#i love creating a character that is a direct mirror of another person because it forces them to confront their own shitty behaviors hehehe

[strawberrysznn]

How to find the best version of yourself that you'll fall in love with

As someone who has gone through SO many versions of herself and is now slowly growing to be a person she's genuinely happy and in love with

Trust me when I say I've had a lot of identities these past few years. It took me a lot of time to really find the best version of myself, the version that I'm genuinely happy with, the version that my 10 year old self would have looked up to. However, it's different for everyone. The definition of an "it girl" to me might be different from your definition, and the personality and life that truly feels me might not suit you. So, please take note that this is highly subjective and it's all about you and what works for you.

The one and only thing I did to rebrand myself: I created a character.

I gave my character a new name. You can give yours your current one or a nickname. I gave mine my second name. I built this character, I envisioned her, I turned her into a realistic person that I knew I'd look up to.

Basically, create an alter ego. And it wasn't easy to curate this character for me, it took a lot of time for me to build her into someone that I'd want to be, someone that still has flaws but embodies the energy and lifestyle I want.

Know what you want. How does this new you act? What do they like and dislike? What matters to them? How do they impact the people around them? What are they like? How would you describe them? What are their flaws and how do they deal with it? What are the bad habits they got rid of?

Make sure this version you want feels like you. This isn't about turning into another person, it's about growing as a person. It's about looking in the mirror and loving what you see with no doubt and no regrets. It's about knowing what you want and taking it right away, and it's about taking control of your own life and shaping it into one that you will fall in love with every single day.

Look up to this person. Get to know this person, know every single thing about them. Make sure that as you create this alter ego, it's truly someone you'd 100% look up to.

Fall in love. Personally, this part is my favorite. I start to visualize and imagine this person so much that I completely fall in love with her. This version is me, truly me, and utterly me. It's not someone else, it's the person I want to be because everything about this person feels like me. I start to romanticize growing and becoming this person, slowly shaping myself, changing my lifestyle, taking action, taking initiative, and building myself and my life brick by brick to fall in love with what I see in the mirror.

Take action and build yourself up. Slowly embody this person. You can't change overnight, but you can grow and shape yourself step by step.

This is NOT about turning into someone else. This isn't about changing yourself to be more likeable or to please others. This is all about knowing what direction you want to go and taking it. Make sure this character is realistic and truly you. Do not try to be someone you won't be happy with, be someone that will make it easier for you to love yourself. Don't become someone that will only push you beyond your limits and break you, become someone who can take control of their own life enough to build their life solely for themselves.

Find yourself, find the best version of yourself, and you'll know what path to take. All you have to do now is take the path.

[bunnwich]

Bunbun, how do you think Leona got his scar??

How Leona Got His Scar and Other Thoughts

So this is for sure something I’ve thought about a lot and how Leona’s Scar relates to him as a character. I get that it's very likely he was simply given a scar by Yana to mirror his Great Seven counterpart of Scar...but you guys know I love to create my own lore. I personally find the little information we do get on Leona’s scar interesting. In one of Leona's chats, Ruggie asks Leona where he got his Scar and notes that The King of Beasts also has a scar on his left eye.

Of course, Leona, being Leona, brushes off the question and says he doesn't remember, but logically, we know it would be silly for someone to forget how such a prominent injury was received. And as far as we know, he doesn't have any other scars besides this one. 

So, he’s avoiding the truth. Either so the writers can be cheeky about it all, since Scar’s scar origins have had many recons. OR, if you wanna look deeper, maybe there is an implication that Leona prefers not to talk about it because the memory is upsetting. So, he brushes it off with a smirk.

Since I love angst, I prefer the latter. But, let's put a pin in that for a sec.

I think an interesting aspect to all this is that in the Magical Archives (I believe) it's mentioned that scars are something to be proud of in Sunset Savanna, which always kinda puzzled me.

We know that Twisted Wonderland has a skewed perception of the respective Disney villains, but it's still an interesting choice.

In the Lion King lore, a scar is essentially a bad omen. After Scar's death, two characters, Kion and Kovu, are condemned to others viewing them negatively. It's treated as a "Mark of Evil" in the Lion Guard show and even used as a symbol of Kion's deteriorating mental health. There is a symbol found on the ground that they refer to as a “Mark of Evil" where Scar's spirit manifested. TBH, even the treatment of Scar himself borders on ableism and the fact that people refer to him BY his disfigurement is kinda wild.

(Lion Guard wiki)

Since we kinda get conflicting lore from TLK and Twisted Wonderland on how scars are viewed...this really made me think about how it affects Leona. 

I like to believe the view of scars is nuanced in the Sunset Savanna. Maybe now with the younger generations, there is a different attitude regarding scars and they no big deal. Maybe because of the King of Beasts more positive influence, they just are seen as a more "heroic" thing in general. 

But, going back to Leona-

I think with what we know of his backstory a chunk of his people view him as this “bad omen” already due to his unique magic. And maybe after Leona received his “mark,” at some point as a child, some folks (maybe older ones) became even more apt to view him as a cursed prince. In Leona’s overblot flashback, we see how the servants in the palace fear and gossip about him.

Since we don't know the full truth of it, since the writers love to deprive us of Leona lore… My headcanon is this- When he and Falena were young, someone went to attack Falena and because the guard’s attention was so focused on the direct heir, Leona was hurt in the crossfire. Not only this, Leona has quite an adverse reaction to being attacked (perhaps for the first time physically as I also HC he was a weak child) However, he was still a child with a powerful Unique Magic, one he maybe couldn't control well at the time. So he attacks the attacker, who was maybe even just another child playing rough or perhaps just a rowdy peasant? Either way, this doesn't end well, he perhaps fatally injures the attacker and is punished for it. And so, begins the series complexes he has as the grumpy Lion we know now.

The desire for him to always be in control and be proficient at magic and magical defense.

His cynicism confirmed. Being reminded again of his place in life. Being only viewed as "a spare heir" compared to his brother. An unnecessary piece.

The disconnection he feels with his family and their disapproval of him and his actions.

Perhaps, this is why Leona is so good at defensive magic (like he mentions to Riddle who failed to collar him at first in Chapter 2.) Maybe this is why he chose to take up sports and self-defense, to protect himself from others despite preferring his intellect to fight. We know he at some point learns from Kifaji how to wrestle in the Catch the Tail Tournament. All this to say, I believe whatever happened is something traumatic for Leona and linked to his insecurities as a person. (Kinda like in many of Scar's backstories) I get into that a bit in this fic I wrote of Yuu comforting Leona. I just find it interesting to think about how the memory of receiving his Scar has affected him as he got older. While cocky and good at acting nonchalant, I do believe, deep down Leona feels uneasy about others' commenting about it or touching it.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts, as per usual! Thanks for asking I enjoyed yapping!

[starmosaics]

Many Rohinis are known for being in the public eye and having an infectious presence— whether it’s good or bad, eyes are on them, but from my observations and my own personal experience along with having loved ones with Rohini placements, most of us feel like we’re playing a part.

You can find Rohinis sometimes unknowingly play into someone’s projections or fantasies of them, other times they’re entirely aware. This may leave the Rohini native feeling alone and misunderstood because of their tendency to show people what they want to see, not who they actually are within. I feel like people tend to have this “idea” about Rohinis that can be so far off from the reality that at times the Rohini native may unconsciously absorb whatever that idea of them is. The Moon is receptive meaning it is constantly receiving stimuli and is sensitive to its environment; it can be easily influenced. Rohinis also receive a lot of passivity, jealousy and anger from people when they don’t match that person’s idea of them. However you perceive a Rohini to be, in worst cases the Rohini can mirror it back to you as we know the Moon reflects.

Marilyn Monroe for example had a Rohini Sun and was either loved or totally loathed by the public and had this reputation for being this beautiful and sensual actress. She often publicly portrayed herself as this innocent woman with a teasing presence that made men go crazy for her, yet she had a very sorrowful and vulnerable side that not many people got to see.

She was known for something called “The Marilyn Monroe Effect” where she would alter herself into a persona which caught people’s eyes. Essentially, Marilyn was wearing a mask. She was a character perceived as a sex symbol by the male gaze.

In her journal entries, Marilyn wrote about loneliness. Bette Davis also said she could sense Marilyn’s loneliness when asked about the actress as she and Marilyn starred in a film together.

Another example is Rohini Sun Priscilla Beaulieu who was 14 when she met her future husband Elvis Presley who was significantly older than her. She was heavily idealized by Elvis and was deemed to have an innocence that Elvis favored. Elvis claimed that he could “train her anyway he wanted.” He ended up doing exactly that; molding her into his fantasy wife, treating her as if she was a doll. He made her dress a certain way, he made her wear makeup and told her to dye her hair and she willingly did out of love for Elvis to embody being “the perfect wife”. Once again, here’s an example of a Rohini playing a role and being shaped by those surrounding them. She also had a lot of Elvis’ fans show disdain towards her as she was dating one of the biggest stars at the time.

In the 2023 film “Priscilla” directed by Sofia Coppola, based on Priscilla’s book “Elvis and Me”, it dives into Priscilla’s backstory. The director perfectly depicts how lonely Priscilla was standing beside Elvis. Many of the scenes within this film show Priscilla being alone in a large empty house.

Rohinis often put their best foot forward to show the world and those they love much like Marilyn and Priscilla did and as a Rohini Sun myself, I can heavily relate. It would make sense for people with this nakshatra in their charts to do such since Rohini is Lunar in nature and the Moon has a mysterious and deep side; being selective as to what you present to the masses (Moon rules masses). There’s a very soft, vulnerable and somewhat melancholic side of Rohini that they possess.

It’s a very vulnerable thing to unmask and show the real and raw unfiltered self when you’re idealized by others or expected to show up a certain way, and it can be a very isolating feeling to not feel understood by anybody which is a very familiar phenomenon to those with Rohini placements. When people don't grasp your nature, thoughts and feelings, it can create a profound sense of isolation, making you feel alone even when surrounded by others, which is what I meant by in an earlier post about how Rohinis may feel alone in a room full of people. To be unknown or misunderstood is to be lonely.

[npookie0]

How Does Nathan Write Roseverse Characters?

Hi! This is a refreshed version of my old post, I see that I write the Killer Chat! love interests differently over time (Ronin didn't change much I think, but the rest kind of did) and I write more people than just them so I will put them all in this post, it will be updated with more roseverse characters I will write about!

(I lied my view of Ronin changed quite a lot....)

(I will be writing the bullet points here based on the old ones or rather commenting on these cause wtf man)

What is "roseverse"?

It's simple! Roseverse is well the world/worlds created by none other than rosesrot (or roseSrot for the people who miss the "s" there) that includs: Killer Chat!, Gluttony Gods, Seraphim Slum, EdenFall, Mortal Coil and in the possible future Angelwood if Rose does something more with the idea (i hope she does cause omg)

And yeah, this will have spoilers <3

Okay now we can get to the point !!

Killer Chat!

Ronin :

What is important to me when I write anything with Ronin is keeping him as he is, a man full of mystery with a devil-may-care attitude that works as a shield in a way. But these are not the only things I see him as, because his character is deeper than the things I noted. He's a romantic even if he doesn't admit to it, he struggles with opening up, but when he does you know that it is honest and comes from his heart. He is a caring person, we see that in the base game and in the Christmas DLC, Ronin shows his care towards Angel, worries about her and makes sure that she takes break and that we, if we take her route, care about her and give her the treatment she deserves.

Okay I will drop some bullet points for my textwall haters (I am one of u <3)

Ronin is a sarcastic person and does speak in riddles, tho he has times when he does speak the truth with no hidden meanings and twists that you should uncover, whenever he does that he may go back to the edgy devil-may-care act, but he is not all smokes and mirrors.

His main goal is NOT corruption ... oh god what was I even on when I wrote that... he does corrupt the MC in the game yes, BUT that is not his goal, the corruption is his way of helping you find your better self your "true" self so to speak and whether that self is good or bad is another question entirely. To Ronin that is a show of love, helping you become yourself more than ever.

Okay "monotony and boredom in relationship = kill u" toxic king I see you... No really, I do still agree that Ronin would not handle a monotonous or "boring" relationship, by monotonous I mean one that doesn't move in any direction, no interesting things going on. And of course I don't mean it when for example his partner is going through depression, he would be understanding, but since it is Ronin he'd try his .... creative ways in helping you. I don't think that he'd kill his partner if they were too "boring" for him, he'd try to get them to show more reactions at first, but he would break up if there would be no change. (Well Ronin is a toxic man at the end of the day....)

Ronin sees the act of killing us as a romantic act yes! WOOHO AT LEAST ONE THING RIGHT (applaud me because the takes WERE SO BAD...) But that is in the case when we ask him to do it, in a scenario when we're for example deadly sick, can't move, only death awaits you, but it's slow and painful. If you'd ask him to do it then he will, because that would be his lover asking him to spare them. For us killing him, I still agree and I will actually give an explanation!!! Ronin being our first kill (us = mc who didn't kill) would be just the best possible proof of loving him, we dirty out hands with blood and it's HIS blood? So sweet of you to think about him like that <3

He is .... not possessive. I swear to god I felt tears running down my face when I read that part. Ronin is the least jealous or possessive person on the planet I fear, not even because he corrupts you, but because he simply trusts you (okay and maybe a tiny bit because of how fucked up you have to be to love him)

Ronin is touch starved yes, another point towards me for getting it right! He will show it in casual small touches, but on worse days (yours or his) he would allow himself to cling to you more.

Ronin will have worse moments too. Even if he's in a way "fully" transitioned he still may experience gender dysphoria. He may have break downs and generally feel very down when there are triggering times for him (Christian holidays)

It is important to remember about Ther, you don't need to play Gluttony Gods to acknowledge their importance to Ronin's character and story as a whole. Having them, dating them and in the end losing them all are important parts of his past and erasing Ther erases Ronin (literally actually) and it's shown in the DLC and in base game, letting Ronin talk about them and showing understanding and support will increase your relationship with him

Ronin act as the devil is mostly a facade so MC seeing through that would actually make a greater impact than playing into it and hoping for a serious outcome. If it's a playful comment on him being the devil then he will join in and have fun too.

Ronin wouldn't want the reader to be completely obsessed with him, to the extend when they breathe and live for him. With no personality or interests. Not only would they be just plainly boring, he would probably be annoyed with and feel perhaps guilty for making them into this mess. (actually the only thing i'm proud to leave as it is)

If you are dead and NOT killed by him in an act of mercy, so murdered by someone else, committed a suicide (wow the angst potential) Ronin would go on a murder spree, he would do that to fight with his conflicted feelings. He wouldn't show how he feels in the server, but he would be really broken, especially if it was a suicide. He would feel like he wasn't enough, like there was something he could do and missed it.

For a break up, if it's a situation like Angel, he would be chill with you, I would see the awkwardness for a short while there, but it wouldn't be bad. If you two broke up in bad blood then he would go on a murder spree, there would be a lot of anger and hurt feelings to turn into a fuel to murder. (Doesn't mean that he'd kill you... that is depending on what you did. I firmly believe that he'd kill a cheating partner.)

Commentary: My old takes for Ronin were ... something, they are not the worst of when it comes to all the takes I did.... trust me Misaki and V do deserve justice even more. But to say things about Ronin, I don't know why I saw him like that, maybe it was my personal fantasy or the way I saw him written by other people that impacted me, hard to say. But at least he's more than haha toxic bad boy emo killer!!!

V :

For V... If I'm being honest it took me way too long to understand someone so easy to understand??? V is a straight forward man, he does not lie, play any mind games, pretend or anything. He is lead by his emotions and by his morals, he is a stubborn man who will trust himself more than anyone (even if he may be wrong) he is also incredibly loving and soft, he cares about those close to him deeply (even if he's rude to them sometimes....) and he is a protector.

(God what have I done to my man V in those bullet points no one will know....)

V does in fact have a strong moral code (I'd even pin it towards his autism if I may indulge myself and my own relations to my morals and world views as a autistic person) but yes, he does have lose screws. And no, it is not about him agreeing to not kill Ronin, at least not on him only doing that because of the mc! When it comes to V's ideals, they are not clean and they are conflicting each other sometimes. He accepts a cannibal because she has similar murder ideals towards him, yet he finds Ronin as someone who he wants to hunt down, because he finds him to be too gruesome and vile even if he does not see the whole pattern of Ronin kills (I don't think V knows that Ronin kills mostly abusers (he still does kill innocents, but not in that big of a scale)) his morals can be bent when it comes to his partner tho, he will do much more for them (tho that does not mean that he will become a complete opposite of himself.)

He is well mannered yes, a gentleman from an old money rich background who was in private schools and probably had to learn etiquette etc, writing him as such is advised tho do not make him over the top posh, he does have his moments of dropping well manners (please seeing him say "fuck" to Ronin was so funny to me)

... Cold and distant who? My man is a romantic, a hopeless one even!!! He did not say banger lines like "You are beautiful, I am not so self righteous to deny that fact, even if in the end I will have to destroy your beauty with my own hands" for him to be just cold and distant. Tho I do see him as the type to show affection in private more than in public, which does not mean that he does not do in public either.

V is a listener, but he would also talk your ear off about his interests too, ask him about his animals and he may just talk about them for hours with no end.

He is caring, but he may have a hard time showing it when it comes to the "serial killer degenerates", he did wish that Misaki would accept his help in the DLC even if he knew that they would not.

When I write V I try to use more "school teaches me that and no one actually talks like this" type of English how I call it, or in a more common way of saying it, more sophisticated way of speaking, it does connect to him being a rich man from a good background, but it's worth noting separately.

V's love language is indeed "acts of service" and him doing something to help the mc out would indeed be a show of that so wow points towards myself!!!

V is the most likely to be jealous, tho it wouldn't be a very strong jealousy, he'd try to quiet down those thoughts and if they'd get too nagging he would communicate them with his partner.

He does not understand sarcasm, he doesn't use it either, he is a very blunt and honest person (I feel like I'm saying it again but let's ignore that) it may (again) be my man being autistic (i believe in that headcanon made by rose oki)

Commentary : Oh man.... oh man.... I can't believe I misunderstood him </3 but omg I love V so much, writing him is so fun and he is realistically the one I would go for probably.

Misaki :

(I cry as I look at Misaki's pictures and the absolute bullshit I wrote about them back then)

When I write my fanfics for them I try to focus on two main parts, them being a source of energy and fun and them being someone with problems who is sometimes reluctant to talk about them and takes time to open up. At first glance they will be te happy go lucky friend, but then you'll get to know them and see way more. She is someone who I can relate to a lot so writing her sometimes takes a lot, but I love Misaki regardless.

(To get the elephant out of the room... My take on Misaki's family situation from a few months ago sounded lowkey racist or at the very least stereotypical and why did no one call me out on that and how did I not took a moment to think about it before I clicked post???? I will not quote it because I feel ashamed of it (the main reason why I deleted that post actually) so I will just apologise for it even if most of you never saw it or didn't see it as such. I am terribly sorry for how I wrote that.)

Misaki wouldn't feel comfortable with mc meddling into their family situation, to them it is a very personal manner and they would be relucent to accept support. And if you would press them about accepting your help, stick your nose there or be hateful about her parents, Misaki would see it as a reason to break things of.

Misaki would use Gen Z slang and uses silly terms like "pookie" or "sugar honey dumpling" when referring to their partner. They will also just use a lot of slang in general, I did not always write it because I don't know gen z and English slang that well

Misaki is someone struggling with anxiety and stress, they are working in a field that puts them at risk and them having to help out their parents can cause them a lot of stress. They could also be scared of disappointing their partner and friends.

Misaki would be supportive towards your ideas, writing, life decisions, job, murder techniques... Just name it and they'll be supportive!

She is a very talkative person, a yapper if you will. She can talk about ten different topics in twenty minutes and all of them will be discussed in great detail. I also connect it to them being a person with ADHD (another headcanon from rose i accepted)

Misaki does need time to fully open up, especially about things like their family problems, but once they do you know that they trust you fully.

Misaki's love language is "gift giving", they'd give the reader a lot of handmade gifts or small things they bought/found.

Misaki does find killing to be thrilling and adrenaline boosting, it fills them with excitement in a way, that's also one of the reasons why they still do it.

Commentary: I did not fumble as bad other than the family take in the past... Misaki is someone I project on a lot they are my highest kin actually so writing them is something I do enjoy when I get myself to do it.

Angel :

A woman who needs to accept herself as both The Heartsick Angel and Maria de la Rosa, she needs to see herself as a full person and needs a partner who will see her as both too. She is a perfectionist with a bleeding heart who will sacrifice herself for her friends and those important to her.

The main point of Angel's route is us encouraging her to save herself and break free from holding herself back in being herself. We also are there to show her love and affection like she deserves it. If Angel was saved by the MC then she'd feel indebted and like she's below them.

Her love language is "quality time", compliments and gifts she deserves on daily basis so instead just spend time with her, be there with and for her. Watch a movie together, go on a cute date, or do your own things in the same room.

Accepting Ronin as someone important for her is vital. He is her best friend, hurting him means that she will hurt you back. That is proven in Ronin's """good""" ending when you kill him, she also protects him when we suggest that he is a creep.

Angel can be insecure, insecure about how her being popular could affect your relationship if she couldn't balance her schedule (#angstmaterialrightthere) all she really needs is understanding and a conversation and reassurance.

She is not all sweet and pinks. She is still a (cannibalistic) serial killer, she has her moments in the game and the valentine bundles that show just that part of her to. Going manic (i dont think it is the correct word so do tell me if i am wrong) when she killed Finian, giving us a literal ring on a finger in the valentine picture and bundle (right in front of the paparazzi to see their reaction too must I add) this angel is not innocent

She is, as I said, self sacrificial and a people pleaser. She will do everything for everyone and may even accept her partner mistreating her. It takes time for her to do things for herself.

Commentary : I do love her a lot and she is the one I got right the most tho i did look at her mostly by her kindness rather than both of her parts. I fixed that view now so yay!

I wanted to put things about Luca and Feli here too, but I'm not sure if anyone is interested so do tell me if you'd like me to add them here <3

Gluttony Gods :

I will write overall impressions for Gluttony Gods because I am one lazy man </3

Ronin :

"But Nathan you already did him for Killer Chat?" Silence!!! They are not the same!!!

When I write Ronin for glut I make him more emotionally open, he is less in control of his emotions, but still manages to do it (does it make sense? I hope so LOL) he is also a deeply caring person, we see it in Patreon writings and in Gluttony Gods itself, he cares for Ther and wants to save them. But! He is not pushing anything on them, at the end of the day it is still their choice to make. He holds deeply rooted hatred towards Angelwood so him coming back shows just how much he is willing to do for the one he loves. He is playing with fire and he knows it, he's not scared of walking in dangerous situations, they excite him. He is loud about his opinions, again very much led by his emotions a lot.

Commentary : I hate that I find him relatable so much and I love him even more....

Ther :

They are a perfectionist, but unlike Angel they are more self destructive rather than self sacrificial in it. They will damage themselves, starve, change their appearance, destroy any source of comfort, just to be the perfect Estridge they were raised to be. But they despise that life, they'd rather die than live like they do, but Angelwood isn't forgiving and it won't late them die. Ther is someone deeply wounded, they are the heart that's bleeding, they're hurt and they need someone who can save them, because on their own they will fold under the strong hold of the town. They are not a person who's healing or comforting, they do in fact bring more damage than anything else sometimes. They encourage Ronin to kill their parents, they kill Craig in one of the endings. They are snappy and will throw some snarky remarks, but they are also loving, they show it to Ronin in the game and writings, even if they do try to deny their feelings.

Commentary : Ronin move Ther is my spouse! Actually I love Ther a lot and misunderstood them a lot a the start, but I think I do get them quite well now!

Seraphim Slum :

The same case as Glut actually

Ezekiel :

I don't have specific notes or her.... she is kind of similar to Ronin in the "corrupts to set a lover free" way and that's the main thing I follow. She is manipulative and uses mind games in a way to get to that point, she is Lucifer basically so take it as you will! I may try to do a bullet point explanation or make this one bigger when I write more than one fic about her !

The rest will come when I actually do write for them <3

I hope you all like it or might find it helpful or just idk fun to see my insights on these characters....

Idk pay me 5$ and I may make whole presentations about them (IT IS A JOKE tho donations are always welcome dhhdhd)

See you soon guys

Nate <3

[greafest]

Artistic references in squid game. There were a lot of them within season 1, more subtle homages than whatnot. Here were the ones with less discussion around them that I wanted to talk about, and that I wanted to try and tie to the characters of our series.

Visual references such as René Magritte’s Empire of Light often pop up in the backdrops of Squid Game. Interestingly enough, although the paintings are often interpreted as visual illusions meant to challenge our perception, Magritte himself rejected a single fixed meaning. Some believe the paintings are meant to depict wealth inequality. Which we know as a whole represents the entirety of Squid Game, and aligns with its most prominent theme— the centering around human contradiction, especially in how it places familiar elements in unfamiliar contexts solely to evoke a sense of disorientation amongst the players. Paired with the fact that the games are created as entertainment for the uber wealthy (a whole other potential post in itself about how the games are essentially a wager on class wars)— the use of these backdrops for philosophical value are definitely intentional. It’s not just for aesthetic value or to nod at Inho’s art obsession. All of this has probably been noticed before, albeit it’s still a very nice reference to talk about.

A scene which is shown further in the season displays a crowbar with blood on the handle. It didn’t immediately strike me as an artistic expression until I watched an analysis video by yogvampowerment via tiktok (love them). It had me thinking about René Magritte’s The Survivor and how it encompasses the psychology of characters such as Gihun and Inho well. Especially in both their roles as the protagonist and antagonist. The idea of an involuntary sacrifice and its consequences, though not solely onto the victim but perpetrator as well; a role most wouldn’t immediately jump to think also has its own mental repercussions. The painting depicts a rifle with a visible bloodstain on the butt instead of the trigger, set against a seemingly domestic and peaceful background. Theres a point being made with the blood pooling around the butt- where the shooter takes aim. The elements of the painting seem meant to convey survivor’s guilt, and meant to cause the viewer to contemplate who the survivor in question is and what event they have endured. Though at the same time, the painting alludes to a reflection on the different people who are affected in times of crisis, with the goal of suggesting that survival is not always linear. Squid Game is all about survival despite human conditioning and the burden it therefore brings. Even outside the games, the real world creates its own kind of crisis— one where people are pushed into desperate choices and are forced to make desperate decisions, having to live with the bleak reality after. This is what shaped both Gihun and Inho in the first place. As we all know, Gihun becomes a changed person after the games. He ends up carrying an extreme amount of survivor’s guilt, even though he doesn’t directly kill anyone by the end of Season 1. He’s a shell of his former self, though more socially nuanced and aware which came at a cost. Inho has his own form of compartmentalization (an interesting mirror to Sangwoo). The drinking to aid his seemingly strong detachment when watching the games, his own self corruption that he wishes to pass onto Gihun in the name of nihilism, which is a belief he continually doubles down on so strongly likely because of his lingering shame over going down that path in the first place. To me, both character origins and the unexpected consequences they face as a result parallel the meaning of the painting. It also just reinforces to me the idea that Gihun and Inho were direct (and purposeful) counterparts to each other. Both of them are marked by their participation in systems of violence, even if their roles differ.

Literary odes to the book The Catcher in the Rye, another one of the many books on Inho’s desk featured in Season 1 that stood out to me. The book is about two siblings and holds a heavy emphasis on innocence and criticism of the “adult” world from the perspective of an adolescent. Holden, the adolescent mentioned, has his own loss of innocence and tries to shield that of other children from the harsh realities he was forced to face. Holden’s brother becomes a screenwriter for a theater which Holden dislikes—as he believes that his brother has prostituted himself by writing for the commercial entertainment industry. There are subtle parallels between Holden, his brother, and a certain pair of brothers within our series. More clearly, the relationship between Holden and his brother directly reminds me of Junho and Inho. Specifically how Junho potentially feels about the fact that Inho has become an “overseer” of such games. Inho is someone who (in Junho’s eyes) has sold himself to the rich and now profits from exploiting the very people he once swore to protect. The story as a whole also calls me back to the “innocence” of the games, and how there is a manufactured effort (on Inho’s part) to mix the world of finer art and philosophy with the softer life of the South Korean child. It wouldn't surprise me if Catcher in the Rye was placed on Inho's desk as a deliberate source of inspiration, perhaps reflecting his desire to find that same sense of lost innocence in himself and in others (which ties into the dynamic of 457 and Gihun— but once again, a discussion for another post). I’m hoping this speculation finds its way to Season 3 and will help in shaping some aspects of both Inhos and Gihuns final resolutions. I would love if it presents as Inho still being obsessively focused on the innocence in philosophy and morale Gihun continues to hold onto, and that causing Inho to internally falter resulting in him trying (and ultimately failing) to double down in his nihilistic ways.

[heliza24]

So I think we should talk about the Holocaust imagery in the trial

Because it was really powerful, and part of what made the episode so impactful. It’s no accident that the writers set this part of the story in a city still scarred by WWII. The vampire trial is a twisted funhouse mirror of the actual atrocities of the war, and thinking of it that way helps illuminate its cruelty. It also helps name the specific undercurrents of that cruelty– the ableism, the racism, and the way in which the coven vampires view themselves as superior.

The whole idea of the trial as a play, where Claudia, Madeleine, and Louis are merely props, made me think of the plays that were put on at the Buchenwald concentration camp. The prisoners there were forced to produce theatre as a way to convince the outside world that the Nazis were treating people “humanely”. This farce of course gave the Nazis cover to continue committing horrible acts. The coven is forcing Claudia, Madeleine, and Louis to put on their play, and they’re doing it in a way that will allow the human audience to excuse the prisoners’ suffering as fake. And that gives the coven the freedom to enact as much cruelty on their prisoners as they would like. And of course being forced to perform, being embarrassed, is also a part of the punishment.

The way that Louis, Claudia and Madeleine were snatched out of what they believed to be a happy and peaceful life and transported straight into a nightmare also makes me think about Kristallnacht in some ways. I am half Jewish, and the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. My grandmother was arrested during Kristallnacht. So I have a lot of personal family history that colors the way that I view this part of the show.

I’m also disabled, and I’ve already written a bit about how this show approaches eugenics. I was actually really happy to see the eugenics undertones made explicit during the trial, as it left no room for doubt about the connection between the great vampire laws and Nazi eugenics rhetoric. “The Dark gifts must never be given to the crippled, the maimed, or to children” was displayed prominently as part of the projections. Claudia has always been coded as disabled because her body is “wrong” and “weak” (written about so well in this meta by @once-delight) but her status as a disabled person was stated plainly as part of the text in this episode, both when Lestat says he “told Louis. Fourteen forever. She’ll be a cripple” and when Santiago says that “Claudia’s defect caught up with her” when she started committing her killing spree in New Orleans. It cannot be understated how much Claudia’s status as disabled person influences the coven’s desire to murder her. The fact that she is happy, strong, and loved despite being turned so young is a direct violation of the coven’s world view, and is therefore a challenge that needs to be put down. Around 250,000 disabled people were killed during the Holocaust, and that’s not to mention the forced sterilization done to disabled people and the cruel experiments that were done in concentration camps to prisoners without their consent. Crucially, the idea of eliminating disabled people and perfecting a humanity without “defects” was an essential part of the Nazi philosophy. And I think you can see that echoing through the vampire trial as well.

Obviously another way that the Nazis were trying to create a perfect humanity was through the elimination of anyone who was not the correct race. We don’t have any canon Jewish characters in IwtV, so we don’t have a one to one comparison to history in that way. But race absolutely plays a huge role in the trial. It does not feel accidental that two of the three prisoners are Black, and that the “star witness” (however coerced Lestat may be, the adoration that the coven shows him is real) is blond and blue eyed. The way Santiago describes Lestat, as having “ancient blood in his veins” and a “godlike strength” calls to mind the Nazi belief in perfecting bloodlines and creating an Übermensch- the perfect Aryan man. And although Madeleine is still executed, she is treated more gently by the coven, kept in a fog of hypnosis and given the opportunity to escape death. I can’t help but think that she was given those privileges at least in part because she is white. This also puts Armand in an interesting position, and maybe helps explain at least some of his motivation in collaborating with the coven. He’s not Black, but he is a person of color, and that may add some legitimacy to his fears that the coven may turn on him. (There’s also the interesting fact that earlier on in the show, Nicki calls him a slur used against Romani people. Armand is not Romani, he left India long after the Romani people migrated to Europe. But it’s interesting that in seeking to place his brownness, native Europeans default to describing him as Romani, since the Romani were also one of the main targets of the Nazis). Obviously there is a lot of hidden calculus going into Armand’s decisions here. But I do think it’s interesting to add race to that equation. I do hope fans of color will write more about the racial dynamics of the trial, since I am white and would love to learn more about this aspect of the story from them.

I’m still mulling over what I think about the part of the episode where Lestat embarrasses the homophobic heckler in the crowd, but it did serve to remind us of how marginalized all of the main relationships would have been at the time (queer people: another target of the Nazis) and how fresh the horrors of WWII are on everyone’s minds.

The absolute highlight of the episode for me was Madeleine’s decision to choose dying with Claudia over living without her. This is such an incredible conclusion for a character who began her arc as something of a Nazi collaborator. I know some fans were troubled by this aspect of Madeleine’s character, but it never bothered me, even with my own personal connection to the Holocaust. Madeleine’s will to survive, her outcast status, and her willingness to cling on to love, even if it isn’t morally pure, made her the perfect match for Claudia. And this episode showed us the payoff of that setup. Here she is given the chance to collaborate again, to move towards the acceptance and love of horrible people that will allow her to survive. But now that she’s tasted real love with Claudia, she can’t go back to that way of living. She can’t throw her lot in with the Nazis again. So she puts Claudia first, the first and only person to ever do that. Everytime I think about it I start crying again.

Ultimately it was the last image of the episode that really hammered home the Holocaust parallels for me. Claudia, reduced to ash. Claudia, reduced to her yellow dress. Just like the incinerated victims of the Holocaust. Just like the piles of shoes and other personal effects at the Holocaust museum. We don’t get Claudia’s final words to Madeleine, or the final words of thousands of real life victims. We just get the dress, we just get the shoes. We have Anne Frank’s diaries, just like we have Claudia’s. Two girls that will forever be trapped in teenagerhood. But those diaries end before the camps, just like Claudia’s end before the trial. 

I’m not sure if either of the writers of this episode are Jewish, but from the behind the scenes clips I know that Hannah Moskovitch was on set as they were filming this episode in a producer role. She talks a lot about giving Claudia a chance to be defiant and angry, and as @bluedalahorse pointed out to me, that’s a very Jewish way to respond to oppression and tragedy (Hannah is half Jewish just like me). Claudia does not go gently into that good night, and I’m really grateful for that. As we go forward I’m going to try to remember her fight, and not the final image of the ash and the dress, as I think about her.

[ripplestitchskein]

To be a bit clearer about my issue with the tweet that I talked about in this post as I was posting in the car on the way home (I was not driving but had to do it fast because I get super motion sick) and have had some time to expand a bit:

If we’re talking about the general concept “Stolas set the parameters of the initial sexual transaction thus rooting their relationship in sex from the start and because Blitz is too self loathing and willfully blind to see the desired parameters have changed it is Stolas who made their relationship all about sex in large part because Blitz was never going to be in a healthy enough space to be the one to change it” then yes I agree with the sentiment.

Stolas could have simply said “I’ll let you use the grimoire in exchange for a date” instead of jumping straight to sexual relationship and they could have gotten to know each other first, maybe one date for each Full Moon*. So yes, he did make it this way, he set the terms. At the start of the show.

(*Side note: This would be a super cute fanfic premise tbh and if the show did something like that, where they need to exchange something and say “Hey, how about we make a deal to go on a date on the Full Moon” it would be a really fucking adorable way to reconcile them *starry eyes*. Just think about how much that would slap. The narrative circle of that would be *chef’s kiss*. )

My problem with the framing of “Stolas started it that way in Murder Family, was super over the top horny for a few episodes, now he must suffer the consequences despite the fact that he has been trying to change their dynamic since Blitz expressed how he felt in Ozzie’s” is that, the events of The Circus completely recontextualize the deal we see made and Stolas’s behavior.

We, the audience, didn’t know in S1 that Blitz initiated the whole thing and that Stolas was just mirroring that energy, so I am extremely understanding of this perception pre-S2. Even up until Western Energy, but by Oops we have enough evidence to show Stolas has been trying, Blitz is just refusing. So Stolas didn’t “make it this way” for where the characters are NOW. Not in a “It is Blitz’s fault” taking sides in the divorce way, but in a “This is about character growth or the deliberate lack of it within the story” way.

My big issue with the tweet now, and didn’t learn until I read the tags of a lovely person is that is apparently from an individual who actually works on the show. And that is….kinda concerning to me. A bit.

The idea that Stolas’s efforts count for nothing because he set the initial deal and behaved badly at the start, that we the audience should still see the current dynamic as “Stolas making everything sexual” is a problem 8 episodes into the 2nd season. We have many examples of him not doing that any longer, he has changed, we the audience have been shown that change. Why is it still being framed this way by the actual creative team?

I don’t know how animation production works, so I’m not sure if the people who work as animators are given the whole picture or not. I don’t even know they are fans necessarily, or if they get their individual parts to work on and that’s it. I have zero background info on how these meetings are conducted. I am not coming from a position of authority in this regard.

Setting aside the dismissal of Stolas’s character growth this season. framing it this way undermines the journey Blitz is on too. At this point in the story he is refusing to acknowledge Stolas’s earnest attempts, his willful ignorance is not a funny gag but a reflection of his character and state of mind. It is implied his own trauma and self loathing make him unable to believe what has being explicitly told to him. This confrontation is the tipping point for further development in one direction or another. His choice now is to continue to ignore it and lose Stolas entirely or to try and work through it in some way. By implying Stolas is the one who created thier current situation way back in S1 implies Blitz’s ignorance of Stolas’s feelings is not because of character’s motivations and his own choices to ignore it but simply because it was that way at the start and it is immutable. Stolas said “sex for book please” and “jelly sandwiches” and Blitz was just “I’m just doing what he said he wanted, now he’s coming out of nowhere with this feelings stuff” when a huge part of showing the audience that it is Blitz’s self loathing driving the conflicts in his life is that he refuses to believe the truth of the situation which is it wasn’t Stolas making it all about sex at all. That Stolas has been trying and Blitz keeps shutting it down because of his issues.

That just seems like a crucial part of what we’re doing here? Yes Stolas creates the situation in S1 but he went out of his way to do the opposite in S2.

Obviously this individual’s qualifications for interpretation, being an actual employee, trump my “I’ve watched it a bunch and obsess over it constantly” credentials by a long shot. But my concern is to have a meeting of people responsible for creating the show reflect this sentiment after what we’ve seen in S2 so far is just a little baffling to me?

Either those attempts by Stolas portrayed on screen and the change in his behavior towards Blitz after he realizes his feelings are meaningless in the face of first impressions being everything to both Blitz and the audience. If that is the case I’m not sure why they would be included if the end result interpretation is still “Stolas horny. Made it all about sex. The end.”

Or, I am misreading something, either the tweet itself or the canon text. This is very possible, tweets being an imperfect communication tool and myself being an imperfect person. But as I stated in the original post, if we’re accounting for what is shown on screen as being how we should interpret the characters, Stolas has been trying for months to shift gears and Blitz is the one who continues to frame it as “just sex”. So I just find the tweet completely out of touch with the narrative we’re consuming.

[carniferous]

Me and the bad bitch I pulled by framing his brother of murder .. so fucking real pls continue

absolutely let's get into it....

'me and the bad bitch i pulled by framing his brother for murder' specifically comes from my idea of like. if regulus survived the cave and the war ended as per canon and then he went on to hunt for the remaining horcruxes whilst peter is also looking for a horcrux to bring voldemort back with. they could meet. and they could have the most fucked up philosophically twisted situationship everrrr bound by this fragment of voldemort's soul that both of them Need for opposite reasons. both of them feeling that cruel twist of irony that once again they are bound by voldemort, a man they cannot help but respect and fear even while viewing him as a little beneath them. both of them having a vague disgust for the other that can Only manifest in psychosexual torture.

more broadly i like regulus and peter in the sense that they are diametrically opposed to each other. they are incapable of liking each other because they represent to each other the Worst Possible Choice either of them could have made (from their perspective -- regulus cannot imagine loneliness like peter has willingly chosen, and peter cannot imagine powerlessness like regulus has willingly chosen). and for that exact reason, they cannot ignore or forget each other! they're fascinated with each other the way ppl are fascinated with gruesome suicide. the way ppl are fascinated with how their lives could've played out if they had approached the crossroads of their life and chosen the Other path.

and unlike pairings with sev, i like how both regulus and peter's personal angst is not wrapped up in how they existed on the Outside of adoration and respect and admiration. they are not characters who stewed in personal loathing, both of their arcs hinge on action and choices and the desire to assert themselves upon the world. in my opinion, although reg was lonely and peter was resentful, they both were fairly comfortable with who they were -- there's a degree of arrogance in that, and they both recognize that in each other, and they perversely enjoy recognizing it.

i think they fuck a few times in a sort of high-handed hand-jobby (laugh reel) way. they're playing gay chicken but it's "you lose if you acknowledge the unspeakable tragedy that exists between us without which we would have nothing to say to one another" it's fun for them to pretend that the only thing they have to argue about is their Philosophical World View. they think they're recreating the dialogues of plato as they give each other uncomfortably dry hand jobs but it always falls a little short because of the Thing. The Thing They Don't Talk About. and then voldy's soul is just sitting there like a freaky little homunculus

here are some images:

bonus: if you have read tgcf you will already know this but the main antagonist of tgcf has this weird 800-year-long obsession and carefully cultivated power dynamic with the main character that stems from the fact that their characters are Direct mirrors of each other. and the dynamic involves the antagonist meticulously creating scenarios that he hopes will destroy the protag's faith in humanity and love and compassion and the novel ends with a confrontation of those ideals in which the protag says their similar pasts have Nothing to do with the way the antagonist turned out. and that him losing faith in humanity was a choice he made and not inevitable at all. and the protag proves this by refusing to choose anything except love. this too is regpeter

[bolognamayhem117]

Title: "Looking at Something?"

Length: 2500 words

Pairing: Astarion/M!Tav, elf/elf, paladin/rogue

POV: Tav(Rorik)

Themes: Aggressive flirting, praise kink (if you turn your head and squint), safe for work, mild angst, retconned Canon Dialog.

Warnings: trauma, manipulation, anger, neck wounds, alludes to distant past and recent abuse.

Author's Notes: First and foremost a disclaimer, I created this character on my first playthrough after Robert and I bought the game a year ago. I picked up the controller with zero knowledge of the game's contents after being told you could play as a vampire. I said "That's bold of the developer, fuck it, I'll make Rorik's dumb ass and smeagol my way through the forgotten realms or whatever..." Turns out the person who told me that was referencing the Astarion Origin playthrough. I said "Screw It I'm Doing It Anyway! With the power of IMAGINATION." To my delight and surprise it really wasn't all that hard to use paladin spells, items, scroll hoarding, and armor to very closely model the homebrew build of Rorik the Degenerate Dhampir Sun Worshipping Paladin. He has his own issues which this ficlet hints at. He's cringe, be gentle.

Fic Summary: Astarion is looking for reassurance or praise or... Something, and then the writer remembered they used the intelligence as a dump stat to boost their Tav's charisma and rolled with it. Mentions a friend's character. I only barely proofread so consider this your warning.

Tagged at request: @ghostkingart

“Looking at something?” Astarion addressed Rorik when the paladin passed behind him and paused.

Rorik was tired, he'd stopped on his way back from a piss because something wasn't right. He’d been too beaten by the beasts of the underdark to process the scene before him for its absurdity. The vampire spawn was holding a hand mirror, scowling into it as if scorn might make his reflection appear in its smooth glitter.

The high elf angled the mirror in such a way that Rorik could see himself. Did he always look so serious? Yet disinterested? Rorik seldom sought his reflection, it wasn't a countenance he wanted to face.

“Just looking. What are you doing?”

“I'm looking too, but not seeing very much” Astarion told Rorik almost softly, sadly. “Another quirk of my affliction.” he spat the last word as if it tasted rancid, eyes dark and lips cutting a sour pout.

Rorik had heard these sorrow-songs many times in his homeland and beyond. He was no stranger to this agony, but it never got easier to hear it, even from a spawn he hardly knew, harboring a strain of the cursed malady he was not so familiar with. It seemedthat no matter the variant, it affects one's reflection in glass treated with a paper thin veneer of silver.

Rorik played the fool, wrong as it felt to pretend he needed to ask questions in order to guess how Astarion might feel about not having seen himself in centuries.

“Do you miss it? Seeing your own face?”

“Preening in the looking glass? Petty vanity?!” He bordered on sounding offended, but his expression shifted with the same flippancy as his whims. Sometimes Rorik wondered if Astarion was making himself hard to read on purpose. Now, with a short but heavy pause, he went on with a longing about the droop of his shoulders and the way he looked at the other man, perhaps with jealousy. “Of course I do…”

He continued.

“I've never even seen this face. Not since it grew fangs and its eyes turned red.” And then, those scarlet eyes plunged back into darkness with his last syllables. His seething glare burned as hot as the Sun's love burned his vampiric skin in the day, before the illithid worm at least.

Rorik tried a question he'd heard many times before, sometimes even directed at himself. It might keep him talking. “What color were they before?”

“I... I don't know. I can't remember.” His glare softened with something that half revealed him, but the outraged anguish returned to him, as it tends to do. “My face is just some dark shape in my past. Another thing I've lost.”

Astarion threw down the mirror as he finished, it cracked as it struck the packed earth beneath them. If they were standing in a proper room of wooden or brick floor then the mirror would have shattered in a spectacular fashion.

Spiteing the fact that Astarion needn't air to live, he drew pants of heavy breath as he bared his teeth in his anger. He had every right to be angered, all spawn do.

Patience, Rorik reminded himself. As much as it went against his instincts to stick around within range of teeth while their owner bobbed between drowning in their own righteous fury and the oblivion of sorrow, there was always something about Astarion which lured him in. Rorik could still look at himself in a mirror, most of the time, and he thought maybe the reason he hadn't yet walked away from Astarion while he tantrumed about his past, present or Casador might just be because: he could see his reflection in Astarian, too. His pain felt all too familiar.

“What?” Astarian broke him from his thoughts.

Rorik corrected quickly, unsure what his own expression had revealed. He straightened a head that had tilted toward his left shoulder, fixed his eyes which he guessed had softened upon Astarian’s anger on base instinct. Too close. He'd almost fallen victim to his old habits, but Astarian was no flailing racer stallion who required the softness of a coddling stable pony to calm him. And Rorik was nobody's pony anymore.

“I'll be your mirror. What do you want to know?” It was a cheap distraction, yes, but he found in it genuine empathy. Astarian couldn't see himself, hadn't seen himself in two-hundred years, he deserved the next best thing.

“I want to know what the world sees when it looks at me. What you see.” Astarian replied with another reflection, this time of Rorik’s own sincerity.

The deferring tipping of Astarian's head told it all. A wound had been bared for Rorik to examine, one he could grind salt into and Astarian knew that. It was the scattered moments of vulnerability that helped Rorik stay, too.

He feigned a smile just in time, before his silence convinced Astarion that something was wrong. The others' brows were already creased as he braced to be hurt.

“Well, the shmutz of bullette viscera smeared on your left cheek has my attention right now.” Rorik jabbed casually.

Astarion scrubbed his wrist over his face with an irritable grimace, following Rorik's gesture to find the supposed smear of gore, only to find nothing because Rorik was having a little fun at his expense. Astarion was fastidious in his grooming. He’d missed nothing when he'd washed.

Rorik was rewarded with a glare, so he laughed, “If I didn't like you, I wouldn't jest… I'm not a poet, I'm not romantic by any stretch of the imagination, and I don't do flattery. So brace yourself.”

“Oh.. Kay…?” Astarion murmured.

Rorik straightened his posture to look Astarion from the toe of each tidy elvish crafted loafer up to the top most curl of his head of white silver. Consciously taking him in only topically.

“If I were unbiased and this were my first impression: Your face is long but not overly narrow. Your nose is very straight, cutting a tidy profile. I imagine you've never had it broken. The fairness of your skin hints at a noble upbringing; a childhood spent indoors rather than under the gaze of the noon sun. Your hands are clean and unmarred, so for certain you're not a laborer. You are clearly particular about how your hair is done every morning… Your jaw is angled sharply toward your chin but is neither too strong nor too weak. It suits you well. Your lips are full which reinforces an air of youth about you, and your upper lip is just a bit thicker than the lower without being distracting… About five foot and eleven inches, shoulders broad enough to mandate care toward them when having garments tailored… In all, The world sees a young elf.”

Rorik bit the end of his tongue as he finished, holding back the last and decidedly biased thought: that he saw all these things too but accompanied by eyes which looked as tired as he often felt himself.

Astarion's expression was empty yet soft, gaze drifting into the middle distance until the very end when his brows furrowed and his mouth twisted as if something had curdled in it.

“Eugh! Must you always make everything sound so clinical!? You told Edmund this morning the cactus where your heart should be has beautiful flowers and that was backhanded!” Astarion mocked Rorik's northerner accent, badly, “I know you can do better than that. Ugh, for shits’ sake, why do you find me attractive? Why does anyone find me attractive, Rorik?”

That took Rorik off guard. This wasn't just about forgetting one's own appearance, was it? It was about Astarion understanding how the world was affected by his body being in it. Rorik shifted in discomfort, now put on the spot to summarize the things he personally found alluring. He felt almost dirty saying it.

“I- suppose people can't help themselves but to admire? You're striking. Perfectly styled snow hair, you're well formed… Em, lovely skin? like opal? White opal. Were you true symmetrical I would've drawn my sword, having mistook you for a stone wit-”

“I- I'm not symmetric?? Where is my face uneven!? Tell me this instant!” The high elf squawked, hands smoothing up the planes and dips of his visage in search.

Rorik snorted. Astarion seemed like the type to become offended at the mention of a slightly uneven cupid’s bow. Best not add to his self image anxieties too much. A true lie would have to do.

“You have a freckle or two, perhaps from your recent love affair with the sun.”

“Freckles?!”

“Oh, relax. Not near as many as me.” Rorik reassured.

“Hmph. That was… Better-ish, I suppose. You're onto something, keep going.”

Rorik's expression pinched with realization. “Is that all you're after? Shallow praise?”

“Hardly! I'm also after gold, sex, revenge. Quite the list, really, and failing any of those I will always settle for: shallow praise.”

“Fuck that noise. I can do better than patting your ass with a couple cheap compliments.”

“Care to expand on that? I can't tell if I'm being derided or offered an upgrade from your awkward small talk.” Astarion harrumphed and began picking under his fingernails, apparently checking out of the conversation in a display of boredom.

Rorik stepped closer to recapture his attention, spurred forward by a volatile cocktail of embarrassment, ego, and vindictiveness that had spilled in close proximity to the competitive streak within him.

“I used to be good at this. I swear. You'll just have to be patient while I call it back to me.” Rorik leveled in a low rumble, and it was no bluff. Idle worship of a bloated ego had saved his skin in his youth more times than he could count. This bordered too close to an exhumation of the corpse of his past, but if the occasion calls for it in the name of harmless fun: then let old habits lumber about like a fucking zombie.

Astarion's eyes lit themselves with dark amusement, leaning in too with a smug sneer, “Call louder. I think it ran straight past you.”

Rorik wasted no breath on the others' taunting. He delivered. “Your eyes are extraordinary, they burn through people like a branding iron. I'd rather face a devil I’d sleighted.”

Astarion let loose the bark and giggle of laughter which used to grate on Rorik's nerves, “Oh, not bad… and you said you don't do flattery! Do go on.”

That's one point to Rorik. He wanted more than that. He wanted to win whatever this was. “They have their moments of immeasurably inviting softness, too. Eyes like yours tend to get their way with me, if I'm being honest… And don't let that go to your head.”

“Ha! Hard not to. That's a dangerous admission.” Astarion swayed his shoulders and hummed with an odd, rich texture in his voice. His expression was guarded, however.

“Awareness of one's weaknesses is healthy, I'm told..” Rorik commented rather pointlessly. Choosing pretty analogies for the features of a face he found attractive felt more risky than it should. Rorik's jaw and throat felt hot for no particular reason. “Moving on. Your smile is deadly. Like a bear trap lined with sweet meats and candied fruit. A pout, a grin, a laugh, they all draw me closer…”

Closer. Astarion must've taken the utterance of the word as an invitation. He brandished that smile like a blade now and brought them near nose to nose. “Yes, yes. You're right. But we know better, don't we, Rorik?”

Not fair. Rorik’s naked skull felt like it was on fire, and the feeling was not limited to neck and up.

“We do. You can't lure bats with candy in pretty wrappers.” he tilted his head with his words, ever so minutely, exposing the angry punctures in his throat.

“If it isn't the sweet taste that draws you in, then what is it? Tell me Acolyte.”

Rorik shook his head. “You know I'm a masochist. You know the answer to that.”

“Aw, Little Treat longs to be trapped? How delightfully demented.”

“Mm,” Rorik offered a solemn nod. It was another admission of those dirty weaknesses. “Last thing for now-”

“For now?” Astarion crooned, grinning wickedly as he underlined Rorik's implication that he may have more to say on this particular topic at a later date.

“For now,” Rorik confirmed but teased… Teasing? He'd never teased like this, in this context, before. Best end on a note of humor, “Speaking of teeth, you've the most polite little feedin’ fangs.”

“...What?” Astarion straightened then and leaned away.

Rorik must've thrown him off his rhythm with that one. Right. Astarion was from a small coven, and apparently not one which enjoyed the bleak humors of the condition.

Rorik leaned minutely closer and bared his razors in a grimace with a finger directing attention to them. “I'm saying, your teeth look almost normal. At least compared to these lawn shears I was saddled with. Your smile is still sharp, but passable. Many with the condition aren't so lucky.”

“Good to know I'm not a complete freak.” Astarion harrumphed.

“Maybe I crossed the line. I forget, not everyone reconciles it all so easily.” Rorik admitted, but refused to backpedal that last opinion.

“I suppose I can give you a pass on it, given that you were born with… All of that.” Astarion gave a waving finger gesturing to all of Rorik as he half-accepted the half-apology.

Rorik couldn't help but chuckle and look away, the imagery brought to mind was too heinous and ridiculous all at once. “Well, I was indistinguishable from the living until I consumed blood at fifteen-ish but, sure. I wasn't bottle fed monk blood as a tot. Couldn't imagine that horror.”

"Normal children are horrible enough… Now, why don't you just tell me I'm beautiful and we'll call it an evening.” Astarion shifted the topic smartly, but looked away for a moment too.

The dance was strange. Rorik wasn't sure what they were doing, but he sort of liked it.

“You're alright, Gale is more my type.” Rorik lied, blatantly.

“How dare you!” Astarion's tone was playful, rather than offended, although it's always hard to tell with Astarion, “I thought we had something special… Still, you're nice too. I’d better get some beauty sleep. It seems I need it if I'm to catch up with the competition.”

Rorik could only shake his head. Everyone has a type. Astarion's was apparently fractured faces and a malignant glare. Rainar's glare. Rorik quickly tossed aside the errant thought and the accompanying cruel memory. He dipped his head before deciding to attend his own sleep.

“Sure sure, but do tread with caution. The pursuit of perfection is perilous, and you're already knocking on the door.” Rorik offered with a smirk. This game was… fun.

“Hhmf! Says he's not romantic,” Astarion mocked talking to himself, shooting a dark glance and that dangerous smile over his shoulder as Rorik retreated to his bedroll by the fire.

[swallowtailed]

palisade 47! finalisade part 2!

truly three incredible scenes. also this is not going to be a short finalisade lmfao. probably minimum five more episodes (for a total of seven) but the sky's the limit. if they keep going at this rate of scenes, and presuming interludes/epilogue are each one scene long, that'd already be a nine episode finalisade. very exciting

brnine's scene: so glad we finally got to come back around to their attempt to recruit lattice/refrain. it's a good opener for the finale, too, for brnine to be able to make a more successful argument in favor of fighting with mbreak now that they're in the mirage. also obviously it's excellent to have a nobel ghost literally fully just haunting the blue channel now

refrain flickering between faces was really fun. friends at the table has some excellent genderfluidities. speaking of, my first thought re tm comparisons was polyphony--another town created by a shapeshifter (although changing personality rather than face) who wanted folks to come in and stay. was really interesting to me that refrain accepted the compromise of taking only the willing, which is sort of coming at polyphony's strategy from the opposite direction. refrain as archive was also really compelling to me. i like when an archive is covetous and hungry and persuasive, and constructs morality around/within itself, and is animated by preservation and interment. (chanting: WORST! PARTS! OF! MUSEUMS!)

lastly, the question of "what happens when the war's over" has been a quieter throughline in palisade (highly entangled with the whole blue channel self-sacrifice situation, cf phrygian) and it was interesting that brnine raised it to refrain. i'm curious whether that's going to come to the forefront in p3--really depends on what's going on at the end of the perfect millennium, i think.

august's scene: ahhh what a mess. delicious. really good visuals here as well--steeple catterick, clem on her big dramatic dragon, cori's new mech in action (skeleton covered in blooming flowers!), giant ink ferrets devouring the bilat front line and then vanishing and leaving only bloodstains and echoes behind... love to see it

always fun when fatt discovers an animal on air. i do think we should give the giant prehistoric otters serious consideration and also as many other giant prehistoric creatures as can fit (yes i'm still thinking abt the flash nautilus). it's thematically relevant

what did catch my attention about the ultimate result of the scene, re the iconoclasts turning indiscriminately on anyone military (thus neatly equating the bilats and the cause), is that it immediately shoves august's storyline farther in the direction of "compromised and implicated simply through the use of violence". i do wonder where august's gonna end up by the end of palisade--he's on a similar path, i think, to a couple other characters who have struggled to see beyond the war, but he's in much more of a position to be found guilty for it. does seem like he's set up to fail

cori's scene: YAAAAAAAAAY GO CORI :D what a win, what a legend. finally kissed a girl. good for her. the crumbling ballroom filled with the map of the galaxy was reminiscent of brnine and dahlia in a very fun way. "i didn't want to scare you off with my power" / "you know it's an invitation" / [blushing, stammering] "....for what"

my favorite thing about the scene was cori using perennial magic to show elle a potential future for the two of them, because it's such a perfect mirror to future's visions. like, cori can create that herself, using perennial's magic, when elle asks ("build me another dream, then" was such a tasty line), rather than the aura of future dragging it out of her. and can share it (and shape it, and rewrite it) rather than just envisioning it privately. a really interesting contrast between the two divines and their respective views on possibility

can see a one-way ticket out of the mirage being a really pivotal thing to have on the table in a few episodes. cannot wait :):):)

[kuunibal]

Hello!♥️

I was thinking about your interest in filmmaking and how it’s such a beautiful, creative pursuit. It made me curious about what inspired you to explore it. I’m also wondering how you see it fitting alongside your focus on psychology. The combination seems like it would offer such a unique perspective. I feel like it really suits your persona—but maybe I’m getting ahead of myself there, as I so often do, haha.

Have you ever heard of Cinema Therapy on YouTube? It’s a channel where a therapist and a filmmaker analyse movies together. Their discussions are insightful, and their dynamic is hilarious (if you can tolerate the dad jokes, haha).

Also, I’ve been thinking about the Masochism Tango music video by RafScrap (the one I mentioned earlier). If you have any recommendations for something similar, I’d really love to hear them—I always enjoy your insights.

Lastly, and only if you’re comfortable sharing, I wanted to ask something a bit more personal. I was wondering if your scars have a story behind them—or rather, what kind of story there might be. Of course, no pressure to answer—I just wanted to leave the question open so you can share as much or as little as you’d like.

I was always interested in storytelling, and film is merely another avenue for that. I prefer writing prose to screenwriting and prefer screenwriting and video/audio engineering to directing though. I have no intention of entering the industry and it is more of an independent hobby of mine than anything. The works I create tend to lean toward psychological thriller or heartache with an emphasis on character relationships and inner worlds, which I suppose ties into the psychology background.

I have watched some of Cinema Therapy, although not a lot. There was one about Aragorn from Lord of the Rings that I found inspiring and a few on Anakin that I am sure you have already seen.

I actually don't listen to a lot of music, but if you enjoy RafScrap's work and want songs that are vaguely similar in subject, I recommend "Smoke and Mirrors", "In All My Dreams I Drown", "An Unhealthy Obsession", "Stalker's Tango", and "Die Schatten werden länger". The originals are also good, and for the last one, the German version.

The scars are mainly because I have a terrible habit of peeling the skin off my face/hands/etc. Apparently it is classified as an obsessive-compulsive and related disorder in the DSM-5.

[kitkat-the-muffin]

Silly Game Time: Who are some of your favorite Bad Guys in fiction, and why?

I'm not talking a mere antagonist nor a character who might be doing bad things reluctantly or even for good, noble reasons. I mean a *villain* who's out there causing trouble and/or scheming because *they want to*, and are usually enjoying it. They can be from any sort of story (books, movies, shows, games, OCs, etc.), so long as they're an honest-to-badness *villain*.

Okay so only one of my followers is gonna know who this is but as a kid I was obsessed with the concept of Rêve from Dreamtalia

Dreamtalia is this old hetalia fangame that came out during my middle school hetalia phase and for some reason my brainrot for it outlasted the brainrot for the source material •<•

I just like the whole concept of jumping into dreams and using the power of friendship to save your allies from a needy dream demon with attachment issues. Every arc felt like a different metaphor for a toxic relationship and that was nifty

But anyway that dream demon villain was named Rêve and kid-me found him so compelling. He was a tragic villain who can only blame his evilness on himself. He had everything taken from him, but then was taken in by a species that’d give him all he ever wanted. He then abused their kindness by turning them into his play-things, and turned to constantly seeking validation from humanity rather than his found family

However his love always had a heavy cost and every single one of his human friends either died in their sleep from visiting him too often or died indirectly because of him (like one who failed to evacuate a bombing situation because they were deep in sleep, or another who got hit by a car because they were distracted talking to him in a mirror), which only made him more bitter

The game’s plot starts off when he discovers that human-like immortal beings exist for him to befriend, but he doesn’t realize they too are susceptible to death at his hands if their minds disconnect from their body. Rêve was tired of his friends leaving him so he’d never let them leave him again, especially if they don’t need to eat or drink or exercise to survive. He even revels in the fact that he’s torturing the main party of characters with declarations about how his captives will be his friends forever, which everyone present knows means they could die from never waking up. There’s also a lot of murder and gorey mutilation, mostly directed at his found-family rather than the main party though. Truly a horrible dude

And I always found that kinda neat :3 he was a horrible person but still a tragic character. He created his own flaws and his bad deeds are all his own despite his defining tragedy, and even when he gets a happy ending it won’t last forever because he doesn’t deserve it to. It’s got it’s hiccups as every fanfic does but I still enjoy the brainrot it gives me

I’ve actually always wanted to make a list of fanfiction supervillains that surpass the villains of their source material but the only other one I could come up with back then was Beitus from Hackbent (a Homestuck fan comic) and that’s a topic for another day

[makingspiritualityreal]

Hi, could you share your thoughts on why and how some people do not get any consequences for their actions? I know some people who possibly have personality disorders. These people are compulsive liars, manipulators, control minds of others, love authority, power and status, are extremely selfish, badmouth others but are hyperconfient and oversmart because they think that they are too intellectual and religious so they are always right. Not to forget that while some of them get instant karma (passing away of spouse and parent, mental breakdown, legal disputes, family problems, divorce of kids, fatal disease) but others do not get any karma, they and their kids continue to prosper and succeed in life and reach newer heights, which is so conflicting because we often assume that karma serves things right.

Nevertheless, even the people who do get instant karma learn nothing from it. They still think that they are right and pure while it is only their fate that is dealing them with bad hand. Why do some people get karma in the same lifetime but others do not?

How does Karma Work

Excellent question, one I am in fact still kind of debating myself.

First, a few facts to go by, that I am sure of.

Every action has a reaction, and thus a consequence. It's physics. Every time we exert strength in a direction it comes back to us with the same strength.

Karma is not punishment, it is a mirror, based on the previous law, existing to teach us about the results of our behaviour.

The scope of this action-reaction scheme differs in time and stretches across several incarnations if necessary, for a soul to learn about itself. Just because your human self causes itself suffering and is resistant in this timeline, doesn't mean the soul ultimately won't understand...only to choose the next incarnation to make absolutely sure you understand lol.

When someone hurts us, we get attached to the concept of instant retribution. But ultimately, they are another person with their own path, and their mistakes are a mirror for us to learn about ourselves.

Going by this, addressing what you said. These people who appear "hyperconfident" aka are high on the narcissistic spectrum are in fact not confident at all. They're very afraid and using inflated egos and material success to gain control and reassurance...because inside they feel unsafe and uncomfortable. Ego is necessary to an extent, but when overblown, it's a tool used for self protection, when a person feels unsafe. If someone can't admit to making a mistake by hurting people, they are afraid, very afraid.

Sometimes, I noticed a funny thing, the Universe lets people make a mistake just so they can fall flat on their face with a bigger bang. That takes time, waiting for the perfect moment.

People get the kind of "karma" they can understand. Think of it like creating a game character. There is only so much you can do...until you have to create a new one to redo certain things. But if someone is not square with themselves, they won't know happiness. They will never enjoy a cent of what they have. Their money and success won't make them happy. The worth of this life lies in appreciation, not hoarding things we don't value.

[filmrelicsworld]

Imtiaz Ali and Tamasha

I recall seeing Jab We Met for the first time when I was in school, and I was captivated by the madness of an unstable and crazy love tale. Opposites attract, and I have long believed in this concept. Imtiaz Ali's films typically weave this notion in a widely acceptable manner. The irony of this is that I've always despised love stories, particularly those from Bollywood. They revolve around stories you cannot even begin to relate to or pictures occurring in the real world. They are dramatic, fantastical, frustrating, stupid, and thought up.

However, Imtiaz Ali has always portrayed stories through his films about characters you would see in real life; some of these characters are a little too ripe, but given the extravagantly exaggerated tales Bollywood has always created, it may be forgiven.

I'll openly admit that I've seen the movie Rockstar on my laptop many times and five times in theatres. I'm not sure there is a word that adequately captures the depth of love that was conveyed in the film. I could watch it a million times without any thought or care, adding it to the small number of Bollywood films that I have found appealing thus far. The reason for this is that it was not an easy task to direct and carry out a story so impulsive and compelling within a "controlled insanity." I was engrossed in a dreamy affair for a while after that, asking myself repeatedly, "What is love if not madness," until reality grounded me in the most unexpected way.

Ever since a friend first showed me the trailer for Tamasha, I had been anticipating its arrival. Every Imtiaz Ali film features prominent themes such as the absurdity of love, the desire for happiness and tranquillity, arrogant ways of telling a straightforward tale, and, in the end, a person meeting a female in the most unusual and unexpected way and enriching each other's lives.

Tamasha is nothing distinctive from it either, but what elevates this beautiful tale even further is that it is fundamentally about two soulmates, their loneliness in familiarity and their connection as strangers. It is the story of a man's battle with his inner self and how lady love helps him accept who he is and what he truly wants to be. Though they do make me feel good, it's not enough because the story is about more than simply love. I was excited to watch how the male protagonist begins to receive the answers he had been wondering about throughout.

It's more about love giving each other's lives additional significance, about realising the complexity of human nature and about two lost souls travelling in the direction of one another and finding solace in each other's company for all time. It's a complicated tale about humans and how frequently they require other people to complete them and give them new life.

There is more to Tamasha than merely finding your true partner these days. It centres on a character who is searching for meaning in his life. He struggles between the person he is and the person he should be, and a series of unfortunate circumstances force him to acknowledge the "tamasha" he has created for himself and his life.

They resemble windows that spring open to reveal other windows, providing opportunities to live a more fulfilling life and experience more spiritual richness. The notion that the film followed the path of a storyteller surprised me. How captivatingly art may capture the imagination of people!

The movie also follows a woman who makes an investment in a partnership, one who communicates her emotions and looks for guidance in a romantic partnership. She also serves as the catalyst, the mirror through which the male lead will ultimately be able to see his true reflection. The one who will help him realise that he is far more than what he believes himself to be and that he is neither average or mediocre. The plot is more authentic and less of a Bollywood tell-tale because the film doesn't attempt to celebrate love in ostentatious ways when it is present or to simulate paranoia when it isn't.

My preference for Imtiaz Ali films is undeniable, and I have complete faith that I will always like seeing them, but this one has felt a bit more like a fantasy. I shall be engrossed in Tamasha's plot and characters for a considerable amount of time, until, inevitably, unanticipated circumstances force me to return to reality.

Akansha

[tpquill]

Identifying an internet Troll 🧌…

I posted this on another thread, it’s a photo I had saved from years being in several fandoms (I study human behaviour, it’s like an addiction)

Anyhoo…since I don’t use Tumblr that often; only in times when adding a few musings here and there. So I’ve decided to do a drive by and drop this little nugget.

Internet trolls 😈 yes they live in the dark recess of every fandom and by fandom I mean;

Canon Lovers 👓 - devoted book 📕 enthusiasts who are completely 💯 on board for the book adaptation that they lovingly hold dear to their chest and when a mere mention of their beloved series being brought to life, expect no substitute, expect the writers to be gentle, truthful to the characters, the cast to be authentic and the directors to “do not fuck it up!” (all hail Ru Paul) these fans pour over their beloved book canon characters because of their dedication. Will openly send their angry script edits to the writers especially if it doesn’t follow the root path of the character or story direction.

Female lead only 💃 - these fans are the devoted woman only. They are either the hardened followers of a particular actress so will literally skip and hop from one show or movie after the other. Possibly only have seen their female heroine in 1 particular show/movie but will enthusiastically watch everything including their earlier work. Dismiss any make attention (their female is too good for any of those faceless, nameless clowns out there) more inclined to have their female, single, lots of cats, a book reader or an introvert who doesn’t go out much, doesn’t like public speaking…essentially a mirror image of themselves. Young or older. Strong independent woman like strong independent actresses who are environmentally vocal, politically sound and don’t need men in their lives to enrich them.

Male lead only 🧍‍♂️- these fans follow the root 1 & 2 of the female only, with 1 exception the make lead is very sexually driven. Yes he is the sexual drive to their fantasies - the fan base is hormonal driven, whereas the female fanbase is more independent thinking, more intellectually inclined - the male is more “see Jane, want Jane, conquer Jane” hypothesis. The lead becomes the object of their sexual fantasy; he’s always single, never with anyone unless it’s a one night stand, sexual hook up. There is the softer side, must love animals and children because that drives their parental instinct. Above all has to tick all their boxes either very shy and introverted or very outspoken, virile and versatile - likes to keep fit, of course muscles and tattoos add to their fantasy appeal. They want someone who doesn’t look like the man they married but someone they can get off on while trolling the internet looking for NSFW fan fiction.

Trolls 🧌- these hate filled, orange tainted, combination of all 3 (too much junk food) are what happens when you leave the light on, feed them after midnight and get them wet (with water that is) they dislike the male or female lead because they don’t just simply stick to the canon, just remain the characters and nothing else. They don’t want the female to appear attractive or sexual, raising eyebrows with revealing red carpet outfits. They most certainly do not want their male fantasy to have his eyes popped out by his female lead. They don’t want interaction between the two, instead they’ll ship (in their heads) any other actor in the movie or series except the attractive lead. They don’t want cutesy or giggly interaction, fan events, red carpet moments - they just want him or her attainable for their fantasies. They will scour the fandoms looking for blogs/comments relating to “moments” they deem inappropriate and will lay waste to receipts.instead through doxing & mining will create their own narrative. Elaborate story telling while playing the innocent fan (multi personality trolls have always been among fandoms) they will create connections ‘in the know’ pretend to be a protector of the two leads while feeding an underlying gossip world of misdirection & hate. Multiple accounts are created to entrap those willing to listen to their ‘dedication’ the troll likes to play both sides Angel 😇 & Devil 👿 because they absolutely love chaos.

Chaos in fandoms is their thrill. They need the fighting the bullying, the hatred because that makes them superior, the narcissism in all stokes the fires of division when they’re not bullying fans of the male or female with “they will never be together”

In my time being in various fandoms mainly due to the canon characters; JAG, Greys Anatomy, BTVS, Angel, Harry Potter, Bones, Twilight, Outlander… (yeah I’ve been around a very loooong time 😂 I have seen a lot. By comparison the latest fandom of twilight & outlander I’ve seen the distinct pattern of a few of the trolls move from one fandom to the other with the same troll like belief system and just attach it to the next male crush.

Human behaviour is instinctual

Internet troll behaviour habitual

[xxpeppermintxx109]

Dearest Mint,

Haven't been on tumblr since it deleted my account a while back (rest in peace anonymousgothic) but I simply had to get back on here to commend you on your work. You've done it, once again. Another hit. This 3rd gen book has punctured one of my organs and rotted my brain -- that is how deeply it managed to nestle its way into me. Like I genuinely have to break bones to make room for it.

First, we must discuss Laena. There are no words in the English dictionary that can describe how satisfying it is that a Targaryen/Lannister baby has been born and bred within the walls of the red keep -- with Tywin and Robert and Cersei none the wiser. I wish so badly for her to know her true identity and understand her worth; I want so much good for her. I find it so thrilling that you chose for her to be based in King's Landing (for now) -- and do not think I didn't pick up on the fact that she's mapping out Shaemond's tunnels and yearning for the sea! I miss nothing!

I also cannot wait for her to know and love Jaime, but I am nothing if not a patient woman when it comes to you and your perfectionist pacing, Mint. I see a Daemon x Shaera dynamic in their future (and a very angsty journey à la Jaime-held-captive-while-Laena-sleeps-with-a-wolf-king!) and that hope alone will keep me sustained for now.

Second, Brynden. If I had a nickel for every time a bastard believed himself to be the son of Ashara Dayne, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice! Am I worried that Dany will take this betrayl even worse than she took Jorah's? Yes. Am I hoping the power of love overcomes? Also, Yes. Cannot wait for him to meet his aunt (who I know you will do right by) and his uncle (truly the most beautiful Targaryen, if only his personality matched). His history with Jorah and honesty just his background in general intrigues me, Arya would worship the ground he walks on, I already know. Also, whilst I see much of Rhaenyra in Laena's demure and yet childishly wild persona, I see so much of Arthur in Brynden. All of that honor -- um, career choice aside!

Third, the TRUE heir to the iron throne. Rhaegar's emo boy complexity is strong in this one. Quite possibly the most original storyline to ever be given to a Game of Thrones original character. And by far one of the most enticing. He's so morally grey and to see that clash with Jon's annoyingly fierce sense of honor will be...delicious. The fact that he wields Dark Sister honestly put me in a coma, and I only awoke to type out this novel-length review (Do not attempt to contact me once you finish reading this for I will be falling back into my state of prolonged loss of consciousness).

Also do I have a major soft spot for him because he is eldest daughter coded? Do I love him because of how much he mirror Viserys -- the older siblings who remembers everything and has been left with nothing on the outskirts of the kingdom he was due to inherit? Answer is maybe.

In short; wow. Truly, Mint. You created a multiverse that puts Marvel to shame. I cherish each and every one of your characters, and can do nothing but thank you and remind you of how powerful you truly are. I still have people emailing me about your work -- and it takes all the power in the world to simply point them in your direction and not go on a 10 page rant about how much they're gonna love it.

All my love, your biggest fan,

Anonymousgothic

excuse me while I go scream cry and throw up, I love you for this so so so much, I can’t even articulate it (and I’m so sorry I can’t put it into such beautiful words how grateful I am for this cause I am deceased by how big my heart is for you, and for this). Thank you for picking out the smaller details and thank you for the love and support. Pls know u are adored (by me hehe)

- mint