#meanwhile this exists and is much more Real
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
crooked-wasteland · 2 days ago
Note
I've seen your tweet which criticizes the worldbuilding in Helluva Boss and how the Goetias feel like "Hollywood with royal titles" rather than true aristocracy, and I would like you to elaborate on that, if that's OK.
Thank you so much for this ask as I never got to expand on this point at the time. For those not in the know, the user is referencing this exchange on Twitter.
Tumblr media
As much as the elites of our world would like to disperse the truth, the reality is that all societies are constructed around power. Who has power, how and why. That is the fundamental basis of every social dynamic from children on a playground to the politicians in our governments. So the very first thing we should even approach in regards to the narrative is how does power work in this universe?
So when I responded to Elcee in the tweet being referenced, I am evaluating power and power structures. Mainly there are two wholly different constructs of power between something like the aristocracy and celebrities.
The closest thing to an aristocracy we have in our modern day are the financial oligarchs of Capitalism. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, etc. They have control everything from how our political parties engage with us to how we think based on the wealth they were born into. They curate our lives behind the scenes in ways that sound worthy of a tinfoil hat, but isn't a conspiracy. The wealthy were threatened in the 1970s by an educated proletariate. In response to our questioning the Vietnam war, the higher education that was once free or at least extremely affordable suddenly became prohibitively expensive.
So much so that only the financial aristocracy could access it. Whereas working class individuals are forced to jump through hoops and prove themselves suitably subservient to the existing power of the oligarchy in the form of scholarship applications, teacher recommendations and application letters before being granted access. This is not a mistake or how it's always been, this is by design.
Meanwhile, Celebrities are not elites. While we think of celebrities as being overpaid and living in luxury, it only takes a glance over at Chappell Roan to see the difference. When Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk or any large corporate CEO walks the red carpet, they are treated as royalty. When celebrities walk the red carpet, they are commodities.
Celebrity is the modern day face of the American Dream. Gone are the days of a single family home and a white picket fence. The boom of content over art, luxury over practicality, and excess over comfort is directly the result of selling to the world the idea of capitalistic success, which just amounts to perpetuating the system of turning humans into money. And for as much money as these celebrities make, it has been proven over and over again that they are just as susceptible to poverty as any other working class individual.
Celebrities are products we buy, and when we stop buying them, they vanish.
Meanwhile the aristocracy, the financial oligarchy, thrives in obscurity.
The difference in power is about who still has it when we no longer see them. And the more invisible and pervasive it is, the more real it is. However one as an individual thinks about the celebrity class, they are simple a different type of specialized tool to the true power behind the scenes.
With that differential in mind, the Goetia function more like celebrities rather than CEOs, and while Elcee fails to see the bigger picture, that subliminally tells the audience that someone with the title of prince, with armies sworn to his allegiance and infinite cosmic power, is no different than a working class joe.
This isn't intentional propaganda, however. It's not her trying to further the agendas of Jeff Bezos intentionally. Just like my other post covering how Medrano tries to excuse cheating, not realizing the only time one can argue such a blanket concept of forgiveness for such a betrayal can only happen when the option of choice is non-existent (ie Divorce is not on the table for reasons outside of the characters’ choices), this is the danger of not engaging with media with your mind turned on. You will innately, no matter how careful someone tries to be, engage with the material through the eyes of the creator.
Celebrities and average people are the same: commodities in the face of real power. But Medrano cannot tell the difference between someone like Elon Musk and his employees. She sees the aristocracy, the ones who were born into a legacy of wealth, as “hardworking average folks”. And if you aren't thinking, you might find yourself implicitly believing that too. Deeper entrenching the power they have over you as an individual and society as a whole.
How we got to where we are in our real lives is mirrored in the media we consume. And that isn't an accident.
67 notes · View notes
chaoticlandworlder · 2 months ago
Text
Something so devasting abt realising a blog that u sometimes reblog from actl fervently hates one of your faves
34 notes · View notes
kit-screams-into-the-future · 4 months ago
Note
Okay I saw more of your art and had to come back (if it’s okay)
Maybe this time….King Marty? Like in a kings outfit with the septor
and crown and stuff? Idk
no problem at all! i'm just happy you enjoy :D
anyone with any remote knowledge of historical dress from any vague period or region please avert your eyes.
Tumblr media
#im having a real doc brown crude model moment here over the fit LMAO.#marty mcfly#bttf fanart#bttf#back to the future#not Exactly what you asked for? i could not bear to draw the fancy stick alas. and it's more of a prince vibe than a king vibe#bc if this guy held any sort of significant position of power something would combust#ik it's a silly doodle but of course i gotta make up some context bc that's part of the fun. YAP SESSION WARNING#i was thinking that doc and marty were dicking around somewhere in a place and period of time with a monarchy. for Science#and for one reason or another he ends up getting mistaken for royalty or something. may or may not be related to how straight his teeth are#so they drag his ass back to the palace and marty has No Fucking Clue what's happening. meanwhile doc is on the verge of a stroke#i think it would be really funny if some princess got infatuated with marty and now he has the plot of the first movie on his hands again#except instead of him ceasing to exist it's like. the entire history of a country#so doc's trying to get him out of there and marty's trying to let this chick down gently bc he doesn't want her to like. kill him or smth#and also there's probably a tannen thrown in there too bc why the hell not#i don't even like royalty aus that much for this fandom but somehow i've got a decent amount of thoughts about this LMAO.#you asked for a silly doodle and somehow it came with a whole fic idea too. whoops#anyone want to take this idea and run with it feel free to#kit does an art#kit yap session#<- bc of the sheer amount of tag on this
36 notes · View notes
masatos-wig · 8 days ago
Text
/// 2
#even his religious crest is similar. perhaps they fought jn the same war?#dismas now more visibly relaxed bjt hed couldnt explajn why . breaks out of his trance to approach this new knight#meanwhile rey is rooted to the ground praying prayjng hoping PRAYING this isnt a sinple trick of themind thag man before him is flesh abd#blood and REAL .after months maybe even years of searching w barelg little to go on (bc i am not expanding on reybaukds bizarre advenfure)#dismas now abt a foot away waves to the stunned knight trying to goad him to approach#dismas no longer hopeful this could be rey. his rey. after all its been so long w no word from him despite most of the hanlets roster now#here in the city .so dismas waves to capture this knights attebtion all thw while nvr hoping anymore .hes too tired and much to old to deny#that his once closest companion most likely perished at the heart of thw world#and rey w a gait like a caution deer approaches dismas . jnable to stop himself from slowlh reaching out to just. touch. to kno this is real#dismas now stunned himself gives an awkward laugh rey tilts the visor of his helm upward ti trily lay his eyes on dis#and in that moment all that exists is them . they embrace like they had after defeating the heart .with a grip all too tight#IM GONNA KMS I FEEL LIKE IM 14 WAT IS TBIS SHITTTTTT#i was thinking of reynauld nvr recovering his memories yet still finds his way to the city#and dismas is left to wonder if this truly is rey or another man all too similar to him . despite not knowingwho he is#i dknt think a bond like theirs could ever be forged under normal circunstances like after the heart#dismas would truly mourn his loss of rey .meanwhile reys just isekaid and gets to start over#seeing this shell of who rey used to be as this now nornal man would kill dismas i think#OKAY EBOUGH.ENOUGH .god. i missed them so bad#im having so much fun llaying the new kingdoms mode for dd2. reymas is always ib the party 😭#mainly so i can farn their dialogue lines from inn item interactables#y does rey acrually talk in old english is he stupid.........#wig talk
0 notes
warmhappycat · 5 months ago
Text
We need an option for “I was voting Dem, and now I’m voting Dem even harder.” The debate didn’t change who I’m going to vote for, but yeah, it did change my mind. Fingers crossed that I’ll make a full recovery.
#presidential debate#us politics#american politics#us elections#election 2024#kamala harris#voting#poll#tumblr polls#the older I get the more I realize this country is terrible#if I thought I could get my friends to move with me I’d be so gone#I want to live among the hobbits in Aotearoa New Zealand#or track down my extended family in Germany!#or find a husband with that sexy accent in Scotland#the absolute funniest thing to me is when people freak out about indigenous land back movements#thinking it’s anti white racism somehow#(We don’t have time there’s a character limit I’m not even gonna get into that)#and that it would result in the total dissolution of the United States and the reinstatement of indigenous governments#that white people - if we’re not fully evicted from the country - would have to become citizens of#now listen. ​that’s not what land back means. like. At all.#HOWEVER I think maybe we should#I don’t want to move if I don’t have to (all those tags above are about desperation!!!!!)#but remember that that’s not actually what indigenous people are usually asking for!#I am so on board for the rest of it.#the debate featured two people vying for power over my life. they are the only 2 options. and the electoral college means no REAL democracy#now listen. I am NOT an expert. if an actual haudenosaunee person ever says something that even vaguely contradicts what I’m about to say#but as I understand it. haudenosaunee culture featured *real* democracy AND roles specifically reserved for women!!!!!#meanwhile there are sitting senators who think we can hold our periods in like pee#that just sounds so much better#watching the debate with the knowledge that that used to exist exactly where I am was very sad and frustrating
123 notes · View notes
arolesbianism · 11 months ago
Text
Picks up Joshua. What do you know boy. What knowledge of the fucked up oni lore do you or do you not possess boy. Does your bestie know. Why must you only ever be present in extremely casual interactions boy.
0 notes
yanderenightmare · 7 months ago
Text
TW: implied nsfw, implied noncon/dubcon, poly yanderes, sprained ankle, captive reader, apocolypse au, talk of fertility, murder of unnamed characters, mentions of potentially killing reader
fem reader
Tumblr media
Just thinking about the apocalypse, the two army men who’ve long survived it in their shelter with barely any trouble, and then you, a poor girl trying hard to outrun your last captives only to run into them.  
You didn’t realize back then that it was like trading piranhas for sharks, too caught up in begging for their aid to think better of it. You should have just kept running, but your ankle was sprained badly, maybe even broken, and you were wearing so little you would most likely have died from the cold during the night if they hadn’t taken you in.
It seems unfair of them to have kept the giant bunker all to themselves, only the two of them, but you don’t judge. You would likely have kept it all to yourself as well.
This new world has bred new humans, and they’re all monsters. It’s honestly quite surprising they’d even let you in, given this is what they’re protecting, this sanctuary from the past, a comfort most people would kill their closest friend in exchange for.
Trust is all but dead, and so is honor or any other morality—you would know, you’ve lived out there for it all, only having survived by spreading your legs at the right moments. It’s a shameful tactic, and many times, you’ve wondered if it wouldn’t have been better to spare yourself and just die. What was the purpose?
This—you think. This must be it. They have showers and working hot water.
You don’t know how it’s possible—the original owners of the shelter must have been some type of millionaire. You haven’t had a warm shower since the world went to shit—years ago. It’s been a choice of waiting for rain or finding a lake, hoping it wasn’t rancid. Meanwhile, they have soap—scented soap, the lush kind you’d forgotten existed. It feels so nice you have to cry—rejoice—sobbing while lathering yourself, watching all the filth go down the drain, leaving you smooth-skinned once again for the first time in forever. You can’t remember having ever been so clean before, feeling reborn.
They have fresh clothes for you too—new socks and underwear, all clean fabrics, so much more than what you wore—pants, a shirt, and a sweater to keep warm. You didn’t know there still existed people who lived like the old days—you’d thought it was long gone, a bittersweet dream you sometimes have the pleasure of at night instead of the usual nightmares. Never had you thought you’d experience anything even remotely similar, but here you are—looking yourself in the mirror after so long, surprised to see a human looking back at you.
And they feed you. Not scraps, not leftovers, not rot, or days-old flesh from the last successful hunt—but freshly baked bread, vegetables, fruit—for fuck’s sake, they even have juice. You cry again while eating, and then you find yourself begging them again, “Please, let me stay—please, I’ll do anything. I can cook, clean, work—anything at all, I can do it, just please let me stay…”
You’re on your knees, forehead pressed to the heated metal floors—toasty and comforting, you think you could sleep better than ever right there.
“We’ll think about it,” one of them mutters as he gathers the plates. His voice was so harsh he might as well have said, not a chance. It’s clear by his frown that he’d rather send you right out again, leave you to the monsters.
“We’ll at least let you stay until your ankle heals, so don’t worry.” The other is more sympathetic, helping you up. “For now, let’s get you to bed. You must be exhausted.”
It hadn’t crossed your mind that they’d have beds—actual real soft downy mattresses and duvets and pillows. The two of you help make it together. It feels so foreign that you wonder if you might have died earlier. Some years back, you wouldn’t have thought heaven would resemble a prison cell, but now it only made sense—safe metal walls and a bed. What more could one possibly want in the world?
“I’ll wrap your leg for you if you sit.” He holds out a bandage roll, gesturing to your ankle.
Blinking, you can’t even register what he’d just offered until he’s getting down on his knees before you.
You panic, then. Bandages are hard to come by—it hardly seems worth it. “There’s no blood, you shouldn’t waste it—”
“It’ll heal better and faster this way,” he adds reassuringly. His voice is so soft and compelling that you find yourself sitting down without further quarrel, even when it makes you feel spoiled.
He’s gentle with you—holding you steady while wrapping it just tightly enough to be supportive. There hasn’t been a man who’s touched you like it.
“Does that feel okay?”
You can barely tell he’s talking to you. It’s all so lost on you that you can only wordlessly nod your head.
He fastens it just as carefully before standing. “Is there anything else you might need?”
You shake your head just as wordlessly. You can’t believe how nice he’s being. It makes no sense at all. Not in this world. Not anymore.
“I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to lock the door,” he apologizes with a sheepish look once standing on the threshold.
You’d been stuck thinking about how warm the room was, trying to remember a single time you hadn’t been freezing during the night. “That’s okay, I understand,” you say. After all, what’s a locked door in comparison?
“Good,” he smiles—it’s likely the kindest smile you’ve ever seen. “Alright then, good night.”
Once again, you’re left stunned. The last time you’d heard those words spoken must have been from a loved one long since dead. It makes your lip wobble again as you say it back, “Good night.”
It's strange—they could have left you for dead but didn’t. They don’t seem gullible—they can’t be if they’ve managed to protect this place for so long—but you suppose there still exist men who have a soft spot in their hearts for helpless damsels in distress.
As you sink into the comfort, draping your duvet atop your battered body, you don’t even care about the camera in the ceiling—blinking red while watching you.
“Did you have to bandage her up?” he grumbles as the other walks into the bedroom after having said his goodnights to you. 
He’s already in bed, observing through the cameras on a tablet—you were currently curling into the duvet, wrapping it around you close for comfort. You’d likely not slept on anything so soft in a while—it wouldn’t surprise him if you preferred the floor. But no, you drift asleep quite quickly.
“You know how badly things can heal without proper support,” the other answers, regarding it as no big deal. “And besides, it’s not like we often need it—we have plenty to spare.”
He removes his clothes and crawls onto the bed as well, lifting the covers to slot himself right next to the other man, who still has a scowl on his face.
“Oh, come on…” he drawls. “She’s exactly what we’ve been talking about, isn’t she?”
The grump doesn’t answer, still with keen eyes watching you, even as you’ve fallen asleep—as if waiting for you to do something befitting a wild animal in a cage. The other’s eyes fall to the screen as well, but he only awes in delight.
“Look at her, already fast asleep,” he purrs while zooming in on your face. “I mean, did you see how she was begging earlier, what she said? I’d do anything,” he continues, almost whining. “So cute, I could have fucked her right then and there.”
The other man sets the tablet aside with a disagreeing sigh. “We’ll wait at least a week for her system to detoxify from the wasteland,” he says strictly. “I’m not touching her before then, and neither are you unless you want to sleep alone.”
The other groans then, flopping down on his back. “Yeah, yeah, you and your safety protocols,” he dismisses before a smirk creeps up his face, glee twinkling in his eyes as he looks up at his grouchy counterpart. “But then we keep her, right?”
“Tch—we don’t even know if she’s fertile. The wasteland could have made her barren as long as she’s been out there,” the other shuffles down into the sheets as well, turning to look at his partner and the awfully keen look on his face.
“So we test her. Give her a medical check,” he says, again as if it’s not a problem, even when it very well could turn out to be.
They’ve already broken quarantine rules by letting you in here—and who knows what your real objectives truly are.
“I don’t trust her,” he states.
The other pouts. “I don’t see what one little lady can do—she’s hardly a threat. And we already purged the group that was following her. I doubt any of them made it out alive.”
True, he had gone out and sent several gas grenades into the settlement. Surely, none of them managed to escape, but then again—
“Pest control only works when you kill them all, and we’ve just let one inside our own house,” he grumbles.
The other one sighs. “Okay, so if it turns out she isn’t as cute as she looks, we’ll deal with her like the rest. But if I’m right, and she really is just a harmless little thing, we keep her, and I get to have the first go.”
Suppose there isn’t anything better to do aside from killing you straight away, which would only have been a waste of food, water, clothes, and bandages. 
“Fine.”
The other grins at the agreeance, humming, “I guess until then, we’ll just have to make do with each other—I've been hard since we watched her shower.” He leans forward for contact but is shut down as his bedmate rolls around with his back turned to him.
“Tch—take care of it yourself.” Tonight has been too stressful to tug each other’s dicks. 
He can hear him whine behind him, but he settles down soon enough.
Suppose it would be nice fucking a woman again. It’s been so many years he figured he wouldn’t need it anymore. They’ve made do with each other so far. But even he can’t deny, once you’d washed all the blood and muck off, once he saw the dewy hue of your soft skin and the silk of your hair, all those plush curves, and not to mention that awfully sweet look on your face—he felt the tug in his pants too.
He'll do a medical check on you tomorrow. He hopes you’re fertile. But even if you’re not, he might give in to the other’s wishes and keep you anyway. After all, they might have many luxuries, but the comfort of pussy is one they haven’t had in a long, long, long time.
Tumblr media
♡ BNHA – KiriBaku, BakuDeku, ShinKami, DabiHawks, EndHawks, ErasurMic ♡ JJK – SatoSugu, ItaFushi, SukuIta, ♡ HQ – Miya twins, KageHina, BokuAka, ♡ CSM – AkiDen, YoshiDen ♡ BLLK – NagiReo
♡ FEM x M INSERT masterlist ♡ GN x M INSERT masterlist
6K notes · View notes
smollsmule · 5 months ago
Text
Ok ok but you wanna know the real tea?? I've read several beach fics at this point (which are all awesome btw, y'all are amazing writers) and it's a beloved staple to have Edwin be somehwat scandalised at everyone's beach outfits not to mention all flustered from seeing Charles in swim wear. Which is a Good Trope, don't get me wrong, I love that just as much as the next person
HOWEVER
I think actually it's Charles who should be more shooketh about Edwin in his funky lil edwardian two piece!!
Picture this. The year is 1916. You are 16 year old Edwin Payne with a bunch of repressed gay thoughts. Much unpleasantness happens, you die and get dragged to hell, even more unpleasantness happens, 70 years later you finally manage to claw your way up and suddenly women are allowed to vote. There's been not one but two world wars, several countries you grew up reading about in the news don't exist anymore and mini skirts are a thing now.
All I'm saying is, for all the teasing Edwin gets for "What is a handjob?" and "Crystal's internet", this kid was essentially thrust into a scifi world full of weird shit and gets mostly by via an attitude which can only be paraphrases as "fuck it, this might as well be a thing (maybe ask Charles about it later)". King of adaption, master of radical acceptance.
Charles on the other hand, and I say this with only love in my heart, is at his core a boomer. He was there for every tiny gradual shift from '89 to modern day. Sure, he was dead for most of that time, but that's not really relevant. All I'm saying is, seeing the bbc announce marriage equality was probably a bigger shock to Charles than it was to Edwin. That's a guy who already had to accept he will never fully wrap his head around home television.
Also consider the states of undress they've been exposed to seeing the other in. Edwin was stripped to his underwear in hell and still had his knees and elbows covered. And that was probably a more exposing outfit than he'd ever be comfortable with. His usual casual get up features a sweater vest for crying out loud! Meanwhile you have Charles going full 'ceps out in his undershirt first chance he gets. Edwin either got real cool with a lot of shit real fast or he would have combusted several times over those 30 years.
And yes yes, we've all seen Edwin "Haunted By Gay Thoughts" Payne's mental slideshow of abs n hips close ups after getting one (1) glance at the Cat King's stomach. But to his credit, the man was going through a full blown sexuality crisis at that and has since emerged victorious.
So all I'm saying is. Edwin seeing Charles shirtless at the beach? Probably not even the first time this is happening, a lil flustering for sure but just last week he saw two people making out nasty on the tube so hell if he knows. Charles seeing Edwin's kneecaps and upper arms for the first time? Incredible, show stopping, pride and predjudice 2005 hand flex level of suppressed horniness.
Anyway. I'm writing this fic now and none of y'all can stop me.
2K notes · View notes
calypsolemon · 15 days ago
Text
they'd also rather make the male characters transfem than make the female characters transfem and then talk a lot of crap about how the male characters being misogynistic was a necessary step on their journey to realizing their womanhood. which could mean nothing about people's perception of trans women.
Ppl would rather make a man character transfem than show even the slightest bit of attention to women characters
#which you know i do have my reservations about talking about ppl making transfem hc's of male characters being misogynistic on its own#bc i think it frames the characters in terms of ''real female characters'' vs ''fake made up female characters'' and it can get dicey#PARTICULARLY im saying this as the guy who witnessed ppl getting very angry at a trans woman hc-ing their fave male char transfem#bc it wasn't a very popular hc in the fandom and ppl got WEIRD abt it#(re: laios dunmeshi)#but i do also think there's an element where ppl can more easily see male characters as transfem then existing female ones BECAUSE#they don't see trans women as capable of experiencing misogyny#as much as they see them as capable of perpetuating misogyny#particularly i see this in the way ppl talk about transfem jay#like nothing wrong with the headcanon on its face but so many ppl seem to make his behavior towards nya like a core part of it#like cracking jokes about how being gross towards nya was actually about jay's repressed femininity or somethnig#and the attitude ppl take abt this is very silly and dismissive#as if it doesn't imply that misogynistic behavior is some core part of the transfem experience#meanwhile i hardly see ppl hc nya or pixal as transfem like#and ive seen people basically say as much that they can't see it that way exactly bc nya experiences misogyny#like it doesn't make ''sense'' or something#as if trans women can't experience being seen as incapable. or having their identity chosen for them. or having people feel entitled to the#idk#sorry im a transfem nya truther so liekkkkkkk i have thoughts about this#necessary disclaimer for anyone reading this whose not a follower that im tme
81 notes · View notes
vaguely-concerned · 8 months ago
Text
I understand and agree with a lot of the frustrations about the shortcomings of Inquisition as a story. but sometimes when I hear people complain about the chosen one narrative in it I do want to just be like... you know it's a deconstruction of the concept more than anything, right. the inquisitor isn't actually chosen by anything except stumbling into the wrong (right?) room at the right (wrong?) time because they like, heard a noise or whatever. or if you think they are chosen, as many do in-universe, that's something you have to take on faith, the maker-or-whoever moves in mysterious ways indeed-style. the Inquisitor isn't actually a Destined Chosen One, they're a Just Some Guy in a fancy hat, self-delusions of grandeur to taste as you'd prefer.
a running thread that goes through all of the personal quests of the companions is the concept of a comforting lie vs. an uncomfortable truth, upholding old corrupt structures vs. disrupting them, and the role of faith in navigating that. (blackwall the warden vs. thom rainier the liar and murderer. hissrad vs. the iron bull, or is that the other way around? cassandra and the seekers -- do we tell the truth about what we find, even if it means dismantling the old order of the world? and so on.) and your inquisitor IS at the same time a comforting lie (a necessary one, in dark times? the game seems to ask) and an uncomfortable truth (we are the result of random fickle chance, no protective hand is held over the universe, it's on us to make a better world because the maker sure as hell won't lift a divine finger to help anyone, should he against all odds exist). faith wielded for political power... where's the point that it crosses the line into ugliness? is it before it even begins? what's the alternative? will anyone listen to the truth, if you tell it?
interesting how you also get a mix of companion agency in this -- you have characters like dorian who ALWAYS choose one side of the comforting lie vs. uncomfortable truth dichotomy. he will always make up his own mind to go back to tevinter and try to dismantle the corruption of the old system no matter what you say, or how you try to influence him. meanwhile iron bull is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum -- so psychologically trapped and mangled, caught in an impossible spiritual catch-22, that his sense of identity is left entirely to you and your mercy. you cannot change dorian in any way that matters; you can be his friend or not, support him or not, but he is whole no matter what. you are given incredible and potentially destructive-to-him power over bull's soul. it's really cool (and heartbreaking) to think about.
this is a game about how history will eat you even while you're still alive, and shape you into whatever image it pleases to serve it, and for all your incredible power right now you are powerless in the face of the gravitational force of time -- of more than time, of History. you won't recognize yourself in what History will make of you, because you belong to it now. you don't belong to yourself anymore and you never will again. the further you were from what it needs from you to begin with, the more you will find yourself distorted in its funhouse mirror. (why hello there inquisitor ameridan, same hat!)
and to me this is so much the core of what Dragon Age is about right from the Origins days -- how and by whom history gets written, the inherent unreliable narration of it all. I hope you like stories, Inquisitor. You are one now.
I do think it's probably still the weakest of the games narratively, and it's hampered by its structure and bloated systems. but I also find it disingenous to say that there's nothing deeper or actually interesting going on with it, thematically. if you're willing to engage with it there is Some Real Shit going on under the high fantasy-tinted surface.
3K notes · View notes
flickering-nightfall · 11 months ago
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Playing with some ideas mostly regarding gender/reproduction in RW, and slugcat colonies.
Full transcript under the cut!
Creatures in Rain World are typically simultaneous hermaphrodites but require partners to reproduce, with either individual capable of being a genetic donor or carrier. Alongside what we are familiar with, this has lead to interesting reproductive strategies such as rotating donor/carrier roles, or dual/simultaneous genetic swaps.
Rotating donor/carrier roles - A K-selection reproductive strategy. One partner carries the first child, the other partner carries the next child, and so forth. Allows each partner to recover from the demands of childbearing.
Rain Deer aren't quite monogamous, but they tend to choose the same breeding partner whenever mating season rolls around. They serve as a donor one season, then bear and raise a child the next. Calves are raised away from the rain and worm grass, in places that have less food but more safety. Calf wool is softer, not yet gunked up by the dirty rainfall. Their legs are sturdier as children, allowing them to run for cover while the parent wards off threats.
Dual/simultaneous genetic swap - An r-selection reproductive strategy. Parents fulfill the donor and carrier role for each other. The more children you make, the more likely some are to survive!
Multiple batflies lay thousands of eggs in a single "blue fruit." Several eggs congeal and become nutrient paste for the surviving eggs (and for hungry slugcats). Like some plant seeds, batfly eggs that are consumed before pupating can survive passing through the digestive system. Ew.
Ancients also fell under this umbrella. Their genders (and the genders of iterators by extension, who have no sex anyways) could have been determined by a variety of other factors, such as societal role, donor/carrier preference, or simply different categorizations of personal expression.
It's difficult to say how well their common pronouns would translate to ours, but it seems they can translate to an extent, given what Moon and Pebbles use canonically.
Slugcats, like real slugs, can have children with a partner or self-fertilize. Unlike real slugs, they are often known to adopt.
In the case of self-fertilization: children who are born from one parent may display a large amount of genetic diversity despite the circumstances. Maybe slugcats have some sort of... genetic reservoir independent of their own genetic code?
Slugcats live 20-30 years on average... if they manage to reach adulthood. Their mortality rate is sadly rather high, especially in pups. If they were to develop as a civilization, it's likely their lifespan would increase dramatically.
Slugcats in a colony are more likely to have more children, and to successfully rear those children to adulthood, than those who wander alone or in small groups. The safety and stability of a colony cannot be understated.
Colonies either have a set, cycling migration path, or wander continuously. Survivor and Monk's tree home was a nesting site that their colony frequents about once a year. So it's likely that they'll see their family again!
...also, the strength of large colonies are why scavengers are likely to become the dominant species. In the time of Saint's era, continuous migration has become more of a risk, and it has become more difficult to support large populations. Slugcat populations have shrunk back to the more forgiving equatorial zones.
Saint's tongue is pretty unusual and probably unique to them, or to a small population that they hail from. Fur (of varying thickness) is much more common.
Meanwhile, scavengers are bulkier and covered in thicker insulating fur. They:
have seemingly massive populations
have a burgeoning society (the existence of merchants, tolls, bartering, elites and leaders)
are adept at communicating (non-verbally)
manipulate their environment
can build structures (scavenger-made structures were a scrapped idea from Saint's campaign)
can create complex weapons and tools
may have agriculture behind the scenes (unsure if scout parties prioritize exploration or hunting)
I would wager on scavengers developing more quickly than slugcats, but it would be nice if there was a future where both could co-exist.
2K notes · View notes
honey-tongued-devil · 2 months ago
Text
[Arcane Preference] And Their Favorite Hot Drink
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Every time I say I want to make at least three, and every time it takes me a month to make three. But between today and tomorrow, I want to post something else with a cozy/winter theme, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, in my little self-promotion corner, I'll let you know that you can find my fanart here, and here you can find a fanfiction I'm working on, if you want to check out my other projects!
socials: | INPRNT | | Tip Jar | | X | | BlueSky | | Ao3 |
Tumblr media
Jayce:
Hot tea.
With lots of cookies, not just one or two like nobles who drink tea to be chic.
He drinks tea because it makes the cookies taste better and softer.
And if I told you he prefers fruity tea?
Basically, he likes a strong flavor, and fruity teas have the most aroma, although having grown up as the Kirammans’ ward, he’s learned to drink it in any form.
Viktor:
Sweet milk.
Or milk and honey.
Occasionally, milk, coffee, caramel, and whipped cream if he wants to be fancy, but he never has the time, so it’s usually just sweet milk.
He has such a stockpile that statistically, at least one bottle is expired, but it doesn’t matter; he doesn’t pay attention to those things.
Ekko:
Cappuccino. It’s quick, it’s hot, it gives energy, and the milk makes it sweet enough without adding sugar.
Easy to find and great for the group because it’s not expensive—just steal an industrial-sized can of milk and some instant coffee, and he can make it for more than 20 people.
Tea is problematic because there are no plants in Zaun, and in Piltover, they either sell it in small doses or loose.
Vander:
Hot chocolate, because I say so.
This man was born to be a father, and what do kids love? Hot chocolate.
Hard to come by in Zaun, which is why he always adds chocolate bars or cocoa powder as an extra price in his smuggling deals.
It became his favorite because of the connection it has with his kids and his happy place.
Silco:
Whiskey doesn’t count as a hot drink, and that’s a bit of a problem.
But luckily, coffee exists.
Not American coffee, long and watered down, but espresso.
He holds the small cup in his hands to warm himself, but subtly enough that no one notices.
Jinx:
Sugar.
Not a hot drink, sure, but any drink works for her if it has enough sugar.
Milk and honey remind her of when she was little, tied to special occasions when her parents actually managed to get honey.
But pretty much anything works for her: fruity teas with three tablespoons of sugar, hot chocolate with one spoonful, cappuccino with two…
Vi:
Anything works for her as long as the cup is big enough to warm her hands.
Simple and easy-to-find drinks are great, sure, but no one can convince me her favorite drink isn’t either hot chocolate with rum or a complex, spiced Piltover-style beverage.
She doesn’t mind sweetness but never adds sugar to her drinks—she’d rather choose something with natural sweet notes.
Caitlyn:
Tea.
English breakfast tea with sugar and milk is something her parents made her during festive mornings, so it holds sentimental value.
But the tea she’s used to drinking is Oolong or Yorkshire, typical of the five o’clock tea tradition with her mother and occasionally their guests.
Mel:
Coffee and variations.
In my little artist brain, Piltover has an ethical equivalent of Starbucks, and that café is Mel’s happy place.
Coffee is easier to find for sure, but coffee-based drinks with caramel, ginger, and plant-based milk are absolutely her favorite.
She loves sipping them slowly, savoring the flavors, taking half an hour or more to finish her cup.
Sevika:
Whiskey.
No, she won’t accept that it doesn’t count as a hot drink.
She doesn’t like milk, but if she’s forced to have it, she spikes it with whiskey or gin.
The same goes for hot chocolate.
She’s not a coffee person either; she doesn’t see the point of drinking something so bitter without a real purpose.
478 notes · View notes
butevrythinggoesaway · 1 year ago
Text
"hE dOeSN't SoUnd LIke a tEEnaGeR" NOT ALL FUCKING TEENAGERS SOUND LIKE TODDLERS JESUS FUCKING CHRIST. THEY GAVE HIM THE VOICE BECAUSE OOH FUNNY MEME MAN MILES, GWEN AND PENI ARE VOICED BY ADULTS THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEIR CHARACTERS ARE
Sorry I'm having a fucking Lou moment
Unpopular opinion but I don't think Nicholas Cage was the best option for Noir's voice
#and then people complain that people are like oh hes 19 on their posts and then turn around and call me an idiot saying they called him 30#in the movie like BITCH YOU ARE DOING THE EXACT SAME THING BUT WITH NO REASONING BEHIND IT#listen i love spiderverse so much but noir is basically a joke through and through#they took him and went what if he was a total joke#even ham had serious moments in comforting miles. the best noir gets is wow this is traumatic and i love you guys#and everyone overlooks all his fucking lack of anything because ooh he said i love you isnt that great#as if spiderverse doesnt have male characters saying i love you all the time#peni also has this sort of problem but at least she actually has moments where she feels like a character and not a massive joke#spiderverse genuinely took a loudmouthed 17 year old with horrific anger issues and made him into a fucking silhouette of a noir detective#he deserves so much better. and i know they can do better! i wish they let him be emotional! i wish him saying he lost his uncle was less#eh it happened not much i can do about it. why is he so bland?#but the real spidey noir is passionate and aggressive and he doesn't just let things lie#im devastated because he's such an interesting character. sure every peter parker has anger issues but for noir it was what his entire story#revolved around. noir was angry at a world and a system he was stuck it that took everything from him that he couldn't change#and then he got the power to change it all with the price of putting himself in danger. he brings up his uncle at every possible opportunity#he loves his family so much he would turn to murder just to protect them. he loses everything in barely any time at all#and then he was just reduced into a funny hee hoo old man blocks emotions cuz violent#meanwhile im over here autistic highschool drop out recovering from burnout with massive anger issues who lost an astounding amount of#people in a short amount of time and is stuck in a world that hates my existence but i cant change it and maybe i see myself in him?#so maybe thats why i get defensive when people call him stupid or reduce him to just a joke#maybe thats why i headcanon him as autistic and genderfluid. maybe thats why i want to write them as more femme so that i can deal with my#own sort of femininity? because he's the only character that's ever had even a semblance of the brain shit ive got going on#i kinda wish he just wasnt in itsv.
69 notes · View notes
jaxon-exe · 2 years ago
Text
Dp x dc prompt
So this starts with Danny becoming the ghost king on his 18th birthday and almost immediately every power-hungry ghost in existence starts proposing to him. At first he just ignores it but after the 10th time someone tries to kidnap him to marry him Greek god style, he’s fucking sick of it and goes to Clockwork for help.
He’s not much help. The only way for other people to stop trying to marry him is if he’s already married. What’s more, because he’s the king of the infinite realms, it has to be someone that’s considered a citizen of the Infinite Realms. (Like he can marry someone that’s still alive but they wouldn’t count and people will just keep trying to marry him) CW also warns him that people will try and kill anyone he marries if they can so a living person isn’t really ideal. The only bit of real helpfulness he does provide is a list of non-evil non-power-hungry citizens so he can have an easier time finding someone.
So Danny takes the list and starts crossing of names (like Johnny, even tho the guy won’t abuse the power of being the ghost princess, kitty would kill Danny for good this time) when he comes across the perfect candidate.
Jason Todd (Robin/Red Hood)
He’s been to Gotham before, knows the Robins all do good work and knows the Red Hood is already a good and fair ruler of his criminal underground. Plus the guy could definitely fight off any ghost trying to kill him even without the power boost and some helpful weapons Danny would give him if he agrees. Plus he has the perfect bargaining chip to get the guy to help by offering to fix the corrupted ectoplasm in him (not that he wasn’t gonna do that anyway when he had the time to but Hood didn’t need to know that)
So Danny hops over to Gotham and after quickly getting permission from Lady Gotham (she’s very protective of her Knights) heads over to crime ally and pitches the idea to Red Hood.
Which basically goes like-
Danny: so I give u, the title of prince, access to the Infinite Realms whenever u wish, a sweet private wing in my castle, any of the op ghost weapons in the castles armoury and a fix for ur rage problems and u marry me so I stop getting people trying to propose to me in increasingly more annoying ways :)
Jason, a literature geek with a secret desire to be the protagonist in a shitty YA romance: u had me at Prince
So the two of then jump over to the Infinite Realms to get married thinking it’ll take 30 minutes top only to learn that CW left out that a Royal wedding has to take at minimum a week otherwise no one will consider the Marriage valid. So the two, not backing out at this point, join in on the week of parties and celebrations without putting much more thought into it.
Meanwhile back in Gotham, after not having Red Hood check in after his patrol, Oracle searches CCTV and finds Jason having a conversation with a figure that is glitching out the camera to much to identify them, then the figure seemingly grabs Jason and drags him into a portal and the two of them disappear.
So obviously the Batfam comes to the conclusion that Jason was kidnapped by some sort of magical being and calls in John. He identify the magic as that of the ghost king’s and has been hearing that the king had been looking for a bride so comes to the conclusion that Jason has been kidnapped Persephone style to be be married and is under the (wrong) conclusion that it will mean Jason can’t leave the realm of the death after.
And so the Batfam + Constantine start planing to crash a wedding.
6K notes · View notes
horsechestnut · 1 year ago
Text
I just think it's really neat how much fans have latched onto the fact that Stephanie Brown was Robin.
Like, both in and out of universe Stephanie was never meant to be taken seriously as Robin. The writers only made her Robin so that her death in War Games would be shocking and Bruce only made her Robin because he thought it would make Tim jealous enough to come back. She only had the mantle for 71 days before being fired (for doing something that literally every other Robin has also done and not been fired over), and she was only active during 50 of them. There are only six issues where Steph is Robin in the canon timeline.
Her final words before her death are asking Batman (Batman, because even on her death bed he doesn't trust her enough to take off his mask) if any of it was real. Was she really Robin? And Batman assures her that of course she was, that she was part of the legend and no one can take it away from her. Except it's a lie, because despite his reassurances, Batman never puts up a memorial or does anything to preserve her memory. He never really thinks of her as Robin, and even her friends will always think of her as Spoiler before ever remembering Robin.
Meanwhile DC spent years ignoring her time as Robin, to the point where it was completely erased from existence for awhile. It's technically back now, because timelines are weird, but unlike the others it's never been altered. She's never been given a second chance at it, no one's ever gone back and added more issues or details about those 71 days, or even seems to want to acknowledge them most of the time.
But fans have clung on to it anyway. Sure, there are lots of people who make Robin posts that are just about the boys, but there are just as many people who are ready to fight anyone who doesn't include her. Maybe it was only for a little while, but she was Robin, and we're sure as hell not going to forget it. If DC isn't going to bother to remember, than we will.
Stephanie Brown was Robin. She was part of the legend. It was real. No matter what, no one can take that away from her.
3K notes · View notes
space-blue · 3 months ago
Text
Ekko's device vs. Jayce rune?
Ok I'm not going to pretend to make sense of it, but let's talk!
It turns out the rune given to Jayce by Viktor in this timeline/AU is an acceleration rune.
We know this because Ekko says as much as he creates his rewind time tool.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
And it leaves me to wonder if that isn't important?
Ekko just blew up an Arcane bubble-thingy within a hextech devide meant to "rewind" time.
Meanwhile, Jayce takes the Arcane rune seemingly from inside his wrist and places it inside Viktor's palm. And we now know it's an "acceleration rune".
Tumblr media Tumblr media
So Viktor has this really cool 2D frame, and then every soul he has "corrupted" is summoned up and out of those runes :
Tumblr media
But in the meantime, outside, they are frozen in place/time under the rune that expanded from Ekko's device, the one Viktor deemed impossible :
Tumblr media
So basically I'm wondering WTF is going on, and how much of it could be a sort of matter vs. anti-matter situation?
Do they disappear because they are channeling an acceleration rune inside a deceleration rune zone? More importantly, is this scene ONLY possible in THIS life?
I think the RUNE matters. I think that Viktor has gone again and again to gift a rune to Jayce because in all universes he ends up alone and miserable as Jayce failed to stop him/kill him.
But in this one Jayce has an acceleration rune on himself, and Ekko shows up with a device INVENTED BASED ON THAT RUNE. A device Machine Herald Viktor thinks isn't possible.
So it may be that this is the only timeline in which 1/Hextech comes to exist and 2/ Viktor gets to end things in the battle in his REAL favour (by dying there).
Another point:
Tumblr media
I think it's fascinating that he's not depicted with a Machine Herald look. It's likely he had it at the time, but has been in there all alone for god knows how long, and has just... chosen to de-evolve. He's gotten rid of the arm, the mask, the trappings. He has no reason to sport them, and they brought him no good.
I think it matters he appears like this to Viktor in particular, besides the fact it's probably just to not confuse the viewers too much.
416 notes · View notes