#but that again to highlight the sacrifices she made as a mother

[cami1a]

one of my biggest problems with the show is actually camila leaving billy. not to say that i think women should stay with an unfaithful man, i’m the dump him friend and would never advocate for that. however, camila’s speech to daisy in the book was such an impactful way of showing that women who decide to leave are strong but so are women who decide to stay and that you can’t judge a woman just on that one decision. on the other hand, i’m really glad the show gave us the moments when camila confronts billy because i feel like that was omitted from the books. but for camila to choose billy and to choose the family she’s created with her daughter was also very powerful. i think the show really pigeonholed into the socially approved idea of what a strong woman looks like while dismissing that book camila’s choice was just as hard and just as strong.

[galedekarios]

Hey! You're my go-to blog when it comes to Gale. I love your meta about him, your insight and your knowledge of his character. This being said, I'd like to know your opinion of this line in his romance:

“To know you love me for the man I am, and not the magic I command... None have loved me so purely before.”

Do you think he's talking about romantic love here? Because his mother and Tara clearly love him for the person he is, too. Or are his insecurities and the idea of himself so strong that he can't see this? Thank you in advance, have a great evening!

thank you so much! 🖤

personally, i do think that he does mean this in a romantic context.

HOWEVER, having said that, i do think there are different insecurities woven into his perception of relationships that venture outside of his worth due to magic, and into his worth as a person who is in need of help and support - yet considering the core of why that is, they are also connected.

what i mean by that is that there are moments in particular that make me believe he feels a burden to people, because he is in need of help and - from his perception - makes others 'work' to help him, he asks a "sacrifice" of people (needing magical artefact so he consume the weave inside to stabilise the netherese orb) that is so great in his eyes that he feels the need to convince them that said sacrifice is worth the "investment".

i realise this is sort of going in two directions, but i don't think i can answer this differently so i hope you'll bear with me for a bit:

i'll try to look at the relationships you mentioned in your ask separately to illustrate what exactly i mean.

1. from what little we do know about morena, nearly every time she is mentioned it's made clear that she truly and unequivocally loves gale, and i do believe gale is aware that she loves him, too - and really, truly just for him.

we have these two convos with tara that highlight how that love (both are from gale's origin playthrough):

Tara the Tressym: Well, if it isn't my favourite fellow himself. Gale: How are things back in Waterdeep? Tara the Tressym: More or less the same - though news of some mad faction calling themselves 'Absolutists' is starting to trickle in. Tara the Tressym: I told your mother not to worry. That if they were anything to worry about, Baldur's Gate would handle things quick-sharp. Keep them from spreading their tendrils north. She still wants to know when she'll see you again, sir. I avoid giving any answers. But she misses you. Gale: I miss her too. Tara the Tressym: I'll tell her. With my Cat Flap of Displacement, I can afford the occasional visit. I'd bring you along, if I could. Perhaps some day. - Gale: I can't risk putting her in danger. Tara the Tressym: I know that, but she doesn't. She'd keel over if she knew just how you'd tried to manipulate the Weave. Or maybe she'd just say something like, 'My Gale always was one to make the impossible possible.' Oh, but she adores you.

and this one from act ii:

Gale: Will you love me when I'm a mind flayer? Tara the Tressym: Depends. Are mind flayers warm-blooded? If so, my prize napping spot on your lap won't be compromised. In which case, I suppose we could find an accord. And, of course, your mother would still think you a prince, no matter how many tentacles you had. And with a nautiloid, you may even manage to visit her more often.

from the one tiny snippet (that is still bugged) in which gale mentions his mother to the player character, he seems quite assured in that love his mother has for him as well:

Player: So your last name is Dekarios? Gale: It is. Courtesy of my mother, the inimitable, dare I say it sometimes unavoidable, Morena Dekarios. It's been so long since I've used it. 'Gale Dekarios' cut a poor figure next to the wizard prowess of 'Gale of Waterdeep'. [...] - Player: Doesn't your matter mind? Gale: Oh, she's happy if I'm happy. Morena couldn't care one jot what I call myself. Tara's the real stickler for using it. Has done since I summoned her. I'd prefer you not follow her exmaple, if that's all the same to you. 'Gale' is more than sufficient.

she's happy if he's happy.

i think the only thing that detrimental to the relationship with his mother is the orb, the shame he feels over what has happened and fearing he may put her in danger. which, sadly, is a valid concern to have. these fears aren't only echoed in the conversations with tara. we have this bit from the same conversation as well:

Player: You’re right. Just 'Gale’ is better. Gale: I agree. And on the plus side, if I get myself into any truly cataclysmic straits during the remainder of our journey, my family name will go untarnished.

his family name will go untarnished and with that, his mother's name.

this is more speculative, but in another meta i mentioned that i do believe that gale's father left the family at some point, abandoning morena and gale. his father also is not mentioned in the letter from elminster in god!gale's ending:

this could of course be meaningless and his father simply may not have been there at this point in time, but i think this overall goes with the theme of an absent father and it may have brought gale and morena even closer.

2. tara herself doesn't let gale doubt her love him when the game allows her to be there.

she is extremely quick to try and beat any and all self-deprecating remarks gale may make. she is aghast at mystra's demands to the point of saying that she is considering picking up a crossbow to "put the gods" out of "our business." she's always been there for him, and she always will be. she's his longest friend and companion, as well as colleague.

i've picked a another example here to illustrate what i mean:

this very sadly appears to be cut content (tara was supposed to be there for a companion gale as well), but:

Gale: You seem to have fared well enough without me, Tara. You look positively prosperous. Gale: Or should I say, positively proser-puss! Ha! Tara the Tressym: No, you should not say that ever again. Gale: Apologies! Couldn't help myself. Tara the Tressym: True enough. That's why I came looking - to help, if I could. Gale: I have not failed to notice. I truly do not deserve such loyal companionship. Tara the Tressym: Yes, you do.

unfortunately, like i said, tara as gale's familiar and companion was cut from the final version of the game, so while we do know that gale is aware of all that tara has done for him (considering the conversation from the tiefling party, helping him through his isolation, finding out what his condition needs to be treated, getting magical artefacts for him, etc.), we have act iii companion gale saying this:

Gale: Tara remains as wilfull as ever, but I'm glad you've finally made her acquaintance. Given the length of my time away, I feared she might have given up on me. I should have known better - she'd never do such a thing.

while this is not gale thinking tara doesn't love him for who he is, it is very much gale thinking that tara may have given up on him because of their time apart.

there are definitely insecurities lurking there in the vein of "i cost her so much effort and so much work, so maybe now that i've been away for so long, she's finally had enough."

it's very sad to see.

3. when gale talks about previous lovers he has this to say:

Player: Gale, am I the first... mortal being you've been with? Gale: What a question... Gale: No, you are not the first. Though you are the first since my relationship with Mystra came to its ignominous end. Gale: When the true danger posed by my condition became apparent, I had no choice but to sequester myself away from civilised society. A reclusive wizard - who'd have thought? Gale: After so long with Mystra, I have to say the pleasures of mortal love are much sweeter than I remember. Though perhaps that's simply because it's with you.

this tells us that he must have had at least one lover before. yet, and that is where the quote in your ask is from, he also says this:

Player: What does our relationship mean to you? Gale: You must know, our relationship is the brightest spot in our otherwise bleak endeavour. Gale: To know you love me for the man I am, and not the magic I command... None have loved me so purely before. Gale: You are everything to me, and yet our relationship is only a nascent fraction of what it will become. You give me hope, and I've not had that in some time.

i think we can extrapolate from that that not only his relationship with mystra made him feel these insecurities, but that the relationships he had previous may have also fed into this perception of his worth as a romantic partner is tied to his magical abilities.

it's not hard to imagine: waterdeep is very much a city of intrigue. gale was not only a graduate of blackstaff academy, but a powerful archwizard and a chosen of mystra.

4. lastly, i want to talk a bit more about what i said in the beginning and when i talked about tara and companion!gale: that gale feels he is a burden / an investment.

it's already reflected a bit in the way that he believes his relationship with tara has deteriorated in act iii simply because of the distance between them now that he has been away from waterdeep for a prolonged amount of time.

the first time you can get a sense for this aspect of gale is when you agree right away to help him with his condition. there's a prolonged amount of silence and it's clear on his face that he didn't expect you to agree so quickly and without needing to be persuaded.

Gale: Thank you. I see my trust in you was not misplaced! Gale: I'm sure we won't have to look very far to find what I need: Faerûn overflows with magic-infused treasure. Gale: As do our packs, as a matter of fact. We've such an item already in our possession, primed for the moment the need arises. Gale: I know the allure magic artefacts hold. I understand their value and their power. All this to say: I understand the sacrifice I ask of you.

Player: No. If you aren't willing to tell me the truth, I'm not helping you. Gale: I understand that I'm asking for a lot, but I can't tell you everything.

he makes sure to thank the player deeply every time they do give him an artefact, bowing to them, citing their "boundless kindness" and it's also why he is also quick to reassure them that there will be an upside for them, making this "sacrifice" for his sake.

gale's power and knowledge and skills as a wizard.

he is useful and he can make himself useful.

your "investment" in him now will be "worth" the return later.

in conclusion, i hope now it's clearer why i felt like i had to bring these two things together. i believe they are clearly interwoven with each other.

also sorry for rambling! this got away from me a bit. 🖤

[lemonhemlock]

The episode where Rhaenys busts through the floor and murders countless smallfolk and it having absolutely no narrative consequences on the story or condemnation of Rhaenys' character, and the episode where Aegon murders the ratcatchers causing Otto to crash out have this whole monlogue about Aegon being The Worst being written by the same writer really tells you all you need to know about HOTD. And before you ask, yes, they were both written by Sara Hess lmao.

Yeah, I know there was discourse a while ago, because this dissatisfaction regressed into racist and misogynistic attacks directed at Sara Hess. Obviously, that's vile and people should, first of all, rid themselves of this despicable framework of viewing the world (because, as always, this is absolutely just another opportunity to dunk on a woman - these people don't care about good storytelling) and, secondly, learn how to actually formulate an argument that doesn't sound like the ramblings of a basement-dweller.

That being said, she is categorically not a good writer, there's no other way to put it. She can come up with some good ideas (or, at least, a glimmer of good ideas - for example, the daemyra argument in S02E02 was good - one of the season's highlights, actually) and her line-level writing is... adequate. But, on the whole, her record on House of the Dragon is littered with inaccuracies and logical fallacies. I haven't seen her other shows, but I decidedly have no desire to and will be actively avoiding if I see her name. And I am including Ryan Condal in this mess, too, because he has the ultimate say-so on how the scripts look. These two together truly are the blind leading the deaf.

I think the ratcatcher pity party was, in a way, a reaction to all the backlash she received for the Meleys dragonpit scene. But, instead of fixing her mistake and making it work in the context of what she had already written, she made some absolutely abysmal storytelling choices that defy common sense and contradict her own text. A very easy fix to this would have been to show the population of King's Landing become very anti- Meleys, Rhaenys and, by extension, Rhaenyra. But, of course, the wider narrative set by her genius colleagues was that KL couldn't possible have any negative feelings towards Rhaenyra, so it's completely swept under the rug and the commoners are made to consider Meleys' death a bad omen.

But, naturally, they had to do something about all the criticisms that they are not focusing on the negative effects this war has on the population. However, instead of showing that in a balanced way, they decided to pile all these evils on the greens again. Rhaenyra faces no backlash from the low-born for any of her actions. She does sacrifice them to Vermithor, essentially, by preventing their exit and it's framed as the beginning of her moral compromises and falling into self-aggrandizing behaviour. Yes. But where are the consequences to this? There are no consequences. These dragonseeds don't seem to have any family who are asking questions about them or blaming Rhaenyra for setting them on fire, basically. Not even one noble person hears of this and goes "hmmm that's kind of fucked up actually". Larys, the literal Master of Spies, who might have reasonably be shown to have found out this inside information via his network of spies, might have had some lines informing the green council about this awful thing Rhaenyra has done. Might have even informed the population, in order to turn them against her. But no, of course not, we can't have anyone actually be anti-Rhaenyra.

Meanwhile, we have close-ups of the fucking dog longing for the ratcatcher who literally kicked it in a previous scene. How do you even qualify the framing decision to invite the audience to feel sorry for a child-murderer? To feel more sorry for him than for the actual mother of said murdered child? We have Otto, of all people, lecturing Aegon about how over-the-top he is acting, because he executed a couple of ratcatchers. Otto, who, by the way, is shown in S01E09 to be executing people because they would not bend the knee to Aegon. Otto does not value commoner lives more than noble-borns (last season, he refuses to outlaw child pit fighting and, even in the previous episode, he gets annoyed by Aegon ruling too much in the smallfolk's favour), but he grows a temporary conscience for the purpose of this one scene, because we have to engineer another situation in which Aegon looks cruel or stupid (or both, preferably). Alicent's entire household was purged by Larys for supposedly being Mysaria's spies, the brothel was even set on fire and she gave zero fucks about that, but Aegon's ratcatcher execution is somehow one step too far.

I have said this before, but just thinking "civilians don't matter" in the ASOIAF universe betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the themes and message. Can you ultimately be anything other than a "bad" writer if you miss the point to such a degree? And you can tell that's her true opinion about all this, because she can't write a storyline in which civilians do matter to save her life. The suffering of the lower classes only matters in her stories just as far as she can instrumentalize it to demonize the greens. She's not interested in any kind of systemic exploration, because that would also involve the blacks and it would interfere with Rhaenyra's hero framing. Like Ryan Condal, she doesn't have the chops to write beyond the hero-villain binary, hence all the flip-flopping and the retconning and the logical fallacies. And, at the end of the day, I can just watch a Marvel movie for that, you know?

[toodleoorblx]

Light Affections

Rio Vidal x Agatha Harkness

Word count: 1,528

Summary: Rio makes Agatha something special

Warnings: Cursing, light smut, fear

A/N: Enjoy!

Agatha watches her. Her love. Her reason for peace. Her wife.

Rio is in the greenhouse, her lab, doing whatever spontaneous plant mutation comes to her brilliant mind. Just for fun. She’s so effortlessly brilliant, so carefree, completely absorbed in her work. Agatha stands in the doorway, leaning against the frame, her eyes fixed on Rio, who’s utterly unaware of the gaze on her. Blue surgical gloves cover Rio’s hands, her goggles perched on her face, and she wears the same old lab coat Agatha gifted her years ago. It’s worn now, but it suits her. She looks entirely in her element, surrounded by a jungle of ferns and vines, chemicals, and herbs.

Agatha had built this greenhouse for Rio as a surprise, knowing how much she would adore it. After all, she married nature’s incarnate—Mother Nature herself. A goddess in every sense. From the moment they met, Agatha was captivated, entirely infatuated with Rio and her magic, with all of her. Centuries ago, they discovered that Rio had Bipolar Disorder, but Agatha doesn’t see it as a flaw. She loves both sides of Rio equally, with all her being.

In the present, Rio looks radiant. The sunlight streams through the glass panes of the greenhouse, highlighting her big brown eyes, making them glow with a golden warmth. Her tan skin gleams, the sun enhancing her natural radiance. Her dark hair tumbles over her shoulders, a perfect mess of waves that fall just right.

She’s utterly ethereal.

And Agatha feels… like she’s just there. She’s been feeling small, insignificant , her lack of magic gnawing at her more and more. It burns her inside, knowing that Wanda is still out there, playing with magic that isn’t hers to wield. It makes Agatha feel sick, remembering the centuries of work, the endless pain and sacrifice, only to have her magic stolen by an inexperienced witch. Wanda took something from her, her uniqueness, her power, the very thing that made her feel alive.

It makes Agatha want to scream. And she does. Scream. In her sleep, according to Rio. The night terrors still haunt her—vivid flashbacks to her time as Agnes. Being trapped in her own mind, helpless, a puppet in someone else’s play. The memory alone sends chills through her body. But she’s free now.

Before her imprisonment, magic was everything. Her driving force. But now? Now, it's Rio. Agatha feels a stab of guilt. She never neglected her wife, not consciously, but she knows she didn’t give Rio the attention she deserved. Watching her now, simply doing something so mundane, feels like watching a goddess walk among mortals.

Rio has promised to help her reclaim her magic, to find it again. But so far, Wanda has been elusive. Still, Rio says she won’t give up.

Agatha moves across the room with quiet, deliberate steps. She stands there for a moment, watching Rio work, her movements precise and graceful, completely immersed in her creation. A soft smile tugs at Agatha’s lips before she wraps her arms firmly around Rio's waist, pulling her close. She rests her chin on Rio’s shoulder, breathing in the familiar, earthy scent of her wife, a mixture of fresh herbs and something distinctly her.

Señor Scratchy trails behind her, hopping up onto his usual bed of leaves on the desk beside them. The bunny chirps happily at the sight of Rio, his nose twitching in contentment as he settles into his spot, observing the scene as if he too were part of their quiet ritual.

“Hey, darling…” Agatha murmurs, her voice fond and teasing, lips brushing close to Rio’s ear. Her arms tighten just slightly around Rio’s waist, drawing her in with a gentle squeeze.

Rio pauses, her work momentarily forgotten as a smile spreads across her face. She slips off her gloves and turns her head slightly, fingers sliding into Agatha’s hair with an affectionate touch. “Hey, sweetheart,” she replies, her tone warm and soft.

Agatha hums in contentment, the simple touch of Rio’s fingers in her hair sending a wave of relaxation through her. She presses her cheek against Rio’s shoulder blade, her body melting into the familiar comfort of her wife’s presence. Her gaze shifts to the workstation, curiosity sparking in her eyes as she tilts her head to see what Rio is working on.

“What are you up to, dear?” she asks, amusement lacing her tone.

Rio doesn’t turn, but her voice holds that air of mystery Agatha knows so well. “I was making something for you.”

Agatha’s curiosity flares, and she perks up, her smirk widening. “Oh really? And what exactly are you making for me?” she drawls, leaning in just a bit closer, her lips now pressing kisses to the curve of Rio’s neck. Her grip around Rio’s waist tightens just a fraction, pulling her a little closer, as if to coax the answer from her.

With a smile tugging at her lips, Rio turns in Agatha’s arms, meeting her gaze with a mischievous smirk of her own. “It’s something I’ve been working on for a while now,” she says, her eyes flashing with that supernatural green light that Agatha adores, a flicker of power that never fails to make her heart race.

Agatha’s smirk transforms into a full grin. That familiar spark of magic, that confidence—it makes Agatha’s breath catch every time. And that smirk? It’s enough to make her weak in the knees.

“Well, go on… don’t keep it a secret from me.”

Rio raises her hand, and with a graceful flick of her fingers, her magic begins to swirl and coalesce. The air shimmers as a flower slowly takes shape in her palm, its form delicate and otherworldly, it's unfamiliar. Agatha watches, entranced, as the flower fully manifests—a stunning bloom of purples, each petal a different shade, from deep violet to soft lavender, blending into a vibrant tapestry of color. The base of the flower is a striking green, and two of the petals bear delicate, swirling letters—an "A" and an "H," interwoven in beautiful cursive with the magic that pulses faintly from the bloom. Wisps of purple energy drift from the flower, giving it an ethereal, almost living quality.

“I made this flower to symbolize you,” Rio says, her voice gentle but filled with meaning. “The color represents your magic, how there’s more than one part of you that’s beautiful, different shades to the masterpiece that I call Agatha Harkness. The initials, for your name, to mark it as yours, and only yours. The wispy magic, to show your freeness—how you can’t be held down by the restricting conforms of humanity and mortals. And the green stem… that’s to show that with or without me, you’ll always flourish.”

Rio’s gaze softens as she finishes, the flower glowing softly in her hand. “It’s a new species of flower, I made it myself.” she adds. “I named it Mosaic Ahies.”

Agatha’s breath catches in her throat as she gazes at the flower, but her attention is drawn completely to Rio. The flower is beautiful, there’s no doubt about that—but the love and thought behind it, the depth of Rio’s words, are what truly overwhelms her. She stares at Rio, awe and love shining in her eyes, her heart swelling with emotion.

“Darling…” Agatha’s voice is soft, kind. “This is… immaculate.”

Her throat tightens, a lump forming that she struggles to swallow past. She’s not used to being rendered speechless, but Rio has a way of unraveling her control.

With delicate fingers, Agatha reaches out, gently lifting the flower between her thumb and forefinger. She brushes the petals lightly, marveling at the soft, velvety texture, at the wisps of magic dancing around it. The beauty of the flower alone is staggering, but knowing that Rio crafted it specifically for her? It’s almost too much to take in.

“You… you fucking created a new species of flower… for me ?” Agatha rasps, more so to herself. Her train of thought catches as she gazes up at Rio, her pupils dilated with emotion, her mind reeling from the mere thought of what her wife had done.

Rio’s eyes soften, a shy smile tugging at her lips as she fidgets with Agatha’s hand, her fingers caressing Agatha’s in gentle, absentminded strokes. “I’d do anything for you,” she says softly, her voice full of sincerity, as though creating something entirely new was the most natural thing in the world when it came to Agatha.

Agatha’s heart stirs, overwhelmed by love, and in the next moment, she moves without hesitation. She cups Rio’s face in both hands and kisses her—fiercely, deeply, as though she could pour every bit of her emotion into that one action. Her tongue slides against Rio’s, a heated, desperate kiss that speaks of both gratitude and the intensity of her feelings. Agatha presses Rio back against the table, her body leaning into hers, Agatha’s knee slots between Rio’s legs.

Rio responds instantly, her hands finding Agatha’s waist, pulling her closer, her fingers gripping her. Agatha pulls away just enough to whisper against her lips, her breath hot and heavy.

“I fucking love you.”

[kkoct-ik]

what are we thinking

(explanations / elaborations under the cut)

confidence: ★★★ = most, ☆☆☆ = least

★★☆ mew-chan: there's a popular theory about Gin's apparent significance that suggests any number of things are hidden in mew-chan. i dont feel strongly on one theory or another, but i think it's a solid idea

★★★ Sara does not win (the game): i think it would be poetic if in spite of her win rate / being favoured she refuses to win or otherwise destroys the game

★★★ one bad end: like the mindbreak / Q-taro escapes ending, i think it would be fun if there was a way to fail during the minigame segment

★★☆ Keiji gets decimated: he's overdue and if i don't get to see his mangled corpse i'll be very disappointed. i do not think he is surviving to the main game, and if he does, i think he will be the Sacrifice (there's a convincing argument about how this is the only card he has not had thus far)

★★★ Kai & Joe: this is a loose end i hope is tied up. i'm very invested in Joe's relevance and how suspicious / strange some of his behaviour in chapter 1 is

★☆☆ mishima's head / collar: Midori assumes his collar is how Keiji 'cheated' the russian roulette, so the game clearly hasn't forgotten about it. assuming he is actually dead, i speculate it will be used to cheat / cause issues at some point in 3-2, depending on who actually has it

★★★ Meister doppelgänger: Safalin's clue that floormasters die after meeting their doppelgänger is never used during 3-1's russian roulette. one version of Sara's father and Meister have the same sprites. if Mr. C is not Meister, he is his doppel. if Mr. C is Meister, Dummy!Mr. C is his doppel (see two Mr. Chidouins square)

★☆☆ hospital bed: this is a loose end im looking out for. i've seen some insane cope theories about it & i'm not huge on any in particular, but i would love to see it cleared up

★★★ BANGER music: this should have been the free space but i'm really looking forward to it

★☆☆ we cannot save the Dummies: sorry dummy fans. the game has made a point to make the cast come to terms with the fact that human lives are more important than dummy lives. i think this theme of the value of life will become relevant at least one more time

★★☆ Hades' descendants: Q-taro is an orphan, Reko/Alice & Shin/Kanna are siblings (ie. have one set of parents between them), Gin has a step-father, Sara may or may not be adopted; i think there is some link between the participants' parents and why they were sought out by ASU-NARO

★☆☆ Midori's doll body: it's still out there. where did it go. this is not an insane cope that we see Midori again, i kind of hope we don't, but his fixed dummy body is still in the equation

★★☆ ASU-NARO Gin: ties into the mew-chan theory, elaborates on it. i don't believe he's a liar, but i do think there are a lot of inconsistencies around him. also Miley mother theory is solid and we are definitely not all delusional

★★★ Shin revenge: Shin swears to kill all of us. i specify Keiji because he could realistically be killed (Shin has a soft spot for Gin, and we are the protagonist). i don't really think Shin will anybody, but i think he will be given the opportunity to. (that said if there is an ending where he loses his mind and kills us all i will not complain)

★★★ suicide: whether it's a noble one like Kai's, or a deranged one like Gashu's, i am almost certain there will be a suicide

★★☆ floormaster collars: hey it's the reason i made this bingo at all. i think every single floormaster being trapped by the game (bar Midori, but i'll get to that) is an insane reveal (not just Gashu; if you look at them, all of their necks are hidden from us exactly where a collar would be). i'd love to see a floormaster executed or have their lack of autonomy highlighted in some other way

★★☆ cast revival: i think this would be fucked up, and the technology exists. it also ties into the theme of the value of life, the theme of grief, et cetera

★★★ two Mr. Chidouins: this is my personal tinhat theory that combines the fact that Mr. Chidouin has two distinct sets of sprites, and the fact that the Mr. Chidouin Kai speaks to says he is not Sara's 'real father' (commonly interpreted as adoption, but it's possible this is because this Mr. Chidouin is a dummy). accordingly i think Meister-like Mr. Chidouin (that we see in the winner's room with Sara) is his real/human version

★★☆ memorandum author: i have no strong copes on who (Mr. C / Meister / anyone else), but chances are they will become very relevant as the purpose of the game is finally revealed, and i am assuming we will meet them in person (ie. that they are not long dead)

★★☆ massacre / slaughter ending: either a Sacrifice win or a 'contestant kills everybody in a brutal bloody way' bad end. i will not accept anything ambiguous; i'm looking for an ending where everyone is Dead

☆☆☆ vows & trials: i was going to specifically manifest Gin's first trial being revealed, but i've decided this is my cope square. i want to know about all of them

★★★ Keiji's vow: Mr. Policeman had a kid. "jou" pun. i firmly believe Joe is Mr. Policeman's kid and Keiji's vow was to atone for / get closure for his crime by meeting Mr. Policeman's kid. i hope it recontextualises Joe's initial suspicion of Keiji / attitudes towards police too

★★☆ three new characters: in my mind: Ms. Shortcake (we know of), the dummy version of Mr. Chidouin (previously only seen in Kai's flashback, but likely to become relevant), and a secret third thing. i know this square is a little cheap, but you never know

★★☆ Midori is a huge liar: Midori is at the Least not a traditional floormaster (not a dessert, openly antagonistic & violent towards participants, can remove his collar, was originally supposed to participate), so i speculate that he does not have to follow the floormaster's code, and therefore is able to lie. this boils down to the fact that i simply don't believe that Joe was a handicap, and am suspicious about what is being told to us about AI Sara as well

[acourtofquestions]

Kingdom of Ash Chapter 62

Chapter Highlights (but let’s be real all this chapter already is)

The Crochans did not scatter to the winds.

As one, the Thirteen and the Crochans flew to the southwest, toward the outer reaches of the Fangs. To another secret camp, since the location of the other was well and truly compromised. Farther from Terrasen, but closer to Morath, at least.

A small comfort, Dorian thought, when they found a secure place to camp for the night. The wyverns might have been able to keep going, but the Crochans on their brooms could not fly for so long. They'd flown until darkness had nearly blinded them all, landing only after the Shadows and Crochans had agreed on a secure place to stay.

Watches were set, both on the ground and in the sky. If the two surviving Matrons were to retaliate for their humiliating defeat, it would be now. The Crochans and Asterin had spent much of their time today laying misleading tracks, but only time would tell if they'd escaped.

The night was frigid enough that they took the time to erect tents, the wyverns huddling together against one of the rocky overhangs.

And though no fires would have been wiser, the cold threatened to be so lethal that Glennis had taken the sacred flame from the glass orb where it was held while traveling and ignited her fire.

Others had followed suit, and while glamours would be in place to hide the camp, the fires, from enemy eyes, Dorian couldn't entirely forget that the Ironteeth Matrons had found them regardless.

Sleep had almost dragged him under when a burst of cold slithered into the tent, then vanished. He knew who it was before she sat beside his bedroll, and when he opened his eyes, he found Manon with her knees drawn up, arms braced atop them.

She stared into the dimness of his tent, the space illumined with silvery light from the glowing stars on her brow.

"You don't have to wear it all the time," he said. "We're allowed to take them off."

Golden eyes slid toward him. "I've never seen you wear a crown."

"The past few months haven't provided much access to the royal collection." He sat up.

"And I hate wearing them anyway. They dig mercilessly into my head."

A hint of a smile. "This is not so heavy."

"Since it seems made of light itself, I'd imagine not." Though that crown would weigh heavily in other ways, he knew.

"So you're talking to me," she said, not bothering to segue gracefully.

"I talked to you before."

"Is it because I am now queen?"

"You were queen prior to today."

Her golden eyes narrowed, scanning him for the answer she sought. Dorian let her do it, and returned the favor. Her breathing was steady, her posture at ease for once.

"I thought it would be more satisfying. To see her run." Her grandmother. "When you killed your father, what did you feel?"

"Rage. Hate." He didn't balk from the truth in his words, the ugliness.

She chewed on her lower lip, no sign of those iron teeth. A rare, silent admission of doubt. "Do you think I should have killed her?"

"Some might say yes. But humiliating her like that," he said, considering, "might weaken her and the Ironteeth forces more than her death. Killing her might have rallied the Ironteeth against you."

"I killed the Yellowlegs Matron."

"You killed her, spared the Blueblood witch, and your grandmother fled. That's a demoralizing defeat. Had you killed them all, even killed just your grandmother and the Yellowlegs Matron, it could have turned their deaths into noble sacrifices on behalf of the Ironteeth Clans."

She nodded, her golden eyes settling on him again with that preternatural clarity and stillness. "I am sorry," she said. "For how I spoke when I learned of your plans to go to Morath."

He was stunned enough that he just blinked.

Stunned enough that humor was his only shield as he said, "Seems like that Crochan do-gooder behavior is rubbing off on you, Manon."

A half smile at that. "Mother help me if I ever become so dull."

But Dorian's amusement faded away. "I accept your apology." He held her gaze, letting her see the truth in it.

It seemed answer enough for her. Answer, and somehow the final clue to what she sought.

Her golden eyes guttered. "You're leaving," she breathed. "Tomorrow."

He didn't bother to lie. "Yes."

It was time. She had faced her grandmother, had challenged what she'd created. It was time for him to do the same. He didn't need Damaris's confirming warmth or the spirits of the dead to tell him that.

"How?"

"You witches have brooms and wyverns. I've learned to make my own wings."

For a few breaths, she said nothing. Then she lowered her knees, twisting to face him fully. "Morath is a death trap."

"It is."

"I—we cannot go with you."

"I know."

He could have sworn fear entered her eyes.

Yet she didn't rage at him, roar at him-didn't so much as snarl. She only asked, "You're not afraid to go alone?"

"Of course I'm afraid. Anyone in their right mind would be. But my task is more important than fear, I think."

Anger flickered over her face, her shoulders tensing.

Then it faded and was replaced by something he had seen only earlier today-that queen's face. Steady and wise, edged with sorrow and bright with clarity. Her eyes dipped to the bedroll, then lifted to meet his own. "And if I asked you to stay?"

The question also took him by surprise. He carefully thought through his answer. "I'd need a very convincing reason, I suppose.

Her fingers went to the buckles and buttons of her leathers, and began to loosen them.

"Because I don't want you to go," was all she said.

His heart thundered as she revealed inch after inch of bare, silken skin. Not a seductive removal of her clothing, but rather an offer laid bare.

Manon said softly, "We could make an alliance. Between Adarlan, and the Crochans. And any Ironteeth who might follow me."

It was her answer, he realized. To his request for a convincing reason to remain.

She took his hand, and interlaced their fingers.

It was more intimate than anything they'd shared, more vulnerable than she'd ever allowed herself to be. "An alliance," she said, throat bobbing, "between you and me."

Her golden eyes lifted to his, the offer gleaming there.

To marry. To unite their peoples in the strongest, most unbreakable of terms.

"You don't want that," he said with equal quiet. "You would never want to be shackled to any man like that."

He could see the truth there, in her beautiful face. That she agreed with him. But she shook her head, the starlight dancing on her hair. "The Crochans have not offered to fly to war. I have not yet dared ask them. But if I had the strength of Adarlan beside me, perhaps they might be convinced at last."

If they had not been convinced by today's triumph, then nothing would change their minds. Even their queen offering up the freedom she craved so badly.

That Manon would even consider it, though

...

Dorian twined a wave of her silver hair around his finger. For a heartbeat, he allowed himself to drink her in.

She would be his wife, his queen. She was already his equal, his match, his mirror in so many ways. And with their union, the world would know it.

But he could see the bars of the cage that would creep closer, tighter, every day. And either break her wholly, or turn her into something neither of them wished her to ever be.

"You would marry me, all so we could aid Terrasen in this war?"

"Aelin is willing to die to end this conflict. Why should she bear the brunt of sacrifice?"

And there it was, her answer, though he knew she didn't realize it.

Sacrifice.

Dorian's other hand went to the buttons of her pants, and freed them with a few, deft maneuvers. Revealing the long, thick scar across her abdomen.

Would he have shown the restraint that Manon did today, had he faced her grandmother?

Absolutely not.

"You were right," she said quietly. "I am afraid." Manon laid her hand over his. "I am afraid that you will go into Morath and return as something I do not know. Something I shall have to kill."

"I know." Those same fears haunted his steps.

Her fingers tightened on his, pressing harder. As if she were trying to imprint his hand upon the heart racing beneath. "Would you stay here, if we had this alliance between us?" He heard every word left unspoken.

So Dorian brushed his mouth against hers. Manon let out a small sound.

Dorian kissed her again, and her tongue met his, hungry and searching. Then her hands were plunging into his hair, both of them rising onto their knees to meet halfway.

Manon drew her hands from him to remove the glittering crown atop her head, but he halted her with a phantom touch. "Don't," he said, voice near-guttural. "Leave it on."

Her eyes turned to molten gold, going heavy-lidded, tipping her head back.

His mouth went dry at the beauty that threatened to undo him, the temptation that his every instinct roared to claim. Not the body, but what she had offered.

He almost said yes, then.

Was almost selfish enough, greedy enough for her, that he nearly said yes. Yes, he would take her as his queen. So he might never have to say farewell to this, so that this magnificent, fierce witch might remain by his side for all his days.

Manon reached for him, fingers digging into his shoulders, and Dorian rose over her, finding her mouth in a plundering kiss.

A shift of her hips, and he was buried, the heated silk of her enough to make him forget that they had a camp around them, or kingdoms to protect.

Stay. The word echoed in each breath.

Dorian gave Manon what she wanted. Gave himself what he wanted. Over and over and over.

As if this might last forever.

What was left to be said anyway?

She'd laid out what she wanted. Had spoken as much of the truth as she dared voice.

In its wake, a sated sort of clarity shone.

Such as she had not felt in a long, long time.

His sapphire eyes lingered on her face, and Manon turned toward him. Slowly removed her crown of stars and set it aside.

Then she drew up the blankets around them both.

He didn't so much as flinch as she scooted closer, into the solid muscle of his body.

No, Dorian only draped an arm over her, and pulled her tightly against him.

Manon was still listening to his breathing when she fell asleep, warm in his arms.

She awoke at dawn to a cold bed.

Manon took one look at the empty place where the king had been, at the lack of supplies and that ancient sword, and knew.

Dorian had gone to Morath. And had taken the two Wyrdkeys with him.

[classicschronicles]

Hi lovelies,

I feel like I’ve just returned from ‘buying the milk’. I’m sorry I disappeared for *checks notes* 11 months, but it’s been a hectic year. I feel like if I get into it I’ll sound like an AO3 author, so here are some very quick highlights- I have just finished my first year studying Classics at university, I qualified as a fitness instructor (which is a side quest nobody asked for), I’ve become a theatre kid again, and I finally watched Game of Thrones. Studying Classics at uni is basically telling everyone that you study Classics at uni and then getting one of two reactions- “What is that? What kind of job are you going to et with that?”. To which I have no response, because honestly I’m not sure. Or the ever famous- “Oh like The Secret History?”. To which I cry inside because it is nothing like The Secret History. It is actually reading so much Thucydides that he becomes your sleep paralysis demon, and having to translate so much Caesar and Cicero that your daydreams become wishing you were in the Theatre of Pompey on March 15th 44 BC… for no particular reason. And also crying at 3am whilst you try to delude yourself into thinking that this is so dark academia core (spoiler- it’s not). All that being said- this has actually been one of the best years of my life and I am so happy I get to study what I love.

Anyways, I feel like we’re missing the most important part- and that is of course Game of Thrones. Guys. I have a crush on Jaime Lannister. HEAR ME OUT! I can fix him! I promise. I just need one chance. But also, I would fight him because why did he do my girl Brienne like that. Anyone who makes her cry can fight me fr. You know what made me cry though- Shireen Baratheon. What the fuck was that. And Ser Davaos’ finding out and his whole “I loved that girl like she was my own”. BAWLED. Anyways, it might surprise you to know that her death was actually based on a very famous greek myth- the myth of Iphigenia. So that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

Iphigenia’s story finds its beginnings in another myth entirely- the myth of Agamemnon and the Deer. Quick fun fact- the movie ‘Killing of A Sacred Deer’ is actually based loosely on this. The story goes that Agamemnon, out hunting one day, killed a deer belonging to the Goddess Artemis. This angered Artemis, not least because the deer was pregnant and Agamemnon’s little hunting accident killed both the mother and the baby.

Fast forward to some time later, Agamemnon launches a thousand ships to save his sister-in-law Helen from the Trojans at the behest of his brother Menelaus, and also the whole blood oath situation. The Spartans and the Mycenaeans make camp at the island of Aulis whilst they wait for the rest of the fleet to arrive, only to find that when they are ready to set sail once more, they cannot leave the island. There is not wind to push their ships, the air hot and heavy and remarkably still. This goes on for quite some time. Eventually Agamemnon consults the priest Calchas who tells him that the Gods (Artemis) are angry with him and demand a sacrifice. More specifically, the sacrifice of a virgin. This is also where some accounts differ- some claim that it could be any female virgin, some say that it had to be Agamemnon’s eldest daughter. In all honesty, I think the latter is probably more accurate because of the level of hesitation he shows before he makes his final decision. If he could sacrifice any virgin I don’t really think he would care.

Anyways, he obviously cant just write to his wife and say “hey babe can you please ship our eldest daughter over, I want to sacrifice her xoxo”. So he instead he comes out with an altogether more devious plan, and that is to tell his wife that the Prince Achilles wishes to marry Iphigenia before they sail for Troy. Both Iphigenia and Clytemnestra are of course overjoyed that she should marry ‘the best of the Greeks’ and she comes to Aulis where the army wait for her.

This is where it starts to break my heart a bit. On the morning of Iphigenia’s wedding day, Clytemnestra dresses her daughter and prepares her. She, of course, does not know that she is preparing her child for death. Her fathers men come to her tent and escort her and her mother to the alter. However, she never gets to say her vows because as soon as she steps onto the platform, they cut her throat and spill her blood as an offering to Artemis. Her mother is of course beside herself with shock and grief, but her husband does little to comfort her, telling her only that Artemis is appeased, and with the return of the wind he is leaving for Troy.

Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis, differs from this account and tells the story that on the morning of her supposed wedding, Iphigenia was aware of her fathers plan to sacrifice her and accepts with stoicism and all the bravery of a child put in an impossible position. He writes the following, heartbreaking, lines:

Iphigenia- “If only I could sing like Orpheus, father! Orpheus, who could charm even the heartless rocks into following him! If I could use such a voice and have everyone charmed, have them convinced to agree with me and follow me, then I would use that voice. But I have no such skill. The only voice I have, father, my only skill, is in my tears and, here, father, I’m giving them to you! I’m giving you my tears! I’m giving you all I have! She leans before him and embraces his knees Here, father, here is the body of a suppliant! Here is the body that your wife has given birth to. I wrap its limbs around your knees and beg you: Please father, do not cut off my life short. Let me enjoy the sweet light of day and do not force me to enter the world beneath the earth. I’m your first one, father! The first one to call you father, the first one you called daughter. Me, father! I was the first to play on your knees, the first one of your children to enjoy your love and the first one to give you a child’s love. Remember, father? You used to ask me, “I wonder, my darling, will I get to see you married one day, married and settled happily in your husband’s home, your life ever blossoming, making me proud of you?” And I’d touch your chin, my father, hang from your beard, father, like I’m doing now and say, “and what about you, father, will I get to see you, father, an old man, visiting me at my house, ready for me to repay you for your hard work in raising me?” No, you don’t remember these words, father. I do but you don’t! You’ve forgotten them and so, now, you want to kill me. Please, father! Please, in the name of Pelops and of Atreus who is your father, I beg you! Please don’t do it! And I beg you also for my mother’s sake, the woman who laboured to bring me to life, the woman who is being tortured even now. I beg you, father! What does my life have to do with the marriage of Paris and Helen father? Why has their marriage brought about my death, father? Agamemnon turns away. She continues despondently. Come, then, father, turn to me and give me a final kiss. A kiss to remember you by in the underworld, since my words have not convinced you. Agamemnon does not move. She goes over to her mother and takes baby Orestes in her arms. She swings him, sadly, gently back and forth and leans over him as she speaks to him What a weak little helper you are, my tiny brother! Won’t you cry with me, Orestes? Come on, won’t you beg your father not to kill your big sister? Come on, Orestes, even babies know when there’s trouble around! Ha! See, father? Orestes is begging you, too! Begging you by his silence. Do you not care about me any more? Spare my young life, father. Spare me! Here! Look here, father! Here are the two of us, one’s a baby, the other a grown up girl, a brother and a sister, both your children, begging you, by your beard, pleading with you… She turns and looks sadly around her, then up at the sun. That! Up there is my final argument. That light, this light all around us, will cut all other arguments to pieces. This light is the sweetest thing that can fill the eyes! The world beneath the earth is a world of nothing. Only fools would pray to go down there. I’d rather live a life full of misery than die a hero’s death!

If that doesn’t make you cry I don’t know what will. And then to top it off he follows it up 200 lines later this this tear jerker:

“C- What report shall I give to your sisters?

I-Do not dress them either in black garments.

C-Is there any word of love from you I should give the girls?

I-Bid them farewell; and make sure you bring up Orestes as a man!

C-You look at him for the last time- hold him tight!

I-(holding Orestes close): Darling boy, you helped you dear sister as much as you could!

…

I-Who will come to take me there before they drag me by the hair?

C-I will be at your side…

I-No, not you- that would not be right!

C-…holding on to your clothes!

I-Mother, oblige me in this: stay here! This is the nobler course for me and for you. Let one of my father’s attendants here escort to Artemis’ meadow where I shall be sacrificed.

(Iphigenia begins to move away from a crying Clytemnestra)

C-O my child, are you going?

I-Yes, and never shall I come back.

C-You will leave your mother?

I-Yes, as you see, we do not deserve this.

C-Wait- don’t abandon me!

I-I forbid you to shed tears. (C sinks to the ground)”.

In every version you read, however, sacrificing his daughter is not a choice that Agamemnon takes lightly. He is torn between sacrificing his daughter and angering his wife- but winning glory for the Greeks, or saving his daughter, but abandoning his men. As a father, he made the wrong choice, but as a king some would argue that he did what was expected of him.

I do like, however, in Euripides’ version the character of Achilles. He is adamant that he will not be privy to the murder of Iphigenia. He tries so very hard to save her and to offer comfort to Clytemnestra and genuinely I think that this might be one of the loveliest most favourable depictions of him.

This myth then gives way to part of the Oresteia trilogy and many many retellings of her Iphigenia’s story- every single one of which always make me want to cry. I can’t explain what it is- I know that the whole point of tragedy is that build up and release of emotion but no tragedy has every made me actually sad other than Iphigenia at Aulis.

Anyways, you can imagine my absolute horror when I watched S5 EP9 and saw Shireen tied to the alter, literally gave myself whiplash with how quickly I tried to look away from the screen.

I would say I hope you enjoyed reading about Iphigenia, but if you did you’re an absolute psycho! The two translations I used are from PoetryInTranlsation and Penguin’s 2005 edition “The Bacchae and Other Plays”. Hopefully, now that I’ve posted again I’ll try and be more regular with it and I hope you all have a lovely lovely week <33

~Z

[bardic-tales]

OC-tober: Day Five: Re-Designed OC

Bianca Moore is a character that had the most change in terms of character development and character design. As she is the oldest OC I have, she changed as I matured in both age and talent. It's interesting to see how I changed as an author, too.

When she was originally created, Bianca was a human who was born on Gaia, the world of Final Fantasy 7. She was the daughter of a Shinra scientist, so she was born into the company and naturally followed in her mother's footsteps; her father, absent from her life. She would see the corruption, try to support Sephiroth through his experiments, and mourn for Gaia after the events of the Nibelheim Incident. Her design was blonde hair, blue eyes, and a white lab coat.

Now, Bianca is a fallen angel and the daughter of Asmodeus and Seraphine. She was born to be a living weapon: to end the Omniverse and rebuild it back into something better. This is a destiny her father often exploits, as he sees the End of the World prophecy, and one where Bianca ultimately rejects. Her mother would sacrifice herself to send Bianca into the future and womb of Seraphine's most faithful, Sarah. She spent her entire life thinking she was human until her father brutally attacks her to awaken both her demonic and celestial blood. She was on the run from a cult devoted to her father, has been sent to feudal Japan by her first husband to protect her from Asmodeus, and arrived on Gaia wounded via a cosmic portal when Sephiroth learned his origins.

After she is brutally experimented on, her dna altered with Jenova and S-cells which slumbered her angelic blood, and made an arduous trip from Nibelheim to North Crater with the help of Sephiroth through an Sephiroth clone called SC X, she appointed herself as a 'High Priestess of Jenova' in the crater and devotes herself to the downfall of the species who has always tortured her (humans) and helping Sephiroth realize his goal as being a god. She is bonded with him through a string that always connected them.

As for character design changes, she has blonde hair, blonde hair, and gold eyes in her angelic form. She has stiletto nails, fangs for her canines and molars, and a prehensile tongue. She will often wear white kimonos with black embroidery in Feudal Japan.

Once she falls from Grace, her appearance shifts once again. Her hair turns brown with purple highlights to it, indigo eyes, and black wings infused with indigo, to symbolize her infusion with Jenova cells. She wears smoky eyeshadow and black eyeliner with shimmery pink lip gloss.

She has a battle and every day attire. For her battle attire, she wears a shiny black trench coat, biker's vest, finger-less gloves, leather trousers, lace-up knee-high combat boots. Because she cannot use her angelic greatsword anymore due to falling from Grace, she will use a demonic tachi called Noctemaris. This is her father's sword that caused her injury before she came to Gaia. She pulls the blade part of the tachi from the dimension between space and time. Her color scheme is dark: blacks and dark grays.

For her every day attire, she typically wears a trench coat, soft sweaters, slacks, and fur-lined boots. She likes to pair this with mirrored sunglasses and gloves and mittens. Her color palette is white to light beige here. For both attires, she always wears a white ribbon. This ribbon is a gift that her love interest gave her right before the madness took him.

[feral-and-chaotic]

Percy Jackson Episode 4 Thoughts!!

Right. Slightly more coherent than before.

Plot:

- Very close to the book, tho I like the lean towards making the Echidna fight more suspenseful than it is in the musical or the book.

(Even if it is a shame to cut the Chimera/Chihuahua joke I think this is a great move away from undermining the tension with comedy in the way that Marvel does.

- Love the stuff with Annabeth and the cops. Her standing up to them is both poignant with current politics and does a great job to show her bravery and how out of touch with the mortal world she is, forgetting she's 12 because she's been in camp for so long.

- I'm really interested in the fact they are taking so long to set up the Grover backstory and Pan stuff. I like how much weight they are giving it.

- also congrats kids. You blew up a bus AND a train AND the gateway arch. I couldn't be prouder.

-also, (I may be wrong and correct me if I am) but I believe they changed Echidna's motivation from trying to push Percy to test his powers, to avenging some super pissed off gods. And I think that it tightens the story by doing so. It makes the gods unlikable and you can really stand and empathize with [Book spoiler] Luke's motivations.

Characterisations:

Grover:

Man are they going off with Grover. Similarly to being, cutting some of his comedy for meaningful moments is fantastic.

You really feel a depth to him which was maybe lacked in the musical and books. I adore how they are weaving in his bravery and levelhead too, it feels a tad more mature than with Percy and Annabeth and that makes absolute sense. He's done this before and boy can you feel how scared of messing up he is.

Also also. I adore how the writers have established a relationship between Grover and Annabeth as well as Grover and Percy. The books could never really elaborate on that because we have Percy's POV and so he'd miss that in places. But the show is doing great with my boi Grover!

Additionally, as an environmentalist myself, I'm happy they are weaving that in a way that feels organic. Great writing and acting choices all around especially with Aryan Simhadri who is killing it.

Annabeth:

Man does this episode sink it's teeth into her characterisation. I love how we are getting a thorough elaboration on her feelings to the Gods and Athena. And Oh boi is she the opposite to Luke. She craves her mother's admiration and... She's not seeing it. It's a great choice because it highlights how hands off the gods are and that the system NEEDS to change.

I also like how they tied that desperation for validation into her hubris. It's still pride her. But it's pride in her mother. And man, the pride with her plan feeding into her being self sacrificial reminds you so hard that they are all just kids.

Also, where would I be if I didn't mention how good the moments with Percy are. Him teasing her and getting a genuine laugh was beautiful. I love the chemistry for all of these actors.

Percy:

I love this idiot. He's so angry and scared and also funny. God, I love the nuance being brought to him. I love the genuine fear that he has facing the Chimera and being arrested by the cops. I also love how Walker Scobell sells the anger at the gods for implicating his friends in his actions to send Medusa's head. Great stuff.

Additionally, I love the moment on the bridge, this idiot (smart but brash) pulling a self sacrifice on the bridge feeds so well into his undying loyalty to a fault. Willing to trick his friends into letting him die, to save them is a very Percy thing. I also enjoy how they haven't made Percy stupid, whilst keeping Annabeth still more strategic than him, by having him basically just steal her plan.

Also the soft stuff in this episode fucking ruled. The train car joking, him cheering Annabeth up with a stupid voice. The little asides.

Overall, god I love these dumb kids. And this show has made me start rereading the books!!!! Am I hyperfixating again??! Never!!!

.

.

. Yes I am.

[alyjojo]

Family Ties 🤍 - July 2023 - Gemini

Overall energy: 8 Cups rev

“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem.” Apparently that’s going to keep being the thing in my head when someone is the problem. In this case, it’s you dear. Judgement hopped out of the deck like five times during the preshuffle, and I’m getting that it’s your judgement of your family that’s caused a lot of pain. I gotta say, everything I’ve pulled in this reading so far reads like one long guilt trip. I personally am not a fan of that whole tactic as a means of coercion, it’s manipulative af, and you showing up as Queen of Swords probably agree. That could be something you deal with regularly. But for Spirit to communicate from this angle, it could be showing you as kinda cold and ruthless…unaware of the effect you’ve had on these people, thus the messages of hurt, shock, and heartbreak are what’s needed to be said more than anything. Idk & I don’t judge you 🙏

For 8 Cups to be rev shows it was once upright, and every row so far highlights you having left the family behind. I don’t get why, or who did what, just what it did to everyone. You probably cut them off altogether and stayed away for some time. Whatever you were hoping to find never materialized, you waited around for some time, for nothing, and now feel insecure and…like you’ve got your tail between your legs, about coming back around. Having to be held accountable for this Death. You don’t regret leaving, you regret that it didn’t work out, which probably isn’t what you should be feeling. Spirit, and your family, want genuine remorse. You’ve made these people feel like you don’t care about them. I don’t get that exactly, but I do get a “holier than thou”, know it all sort of attitude, and an “out of sight, out of mind” personality. You don’t feel remorse because they’re not directly in front of you, or haven’t been. Emotional detachment the a gift & a curse of all of the air signs.

Mother: 5 Cups & Queen of Swords

5 Cups is heavily focused on all that’s been lost, not paying attention to what’s still here, 2 Cups with your father. But she’s lost you, and it’s absolutely devastated her, 10 Swords. Dad has similar feelings, and the love between them is genuine. Mom is still trying to heal from your sudden absence, maybe also some words that were said before this occurred. She only wants you to come around again, at least to talk with her, being disconnected from you is one of the saddest and most painful things she’s ever experienced.

Father: 2 Cups, The Hermit, 4 Wands

Dad is probably more of a practical kind of person, he seems like a “stereotypical” man, when things are emotionally rough, he puts more effort into his work and keeping busy. He’s happy with Mom and the home they’ve created together, but he feels lonely, a lot. He’s probably the strong & silent type, but just because he doesn’t say things out loud doesn’t mean he isn’t hurting over them. He also may have dealt with a very serious work injury, accident, or event and has been home bound because of that. If you know that, and haven’t come around to check up on him, it makes him sad. He also has 5 Cups, with The Tower. It’s hard for him to express these emotions, but with your Mom it seems much easier for her, and he just mirrors everything she feels. He misses you.

Siblings: Knight of Cups & 7 Wands

I get one, and they’re a really sweet kind of person, the kind to give you the shirt off of their back if you needed it. They’re mad at you, probably because they’re sad too, but it comes out as mad. They’re also really smart, logical, balanced, and fair. They think what you did is bullshit, reckless, impulsive, and immature. It’s stupid you don’t talk to them at least - in their mind. They’ve got 7 Wands & Justice, they know they’re right ���� They are someone willing to sacrifice for those they love, and are very kind normally. They don’t know why they can do it and you can’t. They could be Libra or have a dominant placement there. It will probably take some effort to heal this connection because their sadness & love are masked with anger & defensiveness. These are probably the hardest ones to overcome. Are they upset? Absolutely. Do they love you? Yes, that’s why they’re mad at you.

Grandparents: The Fool & The Hierophant

Either they got married very young, fast, and impulsively, and have just stood the test of time…or that’s why you ran off. Impulsively got married? Probably didn’t invite anyone, no one was involved, never spoke to anyone again? They’re also angry & disappointed. Specifically about the wedding if there was one, they would’ve liked to celebrate you, meet your person, etc. They’re old fashioned, you should’ve gotten gifts, had a party, family traditions and celebrations mean a lot to them. If you didn’t get married in a church, or have religious elements involved, that could be an issue with them too. I heard “Jewish”, that may or may not apply, moreso a specific custom or religious ceremony perhaps that’s dear to their heart. And maybe yours too, this does feel impulsive. Whether you did or you didn’t actually get married, then you probably ran off with some person, and you didn’t include them, call or come over. Their point of view is similar to everyone else’s. One day you’re here all of the time. The next, who and where is Gemini? They’re gone. Do they care?

Spiritual Ancestors: 4 Pentacles & 8 Swords

This message has a spicy 🥵 bite, idk if you have an ancestor that is sharp as a tack in their speech, cutting right to the point. I kind of get that they’re like you. Or whoever you were always told you were most like I suppose. You hold on tightly to your position on things, you’re stubborn, narrow-minded and full of bologna, is what I’m getting. You keep yourself trapped in a situation of non communication because of…nothing. You pretend to be blindfolded but really you tied it yourself, self sabotage. People really want you to open up and communicate. What Gemini doesn’t?? You could have some dominant Taurus or fixed placements with all of this stubbornness I’m getting on your side.

6 Pentacles is equal give and take, they want an exchange from you in the form of a conversation! I’m getting clear message of you pretending to act confused, avoidant, like you don’t know, yada yada excuses, and the message here is showing if you can be Queen of Swords, truth, communication, chatty and fair with most people, then you can also “cut the crap” and have conversations & connections your family. Whew 😅 damn. Even Spirit is defensive with you Gem. Even if your point of view is I married xyz in this way because of abc, sure but say that. I’m strongly getting no one here did anything wrong, it’s just differing perspectives, and they’re all looking at you like whaaat gives? I’m sorry Gem, this message is dragging your butt across sharp rocks fr, probably to prepare you for what to expect, because you’re being told to head back towards your family. They can’t know your side until you tell them, and you may want to avoid it, but you’ve got a whole group of people that just love you more than they judge you & they just want you around 💙 Overwhelm in the Oracle makes me laugh. No shit right? I’m overwhelmed just doing this reading 😆 Good luck!

Oracle:

Overwhelm

The hard work we love can leave us feeling burdened, drained, and burnt out, among others problems.

Reflection

Time to focus, balance, reflect, and guide yourself past stumbling blocks to take the right actions.

[cosmicjoke]

Ahh, bad-ass Thorfinn reappears!  Reading the first five chapters of “War in the Baltic”, and I take back all my stated fears of “Vinland Saga” delving into the realm on easy solutions.  I worried after the culmination of the confrontation with Canute that all of Thorfinn’s encounters would be similarly, easily resolved, but boy was I wrong.  I should have known better, given the pedigree of story telling from Yukimura through the vast majority of this series. 

Hild’s presence with Thorfinn and his party continues to be a wonderful parallel, with her tagging along and, unconsciously I think, she’s helped already multiple times to protect Throfinn’s life, the same way Thorfinn did for Askeladd, under the belief that they were doing so because it had to be them who delivered the killing blow.  We again see Thorfinn in Askeladd’s own position, with Hild snapping at him that she doesn’t take orders from him, the same way Thorfinn often snapped at Askeladd.  Thorfinn, though, unlike Askeladd, views himself as beholden to Hild and is willing to give up his life to her without struggle once he’s made amends for his past killing.

The highlight of these chapters is definitely just watching Thorfinn kick ass though.  It’s been a long time since we really got to see him unload his abilities on anyone, and I was happy to see he still has some of his old fight and spirit left in him.  That’s a part of him, his ability and talent to fight, an essential part, I would say, and while I understand he’s felt a need for self-sacrifice for the past, five years, born largely from his sense of guilt and remorse, I really love to see him regain some of his old spark and start to value his life more, to fight and defend himself more, and not just stand there and let himself be killed, or beaten.  I like seeing Thorfinn regain some self-respect.  That’s growth too.  To forgive himself enough to fight for himself.  And though I don’t think he’s quite there yet, to the point of valuing his own life enough to fight for it (his continued statement that he’ll let Hild kill him once he’s made amends proof of that), I hope to see him get there.  He’s a good person, and doesn’t deserve to die, or even be mistreated.  Of course, Thorfinn was really fighting here to protect the villagers, which was amazing to see too, and amazing character development.  To see this kid who went from aiding the raid’s of Askeladd’s band on villages, to now saving villages which are under attack, is pretty incredible.  The little girl calling Thorfinn a “good guy” and cheering him on to save them all was incredibly heartwarming.

This brings up another parallel, this one with his father, Thors.  Even as Thorfinn comes out into the open and abandons his escape plans from the Jomsvikings to save the villagers from them, he only has to do so in the first place because his presence on the island is what drew them there.  Just like Thor’s attempt to escape his past as a warrior brought him to Iceland, which eventually lead Floki to the island, and put the lives of the villagers there under threat, along with everything that transpired after, with Thorfinn himself being swept up into a life of battle and violence, it’s now Thorfinn who, in his attempt to escape his life as a warrior, is being followed and pursued by that past.  That it’s Floki again who is chasing after him and not allowing him the life of peace he seeks makes the parallel with Thors all the greater.  The scene with the little girl running up to Thorfinn and trying to give him the seashell necklace, only for her mother to pull her away and cower in fear before Thorfinn, was heartbreaking.  Thorfinn, just like his father, is a genuinely good and kind man, but his life of violence continues to haunt him and continually tries to pull him back, again, the same as Thors. 

I’m super excited to continue on now, and see what takes place.  With the request from the two warriors from Vagn’s group to join them in overthrowing Flokie, and them insisting to Thorfinn that he can’t live among the sheep, because he has wolf’s blood running through his veins, and with that seemingly being true, as everywhere he goes, violence and confrontation follows after him, on top of the looming possibility of Thorfinn finding out that Floki was, ultimately, the one really responsible for Thor’s death, things are obviously far from seeing any easy solutions.  I’m super stoked! 

[anerdquemoraaolado]

Grains of Sand by The Shore

Chapter 3 

There was no one who wasn't excited about the king's wedding in the entire kingdom and Shuri was no exception. Even though she felt annoyed at the ceremonial attire and even wanted to change it to something more comfortable, she took a deep breath and decided to make this sacrifice for her dear brother. Thinking about what he was going to wear at the ceremony, she had the idea of ​​adding something to the costume, the bracelet she had won from Namor, it was certain that wearing it would send a good message to the visitors.

 Before she could get busy with anything else, she received an unexpected visitor, just who she least expected to see.

 -You here? I thought I would only see you on the wedding day - she joked with T'Challa and Nakia - it's good to see you, especially you, Nakia, congratulations and thank you for agreeing to marry my brother, finally.

 -Okay, I deserve it - Nakis admitted - it's just that everything seemed scary, being queen, you know? But now more than ever, I feel like Wakanda needs me and I want to be with T'Challa more than anything.

-Thank you for that, "my love" - ​​the king insisted on saying.

 -And who is this cute little boy? - Shuri noticed the boy accompanying them.

 -Well, this is Toussaint, we wanted you to meet him - T'Challa said first.

 -Toussaint, this is your aunt Shuri - Nakia addressed him.

 -What? - Shuri was surprised, understanding everything at once - you... this is very good...

 -We thought it better to deprive him of any pressure - her brother explained - but now that we are more resolved, it seems safe that we are all here, I will do my best to prepare him for the future, at the right time.

 -I see, well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Toussaint - Shuri offered her hand for him in a high five, and so he did, giving her a cute little laugh, which made his aunt laugh too.

 "Nice to meet you too," he replied, giving her another smile.

 -I liked your name, it's very beautiful - she praised.

 -Actually, that's my Haitian name, in Wakandan, my name is T'Challa, son of King T'Challa - he replied proudly.

 -Look, I like that name too - she was surprised, but pleased, somehow the choice made sense.

 -I also liked yours - Toussaint was keen to praise.

 - Mama, did she... get to know him? - Shuri wondered at the time.

 -Yes, there was time for that - Nakia nodded, also mourning the loss - we will never forget her, her presence will always be with us.

 -I know - Shuri outlined a bittersweet smile, really struggling to get over the loss of her mother one day after another.

 Seeing Toussaint's eyes curious about the laboratory, his aunt offered him a tour of the place, showing him everything she could and more stories that she remembered. The royal couple entrusted their son to Shuri's company as they turned their attention to the wedding.

 Three days later, the wedding day arrived. This time, the princess was alone waiting for Talokan's entourage to arrive. She felt anxious, maybe because her brother was getting married, maybe having to face their leader again. She clung to the idea that she could handle Namor better now than before.

 Emerged from the water he, his loyal warriors Namora and Attuma and half a dozen more like them, armed with spears, their blue skin standing out in the sun, and the great helmets of fish scales highlighting their silhouette.

 -Welcome to Wakanda - Shuri said immediately - I hope you enjoy your time here, follow me please

They did as told so, attentive and, at the moment, a little suspicious of everything.

- Your guards didn't come to escort you this time? - he used this fact to start a conversation, more out of pure curiosity, initially.

-They are busy with the security of the kingdom today - Shuri thought it better to give that answer - and I asked to come alone, as a gesture of good faith.

-I see, your generosity impresses me - he was sincere - I hope to reciprocate in some way.

-Being here already shows that you seek a peaceful relationship between our kingdoms, that's enough - she shared her opinion about them accepting the invitation, but she felt strange about the last word she said, she didn't feel that just a conversation or visit would be guarantees of lasting peace, or maybe, deep down, she wanted a friendship with Namor, not just across the realms.

Walking along the main street, he noticed the decorations that fell through the windows, cords, colorful ribbons with striking prints and the fabrics representing the five tribes that made up Wakanda, not to mention the contagious joy of the people, happy to be celebrating the happiness of their king , and a new era for their country.

-I've never seen anything like this place - Namor admitted aloud - the other lands, the buildings seem so rigid, so isolated from each other and here you seem united, you are united.

-I agree - Shuri allowed herself to give a proud smile - I confess I'm curious about life in America in general, but nothing compared to home, although I can't get used to certain things.

 -What certain things? Can you give me an example? - he wanted to know more.

-Perhaps the traditions, like me wearing this costume here, full of structures and fabrics, when I preferred something modern and comfortable - she laughed to herself, inspecting what she was wearing, it was a long dress, with equally long sleeves, with lace intricate lines mimicking symmetrical figures all over the torso, starting at the neck and ending at the waist.

-Traditions make us who we are, but I understand your attachment to the modern, I think it suits your personality - he clearly expressed his sincere opinion - still, you are elegant with this attire.

The compliment took her a little by surprise, making her feel unprepared, without a pre-calculated reaction. She was used to being praised for her intelligence or even called out for her wit when she bragged about her abilities. But a compliment about her looks as well as her personality was something she rarely heard.

As a good observer, he noticed her discomfort, which intrigued him. He hoped he hadn't offended the princess, and guessed she was used to flattery, for truly, he knew, she was a woman of great attributes.

Swallowing hard, looking for a way out of that situation, Shuri decided to use the mention of traditions to her advantage.

-Thank you - Shuri decided to thank first and then continued = is there anything you want to know about our history that I can share?

-I know a little, I admit, but not enough, your tradition of protective warriors for example, Wakanda always had the Black Panther? - was the question Namor asked, trying to better understand how the position worked.

"Our first king was Bashenga, who united five tribes that were enemies, under the protection of Bast and we have arisen from then on," she shrugged, quoting what every Wakandan has known since birth.

 -Bast, your goddess, correct? - he wanted to confirm.

"Yes," she confirmed, nodding.

-And these tribes remain united? I imagine they had different opinions over time - Namor deduced.

-You're not very wrong - she admitted, laughing again - participating in meetings with the elders who are leaders of the tribes gives me a lot of headaches, I'm glad that I don't have to go through that, my brother does.

"Is it not your wish to rule, then?" - he ventured to ask a personal question.

-No, it's not - she confessed, suddenly feeling strangely comfortable - having to be Black Panther was more painful for me than you think...

-Your role in this realm is to serve in another way, I understand - he reflected - but don't think you are any less important for that.

-I don't think so - she said promptly, proud again - I know exactly where I fit in.

Hearing her speak with such certainty elicited a higher level of respect for her from Namor, leading him to admire her even more. When they noticed, they had arrived at the palace and she showed them the box where they would stay, watching the wedding from a good view. Shuri said goodbye to them, putting herself in her own place.

There was a genuine sense of satisfaction in her, grateful that she had handled the whole situation more smoothly.

[d010811sh]

What’s your comfort movie? Inside Out

This movie was released in 2015, meaning i was 14 back then.

I remember growing up watching this movie, captivated by how unique and cute all the characters are. The way those memories are stored, how each memory has its own category, and the best part is core memory!

Little me watching this movie and seeing how all of these emotions work made me even more excited since i always find it fascinating by how someone's brain works. That never changes and never will.

But i know one that has changed, my point of view for the overall movie. And i can say that i'm totally the opposite from how i felt back then.

Rewatching this movie again because i can't wait for the second one to arrive, that right now i'm pretty eager to break down some of the highlight scenes that (in my opinion) are the main parts of this movie and why everything makes sense when all emotions take part.

Grownups' Emotions : It's interesting to see the parent's emotions. Riley's mom and dad have more balanced emotions compared to Riley, whose main emotions is Joy. For Riley's mom, sadness seems to take control, and for her dad, Anger (judging by how those emotions are sitting in the middle and by how they're the ones that make command for others). This reflects traditional roles, where mothers are expected to be soft, loving and caring, providing emotional well-being for the family, and sadness may be the right emotion that can represent that. On the other hand, fathers use rational thinking and logic to support and protect the family. Hence, anger is the right emotion to represent those traits. Every emotion has its own spotlight because they are grownups and based on this movie, grownups are expected to understand their own emotions and how to control and express them, that is why Riley's parents' emotions seems to have a perfect balance among each emotions.

The Dent Gum Song : This scene is hilarious because it's true! When the workers of memory eraser keep the gum song and won't get rid of it, it reminds me of those unimportant yet funny and entertaining memories that pop up randomly, like a commercial jingle or an embarrassing moment from childhood.

it is a fact when people say, we have to lose something to gain something. Life keeps moving whether we're ready or not. It hurts to lose something, but that doesn't mean it's always bad. It means you're done with that part of your life and you are ready for something better to fill the hole. We are constantly growing, and we can't bring everything with us along the journey. Just like how Bing Bong realized he had to sacrifice himself so joy could go back to the top of the hill. He knew it was time to let go of Riley and let her move on without him, because he knew that Riley is done with him and she's ready for something better.

Feel. Everything. Don't be like joy, who tries to prevent Riley from feeling anything but happiness. We have multiple emotions for a reason. It's abnormal to be happy all the time, as abnormal as it is for us to refuse to feel it. People who think they don't deserve happiness or avoid it won't improve their lives. If you don't embrace happiness when it comes, you'll feel worse when you're angry or sad because you never allowed yourself to feel happy before even if its only for a brief moment. We shouldn't neglect all our feelings, in fact, i think they help us appreciate things even more. Just like when Riley's team lost because she failed to made a score for her team that she felt sad. But then what happened after that made it to the core memory. Her parents and friends were there for her, cheered her up that she felt happy again. See the power how different emotions complete each other to create a beautiful memory there?

Talk and don't be afraid to have "That" conversation. Riley expressing her sadness and homesickness to her parents and discovering they also miss their old hometown, was a "slap in the face" scene for me. As someone who struggles to express my feelings and overthinks others' reactions, i am more convinced that it's important to let others know what we feel. We can't expect people to understand us if we don't talk. They have feelings, not mind-reading abilities. Besides, you want to know what they think too, right? this can lead to effective, healthy conversation with deep (but again, in a healthy way) feelings involved. And nothing is better than that.

I used to hate sadness. 14 years old me agreed with Joy most of the time. Sadness seemed... sad and annoying and intrusive back then for me. Now i’m almost 23, i appreciate her more than ever.

Many people forget that life's formula isn't about feeling one emotion ; being happy all the time, think that by forcing yourself to feel fine most of the time in hoping eventually that sadness or anger will disappear, or even try to convince yourself that one emotion is the only thing that should be in charge above the others, especially when it comes to vulnerability. They see crying or feeling sad as a sign of weakness, thinking it's humiliating or bad.

If so, please answer these :

How do you express sadness? if the answer is you switch it to anger, don't you think you'd get even angrier when you're mad? Is it really healthy to mix up emotions and avoid certain ones? Why is it so hard for you to use your emotion just like how they are built for you? Smile or laugh when you're happy or cry when you're sad.

Or by humor? well not gonna lie, i also still do this to mask sadness too. It might work temporarily and i understand you do this because you try to "buried" that sadness. But here's the reality, that feeling that you tried so hard to avoid or run away from will slowly crawl back to the surface, and you will experience that break down. badly - trust me.

In most cases, neglecting or mixing emotions doesn't end well, whether in the short or long term. It's important to let each emotion have it's own spotlight and embrace what we feel in the moment. Again, that's the main purpose of having diverse emotions, to represent our true feelings in different situations.

On top of everything, it makes perfects sense for Riley to feel just the way how it pictured in the movie. If joy controlled everything and Riley was happy all the time, it would seem weird, like she's a robot that only understand to be happy all the time because she was programmed to only feel that way. And i think it applies to reality too, it would be strange for someone to appear happy or angry or sad all the time right? You are not a robot so at least feel relief about it and try to use that emotions, okay?

Ultimately, try to accept everything you feel. You don't have to do it in front of others of course, just be true to yourself.

Don't feel ashamed of it because it makes you human.

Don't hide it because it's something that makes you, you.

[us-the-voices-and-more-voices-2]

I’m sorry but.

Lloyd literally didn’t have a childhood because he was splashed with tomorrows tea because they had to save everyone including himself by that sacrifice,

he was kidnapped by the serpentine and basically made a hostage/sacrifice,

he almost got melted by lava,

HIS MOTHER ABANDONED HIM IN A LITERAL SCHOOL FOR EVIL CHILDREN BECAUSE WELL SHE THOUGHT HE WAS EVIL,

his father abandoned him despite being literally the only parent in his life,

he became basically a child soldier/weapon

his only friend at the time python completely betrayed him and left him for dead (actually all the serpentine actually lol)

THATS JUST SEASON 1

there’s 15+ seasons and I’m not even getting into the bad stuff.

Some highlights!

When he got possessed by Morro and literally almost drowned to death. (He was about 11-12)

when Zane died the first time (11ish)

when he had to push on after all his friends turned evil and with a broken leg and fight his father because the overlord was going to kill everyone including him. (He was 10)

when hurumi literally tried to murder him. And almost succeeded. (13-14)

when he died (he’s died like 3 times just choose the most traumatic one)

when wu literally sacrificed himself to save everyone. (12ish)

when he lost literally his ENTIRE FAMILY IN THE MERGE and when everyone was presumed DEAD

the entire seabound arc.

THE PRIME EMPIRE

When his dad sacrificed himself to save everyone

when his dad came back from the dead and tried to murder him REPEATEDLY

skybound (yeah it “technically” didn’t happen but it’s cannon so shut up)

when he went to hell to save his father but couldn’t.

when the sons of GARMADON almost killed his mother thrice

when his entire family died or almost died.

and again EVEN MORE!

he is fucked up, and I have voted for him because even fucking Heracles didn’t go through that shit!

PROPAGANDA UNDER THE CUT: [SPOILERS AND POSSIBLE TRIGGERS AHEAD]

ANTIGONE:

LLOYD GARMADON:

[valkerymillenia]

So many people are misunderstanding the whole point of this line. It has become a whole debate and I see the fandom divided about this in all forms of social media.

I keep seeing people whining and saying

"she held a while town hostage! She is bad!"

"but she is a villain! She always has been!"

"she's dangerous! She's destructive!"

"strange didn't mean any harm, she did!"

FINE!

Let's fucking talk about it, shall we?

⬇️

Wanda is not evil, she's not a villain and never was.

She's a highly traumatized person that keeps losing everyone she loves and being placed in extreme pressure situations over and over again and yet still has the moral fiber to try to fight for a greater good.

Yes, she held a town hostage. In Wandavision she had a mental breakdown from the sheer amount of complex trauma and grief she was going through. On top of that she was S.W.O.R.D.s scapegoat and manipulated at every turn by Agatha while she was emotionally vulnerable.

The problem is that she's very powerful and altered reality in an attempt to escape her pain. I do not know a single person that wouldn't do the same thing (escape the pain by changing reality, bringing back lost loved ones) if given the chance, the problem was her execution. That's beside the point though!

The point is she made a mistake and she accepted the blame, she didn't mean harm but she admitted her guilt and suffered for her mistakes, suffered immensely to fix what she did.

"she held a while town hostage! She is bad!", "strange didn't mean any harm, she did!"- she was having a mental breakdown and though she was deluding herself and in denial, she did try to give all her hostages happy lives and spare them pain. Yes, it's absolutely no excuse, but if you're going to say Strange didn't mean any harm, then you have to admit she didn't either.

Wanda was traumatized over and over and over again, she was USED over and over and over again, all she wanted was a moment of happiness. So many other "heroes" have done awful things for so much less and nobody says a thing.

Strange though? He did what he did out of pure hubris.

He knew the possible consequences, he was completely sane, he was warned not to do it, he just wanted to prove he could do it and his only excuse was that he wanted to help a kid with something mundane that he could have helped with in a hundred other ways.

Strange might not be evil but he broke the rules out of arrogance and narcissism.

Sure, Wanda affected people's lives directly while Strange did so indirectly, he didn't target anyone personally. But it's still one town vs the whole world (or more accurately, multiple worlds, even if he didn't know that at the time).

(And, just to be clear let me highlight this again, Wanda had no idea the amount of power she had, she had no idea she could do what she did. Westview was ACCIDENTAL. But Strange in NWH? Absolutely on purpose.)

Wanda is 100% right in saying that it's unfair that he's still treated as a hero while she's seen as an enemy. It's true, it's a fucking double standard.

And another thing!

So many people say she got off easy. EASY.

She had to willingly give up the only people that still loved her.

She had to give up her husband.

She was a mother that had to indirectly kill her own children, whom she loved.

(And she placed herself in self-isolation afterwards.)

How exactly could she have suffered more? Honestly, tell me what's worse than having to sacrifice your own children for a greater good?

You need to have ENORMOUS strength and character to do that, to give up all the happiness you have for the sake of other people, and not truly turn into a villain. A selfish person wouldn't do that!

Stop acting like the death (or "erasure" or whatever you want to call it to sanitize the situation) of literal innocent children isn't important, stop acting like it was deserved, stop acting like it wasn't a punishment for her actions.

"oh but they weren't real, she created them!" - yeah, well, my mom might not have used magic but she created me too. How the kids were born doesn't change how real they are or how much Wanda loved them, stfu!

Meanwhile, there's Strange.

Yes, arguably he tried to clean up his mistake but did he take accountability for that mistake? NO, he blamed a kid, he made Peter pay the consequences of his hubris and got away scotch free and still holding his titles of hero and sorcerer supreme!

(And then he went beg Wanda for help.)

You see, here's the real problem- Wanda IS dangerous, she has A LOT of power. And that generates fear. And fear generates hate.

That's true for the fandom too, not just the characters.

Plus she's a woman, and there's always double standards with women (why is Loki so loved but Wanda so hated?).

TD;LD: Wanda is fucking right.

Wanda is right and you not liking her doesn't make her wrong.

If you're going to treat her as a enemy, then you have to treat him the same way. It's a vicious double standard and the fandom is falling for it the same way the fictional characters are, which is stupid because the fandom has all the information and many are simply choosing not to use critical thinking.