#i think having her do is as mostly strategy is interesting

[solar-halos]

ballad fandom i am once again in need of your feedback 🩷. i only included two options bc im curious what answers the question more, idrc if its a mix of both answers

[rolandkaros]

forever hilarious to me that tennis is promoted as this prestigious highbrow big-brain sport when most tennis fans these days are like. yeah this is my favorite player. yeah i don't know why they're like that. yes they are stupid. no i will not choose somebody else.

[moodr1ng]

did a dnd oneshot today kinda on a whim (signed up yesterday) and it was fun dgmw but also kinda made it clearer to me the kinda dnd im just not that into. we did very very little roleplay and most places we visited were quite summarily described and only there to get what we needed done and leave, and then after wrapping up our characters meeting, getting a quest, getting ready and going to the quest area in like 2 hours the rest was only combat. i got into it and all but ultimately not rly what i wanna do in dnd yknow... i love roleplaying and talking to npcs and exploring some worldbuilding and especially getting to do creative stuff and strategies, and i reckon this doesnt rly mesh well w the type of dnd that appeals more to people who most enjoy long and challenging fights against evil. i still had fun and enjoyed myself and the people were cool but also this is not something id wanna do a whole campaign of and its nice to get more experience to figure that out basically

[cuppajj]

Thoughts about BY 5 and 6

So I finished the episode at an unhealthy morning hour, and now after getting my full sleep, I can fully share my thoughts!

And of course, spoilers for the newest episode!

First things first, I want to talk about Burning Spice himself. A while back, I made a post about my hopes for him and how I didn’t want him to be a temperamental meathead, but instead a smart and calculating person who took from his extensive knowledge of history to psychologically destroy as much as physically. Did we get that?

Kinda, kinda not. Spice isn’t another Purple Yam like I’d hoped, he has more character than being just angry, but the hotheadedness does remain most of the way through. He reminds me of a strongman anime villain, the kind whose braun speaks more than brain, but still capable of strategy. Most of that strategy comes from Nutmeg Tiger though, as Spice is mostly interested in fighting Cheese from beginning to end. There’s no moment where he messes with her mind directly and picks apart her vulnerabilities beyond surface level “you hold things dear to you that I will destroy”. Which, implication is that he was more focused on just fighting, which in the context of how/why he is the way he is, kinda makes sense.

And about that, I’ll address it briefly: So we learn that Spice’s corruption, at least the straw that broke the camel’s back, was that he got bored watching history unfold. I think it’s very cool! While I was interested in a little more nuance behind his boredom, sometimes villains don’t need a complex reason for why they do what they do. It does make Spice less sympathetic than Mystic Flour though, so it seems like not all Beasts may be equal in cause and backstory. However, stuff about him may be explored later, since he’s going to be back.

So I would say that Spice isn’t as one note as I’d hoped, but he is a simple villain. A simple and very very fun and scary villain, but there could’ve been a lot more to his character in this story that made it lacking for me. I know BY chapters are usually short, but there could’ve possibly been more time showing the parallels between him and Cheese beyond a dialogue or so. It would’ve been really cool if Spice addressed those directly, using it against Cheese. Making her rethink/relive the trauma of losing everyone and mentally destroying her… like what if there was an exchange in the prison cell when she was at her lowest? What if Smoked Cheese had either been incapacitated and unable to speak, or in a separate cell so Cheese could be entirely at the Beast’s mercy? (We DID get a bit of that when Cheese realized how apathetic he was and what he saw in her soul jam, but that was more of a disgusted shock than a mental breakdown.) Smoked could help her out of her turmoil later (an exchange between him and Spice could’ve also been awesome), but Spice leaving mental damage on Cheese would’ve further spread the idea that he also values breaking things internally.

But, I guess Spice is just destroy destroy destroy to the point where he doesn’t really care about anything else, which is… fine. Admittedly not my cup of tea because it’s so basic, but it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy his motivation. I hope we get a little more nuance next time we see him.

Anyway love these sprites!! I wished we got more related to the first two, it shows a mellower and/or ironically colder side of him that I think would’ve really helped amplify his fear factor. Spice is all fun and destruction but the oh shit comes from him showing more of the calculated side he used to have.

But speaking of Golden Cheese, I’ll talk about her next.

Overall I really liked her story here! I love seeing her in action and on her own, and her interactions with Smoked Cheese were fun to see! Smoked Cheese was extra fun, I loved how he had sass while still caring for people beyond his kingdom’s entourage (his voice and mannerisms remind me of tfp knockout it’s crazy). I was also happy to learn how the soul cheese worked, since that was a question I had from last episode. It appears Smoked isn’t in his body, but his soul is projecting a physical form given mass that relies on Golden Cheese’s power. Very interesting, and I wonder if he’s just going to stay out now, or if he’ll return? And what of the others too…

Now, something I will say about Cheese is that while her character arc made sense for her in a bubble, I feel a similar thing like I did with Spice that it could’ve been much better. Personally, while Cheese staying true to her greediness and immense care for her treasures is a good thing to power her up, I don’t think it made her as bigger a person than Spice than she could’ve. What would’ve been cooler and more thematic for her character would’ve actually been accepting that destruction and the loss of things she cares about is a natural part of life.

What I mean by this is that while Spice embodies destruction, Cheese essentially embodies creation, which are two polar opposites that have their place in the universe. Antagonizing one or the other should come with a deeper approach to the message, and frankly, antagonizing destruction in its entirety is a very black and white angle. Destruction can be inherently bad and tragic, yes, but it can also pave the way for new life and new things to be created. Plantlife grows back after a forest fire. You can build something better upon the ruins of what was before. For Cheese, her kingdom could’ve been lost/destroyed, but she could’ve accepted it and strove for a newer and better kingdom. Which, in some parts she did, but my philosophy also applies to people lost too.

Death and destruction was a prominent theme in Cheese’s backstory, and much of her Golden City arc was confronting that. I suppose this is a separate talk for another time, but to put it simply, she didn’t have an arc about accepting those who were lost, moreso about striving to bring those who were lost back. The story ended with her promising to bring her friends back, instead of accepting that she lost them and focusing her strength on protecting those she still has with her. That last part could’ve actually been what the Spice story led to, with her first wanting to find a way to bring everyone back, but deciding by the end of it that she can protect the memory of her kingdom along with the living friends she still has. Smoked Cheese could’ve even helped her with that, showing that he cares for her over himself, leading to a heartfelt goodbye between the two. This is just a wishful image, but it would’ve been a really good way for CRK to tackle a deep theme and touch a lot of people’s feelings. But what we got was a lot simpler, with both Spice and Cheese’s characters and themes, which I guess makes sense. Some stories (or the game itself) don’t really want to be anything super deep in narrative, and that’s fine as long as they’re still fun, which this was.

Lastly I will say, I fear the awakening thing will get a little predictable and repetitive from here on out. Beast is a threat for the first chapter, continues to be a threat up until Ancient does a power of love and friendship introspection and transforms into a stronger version of themself. I hope one of them will be a little subversive in this—I don’t know how, I just hope these great stories aren’t bogged down by predictability!

But anyway, those are my thoughts about BY 5 and 6. Overall a great story, I’m so happy to get Spice and Cheese action because they’re two of my favorites, Smoked Cheese was fun, and I’m looking forward to the new Shmilk stuff we will be getting around the anniversary. After that I really hope Eternal Sugar is next, I have a bunch of thoughts/hopes for them too!!

Anyway thanks for reading!

[cynthiav06]

Question. do you think Percy should have stayed Single? Or ended up with somebody other than Annabeth? I Really think he should have stayed Single. Because I personally don't Like Percabeth, I don't Ship Percabeth and I don't Like Annabeth at all because of the way the Shippers act, or The way the characters themselves in Canon Act, like how Percy just does whatever Annabeth says, or how Percy is scared of Annabeth, Or how fans make it seem like Percy would become an Emo Edge Lord if something happened to Annabeth, Or How much she Belittles and Degrades him (I hate the nickname Seaweed brain), Especially since she acts like Percy cant do anything without her That moment when She and Reyna were talking about how ("Percy Couldn't find his way out of a Paper Bag without you")Made me SO mad it made me Dislike Annabeth even more and Dislike the Percabeth Ship as a Whole, I even hated when she Pretty much Restricted percy of using his powers You Know? "The sea doesn't like to be Restrained" well here it is.. being restrained...Exactly what it hates, and I hate how the Fandom makes Percabeth a Godly Ship saying they are the "It Couple" which they aren't and how They treat anyone who doesn't like Percabeth or Ships Percy with someone else other then Annabeth, but the one thing I HATE the most is how they make EVERYTHING percy Does Romantic for Annabeth like she's the only person who matters to him (Percy Only Remembering Annabeth (a Girl he's Known for only a couple years) Instead of The woman Who RAISED him by a goddess who isn't even the goddess of Love Made me SO MAD and Even when Annabeth made Percy remember when he was in the River Styx when it should have been his Mom made me mad) which is why I mostly believe that Percy Should have just stayed Single (I'm all for an Aromantic Percy) or At least Give him a Love interest who he can be Comfortable around and doesn't have to Constantly walk on Eggshells around her (I wished he Dated Rachel) or Hell Even make him Gay i've saw characters who have Better chemistry with Percy then Annabeth IMO but this all just my opinion.

You honestly don't know how long I could rant on this exact subject.

It's partly Annabeth's fault, and it's partly Rick's fault.

Anyone and everyone who has read the Pjo and HoO series should have noticed how illogical Percy's personality change was.

Percy Jackson, the hero of Olympus and the strongest demigod to ever live, sassy as can be, laid back but scary beyond measure if you cross him and an absolute menace to his enemies and loyal to death.

That's who he is, and Rick remembered that initially, and even till Son of Neptune then he just forgot how Percy someone he himself wrote to be this way is.

It's like Percy has no identity of his own, and he is only significant if he is with Annabeth. Like hello, he's the main character people, is the Fandom seriously going to degrade the main character, especially when the said mc is Percy Jackson???

Percy, despite his own issues, is and will always be foremost in helping people. He would be the first person to help keep the seven together. He would be the first to try and make a bond. He wouldn't have some stupid and illogical and totally ooc beef with Jason. Instead, he would help Jason be more sure of himself to stand up to Jupiter and for himself.

He would help Leo personally to bring back Calypso and they would both shit talk Olympians and how fickle their oaths are.

He would literally do anything to save Nico. Like hello, are you telling me that the boy who at 14 took it upon himself to bear the Great Prophecy, which he thought who end up killing him just to save Nico from that fate????? He would go absolutely madly feral to save Nico from the Giants.

If Piper and Reyna had their screws all properly fit they would see that Annabeth and literally everyone else would be all left to die if it wasn't for Percy. Percy gets himself out of everything by his own efforts and his own strategies. (Annabeth's rarely work). It's time the Fandom acknowledges that the best strategist in the verse is Percy, no questions asked and finally give him due credit for all HIS efforts.

Percy would never ever leave Sally unless it was for a quest, especially not when she was pregnant and absolutely not to go to college, something he hates especially when it concerns New Rome.

Here's a thing about Percabeth shippers they care about Annabeth's plans and her dreams, not Percy's. It is literally so out of character for Percy to want to live in New Rome a place that invests in a child army, a place that despises his father and wouldn't even build him a decent temple, a place so extremely cut off from the sea.

If Percy wanted to live in peace and grow old, he would do it in a place of his choosing close to his mother, Paul and Estelle, and close to the sea. But here's the thing about Percy.

I don't think people get this, but Percy can't just up and leave, nor would he want to. His damned fatal flaw is LOYALTY. He would never ever leave demigods or anyone helpless by leaving Camp Half Blood. Sure he would take less quests on but he would ALWAYS stick around and Rick did him so dirty by making all his thoughts revolve around Annabeth and insinuating he would let others suffer just fine to be with Annabeth.

Percy gave up immortality because he took Sally's teaching to heart as she did so too when she denied Poseidon's offer. He did it for himself for demigods it didn't have shit to do with Annabeth, but of course, he would look at her because she represents his life as a demigod.

Rick making Percy see Annabeth near the Styx and making him remember Annabeth instead of Sally is just him bullshitting. We all know Percy is a mama's boy, and he would do right by Sally always, so him giving a girl who he has known for barely long enough has no basis to it.

And Percabeth stans literally can't take a mention of a single alternate Percy pairing that alone is the biggest red flag. Because they know their ship is toxic and that Annabeth is the root of it.

For the PEOPLE IN THE BACK aka toxic stans:

Annabeth's fatal flaw is HUBRIS, and she is by nature controlling and condescending, and her character had the chance to GROW and CHANGE, and it would have been the most epic character growth sequel but she did not and she is CONTROLLING, DISMISSIVE , DEMEANING.

The newest Read Riordan entry literally has Annabeth saying that she needs to catch up to Percy cause he scores a better grade than her in school (even there Percy is smarter folks there you have it) and she literally says if she doesn't catch up Percy might start calling her SEAWEED BRAIN. So it is a demeaning nickname she gives Percy and continues calling him that even after knowing how Gabe similarly verbally abused Percy.

This is the fandom's IT couple? Wow. Percy literally is going against his own nature of being free and unrestrained like the sea because of Annabeth's controlling nature.

The worst of her behavior is when she blames Percy for his disappearance when she dismissed him when he was talking about his trauma induced by Gabe, her beyond toxic treatment of Rachel, especially when she unreasonably asked Percy to supress the use of the very power that got them out alive (she is scared naturally but she cannot force her own fear on Percy when he did nothing wrong).

So yeah, Percy Jackson with anyone but Annabeth. I am all for aromantic Percy, but personally, I find Perachel to be more appealing.

Trust me, I could rant about this for hours, especially how Rick butchered Percy's personality and made it full of Annabeth, especially how he threw Percy's insecurities and trauma and PTSD out of the gutter post tartarus.

[thedissonantverses]

The Inquisitor failed where Rook succeeded.

These games aren’t about Solas and the Inquisitor and it would actually make the story incomprehensible and worse if that was the case.

Or my breakdown of why having the elven agents would have been a no good, very bad terrible idea.

So right off the bat my first problem with this is that I don’t care about Solas’ loneliness. It’s his own fault. He killed his friends. I like the character. I understand his motivations. I redeemed him. He is compelling. He’s still the antagonist. He still committed atrocities. You can ship him all you want. I do.

But you cannot uncouple what he’s done to rationalize his actions. He willingly got a body. Sure Mythal might’ve manipulated him but he did in fact make the choice. Same with the Titans. For that alone he’s a monster. Forcing all the blame onto Mythal ignores the text and no it’s not surprising some people latched onto the nearest woman to excuse a man’s actions. She is culpable and he is culpable. They’re both Evanuris no matter how much that chafes Solas’ mythology about himself.

Solas also let the elven gods out then lied to Rook when he blamed them because it’s his whole m.o. He fucked up a ritual he shouldn’t have been doing in the first place. Hell even if Solas didn’t fuck up his own ritual a second time, it’s still his fault. If he had asked for help a single time none of this would have happened. Varric would still be alive as would all of the people Elgar’nan and Ghiln’nanin killed.

Forcing in elven agents, where we would mostly likely be forced to battle and kill them, would be the worst way to handle the elves in DA. Like it’s an exceptionally bad idea. Which is why I’m so glad they didn’t do it. You cannot tell me that you like the elves and understand the lore then have them start what amounts to a holy war in retaliation for past holy wars on behalf of a man who wants to openly destroy their world. Then turn around and say BioWare hates the elves. Or that they handled the Dalish badly because they sure did a better job than you did. It’s a level of cognitive dissonance that is truly baffling.

This story is not about the Inquisitor either. The Inquisitor, oh wait another holy figure, I don’t care how much you said shem in your fanfiction. The narrative has already set up the Inquisitor to be like Solas you don’t need to enforce this yet again, it was done well the first time. The Inquisitor failed to capture him because they think too much like him. Which is what Trespasser was about.

Rook is well established in the first major scene with Solas both visually, thematically, and narratively. Knocking down Elgar’nan’s statue. Thinking of a strategy no one else did because they let Solas set the terms of the match. Varric, knows all this, and knew he was most likely going to die talking to Solas, set Rook up in his place. Varric who found the lyrium dagger and set all of this in motion. Varric who sets Rook on the board to belabor the chess metaphor. Rook, because of all this, is a much better narrative foil for Solas because they are just a mortal and all but nameless and not some mythical divine figure sent from on high for Solas.

Solas has killed and driven away all his friends including your beloved Lavellan. He sure didn’t love her enough to tell her the truth when he should have. Rook knows they need help. They could never do anything else.

A mortal willing to stand against gods? That’s what’s compelling. Good people pulling together to fight tyranny is always going to be a better story than a man who betrays the people he loves at every turn.

Dragon Age has such a rich and interesting lore and frankly at this point twisting everything to be about one character is disrespectful to almost 20 years of crafting on the part of the writers and creative team. It actually makes me angry that their hard work is being torn apart because people want to force everything to be about one character. Not only did you completely miss out on a beautiful story to force an interpretation like this, you don’t even know what universe you’re in.

TLDR: The story is called Veilguard because it’s about Rook and the Veilguard. Hope this helps.

[krowlovesinazuma]

I posted this by accident... ;-;

Check out this prologue and this post for context!

Scenario: Talking to them about modern wars

Characters: Kujou Sara, Sangonomiya Kokomi

With your appearance and needing to protect you, combined with all the things she already has to do as part of the Tenryou Commission, you shouldn't expect her to start this conversation. She can't help but be curious sometimes, but she won't tell.

The conversation would probably start with you making an off hand comment about wars in your world, which would lead her to ask, just for the sake of it. After all, information was never bad to have as a militarist... At least, that's what she thought.

She couldn't help but wish that it was a bad joke at first, but she listened intently, and asked many questions. Some were for precautions in her line of work, others were slightly more for curiosity's sake. It's easy to tell which is which from the tone of her voice, much to her dismay.

She wanted to hear you talk about battle strategies, but sadly, the battles themselves were never the focus of general history much, to her dismay. You were able to tell her about larger strategies, however, which she did wish to hear more about.

What scared her the most were the motivations. She understood that wars were not a fight of good against evil, but even she was appalled when she heard the political issues that led to these conflicts.

Well, either that, or the sheer mass of numbers related to everything. Millions of deaths across the world, all just listed as data and passed off as history... It was terrifying for her to think about such large numbers.

And then the weaponry... She was actually interested in hearing about this quite decently, but after hearing the first few details, mainly gigantic bombs or mechanized guns, she was done.

As soon as she's done with this break of hers she's going to thoroughly rethink aggressive politics and the dangers of large-scale conflicts. Partly for her country, but she couldn't shake this fear for her men, herself, or even for you...

"Please excuse me for having interrupted you, but I do not wish to know more. It's... Unsettling to think about, especially how you just mention it so casually. I know we may have a dark past as Inazuma as well, but I assure you, we'll maintain this peace, for all our sake."

Kokomi loves reading about old warfare and similar tales in her downtime, so it was a simple matter of time before she asked about it when the two of you were just relaxing in down time.

She couldn't lie, she was half expecting you to not know, as many in Inazuma didn't know many specifics about old wars, especially since they were so many centuries ago. When you told her that the ones you spoke about were only about a century old though, she was curious.

The large scale of everything did take her off guard however. While she read of warfares, none she knew involved such large countries, especially not any that were that recent. She realized how serious of a subject this was, and yet you were so casual about it...

She asked why you treated it as common knowledge, and to her surprise, it was apparently supposed to be? It saddened her to hear that it was all just data for most people, but the thought of hearing more details kept her hooked.

The first thing that truly unsettled her were the origins of the war. She understood that it was the reason why it was spread as common knowledge, but the fact that it happened either way was more than troubling, especially as a leader herself.

She couldn't even imagine the aftermath that you described. She had gotten used to taking losses and learning to overcome them in her time as a leader, but never had she faced something so devastating as the things you describe.

And then of course, the weaponry. While she was mostly intrigued by the use of firearms and how advanced they were from swords and shields, but when the theme switched to nukes and bombardments, she was very much intimidated.

She tried to act the same after that talk, but she couldn't help but feel worried for both you and her island if tension ever came to rise. Sadly for you, that means more effort into her work for her.

"Huh? Of course I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me so much. In fact, I'm thankful for you telling me all of this. I know that we don't have numbers as large in our humble island, but it's better to be safe than sorry... What do I mean? Well, treating my leadership with more care, for starters."

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I know that you mostly post about the Temu Royals but I am finding the new communications strategy of the Waleses to be quite interesting. They invited an amateur photographer, Liz, a young woman with cancer to take the photos at the investiture William did today, Catherine was there too but unannounced.

It seems to me they’re trying to keep thigh control over their social media while appearing more “approachable” but leaving the RR in the dark.

What do you think of it?

Quick little disclaimer first: I don’t want to be posting mostly or only about the Sussexes. I would rather actually not be posting about them as much as I do but I don’t get a lot of asks about other happenings in the BRF. I’m thinking about taking some longer breaks as we get into my busy season at work because this is too much Sussex.

I like the new media approach. I feel like it’s something William and Kate have wanted for a very long time - to have more control over how they’re covered. Not in a censorship kind of way, but more in a…putting “mystique” back in “royal mystique, or drawing a very sold, very defined line between what the public can access and their privacy. - so when everyone blew their top about simple edits to a family photo, they decided to take advantage of the moment.

The rota to me is a double-edged sword. On one side, they’re responsible for covering the royal family and providing information about them to their public. But on the other hand, they’re a money-making for-profit endeavor. They will only ever always cover the royals in ways that makes them, or their bosses, money. Meaning controversy, scandal, secrets, and gossip sell better than standard straightforward reporting - aka, the Court Circular.

The second part of it is the intrusiveness and pervasiveness of media today. First, the pervasiveness: the 24/7 media cycle has entitled the public to demand constant coverage of all newsmakers (politicians, athletes, musicians, actors, royals, etc.) to justify their interest in them. Because the public demands constant coverage, it’s similarly entitled, and enabled, the press - especially the rota - to demand to be in the newsmakers’ spaces. They believe it’s their job to be constantly present and they enforce their presence with controversy, scandal, secrets, and gossip under the guise of “informing the public.”

Then second, the intrusiveness: the use of social media has entitled the public and press to not only demand inclusion in the newsmakers’ private non-public spaces, but also to offer commentary and criticism over those spaces and that portion of their lives.

So because of that pervasiveness and intrusiveness, the lines between private and public and between fact-based reporting and opinion editing has blurred, and blurred so badly that it’s nonexistent. It probably didn’t help to have royals like Charles, Diana, Camilla, Andrew, Sarah, Harry, Meghan, and Eugenie running to talk to the media every single time they were offended or wanted attention. (And it also didn’t help that some reporters were hacking phones either.) Because certain senior royals were friendlier with the press, it ushered in an era of open transparency that enabled the public and the press - including the rota - to demand identical access and transparency from all royals in their personal lives/personal relationships - William and Kate especially.

After all, look what happened when Kate asked for privacy and needed some time to recover from a major surgery in hospital; the public and the press demanded she show herself and when she didn’t, it became controversy and scandal and the gossip proliferated in an attempt to force her out, and members of the rota were actively participating in that too.

Anyway. All this to say that KP’s new media strategy of disengaging with the rota to communicate directly to the public themselves using their own channels is good. I think so, at least.

The rota has gotten too big for its britches, in a way, especially if they felt emboldened to criticize Kate’s desire for privacy to convalesce from major surgery - and then a shocking cancer diagnosis - in private. They’ve needed reform for a long time, since the mid-90s-ish (when the 24/7 media cycle first became problematic (and I have theories on that too which I’m happy to discuss if anyone else wants)), which Harry was right to want and work towards.

Except Harry’s vision for reforming the rota and the monarchy’s relationship with the press was, essentially, censorship and autocratic control (ie “print only what I tell you to print and nothing else”), effective immediately. William’s solution seems to be more baby steps; letting the rota still have most of their access to do most of their work, but removing their ability to cover certain private or personal events (eg the birthday photos) and occasional work engagements (eg this latest investiture), then hopefully being able to scale that up to where the rota is actually doing their job to report on the monarchy, vs generating controversy or scandal to sell headlines. I do hope that William’s plan to modernize the monarchy’s media strategy means that he will diversify the rota and open it up to more publications and more new media - including from the realms, instead of letting traditional Fleet Street publications/tabloids hold the monopoly (because I do think that power has gone to all their heads, and I do agree with Scobie on Endgame that leadership of the rota needs to be on a rotating term basis, instead of always permanently Rebecca English).

I do think yesterday’s investiture where there was no media but the one photographer was probably a one-off event, perhaps along the lines of “make a wish” (but not really; I do think the Waleses felt for Liz and really wanted to give her/her family special, happy moments after having dealt with their own similar challenges this year.)

Personally for me, I don’t think there’s much to comment on about whether all future investitures will be embargoed or press-restricted until/unless it happens again because once is a happenstance, twice is a coincidence, thrice is a pattern.

[theheraldsrest]

“Romanced Companions react to Inquisitor walking in on Companions Changing”

Hahaha! How the turntables! Thank you for the request, @magnimoon ! Here’s something to think about: who sleeps with underwear on and who doesn’t? Mull it over a bit

-Lord Lex

Cullen

-He’d be used to people walking in on him changing, having been a soldier and in close quarters with other. Problem is: either you have to climb a ladder to get to his room or else he’s changing in your room and no one really enters it but you and him, maybe some servants. So he just pauses for a second after turning to look at you and letting everything register in his head before quickly covering himself. Says it’s “indecent for you to see him like this.” You have literally slept with him, you’ve seen him naked enough times. He still says it’s indecent.

Josephine

-She gets surprised and will cover herself when you enter, but she’s a little bit more casual than Cullen. Josey will simply say “Oh! It’s just you, love,” before turning back to finish getting dress. Sure, her face might be a little red but she’ll still act like it’s a common and normal thing for you two. Might ask you to turn around and give her a moment to finish, might not. Depends on how busy she is for the day.

Solas

-It’s a coin toss. He loves it when you adore his body as well as if he gets the chance to adore yours; but, at the same time, he also wishes for privacy most of the time. If you somehow walk in on him getting dressed, he’ll mostly seem unfazed, simply asking if you need something. The coin toss comes in on if he either gives up on getting dressed to spend some “time” with you, or if he just continues to get dressed because he’s got stuff to do. 

Cassandra

-Another who will cover herself and ask you to leave or to turn around. Cassandra might be a warrior but she’s still a lady, she wants her decency. If you try to flirt with her while she’s like this, you can clearly see her face and shoulders go red as she tells you to quit it. You can usually tell if she’s being serious or joking about it, especially if she throws something at you to get you to leave. Cass does love you but quit fucking around and finding out.

The Iron Bull

-The casualist man you’ve ever seen. He’ll have a full blown conversation with you while he’s butt ass naked. Any hint that you want something more? Done, he’ll forget about getting dressed. Don’t want to do anything? Alright, Bull’s gonna keep going about his business while chatting away. Think it’s more of a problem that he might just forget to put his pants on if you guys start talking about something interesting or the conversation gets intense. Others have walked in to see Bull complaining about war strategies while commando.

Dorian

-Dorian most likely has a changing screen, I’m calling it. Anyone walks in, he can just call around it to ask who it is. If it’s you, he’ll pop his head around to properly greet you. Doesn’t really care if you see him naked, just likes his privacy from others. Now, there have been times when something has popped in his head and he’ll drop everything to go find it in one of his books or papers. And when I say drop everything, getting dressed is included. You’ve walked in on him standing there naked, book in hand and brow furrowed as he mumbles to himself. 

Sera

-As wild as she is, Sera also values her privacy. Not just anyone is allowed to look at her tits, only her Inky. That being said, you walk in while she's getting dressed, an arrow will come very close to your head. You’re not getting an apology but she will be much more welcoming than if it had been anyone else. Like Bull, she’ll just chat away as she gets dressed but she also gets distracted and will forget that she’s supposed to be getting dressed. Sera’s just standing there (barbeque sauce on her titties), wildly gesticulating as she’s still only in her pants. Might also get distracted if another activity is hinted at, which gives her an excuse for no clothes.

Blackwall

-First thing you see is butt. He’ll keep his back to you so you don’t see the front because “that’s indecent”. But unlike a certain someone(s), he’ll instead wrap something around his hips and turn to you. Sure, if there’s more flirting, he might just forget about covering himself. But if it’s just some small thing, he’ll continue to dress himself. Though he might make some suggestive comments about you joining him in the nude.

---------------------------------------------------------

Edit: Cabot has just pointed out that the question I posed should’ve just been “who wears underwear” point blank. After thinking this over, I have no idea how to feel and no, I will not share what popped into my head.

[duchessofostergotlands]

I'm so upset. I can't believe I fell for the smear campaign against Blake Lively. I read the full complaint and that PR strategy was so insanely messed up. Justin Baldoni acted disgusting towards Blake and other women on set, so they painted her as a bitch to distract from it. Ugh.

I actually think it’s great that when you’ve been presented with evidence you have changed your mind and expressed remorse because let me tell you, so many people would just ignore this or double down, whether they actually believe in his innocence or not. I had no interest in this movie so I didn’t talk about it at the time publicly. But I definitely observed it as a bystander - mostly on Instagram - and I did think "it's weird that she's saying nothing about domestic violence and Justin's the only one who seems to know what this movie was about." So I can completely see how people got caught up in it.

I’m really hoping this leads to people questioning other eerily similar situations from recent years. Like when Free Britney led to a bit of a reckoning about how female stars in the 2000s were treated in the media, this should make people start doing what you have done and ask questions about what else they got wrong...

[reddishwork]

Thoughts on Alicent Reverses the Hourglass post-Chapter 55 (spoilers)

Seeing as Chapter 56 will be a shameless smutfest, I just wanted to write about some of my internal process re my fic. I don't know if that's interesting to anyone, but this is really just a ramble.

The main way that I look at it is who will put their arse on the Pointy Chair 'in the end'. That's the crux of the world and the mainstay of every character within that world. Never mind the fact that only about 14% of them know anything at all about politics, diplomacy and the land's economy! When you consider it though, people do rise to power without understanding any of those things so it does make sense imo.

In the red corner (or is it black/green corner) you have Team Daemon/Alicent. As our main couple, they not only have the readers (mostly) on their side, the support of the Velaryons and the Lannisters and the power to correct time. Not that they use this very usefully. Daemon wouldn't be a great King, in my opinion. He wants it because he is the 'second son' who, despite being the better warrior and stronger personality, got placed as Viserys' second fiddle and so he's coming back for retribution - and also to save Rhaenyra from the claws of an unwanted marriage. At least that's what Alicent and Daemon keep telling themselves. Daemon understands power and strategy, but he is hair-trigger and bad with diplomacy. Alicent's influence would be incredibly useful here and I think Alicent, having learned from the past, would be a decent Queen and proxy ruler. Their chances are looking good so far.

Then we have Aegon the Reborn. We don't really know why he has been given a second chance yet but he's here and he's got better coping skills (and better parents) this time. Too young yet to say what kind of King he would be but we know that the Small(er) Council, Otto, Valery and Larys all prefer him vs Daemon. I suppose that means he preemptively has the Reach at least?

Next is Baelon the Blind, Viserys and Aemma's poor child who was born with a litany of disabilities. He's not exactly got the best cheering squad so far with his mother banished for years and his father uninterested in his general wellbeing - but he does have that 'Rightful Heir' card in his deck, plus the fact that he is due to wed his own sister in true Targaryen fashion.

We also have to consider Rhaenyra herself. She has a claim and we know that, if her brother hadn't been born, Viserys would have supported her. She's been having a rather rough time after her years of punishment at the Sept and having her son ripped from her arms by a woman who hated her on sight. If Rhaenyra claims the throne, she might be able to right the wrongs done to her, but does she want it enough this time around and, without Daemon, does she have the support? (and does she deserve to forget Westeros entirely and fly away on Syrax for some adventure)

Finally, we have the underdog. Jace. Though he doesn't know it, he's the Princess's first son and, although he is a bastard, he has a Blackfyre-like claim to the Iron Throne. Growing up with an adopted mother like Valery will either break him or mold him into someone indestructible and honestly it's the latter. With Alicent and Daemon's Helaena in his future, I, for one, think that they would make a nice King and Queen. It's too bad that his illegitimate parentage would cost him most of his support, as we know how Westeros feels about bastards.

And then there's the will of the witch to consider. She made all of this possible and she might have a pre-ordained ruler already selected.

Who do you think should have it because I'm a bit torn? (Let's face it, it's probably going to be Daemon. Someone fireproof the Reach).

[ir-abelas-vhenan]

Desperately Searching for Dwarf/Titan Content. Coming up (Mostly) Dry :/

Part of the strategy with my second playthrough is to pay attention to my surroundings quite a bit more since I'm no longer in a hurry. I've also always been into the paintings we find (Solas' or otherwise) but I turned up the brightness in photo mode to better illuminate this one, which lurks in a darker corner of the music room at the Lighthouse today, and I think it could be useful for people interested in examining the Solas/Mythal relationship, and perhaps for those who, like me, wish there was more content surrounding what Solas did to the titans and dwarves.

Obviously, it being art and all, it's open to interpretation, but I personally take a lot away from what seems to be a depiction of a wolf engaging in violence while a Mythal-shaped woman watches on from within radiant light (of the golden city, perhaps?)

The wolf looks haggard, gaunt, maybe? And blood is dripping from its fangs and onto a hand reaching out from the ground, so I'm taking it as perhaps the only real reference I've seen in a minute of Solas actually acknowledging what he did to the dwarves and the titans* (asterisk followed up on below the divide so this isn't too long on anyone's page).

And even that is just me making a reach there, but it does make me wonder if it was something that was originally going to be looked at more (especially with the game's previous title) and just ended up being another thing that the team decided not to keep. At the very least, despite there being 8 ish years between this game and Trespasser, the painting seems older in age to me, so I wonder when he started struggling with this self-image of a destructive beast getting its hands dirty to preserve the clean image of the one giving it commands.

*(fully fucked up their lives as they had always been and ended a good many of them, btw.) This is a side tangent that probably deserves its own post, but I do think a lot of Solas/solavellan fans would do well to grapple/reckon/sit with that a little more because the fights I've seen break out between dwarf fans who would just like at bare minimum some acknowledgement of the role he played and others who are intent on fully shutting them down are brutal.

I, personally, would have liked more that addressed this in-game other than Harding getting the chance to mention it only once to him, and that's IF she lives and you bring her to the final mission). I think there are maybe a few more dialogue references to it in Veilguard, but that mixed with the near-silence from Solas if you bring him along for the relevant DLC in Inquisition (I know some have theorized it's because a lot of people do it after he leaves the party/the devs didn't plan on him being there or that he just feels too guilty/conflicted to say anything, but with how big a plot point it is that's not enough to satisfy specifically me) just leaves me like okay...I like this character. But we get to his happy ending (if that's what you so choose for him) without ever really forcing him to struggle on-screen with dwarves and what he's done to them. And I wish we had gotten that beyond just a painting I'm inserting that plot line into.

[joseline-woodhouse]

I want in on talking about Annabel and Prospero.

Since most posts I've seen are about how nice it is to watch them being healthy for one another (it really is, I adore their dynamic) I decided to talk about how neither of them would hesitate to kill one another eventually.

First of all both Annabel Lee and Prospero are calculative people. Both of them care for only the outcome and how to get there. I have seen people call Annabel a hypocrite for protecting Prospero because he's important to her after what she did to Duke and I entirely disagree, more on the rescue from Ada later. We have established that Annabel really doesn't care that everyone in the academy (except one, if the Deans can be trusted) is doomed.

I don't think Annabel's general willingness to sacrifice people needs to be discussed.

Now, I'm leaning a bit far out the window here, but take a good look at Prospero in the left picture above, he looks more frustrated than anything. His chances just got a lot worse, he needs to rethink his strategy and on top of all that Ada is invading his personal space again.

Moving forward to what I think makes their mutual betrayal inevitable, the episodes after the Mansion Arc (this is were it gets interesting):

Until now we have seen Prospero mostly be mildly bothered by whatever is happening. When everything fell apart during the Lesson and everyone except for him apperently just did not do their job, he seemed like he was about to explode and seriously questioning his choice of team. Everyone else appeared to just want to go on with the day, Prospero however demanded answers, proving that he cares to win this entire game without getting side tracked.

Further his behaviour during the lesson shows that he actually doesn't get how anyone else would still be reluctant to kill their friends here. He was genuinely not expecting anyone to act out of empathy anymore.

And after the widow's watch affair and him witnessing Annabel freaking out after the labyrinth and smoothly asking about Pluto instead of giving an explanation, he is surely just one big-ish failure or unwillingness to take action away from openly confronting Annabel how it can be that whenever she is alone with Lenore, things go south ways, how whenever people want to act against Lenore, she calls it a waste of time despite the growingly obvious threat that Lenore poses.

I think Annabel actually does matter to him, and I think he matters to Annabel as well, but both of them expect something really specific from one another and sympathy alone means little to them.

Now about Annabel saving Prospero.

I believe this says everything:

Since Annabel is a chess player, get ready for chess metaphors:

In chess, most gambits are about giving away a pawn. Why? Because a pawn has very little value on its own and sacrificing a pawn in order to get a slightly more profitable structure on the board can actually be worth it.

Sacrificing a queen? If you do something like that, you better be 100% sure you're seeing a forced checkmate.

Not only is Prospero's spector really powerful, Prospero is also the only thing keeping Annabel in control of her own team right now. Other than Prospero who's supporting her as long as she keeps bringing results, she is stuck with Ada who is a complete wild card and useless most of the time, Morella who is only half on her team, Will who is loyal mostly to Montresor and Montresor who constantly challenges her leadership.

The way things are standing right now, everything she has build would fall apart the very moment Prospero is gone.

Also, what if Annabel and Lenore have to stay long enough for their teams to start falling apart? Whom does Annabel want to face in a one on one? Someone like Montresor who's spector can very much use brute force against her or someone like Prospero who's spector is similarly unforceful as hers?

We even saw, that Annabel can just simply neutralise Prospero's rats with her fog, leaving him with no real attack on her. While he applies her with status conditions she can use her blossoms to attack him after she used her fog to make his rats disappear like she did on the widow's watch

Annabel did not safe him because she likes him, which she does. She saved him because he is a very important piece for her game and no real threat to her in the long run.

Prospero follows Annabel not because he likes her, which he does, but because she keeps bringing results. Or at least she did until rather recently.

[joannerowling]

I love Percy too! He is one of my favorite of the minor characters. Please use this ask as an excuse to talk about him <3

Ok, i LOVE Percy - not so much as a person, i like him as a person post DH only - but i love him as a character because he exposes how dysfunctional the Weasleys can be, despite Molly and Arthur's best efforts (and i think they are VERY GOOD parents, but even very good parents will struggle with raising seven kids; it's just mathematics! there are 36 dyads in that family, imagine the complexity). In Harry's eye the Weasleys are this perfect family, a model of good-natured chaos and assured mutual support, but of course things aren't as simple as he perceives them to be. Families with many kids are defined by the tensions that arise when siblings fight for their parents's attention, which is natural instinct really. If you pay attention you can see the subtle ways in which each Weasley kid has developped strategies to obtain that attention, and these strategies define their identities until they learn to outgrow them.

Percy picked the "Responsible and Reliable Son" strategy, likely in reaction to Bill and Charlie being both a bit rebellious. Molly praises Bill a lot (moreso than Charlie), and Bill was headboy and had impeccable marks, so Percy knows he has to be at least as academically impressive; but Molly also criticises Bill's more "adventurous" side (his leather pants, his long hair and snake tooth earring, his dangerous profession). Both Charlie and Bill left the nest quite young, straight after their studies, something Percy doesn't do; he still lives at the Burrow in GoF and only leaves in OotP because he got in a serious fight with his father. From there it's not hard to connect the dots: Percy built himself as the son who would help out Molly, who would be her little assistant, and that's how he gets her love and attention. I don't think any of that is conscious obviously, but she so clearly rewards him for the behaviour it's impossible to ignore.

Also, Percy has some kind of abandonment issues with Arthur. It's not surprising because compared to Bill and Charlie, he probably saw little of him. He's the third kid, and Arthur is the sole breadwinner, so he likely worked more and more as more kids came along. Hence why he tries to play "father substitute" to his younger siblings. In OotP, after playing the good reliable son, he basically explodes (which, notably, even the twins are surprised by, despite the fact that they never seem to hold Percy in particularly high regard), and the one thing that comes out of it is that he ressents Arthur for not ever trying to get a better paying job. The twins sumrise it's because the job made people disrespect Arthur and by extension the whole family, and Percy's just being an arrogant arse; but personally i think Percy's resentment is completely logical. In his eye, Arthur picked the fun, enjoyable, low paying job catering to his interest, over a more respectable and serious career; he wasn't "responsible" enough… which is exactly the value Molly accidentally taught Percy to hold above all others. It's no wonder he doesn't respect Arthur at this stage. And it's probably all tangled with anger at Athur for not being home often, leaving Molly, and the older kids (so, mostly him once Charlie and Bill had gone) to basically raise the younger ones, all because he was busy doing his "fun" job.

Anyways, i love how JKR writes family dynamics in general, she always does it with such care and precision. With Percy it would have been so easy to make him either too sympathetic or too much of a prick but she walks that tight line between the two and the payoff of his arc in DH is wonderful, especially because it comes with Fred's necessary sacrifice.

[vigilskeep]

do you have any refs for Minerva’s relationship with the other dao companions? I did not realize she and leliana was estranged 😭 also if im remembering correctly she makes loghain do the dark ritual? sorry I do like spinning her around in my head and knowing the little details she’s such a great character!!

leliana and minerva did not have a clear breakup in the alistair minerva sense but they did grow apart because of the simple reason that post dao minerva becomes politically at odds with the chantry while leliana is serving its leader. leliana is not a type of person minerva finds very easy to like or trust so while they did grow on each other over the course of dao they never had a simple friendship in the first place

alistair you probably know about bc its kind of the cornerstone of minervaposting but theres a post fully explaining it not much further down in her tag

zevran is her romance <3 i hesitate to use the word “soulmates” exactly but they definitely fit together in a way no other minerva pairing could match

morrigan she has a weird close complicated vaguely homosexual friendship with, i’m sure this is par for the course for f!wardens. they probably could have been in love if morrigan had been willing to pursue it in the start and if minerva hadn’t already gone for someone else by the end, and all that is unspoken but very present in everything about them

sten is i guess kind of the typical high approval relationship as presented in game? not much more unique. a lot of respect a lot of arguing a lot of dry humour. they could hang out in silence comfortably and they’re also both know and respect that they’re very capable of killing the other if their greater purposes ever demand it

oghren she kind of doesn’t pay much mind in origins when she doesn’t have to but he becomes part of the family in awakening. they bond over having their insane shared experiences of the blight, and also over him trying to quit drinking and her trying to quit blood magic which leads to some really wild out of context conversations for the others. and hey, eventually over first attempting to parent at similar times

wynne she has a bit of a sharp relationship with. i think this could vary a lot if i pick her up earlier, but in my main minerva playthrough i picked her up late by which time minerva had absolutely no fucking interest in getting the kind of lectures she grew up with. sorry grandma </3

uhhhh who else. shale idk man im sorry for being a fake fan but shale’s dlc truly does nothing for me it’s unfunny and i dont think abt it at all 💔 this would be written in less harsh terms if i wasnt sleepy

loghain is. well that’s a kettle of fish. minerva spares him because it happens to be a preferable move for her agenda and her way of thinking, it’s not rlly about him as a person at all. she doesn’t absolve him of anything he did, like, she still thinks he’s a bastard it’s just that she doesn’t really believe at all in the concept of justice being done if it doesn’t serve a purpose. when he’s in the party they do build up respect and a weird kind of friendship. he sucks and she’s bitter about what sparing him cost her, but that isn’t relevant, it’s not going to stop her learning from him, or fighting at his side as the best team she can quickly make them, or simply finding him entertaining to talk to. so by the end it’s as a friend that she asks him to do the dark ritual, whatever that means. post dao she agrees with weisshaupt that him being assigned outside of ferelden is wise but they continue to write to each other extremely regularly, mostly on matters of news and strategy but occasionally on the more personal

is that everyone i think thats everyone

[superkooku]

Dionysus' iceberg

This post is what remains of an initially very long rant idea. That means there will probably be a part 2 😏.

Here's the reason for my title :

In theory, you can stop there since my meme pretty much summarizes my complaints. But since I like ranting, I'll continue 😈

The tip of the iceberg

When you think "Dionysus", which words come in mind first ?

Probably "wine", "party", "alcohol" "fun god".

These words are what most people remember about Dionysus. And yes, I'm not going to deny, they fit.

Unfortunately, my problem comes with the fact that 9.5 times out of 10, Dionysus' personality will exclusively revolve around these aspects.

Since the issue is about modern adaptations and perceptions, I'll use a modern term.

I'm sure most of you are familiar with flanderization, right ? If not, the link to TV Tropes' article on the subject is available.

Many adaptations fell into that trap for, I think, every single Olympian.

Hades, god of the dead, lord of the Underworld = Satan, evil death god, darkness and sorrow

Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty = Superficial bimbo who only cares about her pretty face

Zeus, king of the gods, lord of the sky and thunder = 100% pure God OR more recently : evil king god who constantly abuses women.

The gods are stripped of their complexity to fit simpler and more "digestible" characterizations. It doesn't help that the cultural context surrounding them is also taken away...

But this is about grape boi, right? Well, Dionysus is no exception to that rule. In fact, he might be one of the worst cases.

So far, he was never really portrayed in an "insulting" light, like Apollo in Lore Olympus or Hades in the Percy Jackson movie. Fortunately.

But, from all the popular adaptations I've seen, none of them manage to portray Dionysus ! None ! Does that make them automatically bad ? No, of course. It's just something I noticed.

God of war ? Doesn't appear, only mentioned

Disney ? Don't even try 🤣. Just a drunk goofball. Yes, that includes the fantasia segment and Hercules.

Lore Olympus? Well, he's a baby for 99.99999% of the time, so it doesn't count. But he's still a quiet little Gucci bag for Persephone.

Hades I ? Just a nice guy. But hey ! He can give us useful boons ! And I like his sass.

Maybe he'll do more in Hades II. They're usually more accurate than most, right ? Though that's not a very high bar. And they know about Zagreus ! Surely that's a good sign, right ?

Nevermind...

Here's what all these adaptations tell us :

Dionysus is the god of wine, feasts and parties

He's an Olympian

He likes to get drunk and party 🥳

And that's it.

Again, I'm not blaming anyone, but if the myths stopped with those three points, wouldn't everyone wonder why he's even an Olympian ? I sure did when I was a kid.

We have the god of thunder, the goddess of wisdom and war strategy, god of music/arts/medicine/100 other things, the god of the oceans ! Many cool gods !

And some drunk dude. He's not given any particular power, except the power to stay super passive no matter the stakes ! If the story revolves about epic godly fights (which is often the case), he's absolutely useless.

Heck, Hades II even actively depicts him as a pacifist who can't handle war. While he's not physically a weakling, he sure psychologically is.

Why is this a problem ?

I am not going to beat around the bush: this gives us a very incomplete and incorrect perception of the god.

Even the things that aren't forgotten about him (like his link to wine) aren't explored.

The thing with Hades II (that's the last time I'll mention it) is that it tries to deepen the flanderized version of Dionysus. He's not stupid, but afraid. He drinks to forget his issues.

While this characterization can be very interesting taken separately, we must remember that this isn't an OC, but an interpretation of a cultural figure.

It must be accurate ! While I can accept some liberties, I think that those should mostly be an extension of the original material, not a total deviation.

Dionysus isn't a scared little boi or a stupid drunkard you can manipulate. In fact, that's quite the opposite. And he's not afraid to get his hands dirty.

(even if the "dirt" in question is the blood of his enemies).

Under the surface

Though it's rather "stuff you can find on Wikipedia". Or by reading the myths.

More about it in part 2 of the rant...

It'll be about theater, madness, travels, link between mortality and immortality and... pirates turning into dolphins.

The actual interesting stuff about Dionysus.

Edits :

1. Thanks to @st4riel-the-w1tchling for clarifying the situation about Percy Jackson. I made my own research about BoZ. My opinion is basically still the same. Again, nothing terribly offensive, but nothing that interesting for Dionysus either.

2. I made part 2 a while ago, might as well add it here :