#not actually referencing but i was thinking abt her work

[zombiotical]

ranger doodle

[angabby-zzz]

i think i play too into gabbys anger with things. idk i think she would be a zoned out tired type of person. like i need to reference how shes an early sleeper somewhere in the quest. she (or angel) realizes shes like acting weird and is like 😟 oh no whats up. but then they realize its just cuz its 9pm already

[radiant-reid]

just saw the post abt having to explain to spencer the talking stage then an actual relationship and how he overhears her telling someone she doesnt hv a bf maybe a blurb/fic on that idea?

Spencer steals glances at you every morning while you make your coffee and chat with Emily. It's so apparent to everyone what he's doing that JJ and Morgan have taken to stealing things off his desk, seeing how much they can take before he notices.

One day, when you're walking back to your desk you make a comment that has his interest piqued even more. "No, I don't have a boyfriend at the moment. I'm enjoying being single."

Spencer's heart sinks at your words, his mind instantly conjuring images of your dates. Dates that should mean he's your boyfriend, right? So why are you telling everyone you're single?

His head is spinning with confusion, and it's turning to anger pretty quickly. Are you ashamed to be with him? Surely if you're enjoying being single, that means you're dating other people or that you're not even interested in him.

He can't believe it, his emotions swinging from anger to sadness. It's unbelievable and you're breaking his heart.

Before you're even sitting down, Spencer's getting up and rushing to the bathroom to calm his racing heart rate before he has to be sick.

Your conversation doesn't even remain in your mind while you continue your day. What feels odd is Spencer freezing you out. Usually, on boring paperwork days, Spencer will tell you fun facts or dumb science jokes just to break up the repetitive work and horrific nature of your files.

He doesn't. Not a single comment comes your way, not even when you ask very open-ended science questions, basically inviting him to ramble about his favorite topics. None of it entices him.

His sarcastic remarks come just after lunchtime with a snappy attitude that irritates you. You're worried about him, firstly. Something must be wrong in his personal life to have him like this, but you can't help feeling a little angry that it's all being directed at you.

You were just starting to really like him and now he's turned around and shown you who he really is just because you're arguably who he's closest with. He's quickly becoming not the type of person you want to be with.

When you're the last two people in the bullpen, you realize you can't let him stay there all night. No matter how annoying he is, you're his friend, first and foremost, and he's clearly going through something.

So you approach him. "Hey, do you want to get dinner?" You ask.

"Not with you," Spencer replies coldly and totally uncharacteristically.

That's your breaking point. "What's wrong? Seriously, you've been horrible to me all day and I can't think of anything I've done to offend you."

Spencer sighs and it's weirdly more regretful than angry. "I... do you remember what you said this morning?"

You frown, unsure of what exactly he's referencing. "No?" Then you quickly add, "But I want to make things right."

"You said you didn't have a boyfriend." He feels pathetic saying it. The idea that someone like you would never be interested had been slipping from his mind, but now that concern is at the front of his mind.

You're only more confused then. "I don't."

"I thought I..." His cheeks flame up with embarrassment and he puts on a front of nonchalance. "I thought I was your boyfriend, okay? That's it."

Oh.

You wish you could have given Emily a different answer that morning. You would have proudly told her that Spencer Reid is your boyfriend, but you couldn't.

"You never asked me." You say softly, shuffling awkwardly on your feet.

"Did I need to?" He wonders dumbly, and it's very obvious that he's just unaware.

You shrug, explaining your point of view. "I thought we were still at the talking stage."

"The what?" Spencer asks.

"Like when you're just talking and casually dating, trying to work out if you're friends or if there's a romantic connection." You describe.

He nods softly before his heart sinks again. "I'm sorry, I'm an idiot." You're easily the best thing that's been in his life for a long time, and now he's totally ruined it. If you didn't think he was too inexperienced before, you do now.

"You're not, not provably." You break the awkward silence and tension that's fallen over the room, making him chuckle a little. "And I like you, exclusively."

Spencer's frown is adorable but it's concerning large this time. "Really? Still?"

"Mm-hmm." You assure him. "As long as you promise to talk to me when something's wrong instead of icing me out."

He stands up quickly, nodding. "I swear and I'm really sorry." He promises you. "So would you like to go to dinner? As boyfriend and girlfriend?"

You try to suppress an inappropriately large grin. "I would."

Spencer doesn't hide his smile and he's awkwardly tripping over his bag and feet to meet you around his side of the desk. "Let's do it." He smiles softly at you, offering out his hand for you to hold.

You take it happily, walking to the elevator with him. "Let's do it, boyfriend."

[eijirousbestie]

YOUR ART MAJOR STORY WAS FIRE!! IM AN ART MAJOR AND WE HAD TO DO DETAILED PORTRAITS THIS MORNING AS AN ACTIVITY OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WAS YOUR STORY 😭😭😭😭 anyway i had the vision of Y/N doing a portrait of bakugou for her class ❤️❤️❤️❤️

AHH THANK YOU SM hearing someone thought abt my story in their day to day life is actually insane so thank you for reading!! Love to see a fellow art major around here🤝🏽I hope this story is to your liking i tried my best😭<33

“Can I draw you?”

this is kinda long (I got too into it lol)

pulling at the heartstrings a bit here

he’s a willing participant???

unorganized dishes

golden hour

* * *

Being an art student had its perks. For one thing you didn’t have “real” homework like other classes and you could spend majority of your time creating something new. In other cases, being an art student was dreadful, and today proved that to be true.

Walking into class and setting your bag down, you sit at your easel and scroll on your phone as your professor waits for other students to trickle in before he takes attendance. The sound of a chair scooting can be heard as your professor makes his presence known and calls role. He finishes and places his clipboard down, clapping his hands together with enthusiasm.

“Good morning guys! First things first, I just wanted to say you all did a great job at critique this past Tuesday. I was very impressed with the outcome of all your pieces. Now for those of you who have checked the class schedule, you’ll know we have our Portrait 1 assignment due at the end of next week. I’ll give further instructions and we’ll go ahead and get started on those today.” He grabs a stack of papers, assuming to be said detailed instructions for your next assignment. As soon as he hands you a copy, you skim through the premise of what you’re going to be doing.

Portrait 1 Assignment

1. Pick a subject you will be referencing to for your portrait. (No you cannot use a reference online. It has to be someone you can poke).

2. Arrange a time outside of class to meet with your subject to begin your sketch.

3. Pick a feature of your subject to enhance in your final drawing. You can add color, darken line weight or distort the feature you chose, but the rest of the portrait should be in the style of a sketch.

This drawing should be done on an 18x24 sheet of paper from your sketchbook and no smaller.

You internally cringe at the thought of having to snatch someone from campus to sit with you for hours just so you can draw them. You instantly begin to think of people you know who you can draw. You take your phone out and begin typing up a message to a friend of yours, asking when they’re free. Much to your dismay, they inform you that they have work directly after class all this week and won’t be able to help. You understand, but now you’ve got yourself stuck and you absolutely refuse to ask a stranger. For the remainder of the period, all you can do is mindlessly write a list of names and the pros and cons of their potential availability.

* * *

Sitting in the living room after getting back to the dorms, you rest after having no success trying to recruit anyone to be your reference. The dorms are practically empty as everyone is out doing something. Working, training, shopping. Everything you don’t do. Essentially losing hope for the day, you resort to lounging on the couch. Cozy pajamas nearly lulling you to sleep. However before you can slip into the best nap of your life, clanging from the kitchen startles you awake. Whispered curses soon follow, ultimately giving away who caused the noise. Getting up from your oh so comfy spot, you make your way to the kitchen to investigate. Peeking a head in the doorway, you see a rather frazzled Bakugou picking up pots and pans that had fallen to the floor.

Looking at his bent form, you speak up. “You aight?” He picks up the last pot and places it on the counter before responding, fully facing you.

“I’m good. My bad if I woke you.” You give a shrug and lean your hip on the doorframe, arms crossed over your chest.

“Nah you’re fine. Wasn’t fully knocked out anyway. What were you doing in here?”

“Reorganizing. For whatever reason, idiots around here can’t understand that stacking dishes causes shit to fall. Just proved my point too.” His eyes fall on the various pans on the counter he was in the process of arranging. You give a chuckle and move to help put them away.

“Say it louder for the people in the back.”

“Yeah well apparently they ‘don’t respond well to yelling.’ Whatever the fuck that means.” He nags as you both place each dish in their respective places.

“Gotta give em a glare or side eye to get the message across,” you joke.

“Shit only goes so far. But if looks could kill everybody here would be on their deathbed.”

“Jesus man, gruesome much?” You let out a heartier chuckle, actually entertained by his empty threats.

“S’called being self-aware.” He leans against the now empty counter and folds his arms across his chest. A silly thought crosses your mind. A glimpse of hope even. You decide to pursue it.

“Speaking of looks,” you start off tentatively, “I could really use yours if you’ll let me.”

He gives you a half-curious look, left eyebrow slightly raised as he side eyes you. “The hell’s that mean?”

You’re not sure whether it’s the desperation talking or the fact that you’re half asleep, but you immediately hit him with your dilemma.

“Well… can I draw you?” It seems like minutes that go by before he responds with a sharp click of his tongue.

“Lay off the drugs huh? Shit’s got you talkin outta your ass.”

“Bakugou please! I need a reference for an assignment and I’d really appreciate if you’d let me draw you. It won’t take long I swear I’m fast!” Your hands are clasped together as you ask for his cooperation.

“The hell’d you wanna draw me for? Plenty other people you could ask.”

You don’t have it in your heart to mention nobody else was available to help you. It’d be like blatantly telling him he was the last option and you don’t want to potentially upset him by saying that. It’s not necessarily true either, you just didn’t think he would be up for it in the first place so you didn’t want to bother him. He was your saving grace really, never the last option.

“Well you’ve got great eyes. And perfect eyebrows too. So it’s kinda hard not to want to draw you. But seriously, if you’ll let me, I’ll do my very best to capture the best parts of you. Please?” If you hadn’t known any better, you could’ve sworn you saw his hands clutch the counter in a death grip. He’s quiet for a moment. Two moments. Then he shakes his head in disbelief and his eyes sweep to look at anything else but you.

“Fine. Just don’t make me look like shit got me?” A light look of embarrassment covers his face. It’s endearing.

“I promise.” You smile a wide grin, relief relaxing your shoulders. “You mind if we get started tonight? I’m kinda behind as it is.”

He gives a nod and a hum in response. You tell him to stay put as you grab your sketchbook. He takes a seat on the couch and watches the slow sunset. It’s golden hour and the living room is filled with warm oranges and yellows as the sun is close to calling it a day. You come back, supplies in hand and before you can put your things down, you catch Bakugou as he gazes out of the window, the setting sun casting onto his face. With his hand propped under his chin, he looks ethereal. His red eyes now a vermilion as the rays reflect on them. It highlights his jawline, casting shadows that make the edges prominent. His hair aglow in the light, tufts of blonde now appearing marigold. You don’t realize how silly you must look staring at him until his eyes flicker to your frozen form. His gravelly voice pulling you out of your thoughts.

“Got your stuff?” He doesn’t move from his spot as he asks. You gather your bearings and nod.

“Yeah uh I got everything I need. We can start now if you’re ready?” You walk over to the couch where he sits, setting up your easel right in front of him.

“Mmh go ahead. Is there a certain way you wanna do this or?”

“No no what you’re doing now is fine. It’s actually better if you’re comfortable. We might be here a while, but let me know when you need a break.” He gives a nod of approval and you’re off, hands sketching and eyes darting back and forth between easel and subject. Soft scratching noises from graphite on paper filled the silence. By this point you were detailing the features of his hand holding up his face. Neat nail beds and cleanly trimmed. Bruised and scarred knuckles from countless hours of training. A strong neck that connected to an even stronger jaw, probably chiseled by the gods themselves.

You’d be lying to yourself if you thought drawing him would be a chore. It was actually enjoyable. There was no need for trivial conversation. Just you sitting there, drawing him as he let you. Him trusting you to capture his very being with only a pencil. It was a beautiful experience and you couldn’t be more grateful that you both were a part of it.

[lupiinist]

Emmeline Vance, Emma vanity

Where did they come from like I can’t Rember them being referenced in the book (not that it matters😭😭) but also what are liek the best bc for them (house, bsf, personalit, style) cs I wanna know more abt them

oh, actually, i have no idea where they were first mentioned, i never finished the books (i'm reading them now because i got them as a surprise gift, sort of against my will lol), but if i had to guess, probably some extra content book! (i sorta went to google it and emmeline i think was mentioned in the... sixth? fifth book? something like that!)

as for hc, i also don't see a lot of them in the fandom, but i'm happy to share mine!

for emmeline:

i don't know for sure if she has an official hogwarts house, i don't think so, but i personally like her in ravenclaw, she's the seeker from her quidditch team, which often makes other people surprised, because she doesn't seem the type, but she's very athletic. she likes sports as much as she likes charms (it's her favorite class), and she's got a great memory for spells and for history of magic. i think she would be besties with both pandora (she likes the way pandora thinks, and they study together often), emma (they train together for quidditch, and they even dated for a while), and also marlene (emmeline likes marlene's vibe, they are good friends). emmeline has a more "girly" style, painted nails, little hairpins with interesting shapes (gifts from pandora), and make-up are her go-to. she loves styling her hair in cute ways (space buns, pigtails, braids, anything that comes to mind).

for emma:

she's a slytherin girl boss through and through, quidditch team captain (this one i think it's actually a canon fact), a sports enthusiast, she's very focused, very serious, very professional. her goal is to be a pro player, and she will. she's a year older than the marauders, not fan of many classes, but very good in potions and defense against the dark arts, with dada being her favorite class, but minerva being her favorite teacher. she's tough, smart and knows how to pick and win a fight. i like to think that emma's best friend was emmeline, but she had a special bond with regulus, she had him under her wing in quidditch, and he sees her as the greates player he ever saw, they have a cute mentor/student relationship, reggie respects her a lot! (she played as a chaser, btw!). emma, contrary to what people think by her last name, wasn't really vain, at least not with her appearance, she was always messy, with her hair tied, because it was easier for her to fly any time like that, and she always had a heavy coat even when was hotter, because she spent most of her time flying around. her favorite color is purple, and she likes shiny things. i hc her as a black person, very curly hair, and although being in slytherin in a time where most students in the house were purbloods, she's either half-blood or muggleborn

i absolutely love making hcs, thank you so much for asking! i've been working a bit more on emmeline and emma recently for a fic i'm writing, so it's always good to put those little details down in words! i hope you liked it c;

[haileydilmore]

see cheerpreacher is so interesting to me because both karen & becky have devoted their lives to other people. becky with her patients, karen with her family (& probably church and community as a whole)

long ramble post incoming. sort of incomprehensible to some probably !!!! to most 😭. warning for. idk like one small paragraph referencing sex

and they just. aren't true or good to themselves. i feel

they both so Desperately need to stop living only for other people and i feel like they could really really figure that out together? indulge, care for themselves, be honest with themselves...

in my opinion they also just feel so guilty. like.

becky feels an insane amount of guilt about stanley, karen is dealing with internalized homophobia & the guilt of "leaving" her family & religious guilt.......

and then ofc all the insecurities. karen has never been with a woman before plus she's older than becky and she has a kid, how could someone like becky (who could have anyone) ever be interested in her.........meanwhile becky is like

i feel like. after getting to know each other maybe through the hospital? becky works there & karen reads to sick kids, or something. they're totally taking care of each other, confiding in one another, telling each other things they haven't told anyone else. and then.

they realize they're gay. and of course they don't tell each other it because karen has a fucking family and is a good christian woman who's married to an amazing guy and she Can't be gay. at the same time becky feels so fucking bad, almost predatory, for having thoughts like these about a woman who's like the first real friend she's had in literal years. angst potential !

when karen slowly starts accepting. it. the fear of being predatory also reaches her bc she is about. 7 years older than becky. & she takes care of her (reminds her to drink lots of water, be nice to herself, they have conversations abt her trauma, etc) & she's actually terrified becky sees her as more of a mother figure. which becky doesn't. but karen thinks she might so it's a whole new layer of "i'm disgusting i'm dangerous. she trusts me & here i am having these thoughts about her"

but even if. even fucking if! you know what let's go there. maybe becky likes the feeling of an older woman being nice to her & loving her. she never got it as a child (headcanon) so why should she deny herself now. even if she wants to call karen mommy sometimes when she's going down on her & making her feel safe and warm and good. as if a mommy kink is so scandalous we've all read fics with it. why am i being so defensive. it's because i'm projecting BUT STILL!!!!!!!!!!

this is so. omg. i'm so sorry everyone schere 🖖

all in all their sex life is calm and good and. really slow and warm. and it's exactly what they both need. they need attention and care and love and that's what they get from each other....

they're so sweet. they're sweet and good and warm. so sweet

[horizon-verizon]

You misunderstand me. I'm not saying it has no bearing on the story because it's from Yi Ti, I'm saying that since the Blood Betrayal hasn't yet been confirmed as the official reason why the Long Night began, HotD wouldn't be interested in referencing it. Also I doubt Condal and Hess read TWOIAF.

Anon speaks of this post.

Not sure why you think I misunderstood. I addressed your point about how "we can't know" that this legend explains or thematically explains the connection of misogyny to how we lose the dragons.

A)

Rhaenyra -- Amethyst Empress --- woman who lost her throne and life to an evil younger brother through force

Aegon II -- Bloodstone Emperor --- both usurp their elder, chosen sister

Daenerys/Amethyst Empress/Rhaenyra --- women of authority and power

Viserys (III)/Aegon II/Bloodstone Emperor --- brothers who have endangered, abused, or killed their sister and meant to displce them from their own rights, innate or sociopolitical, for their own power advancement.

As for Condal and Hess, they can't do pattern recognition, now? Condal especially said he was a "fan" of this series and world. He didn't read TWoIaF and he claims to be a AsoIaF "fan"?

It is similar here, with the Bloodstone Emporer/Amethyst Empress and that particular legend's explanation for the Long Night. This legend doesn't have to be totally real, and I mean that it doesn't have to be true that there was a 1000 year old emperor as the Yi Ti are told to believe abt some of the known Emperors. These are metaphorical in the first place.

All the legend is clueing us in on is that this betrayal, whatever it was, was one between relatives, a man undoing a woman's place, and thus speaking to how it threw off the balance of the world's magic. That women are a critical part of that balance. That's the central idea being conveyed, the purpose of this legend--everything points to Dany vs the Others (yes the others of the Big Five are still relevant, but they have no chance without her).

We don't need to know the actual details of who these particular people were and what they weren't when they loved or died, just that something like this usurpation definitely happened and there was a notable affect on magic in the realm those emperors ruled over, as Yi Tish people are also very active in magic wielding...most of Essos is, unlike Westeros.

I'm going to repeat myself in this post, but: this is not a real history book where we'll likely not know much of anything...GRRM provides more answers in his fictional history than real history books do.

All this is important to the theme of F&B: greedy men sideline, abuse, uproot women they are blood connected to for power (just as the Bloodstone emperor did), the women suffer for it/lose their political authority therefore their ability to as actively direct the direction of the House, and eventually the entire house and Westeros loses dragons to use against the Others and the world's magical & biological ecosystem is totally thrown off kilter until Dany literally sets it right again by bring the dragons back. The dragonglass candles at Oldtown, they light up again when she does this. The last of AGoT:

As Daenerys Targaryen rose to her feet, her black hissed, pale smoke venting from its mouth and nostrils. The other two pulled away from her breasts and added their voices to the call, translucent wings unfolding and stirring the air, and for the first time in hundreds of years, the night came alive with the music of dragons.

So again, why do you need "more" "confirmation" when there is so much evidence, when that's not how fiction works (that you need things totally spelled out for you to be true), etc?

Honestly, this seems a literacy and latent sexism issue that causes this cognitive dissonance in fans that makes them deny these types of connections as canon, real, whatever. Bc you have people caliming Jon is Azor Ahai up the wazzo simply because he's the son of a Targ and a Stark (fire and ice), male, the "sword" of the prophecy they take as literal, etc. etc. But "song" means "war" and Jon has done nothing/nothing has happened around him to predicate a connection the Azor Ahai prophecy in-text. Yet so many people ride for this stupid idea, this stupid unsupported idea!

This idea that has never been "confirmed" and never will be bc there is and has never been evidence to how Jon Snow, a Westerosi Stark through and through, relates to an Essosi prophecy when Dany--who grew up in Essos and was born in Westeros thus is a connector of the two continents; is actively dealing with dragons and having dragons dreams; in Essos where the Azor Ahai prophecy originates; comes from a dragonriding lienage ("fire"); the enemy of "fire" has always been "cold" and Jon is more Stark than Targ, so "cold" must be the ecological and magical threat that is the Others that even GoT has had us anticipate since its very 1st episode as THE enemy before that atrocious last season!!!; when we know "prince" is a gender neutral term form High Valyrian (Prince that was Promised)--has all the evidence of being Azor Ahai.

And why does it matter they they haven't read it when they could have asked GRRM or just read F&B to properly understand the point of the Dance?

Condal can't clock that this legend is narratively important just as much that the CotF/"those who sing the song of the earth's connection to Dany and Westeros' future? Just bc a thing is in Essos, doesn't mean it will not affect Westeros just as real life Ancient Asian societies have been able to make physical trade as well as intellectual "trade" or influence on stuff in the West. He can't clock Rhaena the BB and Elissa's connection to Daenerys? Condal read how Dany is connected to Braavos and how Dreamfyre's eggs went there and didn't put 2 and 2 together?

This is why you don't bring non-fantasy readers to write a fantasy show. who then, bc of said ignorance, want to somehow "make the story better" or different...the same story they don't even understand. Also why you don't bring a marketing guy to write any adaptive as intricate and rich as ASoIaF and to not understand the depth or the patterns of magical phenomenon that good faith fantasy readers have habitually done since their childhood (most readers anyway have read fantasy since childhood and religiously so to understand its conventions) when that's not what they look out for in the first place.

B)

The fact that Dany's eggs are Dreamfyre's also haven't been "confirmed" by GRRM or revealed in The Winds of Winter or A Dream of Spring. That doesn't make this any less true.

1- from his website

What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why did it become so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What is the origin of Daenerys’s three dragon eggs? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel

2- It's pretty much fact with how these are THREE eggs that petrified when they are away from Dragonstone; IIllyrio Mopatis had them to give to Dany and she eventually awakens them; F&B takes the time to painstakingly show Rhaena the BB's conversation w/Jaehaerys abt the consequences of THREE dragon eggs going missing. What other reason was there for F&B--a text that aims to contextualize Daenerys by telling the stories of her ancestors before the loss of the dragons and a little after--to do so hard abt 3 dragon eggs stolen during Rhaena's time, from her dragon's clutch, under her watch?! A text that traces the existence of dragons and their maintenance/use by the Targs? Then there is the fact that Elissa Farman--the egg thief--sold the eggs to the Sealord of Braavos, another thing necessary to Dany's arc. None of this is an accident or a red herring, esp since there is literally nothing as damning as evidence or suggestion for the argument of Syrax being the mother...at all. Nothing in the text.

Not everything in ASoIaF is a great and complex mystery; sometimes GRRM gives you clues to a simple "mystery" to deduce the truth of, esp when we already have much evidence of Danyxher dragons being necessary and critical for the coming Long Night against the "ice/cold" others. That she/her dragons are the "fire" in the Song of Ice and Fire, a coming magical war for the world. This is the type of chain of clues that are retrospective and not anticipatory. We already have the result (Dany and the eggs); you were tasked to recognized the line of causation pretty quickly. This is still a fiction series with correct answers.

All this is evidenced just in the main series, TWoIaF acts as a support piece...Condal is a fan, but he can make deductions? Sure.

[ladysophiebeckett]

heey! been binge-reading your post abt ysblf on my break and one) can't agree more with your takes, especially when you call out (delulu) marcela stans and 2) sorry if you already answered this but I'd love to read your take on the symbolism of the woods-and-duckling shared dream, please. Would i be right to assume that it goes beyond a cheap "ugly duckling" reference? then again, betty did had several duck dolls and plushies around her bed -more than any other animal or character. Thoughts? 🦆

I have never been asked about the duck dream, a mutual has spoken to me about it in passing a while back and about it's dream symbolism origins. Bc everything has a meaning in ysblf, it's not accidental. I actually never saw the duck or ducks in her room as referencing 'ugly duckling', my mind didn't pick up on it. I'm slow.

But yes, their shared dream goes beyond that reference.

Before I get to the symbolism and all that, let's go back to the dream and when it happens, bc context is important. They don't have this dream for no reason.

For Armando, this dream happens the night before the plan starts. It's after el desfile where he and Mario overhear that whole spiel about Nicolas and the Terramoda business card. Mario is pressuring him to start something with Betty bc they see Nicolas as a threat. For Betty, this happens after she gets home with her dad, and he complains to Betty that she's taking too many liberties and that that work (the world with the models and the fashion) is too much for her. It's a critique on her job and the little life she has.

Both Betty and Armando are being pressured in different ways by people about what they need to do or how they need to do things. And it's only when they're asleep, succumbing to their subconscious, where they can allow themselves to have what they really want.

Armando may not be in love with Betty yet, but he does like her, and he does enjoy her company. In the dream, he's happy running around with her in the woods. He's carefree with her, he's not stressed or angry. He wants to be in those woods with her. And that scares Armando when he wakes up. 'It was a horrible dream, it was an ugly dream'.

Was it? Not to Betty. She says 'fue un sueno muy bonito' and goes on to describe everything in it except Armando's presence. She's happy when she wakes up because to her it was just a dream and probably not the first one she's had of him. She's already in love with him but sees him as something impossible. Betty has already stated that love and romance will never be for her and that work is all she has.

Now the dream---Armando is frolicking with Betty in some woods, she has flowers in her hair and they're holding hands. At some point, she runs away from him and he's dream-frantically looking for her. She's playing hide and go seek with him and giggling about it. When she lets him find her, he tries to kiss her and she runs away again. He runs after her, looking for her bc she's yet again, hiding from him. When he finds her, she's hiding behind a tree, teasing him. When she reveals herself, she's holding the yellow duckling. He runs to her, again tries to kiss her but that's when the dream ends and he wakes up.

Yes, the kiss is foreshadowing what's going to happen the next night at the bar.

What I think is funny is that the dream is him running after her and isn't that what he basically does in canon? She is the one woman he said he would never beg or run after bc he doesnt do that and yet that's all he does for the remainder of his arc. Running after her.

Now the duckling.

Reminder that Betty is holding the duckling. And Armando's subconscious is trying to tell him something.

The dream does not mean 'you need to hurry up and seduce your assistant or she's gonna give ur company away'. It's saying 'You have feelings for this woman. Stop avoiding it.' Armando avoids it.

As I said above, it's not a bad dream. They're both very happy in it. And they are an unlikely pairing. It's also an intuitive dream. But what really sticks out is 'transformation'. The tarot cards predicted to Betty that her life was going to change. This dream is telling Armando the same thing. A change, a transformation in his life is coming and it's in the form of Betty.

(click that to read it better, sorry)

'may trigger some uncomfortable feelings...examine why you are experiencing them. perhaps there is fear of the unknown..' really want to hammer in that it's Armando who's uncomfortable and won't examine his own feelings.

For Betty, who's the one holding this duckling and her bedroom has ducks (one is on her nightstand) and ducks are a symbol of transformation-- she is that 'ugly duckling' waiting to turn into a swan. Unknowingly. But it's not all about a physical transformation, it's about her shedding that naiveté and becoming a stronger, more self assured person. Through various trials and errors and heartache.

For Armando, Betty and the duckling symbolize things he's never experienced and that he's afraid to experience because it would mean changing and taking a harder look at himself and how his original beliefs may have been all wrong.

That duck did a lot of heavy lifting despite being 5 seconds of screentime.

[starseungs]

choose 5 moots! what do you think of when you see their usernames or when you talk to them? (i.e: the ocean, because...)

another game from my anon/s !! let's see 👀🙏

@starlostseungmin — star gazing <3 its the starlost lol i love stars and the night time. plus keisy is so comforting to me she's literally the big sister i always wanted !! always love talking to her especially during evenings shshshs

@hanjsquokka — i think mana's user is supposed to be like "han jisung quokka" but i keep reading it as "hanji's quokka" so to me mana is jisung's quokka... love her so quokka mana would actually be rlly cute i would keep her as a pet and spoil her

@starlostastronaut — i wont lie to you, all i can think of is neil armstrong 😭😭 my bad teri,, blame skz for referencing him so much lol but pretty self explanatory ... he's an astronaut. on the nicer side, he's on the hall of fame (aye) and i believe teri also needs to be on the hall of fame so it all checks out (will binge ur works soon lovely <3)

@l3visbby — another user im sure is supposed to be read a different way that i do 😓👍 ik this is like "levi's baby" possibly but my brain always reads it as "love is baby" WHICH MAKES NO SENSE WHERE DID THE O COME FROM 3??? so yes, me thinks love is ola because ola is an amazing person with amazing music taste and i think she sent me smth on dc that i have yet to reply to-

@ss3oung — ok not much thoughts abt the user meaning but i just wanted to talk about how excited i get whenever i see this user in my notifs??? seo ilysm pls never stop sending me stuff i love talking to you aaaaa <3 its always a blast to see ur asks lol

finally a moot game with explanations are yall proud of me 🤗💓

[pamaizai]

Hey, what's your favorite Dont Starve Character(by Lucy from last post I would guess Woody) and why you preffer this character, also whats your least favorite one. And besides of that, any advices for a person that just starts to learn drawing? (like i sketch a bit from time to time with pencil or on secondhand graphics tablet (small wacoom one) for relax but i would like to draw more often and try to improve my skill from almost zero XD, and do you have any advice about shaky line in digital? Like sure I can use stabilizer setting, but if i put it too high i draw hella slow, and if its too small its too shaky(I use fire alpaca and medibang if it has anything to do with it).

I am playing as him since 2018 so even before he got his update. Why? well, he has Lucy- undestructible axe that you cant get rid of (you can actually abuse it bc by design its a flint axe and you can switch a 1% durability one into Lucy, giving other player the brand new) and i vibe a lot with him regarding his backstory. Also most friends i played with are Wendy, Willow, Wortox, Wickerbottom, Warly and Wx players- so we have fire and charcoal, attacker, healing, quickstart with backpacks, food making and a aguy who goes head first underground- but no real gatherers.

Before updates he was just a "chop chop" guy that could go insane if he did it too much (rel) so you had to balance it with planting and cutting down the trees. After his character refresh it he became ace of all trades- he can gather wood, stone, grass saplings as a beaver, he can kill hoardes of hounds and spiders and even the Deerclops as a moose, he can locate lunar island and discover the map as goose.

And after skilltree update he can even create a helmet and +15% speed walking cane- tho other perks regarding his wereforms i think make his character too easy, especially when you earn points by playing as him so you KNOW his weaknesses and learn how to work with them, to just turn them off (hunger and sanity).

He is useful in every situation in my eyes. And i like bringing 5 stacks of wood in first 3 days. Also i learned to kite treeguards :D

I dont really mind any characters. All of them are pretty balanced and dont have annoying drawbacks that makes me not want to touch them-i simply prefer Woodie. But i aint fond of one decision Klei made regarding Wortox, Wurt, Wormwood and Wanda, so all purchasable ones-not because of mechanics tho.

Why do they have ghost models corresponding to their equipped skins, but not other characters? I want wood themed Woodie transformations too q-q even Abigail has her own skins whyyyyy

Regarding drawing i dont really have good tips. The only ones that are coming to my mind is

breaking model into geometric shapes might help (thats how i draw most of the time and its visible in my sketches)

referencing instead of tracing, even badly referenced helps you more with drawing

using your own hands as a reference is enough XD and its not cheating to look out poses

the more you draw something the better you get at it

you can actually make black shadows work but it will make it seem flat, dark purple set on multiply is enough to me but it depends on artstyle i noticed

Those happened to me:

you may see a lot of mistakes in your own artwork more often than others so dont fret abt it. But if you really are anxious (like me) you can go back to look at it some time after finishing.

you dont have to draw everything in every style. Its no artschool here and you are mostly drawing for yourself anyway. Tho dont use it as an excuse to only draw one thing, try something new from time to time.

custom brushes are cool and dont be afraid to experiment with them. Who knows, it may become your go-to/default brush.

harder pencils dont erase that well but are good with details and leave a lighter mark, als you probably wont need a whole set of 'em i am using like 3 at most (5H, HB, H)

even tho i have a sketchbook on myself 24/7 i still end up drawing in notebooks because i think "its not good enough for a sketchbook"- no, SKETCHbook, its meant for doodling so do it there and you will have a way to track your progress (i myself have a whole DRAWER of papers that i sometimes look through and let me tell ya, seeing that progress is noice)

i knooow they may seem generic but everyone has a different way of drawing and some things may or may not work for them. and i never went to artschool im self taught tho i learned a lot by looking at other artists and watching speedpaints.

With Stabilization- I didnt really use FireAlpaca or Medibang, but I remember that when i was using my old One by Wacom tablet i did had it on like 7 in SAI, because my hand was trained well enough to not shake so much but i needed it to be more precise. I would try drawing a zig zag and waves on the lowest setting and then increase it until you can draw sharp edges and smooth curves at the same time, with line following your pen path as close as possible. The slower you draw lines the more precise it gets.

it might be a bit different in each program especially with different ranges of stabilization but it might be similar to what i have here.

It could be issue of a compatibility between tablet and program, but i checked for myself and it shouldnt be it, tho it doesnt really make it impossible.

hope i helped with artist part of ask ^^"

[kobeniliker]

HI HELLO HOLY HECK THE. NEW CHAINSAW MAN CHAPTER!!! (122)

I wrote a lot of stuff (long post) and there are major spoilers for the new chapters! The actual analysis/commentary/screaming abt the new chapter is under the cutoff.

Aside from the confirmation of Yoshida knowing more things that he probably shouldn’t, there’s a LOT of other stuff to go through. I am increasingly surprised by the biblical symbolism in csm! here's where my years of being forced to attend catholic school and bible study can really shine, lmao.

Let’s start with this:

Nostradamus was a real dude! (Wikipedia page for more info)

He lived in France around the 16th century, and he did write predictions of future events.

The prediction referenced in the new chapter IS one of his predictions, but it is not the full prediction!!!

The full prophecy is this:

“ The year one thousand nine ninety-nine seven month

From the sky shall come a great King of terror,

[Shall be] revived the great King of Angoulmois.

Before and after, Mars [shall] reign as chance will have it.

(Century X, No. 72) “

I don’t know about the fourth line, but the last line. “Mars shall reign”. Mars in Roman mythology is associated with war, literally being the god of war, and Mars generally has a connection to war in western culture. 

And Asa Mitaka just so happens to meet/be the host of the War Devil. 

It’s unclear exactly why Yoru wants to revive nuclear weapons devil. Likely because their revival would make Yoru more powerful, but Yoru seems very childish and immature, so I think it’s also possible that she and Nuclear Weapons were possibly friends? Since devils do seem to tolerate/desire relationships, as seen with Angel Devil and his village, and Quanxi’s fiend girlfriends. A lot of fiends seem to want and seek out relationships with others, platonic/familial/romantic, whatever (Power, Violence, Beam). There are also some that don’t, as in they just do not care (Prinzi) or are only interested in murder and crime (Also Power and Beam, but only before their character arcs). There are also those that want relationships but cannot have them, as seen with Makima and Pochita. Interesting! Could be a reach on my part, but there is definitely something odd about the timing of the prophecy and Yoru deciding to come to Earth and reveal herself to Asa.

Yoru does not seem like a very capable ruler, which is also somewhat weird if this prophecy is to be fulfilled. She will rule “before and after”, but while right now is presumably ‘before’, Yoru has basically been stuck to a depressed high school girl. Yoru does have power and we have seen her fight before, she seems to love fighting. But in this chapter she runs away.

Not very leader-like in my opinion! However. She also literally has a giant ruler sword at the moment. 

I mean. Technically I guess you could say she is ruling?? The whole prophecy is really weird, and could have a lot of meaning in the context of chainsaw man. But I’m going to move on from that for now!

Yoshida Hirofumi, my beloved! Knowing things he shouldn’t and being in places he has no business being! He knew about Famine Devil, but it also seems that Fami didn’t really keep her identity a secret anyways. He knows she’s a powerful horseman devil, and he’s taking her out to eat at a cafe, once again paying for everything she orders. 

How does he have so much money? How did he know she was the Famine Devil? It’s possible he is just a weird dude. Love that for him! 

But how did he know about the prophecy? About the experiment with the prisoners and the Future Devil? He seems to be working with public safety now, but why tell Denji he has a private organization? In any case, the prophecy seems to have some merit, and Fami does know some things about it. He asked, and Fami told him. He did threaten her, but why would a powerful horseman devil be afraid of some highschooler with an octopus devil contract? 

We can’t see her face, but we know she isn’t lying. We know because Asa is there at the apartments, and there is a powerful devil that just appeared there, so powerful that Yoru refused to fight it.

As for this devil, we know it is a primal fear, but not its name. Did the chainsaw devil eat her and her name is forgotten? Or is it just a purposeful omission? In any case, I think there are a few likely possibilities for the name this devil has.

This devil is presumably the first of the “The other seven” who will die this week. In the bible, there are a lot of apocalyptic sevens! We have:

The 7 bowls

The 7 seals

The 7 trumpets

I don’t think it’s the trumpets or bowls, but a case can be made for the seals. The breaking of one seal causes the appearance of the next. Interestingly, the first four seals represent the four horsemen. The first seal releases the horseman of conquest. (Sound familiar?)

Next is war, then famine, then death. This could be the death devil? She does have the power to make people kill themselves, so it would make sense and explain why Yoru was afraid of her. It could also be sacrifice or apocalypse, but personally I think Death makes the most sense.

The fifth and sixth seals cause various people to die and natural disasters. The seventh seal triggers silence, in preparation for the sounding of the 7 trumpets. In summary, the first three trumpets cause bad stuff to fall to earth and poison 1/3rd of all seawater and freshwater, as well as burning up 1/3rd of trees and all green grass. The fourth trumpet causes complete darkness, by getting rid of the sun, moon, and stars. 

The next three trumpets are also known as the three woes.

The fifth trumpet causes a star to fall and opens a bottomless pit with a key it has been given, which releases these weird bug lion monsters instructed to torment (but not kill) all who do not follow God.

The sixth trumpet causes four angels to descend, leading a large battalion of soldiers whose lion-snake-horse steeds carry plagues that kill 1/3rd of humanity.

The seventh trumpet causes loud voices in the heavens to praise God.

I think the “King of Terror” the prophecy refers to will be Chainsaw Man, or maybe just Pochita/The Chainsaw Devil in his full form. I also think that his presence will somehow result in the devils being released from Hell, and Chainsaw Man becomes God or something. I do not know! It certainly seems ominous though!

This is all I can piece together for now, a lot of this stuff could be wrong, but the parallels are certainly interesting! 

My thoughts in summary:

The prophecy mentioned is real and will happen (in chainsaw man)

Yoru/The War devil will gain a lot of power

Alternatively she will become some sort of leader, or maybe her role will have something to do with literal rulers…?

Yoshida is WEIRD!!!!!!!!! (nothing new there)

Fami gave him the information he wanted despite having (seemingly) no reason to do so other than being threatened by Yoshida

Fami didn’t even TRY to mess with Yoshida, but she was perfectly fine manipulating Asa and Yoru/The War Devil

The devil in the apartments is (probably) the Death Devil

Apocalypse time!

[quinloki]

"I think that's a great fic idea" good news, it is, or something very similar. Inspiration is very clearly taken from @/turtletaubwrites series Numbers Game. The reader is a financial advisor who worked for Buggy, who then ends up under Croc and Mihawk because Buggy gets in trouble for ignoring her advice and fucking up the financials. Not trying to start anything, I don't think it's stealing to riff on smth but people should maybe be a bit more up front abt where they take inspiration from. At least give the OG a shout out lol

This is one of those things where there’s not an easy cut and dry answer I can give you or agree with, and I’m going to do my best to lay out why that is.

Is it possible the idea came from the person you’re referencing, but looking at the interactions for the first chapter I don’t see Alexa anywhere, not in the likes or comments.

I don’t even see anyone I follow in there either - which is to say that fandoms are HUGE and we don’t actually all know one another. (And that’s not to say there isn’t overlap in moots, just not with that particular story.)

Now, it’s possible there’s proof somewhere, but my point is that it is statistically just as possible that it’s just a similar idea. I wrote Quicksand’s reader as being a good office worker and coordinator - they weren’t specifically the accountant, but that could also be where the idea came from.

Reader being a competent and useful person makes sense when you’re talking about the Cross Guild. Neither Crocodile nor Mihawk are particularly patient people, and Buggy is enough frustration/comedic relief on his own.

If I shouted out to everyone who had inspired every part of what I write I’d hit tumblr’s post character limit before I got to the story itself. There’s a balance in there somewhere but it can honestly be case by case.

Despite your claim of not trying to start something it very much feels like you are, and while I appreciate you wanting to see credit given where it’s due, inspiration is so interwoven and complex, it’s hard to say exactly where an idea comes from for someone. So I’m going to assume that the vibes are unintentional - I’m sure you very much mean well. (If clarification is needed I’m not experiencing any negative emotions as I say this. I’m worried the vibes are there, but I will believe they were not meant.)

Heck, I had a story idea for a Eustass kid story I was (still am) excited about and when I shared it with my friends someone mentioned it was similar to something Mombat on Wattpad had wrote. And they’re right! The setup of the reader was similar - but I didn’t scrap the story idea because the story itself is going to be different.

And I know it is gonna be different, cause I had read that story by Mombat with my own eyes! And honestly it’s very likely where the inspiration sparked, even though I didn’t consciously make the connection until someone said something.

But there’s bound to be a lot of similar ideas in a singular fandom, because we’re all working with the same source material.

Now, I appreciate the intent, cause we all wanna look out for one another and such, but calling out possible sources of inspiration is maybe a bit much. Though I will say if there’s a dozen points of commonality, then it’s probably worth the mention.

here’s a bit of food for thought - Eustass Kid calling the reader Mouse is something I’m fairly well known for, and it wasn’t even my idea - and the friend I picked it up from had picked it up from someone else. Kaku calls reader Filly in most my one-shots but that’s from another friend. Penguin and Shachi calling reader lil’ Shoal was all my idea, but also I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else thought it up too.

Now, my long and exhausting reply aside, I do want to thank you for putting turtleaub on my radar. Her writing looks wonderful and I love how organized the blog and posts are. I am delighted to have something new to read even if my to read list is painfully long already. And there’s a possibility of making a new friend somewhere in there too \o/

[uglyduckling339]

KY'S LIFE IS STRANGE DOUBLE EXPOSURE NONSENSE LIVEBLOG: The Tutorial

(spoilers under cut) (do not take this seriously lmfao this is me basically talking to myself) (this will make ZERO sense without playing the game or watching it btw)

um.. where do i start

firstly that fucking qr code is rhe genuine bane of my existance. i spent 7 minutes tryna get it to work for basically nothing.

also !! the settings menu was hella fucking confusing and i got lost tryna change the captions (skill issue on my part ngl)

anyways so intro to the game: music was ass and i was confused why the door was being shook so gently until Max Fucking Caulfield wandered in😭 10/10 shock value worked tho cuz i didnt think that she was breaking into a broken room until her face appeared on screen

Safi is very cutesy in both a physical manner and a personality manner but her jokes are so hit or miss lmao

Max caulfield stealing that toy and joking abt stealing stuff??? talk abt character growth

i fucking HATE THE NEW CAMERA ARGGGGGGGG i keep fucking up my pics

Hot take i think safi and max are equally sexy in this new game GOD DAMNN

nvm maybe not equal. i'd let safi hit so fast tbh ("boss"??)

ALSO !! HER REWIND GETTING REMOVED POST-STORM IS CANON !!!! *

i've been saying this since the trailers but max's voice sounds so fucking weird in this (and yeah ik its not THAT diff from the og voice, but something abt it is irking me and idk what) (no hate to hannah telle)

nobody:

this game: fun fact !! safi's mom is the principal of the school! her mom! safi's mother! mom! mother! safi's ! principal !

god shut the fuck up i get it bro

FLASHBACK SCENEE

Ik its not just me who thinks this but istg they musta refilmed these scenes cuz chloe and max both sound hella odd (maybe i am trippin tho)

CHLOE! HAUNTING! THE! NARRATIVE!

smooth cut between chloe and safi's voice 10/10

i know the fandom is gonna be in fucking shambles over those choices so i'm holding my opinions off until i form a bigger analysis on it

I don't hate Amanda but i do hate rhat the game is pushing her on us so hard **

Also reminder to check yalls texts!! theres no journal but half of the shit i've seen complanted abt is referenced in the texts/posts

Chloe and Max having issues long before rhe breakup is so nice to see tbh. i'm glad it wasn't just a one comment plot choice.

also the issues primarily stemming from Max's trauma and her need to run is so good i can't wait to yap abt it

god off topic i am fucking DREADING the fandom. im so worried abt us tbh

okay back to the game, I think Amanda is really nice but I'm not gonna romance her day one cuz idk how to feel abt her yet

okay theory time! i think if chloe was actually IN the game, she'd be with a band in the Turtle bar. seen in the pink twitter, chloe "performs". i think she'd totes pull up at perform at the bar (once again im not saying if i think its very likely or nah but its a cool idea at least)

ALSO VICTORIA CHASE IS ALIVE :DDD AND BESTIES WITH CHLOE???

i'm only using pink twitter to watch Chloe and Vic ngl idgaf abt nun u other hoes

did u all a HUGE favor and tested rhe other option w rhe bottle cap.

on that note do the candy not the bag

shit like ts makes me miss rewind :(

animal symbolism my beloved

i think thats all? OH WAIT okay so i actually love safi. she's so weird and cringe but in a subsitute teacher way. it's a vibe and i would romance her w Max if i was given a choice (im gonna get hate mail again for rhat comment arent i 💀😭)

so far i really don't hate rhe game. it's glitchy in ways rhat for 80$ it shouldn't be but so far i've only had one actual issue so i'm not too pressed abt it. (for me, Safi keeps jumping between visible and invisible during cut scenes.)

I think the in game music is fire, but the actual "songs" aren't allthat good. tbh tho thats a personal opinion lmfao

[scims-stuff]

okay been seeing some absolutely brain dead takes abt hogwarts legacy so this is all imma say about it

(from a trans person in the uk who grew up with harry potter, if u are not a trans person in the uk or jewish i do not care for ur opinion on this)

- The royalties JK gets from this will more than likely end up in funding anti trans legislation/hate groups. She is vocal about her support of lgb alliance and other such groups, she has also been referenced in anti trans legislation before. Obviously this doesn’t apply outside of the UK, but we still fucking exist here.

- The whole plot of hogwarts legacy surrounds you putting down a goblin rebellion. The goblins in HP are nothing more than a jewish stereotype. You do the maths on that one

- The name Sirona Ryan may not be explicitly transphobic as it is of celtic origin. However there are many names that she could of chosen of the same origin, or it could’ve been spelt Thirona as that is an alternate spelling of the goddess’s name. Literally 2 seconds of critical thinking could’ve been applied here.

- The game seems broken and boring as fuck anyway. Like it’s not a flex that you are buying a stupidly expensive game that doesn’t work. Just go buy the lego games off ebay if u want an actual fun experience.

- Maybe the reason people are getting so mad at streamers is bc they claim to be an ally but turn around and put money in a a transphobes pocket

- I’m not gonna argue with people on this, like i’m not gonna change my mind, if you’re this far up her ass to actually buy this game ur not gonna change ur mind.

And hey if you want a media set around a magic school go check out dimension 20s misfits and magic or trails and trebuchets. Both are ttrpg actual plays that have an actually good take on the genre

[maristellarium]

(actually yknow what i also want to dump a few thonkies abt yully too now lmao

though im still debating if i really want to incorporate these thonkies as proper hcs for her - it makes her feel a little too op in a way......... - but im also really leaning to doing it anyway bc this really is the kinda bs she would pull off ydgsyugdsudsgdusy)

so anyway, i think baby yully was rather nuts and kept smashing babylonia's security systems to pieces

like ive already put down that she had a habit of coding programs throughout her childhood, and i definitely did say that these programs were for cracking and copying the civilian databases. bc she was so determined to confirm if there were any Very Specific people in babylonia, so ofc, the logical thing is to get the conveniently-already-existing pool of population data for her to sort through.

but yully being yully, she wouldn't want a bunch of statistics alone. she needs as much data as possible - reports and profiles and notes, doctors' notes and school reports and whatever document there ever was, everything! so that she can cross-check the info to the last detail, analyze to the closest decimal of accuracy.

and she won't stop at just civilian data either. constructs count too. the deceased count too.

so she would collect death records and military profiles too. and considering with constructs at least, how even the military lies to itself internally - she wouldn't quite be satisfied with merely a checkmark of someone being dead. no, she would need the full story, so that she can fully and accurately reconstruct an individual's life—history, personality, beliefs; their full identity and mannerisms and mindset—as part of her own cross-referencing and analyzing procedures.

and this is all, at the very least, in the form of encrypted data - if not behind several layers of cybersecurity under Gestalt's supercomputer watch too.

Yulia wouldn't care though. she wants that info. who cares if she's like, 10 yrs old with negative zero chances of being able to hack into god damn Gestalt with her little civilian baby terminal. she needs that information for her goals. she fucking wants it.

and she has never felt something so viciously unrelenting in her life and the life before.

in a way, it feels like a very simple, logical A to B to C process for her. she feels a want, thinks about doing a thing to satisfy that want, and then simply executes.

obstacles or roadblocks or government personnel coming to her house and asking if they can inspect everyone's terminals for "important grown up reasons" aka bc they traced her hacking attempts there? (though they never actually figure out it's her specifically, partly bc child bias, partly bc the exact terminal she used has already been trashed to pieces or surgically taken apart so it doesn't exist anymore). that's all just par the course. irrelevant bc she already expected as much, so she simply needs to work with such things.

(though of course, it does hinder her in terms of efficiency to keep needing to devote time to misdirecting people's attention from her. so she would also develop methods to avoid being traced, at least not so easily - spoofing signals, false trails, falsifying credentials, coding even shit like rootkits and keyloggers, and then going the extra mile with bs like destroying or dismantling or replacing her hardware constantly, as well as even coming up with alibis for every moment she spends doing her very illegal endeavour

she's still considered a kid at this point so ofc she has all this damn free time to do all this nonsense too)

in any case, here's where im really getting at with this thonk -

Yulia going absolute ham collecting as much top-secret info in the most illegal ways means she has quite likely seen a lot of very restricted things within the government's databases. from the lying propaganda used on Constructs such as the lie of recalls, to the confidential and troubling life histories of particular Constructs such as Bianca or Kamui (or Camu rather).

ofc she probably hasn't seen Everything - but she's seen a Lot more than she, an otherwise very ordinary civilian, should by the time she's even enrolled into military college.

which is stupid nuts and also very OP of her in a broader context and mmmmmmmmmmm i don't Want her to come across as stupidly omniscient in a sense - also it's a little nuts to think that even if she's stupid intelligent and determined, that she'd able to accomplish something as difficult as hacking into hecking Gestalt or whatever government systems with the info she wants.

but at the same time..... ughhh.................... she Is stupid smart alright. and that's without fully using her brain. if she actually put her entirety into some task, she is absolutely supposed to be unholy Scary(TM).

but waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah thats toooooo muchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh lies down)

[vigilskeep]

you've committed me to my merrillmancer being elfblooded through malcom so ty :) . i know the game isn't going to actually Add In any dialogue for the spin on the dynamic i crave /dalish pariah who grew up isolated in her society before even being exiled, falling in love with an outcast unable to feel they belong in both human and elvish societies and who also grew up very insularly what with. the whole always hiding apostates issue. with a flawed but ultimately caring family/ so many issues i want to unpack with that, esp merrills initial opinions on the elfblooded.  never let canon hold u down 

YESSSSS

i feel like merrill’s character and her romance in particular really suffer from how divorced her concerns are from hawke’s and the game’s in general. the legacy of dalish history and the fate of the alienage aren’t really personal to hawke or tied to the main conflicts of the game, and the gap only widens further with a non-mage hawke, who isn’t personally confronting in the same way the debates merrill offers about how magic should be used. it’s why i prefer mage hawke for her romance and why i think elf-blooded hawke is SO much more interesting for both friendship and romance with merrill. it’s really compelling!! and there’s so much to work with and so much variation you can have depending on your hawke’s relationship to their heritage. i think it gives a complexity to merrill’s feelings as well and something for her to like overcome/consider. i would have loved her perspective on city elves to be a more solid part of her arc instead of just referenced in a few lines of dialogue especially because she ends up as a protector of the alienage which is super cool!!

i’m very enthusiastic abt it all haha i think abt it a lot