#like it's such an awesome opportunity to meet people and learn things

[ramblingandpie]

I went to a conference (Annual Meeting of Law School Diversity Professionals - I am not a law school Diversity professional but I was a recent law student who navigated the disability/accommodations process and I have uuuuuuuh about 15 years of disability justice/advocacy under my belt so I was presenting on that can of worms) and it was awesome and also I'm exhausted.

[itsdannycragg]

Hi Tumblr!

I logged da fuck off at some point and will continue to be very much so not on social media! Believe me when I tell you life is better on the other side.

I do want to pop in with a life update for the curious!

I'm out here in Durham, NC, and three years after moving here with Shelby and Brian, I can confidently say there isn't a place in the world I'd rather put my roots down.

I never knew what actual community looked or felt like until I came here. I'd made friends in town everywhere I'd lived, of course, and we would go out to eat or on a vacation, visit a gallery or something, but in Durham it's just different. Looking out the window during a car ride, chatting with a stranger in a grocery store, checking out a thrift shop or going to the library, I find myself declaring "I love living here..." the same compulsive way I tell my partners I love them. Durham isn't just a place I live, it's where I belong.

I've been calling myself an ex-cartoonist, and preaching the nightmare of trying to make art for infinite-profit focused megacorps. It's not that I didn't love making cartoons, it's that I did. It may not be that way for everyone, but for me, working a job I loved meant I was working every second of my life. Being an artist is a core part of my heart and soul, and near the end, I had become so burnt out I would spend hours just trying to start doing the work I used to fly out of bed excited to do.

So I did some of this and that, worked a retail job that fucked my hands up so bad that I had to have double carpal tunnel release surgery. 29 years as an artist and I get carpal tunnel from hefting around boxes in a warehouse!

Since then, I've pivoted into building a career as a graphic designer. (And I'm learning web dev too!) I'm getting involved in the local nonprofit scene, meeting so many incredible people and finding so many cool and exciting opportunities to focus my design work on community awareness, nonprofits, small businesses!! I didn't expect that to be so viable for a Graphic Designer. I had the misconception for a long time that I'd have to put my creative sensibilities aside for more dry, sensible corporate phooey. But there's so much more. Graphic design is truly a delight and a challenge! I have always enjoyed thinking critically about all forms of human creation. Why am I so drawn to this book cover? What makes that building so weird? Why do these casserole mix boxes piss me off? Why does that person's outfit look so fucking awesome?

Taking those thoughts and using them to inform how I approach design is an entirely different beast from animating and illustrating. I'm fighting for my life out there formatting text, morphing vectors and and scooting things around a comp until it works. A picture's worth a thousand words, but you don't have space for a thousand words in a graphic design. Condense! Condense! It's challenging, and a lot of fun.

Working as a cartoonist was my dream come true, and I am forever proud of and thankful for the part I have played in the history of animation and queer representation in entertainment. I had the privilege of having the life crisis I had at 21— "I never thought I'd get this far. What more could I want? What do I do now?"

Well, a decade later I confidently know what comes after having my dreams come true. I get older, and I experience new things, meet new people, struggle paying bills, endure all kinds of misfortunes and problems, and come out the other side astounded and proud to have survived it. Grow closer to my family friends and community as the years deepen our history together, and just be amazed and thankful that I made it this far, over and over.

It's funny being called old by my younger friends, because I have never felt so young in my life! I JUST cracked 30. There are so many things I haven't done yet, and so many things I don't know that I don't know yet. And I have the power to take ALL of this and to create art about it. Hopy shit!

Speaking of making art and sharing it, one of the reasons I'm excited to be learning web dev is so I can carve out places online where I can share anything and everything I want to. Media Crit, comics, essays, comics, illos, however I want to present it. I'll share it when I get the site running. Or maybe I wont and you'll have to find it by chance.

And of course, I'm still actively writing Neokosmos with Shelby and Brian, and doing other little things here and there. :) See ya when I see ya, Danny

[felassan]

Notes and thoughts on the August 30th dev Discord Q&A. (this post contains DA:TV spoilers from the recent Q&A).

Mother Ghil is a herbalist 😌

"there are opportunities in conversations, in dialogue, in scenes where you will, you know - a companion may ask you for a hug because they’re having a rough time and you are able to give it to them"

🥺😭 I'm worried (but in a good way, pls hurt me storylines) because this reminds me of DA:I when the Inquisitor can hug Varric after something incredibly sad happens as a result of our choices (Hawke's death in the Fade) oughh.

Influence on the fate of nations? 👁️

"Rook does become a fairly important figure" - this reminds me of Solas' line in a past trailer: "They call me the Dread Wolf. What will they call you when this is over?"

UNDERWEAR CHOICES

Taash is babey 🥺 it makes sense why in this screenshot she looks young. if Taash is in her early 20s, say 23, that means she probably can't have been one of the Five Belles of Hunter Fell as that was in 9:42 and she would have been like 13

Here is some further info about companion ages that came out since the time of the Q&A

Harding had to have been at least 18 ten years ago in 9:42 when she joined the Inquisition and became Lead Scout, so must be at least 28. but I think older, as I think she was older than 18 in DA:I by a fair few years. like around early to mid 20s at that point in time.

"they’re all people who have been through a lot [...] they’ve been through a tremendous amount by this point by the time you meet them" 🥺😭

"They’re more linear than some of the other parts of the game, because we feel that’s how we can tell the best stories, give you a very intentionally-paced experience, y'know, with lulls and climaxes, so it really hits you."

This was how Trespasser was and it was the best part of DA:I, the storytelling and narrative beats in that DLC were soo good.

Hossberg Wetlands! - new location confirmed, and also described as being one of the biggest like Arlathan Forest. also new location just dropped, Hossberg existed before in the lore but I don't remember hearing about the Wetlands! Hossberg is the capital of the Anderfels. it'll be awesome to see more of the Anderfels than only Weisshaupt. by the name these wetlands must be nearby Hossberg. I wonder whether they're around the Lattenfluss or more around this body of water to the south of Hossberg? the area around Kassel looks wet with multiple bodies of water, but there the nearest settlement is Kassel. we also learned that there's a Davrin-oriented quest there that he can show up in with Assan and help you clear the way forward

also, I remember reading before that "Thedas’s separate regions are connected by The Crossroads, which will allow players to venture out into", but from how The Crossroads was described in the Q&A, they sound kind've like an explorable area in and of themselves in the game like they were in Trespasser, and that's exciting. :D I'm so excited to explore in there some more and see how it has changed from DA:I/Trespasser:

"but this, isn’t necessarily the Crossroads as you remember it. So you’ll be able to explore this, this part of the Crossroads, and as you’re there, you’re absolutely gonna be discovering new areas, new quests, mysteries and new challenges"

like this sounds very 👁️. The Veil has been having a rough time lately and magic has been flowing into the world. reality is warping in places like Arlathan. we've seen the effects this sort of thing is having on the waking world. but what about the effects this is happening on the Fade and Fadey dimensions? I wonder if this game will still reflect that the Crossroads looks different for elves compared to other lineages?

"I wanna see that big 100% completed on my map. That’s gonna take you quite a bit of time."

I love that. :D

I totally agree that the cloth sim and hair sim in the game is beautiful and looks beautiful. you can see this when characters move their heads or when their capes and things move around as they move. its so cool!

"there is a unique Venatori-themed helmet. I, I don’t want to spoil what that is exactly, but, so, you can get a helmet, it is unique, it’s pretty interesting and ties into some of the events that can happen in the game but I’m just gonna leave it there."

inchresting... this helmet sounds like it has special powers or attributes and has some sort of presence in a possible plot somewhere.

I will still romance Strife Dragonage in my dreams

while Rook's romance is within the companions, iirc was mentioned elsewhere that sometimes companions may find romance both inside and outside of the party

Cat Vibing To Ievan Polkka

KFM: "So Taash breathes fire, Lucanis has wings, Harding is a dwarf who has magic. A lot of our companions have some strange abilities - is this because the Veil is compromised?" JE: "Oh, I’d say it’s, I mean partially yeah. I mean, we’ve talked before about how over the course of the time since Dragon Age: Inquisition, I mean, it started at the end of Trespasser. The Veil’s not in great shape. Corypheus already did a number on it, and Solas has very clearly, as you saw, in the [inaudible] preview, not been making things better in the intervening times. [...] because there’s all this magic that’s coming back to the world through the torn Veil"

This is inchresting and ties to what was said in these two previous quotes:

Lore/art direction: “Magic has started seeping into the world through Solas’ ritual”, “and so you’re seeing the effects of that on the space, and on the visuals as well” [post this is from, original source. original source is a John Epler interview video]

“Epler, who writes Bellara, tells me about her place in Thedas as an elf and the connection elves have to the magic of the world. He says if you’ve paid attention to the franchise, you likely already know that elves are historically an oppressed people in the games. Now, with two of their gods on the loose in Veilguard, magic has poured back into the world in a big way. […] A Quick Detour: Magic During my discussion, Epler spoke about magic’s place in the world and how it differs in Veilguard from previous Dragon Age games. Here’s what he said: "Historically, as you’ve mentioned, we’ve been in the south of Thedas and south Thedas is Ferelden, Orlais. Both are fairly still oppressed, they still have circles. Mages are viewed with suspicion, but Tevinter has always been this land where mages rule, mages are in charge, mages make the rules, mages run the show. So what does that look like? And as we’ve gone through [Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition], magic has become more and more present. And part of that is because Solas has been slowly preparing this ritual for longer than anyone in the Dragon Age universe is really aware of, but also, just going into the spaces where magic is, by definition and by the lore, much, much more present. And it’s been fun because, again, we do have rules; we want to make sure we’re not violating the lore or violating things we’ve said before. But it’s also, again, that permissiveness of, ‘Okay, what is the most interesting way to do this? What’s the most interesting way to tell the story? [In] Origins, II, on the Eclipse engine, we could talk about this fantastical magic, but the engine didn’t really allow us to show it. For the first time, we’re really able to let the visuals speak for themselves and not have to tell the player, ‘Trust us, it’s spectacular; this magic is really cool.’ We can actually show you and let you drink it in.” [post this is from, archive post of the original article as that went down when GI did]

The effects of this on space, reality, visuals, people and their abilities, ancient elven artifacts turning back on, and Solas' activities being part of what affected things in the time since DA:I. I wanna speculate that these ancient elven artifacts turning back on or becoming active again is part of why reality has been warping and "something [going] wrong" in Arlathan Forest. I wonder if the Morlyn clan journal relic began rewriting itself as a consequence of the magic returning.

Bellara was an interesting example though, she's a mage not a non-mage like Taash, Lucanis, Harding. was I parsing this right - is the implication that she wouldn't be able to interface with the artifacts that have turned back on if the Veil was in better shape and magic hadn't been pouring back in?

^ Bellara interfacing with an artifact

All the talk of magic coming back into the world are like Sandal's prophecy:

One day the magic will come back - all of it. Everyone will be just like they were. The shadows will part and the skies will open wide. When he rises, everyone will see.

and reminds of a few other bits too:

Ardent Blossom Faerie: "Pulling back the curtain. Let the light in. Let it burn. Bring faith. Bring hope. Bring dreams of life. - Morrigan: "Change is coming to the world. Many fear change, and will fight it with every fibre of their being. But sometimes change is what they need most. Sometimes, change is what sets them free." - Flemeth: "We stand upon the precipice of change."

I loved hearing about Bellara's friendships with Lucanis and Neve. it sounds so well thought-out, and I'm looking forwards to learning the relationships between each companion!!

Bellara believing that family is deeply important combined with a previous quote about her backstory,

"Whereas Bellara is somebody who has seen tragedy, and as you get into her character arc and get into her backstory, you realize this is a character who has seen a lot of tragedy"

makes me wonder if this tragedy has involved her family and if her family are okay. 🥺

Lucanis' belief in the deep importance of family makes me worried in case any of his personal arc/story involves the family tensions he has with Illario and Caterina

I love that Bellara collects newspaper clippings and was basically Neve fan before meeting her!

Neve must be a fairly prominent, well-known/successful private detective/investigator to have formed a large profile in print media

Taash and Emmrich [...] When you’re out in the field like exploring, or on missions with them, their banter is so good, because they do not see eye-to-eye on necromancy, like, at all, and, it’s really funny, it’s really delightful, I love seeing how it evolves

as a necromancer Emmrich doesn’t have a problem with necromancer (makes sense). I wonder what Taash dislikes about it? is it its bad reputation (per Josie in DA:I)? Solas freed the weak spirit the Mortalitasi in Tevinter Nights had bound to stir her drink. maybe Taash doesn’t like the binding part, or the undead helpers or servants part? maybe she just doesn't like the dead the way Bull doesn't like demons?

Having to figure out how Harding's new powers layer into her combat kit - Harding's new magical powers are part of her gameplay abilities confirmed!

Harding can also do Heavy Draw

Interesting - the more you help a faction the more gear you get from them. between that and transmog it means everyone can access the Antivan Crows awesome threads if they wanna :D

Both the specs and gear are themed around particular factions like aesthetically but aren't exclusive-to-them when it comes to use/gameplay

It sounds like each faction will have a quartermaster

Veil Jumper lore! they tend towards electricity/lightning damage and archery in their fighting style. and in general they're practically minded and dress as such because where they go and what they do requires care and protection and is dangerous, they wear boots/shoes etc for this reason

Veil Ranger info! it tends towards electricity, use of the Veil and use of that kind of magic. it also uses archery

The answer to the question about the Evoker spec made me reassured about the answer I wrote here ^^;

Great news that any piece of gear we find will unlock the appearance of that gear and how it can be applied to anything we want <3

Training dummy cosmetic - joke gear pieces like the Wedge of Destiny live on :D

I'm so psyched that we can even transmog our casual wear!! that's so cool and allows for so much agency. I find when I play mages in the past I'm always looking for the.. least magiest-looking mage gear to wear, and previously there wasn't crazy amounts of choice in casual wear, so this is amazing dbgfjdbd

very personal GIFTS for the blorbos 🥺 the gift system sounds so lovely and thoughtful. I think maybe some of the empty shelves that can be seen in the new screenshots of the companion rooms in the Lighthouse just miiight be where the companions will display the gifts

"A really big thing for us on this project is making sure that the gameplay reflects the characters, their arc and their personality as much as possible, so."

looking real hard at Lucanis' wings rn, especially given the context of what else we know about him 👁️

"you’re not even going to see everything necessarily in a couple of playthroughs"

Aaaaaa :D

as a warrior fan the love for the warrior class was really heartening. (love you Inky)

The Missing setting up some of the characters we'll see in the game makes me even more sure that alongside Strife&Irelin and Evka&Antoine we'll see Teia&Viago in the game (plus the characters in the release date reveal trailer that totally look like them ofc)

Emphasis that themes and events/things present and explored in Tevinter Nights are present in the game

It sounds like Vows & Vengeance is set in the weeks before the prologue of DA:TV kicks off

There is a buff called Rally Party where Rook triggers a surge in their companion's ability

MAAEEEEEEEEEE 😭😭😭 this was so good I was like yelling OMG. I'm sooo happy about this, this is so great. she's been on my 'DA4 wishlist of stuff' for so long and we waited to meet her since 2012 (12 years ago!!!). I'm soo excited to meet her oh my god. this reveal was honestly the highlight of the whole Q&A. pack it up, we can go home now. Mae.. 😭 I hope we get to see her interact with Varric. and I wonder if she has some involvement with the Shadow Dragons (Varric said something about "some old friends in Tevinter said the Shadow Dragons were pog to work with" in the gameplay reveal..), and how things are going with her and Dorian's faction the Lucerni

It sounds like Lucanis' parents were killed at some point in some Crow-Crow politics. probably when he was quite young, since when Lucanis thinks back on being raised by Caterina she did things like making him spend days without food or water, which makes it sound like he was quite young when he entered her care

No jealousy dialogue is interesting

I hope for a poly romance option in a future game

ABILITY TO SAVE CHARACTER APPEARANCES for use later in CC aaaa. Amazinggg. thankyouuu. a lot of thought has been put into the quality of life features of this game :') pausing cutscenes is another great one.

KFM: "The question is, is Lucanis possessed?" JE: "So, again, spoilers, everyone has been warned, fairly warned. So Lucanis Dellamorte is also known as The Demon of Vyrantium. And, he has spent a lot of time killing Venatori, who are mages, and who do know a lot about demons, so. Yeah, somebody decided that it might be a good idea to make that nickname stick."

👁️👁️👁️ Aaaaa. Inchrestinggg. From this and The Wigmaker Job I would guess that this "somebody" who decided that and did that to him is Zara Renata. she ended that short story like [evil anime villain laugh] "huehuehue":

"From flying vermin to malicious spirit. That's quite the promotion." [...] "A true maleficar knows demons cannot be killed, only controlled. If this Crow fancies himself a demon, then I look forward to using him to his full potential. He'll be duly punished"

Who else could the "someone" be? Zara, when I catch you.. 😠

I'm sure it will be different this time around as it always is! - both Wynne's situation (the specifics of it, how it came around, the effect it had on her) and how it was explored in the story was different to Anders' which was again different to Justice's in DA:O's to Cole's etc. (speaking veeery broadly in terms of the 'spirit companion' archtype, I know for example that Cole isn't possessed, simply a spirit. yk what I mean). I'm super curious about the take on this theme this time around ^^

(Lucanis possession-y-type-situation evidence [plus his demon-y looking tarot art, plus the wings and purple magic abilities of course])

I love the agency companions are given by them showing up in the field to help you, waiting for you somewhere on a quest they want to go on, or you encountering them out randomly somewhere doing there own thing (like the tidbit from a magazine about encountering Neve). it makes them feel like real people

I wonder if Taash's keen interest in the main story mission & the challenges of its arc in the far reaches of Arlathan Forest (it's strong enough that she shows up there impatiently if you don't take her) has something to do with the eluvian that's in her room?

"Far reaches of Arlathan Forest" is music to my ears btw as someone who has wanted to explore in there for the longest time

"You’ve just been around them, you’re aware of their techniques, and you wanna take that on yourself." - sensical explanation of what 'specs are aligned with/tied to factions' means ^^

KFM: "This next question is, where is the equator in Thedas, or the planet Thedas is on, relative to places we’ve explored?" JE: "That is a great question. So, I will say that, you know, it’s funny until I saw this question, it’s not something I’d ever thought a lot about, but as I started thinking about it a little bit more deeply, based on how the climate changes across Thedas, you know, obviously, to the south are the Avvar and things get a little bit more wintry, and then up north is a lot more tropical, I’d say that Thedas is a southern continent on this world, so."

I feel like the answer that was given here matches what a lot of fans have speculated or headcanoned on this topic. ^^

"There are these times where a companion, either their faction or their story arc is so closely tied or intersects with the events of a main story mission that they do become required, but it’s not the standard"

This makes sense. It sounds like Liara on Thessia in ME3.

When someone asked "Can a companion leave due to your world decisions, and if so, will their partners leave with them?" and John Epler mentioned that he would only answer half of this question as the other half is a spoiler, it made me wonder if companions will leave at certain times due to our world decisions

No mechanic behind companion-companion romances is so nice, it's more organic and real that way. I'm really looking forward to seeing the friendships and relationships between the companions develop

DAVRIN INFOOO 😭🙏 He sounds amazing. I wonder which companions in particular bring out his kindness

"He’s not just a Warden who sees fighting monsters as, you know, just part of the job. He believes in turning this into a skill-set that he alone, you know like, he has more than anyone else. Learning how to defeat monsters, learning their weaknesses, and that does show up a lot in his character arc, so."

this ties back to a related quote from a lil while ago.

I know it can be inferred from her vallaslin, but this Q&A is the first place I remember (atm) Bellara specifically being stated to be Dalish

We already saw each companion's Lighthouse casual wear here

Emmrich?? what are his casual threads like? :D

I wonder if Lucanis being one of the team cooks is part of why he appears to sleep in the kitchen storage/pantry

"It’s funny, I’d say that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is probably the most we’ve talked about food in a context of Dragon Age, ever" - it makes sense that it was only recently that the DA cookbook came out hh :D

Some of the companions being so bad at cooking that they'd burn water and die took me out. who do you think are the ones that aren't even 'passable' cooks but terrible ones hh? :D

So do the Crows in general quite enjoy the finer things in life and in food?

I wonder if part of Lucanis' interest in food and cooking stems from when he was young and Caterina made him go for days without food and water? :(

"So one of the things I really love is, you know, Bellara and Lucanis actually end up being, essentially, the team cooks. Bellara, you know, spending a lot of time out in nature, learning a lot about, you know, different types of cooking, is really big on experimentation, she likes to, you know, try different things. Lucanis comes from the Crows, Lucanis is very big on the finer things, so between the two of them, there’s a point in the story where they basically decide, if we don’t do this, the entire team is going to starve, so let’s just call ourselves the cook, cooks, and make sure that nobody dies of food poisoning, so."

I love this so much 🥺💜 ooh my heart. (its so wholesome and so funny at the same time). also Bellara's creativity and love of learning and exploring expresses itself in her cooking too!

It's great that fine, fancy dwarven-style beards are returning :D I wonder if there are also hairs with beads woven in? Strand hair in the beards 👌 beard physics working with different armors 👌 (amazing work!!). Dwarf Rooks shown before launch 👌 as many options in CC being universal as possible 👌 I love what I'm hearing!! I would guess from this that it means hair isn't gender-locked and mostly isn't lineage-locked (I can understand qunari hair may have to be) and things like that.

It wasn't in doubt ofc but this Q&A is the first time I remember hearing a clear mention that Solas was written by Trick Weekes in DA:TV

I'm really curious about the Rook faction background-dialogue with that same companion. it sounds like some have only heard of them and some may have known them a bit more directly. Like for example, is Antivan Crow Rook also from House Dellamorte, or another Antivan Crow house? Has Grey Warden Rook ever been to Weisshaupt (some Wardens don't seem to have)? Did Veil Jumper Rook ever go on adventures with Bellara? Did Emmrich and Mourn Watcher Rook ever be direct colleagues in the Necropolis? etc.

"maybe even heard of you leaving the faction to go help Varric to track down Solas" - this snippet makes it sound like part of Rook's backstory may involve having left their background faction when getting picked up/tapped by Varric for the work. inchresting

This screenshot shows an example of the Veilguard team hanging out together

"Rook and Solas have a connection, they have a bond'' - my guess is this is to do with Rook interfering with Solas' ritual, and the Lyrium dagger passing from Solas to Rook

I'm curious about the differences in Solas' connection/relationship with Rook to the one he had with the Inquisitor

"there are followers who, you know, are going to have a more complicated connection and complicated relationship with just, Solas as an entity, you know, Bellara, for example, is an elf, she’s Dalish, and this a person from her pantheon, so. There’s going to be a lot more of a, I guess, like I said, complex relationship between the two of them. Davrin is another example, someone else who is Dalish, so, you know, their views on the gods in general are going to be a little bit different"

I was happy to hear this. ^^ it would be odd if this sort of thing wasn't explored or at least acknowledged in the game. you can hear a bit of this in Bellara's release date trailer line, "Our gods are back. Our gods." it was also hinted at a bit in this Game Informer article I feel.

It sounds like Bellara and Davrin have slightly differing views on the elven gods.

It's so cool that we have 2 Dalish elf companions in the team this time! I missed a Dalish perspective in the roster in DA:I.

Turning off some of the UI components is great for taking screenshots and stuff

I think that Bellara's unique exploration ability is Tinker

Party swap-points confirmed?

Rook's ability to channel the companions' exploration abilities through the Lyrium dagger is super interesting 👀 I wonder how that works and how that comes about? Is it to do with lyrium? the Veil? the runes that can be put on the dagger? the mysterious entity in the Lighthouse that assists with crafting? do the companions each have some kind of connection to Rook sort've how Rook does to Solas? back in the day, when Solas led his own band of followers during his rebellion, when Solas' Lighthouse was filled with his own group of companions (Solas sees himself in Rook etc), did he channel his own companions' abilities the same way using the dagger? Was Felassan once essentially a party member of Solas'?

Great news on the helmet situation :). I wonder if the vitaar variants of helmets thing also applies to Taash?

Here's an example of qunari vitaar, two

Themed color-variant cosmetics 👀

Flowing faction-themed capes 👀

ASSAN SIBLINGS... after the Mae reveal, this was the highlight of this Q&A for real :D and it makes sense, griffons seem to lay clutches, so unless Assan was created or something wild or all the rest of his clutch died somehow, there would be others around in the world. I wonder what role the others will play in the game, and what the plotbeat around griffons is more generally

Confirmation that if companions showed up previously in TN they were at that point intended to be companions. It gives you an idea of how long some of these characters were worked on and developed for

Rook's surname being referenced in dialogue quite a bit 👀 interesting, I wonder when. Neve and Varric have called Rook "Rook" in videos from the game

Confirmation that the shape of Morrigan's crown is meaningful and tied to Flemythal stuff/themes

"In the case of Morrigan, she’s coming to terms with a lot of truths about both herself but also her mother, you know, you see her with Flemeth’s crown, or a variation of it, and that’s speaking to her personal journey of, what I would call, kind’ve acceptance of who she is and how she connects to Flemeth, because ultimately we want this to feel like a real world"

It sounds like all of these hints are coming to fruition now:

"A soul is not forced upon the unwilling, Morrigan. You were never in danger from me." - "Mother is the inheritor, she who awaits the next age." - "Designer’s Notes: This is Flemeth from the previous two games. In this game, Flemeth’s story comes to a head – she knew that Solas would summon her, and that he would need to steal her power to further his plans. She knew that because they are both elven gods…yet Solas has slept for a thousand years and his power dwindled, while she was killed long ago and a spark escaped from her into the body she now holds. She has nurtured that spark, and knew that Solas would need it. He was once her oldest friend, but she knows in his drive to save the elven people he will kill anyone – even her. She intends to let him have the power, so long as she can pass the essence of her god-hood onto Morrigan, a gift Flemeth had always planned for her daughter yet one Morrigan misunderstood as hostile possession."

Even mundane Kieran's dialogue line about who his mother is ("She's the Witch of the Wilds") touches on this. The old Witch of the Wilds, Flemeth, is no more. Morrigan has taken on the mantle, in a manner of speaking. These things seem especially impactful in worldstates where Morrigan drank from the Well. I am curious about how Well-drinking Morrigan vs non-drinking Morrigan will play out.

In a way, Morrigan has already stepped into her mother's role in the world of Dragon Age. Flemythal used to show up dramatically and mysteriously in every game to interact with the main character of that story. Morrigan has also been doing that, also now for 3 games. I'm reminded of Varric's tombstone in the Fade, Became His Parents. especially if she continues to do this while she gets older, the similarity is apparent.

It's cool that you don't have to be Spellblade spec to use orb and dagger

"while City Elf versus Dalish Elf is a lot more of a useful distinction in, you know, Ferelden, Orlais, we’re in northern Thedas, things are different up here. And a great example is Rivain. Dalish settlements, you know, they have Dalish settlements within cities, integrated into the cities, because, again, they don’t have that same bias, that same distinction."

New lore, or maybe a return to older lore? in DAII Isabela tells Merrill the Dalish haven't reached Llomerryn. but prior to that around 2009, David Gaider mentioned that the Dalish elves in Rivain have a semi-permanent settlement in Llomerryn. this sounds like that, and it sounds like it's not only Llomerryn. of course, Bela could just have been mistaken or this could be a recent development that began in the last decade or so in the world. I think it makes sense for what we know about Rivain.

"It’s a lot more about, how you play into the faction, you know, and, in some cases it matters more that you’re an elf, in other cases it doesn’t actually matter to the people of that faction, they’re just looking for someone who could do the work. A great example, and I’ll just, very, very light spoilers, Mourn Watch is a great example where, they just care that you are capable of, you know, executing the duties that you’re given, so."

I'm curious about which do and which don't for this, and not only for the elf lineage. an elven Veil Jumper may have more to say on or different investment in the artifacts they find and places they explore. an Antivan Crow who was employed because humans often find them attractive, or an Antivan Crow who was an enslaved elf or enslaved human and then bought by the Crows may have different thoughts on/experiences being a Crow than say a human who was born into it. (this is previous lore stuff, the Crows favoring recruiting elves, Zevran was bought etc). etc.

Lastly a quick recap on the things that came up in the Q&A that the devs said they would be talking about more soon:

They will be going deeper into settings, accessibility settings/features and similar things closer to launch

(On accessibility features, Corinne Busche mentioned that she thinks they are doing a feature, some kind of blogpost on that subject)

They will be talking more about exploration next month

They will be talking more about the Lighthouse next month

They will be showing some dwarf Rooks before launch

[transcript link]

[frost-queen]

HTTYD ~ Headcanon (Sis!Reader)

Requested by: anon Forever tag:@missmelodramatic, @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22 @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers, @merlieve, @queen-of-books, @glimmering-darling-dolly@denkisclown, @wildieflower, @meyocoko, @bubblybrianna, @justanothercoco@subjecta13-thefangirl, @m-rae23, @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr, @swampthing07, @melsunshine

A/n: I started writing something, saw how little time I had so I whipped this up as it didn't require as much work as a full fic - sorry

Summary: You are Hiccup's little sister. How is the relationship with him and your dad? What is it like to be paired with Dagur? Being a dragon rider?

Hiccup ⚔️

You are a few years younger then him. Since Hiccup didn't have much friends, he considered you his best friend. lame For years it was just him and you cause he had no one else that wanted to be around.

When he met Toothless, you were the first to know. He even allowed you to meet him second. You were a bit scared in the beginning, but Toothless was very cautious around you. It didn't take you long to play games with Toothless where you chase after him.

Hiccup started to get popular resolting in kind of forgetting about you. His priority became his new friends. Specially Astrid. It pained you. You hated them for stealing your brother from you. Each thing you suggested to do with him, backfired. The same few rehearsed words coming out of his mouth. I have no time, i'm busy or ask someone else. It frustrated you so much, you went dragon searching for your own. Not caring how dangerous it was. Was it perhaps a cry for attention... maybe?

You had fallen down a pit. So much for dragon hunting Ha. Gobbler heard you after hours of yelling and crying. How embarrasing. He brought you straight to your dad. Where he surprise, surprise lectured you on the dangers of going alone. When Hiccup came back, he heard of your misfortune. It led to him visiting your room, asking how you were. It led to you shouting in tears at him how he was neglecting you. Hiccup felt guilty afterwards. He told you how he was never going to forget about you with a hug.

Chief's daughter 🛡️

Being the chief's daughter, you had a lot of restrictions. Lot's of don't do this and stay away from that. He secretly send Gobbler to keep an eye or as you like to call it spy on you.

Stoick was very protective over you. Being his only daughter, he felt the extra need to be protective. Any boy that came your way, he intimidated into leaving. People were at first afraid to be friends with you due to being Stoick's daughter. It were some very lonely first years till eventually your father eased his rules a bit up.

When dragons first came, he was still very cautious. Wanting you no where near it. Afterall one killed your mother. It took him a long time to entrust you with a dragon of your own. It was hard for him to let you go and accept that you aren't a little girl anymore.

Dragon riding 🔥

You knew from the first moment you saw them, it was your dragon. It was like something felt right. The dragon of your choice fits your personality purely. Almost identical, twins. Hiccup and Toothless had a great relationship which you envied. It took one stormy night for you and your dragon to truly come together. Your dragon had shielded you from the storm when the roof nearly came down.

After the storm, you had fallen asleep under the dragon's wing, snuggling to the body. From then it was as if you had one mind. Your dragon knew what you were thinking or expected by just one look. Soon you were almost an expert in flying. The harmony you had with your dragon was perfect. It made Hiccup's friends jealous... him too.

You quickly became an expert in flying, taking the lead on missions. You got them out of a lot of tricky situations. When you were older, you'd be given the opportunity to learn younglings how to fly their dragons.

Dagur ❤️

The first time you were paired with Dagur, you were so annoyed by him. So full of himself and egocentric. To be honest you hated and repulsed him. His interest in killing dragons was a huge red flag. Over time he got an interest in controlling dragons. Making him less full of hate, yet still very dumb and egocentric to you. Always trying to flirt with you in all the wrong ways. No way he was getting through that shield of yours ;)

After an almost fatal incident where Dagur saved you, you had a change of heart. Pop, there your heart went. The more he worked on himself, the more his silly flirts had an affect on you. Slowly you started to fall in love with him. At first you found yourself an idiot for doing so, but then you saw more of his personality it wasn't that big of a deal anymore. Dagur didn't seem surprised when you flirted back, yet screaming on the inside. You started to spend more time with him which led to a first kiss.

He vowed to devote his life to you. Your dad was happy when he told him you were a pair. Hiccup on the other hand, questioned your sanity. At first he thought you might have hit your head. Dagur needed to prove himself a lot to your brother. Eventually he'd accept him when Dagur asked for your hand.

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

Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!  

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

That last ask about Animaestro, about LB's cat phobia made me remember that this chapter, chronologically, is before Chat Blanc... So, now I can't help but wonder if that was supposed to be some type of foreshadowing and/or the creator giving us a bit of a low-key spoiler.

It would have been a nice touch, if Maribug really got some screen PTSD (that someone from the PR Team said on their twitter that she indeed has it?). Yes, I know there is that chapter where she has this nightmare about Alya betraying her, but there is nothing else.

Awesome blog, btw, I love your pov regarding this show. I don't really feel that you are aggressively salty, just dissappointed about the wasted potential (like some of us). Even your "salt" towards the writers is pretty tame, but still pretty sure That Guy would block you lol.

(Post in question)

That's an interesting theory. I wouldn't put money on it being intentional, but it is totally possible! Chat Blanc was probably in the writers' minds for a while.

And did someone really claim that she officially has PTSD? Oh boy... I don't want to imply that mental health conditions only present in one way because they absolutely don't! There are a wide variety of ways that they can present themselves! There's also not a tried and true way for someone with PTSD to be triggered. Triggers can be really weird and seemingly make no sense. Things that seemingly should be triggers can somehow not effect you in the slightest and things that seem benign can be massively triggering. Brains are weird like that.

However, this is a story, so I can evaluate Marinette as a tool used to rep someone suffering from PTSD and not as a real person with PTSD who has no obligation to meet any sort of arbitrary standard. In that context, I feel comfortable saying that Marinette was not good rep. You don't get over PTSD by talking to your boyfriend and it's usually not a minor condition that lies dormant most of the time, letting you go about your life without any need for professional help.

One of my biggest pet peeves is stories giving characters a disability that never actually effects their life in a meaningful way. (Yes, PTSD is considered a disability or at least it can be one depending on how it presents.) They're called disabilities for a reason! They can and do have massive impacts on peoples' lives. If you want to include rep, then do it right! Don't give Marinette this condition and then only let it effect her when it's convenient for the story! Figure out her triggers and then let them effect her throughout the narrative because that's how PTSD works! If you don't want to do that, then don't say that she has PTSD.

You can be traumatized without getting PTSD. That is a thing. PTSD is not a synonym for trauma. It's a specific type of trauma response. It's also a real medical condition that requires professional help and a lot of hard work to manage because PTSD never really goes away. You just hopefully learn how to live with it and, in the process, get your symptoms to a manageable state.

Here are some examples of moments when Marinette's PTSD could have triggered, keeping in mind that this is a fictional character and not a real person, meaning that we're looking at this from a "set up the reveal" perspective and not a "people with PTSD have to react to this kind of trigger" perspective.

These moments from Dark Cupid and Derision are a perfect opportunity to show Marinette randomly panicking and to then bring it back during the reveal:

[Image description: two pictures of Kim down on one knee holding out a gift. The first image is from Dark Cupid and the second is from Derision.]

Marinette falling into the same pool in Derision and Mr. Pigeon 72 is another good one:

[Image description: two pictures of Marinette falling off of the same diving board. The first image is from Mr. Pigeon 72 and the second is from Derision.]

These were prime moments to show off her PTSD in a way that fit the story, but they didn't. Yet her condition is so bad that she panics over a bowl of cereal at the start of Derision, implying that her PTSD is pretty darn extreme! If it's that bad, then we should see at least a few hints of it before Derision or even after Derision, but we don't unless we're counting the many, many, many jokes told at Marinette's expense. Hopefully no one is arguing that those should count because using a trauma response for jokes is not quality rep. It also feels like a total cop out because the panic attacks in Derision are played in a wildly different manner from all the times Marinette freaked out in a silly, over-the-top way. It's not intuitive to connect those moments and it should be if those were supposed to be a true setup for the PTSD reveal. They weren't even treated as foreshadowing where Marinette's actions made no sense! Just what are we even doing here, writers?

If the writers are claiming that her PTSD comes from Chat Blanc and not Derision, then we have many examples of Chat Noir getting a white makeover without bothering Marinette, once again begging the question of where her PTSD is? What are her triggers? How is she learning to handle it?

I'll end this section by noting that I do know people who are officially diagnosed with PTSD and I even discussed Marinette with one of them, which is why I feel so comfortable saying that this is bad rep, though obviously you should defer to real experts on this one. If they say that this is great rep and that Marinette is presenting in a way that I'm not familiar with, then ignore me! My sample size is very limited.

I'll finish this off with a quick thank you for the lovely complement:

I don't really feel that you are aggressively salty

My goal is to come across as giving a critical assessment of canon and not just angry ranting, so this was very nice to hear! I want this blog to make you think, I'm really not looking to be angry or to make other people angry. I can't say that I'd blame That Guy for blocking me, though! I've never found creators doing that to be some kind of bad sign. Who wants to read brutal, unsolicited take-downs of their work? That's a special kind of doom scrolling. I'm a big fan of the "reviews are for readers" stance.

[quitealotofsodapop]

thinking about the posts about Guanyin being able to summon the spirit's of Wukong's mother for him/the stone monkeys being ghosts on ffm and I went looking and couldn't find anything already talking about this, so...

wouldn't it be awesome if something similar could be done with the Slow boiled! Pilgrims?

like, the noodle gang find a way to project their og incarnations so that Wukong can introduce the family who helped him so much to his newborn Yuebei, the infant they fought to protect as an egg. I feel like Wukong always wishes that Yuebei could have met the pilgrims, I'm sure he'd get emotional at seeing them again and getting to introducing them.

imagine at first it was just a nice thing for Wukong, but as everyone's hugging and wiping tears any emotional talk gets cut off by a baby starting to cry in another room.Wukong rushes out to find the source of the crying, and the pilgrims put the pieces together pretty quickly.

*Wukong coming back into the room with a softly cooing bundle of blankets in his arms* Ao Lie: *happy gasp* AAAAA! YOU HAD YOUR BABY!! Tripataka, like a proud dad watching their kid go through a milestone: oh my! congratulations Wukong. Sha Wujing: *sobbing at how cute baby is* Zhu Bajie: *trying to seem stoic, is also crying over the cuteness*

Wukong's crying all over again at the opportunity to show off his baby to his old friends.

I actually do have a post like this! Here!

The Noodle Gang would surprise Wukong with a visit from his old squad by using meditation skills they learned from Guanyin herself (or if not her previous disciple Red Son). Very little build up and Boom! The spirits of the OG Pilgrims are in the room. Wukong would sob with joy at seeing them again.

I love your dialogue too! The Pilgrims would be so delighted to finally meet the baby they protected for so long. Especially Ao Lie - who'd immediately start crying at the tiny black fluffball in his bro's arms.

Yuebei is *pretty confused* while all these people are here, but perks up when she recognises their voices from her time as an Egg. First person she reaches out to is the (trying to be stoic) Zhu Bajie- remembering his brash tone the most other than her own parent. This makes the big pig man start weeping like a baby.

The baby is also trying her best to grab the spirits, fascinated by their glowing, translucent forms. She makes a frustrated chirp when her tiny hand passes through Tripitaka's robes. This gets a round of laughter from the Pilgrims, as the monk uses his divine power to finally place a kiss on the baby's forehead.

A certain elephant in the room is brought up;

Sha Wujing: "Brother - did she really try eating the Samadhi Fire all the way back then?" Wukong: "Yep! Felt like she was trying to burst out of me." Zhu Bajie: "Ouch. No wonder you slipped." Ao Lie, cooing at Yuebei: "Aww! Was she craving something spicy?" Wukong: "Sort of. See, the egg naturally craved a large amount of Dao so it could develop further - and she mistook the Samadhi Fire as a type of energy she could absorb." Tripitaka: "It's lucky that she didn't. Lest you would have had another Red Child on our hands." Wukong: "Ha! Yeah... 'course she ended up eating the Bone Demon instead." The Pilgrims, a mix of shock and amazement: "What?!" "Goodness!" Ao Lie, still cooing at the baby: "Oh ho ho! After something as spicy as the Samadhi Fire, you wanted to pay safe huh? Bet that mean Bone Demon tasted like a big bland popsicle!" Yuebei: (*burp!*) Zhu Bajie, laughing uncontrollably: "Thats your answer!" The Whole Room: (*joyful laughter!*)

The Noodle Gang have to train themselves to summon the Pilgrims, and even so have to train to keep them around for more than a complete minutes at a time. Its like having a Magic meter. But they try their best to make sure Wukong has as much time with his Pilgrim brothers as possible!

[the-skull-breaker]

MCL New Gen ep 4 spoliers !

alright alright ! the new episode is out for VIPs, and just like the previous one I got to play Roy's route early, I'll play Thomas' once the ep releases for everyone !

without further ado, click on "keep reading" to see my full opinion !

so first we got to go to the Cosy Bear for potentially meet Castiel serving, but sadly we've arrived late and didn't get to actually meet him, we did get to see Lynn however, tho I understand how Castiel's fans must be disappointed, like I would have loved o see how mister rockstar deals with serving customers, it could be really funny !

then Lynn and Thomas have a small discussion and Thomas just casually told her he was in love with her in he past (I will not go into details about him because, again, I'll make another post about his route later) which led to the topic of romantic relationships. now there was a quick scene with Brune before going to the cafe about her relationship with Roy and the bet the night before, and honestly I was kinda worried about it with the way she approached us but it turns out she's not mad about the kiss, so that was a relief.

to go back at the cafe discussion we got to know each characters' relationship statues and, surely, we got to Roy and Brune's, and while I did expect them to not have an actual serious relationship, I was surprised by how honest they were about their true feelings, and I was ESPECIALLY surprised by the fact that THEY DID NOT EVEN KISS. so anyway they ended up breaking up in a calm and mature way, which I did no expect but honestly ? as uncomfortable as the whole thing was I'm glad it turned that way instead of being messy, however it seemed like both Thomas and Devon were pretty disappointed with the lack of drama which is hilarious.

now we get to Candy's relationship with her ex and we've got the choice to got into details or not, I've chosen the first option which raised my LOM with Roy and as much as I should have expected this I did NOT expect how nice our coworkers were, especially Roy and Devon ! first Roy saying that he hopes karma will get to our ex is the sweetest thing, I'm even more in love with him ! then Devon who says they will not make business with our ex-workplace which is so awesome from him, couldn't ask for a better boss than him !

then we see Jason and the topic of why he's our enemy is brought up and honestly ? I hate him even more... basically his company is just to spite the fact he was disqualified to the contest because... he cheated... and took the opportunity of working with the city hall so he could copy Devon's project... good job, dickhead, you've played yourself ! now I want even more to mess with his plans and drive him to ruin ! *insert maniacal laugh*. now about his past relationships is none of my business, he can have many conquests I don't care, I'm definitely not into him anyway. (anyway sorry for those who do like him, nothing against you, I just don' like him at all)

and FINALLY we get to the illus scene which in the case of Roy happens in the bus and wow, I do wish I was in the place of Candy there ! the way he holds us close to him so we wouldn't fall while potentially not thinking much about it just because he might think it's just normal I just... aaaaaahhhh I love him ! then we discuss more about our expectations in a relationship and it's clear he would be such a good partner, I wish I had one like him...

and here you go, many people may think nothing much happened but remember that we're still in an introduction state, this episode was clearly about learning the LIs' view on relationship, and from what I see on the preview it seems like the next episode might make things more serious in terms of story, so hold on, be patient, it could still be great !

anyway, that's all for me, have a nice day !

[thenamesblurrito]

here's an assortment of guys, some SNAP counterparts to AutoAca characters by @stonecrusherproductions, for part of an art trade

this isn't Hot Shot's first time off Caminus. he's gone on a few trips to Velocitron to see the races and even stopped by Devisiun once to visit family, but he's never been to Cybertron before! he's more interested in exploring the streets, hanging out with friends like Lightbright, or snacking on JaAm than completing homework, but he can usually speed through it at the last second. the JAAT is the perfect school in his mind, giving him extracurricular opportunities like sports so he can burn off some of his high energy. it's certainly a relief to his roommates Aileron, Stardrive, Quickstrike, and Maxima when he's no longer bouncing off the walls!

Lightbright is so excited, she's never left Caminus before, and oh isn't Cybertron lovely? what a wonderful school she gets to attend! and what delightful people she's gotten to befriend, like Sparkstalker! most of her roommates are lovely, but even she gets irritated by Sentinel sometimes. she's also fascinated by the heroes running around, and sometimes she and Hot Shot will procrastinate their work just to watch the supernatural drama unfolding. the only thing she's disappointed by is the lack of easy access to bodies of water, as she grew up near one of Caminus's seas and often took a relaxing swim in her submersible hovercraft alt mode

it's only a matter of time before Glyph tries camping out in the JAAT library again, despite how often Alpha Trion has chased her off before. her home in Polyhex never had this much information freely available to someone like her! when she first passed the exams, she agonized over whether she should attend the JAAT or elect to take part in an exchange program to a colony planet like her friends Lancer and Greenlight, but she's glad of her decision now. there's so much to learn here! it's easier to stick with data than meet new people thanks to her shyness around strangers. she'll even avoid her roommates Quickslinger, Sunder, Vortex, and Sceptre, but she thinks she can count fellow student Tap-Out as a friend now, probably?

Side Burn doesn't even remember taking the exams, but somebody told him he passed, so here he is! and wow, what a cool Academy this place is! it gets him a front row seat to awesome hero beatdowns and brawls, what's not to love? his grades have been, uh, bad, but that's fine, the counselor says he probably has some mental thing that makes it hard to focus, so it can't be his fault. he's too busy ogling all his gorgeous scarlet classmates to care about whatever the teachers are saying, no matter the fact they're offput by his juvenile antics and sometimes the odd look of his prosthetic left optic. while coming all the way from the Overdrive Compact in Rodion might be a bit disconcerting to most, to him it's just another place to rise and grind

(Lightbright has a tail but she's not a beastformer! tails are somewhat normal for mecha like four arms or a centaur body, i just realized i've forgotten to give them to anybody except beastformers... so uh. i'll try to remember in the future oops)

[kozachenko]

So I've been thinking about Touhou 19's title recently and I've thought of two reasons as to why it's called "Unfinished Dream of All Living Ghosts." Option 1 is the more obvious one, and option 2 is my favourite one, as it connects to Zanmu (yaaaaaay more Zanmu-posting (kinda) because she's awesome).

For context, Touhou 17 kinda left off on a note of, "The Beast spirits are going to be back again, even though their problem with Keiki has been solved." Once the beast spirits learned about Gensokyo, it's very likely that they saw an opportunity to claim it as quickly as possible to gain more power and influence. So since they kinda couldn't accomplish that by the end of Touhou 17, it would probably explain the "unfinished dream" part pretty well. As for the "all living ghost" part, the actual phrase is a bit of an oxymoron, but it could have something to do with the way of life in the Animal Realm. Even though they're technically dead, they're way of life (or way of death if you wanna be nitpicky) is all about "survival of the fittest" and "strong eating the weak." IDK how much sense that makes, but it's the best reason I could come up with.

The second interpretation though, makes the whole "all living ghost" part make more sense. So Zanmu's ability is basically just making someone's motivation and desires go away, and so looking at the title with that in mind, a lot of things start to make more sense. First of all, the "unfinished dream" part becomes a literal term for all the dreams and desires the characters Zanmu manipulated had that are now forever left "unfinished" because they lost the motivation to want to achieve them. As for the "all living ghost" part, this then goes from a confusing oxymoron, to a metaphor for the people who lost all their motivations and desires. They become husks of themselves, hell, we even see in Zanmu's interaction with Yachie in her scenario that Yachie lost a lot of the energy she had before meeting her. So the whole title of, "Unfinished Dream of All Living Ghost" can become an allegory for the entire game's plot.

On a side note relating to Zanmu (that I wanna put here just so I don't have to make another post later) in a previous reblog I mentioned how because of Zanmu's power she can get away with basically anything. This "ability" of hers probably isn't supernatural, and most likely just describes how she uses words to manipulate people. Maybe the whole, "ability to manipulate nothingness" thing came from other denizens of Hell, much like how people in history would often attribute a person's achievements to them being connected to the gods, or having supernatural abilities.

So yeah, that's just a little thing I have been thinking about for a while. Touhou titles are really cool, because they sound like a bunch of random fancy words mashed together at first glance, but when you really think about it, it starts to make sense and connects a lot with the games themes and story, which is really what a good title should do.

[type1diabetesinfandom]

Hello all!

Many, manymanymany apologies for the unannounced hiatus. (Still ongoing. Not enough spoons. D: ) I will be back at some point, I promise.

I've been thinking of this blog a lot, what it means to me, and what I want it to be, especially when I don't have the energy to maintain it. Obviously, collecting all the t1d rep I can find in one place is a huge goal! And I think I've made a pretty good start on that. There's over one thousand posts on this blog and several hundred fics in the AO3 collection. That's a lot of search and save.

That's not all I want to do, though. Fandom, to me, is about the things we love. Reading them, writing them, gushing about them in the middle of the night. Throwing your pencil at the wall because you can't get the angle of that epically-sexy jawline just right. And most of all, sharing it all.

I don't think I'm alone when I say community is HUGE for both people with type one diabetes and folks in fandom.

I think we all know exactly how niche the concept of a character with T1D is. Sure, we can make (and have made!) fics and fan art with T1D rep, but then what? Is there somewhere we can talk about it with fandom friends and have them really get it, or do they just nod mutely and change the subject? Where can you headcanon a character as diabetic without it turning into an educational post?

Or, if you're interested in learning more about life with T1D, whether you don't have it at all or maybe you do but you're on MDI and don't know how to write pumps, who can you ask about it?

And on the flipside: have you ever tried talking fandom at diabetes camp? Because I have.

If any of this feels familiar to you, I've got something awesome to tell you!

Introducing...the Type 1 Diabetes in Fandom Discord Server—a virtual haven where diabetes doesn't define us, but our love for fandoms and creativity certainly does! Whether you're crafting intricate AUs or just can't get the next chapter fast enough, this is YOUR community to thrive, connect, and share ideas or experiences.

What's in it for You?

A safe and supportive space to chat about your fave fics, share recs, and maybe even create some epic friendships

A chance to join discussions on realistic representation and the magical realm of diabetic fan theories

Swap prompts to spark your imagination and fuel your creative prowess

A place to discuss the highs and lows (literally!) of managing Type 1 Diabetes while pursuing your passion for everything fannish

...and all without worry that people won't understand why it's so frustrating when a character fixes their low BG with a timely insulin bolus!

*tip for writers: please google how insulin works before hitting post, please. I beg you.

So if you're up for mingling with like-minded fans or gaining a better understanding of diabetes, this is your opportunity!

Whether you're making a Hogwarts AU or need to cry about your Dexcom readings, we're ready and waiting to meet you. Excited to embark on this epic adventure and make some new friends? Click that join button, and come join the party!

*The Join Button*

[moonspirit]

what would the alliance be doing if they hadn’t entered politics? like careers and hobbies and stuff like that

Hi again!

Oh welp tho, I haven't thought too much about this xD

But okay let's see. If we go off the last headcanons, then maybe...

Armin would definitely enjoy sailing the seas. Learning, discovering, exploring. He'd understand people and bring new understanding to them too. Considering his never ending curiosity and hunger for learning new things, it'd be nice for him to go places, seeing it all until his eyes are full to the brim with sparks.

Annie, uh... Listen, not that I think she's not going to be doing anything on her own, but I think she'll just rest for a good long while xD She was exhausted and fed up well before the end of the Rumbling, just give her a nice bed, some furballs, plenty of cuddling opportunities and leave her alone.

Tho I do see her travelling with Armin and getting the chance to experience the world and all the wonderful things in it in a way she was never able to in her life before.

Also maybe later on she ends up starting a martial arts school for small kids because they think she's awesome and won't stop asking her to teach them.

Pieck? I honestly think she's going to be doing it all. The way I often characterize Pieck, she's eccentric and carefree on the outside for the most part. Perhaps today she's going to star as the lead actress in a silent movie, and tomorrow she's going to be on that high stakes bake-off for the neighbourhood. You cannot tell me she's not doing 826353 things at once and getting great sleep and keeping her head witty and flirty and sharp all at the same time. She's Pieck. She's gonna be living the best life.

Jean - oh boi. Okay. He's gonna do fancy things like wine and dine with important people, and then come home and listen to music and contemplate the purpose of life and existence as his very expensive small dog refuses his affections.

He will then write a haiku and send it to Armin who will not understand a single fucking word of his nonsense.

Reiner - He's good at plumbing. And electricity. And leaky roofs. Plus firewood chopping and kitchen fires and other daily accidents that need fixing. Don't ask me why, he's just a great handyman. Useful big brother. He's very happy like that.

Connie - This boy is gonna be running a kitchen! A restaurant! And he's gonna be fucking great at it! It started out as a small venture, just something to keep him busy and make ends meet but then wooaahh oh waaaa there's a lot of customers?! They're all there to hear him singing as he cooks? They love the food?! He's a boss now?! But he still serves customers because he's a nice boy like that.

Mikasa Ackerman - Swimming teacher. Masterclass on how to cross oceans carrying a head or two as baggage.

I'm going to hell for this.

Levi Ackerman - The man has a tea shop. What the fuck more do you want? Tch.

Falco and Gabi - They're too young to be doing any one thing - let them live and plant trees and run around and grow up nicely.

[good-beanswrites]

I was thinking of Hallucination and LCSYS again. Would you like to write something about what Mahiru was doing instead of performing at Hallucination?

Ah, yes!! In my mind she was there and everything was perfect 😭 But it was super fun to think of what/who could be convincing to her... I know Miho Okasaki had another performance at the time, so I tried to keep things generally in line with that. Even if I wasn't writing for you specifically, I know there's only one character who could talk Mahiru into it... (I kept getting hung up on pov/little details/transitions but I think I just need to post this as is lol 😂)

“Mikoto-kun!” Mahiru cupped the phone close to her at the sound of his voice. “Mahiru has big news! You’re the first to know!”

“Ah, is it okay if he’s the second to know?”

“Oh! Hey, John-kun!” 

As much as Mikoto was protective over Red’s name, he himself always encouraged the prisoners to call him John. It was something like an affectionate nickname at this point; an inside joke between him and the people who had experienced so much with him. Well, and also the hundreds of thousands of adoring fans that called him that…

“I can tell you! Oooh, Mahiru just got the call a minute ago!”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember that group holding the mental health talks from a few months ago? They were asking permission to use my videos at one of their events?”

“I remember.”

She felt her cheeks blush at the way he said it – of course he remembers, she hadn’t stopped talking about it for a month straight.

“Well, they’re holding a biiiiig presentation this time. Lots of smart professionals and famous influencers will be there!” She listed off some of the guest list. John wouldn’t know a lot of the beauty and health influencers, but maybe he’d recognize them from her many prior conversations. She’d said time and time again what an inspiration some of these people were during her life before, and turning it around now. “I mean, she’s Mahiru’s hero!!”

“That’s great! So, are they going to play your videos there, too? That’s –”

“– They want Mahiru to come and talk!” She squealed, unable to contain it anymore. Her feet danced a few steps around her kitchen. “They asked if I could be one of the speakers!”

“That’s amazing!”

“I’d get to talk about my life, and then answer some questions after. I’d get to talk to all the guests, and the other speakers! Can you believe it, John-kun? Me, meeting them in person!”

“I’m so proud of you!” She could hear the smile in his voice.

She took a deep inhale. “Mahiru is going to turn it down, of course.”

There was a pause as he processed the statement in her cheery tone. 

“...Eh!?”

“It’s right when Jackalope’s big show is scheduled. They couldn’t have planned it any worse!” She laughed. It was, after all, amusing at how poorly the timing had worked out. “It took all of us to persuade Fuuta-kun to agree to come, there’s no way I can back out now.”

“That’s different – he had nothing better to do, and you have this awesome opportunity!”

“No, no,” she shook her head, even if he couldn’t see the gesture. She kept her smile up. She had to.

“What about rescheduling? Or maybe you can travel between both?”

“It’s impossible, they’ve already started selling tickets for both. But there’s no need to worry, I’m going to have so much fun with you all!”

“It was such an honor to be asked, and you deserve that moment in the spotlight – yourself.”

“Oh, Mahiru could never do something so selfish! My mind is made up!”

There was another pause. If there was one thing everyone had learned about Mahiru, it was that it took quite a lot to un-make her mind, once set on something. 

“Alright. Can you do me one favor, though?”

“Of course! Anything for you, John-kun!”

“Don’t call the others yet. Take a few days to think about it. Really think about it. Actually… do tell Amane about it.”

“Amane-chan…?”

“But wait to tell everyone else.”

She pouted her lips. “But Mahiru was so excited to tell everybody…”

John gave a small laugh on the other end. “I know. Just try to wait a little bit.”

“I will, for your sake…”

“Trust me, it’s for yours.”

—

She told Amane that night, peering into her room. The girl was separating some clothes, laying out her marching band uniform for the big game coming up. Amane responded similarly to John, her excitement turning to complete shock, even when Mahiru added her rational explanation. She started going through possible solutions, all of which Mahiru had already ruled out.

Finally, she asked, “why don’t you go to that event instead? You’ve gotten so much attention through Milgram, but this is something brand new. It’s something that you feel very passionately about.”

“You’re as silly as John-kun! If it was something helpful I’d think about it, but it’s just selfish. Just an excuse for Mahiru to be the center of attention, and meet people I want to meet. It would be so shameful to choose that over performing with you all.”

“But…” Amane’s expression was conflicted. 

“No buts!” Mahiru made a fluttery gesture to the uniform laid out on the bed. “You wouldn’t want to let down your band, would you? It’s like that! Now, dinner will be ready in just a minute, so hurry on down. I made your favorite tonight, and a special dessert in honor of your game~”

—

“Mahiru-san?”

Mahiru looked up from her phone. She hurriedly closed the social media app she’d been scrolling through, checking on who would be attending the presentation. She’d read her favorite blog’s post about it about a dozen times, so it didn’t matter that she closed out of the tab. “Oh, Amane-chan, you’re still up?”

Amane got right to it. She said the words as if she’d been choosing them carefully beforehand. Having helped her prepare for school speeches, Mahiru knew that was exactly what she’d done. 

“I think you should go to the presentation. Sometimes it’s okay if you disappoint a big group, if you’re doing something kind for yourself. You yourself told me that wasn’t selfish. You told me that if the group really loves you, they’ll be happy for you. We know you’re not selfish, and that you do deserve to be the center of attention. When is the last time you did something completely for yourself – not also helping another?”

Mahiru gaped at her. She scrambled for an answer, knowing the girl would have a rebuttal for each thing that crossed her mind. Seeing her point was a success, Amane continued. 

“I will miss you, of course. And Fuuta-san will definitely say something hot-headed. But I think… I know everyone will be very happy for you. No one will be upset, because they’ll see how much this means to you. Because we love you, Mahiru-san.”

Following some bursting into tears and lots of hugging, Mahiru stepped into the kitchen to make a phone call. “Jackalope-san! Mahiru has some good news and some bad news…”

[missielynne]

CBS Ghosts Review: Man of Your Dreams

I have so many mixed feelings about this episode. By and large I would say it gets ten for concept and maybe...five or six for execution.

There's no way around it that Sas' dream manipulation is a cool power. But I don't like that it had to be used in a manipulative way to start (seriously Sam, learn to talk things out when you have a problem with Jay, whether it be D and D or his decorating plans, instead of using the ghosts to mess with him!)

It has been pointed out (and I agree) that Sas could have done what he did because as a ghost who has not had ample opportunity to make friends with Livings, he didn't realize his powers could be used that way and stuck with manipulation/fear mongering because that's typically what the ghost/living relationship is. And to his credit, once he realized how his going that route affected Jay, he was legitimately contrite and they both agreed to a friendship (which I want to see more of, along with one with Pete. Please bring Pete into the dream world with you, Sas, as well as all the other ghosts so he can meet you all without hurting or killing himself first.)

Then there's the Thor plot: I know there are some who dislike the 'Thor grieving' aspect of Flower's getting sucked off, but think it's good for his character, especially because it's sincere, which, to me, made Hetty and Alberta's using him as a way to get sucked off all the more painful. I don't blame Alberta and Hetty for wanting to get sucked off in general, considering how long they'd been there, but I don't think manipulating Thor was the way to go, and it would have been wiser to try and get to all his girlfriends and try and find out stuff from them instead. (And bonus...we'd get to see what a ghost flattened by a cattle stampede actually looks like...yes, you can't tell me about Flat Maria, have Thor call her his little pancake, and then not give me a visual, people! (And Nancy wanting to have a go at him after waiting a respectful length of time because she's cool like that was so her and kind of nice after all of Alberta and Hetty's manipulation.)

I'm glad that Jay and Sas made up in the end but I can think of better ways to show off Sas' awesome power that aren't sketchy so that's the bummer but the concept is awesome and I hope that now that everyone is aware that what Sas can do is a thing, we can get Ghost dream meetings with Jay's consent, the future.

@mayamatlinscello, @holdinghandsontheotherside

[blueboyluca]

hi, i'm coming to you with a question, if that's alright. do you have any tips on reading a dogs body language? i'm trying new enrichment ideas, but i feel like it's hard to know whether my dog likes them or not. (i just dont force her to do things so if she really disliked something i guess she could.. walk away? idk) i'm a complete begginer at taking care of dogs more than "feed, cuddle, let out into the yard so they can poop and run around" so this is super new for me and even the most obvious things will probably help. i want to make sure she's having a lot of fun and her having a fun time is my priority:) (she's a half foxterrier half mutt if that helps!) thank you so much and hope you and all your companions have a wonderful day!!<3

Hello! I find it very flattering that you've come to me for advice, but I want to preface that I am not a professional or an expert in any way!

However, I think I can guide you to some great resources.

The first part of your question about dog body language – I highly recommend three books. The first is probably the most accessible, Doggie Language by Lili Chin. It's very beginner friendly! It has lots of cute illustrations and is a very easy read. The second is On Talking Terms with Dogs by Turid Rugaas, which is also an easy read but takes a little more effort to think about while you are reading. The last is Canine Body Language by Brenda Aloff, which is great for if you want to really deep dive with lots and lots of photos to analyse.

Learning dog body language is always beneficial! But what you are also asking about is, how to tell if enrichment is working. I think one of the biggest misunderstandings people have about enrichment is that it's just about providing activities for pets. That's not actually the case. Enrichment is about meeting an animal's needs by providing opportunities for them to carry out species-typical behaviour. What you are looking for is the areas where you can provide for your animal's needs, and then you observe if there were positive effects on the animal's overall behaviour. "Positive effects" is very broad, but some common examples would be that your animal has a wide and varied repertoire of behaviour, that it is able to rest regularly, and that it engages with its environment with minimal fear or anxiety.

If you feel a bit lost and overwhelmed, I love Pet Harmony as a resource. They are an animal behaviour consultant business, but they provide tons of free and paid resources for people. Two of their blog entries that might help are 'Enrichment Isn't About the Activity' and 'Creating Your Enrichment Plan'. They also have a great podcast called Enrichment for the Real World, and the business owners Allie Bender and Emily Strong have a book called Canine Enrichment for the Real World, which has all their information in book form.

I applaud you for moving beyond the basic approach to pet care. It's awesome that you are thinking about providing more enrichment for your dog. This shows you are thinking about your dog as an individual with unique needs and desires, which is a hugely important step on the path to improving dog welfare across the board.

[persephonesdesires]

✫ Self Reflecting with Persephone ✫

I’m in the later half of my 20s, I have a career I love, an apartment I’ve made into my home, so many awesome friends that I keep up with regularly, and I’m so incredibly proud of how far I’ve come.

BUT..

When it comes to romance and relationships and sex…I feel like I know almost nothing.

I’ve done so little compared to others my age, and I know it’s not good to compare but I’m really worried what this will mean for my future. I’ll be honest about my experience, I’ve had boyfriends in high school and college, gave oral to them and explored with touching but that was it. I didn’t lose my virginity until I was almost 23, and it wasn’t bad but it was weird and foreign and I only had sex with him a few more times after that. …and then a pandemic hit.. and we all know how that put our lives on hold. I watched my young 20s fly by so quickly, with basically nothing to say for them because I was trapped at home. Then last spring I got the opportunity to have a threesome with a couple I had become friends with. Oh. My. God! Me? Invited to something that sexually advanced? that hot and wild and pleasurable? Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would have said yes to such a thing. But I did say yes, and it was so SO HOT. There was no penetration for me but I was fine with that. I was over the moon to go down on them both and to have them both go down on me.. To experience and treasure and explore both a woman and man’s bodies all in the same bed as me. It was exhilarating and taught me a lot about what I liked and how I wanted to be touched and pleasured and I’m so grateful for that experience.

It’s been almost a year since then though.. and I have done NOTHING since then. There is an argument that I should go out more, talk to more people, and flirt more and show interest when I feel it, and I want to be clear I do try to flirt when I meet someone I think I’d like. But everything has fizzled out rather quickly or in general I’m not around anyone I’d really like to try and date. So I instead chose to look within, I’ve learned a lot from places like tumblr and doing my own self exploration of what I like, what I think I’d like, what I want to try and what is a hard no for me. What type of relationship I’d like to be in, what expectations and desires I have for a partner, what sexual activities and kinks I’d like. I feel like I have a good idea of this all. But I’m missing the practice, the actual experience of being with another person, whether casual or romantically. In cliché terms, I can talk the talk but I haven’t had the chance to walk the walk yet.

I look around me and I see so many different kinds of people in relationships, casual or committed and romantic or sexual alike, people of every shape, size, height, weight, race, age, gender, and so much else. And I’m happy for them, but it almost feels like they know a secret I don’t, and no one will tell me. They won the game of life and I’m just trying to learn how to play still..

And I feel ..Broken? Defunct? Left behind?

I struggle with how this all makes me feel mentally. I tell myself we all grow and experience life at our own paces, in my heart I know that, but I want my pace to speed up, because I’m so damn tired of being left behind.

I’ll keep dreaming and trying to find someone I really like and want to get to know. And until then, I’ll be here, doom scrolling on tumblr and coming up with long ass text posts no one will be reading.

This post is for my own benefit, to voice out my feelings and worries. But if any of you resonate with my words, feel free to comment or reblog, and most importantly know that you are not alone in this world.

[thedandelionthief]

long post under the cut of me rambling about my current show

i have my last performance for RoA in a few hours, which honestly breaks my heart. it’s not as though i’m particularly attached to the musical itself, but the cast and the meaning behind our production has made this one of the best opportunities of my life.

i don’t want to say the name of this program because i’m afraid it might dox me, but the purpose behind it is to allow young people with developmental disabilities to perform, and it’s been such a delight seeing even the most reserved cast members come out of their shells on-stage. there have been some rough days this summer, trying to tie everything together (and by that, i mean really rough), but these past few days i’ve felt so at peace with my life. theater is my biggest passion, and getting to share it with such amazing people is. i’m going to start crying if i write any more lol

i’m just so lucky to have been in both this show and oliver in just one summer. both of them have no doubt been formative experiences in my life, but rock of ages in particular has transformed the way i interact with people, boosted my self confidence, and really made me fall in love with performing for the sake of it, instead of trying to prove myself all the time. i still struggle with feeling like i need to get these huge roles to be worth anything as a person, let alone an actor, but i’m beginning to realize that theater is such a powerful force, and no matter what i’m doing for the show, just being a part of it is enough.

i used to roll my eyes when directors would say “there’s no small parts, only small actors”, and i still would today, just because the phrase is so cliche at this point. but the sentiment behind it is one i agree with. i mean, there definitely are small parts, but making the most of your limited stage time, or your few lines of solo music is important. and being a good castmate, and in this case, mentor, is even more so.

not to mention the youth edition (who even decided a youth edition of rock of ages was a good idea) is comedy gold i don’t even care. there are so many funny lines, and because the audience is a lot of older people who were actually teens/adults in the ‘80s, their reactions are always on point. also, the boy who plays franz uses a wheelchair which allowed us to add in the best visual gag of him trying to defiantly storm away from his mom only to keep rolling over the traffic cones blocking off the road. it’s beautiful. the drew and sherrie romance is also the most adorable thing i have ever witnessed. drew is just this awkwardly earnest guy and paired with sherrie’s enthusiasm it’s so cute. i love the part where they meet in sister christian and it’s like “my names wolfgang von colt!” “sorry???” “…or drew :(“.

also i learned how to be a sighted guide so that’s pretty awesome