#if anyone has any suggestions for anything similar I'd appreciate that

[dont-open-dead-inside-25]

Finished the show 😭

[anglerflsh]

for the statecraft/political thing, im trying to figure out the semantics of a government with shapeshifters in it, they naturally have lots of different body types but also odd disabilities that need to be accounted for like inability to shift/fly/magic illnesses etc. As far as i have its just that most of the power is with the citizens but they do have a figurehead ruler that tries to deal with other systemic conflicts imbalances and issues with immigration (as little as there is bc you need magic to get in), asylum, and healthare stuff. Theyre kinda smaller scale than usual after a big war made a lot of lives lost and scattered and theres someone that is supposed to be the rulers right hand specifically so if the ruler is unfair they can be killed and selection begins again. Most of the city is laid out around a round central square and is roundly shaped in general but im thinking that other nearby towns would be shaped differently based on the occupants veiws and magic abilities. This particular city is mainly focused on community, but still has poorer sections where people are less magically inclined and those sections tend to fall into disrepair. If you got snything at all, critique or addittion, city plans or politics, its much appreciated and i hope you have fun!!

Alright!! It seems like you're dealing with an elective monarchy that is coadivated with some sort of public assembly or council. This is a mixed type of Government, and it's a nice one. I'll leave some consideration and some questions that you could consider to further the system under the cut ^^

The ruler has power only over a specific set of issues - all of which from what you've said seem to me to fall into Domestic/Internal Social Politics. And I'm assuming all that the ruler does not decide is then handed to the citizens, again, from what you've said. I'd say to narrow down what exactly is competence of the monarch and what is of the democracy - does the ruler choose on wars, do they rule the army, or are those decisions of politica estera left to the democracy?

The ruler isn't in a hereditary position! Fascinating. This combined with the specificity of their duties would make me think that this role would ideally be taken by someone who's specialised in the field… you could either make this position elective, with candidates coming either from the general public or some sort of nobility group (families with a lot of wealth and power, of that have had a lot of governmental roles in the past, that sort of thing), or you could make it selective and make it be chosen by some sort of group - Depends on how democratic you'd like to make this: before hereditary positions were the norm, kings were chosen by the upper class from the upper class, so you could go with a similar set-up.

Is the right-hand able to take any decisions, or are they only there to act as a check? Are they also elected, and if so, is it in the same way as the king? Does the right-hand change after the king is killed, or does it stay the same person? It reminded me a bit of the consul system in Rome, so maybe looking into that might help.

If every other decision is taking by the citizens, you do have to figure out how exactly that happens, too Is there a popular assembly of every single citizen voting and debating and proposing decisions? That works in small settlements, but you seem to be working with a multi-city state. There are a couple of ways to go about it, I can suggest either to divide the territory in electoral colleges - by geography, by class, by census… anything, really - and have voting happen per-college to reach a final consensus (like the roman republic did with centurie/curie/tribù), or to have each place elect a rappresentative that can then go to some other collegial organ where the decisions happen.

Are there smaller decisional organs, like city councils, to decide on smaller matters that only pertain to a certain place? Can anyone propose something to decide on, or just some group/s? Does your country have a legal system? If so, are there laws that only the ruler can make, or are they within the realms of the democratic system? What's the justice system like? Is the ruler also the highest judge, like in medieval monarchies, or is that system completely different?

Who is in charge of the execution of the decisions? Is there a burocratic system of government workers?

Are there associations of traders in the same field who decide the inner regulations of that type of work (think le Arti in italian medieval times) or is that left to the government? If so, to which half of it?

This system sounds really cool! Hope all my questions can help you figure it out a bit more, remember that if you're writing a story you don't need to have all this figured out! Just the parts that matter for the story to make logical sense. Like, if you never touch on commerce or on the justice system you can leave that out completely. !! thanks for letting me play in this space I'd suggest you to look up the two or so different irl systems I mentioned for inspiration

[stellarvisionary]

Over the years, there have been a lot of geeky hobbies that have been gatekept from me, either on purpose, through ignorance, or by my own limitations.

When I was in high school (like Freshman or Sophmore year) there was a group of Senior-year guys on the track team who played Magic: The Gathering. I was just in the beginnings of my fantasy phase, having been reading the Narnia Chronicles, and getting into reading The Hobbit on my own, so the aesthetics of the game and the abstract of the mechanics were fascinating to me. I used to watch them play whenever we were at a meet but weren't actively running, and I asked several times if one of them would teach me the game, and they always turned me down (and a few of them outright bullied me for even daring to ask). Ever since then, I lost all taste for the game, and now it's so far advanced of what I tried to learn 30 years ago that I haven't dared try again.

Then there was the Settlers of Catan card game. I was at a small card gaming convention, and a guy was demoing the game for people. I decided to try it out, and the guy was pulling off moves and not explaining how he did them and in what context, such that when I would try to do something similar on my own turns, he'd tell me that I couldn't. Just...didn't bother actually explaining anything or making any of his more advanced moves make sense. Put me off of that kind of stuff forever too.

Finally, there's Guitar Hero, and Rock Band to a slightly lesser extent. It's not nearly as common as it was 20 or so years ago, but there was once a time that if you traveled in geek circles, you couldn't get away from those games. Everyone played them, to the point that they were treated as a social activity. One person started playing, which would attract others and turn it into a social event of it's own. I have a distinct memory of the day before I traveled with a group of friends to an out-of-state convention, of hanging out at one of their houses, waiting for things to happen, and the girl hosting suggested we boot up Guitar Hero while we waited. I'd never played the game before and mentioned as much, so I was allowed to go through the tutorial to see how the game played. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have difficulty with my hand-eye coordination and trying to do different tasks with each hand, so...I couldn't even get through the damn tutorial. I remember the sheepish look on the girl's face as I crashed and burned in the tutorial, and her conciliatory "Um...we have Kingdom Hearts 2?" Then there was Rock Band, which I did okay at as long as I was on the easiest difficulty, and was relegated to vocals, drums, or bass. I played with a guy who purposely played a song on a higher difficulty while I was on drums, because he knew I wouldn't be able to keep up.

I've fought and struggled to belong my entire life. Like...my main goal in life in general has been to belong, to feel welcomed and appreciated despite my shortcomings. I thought I'd found my people when I started finding geeks to hang with, until I realized that even geeks, through malice or ignorance or ableism, are as exclusionary as the normies I tried as a child to fit in with.

[hollerite]

My Pinned Post thing!

I don't usually do introductions, but I think I'll make one here just for the fun of it.

1: My name is private, but I go by Hollerite on the internet. You can call me Holly for short, or any other nickname you want I don't mind. 2: I am a straight transgender woman. She/her pronouns, Terfs and other transphobes DNI. Otherwise, I don't really care who interacts with my stuff.

3: I'm a Vtuber! I Stream on Twitch at https://www.twitch.tv/hollerite! I've been really struggling lately, so I'd really appreciate it if you guys gave me a follow. Mostly play Limbus Company and Bloons TD6, but also whatever other random games I feel like, and love taking suggestions. 4: Fanbases I'm in are:

All 3 project moon games!

Five Nights at Freddys

Undertale/Deltarune

One Piece

Lisa the Painful RPG(Not really much anymore, but I might still reblog some fanart)

Portal 2

Warhammer 40K, but basically only the stuff about the Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus.

Oneshot

Indigo Park

Vita Carnis

Vox(Not Hazbin, I dont like anything else, just vox)

Markiplier Ig? I just watch his videos, not actively in his fanbase, but he's my favorite YouTuber.

But Really I'll probably be posting 90% about Project moon, that's my big obsession right now.

5: Other interests I have:

Robotics, which is for totally normal and not at all horny reasons(I will be hornyposting about robots, it is 100% genuine I love all of them so much)

Prosthetics, for similar reasons

Space travel, for not horny reasons

Data archival and media preservation! This is something I do pretty regularly, so if anyone has some lost/endangered media they want to see preserved, Let me know and I'll add it to my archives! Especially dedicated to preserving old Soviet media, that's fascinating to me. I also have full copies of Wonderlab and Unus Annus if anyone wants them.

Writing! I do at least some of it literally every single day for almost 3 years now, and while ive not gotten anything published yet I have finished drafts of two big stories. ill sometimes tag posts with stuff that reminds me of my characters, that's mostly for the few people on here who have read my stuff, but I'll happily talk about it if anyone curious.

Thats basically my deal, lemmie know if I missed anything I'm very new to tumbling. Will update this as things change

[godbirdart]

Hi there! Short time appreciator of your stuff (I found you a few months ago + love your style sm!!) first time asker, and this might be an odd one, but do you have any suggestions for how to get involved with the furry community? Just, where to meet folk, maybe what to keep an eye out for (good or bad!) and such? I'd love to chat to folk and such but I'm just a very nervous person ^^;

You don't have to post or answer this if you don't want to! But thank you for all the cool art and the funny memes, I love seeing Sebastian with assorted snacks ^-^ you take care!!

aaA thank you!!

i'll be honest i personally skirt around the edge of the community because i too am a shy creature that emerges only every waning moon to hand people artwork

depending on the involvement level you want, you've got a number of options. a lot of people are still active on twitter, and mastodon and cohost seem to be picking up! i know mastodon has a few furry instances, such as meow.social, though I don't use mastodon that much so I cannot say if the community there is good, bad, or otherwise. same goes for cohost. last i checked it's very much so a twitter clone, but many furries i've noticed have skipped over there. pillowfort.social has a small Furry Artists community. if in doubt, there's also /r/furry on reddit.

if you just want to appreciate art and maybe comment every now and again, tumblr is pretty good. sure the tags can be a little broken sometimes, but at least you'll find the content you're looking for when you look up Furry in the search. same goes for deviantart and furaffinity, ofc depending on your interests you may have to dig around a little to get to the content / art style you specifically like. both tumblr and twitter i find are somewhat good at recommending similar artists if you follow some. sometimes there’s a recommended that pops up after you hit follow on the profile on twitter or a “blogs like these” section on tumblr, so there’s that.

telegram and discord are still popular as ever, though i feel finding a Good chat can be a herculean task. the r/furry reddit mentioned above has both telegram and discord [both sfw].

it’s super likely there’s a local / regional furry group for your area. some meet irl, even! most of these groups have telegram chats or discords if you want to meet people closer to home. of course there's also the Countless furry conventions going on too

it all depends on your social level as an individual. you can dip your toes in just by commenting on and following other furries, or opt to attend meetups and conventions and meet people in person

as for things to stay away from, the two biggest problems i want to mention are:

furry raiders. an alt-right furry group.

people with the zeta symbol “ζ“ in their bio /  name. now, the presence of a symbol isn’t always indicative of someone’s affiliation with something, so use discretion; but the zeta symbol is often used by people who are zoosadists / into be*stiality. these people are not furries, they don’t represent what the community is about, and everyone hates them. we can and will call the authorities on these people for animal abuse. if you see someone telling “zoos” to fuck off, there’s a 99.9999% chance these are the people that person is talking about.

these aren’t the only issues of course, but i feel they’re the most prominent ones. also maybe be wary of people who constantly say things like “no politics uwu” - especially if they turn it into some furry pun like “pawlitics”. maybe i personally have just had too many uncomfortable interactions with people like this and now i’m biased, but i’ve grown to never trust that.

apologies, i’m a bit of a hermit in online spaces and can’t offer anything more specific. if anyone has cooler recommendations they’re welcome to add them in the replies / reblogs!!

[inevitably-johnlocked]

hi there!!!

first of all: you are sooooo appreciated i hope you feel all the love you deserve!

secondly... do you happen to know the book "every day" by david levithan? i am currently rereading it because YEARS ago i was like "THAT'S IT THAT'S MY FAVORITE BOOK" and i am trying to find out if that's still the case :P

anygays... my main question is if someone from the johnlock fandom has written an "every day by david levithan but make it johnlock-AU" yet? because if not i might have to do it myself...

it's a super interesting plot: basically this person A wakes up in a different body every day. then they fall in love with a girl, while they are in her boyfriend's body. it's really sweet and can definitely be read in an agender and panromantic/sexual way and omg if this doesn't exist as johnlock yet i WILL write it, i swear-

okay sorry this got so long but i started thinking about this AU since even before rereading this book and i am kinda obsessing over it (kfifbfjdj!!!)

thanks for listening and lots of hugs to you!!! (if you want them)

-turtely 🐢

HI TURTELY!!

Your message made me so happy seeing it, so I hope you don't mind it took a few days to reply, I liked seeing your cute little emoji in my inbox LOL.

Thank you so much for the well wishes! I hope you are doing well too!! I don't feel much love these days, but that's my own issues to deal with lol. And I'm exhausted. I can't wait until August when I have holiday time. Might take a break from here as well then just to get my head on right again. :P

Secondly, NO I HAVEN'T HEARD of this book, but OMG I LOVE bodyswap stories, you have no idea. I know of Body Swap Fic Recs but I don't think any of those explicitly state they are inspired by that story, but I would LOVE to read it, for sure!! I've really gotten into AUs too, so I'd be open to reading a story about this AU if I don't HAVE to know anything about the story to read it, LOL!!

LOTS OF HUGS to you too!!!!! I love reading these nice little stories and snippets about all my Lovelies here, they make me happy!! Seeing other people happy about their interests genuinely makes me happy <3

Thank you so much for your little story!!!! And if anyone has any fics similar to that story requested, please do suggest them!!

[scyllas-revenge]

Hi there! I was reading your Burn Like Cold Iron fic and so far it’s AMAZING!!!! 😁✨ I was wondering if you could tell me, if you’re able, how you were able to figure out your story with the language difference with Beatrice and her only speaking English and being in Middle Earth where they speak literally like, everything else? (I’ve only gotten up to chapter 4 so far.)

I know you were able to use Saruman’s mind using his translation method thingy XD Which was so seamless and cool! I’m wondering what was your process for figuring it out? Did you look into lore or anything? Rn, I’m writing smth with a similar plot of someone modern being thrown into Middle Earth (miraculously, I ran into your fic, which has helped me a ton!) but they’re thrown into Mirkwood instead. I’m stumped on how can I believably have my character communicate with elves? Any ideas, suggestions or somewhere you could point me?

I’d appreciate it a ton and sorry if this question is convoluted!

- Mithril Anon

Oh my gosh thank you so much! I'm so glad you like the fic so far and I'm flattered you reached out to me about yours.

I definitely took the easy way out with the language gap! I wasn't personally very interested in writing extensive translation/language learning scenes, so if I hadn't run into the convenient wizard-needs-her-to-speak-Westron-asap loophole, I probably wouldn't have distinguished them at all.

(Slight spoilers but not really) I did consider later on in my fic that maybe once Saruman loses his powers and Gandalf takes his staff, maybe Bee would lose her innate ability to understand Westron- but again, I didn't really want to go there in my fic, I'm lazy, so that plot twist never came to be.

I can try to offer some advice for how to go about it in your fic- and I know there are people who follow me who read modern-OC-in-middle-earth fics, so if any of y'all read through this enormous answer and have anything to add, please do!

The main ways I've seen authors go about it are

You can have some magical explanation hand-wave it away (what I did). For instance, I've seen authors have the Valar grant the OC language skills to translate between their native language and Westron as they hop over to Middle Earth. Maybe they have a magical amulet or something. Go crazy XD

You can have your character learn Westron from scratch- it's an entirely new Tolkien-approved language and your poor OC knows none of it. Of course that's super time consuming and can slow down a lot of other aspects of your plot (your OC can't rush off to go adventuring or fall in love when they can't communicate with anyone!). But if it's done right, you can develop characters, worldbuilding, and relationships in those scenes. I vaguely remember the fic Home with the Fairies doing this really well.

You can just ignore that Tolkien wrote Westron/Common to be different from English, and just have them be interchangeable. Frankly I like this just fine, I know a lot of other readers who do too- and what Tolkien doesn't know won't hurt him ;) I doubt you'd get any complaints about it from readers (and if you do, you can tell them ol' scylla wants to speak to em)

Since your OC will be interacting with elves, that adds a whole second language into the mix, which is a LOT to deal with. So I'd lean toward option 3, so your OC can at least speak to any of the elves who know Westron (Thranduil and Legolas definitely do, and I'm guessing a lot of other well-educated elves or anyone who has to travel, trade, or go near their borders do too).

So at that point you could have your OC learn elvish at a more comfortable pace, and the plot doesn't have to be on hold while they learn.

If not a lot of the Mirkwood elves your OC meets know Westron or speak it very well, maybe there are resources in Thranduil's library that could help them (you just know he's got a fancy library in those caves). Or maybe an elf your OC befriended could take them to speak to other characters who do know more Westron, like prisoners in the dungeons, border guards, tradesmen in Dale, etc. You could get some good plot development out of that, depending on where you want your fic to go and who you want your OC to interact with.

And of course the way they teach your OC elvish can also help drive the plot forward- I've read tons of fics that have the love interest confess their love knowing that the OC won't understand, or translate a romantic song or tragic poem and oh there's so many parallels between us and the song, isn't it sad?? Maybe the language gap could be used to keep or learn secrets, or give your OC a leg up in Mirkwood society since they'll be able to communicate better with the men of Dale than a lot of the elves can.

Sorry this answer is so long and rambly, but I hope it helps a bit! You'll have to tag me when you start posting your fic so I can read it!!

Omg I just remembered as I was about to hit send that canonically, the spiders in Mirkwood do in fact speak Westron, so if all else fails, your OC can talk with them XD (I'd read the hell out of that fic)

[fawkes-rinzler]

I hate showering

Which is unfortunate because I love being clean.

I can't quite recall when it first arose, but I've developed quite a relationship with showering that I'm not particularly happy with. I shower every other day, because if I shower any more, my hair will get gross, and if I shower any less, my hair will get gross. So every other day, I take a shower (although that may change depending on my schedule and activities). Unfortunately, except during rare circumstances, the process of getting myself to shower is a nightmare. I procrastinate as much as I can until I can't stand how I feel anymore. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. This wouldn't be so bad if I was actually doing something productive in the meantime, but on shower days, I usually can't get myself to do anything because I'm aware that I need to shower.

And I can't figure out why this has happened.

To be sure, I know what I find so abhorrent about the showering process itself. I try not to think of anything too big or important in the shower because I'll either forget or I'll stop the shower to write it down, delaying the process even further. But if I don't think of anything stimulating, I'll end up staring at the wall and getting bored, making the process longer. So I have to thread the needle of thinking of something interesting but not too interesting. If I think about any personal stuff that I need to work on, then I end up upsetting myself because my mindset in the shower is usually not a super positive one, so I'll inflate negative emotions in a damaging way. So I have to be careful about what I think of in the shower...

The act of cleaning itself is also something that requires a lot of active thought on my part. I have two ways of getting clean, the "Top down" or the "Bottom up" method. I used to use the "Bottom up" method a lot, but I realized it was making my showers last too long, so I developed the top-down method to save time. There's a less than five minute time difference between the two, but with the top down method, I feel more efficient.

And I get really stressed and anxious about taking too long in the shower. I can never tell how much time is passing while I'm in the shower, so I end up getting stressed out. I can't listen to podcasts in the shower because it slows me down. I don't really listen to music because I tend to be indecisive about my music mood every day... I might have to try though, and make a playlist to see if it helps me both keep time and also keep focused....

I don't like how much mental effort it takes to shower. It's not a simple process for me. It takes physical time, it takes mental effort, and it takes emotional energy that I don't really like wasting on things. I usually try to find quality of life hacks to make things easier, or finding little ways to change my thought process around stuff I find upsetting, but this is one of those things that I really just can't figure out how to solve...

Which I guess leads me to why I wrote all of this out... If anyone has any suggestions on how to help with this issue, I'd appreciate it. I have ADHD, I have anxiety, I get very upset and stressed out when I can't clean myself, but I also get so anxious about the process of showering that I try to procrastinate to the point of disrupting my normal schedule... It's exhausting.

Also, taking a bath is a similar issue for me. I don't find bathing enjoyable, I take too long which stresses me out, and I still procrastinate. ^^; Just any advice or suggestions would be amazing.

[rin-and-jade]

thank u for answering my ask! I appreciate u. im going to share some of my experience if that’s okay!

It feels like my identity is constantly clashing, like they are fighting for dominance over each other. How I see myself and how I want others to see myself changes. Sometimes I find myself feeling and acting younger, and other times more mature. However, these different states feel like completely different people. Two main ones in particular I’ll give fake names bc anon. I typically define them as Zach being more mature, powerful, maybe angry and sexual and having this whole other aesthetic/likes dislikes/species and age than Ruffy. Ruffy coming off younger, soft and cutesy, also having his own separate aesthetic/likes dislikes/species. Sometimes I feel other ways that I’m not sure if I should attribute to ruffy and Zach or a different identity. They each want the body to look different ways as well.. Their appearances clashing. It leads to confusion about who I am and what I should be like and look like. If I try to use the name Zach if I’m not him, it won’t feel right until he comes back around and I guess takes “control.” It would also feel very wrong for zach to be called ruffy since they are so different. Like calling someone by the wrong name. I can’t force myself to be someone. Sometimes it’s hard to define which I am. I also have nonhuman identities and as a whole I id as non physically nonhuman otherkin/therian but I also wonder if the different nonhumans are similar to ruffy/Zach as in kinda like their own individuals bc it can feel like sometimes each have their own self t them but I’m unsure. Sometimes I also speak in a voice that sounds younger and another like a speech impediment (not on purpose) and people tell me in general my voice is very fluid and changes a lot. idk if that is just something that singlets get or what like why do I have something sounding like a speech impediment and also baby voice that comes and goes

BUT it’s so confusing bc I know singlets can have a lot of different aesthetics and parts of themselves. so I’m rlly not sure if it’s typical singlet behavior of me or if it could indicate something else and systems could relate to this? rn I currently feel a wave of feelings id moreso attribute to Zach or something wash over me.. strong feelings. but those are always there. and also I looked into p-did but I’m unsure how to tell if something is passive influence or full switches if u have any insight on that? and also yea I have dissociation trauma all of that just unsure about amnesia and have absolute no communication with anyone it seems (If anyone is there). I know u can’t dx me !! but idk this is why I asked the question earlier.. is any of this relatable as a system? or like do u have any thoughts/advice or something? I’m going to bring what I said here up to my therapist and see how it goes.. but I can’t help feeling like I’m faking/dramatizing normal behavior. also I’m not sure what “taking control” feels like.. to me if I am switching its more like non possessive switches where “oh now I’m (name) and I’m no longer (other name)” like I will feel like someone else .. is that what a switch can be like?

"is any of this relatable as a system?"

I'd say, yeah it is. No singlet has a huge shift from names to speech or even the gender and having species orientation.

"do u have any thoughts/advice or something?"

I don't have anything else except suggesting you to explore a bit more meanwhile, that won't hurt. Maybe you'll discover something else that can help you.

"is that what a switch can be like?"

What you described sounds close to a normal switch between other alters to become the fronter, but i am not entirely sure because you only provided little details. Non-possessive switch is more like a shift in yourself rather than actually a shift in identity, as in going to a different mood state or energy levels.

- j

[the-spoonie-life]

Hi, I'm writing in the hopes of you or anyone following you maybe having a bit of advice, if that's okay. I'm in that situation where doctors keep dismissing me and putting down the cause of my symptoms down to not being thin enough/psyochosomatic in origin/needing therapy/being a perceived as a woman. So kind of the unfortunate standard.

All this has lead me to doing my own research and I think I have an idea what might be going on but would like an official diagnosis to get access to care. (Based on symptoms, what we're ruled out already, and already diagnosed but not further specified hypermobility, I'd like to get tested to see if either HSD or hEDS apply in my case.)

That said, I keep being dismissed by my rheumathologist and finding a new one isn't a possibility at the moment. My primary care provider is only willing to refer me to someone else after a series of out of pocket tests like vitamin D tests and the money is tight for me (he is taking me seriously but very much thinking about horses rather than zebras, which is perfectly understandable, if frustrating). I switched to him seeing as he came recommended due to working with his patients and I genuinely understand why he wants to (re)check some basics before going down rabbit holes. I've simply been at this for a few years now and would like to be able to stop moving in circles.

I'm aware differences in healthcare systems make any specific advice hard to impossible but anything that might work towards being taken seriously would be so appreciated. I feel very exhausted and am at the point where all I want is to stop pursuing a diagnosis if only to not feel like I'm wasting time by just trying to get someone to listen.

Have you any advice to keep my spirits up? Or been in a similar situation and there's something that worked for you, in the end?

Hi anon,

This situation is the absolute worse so I’m hoping people might have some suggestions and advice for you.

Unfortunately the only thing that has worked for me in these situations is preserving and luckily finding some very good doctors using health insurance. I know this isn’t ideal though.

Just remember you know you’re body beat so if you feel like something is wrong it probably is.

I really hope you get some success soon and hopefully other people can offer some advice too.

Anastasia

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

gonna piggyback on that previous anon. if you were a book reader, would you have still supported that friendship regardless if you knew what transpired or not bc that show is irking a quite a few book readers since they're painting alicent as a victim

Hey, Anon. I appreciate the question but I am purposely avoiding all future book discussion thanks to that previous anon with the spoilers that you mentioned. I am letting the story of the show unfold naturally for me and I'm going by that narrative only. I'll check out the book after the show is done airing. I did the same with GoT and ASOIAF after finishing book 2 (sometime around season 5's airing I think), realizing the two worlds very different but from the same galaxy (if that makes sense), and didn't want to confuse the two for myself so I could go in with a clear head to each one and then look at them side by side. Now that the series is over, I do intend to finish books 3-5 when I have more time.

So to answer your question, if I had read the books first, I don't know quite how I'd feel about anyone or anything in the HotD universe in comparison to F&B. Since I don't have that context (and don't want it please, thank you!), I can't really tell you where I'd be at. But I will say that I do believe the show itself is painting a similar light to what we saw in the beginning of GoT (women only having their duty so to speak) but that mold was broken very quickly in GoT once the crap hits the fan (and even a little before with Arya and Dany). I feel that this show in particular is doing its best to show us that no matter how they try to break the mold, women are still reduced to their duty. That's why I think they showed the contrast in the Viserys/Alicent scene with the Daemon/Rhaenyra scene. Alicent didn't want it to happen, was hoping it wouldn't, and didn't enjoy it or want it even when it did. But she had no choice. Rhaenyra, even though that scene was disturbing to watch, was the opposite. She was excited by what she witnessed and even as they said in Inside the Episode, that she was learning that sex was a pleasurable choice she could partake in, that it starts shaping her views about sex (as something more than duty which circles back to that whole line that Daemon says about marrying who they have to but fucking who they want).

My whole long point is that I don't feel they're portraying Alicent as a victim. I think they're only showing what has been happening realistically at that time (you know, based on the whole medieval history thing). We see Viserys' and Daemon's laughter at the diplomatic suggestion about the tapestries. We hear Alicent telling Rhaenyra that it must be nice to choose who she can marry because some women don't have a choice. I think that is what they're choosing Alicent to give voice to and what may come into play later on for...future events. I'm not 100% sure but that's what I suspect. Because after the 1st episode, in Inside the Episode, they mention that Alicent is very much like Sansa was in the beginning of GoT, a rule follower and sticking to the rule book. And Alicent has done that thus far, to the letter. It's obvious (in the show) she didn't set out to be Queen and she's not as ambitious as her father. As a matter of fact, I very much see her relationship with her father as similar to the one displayed between Thomas and Anne Boleyn in The Tudors. Anne wasn't innocent in that show by any means, but she was definitely pushed so her father could gain favor (and power) with Henry. The showverse!Hightowers remind me so much of the Showtimeshowverse!Boleyns, it's uncanny. They also said that Rhaenyra is a lot like Dany, that she doesn't want to be bound by the strict rules of society and I see that, too, but I also see a lot of Arya in her, too. I would even say that showverse!Rhaenyra right now is leaning more towards the latter.

How this all changes once Rhaenyra marries and a time jump, I'm not sure, but I am looking forward to finding out. One of the things I enjoy most about this universe and type of show is that it takes me on a journey. It's not just great writing and a great overall story with richly layered characters, it also has me riveted from beginning to end. I literally wait each Sunday night for each episode to start airing and it's rare that I do that these days. But I did that with GoT and I'm doing it now again with HotD.

So to sum up, I don't think they're trying to portray Alicent as a victim as much as they are using her (and all ladies in that show) as a mouthpiece to show how against the odds these women were in that time, while also showing us many different facets of the ladies in this story. Perhaps it's a good way to think of it like this, had GRRM finished the books before GoT ended, maybe even before it started, & say Dany had the same ending as the show, how many people would have actually gone on to support her? Would book readers get as upset if say Dany and Sansa or Dany and Arya had a friendship or even when the Jon/Dany relationship happened in the showverse and people supported it or liked it (who hadn't read the books)? Knowing how she would turn out in the end?

There's a very clear line between bookverse and showverse for me, and truthfully in both shows. GRRM has written them one way in his books and while they are the source material that the stories for the shows are adapted from and glean inspiration from, that doesn't mean both won't be different. Look at GoT and how vastly different that is to the ASOIAF universe. Dany's character is slightly different. Sansa's story line got merged with another character's. Other important book characters were removed from the show adaptation altogether (Lady Stoneheart, anyone?). This always happens. So I get the passion people have that have read the books but I do feel it is unfair to go around passing judgement and heaping hate on those who are coming to this viewing experience brand spanking new and taking the story they're being told at face value, without knowing a thing from its source material (and only having the knowledge they do from the previous show). (I am not saying you're doing that btw, your ask was worded respectfully and civilly; I literally just blocked an anon ask that called me a delusional Jonsa which yay me, and then said of course I was okay with Rhaenyra hooking up with Criston who is an incel & that Rhaenyra needs better fans or something, and I was like what? Make it make sense, lol - those are the ones I'm talking about who just immaturely attack, attack, attack & are nasty and spew nothing but venom at unsuspecting people for no valid reason other than they didn't like that someone had thoughts different to theirs about a tv show)

And I think one other thing I'd like to point out that was pointed out to me in a comment on one of my posts from last night is the book is told from the POV of a Maester I believe, but it's also told in a historical format. Now, while I just stated the showverse and bookverse are different, they do have one thing in common: they are being told by someone else's POV, their POV of how history unfolded. And like this person stated to me, history is usually told by the winners. And the Targaryens at this point in time are the winners. But even more so, the show literally started out with Rhaenyra narrating the story herself. This is her story, her POV. Not only do we know from GoT and now this show how important and extraordinary that the Targaryens always view themselves to be in comparison to the rest of the world but Rhaenyra did love Alicent. She was her best friend, so it would make sense that a story Rhaenyra would tell before the end of her story, would see this Alicent still in that light. We are seeing the story through her eyes. We are seeing Daemon and Viserys and Otto through her eyes. It's very similar to 1883 (I don't know if you've ever seen it) where it's Elsa's story and she narrates, constantly. Rhaenyra may not be doing the same, but this is her history.

That doesn't mean I am agreeing with the book readers or saying Alicent is evil, I'm not. I happen to think she's a multi-layered character (in the showverse) that I am very interested to learn more about as they continue to flesh her out. I love Emily Carey's performance and I love the chemistry she has with Milly Alcock. I think she will be fascinating to watch and I can only hope the new actress will be just as much when the time jump happens.

So there you have it, Anon. I hope I answered your question (and then some lol, sorry I have a lot of thoughts on this show as you can probably tell). I don't know how I'd feel if I had the foreknowledge but I can tell you how I currently feel from the showverse perspective only: I love Rhaenyra's character, I love Alicent's story so far, I am not a fan of Viserys, I hope I get to see more Rhaenys, I despise Daemon right now though he is still very intriguing to watch, I want to see more of the dragons, I'm curious to see what will happen with Otto now, and looking forward to (but also dreading) the time jump. So overall, I'm excited to see where it all goes.

Hope you have a good rest of your night, Anon. =)

[talkfantasytome]

Going to delete ask posts that directly linked other people's posts, based on this feedback and suggestion (which I thoroughly appreciate!), as I'm not trying to point fingers at anyone or directly tell a specific person they're wrong. I'll repost the general content, with a summary of what was asked, starting with this post.

Anon Ask: Some people are saying that SJM has confirmed Vassien by saying that she'd like to do retellings of firebird legends, swan lake, and Vasilisa the Beautiful, using some shots of her comments. What are your thoughts on this? And the time on facebook that Sarah said E\ain and Lucien have a lot of "tension, growth, and healing to be found (together)".

The most important thing to consider here is timeline. Both of the twitter shown were made in April of 2015. The first one is, honestly, fairly irrelevant. First of all, she's just saying fairy tales she might like to retell. And, for the record, she has also said she'd like to do a retelling of The Little Mermaid, yet often people disregard that as an argument for Gwynriel. So, either her comments on what she'd like to do a retelling of matter, or they don't.

And, if they're saying that those comments are foreshadowing a Vassa + Lucien book, then clearly The Little Mermaid comments are foreshadowing a Gwynriel book. And then...where's E\ain's?

E\ain is getting a book, so which fairy tale gets the short straw?

Or, maybe, the story won't be exactly like the fairy tale.

I do think that both of those comments are important, but Sarah said she wants to do a retelling.

That could literally mean anything. All that tells us is that she will take themes and ideas from the story. I'm not saying Vassa won't be important in a later book, but Sarah can retell the story any way. She could have Vassa betray E\ain, get Koschei to transfer the curse over to the middle Archeron, and now E\ain is the swan on the lake (cause, come on, E\ain's def. a bit swan-like), and Lucien has to rescue her. Or, maybe Jurian is the one that rescues Vassa while Lucien and E\ain deal with Koschei?

There are so many options in a retelling that to say SJM telling us she wants to do a retelling of these stories is a clear sign that Vassa + Lucien are endgame is, honestly, not a very critical analysis.

I'm going to address this tweet next:

This twitter exchange happed April 30, 2015. ACOMAF was published in May of 2016. This post can not be used as foreshadowing of Vassa + Lucien, because it happened before we found out E\ain and Lucien are mates. That "at some point further down the road" literally means "any time after book 1".

People keep using this tweet and presenting it as if Sarah's response came recently. They're spreading misinformation - it may not be purposeful, they may not have seen or noticed the date, but this twitter exchange can't be used as proof that Lucien's person has to be someone other than E\ain, because when it was made we did not know about the Lucien and E\ain possibility.

That doesn't mean it definitely is talking about E\ain, but my point is that this is not proof of Vassa + Lucien, of someone else + Lucien, because of when it was posted.

As for other comments on retellings Sarah would like to do - it's the same argument as the first one. Sarah said she wants to do a retelling of the firebird and swan like. We all know this. It's not new information. People who are saying Vassa + Lucien won't happen aren't ignorant of this fact. We're well aware, and we're also well aware of every other thing Sarah has said, mentioned, foreshadowed, and we're tying it all together. Focusing solely on stories Sarah has mentioned she'd like to retell - not confirmed she will retell - and ignoring everything else doesn't provide a solid analysis. You have to weave how those stories would fit into the grander scheme, and look at the other surrounding factors as well.

And, again, we need to remember that Sarah can do whatever the hell she wants in terms of the story and how she chooses to retell a fairy tale. I mean, how often is Little Red Riding Hood turned into a werewolf story? And sometimes even Red is the wolf?

Writers use fairy tales as a base, a foundation, but then they make it their own. No writer is going to tell the fairy tale exactly how it first was. They're going to adjust it...a lot...to make it their own story.

I'd also like to point out that both times she mentions Vasilisa, she says "Vasilisa the Beautiful". The first time she also said 'the Brave', but the second, solely 'Beautiful'. Vassa is beautiful, of course, but one of E\ain's defining characteristics is her beauty. Even in ACOSF it was again mentioned, discussed, about how her beauty made others hate her.

Could Vassa be Vasilisa...of course. However, I think people are a bit blinded by the similarities in names. Remember, Vasilisa the Beautiful wasn't the firebird - those are different stories. And, honestly, after doing a bit of research into the tale, I'm starting to get more and more sure of the thought that the character who would portray Vasilisa is E\ain.

I think I'm going to do a post on it...

In the later comment on retellings she'd like to do - which we know came after the first as the first came out in August 2015 and that story she's telling was given after the second set of books was confirmed - I also find it interesting that she said Vasilisa the Beautiful (specifically) and Swan Lake, subbing out the firebird.

Why would she do that? Perhaps because she's already brought in the firebird pieces she planned to bring in. We already know that retelling, and how it's come to play. Vassa is a firebird by the curse.

I'm not saying it couldn't end in a Swan Lake thing, as that is what the curse reminds me of. But, personally, I think the fact that she's saying Swan Lake now is also symbolic of something more, possibly another character getting trapped by Koschei.

As for the other piece you asked about, I don't have much to say about it, because it feels like the closest we'll come to an elucien confirmation.

That was also posted a while ago, back when ACOMAF came out. So, it's not like this is recent information Sarah is providing us. However, we know that Sarah can sometimes end up choosing endgame based on gut and things that just hit her. Cassian and Nesta - literally didn't know about them until she wrote them on the same page and was like "oh shit". So Sarah saying that she and Lucien didn't see E\ain coming...I'm sorry, but that feels almost more telling than even the next part of the sentence - where she says they have growing and healing to do together.

That's so huge. And we haven't seen that yet. We've only really seen the tension.

Sarah said this back when ACOMAF came out. And it was around writing or publishing ACOWAR that she got the okay for the second set of books (I think?). Which means she was likely thinking about the longer-term stories before that. Which would explain why we didn't get that growth and healing in ACOWAR.

Instead, she left them in a spot where it seemed like a possibility, and then for the later books has just added more tension. But that journey is still there. She's had it planned for so long. And yes, maybe she could change her mind, but we only know of two cases where she did just that:

Az and Mor

Nesta and Lucien

For Az and Mor it was because she decided to make Mor bisexual and unable to be in an emotional relationship with a male. This was due to complaints over diversity. It's the closest Sarah's probably come to 'fanservice' - except, admittedly, this is so not fanservice. Fanservice is doing something like, say, having Voldemort and Bellatrix have a secret love child despite the fact that Voldy never once came off as having any form of romantic or sexual feelings for her or anyone, ever. (Seriously, that guy was asexual and that is a hill I'll die on.)

Adjusting a character due to legitimate complaints and concerns on diversity, not just fanservice. It's more a full on social service, really, to try and provide that representation better. Yes, it wasn't done in the best way, but she did make an attempt.

The second one - Nesta and Lucien. That was her general plan, until she put Nesta and Cassian on page together. Then it all went out the window. Just like all of Nesta's thoughts when she saw Cassian. Just like Cassian's entire brain when he saw Nesta. 👀

And we get it, because we see it too.

So, while Sarah could have changed her mind about E\ain and Lucien, the only reasons she'd do that don't yet apply. She's already made a change for the diversity complaints, and I don't see her doing that with these two. As for finding out they actually belong with someone else when she sees them on page - well, that hasn't happened yet. She made the E\ain + Lucien decision after we see E\ain and Azriel interact, so clearly Az is not that for E\ain. And we've seen Lucien and Vassa on page together. There's nothing there except Lucien being pained about her curse - which, yeah, she's his friend. How often is one IC member described as looking pained for another? Or thinks about how much it hurt them to see their friend hurt?

But we know what it looks like when the chemistry is so undeniable it will adjust Sarah's plans. And if you're not sure - go back and read all the Nessian scenes in ACOMAF. And then see the one scene where Lucien and Vassa are on page together - I think you'll find there's another male there that, with Vassa, rings closer to the Nessian home.

There was no on page chemistry between Vassa and Lucien, and certainly not enough to change Sarah's mind. Which would also mean E\ain already wasn't meant for Az, which is likely why no one arguing for Vassa + Lucien seems to care as much about that, because most people who ship them are already dead set on E\ain + Azriel.

So, there you have it, my point of view/rant on those two pieces. But it's always important to look at the context of a post, and especially the "source material" people use to provide proof. It's why I tend to stick to the text where I can, and only use SJM statements that don't have an expiration date to their importance. SJM saying something about how she loves happily ever afters, for example, no expiration date. SJM telling us in 2015 that there is someone special for Lucien down the road - an expiration date after the first sign of a possible love interest for Lucien. Once E\ain was declared to be his mate, that statement became irrelevant, because regardless of whether it will be E\ain or not, you can no longer state that it's clearly hinting at someone else, since E\ain is a love interest for Lucien.

[blue-reimu]

https://discord.gg/R5W48TkQEA

Hey so. I made a Discord server recently It's an animal-based server primarily focused on zoology, marine biology, conservation and any similar scientific fields. We also have an entire section for petkeeping. Overall it's for educating people and being informed about anything to do with animals in a welcoming, friendly environment. We encourage healthy debate and discussion and intend to stay as well-informed as possible, keeping up to date with the latest news on climate change, endangered species and more.

If that's not quite your thing but you still like animals you're free to join and just chill out with people who also like them, and we have a bunch of channels made so you can discuss, share and infodump about things like your favourite wildlife, your pets or less on-topic things like a book you enjoy or a game you played recently.

Some examples of neat stuff we have:

- Miscellaneous section that has channels for topics like mycology, vulture culture, speculative biology and more

- A species identification channel where you can post pictures of animals you need help figuring out taxonomically

- Channel where you can ask for advice and help regarding your pets

- Pluralkit and Tupperbox for systems

- Clean and organised layout, but we have a channel specifically for creating shortcuts to other channels if you end up having trouble finding anything.

I've been wanting to do something like this for a while so if people could boost this I'd appreciate it a lot! Also this is my first time really trying to grow a server and community so I'm not opposed to anyone making suggestions or throwing some advice.

Hope you enjoy your stay if you join!

[celiaelise]

I feel like I have the stupidest combination of dietary hurdles in the world.

(**disclaimer: I am not calling these issues "stupid" as a way of being negative towards my body, myself, or anyone who might experience something similar. I am quite fond and appreciative of my body. I am only saying it because I think it is genuinely silly and ridiculous that my body so rejects such a fundamental part of its operation as taking in nutrients.)

Like:

picky eater (autism edition): not bad enough that people will realize unless I tell them, I can manage at most restaurants by finding the mildest thing on the menu. No fish, nothing spicy (cutoff starts at pepperoni, no I'm not kidding), very few sauces are acceptable, no toppings on anything. But I'm also just generally adverse to any food unfamiliar to me. I will get scared or freaked out. I have probably said the words, "plain and dry" at least a thousand times. I eat a lot of meat but I'm very particular about the texture.

ADHD: so I've already got that forget to eat/don't notice I'm hungry thing going, and then I'm also medicated, which actively suppresses my appetite, and, at the worst times, makes most food seem repulsive. (luckily that last part has been pretty rare since my main source of food stopped being a college dining hall)

Depressive symptoms/executive dysfunction: literally I just don't wanna do shit. I need food that requires the least possible effort. Sometimes I don't eat because I don't have a clean bowl to microwave canned food in. Also sometimes I just don't get around to buying food! I'll plan to grab food from a drive-through omw to work, but then end up running too late to make a stop. Cooking??? Love the concept, but it's absolutely out of the fucking question. Cannot even imagine a life where that is a frequent option for me.

okay here's where it gets even more stupid.

Lactose intolerance: again, not bad enough to where it's something I need to be vigilant about all the time. I can eat fast food pizza no problem, (I'm not convinced it has much real dairy in it anyway) I can eat regular ice cream with only mild gassiness. (and I do!) What I can't eat, is milk, milkshakes, protein shakes. You know, all those classic mental illness substinance hacks? Nope. Instant hurting tummy.

Oral allergy syndrome: a lot of people don't know about this, even those who might experience it. You know all those annoying seasonal allergies to, like, every living thing that grows outside? (I'm told that the area I live in is one of the worst for allergens in the country, and possibly the world. I haven't researched it myself though, and I've never lived elsewhere.) I have those pretty bad, and I'm already on medication for them. But it turns out that the proteins from those plants that trigger my allergies look pretty similar to the proteins in many forms of raw produce. And my body does not like that. I'm probably not going to start sneezing from standing near carrots, but I will feel an uncomfortable itch inside my throat and, what feels like, my inner ear if I eat more than a little of most kinds of raw fruits, vegetables, sometimes even nuts. It would be very hard for me to die this way, but it's also very hard for me to comfortably make my way through a salad. And what's that other go-to, "oh shit I didn't/don't have time to eat but my body still needs nutrients ahh" solution? That's right, smoothies!! Smoothies made out of raw fruits and veggies. 😑

So, yeah. That's why my diet's fucked up! I kind of just wanted to write all this out as validation to myself, but I'd definitely be interested if anyone else can relate, has suggestions, would like to express their condolences, etc.

Mostly I survive off of bread products, meat, and lots of different kinds of sweets. Oh, and fries. I specifically drink a lot of icees/slurpees/what have you. Cola flavor ONLY! It's like the only caffeine I ingest, and I don't even do it for the caffeine! If anything it makes me more sleepy. (I am already always sleepy, that a whole nother "stupid health problems" post.) I'm hoping to develop an easy and affordable way to reproduce the coke icee experience at home, probably with a blender, preferably without the caffeine. I don't think it could be that hard, but I haven't had much energy to put towards that project.

Similarly, I've started to look into things like lactose-free protein powder or protein bars, but I don't have a lot of energy for that research, and, as aforementioned, eating new and weird things scares me. Plus, specialty stuff like that tends not to be cheap! I think drinking new things is actually harder for me than eating them, tbh. I find powdered drink mixes generally unpleasant. The only things I can drink easily are water, and a few select sweet drinks, if they are very, very cold.

I actually have a consistent and specific craving for things that are sweet and very cold! I don't really know why. I know some people crave eating ice because of iron deficiency, and I'll not deny I've enjoyed a good ice crunch in my time, but it's really just that it has to be cold. And sweet. I used to keep popsicles on hand all the time, but I haven't gotten around to replenishing that supply in a few months.

I've also had this grand plan for several years of preparing a large batch of custom "trail mix" consisting of things like roasted pecans, dried fruits/berries, (idk what they do to process them, but they haven't triggered a reaction for me) and, of course, dark chocolate chunks. (I love chocolate sooo much, she is my mother, she is my best friend, she is everything to me.) But alas, little progress on that front as well.

I've actually even briefly considered trying to see a dietician, but the thing is that I absolutely do not trust them at all!! Like I'm sure there's a good one out there somewhere, but I am not going to waste my time finding them. These losers will be like, "ummm, so your BMI--" bitch, I'm stocky!!! I am short and squat and there is nowhere for fat or muscle, of which I have a considerable amount, to go!! BMI is quite literally fake bullshit science, please get off my back. Also I am just assuming they will not be respectful about the way my mental health impacts my eating habits. Most people just don't even wanna hear about that.

And of course there's just the thing where I am a young person, living on my own, in this specific place and time. Money is not abundant, support and community has to be fought for every step of the way, and sometimes it really feels like the world wasn't meant for those of us who aren't in a romantic relationship. (At least if you're not rich.) Like, you almost need at least two incomes and sets of hands per household in this economy.

[lokeanwelcomingcommittee]

Hi, I'm sorry to bother you with this question but I'm very new to deities so i know no other blogs about the topic (it's just *almost* a year I've been honoring Loki but that's about it).

Lately I've felt a different presence around me and i was pretty sure it was Odin due to "hints" and my intuition but according to some tarot readings that i did it's not the case. Still, i have this feeling that tells me it's Odin or at least someone very similar to him so i wanted to ask if any of you had some deities or other entities correspondences with the three of wands card, I'd really appreciate it.

Also i take the chance to thank you for this blog which has helped me a lot and that is just awsome... And to say I'm sorry for my english, have a nice day 💕

Hi there! Thank you so much for the kind words, and I'm glad the blog's been helpful to you, and absolutely no worries on the language front.

One sec, let me dig out my wizard robe and hat orb for this one.

I'm actually going to start from the end, because I'm going to suggest if you're using tarot that a one-card draw to identify a deity may not be enough. Certainly for some purposes one card works, but to kind of give an example I'm going to be as generic as possible and just look at the Wiki page for the Three of Wands, which contains stuff like "fresh starts," "partnership," "pursuing a journey," all of which would be very easy to read as confirming there's someone new about-- but it doesn't really give a lot of clues as to who, and while people do often develop "significators" or other cards they associate with deities, people, or anything else, those associations aren't really set in stone and often rely on personal associations/elements, so it's another instance where I could imagine logical associations, but certainly it wouldn't be a card I'd limit to representing one thing without some personal experience or direction behind it-- it could really point to a number of entities. With that said, if tarot is a divination method you're more experienced and/or comfortable with, our deity identification tag has a number of spreads designed for that purpose that might be a bit more illuminating, along with more tips and advice on that process in general.

That does give us a nice segue to my next point, which is that while I don't know what exactly your divination or communication situation is with Loki, you may be aware that him and Óðinn often do seem to show up together in modern experience, but even if it's not him, there is the possibility he may have more insight. Also-- and to stress, this as always is an optional choice that you can take or leave-- but you did mention Óðinn twice in this ask, once after doing divination that said it wasn't him. Obviously I don't know exactly why that is (and you are of course not required to tell me or anyone), but while there are-- to be clear-- a number of shifty wizards with a penchant for poetry and perturbation out there, so there are other possibilities-- I speak only for myself, but I think it's at least slightly notable he's still in the running, and exploring why might be useful to you-- to stress again, depending on your comfort level, he is a god known for drinking and knowing things (Grímnismál), so you could try asking him. I grant you he's not a god totally averse to taking credit even if it wasn't, and the poem I just mentioned has him going by "Grímnir" which means something like "masked or shadowy face," so you will also run into the paradox of asking a masked man who he is, but... you do seem to be in that situation whether it's Óðinn or not. Again, who you approach (if anyone), and venerating or working with whoever this presence turns out to be, or anyone you might meet in the process of finding out, is ultimately up to you, and again, the deity identification and discernment tags have a lot of good information on ways beyond divination to figure something like this out, along with good advice on best practices while doing it.

I hope some of that was helpful to you anon, and of course best of luck. If you do end up having more questions about Óðinn (although again to stress: it could definitely be someone else), while it now functions as more of a library/resource horde I do also maintain @oldbastard101, and you're welcome to send an ask there or my personal blog.

-Mod V

[lizacstuff]

i'd love (if you'd like ofc) to hear your thoughts on episode 20 as a whole! i personally really really enjoyed it.. it had some very good moments not only between edser but between serkan and his dad and selin. and of course were serving that angsty, but flirty, UST that we all love! it felt like a weight was lifted off serkan and he just became even more open with her, if that makes sense? what he says to her about leaving in the latest fragman kinda shows that too.

Are you sure you want my full thoughts? Because I'm about to get long winded, like novel long winded, lol. To start off, on a superficial note, can I say that casually dressed, brooding Serkan was pretty hot? Hello, Sailor! Can we see you in pullovers and hoodies and T-shirts more often? But just happier? He was soooo sad in the opening scenes, and honestly, when you think about it, it's pretty dark that he was so messed up that he didn't leave the house or attend to any business matters for those couple of days. Very unlike him, but he's probably never been at this depth of despair before. Now, since pretty much everyone knows he wasn't leaving the house while Eda was gone, I hope someone (cough Melo cough) tells Eda, she should know that. On a similar note, Eda's friendship with the girls is so lovely. They're indeed her family. Interesting juxtaposition that she took refuge with her friends, while Serkan holed up and stayed away from everyone who cares about him. 

I agree that once we got past the dark brooding and he had the talk with his mom about how if Eda was punishing him there was still hope, he was a lot lighter. I think finally being out from under the secret did him a world of good. He can finally stop pretending to be indifferent and can just be honest about how he feels.  What the “Gitme” line in the fragman tells me, is that he’s ready to put it all out there. He’s not going to risk miscommunications or hurt feelings anymore. Which is amazing and should lead to great things in the next couple of episodes.

More under the cut (a lot more):

I absolutely agree about the scenes between Serkan and his dad and Serkan and Selin. The writing was really terrific and Kerem just knocked both of those scenes out of the park. Serkan's suppressed fury was palpable, and it was extremely cathartic to finally watch him let loose on both of them. The scene with his father went deeper in the family trauma and it was so interesting to hear Serkan say outright to both of them that the reason he moved onto the property was because Aydan couldn't leave and his dad was never there, and was never there for him as a father at all. Which we saw from the beginning when Alpteken was actually at the house but refused to attend his son's engagement party. Regardless of the fact that Serkan sprung Eda on them, not walking 50 feet to make an appearance at your son's engagement party is an asshole move. I wonder how long he's been cheating on Aydan? Years? It's interesting how she foreshadowed that revelation to Ayfer, like she knew.

Also I can't believe he was just cavorting around a luxury hotel in Istanbul. The whole Bolat family are obviously figures in the upscale social scene, anyone who knew Aydan or Serkan could have easily spotted him with that woman and gleefully spread the gossip back. Did he want to get caught? Jerkoff.

As for Selin, we been waitin' for that explosion since she sold her shares without telling Serkan!  I like that Serkan was kind to her after Ferit left her at the altar, it spoke to him taking responsibility for the part he played in trying to manipulate her out of that relationship. However, she took advantage of the new, kinder Serkan (the one that exists courtesy of Eda) and went way too far into unstable territory. I, and many other people, were so confused about why Selin was so angry about uncovering the truth of the accident, like what right did she have to be that angry over it, to stomp over to his house, barge in uninvited and accuse him of being a liar at top decibel levels? Thank goodness the writing acknowledged that it was not her place, and that was the thing that enraged Serkan. They actually allowed him to say, "How dare you come to my house, and I don't owe you any explanations." Also, I'm glad he laid out his feelings for Eda, and his lack of feelings for her. Look... that is rough. Hearing from an ex that they never loved you.  But how she could have been in any doubt, after seeing the changes in him since Eda is beyond my comprehension. She even said early on, It's like there's two Serkans, the one before you met Eda, and the one after. For whatever reason it's like she thought Eda could come in and affect him, and then she could step in and get the Serkan who was in love with Eda, not the rigid, cold one who was in a relationship of convenience with her.  DELUSIONAL.

There was so much more about this episode I loved. It was nice to see Ayfer blossoming in her new business and getting a glimpse of Fifi's past. She comes from a society family, does she? I liked that Ferit helped them. I do agree that impressing Ceren was probably on his mind, but I like to think he's also just a nice man and he likes Ayfer and wanted to genuinely help as well. Interesting that we found out that Ferit's mom never liked Selin. Curious since you'd think she'd look great on paper, perhaps it was because of the speed at which they were moving, and I think she also stood them up, right? That made me like Ferit's mom a bit more than I otherwise would have. 

Aydan was in her element getting back to her charity work, I loved the way she plotted to put her name forward for the leadership position. She's just so savvy. That's why I'm glad she's now TeamEda!  Imagine what a formidable duo Eda and Adyan will make in this world, we saw a glimpse of it last week, but they'll be unstoppable! 

The contract was a neat device. I really appreciate how it was used. One of the things that Eda feels like she can't trust is the way Serkan has tried to control her. As I've said before, I think he's really trying to control the situation. And while that doesn't really make a difference to Eda in this instance, it does make a difference to me as a viewer. If he were being controlling in the sense of trying to dictate what she says or who she is, that would be upsetting. But that's not it, he really loves her for who she is already and he's not trying to change that, he's just, as I said, trying to control the situation. We know that he likes to think everything through and always has a plan and in this instance he was just trying to protect her, but she's right that he can't do that in a relationship. Proving to her that he can cede control is important and that's exactly what the contract did. We saw him do it willingly and blindly and it was actually really beautiful. Obviously, the Serkan apology to Erdem was hilarious, but more than how much I enjoyed how funny it was, I enjoyed how delighted Eda was by it. She loved every minute of it and it was so nice to see her relax a minute and genuinely laugh both at and with Serkan. Additionally, I think she was pretty surprised that he'd followed through with it. Lots of layers to that scene.  

The charity meeting he engineered was also pretty fun to watch. I loved how he calls Engin in to join them with no prep and then just expects Engin to reel off a bunch of good ideas for the girls education initiative. Good times. And Leyla rushing in to let him know that Melo had quit was hilarious, I love that Serkan was like "the whole situation is right here" meaning that Eda was in the room so whatever Leyla had to tell him could not possibly be important. Only Eda is important! LOL. Then Serkan doesn't even think before looping Engin in to go immediately hire Melo. You know what I hope this means!? That my crackship Mengin might actually sail!!!!  LET'S DO THIS MENGIN!!!!  Oh... I know, the show seems really committed to the mismatched duo of Engin/Peril, but I really think Engin and Melo are better suited to one another. And now maybe they'll get scenes together. Piril can dump him for being too... him, and Melo can help him pick up the pieces. They would be Serkan and Eda's big-hearted, teddybear couple friends!  

Watching Eda blossom creatively and professionally while working with Serkan has been a joy. She doesn't stand in awe of him at all as a person, but she does a little professionally, and it's wonderful to see how no matter how angry she is with him or where they are in their relationship she always craves his feedback, takes in his critiques and suggestions, and basks in his praise. While she didn't want his help with her schoolwork, I can't help but wonder if he ever comes up at school. I mean she's in the tabloids with him, and since he's extremely relevant to the field of study, and specifically to that school since he built the library, do her classmates ask her about him? Or does she mention something she did or learned working at ArtLife while in class? Inquiring minds want to know.

As for Eda's resolve to keep things professional, that pretty much was DOA. She definitely challenged him to break the contract there in that room, and I think she actually wanted him to do it, though I’m not sure how she would have reacted. she wants him, but she wasn’t there yet. She knows resistance is futile, deep down she recognizes her own feelings and his and knows they'll never stay away from one another and it's only a matter-of-time, but I think she needs this. She needs for him to understand what it means to be in a relationship, she needs him to know that he can't make decisions without her, and she needs to be sure he's ready to be a partner. Thankfully, he made a lot of headway in demonstrating all of those things in this episode. He signed without reading, he was willing to do anything and everything she asked, and while he's still him (asking Leyla for intel) he respected her wishes while still being there for her in a real way throughout the episode.  

Poor Eda fainting, but it's really romantic that he's always there to catch her. I assume this narcolepsy or whatever it is, like her claustrophobia, is related to the trauma around the retaining wall collapse and her parents' death. It was sweet the way he convinced her to let him be there when she met the contractor, and then during the confrontation he didn't intervene, he let Eda say what she needed to say and was there to move the guy along when it was time. He was pretty much perfect. I know we all NEEDED him to hug her, both Eda and Serkan NEEDED it as well, but she wasn't ready to ask for him yet and he was smart enough not to push it. But the loooooooooonging. 

It's a small detail that she asked him to deal with the paps and he went home and set about doing just that. Hopefully whatever he was doing will lead to the revelation that Selin is the one who planted the story in the first place. I need that, we all need that. And just when you think it's too late at night, he does their "thing" and shows up at her place with Sirius. So dang sweet. I like that he was respecting her pretense about colleagues while at the same time just outright saying, "I'm worried about you. Are you okay?"

The next day's car ride left me in a puddle. Serkan just out there telling her that he would do anything for her. But he didn't push it on her, he waited until she asked. He did a great job of pacing himself through the episode. I find it so romantic that she told him that he couldn't watch her speech. If they were together and settled and happy, I'd think she'd want him front row, center, but in their current state he just affects her too much. She'd be focused on him, worried about what he thought, distracted by him, he just sends her mind whiring and her pulse racing.

Though, it's pretty telling and super sweet that the first thing she wants to know when he approaches her afterward is what he thought of the speech. Oh, Eda, you're not fooling anyone. His opinion is most important to you, pretty much in all things. This scene gives us something that rarely happens, Engin being tone deaf and not reading the room!! WTF was wrong with him? Interrupting like that? Dude knows that Serkan is in a situation here, you don't interrupt for really no reason like that! Get your head in the game, son! Your his wingman, you help, not hinder!

The way Eda blushed and looked pleased every time he complimented her this episode was something else. She's trying to keep emotional distance, and he's breaking the rules when he does it, but still it makes her day. She's never portrayed as a vain character, at all, so it's just so sweet how his words and his compliments affect her. No one else can make her feel like that. 

Serkan was pretty sly in making his case as well. He gets her a bit mushy telling her she lights up the room and then brings up her speech and how it might apply to him. He was right in that she probably hasn't considered things from his perspective. How devastating it must have been for him to learn the truth. I want her to go back and piece together the timeline. She knew something wasn't right with him at the mall when she gave him the robot. Maybe it will help her deal with this if she realizes he had just learned the secret. She knew there was more to the story with the cut on his hand. Knowing he was so upset he put his hand through a coffee table might give her some perspective on his state of mind and why he acted the way he did.  But mostly I want him to tell her he overheard her conversation with Ceren. I think it's important for them both to confront how things unraveled if only to help prevent future miscommunications. 

Poor Eda having a good time using her powers of persuasion to tease Serkan into helping his mother only to find out that she had convinced him to auction himself off for a dinner date! I enjoyed her momentary discomfort at that. Welcome back, jealousy. Strictly work colleagues do not get jealous when one goes out to dinner with someone else, just saying, Eda.  And that smooth bastard bid on himself so he could go out with her only. We should have known! 

The conversation prior to the runway show was priceless, Eda's animosity and reserve sort of disappear and she's just unsure enough of what she's about to do that his reassurances are exactly what she needs.  And how Kerem Bursin can blush on demand, I don't know, but Serkan be red during that conversation, lol. 

I really loved all of Serkan's reactions as the ladies walked the runway. For Selin he was stone-faced and bored looking, for Fifi he gave a sly smirk as she passed as an acknowledgement of how different, and nice, she looked all cleaned up, Melo got the huge grin, we didn't really see Ceren since the camera was stuck on Ferit, but for Piril he gave her the fond, encouraging smile like he was proud of his friend. And then Eda. I don't even know what word to use for it. Enraptured? Dumsquizzled? Fuckstruck? Yes, let's go with fuckstruck. I'm not sure he remembered to breathe while she was walking, he was so affected by her.  This boy has it bad for this girl, ya'll. 

After that, the end was a punch in the gut. Our poor babies have been through so much, they really deserved to have that nice dinner.  Damn you, Selin! Obviously this was a delaying tactic, because once they sat down to dinner, you know they would have worked it out, so we wait. But the reconciliation is coming, don't you worry. I'm feeling it within the next 2 episodes for sure.