#he is so multifacted

[cosmic-walkers]

after seeing that amazing edit...I can't ever stop thinking about Wriothesely and the complexities of his character. From his prior loyalty to Thomas to his eventual loss of devotion to him, whether it be out of fear, lust for power, or both - but his unquestionable loyalty to Stephen at the very end of things. One thing I appreciate is that, in the show , Risley tried many times to help Thomas, trying to get him to make a move against his enemies (Norfolk), trying to warn him of potential threats. There were even instances where we knew Risley was probably talking to Stephen, and he still attempted to steer Thomas in the right direction but just realized he was too stubborn. Then Risley betrayed Thomas and Gregory, which negated all his good qualities unfortunately.

I don't think what Risley did to Thomas at the end of the day was right, by any means, but what I do think is that he is such a nuanced, and complicated character. and i love characters like him.

It would've been so much easier if he hated Thomas and the Cromwells, if he was planning to betray them from the very beginning but that isn't the reality. He loved them, he saw them as his own family, he enjoyed being around them and being in their presence. His heart absolutely ached for what happened to Thomas, despite being the most instrumental person in his master's downfall. It was Risley's confession - that i don't believe was actually in the show - that really pushed Thomas to be executed.

And then there is the other hand, where even in the books there is a power play between Thomas and Stephen when it comes to Risley. They both want him, they both want to use him for their own ambition, they both want to show him off to the other just to say' I have him and you don't.' One of Thomas's main reasons in the books for having Risley close, was to spite Stephen.

And then you have these instances where, as much as Risley loves the Cromwells, he questions his place in their lives. Richard and Rafe outwardly talk down on him, Richard calls him an idiot, Rafe never liked him to begin with. He mentions how Thomas laughed at him when he suggested something and you can tell he questions if this family really accepts him, or not. Or if he is just another example of a man of 'noble' birth that Thomas parades around to show that he can.

So many complexities in Risley - even down to his attire. I was never sure if it was cheetah or jaguar or leopard clothing but the point is, those are both ambush and solidarity predators. They don't fit well in groups, especially the males; they will fight and kill, and they will ambush. I always saw Risley as a person who tried to fit in with the Cromwells but realized at the end, he never had a place, so his next logical step was simply an ambush.

Another animal, at least I find him comparable to is the snake that Thomas many times references in the books. Not just the snake, but the poison that eventually catches up to Thomas. Thomas spoke about how he was bitten by a snake in Italy, but it didn't kill him, but he never knew if it was poisonous or not. However, after that, he would consistently get ill, and it was implied that the poison was killing him slowly he just didn't know when. There was something about Risley being there, like the poison festering from the snake wound, slowly undoing the Cromwell house hold, slowly sinking his fangs into the stability and that family that let him in, and then eventually, destroying them.

[kiwibirdlafayette]

I think Tom (and all his alts) strive for freedom…

OH ABSOLUTELY

I totally agree!! I think just like- the nature of Tom and his alts (who ofc meta wise were all written after him) is that they’re all dependent people of some kind, usually as the result of their circumstance of existence

Whether that be like in Tom's case because Dianite (or Mianite in Godswap, albiet different dynamic) is the one to grant him reanimated life, making him sort of indebted to him- or Cassell who isn't necessarily bound to his god moreso that he's bound to his creators (Flash and Ianite). Mot also sort of has that tether element to him because Dianite technically also saved his life from the creeper spore infection iirc but I think it makes the principle of freedom a little different to him esp. because it turned into like a business partners to unrequited crush to sorta lovers kinda thing depending on your post canon

All of this translates to me into their kind of devotion as champions, and again how that's like different from Ianitee flavored devotion (based on the guidance of Ianite and trusting in her judgement to lead them the right way so she can keep them safe), or Mianitee flavored devotion (Like knights to a king, similar to Ianitees follow orders for order, kind of follow his principles rather than specific instructions from him). Dianite being Dianite and the elements of chaos being how it is, Dianitee devotion is like being an extension of him, not via principles or guidance but by intent like being mercenaries in service of him while still being tethered in fear of punishment if its not done right. And maybe yknow they don't mind the implications that come with that title (Mot's case, for example) I think that's where that desire for freedom comes for- a want to have an existence that isn't tethered to their god

side note this could not apply as much to Dianite and Cass in Aitheaca because Dianite takes the Ianite role in terms of swapped god positions (and Cass runs off Dianite's guidance in the same way as Jordan would to Ianite) as Flash and Ianite are more similar to Tom and S1 Dia but bear with me xD

So kind of like extrapolating from that- their more specific desires for freedom are all sort of tied to Tom's need for spiritual freedom- I want to like refer to the whole thing of the Thauminomicon-y traits Marsh had mentioned before, and how Tom has 'fabrico', which stands for craft/repair. It connects in the sense of yeah he's a zombie he's stiched back together but. ok hear me out. Who would have stitched him back together? It was implied in an episode of Isles that c!Tom doesn't remember the Minecraft Project- (because they're memories he can't return to, just big empty void in his head), or when he was alive/ill from zombification, but he hadn't died yet. The person that arrives on Mianite with Tucker is that Tom, he is all that chaotic goofy Tom is, but at the same time he's partially someone else's creation, sewn together in intricate ways to be the bringer of chaos for the god he serves- but beyond that? His humanity. At his core, he's human, not someone who'll just take orders blindly and him striving for his freedom from that tether is refusing to deny the things that makes him alive. And I think the other alts like ya said follow suit, in Mot maintaining his humanity regardless of his ailment through choosing to care for Alyssa rather than being just a ruthless chaotic killing machine when Rux!Dia dies or in Aitheaca the way I want to write Cassell as someone who was born as a weapon for Ianite but loves collecting vintage human things and views his innermost self through music. The visual I kind of go to is the idea of Tom literally crafting and repairing the parts of himself that make him feel trapped by breaking them apart, burning it, adding new things when he takes the hands of friends and yeah!! And I think this sort of aspect could also tie into him becoming Mecha Dianite as well in finding freedom by choosing the person he is, and owning it

[imhavingdifficulties]

my boyfriend is the cuntiest man alive

[inkandpaintsnowleopard]

DEXTER IS SUCH AN INTERESTING CHARACTER DUDEEEE

Dexter's entire thing is that he's awful and you're supposed to find his misfortune funny. Which it is! But it also makes him sympathetic, in a way? His entire predicament with Moloch and the doll was simply just wrong place, wrong time

Like-- I feel like if he hadn't got body snatched by Moloch, he would have been similar to Frank, a dude that does horrible things but it's offset by him being goofy

If it hadn't happened he'd have absolutely NO beef with the Spookeez, he'd still be living his life and I think that's what gets me

And hell, even with his needs he has some morals? He chooses to kill animals instead of people because he doesn't want to harm humans unless he absolutely has no other option, and it's just?? He's a mess but a multifacted mess and probably the SM character I'd like to dissect most under a microscope

What’s that thing Sr Pelo said about him that one time? He’s a bad guy trying not to get worse? That’s one of the most intriguing character ideas I’ve ever heard.

And like- Unwanted Guest happened in June, and Deadly Smiles happened in like late December — early January I think, so Dexter was able to go half a year without killing anything. The kids took him everywhere, he spent all his time with them, and he only resorted to killing THEM when he absolutely couldn’t take it anymore. Before then he tried breaking away, he tried getting them to give him animals, and he even tried killing other random people. Killing the kids was his last resort, only to be done when NOTHING else worked

[vacantgodling]

hiiiiii work is wild today. so i have a question for you.

i'd like to hear about some of the different foods available in tcol!! regional delicacies, staple crops, rare treats... anything you can offer me.

or, alternatively, tell me about some of the main cast's favorite and least favorite foods!

oo this is an interesting question in the sense that food, flora, and fauna are like my least favorite worldbuilding things so... i tend to build them in such a "dude because i said so" kind of way. there is no rhyme or reason to it it just has to happen when i need to think of something LMAO

all of that to say this will be extremely all over the place PFF.

so the one food i DEFINITELY know exists is a labyrinth honey loaf, which is like... basically a sweet bread. i mention it in mukul's profile, because that's currently his biggest goal--to make the perfect batch of one of these. the reason it's so difficult to make is that it basically requires labyrinth honey, which needs to be tempered like chocolate. but its hard to temper because its slightly explosive if you cook it at the wrong temperature, or it just turns to uneatable sludge. its an absolute delicacy if you can make it correctly though and that's why he's very fixated on it atm. (he loves baking). so i think a lot of labyrinth foods from its strange flora and fauna are just kind of Like That. amazing if you know how to cook it but absolutely dangerous to try and work with LMAO.

when it comes to regional delicacies.... i gotta get more into the weeds of city worldbuilding. each major city in terrae is basically its own cultural center (though some influence each other; kingsburrow and lathsbury aren't too different culturally because they're so close to one another and were established at p much the same time in history) and i have somewhat vague inclinations about each of these... but its sort of next on my list of to dos.... my long... neverending list of to dos..... (y'all should see how long the timeline is now and if i told you how much shit i still needed to figure out... GOD) anyway though; i do know that Diisaians in general are huge drinkers.

in general, one of the first crops in terrae that existed was because of the god of harvest, alcohol, and partying KIBARUM waaaay back in like the 100s, when eros and argos were first being established. and that was a crop which i'm just worldbuilding on the fly rn but its kind of a cross between wheat and rice. like similar properties of both. don't ask me how it works, idk man. but its something that can be grown dry in one way and creates a certain staple grain, but the same crop can also be grown in marshy/swampy lands like how rice is grown (cuz eros and argos are very marshy/swampy) and it acts differently. a multifacted, fast growing crop that can be manipulated in a variety of ways based on the fact that in the early days of terrae, shit was BAD bro like 2/3 of the pop was passing away like every year or something ridiculous like that due to monsters until the citadel of Argos was finally finished.

but that's more into the history weeds and my forte and not related to the question at hand so i will steeeeer away from that.

said crop... which i will name eventually... can be made in a multitude of ways like i said like it can make breads, porridges, slurries, meals (like corn meal or grits), etc. its pretty much the basis for the terranean diet altogether because its so versatile. the only place where it doesn't grow is kiskkaddon because kisk is a giant "all consuming" desert. tm.

in kiskkaddon and diisai, speaking of, they're the only places on all of terrae where there are "wild monsters" aka monsters who were not driven by lath and ensio into the labyrinth, just bc those lands weren't connected to terraneans and terraneans ventured into those lands tm. they live virtually alongside monsters in these regions and have created cultures centered around fending off and killing these free roam monsters, who, tend to be weaker (but still a problem) than labyrinth monsters bc they aren't affected by the influence of either The Thicket or The Demon King (i'm just saying words at you now sorry). all of this to say, diisians and kisks are very good at cooking monster parts, better than other mainland terraneans.

i could keep going to stall but tbh that's a long enough rant. i need to figure all of this out more anyway, but first things first i gotta name this crop LMAO

[intersex-support]

hi, um...

firstly, i'm really sorry if this post will makes any intersex person uncomfortable. you can just don't publish it, if you see this question is unacceptable.

and also, tw: dysphoria

i don't know if i am intersex, but let's pretend i am not, just because i don't feel i have a right to call myself this way. especially before any tests.

i called myself non-binary or androgynous, in the childhood, for some reason, i used a word he*****dite.

i have physical and social dysphoria from a both sides, too masc or too fem = day ruined. voice, body, hair, face... all of it. i know intersex ≠ androgyny, i know intersex it is a many variations. i don't think intersex people can't look masculine or feminine (or any other way they want to).

and... let's say... i had really hard times with dysphoria. and now i have it, too. i... i think it sounds ridiculous, but i feel my experience... i think i need to call myself intersex.

well. i said it.

honestly, i'm not sexualizing intersex people or think they look in one certain way. i just feel like i had to be intersex, born as one. i... i really can't explain what it means. i just know it.

i don't think being intersex if fun or *special*. i just want to live normal life with myself. i, honestly, i never will say i have experience as intersex people have. i know, i do not.

it's just really hurt to think i was born F/M, not I. i had to be intersex. maybe it sounds crazy or disrespectful. to me, born as F or M almost similar painful.

i know i will never be able to be myself. it's all was wrong from the very beginning. i don't use any labels such as "intersex" or "transintersex" or whatever. i don't think i have i right to be in intersex spaces as a member, not ally.

my questions are...

do you think my identity have a right to be or it's disrespectful for intersex people? do you believe it exists? will i hurt actually intersex people if i start to call myself intersex?

i'm really sorry. it was almost 10 years of my physical dysphoria and 20 years of social. i thought about this so many times, and i don't know how to stop feel this way.

anon, I will be honest that this question does make me uncomfortable, but I'm going to answer it anyway, because we get a lot of questions like this and yours is one of the less offensively phrased, so I want to take the time to answer this now.

If you are not intersex, you cannot identify as intersex. intersex people are not being mean or cruel when we say this, this is just a fact. And because we are so used to our bodies being fetishized, and people only paying attention to intersex experiences when it is convenient for them, we often are justifiably upset when we are continually asked questions by endosex/dyadic people who want to lay claim to intersex experiences without being intersex. so many people do not understand the extent of intersex oppression, the multifacted ways that stigma can shape our lives, and the amount of violence that many of us face whether it's medical violence, sexual violence, or otherwise. and so many of our experiences are shaped by our other identities--our transness, our race, our disabilities--so many ways that our lives as intersex people can become entangled with the oppression we face. that's not to say that being intersex is inherently a negative or traumatizing experience, but rather to express that the intersex community is so fragmented and isolated that oftentimes, we spend years without ever meeting any other intersex people and internalize our own experiences as our fault rather than understanding the underlying oppressive forces at work. I have so much intersex pride and love being intersex, but that is something that took years for me to be able to say.

being intersex is so much more than just our physical bodies, our diagnoses, or our experiences with dysphoria. i know you said that you understand that being intersex does not equal androgyny, but I'm not sure you actually have accepted what that means when you talk about it at the same time as you talk about your dysphoria around being perceived as masc or fem. I really think you have a lot of misconceptions about what it is like to live as intersex and your questions reflect those misunderstandings. I think statements like "just really hurt to think i was born F/M, not I" are statements that are really hard for intersex people, especially intersex people who experienced IGM at birth, to look at because it reflects such a distance from the ramifications of actually getting marked as "I" at birth.

I believe that your dysphoria is valid and that your distress is real-I'm not intending to invalidate that, and I think that you deserve support and compassion for those experiences. but i do not think intersex community is the space to seek that support, and i do not think calling yourself intersex is something that is an appropriate way to cope with that distress. I do think that it hurts intersex community when endosex people label themselves as intersex because it actively makes it harder for us to build community when we are already so isolated.

I do not have any intention of shaming you for having the dysphoria and experiences you do, but I think you do need to do some more self reflection about the way you engage with intersex community, and develop some clearer boundaries about how you act as an ally without centering yourself. If you want to seek support for these experiences, you need to figure out a way to do it that isn't harmful to the intersex people you interact with, or seek support elsewhere. I do genuinely hope that this dysphoria and distress becomes easier to deal with for you.

also, i think it really isn't appropriate to share that you used to identify as a hermaphrodite as a child. I understand you were a kid and didn't know better, but like, I really hope you understand that hermaphrodite is a slur that is very, very painful for many intersex people to see and we really don't have a lot of interest in hearing any justifications for endosex people using the slur in any context.

overall I can't really stop you from doing anything, I am not the authority on intersex community, and I am only one intersex person and am happy for other intersex people to add on/disagree in the comments. But I am not interested in giving you permission to identify as intersex when you know that you are not intersex.

[dionysus-is-my-dude]

Hello there! I had a question(s) about the deities Im devoted too! I’m relatively new and just found my beliefs after getting some damning signs from the deity I am devoted to the most, and I found myself devoted to both Hellenic deities and Norse deities, as well as an Egyptian deity. I just wanted to know if that is normal or if I’m disrespecting them by being devoted to others? I don’t want to be disrespectful but I don’t know if this is right :(

Hello there! I don't think it's disrespectful at all! Dionysus was said to have been a traveling foreigner, not really of Grecian origins. I feel like he and Hermes probably get along with Loki from the Norse pantheon. The scene from the fourth Thor movie where all the gods are hanging out at that hidden planet just for them sums up how I think of people worshipping gods from different pantheons.

In Wicca, which I was first interested, a point that the authors would make is that the God and Goddess are multifacted, with each facet being another name and face for them. Like, Aphrodite and Frigga would simply be parts of the overall Goddess figure.

I'm no longer a Wiccan and worship solely gods from the Greek pantheon, but I don't see anything disrespectful about being more eclectic, so long as you're respectful of closed religions and practices, like voodoo and chakra cleansing. If you're worried about accidentally offending a god or goddess by worshipping one from a different pantheon, you can meditate and have a discussion with them. Everyone's relationship with deities is different, so it's entirely up to you.

[franciskirkland-deleted]

LietPol Headcanons

yay!!! love them <3

so in the early fandom days i used to read a lot of lietpol and write a bit of it, this time around i haven't given it much thought but it's such a good ship and deserves more attention imho. i consider them an old married couple much like england and france.

the femdom ship of all time (i don't have a solid gender headcanon for poland but he seems so bigender to me... like my babygirl. or maybe he's non binary or just a flamboyant femboy. anyway.)

you know the 4 pm dick flattening meme? yeah that's them.

"he asked for no pickles" but liet is already eating the sandwich made incorrectly bc he doesn't really give a fuck. acceptable sandwich.

they're probably toxic in a way that looks really fun and cute externally. there is no way feliks isn't some flavor of crazy. but its ok he's so quirky about it!!! he likes pretending he's harley quinn or some shit. he's such a messy bitch and never grew out of it. he calls tolys daddy despite keeping the man's balls in a ziplock bag in his knockoff louis vuitton.

as far as tolys he's a very multifacted character but i can't see him as like this badass that he's apparently portrayed as in recent fandom.

he's socially awkward and neurotic and tired of everyone and poland is his biggest migraine but that bussy game is ridiculous and he gets off on being treated poorly. he keeps repeating happy wife happy life like some sort of mantra while completely losing his shit. i don't think he's actually like a pathetic wet noodle i do think he could be kind of a simp but it's inadvertent he's just trying to appease feliks because that satisfied lil smirk and evil gay laugh is what he lives for.

but it's not all that, they do have their sappy romantic moments, are emotionally vulnerable with one another, and have a lot of fun together. i see them playing jokes on each other a lot, watching movies together and snuggling, finding new hobbies that they can do as a couple like cooking or completing 'challenges' like. '30 autumn date ideas' or watching films off a list. and shopping together!!!

i see feliks putting in a lot of effort to cheer tolys up when he's down and if he ever does actually hurt his self esteem he's quick to apologize, reassure him, and make it up to him however he wants. i feel like tolys isn't a super romantic guy in general, at least he has trouble displaying it, but he's always in awe of how he managed to land such a cutie and doesn't let feliks forget that he's appreciated.

[loveregrown]

I really liked Rinne's role in the main story and how he went around doing bad things for good reasons... I love how much he sucks and his morally grey arse... Aira often sympathizes with him and finds herself trying to rationalize his actions even if she can't forgive him, she can see his perspective because he's Right and that love they share for idolhood is so strong... that's why she's the one who saves him. I also hate how so many RinneP either make him out to be this evil man who's committed every crime in the world or a sweet angel sent from above who's just so kind and cute. He's well-intentioned often but he is very much still oftentimes an asshole! Even if it's partly a facade doesn't mean he isn't being an asshole or having fun being one! 😭 He is so full of love for the people he cares about & wants to protect them but isn't this obvious? The whole point of his character? Was the main story read while blinded? Are you scared to like him for who he is or too stupid to? Clearly he is presenting himself as someone meant to be hated and is perhaps written to be hated at times while also meant to be understood and yet he is charismatic and sometimes cute enough for people to also like him. He's multifacted... once again black and white thinking strikes and this always seems to happen with all of Perce's favorites in the media he likes. He's so interesting to me this isn't anything smart I'm saying even if I can be, this is like tip of the iceberg stuff that people refuse to comprehend even when they try

[myimaginarywonderland]

With Charles recent story, I think it's time we talk about something that is a huge problem that many don't acknowledge or just that hasn't fully sunk in yet.

But with the behaviour of those disgusting fans, it is once again clear why Sebastian Vettel was right not to use social media until he retired.

The way in which F1 drivers not only can interact with fans but are also "marketed" is a huge contributer to this dismissing of boundaries.

Let me explain.

Lando for example for some of us was literally a twitch dude before an F1 driver. This is nothing against him doing that but it just shows how obscure the drivers have become in the public eye.

I first saw Lando when I got onto Twitch and now knowing what Twitch and streaming is like, I can not believe that he was allowed to do it because boundaries get so blurred there. The line between streamers and audience has become more and more obscure because most streamers either have very small communities where there definitely is a lot of knowing each other to some degree or they are so big but have established themselves that there is a kind of line thar can be pushed. Many streamers will have fans make out of line comments, make inappropriate statements etc. That is because quiet a few streams go off that energy, they use it for entertainment. They know how to play their audience. Lando has never received that because he never built an audience the way streamers did. And now, with Twitch having become so big and for people like me then not knowing that Lando was actual a professional athelet, it is assumed that this kind of energy might also be there for him. Add onto that the fact that there is now a new form of journalism where even non-professionals can push to ask questions about racing and you get absolute fucking chaos because it's kind of blurred between people just wanting to watch a dude stream and F1 fans especially younger ones flooding with race related questions.

And the worst instigator for this phenomenon is also without a doubt drive to survive. The way there are stories made up, fights and radios out of context, the way it is shoot like an actual TV Show to where some people genuinely question if this is about athletes or made up characters, this serious has made the problem far worse especially when they compleltly ignore drivers and want to make some drivers the bad guys when in actuality, there is no fucking bad guys. This is a sport, not a novel.

Sure, there's different kinds of drivers but there's no such thing as a bad guy because this is a real actual sport.

These are actual multifacted people that, believe it or not, can all be assholes from time to time and all will be ugly at some point when it comes to achieving the championship.

But the Netflix has made this straight up fictional perspective of real people, compeltly influences newer fans perception.

The amount of times I have heard new fans surprised that Lance isn't actual dead last every race or Max isn't the devil in person, is genuinely mind blowing.

This warped perception added together with access to social media complelty forges a picture to younger fans.

I don't excuse their behavior but sometimes I admit that it can be hard to realise that this parasonical relationship is compeltly one sided and that actually, you don't know them at all and your entire perception might be based an made up information.

It's the same shit people had to realise when some YouTuber fan bases got out of hand.

Except that it should never be this way because these are athletes. These aren't people who put out content for entertainment, these are actual racing drivers fighting for a world championship.

But, with the way they are marketed and with the way F1 is marketing itself more as a spectacle than an actual racing competition, it's hard to see that especially when you are younger and only just discovering F1.

There's no excuse for the behavior but there is a reason, an underlying problem that needs solving before we get to the point that some YouTuber fandoms escalated to.

There's an issue that won't be addressed because F1 is straining further from a sport and drifting more towards an entertainment show like WWE or just straight up fictional stories.

[foxehrobot]

Book Review: Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

This sequel to Iron Widow picks up exactly where the first book leaves off. Wu Zeitan has awoken the emperor Qin Zheng from his 200 year stasis and they have destroyed the Palace of Sages and taken over the government.

But of course it's not that simple. Qin takes over as the new (old?) emperor and immediately takes over Zeitan's life even as he begins a communist revolution. The gods are making demands of both Qin and Zeitan, and the two hatch a plot to destroy them.

And so we have 21 hours (audiobook) of messy, problematic politics. Which is 100% my cup of tea. Qin is both implementing excellent governmental reforms even as he treats Zeitan as a possession and becomes increasingly heavy handed as civil war looms.

XJZ does not shy away from showing the ugly side of major governmental upheaval and reform, and I could hear the echos of history in the way the people reacted to the new communist regime. At one point early on I said "I don't know how this is going to end, but it's going to be ugly," and of course, I was right.

It's hard to go into detail without ruining some of the nice twists in the book, but I gloried in seeing the way everything slowly fell apart, came back together, and then fell apart again. Characters were multifacted and interesting. The tension was great. Honestly, I felt that HT was not just a worthy sequel, but is possibly better than IW.

I will note that there was a content warning at the beginning of the book, which is normally a red flag for me, but having read IW, I knew that this was actually going to be A Preview of Coming Attractions rather than a hollow promise. The book's brutal, in many different ways.

There was also a note about "the views of these characters are not reflective of the author's views and should not be taken as historical truths," which I found...sad. I know XJZ is very social media oriented and probably has dealt with a lot of backlash from IW, but man, there was also basically an essay on this at the back of the book as well. I know the demographics for this series probably run substantially younger than my middle-aged ass, but damn.

On a lighter note, I am very unfamiliar with how to pronounce Chinese names and terms, and so I was grateful for the audiobook version with the correct pronunciations.

[dorminchu]

between heaven & earth, behind the scenes

ch02 is nearly finished. ch03 is where the plot kicks into higher gear. eren's characterization is tricky to balance between idealism and morality. hinting about his true nature via conversations with bertholdt and reiner; trainee arc isn't the main focus but it's imperative to the set-up. misc notes under the cut!

eren's interactions with rba (and ymir, possibly) should be multifacted upon rereading without exposing the whole narrative jig, if you know what I mean. same idea of narrative foreshadowing goes for annie and ymir. not sure if I want to write 10k words about the training arc when the meat of this fic rests on eren as a catalyst and the reiss family doing damage control (kenny and uri get more of a focus). the aftermath of trost is more imperative imo. training arc is like… about the tragedy of it all, in hindsight.

the ereannie b-plot IS in here, but they have zero time to work out how they feel in between the trost to FT situation, aside from reluctant, bitter more-than-friends(?) to enemies.

I think annie's got a nihilistic view of relationships as it is, and she's trying to distance herself from eren, emotionally. yet she justifies her interest in him as his potentially carrying the Progenitor, and as a ticket back home. her infatuation with this idea, and him (he enjoys training with her, he's friendly and wants to know more about her as the facade she feels she presents, ordinary girl swept up in the flow, etc.) -- THIS leads to the catalyst in nfds, but that fic ends with unresolved tension. in bh&e the tension is, for the most part, merely implied.

the romance itself likely will not get resolved until they're like. in marley, post timeskip. like WAAAY later, they have to do the whole enemies to friends rigamarole first, which should be interesting. especially with the dichotomy between capt. levi who only sees the soldier that killed his squad, etc. things might play out differently than canon.

in marley it's more like, next time we meet we'll be trying to kill each other. even if this afternoon is all we get, I did love you. I still do.

I'm also trying to figure out how to work with mikasa in a way that acknowledges canon but is narratively satisfying. because that's how I roll. so does that make it a slow burn? I think it does. I'm very tired but also wired. :D

[br1ghtestlight]

thinking abt the concept of like a be careful what you wish for alternate universe where their personalities are opposite type situation with my ocs (think the icarly episode where she wishes spencer was born normal) and im actually having trouble figuring out what they'd be like?? like im trying to get down to the fundementals of their character but the oppsite of them just. doesnt feel right & doesn't make sense in my head

like starr is fundementally self-serving egotistical and selfish and believes she's the greatest person to ever exist. she's talented and famous and everybody loves her. wouldnt the opposite of that just be sunshine?? who is self-sarcrifcing and has a very low opinion of himself and his wants/needs and puts others before himself. he isnt talented or special or important. but starr and sunshine ARENT opposites (and this is ignoring that they are fundementally a part of each other and it would be difficult for their personality to be **one** thing in the first place) like starr could be totally humble & giving and only using their fame and fortune for good. but then u have even MORE questions like what was his childhood like why did he become famous in the first place?? if EVERYBODY is opposite would his parents be opposite and wouldnt even push him towards fame in the first place????

idk maybe im overthinking a silly jokey concept but i guess its like. with real people you cant boil their entire existence and personality down to a select few defining stereotypes/traits bcuz people are so complicated and multifacted and there is no one way that they are bcuz they're always changing

[radnewspaperroom]

I gotta agree to a point

I can see the direction they wanna go with it. I just feel like they executed it badly?

Dia has always been just an authority figure in most of the conversations with MC. An obstacle they needed to topple to get what they need or want for whatever reason.

I feel like there wasn't enough 1/1 time with him for the "I adore you" conversation. I'm an angsty bitch so all the angles of loving one or all the brothers but the crown prince of the realm is in love with them (Lucifer's best friend angst, Lucifer's pride, his PTSD, Mammon's self esteem, his greed, go on down the line with them all like this and you see what I'm getting at, they're all really multifacted)

But I really feel like we should have had more MC x Dia moments to really show him falling for them rather than "oh, he's been in the background watching the brothers and thus MC and fell in love off screen by their actions rather than a deep emotional personal connection over time on screen with the player"

It almost feels like his trial when he admits he wanted the brothers because he saw them as powerful, beautiful jewels to own. What better lover to have than one coveted by almost everyone he knows and cares about in all three realms? The one Lucifer himself desired and loves more than anything ? Who better to be his partner than the glowing success story of his exchange program?

It feels, as written in the game, Diavolo is playing chess with the universe to still achieve his goal, while MC is trying to actually live their life and feels *something* for Dia.

It really makes him feel disingenuous. Like, I like the plot idea, I really don't like the execution of it?

Also. I've never felt like Barb and Simeon were really love interests but just side characters like Luke, Solomon is hit or miss for me really, feels like for the three of them it's "oh yeah. And they're in love with you too" it doesn't feel as real as the brothers due to lack of time (feels less weird for Solomon after Nightbringer since he was around more for one on one time and had the living together but)

i agree with the whole thing about mc not needing anymore love interests. tbh i feel like diavolo should’ve been the only datable side character (and also solomon but that’s me being biased bc he charmed his way into my heart) since he’s so interested in humans so he would naturally spend more and more time w mc. simeon and barbatos had the same aura as your older brothers best friend. yes they’re charming and it’s nice to imagine a relationship w them but they’re also emotionally unavailable and just don’t seem that interested in you anyway romantically.

Honestly I don't see Diavolo as a dateable either

When they first announced the side characters becoming dateables I was so visibly excited about Diavolo being dateable that I got a couple asks about whether this meant I'd be ditching Mammon

But I don't like the way they executed it?

They kinda just sprang it at the end of s2 with 0 build up?

I mean Solomon's being showing interest in MC since S1 (though I don't really interpret that as romantic interest) that it's believable when he starts liking them?

But even mid way through S2 Diavolo had no real interest in MC other than the 'they're human gotta keep 'em safe to make sure my millenia old dream suceeds' and 'if they die lucifer is going to be big sad' kind

Okay maybe my bitterness at the execution is making me exagerate. I'm sure he cared about MC as a person and/or a friend in S2 but it's never enough to justify the sudden romantic twist at the end of s2

The focus when it came to Diavolo or Lucifer in S2 was all about their relationship with each other and MC acting as the therapist. To the point that:

a.) Lucifer (with amnesia) asked MC what he was doing talking about other men (Diavolo) the last time they were together in a romantic spot (the top of a ferris wheel)

b.) MC's gonna fucking explode and take all three worlds with them and Diavolo refuses to tell the brothers till the very end because:

I mean look, you can't suddenly claim he's in love with MC when a few lessons ago he was willing to keep the fact that MC was a ticking time bomb from people who could have helped just because he wanted to not upset Lucifer for as long as possible

Also not Diavolo fighting for his life trying to deflect Simeon's questions and Simeon basically going

Even now each time Diavolo says something romantic to MC it's like getting hit in the face because it feels like it came outta nowhere

[ofwrittenwords]

okay but given that firing an arrow takes so little time , especially if it’s not meant to be properly aimed & is just apart of a mass body of them to hit a massive target , thranduil really should have given the order to fire the moment after those larger twirly - whirly arrows fired by dain’s forces hit the ground since the first three ranks which are the archers weren’t hit at all bc those precious seconds between the firing then reloading of those larger arrows was his golden opportunity which he missed bc he hesitated

[merrysithmas]

seeing Mon Mothma slay as a senator makes me sad for the life Padme could have had if she didnt get involved in the most toxic and deluded relationship with a dude who married her because he was projecting grief about his mother's death (lol anakin we love you, but no).

and she married him of course because she was desperate for some freedom in her life which had been utterly political since age 14 - she never got to grow or experience life as a child. she never really got anything but making war decisions as a literal child. of course she was a multifacted tragic character and fascinating - i mean she stood for so much good & law & order but then totally ignored/stayed silent on the murder of an entire Tusken village to get what she wanted emotionally. that's some really cool writing, honestly.

but as per the tragedy genre they were terrible together and truly didn't seem to know one another at all. they were one another's psycho-emotional crutch - not one another's spouse, and of course it ended as it did. not saying they didn't care for one another, they did ("There's still good in him", "Is she safe? Is she alright?") but they were obviously unstable and their dynamic wasn't built on genuine understanding or even true romantic love, imo. it was based on their own unsatisfied inner needs and projecting it on one another. a really interesting story dynamic that makes for compelling viewing.

Padme's political legacy as the Queen of Naboo/Naboo Senator/founder of the Rebellion is THE most important part of her character, and hopefully if she is alluded to at all by Bail or Mon this is mentioned. the fact that she began to mistrust the Senate/her marriage etc is such an important part of her character. i would love love love this!

super sad stuff! thanks star wars lol