#critical of the world

[alicentsultana]

The way we see mothers in fiction reflects our relationship with our own mothers.

Unless we're going mommy dearest and similar works that show narcissistic mothers and problematic/toxic relationships and portrayals, those are undeniably horrible and bad.

However, when we talk about general mothers portraiture we're going to immediately judge also through what we live and experienced.

I have a wonderful relationship with my mom, though she had me hours after she turned 18, and of course, have committed errors, she still succeeded in parenting and raised me with the best of her abilities. Therefore, I tend to see mother-sons/daughters relationships in a good light, as as depth and development goes by, I can change and adapt my initial opinion.

Therapist and Psychology Professors oftenly remarks that mothers, in a way or another, have some parcel of guilt over how her kids will develop and turn out, some more, some less. Relapse mother? Troubled kids. Distant mother? Insensitive kids. Overbearing/Overprotective? Kids learn to lie, omit, rebel. So on and so forth.

Mothers do have a hand on how you deal with your life. But a loving mother, a zealous mother, a young mother, an older mother, a religious mother, a free spirit mother... All of them doesn't have to justify themselves beyond maybe acknowledging where they went wrong, because, after all, aren't all of them also bound by expectations, morals, time and beliefs? And weren't all of them doing what they thought was right? Weren't all of them dealing with motherhood differently and in their particular ways? With or without support, they did what they could.

But take a look at these mothers:

They made mistakes, do they have to justify themselves and ask for forgiveness? Because they did what they have to? To survive, to attend demands, to protect, to ensure their safety and success...

There are mistakes, and there is also another even greater problem: you have to grow up and learn how to deal with this pain yourself, talk, digest, transform it, but no one but yourself will have to learn how to deal with it, even when it was done with such toxic and cruel behaviors, you will have to deal with it. To love or to hate.

Now, let's focus on the love part.

Mary, Elizabeth, Isabel, Januaria, the Bennets girls, Khadija, Alicent, Hürrem and Rhaenyra's children, all of them wouldn't even ask for their justification, ask why they did what they did, because they all know their mother loves them no matter what, they did what they had to do. Distant or not, overbearing, hysterical, insensitive, and doomed by the narrative. They know, and eventually recognize that those actions were done by love.

So yeah, go on, ask your loving mother to justify herself, I dare you all. Ask your grandma and aunt too. Ask that one mother who pissed you off online too.

Also, don't forget that maybe, that parenting style was all they came to know about. And unless one breaks a very long and, shockingly, difficult to recognize cycle, they will unknowingly perpetuate it.

Anyway. That's how I see it. Because oh boy, I wouldn't even ask my mom to explain herself to me, no matter my grievances. But that's a me thing. How do you see it?

[7lizardsinacoat]

SAY HI, PACK OF PIXIES!

Every time I rewatch A Court of Fey and Flowers (or let's be real, any campaign Aabria Iyengar is in or runs), I had more and more wanted to paint her. So I did. Truly one of my favorite and most inspirational DMs, and a fashion icon to boot.

[essektheylyss]

I understand the impulse to clown on Essek for walking around in Vasselheim with his recognizable voice with the Bright Queen's spearhead commander, and of course we could turn to the metatextual elements (the necessity of signposting the world for players on the part of the GM, the ease of using a familiar ally to introduce a relevant NPC and new point of contact) to dismiss this if we wanted, but I think it's more interesting—and funnier, as you'll see—to imagine this as simply an extension of the laws and logic that dictate the Mighty Nein as a narrative entity.

Fundamentally, the Mighty Nein within their campaign pursue personal and collective agency, often at the expense or in denial of political power. Where they do interact with more political forms of power, they evade its grasp upon them, most notably in their interactions with the war, but also while they engage with the Cerberus Assembly, the Cobalt Soul, and even the Revelry. The way they pursue agency, on the other hand, has far more to do with their own support of one another and their own individual power, especially where there is magic involved, and manifests in having the freedom to move and act as they wish in the world.

The culmination of this, as we know, is the mechanical ability in their final battle against Lucien and the Somnovem to manipulate the terrain of the battle map to their advantage with only imagination. At the same time, Jester and Caduceus can both call in free favors from their gods, one of whom is unlimited by the Divine Gate and in fact is far more governed by fey logic. Fjord has made three different divine pacts and is virtually unrestricted by any of them. Caleb's hallmark is an almost infinitely malleable home that almost literally seems to operate as a hammerspace, with a pinnacle dedicated to the potentiality of the universe, the application of which is one of his signature spells—against all odds successful in his initial goal, no longer fueled by guilt and grief, of bending reality to his will. It's narratively and thematically cogent that this be the calling card of the party as a whole.

The Mighty Nein are, in effect, dictated by Looney Tunes logic, and nothing else. They have been so successful in their pursuit of their own freedom that they no longer abide by the cosmic laws of Exandria, let alone the laws of physics or sense. So yes, from an external point of view, it does look exceedingly foolish for Essek to be traipsing around in Vasselheim under the Bright Queen's nose, but it's far more entertaining to argue that being a member of the Mighty Nein in fact simply confers the capability of ignoring the laws of reality without consequence when it's narratively convenient, characteristically interesting—or just really fucking funny.

[matcheadz]

A better future is possible if we have the courage to pave the roads to it. Also libraries are punk as fuck, pass it on.

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

Hot take: I actually think men and women are meant to work together and complement each other and not like,,, dislike each other and be divisive.

[athenasplan]

C3E79: I really miss Dorian, and sometimes I think that's okay, and sometimes I think it isn't!

C3E111: I'm up a little longer, with my fingers curled up into [Dorian's], and I just think "this is okay."

[yudol-skorbi]

teeny tiney hut to make them all safe and sound

[mostlysignssomeportents]

All the News That Fits: Tom Tomorrow brings you This Modern World

https://prospect.org/power/2024-04-09-this-modern-world/

[proxycrit]

(I point. Gently, in the voice of somebody who’s mind touched by the outer gods, i whisper truth in your ears:

Your honor the horses are now lesbians

(Anyways here’s the designs)

[yashley]

As you all step out, what do you see?  (episode 111 spoiler:)

[alicentsultana]

Alicent's difficulty to bond with Aegon goes beyond being a childbride.

Here were I live, I met many "child mothers", girls who had a child in a very inadequate age, it's still an ongoing problem here, as I worked in public health system, I talked and met many of those unprepared girls. But most of them, beyond the struggle, despite the circumstances, were in some way, very much in love with their child and had formed that type of connection, no matter what they went through.

Because unlike what happened to Alicent (and many other mothers to this day), they were supported and protected, by their families (most unfuntional), their partners, their professionals, their friends and society in some way.

Alicent at maximum had the maids. Her best friend? Lost around. Her husband? What husband? Her father? What father?

She had a baby, was, as most women are, afraid of dying, afraid of her child dying, and then, after tons and gallons of occitocine and stress, had her son taken away. As many women had in the past. As many women in countless societies, even modern ones, still suffer today.

She loves him, that's for sure, but she doesn't love him in the same light as she loves Helaena or her two youngest, this love is more raw and full of confusion. There's both a mother and a son trying, there's a lost connection, lost bridge.

Check this post for more screams and shouts.

If you also have noticed other things that tainted their initial relationship, feel free to add.

[canawrites]

aabria nation we’re just constantly on top. she’s everywhere. she’s devastating you emotionally on this podcast. she’s devastating you emotionally on d20. she’s committing shenanigans unheard of on cr. summer of aabria? fall approaches and she’s STILL HERE . it’s three years later and she’s still KILLING IT. we just cannot lose!

[shoutydwarf]

When DA4 drops I want y’all to remember these things:

- Tevinter’s closest and only ally is Orzammar (‘ally’ is an overstatement but they have a business arrangement involving lyrium & trade that the imperium cannot function without)

- There is a class in Tevinter called the Ambassadoria that consists of dwarven dignitaries from Orzammar to oversee trade

- They have their own thaigs AND a provings ground.

- Minrathous is protected by “juggernauts”: GOLEMS. Gifted to them by Orzammar.

- Orzammar has embassies in EVERY major city in Tevinter.

If bioware reduces them to common thugs and merchants like they always do I’m gonna bite someone. If Varric “Not Like Other Dwarves” Tethras is the only dwarf companion or major dwarf character we get i am nibbling someone’s ankle. BioWare still hasn’t made up for what they did to Oghren. Prime opportunity to revisit dwarves that don’t hate or disown their culture in order to fill some hollow stereotype or predictable antithesis. Go back or else.

[essektheylyss]

Congrats to shadowgast, Exandria's wildest cottagecore couple, who are apparently hanging out growing green beans and co-teaching magic seven years on despite one of them being a wanted traitor and the other having a side gig building a case against people who probably should be tried as traitors. Whomst is doing it like them. You CAN have it all. 😌

[sketchlm]

Watching both Critical Role and Dimension 20 you can really see the differences between Brennan and his players versus Matt Mercer and his players, because whenever Matt does something fucked up they just sit forlornly like 🥺 and then Matt also looks back at them like 🥺

but whenever Brennan does something fucked up they'll call him every insult imaginable and he'll own it completely and straight up say some shit like 'gonna kill that dog 😜' without a hint of fear or hesitation

[ruby-red-inky-blue]

one of my favourite things about AO3 tags is their dedication to canon accuracy, even when that means it devolves into complete mayhem like

Percy was not named with a fan following in mind, this was clearly a running gag but it's his name so they have to use all of it