#not a comprehensive list of thoughts

[peridotbelle]

Ezra building a new lightsaber with the matching piece to Kanan’s! Huyang talking about Kanan! 😭❤️ (was really excited for a second that we were gonna get a new blaster-saber though. Call it gimmicky but that thing was genuinely useful!)

Ezra showing off his skills. Little enough as we got of him, it just reinforced his character journey in Rebels and how much he grew and progressed from being so annoying to ‘yes! That’s our boy!’ And the comm and the armor. Classic Ezra, only missing an air vent crawl. Love him.

And so does Hera! Her space son has returned! SO WHY NO HUG, DAVE???!!😭😤Come on! It’s a streaming show; there are no limits on runtime. Would another thirty seconds to a minute have been too much to ask? It’s gonna be years! We need to see him meet Jacen before that kid actor gets too old!

Also loved the trio fighting their way through, which just highlighted how great Ezra is at teamwork (those last two seasons of Rebels are just great with the way he and Kanan and also he and Sabine just work together like a well oiled machine). And the Force throw echo was great (although uh, Sabine? You just figured out how to pick up a lightsaber two seconds ago, so throwing a person might be a bit overly ambitious? I mean it worked out, and trust in the Force and all, but still)

Sad that Baylan’s story is really only just beginning. 😔 Was hoping for a full resolution for him this season. I guess they’ll have to recast bc I don’t see how they could abandon that plot line at this point.

I’d say that was an issue with the show itself, that it’s mostly all setup and moved very slowly in the first half without actually using that time to really give us information that we needed to know. Important backstory was revealed in vague shreds when there was really no reason for the mystery. Even in Rebels, Sabine has always suffered from delayed-backstory-itis, with the details of her family and her time at the Academy not being shared until the Darksaber arc in S3. That was even more true here. She seemed off to me, and we got only cryptic hints about everything that had happened post-Rebels until the VERY LAST EPISODE. Turns out she has a very good reason for being a different Sabine than we remembered! I get wanting to have Ezra hear it, but the audience needed to know first! And same goes for the whole master/apprentice thing with Ahsoka. They had barely interacted before and then we’re TOLD that there’s this whole relationship there that came sort of out of nowhere. Some things we need to SEE.

Episode 5 was definitely the highlight. Not perfect but hitting SO many of the right notes. Clone Wars, Rebels. *chef’s kiss*

Overall, there were lots of great individual moments in this show and the second half was much better than the first, but as a whole it could’ve been better.

A Hayden cameo is always a joy. Love that he’s getting to do this.

[randomness-is-my-order]

yes, i do believe wei wuxian has suffered far more than jiang cheng by the end of the series. yes, i also think wei wuxian is far more well adjusted than jiang cheng at the end of the series. infact, let me go out on a limb and say that wei wuxian has THE most mental fortitude than anyone else in the series, and it’s one of the most impressive story-wide character traits that i’ve seen portrayed so deftly in fiction across all kinds of media.

[incorrect-koh-posts]

Masterlist of KoH-related Novels

Below you'll find a list of every novel I know of that is set in the same period as Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven (2005), covers at least some of the same events and features some or all of the historical figures that also appear in the film. The list will be updated occasionally as I work my way through. Enjoy!

✷ English-language novels & novels available in translation

1879: Lady Sibyl's Choice (Emily Sarah Holt) -> thoughts

1937: The Leper King (Zofia Kossak, originally published in Polish) -> thoughts

1954: Knight Crusader (Ronald Welch)

1965: The Wandering Unicorn (Manuel Mujica Lainez, originally published in Spanish) -> thoughts

1969: The Knights of Dark Renown (Graham Shelby) -> thoughts

1989: Alamut (Judith Tarr)

1991: The Dagger and the Cross (Judith Tarr)

1992: Pagan's Crusade (Catherine Jinks)

1996: Jerusalem (Cecelia Holland) -> thoughts

1998: The Book of Saladin (Tariq Ali)

1998 - 2000: Arn the Knight Templar series (Jan Guillou, originally published in Swedish)

The Road to Jerusalem (1998)

The Knight Templar (1999)

The Kingdom at the End of the Road (2000)

2004: Crusader King (Susan Peek)

2006: Sand Daughter (Sarah Bryant)

2007: The Leper Crown (George Morgan)

2009 - 2021: The Magdalen Cycle series (Scott R. Rezer)

#1: The Leper King (2009)

#2: The Pawns of Sion (2015)

#3: The Gambit Queen (2021)

2011: The King's Witch (Cecelia Holland)

2011 - 2013: Saladin trilogy (Jack Hight)

Eagle (2011)

Kingdom (2012)

Holy War (2013)

2011 - 2023: The Last King of Legends series (Serafia Cross)

#1: The Kingmakers (2011)

#2: In the Face of Trials (2012)

#3: The Sovereign Gambit (2015)

#4: The King's Last Deeds (2023)

2012 - 2017: Outremer Chronicles series (Peter Tolladay)

#1: The Templar's Apprentice (2012)

#2: The Harsh Mistress (2014)

#3: The Thorn in the Crown (2016)

2014 - 2016: Balian d'Ibelin series (Helena P. Schrader) -> thoughts

#1: Knight of Jerusalem (2014)

#2: Defender of Jerusalem (2015)

#3: Envoy of Jerusalem (2016)

2018: Templar Silks (Elizabeth Chadwick)

2018 - 2020: The Brotherhood series (K. M. Ashman)

#1: Templar Steel (2018)

#2: Templar Stone (2019)

#3: Templar Blood (2020)

2018 - 2023: Watchers of Outremer series (Suzannah Rowntree)

#2: The Lady of Kingdoms (2019)

#5: The House of Mourning (2023)

2020: The Leper King (Peter Busby)

2020: The Land Beyond the Sea (Sharon Kay Penman) -> thoughts

✷ Non-English novels not available in translation:

1959: L'Étoile de Pourpre (Serge Dalens & Pierre Joubert, French comic)

1999 - 2017: Die Templerin series (Wolfgang & Rebecca Hohlbein, German)

#3: Die Rückkehr der Templerin (2004)

#4: Das Wasser des Lebens (2008)

#5: Das Testament Gottes (2011)

#6: Das Band des Schicksals (2017)

2002: Thibaut ou la Croix Perdue (Juliette Benzoni, French)

2007: Las Lanzas de Jerusalén (Georges Bordonove, Spanish)

2019: Die Assassinin (Alexandra Cavelius, German)

✷ Tangentially related:

1946: mentions of KoH characters in The World is not Enough (Zoé Oldenbourg)

1997: Queen of Swords (Judith Tarr), about Baldwin's grandmother Melisende

[curioussubjects]

I just finished Veilguard, and...I'm really not sure how I feel about it?

All in all: good game, had fun, but still didn't quite hit some of the highs it wanted to hit and it's still not as good as DA2

(Spoilers galore below for everything)

The Good:

Pretty game is pretty;

Love the codexes, especially the ones written by companions or with their commentary;

Speaking of, the Mementos had so excellent tid bits of lore flavor to them, as well;

Regrets of the Dread Wolf was a damn good quest;

Some truly funny party banter;

I actually thought it was really easy to figure out who my Rook is as I played the game, which was much harder for me to do for my Lavellan in DAI;

And speaking of Lavellan, she was in character she WOULD say that she WOULD do that. Bless;

Everything about Nevarra and the Mourn Watch, I wish there was more content there because I was so into it;

Orb and dagger mage is really fun to play, which was VERY surprising considering I don't play close range ever;

I also really enjoyed destroying blight boils for some reason lmao;

Petting cats (they PURR WHEN YOU DO);

Assan <3;

Taash being so autistic;

Teia and Viago my beloveds;

✨Friendship✨

The Solavellan of it all;

And Solas, too. Love that sadsack disaster man;

Maybe this is super basic of me but I liked Varric's narration...idk it's comforting;

Honestly, just Varric in general was a bit safety blanket in a nice way for me because the game feels overwhelming at first;

There's no party like an all Dalish party!

Exploring -- loved finding all the fun details in each location, and I know I didn't even do enough in my playthrough;

I'm weak for stories about guilt, fear and regret. And I'm even weaker when those stories are so obviously about forgiveness and moving forward. Also love. Always love.

The Bad:

The pacing. I've said this before but DAtV could've used a more explicit arc structure or have quests note which level they're meant for or SOMETHING because some times it seemed I was doing quests too early or too late for when I was in the main story. I also thought events kept oscillating from happening too fast or too slowly, and it very much did get in the way of immersion;

The romance. Literally what are you doing Dragon Age that you fumble the romance. Granted, I only romanced Davrin so far, but I'm getting the sense from looking through the tag that maybe Lucanis' romance also feels a bit off? Honestly I have so many issues with the romance progression for Davrin that it's its own section;

I hope this is only a Veil Jumpers issue, but I thought Rook was so separate from the faction. I felt very little connection to them;

I've seen some people point out NPCs talk to Rook like they're a child, and while I don't really agree with that I do think Rook doesn't have enough opportunities to be knowledgeable in their own right. Especially annoying with a mage Veil Jumper Rook! I miss the Inquisition perk dialogue options that let my Lavellan be a smarty pants;

Holy overdesigned armors! Yikes!

Not all areas are as well developed as the others: Rivain is the most egregiously empty and underdeveloped, but I actually thought Arlathan Forest was super lifeless too. So was the Lighthouse! You get the early game discovery bit and then nothing ever again and it's like oh that was really it huh (and the stuff we did get was so good please more?);

I hate to say this but BioWare missed the mark with Rook's place in the group. The companions seemed connected to each other, yeah, but Rook was like some cross between group therapist and not-so-undercover boss. There was none of the warmth Hawke got from their companions (or the Inquisitor, for that matter!). The game really needed 1. a lighthearted party hangout cutscene and 2. companions coming together to take care of Rook (the fact this isn't even a thing in the romance is bonkers to me);

Taash's personal quest being about choosing between being Rivain and Qunari as if that's how culture works is Bad Actually;

The worst minimap I've ever seen in a game wow;

Also: give me back my beacon marker;

The gods were in a regret prison but what were their regrets exactly we just don't know.

The Bad (Romance Edition):

Again, the pacing! Incredibly slow to start (and not in a slow burn way, mind!) and then super fast in the last third of the game;

In fact, the romance seemed to be running on a completely different level than the rest of the story. The last romance scene was incredibly out of place tonally, especially.

The first two romance titles for Davrin are "Thrill of the Chase" and "Hot and Bothered"...and like WHERE????

Davrin never writes about Rook as a romantic partner or as if he has any concerns with the relationship...which we later find out he has, but was news to me;

Tbh, the romance felt like an afterthought. There were cutscenes that in any other DA game there would've been flirting options, for instance, but this time there was nothing (what do you mean Rook can't make a flirty comment when Davrin is shirtless working out with Taash? It's low hanging fruit!);

Not nearly enough flirty banter between Rook and Davrin, which is nuts considering their personalities;

I'm really super disappointed with Davrin's romance, which sucks because he's actually perfect for my Rook and I really like his character. There was so much potential for a really fun romance that was both tense and sexy, but also sweet. But no. Secret good Davrin romance that exists in my head save me.

The ???:

Southern Thedas got scorched when the North didn't how?

Please tell me who was catfishing Andraste;

Making enemies super aggro on Rook unless you specifically have companions taunting was very weird.

[jackdaw-and-hattrick]

An idea I’ve seen a bit but wanted to jot down:

Danny cures the pits, all that jazz, but Jason finds that, underneath the artificial escalation, he’s still a revenant built on vengeance who will always experience heightened emotions because of the ectoplasm and trauma.

That’s not to say things haven’t improved. He’s better at directing his rage, and no longer experiences the same green outs. He starts seeing real results from therapy, has an easier time getting back under control, and can better reason his way through his emotions now. It’s discouraging in a way, realizing that it wasn’t just the pits, but it’s also kinda relieving that he honestly felt a lot of what he thought he did; his actions were, mostly, his own, even if he wouldn’t have necessarily gone as far looking back. This increased autonomy comes with its own challenges (he realizes he never really hated Tim so much as what he represented to him and feels genuinely sorry for how he’s treated him, as well as increased anxiety now that negative emotions don’t necessarily become anger) but over all, this has been an improvement, even if not the total overhaul he’d kinda hoped for.

(Please add more if you have further headcannons)

[hayconrisa]

hayden makes everybody in the graveyard fail whamageddon on the first day of december. the clock strikes 12am december 1st and last christmas is on loop 24/7 on radio free hayden.

hayden would be SUCH a wham! enjoyer. can anybody hear me

[seawing-vibes]

Hiii welcome to The Thing I’ve Been Working On For Far Too Long !!!! This is an edited map of my WoF Headworld!! This map fallows my personal lore / story for what happens post-books! There are far more ideas I have regarding new structures, how the land changes, etc. , but this was just generally for labeling major locations within each territory! My hope was to wrap this up before the Felid Guide drops so I can compare my map to the canon reveal of locations but I didn’t quite get there and there are still a lot of loose ends. Unfortunately I don’t have much time to work on this anymore and will probably chip away at it privately in pieces , but for now I wanted to share this bit publicly!

The info for the labels on the map are all written out below, but I have primarily complied information in a Google Doc for easier viewing and navigation!

Link to the Google Doc !

Under construction !! Im so sorry I’m stuck on mobile and Tumblrs post editor on mobile is actual shit. the formatting is terrible I’m going bonkers in here. Also it’s stuck sideways for some reason like girl pleaseee turn the other way!!! I will rb this again once I’m able to format it properly.

[galindaelphaba]

rules: make a list of your top 10-12 favorite ships and have your followers guess which one is your number one otp, then tag people to do the same.

i was tagged by @userlaylivia - ty for the tag sara <3

tagging: @laylakeating @clubglee @abramsgracies @elena-gilbert @eloisephillip and anyone who sees this and would like to make their own poll :)

[aropride]

i really dont understand studying at all like genuinely i don't know what it is . i know about "taking notes" and "reading the textbook" and that's it . quizlet doesn't do shit for me because i don't know what to. do. with the cards. look at them ? am i supposed to just look at them . No one bothered teaching me actual skills bc i got good grades when i was 8 and now i am so hopelessly lost . why did no one think to teach me this for when stuff got harder than four plus three

[bxdtime-ceai]

the time of the changing seasons is very spiritually important to me. autumn and winter are especially important for spiritual experiences as they consist the death of the world before its rebirth in spring. animals, plants and parts of weather are all equally special during this time. activities i consider to be linked to spirituality during this time:

collecting/foraging for plants that become ready for use

eating and/or making treats, dishes, etc. out of persimmons, chestnuts, and other produce that becomes ripe

taking walks in nature of any length

hiking (safely)

letting the cold wind hit your skin in exposed areas (to be clear, i am not encouraging people not to dress for the weather. i believe a jab from the winter wind on an exposed hand or forehead to be nature's reminder that you are part of it)

taking deep breaths to remain calm when the wind picks up and it becomes really really cold for a moment

keeping yourself warm during sleep

spending time outdoors, long or short

[not100bees]

Oi mate, I think you're operating under the delusion that I care about your opinion or this being a discussion. It might not be my blog title anymore, but I am still the High King of Posting. I run the show around here.

[trainerlynda]

what kinds of friends have you made on this website?

Lots of them- little hard to narrow down a 'what kind' for them haha ^^;

Also I'm sure a few of them would be bothered being put in some narrow box of what kinda friend they are.

But I can name the friends!

Sprite, Saint, Zee, Kittsu, Blackthorn, a Silver (I think...? Hard to tell with Silvers), a Ethan, Gold (You know who ya are), another Ethan... . . . I feel like I am missing quite a few- ROSE!

Uhh- if anyone wants to come out of the wood work and call yourself my friend go ahead!- TOPAZ AND MARE!

[squuote]

You're just,, such a big art inspo,, your Narrator also is just such a fantastic design,,, thank u for your hard work,,

WAAAGHHH HI SHINA HI THIS ASKLITERALLY MEANS THE WORLD TO ME....THANK YOUU i am rlly glad people enjoy the design as much as i love drawing him and even now im still like. lowkey messing around with it and adding as i go hehe

BUT FR THANK YOU...this ask honestly helped me get through the week kfjdghfgk

[bikananjarrus]

and i have finished temptation of the force! now finally time to double back to the comics and phase 2 books

[thornshadowwolf]

I know I've made this post before but: y'all have really got to stop using "it's ugly"/"it sounds bad" as your main (and sometimes only) argument as to why you shouldn't support/watch/listen to/play a show/music/game/whatever made by bigots or abusers. Art is very subjective and the people who are following an artist are doing it because they like that artist's style. When they ask "wait what's wrong with <person>?" answering "their style looks dumb"/"their music sucks" is just gonna make the person asking the question think you're just a hater and they'll keep supporting them. It won't inform them that the person whose art/music they're looking at/listening to is racist or transphobic or a pedophile. (And at worst will make them think that people are lying to discredit the artist when they do finally hear legitimate criticism of them (especially if you are also making things up or digging up years-old dirt that the artist no longer agrees with))

(Because reading comprehension sucks here: this is not saying you can't think ppl's art sucks, nor that you can't say that it sucks. This is specifically about using that as your main or only argument as to why consuming their art is morally wrong.)

[irbcallmefynn]

Y'know what? They're my characters I can do what I want with them so...

Fynn's body is susceptible to marker. You can draw on him and sometimes it does things*. You gotta catch him off guard though or he won't be happy. Perhaps its a strange interaction of Wolf and Demon DNA.

*so like if you draw a mouth on him it'll be functional. Or if you wrote "scaly" on his legs they'd get scaly. But if you drew a car on his arm it wouldn't do anything.

Nauno generally isn't picky when it comes to targets but, as one would assume, they like a big strong man. One that could easily pick him up with one hand. Those are the only ones that really catch his eye.

Euphi has a weird amount of talents. She can cook, she can sew, she knows how to play piano, she's (somehow) forklift certified, she gardens, she knows martial arts, etc. Nobody knows where she learned all this or why, but it's certainly convenient for everyone involved.