#i see so many posts that invoke in me “this post would be a 2 note flop if it was posted by a regular person and not Tumblr's Beloved”

[wife]

ok one thing i find interesting about tumblr & how people engage with posts is i think ppl feel like they have more "permission" to reblog the posts of tumblr famous people. like, if your random mutual makes a funny post, your first instinct generally isn't to reblog it because it's your mutual - but if you're following a tumblr popular Funny Person and you see a post as soon as they post it (so it has 0 notes) if you like it you'll reblog it because you're Allowed. i know it's partially the culture of tumblr (a lot of ppl dont like having their posts rbed so people err on the side of caution) but i do think part of it is also just that ppl Recognise these users as the Comedians (or Educators, or etc) of tumblr & so follow and engage with them with the intention of rbing their posts yk. whereas your regular mutuals are just regular people so you don't put them on that... pedestal? where they're a creator of content for you to reblog

[vangbelsing]

About Messmer and Rellana

Spoilers will be under the cut, so if you haven't seen anything regarding these characters and you don't want to get spoiled, please scroll/click away‼️‼️

So regarding this post from (basically) yesterday, I want to expand on this topic a little and compile some bits I've seen people use as proof that Rellana and Messmer were in love and why I think it was most likely unrequited love on Rellanas part. I want to actually visit each of these points separately.

I will provide a link to each item description as it relates to each point where available. If there is no link, then it is because the point is self evident, (her sword having his flame) or there was no link I could find (the room where her shield is found) (since edited). If you know any lore or extra bits that I've missed, please do let me know and provide a source.

So on to the points I have personally seen:

She abandoned everything to "chase after Messmer"

She was given a sword imbued with his flames

There is a room in the Shadow Keep that has blue fire (like seen in Caria Manor and other locations associated with the moon) where you find Rellanas shield EDIT: added images to the appropriate section

She came to be known as "Messmers Sword" and was extremely devoted to him, even though she knew "the moon brilliance of the moon could not grant him succor"

Okay, so, starting with the first point:

She abandoned everything to chase after Messmer

I genuinely believe that could range from anything between platonic and romantic. With Messmer specifically, we see many people who showed similar devotion to him by abandoning their homes and swearing their undying fealty to him. Without further context, there's really nothing I can see that can be used in either direction to make this any more concrete, so I'll just move on.

She was given a sword imbued with his flame

I think point 2 is undoubtedly the weakest, as the Fire Knights were given swords blessed with his flames as well. In fact, all of Messmers soldiers had weapons blessed with his flame, or used his incantations. We see this with even the most basic Messmer soldier in game, so this point in specific I find rather baseless.

A room modeled after Raya Lucaria

I assume the reasoning behind using this as proof that they are in love is that it would be assumed Messmer himself modeled this room after Rellanas home out of his affection for her or something similar, and while that could be true given Fromsofts love of environmental storytelling, I do think this is too shaky to use as actual concrete evidence. Keep in mind, it is in a storeroom in the keep, and if you look, on the many levels of each of the rooms, we see numerous books, tablets, and other items used for study or knowledge, and many of them are based in different cultures and factions in the setting of the world, so having an area that would contain information regarding Raya Lucaria and associated magic or glinstone sorcery as a whole doesn't feel far fetched to me. Conversely, Messmer is shown to be very benevolent and caring towards those in his charge, so it would also be reasonable to assume that he would allow for her to have that part of the storehouse be modeled in a way that invokes feelings of home for her. But I don't necessarily believe that has to be romantic. I have no specific points to make on the contents of the shield itself, but I will link her shields description for any who want to read it.

EDIT: it seems to be an armory specifically. There are no books, and there are only shields and lances. Sorry I couldn't get a photo with all of the furniture intact, the Fire Knight destroyed it all... That said, I'm not sure if this being an armory would change any context, really.

She came to be known "as Messmers Sword"

This, again, doesn't feel concrete to me, as far as proving anything happening between them. After all, not only were many of his soldiers incredibly devoted to him, but the Fire Knights in specific were the ones who knew him best, and each of them were the ones who answered directly to Messmer, as well as wielding weapons with his flame and his incantations in tandem. They were closest to him. And then there's Gaius, who was outright stated to be Messmers friend and the leader of his men. Lastly, I think being devoted to someone does not always imply romantic love, nor does the title of being their instrument of battle. Blade of Miquella is Malenias title, and I do not believe those two are romantically involved.

Some additional thoughts

I would honestly say that the most convincing piece of evidence to suggest that there were romantic feelings on Rellanas part comes from her sword, which reads: "here, and here alone, were moon and fire ever together." This, to me, is far better evidence that there were deeper feelings on her part than just devotion. However, it also clearly states how they were never together, which I feel is very much the most important part of all of this.

However, in general, while I do believe that all of the in-game lore suggests she may have had romantic feelings for him, I also think it could be as deep as pure devotion. We see it everywhere in this world, both in base game and the DLC. Malenia, Blaidd, Leda, Ansbach... Radahn and Leonard. (sorry) Devotion is seen in all corners of this setting. Messmer in particular seemed to inspire a great deal from many different places and in many people, so it's not entirely impossible that it would be the same for Rellana, though I do believe she has unrequited love for him.

Another thing to keep in mind is Messmers situation. He is cursed and was waging a cleansing war on untold numbers. He is slowly being eaten away at by a serpent that resides in his body, and that says nothing of the flame in him that he utterly despises. He also clearly has many issues where Marika is involved. All of this, coupled with the information that the Fire Knights were the only ones who truly knew and understood Messmer, it feels to me like romance would not only be something he was not concerned with, but also something he might not allow himself. I feel like he's far more worried about more important things.

In closing

At the end of the day, the nature of these games is that of vague droplets of information, even with the most important story beats. So unless there is something I've missed, I genuinely believe there is nothing in the game suggesting that they were in love with each other or that Messmer in any way returned her feelings, and in fact I think the game suggest the exact opposite: that Rellanas feelings were one sided. However, the only person who could say for certain is Miyazaki, and something tells me he wouldn't care to elaborate on this.

So until supplementary material is released that reveals new information or there is lore within the game that I have not seen or has not yet been found, I'd have to say I think it's relatively certain that they were not romantically involved, and that the feelings were very one sided, if any romantic feelings existed at all.

[soaps-mohawk]

Important Things For This Blog

I wanted to make a post with some rules/important things to know for this blog. It will be linked in my pinned navigation post. I know some of you have been asking for this and I apologize for it taking this long to do this.

Probably the most important thing (which is sad that this is something I have to say) but

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO USE MY FICS FOR AI

If you see someone using my fics or claiming to have my permission please report them because I will NEVER give permission for my fics to be used for AI

Okay, now that that's out of the way, I wanted to put down some reminders/rules (not that I've had many issues to date) but just in case:

This is an 18+ blog with explicit content. I am trusting a lot of you to be honest and stay away if you are not 18. This is not a minor friendly space.

I am one person running this blog. It's just me, a real person behind all of this.

I am in Pacific Standard Time (PST)/Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) depending on the time of year, so any time I talk about days, I'm meaning that day for me if I forget to add the timezone.

I take a break from this blog on Thursdays (PST), though that can sometimes start as early as Wednesday afternoons and can extend into Friday mornings.

Again, I am a human being with my own struggles and some days are not good days. I try to avoid interacting too much those days, but sometimes I'm not smart enough to do that. So if I seem off or rude or snappy, I do apologize. I always feel guilty after I get back into my normal head space.

I invoke the right to delete any ask that I do not want to answer, or that makes me uncomfortable.

As point number 2 states, I am just one person, and I get a lot of asks some days, so if your ask/comment/reblog etc isn't responded to right away, it's either because I didn't get it/didn't see it, or because I have 30 others in my inbox that I haven't answered yet too.

I try and avoid posting asks/reblogs with spoilers right away for those that don't/can't read the chapter right away. I tend to hold off for a couple days so if I haven't responded to you, that's also probably why.

Responses that have spoilers and are posted the days I post spoilers are tagged with "crcb spoilers" so block that tag if you don't want to see them or have anything spoiled, though after those days I stop tagging things with that tag.

I use my queue a lot, especially on days where I don't plan to be on Tumblr much, or days I post spoilers. I try to remember to use the tag "queue 06" when I'm using the queue.

Regarding CRCB exclusively, I have taken a lot of time to make and organize several lore/FAQ masterlists. If you ask a question that has already been answered there (which to be fair I do miss adding some sometimes) I will direct you there to avoid repeating myself.

The navigation post pinned on my page is there for a reason. Please utilize it.

If you would like to be on my taglist, please follow soaps-mohawk-taglist and turn notifications on as I will post there every time I post a new chapter/fic

I do not tolerate any hate or disrespect on this blog, towards me or others. You will be blocked, anon or not.

Please be respectful of me, my rules, my boundaries, and the reminders above, and most importantly, remember there is just one living, breathing human being behind this blog.

Now for the part most of you have been asking for, the things that I'm not comfortable writing. If it's not on this list, or if you are unsure, please ask if it's something I'm comfortable writing. I won't get upset if you ask for clarification.

Pedophilia (including lolicon & shotacon)

Age Play

Beastiality

Detailed Domestic Abuse

Detailed Child Abuse

Emetophilia

Olfactophilia

Scat

Cheating

Rape*

Child Death

Hurt/No Comfort

Pregnancy (Anything in the realm of pregnancy)**

RacePlay

Formicophilia

Pecattiphilia

Some specific violent situations (including ones with kids)

Embarrassment

Animal abuse and death

*It depends on the scenario/my own state of mind at the time. It's not a hard no, but it really just depends.

**I know I've answered some pregnancy (and child death) things in the past but it's just not something I'm comfortable with going forward.

Honestly it's just best to ask if you're unsure, about anything listed above. I'm just asking for everyone to be respectful of me and my rules, as well as everyone else, so we can keep things as they have been.

Have a Gaz just because

[brucewaynehater101]

i keep seeing the hcs (the tim seeing bruce as his son ones) you post and had an idea

so like bruce is like,,, grieving bc sum1 died (who is your choice) and tim js goes back to the behaviors he had when bruce was grieving originally like and every1 is like tim wtf???

i can imagine tim standing off to the side (like a parent watching their kid on a like,, a playground or smth) thinking how he’s going 2 drag bruce upstairs to sleep and sum1 (again your choice) comes up and asks “tim why the fuck are you acting this it makes not sense”

tim’s like “don’t ask”

srry if was confusing

I completely understood. You're good 👍

However, let's explore the angst potential ~

Bruce and the entire Bat family is grieving the loss of their family member (extra points if it's a pivotal role like Dick or Alfred [everyone would hurt, but the family relies on these people]). Everyone is visibly having a rough time.... except for Tim.

Tim cried when the news came (or when they watched the person die). He cried when his family broke down screaming, begging, and sobbing. He cried when he watched each and every family member lose a vital part of themselves.

And then he stopped. He crammed those pieces of himself together and gathered everyone up. He got them home, and his calm facade hasn't broken since.

It's worse this time around because he knew the person who died personally. He loved Jason and was devastated when he died. However, he didn't know Jason personally. He hadn't had his hair ruffled as the individual gave him a fond smirk. He hadn't been left a steaming mug of coffee as a silent sign of support. He hadn't been pulled into a hug or found himself startled into a laugh. He had never heard his name uttered by the person who died like he did this time.

There's a piece of Tim that died when that family member stopped breathing, but it's okay. He's used to that by now. Bruce and his family need him.

So, Tim gives B sympathetic smiles before shoving him into the batmobile for the car rides that help the man fall asleep. He clicks his tongue as the man comes back with too many injuries. He invokes the sticker charts again and the spray bottle. He ruthlessly utilizes emotional manipulation and sharp words until Bruce stops destroying everything around him (both in the literal and metaphorical sense). He provides Bruce with healthier outlets for his grief.

This time, though? He checks up on the other family members as well. He ensures that no one left in his family is alone. He makes sure that everyone has someone to lean on, that they support each other, and that they don't lash out at each other.

It takes a while, between the waves of grief everyone is drowning under and struggling to find the surface of Tim's efforts get overlooked.

Eventually, when the family starts to heal just a bit more, they notice Tim standing with his hands on his hips as he glares at Bruce.

"Bruce Wayne. If you do not strip off that armor, consume your entire dinner, and get into your bed upstairs, there will be consequences. Do NOT make me count to three."

The other Bats watch as Bruce winces, sighs heavily, and then drags his weary body to the changing room.

Someone points out just how weird that is.

It's the first time in months that the family acts with the chaos it usually has.

[aristaspark]

Idk if someone has asked you this yet but whatever. You’re probably the biggest Kenlynn shipper I’ve met, so I wanted to ask what your opinions on other ships are? Like Darilynn or Benji? What if one or both becomes canon in season 3?

Omg you've mentionned the two ships I can't stand 😂😂

I've kind of already explained my stance on Dinostar/Darilynn: I was open to the idea of them happening after season 1 aired, but season 2 made me really dislike them, but I think that was intentional on the writers' part. Darius confession was as horrifying to watch as a car crash for both Brooklynn and the audience, and to me it's obvious Brooklynn only ever loved Darius as a best friend. And I think even Darius at the end of the first season realized that his "feelings" for Brooklynn weren't what he thought they were. To me, he simply liked having someone with him so much that he confused that with love, but really he was simply lonely. Also think it would be fifty shades of messed up considering that he's Kenji's adopted brother and witnessed every step of their relationship unfold, like, to me they're brothers (even Kenji reaffirmed that fact) and it will never not be weird to date your brother's ex, especially when your relationship with her was as impactful and lasting as Kenji's relationship with Brooklynn. The only way I can be okay with them becoming canon is if the writers actually commit to it and don't get cold feet. Meaning Kenji better say f*ck you two, it was nice being friends while it lasted but don't ever speak to me again 🤷‍♀️, because there's no way either of their relationships would survive this, and how Kenji feels about Brooklynn doesn't change that. (Also worth mentionning that them managing to make a relationship work with all the guilt Darius carries and his link to Brooklynn's biggest trauma is extremely unrealistic on it's own).

Benji (I'm going to be brutally honest, sorry 😅): Oh boy, oh boy, don't get me started on what is, to me, the biggest mistery of shipping to have ever seen the light of day 😭. I truly don't get why so many people ship them and I never will. One of the storyboarders recently came out and more or less confirmed that the crew was as baffled as I was that the fandom shipped them and I felt so relieved because it was truly baffling to me to see so many people claim that they were set up. To me it was clear that the thought of Benji had never even crossed the writer's minds. I made a post a long time ago, it was at the time of season 4, or 5, on why I *hated* that ship and unfortunately still do, especially with how the fandom reacted to Kenlynn. But since it's been a long time, I can summarize it here, but I'll still post the link because it was much more detailed and my opinion hasn't changed. The fandom went as far as to harrass the creators of the show, invoking a moral issue with the age gap btw Kenji and Brooklynn while most of them shipped Kenji and Ben, which just proves to me that they literally didn't care and only looked for any reason to hate on a ship they disliked. Because while we were given the ages of the campers (not even their birthdays, meaning that we don't know the exact age gaps btw the characters, so for example Ben could be a month older than Brook for all we know), not knowing that info and looking at the first seasons of the show, everyone would guess that Ben is the youngest. He behaves like a kid, especially in the first season, and it's clear that that was what the writers had in mind when they wrote him. He had his mom give Dave and Roxy a list of things that made him unconfortable, he was scared of everything, he drew with colored crayons right as Kenji called it an activity made for children (the way he drew himself tells you everything you need to know about how he perceives himself, aka a little boy), he's the most emotionally immature, and I could go on. His entire story arc was about growing up. And the worst part is that, to me, his immaturity is the most apparent when he's with Kenji. The way he clings onto Kenji everytime he's scared like a kid would cling to one of his parents will never be romantic to me and I find it horrifying when people edit it in a romantic light. Even worse, Kenji is the ONLY camper to make fun of Ben for behaving like a kid, and he does it countless times, almost coming off as a bully at times. The fact is that Kenji viewed Ben as a kid, which made them (as a ship) truly disgusting to me, like, I could never get past it, even with the time jump, sorry if this is harsh 😭. Just imagining Kenji being attracted to Ben in season 1, which is the season where the fandom decided to make them a thing with the infamous gyrosphere pairs, will never not give me the creeps. About them being canon, there's no chance of that happening so I don't really have thoughts on that. There was nothing btw them back in jwcc (as the crew confirmed) and there's still nothing in jwct. They're friends, and I think that's a beautiful thing.

(the link of my initial post 😅)

I'm going to speak about the ships I do like because here I just sound like the biggest hater 😂

Yasammy: While I wasn't the biggest fan of how Sammy didn't respect Yasmina's bondaries, especially in season 1 (my personnality is very similar to Yasmina's and I know I would have despised Sammy for forcing me out of my comfort zone without trying to understand me 😭), their evolution was sweet and the way they care about each other is adorable so I ended up liking them and was happy when they became canon. I especially like them in jwct because I like how...real they are? If that makes sense?

Benrius: I'm not shipping them per say but I really like them, in both shows. I think their personnalities compliment each other and Darius always had that soft spot for Ben, which I think is adorable. Season 3 Benrius is really peak (Darius being the only one to sense that something is wrong with Ben, him going back to look for Ben when he left, their fight...). And of course, jwct season 1.

[flamnhotlemon]

Personal Style: How I Cultivated Mine

AdvisorElle, Episode 1

(Find the PDF for the post HERE)

With the internet (especially Pinterest, in this context) and its many recommendations on what you should wear for the different seasons, it may seem pretty hard to cultivate your own personal style, right? There are so many options, so many things to choose from, that instead of helping us choose and define our options, we really only end up confused. This was also my situation before; however, I managed to come to a point where I believe that I've found a good point in my style, and I want to help you get here too!

The History

At first, my journey to cultivating my style was heavily influenced by popular shows and social media, meaning that when everyone wanted to dress like VSCO girl with the large shirts, Birkenstocks and Hydro Flasks, I wanted to too. When everyone wanted to dress bohemian, I wanted to too. If everyone liked bows and was coquette, I was too. This led to a constant cycle of not really knowing what I liked or aligned with, since any new trend would lead to me changing my style.

What (kind of) forced me to find my style was my recent final examinations, where I needed to pick outfits that would represent how I want to be seen, at the examination center. I realised that I enjoyed wearing really simple, yet classic and polished outfits as they truly made me feel the best.

The Steps

If a good outfit can instantly make any day better (at least for me), how much more can a closet that aligns with who you are as a person? Let's see how to get this through the steps following!

STEP 1: How do you want to be seen by others?

The inevitable thing with clothing is that what you wear reflects how you want to be seen. (A disclaimer: this is not a statement intended to claim that one should treat others the way that they view them based on their clothing, but rather that clothing one wears represents the feelings they want to give others.) So, you need to ask yourself: "How do I want others to see me?" "What sort of feeling do I want to invoke within others?" After deciding on an answer, look around for clothing that makes you feel this way. Then you'll be better able to embody how you want others to feel in the clothing.

STEP 2: Is your closet still full of items you no longer align with?

Once you've settled the previous step, you need to go through your closet and see what aligns and what doesn't. Clothing that aligns with how you want to present yourself can stay, but clothing that does not should be given to friends and family, donated or sold online (you could even reuse it for another purpose, just please don't throw it away haphazardly).

STEP 3: What's your lifestyle? What's your climate?

Now that the clothing that does not align with you is given away, you should choose clothing that aligns with your lifestyle and climate. Clothing that is not in sync with your lifestyle is very likely to cause problems finding outfits for everyday occurrences (another one of my struggles -- I only had really nice clothes for events, but nothing to wear on a quick errand or simple day out). A closet should be balanced! In addition, you need to take note of your climate. If it's often cold, you'll need clothing that makes you warm. If the heat is absolutely wild (like where I live), you'll need more clothing that is loose fitted or made out of materials that are cooling.

Closing Thoughts

In general, the golden rule is that all clothing in your closet must align with how you want to present yourself, your lifestyle and your climate. Also, although you may have a set style that you are cultivating, always experiment. This can add more depth to your personal style.

I hope this post helped! X's and O's, Elle.

[leviosally]

2024 Fic Roundup / AO3 Ask Game

Thank you for the tag @gaiaseyes451 ! Sorry it took a bit to get around to this 💜

What fandoms do you write in?

Good Omens currently, but have written for The Witcher, and a bit for Legend of Zelda

How many words have you published in 2024?

459,251...that's not including my other account. Wahoo!

What is your greatest achievement this year?

I'm just so happy (and a little wistful) to have finished my long fic, Play for Me the Music of Your Heart It's been a long time in the writing (since 2022) and I'm so pleased to have crossed the finish line.

What are your favourite top three fics you've written this year?

(I technically have only written/added on to 2 fics this year 🙈)

Play for Me the Music of Your Heart- My 31 ch. Good Omens university music school AU that I finally finished!! May I offer you violinist Crowley? Or pianist/conductor Aziraphale?

Sweet Things - My short post S3 kinky fic from The Art of Yelling server's Valentine's Kink Calendar event. (CW sex with snake form Crowley)

( I wrote an rpf on almost this exact day a year ago though)

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

I worried myself several times (unnecessarily, but anxiety gremlins) that I would draw a complete blank on the final ch. of my long fic and fail to complete it. I gave the gremlins the finger.

What have you learned?

Tell the story you want to tell. Better to write for yourself and the handful of people the story will resonate with than to force a story you think will appeal to the masses. If it's pulling at you, it's pulling for a reason.--wise words there by gaia that I'm going to leave.

And also, just continuing to learn more about writing, art and the creative process in general.

What fic did you want to do but never made it off the ground?

Nothing that I started that didn't make it, plenty on the idea pile that I want to write.

Did you beta any fics? Any favs you want to shout out?

I did! I've looked at fic for @dat-carovieh, @nightgazings, @tawnyontumblr, there might be others that I'm forgetting and I'm so sorry, but all of you are wonderful writers and it was a pleasure working with you!

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

The Squire's Wife by @copperplatebeech - Good Omens. I have had it marked for later for forever, because 24 hours/day is criminal. It's wonderful! Copper's signature snappy, crisp prose, her wonderfully witty sense of humor and the absolute sorcery she invokes in her dialogue use make this a wonderful read. And of course, she had me at 'music au'.

The Red King's Consort by @okamiwind - This one is Legend of Zelda (BotW/ToTK) and the pairing Link/Sidon. It is one of the most beautiful fics I have ever read, pairings aside. It is scorching hot, evocative, and just lush. It's like eating a particularly rich truffle, and the pining and longing is off the charts gorgeous.

I did a lot of re-reading of comfort fics as well, as this year was quite stressful, so @mia-ugly Slow Show, @sevdrag, Old Vines, I will always love these from the bottom of my heart.

What ideas are percolating for next year?

Let's see...I want to write my own Link/Sidon if the right idea hits. I also have a shorter kink fic in mind for GO as well as a meet-cute that's art student Crowley and figure model Aziraphale. Longer GO fic includes a wildland firefighter Crowley and forest service ranger Aziraphale fic (not 31 chapters again, Someone willing) and we got pretty jazzed about a drum corp AU on The Serpent and the Saint server last night, so...maybe a collab? 👀

I've also been told I need to get cracking on a historical original fic for Liszt/Chopin 😆😏

Who do you want to thank?

Oh godddd, so many amazing people: @ajconstantine, and @tybalttrouble my wonderful betas, and @dawn-the-rithmatist for yelling with me and cheering and also helping beta. WE MADE IT. Everyone on the Art of Yelling discord server, really, y'all are awesome.

@wingsofopal for your amazing art, your encouragement, and for reaching out and prodding me to open The Serpent and the Saint pub discord server to all the amazing people reading and supporting Play for Me the Music of Your Heart. @gaiaseyes451, @paperclipninja, @hermiola, @notalostcausejustyet (and special shout out to you, my dear, for helping me navigate formatting for print) and everyone else I didn't tag who is there, or that I can't find here, I LOVE YOU ALL TO ABSOLUTE BITS AND I DON'T DESERVE YOU 🥹😭🙏🫂

No pressure tags: @dat-carovieh, @badwolfbadwolf, @ambrasue I have no idea who hasn't been tagged yet, if you're mentioned above, also please take it as a tag. If you see this and want to play, please do!

[mumms-the-word]

My friend/fountain of knowledge,

I wanted to post about a Mystra theory I had, but thought it may be best to explore it here with you instead! I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. 

It’s probably been discussed before, but the idea is that Mystra’s chosen are selected by her because she sees them as potential threats.

She is an omniscient being, and the Goddess of Divination, so surely she has some kind of prophetic ability or sense of the future? 

It’s mentioned many times that Gale’s ambition mirrors that of Karsus in certain ways, and maybe she was able to see the potential for the repetition of history. (Especially as he displayed an impressive control of the weave at such a young age, and has a tendency to slip into arrogance and hubris.)

I know Gods don’t share the same emotions as mortals, but she must fear succumbing to the same fate as Mystryl - The Goddess who was destroyed by a wizard. 

Maybe this is why she did not remove the orb when Gale proved her right in her fears? She was hoping he would obey her command and destroy himself before he could get his hands on the crown.

The future is never set in stone, even when puppeted by the Gods, and Gale says pretty early on he doesn’t believe in fate. It seems to me the potential to ‘be a moon unto yourself’ was there for him all along, but he was Mystra’s lover because she knew of the threat he could become.

Ironic, that she played a part in his drive for the crown, but I think he would always have been tempted by Godly power whether he was her chosen or not.

I’m gonna answer this on public and you can let me know if you want it taken down!

A caveat: I think that we’ll never know what Mystra was thinking/feeling/knowing before and during the events of the game because I think the game intentionally keeps her motivations hidden. We can dive into the devnotes all we want, and we can advocate for better treatment of Gale as fans of Gale but in terms of what Mystra was planning? We’ll never know for sure.

So with that said, I have a couple of thoughts/theories below the cut! Looong post ahead.

Does Mystra have foresight/divination powers?

Many gods have foresight, although not all of them are gods of divination. Technically Savras, a god not in BG3, is the god of divination, but he is like...part of Mystra's team (wizards who worship Mystra might also invoke him, for example). So like, divination is still sort of part of her domain, but her main focus is the preservation of the Weave and she's given dominion over matters of divination to Savras.

I honestly can’t remember if her having foresight is expressly mentioned in the game (it’s part of her dnd lore more broadly) but regardless, there’s a lot to suggest that her foresight isn’t perfect. Specifically in the context of the game (not full lore). She commands Gale to sacrifice himself in Act 2, not realizing that if he does so, it doesn't actually stop the scourge of illithids. If you sacrifice Gale in Act 2, everyone with a tadpole immediately becomes illithid and you get a game over. It's not the best time for Gale to sacrifice himself. So we know that Mystra's foresight is imperfect, because if she wanted a more surefire win that also means she doesn't lose out on thousands of souls, she would have waited to ask him, knowing there would be a better opportunity later.

There's also the "be a moon unto yourself" and "even the tides of fate can break upon the shores of will" language Elminster uses. Elminster, who has arguably known Mystra longer than anyone else on the planet, who is the closest thing to a mortal-immortal ambassador that can bridge the gap between Mystra in the godly realms and mortals in the Material Plane, even HE doesn't have much faith in Mystra's command to sacrifice Gale in Act 2. What Mystra offers is a potential solution. It's not the best solution. Not even for her. So in terms of foresight...I think she has either a limited view, or she sees potential futures, but nothing is set in stone thanks to the free will of mortals.

(and also maybe illithids are outside her purview of knowledge since they mostly cast magic with psionics and not the Weave and don't have souls that she can recognize?? unclear)

Does Mystra fear destruction or death?

I'm not sure how much Mystra fears death. I mean, I'm sure dying as a god is traumatic in its own right, but she's died multiple times. First as Mystryl, which was kind of a self-sacrifice thing (what Karsus did was cast a spell that would funnel her powers into him, so she basically killed herself to stop the process halfway and everything went to chaos "for a spell"). Even Gale calls it a self-sacrifice. Then she died during the Time of Troubles, was reborn as Midnight, who ALSO died, and then she was silent (but probably not dead dead) for about a hundred years until a few years before the game takes place.

(If BG3 follows dnd lore which, in my opinion, it mostly does, but I know that not all Gale fans agree and Larian is changing up timelines in other respects too so...take everything with a grain of salt)

So killing Mystra is...it just doesn't work. Somehow she's always around, in part perhaps because her Weave is everywhere. Fragments of her will always exist. Which is why Gale's ambitious goal, should you choose to encourage him, is to steal her power. Not to kill her. Even an Origin!Gale says "I'm here for your godhood" if you choose to confront her, not that he's there to kill her.

Which is what makes him like Karsus. Karsus sought to steal Mystryl's powers. Gale is mirroring him in every way if he is persuaded down that path. Now that part...I think Mystra does slightly fear that. Because Karsus almost succeeded...

Almost.

But he didn't and a god-path Gale doesn't fare much better. If you play Origin!Gale and you choose to confront Mystra and steal her godhood? You also fail. Gale dies. Mystra wins.

I don't know how much she fears destruction and death, because I think she has failsafes in place. But it would be very inconvenient to die again so soon after finally regaining her full powers, so I'm sure she's eager to avoid it.

Did Mystra know the orb would be useful?

I think this again speaks to the idea that she has a limited foresight ability. Gale may say that she is omniscient, but I don't think that necessarily means she sees all of time forwards and backwards. I think she can sense everything about the Weave all at once and knows everything all previous iterations of Mystra know (and all that her Chosens know; that's stated in the Elminster novels). But her foresight is imperfect.

So, conjecture time. We're full-on in theory/maybes/who knows territory now.

She knew Gale was going after dangerous Netherese magic when he was looking for the piece of Weave that was locked away because I imagine he used a great deal of magic on his journey and investigation. Her not knowing that Gale was looking for this locked-away piece of Weave is ludicrous. He probably told her his plan and she said no and he went anyway. And she didn't stop him. Why?

My personal theory is she wanted to see what would happen if Gale succeeded. She doesn't babysit her Chosen, though she does occasionally guide them (or command them, rather). As the Lady of Mysterious, she's remarkably (and frustratingly) hands-off. The whole problem with her and Gale's relationship breaking down is because Gale was a) ambitious enough to try and covet a piece of knowledge/Weave that not even Mystra herself could get to (he says it was "sealed beyond her reach") and b) that Mystra never actually talked to him to explain why that's probably a bad idea. Why not? Did she want to see him fail?

I don't know for sure. But I think she was curious. I think she wanted to see if he could even unlock the thing. I think she knew, on some level, that it would go disastrously bad for him, but I don't think she knew that the Karsite Weave would mix with Gale's own dark hunger for power and knowledge and create something that would literally threaten to consume her entire Weave. Why do I think that?

Because that is when she got angry. Not that he was searching. Not when he was deliberately disobeying her by searching (though she was likely mad then too, but she didn't punish or stop him). She didn't seem to care then. She got angry when he failed to do anything productive with the Karsite Weave and the resulting crisis threatened her.

I don't think she would have let him pursue the book with the Karsite Weave had she known the details of what it would do once it entered Gale's body. She does intervene, mind you. She's the one that stabilized the orb enough to "allow it to feed on the true Weave." The question is, why didn't she cure it immediately? It was threatening her Weave, literally consuming bits of her Weave. Did she lack the power? the knowledge? Or was she simply keeping Gale around as insurance, a bomb in her back pocket that she could direct at anything she wanted?

I suspect it's mostly the latter (though I suspect she was also angry that Gale's reaction to his actions threatening her Weave wasn't "Sorry I'll try too fix this" but instead it was "I need you to fix this"). Maybe she knew about the mind flayer crisis on the horizon. By the time Gale is suffering the early effects of the orb, Gortash and Durge have likely already stolen the Crown of Karsus from Mephistopheles (some people theorize it happened in 1490 or 1491, and the game starts midway through 1492). Now there are two Karsite problems on the Material Plane. She likely bided her time to see when she could send Gale out to destroy both in one fell swoop while also being personally angry that Gale didn't act/react the way she wanted him to.

It gets REALLY interesting if you believe that Gortash and Durge pulled the crown out of the hells and into the Material Plane in 1490 because then Mystra KNOWS there's a powerful Karsite item in play. If she knew that, and knew that Gale was pursuing the Karsite Weave...well. In that case, it seems much more likely that she was playing him like a pawn on a chessboard, waiting for him to get in position so she could command him to eliminate both threats.

Because again...she didn't stop him.

Honestly, there are multiple theories about why she didn't stop him or cure him immediately or so forth. it all just depends on how much you want to villainize Mystra and her actions, or if you prefer taking a more neutral path.

So to your theory: Does Mystra choose her Chosen based on whether they will be potential threats?

I think...I disagree, but it's a soft disagree. I think Mystra has no qualms about sending her Chosen to eliminate anything that is a threat to her. Elminster is constantly sent to destroy people who are mishandling the Weave, for example, in the Elminster novels.

However, I do think she is careful to select Chosen who will be powerful and to shower them in affection and attention so they don't think about threatening her. Grooming them to love and devote themselves to her so that if they were ever to think about becoming a threat to her, she can frame it as a personal betrayal.

It's what she does with Gale. I don't think she's threatened by Gale. I think she sees talent and power in him. And I think on some level she probably did find Gale pleasant, and that not every interaction between them was her pulling strings to make sure that he would die in X years in a cataclysmic explosion. That, to me, seems counterintuitive, when she could have just as easily withheld the power he needed to even begin pursuing the Karsite Weave in the first place. But I think it's her modus operandi to love bomb her Chosens so that as she grants them more and more power, betrayal is the last thing on their minds. Because they know that losing her favor, losing her love, means losing power.

Elminster didn't live to be 1300+ years old and the most powerful wizard in existence (allegedly) because he pissed off Mystra. It's because he loves Mystra and she rewards devotion and affection. It's why Gale pursued the fractured Weave in the first place: to prove his love.

It's all very complicated. But she can decide whether or not someone is going to be a threat to her. And the fact that Gale, the most likely candidate to be a threat to her given his connections with the Karsite Weave, fails in the attempt is...telling. Even a Godof Ambition Gale who is still eager to dethrone Mystra isn't going to do so quickly. He's going to wait for another millennium or so before he tries. And whether he's successful depends entirely on what happens over the course of that next 1000 years.

So I suppose it's more likely for her to choose Chosens that she can manipulate or at least groom into a cult of love and devotion. It's the rogue people who don't love her that are the threats, which is why I think she's invested in the illithid plot in particular. Illithids couldn't give two shits about Mystra. And that clearly bothers her.

Anyways, long story long, Mystra is an imperfect goddess who, depending on your reading of her and her actions, either set up Gale to fail or cunningly used his failure to her advantage (or both). And despite what a lot of people say, I don't actually think she has a lot of foresight power, because I feel like Gale's actions keep somewhat surprising her. So there's that.

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Themes in Pit Babe (or why the racing omegaverse show is deeper than you think) - Part 3

Wrapping up this baby! Also, apparently I accidentally hit a setting that made my posts harder to see in the tags (oopsie), so if you missed Part 1 and Part 2, there are the links.

Part 3: Self-Worth & Self-Determination

I previously talked about many of the ideas around self-worth in this show, and how we have the full spectrum of characters at varying degrees of self-worth, from Kenta at the very bottom of the scale (only considers himself worthy in the view of his abuser), to Kim at the very top (he is the best ever and knows it).

Now we come to important theme #2, which is self-determination. This theme is a pretty blatant one, as they have a character who has been written to personify it and the message around it - Pete.

Note: I could tie all of our characters to this theme in various ways, but I'm going to focus on a core four of Pete, Way, Kenta, and Babe, because they are so key to it.

Our Self-Determination King

Pete is the epitome of the "self-made" man. Although the self-made person is something of a myth in real life (most who claim the title had significant help), in the show this is pretty accurate for who Pete is. He ran away from Tony's house, and one can assume, had pretty much nothing at that time. He built up a level of wealth and power that would regain him access to Tony's world, but on his own terms.

His power is strongly empathy-coded, so despite presumably having to engage in some morally gray practices (no one gets super rich being completely ethical), his main motivation stayed consistent. Help the people Tony has hurt, and bring the man down.

It seems to be rather a coincidence that Alan approaches him when needing a sponsor, but it makes sense to me that Pete would have previously been planting seeds with businesses that are in competition with Tony. Regardless of how that connection ends up happening, Pete makes the most of the opportunity to continue to follow his ethos.

Pete's power

Just a quick point, but I do think it's important to talk about the fact that we don't quite know the full extent of Pete's power. He can clearly tell what people are thinking and/or feeling by making contact, but he does also seem to have the power to invoke feeling. Yet he only uses this once - when Kenta is physically attacking him, he brings up memories of their connection. This is very consistent with him as a personification of self-determination. Like Way, he can use his power to affect what people will do - but he chooses not to. He uses his words instead. It has to be their choice.

Pete and his boys

I also don't think it's a coincidence that Pete is immediately drawn to Way, after his earlier connection to Kenta. When Pete made the choice to run, he wanted Kenta to come with him. But Kenta could not accept he had inherent value outside of his role in Tony's life, and therefore could not accept he could make his own life choices.

It's also important to remember that Pete knew Kenta had feelings for him. Not just because of the kiss, but they would consistently make physical contact, and Pete can literally read feelings. And yet - when faced with the choice of leaving with Pete or staying with Tony, the path of self-determination vs the path of servitude, Kenta chose Tony. Pete knows from experience that love is not enough if there is no self-worth behind it.

So we come to the day where Pete shakes Way's hand (after some hesitation because he doesn't like to use his power), and knows that he's one of Tony's and knows that he thinks that he has no choice but to follow "Daddy's" orders. It has to feel like a bit of déjà vu for him.

And he clearly has an attraction to Way, but he knows that cannot be the center of the choice here, because it's not enough. I would imagine Pete has spent a lot of time thinking of what he could have/should have said to Kenta on that day, and that's why he so ready with the words when he's with Way.

He tries to convince Way before the damage is done

but he also knows he cannot stop him. He knows there's going to be a fall, and he places himself to be in a position to catch Way on the way down.

And it's only after losing everything, for the first time, Way is able to truly hear Pete and see a path forward that is his own choice, and not Tony's.

Note: I'm not going to delve into Way's ending, because while it was Way's choice, I think it actually weakens the overall theme. But in my head canon, Pete helped him fake it, and they're now on a mission to go out and hunt down other abusive rich people.

An infectious power

Pete may avoid using his Enigma power on others, but his power to help others see their own value & ability to choose is literally infectious. Which is why it's interesting to see Babe be the one to give Kenta the final talk before his flip (with Pete still present, of course).

Babe also successfully self-determines to make the choice to run from Tony, and to live his own life. But he focuses primarily on his own survival - which is valid! No one should ever feel guilty for putting themselves first in a situation like this. He was severely traumatized and had to work to find his own self-worth, via Charlie, before he could turn his focus to helping others.

But once he begins interacting more with Pete, and gains the goal of bringing down Tony, he becomes the spokesperson of our theme. It's important for it to come from Babe here, because he is Tony's star. He is who Kenta wants to be in Tony's eyes. And he's telling Kenta that Tony is the one who is not worth it.

And in the end, Kenta chooses his own path. Pete planted seeds, but Babe's words made something grow. And like Pete, Kenta finds his self-worth not just in making the choice to free himself, but in saving others.

I do think it's important to be clear that making a different choice is not an absolution. And forgiveness should not be a motivation (which is why Way's path got a little thematically muddled in the end).

At the same time, it's never too late to make a different choice, to pick a different path. It's never too late to find meaning & purpose, whether that be helping others, helping your found family, doing a right thing for its own sake, or avenging the love of your life before you know he faked his death.

[inkandarsenic]

My thoughts on the new episodes:

- love the info dumping right off the bat therapy really did wonders for 15

- “Most of the universe is knackered, babes” ok 1) 15, i love you so much, and 2) why do I get the feeling that the reason most of it is knackered is because of you, bestie?

- “Why did I run?” That’s what you do babe. It’s like your whole thing. please don’t ask dumb questions

- ruby reminds me so much of rose and it is 1000% because of the way that Space Babies parallels End of the World so hard

- Ok so getting the feeling that it’s less “the therapy worked wonders” and more “we’re pretending that it worked wonders” because a lot of this conversation is feeling like 15 is masking his true feelings

- space babies crack me up, the cgi to move their mouths was weird and the babies themselves looked so confused to be there at all times it was great

- Ngl him scaring them more than once and then laughing a little feels very on brand for the doctor

- Ruby continues to confuse me, who are you Ruby Sunday, I want answers. very excited to see where this story arc is going

- QUEEN CHARLOTTE????

- societal parallels punching me in the face I love it this show is so back

- Ok saying you’re an ugly bug is a lot less effective when you’re Ncuti Gatwa and your past incarnations have always been attractive

- Eric the perpetually confused looking baby I love you

- this monster is very much reminding me of the sleep-sand monsters from that one twelveclara episode, sleep no more

- 15 babes I swear to god throwing yourself into open airlocks because you’re relating too hard to the monster of the week better not become your thing

- love him telling ruby “no going to meet your mom” immediately like babes does not want a repeat of the Father’s Day disaster with rose

- THE SCAN OF RUBY??? some things truly never fucking change

- ngl i feel like playing the banned chord that invites the devil in is a Bad Idea

- MR TIMOTHY DRAKE??? THEY REALLY NAMED THIS MAN TIMOTHY DRAKE AND CALLED HIM A GENIUS AND THEN KILLED HIM I CANNOT

- the maestro is terrifying. why are they making eye contact with me I don’t like that

- oh wow the first time the theme song has ever made me uncomfortable

- I love that 15 looks physically pained by the music that’s being played

- the notes that Paul says and the theme that plays? Reminds me of the piano notes at the end of the Doctor’s theme from way back in series 1 with Nine, sounds very similar

- oh Ruby you sweet summer child you haven’t been traveling long enough to recognize that tone

- here’s a thought: do you think maybe the Doctor is one of these celestial pantheon beings? That they would have been like the Toymaker and the Maestro if they hadn’t been abandoned in this universe?

- I’m really starting to hate 14 for inviting the Toymaker into the universe again. He just had to invoke superstition at the edge of the universe.

- ah yes the age old tradition of breaking the TARDIS

- the doctor hearing non-diegetic music has many implications I refuse to think about right now

- RTD never fails to have unsettling villains

- so Ruby seems to be the new impossible girl, which is appropriate because she looks so much like Clara

- also WHO WAS THERE I JUST WANT TO KNOW

- “the one who waits is almost here” what does that mean. we’ve met the embodiment of play and now music, who else are we going to meet?

- musical number at the end feels so Disney

- also did anyone else notice that the Harbinger kid was back at the end? Does anyone else think that’s going to come up again?

I love that we’re diving into and learning more about the Toymaker and his whole pantheon of celestial beings but do you know what this would be an absolutely perfect point to reintroduce?

THE SATAN PIT AND ALL OF THE QUESTIONS IT DID NOT ANSWER

I’m gonna link the post where I rant about it here but please someone say they agree with me

[caffeine-clouds]

Sonic Inspired Outfits - Style/Fashion Tips (Intro Post!)

Yep, you read that title correctly. Here it is my followers - the dumb idea: I thought I could do a fun little series of posts for those of you obsessed with Sonic (like me), and are also looking for ways to maybe get into fashion more or find their style. I feel like this series could also be great for kinnies or fanartists looking for alternate outfit inspo <3 Putting together outfits is fun, aesthetics are awesome - and it feels amazing to express myself and the things I love through what I wear. So, I'm here with you today to share how you can style your outfits to give off the vibe of different Sonic characters! Each post will have just one character in it because there's a lot to talk about with each! And of course, we're starting off with our Blue Blur. Do I have qualifications? Ha! No, but I do look at styling videos and I spend an unreasonable amount of time on Pinterest - and I get complimented on my outfits if that's worth something. I'm making these posts because when I do google "Sonic outfit inspiration" the results are.... well... ugly.

You see this? This makes me have an aneurysm. So time to change that!

The examples of outfits I provide will be masc, fem, and gender neutral! So no matter who your favourite character is - you can style yourself in a way that is most comfortable for you and your identity!

Posts will be split into two halves: 1. Outfits that I think the characters would wear and look good in (in Sonic's case this reds, whites, greens etc.) 2. Outfits that I think invoke the essence of the character (again, in Sonic's case - these outfits are going to heavily feature blue) Interested? I'll be tagging these posts under "sonic character outfit inspo" Interested in a specific character? each post will be tagged with "[name] character outfit ideas"

I will be doing literally as many characters as possible, probably not Archie but certainly games and IDW - if you want me to do a specific character - send them in my inbox and I'll get to them sooner! Hope you all will enjoy! - COMPLETED CHARACTERS - Sonic the Hedgehog Vector the Crocodile Rouge the Bat Tangle the Lemur E-123 Omega Blaze the Cat Tails the Fox Whisper the Wolf Big the Cat Silver the Hedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog

[bonefall]

Quick question, how do you do the family trees? as in, what program do you use? because that looks like a simple art program. You're so powerful, I'm scared of you even. Also, I've noticed some level of consanguinity but not sure how much, how far apart do these dudes need to be in order for you to consider their reproduction not nasty? What do you personally think of third cousins once removed having children? this fandom makes me write the weirdest of shits...

It's all just Clip Studio and elbow grease. No preset tree-maker tool program can track so many cats and separate lines the way I need it to. I use Family Echo for personal OC projects, but it weeps in the face of so many separate ancestral lines as seen in Clan cats.

It's been a while since I went over my Three Strict Rules so here's a refresher for everyone! If you want to see the big post explaining it all in depth, Go Here

Starting with the most important rule;

RULE 1: THREE GENERATION SEPARATION

No cats are eligible to be mates if they share a simple grandparent. No first cousin pairings, ever.

This rule applies to an extra generation, to the great-grandparent, IF the great-grandparent is still alive, or if there are two or more grandparents alive to remember this fact. This rule is called Onestar's Exception.

It was named after Onestar's SE, where he makes the connection that his sister -> Crowfeather -> Breezepelt, and thinks it's just dandy that his daughter became mates with her First Cousin Once Removed (FCOR). It made me so uncomfortable I made the rule immediately.

This is the chart I use to check;

[ID: A family tree chart]

First Cousin is banned entirely. FCOR and Second Cousins is the Onestar's Exception that invokes an investigation on my end.

So third cousins are allowed. I simply do not have the Clan population density to be choosier. I would need to bloat the Clans with a bunch of unknown side characters, destroy the concept of exploring in-Clan romance, or not think about ancestry in the Cat Ancestry story (the way that canon just conjures up cats outside of ThunderClan).

I'll demonstrate why mathematically; Ancestry is exponential. 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 G-grandparents, by the GG-grandparent generation you need 16 ancestors. More than the population of ThunderClan in TPB.

RULE 2: TWO-KIT MAX

I can demonstrate this problem with my ThunderClan Family Tree diagnosis, but I have to ask you to just trust my authority here for this summary.

The biggest problem in the canon ThunderClan family tree is that THREE of Frostfur's children went on to have kits of their own, and then they gave Frosty 7 grandchildren who had kids of their own (soon to be 8 if Shellfur and Fernstripe get busy.)

By adding the simple fix that only 2 from one parent can have reproductive kits of their own, the exponential problem is massively shaved down. It encourages you to choose carefully and go down the line, adding generations vertically instead of building them out horizontally.

The exception to this rule is that kits can get "exported." If they go to another Clan to have children, then they don't count towards their parent's max.

For a BB!Example, Mousewhisker is moving to RiverClan in ASC and Hazeltail was saved from the chopping block, so there's a possible scenario where Berry, Hazel, AND Mouse all have kits. (Kept possible by the fact that Toadstep's kittens with Lionblaze, Snaptooth and Flywhisker, are no longer part of the Clan.)

RULE 3: SINGLE-PARENT LITTERS

After the drowning of Mapleshade's kittens, the Queen's Rights were introduced to the Clans. All parents have the right to keep the other parent of their litters unrevealed.

This is in effect after the start of the Crusade Era, and it is an in-universe law, unlike the Two-Kit Max or even the Three Gen Sep. So, there are times in history (TigerClan, Oakstar's ThunderClan) where I need to be careful about using it.

But, that said, this is my most useful tool here. It allows me to create extra generations without having to work with TWO parents. However, it never matters if the kittens are adopted or surrogated, unless it is an honor-siring situation where the other cat is acknowledged publicly.

I NEVER get free "orphan warriors" past the Crusade Era. EVERYONE needs 1 parent (or joined as an outsider), and I do not track biological genetic makeup in these trees. Frostfur is, secretly, the daughter of Featherwhisker and a kittypet... but that will not be reflected on the tree, because ThunderClan acknowledges her as the daughter of Weedwhisker and Stonepelt.

Make sense?

The trees I'm creating are social. Not genetic. I don't calculate blood quotients.

And that's that! Them's the rules! You can compare the diagnosis to my ThunderClan WIP to see these in action.

[mannatea]

part 28 (ye final chapter of eliwood normal mode, part 2)

part 1 is here for those who missed it due to this blog being nuked for a day and a half.

buddy we are NOT chosen ones unless by that you mean we chose this path for ourselves!!! get outta here with that chosen one shit!

here we gOOOO

a few rescues of my blorbos later and Lyn gets the honor of finishing him off:

sorry lil dragon guy

ATHOS. i get emotional over athos but not because it's sad he's dying. it's more about the fact that he's been alive for SUCH A LONG TIME and that he's probably seen so many people pass on before him within that long life...and now it's finally his turn to go. idk, i feel like it's not a very sad fate when looked at like that.

rip to bramimond tho.

--

no more images because i'm pretty sure that's what flagged my account for termination in the first place. please forgive meeee. i just have these images in here because the draft saved before i was terminated lol.

--

ninian's talk about the fire dragons being "just like her" (curious?) is interesting.

also, you guys know my complete obsession with themes of ignorance and how often i link the "only ignorance" chapter of black beauty, so it did my heart good to see eliwood talking about it here with his line: "while we can claim ignorance, we still bear some responsibility." it's nice to see that he acknowledges the roles played in this tragedy and that they are explanations but not excuses.

"my sister... please cherish her." UGHHH NILSSSSS

you know, it's funny because in going back to my old dreamwidth i was nosing around through old fire emblem posts and i found one that was like "i don't love ninian but i can't stand it when people shit talk her" and in the comments people were discussing how nils is often overlooked and under estimated, too.

and now i'm like, actually!! ninian can do no wrong, so take that. i think in this replay i actually enjoyed nils more than i thought i would. i always felt like the dragon sibs were old as hell but only equivalently old in their human forms (so like, nils really is a child yet as a dragon, despite being so old), so nils still manages to show a lot of maturity despite still being a kiddo.

i do feel bad for him, though, having to go through the gate alone. it's a huge sacrifice. really wish he was a separate character who mirrored ninian's stats and had his own supports... even if he could only have a few (hector, eliwood, lyn, for example). that's just me being selfish, though.

anyway, i have nine billion thoughts about ninian and nils that i don't think i've ever really bothered to dive into so there's that!

but also there's something SO FUNNY about nils being like "lmao i want to live a long time, actually."

also, you know what's crazy?

"one year later"

eliwood: hector and the others are coming to my ascension ceremony

(LATER)

hector: we haven't seen one another since my brother's funeral

???

?????????????????????????????????

so did hector not come to eliwood's ascension ceremony or did ostia wait OVER A YEAR to do the funeral and hector's own ascension? or did hector ascend immediately with no fanfare?

either way, hector rocks a beard. it's a good look for him. no notes.

i wanted to paste all the screenshots of the paired endings i got butttttt i'm scared to invoke the wrath of tumblr so i won't. i did however manage to get these:

lowen/rebecca

oswin/serra

erk/priscilla

sain/fiora

kent/lyn

eliwood/ninian

and famed genius mark. <3

i'll do better on my next playthrough, and maybe fiora won't absolutely BLOW PAST FLORINA next time. good grief.

looking forward to playing more, but i probably won't update as much as i go, just because i don't want to bore everyone to death lol

[hyperlexichypatia]

Are disability rights a “Christian issue” or “religious issue” that non-Christians or non-religious people shouldn’t support? Where would that idea even come from? 

Before we get started – 

Disclaimer 1: Ableism permeates all of human society, including people of every religion and no religion. Resistance to ableism also permeates all of human society, including people of every religion and no religion. No religious, cultural, or philosophical demographic has a monopoly on ableism, or on anti-ableism. Nothing I am saying can or should be construed as “This religious group is more ableist than that one.” 

Disclaimer 2: In this post, I am mostly going to be talking about atheists and Christians, in an anglophone and specifically U.S. context, because that is the context in which I most often see this argument framed. I am very well aware that there is infinite religious diversity in the world, and disability and ableism issues in every religion, but I do not commonly see religions other than Christianity (and a loose, not-especially-accurate perception of Christianity, at that) being invoked, by professed atheists, as a reason to oppose disability rights. 

Disclaimer 3: My own standpoint is that I grew up Catholic and now identify as broadly a Deist. I live in a heavily Evangelical Christian culture. 

Now that we’ve got that out of the way… Every time I see any reference to disability rights, in the news, in social media, in fandom, in any context at all, I see objections from professed atheists who insist that the very concept of disability rights is an inherently Christian concept that should be rejected by non-Christians and non-religious people. Anyone who advocates for disability rights, regardless of xyr own religious beliefs, is accused of being a fundamentalist Christian in disguise (or occasionally a Scientologist), because this is the only possible worldview that could possibly lead to a conclusion that disabled people deserve equal rights. Obviously, I have a lot of objections to this argument. As a disability rights advocate, I believe that everyone should support disability rights, regardless of their religious beliefs or lack thereof. If some people come to a pro-disability-rights conclusion as a result of their religious beliefs, I think that’s great, but the important part is the conclusion. Furthermore, if some Christians support an issue for religious reasons, it does not logically follow that non-Christians have to come to the opposite conclusion. If, for religious reasons, some Christians believe it is wrong to stab people in the subway, it does not then follow that non-Christians should believe it is right to stab people in the subway. That’s not how anything works. But in addition to the bad logic of “Christians support disability rights, therefore non-Christians should oppose them”, what darkly amuses me about this claim is that, at least in the U.S., “Christians support disability rights” isn’t even true. Sure, some do. But they’re very much in the minority. Most American Christians either have no particular support for, or actively oppose, disability rights (just like most Americans in general). So the disability rights movement in the U.S. gets stigma from atheists for being “supported by Christians” without actually getting any of the benefits of being supported by Christians. And what’s especially frustrating is that this attitude is based on fundamental misunderstandings of disability rights concepts and conflating them with tangentially-related-but-fundamentally-different Christian theological concepts. A major example of this is the concept of “acceptance.” Many Christians believe that people should accept whatever happens to them, good or bad, because whatever happens to them is a manifestation of God’s will. Under this view, if someone becomes disabled, or has a disabled child, or has another disabled family member, they should accept this as part of God’s plan, no matter how undesirable it may be. By contrast, many people – specifically we’re talking about atheists who’ve specifically rejected Christianity – believe the opposite, that if something undesirable happens to you, you should take any means available to you in order to change it.

A disability liberation perspective doesn’t actually fit into this dichotomy. Regardless of whether you feel that people should accept or try to change undesirable things that happen to them, a disability liberation perspective questions whether disability is an “undesirable thing” in the first place. More fundamentally, it questions whether having a disabled child or family member is “happening to” someone else. When a discussion is framed around an abled family member of a disabled person and how they should deal with their problem, the entire premise is ableist. The point is that it shouldn’t have to be a problem, and more importantly, even if it is a problem, it isn’t your problem. This is so antithetical to mainstream thought that when we express it, people assume that we must really mean something else. When we say “Disability shouldn’t have to necessarily mean suffering” or “Someone else’s disability definitely doesn’t mean your suffering, because disabled people are their own people,” listeners think we’re trying to trick them into suffering for some kind of religious agenda. Nowhere is this more evident than in discussions about killing disabled people allegedly in order to “end their suffering.” The assumptions are clear: Living as a disabled person intrinsically means suffering. Death ends that suffering. Killing a disabled person is the correct way to alleviate their suffering. Therefore, to oppose killing a disabled person is to be pro-suffering. The only reason someone would be pro-suffering is for religious reasons. Therefore, anyone opposed to the killing of disabled people must be a religious extremist out to force their pro-suffering agenda on everyone. Arguing against killing of disabled people has gotten me accused of lying about my religion more times than I can count. 

A similar misunderstanding happens with the disability liberationist principle of rejecting eugenics. Many Christians believe, for religious reasons, that any interference in the natural reproductive process is wrong. This also leads them to reject forms of eugenics that involve interference in reproduction (such as selective abortion or forced sterilization). This is fine, although it’s worth noting that many such people are fine with preventing reproduction by preventing people from having sex (still the most common method of preventing disabled people from reproducing), so it’s not truly anti-eugenics. But for disability liberationists, the problem with eugenics isn’t interference in natural reproduction – i.e., the problem with forced sterilization isn’t that it’s sterilization; the problem with disability-selective abortion isn’t that it’s abortion – it’s the value judgment that being disabled, having disabled children, or being a disabled parent are undesirable. (See my well-written – if I do say so myself – “How to Be Pro-Choice Without Being Pro-Eugenics” series for more elaboration.)

Finally, there’s a certain culture of a certain strain of atheism (or “skepticism”) in the U.S. which defines itself around ideas like “objective reality,” “intelligence,” and “rationality,” in explicit contrast to religious and spiritual ideas (especially within mainstream American Christianity) of subjective knowledge, faith, and intuition.  But disabled, specifically neurodivergent, people’s perceptions and cognition fall outside both mainstream religious doctrine and mainstream conceptions of objectivity, intelligence, and rationality. Because neurodivergent people’s perceptions and cognition aren’t mainstream. Mad/neurodivergent liberation requires dismantling the idea, whether religious or secular, that one type of perceptive/cognitive process is “more intelligent” or “more rational” than another. People who hear or see or experience things that other people don’t, people who make connections that other people can’t, people whose ways of problem-solving fall outside the norms of what our society labels “intelligence.” Neurodivergent cognitive processes may not fit into the binary of “religious” or “secular.” But in a systemically neurobigoted society, the worst way to discredit someone is to call them some variation of “irrational” or “unintelligent.” Most people, regardless of their religion, do not support liberation of Mad/neurodivergent people, because most people, regardless of their religion or lack thereof, are neurobigoted.

So. To sum up.

Most people, regardless of their religion or lack thereof, are ableist. We live in an ableist world. Ableism is normal. If it were at all true that “religious people” (however one defines that) supported disability rights, the disability rights movement would have gained a lot more ground by now. We haven’t, because most religious and non-religious people alike oppose disability rights. In the spirit of my friend who says “Disability rights is a bipartisan issue because both parties hate us,” I would say “Disability rights is a nonsectarian issue because people of all religions and no religions hate us.”

[yeahthatswhatimtolkienabout]

I've returned! I'm listening to Hozier rn and bc my brain is Good Omens now, I've been thinking about a lot of his songs in context of the show and they fit soo painfully well.

In this essay (not really) I'd like to point out some songs that you can add to your GO playlists as well as just talk about Hozier and his lyrics for a bit bc outside of the context of GO bc they are gorgeous and this is my post goddammit.

- Unkown/Nth - this is first in my list bc it is calling to me rn and fits the best with the emotional beats of season 2. It discusses the fear of being unknown in a relationship, for the one you love to not see you for who you are.

Let's not forget to mention that this song is representative of the 9th circle of hell - the Treachery Circle - circle of betrayal. Getting into an elevator to go to heaven and leaving your demon bf is a bit treacherous Az, sry.

GO aside this song is beautiful, it is so earnest and wonderfully captures the feeling of not being seen in a relationship, having the other person just completely unaware of who you really are. And of course, stabbing you in the back too.

Just listen to it, its great.

- Of course we have the gem: From Eden - Crown of the collection. This song is about the snake that tempted Eve in the garden of Eden (and many other things besides). The lyrics are perf for GO, given the context and the chorus "Honey, you're familiar, like my mirror years ago" invokes nostalgia, perhaps of being an angel? And the line about going "to the strand, a picnic planned for you and me" just gives me feels bc we know our boys love a good picnic. "I slithered here from eden just to sit outside your door" okay Crowley.

- Take Me To Church - I feel the need to include this as I feel people will ask if I don't. I don't get A/C feels per se from this, but I understand why it is brought up a lot (other than being on Crowleys playlist), as it does discuss the hypocrisy of the Church and how they use your sins against you for their own gain.

- All Things End - sounds like "nothing lasts forever" 😭 I see the lyrics to this being about a relationship not working out, despite those partaking in it wanting it to and trying to give it another shot. It also talks about everything ending, and despite changing this - this should not change our plans - sounds v 2nd coming-y to meee.

- Francesca: Love the lyrics to this one, it explores themes of love, its endurance and power in the midst of challenges that would most likely shake others devotion. The very last paragraph speaks to me - it sounds light compared to the rest of the songs and I'll let the lyrics speak for themselves:

I would not change it each time

Heaven is not fit to house a love

Like you and I

Wah.

There are some honourable mentions here: To Be Alone, Like Real People Do, De Selby (part 2), Sunlight- to name a few!

Right. I'll shut up now and will get on with my fic.

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Helluva Boss S1E1 and S1E2

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Going this time into Helluva Boss, which shouldn’t be as long as my Hazbin Hotel analyses so I’ll probably be putting two episodes into each post, because HB is very much more about the interpersonal drama and setting than about HH’s cosmic-scale conflicts. However, HB does provide some very interesting context for HH, if they still exist in the same universe, and also interpersonal stuff is fun, so we’ll see how it goes. (Plus—trailer for the second half of season 2 means speculation! Whee! Obviously spoilers for that are here!)

(Also disclaimer that I’m not going through the rigamarole of finding that special slashed-O character so I’m spelling his name Blitzo and we all know the O is silent now, right? Right.)

Starting with Helluva Boss s1e1:

So one of my good friends got me into Hazbin Hotel, but she didn’t mention Helluva Boss to me because she didn’t think I would like it. She was almost right. I liked the style, the characters were fun, but the constant slapstick violence and edgy humor were really off-putting (as in, if that’s all the show was going to be, it wasn’t for me). It wasn’t until episode 5 that I stopped actively wanting to click away (Blitzo/Striker/Moxxie fight was real good okay), and episode 6 got me hooked like a very stupid fish (CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT). However, there’s still a lot to chew on in these early episodes.

Like the alarm lights under Blitzo’s desk. One of them says “client giving birth” and I am DESPERATE to know the story behind that one (or, like, read the fanfic inspired by it). Another says “ghost” (which, given that they’re in Hell, is hysterical, but also…season 2.5, Blitzo and Millie appear to investigate a haunted house. What is their policy on ghosts, exactly?). The rest seem pretty standard to me. Yes, even the “Stolas” one.

One of the things about this show (and Hazbin but let’s stick with where we’re at) that makes me particularly feral is all the background details. For instance: the very subtle signs that Martha and her family aren’t quite right. Lots of guns in the background, subtle bone décor, a literal child’s head mounted on the wall. Classic. Love that human spine lamp, Martha, do you have an Etsy?

Moxxie making little dog noises as his imp sounds is forever the cutest thing actually. Kinda wish I knew what it was that makes Millie’s chittering sounds, because she is equally adorable, just more unrecognizable.

Hazbin Hotel sometimes makes one question why children end up in Hell. Helluva Boss is here to say, “This. This is why. This is why kids end up in Hell sometimes.” Though there is still a huge question of nature vs. nurture in that argument (plus, y’know, since nobody knows what gets a soul into Heaven, they don’t know what gets a soul into Hell, either, but I digress).

This introduction to Stolas (for those of us who didn’t watch the pilot first) definitely shows a different sort of person than the Stolas we get later, which seems to be a favorite thing of Viv’s to do and a thing I’d be more upset about if it wasn’t so effective. Having watched so many times now, I’m starting to finally pick up on the music choices, and hearing Stolas’ song even this early really changes the tone of things, knowing the lyrics that get applied to it later (lol let’s watch Stolas set up the very thing that causes him so much grief later, this won’t end badly and my heart isn’t currently breaking at all).

Alright, diverting to Cosmic Plot for a bit: there are a lot of twig shapes hanging in the trees that look like eyes, and the beam that Millie and Blitzo are tied to has root and eye motifs carved into it. Martha invokes Satan first (in saying they’re going to return his filthy creatures, which is sort of correct, if the lore that imps descend from/were created by Satan is still true), but then says, “may the Root of Evil be honored as we continue thy work.” So, uh. Hey, Roo, the underlying Big Bad of the entire Hellaverse probably, nice to see the roots (pun really not intended, in fact done everything to be avoided, but no other word works dammit) of it being laid out early and in a way that rewards multiple viewings.

Speaking of multiple viewings: Blitzo pulling Moxxie close and threatening him with “if you ever pull a stunt like this again, I’ll fuck you AND your wife” really loses its teeth when you consider how much Blitzo loves insinuating himself into their lives and would be on cloud nine if they agreed to a threesome :P just. Blitzo there’s better ways to proposition people. Come on. “Jelly sandwiches all night” THERE’S a proposition, that’s how it’s done XD (gosh if they ever release the uncut version of whatever the heck Bryce was saying in the booth I think we’ll all pass away)

Moxxie electing to call the cops on Ralph (and subsequently get all three of them torpedo’d straight down to Hell anyway) is a strange choice, knowing he was raised in a mafia family, but even stranger is him thinking that the human authorities would deal with them fairly. Really drives home that despite their proximity, creatures of Hell really don’t get how Earth works. Or that Moxxie is a cream puff. Either way—

Y’know. I really, REALLY wonder how IMP doesn’t come under fire more from previous targets who wind up in Hell, and I am REALLY looking forward to the episode where it finally happens (sidenote to wonder if Martha and her family wound up in Hell at all, or…wherever Roo is).

On to Episode 2!

After introducing Stolas the way they did (aka as an aloof noble with a crush on Blitzo who is really condescending and also horny), the best thing they could possibly do was show that he’s a doting (if increasingly out of touch) father in a rancid marriage. Like. How dare you take this silly little guy and give him real feelings and real problems. How DARE you.

Which all gets worse if you consider how YOUNG Stolas was when he became a father; people calling him middle-aged have it wrong. Thirty-five at least is NOT middle-aged. That is a man still in his prime, not counting the fact that he’s an immortal demon prince. He’s practically a BABY. He had to have been not quite twenty by the time Via was laid and hatched, and HE LOVES HIS LITTLE GIRL SO MUCH—

(Also, the term for a young owl is “owlet,” but then I saw Bryce Pinkham spell it “owlette” in an Instagram post and now I understand where the different spellings in fanfic come from now. It’s more endearing knowing the voice actor is doing it. Even if it’s still wrong :P unless the script is deliberately going for “owlette” as in a female owl; even more permissible, if still annoying.)

“Now all my stories have been told except for one.” Okay. Okay. Hang on a second. Just gotta—hang on a second here. Stolas’ lullaby is a little morbid alongside it being sweet, because he’s essentially telling his daughter “even if I’m dead, you’ll be okay,” which has. So many layers to unpack. Helluva Boss seems to have as one of its major themes self-hatred and the ways it fucks up not only the person who has it, but their relationships, too. Stolas has zero self-worth, or very close to it. Telling his daughter that it doesn’t matter what happens to him is training her for her future as his precautionary heir—because her Goetia-given purpose in life is to take over his duties in case of his death—but it’s also him saying “I’m not that important, you’ll be alright without me.” Which is NOT his call to make. It’s also very sad that he says all of his stories have already been told but one—the story of his death—when he can’t be more than twenty-five at most (trying to do math, which is not one of my strong suits—if we assume 10 was when he met Blitzo, then 25 years later reconnected at 35, and Via is 17 when he’s 35…he would have had to have had her at 18…and if she’s no more than 5 or 6 in this sequence…he would be…23, oh my WORD). I’ve been suicidal and depressed at twenty-three, but I didn’t have a kid and a loveless marriage during it; I can only imagine the necessity of his Happy Pills, to be at the very beginning of a long eternal life and looking at it all with such desolation.

There’s such desperate hope in the lullaby, too; Stolas thinks it’s all over for him, and one day it’ll be over for all of creation, but despite it all, his little girl is still going to be okay. He’s in tears at the sight of her falling asleep thanks to his comforting. He loves her so much. He wants her to be okay when he isn’t anymore. And while that’s sweet, it’s also coming back to bite him in later seasons, because she ISN’T okay and HE isn’t okay either; his attempts to find himself and chase what he wants are the asteroid breaking up under their feet, only he isn’t holding her safe and close this time. Not for lack of trying, but it’s hard to be there for a struggling kid when you yourself are struggling—and worse, when his struggling is what is causing her to struggle too. I think Octavia appreciates the sentiment that he believes she’ll be okay, but what she NEEDS is for him to fight for them BOTH to be okay, and to know that she’s worth being okay for (“being okay” being the metaphor for “living” in this case).

And then cut from this tender scene to Octavia’s new normal: parents screaming, the cracks in their marriage becoming full-on breaks, and Stolas’ obliviousness and new obsession coming in to drag her away to a place she didn’t even really enjoy as a kid, it seems.

(The timeline of this seems weird; in the first episode, Stolas says it’s been quite some time that Blitzo’s been using the book, but this particular fight between Stella and Stolas appears to be fresh, the morning after the first time Stolas and Blitzo sleep together. Unless it’s been months and Stella is still raging like it’s only been hours, which is plausible for her, but I don’t see Stolas continuing to rehash the same steps of that argument like that. Maybe just some writing inconsistencies. I can live with it.)

Sidenote to say I need a Blitzo and Octavia bonding episode like I need air (and I KNOW what Brandon Rogers has said about Octavia and I genuinely don’t know if he was serious or not but he can SUCK IT UP).

“I’ll pay you~!” “Pay me what?” “Money~!” That might be the first time I’ve ever really heard the tildes in someone else’s voice XD Their HEIGHT DIFFERENCE, good GRIEF.

Also, Moxxie’s catchphrase. It’s adorable. It’s so incongruous with the setting. Why does he say that? Will we ever know?

LOL Fizzarolli appearing this early was something I completely forgot my first go-round. It makes me wonder if that particular Fizzbot is different from the others, because it seems to have way more personality and memories. (And can we spare a moment of sadness for knowing that around a decade ago this is where Blitzo was working, still as a clown, as close to Fizz as he could get while still stroking his massive self-hatred? LOL)

Man, the amount of references shoved in here that can only really be appreciated later—Mammon’s Loo Loo Land, Fizzbot shipped from Big Ozzie’s Factory, the fact that he calls them implings, which is only something I’ve ever heard Mammon say—GOLDEN.

I also want that Thing, Millie.

Stolas’ sense of humor turning out weird and kinda dark in a way that means he finds Blitzo trying to be funny actually humorous makes a weird amount of sense, for how sheltered and stifled he was.

“Looks like the kiddies are still running away from you” paired with Verosika’s “and I should have known you’d be here when I heard the Amber Alerts” has a synergy that I don’t know that I’m prepared to examine, actually. The soft-hearted sucker in me thinks maybe Blitzo has a soft spot for kids that his exes (and the robot version of his former best friend) have been poking at for so long it’s gone callused, which could be supported by his choice to adopt Loona and his desperation for any kind of family or connection, but. Idk. This show does go some really skeevy places with its humor sometimes that isn’t really meant to be more than skin-deep.

“Does anybody love you, BlitzO?” “No. But I’m really good with guns now” THAT’S IT THAT’S THE SHOW IT’S NOT GETTING ANY DEEPER I’M NOT WEEPING OVER BLITZO “NOT WANTING TO BE THIS WAY. NOT FOREVER.”

Wow. On-fire Fizzbot coming to take Blitzo down. This isn’t at all a manifestation of his issues that he’s steadfastly ignoring and instead siccing a dragon on. “OH, what a mouth.” SURE, BLITZO. SURE.

Thing I’m also waiting for: Stolas to actually acknowledge Moxxie and Millie. I mean. They do save his life later. Put that on your growth chart, Stolas my dude, not being a total jackass to all other imps that aren’t Blitzo (and even with Blitzo still being SUPER condescending, my hecking heck).

I wonder if Via hears all the things we the audience hear in the stuff that Stolas can’t say—your mother’s always been (mean, maybe), I haven’t been (happy), we weren’t in (love). Because, while Stolas not loving Stella is definitely one of Via’s issues still (given the s2.5 trailer), the bigger issue that Via has always had is Stolas leaving and not being there for her anymore. Which got its roots somewhere, not just from a childhood nightmare. But depression and self-hatred also do that, convince a person their loved ones are better off without them. And with the life situation Stolas is in, it’s not surprising that the more independent his daughter got, the less she saw of him, because he figured the less she needed him (the less she wanted him around). Holy CRAP it’s sad. And drilling right into my own vault of issues lol it’s fine.

(And the proof that Stolas doesn’t need Blitzo, he can protect himself and Via just fine; it’s the companionship he’s aching for, the love story he’s writing in the margins of what’s actually happening. The comfortable lie he’s telling himself and Blitzo is helping him prop up just like Blitzo’s own version. ARGH.)

“Slutty toy clown” OKAY BLITZO.

Alright, calling this post there bc it’s starting to get long. Unsurprisingly, I can go on for a while about just about anything. Future posts coming, and we’ll see how the two-episode per post thing goes when the episodes start getting longer. Toodles!