#but it adds onto the rest

[ksfd892]

Lorelai and Luke and Rory and Jess both have the same set of relationship issues. Luke and Lorelai struggle to let people in, and Rory and Jess struggle to stay.

Luke and Lorelai are two people who had to grow up very quickly and be independent from a young age. As such, they're very defensive of the world they've created and struggle to let people in. Luke thinks it's enough to give Rachel a drawer when she stays with him and Lorelai thinks 'a thousand yellow daisies' and marriage to Max will finally make her feel loved and supported. They both realise it's not enough; Luke doesn't love Rachel the same way as he does Lorelai, and Lorelai loves the idea of Max more than the actual person. Rachel and Max haven't done anything wrong but they are not the right people for Luke and Lorelai. After these respective break-ups, Luke and Lorelai are cautious with starting to date again and hesitate to try a relationship with each other.

Rory and Jess have issues with abandonment and with being 'enough'. Rory has been told her entire life how she is special, how smart she is and how she is supposed to go to Harvard. She is Lorelai's do-over and is unable to voice the pressure she is under. To add to this, her father doesn't visit her until she is sixteen and Rory eventually learns that he is only interested in being a dad if he has a chance with Lorelai. His leaving hurts her, both when she is a kid and later when he goes back to Sherry, and Rory sees leaving or ending a relationship as the worst thing you can do (interestingly, she finds this harder to forgive than Logan cheating on her). She is so determined not to be like her parents that she is afraid to realise that she is no longer in love with Dean and has feelings for Jess. Rory bolts after kissing Jess, leaving him with the idea that she doesn't care about him at all. After they do get together and Jess leaves at the end of S3 Rory is also left with this misconception; that Jess does not care about her and she is afraid to run away with him when he asks in S4 because she no longer feels emotionally safe with him. Jess left for reasons that had nothing to do with her, such as finding his own father, but he also feels he is not 'enough'. He, like Rory, does not communicate this and so their relationship or chance of starting over breaks down.

Luke and Lorelai eventually work through this fear of being vulnerable and get married. It's less clear where Rory and Jess will end up but the door is not closed to them; Rory kisses Jess in S6 and ,although they don't get back together, they are friends by AYITL. Jess gives the advice that gets Rory back on track to who she is, as he did all those years before. Hopefully in future they try again and, this time, are willing to stay.

[nightmarearian]

Done (heavy quotation marks) with monster Ody @evergreen292 ;)

tbh I couldn’t for the life of me pick a color palette I liked And Render it so I gave up on color. Enjoy the half assery.

Tbh I’ve just been call it Ithacan Naga, but it’s objectively it’s a mix of snake, owl/bird, and human. So 🤷.

Tbh the wings are supposed to be white/gray-brown, cause owls & Hermes, while his scales are supposed to be an oscillating scale from sea green-blue to purple-tinted gray. Uhm. Evidently that sorta didn’t happen but also did. So.

The purple/grayer scales are gonna be more around with the feathers and wings.

Those fin colors are. Too blue and too bright but I love the colors themselves so they’re staying for now.

Uhm. That’s it for now, ig. I’m sorta on a timer rn and I’m tired so <3

The writing bit with this is still in the works (😭)

[triglycercule]

oh yeah before i forget cute mttpoly headcanon because i said so: when killer finds out (through SOME way of means. he has his ways) that dust and horror like something then at every chance he can he goes and finds that thing for them :3 because I SAID SO AND IT'S CUTE ‼️‼️ (something something killer has no idea how to properly show affection and appreciation after believing his whole life was meant to cause pain and suffering to those close to him and now that he's trying he does silly goofy stuff like this hehe,,,,,,, dust is DROWNING in piles of fluffy blankets and books. horror cannot keep up with eating the amount of snacks killer keeps stealing for him 😞😞😞)

[lanternlightss]

nameless bard has the cutest smile. you have to trust me on this

[gareleia]

THE KNITTING SAGA BUT HERMES IS A DUMMY

update: my co-writer friend FINALLY got a tumblr account, so I can tag them now!!

previously: part 1 part 2 part 3

next: part 5

m'kay, so, we've talked about Athena & Telemachus' issues. now let's touch on Hermes, because a Diva™ like him deserves his own post. and also because this had been sitting in my notes for so long i've genuinely forgotten about it (i'd say that it's what translating a musical does to you, but honestly my attention span is just shit)

now, as much as I love Soft Boi!Hermes, I even more so love prankster Hermes who doesn't really recognize personal boundaries or the meaning of 'too far'. he's the guy who'll commit to the bit so far, he'll commit mass murder with a Tee-Hee and genuinely wonder what has got everyone so upset.

kid!Telemachus, holding a cup of poison: grandpa, are you sure it's a good idea? I'm scared… Hermes, laughing his ass off in the corner: of course I'm sure, champ! it'll be hilarious! good ol' game of Ithacean Roulette! now dump it into the wine, let's see who we'll get this time!

at the same time, he's not selfish. he's very keen on doing things for the people he likes, and he cares enough to know when someone is distressed. he, as a god, is just so removed from traditional human morality that casual acts of cruelty are perfectly acceptable to him, while, for example, breaking an oath is a horrible sin.

think blue and orange morality stuff.

telemachus, outraged: …murdered his own family, can you imagine? hermes, equally outraged: I know, right? he gave a blood oath and broke it! disgusting! telemachus: why is that your only concern?!

but don't worry, helping to raise Telemachus and hanging around the same people consistently makes a real boy outta him gives him enough time and insight into humanity to start understand mortals better, and, as consequence, adopt some of their values.

especially the concept of spousal loyalty. Hermes is a patron god of thieves, and at the time taking someone's wife was viewed as an act of theft (because women were property, yeeesh). which is why to him Penelope's situation was less of a tragedy and more of a "well, my dumbass great-grandson Odysseus should've seen it coming. snooze you lose! ¯_(ツ)_/¯"

that is, until he gets to know her better. and suddenly she's not a prize to be won or a challenge to conquer. she's a smart, capable person that commands respect from anyone who's got a shred of self-awareness. she's got gentle hands, and a radiant smile, and a spine of steel. Penelope looked Hermes dead in the eyes and told him serenely to keep being a good influence on her son, she does not deserve to be reduced to a token and given away to the highest bidder.

hermes, initially: well, penelope's a rich, gorgeous, basically single queen. I'd steal her too, if she was my type. hermes, 10 years later: she's the smartest, ballsiest human woman I've ever met and if she only wants her Ugly Ass Groom then she'll fucking stay single until he comes back.

unfortunately for everyone else, Hermes cannot step in to protect her, because Zeus and Poseidon are both pissed off at Odysseus already, and if either of them notices Hermes (and/or Athena) interfering with mortals on Ithaca, they might take it as an invitation to follow suit, and then it'll be Troy Story 2: Electric Boogaloo.

so he stays his hand, and hangs around Telemachus discreetly, mostly posing as a human. for a god of liars, he's surprisingly bad at blending in for long periods of time. Hermes thinks he's an awesome conspirator. meanwhile little Telemachus didn't even realise it was a secret.

the only people who don't know that [insert alias] is a god in disguise are the suitors, who are notoriously either too stupid, too overconfident or too busy drinking to connect the dots. the exception is Antinous who pretends to be oblivious and makes sure the gods don't see him as a threat to their beloved little pup (otherwise he'd have killed the prince long ago).

the suitors, however, unanimously agree that they hate this weird annoying stranger, and try to get rid of him in increasingly elaborate ways, from poison to stabbing to wild animals to dropping pots on his head.

spoiler alert: it doesn't work.

hermes, next day: *comes back every morning like nothing had happened, whistling cheerily* suitors: WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!

eventually Antinous convinces them to give up so they don't piss off Hermes.

years pass, Telemachus grows. Athena teaches him strategy and arts of war. Aeolus gradually comes out of the hiding and becomes the resident lovable comic relief side character. and Hermes? he teaches the kid all the good stuff.

and it's not just lying, okay? (though it's a significant part of it) music, diplomacy, geography, street smarts, some history. he's a worldly god, had observed and been a part of countless cultures. above all else, he knows people. he may not really understand them, but he knows how to get what he wants from them, how to find common ground and how to spin things to get along with practically anyone.

and girls. Hermes helps Telemachus with girls.

because he's the cool uncle figure that Telemachus admires, the kid trusts him enough to ask the god for advice when he starts growing older and gets his first crush in his early teens.

and, on one hand, Hermes is ecstatic. on the other one…

telemachus, blushing and stuttering: there's a girl I met, she's so pretty, and cool, and, and, and how do I talk to her, do I just come up and say hi, but what if sh- hermes: … hermes: *blue screen of death* hermes: MY BABY-

it's the first time he truly starts to grasp how short the kid's life will be. because in the blink of an eye he turned from a newborn to an adolescent, and soon enough he'll have his own family, and Odysseus was already a king himself at this age, and Hermes is not ready this can't be it he can't just grow old and die

so anyway, he pushes the thought aside and pretends it never came up at all (because that always works, and bottling shit up never blows up in anyone's face, right, Athena?)

he gives lots of advice, from useless macho stuff to golden nuggets like "be yourself" and "show her respect". and, of course, he cheers from the sidelines, hiding 'inconspicuously'.

and it goes surprisingly well. the girl appears to find Telemachus' awkward attempts at flirting sweet and charming, and the boy is on the cloud nine.

but Hermes isn't. because, unlike the prince, his judgment isn't clouded by a puppy crush and he can see that the girl is actually a lying bitch, who's playing Telemachus like a fiddle, hoping to become the next queen of Ithaca. and he won't stand for it.

except Telemachus, for some reason, doesn't seen thrilled when Hermes tells him to dump the girl?? he flat out refuses to believe that, because love is blind and so are sheltered insecure teenage boys.

so Hermes, in his infinite wisdom, decides to prove to his naive little charge once and for all that the girl is just using him and doesn't actually love him. now, what's the first example of true selfless love from a woman that comes to mind to the god who had spent the last few years hanging out with the royal family of Ithaca? right, Penelope. and the one thing that characterises Penelope is her unconditional loyalty, even into the face of countless threats and temptations.

hermes, to himself: so, if I show the kid that the bitch will leave him as soon as she finds a better prospect, he will definitely admit I was right all along! and dump her! it's a perfect, easy, foolproof plan! I am so smart! what could possibly go wrong!

another spoiler alert: everything goes wrong.

the girl does happily jump into his arms as soon as he hints that he's a god/demi-god/just a cooler prince or something. she does it right in front of Telemachus, in fact, so there's no way he'd be able to deny the obvious.

on the bright side, Hermes immediately outs her as a lying bitch and publicly shames her, embarrassing her family and ruining her prospects of marriage and causing her to suffer for the rest of her life ('disproportionate revenge'? what's that?).

on the down side, for some unfathomable reason, Telemachus doesn't seem very grateful??? what???????

hermes: and so, AS ALWAYS, I was right. telemachus: hermes: but please, hold your applause! telemachus: hermes: I did it all for you, out of the goodness of my heart! telemachus: hermes: and please, don't apologize! you were wrong, I get it! no need to- telemachus: *bitch slaps his smug face and runs away, hurt and betrayed* hermes: *shocked pikachu face*

thing is, Hermes doesn't understand what he did wrong. in his mind he did a rather good deed: showed the liar's true colors, and spared the kid a lot of heartache down the line. he doesn't understand the feelings of betrayal from having someone he trusts explicitly outing him as a naive fool in front of everyone he ever dreamed of earning respect from. doesn't get the pain of having been cast aside by someone he liked in favor of a god, with whom he could never compete. can't imagine living in the shadow of someone he had never even known and being constantly reminded of all the ways he's lacking.

telemachus: I'm not a stupid child, hermes. I could've handled it. hermes: but you didn't listen to me, maybe you'd have never seen it on your own- telemachus: and maybe I would've. maybe I would've had the opportunity to find out myself, and maybe I would've learned from it, but you never gave me that choice, did you?! did you think i'm that dumb?! hermes: oh, come on, kid, you're not dumb- telemachus: THEN WHY DO YOU TREAT ME LIKE I AM?! WHY DON'T YOU EVER TRUST ME?!

aaaaand there's the core issue. Telemachus had spent his whole life being babied at best and looked down upon at worst. constantly compared to Odysseus and his more vicious peers, always shielded from making tough decisions and proving himself. he feels like he will never amount to anything, because no one ever lets him really try. as soon as it looks like he's going to make a mistake, someone (usually Athena, Aeolus or Hermes) swoops in and 'fixes' everything for him, just like they used to do when he was an accident-prone toddler. which he isn't anymore.

and Hermes doesn't understand that. to him, ten years is basically nothing. the kid can't have changed that much in ten years. because if he did, then he'll change a lot in the next ten years, and the next, and very soon he won't change anymore, because ten years are nothing and so are human livespans.

ten years are nothing, because to admit otherwise would force Hermes to face the fact that Telemachus, no matter how precious, is just as mortal as any other human. which amounts to basically losing him already. and Hermes can't.

he held that boy as an infant. he fed him, helped to teach him walk and talk and make silly faces. he can't lose this child to time, the one thing even gods can't really protect humans from.

Penelope finds Hermes sitting on her balcony with the most human expression on his face she'd ever seem him wear. he's lost, and confused, and full of regrets, and kind of terrified. in that aspect, he reminds her painfully of her husband.

hermes, mumble: he's growing older penelope, sighing: I know hermes: he's not a baby anymore penelope: believe me, I know hermes: but... what do I do now??? penelope: you let it happen. not much else you can do.

she talks him through it.

hermes, rambling: but I will lose him. I'll lose him if he grows old and dies. this is why I don't get attached to mortals, you die too soon. he can't die now. penelope: he's not going to die now. he'll become the king first, he will find a good wife and have children and grandchildren. he will become great, greater that I and his father could ever dream of. and he'll be happy. don't you want to see that? hermes: I do, but- I don't want him to grow up! penelope: then you finally know the biggest joy and the deepest pain of parenthood.

it doesn't fix his fear. doesn't fix his pain, either. but it does help fix his attitude.

because she's right. Telemachus is growing old, and he can't shelter and protect the boy forever. soon he'll become a man, then an elder. and there's nothing Hermes can do about it, short of dragging the prince to Olympus and begging Zeus to grant him immortality, which will never work.

Hermes and Telemachus make up, of course. the latter knows, deep down, that the former is just trying to take care of him. they make up and forget the fight - at least, the boy does.

Hermes will always remember.

and he will count every day, every wrinkle, every grey hair.

the joy and pain of parenthood indeed.

[fujii-draws]

Realized now that the first time Dusknoir unhinged his stomach mouth wasn’t during the stoneship fight but ACTUALLY right before the betrayal???

NO WONDER HERO AND PARTNER WERE SO AFRAID.

[mapicccc]

i do have a small fear that with shipping devotions becoming more common that it will take over them as a duo but I also have to trust that people Will still care about them

[pinchbees]

Some outta context DnD silliness

[livvyofthelake]

live action tangled is NOT real and it CANNOT hurt us

[chronosbled]

If they had a kid meme for Felix and sylvain on @spookyxbabes :3

send me a ship and I’ll tell you their:

Name: Ivanna Athena Fraldarius-Gautier

Gender: Female

General Appearance: Ivanna has her papa's (Felix's) dark blue hair and amber eyes. Her facial features are much more slender and sleek compared to her younger sister, Ideya's.

Personality: To most, Ivanna's personality seems to be that of a kind and compassionate young girl. She is very polite towards those that she knows and holds dear, never showing even the slightest hint of malice... that is until someone triggers her temper. In truth, Ivanna is exactly like Felix in every possible way — from the sassy remarks to the fiery attitude, her desire to train and do things for herself — of which often causing her and Felix to bud heads.

Special Talents: Much like Felix, Ivanna excels in swordplay and can use the perks of the Crest of Fraldarius. She is both swift and strong when using a sword, but she also possesses the ability to use magic.

Who they like better: Sylvain. Without a doubt, Ivanna's favored parent is Sylvain. After all, he lets her get away with things much easier than her papa does, not to mention he spoils her rotten due to the fact he calls her his little princess (it also helps that she looks exactly like Felix).

Who they take after more: Felix. Ivanna is 100% the spitting image of Felix in both looks and in personality.

Personal Headcanon: Ivanna is the next in line for the role of Duke within Fraldarius territory, just like Ideya is the next in line to become the new Margrave within Gautier territory, but Ivanna knows that this means she will eventually have to be without her younger sister and this scares her because she knows Ideya needs her.

Face Claim: Elizabeth von Wettin

Name: Ideya Artemis Fraldarius-Gautier

Gender: Female

General Appearance: Much like Ivanna, Ideya looks exactly like her father (Sylvain) with the same matching red-orange hair and eyes. Her facial features are much rounder than her sister's and this is due to the fact she is much younger than Ivanna.

Personality: Ideya is a very shy and quiet girl who causes everyone to wonder where she got her personality from (many believe it to be Sylvain's mother). She has a tendency to follow her papa (Felix) around compared to her father (Sylvain) because she often finds his antics too loud for her liking (not in a bad way, she simply had sound sensitivity). Additionally, Ideya is often found hiding behind her older sister, Ivanna, whenever present at large social gatherings.

Special Talents: Much like Sylvain, Ideya is well-trained with a lance and can use the perks of the Crest of Gautier. Though despite being well-trained in the ways of the lance, she has a hard time swinging it without hitting the ground due to the fact she isn't tall enough to properly wield it yet.

Who they like better: Felix. Despite Felix's very aggressive personality, Ideya is extremely close to her papa because his personality completely changes when he's with her — becoming extremely soft-spoken and patient to the point most don't believe it.

Who they take after more: Truthfully, Ideya doesn't take after Sylvain nor Felix, but instead takes after Sylvain's mother, Syvette. This is due to the fact that when Ideya was born, Sylvain and Felix often had to leave her with Sylvain's mother, and this caused her to pick up on many of her grandmother's habits and personality traits.

Personal Headcanon: Due to how large Dimitri is compared to her, Ideya often hides within Dimitri's king robes (along with Ivanna) whenever Felix wants the two of them to prepare for social events, leading for Felix to grow frustrated to the point he makes Sylvain look for the girls with him. This has become a game of sorts in Ideya's mind.

Face Claim: Duchess

[keeps-ache]

alright, perhaps it is time to start colourmaxxing

[alcremagia]

i sorta feel bad for not going to meet my boss today (she emailed me asking to come by whenever i’m next at work, which wouldn’t be until tomorrow) but also i think i just need time off after having none of it all semester really

[notaboutmeeee]

Stayed gone: stay obsessed, loser

Hell's greatest dad: loser (insult) [picture the L to forehead pose]

Loser, baby: we're losers (affectionate)

[pennamepersona]

woke up thinking about the narrative use of astarion & how weird it is that his personal quest doesn't tie into the main narrative At All bc something is wrong with me, etc

ftr, i'm saying all of this as a bigtime astarion fan. love this guy. i keep romancing him and it's begun to feel like a cry for help. And Also, @ larian it's really fucking weird that you made a guy who doesn't tie into the plot at all

i'm putting the rest of this under a readmore. also i'm maintagging this mostly just for being able to find it later, if anybody wants to come @ me then pls know i basically never engage w/ tumblr and you'll probably be disappointed.

best i have for a real justification is that astarion exists in part for players who want to be Evil And Fucked Up. none of the other companions are fully down with using the tadpole powers or trying to take over the cult. and it is genuinely good to have a companion who gives you that option! if players who wanted to explore the fucked up options had complete disapproval from every companion, it would be kinda feelbad and make those options feel less like a real choice you're allowed to make.

why does that matter re: astarion being entirely detached from the main narrative? thank you for asking. it means that "guy who is down for being fucked up and taking over the cult" doesn't come across as secretly being in league with the bad guys the whole time. astarion having no link to ketheric, orin, or gortash means that his power play ideas don't make you suspicious that he's been lying to you and is just waiting to deliver you to the Chosen.

to be clear: still weird that he has no direct tie-in. but this is the best reason i could think of for why he'd be so completely not involved.

the other Point Of Him, i think, is for The Dark Urge. it's no secret that astarion is a killer parallel for durge. i'm not gonna go into that but goddamn, i love it.

and if we're looking at things from the durge perspective, i think it kinda works for astarion to be so detached. he then becomes Random Baldurian Affected By Durge's Actions and it adds more strength to him also functioning as a piece of nuance for the tadpoles. he's the only one who directly benefits from the tadpoles existing! and that on its own is a cool bit of narrative. i think the durge side of things makes astarion's narrative tie in just a bit more. we've now got Dude Who Was Saved By Player Character (Albeit Unintentionally). i think it adds more depth to the durge narrative, and if the dark urge was the only non-origin option and tav didn't exist, i think it makes astarion's lack of narrative relevance a bit less glaring.

tldr; useful for the guy who's down to be fucked up to not be involved with the villains At All so you don't get suspicious of him and the option to be fucked up feels like more of a real option

(also tasty durge & astarion narrative depth)

[toyfulbox]

[[ do you rp with muses who have a live-action face claim? and- if yes- do you prefer writing with or without using icons/gifs? apologies for the long question but i was confused after reading your rules about irl show characters ]]

hey! yeah i don't mind it of course! and i could go with/without writing icons for them if i am writing with someone who uses a live-action faceclaim!

the thing with my irl rule is that i don't rp with the actual person themselves. but if they're playing a character themselves, then its fine! ex: i wont rp with someone who plays jim carrey, but if they play someone who uses him as a faceclaim for their character/oc then i will allow it

sometimes i just find the thought of an irl person talking with some guy from an anime/game/insert media here silly and it makes me giggle. but i allow it!! i hope thats a sufficient answer!

[rosicheeks]

Of course it's you I want to put a baby in, silly. You're cute and would make cute babies, and I know I'd breed you fully because if you squirt on my chest, I'll drive my cock into your womb so hard, you'll know the moment you get pregnant when I cum.

oh……. OH 👀👀👀👀👀👀