#i also think his disdain towards being generous is because of the ‘if i can’t have it no one can’ mentality

[sas-afras]

i kinda don’t get people who characterize maccready as like… secretly generous, or having a heart of gold or anything. like don’t get me wrong i don’t think he’s downright malicious or anything, but the dude is absolutely a selfish jerk once you get past the charming facade. that’s the part that’s compelling!

like, he’s nice enough and open enough with the player once you get high enough affinity with him, but his reactions to player actions still point to him being a jerk overall. the sosu just happens to be in His Circle of people he can be vulnerable with. that includes you, his son, and maybe daisy. everyone else can kick rocks, the same way it was in little lamplight

he HAD to grow up with that kind of “us vs the world, every man for himself” mentality in the capitol wasteland. doing so otherwise gets you killed or taken advantage of, which is just protracted death anyways. having grown up in a place where slavers run rampant, people are all pushing each other further down just to boost themselves up and live one more day, and it’s literally impossible to make renewable food sources because the ground is so poisoned i genuinely don’t blame him for ending up a little tight fisted. the fact that he was the mayor of little lamplight just meant that he ended up being able to accept a few people as His To Protect instead of being a total lone wolf.

the way he reacts to the players open generosity isn’t just for show, he Actually Dislikes when you give stuff away without expecting anything in return. you might need that thing and now its just gone!! that person might see you as a sucker! you give an inch and they’ll take a mile! and it makes sense for his character to be like that considering everything. i don’t get why people want to change that into him just being kind of tsundere.

i understand that having your babygirl blorbo comfort character be a canonical asshole in ways that aren’t just kinda charming can be offputting, but like…. the way he treats the sosu is a very notable exception to the rest of his life & it’s a much more interesting dynamic imo. especially if you’re playing a goody two shoes martyr. but that’s just me

[eleteo125]

"Be Mine or You Will Burn"

Rollo x GN!Reader

AN: Me and my friend are Rollo fans and they've inspired me to write this idea out 🤣

You were simply just walking around admiring the scenery of Noble Bell where you went back to the cathedral to appreciate the artistry of the stain glass. Each panel depicting how Judge Claude Frollo and his accomplishments.

Rollo, the school’s student council president has welcomed the NRC students by giving them a tour but his obvious disdain for magic users made it clear that he was rushing to get the tour done as fast as possible to get away from them. Heck you would even bet that the only reason he was able to get through the whole tour was because he only set his attention towards you barely minding the other guests. He sometimes casts a watchful eye on them but other than that he doesn’t particularly engage with them compared to you.

With those signs in display, everyone from NRC has come to the conclusion that them being invited here has an ulterior motive to it. Briefly shaking those thoughts from your mind, you admired the lights coming through the different colored windows surrounding you in a colorful halo.

My what a beautiful sight indeed.

Magic wielder or not, you’re still a student from NRC so of course Rollo has kept a close eye on you when freely strolling around the school. But he can’t help the fact that you’re devoid of any magic at all has him deeply fascinated. And to think to mingle around those…ahem.

Do not be fooled he’s only keeping watch of you because he can tell that everyone from NRC are quite attached to you especially that dragon fae. What better way to keep them in check when he has you close and in his clutches.

Walking towards you he silently stood in behind you. He held in a small chuckle as he saw you’re awestruck face looking at the beautiful work of art. “Impressed?”

Jumping a little bit in surprise, you quickly looked behind to see him “O-oh! Yes, I haven’t seen a stained glass window in person before, just through pictures.” You confessed

“Hmph of course such beauty is painstakingly crafted by hand of course you won’t see a lot of it. Craftsmanship that took people’s skill and talent with no assistance from cheap tricks everyone reveres.” He spits

“Magic?”

Rollo stayed silent at your question.

You decide to let go of the subject with his sudden silence. Instead you walked closer to the window to admire the small details. It was such detailed you can’t even imagine how long it would take to finish such a large piece.

Too lost in thought, you started to reach your hand out to the window but you’re once again surprised when you felt a strong grip around your wrist.

You were about to apologize but instead freeze up when you felt him step closer behind you. You tried to step forward to get some distance since you’re starting to get flustered at our position but realized that you don’t have much space to move in since you’re very close to the window.

“I’m sorry but those were just cleaned by the careful hands of our cleaners hands off please.” He whispered in your ear.

You shuddered at his closeness and the sensation of him speaking carefully so close to your ear. “I-I understand.” You stuttered while unconsciously leaning into his ‘embrace’.

He seems to have lost himself also since he buried his nose in your hair while his other hand rubbed your free arm.

You two stayed like that for who knows how long just basking in each other’s contact. “Why not transfer here, I can tell how ‘generous’ the headmaster is in your current school.”

“I can’t” you managed to mumble out after almost melting at the close soud of his voice yet again.

“You’re surrounding yourself with magic that is as deadly as fire.”

You leaned closer “Fire can be useful too.” You whispered

You felt his sigh in your ear and your knees almost gave up but he held you up when he sensed you were about to fall.

“Consider it.” He kissed behind your ear “Be mine or you will burn.

He carefully let you go after making sure you won’t collapse to your knees before walking put and leaving you under colorful light.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

hello! i was looking at this post you made and was curious—what are your thoughts on yuu and pomefiore? you mention that yuu seems closer to heartslabyul and i agree, but i've always gotten the vibes since the training camp + the styx invasion immediately after that the dorm yuu is next closest to is pomefiore (i mainly mean vil because epel is one of the freshmen and rook is rook, but also just the entire pomefiore group as a whole). i can't remember any specifics off the top of my head so maybe i'm imagining it lol, but they stay in pomefiore when repairs are being done on ramshackle right? though ig it's fair to say just because they stay that doesn't mean they're close or anything, but... IDK I CAN'T REMEMBER!!! i SWEAR they just give me closer vibes and i'm almost certain there's a reason/more canon interactions between them to denote them...

sorry for rambling and thank you in advance! i hope you're having a nice day!

I already touched on Epel and Rook in the original post! Epel’s part of the first years, who get plenty of amicable interactions with Yuu across the main story, events, and vignettes. Rook is one of the friendlier NRC students, but he hasn’t shown to have a particular preference for Yuu specifically. He’s strangely friendly even to those that make their disdain for him no secret. As for Vil, I can’t really think of any significant interactions beyond his Mouse Mandated slots that everyone gets (ie featured in his own book, the follow-up book, and their own dream section in book 7). This is in contrast to Heartslabyul members, who do get moments where they spend “extra” time with or give “extra” consideration to Yuu. For example, Trey sends Adeuce over with an apple cake and a chocolate pie for the training camp, and Riddle welcomes Yuu to tour the cultural fair with him.

It’s true that Yuu and Grim stayed at Pomefiore while the renovations were underway. However, as you said, staying over doesn’t necessarily indicate friendship. Leona let us stay over at Savanaclaw in book 3, and he still quite unfriendly about it. Vil could be letting Yuu and Grim stay over at Pomefiore as a courtesy (especially considering he is, perhaps, the OB boy that takes the most personal accountability for his actions).

I think we may believe that Pomefiore is closer with Yuu than other dorms due to 1) the length of time they spend together (since Pomefiore gets a month, while most other books only last a few days to maybe a week or two) and 2) Vil responding in a much more mature way than other OB boys do. For example, Vil is one of the few OB boys that apologizes after the fact—and apologizes multiples times, at that. Furthermore, he grants us money for Ramshackle renovations and hugs + kisses us as thanks for coming to rescue him in book 6. These are arguably all much more favorable and intimate reactions than like… Leona getting pissed at us calling out to him in book 6, Azul demanding that we pay for damages incurred to the Mostro Lounge, etc.

I think another contributing factor to the perceived “closeness” with Pomefiore is that we launch into action and high stakes almost immediately with them (courtesy of the S.T.Y.X. invasion) in book 6. We spend a good chunk of that book with 2/3 of Pomefiore’s members and then spend another good chunk with all 3 members after we reunite with Vil. In most of the other books, it takes a while to build up to build up the tension or for all members of a dorm to interact with us. In some cases, not all of the dorm members even make a major showing. For example, Trey is out for most of book 2 on account of his injuries, Leona and Ruggie don’t become relevant again in book 3 until 1/3 of the way through it, we don’t group up with Ignihyde until 100+ parts into book 7, etc.

I don’t interpret the entirety of Pomefiore as being intimate with Yuu on account of Rook being friendly in general (even to those openly hostile towards him, like Leona). Additionally, many of Vil’s “friendly” actions easily can be explained by his own gratitude (for coming to rescue him) or apologies for costing them the VDC/SDC win. We also just do not see many instances—be it main story, vignettes, or events—in which Vil and Rook have special interactions with Yuu, despite Epel having many of these moments. In fact, Vil seems to largely not acknowledge Yuu’s presence in Tapis Rogue (despite asking Yuu to be there as a candid photographer) and, hilariously enough, wonders if he should abandon Yuu in Lost in the Book with Nightmare Before Christmas. The original post was asking for the characters Yuu is closest with, and I think it’s pretty easy to say that Heartslabyul is the dorm that triumphs in this regard.

[mieudao]

death note characters as people in your orchestra

(ft. L, light, misa, matsuda, mikami)

L

(former) concertmaster (departed the ensemble suddenly and was never to be seen again)

impossibly good and no one can conceive it. plays with horrifying posture but has two dozen competitions under his belt. very lowkey about it too; you cannot tell until he starts playing and the rest is history

never writes anything down (makes light do it during their time as deskies); somehow predicts what the conductor’s going to want before they say it

^ for this reason never has pencils. don’t bother asking. he just looks at you like he’s wondering why you need to make markings at all

weirdly enough a very good leader despite the fact that he hunches over so much

also plays piano excruciatingly well — took it up before violin. yes the horrific posture persists

snacks during break times. if you look closely you can see him sucking on a piece of candy throughout rehearsal and replacing it when the conductor isn’t looking

overall: 8.8/10. feelings are hurt just a little bit in his presence but very solid all in all

light

associate concertmaster turned concertmaster (took over after L’s mysterious departure)

has the simultaneous ire and respect of all the other string players because he’s so impossibly flawless

as mentioned before made all the notations while sitting next to L. carries a burning hatred (“hatred”) for the man in part fuelled by how irritating he thought having to do so was

says he thinks that every other section is just as important as the first violins but you know he’s lying through his goddamn teeth

so disdainful of the violas. don’t even get him started on percussion

if you play a single thing wrong know that he’s cursing your very existence while you’re avoiding the conductor’s eyes

always brings a full pencil case in and is willing to lend you one with a smile (he thinks you’re an idiot for forgetting). exclusively uses fancy mechanical pencils

also plays piano (equally well)

i can’t find the post but someone said that he had a brief stint with the clarinet in junior high and absolutely sucked at it. that’s canon to me

^ this is why he’s particularly salty towards the clarinets

overall: 9/10. tbh he’s impeccable if you aren’t able to detect the meanness in his eyes. point deducted anyways for being a murderous bitch boy

misa

first clarinetist

life of the orchestra; a little on the chatty side but everyone loves her nonetheless (well… almost everyone)

forgets her pencil 50% of the time. the other 50% she shows up with a bedazzled light-up version of one of these:

erases very aggressively when she makes a mistake/has to redo a marking and all i can say is that it shows

has the funniest reactions. will absolutely pull a face when the conductor stops right before her entry (she was counting damn it!!)

^ i love her but she is a serial miscounter. comes in wrong so many times but no one has it in them to get really mad at her

doodles on her sheet music when she’s bored

100% has her phone on the music stand and is playing project sekai while the conductor grills the other sections

also in choir (absolutely kills at it. our soprano queen with a complex)

overall: 8/10. good player, better as a soloist, here for the vibes. chatterbox

matsuda

second violinist just trying to get by man…

major culprit of tapping his foot and being so focused on counting right that he doesn’t realise everyone in a ten mile radius can hear it

pretty good all in all though. has a genuine enthusiasm for the music and puts a lot of work in; just tends to fumble a bit in the heat of the moment

uses regular traditional pencils —  i feel like he’s an HB man. surprisingly quite good with remembering his; brings a few but generally only has one on hand at his stand

^ if you’re in need and are close enough he’s willing to toss it to you (gets excited when this happens + is unfortunately not subtle about it)

dreams of being randomly asked to play the solo, stunning everyone into silence, and then getting moved to front desk

overall: 8/10. great ensemble player but please learn to tap inside your shoe

mikami

principal cellist. the ‘p’ in ‘principal’ stands for ‘passionate’ because… wow

has a very dynamic style of playing. extremely funny since everyone else in the section is just sitting there normally and he’s nearly throwing himself out of his seat (bro it’s a downbow… it’s just a regular downbow…)

^ though he does have the most epic final flourish at the end of the piece i’ll give him that

flawless pencil etiquette. keeps his pencil case full of perfectly sharpened 2B pencils (with erasers) under his seat and will lend one to those he deems deserving

typically uses a .7 mechanical pencil for himself. his notations are flawless. sheet music is without a single crinkle too

willing to help/answer anyone’s questions abt the actual music as well

stares down anyone who isn’t playing up to par (fear him) and practices religiously

overall: 9.2/10. also flawless on the outside. minus .8 for being slightly terrifying and also the killings

this was fun lmao and only partially based on people i have encountered irl. might make a follow-up for the other characters too!!

edit: follow-up was made. part 2 (takada, aizawa, ryuk, rem, sayu, soichiro) here :)

[earl-grey-teacake]

so how are we feeling after that news.

I am not sure how I feel about everything since I just keep finding out more stuff and it makes me feel worse and worse. I’m sad, and upset, and it feels like a tinge of grief. Not for my own dreams or aspirations but for Logan’s. That being said, I will continues writing my Baby!Loscar AU and I will continue/ start my other Loscar fics. I feel like it is a tough time and I hope to make it a little bit lighter.

I think my biggest feeling is overall disdain and disgust for how Williams went about this. My biggest issue is the whole situation being portrayed as “Williams is a business, this was a business decision. No emotion here” Businesses are not faceless entities, they are teams of people. It’s why teams put a lot of effort in PR and companies invest so much in HR. They are comprised of people and we as spectators and fans also play a role in the business that is Williams. Fandoms are profitable, fan content keeps people engaged, and those who are engaged spend money. This decision has shot William’s PR and whatever goodwill they managed to achieve last year. Logan is a martyr in the eyes of fans and James Vowles has come off as a deranged man. For the past month, any comments to the media are either of him passive-aggressively calling Logan a failure or thirsting after Carlos in a way that makes me want to call HR.

This decision isn’t even a money decision either. They talk about the upgrades, and need for points but are putting their faith in a driver that is clearly being brought up from F2 too early. They are taking risks that genuinely make no sense to me and I am afraid it may damage this new rookie’s confidence on top of it.

I cannot tell if James Vowles is doing this because he wants to live a bit wild before Carlos comes, has a vendetta against Logan, or he is just off his rockers.

I am happy Logan is out of there though and wherever he goes, I go. I hope he goes to Indycar. This is not me seeing Indycar as so lesser sport where unsuccessful F1 drivers should go it. I have great admiration for Indycar and genuinely enjoy watching it more than F1. My wish for Logan to go to Indycar is for the general vibe and how friendly everyone is and for the fact that I live 3 hours away from a track and will absolutely take PTO to see Logan race.

Personal feelings are below if anyone wants to read them.

I got into F1 last year around September but really dove into it around the beginning of November. Logan was someone who never really stood out to me in the beginning but I began to notice him more and more around October and November and I couldn’t help but sympathize for him. I remember how anxious I was waiting for him to be re-signed and the relief I felt when it happened.

I wanted him to do well and succeed so desperately and as it became more and more apparent that James and Williams, were doing, I became a bigger and bigger fan of him. I know I’ve mentioned it briefly on here before but near the end of last year and the first half of this year, I was dealing with a toxic workplace and an abusive supervisor. As the months went on, the treatment towards me got worse and worse and so did Williams’s treatment of Logan. Our workplace started to mirror each other.

The remarks, the veiled threats, the passive-aggressive comments that points to the same message “you’re under-performing, you’re not good enough”. Most of all, the expectation to practically perform miracles with tools and equipment that was vastly behind the rest of the field. I know very well how heavy and oppressive the work environment must have been. I can’t imagine how awful it must have been to have to be doing it everyday, to have to perform for the public like everything is fine, and take the abuse from James, from journalists and commentators, and social media. I was already breaking under my supervisors treatment of me, I definitely would have snapped in Logan’s shoes. However, while my supervisor got kicked out of their position, Logan was the one who got kicked off the team. I do hope he takes the summer to enjoy himself and heal.

I feel so bad for him and I’m so upset at how I didn’t know this was his last race. I had Abu Dhabi planned out thinking that was going to be Logan’s last and now I’m just a bit crushed.

[calciumdeficientt]

what do you think context was behind justin's dialogue "derby told me last night i was his best friend"

Ohhhhhhh I’ve been ruminating on this ever since i listened to all the quote videos (please dont ask me why i did that i really really dont know) i pride myself on being somewhat of a stickler for the most inane and pointless background stuff.

Today i plan to answer the question:

WHY THE HELL DID DERBY SAY THAT?!?!?!?!?!?!

The easy answer here would be to say that Derby was drunk, and simply feeling very loving(that sentence feels so insane to me for some reason).

Harrington house feels very much to me the hotspot for “gatherings” of the bullworth’s brightest, best and most sickeningly rich. The little guest list on the desk as you enter, as well as Bif on the door in the weed killer mission, and obviously the general worldview of the preps points towards a general pickiness to guests, likely not accepting anyone by on their own social circle. Another key background factor to consider is the little bar that derby cowers behind in Glass Jaw during his bossfight and also the bar in the beach house, leading me to believe that the events hosted at Harrington house are usually organised with the intention of drinking copious amounts of excessively strong and exceedingly expensive alcohol.

There’s bound to be a few contentious objectors to drinking, at least excessively, on school grounds and on school nights and i think the ever-pining proto-jock Justin probably doesn’t partake as much as Derby “I’m too rich to bother attending class” Harrington. All this to say, Justin was 110% more sober and therefore 110% more receptive to derby’s drunk babblings than any other partygoer, prep or otherwise.

In my mind, Derby Harrington, despite having everything he could ever conceivably want at the snap of his fingers, is one of the loneliest students at bullworth academy. He mentions being beaten by his father for fraternising with a nanny, and shows a general disdain for his betrothed, pinky, by not even bothering to show up for their dates. He cannot truly get close to anyone because of his position as an heir to a pretty substantial oil empire. Great care is needed to avoid being sliced right out of the will and being condemned to hush money by his father. Bif is great, but he’s not all that much emotionally, at least not in derby’s mind anyway. He’s far far beneath Derby, that’s made abundantly clear when Bif loses his boxing match to Jimmy; he’s sneered at with the kind of vitriole that can only come from someone who views himself as king of his own private universe. Justin is in the same boat just presumably with a lot less petty cash at his disposal. He’s a weird ass bitch who’s so incredibly desperate to expand his social circle into the Jocks’ because he feels somewhat inadequate in his own. To use his verbage, he’s a peon in the prep hierarchy. He’s weak and scrawny and of little use in the stature department, at least not when compared to Bif anyway.

This night, Derby is drunk out of his mind, as usual, and Justin is beside him, a little buzzed but not enough to put him off his studies for the next day. They are sat on opposite ends of a chaise longue in the drawing room. Well… Justin is sat, Derby is more slumped, folded over the armrest in a way that does not look comfortable in the slightest. He’s telling a story from a recent trip to Europe, about a girl he met in a city that his drunk brain just can’t seem to decide on the pronunciation of, gulping scotch out of a crystal glass like its going out of fashion. Justin is listening actively, trying to piece the story together amongst the many asides derby seems to be wandering off into. That’s when the bomb drops “know, i like to think you’re my best friend here Justin” “what?” “You heard me….. anyway this damn woman”

Safe to say it was the best night of Justin Vandervelde’s life.

[wilsonphiggs]

I fucking hate mcsm btw (lying)

hey guys so I thought a bit too hard and I was thinking about how I would rewrite the story. one of my gripes specifically being with how they handled lukas and axel’s relationship. I went on a really long tangent on how I would’ve fixed it and I’ll paste it under the cut. (WARNING: IT’S A REALLY LONG RANT.)

so, I didn’t really like how they treated their dynamic. axel was so concerned for petra—and that’s understandable, considering she’s a friend—but they never gave a reason as to why axel SPECIFICALLY was worried so much, which caused him to lash out more. therefore, resulting in him mad at lukas for getting scared, along with the fact that he was the leader of the ocelots, yatta yatta etc. etc.

but my main point is: their mutual disdain for each other not only felt forced, but artificial. it felt so unreasonable, with axel shoving lukas around for seemingly no reason at times. not only that, but axel was just generally an asshole of a character. I get having someone joke around a little rudely if it’s all jokes and you know that—my friend group and I are like that all the time. but there’s a fine line between crude humor and outright bullying your “friends” or allies. not to mention he was just a frustrating character. “but… finders keepers!” when EVERYONE is in danger and he just refuses to give up the thing that would stop the witherstorm? a dick move.

and apologies, but lukas felt a little TOO nice at times in the first one or two episodes. yes, he’s generally a nice guy. and yes, he’s had some moments of getting frustrated or prickly. but considering that he was rivals with this group for so long, admitted that he didn’t really think highly of them for a while, AND petra herself called him arrogant? you can’t blame me for thinking that he was a bit too kind, even if he was trying to stay on good terms with everyone while the world was seemingly ending. yeah, he was awkward. and no, I don’t think he should’ve been outwardly hostile. but I don’t think he should’ve been quite as friendly as he was.

they should both have little quirks and flaws, but they should also both be lovable characters in their OWN ways. this is honestly how I would’ve written it:

it would’ve been better to make axel really stand off-ish because he doesn’t know how to really act around someone who was once “bad” in his eyes, but is now suddenly “good.” especially when the change is so sudden. distrusting, awkward, unpleasant interactions would feel much more natural rather than downright antagonizing lukas at every turn.

axel is really awkward and is a little distrustful of him because of so many factors, but maybe lukas interprets that as aloofness and detachment. lukas tries not to really disrupt conversations because he feels as though he’s intruding, but axel perhaps interprets that as arrogance and conceit. miscommunication, misinterpretation—these are much more natural ways of having animosity grow between two parties.

and hey, even better! this could allow you to have a choice ACTUALLY make a difference TELLTALE GAMES. (the company infamous for having choices in games that don’t Actually matter!)

maybe if you have axel stay behind with lukas to fortify the temple while also getting magnus, MAYBE you can see them actually visibly get along better! even if axel went off on his own to get magnus—which was him straying from the plan—maybe they agreed and decided it was for the better to get the order together again rather than just a few members. maybe you can see them having similar ideas, talking more, etc. etc.

and on the other hand, if you go with axel for magnus and choose olivia to stay, maybe axel feels a little more bitter towards lukas since olivia went off to get ellagaard. he feels bitter since he just let her go instead of convincing her to just STAY and wait for petra like the original plan was (even though he knows he would’ve broken that himself to go out for magnus, but moral highgrounds and such.)

yeah, sure. it’ll end in you getting both members of the order anyway. that won’t change. BUT, it still affects the characters! it fleshes out the characters more. makes them both have perks AND flaws! it HUMANIZES them, makes them more realistic.

and MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, if the conflict between them builds up enough, you might have to choose one side or the other at some point in the story! there could be several decisions that alter their relationship and how they function! one of your lifelong best friends who has ADMITTED that you’re one of his only friends, and you can tell he cares about everyone there (even if not entirely obvious,) or a friend that, while you once bickered a ton with in the past, is now genuinely making an effort to change and care and seems generally more agreeable now? they both love you and your friends, undoubtedly, but they’re too bitter to be around one another. there isn’t enough room for the both of them. one has to go, jesse. so, who’ll it be?

in fact, maybe there’s a scene where lukas and axel are in danger. in the ellagaard route (followed by more good decision making,) one actually saves the other from said situation and everyone lives. in the magnus route (followed by more bad decision making,) they both intentionally sabotage each other and you have to choose to save ONE. either that, or it’s as originally said, where there’s a story-changing fight and you have to choose one or the other.

this is a minor thing but I could not stop thinking about it. but oh well them’s the breaks pal /ref

[rottenpumpkin13]

SEPHIROTH HEADCANONS

[these are my headcanons, meaning the way I view him in my head and may not follow popular fanon]

↘︎ Sephiroth is a big enjoyer of puzzles of any kind. Mahjong, sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, riddles, you name it. He doesn’t see the allure of video games but will jump at the opportunity to play a multiplayer that has him competing against someone else.

↘︎ He’s generally a calm and intorverted person in his day-to-day life, but when angered he becomes scary as hell. For lack of better words, he shows signs of the in-game callous monster he is.

↘︎ He does have a sense of humor, okay?? It’s just what most people would describe as dark and dry. His kind of humor is saying the most off-hand comments with 0 expression and making people lose their shit. He is also proficient in sarcasm but has to be annoyed beyond measure to use it.

↘︎ He can drive, however friends and people who have previously been driven around by him refuse to do it again. He drives likes he’s playing Mario Kart while maintaining a scarily calm composure. He manages to do this while still abiding by the traffic laws.

↘︎ Sephiroth maintains a healthy diet and prefers not to stray from his strict regimen. Having said that, he will never turn down: a) Angeal’s cooking, b) pasta, c)sweets. 

↘︎ Due to his sheltered childhood, Sephiroth was never allowed to indulge himself in sweets and other junkfood like the other kids. So when he’s old enough to control his own diet, he includes moments of utter gluttony where he inhales candy like a madman. 

↘︎ “Sephiroth why don’t you cut your hair?” With his JENOVA cells? If he cut it shoulder-length one morning, it’d be down to his waist again by the following afternoon. After many attempts at keeping it at a reasonable size during his youth, he gave up. 

↘︎ Now he simply keeps it long because he thinks it looks cool. Vanity spares no one. He also has a habit of sitting on his hair accidentally. 

↘︎ He’s notoriously knows as being cold and unwelcoming toward people. However he does a complete 180° when he’s with his friends, and people have even reported seeing him act extroverted.

↘︎ Unintentionally a cocky bastard. 

↘︎ Sephiroth isn’t a very creative person, which is something he laments greatly. He isn’t apt at drawing, writing or anything that could allow him to express himself artistically

↘︎ Give our boy any mathematical equation though and he can solve it

↘︎ Sephiroth takes joy in fucking with troopers and other SOLDIERs. He loves saying weird and uncharacteristic things and watch the realization that he’s joking dawn on them

↘︎ Big into astronomy and loves reading books about it. And he has a disdain for astrology and thinks it’s nothing but drivel

↘︎ He abhors gossip and thinks it immature and unprofessional. But if you feed him certain tales he’ll become angrossed and not let you leave until you’ve thoroughly recounted every detail of it. 

↘︎ Claustrophobic. It may have everything to do with being given mako showers and being kept in those tight tanks for hours. He developed a certian disdain for being enclosed in tight spaces. He also can’t stand to wear multiple layers of clothing and can only handle one layer at a time. 

↘︎ Yes he likes cats. 

↘︎ People who say he’s humorless don’t know he once laughed so hard, he had to be sedated because he was on the floor unable to breathe. Context? Genesis angered a chocobo and it chased him for an hour. Angeal has it on video.

↘︎ Sephiroth can cook. How? Do you really think a SOLDIER trained to survive in the wilderness wouldn’t know how to hunt, prepare and cook his own food?

↘︎ That being said, he can only cook very basic things.

↘︎ He yells at the TV, but only when it’s a nature documentary and the prey is making unwise decisions while running away from the predator. 

↘︎ He makes overexaggerated faces while eating something he doesn’t like, but that’s as far as he’ll go complaining about food-wise

↘︎ Sephiroth’s favorite kind of gifts are the practical and functional ones like socks, blankets and sword oil. 

↘︎ Impulsively buys toys and childish knick knacks. Proceeds to keep them in a secret drawer with a lock and key. Don’t judge him. He’s making up for lost time.

[burningdreambanana]

Mustafa rewrite project season 3 part 1 (ep 64-82) - Outline

Mustafa’s first act as a regent: Bekhir Agha’s Execution

Bekhir Agha is a corrupt official who extorts from shopkeepers. He is the only one who doesn’t praise Mustafa and is mindful of the existence of other heirs. His enemies denounce him and Mustafa decides to execute him. However, while he is guilty of corruption, he is no more than others who remain in power because they praise Mustafa. Mustafa is being willfully blind to their actions because they stroke his ego, and Bekhir’s disdain for Mustafa is the real reason he is singled out. This execution reflects Mustafa’s prioritization of loyalty over impartiality. 

The regency 

Mustafa requests to join the military campaign rather than stay as regent. Suleiman thinks he’s ungrateful and suspects that he wants to bolster his popularity with the army, but Hatice reassures him of Mustafa’s loyalty. Mustafa occupies the Privy Chamber during Suleiman’s absence, which he was not entitled to. When Suleiman learns this, he is annoyed by Mustafa’s presumptuousness.  During his regency, Mustafa encourages Hatice to reconcile with Ibrahim, because Ibrahim is very valuable to him politically, putting aside his aunt’s dignity. When Hurrem proposes putting Nigar and Ibrahim on trial for adultery, Mustafa blocks the move, and it is indeed portrayed as a political decision (as it was in the show, but it should be explored more). 

Meeting with Barbarosa 

Barbarossa is portrayed realistically, with his background as a war criminal and human trafficker acknowledged, making Mustafa’s closeness to him reflect rather poorly on his morals. Mustafa’s passionate speech to him about how they should try and conquer America is framed as childish and delusional and disconnected from the geopolitical realities of the Ottoman Empire (the Ottomans lacked transoceanic naval capabilities and strategic incentive to attempt such a conquest). Though he praises the idea, Barbarosa is amused, and privately notes the veiled criticism at Suleiman’s “lack of ambition” in Mustafa’s speech. 

During his regency, he doesn’t exactly shine by his intelligence but since he is willing to be generous to important people to seek their approval and because Mehmet Günsür would be allowed to make full use of his charm, he is viewed positively. Suleiman is not impressed but not disappointed. 

Helena 

Helena is portrayed as lively, witty and humorous (a bit like a young Hurrem actually), without the “not like other girls” angle. She is engaged to Abas Agha, an older man she doesn’t love, but who is not comically evil like in the show, and is more of a decent man and good to her. He is also a Christian. Mustafa lying to her about his identity, leading her on and seducing her, are portrayed more negatively and not as a simple “romantic game”. Also, since if I had my way, neither the Isabella or Huricihan romance would exist, this would be where we explore the cases of how men can have an entire harem but still want more, they want what they can’t have. Helena does end up falling for him, but he leaves for Istanbul. She gets married during his regency. Mustafa is distraught by this. After a discussion with Tascali, he decides to order Helena to be taken to the harem. They justify the kidnapping of a married woman by declaring that her husband has abandoned her (Abas is on a business trip), which is grounds for divorce (it’s very flimsy of course). When she learns that the prince is Mustafa, she is not happy but shocked and feels betrayed in the worst way. The man she thought she loved lied to her the whole time about everything, and has turned her into his slave. She becomes withdrawn and despondent in the harem. Mustafa, disappointed that she is no longer the vivacious girl he met as a free woman, grows cold toward her. All the girls are hostile towards her, and she suffers greatly, but Mustafa doesn’t help her. 

When Suleiman learns about the whole affair, he is furious and points out that even if Helena weren’t married, it would still be illegal to take her as a slave as she is an Ottoman subject and has a right to their protection. He orders him to send her away. As an act of rebellion and wanting to imitate his father, who married Hurrem against all odds, Mustafa considers marrying her but ultimately backs down after speaking with Ibrahim. She is quietly sent away.

Abas Agha 

His story is framed more tragically. His wife was stolen from him, and when he dared to attempt to sue Mustafa for it, he was intimidated, beaten, and his business sabotaged. His decision to try and kill Mustafa is portrayed more as desperation and justified than simple pettiness. 

Relationship with Mehmed 

When Mustafa and Mehmet meet again in Manisa, Mehmed is now starting to become a rather talented young man, and is highly favored by their father. Mustafa is very jealous of this. Their interactions are tense. Mehmed telling him about the dream is a deliberate act to hurt him and it works. They later have a tense conversation about fratricide, and it ends with unresolved tension. When Mehmed is shot, Suleiman immediately suspects Mustafa. Mustafa is hurt by this and desperately wants to prove his innocence, but privately confronts dark thoughts about Mehmed’s possible death and what he would gain from it. Mehmed did not intentionally try to protect Mustafa and was shot from the back, he starts suspecting that Mustafa may have indeed been behind it all, and their relationship cools even more. When Mehmed learns it was Abas Agha behind it and Mustafa was indeed to target, he feels guilty, but remains uneasy about his relationship with his older brother. 

The spy plot

Remains the same. 

Mustafa’s first child 

Since Fatma would be dead, we introduce a new mother for baby Suleiman, a concubine close to Mahidevran, called Badegul. She also has a bitter one-sided rivalry with Helena and is cruel towards her, and Mustafa doesn’t care much about her. When their baby dies and Mustafa suspects Hurrem, he is full of rage and wants revenge. This loss intensifies his rivalry with Hurrem and her sons. His bitterness is exacerbated by the fact that Hurrem’s spy killed herself without denouncing Hurrem. He feels that the world is unfair to him. He wants revenge but doesn’t know how to get it, and that frustrates him. Much like Fatma, Badegul succumbs to madness. Mustafa and Mahidevran’s decision to send her away showcases a lack of empathy against someone who just lost a child and is representative of her loss in status. She commits suicide.

Governance in Manisa 

Mustafa is not completely incompetent, but he makes mistakes. He tends to spend excessively, notably on public events to win the people’s favor, which makes him popular but isn’t sustainable on a long-term basis. He has lingering issues with the treasury, as he just spends too much and doesn’t collect enough money. He also tends to appoint and favor sycophants and to ignore experienced and wise advisors when he doesn’t like what they have to say. He isn’t very good at controlling his men (he tends to be too lenient towards the people he likes), which leads to some abuses in his government. His charisma also plays an important role in his popularity. Suleiman rebukes him for these errors when he visits him, which hurts him deeply. 

Relationship with Ibrahim 

Mustafa doesn’t realize how much his closeness to Ibrahim is starting to displease Suleiman. He is a bit too careless in his relationship with him and thinks he will be unstoppable as long as Ibrahim is on his side, not knowing that Ibrahim’s end is coming soon.

[salemcantupdate]

Dragon age ask game!: 1,2,3,4,6,13,23!

Oh!!! So many! Ok here goes

1. Opinions on Orlais

Surana is disdainful for nobility and the chantry in general, and Orlais being so entrenched in those things doesn’t make Surana like them much. Like yeah he’s Ferelden and loves his dogs, but that’s not the source of his disdain. Hawke meanwhile does dislike them entirely because he is Ferelden, he’s a dog lover and they’re all poncy little shits. And finally Cadash also thinks they’re poncy, but they’re overall neutral. Orlais is useful, if annoying.

2. Are they skilled in The Game?

Surana is fantastic! He knows when to speak and when to be quiet, but ignore the mild headache you might get, ignore his long sleeves, it’s fine. Promise! Meanwhile Hawke is shit at it, but he’s fucking terrifying. So you don’t want to be on his bad side cause he’d likely just kill you for it. And finally Cadash, they’re ok at it, not the best at the talking aspect but fantastic at blackmailing. So it all works out!

3. Opinion on blood magic?

Surana believes blood magic is the same as any other magic, it is powerful, it is useful. And he needs it, so he will use it. Hawke is the opposite, he sees it as dangerous, a threat that should be stamped out. It’s why he began taking lyrium to be a Templar, so he could resist it. The only blood mage he trusts is Merrill. Cadash meanwhile is overall neutral. It’s all weird magic shit, but they’re smart enough to know that with the Inquisition it can’t be used. Not like they can use it anyhow.

4. Attitude towards Andrastianism?

Surana is full blown atheist, he doesn’t believe in the Maker, he does recognize the ashes but is overall suspicious, and as I said he fucking hates the Chantry. Hawke does follow the Chant however, he believes and prays, goes to mass every now and then. Cadash meanwhile goes through an arc. At first they’re overall pretty neutral, it’s just the human religion, but as they become the Herald they start to believe it, kind of. But yeah they end up having a way more complicated relationship, which makes sense! They are the Herald after all.

6. Attitudes towards the Qun?

Surana has a complicated relationship, he was very close with Sten, and hearing many of the beliefs he rather liked it. Of course, he’s a mage, so there is no chance of him converting. But he respects it, understands it. Hawke considers them inhuman monsters, rather racist about it all tbh, but he hates them. Cadash also has complex feelings though, they became friends with Bull, and then saved the Chargers and watchers Bull become Tal-Vashoth. But at the end of the day, the Qun are a powerful ally and a dangerous enemy.

13. Thoughts on the Grey Warden order?

Surana at first likes the wardens a fare amount, but things get harder as he becomes more official and learns of other sects. The fact that it is traditional for each group of wardens to only have 1 mage? The fact that many of the warden higher ups were angered by his decision to spare the Architect? What he learns during that time? And now he seeks a cure. It’s complicated, but at the end of the day they are his people, and he is a warden before he is a mage, a warden before he is an elf. Hawke meanwhile doesn’t trust them, first everything he learns from Anders doesn’t sound great, next he was on the battlefield and saw the Wardens in the tower were late and then Loghain betrayed him, and finally the whole shit with his father and Coryphyshit.

23. Do they have, or want to have, children?

Surana has a child with Morrigan! Kieran is also the old god baby. He also has technically ended up adopting a dwarf kid (you know that woman in Orzammar who promises you her child when he comes to age?). And he’s also kind of a godfather to Oghren’s little blighted with Felsi. He never considered having children before all of this, he barely had an interest in sex or romance and then he ended up being gay. So children? So it’s funny that he has the most kids! Hawke has no kids, he doesn’t really want kids due to his own childhood, and he was also with Anders, so… not happening. And finally Cadash! They do want kids, but during the course of DAI they don’t have any. I might decide that they’ll have kids after? I do know however that they consider Sera and Cole their kiddos, kind of.

[closetchaosstuff]

Hi! No to rant or anything.

I love your JC posts!

The canon JC tag feels ruined, and it’s makes me cringe so much seeing JC stans not understanding culture??? Like, my autistic mind can’t comprehend being in the fandom and not trying to understand where a lot of things come from in the novel???

Calling “cut-sleeve” a slur to justify saying that JC isn’t homophobic; because look here WWX said a gay slur in chapter 2 (the “slur” was cut-sleeve)

Sorry if it’s sound ranty, I didn’t mean it! My brain just wants to get it out or else it will explode 🤯😔

Thank you! And feel free to rant, most of my posts are adhd fueled rants anyways😅

I sometimes really don't understand how jc stans think. Like maybe they don't understand whether the word cut-sleeve is a slur or not, but can you not look at the rest of the context? WWX is never aggressive or disgusted towards gay people. He's reincarnated in the body of someone who was gay but never exhibits any disdain for that fact. JC on the other hand is aggressive and clearly shows disgust towards LWJ and WWX hugging(it wasn't shameless PDA or whatever the stans say) when he was the one stalking and interrupting their private moment in the first place. He is also disgusted by MXY because he was gay. Homophobia is not just about the slurs, it is about the general attitude of a person.

I am not saying that using a slur is okay or that cut-sleeve is a slur in the first place, but sometimes people genuinely do not know if the word is a slur(in the real world, it can happen if the language the slur is in is different from a person's native language). It is often their attitude that will tell you if they're homophobic or not.

[zukkacore]

This is gonna start off as kinda goofy silly but bear with me but the thing abt Togami and Mukuro is that in my mind the way the friend groups split up during the lost two nondespair years is that Junko can basically get along w/ anyone bc that’s her secret sauce so while she makes it her business to drift in an out of any social circle in my heart I do think her home base is converging with the other gay bitches whose personality is generally having disdain for the other gay bitches and setting themselves apart because of it i.e. Celeste and Togami. They are the fag, the goth girl, and the Cookie Monster pj girl walking the mile in PE.

Naturally Mukuro tags along passively and quietly w Junko where ever she goes & Togami is happy to ignore her at first and generally dismiss her as Junko’s weird sullen sister. & yes canonically Mukuro’s alienation from her classmates is part of why she feels driven to sink the cost and stay loyal to her sister despite her trepidation toward The Plan, but also like.

In the funnier version of events in my head I do think Togami and Mukuro could form a silent tenuous allyship because they’re literally just always around each other, in a way of being extremely tight lipped and privately grateful there’s at least one person here not trying to impose on my business or try to get me to be vulnerable. This guy gets the vision. Best friend I ever had.

The thing is that they’re a neat dichotomy because her trauma tanked her self esteem and view of her own personhood and his gave him a god complex and she and Junko struggled w poverty in their childhood while he is a billionaire heir and hence you would think they would not work as friends but once we and they realize that’s an awful nice dichotomy you got there, its like. It would be a shame if something were to lie outside of it.

And the thing that lies outside of it is that they were the weaker dog (“make two dogs fight, punish the weaker dog”) & have tried desperately to do something to overcome that. He sort of did, or at least he thinks he overcome being the weaker dog bc he “won” meanwhile whatever Mukuro has not stopped seeing herself as the weaker dog, no matter what she did to escape or distinguish herself didn’t matter in the end bc she’s still following orders. The thing abt them is that what lies outside the dichotomy is that they’re sunkest in the sunk cost fallacy. I invested the most, I endured the most, and it cost me the most and therefore I am special. He can’t opt out of this system of being pit against other dogs & she can’t turn against her sister bc he could be the top inheritor in a system of exploitation or be the person being exploited and she is about to aid in the end of the world or be ended along with everyone else. Which side do you want to be on? Theres a banquet and anyone who is not at the table in on the menu. Idk I just relate to that Goya painting of Saturn devouring his children for some reason.

There is something oddly sweet abt DR:S in which she in disguise badgers him into throwing a party at his private beach inviting all their classmates. & when he tries to back out of it in his typical way (fine you can throw a party but I would never go because I have better things to do obviously bc I’m just sooo busy and important) she insists he has to be there too. She’d never be so vocal and bold but in her attempt to perform Junko who is vocal and bold and unabashed abt what she wants she is forced to reveal now what SHE wants. He caves so easily, too. It’s technically not canon but it’s so revealing. What if we were all just friends hanging out on a beach. No fame no obligations no end of the world. This is the life I long for.

[amplifyme]

S3 Snow is done! :DDD

Vincent waking cold and traumatized with fearful eyes. Everything going over Father’s head with Stephen and Brooke at first. The scripts for Diana never disappoint: so fascinating to see her figure out the mystery step by step, putting her hands on everything, and immediately flashing back to Vincent. Snow and Gabriel’s dynamic is intriguing: it’s spelled out explicitly that Snow has more power in this moment, but the scene keeps whatever fear or concern Gabriel has close to his chest. The addition of Gabriel’s “Do you?” after Snow’s “politicians don’t come with a warranty” was an excellent choice. Gabriel making Snow salivate over the tape, the ring reveal, the son mention, Snow’s deflection, and Gabriel finally revealing how shaken he is… exquisite.

Diana’s apartment and the rose bush and Mark (I don’t see him sticking around for long-- probably will want someone uncomplicated before too long.) Diana can feel the life in the plant but Mark doesn’t think so. Mark’s “spelunking again?” has a resentful edge… iiiiiiiiiiiinteresting; and Diana’s let down reaction (with herself, the situation never being different, that it won’t be) after he walks off… gooooooooood stuff. Father and Mary’s concern. PASCAL READING GREAT EXPECTATIONS-- WINSLOW AND DEVIN MENTION (and, wait, Charles, Devin’s friend… WAIT. As an aside, wasn’t Nan naming the second baby Charles? And is that why, to honor Devin’s memory in a roundabout way, Vincent-style?) Pascal giving Catherine’s presence back to Vincent in a way as he joins him in consolation of his grief and in general support. I’m obsessed with the way Diana waves  goodbye. Also, her sensing something from Snow in the scene and in the script… yes. Love Gabriel’s theme so much. Snow sneaking in, bargaining with Gabriel (and Gabriel showing more unease/anxiety at his presence); Gabriel loving the beautiful statue and Snow irreverently smacking it with disdain and Gabriel smiling. Snow venting his frustrations by shooting up the statue. DIANA SAT AT CATHERINE’S DESK. Joe there to surprise Diana and he’s not. happy. Welcome to the job, Joe-- you gotta have a lot of dark experiences to sit behind that desk (also, it’s shadowy in there.) Diana doesn’t have friends in this world and rejects Joe’s “I don’t believe that” with a lighthearted “ah! Good for you!” (how very Ms. Marple of her.)

Father’s “You had a dream”... FATHER, HE HAS PRESCIENT DREAMS. Father’s doing that Cathy thing again where the obvious is a comfort but leads him blindly into trouble. “You can’t buy her life back with your own blood” demands Father, “You won’t find her again by embracing death.” And Vincent’s “Are you so sure, Father?’ before walking off. I think both are right: you can lose yourself in the embrace of Death like Father fears (and Narcissa warned last season); but Cathy’s bond, or an aspect of it, lingers back despite her death, and it seems to be leading Vincent. Both are crucial to keep in the balance.

It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that death/Snow follows Vincent down into the tunnels at the same time the goddess of the hunt/Diana does-- three sides of a triangle all angling towards each other with their own end goals. Father trusting Vincent’s vision after all, “just in case.” (As another aside, I think this is why Vincent survived so long with Father without it eroding too quickly at his edges: though Father fears, he also trusts, to an extent, those prescient aspects of his son, even if he wars internally with his own stubborn mindset. On the other hand, Cathy believed in their bond and their love… but all the way? Not with her ex, not with various degrees of danger, not with fill-in-the-blank. Maybe the difference is: Father and Cathy don’t want to believe, but Father’s cautious nature will enact what Vincent warns because he has self-preservation while Cathy doesn’t take Vincent’s warnings seriously enough because she believes in her own impressions or decisions more.) Diana knocking through the tunnels like Snow. ZACH! Diana hears that tapping but doesn’t emote her reaction (hallelujah for the scripts.)  Stephen diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiied, Brooke runs off into the tunnels, and we all learned why hypervigilance is needed on the job. Snow learning their names. Vincent hearing the screams and sending out a roar of challenge while also being in very poor shape. Diana finding the blasted through tunnel entrance (which… that’s disastrous in general for the community, gonna take a lot to repair) and finding the Vincent rock chunk (“Vincent. Where are you?”) as yet another piece of Vincent’s life is shot to pieces. Snow’s “Gabrielisms” as he mouths “I see you” and wets his lips… excellent touch.

Pascal blaming himself for Sam’s death and William trying to help and JAMIE, and Father’s sound wisdom and realizing he had, yet again, failed to stop the death of his son (The Outsiders, eyyyyy), and that there’s nothing he can do. I can’t help but think how Father’s willingness to give into Vincent’s sacrificial nature brings out the distrust and abandonment of the Other, which is probably why Buster trusts Catherine and Diana in Nan’s S4 the most: both women are willing to sacrifice themselves to save him from his own inane or useless sacrifices. (It’s like Nan touched on in “Bimbo”-- Father and Vincent are very self-sacrificial when it comes to the community-- and for Vincent, in Father’s case-- but that can’t/isn’t/won’t be healthy for ALL of Vincent in the long run. Also: the Biblical allegory of Father being God the Father and letting Vincent/His Son sacrifice himself for humanity definitely contributes to the Buster trust issues.)

Snow and Vincent’s conversation, names and faces, and Vincent’s growl in answer. Gabriel the name, “your child”, the ring as a peace offering/trap… Buster’s not going to be appeased/tricked. I like how the Other and Vincent intertwined in this moment: Buster won’t let Snow escape alive, but Vincent doesn’t directly kill him. Vincent taking the ring and dropping Snow’s body on the tower and yelling out Gabriel’s name. Here we go! 

As an aside, were there some theories before little Jacob was named that the showrunners would honor Great Expectations and call him Philip or Pip or something like that? I can at least see it being lobbed by someone at some point.

Ah, Snow. Another banger of a script from George R.R. Martin. He sure does know how to raise the stakes - and one's blood pressure.

Let's talk about it down here...

The dialogue in this one is so crisp. Love the conversation between Gabe and Snow at the zoo. "Creature features. Maybe I should make popcorn." *chef's kiss* This exchange delights me into laughter every time I watch it, simply for McHattie's delivery of his line here:

S: Not the stupid statue! He's not human.

G: So few of us are these days.

PASCAL READING GREAT EXPECTATIONS-- WINSLOW AND DEVIN MENTION (and, wait, Charles, Devin’s friend… WAIT. As an aside, wasn’t Nan naming the second baby Charles? And is that why, to honor Devin’s memory in a roundabout way, Vincent-style?)

She was going to do it to honor both Devin's friend Charles and Catherine's father, who was also named Charles. I love that scene with Vincent and Pascal. Quiet but so impactful.

It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that death/Snow follows Vincent down into the tunnels at the same time the goddess of the hunt/Diana does-- three sides of a triangle all angling towards each other with their own end goals.

Trust me, nothing in GRRM's writing is a coincidence. I love that you've picked up on the Diana/Huntress connection. Another aspect she has in common with Vincent.

Diana knocking through the tunnels like Snow.

And knocking down another wall in her search for Vincent, as he knocked them down to get to Cathy. Interesting subtext, huh?

Snow learning their names.

And Vincent knowing their faces.

I can’t help but think how Father’s willingness to give into Vincent’s sacrificial nature brings out the distrust and abandonment of the Other, which is probably why Buster trusts Catherine and Diana in Nan’s S4 the most: both women are willing to sacrifice themselves to save him from his own inane or useless sacrifices.

Nice catch!

I like how the Other and Vincent intertwined in this moment: Buster won’t let Snow escape alive, but Vincent doesn’t directly kill him. Vincent taking the ring and dropping Snow’s body on the tower and yelling out Gabriel’s name.

Game on, baby!

Yeah, there's a definite integration going on with Vincent & Buster this season. Lots of little hints dropped here and there.

As an aside, were there some theories before little Jacob was named that the showrunners would honor Great Expectations and call him Philip or Pip or something like that? I can at least see it being lobbed by someone at some point.

Not as far as I know; I've never heard or read anything along those lines. As far as I know the child was always going to be named after Father.

Not a whole lot more to say about this. You've covered all the bases really well and I'm delighted that you're picking up on all the little things most folks might not have.

Beggar's Comet is another wild ride. It's an Elliott-heavy episode but it also moves both V and D's story forward in important ways. And then there's A Time to Heal, which is superb from start to finish - my favorite of S3. It's the pilot episode all over again, but flipped. Or as Nan liked to jokingly describe it: the episode where two people watch each other sleep. 🤣

P.S. I've managed to upload Maxine Mayer's This Massive Darkness and AWTN 1 under my pseud, The Dream Weavers Helper, on my AO3 page. AWTN 2 is next. I'm planning on getting all of Nan's stuff there eventually. But there's tons of transcription boo-boos to fix. A labor of love, for sure.

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

1. i don’t think “correct” (in the moral sense, i assume that’s what you mean) is the right word to use here, so much as “common sense,” which is the perspective i approach it from. as i’ve already said, it would be absurd and forced for thingol -- or the iathrim in general, this is often left out in conversations but nobody in doriath except beleg and mablung actually wanted to participate in the union -- to ally with the sons of feanor, especially not after what celegorm and curufin did to luthien. and this isn’t just a matter of personal distaste, though that’s certainly there and certainly valid; the feanorians’ actions consistently show their disregard for the sindar. they participate in the first kinslaying against the falmari, who are closely associated with the sindar, hide it from the iathrim, and later, when found out, make no attempt at amends. caranthir derides thingol as a “dark-elf in his caves” which demonstrates a contemptuous perspective of him despite the fact that thingol was best friends with his grandfather and actually has seen the light of the two trees; if even thingol is looked down upon to such a degree, then that logically indicates an even lower view of the other iathrim. (it is fully possible that none of the iathrim heard about this since caranthir spoke in front of a council of noldorin lords -- albeit he did so in front of angrod, who was their intermediary with doriath at the time, so obviously he doesn’t care that much about being discreet -- but the general principle still stands: he’s clearly disdainful towards the sindar, and, furthermore, can’t even be bothered to hide it for diplomacy or pragmatism’s sake.) then later, the whole debacle with luthien goes down, for which, again, no attempt at reparations or even so much as acknowledgement is made. everyone in doriath has ample reason to believe that the sons of feanor see them and their lives as worthless -- murdering/trying to murder, kidnapping, and trying to rape telerin elves is seemingly acceptable by their standards, and not a transgression that is in any way worth addressing. fingon, while not as near-comically awful about it, isn’t exactly promising either; he too participated in the kinslaying of alqualonde. given all that, the iathrim are entirely reasonable in not only disliking, but, more crucially, not trusting the noldor enough to fight beside them. it wouldn’t be unlikely from where they’re standing that the noldor would use them as weapon fodder against morgoth’s forces when convenient. also, as has been pointed out, celegorm and curufin ousted finrod and had no apparent problem letting him die. much like their assault of luthien, they didn’t suffer any public consequences or rebuke from their brothers for this, which from the iathrim’s perspective would look like indifference at best, coordinated cooperation at worst. and if the sons of feanor can be so casual about finrod, a fellow noldorin lord, their cousin with whom they actually seemed to have a decent relationship with, and who took celegorm and curufin in after the fall of the pass of aglon, they certainly wouldn’t hesitate to sell out the iathrim, who they obviously look down on, if they felt it necessary. if, after all this, one still wants to say that thingol and the iathrim should have thrown all sense to the wind and gone ahead and fought against morgoth with people who consider them inconsequential, and only by doing so would they have been morally correct, then yeah, i suppose they aren’t correct for their refusal to join. but it’s a completely ridiculous expectation to have of a person, and definitely not an expectation that the feanorians -- for whose favor these points about the alleged unfairness of thingol and the iathrim are made, in my experience -- are held to.  

2. (My issue with the posed logic is that it would suggest Sirion also deserved to be ransacked because they withheld to Silmaril. In neither case do I think the punishment is just for the crime). -- i’m going to preface my response to the question by clarifying that i would hardly say sirion’s people keeping the silmaril is comparable to the feanorians’ murder, kidnapping, attempted rape, and attempted murder, so while i (think i) understand your line of reasoning here, sirion doesn’t strike me as a viable analogy for the situation. 

as for if the noldor deserved to lose the nirnaeth for the first kinslaying specifically: i personally am not sure, if we apply irl standards to the matter; they definitely deserved worse than what they got from the falmari for it, but i hesitate to say defeat at the hands of morgoth and his forces -- not justice at the hands of the people they actually slaughtered or whose kin they actually slaughtered -- is what i would call fair. but the narrative does posit the noldor’s loss in the nirnaeth as their comeuppance for the first kinslaying. the doom was a result of their actions at alqualonde and spills over into even those who didn’t take direct part for their complicity -- melian telling the arafinweans “yet the shadow of mandos lies on you also,” and finarfin’s sons sensing that “none of the noldor that followed after feanor could escape from the shadow that lay upon his house.” and as prophesied, the doom haunts all of the noldor’s efforts against morgoth throughout the first age. that’s not to say the text doesn’t treat noldor’s deterioration and eventual near-disintegration as a tragedy, but the doom is still canonically recompense against them for the first kinslaying. 

in the case of luthien’s situation i can give my personal opinion as it’s much more limited in scope: not all of the noldor deserve to suffer for the actions of celegorm, curufin, and whoever else helped them, though obviously at least celegorm and curufin themselves should and do (albeit not quite to the degree i personally would want based on irl standards; in that they deserved worse) get their comeuppance for their actions. 

3. i think it’s pretty clear that the nirnaeth was going to fail for the noldor. again, the doom dictates that they will “dwell in death’s shadow,” and that they will be slain “by weapon and by torment and by grief.” that said, imo it’s more that the noldor’s actions set them up to fail in the future. by swearing the oath, by committing the first kinslaying, by seeking beleriand with the intent to rule lands there, etc., etc., they preemptively position themselves for enmity with its inhabitants, including the iathrim, and with each other. there could have been a world where the noldor didn’t commit the first kinslaying or at least tried to make reparations for it; where they showed more respect and regard for the sindar; where celegorm and curufin didn’t betray finrod or kidnap and try to rape luthien; and so on and so forth. maybe then the iathrim would have trusted the noldor enough to willingly fight beside them, and/or maybe nargothrond would have been more open to sending aid. maybe the nirnaeth could have been a victory for the noldor then. so i don’t think it was a case of “there was never going to be any set of circumstances under which the noldor could have won, and no matter what they did from the start, morgoth would have defeated them in the end.” but as it is, the noldor sabotaged themselves. and i think that’s part of the whole point of the doom; “their oath shall drive them and yet betray them” and all that. and yes, i do think thingol and the iathrim were prudent in not joining. a part of that is as you’re implying -- before the dagor bragollach, thingol is stated to be “wise with the wisdom of melian” in his distrust of the noldor’s military ability to hold morgoth, and it’s reasonable that that carries over here -- but i think the greater part of it is that, as i’ve explained above, they don’t trust the noldor enough to consider fighting beside them a viable option, period.

if i was thingol i also wouldn't participate in an alliance organized by the people who only one year ago kidnapped my daughter, tried to force her to marry into their family, tried to kidnap her again, and then tried to KILL her. and don't come at me with "it was only celegorm and curufin," because 1). thingol has no way of ascertaining that they were acting alone, and 2). so what if it was only celegorm and curufin??? why should he want to be involved with anything and anyone remotely related to them? and people wonder why he said fuck that noise

[crazilust]

Astro notes (3)

Hello, I’m back with a third astro notes. Please disregard anything that doesn’t make you feel good, remember these are just personal observations <3

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* Virgos really are a mess. They will do their best to keep the organized, put together persona, but the mess they’re going through behind closed doors is actually so intense. Whenever I get close to a Virgo, I’m a little shook tbh.

* Kinda unrelated to my normal content, but I really wonder how Dream (the youtuber) is handling the constant attacks to his physical appearance being a Leo and such. He kinda seems unfazed and keeps posting pics of him and videos, but idk. I’m curious how he’s handling it privately.

* I really do love me a fire x earth sign combo. Wether it’s friendship or relationship, I find them so energetic and chaotic lmao. Now, I’m gonna be honest I do think as a friendship, it works better. I also think each person has to have a varied chart in order to work. Someone with too much earth won’t really tolerate the intensity of the fire sign, and vice versa.

* Aries are not only trend setters, most of the time they are the ones to break generational traumas, mindset or traditions. They really, truly, do not give a fuck about what’s been done in the past or “what’s the right way to do this”. Lady Gaga, I believe, is the personification of that. On a personal level, it can definitely get annoying to deal with an Aries, but once you understand that they act that way because they’re trying to better themselves and by extension the world around them, it gets easier.

* Capricorns really fascinate me. I know the stereotypes around Caps is that they’re hardworking, focused on money, overly serious etc. I think part of it is true, but I think it depends on when you do meet them. If it’s before their Saturn return, you might actually meet a version of them that is actually struggling, quite immature, bad with money and overall disorganized. Remember, Saturn is severe and harsh. He doesn’t make it easy for its natives and I think it kind of explains why in the beginning of their lives, Caps are so all over the place. They get it together at one point though, and some become the stereotypical Capricorn.

* Also, on Capricorn, I’ve noticed they don’t really like when people mention their past selves. I mean, no one does, but with Caps it seems even more severe. It’s like they’re trying their hardest to dissociate from that past self that didn’t meet their ideals. I know a lot of Capricorn that even go by different names than their younger self. Crazy.

* Each element has their strength. Fire signs, it’s their will. Air signs, their intellect. Water signs, their emotions. Earth signs, their consistency. In the same vein, that same strength can quickly turn into their worst flaw. Fire signs can get really egotistical when trying to reach their goals. Air signs have a tendency to be condescending and mock others for their emotional reactions. Water signs can use emotional manipulation tactics to get what they want. Earth signs can get often stuck in their ways, no matter how toxic or unhealthy it may be.

* Cancer in 12th makes you despise your emotions, even when you rationally know that “it’s okay to feel that way”. Most often than not, they project that hatred/disdain towards other people and can’t tolerate really emotional people.

* We have to stop thinking that only earth signs and the sign of Leo is an indicator of fame. Sure, they can be indicator, but I do believe that we disregard the many types and layers of fame. Also, the way celebrities will interact with their fanbase and how they’re remembered is important. I truly believe every sign can be famous, but it won’t manifest the same. Is it easier for some signs? Sure. But every sign, using their strength could achieve it.

* Talking about fame. If you really want to achieve it, I think it’d be interesting to use your MC, North node, Mercury, Venus and Rising sign to achieve it. By checking in with your Moon sign needs, you could then regulate the right path for you. Some people truly don’t mind using drama to create traction even if it means hate, while some people could not tolerate it. Anyways, I’ll do a whole other post about it.

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So yea! That’s my comeback y’all. Lmao I’m sorry, life’s been rough. That last retrograde tried to take me outtttt, I swear.

Dolly.

[carpeossa]

Can we just appreciate that Erik is the kind of friend who will actively make sure his best friend (Daroga) knows every single mundane/annoying detail of his life and that when he went silent for 2 weeks because he kidnapped Christine, the Daroga had to go to his home to find out what he was up to?

Also, you know for a fact that the Persian had a feeling that Erik was up to something prior to the kidnapping.

I present to you all, my headcannon:

Daroga: *reading the mail in his parlor* “Erik, I can’t make it to the cafe on Tuesday. I have a meeting with a transcriber who needs help on some documents in Farsi. I can reschedule for Friday at 2.”

Erik: *smoking one of the Daroga’s cigarettes and sitting in his chair* “That won’t work for me, I have an appointment that day. How about the following Monday at 9?”

Daroga: *Stops reading the mail and stares at Erik* “What do you mean you have an appointment?”

Erik: *Waves cigarette as he says* “Just that. I have an appointment.”

Daroga: *points at Erik with the mail* “No, no you don’t.”

Erik: *takes a long puff then exhales, smoke billowing under the vail of his mask* “What? You think that I’m incapable of having a social life that doesn’t involve you?“

Daroga: “Yes.”

Erik: *indignantly flicks ash onto the rug* “Contrary to your asinine beliefs, I am fully capable of having competent discourse with other members of society.”

Daroga: *ignoring the ash and advancing slightly towards Erik*

“You have never in your life given a thought to other members of society. You have always held them with contempt and disdain for not valuing the simple pleasures of being able to walk freely without ridicule or scorn for wearing a mask.”

“So yes, I highly doubt you having any other friends or making any, for that matter, with the exception of me.”

Erik: *promptly standing and towering over the Persian. Throwing the cigarette into the fire*

“You don’t know me Daroga. You may think you know me, but you are sorely mistaken. You are a fool who thinks that I want you, or that I need to converse with you. I am a man fully capable of making connections with other people than you! You damnable ass!”

*Erik storms out of the room*

Erik: *yelling* “Darius! I am leaving you to your boob of an employer! I require my cloak!”

Daroga: *following Erik* “Who is this poor devil that you are harassing?!”

Erik: *turning around and leaning close into the Daroga’s face before shouting* “You will never refer to them as a devil! You will give them at least that much respect!”

*turning back to the hall and shouting* “Darius! Quick, man! Or I shall be forced to render your employer unconscious!”

Darius: *rushing with Erik’s cloak in his out stretched hands*

Erik: *Yanking it from Darius’ hands and putting it on before storming out and slamming the front door*

Darius: “Forgive me for saying this, Sir. But he seemed more impertinent than usual.”

Daroga: *waving off Darius’ apology* “The truth needs no apology, Darius.”

*sighs* “I don’t know who his new obsession is, but I know he holds them in high esteem.”

Darius: “Would that not be a good thing? He generally hates everyone.”

Daroga: “For normal people, yes. But he is not normal. And when he realizes that the person he is obsessed with is not the personification of his vision of perfection, he with become wrathful.”

Darius: “How can he be any worse than how he is with you? He’s tame towards Señora Carlota when compared with how he treats you.”

Daroga: “You’re too young to know about what he did for the Shah. Erik is the most frightening creature you will ever encounter when he is angry. And thus far, Darius, you have only seen him annoyed.”