination... and it's just so sad because the narrative doesn't want you to do that. It doesn't want you to compare the two ships because it makes it clear that her fantasy is a dream that will never come true. There is no ship comparison to make because there is no other ship. It doesn't want you to hate her because it gives her traits that show that her true motivation is respect for Twilight, the guy we're supposed to connect with and root for - respect to the point where she doesn't even consider lying to him to get in his good grades.

Nightfall's story is not about her being the "annoying hypotenuse" or the "deceiving, seducing vixen"... it's currently tragic. She dedicates her entire being to make herself worthy of the man she's in love with, and that blinds her to what exactly he truly finds worthy in another person. So she ends up being the exact opposite of that and giving him a 100% wrong idea. And it's also, ultimately, not what will make her happy. No-one becomes happy by dedicating their entire being to becoming perfect for someone else, we become happy when we're accepted for who we are.

And idk Nightfall is an amazing flip on such tropes and it's done so simply that I honestly wish to see more of her, and to see her grow and realize where she's gone wrong and to try and focus on her own happiness. A happiness she can reach by being honest to herself first and foremost, and by not being aggressive towards people she thinks are being "obstacles" on her way towards it.

(anime only here, don't spoil me for the manga)

[agirlwithglam]

MY 2024 WRAPPED🎀

got this idea from the lovely @prettieinpink 💗

Advice & Lessons

Allow people to be people. Don’t keep them trapped under these expectations you have for them, it will only hurt you in the end. Allow yourself to be okay with people changing.

Kindness will make you confident. Idk but when I shifted the way I think to “I’m going to be kind to other people.“ that’s when I started feeling so much better & happier about myself.

Just because another person cannot see your value doesn’t mean it’s not there. Another person’s lack of awareness of your worth does not mean that it does not exist. They simply do not have the capability to fully comprehend the love you have in yourself.

It’s none of ya business! How other people treat you/ what they say about you is not about you & is none of your business. What is your responsibility however is to make sure that such low quality behaviour should not make you feel any worse about yourself. If you can’t do that, then it is your job to remove yourself from that situation.

Look for a good time, not a long time. I know we all want those long lasting 10 year+ friendships/ relationships, but that strong desperation you have for it is just self sabotaging yourself from the amazing memories you could make! When you meet a new person, go with the mindset that “I hope we have a good time today” and not “I want to find a best friend” because the other person cannot feel that desperation and it’s just unattractive. If you do make a really strong connection & become bffs, great! What’s meant to be will come easily once you take your obsession off it.

Always look at what’s good, and you’ll find that there’s more good in your life than you thought. Gratitude!! The more thankful you are for the things you have, the more the universe will send your way.

The peace I’ve experienced with being alone. I’m actually gonna create a post about this because I never actually realised how much I enjoy being on my own

Achievements!

Getting over 3000 followers on here in less than a year!!💗

Went for my first run! Felt sooo self conscious as if people were looking at me

Learning how to crochet (on my own only from yt tutorials! I’m so proud of myself for not giving up!!) I crocheted a hibiscus bag, pink heart pillow, headbands and so much more!

I look in the mirror and no matter how I look, I love myself so much.

Thankyouuu xoxo, Vanilla🫶🏽

[madamspellmans-met-tet]

✨Polycoven Headcanons ✨

Lilia is essentially the High Priestess of the Coven and everyone worships her (read that however you prefer in terms of sfw/nsfw). Every single one of the coven members holds love for her, admires her, respects her. They all think her incredibly powerful due to the nature of her magic and that in itself is attractive to them. Then of course most of them have mommy issues and who is Lilia if not mama? She gives them a sense of comfort and nurtures their emotional needs since each of them has some sort of lack there. They will do anything for her.

Even Agatha listens to her after Lilia manages to tame her to a degree (again: read however you wish). Agatha is her little brat and Lilia accepts her just as she is in complete contrast to her mother, which leads to Agatha trusting her like she does no other. Agatha gets jealous when Rio spends too much time with Lilia/in her proximity, but on a deeper level it’s the fear of Rio taking Lilia.

Rio and Lilia have a similar dynamic since Rio is mostly seen as destructive and evil, but Lilia knows that what she does serves to maintain the cosmic balance and that she is not only the end of life but also its beginning. Their bond results in Rio being extremely possessive of Lilia.

Alice is Lilia’s little baby. She feels incredibly protective of her, which is something Alice needs because she’s always been the one to protect others but desperately needs security and stability herself. They’re always found snuggled up on the couch together when they have the time.

Jen and Lilia have a sort of besties relationship with lots of playful bickering but also Jen is a rock for Lilia. She’s the one Lilia confides in when she needs advice or just someone to listen herself. They do arts and crafts and cook together! They’re the only ones allowed in the kitchen. Jen just makes Lilia feel very grounded.

Sharon sleeps in Lilia’s bed. It’s her comfort person. She doesn’t know much about what’s going on but she’s happy to be there.

Billy is grandson. He’s the one Lilia goes to when she wants to have a laugh and banter and gossip. He tells her all the hot tea and teaches her pop culture. He made a fan account centred around her and regularly shows her what people are saying about her (only the nice things of course because that’s his nana!) Lilia is quite flattered by all the compliments and interest. It boosts her ego and helps her feel sexy.

Overtime, the coven expands as more and more covenless witches join them and it turns into a sort of cult with Lilia as the centre figure (without that ever having been anyone’s intention). But the original coven remain the only ones in the inner circle and with the privilege to touch (and more) with Lilia. To be spoken to by Lilia is like a blessing to her followers and to be invited into her room and rest their head in her lap while she tells them what time holds for them is a spiritual experience. (give me a shoutout if you use this concept:))

Bonus: NSFW!

Orgies. Everyone wants to get into Lilia’s pants. Her scent is like an aphrodisiac to them. They’re all over her at any given time if she lets them. All she has to do is spread out in the middle of the bed and she will be taken care of. Agatha and Rio fight over who gets her breasts and Lilia will tell them to each take one and if they can’t behave, Alice gets both. Jen is her fav to prepare her because she’s the most sensual. Alice is her fav to make her come because she always puts her pleasure first and understands her body well. Though everyone gets their turn and they won’t stop until Lilia tells them she’s fully satisfied. She never has to do anything in return but if she feels like it, she will give back—but no one is able to speak afterwards.

(started this post bc I just wanted to say that I’m obsessed with the idea of Lilia being worshipped by everyone and treated like a goddess and it escalated)

[redmiser]

choose you

pairing: taylor swift x fem!reader

warnings: angst with happy ending, argument, blood (cut hand on glass), crying

synopsis: taylor's fame has never posed a problem to you, but taylor doesn't seem to believe that.

word count: 1.2k

　　　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　 　　 　　　　 　

when you started dating taylor, you were very aware of the fact that any wishful attempts for privacy were futile. you knew that the cameras and fans were ever-present wherever she stepped, but your preconceived ideas were still no match for the real situation.

that is why instances like these are still so outrageous to you. they truly did come out of nowhere—what seems to be a million of them. one second it was one fan, and the next it was a mob—a suffocating, endless mob.

“keep up,” she whispers lightly, moving past everyone with an agility only acquired after many years of practice. you giggle as she pulls you along; this is strangely romantic. she is clasping your hand as if you would dissipate if her fingers left yours for an instant.

“i’m trying,” you whisper back, still chuckling to yourself like a little girl. you look up at her face, expecting to find an expression akin to yours, but it seems to be quite the opposite.

she finally spots the black suv up ahead and thrusts you in front of her, throwing an arm around your waist and continuing to push you along. “don’t trip,” she practically barks at you, but you shrug it off. the novelty of the situation is very amusing to you, but you can understand why doing this for 18 years might cause it to lose its luster.

you arrive at the vehicle, and she hurriedly opens the door and shoves you inside. she wastes no time in following suit and closing the door. you sit in what seems like the quiet afterglow to you as the chauffeur drives away, only breaking the silence when you’ve regained your breath.

“guess we have to beat them off with a stick next time,” you joke as you pull out your phone to check your makeup. taylor doesn’t respond immediately, so you try again. “we could get a nerf gun and just—”

“this is what you signed up for.”

you turn to meet her gaze, genuine indignation etched on her face. you lick your lips and chuckle, not wanting to fully process what she said. “it was a joke, tay,” you shoot back, trying to ease the tension competing for air in the now seemingly cramped backseat.

“it’s not a joke to me. this is the reality of the situation,” her words are laced with a certain coldness you’ve never noticed before. your eyebrows furrow as she speaks; you can’t understand how you merited this reaction.

“i know, taylor. it was a joke, not that big of a deal. i don’t actually care.”

she scoffs at your response. “yeah, right.” she looks out the window to try dismissing the conversation, but you don’t accept that.

“yes, right. you’re making a big deal out of nothing, tay.”

you’re genuinely growing somewhat bitter by this point; you don’t understand why this is such a huge ordeal.

“you’re right, i’m sorry. i don’t want to talk about this anymore.” she takes your hand to her lips and plants a kiss on the back of it. when she lets go, she tosses her head back and closes her eyes. you decide to respect her wishes, but you can’t quite shake off the new strain on your shoulders.

you try to forget about it the rest of the ride to taylor’s house, but it is still fresh on your mind when you walk through the front door. you both toss your bags on the couch and continue to the kitchen, where taylor grabs a glass of water and you a protein bar. you blurt out your next words without thinking, just trying to get her to give the earlier conversation a satisfying ending.

“the day they invent invisibility suits, you need to invest in one, desperately.” as soon as you complete your thought, she slams her glass down on the counter, causing it to break.

she clenches her jaw, and you both realize that her hand is bleeding at the same time. “oh my god!” you rush to her side, but she swipes her hand away. “taylor, what the hell?”

she lifts her head, and she genuinely looks livid. “i told you to stop talking about it!” you can hear the pain in her voice, but it doesn’t seem to be stemming from her physical injury exclusively.

“well, i don’t understand why this is a problem! i’m just cracking a few jokes.” she snaps back in a mere second, shouting at you.

“because one day you’re going to stop thinking it’s funny!” she takes a sharp breath before continuing, quieter this time. “one day you’re going to realize it’s too much, and you’re going to leave.” her voice breaking with the last few words leaves matching scars on your heart, ones that you didn’t expect to gain today.

you brush her hair out of her face and force her to look at you with your hand.

“taylor, i’m never going to do that.”

a tear rolls down her cheek, making your own tears swell up in your eyes. “you are the love of my life, taylor alison swift. i want every bit of you. i will endure anything if it means getting to endure it with you.”

the tears are streaming down her face; the sight of her now bloodshot eyes finally makes you break, and you join her in crying. she grimaces and inhales before speaking again.

“what if you change your mind, y/n?” she chokes back a sob that breaks her sentence. “my biggest fear is you changing your mind.”

you wipe a tear from her face, to no avail, as more keep falling. you take a second to stare at her with a bittersweet smile on your lips.

“i’m never going to change my mind,” you kiss her. “do you want to know why i know that?”

“how?” she inquires, gazing into your eyes with a look you hope to never notice in her expression again.

“i know because i’ve experienced life without you,” you answer softly, your voice trembling, “and it is the single most unbearable thing i can think of.”

her expression softens at your words, and you instantly feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

“there’s nothing in this world that would ever make me want to go back to that. not a single camera or fan can make me let go of you. i don’t care if everyone watches our every move. i don’t care if it’s hard. i don’t care if we’re the subject of every headline. if it means getting to be with you, i will go through it all with a smile on my face. i will choose you every time, taylor. i love you.”

her tears have partially subsided by this point as you gently stroke her face. she takes your hand and plants a kiss on the back of it like she did earlier.

“i love you too, but are you sure?” she presses her lips together and furrows her brows lightly.

“i’m so sure it hurts,” you smile, wiping away the last of your tears before kissing her. you both seem to have forgotten her still bleeding hand until she winces and looks down.

“oh shit,” she exclaims, and her eyes widen.

“oh shit is right.” you bring her hand closer to your face and examine the cut. “let me take care of this for you.”

you look back up at her, and you lock eyes for a few seconds, exchanging a silent vow as the corners of her lips turn into a smile.

——————————————————————————

a/n: sorry it took so long to put this out, finals were crazy. anyway, all of that is over now and i'm on break, so i'll try to get out some more stories before going back to school. i hope you guys enjoy!

[thewistlingbadger]

Also I feel like it's important to remember that Silco didn't plan to be a parent and probably never wanted to be one before jinx. He has no idea what he's doing and probably doesn't have a good father figure in his life, if he had a father figure at all. Silco has mental illness like Jinx. Not her same exact type but he's clearly not mentally healthy. He's severely traumatized and he lacks the skills to handle or process that trauma. All the advice he gives Jinx is just what he's been doing all this time, and that's why it's unhelpful and doesn't work.

Jason Spisak, Silco's voice actor, once said in an interview that Silco was a good dad but he wasn't a good role model, and I think that's a really good way to put it. Kids often look up to their parents and try to copy them in some way. Silco is DEFINITELY not someone you want others to mimic. He's cold and ruthless and lacks empathy for others. Jinx definitely does copy some stuff from him, most noticeably in my opinion facial expressions and certain methods of intimidation and violence. For some parents, having children makes them better people because it changes their perspective. Having Jinx as a daughter did NOT make Silco a better person, and only changed his perspective slightly. Their relationship lacks boundaries on both of their ends and it is an unhealthy, codependent relationship. But that doesn't mean there aren't good things about their relationship. Their relationship is so controversial because the people examining them have different perspectives when they look at these two. For some people, they'd give anything to have a father as loving and as understanding as Silco because they know what it's like to not have a father who's like that. Some people do have good fathers and because they do, they can see the flaws in Silco. Some people have bad fathers and that's why they see the flaws in Silco too. Honestly, it's just a decision of how much you can and cannot let slide, what matters most to you when it comes to parent/child relationships. I think Silco and Jinx have a really special relationship because they're the only people in the whole world that can fully understand each other, and to me that's awesome. The fact that they completely get their counterpart is what makes their relationship so healing for both of them. Silco and Jinx validate each other as much as they hurt each other. For some people that are used to messy relationships like that, where the fault lines are blurry, they're okay with their relationship. But some people see the lines more clearly, and that makes them against them.

if we define “good dad” by genuinely wanting what’s best for your kid, loving and caring for them unconditionally, being patient with them, making them feel valued, giving them the space to express themselves, encouraging their talents, and genuinely trying your best and doing what you think is best for them, then Silco was a good dad.

But if we define “good dad” by actually being able to properly parent and discipline your child, ensuring they aren’t a danger to themselves and others, teaching them healthy life lessons so that they can grow, not projecting your own unresolved trauma onto your child in a codependent way, and being a good role model, then Silco was NOT a good dad.

[the-100-days-of-junkan]

Day 89

SURPRISE! Days 79 and 85 were secretly the same AU all along! And by that I mean- wait before I get into that. Time for a headsup.

So tomorrow is Day 90. And as you know I try to do something special for those, which of course can lead to my little ramble sessions to go on for much longer than normal. And while I won’t guarantee it, this is more than likely going to be the longest one of the whole project, more than likely even longer than Day 100 which will be the post marking the end of the project.

Just to give you an idea of what kind of scale we’re talking about here, Day 90 took me a total of 3 Months, starting its creation on May 8th, and finishing on August 1st.

Alright! Now that you’re tense and speculating what in the merciful name of all that’s good is gonna happen tomorrow, let’s start talking about TODAY's art!~

Anyway, so when I made Day 85 I was trying to really think of what I could even do with an AU where the entire basis is “Oh, they’re kids.” And that reminded me! I had the same issue with the Adult AU, even if that had a bit more ground to stand on with them being adoptive parents to the Warriors of Hope.

Then it hit me! Why not combine the two of them? And thus was born the Childhood Friends AU! Though you could also just call this The No Talent AU because hey, you remember during Danganronpa WLWeek when I drew Junkan for the Talentless prompt? That’s right! It was secretly a tease for this art! Now if only I drew something for them during their college days I could have fully planted the seeds for this whole pic in your collective minds. 

Anyway, core idea of this AU is the timeline is slightly shifted so Junko and Mikan (along with the whole of the DR Cast) are born slightly earlier, while the Warriors of Hope are born at the usual point they would have in the timeline, solely because this allows our two favorite lovebirds to adopt them. Hope’s Peak doesn’t exist, nor do the ultimate talents of course (Though obviously for some characters like Mikan they’re still partial to those talents. It’s just that they don’t reach the absurd levels of skill that they do in main canon). And finally, Junko and Mikan were positioned in such a way that the two were childhood friends. I feel like I worded that in a way far too complicated and excessive for something that was pretty damn obvious, but hey I like to ramble.

Anyway, I can’t remember but I think I said that with the Fantasy AU it was the only other AU aside from Vampire that I would want to make a proper Fanfic for. If I did say that, I was either wrong or lying, because eventually I wouldn’t mind telling some kind of story of this version of the characters. More than likely just from their child and highschool years, but I’m sure eventually I’d get more ideas for them in college and as adults. 

The obvious dynamic here is that Junko since becoming friends with Mikan has been protecting her from bullies and not realizing that Mikan is very desperately pining for her (Don’t worry! They get together before the end of Highschool!). Also Mukuro is there! She’s got a stick.

I’m envisioning that up till they were entering middle school Junko would call her Bandaid Girl, because as kids Mikan was the kid who always had Bandaids (both in terms of wearing them and just carrying some around on her person all the time).

And look! Mukuro is in fact there, and not just that but a shit ton of other characters! I think I was really starting to crack and lose self control at this point in the project. So I decided to also make this a mini story of Mukuro getting together with Sayaka and Ibuki! Who both generally go down the same path they normally would, though eventually Sayaka becomes an Idol Manager after a short career as a proper idol, and Ibuki of course is a semi-popular musician. Mukuro has acted as a bodyguard for both of them before and will continue to do so when asked. 

And of course, by the time they’re adults Junko and Mikan decide to adopt the Warriors of Hope, very legally, and they definitely didn’t hide any bodies (I don’t even know how much I’m joking about that here). Fun fact! I almost forgot to draw Masaru! Don’t ask me how that happened, I have no idea. I will admit when it comes to the Warriors of Hope and Junkan most of my interest is mostly in their dynamics with Kotoko and Monaca. Not to write off the other three, Jataro especially, but I just think that’s what hooks me more immediately. 

I really tried to load today’s piece with as much as I could, because even if I didn’t know how long it’d take, I knew for a fact that finishing Day 90 would take a very, very long time.

As always, Reblogs, Comments, and Little Notes in the Tags are appreciated!~ They always make my day!~

[whateverisbeautiful]

This is a big one, so I am sorry! There’s a creator on this platform and others that says cruel things about Judith, and though I am Judith’s biggest fan, as she is such a mini Michonne, sometimes I agree with them and here is why. The conversation that Rick gives to Michonne when he tells her about Judith not being his child surrounds obligation. The only reason Rick tells Michonne this is because it was an answer to the question, “ What kind of a life?” Then he proceeds to tell her “ I had to accept that( her being Shane’s child) so that I could keep her alive.” And it wouldn’t mean anything, if the next transition wasn’t him equating that acceptance to accepting living under Negans boot, as he then proceeds to say, “ this is how we live now, I had to accept that TOO, so I could keep everyone else alive.” He then doubles down by saying, “ you have to accept this, or it won’t work.” I’ve always ignored Judith’s resentment because she is my favorite but your breakdowns have got me considering some uncomfortable truths because though Rick is her dad, that conversion was the only time he’s ever said he loves her and it was in defense of him telling Michonne that he had to accept her. I’ve always ignored the idea of him saying he had to in order to keep her alive, because it hurts to think of our Judy as an obligation, but that stings, him saying that keeping her alive was only allowed by him accepting who she was. I tried to ignore it but then I realized everytime they showed Rick really thinking or closing in on Judy, his thoughts of Shane were close by. Everytime Rick asked about her in TWOL, it was only about her life. He knew she was alive in TWOL, be decided to die without even dreaming about her. Rick saying, “ this is how we live now,” was him expressing to Michonne that accepting a child who is the product of betrayal is how he has to live now. Maybe that person is getting to me, idk, but I will say, their world is not black or white and Rick grimes is a human being, and based on his actions, I could understand why it would be hard to raise a child who was born out of an affair, as Judith isn’t adopted by him in the traditional sense; her existence does betray Rick. Do you think Rick holds any resentment? Sorry, I know this question is hard.

This one is definitely tough. But I respect the way you communicated your thoughts on it. I feel protective of Judith’s character as well. There’s often so much commentary trying to ignorantly discredit her role in the Grimes family when adopted children are equally loved in so many families around the world.

I think Judith initially stirred up a lot of different emotions for Rick. But I truly believe Rick fully embraced Judith as his own without resentment very early on. I ended up having more thoughts on this than I realized, and I wrote out the rest here ⬇️💗: 

I remember there was this deleted TWD scene during that time when Rick was isolating himself after Lori died. From what I can remember, Rick takes a moment to come up and check on Carl and then he hears or sees the baby but doesn’t really acknowledge her as he returns back to the tombs. At the earliest stage of Judith’s arrival, it’s understandable that Rick was grappling with a lot. Due to the circumstances, Rick did have to accept/choose Judith as his child in a different way than he had to accept Carl when he was born or even RJ when he learned of him.

However, I think when Rick shared with Michonne how he had to accept that Judith wasn’t his so that he could keep her alive, I personally interpret that as Rick saying he knew he was going to love this child as his own and he needed to be able to do that under the reality of the situation rather than having to pretend she’s his blood in order for him to love her.

I think Rick didn’t want to feel like the whole reason I’m loving her and raising her is because I’m ignoring her parentage - he needed to accept that he could wholeheartedly love her as his daughter even with knowing her origins. And he likens that to the Negan situation because he’s saying we have to be able to accept living under this Negan reign rather than only being able to go on if we’re in denial of the reality. 

When Lori was pregnant with Judith, Rick had already been committed to raising this baby while deep down knowing she was Shane and Lori’s child. I think realizing he’d now be raising this newborn in an apocalypse without her mother was a very difficult thing to process after Lori didn’t make it. (Fortunately, Judith’s mother Michonne was quickly on her way). It’s completely human for Rick to have felt a bit aggrieved by the responsibility placed on his shoulders because the two people closest to him were disloyal. Having negative feelings attached to that betrayal makes complete sense.

But from everything we’ve seen of Rick, I feel like one; he chose not to view Judith as a negative representation of two people he loved but as a representation of the positive. His relationship with Shane and Lori crashed and burned in the end, but they were still people Rick sincerely cared about and once they were gone I think Rick ultimately chose to see Judith as the bit of good in them remaining.

And two; we know Rick is someone who fully commits once he decides someone is family. So I think when he holds Judith in that prison, he decides that Judith is his daughter and he never looked back nor held resentment toward her or having to raise her.

Yes, he felt an obligation to Judith but not because she was his burden - because she was his baby. And I think he definitely treated her as such throughout all the seasons.

TWD didn’t give Rick and Judith much screen time so I think the lack of “I love you” remarks just had to do with it not being shown rather than it not being felt. Similar to how Rick and Michonne only said “I love you” once in TWD despite it being very clear that it’s something they said to each other often (which I love that TOWL pretty much confirmed this with the way Rick stayed saying I love you in his letters.).

In TOWL, Rick had individual phone images made of Judith (again, I’d so love to hear how Rick described Judith and Michonne to the portraitist because I just know how he spoke of them would have been really loving and heartfelt), and when he reunites with Michonne the first word out of his mouth is Judith. He loved and missed Judith deeply, and I always feel like the reason Judith came up less while Rick was away was largely because it was just too painful as a parent to think about his little girl and not know if she was okay or even alive.

He knew Judith was with Michonne so that probably gave him some hope that she was still here, but also kids don’t tend to fare well in their world so even just the “what if…” about something bad happening to Judith was probably too much to even think about for long. I think he asks specifically if she’s alive first because of that. And then I always love his response when Michonne says she’s okay and he repeats it and gets choked up upon finally knowing that his daughter is okay. That meant something immense to him to hear that Judith was doing well. 

And afterward, he again wants to confirm that Judith is okay rather than just alive.

I know I always tend to lean toward thinking Rick and Michonne take the high road or have emotionally mature responses in the various scenarios presented but that’s largely because I genuinely think that’s the type of commendable noble character they both have. Even in all the complexity of their humanness and difficult emotions, I think their heart for others ultimately is what prevails.

So to more succinctly answer the question - I don’t think Rick holds resentment or loves Judith out of obligation. And if anything, Judith played a part in saving Rick. I think about that one scene where Rick is reading Carl’s letter while watching Michonne and Judith below. The staging of that is very intentional because as Rick has to come to terms with losing such a core part of his heart in Carl, he’s able to look down and see that two instrumental parts of his heart are still here.

And if Rick could be asked, I feel he’d say Michonne and Judith are what saved him after that loss and they along with RJ now are what make life worth living. 

[kepler-station]

VIRTUE OF INNOCENCE/GRIEF + THE FIVE BEASTS ⟡ How the Beasts acted with INNOCENCE + Individual reactions to GRIEF/HEALING

— p.s. the wanderer!reader is like 80% done, it's just that i need to do the quest w/ wanderer getting a vision to complete it fully. rq by @damsel-balladeer, thank you for requesting!

— i'm gonna be honest, this is probably my favorite au i've seen with the beasts + beast! reader next to brittle-doughie's compassion au. i love the idea of sorrow already, and innocence is very similar to my own personal self-insert in crk. haha, wonder if anyone would like to see that (the lore isn't finished, don't request it).

— p.s. i didn't know where i could add this in but their soul jam broke immediately after they witnessed their old friends, the corrupted beasts getting trapped in the tree. having to watch who were practically their parents be locked away as they pleaded for you to remember them, that they loved them... what a blow to your emotional health. that is an understatement.

— no explaination for the virtue of innocence, just go here, lol.

APT. — ROSÉ & BRUNO MARS ıllı.

· · ͟͟͞͞꒰ TW. beasts are referred to their beast names instead of any headcanon pre-corruption names.

· · ͟͟͞͞꒰ SHADOW MILK COOKIE ıllı.

— if we thought of the beasts as Innocence's parents, as the VIRTUE OF KNOWLEDGE, shadow milk would be like the fun parent. of course, he's probably also the type to give out fun facts about earthbread and do fun things with them.

— he's likely the type to be good with kids because of his theatric skills. he can tell vivid stories, do plays with the other beasts to make you laugh, and make all kinds of jokes and anything that you find funny! it's not on me to pick your favorite beast, but if i were Innocence, shadow milk would probably be my favorite to be with. he's also be best at cheering you up!

— however as the BEAST OF DECEIT, it's likely that he'd still do all the theatric shenanigans he did, but it would be corrupted. plays about your favorite stories would now be different from the way you remember, and he'd gaslight you into thinking it was the original if you said it was different.

— in my headcanon, he was the first to be corrupted out of the five. he'd still care for you, but it's laced with deceit and horrible things you shouldn't be knowing as a child. to the very end, he still had a tinge of care for you even if the others cried because you'd be left behind. he was the one who tried cheering you up when you first turned into grief, albeit with corrupted stories and plays about he and his friends victory with scenarios such as the victory and happiness you'd have if you joined them. he was the one who first wanted to leave because he wanted to find you again, seeing how hurt you were at their decent to villainy...

· · ͟͟͞͞꒰ ETERNAL SUGAR COOKIE ıllı.

— she's the VIRTUE OF HAPPINESS, you always used to be so happy around her! it was probably eternal sugar and shadow milk who actually made you laugh and smile and happy because they did their best to play with you and interact you! in fact, she was the one who made the black cat doll you still carry to this day! dusted with happiness, she promised that if you hugged it, no matter where she was they were, she'd they'd always hug back even if they were already gone.

— she smiled so sweetly when she saw you hug it for the first time, it only took a glance between her and shadow milk to hug you right then and there. "see, we'll keep the promise!"

— she's second to my favorite beast if i was innocence, and she'd also likely still care after she was corrupted, albeit more slowly. she's the type to go "five more minutes..." when you'd ask her to play. in the early days of her SLOTH, she'd still play with you, but more sleepily and lazily. she'd probably fall asleep half way but still care about you when you cried, offering a cloud for you to sleep on.

— she and shadow milk were also probably the only ones who wanted to get out with also the reason to comfort you. some of her few words to you before she was caged in were some that told you to remember about the doll, that they'll still be with you through it, that she still loves you...

— (later note, she also was the one who taught you how to properly use your magic, emotional magic. you probably learned to control the blue emotional aura trick from her.)

· · ͟͟͞͞꒰ MYSTIC FLOUR COOKIE ıllı.

— as the VIRTUE OF VOLITION, she's the chill parent, and the most actually motherly (sugar's more like the fun mom) towards you. moments with her are always the most calm, and the most perfect for sleeping! she always offers the perfect atmosphere for sleeping, she's your go-to for whenever you're tired.

— she's the one who actually made the promise within black cat doll work, except what actually happens when you hug it is a comforting warmth that radiates from within that makes you think that they're hugging you right there even if they aren't. eternal sugar talked with her when she first made the doll, flying up to her temple and requesting to actually make the promise work when you hugged it.

— she's not the type to go full on play mode with you, but she smiles whenever she sees you playing with shadow milk/eternal sugar. she's happy to see you happy, but when you go to her, she'll make anything you want come true. a feast of jellies? a new set of clothing? a new island just for you? all of it, just for you!

— speaking of the island, she was the one who made the island. when you got old enough (atleast what she deemed old enough to have your own island), she made not just an island, but an archipelago with your aesthetics and palette just for you, and even taught you how it operated and how you can change it at your will! there's even five secret rooms hidden in discreet islands decorated with each of their palettes and themes as a room of comfort, but she was never able to tell you where they were as she fell into a deep state of APATHY far too soon.

— her apathy meant that she stopped playing with you, stopped granting your wishes and stopped smiling when she saw you at all. inside, she felt a tinge of happiness whenever she saw you... not cry, but it never showed enough to make you smile. you meant nothing to her at the peak of her corruption, but she made a promise to make you see her world of white as one of the last times you spent time with her as she saw, and you'd be with her forever...

· · ͟͟͞͞꒰ BURNING SPICE COOKIE ıllı.

— you never hung out with the VIRTUE OF CHANGE for too long because it always seemed like his ideas of fun were a little too... fiery? dangerous even, is what eternal sugar would call it with her face covered in concern after he burned you that one time he played with you.

— he told you great stories about the kingdoms he changed and the battles he fought, and the look of awe on your face was enough for him to make himself proud that he was able to make you happy in one way.

— he trained you in the past, however your capabilities in physical attack were nil because your natural abilities are more focused on emotional magic. it was also with him that he found that out because a blue aura covered beast-yeast when you cried out due to the burn. he never forgave himself for making you cry, and eternal sugar made sure he regretted it (he still regrets it but he hides it around his spice lackeys such as nutmeg tiger and pepper pangolin). if you're into sports, he does that with you too and even if you're not, he teaches you sports and you either have fun or he gets banned from teaching you sports by our local virtue of happiness again.

— when he became the BEAST OF DESTRUCTION, he stopped playing with you. he didn't stop talking to you, but he always ignored the way you cried when he told you how kingdoms fell due to his fire, the way you cried when he went off to kill another kingdom. still, you never saw the way in private he still reminisces of the days when you two were happy together playing even as a group because sugar banned him from playing with you since he burned you (cue a glare at eternal sugar in her cage). he may miss those days but he'll never admit it out of almost almost doing so when nutmeg tiger mentions you.

· · ͟͟͞͞꒰ SILENT SALT COOKIE ıllı.

— i can never see the VIRTUE OF SOLIDARITY being an active playmate of yours, it was always just shadow milk and eternal sugar (mystic flour is a stretch so shes not an active playmate, she's more like the rich mother who actually mothers and spoils you with whatever you want). burning spice and him were the ones who protected you and helped you when danger struck. as a knight, silent salt was literally your knight in shining armor.

— he was always pretty quiet, but he shows he cares through his sweet actions. he's always watching over you and he and mystic flour taught you important things like what's right and wrong, proper manners and important life lessons you'll need when you're older. while the shadow milk and eternal sugar were the fun parents, he and mystic flour were the parents who spoiled you but actually parented (they taught you what you needed to learn as a child), and burning spice is... there, he'll pick you up from soccer practice. that's all i have to say about burning spice.

— as the BEAST OF SILENCE, he ignored you constantly, with silence that just screamed "i'm busy". he still protected you fiercely, so much that it caused turmoil between him and shadow milk (eternal sugar if she was awake enough to play). you'll never see it because of the mask, but behind that facade he was pretty sad whenever you were sad. it wasn't your magic, it was just his natural emotions, but he ignored you and that too.

· · ͟͟͞͞꒰ HOW DID THE BEASTS REACT TO THE BEAST OF SORROW/GRIEF? ıllı.

— it was SHADOW MILK COOKIE who saw you first. when pure vanilla and shadow milk came back to fight one another. now freed, it was you, white lily, pure vanilla, and the grave gang against him once again. but wait, who was this cookie in a deep blue coat with the shining lilac tear crystal on their chest?

— when this mysterious cloaked cookie laid their eyes on the beast in the final fight of it all, in the heat of it all as he took away white lily in a fit of revenge, it was there when the blue aura consumed the atmosphere. of course, white lily fell onto the ground, sobbing, as well as the others accompanying them. pure vanilla cried atop the blue tower and shadow milk was in tears as well. you... you... it was you... INNOCENCE?

— they could see the way the beasts' eyes softened as he cried genuine tears. you proclaimed how hurt you were when they turned against the light, the years you cried so much the sea level rose and almost drowned beast-yeast as you were forced to lock yourself away deep in the seas to prevent losing your friends and the cookies you strived to protect, the cookies they failed to protect all those years ago.

— it was here when your friends striked the beast enough to beat him up, but he still just looked astonished... how much time has passed for you to be all grown up, a literal adult the next time they had met again? would you still enjoy his plays or would an emotional flood destroy his props as you cried out...?

— from there, MYSTIC FLOUR COOKIE and BURNING SPICE COOKIE found out next, both with different reactions.

— mystic flour of course, had little reaction on the outside. apathy had clouded her resolution so much she could hardly care as much as shadow milk did, but if you used your blue aura thang on her, she'd probably show tears too. hollow, white tears, but her face showed no sadness. on the inside though...

— wow, look at you. you're all grown up, pretty at that. your cloak hid most of you but this wasn't the cookie she once granted mindless, childish wishes to, you were an adult with your own responsibilities, you were like them prior to their corruption.

— deep down, she wished you would not follow the same path they did as a new hero of cookiekind. she has true faith in you and what you can do for cookiekind, she just doesn't care enough to show it.

— burning spice however was more excited about what you could do now that you're grown. he can do what he's dreamed of doing for so long... FIGHTING YOU!

— he doesn't break down when your aura surrounds his spice valleys like how his lackeys broke down in tears, he just wiped that stream away and distracted himself by taking you down.. attempting to atleast.

— inside, he feels... weird. it feels odd to feel this way after years of wallowing in the fires of destruction. how much has he missed? how much time has passed since you were a child? that child that eternal sugar banned him from playing with a long, long time ago was no more... all that was left was a fully grown adult drowned in their own sorrow and tears (literally), he can see your eyebags from the years you spent grieving and mourning over the loss of your friends. he almost feels bad for you... what? no, let's fight instead, none of that mushy emotions. maybe your magic is working. damn you, eternal sugar for teaching you those tricks.

— speaking of ETERNAL SUGAR COOKIE... truth be told, she was probably asleep and waved you off. what happened to the fun mom you once hung out with literally everyday? same with SILENT SALT COOKIE, but inside they feel... more or less the same, actually.

— both felt a deep sense of mourning for losing out on your entire life. you were an adult now, they missed almost your entire life growing up from an innocent wee little child to a fully grown adult, a depressed one, almost. you spent years wallowing in grief and sorrow over the loss of your friends. you believed they were taken away as a child but now you see the truth. you weren't a child anymore, long gone was the innocent and naive child they remember. those tricks don't work anymore, they know better now. all those years you spent crying and crying so much so that you almost drowned beast-yeast and had to lock yourself in the seas under your island to stop in hopes that they'd come back one day...

— eternal sugar won't be beat by your emotional magic, she knows all of that, she taught you that... is what she thinks because you actually beat her. how? how did you do that? you couldn't control yourself back then, how did... simple, you grew up. sugar was thinking of the child of old she once taught magic too, same with salt, just more silent about it.

[sonkitty]

Acting Supreme Archangel Crowley

Alright, yes, I do think Crowley is the Acting Supreme Archangel during S2. I've generally hinted as such in past posts and with this small GIF set: There is always a Supreme Archangel....

I have long speculated Crowley's longer sideburns mark rank in the bookshop and that character behavior implies he is at least in charge up until he delegates responsibility over to Aziraphale when Crowley leaves to escort Maggie and Nina out in episode 6.

Even though I generally say and believe his red streak is a result of a possible Big Miracle involving the matchbox and the Book of Life, it can also be another mark of this rank in the present day storyline.

Many times, I have referenced the particular shot to Crowley when Gabriel proclaims himself the only First-Order Archangel in the Universe (with a capital "U" in the subtitles).

I have finally convinced myself through more dialogue factors that yes, Crowley is in that position. He was a First-Order Archangel at some point, and circumstances being what they are in S2, he becomes the Acting Supreme Archangel.

Here is how it theoretically goes...

After Crowley has encountered Gabriel for the first time in the story, he and Aziraphale go to a private room. Crowley himself states to Aziraphale, "Angel, this is the Supreme Archangel of all Heaven, your former boss, who tried very hard to cast you into hellfire and destroy you. He is not our friend."

So, at this point in the story, Gabriel still holds that title or Crowley at least thinks he does. The trial we see later will show that Michael intended to have Gabriel removed from office with the Metatron deciding on a memory wipe. Gabriel himself had other ideas and managed to escape.

We are told Heaven does not have a Supreme Archangel by Uriel later in S2E1. But then, no, wait, Michael declares with confidence that there is always a Supreme Archangel.

While these two disagree on matters, the Good Omens story in general is mindful of word usage and gives words power. As such, the power in the story itself decides that the Acting Supreme Archangel is Crowley on Earth. Michael and Uriel might have forced it to happen just with their own words between each other without realizing that's what they were doing. And if it takes more than their words, we do have an extensive touching sequence involving a matchbox after Crowley has touched the heavens with his own red lightning. The matchbox itself is declared as an earthly object, giving the name of the story's hidden Earthly Objects game.

How can we tell Crowley is the Acting Supreme Archangel now?

Beelzebub tells Crowley the Archangel Gabriel has vanished. Notably, Beelzebub does not say the Supreme Archangel Gabriel has vanished.

Hence forth, Gabriel might be referred to as Jim, James, Gabriel, an assistant, an assistant bookseller, an angel, or an archangel but references to him as the Supreme Archangel are in the past or, in the case of Aziraphale relaying his conversation with the Metatron in S2E6, a rank that Gabriel himself no longer holds because it hadn't worked out.

Crowley himself addresses Gabriel as Archangel Gabriel and not Supreme Archangel Gabriel in S2E5.

...

A metaphorical torch is passed from Gabriel to Crowley during the miracle to hide Gabriel, symbolized by the Overhead Light shaped like a flame held by an angel. I've remarked on this Overhead Light a few times.

Here it is by Gabriel:

Then here it is ensured to be at least partly shown during the miracle itself:

It is shown more fully when Crowley himself goes up to touch the fabric of reality, or whatever that is up there. Crowley's Overhead Lights tend to go above and to the left of his left ear (or involve some reflection manipulation). His ear ends up going over this special torch instead.

During this scene, Crowley's sideburns are at their longest length for the episode. His red hair is charged up with more red from recalling the lightning power. As red as his hair is, his more saturated red streak is visible.

...

Shax and Crowley drop us a few hints about Crowley being a former archangel but not necessarily being the current Acting Supreme Archangel.

Shax says a miracle happened "last night" in S2E2, referencing SE2E1. She says it was a miracle that only the mightiest of archangels could have performed. When Crowley asks, "How'd you know I didn't do it?" she doesn't deny his ability or show any suspicion that he did.

In S2E3, Crowley teases her as he says, "Maybe you'll spot on archangel." The camera work shifts focus to Gabriel, but given how many other clues are given about Crowley, this one ends up looking like another possible clue.

She later calls Crowley an "arch traitor" instead of just a traitor, as Beelzebub does.

...

Another clue that Crowley is the Acting Supreme Archangel is his general visit to Heaven.

Crowley disguises himself as an angel, but his disguise includes sunglasses that actually make his snake eyes more obvious. He chooses a gray that matches what other archangels use. That's him "acting" out the role as the Acting Supreme Archangel. His red streak is maintained and visible with his disguise as well.

Michael and Uriel leave him unchallenged when he passes by them, whether they recognize him or not. He shows Muriel he can access clearance beyond what Muriel can do with the reasoning he hasn't always been a demon, and they (presumably Heaven in general) never change their passwords. When Saraqael eventually confronts both Crowley and Muriel, Muriel is not punished, and Saraqael even goes so far as to say, "Show him the trial."

When the alarms go off, Saraqael answers Crowley's question about what just happened and follows his orders on the three of them getting back to Earth.

Then Michael and Uriel even go with the group in the elevator.

We don't see how that transpired, just that it did. I think it's plausible they couldn't actually leave or take the elevator without Crowley. Admittedly, that could be related to Crowley tricking the threshold on his way in, instead of the rank matter.

Now, aside from perhaps Saraqael, the angels aren't shown to consciously know that Crowley's rank is Acting Supreme Archangel. They mainly just act like it by letting him do what he wants, lead them to the bookshop, and generally take charge of the situation after they and other demons have arrived in the bookshop.

I do think it's significant that the story does guide the clue based on the words "First-Order Archangel" instead of "Supreme Archangel", for that one particular shot over to Crowley during Gabriel's dialogue.

I've long remarked that I think it's important that Crowley wanted to be first when using the Heaven elevator. I finally have an answer for why I think that is though I'm not really satisfied with the answer I've come up with. I might go over said answer in another post at another time.

There is another metaphorical torch passed from Crowley to Aziraphale at the end of episode 6 due to the flames with the coffee on the coffee shop where Crowley has positioned himself with his car. The flames are to Crowley's visual right. The lady with the black hat assists with this pass given that she is the "dash of nutmeg" in this scene.

The right side is often associated with angels, and Aziraphale receives a special right-side Overhead Light for his Ground Zero cut.

...

That's it for this particular post. There is a little something more I hope to post soon and wanted to make this post as a reference point.

[hartnellwho]

OMG, so much to talk about here and lots of it will be spoilery for anyone who hasn't listened (IN WHICH CASE YOU SHOULD!) so I'm putting it all under a big cut here...

I'm still so bitter about the "the Doctor got us there on the first go" cop out. Like; they could've left a gap for more stories but didn't and it's such a waste.

I'm torn between two different headcanons to give Oliver more stories.

The first and most simple is the Doctor didn't get them there on the first go, he couldn't and made excuses for why it didn't work every where they went. Eventually he gave up trying to get them there, but eventually he realised he had to try, got it right and immediately acted like it was the first try because it was the first try... of this set of tries. Steven of course knew and by this point so did Oliver better than to try and correct him.

The other is a lot more complicated, but I enjoy the idea of it a lot more... when Four manages to defeat the Vardans in The Invasion of Time he puts them in a time loop. Which to me sounds like what the Time Lords did to the War Lords in The War Games. And what was said there...

"A force field has been placed around you, and around your planet, so that your warlike people will remain prisoners forever. You have been found guilty of all charges, and you and your murderous associates will be dematerialised. It will be as though you had never existed."

So after the Vardans have this done to them they were retroactively never on Grace Alone. The Doctor, Steven and Oliver arrive to a fully crewed station in no trouble and have to conspire to cause/create/fake the criminal records they saw in the future that made them come there in the first place.

I've posted about this idea before here. But I've pondered trying to expand it into a brief fanfic. But the problem is I'm not a great writer and haven't even tried to make fanfic before. But I just love the idea so much I want to spread it, haha.

As to the idea that Oliver had to have a tragic ending because of where he fits chronologically... I originally wholeheartedly accepted that idea as it was explained in the CD extras. Like: it was sad he had to die, but he did have to die 'to fit the tone of that era'.

What changed my mind to the polar opposite was another CC, called The Vardan Invasion of Mirth. it is set in the time where Steven is the sole companion so must be after the Oliver trilogy and before The Massacre. Steven even knows the Vardans so must have faced them before.

But what happened: no mentions of or any thought given to Oliver, the Vardans easily defeated and a happy ending.

I was so pissed off, I hated it so much and I still don't consider it canon.

But the main thing it did was destroy the argument that things have to fit the tone of the era. If the people in this story could get a happy ending in a story set in the same era then why couldn't Oliver?

Oliver getting a happy ending could've been a brief light in an otherwise dark era. A small hope spot that says even in hard times things can sometimes work out or go well.

So yeah; I no longer feel like Oliver "had to" die and so am a lot more bitter and upset about the fact that he did. it feels like the bury your gays trope in action.

I'd just love if BF retconned his death away and gave us new stories with this team: go full cast with Steven Noonan as One even. Or do another CC but with Oliver as the narrator so we can get in his head and Steven as the guest voice rather than the main!

The First Doctor and companions Oliver and Steven. Admittedly, I do need to listen to these stories... Whoops!

[leeknot]

Chapter 6: A Step Toward Trust

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Dinner was an awkward affair. You had debated not going at all, but the idea of being alone in your room again seemed worse. So, you forced yourself to push through the anxiety and made your way down to the dining room.

When you stepped inside, the pack was already gathered around a large wooden table. The atmosphere was surprisingly casual, filled with soft laughter and quiet conversation. They all turned to look at you when you entered, the same warm expressions you’d seen earlier greeting you.

"Hey, you're here!" Felix said, his voice filled with light excitement. His smile was wide, but not in a way that felt overwhelming. It was as though he was simply happy to have you in the same space.

You hesitated, standing by the doorway for a moment, before slowly making your way toward an empty seat at the table. The others watched you with a quiet patience, letting you take the lead on how close you wanted to sit, how much you wanted to engage.

The food in front of you smelled delicious, but you weren’t sure if you had the appetite to eat. Still, you picked up your utensils and began to eat, silently grateful for the fact that the pack didn’t press you for conversation.

“So, how was the flight?” Chan asked casually, his voice soft and unassuming.

You glanced at him, catching the sincerity in his eyes. It made something flutter uncomfortably in your chest. “Fine,” you muttered, taking a bite of your food. “Long.”

“Yeah, it’s a long haul,” Changbin added, nodding sympathetically. “I think it was worth it though.”

You could feel the weight of his words, the underlying meaning: They wanted you here. But no matter how kind they were, you couldn’t shake the fear. You weren’t sure if they understood how much you had to fight with yourself to even show up. How hard it was for you to not run away the moment you walked through the door.

“So, tell us about yourself.” Hyunjin said, breaking the silence that hung in the air. His voice was smooth, but there was a gentleness to it, like he was trying to coax you out of your shell.

Your stomach clenched. The thought of opening up made you want to crawl into a hole and disappear.

“I’m not really… much to tell,” you said quietly, focusing on your plate. “I’ve mostly been on my own. Not much of a story.”

There was a long pause. You could feel their eyes on you, but no one pressed. It was like they understood that opening up would take time.

“I get that,” Seungmin said after a while, his voice unexpectedly soft. “You don’t have to share anything you’re not ready to. But if you ever want to talk, we’re here for you.”

His words were simple, but they hit harder than anything else. He wasn’t pushing you. He was offering you an open space, one where you didn’t have to rush to fill the silence with your past.

“You’ve got a good crew here.” you muttered, more to yourself than anyone else.

“We do,” Chan said with a gentle smile, his tone laced with pride. “But the crew gets even better with you in it.”

You didn’t know how to respond to that. The truth was, part of you wanted to believe him. Part of you wanted to believe that this was real—that they really did want you here, that they would be patient, that they wouldn’t hurt you like the others had. But the other part of you, the part that had spent so long alone, remained guarded, unwilling to fully trust again.

Dinner ended without any major breakthroughs. The pack didn’t ask for more than you were willing to give, and that was both comforting and unsettling. They were giving you space. Too much space.

Afterward, you excused yourself quietly, retreating back to your room. The door clicked shut behind you, and for a moment, you just stood there, leaning against it with a sigh.

You wanted to believe in them. You wanted to let them in. But how could you? How could you open up when you were still so afraid of being hurt?

The bed called to you, offering a small semblance of safety. You crawled beneath the soft covers, curling up into a ball, and tried to block out the growing anxiety that threatened to consume you.

For now, though, you couldn’t let go. You couldn’t trust.

To be continued...

taglist: @thatgirlangelb @eastjonowhere @babygirlskz98 @realrintaro @piscesrising01 @astro-des @justiceforvillains

[cybershock24601]

I was doing some brainstorming on what the Rookanis kiddos would be like and it's somehow turned into me contemplating how the inevitable crow civil war would go after Lucanis ditches the crows after he has kids.

So I was thinking that when rookanis finally has kids, they end up with a set of twin boys (one is definitely named Ezio) and that ends up bringing up a lot of emotions for Lucanis because its one thing to contemplate how his kid is going to be raised as a crow but it is a whole other to see the very obvious parallel between these two innocent baby boys and himself and Illario. Lucanis just can't stop thinking about his boys growing up the same way he did with Illario and the inevitable resentment and pain that would come with constantly being forced to compete for a title.

When the babies are a couple months old, Lucanis finally tells Rook he thinks they should leave because he cannot raise their children to be crows and Rook is like "thank the maker, I've been thinking we should ditch for months but haven't been sure how to bring it up" and so that night the two of them start planning their exit strategy. They decide to wait until the boys are a bit older because going on the run with two infants seems like a terrible idea and it will give them time to figure out how to best avoid the inevitable reprisal Lucanis will face for leaving because you don't just leave the Antivan Crows without consequence.

Unfortunately those plans are shot when another Talon decides to get rid of these future competitors while they're still in the crib. Thankfully the assassin fails but it spooks rookanis bad. Caterina is ready to go to war for this, but Lucanis isn't willing to risk his family for a stupid title he never even wanted in the first place. He is not Caterina and he isn't willing to sacrifice his own children for power.

Just a couple weeks after the incident, Lucanis, Rook, and their two boys disappear into the night, sneaking out of the same tunnel he and Rook snuck in through the same night Lucanis was appointed First Talon. All that's left behind is two letters from Lucanis, one addressed to Caterina and one left to Illario. Caterina and Illario never discuss the contents of their individual letters but it is clear whatever Lucanis said to Caterina wounded her deeply. Illario can't help but be hurt Lucanis left without a word but bitterly understands why he did because even if they had done a lot of work to repair their relationship, Illario's betrayal was a wound that never fully healed. As much as it hurts, Illario gets why Lucanis wouldn't trust him enough to tell him that he wanted to leave the Crows.

In the wake of the First Talons abrupt abdication, Caterina goes to take up the mantle again but Lucanis' depature was a major blow to House Dellamorte. Caterina is an old woman and has no heir because its not like anyone is going to let Illario take the seat of First Talon after what he did last time he tried to claim it. It is inevitable that the Crows would descend into chaos as they all started jockeying for power. At least the chaos did keep a lot of crows from going after Lucanis and his family as they bounced around from place to place in an odd parallel to how the Hawke family spent their time on the run.

Teia immediately wants to jump in and assist Caterina but Viago convinces her to stay out of it because there is no point. They both know that without Lucanis, House Dellamorte is finished. It is best to sit back and let the other Houses exhaust themselves fighting amongst each other.

The fighting likely lasts for a few years and there are a lot of dead crows and dead Talons by the end of it. Caterina dies too though whether due to old age or she's eventually taken out by another Talon I haven't decided yet because after Lucanis left, something died in Caterina, perhaps because she finally had to face what had become of her family, what she had done to her family but she definitely lost some of the edge that kept her at the top for so long which made her easier prey. Lucanis is has a lot of feelings about his grandmother dying whether its due to not being by her side or he feels responsible for her death if she was killed by another crow, he is left to deal with a lot of confusing emotions mostly rooted in mix of guilt and grief.

By the end of it, Viago manages to swoop in after most of the other houses have exhausted themselves fighting and take the seat of First Talon in a magnificently executed coup. As his closet ally, Teia ends up in the spot of Second Talon and between her idealism and Viago's pragmatism, the Crows do enter a period of reform and start to become the symbol of Antivan patriotism and pride they appear like in Veilguard.

Illario manages to emerge out of the chaos alive and even keeps House Dellamorte intact as he takes the now vacant role of Fifth Talon. It stings that Illario is not First Talon but there is a vicious sense of satisfaction in managing to secure his own spot as a Talon through his own merit because no one can deny that Illario earned his position, that Illario is a good crow.

Meanwhile Lucanis and Rook are vibing as they travel around Thedas for the first few years of their boys' lives before eventually settling in the Necropolis and raising a lot more babies there. Rook is happy to be home because that what the Necropolis is to her and Lucanis misses Treviso and his family and has the occasional thought of what could have been but is happier taking care of his home and raising his children with his loving, amazing wife as Lucanis Ingellvar then he ever was living the life dictated for him from birth as Lucanis Dellamorte. There is an undeniable sense of freedom in shedding the Dellamorte name and becoming someone new as Lucanis finally lives the life he wants for himself.

[the-kr8tor]

Hobie but he's actually working a bar with the most disgruntled look on his face before you come in and suddenly he's all smiles.

Now he doesn't know you, not fully. And he's never been into the classic ideas of romance. But maybe your eyes just shine a bit too bright when he speaks to you, maybe your smile just draws him a bit more in every time you give him the opportunity to see it, maybe just maybe your presence lights up his world soul and mind all the more. There's something to the way you laugh that he's become enamored in, and he makes sure to act as goofy as he can just to hear it more.

He, on your side, looks so handsome. A black button up that's never fully closed, his pants full of patches that are practically peeling off. In a way you wonder if you'd let him fix them back up, sew your own patches on and press kisses to his gorgeous face. The way he looks and seems so smart despite everything, his humour, the way he speaks and everything makes him so alluring. Because he's confident and yet you touch his hand when he hands you your drink and suddenly he can't breathe.

At first you'd come to this place specifically for the music and some of the bar food which was rightfully pretty good with whatever you'd be drinking. And yet he made it even better, there was something in him that made you want to stay seated on the stools as long as you could. You'd stay until it was time to close and even then, he wouldn't even dare to kick you out. Not when you dressed so pretty and looked at him so warmly while making small talk. Hell he despises small talk but when it falls from your lips it's the most interesting thing he's heard.

His voice is nice and smooth, there's almost no rough edges when you get to know Hobie a bit. The further you go along and the more you learn about his hobbies and likes and interests. He's invested in the future, his and everyone else's. He believes in justice through any means if it makes people feel safer at the end of the day. He's passionate, in what he believes in but especially in and with you. There's a sparkle in his eyes when you seem so interested in what he says and that spurs him on. Hobie feels stupid sometimes with how much you're letting him speak but he can't stop himself. Yet he's still somehow waiting for the other shoe to drop, hell maybe you don't even like him that way and you're just an overly nice regular. There's always this deep worry within him that everyone leaves, everyone will and everyone does. But he doesn't end up finding that in you, you stay and you smile. You continue the conversations and you keep coming back around and sticking your nose in his business whether you mean to or not. He can't mind it, in reality he just hopes that he's enough as to where you'll both find a mutual connection, that you'll stay and it wouldn't even have to be romantic because he just feels safe around you. And you feel safe around him.

-🪦

The button up shirt that's never fully buttoned on 🥴😳 I'm thinking abt it real hard

Qisnowjde they both have a crush on each other!!!!! This au reminds me sm of the series sweetbitter (i think that's the name)

Imagine watching him do all the bar tender tricks while you're slowly sipping your drink that you always make it last just so you can stay a little longer

Or or the one time you make it to closing time and he walks you to your car 😍😍

This reads like a love letter to Hobie and I love it ❤️❤️❤️

[ultfreakme]

Arcane S2 could've been contained and told a proper story if they:

Got rid of the Isha plot

Got rid of the Vander-Warwick plot

Got rid of the Black Rose plot

Got rid of the time travel plot

The Isha Plot:

It made me cry but it was unnecessary. If the goal was to give Jinx something other than Silco to love and fight for, the answer is Vi. Isha exists purely to drive Jinx to fight but is highly redundant only because she already has a sister she does want to protect and that's what the S2 teaser poster was hinting at.

The Vander-Warwick plot:

Vander's death and importance lost its impact since he returned so quickly. It may seem like forever but if you watch S1 & 2 back to back, Vander's death felt like nothing. You could've hinted at it towards the end of Act 3 and made spin-off show with Vi, Jinx and Cait to deal with that and it fully detracted from the main point of the story in S1- the class conflict, and substituted it with "magic bad" plotline.

The Black Rose:

They were under-explored in S2, did not live up to the hype of threat and removed Mel from the main plot which she 100% was involved in and dissociated her from her involvement in hextech and her role as a councillor. She was a corrupt and rich politician and had a hand in Zaun's fall but she still wanted their liberation. S2 should've been a Mel vs Ambessa plot solely in Piltover where Mel came to understand her role as a councillor and helped Zaun through Sevika and got the council to shape up.

The magic plot should've been hinted at and maybe have her and Jayce figure things out on how to make it work so she can join the final fight but the Black Rose plot should've been in a spin-off

The Time Travel Plot:

The core culprit of S2's discordant plot theme from S1. Just stick to Viktor and the Arcane and how he uses it to "help" people. Have Ekko and The Firelights fight against him and gather forces opposing Viktor's cult along with Jayce and Mel and figure out how to stop hextech. Hextech should've been a symbol of Piltover's exploitation of Zaun. Ekko STILL figures out the 4-second time travel but because of Viktor abusing the arcane.

I wish they genuinely made Viktor a bit of a bad guy, but also entirely against Ambessa so she'd have a reason to go to war in Zaun. The final battle should've happened in Zaun with the Piltover people joining in to protect ZAUN instead of Piltover.

I've functionally gotten rid of everything in S2 here right? So you're wondering what story there is to tell?

Well, when you are working on the time-limit of two seasons, you use the second season to expand on all the elements intriduced in S1 instead of throwing in entirely new ideas.

[cooldeltaworld-blog]

Your post is littered with illogical correlations, hypocrisy, deflections, false accusations and willful ignorance.

I sure hope you can correct me using fact/logic, and not insult to my critical thinking.

Hubert and Petra B-Support

Yes? Merely showing a screenshot doesn't really explain your point? I mean, trying to bring Brigid freedom so soon after the Brigid-Dagda War would indeed cause problem simply because the population hasn't forgotten the war yet, or hasn't had enough time to heal from it. Trying to deal with population upheaval during a revolutionary war is not exactly a good idea.

Before you start making more flimsy excuses

How can they be flimsy if they are within the game script?

both Claude and Dimitri want to end the war peacefully despite Edelgard being a violent aggressor as opposed to Edelgard who refuses mercy and wants them dead in Crimson Flower.

I mean, nobody want war in their country, that's for sure, but if I have to look at the records (ie the game script), only Claude in Hopes ever goes to reach out to Edelgard with the Pact. Some might say that him trying to have the Alliance stay neutral during Crimson Flower is a politically move to not have war, but given it is Claude doing it, it may very well have multiple purpose given the situation. He is a schemer after all.

Dimitri... doesn't ever try to reach for peace? In Crimson Flower, he's an unreasonable boar who only want kill those he deem to deserve dying (Which seems to be a lot of people apparently), and in Hopes, he doesn't ever sit on the table of negociation to try and avoid further bloodshed. He only fights back.

Also pretty sure there is evidence somewhere that Edelgard has many time offered surrender for her enemy, but given the way this discussion is going (ie: You insulting me for some reason), I'm not even sure you would even bother to read it. You would just try to find a reason to insult me.

People like you aren't known for their intelligence. Your IQ is as abysmal as your taste.

What are you implying by that? That my people are stupid? What people are you talking about?

That's irrelevant to the topic of her not being threatened by the Agarthans.

They are the reason she has trust issues. Like Thales is disguising has her Uncle. Solon has a beloved librarian. She feels as she cannot trust anyone because they could be spies for Slitherers.

Why should the victims of imperialism play nice with their oppressor

Pretty sure the Brigid-Dagda War was initiated by Brigid and Dagda, not the other way around. Yes the vassalage situation can be quite bad, but it is also the consequence of the war that just took place.

and yet Edelgard is allowed to wage war without any care for bad blood? You Edelgard fans love to prattle about war and revolution until your precious blorbo is the oppressor. Then all of a sudden war is bad.

First of all, I do need to point out that doing a generalization of the "Edelgard fans" does not help your argument in any way because people are unique and different.

To reiterate Dimitri drags Faerghus kicking and screaming to give Duscur their land back.

Pretty sure he has to execute his uncle and you also have half of Faerghus going into a civil war against Dimitri.

Edelgard is too scared to do the same for Brigid.

Pretty sure she avoid a civil war by waiting just a little bit (A little bit being a few years time).

She's fully aware by the time she's at garreg mach and that it was the dirty work of the Agarthans. She should've spoken up for them like Sylvain did instead of adding fuel to the fire.

When? In what route? Verdant Wind and Azure Moon? She needs their help to see her war through. Crimson Flower? Same thing but she can now rely on Byleth and her tactical acument insted of the Demonic Beast and whatnot. It is a recurrent theme that Edelgard has to dirty her hand to see her war through, with the exception made of Crimson Flower because she can trust her Black Eagle.

Scarlet Blaze? She doesn't have them at her side anymore. The other route of Hopes, she goes in a Civil war in an attempt to get rid of them if I'm not mistaken.

A foreigner like Cyril gets told that it's okay for him not to follow the Seiros faith, Rhea helps Dimitri in reforming Fodlan and the gross ending where Rhea marries Byleth proves that shes not against criticism nor getting rid of crests, heroes relics and the nobility.

Cyril is also a child who is working when he should be learning about reading and math.

Rhea is not in a position of power when Dimitri is in control of Fodlan.

Silver Snow ending theme is Rhea seeing the error of her way and trying to do better to fix the mistake of the past. Otherwise, she is hellbent on keeping her place at the top of her ivory tower.

Irrelevant to Edelgard's racist double standards and your false claim that people aren't able to criticise crests and the current system.

I really fail to see how Edelgard is racist when wanting to release Brigid from vassalage in the most peaceful manner.

Also how is my claim is false? You never explained that.

Thanks for clarifying that. That totally gives her the right to play god and endanger her citizens to demonic beasts/s

Rhea also burns an entire City down and Dimitri like to stab a lot when he is in boar mode. I fail to see your point.

If the author's of Houses wanted to portray the Almyran invaders as rapists ( which would've been extremely racist ) then they would've done it the same way they did with the other characters i mentioned.

Hm. Fair point. I stand corrected.

Besides Leicester is working together with their enemies so I don't know what you're on about.

I don't either. I was just copying your tactic of sounding very vague so that I can in turn insult the person you are talking with.

I hearby declare that you are a Meatbag, and are very much alive.

I'm really bad with insult, can you tell?

With abysmal critical thinking skills like that it's no wonder you believe Edelgard is right.

At least not like you, that's for sure.

Edelgard claims that heroes relics and crests were creations of mankind that Rhea stole and that she deliberately split off the empire for her own goals.

Can I have a source for that? I don't seem to recall this part of the game.

The Agarthans are known for deliberately creating tragedies to create political instability and conflict

Heroes relics and crests stones are made out of Nabateans

Heroes relics, crests stones and the blood of nabateans turn people into demonic beasts

The Agarthans kidnapped Flayn to use her blood to create demonic beasts

Edelgard wanted to steal the crests stones for the same purpose

And she has gotten a heroes relic that was never recorded in anything.

Anyone in her position could've put 2 and 2 together that her initial view on history is and that the Agarthans are responsible for it.

Well I sure wouldn't have put the 2 ans 2 together, because then I would live a society that has their history distorted by the Pope who can put you out if you ask too many questions. Beside, my only source of information would be a racist old men who want an entire continent dead.

Yes …. that's my point. Edelgard is the one making the moronic statement that a leader being alive results into constant revolts by making that claim after she killed Claude in cf and told Byleth to kill her to end the constant fighting. I couldn't be more clearer if i tried.

Okay so now you are mixing two routes. In all the route except Crimson Flower, Edelgard ask, or tries to be killed because she know she would never back down

No, the opposite is true. Regardless of the results the war would've proven the value of crests and heroes relics, not how it's irrelevant.

And yet people managed to put reform on the system in place, probably because the war made it so that nobody with power was willing to push back on those measure and/or because they were dead.

Byleth has the sword of the creator, divine pulse, is the reincarnation of Sothis and is the deciding factor about which route wins the war.

Correct.

The Adrestian Empire is led by a dual crested emperor wielding a hero's relic, is backed up by the Agarthans and demonic beasts and turned herself into a monster just to have a major advantage against her enemies.

Nobody, or at least most people aren't aware of her dual crest, nor are they aware of the Slitherers existence.

Leicester and Faerghus has many nobles with crests and heroes relics, the latter which is highly devoted to the central church

Infact should Faerghus or the Central church win the war it would've glorified the seiros faith and crests even more. Not to mention a big reason crests are so important is cause its used to defend Fodlan, hence why it's so important for house Gautier to have a crest

That really depends on how those who have power seek to spin the story. As you have mentioned, the Church/Faerghus after the war could have very well gone all in with the Crest system, but they didn't, probably because it was never meant to work past a certain time/wasn't working anymore. For it to work, it would have required a big amount of Major Crest to justify its presence, which isn't the case when we get into the game.

As I have said previously, if nothing else, Edelgard war allows for those in power to pluck out those who would push back politically/legitimize their rule, which make reforms easier to put out.

They would've stayed in Fodlan if the victors actually valued the current system but they don't.

I don't understand where you are coming from. Can you explain?

Not to mention Hanneman was allowed to study crests to it's fullest and creates tools that allows commoners to be on equal footing with nobles with crests.

Yeah because Edelgard war allow to however is winning it to legitimatize their rule/pluck out those who would push back politically. After the war, this mean that there is a greater freedom of research because nobody is willing to 1) punish one the greatest researcher of that generation and 2) try to get in the way of reform, because they don't have much ground to stand on.

Still does not require a war nor prove how short sighted and ignorant Edelgard is for not being aware of all the problems the peasants face.

The Church would have sought to execute Edelgard for her heresy and/or would have sent assassins at her door step.

Also I don't get your second point? Yes Edelgard isn't aware of all the peasant problems. She is a noble. That's why Dorothea (And in Hopes, Shez) is so important to her rule and character, because she learns to address those problems.

Really? You forget things like poverty, lack of resources, unhealthy environment, no proper upbringing for the oppressed? How are you gonna run an entire continent for the oppressed peasants and not be aware of 1 of their problems?

By having people that are aware of this problem help you draft laws and measure to help the peasant. That's why Ferdinand, Dorothea and Shez in Hopes are important to Edelgard character/rule.

Didn't need the death of Edelgard to do so. Cooperation was on the table.

Yes it did. The Central Church would have pushed back those measure, Faerghus would have done the same to not have their existence revoked and Leicester... I don't actually know what the Alliance would have done. Bit of a wild card here.

Also I don't know where you got your quote from but I didn't write that. The fact that you reduce part of my post to mere sentence really cut some of the nuance I have put up in it.

I prove that Dimitri and Rhea work hard to reform Fodlan despite Edelgard's false accusations and you want to redirect that with irrelevant nonsense.

I don't see how you proved anything and I don't see how it is "irrelevant nonsense".

Fine, since you want to play that dense Edelgard hired the Jeritza long before Dimitri hired Miklan, hired Metodey to kill the students and her most trusted retainer is Hubert. So by the idiotic logic you're peddling this proves that Edelgard is wrong.

Yeah, apparently, killing people is bad. I don't know about you, but I heard it is bad, even illegal in some place.

No seriously you want to argue that Anankos is right cause Corrin has Peri in their army? Is Grima right cause Chrom allowed Gangrel and Walhart to serve in his army?

I don't see how the other game affect the setting of Fodlan, especially when they are more inline with the series trope than the political aspect of it all.

Give me a break.

...You know you can just walk away from this discussion and never speak to me again? Or even better, just block me. Solve the problem entirely, doesn't it?

Literally what does this have to do with anything?

As seen in Houses and proved in Hopes through the action of Byleth if the player choose to kill Jeralt, both Shez and Byleth works as Joker Card on the lords who hold them. Their presence allows for the war to progress in one direction or the other depending on their choice of faction. They quite literally allow the war not to stagnate.

And Edelgard is hellbent on killing Dimitri for defending his kingdom and wants to conquer Leicester despite having nothing to do with the central church

I think that in all the route in Houses, Dimitri has more interest in killing Edelgard that Edelgard does for him.

And her conquering Leicester would allow her to not get stabbed in the back the moment she doesn't look her way, or avoid a future war with them when she passes away and her successor takes power.

The church also being guilty does not absolve Edelgard of her similair crimes of dragging Brigid in her war nor oppressing Brigid. I condemn both Edelgard and Rhea.

Thing is you see, is that it is Petra action that lead to Brigid taking action in the war. Yes, she was spurned by the action of the Church/Imperial Army, but she is the one that went to her grandfather (Who is still the King in Houses) and convinced him of taking part in the war.

It's a miracle you're smart enough to use technology cause you couldn't miss me condemning Rhea if you tried.

Can we stop with the insult? It's kinda mean :(

The gross ending where she marries Byleth has her return to power and cooperate with the nobles enacting the changes.

Except that it is Byleth who holds the rein. Yes Rhea can use that to still maintain power, but if her S-Support is anything to go by, then it is likely not the case.

None of this proves that Edelgard is right and her war was justified.

...I thought Feudalism was bad? Are we not agreeing on that fact? You think we should bring back Monarchy and Divine Right? Because I don't know about you, but I think this is a terrible idea, for many reason.

Your response is horrible and you should feel horrible. You have achieved nothing but lowering my already low respect for Edelgard fans.

But I did nothing? You're the one who is insulting me and "my people" intelligence for no reason?

You're dismissed. We're done here.

If you want it to be over, the Block Button is right there. Use it. Have fun with it. It won't make you a worse person.

It's hilarious how Rhea and Edelgard fans go at eachothers throats arguing which character is the actual villain when the reality is they're both 1 cheek of the same ass.

They both hide truths and spread lies for their benefit ( with Rhea I'm specifically talking about her lying about Nemesis and the 10 Elites, not her rightfully hiding the truth about Nabateans )

Their both complicit in the crimes of their collaborators.

Refuse to use their power to right the wrongs of their territory

Extremely racist by supporting the oppression of other nations

Use defensless civilians as meatshields

And all in all they're both self righteous villains who are responsible for Fodlan's suffering.

While Rhea is responsible for halting advancement ( which is understandable but not okay ) and keeping crests and heroes relics in society Edelgard is responsible for the deaths of thousands by waging a war that wasn't needed since diplomacy was on the table.