#it's GROWTH (tm)

[vexanari]

Hehe thought it'd be fun n indulgent to draw Kieran (and Carmine) as the zorua line !!

[mccdimples]

BRADLEYLAURA in

2x06: A Private Person | 3x05: Love Island

[gabelew]

i can't believe i never posted any of my pre-calamity Seggin sketches aaa such an oversight TToTT he's so fun to draw! the most unhinged old man!

[galedekarios]

Hello! I hope you have a nice day. I just wanted to point out that during the tiefling party in act 1, Gale (I can't remember exactly what he said) but he says that his close circle is very VERY small and that he has a bunch of colleagues and acquaintances but not many friends. Then there's a dialogue option to tell him that you would be glad to be his friend.

Then in the epilogue he says that his friends at the yawning portal were left with quite an impression of Tav/PC. Friends! Either I'm reading his tone wrong, or reading into it too much, but it's as if Tav/the PC helped expand Gale's close circle (as the dialogue option before this mentioned that Tav/the PC made him 'put down his quill' and enjoy Waterdeep). I just think it's sweet.

this is such a great observation, anon! these are the conversation you are referring to:

gale at the tiefling party in act i:

Gale: [about Tara] I wish she were here for me to make a formal introduction, but I would never ask her to undertake such a journey. She is safer at home. Besides, she was always telling me I needed to spread my wings, so to speak. Find mortal friends, instead of hanging onto Mystra's coattails. So that's what I'm doing. I hope. Player: You don't have any friends? / Player: No one came to visit you during your confinement? Gale: Sadly not. If I'm being entirely honest, my social circle is rather small. More of a dot. Or a pinhead. I've got aquaintances, certainly. Plenty of colleagues. But friends? Those are precious indeed. I hope, though we've only known each other for a short time, I might be able to count you among that number?

and

Player: You must have been lonely, with only Tara for company... Gale: Sometimes. But I imposed it upon myself, after all. I set up enough wards to keep an army at bay, never mind the few colleagues who sought to inquire about my welfare. Gale: Tara did her best to keep my spirits up, of course, but there's only so much one tressym can make up for one's entire social circle. And she was often gone seeking items to treat my condition. Gale: You're the first person I've spent any significant time with in a year or more. Spending time in your company, I realise that I may have left behind the greater part of my wit, and sensitivity, in my tower. Player: I rather like the Gale stood in front of me. In fact, I'd like to see more of him...

compared to what he says in the epilogue:

Gale: Teaching at Blackstaff Academy has proven such an unexpected pleasure. Sometimes I find it hard to tear myself away. Just one of the myriad unexpected ways life has delighted me in recent months. Even my own city feels new to me, now that I share it with you. Player: Probably because I make you put down your quill once in a while and enjoy it. Gale: That you do. I've not had so much fun in Waterdeep since my own days as a wayward Blackstaff apprentice. You've certainly made quite the impression on my friends down at the Yawning Portal. The last I heard, they were thinking of naming a drink after you.

he really came into his own in this ending.

thank you so much for your message! 🖤

[spoofyleaf]

Sometimes I remember that my whole house was so obsessed with the show Merlin, that we named the first tree we planted in the yard Merlin.

When it was given to us 11 years ago it was hardly a scraggly stick, and now it looks like a giant bush

Artist rendition

[seraphic-sibyl]

On waiting for the perfect day to create.

Something I've learned--and it's taken me a while to realize what it actually means--that "write it now, edit later" is a real thing. You can always revisit it in a few years if you think it's not strong enough and re-tackle your story with a little more experience under your belt. But the "half-written Word doc" phenomenon is also real; often we start stories and then lose steam halfway through, and that's fine. Creating anything is a good thing.

But if you never start, you won't even have a half-finished Word doc. You might think about that really cool story idea you had and realize you just don't think that way anymore, that you just can't bring yourself to write it anymore. And people change, it's true, and looking back at something you created and realizing it doesn't reflect you anymore is a real thing too. But maybe it would have been really good, even if you can't believe in it anymore, and you kinda wish it existed while you still did.

I dunno. I've been thinking lately about the novel I wanted to write when I was 15, and how so much has changed since then that I don't know if I could write such an optimistic story. I don't know if it would just be tone-deaf at this point. I think the way I view the intended themes is a bit more nuanced. But I wish it existed. I wish I hadn't waited until I had more writing experience and just...put words to a page. Made something, even if it never saw the light of day, just so I can look at the way I used to see things and the product of it.

It may not have been perfect, but I think I would have loved writing it, and I wish I didn't keep waiting for a flash of inspiration to give me the rest of my world, characters, and story. The flash would never come.

Make your stories. If you know you don't like it or you need more experience to do it justice, you'll at least have a framework to come back to. Create the thing.

[circular-bircular]

Y'all put too much weight in science.

"Anti-endos don't believe in science!" "Pro-endos don't believe in science!"

Does it matter?

Got into a huge discussion today that was incredibly triggering for me surrounding the scientific merit of EMDR. It terrified me and made me incredibly paranoid that my therapist was lying to me, because I plan to start EMDR this summer. "What if it is all bogus and marketing magic?"

And then (after a good cry and snug with my partner) we came to the age old conclusion: Does it matter if it helps you?

"Science has said that the bilateral part of EMDR is just bogus!" Okay. And? If I find success from it, and I feel it helps me, then does it matter if it is scientific or not?

It's okay for things to not align to "the current science." For one thing, the current science can be wrong, just flat out. We are constantly learning more and more each day. But far, far more importantly... I don't exist to be scientific. I don't exist to follow the science. I exist to be happy and recover and do my best.

Even if something doesn't follow the science fully, it can still be beneficial. Hell, I like crystals for crying out loud, even though I know that's a whole lot of new age bullshit according to "science." If they make me happy and if I see benefits, then isn't that the actual important part?

Just... take a step back from the science sometimes, okay? Recognize that if it benefits people -- even if science dictates that it shouldn't -- then maybe that person doesn't need you to go on a rant about how it isn't scientific and how they're making an "unethical choice".

[unproduciblesmackdown]

also riawin timeloop ("canon compliant" (still focusing on character so not canon compliant in that way)) ft. the attempts to make things work but that only goes Winston? more like Win State over giving up on that b/c he's in a situation where no matter what he does the other person chooses to see him as a nonperson (so canon compliant it's barely an au. the role sure exited the iterative loop upon giving up on all that (not possible to Win (the final Lose is others killing him))

[blondepomeranian]

Illegal Work Selfies(TM) are becoming my new favorite subgenre.

[vaultsixtynine]

and the refusal to Do Anything with solas makes the entire solavellan debacle like. absolutely fangless. when it, in theory, is So Good. could be. the dream is alive in my heart but only if i put the work into making either of these people Anything (and tbf. the lavellan part of what i've got going on has very little to do with The DA:I Character Lavellan, The Inquisitor)

[tinypaperstar]

10 minutes before Nero manages to cause a blackout during their guardian's birthday celebration and Ava has to climb on a table to not get crushed by the party guests around her.

[comradecowplant]

lol Clark Gregg being the villian this season, you'll always be the failhusband of two Christines to me but sure little buddy, keep trying to be serious & scary

[blackbatcass]

Looking through my ANCIENT dc wips and like…damn. I wish I cared about jason todd now even at all a little bit

[themonsterunderthebed]

guys it's time we all talked about your use of the words "young" and "old"

you seem to think. that this is a binary. a person is either young. or a person is old. i am here to give you the joyful news that there is a whole swath of time - the majority of your life, even - where you are no longer young but are also not yet old. something in the middle, so to speak. a..... middle age.........

but seriously the reaction to people calling a 38 year old (which is ridiculous) does not need to be insisting that 38 year old is young (ridiculous in the other direction). like. they're not. sorry. they are nowhere near old but they are no spring daisy anymore either

in summary life does not exist on a strict binary where you are Young until one day a switch flips and you are Old and perhaps it is a minor quibble but i think it would do people good to realize and recognize that

[worstloki]

You are one of those people who lowkey hates Thor. It's apparent from your frequent posts. You never even speak against it. It's like you enjoy it and if you think it's something to be proud of, okay then :)

why would I speak against canon Thor behaviour ? yea he WAS arrogant and pretty thoughtless at the start of his arc. was mean, even.

[lisbonsteresa]

what a difference a couple of years makes