#either way i'm loving it so far

[astudyintheburningofhearts]

I just started listening and <333333

good morning to merlin fans how are we coping with speak now tv bc i am Not

[goldtealeaves]

how lonely do you think he was

(alt ver below (oj in the window))

[sysig]

Coming in to play! (Patreon)

[fandom-geek]

anyway, i mentioned it in the tags of one of my recent posts, but i've been playing expeditions rome recently and i don't know how this escaped my radar when it released???

it's essentially a crpg (with some somewhat basic tactical gameplay btwn armies) that starts at the beginning of the third mithridatic war (80s BC) and you play as a roman noble who's escaped the city after their father was murdered and their sister married off to his murderers. you leave for the frontlines of the war, where your father's friend and current consul, lucullus, commands the legions and you fight alongside them. and you can play as a woman, with the baggage that entails, which is surprisingly satisfying (at least for me).

oh, and one of your friends is julius caesar.

i'm currently a bit into act 2 of 3, which messes with history a bit so you can deal with cleopatra's conflict with her brother, and i really just love it so far. the romances are a bit interesting, since part of them is based on random events while travelling on the world map with your party.

your companions are all really fun to play with their backstories exploring various bits of roman/mediterranean society and the game isn't shackled to the protagonist for companion quests, which can lead to some fascinating bits that the player knows about the companions that the protagonist doesn't know yet (hi, calida).

i'm a bit reluctant to talk about historical accuracy as i'm a medievalist and the whole concept of "historical accuracy" is generally considered a bit nonsensical amongst historians studying pop culture depictions of history. especially since there's no one true vision of any historical society.

but usually when devs claim their game is historically accurate, they mean visually/archaeologically accurate. expeditions rome does do a lot of that, sure, but the fascination with the actual societies the devs are depicting bleeds through so well. is it accurate, per se? nah, every historically-inspired game has to choose its priorities with its source material, and this one chose to (rightly) prioritise letting you play as a woman over forcing you fully into roman gender roles.

your more traditionalist companions even discuss it - your enslaved mentor, syneros, says he doesn't really view you as a woman when you question his view of women as inherently deceptive, and caeso lightly implies that he thinks your father was deeply eccentric (at best) for training you in combat, as much as he's otherwise unquestionably loyal to you to the point of basically acting as your closest advisor along with syneros.

but even then, a female protag isn't treated as an equal by her peers back in rome (you can't gain political office like a male protag), which creates a delightful sense of claustrophobia whenever you return to rome - and this isn't just for your character, but your other female roman companion (hi again, calida) has a plotline that does even more to reinforce that atmosphere. your female companions even have a markedly different response to your choice to romance caeso than syneros (i've had no reaction from bestia about it so far, alas), because romance is a dangerous choice for an otherwise independent woman in roman society, even a patrician. i've heard you can do a lot later in the game to respond to rome's patriarchy, so i'm really curious to see how that pans out.

and to top it all off, there's a free demo which has about 2/3s of act 1, though the build is a bit outdated gameplay-wise compared to the updates in the main game since.

[carefulfears]

for mulder, the entirety of the william/jackson arc in the revival. i think of him running off because scully asks him too, slitting that man's throat, threatening unknown agents for their interference. every single thing he does. even the quieter moments. their date nights, saying The Thing to scully, just giving her whatever she needs. *waiting* for her to be ready. "that's my choice" speech. when she calls him fox and now it seems natural for them.

this is such a good one and i think it's easy to associate mulder with strength in the revival because he's so much Bigger and physically present and they treat him like an action hero at times, but also easy to miss what it takes to fulfill the role he is. he's so steady and even impulsive drastic moves like the throat-slit feel calm and calculated. he has to play the rational fixed point in a situation that is unbearably difficult for him too, and that's harder than it looks.

[cluescorner]

Randomized Robins AU - Ages + Worst Trait Exercise:

Steph (25):

Says her worst trait is her murderous rages (she is exaggerating for dramatic/comedic effect, she’s killed 3 people tops and for very good reason)

Thinks her worst trait is her spitefulness (one of the few traits she definitely got from her father + one that prevents her from fixing her relationships and living her best possible life. She’ll refuse to interact with someone she dearly loves after an argument (happens significantly less after Tim’s death) or will say things she knows are hurtful just for the sake of having the last word. This trait will worsen in some ways as the list of people who have wronged her and those she loves grows, but will also ease up as she matures and realizes the harm it’s doing to her relationships with those she loves most.)

Her worst trait really is her spitefulness

Cass (26)

Says her worst trait is her self-righteousness (she believes that her goals are righteous and, as a result, she is righteous. Cass becomes very defensive whenever someone questions the mission and often does not second-guess herself. This is a trait she only develops later in life as she grows closer to Bruce/learns to understand herself more/starts to love herself more. But she knows she isn’t perfect and when somebody she trusts criticizes something she is doing she is willing to listen. She just usually isn’t the one to START the introspection.) 

Thinks her worst trait is her self-righteousness. 

Her worst trait actually is her obsessiveness (she gets it from Bruce and, while not as bad as him, she will easily become preoccupied with her night-life and the mission if someone isn’t there to pull her back. She will do this to the point of self-destruction and it hurts her relationships with the people she loves, especially Steph.)

Tim (24)

Says his worst trait is his spitefulness (he actively rejects the idea of mending his relationships with the older members of the family and this causes him to also lack good relationships with the younger ones)

Thinks his worst trait is his obsessiveness (similar to Cass, if he gets fixated on a task or idea he will neglect everything else in his life in order to dedicate more time to it. Unlike Cass, he will almost never be dragged away from it unless Pierrot snatches control of the body and forces them to take care of themself.)

His worst trait actually is how manipulative he is (the KING of guilt-tripping and using people’s emotions against them. He’ll do whatever he needs to do to get what he wants, he’s not above crocodile tears. And he will do it to whoever he needs (or wants) to with little care for how his actions impact others.)

Pierrot (Insists: “Age doesn’t apply to me! And even if it did, I'd probably be the oldest. Or the youngest! I’d never be a middle child, though.” Mental assessments by the Bats have put him around 21, with a margin of error of 3 years. Pierrot has called this “blatant character assassination by my eternal rival!”)

Says his worst trait is that he is an irredeemable psychopath without any regard for the wellbeing of others (this is a lie and everyone who's important to him understands this). 

Thinks his worst trait is his parasitic nature (he literally would not exist had Tim not suffered the way he did. Plus he is a living reminder of one of the worst things that happened to many of his loved ones. He is a parasite injected into a functional person's body and contributes to his continued suffering. This is also a largely incorrect judgement of himself, caused by his actual worst trait.)

His worst trait actually is his limited sense of self (he doesn’t really know who he is outside of ‘inheritor to the legacy of the Joker (a man he despises yet also views as a father)’ and ‘chip in Tim’s brain that became sentient’. He slowly develops an identity over the course of his life and relationships with other people, but he lacks the foundations of identity that most people have. Pierrot will often almost become a caricature of himself and what others perceive him to be because it's the only person he knows how to be. This causes wild swings in how he behaves and relates to others, sometimes to the detriment of himself and others.)

Dick (17) 

Says his worst trait is his clinginess (he is a very extraverted person who likes to be around others, which mixed with his fear of abandonment after his parents died means that if he goes a few days without seeing/talking to a friend he will get very anxious.)

Thinks his worst trait is his anger issues (he gets ticked off very easily and will explode on people. He’s kind at his core and is usually very nice, but he has a temper that can escalate significantly. Spoiler (and later Twist) help him channel this anger into something positive.)

His worst trait actually is his anger issues.

Barbara (18)

Says her worst trait is her disability (internalized ableism, she thinks of herself as less valuable than the other Bats because she cannot be out there in the capes like they can. She will grow out of this as she matures and as she learns how invaluable her support for the team is.)  

Thinks her worst trait is her disability 

Her worst trait actually is her overly-independent nature (In an attempt to overcompensate for everything she can no longer do, she has resolved to do literally everything that she possibly can without any help from others. This results in many instances where she either takes on too much and winds up not being able to fully realize any of her tasks or where she makes her life and the lives of others significantly harder by refusing help when offered/not asking for it when she needs it.)

Damian (16)

Says his worst trait is his perfectionism (he is overly critical of both himself and others, taking any flaw or problem and amplifying it to an absurd degree. This is due in part to his life with the LoA (where even a brief misstep could lead to death), in part to how others treated him initially as Spoiler (any flaw was fixated on and used as a reason to either mistrust him or portray him as unworthy of the mantle), and in part due to the fact that he is Bruce’s son (the only person with worse perfectionism problems than Damian). Gradually, Damian has improved in this regard but it’s still a massive barrier to both his own happiness and his relationships with others.)

Thinks his worst trait is his perfectionism 

His worst trait actually is his perfectionism

Duke (16)

Says his worst trait is his definitely-real secret evil side (says this as a ‘my dad is a villain so who knows??’ joke)

Thinks his worst trait is his impulsivity in his words (Sometimes he will crack a joke or say a remark without thinking it through, leading to a LOT of hurt feelings and drama. He’ll say something without thinking it through and wind up seeming insensitive. This isn’t done because of malice, rather because Duke is someone who’s quick to act and speak. But while the mantle of Insight and his awakening powers have helped him with his actions, they do not always help with his loose tongue. As such, Duke gains an unfair reputation in the media as an instigator and will accidentally cause family drama through what he says.)

His worst trait actually is his impulsivity in his words

Jason (14)

Says his worst trait is his bad manners (he grew up on the streets and has no idea how rich-people society works, which he’s pretty insecure about considering he’s now the youngest kid of Bruce freaking Wayne). 

Thinks his worst trait is his reactiveness (Jason never got the privilege of planning ahead for various events in his life, so he instead needed to rely on being swift and harsh in how he could react to situations. It’s saved his life on multiple occasions and helps significantly in his role as Spoiler, but it can also lead to extreme overreactions (accidentally causing kidnapping scare after Jason ran away following a fight with Dick) and a struggle to plan things out ahead of time. As he grows more secure in his place in the family and in life, this trait will lessen but never fully dissipate.)

His worst trait actually is his reactiveness

[wellzofyouth]

That one post of my mine predictably aged like fine wine. Never let somebody on comic twitter in the writer's room😭😭😭 Like imagine a 1 to 1 adaptation of literally any event?? -1b at the box office. "Who are these people???"

[mister13eyond]

talking to a friend about getting back into art and i think the #1 most important piece of art advice i could ever get or give is just "figure out what is FUN to you"

like i think there is sooooo much emphasis on how to build SKILL in art but a lot of it really treats art like a job or like video game grinding, like it's this thankless job that you have to work at in order to reach a Threshold and i know it's not EASY to make yourself have fun but like

imo a solid 70% of the reason i create art is because the Act of Drawing is fun to me. it's fun problem-solving and planning and putting down lines and playing with colors and tools. it's fun to depict little scenes in my head or to create outfits or to find ways to fill the canvas. never forget that creating can be fun. sometimes it's hard and sometimes you have to battle through your own blockades to get there but the ultimate goal should always be to ENJOY it, to find what you enjoy doing and then do it forever. improvement will follow enjoyment.

i think especially with all the debate about ML image generation it's more important than ever to embrace FUN. if you're only focused on the end result it's so easy to get in your own head- to think about what doesn't look good or what skills you don't have yet or to compare yourself to other artists. but photography didn't kill the art of drawing and AI won't either because, simply put, there will always be people who want to do the physical act of making art because it's fun to do! using paints and markers, splashing colors around, doing shitty pen doodles, using the symmetry tool in your art program to do abstract mandalas that are just squiggles formed into patterns. do art like you're 5 and you've been handed markers to pass the time. do art like you're bored in class and you're keeping your brain entertained by drawing stick figure comics in the margins. do art like an absent thing, do art because it satisfies your brain. the goal is not to make something beautiful and perfect, the goal is to make something because your hands need to make and your body needs to make.

[exotic-dinostuff]

Happy pride 🎉

[hunsa-jars]

Dread be dreading

[httpiastri]

I’m cringing SO HARD as I’m about to write the smug part 😭😭😭😭 why am I like this?? It’s so easy to be unhinged on main here yet I’m putting off the fic cuz I need to wrap my head around, actually sit down and write a sex scene 😩😩😩😩

please bestie i feel you so bad 😭 literally cringing, it's so crazy lol esp since i too feel okay with writing like tags and stuff? and i don't cringe when reading it?? but my like five smut pieces are the hardest things I've ever written.... i truly do not understand how smut writers do it! like i'm so so thankful, but i really dont get it lol!!!

[chemicalarospec]

Picture of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. The caption is "me and the ugly short baddie I pulled by being autistic." Either of them could have written it. Do you see my vision.

[whiteshipnightjar]

Bombs Are Whistling

by Joanna Newsom

I face it with my flayed skull in the glacial morning wind It burns like salt, it’s not your fault that I ain’t got no skin.

I ran into the dawn until my voice was gone. I call, ‘I love you through it all.’

They said I couldn’t hold you when I tried to take your hand. Alarm bells rang; the nurse was saying things I can’t understand.

Too warm, too warm. I drew my arm away against the glass. ‘Is he okay?‘ my flayed skull asked. 

I prayed the fear would pass. They say you need me here more than I need that. But I need it. 

My eyes scan every place, and I stand guard all night in vigil, in warning and in waste. Unheeded.

Wild, too cold and blue. But look at those curls. How do you do?

Though I cannot imagine, recall it or conceive. I’m not going far away, I know what I believe. I know, I know, I know because they tell me that it’s true the spell will break me and wake me anew.

So I sit and rock and drop through space and kiss your face and sing. The smoke is thick, my skin is sick, the bombs are whistling.

The death, the doom, the leaden, looming dread is always near. But I love you, and you are here.

I feared that it had won. I feared that you would never find me, my darling son. But you found me.

And though it took awhile, now I look and find your blinding starlight smile surrounds me.

We bleed through, clear and true. Here with you now.

I wish that I could show you what I know about this pain. I’ll tell ya now, I don’t know how, but I’ll be back again. 

For bowing in the scouring wind that lays low everything. ‘I love you,‘ my flayed skull sings.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

Hawke: You knew my grandparents? Elthina: I dedicated your mother into the Chantry. She was a beautiful baby. Your grandmother was a very proper lady, but she was beside herself that day. And your mother put a fist in my eye.

Suddenly I like Leandra a little bit more. I mean, who hasn't wanted to put a fist in Elthina's eye at some point during da2?

"Excuse me, Grand Cleric Elthina, a templar used your official seal to get away with kidnapping and murdering qunari." "Ah, well, the Maker will figure it out. The Chantry is a gentle mother who knows her children learn best when allowed to learn themselves."

"Hey, Elthina, the templars are abusing mages. They're forcing tranquility onto them for minor things, which is against the law, and it's only getting worse. Can't you do something?" "It's not my place to decide who is right, but the Maker will eventually."

"Damn it, Elthina, my mother and several other women were murdered by an actually dangerous blood mage because the templars and city guard couldn't be bothered to do their jobs!" "Ah, I'm sorry, that's so unfortunate. May your mother find a place at the Maker's side."

"ELTHINA the qunari beheaded the Viscount and now Meredith has taken complete control over Kirkwall and is looking for any excuse to annul the entire Circle with her Andraste complex, will you PLEASE do something to stop her before more people die??" "Hmmm, I see, but no. The Maker's time isn't man's time, we have no need to rush."

"Listen, you useless moron, you need to leave Kirkwall because shit's about to go down." "No, I will not leave. Who would hurt me? I'm Grand Cleric."

Even as a baby, Leandra knew this lady was an awful person. This is why you got blown up, Elthina.

[bookwyrminspiration]

including proper citations where you're not "supposed" to is the funniest fucking thing in the world to me. i just sent an email to my instructor quoting and citing said instructor with a works cited section

[leapinarmadillo]

ohhhh. i forgot that people used to say michael was getting surgeries in order to look like diana ross. ugh. i don't think there's anything to that but............ugh.