#no way i get anything from any other fandom

[patchouii]

I know this might be a sort of unusual opinion in the fandom, especially considering how a decent chunk of the more popular/famous/infamous Hannigram fics go, but I’ve always thought that Will and Hannibal would be on fairly equal ground in terms of sexual experience. Will seems to use romantic or sexual attentions as a coping mechanism for his issues: His first idea at a “clutch for balance” is to make out with Alana, despite his acknowledgment that she wouldn’t be able to separate her psychiatric opinion of him from their relationship and that she shepherded his decisions too much as a friend. Margot shows up at his door a second time, the first time being for commiseration, where she obviously alludes that she’s a lesbian and that her inheritance goes to Mason or the Church with a lack of male descendants.

Will, with his eidetic memory and profiling skills, doesn’t question it and goes a few surprisingly fast and hard rounds with her. Will’s obviously handsome, and the disarray in his life and personal grooming during season one was clearly due to him not having the energy for anything but bare bones basics with the encephalitis. The visions he willfully conjures during season two— from picturing a stagman Hannibal to get off to tying Hannibal up a la erotic asphyxiation to state his opinions on loving others— all speak to a more intense appetite that I think has a good chance of completely skirting heterosexuality. It makes sense that Will would’ve used sexual opportunities to provide an outlet for his more violently carnal urges in an accepted way that might be praised by partners.

Hannibal, however— with his alibi-centric relationship with Alana and Bryan Fuller’s confirmation that he and Bedelia had sex in Florence— uses sexual relationships to influence others, as a tactical choice, and for simple physical satisfaction and another stitch in his person suit. I might argue that Hannibal could potentially have less of a range of experience, playing into other’s perceptions and his own obsession with total self-sovereignty by only having participated in the role of a top, allowing him more control, thinking others weren’t worth ceding to in any way, maybe wanting to keep things more tame to avoid the risk of people making connections with his more clandestine brand of sadism. Why capitulate to a pig, a chess piece, or an ornament that hasn’t yet broken? Why even care to consider it? Could anyone feel fulfilled with someone who’s a strange, temporary passenger on their singular boat on the sea? It really cements how utterly alone they both were before they found each other.

[vigilskeep]

how would you describe the relationship between sol and viago (at length?) a lot of people in the fandom often characterize viago as very paternal and I wanted yr thoughts

oh mannn

if u have to characterise it in terms of family, i would describe them more as siblings with a large age gap. i usually put them at like an 8-10 year age gap and they met when viago was still a teenager. sol would laugh in ur face if u called viago their dad. they definitely have some sibling behaviours and i do talk abt them in those terms. they are close enough in age to have the trauma bond of growing up in the same bad place rather than sol growing up there while viago was a grown-up agent of that place, if that makes sense, which is quite a key difference to some dynamics i see

but it’s more complicated than just being found family or whatever. sol views the relationship in quite transactional terms because they were a very traumatised kid who would not have been able to rely on anything less solid under their feet. from the start they presented themself as someone little but resourceful who could help him and also be an investment for later. sol worked really really hard all their childhood to be strong enough to “pay him back” for the little he was able to protect them as a kid, and to prove to him that they could be of further use, because they were convinced that one day he would be talon and if they were his then they would finally be safe. ironically it’s viago—who is less openly affectionate—who has always been more aware that he is in this because he cares about them. because, you know, sol was not actually that much help when they first met, because they were busy being, like, seven. it was only later when they kept trying so hard and beating impossible odds that he established sol in his head as always thinking of something and always winning in the end. back then they were just the only little source of warmth in the world

sol can joke around with and get physically close to viago in a way almost nobody else ever is allowed, just bc they always took those liberties and he never stopped them. he thinks they’re rash and impulsive because he has always let them get away with too much, but he also trusts them with his life when danger comes: they often take a bodyguard role, and also if, say, something went wrong with his poisons and he needed help, sol would be the one he would trust to be around him and take care of him when he was vulnerable. (they used to be the only one. other people like teia now being able to fill this role was another factor in sol becoming unnecessary in the few years before veilguard and it destabilising the relationship.) that’s also kind of why they have no fear of him in the way any other crow would fear their talon. he would not get rid of someone whose loyalty is a proven absolute. even when they don’t believe in him caring, they always confidently count on him just being smarter than that

while the love is there, as i like to say, viago’s still a talon of the crows and sol’s his subordinate. a lot of the affection is not being expressed and sol does not expect it, and sol is all smiles with everyone so even their side doesn’t necessarily come through either. viago has ordered them to do some fucked up things, both crow work—sol helped maintain house loyalty and discipline with everything that entails—and undergoing the extremely dangerous rituals that gave them some of their quasi-magical abilities.

at the start of the game, sol is prepared to get themself killed on this mad quest rather than face either going back to the crows, or leaving and losing viago, unsure whether they dreaded more him hunting them down or simply letting them go. (he’s all they have, and they also have like... a sunk fallacy situation where having sacrificed everything else to their loyalty to viago, they physically cannot give him up now. the solas mythal parallels go crazy. minrathous burns because it was not the city viago was in.) by the end of the game, sol has come to the conclusion that he loves them. but they are also now able to ask questions like: if he really loves them, why’d he never try to get them out? if he really loves them, if he regrets anything they’ve gone through, how can he still be a talon of the crows? how can there still be fledgelings in those grim training houses where they grew up, if he loves them?

it’s complicateddd and it always will be. are they the closest thing each other has to family? yes. was the best year in sol’s life the one where they were away from him with varric? yes. is being a crow fundamentally soul-destroying to them and are the best endings for them also probably the ones where they never see him again as long as they live? Well Yes But It Makes Me Sad.

[wisteriasymphony]

I don’t get why people keep watching this show if they hate it so much ? I mean I don’t really watch this show but I don’t get why people can’t simply just stop watching . This isn’t criticism per se , just skepticism

I can't really read the minds of anyone who thinks that way, but I will start off by saying there's probably a chance that most people in the fandom who hate the show do, in fact, no longer watch it, but are still involved in the fandom in some way.

This is by no means a new phenomenon! Hatedoms/Fix-it Fandoms/etc do exist—Lore Olympus and Yandere Simulator are the other two big ones I'm acquainted with. I think the desire to hang on both comes from a sort of comfort from sticking with something you used to like, and a persisting love for the original concept or what could've been. (That, and in some cases, spite for mishandling. It happens.)

I'm sure some people do stop watching, but their aggravations lead them to want to keep discussing the show and what they felt went wrong/etc., and the best place to find other people who know the context and might be able to understand their grievances would be within the fandom.

As for what I can theorize about motives for genuine hatewatching—People like to complain. It's a facet of life, it's a method of catharsis. When you find yourself unable to look away from a car crash, the next best thing to do is commentate or what have you. As with my opinions on salt, I doubt any prolonged stewing in mocking vitriol does anything good for people, but sometimes people get attached to experiencing parasocial schadenfreude by continually exposing themselves to stuff they think sucks and laughing about it. Until they start bringing others into it themselves, it not anyone's business but their own.

[devotion-disorder]

UR ART IS SO PRETTY 😍😍🙏🙏 lT MAKES ME WANNA GOBBLE IT UP

Have any tips? I've been tryna get into drawing but i'm rlly strugglimg 😭

First off THANMKYOU FOR YOUR NICE WORDS....🥺🫶🫶

i'm gonna assume you're asking about advice for people that are just getting started with drawing! Now im not a ~seasoned~ artist or anything, i've only been drawing on-and-off for about 7 ish years? so this is all coming from someone who only approaches art as more of a casual hobby... also if you're asking about more technical/ practical advice then feel free to send another ask because I don't really go into that here lol :p

Honestly, i recall that being a beginner artist was tough, because the gap in my skill level and my expectations seemed so daunting. The hardest part was probably having to motivate myself to keep going even when it's hard to see actual progress and, again, the disappointment in "what I draw does not match what I envision in my head". It's hard and sometimes I question what am I even doing all this for. As of right now I can say that this feeling doesn't ever really go away, just that now I've managed to build a bit more confidence in my stuff.

So how I see it is that it's important to find a way to keep yourself motivated no matter what, so that you have it in you to keep practicing, improving, or at least, to just keep drawing. This is something that is gonna look different for everyone so I think it'd be a good idea to explore yourself what can keep you motivated. I was very lucky in that the people around me were also into drawing and were always really nice and supportive, so they played a huge role in building up my confidence - such that I wasn't afraid to experiment and take risks, which is necessary for learning and getting better.

Another major thing for me is to remember to have fun with art, and understand that as long as I managed to enjoy some parts of the process then I've "succeeded" so to speak, even if I don't like the end results. This still applies now...it's frustrating when something I spent time on doesn't turn out the way I wanted, but at least rendering it was fun and relaxing, so it was still a good use of my time. Its about striking a balance i guess; its important to practice and do fundamentals etc etc but imo its equally important to draw things that will make you want to keep drawing. for some this could be doing fanart, for others it could be original art. Social media and fandom-ry is a whole 'nother can of worms, but I will say that they were helpful to me in keeping me motivated and inspired. so basically its this *taps sign*

anyhow i hope that was helpful,,,,, i hope I didn't come off as preachy because im the last person with any authority to be telling other people about art so it was mostly just my own experience with art...but i think its really just about finding your own rhythm and if you keep at it you will get better...either way GOOD LUCK I BELIVBE IN YOU AND I HOPE YOU HAVE FUN🫶🫶🫶🫶

[coraniaid]

I can't help but be puzzled by people who try to position Riley as somehow fundamentally different from Angel and Spike (here 'people' includes not only most of the current fandom but also most of the actual writers, I guess). Because ... well, he isn't, is he? That just isn't true.

In fact, knowing that Riley represents the writers' idea of a notional "healthy relationship" for Buffy Summers (something that Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon and others have all claimed in interviews at various points) explains an awful lot about how Angel is written in Season 3 and Spike is written in Season 7. When the writers stop having anything interesting to say about either of those characters -- which happens in Season 3 shortly after Angel comes back from hell, and in Season 7 once they get bored of Spike having a soul and decide he's really acting strange because he has been Hypnotized By A Ghost -- this is the dynamic they default to. This is what the writers think a healthy romantic relationship looks like. How can that not inform the way they write the rest of the show?

Yes, I agree that Riley is a bad character (and, frankly, that Marc Blucas just isn't a very good actor). I think his relationship with Buffy in Season 4 is one of the weaker parts of that season, and that the decision to write him out by first having him metaphorically cheat on Buffy while her mother was seriously ill, only to then somehow reframe this at the eleventh hour as Buffy making a terrible mistake in "letting him get away" (because she didn't have the good sense to realize just how wonderful he really was) is infuriating. I'm not here to defend the character of Riley Finn.

But, I mean. Who is Riley? He's an older man with close ties to the Big Bad of the season he is introduced in, ties which he initially keeps hidden from Buffy. He falls for her pretty much on sight. For her part, she is initially reluctant to "admit" she is attracted to him, because he reminds her of her first serious boyfriend, but he tells her she's an idiot and insists that she has to date him and eventually she does. He in turn is then confronted by his past and chooses Buffy over returning to his old life. After this, he hangs around in town despite not obviously having any sort of source of income or any remaining friendship group beyond her. He doesn't ever really form any sort of relationship with her other friends either. He has super-powers which make him far stronger than any ordinary human, but still not as strong as Buffy herself. There are multiple moments in which he is injured and Buffy stops what she's doing to help gently bandage him up. At various points he is compelled by factors beyond his control to try to hurt her, which he heroically resists through natural willpower and his devotion to her. Even while they are together he is convinced that Buffy doesn't really love him and thinks he should be able to make decisions about their relationship on her behalf.

Surely, whatever your view on Riley, you've got to admit that at least some of this sounds awfully familiar? These are all story beats and character traits that either Angel or Spike -- or both -- either already had or would later also exhibit.

I mean, yes, I do think Angel and Spike are more interesting and (at least at times) more sympathetic characters -- and not just because they get far more episodes of character development and have clear narrative roles beyond being Buffy's boyfriend -- but the idea that Riley marks some complete and total departure from Buffy's other canon relationships just isn't credible at all.

[lilolilyr]

Mostly a generic Witcher series moodboard but I did make it while reading the Accidental Warlord series by @inexplicifics and I can only recommend everyone read it as well it's really good <3

~~~ continue reading ~~~

The problem with reading extremely amazing more than book length with spin offs canon-divergence fic big on the divergence part? There's no way I'll go back to normal fic after this because this is way better than anything canon related! Oh well, it's nice while it lasts, and there are always other fandoms to go to for a long while until I've forgotten this series enough that I can read more canon compliant shit again xD

On the topic of forgetting things tho - I do that quite quickly and frequently, so I write summaries of longfics and series I read especially wips, and this one turned too long for the Ao3 bookmark - even though I'm only summarizing the main fics where the plot happens - so here we go instead! reading feb25, am at 21/1 making this post, but I'll keep updating the summary. Which, yeah, the rest of the post is my excuse to keep the summary on tumblr xD

Oh also, i had read the star wars version of this by BairnSidhe first before i even realized it's based on this! The fic is also very very good.

more like it: https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Inspired%20by%20The%20Accidental%20Warlord%20and%20His%20Pack%20Series%20-%20inexplicifics/works

~

spoilers p1 - with a conquering air

Jaskier is sent as a tribute, given up as a sacrifice by his family and the other royalty, who think he'll be raped and killed by the Witchers.

When Eskel meets him in Kaer Mohen, he frees Jaskier from his bindings and brings him to Gerald and Yennefer. When she finds out he's a bard she decides Geralt needs a court bard, and Jaskier stays with them. He also tutors Ciri.

Jaskier finds that Geralt is kind, nice to Ciri, lets his friends tease him... and Geralt is hot. Jaskier starts falling in lust and love with him, and a year after he arrives they get together

spoilers p4 - only love proudly and gladly and well

Jaskier's home country negotiates a treaty with the Witchers. Jaskier rewrites the whole thing in their favor and accompanies the witchers and Yennefer there.

Jaskier helps clear up misconceptions about the Witchers to some younger court people, among them Milena of Roggeven, telling to them all about how nice the witchers treated him despite him being sent as a sacrifice, and how he fell in love with Geralt.

The witchers learn that way about him being a sacrifice in the first place. They have his father sent away, threatening to kill him should they ever see him again, and have the king sign the treaty without any changes.

Back home, several eligible women come to court Geralt. Yennefer and Jaskier make plans to make their stay miserable, as well as creating a set of rules for potential wives, including needing to accept Ciri as heir, and getting her approval for the position.

Jaskier also thinks about whether he wants his relationship with Geralt to be made official and decides that if Geralt wants that, he wants it too.

Milena is one of the ladies in waiting sent with the women, befriends Jaskier and falls in love with Lambert.

A princess attacks Jaskier, he survives, she is sent home via portal accompanied by angry witchers. The other women are kicked out, except Milena who swears loyalty.

spoilers p9 - your faults had made me love you more

Milena finds her place in Kaer Moen, teaching Ciri, helping Yennefer with Geralt's correspondence, sending letters home, helping Triss in the still, doing embroidery, learning dagger fighting from Lambert and teaching him to braid her hair.

Milena gets together with Lambert

Zofia, a human fighter woman and another witcher's lover, has some advice for her: to wait until she's ready to sleep with him, where a more private place to bathe is during her monthlies, and that witchers' lovers end up almost as immortal as the witchers themselves.

spoilers p11 - Twirl Three Notes and Make a Star

The witcher is invited to an even festival. Jaskier, Ciri and 13 witchers incl Eskel journey there also so Jaskier and Ciri won't be home for the Witcher Trials. They save a family of elves from a monster and Ciri befriends the kid.

Eskel and Jaskier grow closer. Jaskier knows Geralt would take Eskel to bed if he asked and suspects Eskel thinks the same of Geralt. Once they meet at the festival all three get together.

Jaskier meets a historian elf and invites him to Kaer Morhen to write the Witcher histories.

spoilers p14 - I Have Heart-Fire and Singing to Give

At some point I think before this part

Jaskier goes to Oxenfurt with Milena and 20 witchers to guard them incl Eskel and Lambert. During his performance, Milena is kidnapped through a portal and before they can do anything Jaskier is kidnapped through another one, Eskel stabbed as he follows them.

The plot was made by Milena's sister Marta, the princess Agatha who stabbed Jaskier before, and a sorceress. Marta wants the shame of her sister living with witchers removed from her family, Agatha just wants revenge.

Jaskier bandages Eskel, Milena has hairpins to unlock their shackles and hidden daggers from Lambert. When they confront them, Agatha tries to stab Milena and Milena kills her. Jaskier knocks out the sorceress, and the spell hiding them is lifted so Yennefer can find them.

Marta begs them not to have her actions affect her family and their little sister Marika. Jaskier offers for Marta to go into exile in a part of the wolf's country where they stopped on their way to an elf festival, in return for the baron's daughter becoming another lady in waiting for Ciri, so Marta won't have to be killed

spoilers p20 - The Debt Is Terrible That Must Be Paid In Song

Jaskier is temporarily turned into 6y/o Julian, scared of his own father and any adult men in power.

Smelling his dear and being angry of his father's treatment of him, Aubrey, who looks out for him like an older brother, realizes the treatment of the witchers-to-be is wrong. Once Jaskier is turned back, it is put to a vote, and decided that the training will change - from now on they will be trained like Ciri is, and she will train with them.

Spoilers p24 - the Shadow of the Mountains Will Not Fall

Geralt is dangerously injured in a plot by the king of temeria. He lives but requires many potions. Ciri organizes the trainees to help brew more while Jaskier organizes the rest of the castle.

Eskel kills the king and anyone else in the plot, then puts Griffin, a minor baron from the countryside who had no idea what's going on, on the throne.

In p25 we learn Emhyr var Emreis actually had something to do with the plot. He then learns who Ciri is and decides they need to try diplomacy instead.

Spoilers p28 - Found At Last In Meeting Eyes

Griffin, the new King of Temeria, needs a wife to establish his lineage and to help him rule the basically completely new court because everyone from the old one was killed... he asks the Warlord for aid in finding him a wife.

He has help from his older sister Tara in running the household, but they're worried about their youngest sister, 14 y/o Nix, who is a wildling and wouldn't do well at court, and while that's alright for a baron's youngest, it's not for a princess, and she'd be in danger if left home for much longer but miserable at court or married off... He and Tara decide that it will be a good question to pose to any potential wives(queens), will they try to break Nix's spirit or understand the true difficulties or even have valuable advice?

Marika, middle sister of Roggeven, decides that Milena is the only person in her family worth anything, and also her only chance at a good life, and begs her sister to find her a husband. She takes her dowry and her loyal maid Kasia and two guards and leaves for Kaer Morhen.

Jaskier introduces Marika and Griffin without telling them their true identities, so Marika only learns he's a king once she's already interested in him. Milena reassures her that she's a proper match for a king - not just a duke's daughter, but basically a sister by marriage to the Warlord through Milena and Lambert.

Marika suggests Nix could be a lady in waiting for Ciri.

P30 - Oh, Be For Me The Sky

Cat witcher Dragonfly comes across Livi, young noble Redanian noblewoman Oliwia, while on patrol, and Livi begs sanctuary from the White Wolf. She's fleeing from an arranged marriage to an older noble known for killing his wives and other young girls.

Livi stays in Kaer Morhen as Eskel's secretary and falls in love with Dragonfly.

Because the king clearly isn't keeping his nobles under control, Geralt wants to declare war on Redania.

P35 - Into the Light Out of Darkness

They plan to go Redania and observe to find more obvious breeches of the treaty because Cintra etc would be mad about conquering for just some 'minor' infractions. The plan is to go on 'progress' touring the established territory + visiting Redania to talk to the king about what's going on there and hopefully find a good reason to get rid of him

Meanwhile, Milena's friend Aleksander 'Sasha' is made Duke after the old Duke Oliwia was supposed to marry dies. Aleksander learns from the King and a mage that they have taken a witcher prisoner in Aleksander's new home and are using his blood on girls turning them into almost-witchers but killing most of them in the process. The Mage makes it so he can't talk about it to anyone, and stays with him to watch his correspondence. He has a magic box for writing Milena though and secretly sends her a letter.

Now, the Witchers have a reason to go to war. King Eist of Cintra and young Prince(?) Xenon of (?)(can't keep the damn names straight) bear witness to make sure Calanthe etc won't think the Warlord is conquering for no reason. They go to free the Witcher and young Zia, an outspoken former peasant girl, and Maja, Ada and Elena, burn down the house, then go kill the king. Aleksander comes to Kaer Morhen, his brother is the new Duke.

P38 - That Is Born Out Of Agony

(skipped C1 bc rape warning) Renfri, after killing a man who meant to hurt her, and on the run from mage Stragomir, decides to go to the Witchers for justice, even if they will slay her because she is cursed. If anyone kills her, it should be the White Wolf.

She stumbles into a dwarf tunnel, and journeyman Gilmeth takes her to his family home. Renfri uses the name Shrike and doesn't say she's royal. Gilmeth's grandfather has business with the Wolf (Renfri's stepmother allows mistreatment of nonhumans) and takes her and Gilmeth through dwarven routes to the mountain. Once they get back above ground, Stregomir finds them, but so do two witchers, they put an anti magic chain on him and Renfri and they all swear not to do harm, she swears not to do them harm of her free will, and they're taken to Kaer Morhen.

Geralt slays Strgomir for his lies and allows Renfri to stay as long as she likes. Ciri introduces her to Zofia. The dwarves also stay and design a better gatehouse as Gilmeth's mastery. Renfri's stepmother is killed by Witcher Coën who Renfri befriends, Renfri's father didn't know but also doesn't seem to care about her much except trying to avoid looking at her because she looks like his late wife. Renfri stays in Kaer Morhen.

P44 - Flung to Catch a Star

Emrys of Nilfgard sends prince Morvran Voorhis to negotiate a treaty with the White Wolf.

When Letho and other witchers meet the Nilfgardians and have them swear not to harm anyone in Kaer Morhen, three groomers and Morvran's personal manservant lie. The manservant had orders from a Nilfgardian royal (Evertsen not Emrys) to kidnap Ciri, the groomsmen had orders to hurt the horses, two for their own gain, one, Ilimar Laret, because his Lord threatened Laret's wife. He's taken with them and the wife rescued, the rest is killed.

Morvran has orders to both get the treaty and win Ciri's hand in marriage, and didn't expect that she's not open for political marriage, or any marriage until she's 18. When Geralt asks him why he even wants to be emperor, and explains that he and Ciri will be leaders only to protect people, Morvran reconsiders and vows to be a man the Witchers can respect.

Morvran's knight bodyguard(?) Cahir spends time with the oldest Witcher trainees, a mixed school group incl. Eryk, who has a puppy love crush on Eskel. Cahir is in Emrys service as a political hostage, and comes to trust and believe in Movran properly during their time in Kaer Morhan when Movran invites him to speak freely, listens to him, takes him into his personal service, and offers him use of his first name in private. Sergeant Hanif is also part of some of their meetings.

Geralt says no treaty as long as Evertsen has any power, Emrys sends them Evertson as a prisoner and he's killed. Yennefer can make portals to and from Nilfgard much easier than should be possible, Jaskier suspects it's because she's getting so much practice.

While treaty proceedings are underway, Princess Rhiannon of Poviss comes to ask for Poviss to join the Warlord's lands because it's the sensible thing to do. Geralt accepts and it will be official when they'll visit Poviss during Progress. When Cahir hears of this, he's at first angry because Poviss gives up the kind of independence his own country (Vicovaro) wishes it had from Nilfgard, but he understands Wolfland isn't Nilfgard.

~

The treaty is finally made with three conditions: from the Wolf, a) that Movran tells Emrys Ciri won't come to Nilfgard except to conquer it as long as there are slaves, and b) (secret to anyone else), Movran swears to work towards a Nilfgard that no longer has slaves. And from Emrys, that Ciri and Geralt will come and meet him on neutral ground.

P45 Wrapped in the Wind and the Sun

Yennefer meets Fringilla to renew their friendship and ally against the Brotherhood.

& Here's a couple

Other

Versions

Of

The moodboard :D

Main image sources here, more sources: Yennefer Eskel Ciri2 Geralt2 potions ruins Witcher

https://archiveofourown.org/series/3478006

[lucyshypemaster]

you will NEVER see anyone writing paragraphs after paragraphs hating on keefe like they do with sophie.

[thelaurenshippen]

genuinely think it's good and healthy to follow at least one person in each of your fandoms who reblogs good gifsets but has just...absolutely dogshit takes on the show, or who ships that ship you despise. keeps things fresh. keeps things grounded. you gotta stay humble

[eurydia]

I recreated the official card art with my Rook 🦋

my commissions are still open for Veilguard or DA:I styled tarot art 💜 feel free to reach out at: eurydia.art@gmail.com

[smiling-stel]

- Ok, im either 100% being tricked by the man himself, Cale Henituse, or being blinded by Caleism as the fandom has coined it

But first lemme address my error, cause I just searched up the definition of "altruist" and, yea, no, you're right. Cale is an Altruist by definition, through and through. That's my bad orz.

(paraphrased from Wikipedia, Meriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, and Cambridge Dictionary - i just looked at the blurbs tbh... I didn't wanna look at the A.I. generated definition,,

♧ Altruist by definition is someone who acts/is concerned for the welfare or benefit of others without expecting anything in return, *sometimes* to the point of damaging themselves

♧ In my head, I has the definition of Altruist as "someone who self-sacrafices to the point of extreme harm on themself or to death"

So uh yea-- a pretty extreme definition due to my personal experiences, I apologize, I should've searched up the definition before I made my claims orz

-

But even with my definition, the pt ab Cale using the Ancient Powers (APs) regardless of knowing ab the consequences late-game fits in with the "til extreme harm" part of my definition. So what gives?

I stick by my argument that his usage of Ancient Powers doesn't fully support him being Altruistic (based on my extreme definition). Because although he hurts himself/exhausts himself after every use,

◇ it isn't out of his free will.

Not exactly anyway**

**Yes he choses to take the pain, take the cost of using his powers for the sake of the situation or for the sake of his people, but he is a firm believer of not going above his limit unless necessary- as he advocates so strongly for (which could be blinding me since he's so repetitive of this msg)

**His 'pushing past his limits' is alw due to misjudgements of the kickbacks, a scenario going unexpectedly + him reacting suddenly without proper plan/unable to call upon anyone else in a timely manner --- while it *IS* his choice to act, he is *Not* Given a Choice by the situation --- or out of logic ♤

♤ Cale doesnt like to sacrifice himself, just as much as he hates it when someone else does so for him (hypocritically) - [this is why Yes, Cale IS an altruist] - but when he Does sacrifice himself, its with the justification that "better himself than someone else" because he has the Vitality of the Heart !

♤ Because it logically makes sense for him to take on more harm if that means others, who have a harder time to heal compared to him (i.e. normal time + resources to heal* cause yknow, they aren't supported by an AP), wont get hurt if he does. The Vitality of the Heart basically makes it so he can heal from Any injury, albeit slowly, he can heal from practically anything as long as he doesn't die. And although I say slowly, it actually enhances Cale's vitality overall and makes it easier for his natural human body's healing process to work, tldr; makes him heal - not faster like some might thing - but more effectively -- giving the illusion that he heals faster

Well in a way, Cale Does heal faster than he [should] considering the way he cares for his body (or lack thereof..). Vitality carrying fr. Legit the biggest luck moment Cale had was finding this power--

But yea, that's the only reason he sacrifices himself. But only when the situation calls for it. Altruistic yea, but not reckless like how people often see him.

Hes selfless with a contingency plan. Hes reckless with justification. Still, its a Fact that he's Sacraficing himself tho-- so yes he's an altruist.

Calling Cale trash after the break vvv

Now the claim that he's lying when he calls himself trash:

Well, he is trash.

He's a morally grey piece of sht-

☆ just kidding, I Agree, he isn't trash. He Does choose to do bad things (guerilla tactics/take the vigilante road), and he Does disregard social etiquette or cause problems deliberately (again, with a reason, thats the morally grey part) but that doesn't mean he's trash.

. Learning from my earlier mistake (with the definition of "altruist") We establishing a definition of "trash" first to then support/argue against 💪

My definition of "trash" is: [Calling someone or yourself trash means calling the subjected person "useless or unnecessary" in terms of personality, worth, or ability]

In terms of worth or ability, well that's just not true

Cale is by far the one of the most useful people in the story thx to his leadership, strategies, and powers. We see this proven in literally every plot point, even the plots where he's not involved in directly, he's influenced/his name is incredibly influential. (Bro's become a force to be reckoned with. A celebrity to the civilians, a role model to his peers, and a curse to his enemies) ((hi, my name is Clopeh and in this essay I will--))

In terms of personality, sure he's not exactly following societal standards sometimes (acting or talking using noble etiquettes, being rude to those who frankly deserve it, threats, sneers, etc.), but dam does he know how to Not hurt those who are unrelated or innocent.

While often that comes off as rude or curt, his manners are by no way harmful until he deliberately makes them lethal. And he only "hurts" those who can take it (speaking to Ron, his butler informally n straight to the pt* - curt n can be seen as rude*) + never going overboard unless deserved.

At most it makes situations awkward (how he didn't shake that annoying noble's hand because he didn't want to at the very beginning w the nobles meeting <the one where Cale goes instead of Basen- where he uses his shield for the first time in the Plaza incident>)

. or cuts out any casual interactions that could further friendships or bonds (how he treats Choi Han kinda like order after order, command after "heres the plan, do what I say," -- I cant really remmeber any moments where it shows the two of them joking with each other although their bond grows stronger n they can understand one another more. Im sure they have some tho, Im just forgetting cause they end up practically like siblings)

☆ And of the morally grey acts he Does go full send in: it works. It works for the benefit of the greater good (or his own crew). And it works more efficiently than any "lawful, or logical" course of action ever could.

*LATE-STORY SPOILERS, BEWARNED*

☆ Because he grew up without the restrictions of society. Without the standards of organization. Without the pretense of rules or procedures hammered into him. Cause he grew up in a post apocalyptic world where all of those systems for governing/organizing were stitched together crudely and suddenly. To where he Experiences First Hand how they weren't great, but got as much people to survive as possible in the moment.

So to him, anything goes as long as it works. That's his mindset. Hence, being supported by Alberu even though it's basically a breach of the royals jurisdiction and many of Cale's strategies (planned or stitched suddenly) probably breaking a law here or there.

☆ He takes the "bad methods" (like scamming, stealing, destruction etc.) and using them against those who deserve it. But that doesn't change how those methods are still "bad." Thats the whole debate. Because doesnt taking "bad" methods and using them for good make them "good methods" then?

☆ So no, he's not trash cause his abilities and worth as a person are far from useless and his personality is awkward or rude but never unnecessary.

-

Cale is also undoubtedly using this "Trash" label as a mental shield to justify his brattiness, n "rude behavior"

**** Since he grew up in a bad environment that basically shaped his emotional n mental development into the "comfort is a luxury" mindset (TToTT)

In order for him to feel ok with his newfound comforts (i.e. having a bed, a family n friends who care for him, a loving n warm environment, a roof, danger-free experiences, literally the basics of living thats not purely bare bones for survival) and also to *feel ok Asking for them* he calls himself Trash. Because only Trash wouldn't sleep anywhere except a bed, only Trash can be "picky" about where they sleep, only Trash not tolerate- not accept any less of this "luxury" that is something soft to lay on to rest (ignoring how easily accessible it is to him or his people, esp w the crew he has backing him - mages or dragons able to summon or conjour up blankets by the mile, and literally him and others being rich and richer---)

(^asking for full meals when there's nowhere near a shortage of food, ordering his needs be met from the butler Literally Paid to serve him whos a noble. Etc. Etc-.)

Because he grew up learning basic comforts are luxuries. Because he grew up with his standards ripped-, shredded-, torn down over and over again. Because he grew up abused. By the people around him. By his fate tied to that stupid Star man cursing him along side that guy (my theory anyway). And by his world becoming the apocalypse, suffering along side everyone else. But those people of his KRS life knew of a bed. They considered it a standard commodity, a basic need to a abode much like we, the readers so irl. So even when it was ripped away from them like it was everyone else, and everyone had to sleep on floors with minimal bedding if at all. Cale didn't mind sleeping on the floors. He didn't even mind sleeping where it was Actively Leaking rainwater onto him as he slept. He Chose that spot. Because if not him then who. He was ok with it. He doesn't mind.

He didn't have that standard for himself.

And that translated to his life as Cale. Only now he has that shield to justify his want. That basic desire to sleep in a warm and dry area. Because he was uncomfortable. Because it was uncomfortable. And now with his title of "Trash" he doesn't have to settle for anything less ever again.

AUGHGGHHHHH TTOTTT CALE WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO MEEEE (victim blaming fr, my bad gang) AUGHH ORZZZZ anyways mans has now learned to have standards for himself even if that means he calls himself trash

◇ Tldr; Cale's not trash cause everything he does is morally grey + purposeful, but he uses that term as a shield to justify to himself how its ok to have standards for living life.

Tcf novel spoilers o7

Im all for Caleism my fandom friends, and also cooing or face-palming over how altruistic Cale's actions are

But thats the difference

◇ His [actions] end up being altruistic - that's an undeniable fact - but Cale, himself, isn't

And we know this from all his internal dialouge since the narrative is 98% from his perspective

Multiple times over does he advocate for survival above all, emphasizing this msg especially towards the children

His entire mentality is this. He would rather the crew Fail than ever get to the point of no return to succeed in whatever they're working toward atp

"Because you can always strike again as long as you're still alive" ~im paraphrasing from later chapters of Book 1 (i think this msg was directly said once Cale's backstory was touched into more)

The majority of the time, Cale's "acts of altruism" are him, not being fully aware of the consequences of using his ancient powers.

Either from miscalculation (ex. Second time he used Fire of Destruction after fortification + first time he uses Sky Eating Water in ch. 295) or from complete oversight, being caught up in the moment (ex. first time he uses Fire of Destruction in the elven kingdom)

◇ Sure, it all resulted in Cale coughing up blood or fainting after an Act that benefits someone other than him, but his intention was never "ill die for this cause" so therefore Cale cannot be called an altruist

♤ but ofc that doesn't mean his actions aren't altruistic

Because as always, there's a fine line between what someone [intends to happen] and [what does happen]- which also isn't helped by the fact Cale doesnt ever explain himself ((which, like valid sometimes- but dam communicate with ur found family please TToTT))

-

Anyways I just wanted to make a post saying this cause I've noticed a trend in the fandom babying or cursing Cale for being overly Altruistic 》》 playing with this borderline mischaracterization (which is fair cause its Hella entertaining, I get it) but practically simplifying a large part of Cale's character to JUST being a hopeless altruist,,

So I wanted to just get this out there that Cale isn't an altruist, but dam do his actions result in altruism.

Tldr; Cale's a begrudging altruist- an altruist only by the perceived situation, not the definition

-

But thats why his story and character are so beloved - at least for me that's why I like him as a character so much. This is one of my favorite stories, if not my number 1.

The misconceptions cause by Cale's actions seemingly being selfless, but then the complete opposite internal dialouge is so gold every time

☆ I really adore how Trash of the Count's Family is written with him as a biased narrator, but still showing glimpses of the other character's minds as well as the perceived opinion of the masses within that world. - which, i guess is the definition of Unreliable Narrator, but compared to ORV with Kim Dokja or Shen Yuan in SVSSS (ik, horrendous line up of stories, im cringing w myself too orz) it feels like Cale doesnt gaslight or fool the readers NEARLY as much--

Its 1st person POV like the other two stories mentioned, but its also more 3rd person restricted POV than ORV or SVSSS(?) Perhaps this is me going insane after staring at words on a screen for the majority of the day today, but TCF feels less of a biased perspective(?) If that makes sense..

☆ Cale's POV doesnt feel like it warps the exposition it as much compared to Dokja or Yuan anyway-

[luniviravosshipper]

POV: You’re sad and wanting comfort but the character you’d usually find comfort in was deemed unlikabled and totally undeserving of love by the narrative. So instead of feeling comfort thinking of that character now you just feel even worse. Because every time you try to immerse yourself back into the story they came from you have to constantly be reminded by it that they never got to receive any sort of affection and the story wanted the audience to know the reason was because it never felt they deserved any. Even when intentionally making them sympathetic at moments, at the end it’s clear that they were always planning on kicking the dog with them.

[katyspersonal]

.

[dyrewrites]

Ohhh, okay. Yeah, I see where you're coming from.

I think the series thing is largely generational, personally. A lot of older authors grew up on big ol' worlds spanning many books, whether they were one continuous tale or a lot of little ones in the same world. So it's what many of us gravitate towards.

Myself, I like a mix. Whatever the story demands is how I go. I do have plans for sidestories for a lot of my things, but that is less a franchise, "I want to drown you in my lore" thing and more an, "if I don't write more about these idiots they will haunt my every waking moment" thing.

Honestly I do not plan on releasing any of them without significant insistence from others. They're for me.

But I can see how you'd find this exhausting. Standalone books are in the minority here, and that is a shame because those can be amazing. I promise there are many out there, however, and that it's less a matter of desiring a longer running thing and more a matter of not being able to stop writing this thing.

We get obsessed. It is the writer way. More so if you grew up in fandom, which I did not actually. I've not even read any of the major series books that birthed fandoms. My fantasy knowledge is from the Death Gate Cycle and Discworld, the latter of which is fairly new to me. I was exposed to horror first, so I have more experience there...and there's not a lot of fandom to be found for horror novels. Lot of standalones though! I wrote mostly poetry and short stories, as that is what Edgar Allan Poe wrote and he's all I read in my preteens and teens. Death Gate Cycle got me into series work...but I doubt I'll ever write anything seven books long.

Now if only my brain could manage the spooks for longer than a short story I might be able to write my own standalone horror. >.>

I'm rambling. I've been awake too long and this is a fascinating topic.

You're not wrong, is my point, and I doubt any will argue that you are. It's a preference and preferences should be celebrated. I'm sure some of my moots can direct you to writers here working on standalone books in various genres.

The series love is, as stated, likely generational. We write what we read and a lot of writers thirty and older grew up with one big fantasy series or another. So it's what comes naturally. A big world with lots of opportunity to explore and stories to tell.

The problem is I cannot connect with writeblr when many people here do not want to write novels but create media franchises

[sammygender]

i find john winchester rly interesting and dislike a lot of wider fandom takes on him and when i think about him as a character i’m almost fond of him but i still like. totally 100% get it when people just fucking ferociously hate him. and i do too! i mean at the end of the day no matter how fascinating he is as a character, he’s an abusive father. he’s pretty directly responsible for all of sam and dean’s shit*. i feel like it’s understandable to vicariously hate him

[gwensy]

gonna be annoying in the tags

[kateis-cakeis]

rewatching bbc merlin really has me like buzzing in my mind with so many thoughts. Like I'm kinda watching it backwards atm going from S5 to S4, I think I will jump around 3, 2, and 1 but just,,,, there is so much especially in S5 that makes me !!!!!!!

Honestly, I feel like this fandom has to give the writers more credit. Like they did a damn good job, and to me, it's such a good tragedy. Especially how S5 plays out, it takes everything and just tears you down, and down, and down. It's perfect, perfect with flaws! But still perfect