#hypothetical but just in case

[halimayronwood]

he was calm, measured as he stepped around the table and dared her with a look to escalate this, to hit him, to claw at his skin until she drew blood. she entertained those thoughts for a minute, nails biting half-moons into the flesh of her own palms. her own demeanour was the near opposite, her anger an exposed nerve that for some reason begged to be pressed upon. to hurt, and know why it was it hurt. when it came to him, she was always poised upon the brink, and every time, she would take that leap, knowing that if she did not, he would push her anyway.

"wealth and no spine," she echoed, and it was all she could do not to spit on the floor. "use your brain. what good is their wealth to me, armaan? what use is their name?" and she stepped closer, closing the space he seemed so eager to command. "and if i die split open on the birthing bed, who would own them then? do not delude yourself into thinking they'd raise my children to be loyal to yronwood, rather than heirs to challenge yours, unless you dashed their brains across the kingsgrave courtyard."

she was shouting no more, her voice dropping to a near whisper, but they were no softer, still hard enough to cut like steel, but under them was something else, a meaning she knew he would catch, and a wound she would never fully expose. "that you would take that risk for a bit of coin that you'd have anyway is not strength. it's desperation."

her gaze lingered on him for a second, and then she placed hands upon his chest, shoving him with all the strength she could muster. she hated him in that moment, and she hated herself more. she would mould herself into any shape he needed her to be, but not that. halima knew what she was, and it was not someone's wife.

"do you think i want to burn it all? that i'd take joy in it? no. i do what needs to be done, because somebody has to." in truth, she did not know what would bring her joy, anymore. that was a feeling she had bid goodbye to a long time ago. how much of halima was left, and how much had been blighted beyond recognition by the rage that she nursed inside her, she couldn't truly say.

"then i'll fix it my way." no matter how hard he pushed her, how he toyed with her, she would not break. he may have found satisfaction in that, too, in watching her crack, splinter at the seams, go out in a blaze of glory, and that, she would stubbornly deny him. "it will not be an issue by the time you return. but, if the gods are merciful, the dragons will do my job for me." the look she gave him was pointed. whether by valyrian steel or dornish blade, who would question a casualty of war.

"go to your front lines." the faintest flicker of a smile crossed her lips, a bitter thing. "do what you must. but don't forget who it is you're leaving behind to hold the rest of it together."

꙰

armaan let her fury fill the room, a storm he neither feared nor sought to calm. he remained seated, his fingers drumming idly against the edge of the table, each tap a deliberate counterpoint to her bellowing. she was volcanic, all heat and pressure, ready to erupt, and yet he met her with the unhurried poise of someone who thrived on chaos. halima’s rage was his arena, her scorn the fuel that kept him sharp.

"oh, not the chair." he uttered, his tone dripping in sarcasm. but he relished this. he loved this. seeing her become in such a way.

armaan let the silence stretch, letting her words batter the walls of the room like a storm. her anger was a familiar force, but never one he sought to calm. no, halima was most herself in the midst of fury, and he wouldn��t rob her of it. not yet. there was something akin to a general looking upon their protégé, a level of corruption and disillusion that now seemed to stare right back at it. a monster looking at his own creation, and just by taking one look at her and the shadows that crossed her features, he understood she was far worse. worse and too far gone, even compared to him.

he pushed his chair back slowly, the scrape deliberate, a counterpoint to her explosion. rising to his feet, he stepped around the table with a languid confidence that dared her to strike him, dared her to do anything but simmer in her rage. “the manwoodys has wealth,” he said finally, his voice low and steady, like the desert wind before it turns violent. “and no spine to challenge you. you’d own them, with something more legitimate and permanent than haunting their halls.” his gaze flicked to her clenched fists, then back to her face, unreadable beneath his own carefully crafted mask.

“but no, you’d rather scorn the idea outright. because he isn’t a soldier. isn’t a killer.”

the tension between them was suffocating, but armaan thrived in it. his jaw tightened, his voice now deliberate and precise, like a blade finding its mark. “if you hate it, fix it. turn him into what you think a man should be. or don’t. burn it all to the ground. that’s what you do, isn’t it?” a humorless laugh escaped him, barely a breath. “torch everything until there’s nothing left but ash.” he stepped closer, his movements deliberate, the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “you said no loose ends,” he said, voice dropping lower, as if the words were a challenge meant only for her.

“so handle it. just get it done, before i venture to the front lines. there is much to do, things of actual importance.” and that were the reality of it; even when he did not mean to be dismissive of her concerns, he just naturally was. "we'll discuss it when i'm back. perhaps we pray as many of them are taken out in the conflict."

[dreemurr-skelememer]

I'm gonna be anonymous when I say this because I have seen this done by many people... I strongly dislike the "Error and Nightmare gang are the good guys and trying to make the universe stable while The star sanses are the idiots who will not see reason" .. Like... I .. really? I'm not sure if the reason why I don't like it is because I have seen it so many times or what but it annoys me dearly. The members of the star sanses are reasonable and they are just often made as one sided ignorant people- I mean okay Lets go on the different pov, on the bad sanse side: You see them risk their lives every day getting themselves hurt over and over again all to defend different worlds for the sake of bringing what they believe to be peace and you label them as the fools who just want all the glory- really??? people who get hurt over and over again just do it for that stupid reasons??? I mean come on! Seeing as generally it is shown that the bad sanses want peace as well why not be trying to reach an agreement??? you fight over and over again and you couldn't even be bothered to try and reach their heads to finally listen to what you are saying like what "in a way" dream has done with nightmare countless times but they cant do the same? Just have them fight knowing that the other side are in the wrong and you choose to do nothing but break them?? Like is this your pride or something?? Why are they labelled as good guys yet they allow the other side to fight to their deaths with a good motive in mind but they only lack the full picture?? How am i suppose to "root for you" if this is what you do????? We get inside information of how peaceful they are and how they care for each other deeply, but if you care so much for each other why would you allow the other side to keep fighting your loved ones when they are missing the big picture, you know the big picture yet you say... NOTHING. NADA. ZILCH!! you cannot tell me that they don't listen to you when you barely speak up about the true issue or find a way to show them- you maybe say it once or twice in the whole story and then any other time you go straight to fighting or just avoid them.. COWARDS!! ALL OF THEM!! And in these stories the star sanses always state their reasons for their interference yet you cannot tell them why you are doing this?? All that comes out your mouth are insults and sneers, who would want to believe you when that is all the comes out of your MOUTHS... Excuse me... Just pissed sorry for the long rant.. Oh my gosh AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON DREAM AND NIGHTMARE, DUDE YOU GOT THE BALLS TO BLAME YOUR KID BROTHER FOR BEING A KID AND NOT RECOGNISING YOUR TRAUMA EVEN NOW AS YOU ARE MUCH MORE MATURE AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO REALIZE WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU BOTH AS CHILDREN????? Is he the one holding onto the past or is it you??? Night is always depicted as the dadmare, boss, the caring lover, the brother yet he doesn't even have the decency to face the fact he abandoned his brother in stone for 500 years or so, when he comes out you automatically hate him for something he had no idea or control of and choose to ignore his pleads, when your brother wants to reach you, you break him over and over again not wanting him in your life ever again when as i said before he was your "KID BROTHER" and you want to tell me your the good one for just wanting to cut him off with no answers or anything? You gotta be pulling my leg bro... and it would be a different story if the dreamtale background is different but no! it isnt! nothing is said to make it seem dream was an abuser of sorts, they were both hurt and yet you blame dream for all of it you have a whole ass support system yet that is your mindset??? I cant.... I really cant Uh sorry again for this long ass rant though =w=

anon our souls are holding hands resonating as one

my two cents on this (that isn't something i said. a million times before already) is that it's usually because people refuse to see the star sanses in the same light they do the bad sanses the people who actively dislike the star sanses and what they do usually do so because they can't relate to them, from what i've noticed

the bad sanses are easier to root for because of the fact that they are made of struggle and the dirty, gritty parts of morality and life so to say it's easier to think of good things in the middle of so much bad, because it's in our nature as people to look for hope or root for the good, no matter how little it is having the ability to look for goodness and love in so much evil is a form of love in of itself everybody struggles and life sucks and sometimes the world is evil and sometimes we do bad things, but that's the thing, the fact that we as people find something good in the middle of it all (like finding familial love bloom in the bad sanses, as an example) is very inspiring. at least to me!!! that's how i see it!!!! that's how i like to think people see it as well because that's how i see and enjoy them together so i can totally see why people find more relatability and love for the bad sanses. i really do get it and i agree!! like a lot!!!!! i love them too

but that exact reason is also why it really sucks that people just don't see the star sanses in the same light?

i wanna reemphasize my point in relatability: it's difficult for most people to relate to the star sanses because inherently they are the heroes, the protagonists, the main characters, because nobody are any of those things i feel like people often put them on a pedestal because of their central tropes and characteristics. they have it all already, they don't need more praise, right?

i think the biggest problem people have with the star sanses, like your whole ramble very clearly shows, is that they don't humanize them i feel like a lot of people assume that just because they are good and choose to be good and are praised for being good, they are unreachable people don't think they struggle. that it sucks being that.

it's often why i like writing the star sanses with so much struggle and so much mental illness lol, because being good is fucking HARD and they're as imperfect as everybody else. dream is anxious, ink is brash, blue is a workaholic, stuff like that

there's a lot to say but it's just....the bad sanses and the star sanses are two sides of the same coin. the bad sanses is finding good in the middle of, basically, evil and misdeed the star sanses is finding struggle in the middle of trying to do good

people often portray both of them black and white morals and it's why it gets frustrating and flat and badly written.

idk, just like how i find inspiration in the bad sanses of finding hope and love in the middle of darkness, i really admire the implications of the star sanses when you actually decide to humanize them. because if you make the star sanses struggle throughout their praise, glory, and righteousness, it's...really admirable that they still choose to do good.

like you said, the star sanses risk their lives often and fight, offering treaties and agreements, just to make things right that's so??? admirable????? like for the amount of times the bad sanses fucking fight them, i genuinely would've just given up completely, but they just....don't??? and that's so admirable and sweet? it makes them so deserving of their titles as guardians.

idk!!! this is a massive ramble too, i don't even know where i was going with it but like, yeah, i think i wanted to talk mostly about why people preferred the bad sanses over the star sanses and how it makes me sad i get you anon. with my whole body and my whole soul. i understand what you mean and i see you

[aromanticsuzuya]

theoretically, I'd be perfectly fine with someone talking to me about how I'm their favorite character, as long as they did so respectfully.

that means using the right name and pronouns, that means not speaking about me in third person TO MY FACE, that means being mindful of the events and/or people you bring up.

understand that what you view as merely fiction, affects - or has affected - me personally.

in short, look past me being your ‘blorbo’, and treat me like an individual. show me you're taking my identity seriously.

[wouldtheybecomeafearavatar]

Would Jonathan Sim (Magnus Archives) after he tries to doom his own world to save the worlds of other realities be considered an avatar of the Extinction?

[diltonsstrangescience]

[7cfc00]

you ever think about how similar Ron and Glenn are... like you ever think about how their arcs almost mirror each other, but in opposite directions? Like, ron gets better but Glenn gets worse. you ever wonder what would have happened if they swapped arcs and ron was put on trial and the dads had to go into glenn’s memories instead? how would that have changed things? (would it even change anything?)

because i have not stopped thinking about this idea... like, would glenn’s struggles be seen as more sympathetic if he was not literally being judged? would ron have been found guilty of being a bad dad/bad person? 

because why were they treated differently? (not a rhetorical question) why was one punished and the other understood? is there a possibility that it could have worked out differently? it is so so interesting to me to prod at ron and glenn’s differences, and i think examining their characters in relation to each other via swapping their arcs (either just the anchors or both anchors and finding sons) is like. really cool i guess. 

[nerevar-quote-and-star]

Trying to transliterate Leara's name into Quenya, and it somehow becomes, uh,

Lëarra

Which basically means "You Sealion!"

And I'm just, "Oh yes, this is That Sealion Woman, and she can breathe fire, as all sealions do."

If Leara, for any reason at all, needed an actual Quenya or Sindarin name for any fun Elvish shenanigans, we'll just use Calairie/Calearil, which is "Light of the Sea" in Quenya and Sindarin, and what Leara actually means.

[chargetrick]

more shocial links! some very important ones this time...

[spikeyphil]

(pls feel free to defend ur case)

[mad-hunts]

okay, but this has probably been done before, but i might be having thoughts about a version of the devil that mayyy be partially inspired by the mysterious stranger by mark twain (+ yes, i know that's technically a story about a cousin of satan under the same name, but SHH lolll) and that would be in the way that they're always seen wearing a full-set of armor or like. something that bears a striking resemblance to what they used to wear during the victorian times, but gives off like... gothic and vaguely religious / angelic vibes when they're not wearing armor.

and by that, i mean just imagine them wearing the most extra looking ruffled blouses / tail coats / almost robe-esque clothing. and imagine them having snake eyes too + having a quiet yet domineering presence — though possibly one that's fully hard to pin down because instead of being hot-headed and a misandrist like most iterations are, they are both a sadist and surprisingly empathetic at times + this is possible because to be a sadist, you have to feel some level of empathy.

IDK, i was just thinking about this for some reason today ahahhh. them actually having goat-like eyes when they're not disguised was also something i thought about because of how one of the main animals the devil is associated with is goats... BUT yeah

[foursaints]

well hi there saints! i’m a israeli jew who grew up zionist with extreme right-wing parents/family my whole life and i just wanted to say thanks for helping me to see a different perspective than my own in this war ❤️🍉

hi! i'm going to take this message at face value & just assume you're being legitimate, in which case: there are many more reputable voices for palestine than my own.

Jewish Voice For Peace is an organization that might be of interest to you, as many people in it come from your situation and can sympathize. they share news and resources for palestine.

Verso Books has made several history books on palestine free to download, and i strongly urge you to look at those.

The Palestinian Academy has links to free documentaries, as well as books on the history of the genocide and the Nakba. they also have an instagram account that shares news & infographics

i appreciate this ask, but i urge you to learn more from better sources than me... there are journalists who were on the ground risking their lives like bisan & motaz azaiza. even if this ask feels kind of unbelievable i don't think sharing resources ever hurts, so for everyone else: donate to palestine through arab.org with one click (!!!)

[tariah23]

My princess would never be a deadbeat-

[carcarrot]

so in other news im becoming some sort of tv archive freak

[soulmvtes]

regarding that post you made abt the feminism thing— i genuinely feel like feminism has regressed so deeply in the last few years alone, not because less people are willing to identify as feminists but because everyone's sort of lost the plot when it comes to what an actual issue is. no the barbie movie is not a feminist masterpiece, no taylor swift is not a feminist icon PLEASE there are real problems in the world 😭😭

exactly,, and like before i feel like this was just a sort of isolated phenomenon but with the rise of tiktok, people genuinely feel like they're being soooooo feminist n woke when they talk abt something as tame as the barbie movie or literally taylor swift like??? theres just no self awareness about it

[rhys-ravenfeather]

Last night I dreamed that there was a new cartoon from the creators of I think Static Shock (which is an underrated gem in and of itself) which also had an entirely, or at least majority, black cast, and while no one in this show had superpowers, it was set in the 1970s and followed the struggles faced by black people at the time, and now I kind of wish this show was real.

[spicedfink]

Thinking about how Abe kind of sucks as a friend

Basically over arching Abe doesn't actually pay attention to the substance of the people he calls his friends. He decides one defining trait about them then straight up refuses to believe anything that doesn't fit with in that (to the point of trying to force them to not do things they want or to do things they don't want)