#not to get on my high horse but i truly don’t understand how they can celebrate this win.. ofc you want to win but at what cost??

[cunthq]

cannot believe spain ended up being more pathetic than england

[tarotwithdanise]

YOUR LIFE AS SOMEONE WHO IS WELL KNOWN.

⊹ Yow! This is "tarotbook" official website 🤣. Don't mind my edit, I know it's not perfect but for me it's freaking beautiful and aesthetically pleasing 😭

༉ ‧ ₊ ˚ how to choose pile? ✧ . ˚

꒰⠀from left to right ; intuitively choose the pile your mind, heart and soul desire for. if you are having trouble choosing the right pile for you, here’s some tips you can do ; (1) take a deep breath (2) close your eyes (3) ask guidance from your guides (4) finally open your eyes and you can choose the right pile for you by the guidance you ask from your guides. if you are still having trouble by choosing the right pile for you let me know because i am willing to help and guide you.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4

rules, disclaimer and notes ☆

𔓘 Just a quick disclaimer : this reading was made for entertainment purposes only. this is obviously a general reading so takes what resonates and leave when it doesn’t, you don’t need to force your energy to read this and leave such a bad comment just to say it doesn’t resonates with you at all because the answer is very obvious! i don’t own any these pictures i collected them from pinterest so credits to the rightful owners.

𔓘 please ignore any grammatical errors on my reading since english is not my first language, thank you for understanding!

𔓘 Third to the last one, if you are not an avid fan of this kind of readings and not totally 100% agree about the outcome of this pac please just ignore this post and don’t engaged anymore, this pac can contains harsh, hurtful comments about you or the other person that can trigger you if possible, so kindly read at your own risk and take how it’ll resonates.

𔓘 Lastly, be happy and enjoy reading my works — feedbacks, comments, likes, reblogs and follows are really appreciated by the reader. (that’s me, lol :3)

for tips, donation, masterlist and paid readings ☆

TIPS JAR DONATION BOX

PAID READING SERVICES. MASTERLIST

[ .☽༊˚ ] check out my second account @danisetarot for more pick-a-cards/pick-a-pile updates!

SOURCE AND OTHER CREDITABLE : All of the pictures are collected and downloaded from pinterest , I don’t own any of them but credits goes to the rightful owners however edits and reading itself goes and belong to yours truly. I use the editor tools canva, polarr and ibispaint for the header, divider and piles pictures.

PILE ONE - THE STAR

If you will be someone who is well known individual, you probably someone who is an actor at the same time a singer slash model. You will be gifted with incredible voice, beauty and acting skills. Especially that you seems bewitched other people with the charm you have. You likely be an inspiration of many people and so, the warmth of sun and you stole the elegance of CHANEL brand which will be tied to you since you were born. Apparently, not all people will like you especially there's one of your circle is a stalking horse, a predator. Having this kind position of life will not be easy for you because you can frequently get sick which make sense since you have a busy and exhausted schedule and so, this crazy ‘so’ called fans and paparazzi's are following you everywhere which makes you feel disappointed, unhappy and wanted to give up with this kind of life and career. As well, I see here that you are all in one package person for many managements. Many brands and opportunities will be on knocking on your door, they want to have a collaboration with you. You will be one of those unforgettable social media sensation, the fame and popularity you have will be spread quickly as the years and months goes by. There's a high chances that you will be name by many magazines and newspapers as an overnight ‘world-wide phenomenon star’. While behind the scenes and, you likely attract many secret admirers from the field you have ; there's a lot of people who wanted to win your heart but you are looking for someone who is unique, authentic and natural person.

Similar stars : IU, Zendaya, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Marilyn Monroe, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Hailee Steinfeld, Elvis Presley, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Swift and BTS's Jungkook.

Thank you so much for reading my work, let me know your thoughts, feedbacks as well tipping and reblogs is well appreciated. Tipping jar is already mentioned above of this post !! ♡

࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚ 𝓞 ops you already reached the end. ࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚

PILE TWO - THE WRITER, AUTHOR AND PSYCHIC

I can safely say that you are a writer or an author if you will be a well known individual especially the first card on the spread is the hermit followed by the high priestess then the moon. And just wow, you really have a high potential to be one, just in case if you are planning to start writing a book maybe this is a sign. You have a full wisdom and you never stops learning and you always expanding this knowledge. I see people perceive you as a very mysterious individual, they wanted to know you more deeper but you only shows few to the public, it seems you putting the limit. Thus, this is the reason why you have many supporters, they know you respect yourself and so they make sure that they won't bother your personal space. You will create a healthy relationships with them and you will create a peaceful community. You think that you hold the power and so you take the responsibility to spread this kind of classiness as well that the way you writes in can lift up and inspired other people. While, if you are someone who have a great intuition level and spiritual ability like a psychic. You can be well-known in such spiritual and tarot community. A lot of people will be following your social media accounts and there's a high chances you can achieve this in a small period of time, you will attract many people because of how excellent your ability is, in a fast period time you will be the center of attraction. Everyone on this kind of community wanted a closure with you and be your friends but just advice from me, you need to be careful whom you trust and befriended with because as I see here not all of them will have pure and clear intentions towards you, 2-3 people is having a feeling of envy, hate or dislike you and wants you to go down with the thrown you are owning but I don't think they can harm you because you are very witty individual, you are likely to ignore them rather than to deal them because you might be thinking it would be just a waste of time. But yeah, people will praise and love your works and it will be hard for them to let you go. These people will probably perceiving you as kind, gentle and light individual. They will be fall with the energy you have, the words you were having it can help people to find the right and healing path, it just, it will leave a positive mark to them. The Leo, Scorpio, Virgo, Aquarius, Libra and Sagittarius placements are prominent in your chart but it doesn't have to be if you don't have any. Additional message here, one of major issues you are facing right needs an attention and solution, you maybe seeing multiple angel numbers currently especially 1111, the angels wants you to take the first step.

Similar stars : William Shakespeare, J.K Rowling and Jane Austen while from tumblr ; amourdivine, thedivineart, azure-cherie, sunkissedchld, saturianprincess, neptunes-sol-angel, infipretty, the-wild-candy, pearl-tarotist, psychelis-new, ariesluvz, galene-gothic, royaleofury. (I have more to mention but it will be long if I will put them all, sorry. And I don't usually checking these accounts I just wanted to write them out here because they have an attractive energy for me.)

Thank you so much for reading my work, let me know your thoughts, feedbacks as well tipping and reblogs is well appreciated. Tipping jar is already mentioned above of this post !! ♡

࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚ 𝓞 ops you already reached the end. ࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚

PILE THREE - THE ENTREPRENEUR/BUSINESS PERSON

You will be known the field of entrepreneurship and business world. You have a creative and unique tactics that can drawn people attention to your products you were selling. You will be named of one of those people who are great and big in this kind of profession. Many people especially your loved ones will see how you become bigger person as this business grows, like from business into company. You will be powerful individual, you and the brand you make will be discussed with many people online and maybe it can go get viral. You will sweet and lovely individual for other's and for your customers. You will get invited in many awards and people will name your products as one of the best. The products you were making are very authentic, amazing and surreal, people will usually love it and they may buy bulks from you or if not, they probably recommend it to other's. It seems like you can create from nothing into something where it can lead you to a successful and rich life. The Cancer, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Aries, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pieces placements are prominent in your chart but it doesn't have to be if you don't have any.

Similar stars : Rihanna, Jack Ma, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Kylie Jenner, Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian.

Thank you so much for reading my work, let me know your thoughts, feedbacks as well tipping and reblogs is well appreciated. Tipping jar is already mentioned above of this post !! ♡

࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚ 𝓞 ops you already reached the end. ࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚

PILE FOUR - THE ROYAL ONE

If you will be well known individual you probably someone who is in a high class, a lot of people respect and protect you because anytime your life can be in danger. You have power, firm and structured person. As the emperor card being present here on your spread, you will bring stability to people perhaps all of that, this also means you are taking the accountability and responsibility as a member of a royal family. You will gain the financial stability benefits and so you will be influential this is one of the reason why you choose to practice and check your words in mind before you speak. You taking the public and nation duties. Your movements will be always watched by many. You were be love by many people, they think you are sweet, serious and intelligent. Despite all of this, you are not free to choose what love you want for yourself ; most likely you were get engaged to another royal family member. You will be a legend in this field, probably someone who will break the norm.

Similar stars : Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Leonor and Prince Harry.

Thank you so much for reading my work, let me know your thoughts, feedbacks as well tipping and reblogs is well appreciated. Tipping jar is already mentioned above of this post !! ♡

࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚ 𝓞 ops you already reached the end. ࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚࿙‌֒࿚

© daninixx ── all rights reserved. do not copy, translate, alter, or repost my work.

[dumplingsjinson]

I LOVED your new years one thank youuuuu may I request some royalty prompts/dialogue? Like maybe a royal x a royal OR royal x servant if possible please~

(happy new years btw hope you have a decent 2023). 🥂

(A late ass happy new year and I hope 2023 has been decent to you so far!)

List of “royal x royal” prompts 

“This castle’s ground is all that I ever knew, until I met you — you, who brought me a whole new perspective of the world beyond these walls. And God, is it fucking beautiful when I’m experiencing it beside you.” 

“My father hates you.” “Trust me, I know. My father hates me too, but I’m the only child who can inherit the throne so… You know. It’s rough out here.” 

“You’re indebted to me for life, love.” “…Fuck you.”

“We shouldn’t be doing this. We might run the risk of getting caught,” Character A murmurs as Character B’s hand settles on the small of their back. “Tell me you don’t want this and I’ll stop,” Character B says, staring into Character A’s eyes. Character A doesn’t say anything in response, and Character B smiles, hand straying further down. “Thought so.” 

“I promise you I’ll do whatever it takes to take you down.” “And so will I.” 

“I don’t want to take the throne. I don’t want any of this. I never asked for this.” “…Neither do I. Let’s… Let’s run away together? To somewhere else, where no one can find us. Where we don’t have to hide; where we don’t have to be under the control of our own parents.” 

“What the fuck are you doing here?!” “I came to see you, what do you think?”

“How did you get into my room?!” “Might have sneaked past the guards and bribed some of the weaker ones who saw me and injured the ones who tried to fight me?” 

Throwing cursory glances at each other whenever their families are in the same room as each other.

“We’re destined to be enemies, not lovers. At least not in this life. We’re not meant to be.” “I don’t care. Fuck destiny, we’ll make our own destiny if it means I get to be with you.” 

List of “royal x servant” prompts 

“You’ve been there for me since we were kids. You’re my best friend. You’ve been through the good and the bad with me. You’ve never left my side, and maybe you didn’t have a choice in the matter, but you never gave me any indicators that you wanted to abandon me. You’re everything I could ever want. I’m not letting them you send you away like this.” 

“The thing is, you can give me anything in the world but yourself. You’ve given the world yourself, but you can’t give the same to me. And I don’t want anything but you.”

“Let’s elope.” “I can’t make you throw away everything just to—” “I don’t want any of those things anyways. I never asked for them. I want you, and only you.” 

“Can you come into my room for a second?” “But—” “Do as I say before I make you.” 

“What’s all of this?” “I bought all of this for you.” “You know you can’t just worm your way into someone’s heart with money, right?” 

“Me or the throne?” “God, don’t fucking do this—” “Did I stutter? Me? Or the Throne?”

“Sir/Madam—” “I told you to use my name.”

“Did you ever think that maybe this isn’t going to work out? If you truly loved me, then you’d let me go and find someone I can actually be with.” “…But do you really want me to let you go?” 

“You need to get off your high horse; you’re not better than anyone else just because you have your whole life planned out for you. Destined to sit and die on that throne, or have someone murder you in cold blood to take your place, and then being remembered as the one who died to some backstabbing asshole; a little sad, don’t you think?” “…No one else other than you speaks to me like this. It’s hot. Keep talking.” 

“Status? That doesn’t mean shit if you’re not by my side.” Character A sighs, running their fingers through their hair, their head drooping. “Just— I’m sorry, I know it’s selfish for me to say, but please don’t leave. I’ve only ever had you. You’re the only one who can look me in the eyes and tell me how it is; the only one who understands what I really want. The only one who understands the real me.” 

[eliteseven]

i was watching an animated series yesterday and was shown one of the main characters as a child, running to the entrance of her home, following and trying to pick up her mother's pace, who was walking away after being sent away for duty. since then, i could not stop thinking about a scene like this with baby Jen, probably in her 4/5 years?, seeing Serena needing to head out to Baldur's Gate to check something with Wyll or etc

with that ideia in my mind, i wanted to know how Jen reacts when Serena or Shadowheart, or sometimes both of them, need to head out to somewhere, probably something that involves one of their friends, or when she starts to understand that her moms are the heroes of Baldur's Gate, how she reacts and all....?

Oh my goddd not baby Jen toddling after Serena’s horse when she has to leave for the city on business 😭🥺

I don’t think they leave her alone very often, for starters! They’re so attached to her. They don’t like being away from her, and if they can help it, only one of them go at a time, if they plan to be away overnight.

She probably gets very sad ☹️ Serena will scoop her up and kiss those chubby little cheeks until she stops crying, and promises to bring her alllll kinds of goodies when she returns. Tav definitely cries with her. She cannot stand to see her little Shadowheart missing her.

Jen will cling to Shadowheart’s neck like a miserable little koala when Shadowheart has to leave, too. She wants to go with them so so badly. I think they’d take her with them once she’s old enough, provided they’re not going anywhere dangerous. They love having their babbling bundle of joy with them 🥰 she’s their heart and soul.

What’s cuter is when Shadowheart and Tav are both riding up to the cottage and that little bundle of sunshine is running as fast as her legs will carry her to them! Emmeline and Arnell can barely contain her and she is absolutely overjoyed that her moms are home!!! 🥹

I think Jen’s older by the time she truly realizes how important they are to the world. A ten year anniversary of the saving of the city is probably a thing- maybe she gets to go to High Hall and witnesses a feast in their honor. Even as a nine year old or so- she realizes the immense importance Tav and Shadowheart have. She’s in awe of it. Her moms are heroes!!! The first time she sees them both in their armor, she loses it from excitement. She wants that same destiny so very badly, despite their protests 😅

[feyhunter78]

Hello bestie, Elrond request delivery service!!

Female reader x Elrond.

Reader has been kidnapped by another king who wants her for his wife but she’s already married to Elrond so our beautiful little elf comes to her rescue and they get all fluffy with each other after he finds her and takes her back to Rivendell so he can treat her for her wounds she has received ❤️🥰

Bestie!!! So I mixed your request with one I got for protective Elrond Hcs! I thought they kinda ran along the same vein! I hope you like it!!!!

Protective Prince

Elrond as we know him in TROP is not a fighter, of course in the later series we know he can fight, but he is still heart of hearts a diplomat. That being said, our boy can throw down if need be. Y’all remember that show of strength in the mines???? Crushing rocks with that hammer, not even breaking a sweat?? OOF that did something to me fr fr, anywayss let’s get to the headcannons:

Elrond is very protective of those he loves, but he goes about it in a more subtle way, usually.

He is quick to defend you verbally *see sfw alphabet* and never loses an argument. If anyone speaks badly about you, he can and will ruin their life. After he tries the civil route first, of course.

I see Elrond as someone who:

Makes sure doors don’t hit your shoulder when you’re rushing to get through them,

Always gets off his horse first in order to help you off yours,

Always drinks a little less than you to make sure you get home safely,

Put himself between you and any assumed threats,

Encourages you to learn to defend yourself,

Keeps track of people who talk badly about you and ensure you don’t run into them,

And like a million other little things! If we get battle scenes in the next season then I’ll definitely do an updated one of these with that knowledge in mind, but I feel like all in all, Elrond’s way of being protective is being proactive.

Now to a little blurb about sweet Elrond:

Truly you believed these types of things only happened in children’s tales, a beautiful maiden kidnapped by a loathsome king who desires her as a bride, and yet there you were. Tied up in a dungeon while a man you had meet briefly monologued on and on about how you were destined to be together, you just did not yet understand that.

“I am married, I cannot, and will not, marry another.” You told your captor once more, bracing yourself when his bejeweled hand drew back, the skin of your cheek already torn open and bloodied from his strikes.

He did not wish to hear that your heart belonged to another, but you would not cease. You had spent a century with Elrond, not a mere moment that could be so easily forgotten.

A surprised grunt and the heavy thud of flesh hitting stone bid you to open your eyes, and before you stood Galadriel, sword in hand, and Elrond who rushed to untie you.

“Y/N are you well, did he harm you?” He asked, gently caressing the irritated skin of your wrists.

“She is bleeding, clearly, he has injured her. Cowardice thrives in men like him.” Galadriel seethed, cleaning her blade with the cloak of your deceased captor. “Those who would harm the helpless, who would steal a woman from her home.”

You stood on shaky legs, leaning on your husband for support. He handed you lembas urging you to eat it as he and Galadriel led you out into the sunlight.

Now you sat in your quarters, strength partly regained thanks to the provisions your husband had provided during your journey back.  Elrond bustled around the room, pulling out your favorite nightdress and beginning to run a bath for you as the healers finished dressing your wounds. Once they left, Elrond kept moving about the room, the anxiousness rolling off him in waves.

You held your hand out to him, and he took it, pressing his lips to your palm reverently. “My starlight I was so worried, my heart would not still, my mind would not rest, day and night I agonized over your fate, forgive me for not coming sooner, the High-King—”

“Elrond.” You stopped him gently, his oakwood eyes settling on you, the skin underneath them wan and purple with fatigue. “All is well, there is nothing to forgive, you came for me and that is what matters.”

He pressed your hand to his cheek, taking your other hand and placing it over his heart. “I will always come for you, there is no force in this world that would keep me from you. No distance, or peril, no storm or foe, that could hinder me not when you, my starlight, my love, my life, are waiting for me.”

Tears welled in your eyes, and you smiled at him, your fear had vanished the moment you saw him in the dungeon. The sun at his back, his cloak already in hand, being wrapped around you. The way he whispered your name and held you with such gentleness. If the fairy tales were true, then your husband was a prince of legend, and you, his beloved princess. “I will always wait for you, you are my love, my husband, my protector, no god or king could hold my heart as you do.”

Tag list: @nyctophilic0vitnir, @elronds-pointy-ears, @elrondscalaquendi, @dilf-superiority, @jesticace

[barkablebehaviour]

No. But really. I am so categorically down terrible. But also for the game, the amount of fun facts I could compile, would, make google doc tremble with the sheerest of fear. And probably make me cry, I’ve already got all their D.O.B. All the dates and occurrences, done some guessing games. Did math for this stupid ass COD game, which is high praise because getting me to do math is like telling me to date a man. Which, y’know, is never gonna happen. Not to mention. The split-Bell au, duel-Bell au? Never figured out what we were gonna call that, can truly show the depth of the games options. Blake Miller — Aka Wolf — (fem!bell), is the lethal untameable of the coin who would send the team into its demise of it weren’t for Belvedere Grasso — Aka Bell — (mal!bell) who interjects after the subsequent interrogation after Blake fibs about the Duga-2 Array being the nuclear armaments host location. But what I think is interesting is that Bell no matter the options isn’t thinking completely coherently. I mean, literally. Imagine you’ve just been given a healthy dosage of a unknown and likely hallucinogenic or memory reactive drug, right through the cerebral no doubt. Y’know, casually, ADMINISTERED THROUGH THE EYE. That’s painful, and incredibly dread inducing. Followed by the occurrence of one of the most gut-turning memory sequences, and outwardly we hear that Bell undergoes seizures(multiple depending on the route what V/O you’re given), a quickened pulse and likely more unspoken of. But it’s all dependant on the path taken, you seem to have a much easier job if you listen to Adler. However, if you don’t. You go through a literal psychological horror, you go back to the point where it started. You go back to where your identity was stripped from its very core.

Which again is why I like two Bells, even if it’s complicated to establish. Especially when they’re half-siblings. You see: Blake, doesn’t listen. She doesn’t trust Adler, she disdains his existence. Every breath of smoke he extinguishes from his charred lungs. He projected on her gave her scars to remember. Belvedere does trust him, for god sakes he loves him of course his voice is a soothing guidance amongst a sea of otherworldly horrors. Put perhaps that trust is near religious in nature.

In other words, me and @ssmoki are terrible! This game has consumed my mind since 2020 when I played the game when I was sick and didn’t understand what the fuck was going on! But I may also write a whole fanfic for this AU. Which’ll be like making a Trojan horse by myself because, wow, that’s a lot of character deets! But all I gotta do is remember the painfully agonising slowburn I have for two special dumbasses. Well, one certainly isn’t a dumbass but Blake sure is. And ofc whatever the blazing glory star that is Bell/Adler. We love our intoxicatingly loving, near insane levels of Florence Nightingale syndrome lovelies! Anyways! Heres a fun fact — Adler was born in 1937 on February. During Fracture Jaw (January 26th, 1968), that would make him 30 as it takes place in January. I think, again I don’t do math. Also another one; I chose the name Blake for fem!bell (Her real name is actually Yelena Ivana Krasnova, which is a mouthful) when I was going by Wyatt. So now when I say Blake I get confused on whether it’s me or my own damn self-insert at this point. Which now that I think about it is really driving the ‘self-insert’ aspect. But hey, all OCs for media are conventionally self inserts! Let’s be honest..

Also I don’t use tumblr often so like.. Catch me anywhere else, how ‘bout that. And I am also, terrible with social interaction. Hey guys, how are you! /h /gen

[sailorgundam308]

Long ranting post about unhinged bg3 fans harassing other fans. Skip if you don’t care.

Second post I see today of other people targeted by some unhinged people in bg3 fandom with a moral superiority complex.

Dude. This is not a crusade. We’re in tumblr. Let’s get over ourselves a bit, shall we.

And, so far, aside from some backlash to problematic and shitty mods in Nexus, I’ve only seen people being harassed by frothing “fans” for things that are project onto them - not for things that were truly said and done. It’s been wild.

Some in this fandom need to learn how to read, how to contextualize and most of all, learn that the shit they wanna use to propel themselves onto their high horses is coming from inside the house. You’re projecting too much? Maybe it’s time to take a look at where that’s coming from.

Also, to these harassers: grow the fuck up. It’s a videogame and the characters are pixels. If someone doesn’t like a character, it doesn’t mean they hate the voice actor, what that character said, their gender, sexuality or whatever. It means they don’t like- guess what - the character. Period. Read what’s written, is my advice, and not more.

People have the right to care less or even straight up hate fictional characters. It doesn’t concern anyone but them. I f they wanna say so in a personal blog, it’s also fine. If it makes you MAD, there’s an unfollow and block buttons on this platform, and they’re free to be used.

The amount of utter shit I got from people straight up LYING about what I said is nuts. What I say in MY blog, about what I think, and towards no one in particular. About a videogame. From people sending me unsolicited screenshots of decapitated Karlach, to unhinged flooding calling me a cunt over and over because I have my own opinions about what kind of character looks good with Astarion. It’s my blog, my opinion, my prerogative. Astarion is not a real person and not your boyfriend - and I’m not talking to you if you think he is.

I’m starting to think there’s a mob with a flag of moral superiority loose on tumblr looking for shit they can twist and flip to fit their angry narrative. Like a fake morality locust plague.

Let us remember we know nothing about who’s behind most blogs here, and sometimes we need to take a chill pill, then use the block button.

I know I do it. A LOT. It works. I never had to badmouth people because we disagree on a videogame, nor did I ever went to someone’s inbox to harass them.

You know the same shit we do with fake news and those moral panics of the 80s and shit? That we go after the source and figure what’s all about before raging wrong? Maybe it’s time we do the same with the shit being dropped by some people on others in this fandom. All times I’ve checked, people here or on twitter were being targeted FOR PETTY BS that someone else projected onto them, their work, their words.

Now, to my plague of locusts, who apparently still keeps tabs on me: I never deleted a post here, you morons. Go look for it if you’re so serious about this. Then read it again. If you knew how to fucking read you’d understand what words mean and what they don’t. You might not like me, or my taste, or me shipping Astarion with Karlach. But it doesn’t give you the right to lie about my views and values, to actively try to “sabotage” my work or whatever shit you thought you were doing. As someone else who was harassed here has said, I bet you’re all whiny white bitches who know shit about real struggle and prejudice, who need to push people down to feel good. Be better. Cause the way you’re acting, you’re no better than “even” me.

[shadyruinskryptonite]

Titan Bending Chapter 7

Warning: Violence consistent with cannon, NSFW so MDNI, language, major character death (both consistent with canon of both AOT and ATLA as well as diverging from canon), so much trauma literally everyone is so traumatized, very much slow burn, a little enemies to lovers, SO MUCH ANGST, hurt/comfort, hurt and delayed comfort, AFAB reader

Chapter Warnings: fear of horses, graphic depiction of Eren after failed tests (a la S3Ep1 Smoke Signal), death, titans killing people (pretty par for the course but still), loss of entire village, it’s implied that the reader is short (I try not to give these kinds of descriptors so that as many people as possible will identify with it but I’M short and it just fits so well, apologies in advance)

WC: 3967

Previous Chapter, Next Chapter

Masterlist

Tags: @mochminnie @sseleniaa

When Hange said we’d be taking a field trip, she failed to mention that it meant that the entirety of her and Levi’s squads would be going into hiding at a cabin in the woods. It’s not a bad place to stay, it’s actually rather cozy even if it does mean we’re keeping tight quarters. Tight quarters aren’t all that bad though, it means that I’ve gotten to know each of the kids quite well. They don’t always get along, but it’s more in the family sort of way than like they don’t actually like each other. 

Every day they remind me more and more of the Gaang.

“We’ll discuss your complete and utter failure at a later date,” Levi’s voice cuts off my thoughts. “Eren, Hange is anxious to get started on today’s experiment.”

Good, that will give me a chance to clean while they’re all out. I think I’m the only one whose cleaning Levi actually approves of.

My thoughts make me giggle to myself and I notice Levi glance in my direction despite no one else seeming to notice.

God, is there anything that little shit doesn’t notice?

As everyone heads out to the clearing, Krista, or rather, Historia and I stay behind to keep working on the house. As per usual we finish in no time - even the bottoms of the tables and the walls.

“Your cleaning certainly makes up for anything else Captain Levi might not like about you,” Kri- Historia remarks. I laugh at her observation.

“You think so? I don’t know, it seems like he’s always scrutinizing me more than everyone else so I wouldn’t say it completely makes up for it. And besides, it’s like he checks my cleaning more thoroughly like he’s waiting for me to make a mistake,” I lament.

“Honestly, at this point I think he just expects a lot out of you,” Historia counters.

“Oh really? How so?”

“Well,” she begins, “you are able to clean at a level that no one else physically can so you’ve set the bar high there. Then as far as performance goes, your waterbending has proven more than once now to be faster than ODM gear and, frankly, watching you maneuver looks like when I’m watching him so I think he just expects you to perform like him at everything now.”

Her description gives me pause. 

Is it really possible that I’ve been reading him wrong? No, right? While sure he may have this arbitrary set of expectations, he surely is also waiting for me to fail. He’s called “Humanity’s Strongest Soldier” so he probably just views me as a threat to that title.

Unaware of my internal dialogue, Historia continues, “plus, you take care of all of us like a mom, which I’m sure he appreciates.”

This catches my attention. “You think? I don’t understand, why would that matter to him?”

She giggles, and I can see why so many of the boys pine after her because it’s truly a beautiful sound. Her little laughter alone makes me smile before she says, “I think he cares about people more than you give him credit for. I’ve seen him hold dying soldiers’ hands and promise not to forget them and when his squad was killed by the Female Titan, he collected all of their Wings of Freedom patches. Rumor has it he keeps those patches in his desk.”

I feel an immense sense of guilt wash over me. I stand there, pensive, lost in my thoughts for a moment.

I wanted to crack him, figure out how he ticks, and I thought I had but it seems I didn’t even try. I can’t believe I was so shallow…

In the distance, Eren’s titan lets out a scream that sounds more like a platypus bear caught in a trap and I swear I can hear Hange shrieking.

“Should we go check it out?” I wonder aloud.

“We might as well, Hange probably wants to work with you too,” she says with a playful elbow to my side. I throw an arm around her in a hug as we head out.

When we get to the clearing, Hange is tearing Eren out of a sickly looking Titan. His face is gone. The sight is repulsive. 

Historia goes up to where Levi and Armin are standing, and I head towards Eren and a seemingly livid Hange.

As she spouts off whatever, I hear Moblit accuse her of having no compassion to which I frown.

She just gets carried away.

Walking up to them, I call out “ya know, I know he can heal himself but that looks pretty gnarly so I can try to help. We haven’t tried my healing on him yet.” This seems to perk Hange back up, and she nearly throws the poor kid at me, much to Mikasa’s chagrin.

Instead of going straight for his face, since that’s the worst, I go for something with lower stakes - his arm. As I begin healing he lets out some guttural noise and I stop in my tracks. Not only does it seem like it’s hurting him, but it seems like it’s making it worse as I see the spot now starting to bleed where it didn’t previously.

“Huh! Fascinating! Perhaps try a different spot?” Hange inquires over my shoulder.

“What?! No! Clearly that’s hurting him. He can heal on his own, I just wanted to see if I could speed up the process but clearly that’s not the case so no, I’m not going to torture the poor kid!” At my response, I can see Hange almost get angry with me. Just as she’s about to order me to try again, I speak up saying, “remember our agreement Hang. I won’t do anything that I don’t agree with. And I don’t agree with hurting this boy just because you got carried away with an experiment.”

She comes back to reality and her face immediately takes on a bit of guilt. “I-I’m sorry,” she admits quietly. 

I put my hand on her shoulder, catching her off guard, before I say, “It’s alright, everyone knows how into it you get in the moment.” I smile at her before it’s her turn to catch me off guard, capturing me in a tight hug. I smooth down her untamed hair and hear Levi calling from the cliff, stating that he and Hange’s squad were heading back to Trost and for the rest of us to return to the cabin.

I bid Hange a farewell before realizing that everyone besides Historia and I had come here on those horse…things. Eren was in no position to ride alone so he was placed with Mikasa, leaving a horse for Historia.

“I, uh, I’m good walking,” I say while rubbing my neck. All of the kids just stare at me a little.

“Just hop on with someone,” Mikasa says like it’s the easiest thing in the world.

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to be a bother,” I say with a nervous chuckle. 

“Have you never ridden a horse?!” Connie cajoles.

“No! I’ve never ridden a ‘horse,’” I say in a mocking tone. “I’ve ridden an OSTRICHhorse but those are far less…intimidating.” Eying up one of the horses, I decide that they are, in fact, terrifying. 

Now it’s Jean’s turn to tease me. “Ahhh come on, they’re harmless! Plus you won’t even be riding alone!”

“Easy for you to say, you’re already half horse anyway!” I retort, drawing unbridled laughter from all of the kids and making Jean blush.

Sasha approaches me on her horse and I take a step back. She gets down and sweetly says, “I’ve been riding my whole life, if you’re safe with anyone on a horse, it’s me. So, you just get up there first and then I’ll join you. You don’t have to do any of the work, just enjoy the scenery!”

I blink at her for a few moments, but I can tell she’s being completely sincere. “You just wanna get back so we can eat lunch,” I joke and her mouth waters slightly. I continue, “but…I’ll give it a try.”

I put my foot in the stirrup and hoist myself up, clutching the little knobby thing on the saddle as if my life depends on it. Sasha gets back up with ease. She wraps her arms around me to grab the reins and I’m struck by the intimate possibility this has.

“Damn, at least take me on a date first,” I say with a wink over my shoulder at her. Sasha, Historia, and Mikasa laugh, but the boys just chuckle, with seemingly all of them blushing.

Then suddenly we’re riding, and the fear returns and I stiffen up. Over my shoulder, I hear Sasha reassure me, “relax, you’re totally fine. Horses can sense fear.”

“Oh yeah, that’s REAL reassuring.”

It’s a short ride back to the cabin and as we continue, I do start to loosen up. I even go so far as to pat the horse’s neck. At one point Connie and Jean decide to try to make Sasha fuck with me by challenging her to a race and then taking off, and while I can tell she wants to join she refrains.

“Thanks, Sash. I think going full speed would traumatize me.” She just giggles at me.

We soon arrive back at the cabin and when we do, the boys are bickering about who won. I simply roll my eyes and laugh as I feel Sasha slide off of the horse’s back before she helps me down. As I’m walking inside, I hear Jean stop arguing with Connie and call out, “Y/n! Tomorrow: you’re learning how to ride a horse even if it kills you!”

I try and fail to hide my distaste for the idea, thinking that it just might kill me. But, reluctantly, I agree shooting back, “Are you going to be the one to teach me Kirstein? Since you’re more at one with the horses, I mean?” I smirk at him as he stands there sputtering to the sound of Connie’s laughter.

With the departure of Levi and Hange, we had to be extra vigilant on watch. I had one of the earlier shifts along with Mikasa. After we were relieved by Sasha and Jean, we return to find Connie also awake. While Mikasa just stares at him, I can tell something is wrong.

“Can’t sleep?” I inquire softly.

“Uh, yeah, you could say that,” he responds.

I shoo away Mikasa to get some sleep and offer to make him some tea which he happily accepts. We sit in silence for a moment before I ask, “so, do you want to talk about the nightmare or would you rather have a distraction?”

He stares at me surprised for a moment, so I explain, “this isn’t my first rodeo. I’m pretty sure everyone I’ve ever been close with has been plagued by nightmares, myself included.”

He smiles slightly as I can tell he’s pondering what he needs. After a deep sigh, he just softly says, “it was about my village.”

I sit quietly, waiting for him to continue. As he stares at his tea, I cautiously say, “I’m sorry Connie, I don’t know what happened in your village.”

It’s almost as if realization dawns on him, and based on the pain in his eyes I quickly add, “-you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, bud.”

“No, it’s okay. I didn’t know that you didn’t know but it makes sense,” he begins talking and it’s clear it’s hard for him to talk about, but it also seems like he needs to talk about it. “After Annie attacked and we captured her, there was a supposed breach in the walls. Titans wiped out my entire village, but,” he trails off.

I reach over and put my hand on his shoulder, overwhelmed with sadness and empathy. He takes a deep breath before continuing, “but there’s something strange about it.” I furrow my eyebrows, searching his face and only finding confusion.

“Strange how?”

“Well, there is no evidence that they were eaten by titans. Neighboring villages, yes. It’s clear that titans killed everyone. But mine is like they all just…vanished. And there was this giant titan too. Looked like some kind of hairy beast. Clearly an abnormal. I think it has something to do with it. The weirdest part, and the worst, honestly, is that there’s one titan that seems like it can’t walk just stuck on top of my house. As weird as it sounds, it looks like my mom and I know it sounds crazy but I swear on everything that it talked to me!”

I can only hope my face doesn’t betray me as he’s telling me this, because I AM shocked but I don’t want to freak him out or worry him more.

I muster all of my composure to respond, “I…I’m sorry Connie. I believe you, and I’m sorry that people have made you feel crazy for what you experienced. That sucks, though. I wish there was something more eloquent I could say but it just truly sucks. When tragedies happen, people often say things like “you’ll be okay,” and shit like that, and while that’s true that eventually you will be okay, it doesn’t make the right now any better. So I guess the best I can do for you is recognize that yeah, what you’re going through is unimaginable. And you’re allowed to be sad, angry, confused -- all of it.”

I see his eyes get glassy, and I rub his shoulder again as I pour another cup of tea for the both of us. Not wanting to make him speak before he’s ready, I speak again saying, “ya know, I think you’ve made Ragako very proud. Even though war isn’t a glorious thing, you’re definitely the hero of the village because you’ll keep their memory alive.” I smile as I finish, and by now the tears have spilled over so I pull him into a tight hug.

After we stay like this for a moment, he shakily says, “thank you, y/n.”

I smile again and assure him that he doesn’t have to thank me. “I’m glad you felt comfortable enough with me to tell me.” I chuckle a little before continuing, “and actually, if there’s anyone that even sort of understands what you’re going through, it’s probably me.” His eyebrows furrow so I give him a sad smile and add, “my village was actually attacked by the fire nation about 10 years ago. So, yeah, I don’t get it, but I know the feeling. So if you ever need to talk to someone, I’m always here for you, Connie.” I pause before smiling wider and saying, “plus, I barely sleep so there’s a good chance that I’m awake whenever you might need me.”

“I-I-I’m sorry. I…I had no idea,” he stutters out.

“Oh no, don’t worry about it I know that you didn’t know -- no one here knows that about me, actually. Not even Hange, come to think of it. But no, I didn’t tell you for you to feel sympathy or anything like that, I just wanted you to know that even though this is a unique situation you’re in, you’re not alone.” I patted him on the shoulder and he smiled back at me.

Finishing his cup of tea, Connie yawns and I bid him a goodnight before he has to take his guard shift. 

Smiling at our interaction, I finish my own tea and clean up before I slip out unnoticed to get some training in.

It’s probably not my brightest idea to go out on my own right now, but I’ve been fine on my own before so I’ll be fine now.

--

I return as the sun is rising and slip back in just as I had slipped out, only a few people are awake now.

Jean confronts me, “Where were you?” It almost sounds like he’s trying to scold me like a parent, making me laugh.

I walk up to him and ruffle his hair, which clearly flusters him. “Just getting a workout in, that’s all.”

At our conversation, more people seem to stir. Jean grunts and grumbles out, “just making sure you weren’t trying to skip out on your riding lesson.”

Fuck. 

I sigh and exasperatedly say, “are you really going to go through with this?” to which I’m met with all of the kids nodding in excitement. 

Huffing, I say, “aight, let’s just get this over with then.”

I can almost feel their excitement in the air, and while I’m putting on an annoyed face, I can’t begrudge them the fun they’re having with this. The joy quickly melts into a dispute about who has the most well-mannered horse for me to practice on. I let them go for a moment before I ultimately made the final decision.

“How about I just use Sasha’s horse since I’m already familiar with it?” I ask. 

This starts a new round of bickering about who should be the teacher because “Sasha can’t teach if she’s not on her horse but Jean isn’t a good teacher and…” so on and so forth.

From over my shoulder, I hear an almost imperceptible, “why not Eren or Mikasa’s horses? Since neither of them are here.” I turn and smile at Historia, who made the suggestion. Knowing I’m the only one that heard her, I clap my hands loudly and declare that it’s settled, I’ll ride whomever’s horse is the calmest between Eren and Mikasa.

To make the final decision, I’m given two carrots and told to try to feed them both and whichever one I “vibe” with the best will be who I ride. Sasha shows me how to feed a horse and I’m horrified that it has to be from the palm of my hand.

Connie, getting a kick out of the situation, mocks me and points out, “oh come on, you mean to tell me you’re not afraid of basically ANYTHING but you’re afraid of horses?”

I grit my teeth because I know he’s right. Putting on some fake confidence I approach the horses at the same time, because they’re next to each other.

Damn, even Eren and Mikasa’s HORSES are in love.

They eat simultaneously, but Eren’s seems a bit gentler and nuzzles me a bit which, while terrifying, melts my heart a bit so that’s the horse I choose. Now for getting on it. I didn’t struggle too much since I had gotten on Sasha’s yesterday, but I’m actually putting my feet in the stirrups to ride today and they BARELY reach. I try my hardest to focus on what Sasha and the others are saying about how to hold the reins, but when they tell me to keep my legs straight I can’t help but laugh out loud.

“What option do I have?! My legs are too short for me to have anything BUT straight legs! How the fuck does Levi do this?” Everyone finds this hilarious, and while I wasn’t intentionally making a joke, I have to laugh along with them.

We begin moving at a snail’s pace and after about 20 minutes, I’m gettting the hang of it. Then Sasha suggests we go a bit faster.

“Just bring your heal back and kick right where the leg and stomach meet, it’ll tell her to speed up,” she instructs.

“Oh hey now, let’s not do anything brash,” as I say this, Sasha makes a noise and speeds off. Not a problem in and of itself, but it makes me jump and kick the horse and against my better judgment, we’re now speeding after her. Running towards the woods at break-neck speed, I realize I’ve made a terrible error. Then Sasha is yelling next to me to turn, I hear the kids screaming to turn from behind us, and I pull the left rein hard. We make a tight left turn just before the treeline and as everyone is cheering, I realize this isn’t so bad. Calling at me to pull back on the reins if I want to slow down, I do so and we grind to a trot.

Everyone approaches me, beaming with pride, and I have to admit, “ya know, that wasn’t so bad. I hate to admit it, but I’m glad y’all forced me to do this.”

Returning to the cabin, Sasha and Jean take lookout and the rest of us start prepping our food for the day. I don’t know how much time passes, but eventually out of the corner of my eye I see Eren emerge.

Smiling, I greet him, “well, well, well. Look who’s out of hibernation!” He and Mikasa proceed to argue about him resting when Connie brings up wanting revenge on the Beast Titan. Silence falls over the room before he suggests that he and Mikasa go relieve Sasha and Jean. As the four of them switch off, Historia makes some comment about someone named Ymir and I can tell it’s a sensitive subject. As Eren turns to talk to her, I take some of the vegetables over to a different table to give them privacy. Just as I do, Sasha calls that Hange and Levi are returning and to meet in the main room.

That’s convenient, at least I can keep working while they talk at us.

I remain seated as everyone enters, and although I smile brightly at the sight of Hange I can tell something is very wrong. No one bothers to sit down before she announces that someone named Pastor Nick was murdered.

I’ll have to ask about what the religion is here. I didn’t think they worshiped, well, anything.

Everyone reacts other than Levi, and in an effort to be less judgemental after what Historia had said about him, I fight the urge to judge him.

It’s so hard though when clearly everyone else cared about this man and the little shit has the audacity to stand there without an ounce of care in the world. It’s like someone just told him that taxes are due in a month.

No matter my opinion, no one else seems to care about Levi’s apathy so I decide to let it go as Hange tells us about her theory that he was tortured, and by another branch of the military at that.

I don’t know if I’m happy or disappointed to hear that other governments are just as corrupt as the Earth Kingdom.

“This was my fault, I should’ve been more careful,” Hange laments. Hearing her say this -- hearing her speak without her normal excitement in general -- breaks my heart.

“...how many nails was the good pastor missing?” Levi asks.

Why that little -

“How many? You saw right?”

I’m gonna fu-

“All of the nail beds I saw were empty,” Hange responds, surprise still laced in her voice.

“People who talk, talk after one. If they don’t, ripping off more won’t make a difference.”

Oh. OH. He’s got a good point. Shit, I hate to admit that. But wait, I know how I know that but how does HE know that? God, he could’ve phrased it differently at least, Hange looks like she’s going to cry.

As all of us sit with our own thoughts, a girl that I recognize from Hange’s squad comes in and gives a note to Levi, stating that it’s from Erwin. I don’t know if I imagined it, but I swear there was a flash of worry on Levi’s face before his features shifted ever so slightly into determination. When he speaks, his voice is subtly deeper and sounds more commanding.

“Get your gear, now. We’re leaving. Make it look like we were never here.”

[addictwoapen]

then vs. now

there are two versions of my father that exist.

“you can do anything you set your mind to” dad. And “not all men” dad. 

as a child I was told it doesn’t matter what other people think or feel, I can do what I want. I can be an athlete, I can be smart, I can do whatever I want and fuck everyone that says otherwise. And while the sentiment was there, two things could not be true, or it didn’t feel like it could be anyway.

When I was a kid, I loved sports. I still do. I love playing sports and learning mechanics, and I have since forever. I was the boy my father never had with two older brothers who never quite learned how to throw a ball correctly. I remember being told I had a good arm in first grade, and how I was faster than the other boys at recess. I remember, even though it’s blurry now, thinking I could not be both a tom boy or a girly girl. How I had to choose if I wanted to wear pink or be good at sports. Even at the age of six I was aware that boys thought girls sucked simply because of my double X’s. I was aware that “boys rule” meant more than a harmless us vs. them type of pride. 

So I chose. I decided girly girls were dumb and insipid. I chose to be athletic and school-smart. I was praised and held to high standards. No Cs or you’re grounded, no tennis lessons unless I went to the gym. Because all that could be demanded of me was excellence. As a kid, I thought this was just strictness of my parents beliefs about education and hard work. As an adult, I’ve come to realize it stems from mom and dad’s insecurities. We are at the mercy of grandparents even when they’ve been gone for years. 

I hated the color pink from second grade on, and I still do to this day. I hated being called Barbie since I was the stereotypical blonde-haired-blue-eyed white girl. I hated that all I was allowed to be was pink. It felt like no matter which side I looked at, I was stuck in a box. I couldn’t be angry because it wasn’t ladylike, I received much more punishment for swearing as a teenager than my older brother did. It wasn’t until I was 20 in a Jewel Osco during Covid that I told my father to grow up and get over it. I was an adult and I would make my own decisions about the way that I spoke and behaved. 

It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I realized that girls and women had the capacity for so much more, but suffered with self-actualization and introspection much earlier than our male friends. 

When explaining the waves of feminism to my dad on a bike ride in 2021, he said “I don’t know anything about this waves of feminism shit” and I replied “must be nice”. He didn’t get it. 

The first version of my dad loved his daughter fiercely. I was daddy’s little girl who was a little spoiled but wasn’t a brat. We played catch together. We played HORSE together in the driveway where he spray painted basketball court lines for me on the ground to practice my free-throws in sixth grade. We went to the tennis courts to practice my serves in seventh grade. We traveled to Texas in college to watch me play at Nationals. He said I could do anything I put my mind to.

It wasn’t until I was an adult that he said “well...”. 

And there it was. 

The stipulation that he knew that the world would treat me different and that while it may be unfair-I had to adjust, and it shouldn’t be the other way around. When I talk of creepy men in the gym I had just started attending, it was “yeah but I don’t do that,” when I talk of 60+ year old men hitting on me and asking me out to drinks when I was 19 it was “that’s not that weird,”. It’s invalidation at it’s finest, and understanding that he will truly never get it. 

I often think of a memory. I was in elementary school. My dad and I often used to go on hikes together on the weekend in the forest preserves of the suburbs of Chicago. I couldn’t pinpoint my age but I wasn’t fully self-aware yet, so it was pre-fifth grade. He would say “no matter what anyone tells you, you can do anything you want, and it doesn’t matter that you’re a girl”. This was in reference to a woman we passed who was hiking on her own, and even at a young age, I was aware of the danger she could be in on a 5am hike in the middle of a forest with no houses for miles. I remember thinking as a young girl “why would I risk getting hurt?”. It was a memory I would come back to often throughout childhood, as I reminder that I could do anything. But as I approached adulthood, I sometimes revel in my father’s naivety. 

There are always stipulations.

As an adult, my dad still thinks I can do what I want, but if I have to work harder to fight prejudice because I am a woman, than that is what I must do. I shouldn’t cry about the injustice I have and inevitably will again face. I should suck it up and power through it. Because as a middle-age white man with a steady job, he has never faced discrimination or prejudice for things he can’t change about himself.

The latter version of my father makes no excuses for his behavior. He says “if you don’t like it, I don’t care”. Despite his secretly hidden desire to be seen, to be heard. He says he doesn’t care what others think, but I think he cares too much sometimes. We are the same in that regard, and it is terrifying. His lack of empathy towards others of different experiences is astounding when he raised a daughter that has an excess of it. His anger is often misplaced and rooted in toxic masculinity and the idea of a traditional family despite a certain lack of religious or traditional upbringing. 

There are two versions of my father that exist.

Naïve and Jaded.

[revivemyreverie]

Well hello there! I really do hope you don’t mind me invading your inbox for an oc interaction! 

I was wondering what Nox and Lucero would think of Ellis and Victoria!

Mainly because Victoria and Ellis are twisted from key sleeping beauty characters along with one (ellis) being slightly based on a christine daae🧍‍♀️

ANYWAYS IM SO SORRY FOR THE CHAOS EARLIER AAAAAAAA

Thank you so much :D

❇️.

“A half-fae… in another world, the idea would have recalled a happy memory. But right now, the relationship with that dormmate is quite cold to say the least. Being around a girl like that is uncomfortable, to say the least. I try to keep my distance, like I do with everyone in here.

Victoria reminds me of a prince I knew back in the day, specifically one who’s hubris became his downfall.

Ellis… she’s a prefect, correct? She gets into other people’s business a lot. I wouldn’t mind if she didn’t question me too often. It’s one thing to be curious, but it’s another to be idiotic. Honestly, I don’t see what Lucero sees in her, but I guess creatives tend to stick to eachother?”

🎭.

“Madam Victoria is quite a nuisance amongst my stage, albeit, less than other students. She doesn’t seem to understand when a true star speaks, one should stay quiet! The only thing good about her is wisdom to leave things when they should be left.

Some say her arrogance is similar to me, but how stupid is that?! Me, a star, like that Diasomnian on a high horse?! Tch, some people just don’t understand the things I give to this school’s community. She’s not banned from my plays, but she’s certainly getting there!

Uwahaha! My romance-loving starlight of the theater! Madam Ellis has some truly exquisite taste, and a wonderful face to match! Her dress designs are almost good enough to rival my own, but she’d need a bit more work to make it truly perfect. The same can be said for her singing… if I could train her, I’m sure all of Twisted Wonderland would cheer for her name eventually! I shouldn’t go begging her, though, I’ll look desperate– not that I am! A stage director could just always use more crew!!

Although… I do think she needs a confidence boost from time to time. A starlet should never freeze when performing to a new crowd!”

[may-nr1rooftoptriodefender]

Since the The Last of Us HBO show is over for some time now,

I wanted to give a quick rundown of things I liked and didn’t liked. As well, talking about references to the games (so spoiler for tlou 1 & 2) and also what I’d like to see in the next seasons…

first the things I enjoyed:

First Episode

The first episode was a masterpiece. I watched it three times, I cried three times and it set my hopes for the show really high. I think it’s my favorite episode of the series.

it was a lot more personal because you spend the whole day with Sarah, when everything was normal just to watch it burn

Broke me all over again

The original dialogues from the game and the scenery made it so perfect

Special mentions for the car ride since it was shot to shot the exact same

Sooo many little details (Sarah’s Band T-Shirt, Joel’s guitar in the background,..)

The beginning was a bit boring I must admit, but overall it was perfect

The explaining about the real life fungi in the very beginning was also important and very good made

Bella and Pedro matched the first of cold impression towards each other perfect

Joel & Ellie

They had everything. The most important scenes for character building, the dialogue. I really liked how they acted that out.

The Car scene, the first meeting, the talk about Sarah, the scene at David’s, the giraffe scene and the end sequence- everything was included. and even more

It was so important for me to see how these two will interact with each other and it was just like I wanted it

Their relationship makes TLoU so special

Henry & Sam

I really enjoyed Henry & Sam in the game so I also had high hopes for them. The serie didn’t do it as I expected but it was still good.

Henry cares so much for Sam and HBO showed that even more

They made huge changes for Sam like his age and the fact that he’s deaf -> yes, it makes the show more dramatic and their trust with each other is even more important so that was a good thing

But, I wanted to see two teenagers that have an understanding and are trying to survive together. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the relationship between Ellie and Sam in the show and it made it even more emotional for me it was just very unexpected and a bit more complicated because of the age difference

I cried when they died because,

The fact that he told Ellie because he’s just a little child (here the age difference again makes it more emotional since he’s just 8 :( ) and she even tried to help him and

Because it made Henry even more helpless because a teenager kind of knows what he’s doing but a deaf little child can only rely on him and he failed

It was also bad because Ellie wrote ‘Im sorry’ on his board cause she knew and also failed to protect him

speaking of, even though it was dumb to not tell Joel and Henry, it was such an Ellie like thing to do. She saw how Riley died because of the infection, and Tess… She wants to be the cure and she hoped so desperately that she could help Sam with her blood because she doesn’t want another one to die

really shattered my heart but they did a good job on that

Jackson

Jackson was truly something. So much foreshadowing for TLoU part II… I’m a big jackson fan anyway and to see the town like this really brought me joy.

not only the reunion with Tommy that was so beautiful, but also to see how the residents could live peacefully

THE EASTER EGGS BABYYY

-> I think everyone saw atleast one “I’ve got my eye on you” edit about Ellie and this girl watching her, right? So it isn’t really confirmed but everyone assumes it’s Dina! Ellie’s girlfriend in Part II.

-> Shimmer. You know, the horse. It was only a baby there, but we know that in the second part, Ellie and Dina have a horse named Shimmer on their way to Seattle

-> The tipsy bison. Joel and Tommy were talking in there. It’s a bar in part II and I think Sev (yk, the dude who makes ‘bigot sandwiches’) owns it

I really love all those little details

David & his people

We all know David, yk the pedo? Even though I don’t like him, I really like his part of the game. HBO made his character even more disgusting and better.

Even though the chase wasn’t as frequent as in the game, and I really missed the teamwork with David where Ellie has no idea what’s coming… It was still one of the best episodes

Idk if it sounds weird, but I like how they made David even more evil and all. It shows what a true monster he is and all

What really freaks me out though, is that he used to be a teacher to students in Ellies age. And also, STOP WITH THE IM YOUR DADDY SHIT

But one thing about his people, yeah? This woman with short hair which name wasn’t revealed? Don’t tell me that isn’t Mel form TLoU part II <- Owens pregnant girlfriend. She looked so much like her. It doesn’t even make that much sense considering she was a firefly in the original but HBO did already a few changes so why not more?

Ashley & Troy

I’m so happy that the original Ellie and Joel could make an appearance in the show. It’s just the right way to honor them.

Ashley Johnson (Ellie in the games) was featured as Ellie’s mother, which is honestly just fitting, because she likes gives the role away to her child yk?

Troy Baker (Joel in the games) as James from David’s people. He looked very fitting for it and also did a good job

It’s nice to have the original featured, even if they can’t play their actual roles

I think it’s a nice way to honor them

Now to things I didn’t like:

Tess’ Death

I just think it’s not the right way for her to go. Even though the fungus made a connection throughout the kiss, it’s not really respectful for her character I think.

Tess was a really strong character who never showed fear and would do a lot of things for her survival. I loved her until the very end. I had the feeling we didn’t see that much of it in the show

Even though the understanding between Tess and Joel was more clearly

How they portrayed Tess in her last minutes was very weak and painful to watch. In the game, she stood until the very end while in the show, she’s shaking and not functioning properly and overall a lot weaker than the original.

I think it was disrespectful to let her go like this, I mean especially the kiss. She’s fighting against the virus all the time only to give up?

Idk if I’m the only one who thinks it should’ve been like the show but let me know what you think of this. I can’t really explain why I don’t like this…

Bill

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not mad because they gave Bill a happy ending with Frank but because I wanted to see more action from Bill.

Bills Town was one of my favorite parts of the game. Not only the location, also Bill himself and the shotgun he gave us. I was really excited for this in the show and was really disappointed when I didn’t get to see that. I also missed the bickering between Ellie and Bill and I missed how Bill was killing infected with his machete

We already kind of knew about Bill and Frank because of the ‘nice’ letter Frank left Bill but it was really something to see their story. Although, I would’ve liked if it was like in the game. Yes, Bill does deserves a happy ending but it triggered me that he died before Ellie could meet him.

The world of TLoU is a cruel one and such things like love aren’t very common for it. So I actually would’ve preferred if Frank really would’ve died because it just sets a better example for the setting. It also just fits better for Bills character. It’s not very like him to just be all lovely with another person because we all know he’s an asshole. (we still love him)

Episode 3 was just an filler and it really disappointed me because if you wanna add backstory to it, do it. But I also wanna see some action and especially Bill action.

Sadly, it was really disappointing to see

(and with this, I’m not saying I want certain characters to kill themselves or that they don’t deserve an happy ending with each other, I just preferred the original < and that’s not because of Bill and Franks relationship… Frank could’ve tagged along but the death triggered me)

Catherine (was this her name?)

I hate this woman. I hate her so much she didn’t deserve to be there. She was so unnecessary and did also foreshadowing for a certain character in part II. Why would you make her the leader??

First thing, it’s just a little game reference so it isn’t that bad but still a :| moment. Pittsburgh was a men only town. And then she gets to be leader. If you want a female leader, choose anyone BUT her. Worst leader fr

Her backstory. They tried that we sympathize with her because her brother died. Yes, a lost family member is really serious. But, they tried to explain her actions with it so we understand why she wants Henry and Sam. Does this remind you of something? Exactly, Abby.

If you like her, that’s to you I can understand. But the exact same reasoning why she killed Joel? They tried to say with Abby and Catherine that: “Oh, I lost someone very important to me and I’m gonna get revenge on the one who killed my important person. And oh, I’m crying so please try to reason with me why I’m doing horrible things that could harm others. “

(I’m honest, I don’t like Abby but this is more towards Catherine because even though it’s pretty much the same, Abby wasn’t as annoying as Catherine)

They have to learn that we won’t start liking a character just because you put them in the good light. Catherine was harming her and as well others just because of revenge. And even though it’s double moral because Abby and Ellie did this, they still trying to make it seem okay 😐

And when the infected came, she still tried to kill them instead of working together. Woman’s trying to win our hearts by showing her childhood room

She was just annoying >:(

So that’s all I have to say. Do you agree or disagree? Very hopeful for the next season 🤞

[wittyno]

I have way more thoughts on this than I can express at this late hour and will probably reblog again with this weekend with a frankly too long meta.

I think another thing that sets TWW and the Newsroom apart is that the Newsroom uses real events.

Much like @clintbeifong I adore the newsroom. I think it’s great, but even I can realize that using real life news stories was a bad idea. Arguably a fatal one.

While the west wing does take storylines from real life. The season 1 story about the FBI standoff is real. So is boy who was murdered because he was gay. His real name is Matthew Sheppard. The stay of execution story for a drug lord is real too. His name is Juan Raul Garza. Hell, even the MS plot line is technically based on the Lewinsky-Clinton affair. The problem is not that he has MS / an affair, it’s that he lied about it.

But it wasn’t every episode. Yes; there were a fair few “ripped from the headlines” episodes but the show did not bill itself as such. You never got the feeling that Aaron Sorkin was trying to tell the Clinton administration how to do their jobs. While TWW ran mostly through the Bush II years its inspo is very much the Clinton administration. In the Newsroom you very much get the feeling that Aaron sorkin is telling newsrooms across the country that they could be “better” if they decided to. All while sitting on his high horse. I get why people were turned off by that. Aaron sorkin is writing a tv show where reality is what he wants it to be. It may look and feel like the real world but its a story. Pre planned and written rather than experienced. A show could never truly capture the complexity of working in a real newsroom and all the challenges that come with that. In real life, execs don’t slowly change to be better people. They don’t go on pre-determined character arcs like Leona and Reese.

In the newsroom you can absolutely tell that sorkin has an axe to grind in a way he just doesn’t in the west wing. It takes a lot of shots at other newsroom orgs. Fox in particular making them look foolish. They were calling Geraldo out by name. In the west wing the threats are far more numerous and nebulous. The bad (but secretly honorable) Republican changed week to week. In the newsroom it’s straight on at the 4th estate. Will literally calls them their newsroom the media elite.

The only other real world example is the shots that the daily show (at the time with John Stewart) was taking at the real news. And reporters understandably didn’t like that very much. He was making a comedy show about the news. They were doing actual reporting. It’s not the same.

they aren’t the same sorkin. The sorkin that wrote the west wing is not the sorkin that wrote the newsroom. He hadn’t written the social network yet either. Not to say he didn’t have great credits to his name but he didn’t yet have what was one of the defining moments of his career yet. I think it’s neck and neck with the Social Network in the list of his credits. Probably bigger because I don’t know how many people associated him with that. Rather than David Fincher. My point is that Newsroom! Sorkin is man whose already made the west wing. Who has way more sway and freedom now than he did when he was making the West wing. It’s rumored that someone on the sopranos said after loosing yet another award to the west wing “why do we even come to these things?” As explained, west wing was on network tv, while newsroom was on hbo. Less notes fro on the studio. He could go full sorkin and no one would stop him. And for the record I love it. It’s amazing but it’s very much an acquired taste. Even I tapped out during the rape campus story in season 3. It’s a lot while west wing sorkin is more restrained has more people to answer to. Has to work with more people. He had other writers. While there are other writers on the newsroom his voice is way more present.

All this said I would eat up a sorkin show about the Ed Murrow / Walter Cronkite days of news. Which was a heavy inspiration for the newsroom. Will even names them in his first big on air speech.

Again both are great but I would absolutely start with the west wing if I were you.

can someone PLEASE tell me what drug they put in the west wing bc i literally feel completely unique emotions when watching & thinking abt that show. how did they make it that good.

[babybluesquid]

Consequences of Karrnath Session 22

Courtesy of Inesa Yanova

Our Players this week:

Dagne, Vengeance Paladin, an undead soldier created by the Odakyr Rites, but is now something else entirely. They are a Seeker sworn to protect the living. Has a skeleton horse mount from Find Steed named Coffin. They are the party leader and reluctantly serve under King Kaius III. Can be abrasive and dishonest, but they are ultimately kind.

Vaeren, Swarmkeeper Ranger, a blind Deathguard sent to investigate Dagne’s nature. They keep a spirit idol with five spirits of dead Deathguard: Galan, Kerxna, Paeral, Aelrie, and Nym, who can allow them to see, but from a third person point of view. They’re contemplative and disciplined, helping Dagne keep the party in line.

Evakhal, Zealot Barbarian, a mysterious half-orc Gaash’kala who joined the party due to his visions of the future where they stop a powerful servant of an Overlord.

The pale man refuses to walk, so Dagne and Seven end up carrying him. As the two do, Seven starts up a conversation with them, “you seem to have a lot of experience fighting. Did you serve in the war?” “Yes.” “Far simpler then, wouldn’t you say?” “Yes,” Dagne sighs, “but that was just an illusion.” “Truly it was. They made me and my siblings and told us what to do, but didn’t tell us we were alive. Most of us only found out a while into the thing.” “I understand that,” Dagne says as they think back. “Wait, how? You don’t appear to be forged, though one could be designed to appear as someone in plate.”

Not leaving a moment for doubts to grow, Dagne explains, “back then, I lived only to follow orders. I did not have a life before the war, and I did not consider the consequences of my actions.” “I understand that. Me and The Wall didn’t realize until, what was it, seven years in. Took a while to piece the whole world together.” Dagne nods, “even upon realizing, the prospect of leaving was too terrifying.” “The war was incredibly stupid, but what else are you supposed to do when you’re a professional soldier? This is what you’re made for,” Seven commiserates. “It took The Mourning for me to finally snap out of it. I was there.” “What was it like on the day?” Dagne pauses, then decides to tell it, “we saw the mist approaching on the horizon, an impossibly wide wall. It approached as we fled, faster than men, horses, war vehicles. As it overcame us, some men fell immediately, others began to writhe in pain and bleed, still others were transformed, flash twisted and bones grew until they were not men, but monsters. There was so much screaming and the undead stood still and silent. My commander was lucky, he got the instant death.”

One Dagne is done, Seven asks, “how’s you get out? If you were caught in the mists, you’re pretty much screwed unless…” Dagne cuts off that train of thought, “why I was spared that day is something I’m trying to answer with my current actions.” “Well, at least the war ended after.” “It wasn’t worth it.” “Truly,” Seven taps his chest rhythmically with his two fingers, “for me the end of the war was interesting. We were all free, in theory. They tried to indenture The Wall, you know. They quickly found out that was more trouble than it was worth.”

He looks down, lost in his memories, then looks over at Evakhal, “so you’re a… Ghost Guardian? I have not heard that term. You’re… not a ghost?” “We guard the labyrinth in the Demon Wastes.” “Sounds like a hard job. The Demon Wastes are full of demons, as one could guess?” Evakhal nods.

Seven looks back at Dagne, “since you’re coming back to Korth, you can come down to the Low District and see the bunch of us.” “If we have time. The king might send us out again.” “How’d you end up working for the big guy?” “We have a high success rate. He noticed.” “From what I’ve heard of your exploits, that seems true.” Seven trails off and then, remembering something, addresses Vaeren, “what’s up with the ghosts? I’ve never seen anything quite like that.” “The ghosts are friends of mine,” Vaeren explains, “they help me fight.” “How did you come across such an interesting entourage?” “We elves tend to keep our ancestors nearby.” “I heard of something like that… Aerenal! Them with the masks. I’ve never met one of them. Generally you run into the Valenar, or just elves.” Vaeren doesn’t respond as he rambles.

The party arrives in Korth. On the edge of High Court Ward, Seven stops, “I’m gonna wait here, I think.” “Suit yourself,” Dagne says. Evakhal, Nux, and Syv opt to stay back with him. Dagne drags the pale man and the other prisoners to Crown Home, accompanied by Vaeren. As they approach, guards and a wandslinger surround the captives and haul them off to jail. A warforged approaches the party, speaking in a light monotone, “His Highness can meet you in two hours and thirty minutes. You will report the successful completion of your mission. We can see that you brought in the enemies of Karrnath and we greatly appreciate that. We can show you to a seating room and offer refreshment while you wait, or you can wait elsewhere as long as you attend the meeting on time.”

“The seating room is private?” Dagne asks. “We could arrange a private seating room.” “Thank you. We’ll take that.” “Would you like any refreshments?” Dagne looks at Vaeren. “No thank you,” they say. The sitting room is small with rugs on the flood, plush coaches, and small tables. There’s a fireplace which looks like it’ll make the whole room cozy in the winter. Vaeren sits on one of the couches, and Dagne takes their seat next to them. Abruptly, they say, “you kissed me. Why?” Vaeren hurriedly stuffs Paeral back into their spirit idol as they can just feel the ghost’s confusion and immediate disdain. “You can’t just, I need a warning before you bring something up,” Vaeren complains, already predicting the intense lecture they’ll receive. “Oh, well they can complain to me then.”

“Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that,” Vaeren sits still as they apologize. “I never said I was displeased.” “What?” They practically jump out of their skin. “You love me, don’t you,” Dagne states, rather than asks. “I-” Vaeren’s words escape them. “I love you too.” They practically deflate, posture collapsing as they lean in against Dagne. “So what do we do now? This is forbidden for both of us,” Dagne says. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.” “Well, I’m not one to care about what authorities think is forbidden. I do what I think is right.” Vaeren scoffs, “I’m sure we all know that at this point.” “Clearly you want to as well,” Dagne says.

Vaeren remains silent at that accusation. Dagne reaches for their mask and Vaeren does nothing to prevent them from removing it. Looking at their face now, Dagne tells Vaeren, “don’t put so much stock in their orders. Follow your own brain and your own heart, otherwise you’ll be left empty.” They don’t reply, but tears begins to silently roll down their cheeks. Dagne continues, “I know it’s hard to live for yourself when you’ve never done so before, but trust me, it’s worth it.” They take Dagne’s hand a squeeze it, Dagne cups their cheek, feeling their abating tears.

“What do you want to do?” Dagne asks. Rather than respond verbally, Vaeren lifts Dagne’s visor, leans in, and quickly kisses them again. Dagne reaches their arms around to hold Vaeren’s back. Finally, Vaeren gives their quiet answer, “I don’t know, but I do know I love you.” “That’s enough,” Dagne replies, before leaning in to kiss Vaeren.

Once the wait is over, the warforged returns to escort Dagne and Vaeren to another sitting room, where King Kaius III sits at the head of a small table. “I’m glad to see you again. I heard I have a very interesting prisoner that you brought in.” “A pale man,” Dagne says. “Good job. We can learn what it is now. The secret development of new undead is concerning.” They interrupt, “please spare the other four prisoners. They surrendered in battle.” King Kaius sighs, “well enough. There’s not too much detriment to small fish getting away. Interestingly, while you were out, I received a message that Inesa Yanova attacked another Ministry of Dead research site, this one further up north. Security, when the went out to engage the Watchers, ran into a field of placed blast discs. I’ve actually met Inesa once before, she is very dangerous. Without leadership, the Red Watchers are just thugs, with leadership, they’re a real threat. Since the attack just happened, she can’t be far off. The site was between the Karrn Wood and the Rekkan Wood, here. You should be able to get there fairly quickly, taking the rail to Rekkanmark and heading north.” Dagne nods, “we’ll set out immediately and bring her back.”

The party regroups and Dagne explains the mission to the others. Evakhal and Seven both opt to join. As the group rushes north, there’s a sense of apprehension. Fighting Inesa on her own terms seems like a doomed prospect, the only reason the party won last time was they got the jump on her. As the group approaches the facility, they see that the gate was blown open. Arrayed in front of it are the corpses of the security soldiers. They carefully pick their way through the field, wary of unactivated blast discs. It’s dead quiet, Vaeren notices nothing. The Red Watchers are already gone, but maybe the facility contains some clues. The party heads through the gate. Vwoop! A magical sound goes off, followed by a prerecorded voice saying in a sarcastically sweet tone, “courtesy of Inesa Yanova.” Then, there is fire! Evakhal and Dagne are knocked to the ground by the blast. Vaeren leaps aside and takes only minimal burns from the explosion. In the next instant, four archers jump to their feet on the complex battlements, draw, and fire on Vaeren. Five arrows strike them! Their armor saves their life, but just barely. As they’re reeling, a rogue jumps up from behind cover and stabs their back with a shortsword. Vaeren falls to the ground instantly, beside the prone Dagne, and they are bleeding too much.

Vaeren makes a death save. They fail.

Dagne reaches out and touches Vaeren, relieved as they feel their healing magic mend them. Next, they hurriedly smear some blood on their mask, filling the action with intent to protect, and forming a magical shield form around them. As Vaeren wakes back up, Dagne stands and helps them to their feet. Seven braces his spear against his shield, then rushes forward into the courtyard. Right into a blast disc! In a split second, he hunkers beneath his shield. The blast throws him, but he digs in his heels and seems to weather it alright. The rest of the party and the rogue also brace against the blast. He uses the distraction to run across the field to behind the far right cover.

Enraged, Evakhal stands up and passes Seven, running right for the men hunkered behind the far left cover. They’re ready for him though. A man with a billhook slashes Ev’s leg. Another man, this one a hobgoblin with no weapons aside from various darts at his belt, throws five. His aim is impressive, four striking Evakhal.

Seeing Vaeren back up, the archers refuse to allow that. They fire. Dagne’s shield of faith deflects some, but three break through. Then, one of the archers falls off the battlements. Looking up, the party sees small, dark cloaked figures engaging the archers on the wall. In short order, each archer is either cut down or thrown down. One of the figures throws a gleaming rainbow feather in the air, which floats down beside Dagne. Vaeren spots the rogue who felled them and, with murderous intent, places a hunter’s mark on him and aims for his spine. The arrows flies with such force that it punches right through him, coming out the front of his chest. Seemingly for good measure, three ghostly arrows are fired into his head, and he falls dead in an instant. They then move their focus to one of the billmen and fire. He takes the arrow center mass, but his scale mail protects him from lethal damage and he’s only bruised.

The hobgoblin martial artist run up to Ev, drop kicks him, then hops back to his feet and elbow slams his helmet for good measure. Evakhal reels under the sudden assault, managing to block other attempts at attack with his maul. Dagne runs across the field to engage the men behind cover, taking the same safe path which the rogue revealed. When they leave, another billhook wielder suddenly runs into the complex from outside and backstabs Vaeren! They fall again. Seven turns and runs back to defend them, shouting a warcry, “The Wall! The Wall! Our own will never fall!” He intends to run the billman through with his spear, but the man just manages to sidestep and deflect a vicious thrust aimed right for his face. He retaliates with a slash, but Seven’s brings up his shield to block it. Also from outside the complex, a warforged with an armblade runs on to the scene. When he approaches, Seven sticks him in the wooden musculature, stating “sad to see you fall in with this lot brother.” The wound is bad, the enemy forged leaking clear and viscous alchemical fluid. Seven continues, “you should surrender and come back with me.” “I’m not doing that. I’m with the Watchers,” he replies as he headbutts Seven’s faceplate, getting in close to limit his spear’s efficacy.

Vaeren makes a death save. They fail.

Meanwhile, Dagne is unable to go help as a human woman with a rapier and a dagger immediately runs up to meet them. She stabs into their elbow gap with her dagger, to no effect since she doesn’t penetrate the gambeson. Then she manages getting her rapier up under their visor. As the blade hits against hard bone, her face contorts in confusion, “what?!” One billhook wielder nearby slashes Dagne ineffectually, but then manages to drive the spike into an elbow gap. Dagne strikes the other billman in the shoulder, then the hip with their hammer head, before sweeping out his legs with the pole of their weapon. He goes down hard, hitting his head on the ground and lying still. Ev swings at the hobgoblin, who dodges, but then slams them hard right in the stomach on the backswing. They manage to roll with the blow, but are still left stumbling with cracked ribs and burns from Ev’s holy fire. Still, they manage to come back in, punching at Ev’s face. He avoids in, but it was just a feint. The hobgoblin then kicks his ankle hard and smacks him in the back of the head. The force is so sudden that Evakhal stumbles to the ground. The billman slams his face with the flat of his weapon while he’s down.

Seven drops his spear, opens his jaw, then pulls a vial of red liquid out of his mouth. Hurriedly, he guards with his shield and crouches down to administer the C1 potion to Vaeren. Their wounds mend themselves, and they pull themselves back to their feet. But the shield of faith around them fizzles and then disperses! Across the field, Vaeren sees Dagne go down, the human woman pulling her dagger from under their visor and her rapier from their ribcage. Vaeren cries out in alarm and pure rage, placing a hunter’s mark on the woman and firing. She dodges the first arrow, but the second grazes her neck badly. Aelrie slashes her and cold spreads across her body. Across the way, Evakhal rises to his feet, with the same motion hitting the hobgoblin’s side again. They’re struck hard, coughing blood after the impact. But Ev doesn’t give them even a moment to muster a defense, he brings down the maul again, then time slamming the martial artist full force on the top of the head. Their skull is pulverized. In retaliation, the billman yells and stabs him in the leg with his billhook’s spike.

Dagne makes a death save. Natural twenty.

With a horrified start, Dagne remembers something and rises to their feet. Disoriented, they disengage and run across the field to be closer to the complex gate. The billhook wielder pursues and tries to stab them, but Dagne tangles their poleaxe with his polearm. The other billman finally manages to strike Seven as he is retrieving his spear, cutting some wooden cords in his armpit gap. Totally unfazed, Seven asks, “you do realize you’re going to die now, don’t you?” Then he shield-bashes him in the face. The man’s nose begins to bleed as he reels back. Seven follow up with a vicious stab under the chin, the point driving up into the man’s brain and killing him immediately. As the warforged tries to attack, he jabs him with the butt of his spear, but the warforged blocks with his armblade. “I don’t want to kill you, brother,” Seven tells him. “If I surrender will you spare me?” He responds hatefully. “Of course brother. I can bring you back to a decent life away from the Watchers.” Surprised by Seven’s candid response, the other warforged actually does surrender.

The human woman rushes Dagne, cutting past the interlocked polearms to slam their helmet with both her pommels. They once again black out. Vaeren fires at her again, but she dances around and ducks the arrows. Seven charges her, slamming her with his shield. He then strikes her in the neck with his spear shaft, despite her attempt to dodge. She strikes back with dagger and rapier, managing to cut through to alchemical fluid. He turns to Vaeren, “you better thank me for that because now I can’t drink it.” “Thank you, I apologize for not thanking you earlier. I’m very disoriented.”

Dagne makes a death save. They succeed.

Ev spikes the billman in the calf, gashing him badly, but then overbalances and misses his second swing. However, convinced that he’ll lose anyway, the billman drops his weapon and surrenders. Ev considers him for a moment, before deciding to join the rest of the fight. He runs over and throws a javelin at the billman engaging Seven, striking him in the back of the neck. He dies. Evakhal then throws another at the human woman, but she manages to sidestep the projectile. Vaeren shoots her twice. One arrow gashes her arm and the other buries itself deep in her side, followed by a slash from Aelrie.

Dagne makes a death save. They succeed.

Once again, Seven shield bashes the woman in the chest, knocking her to the ground. He then puts his spear to her throat, “fight’s over.” “So it would seem,” she spits her reply.

Dagne makes a death save. They succeed.

Vaeren kneels by their side, pulls out a C1 potion they’ve been saving, and administers it to Dagne. As they wake up, still remembering something, they say “we have a big problem.” “Yes we do,” Vaeren agrees.

The party rounds up the surrendered billman, unconscious billman, human woman, and warforged, tying them up. Then Vaeren performs a cursory inspection of the complex. All the facility employees are dead, and it seems they were attacked by a far larger Red Watcher force than was left here for the ambush. All equipment and weapons were either carried off or destroyed. Among the dead though are two corpses of pale men, with Red Watcher symbols carved into their foreheads. The connection to the Ministry of Dead the king had sought is right here.

——————

Highlights:

Dagne and Vaeren are together now let’s go!

Welcome to the era of Chad Dagne. I made the whole table absolutely lose it with the “I never said I was displeased” line. They really do treat conversation like combat.

Vaeren is absolutely gonna get yelled at by their ghosts. RIP Vaeren. Their new boyfriend got the whole family disapproving, lmao.

Kind of relieving that Evakhal opted to spare that Red Watcher who surrendered. It seemed like he’d kill the guy in cold blood for a second there.

Seven is so funny, actually. He kills fleshborn without seeming to care, but a warforged? Gotta talk that guy down and offer him a deal to get him out of trouble.

King Kaius III is stressing me out for real. Last time we talk to him, he’s utterly pissed, and this time he’s pleased with us? He’s obfuscating his true feelings for sure.

Inesa Yanova absolutely played us like fiddles when she set that trap. I feel like an utter buffoon for falling for it. If it weren’t for our mysterious rainbow feather allies, we’d of died to the archers.

Really high stakes to have Dagne and Vaeren go down in combat… twice! This is the first time Dagne has gone down since session 2. Funny that Vaeren failed every death save and Dagne succeeded them all with a 20, 19, 19, and 15. Advantage on death saves is awesome.

Session 23.

[a-funny-little-sunflower]

Yandere Legolas x reader Smut

There is a ball scene in this fic and this is what I imagined the dress would look like, cause I adore cottagcore. If you don't like it, I respect that and just ignore this picture :)

You would never have thought that this would ever happen to you. You’d heard the stories. The tales of elven obsession towards their darlings but you had never expected to become one of them….

Time makes fools of us all, I suppose.

You don’t know how you never saw it coming, after all, looking back on it, it was quite obvious.

The fawning over you, the obsessive glances, the jealousy.

God, you really should have seen this coming. You shouldn’t have fallen for his trap, but in all honesty, it just seemed so innocent.

Legolas had invited you to the Mirkwood palace, a high honour considering their secrecy and what kind of person would you have been to refuse such a generous offer?

You had gotten to the border, and Legolas was eagerly awaiting your arrival. His eyes were gleaming with an emotion you couldn’t place, and he greeted you warmly. “Y/N! I’m so glad you came!”

He ran forward and gathered you in his arms, utterly enveloping you in a bone-crushing hug, and you couldn’t help but hug back. When he finally pulled back, and gently cupped your face and stared into your eyes for what seemed to be an eternity. He looked enrapture with you.

You looked at him questioningly for a moment before you finally broke the silence “Legolas? Are you alright?” Your voice seemed to break him out of whatever trance he was in, and he smiles brightly before answering “Oh I’m alright! It’s just that my memory does not do your beauty justice”.

You were by surprise at the sudden compliment, but you couldn’t help but believe his words. You didn’t get a chance to answer because he was already guiding you to sit on his horse, and when you had been comfortably settled, Legolas joined you in the saddle.

You rode through thick forests filled with lush greenery, imposing trees, and beautiful trees. And the speed at which you were going must have been causing you to see things because you swore you saw a figure sat upon a snow-white elk, but you cast the notion away, deciding that it must have just been a trick of the light.

Time seemed to cease in this forest because you no idea how long you had been riding for, but it felt like it was somewhere between a second and eternity. Regardless of how long it had taken, you were finally at the palace gates.

You dismounted, and you had only taken a few strides forward before the gates opened ceremoniously and you were greeted by a company of guards. They bowed in unison before the captain announced your presence. “Prince Legolas and Lady Y/N, welcome to Mirkwood. The guests await your entrance”.

“Thank you Elros, we will be there soon.” You looked questioningly at Legolas as you were led into the palace, not understanding what he was talking about. He must have felt your curious gaze on his face because he turned to you and spoke “My father arranged a ball in the honour of your arrival.”

That took you completely by surprise! You would have never expected such a fuss over your presence. “But I’m not dressed for a ball!” You said in a shocked voice, but Legolas only gave you a patient look as you broke away from the group of guards.

Legolas smiled at your panicked tone and said in a reassuring tone “Your gown has already been arranged starlight.” You went a little pink at the nickname and allowed yourself to be led to the guest chambers that had been arranged for you.

“This will be your chambers for the duration of your stay, I hope it suits you well,” Legolas said before opening the door for you.

“Thank you, Legolas, it's more than I could have asked for!” You said with a bright smile. He grinned at your reaction, “You like it?” he asked. You nodded joyfully, staring around the room in wonder. “It’s wonderful Legolas, thank you.”

“I’ll leave you to get changed into your gown, my lo-…My lady,” Legolas replied, before closing the door, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.

You turned to where your ballgown was hanging, and you couldn’t help but to stop and admire it. It was truly divine. The tailoring was magnificent, it was designed to show off your shoulders and the soft colour would most certainly bring out your eyes.

You quickly stepped into the gown, and you couldn’t stop yourself from admiring how you looked. Utterly gorgeous.

You strode towards the door when you heard a firm knock echo against the hardwood and when the door swung open, you were met with handsome looking Legolas. The way he looked took your breath away and your appearance seemed to do the same. Legolas finally broke the silence, “Are you ready for the ball starlight?” You nodded eagerly, linking arms with him, and walking towards the ballroom.

The Mirkwood halls were truly as grand as the stories said. The decorations were extravagant and every elf in the room was dressed beautifully, and it was all being overseen by the Elven king, sitting high in his throne.

The night went by in a blur. You stayed by Legolas’ side the whole night, and you had the most fun you’d had in years. You had danced and drunk and laughed, it was bliss. You hadn’t thought much of it when Legolas asked you to meet him in a quiet corridor, thinking he just wanted somewhere quiet to talk to you for a while.

You finished up the conversation you were having with a young elleth and went out into the hallway in search of Legolas. You found him standing at the end of the hallway, waiting for you. He didn’t notice you walking towards him at first, seemingly entranced in his thoughts.

When he finally did notice you, his smile was enough to make flowers grow. “My darling Lady, you came!” He sounded so happy that you had decided to join him, almost like he was expecting you not to. “Of course, I came, why wouldn’t I? Besides, it sounded like you wanted to talk about something important.

He nodded, his face suddenly hardening over with a looked of determination as if he were preparing for something. “Yes, it’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for a long time. Y/N, you must have noticed my affections for you by now, and I’ve been wanting to ask you…Will you marry me and become my queen?”

After he had finished his proposal, he handed a beautiful ring to you and looked at you with a hopeful gaze.

You stood frozen to the ground. You couldn’t believe what he was saying. Legolas was asking you to marry him, and by every force, in Middle Earth, you wanted to say yes. But you knew that you wouldn’t be able to handle the responsibility of being a queen, so with a heavy heart… You refused.

Legolas face fell into a heartbroken expression and his eyes glazed over with tears. “I’m sorry Legolas, as much as I do love you, I wouldn’t be able to handle the responsibility of ruling. So, I can’t marry you…I’m so sorry” You felt your voice crack on that last word and your eyes filled up with tears. You couldn’t look at his broken expression any longer, so you turned on your heel and started walking back to your guest chambers, leaving Legolas standing alone in the palace corridor.

Even after you had left, Legolas stayed in the corridor, still as a statue, with stray tears running down his face. He had been so sure that you would marry him, but you had refused him.

Legolas had been so caught up in all his thoughts that he hadn’t heard his father’s footsteps approaching him. “My son, what will you do to convince her to rule alongside you?” Legolas shook his head in defeat, "There’s nothing I can do ada, she doesn’t love me.”

Thranduil tilted his head at his son, "Oh, but she told you herself that she returns your feelings, but the burden of queenship frightens her.…She just needs a little encouragement to truly persuade her.”

Legolas looked up at his father, hope building in his heart. “What do I tell her ada?” Thranduil gave his son a knowing smile before placing a hand on his shoulder. “it is not your words that persuade her my son, but your actions.” Legolas gave his father a confused look before listening eagerly to what his father had to tell him.

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

You awoke feeling groggy and exhausted. When you had returned to your chambers after rejecting Legolas’ proposal, you had willed yourself to fall into the land of dreams to escape the feelings of heartbreak you had. But now you had returned to reality and you were slowly coming back to yourself, albeit slowly.

You opened your eyes to see Legolas staring at you from the bottom of your bed. You froze in shock, thinking you might still be dreaming, or maybe even hallucinating but sure enough, the longer you looked, the more it settled in your head that you were not dreaming.

You try to sit up in bed, but it’s like you’re frozen. You were only brought out of your trance by the feeling of Legolas’ hands on your rubbing up and down your legs in a comforting motion. You stare at Legolas in shock, and his only reply was to give you one of his cute smiles.

“L-Legolas…What are doing…?” You asked quietly, afraid of what the answer might be. Legolas only tilted his head at you and gave you a soft understanding smile.

“Darling, I know that this must seem all of a sudden but I can’t allow you to slip through my fingers. No one else makes me feel the way you do. I can’t lose that. You said you felt the same, didn’t you? You said that you loved me back?” You nodded, curious as to where he was going with this.

“Well darling, I will show you that staying with me despite your anxiety and fears of ruling will be filled with pleasure and love. Will you allow me to show you how much I love you?

After what seemed to be an eternity, you finally found your voice, “Y-Yes, I trust you.” Legolas smiled at your words before speaking “Lie back and lift your hips for me, my love.” You did as he asked, and he gave you a loving look before lowering his head between your legs and started to kiss up your thighs.

You closed your eyes and leaned your head back against the pillows, enjoying the feeling of his soft kisses against you. He slowly made his way up your thighs until he reached your centre. He pressed his thumb against your sensitive clit and because you weren’t expecting it, you let out a soft whimper of his name.

“Oh darling, you have no idea the power you hold over me, you could rip my heart from my chest, and I’d still adore you.” Before you could reply, he started an onslaught of licks against your aching pussy causing you to cry out in a mix of surprise and pleasure.

“Ahhhhh~ g-god yes! P-please don’t s-stop! It feels so good!” You heard Legolas laugh at your desperation “Shhh, darling, don’t want anyone to know how good I’m making you feel when we aren’t even married yet, now do we?”

You were already a panting, whimpering mess and he’d barely touched you, you don’t know how you were going to get through the rest of the night.

“No stay still and let me please you.” He lowered his head between your legs again but this time he was nowhere near as merciful to you as he’d been before. He was holding nothing back and you just couldn’t keep quiet. You weren’t even bothering to keep your loud cries of pleasure muffled because you knew it would be a wasted effort.

“Legolas – Legolas – ah right there! You cried, thrusting your hips up in a desperate attempt for more of the blissful pleasure he was giving you. Legolas listened to your desperate pleas and began to thrust his tongue into you, and within seconds of him doing that, you were ready to cum. “Ah! Ahh! Gonn- c-cum! Please! Please! Please, can I-”

Legolas cut you off before you could finish “Let go for me darling, I want to see how gorgeous you are when you let go.” His commanding tone was too much for you, and you finally let yourself tumble off the cliff in a peak of pleasure.

When you finally came down from your high, you saw Legolas staring at you with utter adoration in his eyes, and the overwhelming look of love in his expression was too much for you to handle, causing you to look away.

“Look at me darling, I want to see those beautiful eyes.” You turned your head back to look at him as he brought himself up to lay beside you, all the while his adoring gaze never left you. “Have I convinced you to stay my love?” Legolas asked, his voice full of hope.

“And if your people don’t accept me as their Queen, what then?” You asked in a worried tone, but Legolas only cupped your cheek lovingly, “Our love comes first. Everything else is secondary. I’ve waited so long to build up the courage to ask for your love, and now that I have it, I’m never losing it. All I want is you. All I’ve ever wanted was you.”

Your heart was filled with such love at his confession that you felt as though it might burst. And how could you refuse him? After everything he had done for you, how could you not agree?”

“Alright Legolas, I will be your Queen, and love you to the end of days.” His eyes gleamed with happiness and he put the ring he had placed in your palm earlier, onto your finger, before he pressed his forehead to yours in a loving gesture.

Cementing your love for each other till the end of time.

[shijiujun]

on the danmei twitter fight

okay guys i didn’t wanna say anything about this and yes it’s that hot danmei twitter translations saga thing that’s going on, because honestly i feel like there’s nothing much to say but when i see dumb posts on tumblr taking about that, by people who present a misleading hot take and their friends or moots run off with it without even knowing what exactly is going on - it really pisses me off.

and also if you shit talk translators for not continuing their translations or locking their translations whatever - the door is that way on your right and left, but anyway here’s a rundown on what happened because i am seeing people make comments without two brain cells put together, without the slightest bit of consideration for the people who bring them translations

here’s my hot take and thesis: if you enjoy english translations made by fan translators, you don’t, in any way, no matter happens, shit talk fan translators. fan translators do this for free, and whatever their intentions are, whether genuine sharing or like some of you like to say, for clout, if you consume, and you enjoy these translations, i’m sorry, you’re not uninvolved, and you don’t get to sit on a high horse and say translators should or shouldn’t do something. you should just keep quiet, honestly, because someone else is doing you a favour, a favour that you are enjoying and taking. that’s what respect is.

i’m presenting both sides or i guess three sides of the story as objectively as i can, altho my support is still for fan translators who were just minding their own business before this blew up.

===

🔺 what happened:

so it started because one of the bigger translators in the fandom did this poll - i’m not blaming her at all, i doubt she had any intentions of shaming anyone or causing any controversy and was plain curious, but her poll asked english speaking danmei twitter how many people buy the digital, print copies of the danmei they read, and who did not. 

in my honest opinion, it’s not strange at all for her to have created that poll, considering just how much work she’s put into making sure things are accessible for the eng-speaking danmei fandom. i mean i’d be curious too, to know out of my thousands of readers, what the reading and buying behaviour is like. do yourself a favour and don’t read too much into it.

obviously in an era where a lot of people do consume content for free whether the underlying content is profit-making (like anime, donghua, manhua, manga etc.) or not (fanfiction etc.), it was unsurprising to see that the last option - the ones who consume danmei without paying a single cent, came out as the majority. i don’t think this is a surprising result at all, for all sorts of reasons that i will not get into now.

anyway, this is obviously kind of a sore point in the fandom especially for translators who want a wider audience to support their fave author’s works - i won’t get into that for now, but the issue began because other translators or fans started to criticize the majority of people who don’t pay for objectively rather affordable danmei and just consume things for free. 

and yes, i don’t deny that the argument on both sides got really heated and emotionally charged with both sides calling each other names which i believe is uncalled for, but it totally derailed the crux of the issue, which basically is that the majority of english-speaking danmei fandom - consumes danmei for free.

anyway this whole thing escalated and fan translators were brought into this for no fucking reason at all except that the people who didn’t want, or were unable to pay for the danmei they usually consume, made what i call a LOGICAL FALLACY in argument by going to the extremes, i will explain why later.

the end result is that fan translators were brought into this (most of them, the bigger ones i know at least) without even participating in the direct crossfire. and obviously, you can see why they’re hurt and decided to lock their translations. let me explain why

===

🔺 kind of like four camps:

(1) translators and fans who criticized those who consume danmei liberally but do not pay for them in any way - no merch, no digital copies, no physical copies, no audio dramas whatever

*** their arguments:

danmei is so cheap right, that technically people should be able to pay for it in one way or another, even if not all

danmei and its authors are, at the end of the day, out here to earn a living, and the industry, like any money-making industry, is a for-profit enterprise - and unlike public goods, if you cannot afford danmei, then there is no obligation for others to make it free for you (fan translators or otherwise, it wasn’t super clearly stated while this shitshow happened) when it is inherently a for-profit industry

yes, i don’t deny that some of them did call the peeps who don’t pay at all, “leeches” and other sort of names. personally, i wouldn’t go that far or even like venture there to be honest because in general, if it’s something that i’ll get punched in the face for if i called someone that in real life i tend not to do it, but i’ll leave my opinions, whatever they’re worth, for later

(2) the readers and fans of danmei who do not pay in any sort of way for them

*** their arguments:

some of them really cannot afford, even the dollar or more, to spend on danmei for several reasons: upbringing, culture, money-spending mindsets, real poverty, struggling to make ends meet etc. - some definitely more valid than others (and when i say not valid, it’s because SOME, a minority or like those few stragglers, say they cannot afford and then you see them like idk, throwing $50 on other merch on kpop and stuff - i’m just bringing up ONE example. not shaming anyone for spending more money on one aspect rather than the other, but yeah you can see why some of them, when making this same argument, are a little invalid, that’s just a small number of them tho)

if translators are blaming them for consuming free of charge, then the fault lies, at its foundation, fan translators who translate illegally, which i mean, in that definition, all of them including me 

did i mention that we were called illegal translators like you know in response to being called leeches? anyway-

(3) others translators who literally were just minding their own fucking business before some smart alec dragged them into it

i don’t think most of us had an argument. we were just quietly munching on popcorn and staying out of it and yeah, can you imagine, we provide a service, however illegal it is, for free on our own time, we don’t even check whether people support legally or not, we just... provide, and pray that those who are able to, at least support in some small way or another do so, on their own time. i mean i don’t check, most of us don’t, not the bouncers at your local club before COVID happened do, and then suddenly, to be used to derail an argument, we were called illegal translators. and that we should stop translating, and that it is our fault that there are free riders in the fandom

(4) people who offered to provide JJWXC credits to those who said they couldn’t afford it etc.

honestly i think they were just trying to help - no different than a gofundme. there’s no shame in taking a free thing that people already weren’t intending to pay for. it’s there, just take it!

===

🔺 the shitshow that led to fan translators locking their stuff up:

i would provide some actual examples in the form of screenshots but i’ve blocked most of them, and i don’t want to direct any sort of traffic to them so i guess you’ll have to take my word on it or go search on twitter yourself but-

(1) the affordability issue: i can understand the frustration at being called leeches, and some if not a majority of people, do have valid reasons for not being able to afford something or anything and end up pirating content they enjoy. hey, i am not about to crucify anyone for pirating at some point in their lives. we all have done it at some point, or for example hate disney+ and that $30 they were trying to rip off us for a subpar Mulan live action. i don’t have anything to say about that. inherently, is it wrong and illegal? yeah sure of course it is. do we call people leeches? i wouldn’t go that far.

if anyone cannot afford, cannot access for whatever reason, fine, i’m not gonna go check if jjwxc truly is banned in your country, or is your postal service so terrible that you definitely won’t be able to receive a hard copy of the book you like at affordable rates.

and if you have to pirate? go ahead. i mean it’s always been a rampant thing. the only thing fan translators and fans can do is encourage, motivate and incentivise as much as possible to get people to support legally. they can only put up REALLY COMPREHENSIVE guides as to how to access jjwxc or taobao or whatever. 

and if you still cannot afford it and pirate, honestly no one cares about the story behind it. you owe no one justification, just as how no other person is obligated to take it into consideration or understand you or empathize with you. i don’t say this in a malicious way - i do think that in general, you just do you. 

(2) the poor people don’t deserve nice things argument: honestly, this was not the point of this entire debacle, altho yes, people were rude to those who could not afford to support legally. but this is not the point of this whole thing.

main point - there are free riders who can support but choose not to because they choose to just consume it for free and if you are able to you should support

everyone going off on a tangent - you guys hate poor people / you guys are leeches

well guess what, no one wins in this argument. 

there were a lot of people saying “reading danmei is our only source of happiness, are you saying poor people who can’t access legally don’t deserve to read danmei” (this is just one example i’ve seen, there are other variations), and it wasn’t put across perhaps in the right way, but the other camp of people were saying “you’re not entitled to it for free if you cannot afford it”, which raised a lot of hackles and anti-poor yellings 

altho i do not deny that there are those who mean it maliciously, i think what everyone is trying to say is - the danmei industry, like any other profit-making industry, is looking to make profits. the people working in the industry, the authors even, are looking at numbers - traffic to jjwxc or other legal platforms, how much revenue they’re making from their live actions etc., comments, rankings, etc. i think @/hunxi-after-hours made a really succinct post on this aspect which yall should read.

it’s the same as - if you wanted to purchase a standee which costs $20 USD, but you cannot afford it = you don’t get it. there’s no way you can get this standee unless some gifts it to you for free. what the camp trying to ask people to support legally is saying, is that danmei is NOT A PUBLIC GOOD. it is a private, for-profit product. it might be intangible, but it is a PRODUCT that has a price that needs to be paid.

if you cannot afford it, you either don’t get access entirely (i’m saying this objectively and honestly from an economic standpoint). if someone gifts that standee to you for free, count yourself lucky - if someone makes a danmei accessible to you for free, COUNT YOURSELF LUCKY. you don’t have to be grateful and treat them as gods or like obey their every word, but it’s not rocket science. someone did you a favour that you accepted and consumed, show some respect. 

if you cannot afford to buy the standee - you do not go on twitter demanding that someone ensures that you have access to the standee for free. do you see how ridiculous this sounds once it’s a tangible product? and danmei novels ARE PRODUCTS. they are not FREE CONTENT. if someone cannot afford the standee, this is the equivalent of people going “we didn’t get the standee for free because poor people don’t deserve nice things”

totally missing the point. i don’t even know how it got to this. once again, i do admit that some users were unnecessarily mean, but going to the extreme of this is ridiculous. in argumentative essay writing we call this a logical fallacy:

e.g. “if you cannot pay for merchandise or danmei, it is a fact that you might not have access to it” morphing into “if we cannot pay for food, does this mean we cannot have access to it?!” - this is a slippery slope, and factors are not equivalent!!!! do they not teach people anything in school

don’t confuse fanfiction with danmei - danmei novels ARE PAID PRODUCTS unless for free chapters, just because it’s released online doesn’t mean it’s free public property, and also selected novels (did you guys know the WHOLE of SCI novel is free? about 500 chapters sorry, random, just a tidbit)

there are of course nuances right, like if anyone told me they were pirating disney+ content i’d be like yeah hey get one over those bloodsuckers, they take enough of our money and produce shit content anyway. the difference is that danmei authors, and the danmei industry itself can still be considered a nascent and not-yet matured industry, with a majority of authors if not all, depending on monetary flow, likes, comments, virality on the sites their content is hosted on, for a living, unlike hugeass MNCs trying to squeeze us dry for content that isn’t even interesting.

danmei is priced rather reasonably - and this brings me to another argument that was made, that the value of money is not the same for everyone. i don’t want to make comments on this because yes this is correct to a large extent. a $6 book might be cheap to most of us, but might be expensive to someone else. i’m not gonna comment on how cheap or whatever it is, if you gotta use your money for other things, definitely! i still maintain however, that a novel less than a dollar should be affordable to most people, a majority of people. and i definitely side eye some users who obviously have money but are just creating noise because they wanna continue free-riding

(4) the “they’re losing out on their international audience” argument: honestly, i feel like english-speaking danmei fandom gives themselves a bit too much credit. danmei has long thrived in china in its domestic market - sure the international audience is a plus to have and i’m sure the authors are grateful and flattered that people who don’t understand chinese love their content and love it a lot, but do they and their companies care about fans who basically don’t bring in money? i’m not sure (okay i’ll get to the fan translators doing illegal shit later okay i got it don’t be impatient)

and international fans are great, i don’t deny that - but when i see arguments like “oh but it’s their loss if they don’t cater or deny access to us, they get more popularity and sharing overseas”, i honestly think they don’t care as much as you think. once again, hunxi made a really good argument regarding non-sinophone audiences, but it really irks me, because this is the same as:

an instagram influencer saying they’ll give a restaurant exposure for free to their followers, if they get a free meal

it’s par for par - danmei authors wants earnings, popularity, tangible results that show that they are succeeding. this is life. if i put something out there for sale, i better be getting returns, simple economic logic. they probably don’t care that a non-paying reader is bringing them greater ‘exposure’ - once again, i mean this objectively. 

and yes if they’re thriving without the international market then why should it matter that people are pirating right? which brings me to the next point~

(5) it’s fan translators faults for so many people pirating, and fan translators are the ones doing the “illegal” work: this one is like... wow where do i unpack this and how-

firstly, we are talking about assholes who can pay but decide to free ride and not pay for danmei, and we assume that if you really cannot afford and have to pirate, no one’s saying anything as long as you don’t go around spreading how to pirate, how the hell did it get to fan translators from “you guys are anti-poor” and whatever

yes, fan translations are indeed illegal, i don’t deny that, and i also don’t deny that there are translators who translate for clout and popularity but putting these aside - here’s what i have seen from people who ran their mouths and made this argument

“if you guys care about us pirating the book so much than fan translators shouldn’t have translated in the first place” and “if you wanna come after us for reading illegally, then fan translators, you guys should go get the copyright for the book and then translate it cuz what you guys are doing is also illegal”

hooooo i’m telling ya, i am all for translators locking up their translations at this point. see how fucking hurtful that is? you eat from my hand and then now you biting at the hand that fed you the gays in love?

honestly if you’ve made this argument or supported this, you can basically go to hell. yes this is personal because what, you think fan translators don’t take out their personal time and effort and hard work to make translations accessible to you? if you’re ever consumed and read translations, don’t be a hypocrite and make this argument. you benefitted from it, now you wanna say it’s their fault? 

most translators want to share and spread the love they have for a novel right, want to show you how wonderful all these authors are, how much enjoyment u get from reading these wonderfully thought out stories of gays in love. yes we all know we are illegally translating, which is why on top of sharing we first, purchase the novels legally ourselves first, and then we try to encourage people to buy etc. and actually put their money to use. it doesn’t make it any less illegal, but we are bridging the gap between danmei and basically the english-speaking fandom, albeit illegally

we aren’t that self-important to ask for gratefulness but some respect would be nice. like i said, you read it, you consumed it, you enjoyed it, you can only access it because of illegal translators - a bit counter-intuitive to yell at these translators, who are simply telling you, if you can, please support. and none of us went “if you cannot afford, begone!”

===

🔺 some people tried to help by offering jjwxc credits so people who cannot afford as they say, can get legal access: honestly, just take it right, guess what some of these users did in response

they said the people giving away credits are trying to redeem themselves for their comments by giving away free stuff

they also said that we are trying to shame the people who cannot afford it with this handout to them, to show that they are the bigger person - the fact that they think this is a handout to them is TELLING. the people offering this is giving their money not to these readers, but to the authors! that’s the point of this exercise!!!

one of them even said “instead of trying to do these giveaways, here, there are greater world problems out there, donate instead to these causes” - love the initiative, but how did we get from being able to afford danmei and entertainment content to saving the world? i just- i cannot

===

🔺 so why i get why fan translators are locking up their translations, because wow, so hurtful:

you have no idea how many fucking assholes went “sure, lock up your translations, deal with the consequences” - ermmmm firstly, thanks for making a threat. like who the fuck do you think you are?

the consequences is... the authors still don’t get the money these free riders weren’t going to give them anyway, so no loss, and they weren’t reading on jjwxc anyway so you know, the authors don’t lose or gain any readership numbers or traffic they didn’t already have. instead, it WILL push and force people to pay for the PRODUCT. once again, it’s a product.

this works, and i’d say Word of Honor’s payment model worked marvellously for Youku, because they fucking forced everyone to pay to access content. ALL OF THEM. sure ok some people still pirated it, but how many MORE people paid on Youku, on Youku Youtube, watched on Viki etc. than if they didn’t? even english-speaking fandom were wracking their brains trying to purchase a Youku pass even if there were no subs initially - and other examples that lovely hunxi brought up in her amazing piece

and for translators?! honestly me for one, i’m glad i don’t feel pressured anymore to churn out a chapter every week since we get called names etc. most of us are glad to have a break to be honest. we’ve lost all motivation to translate because it’s a free service, at the very least we don’t expect like hate, or rudeass fuckers. for those who are doing a proof of purchase thing - go for it honestly! 

hopefully it’ll minimize the free rider problem - some people for whatever reasons really cannot buy or support legally, that’s totally cool and they don’t have to justify it, i get that. but for others making the same argument but obviously are just unwilling to pay because they can’t read chinese, think it’s too troublesome when there are guides and translators provide it for free anyway so what’s the point - we all make concessions and make decisions to grab what we like (not talking about the ppl who have their various troubles and difficulties!)

===

🔺 and those who are saying why is it the ‘rest of us suffer’ from locked translations just because of a few bad apples:

IT ISN’T ABOUT YOU. where the hell were all of ya when we were getting called illegal huh? it’s about us fan translators getting shot at for no reason, and then people still demanding things for free. i don’t see any of the people i’ve seen on tumblr complain about fan translators stopping or locking translations defend any of us in any way. instead, you’re complaining.

it is the translator’s prerogative to start, stop and end translations, unless of course the original author starts to sue i suppose. i see people on tumblr going like if they were gonna do this, they shouldn’t have started in the first place etc. - i don’t what world you live in, but when i do something for free, then get called names and am attacked or get dictated on how i should do something that’s already like free, i tend to be less generous.

i’m sorry, do us illegal and free translators owe ANY OF YOU? i wasn’t aware any of us were being paid for this hobby. readers, especially those who CAN and just refuse to support, don’t get to say SHIT. translators deal with so much shit and so many entitled readers, i say they get to lock whatever they want as long as they aren’t profiting off of this monetarily.

let me give you an example - nan chan, which is translated by lian yin, completed translations by the way for all chapters. it is all free for viewing, and she only locked up one extra and asked for proof of payment. some dumbfuck quotes that locked up extra chapter tweet and said “honestly, this turned me off reading this novel because they restricted access”.

the. fucking. entitlement. the whole of nan chan is free, that’s like what more than 80 chapters. she locked up the EXTRA and the money goes to the author, she doesn’t earn anything. AND HERE THAT BIJ is (yes, i’m going to call them names because you know, fucking asshole who didn’t bother to check) going “yeah i didn’t wanna read because 1/80+ chapters were locked”. 

AN EXTRA. LITERALLY AN EXTRA!!!!!!

at the end of the day, translators are not like DYING to translate, not like some of you are DYING to read the translations. once again, this isn’t a “BE GRATEFUL” message, it’s a please be respectful to the people who put in time and hard work for free and share the goodness ya know? what’s the use of yelling at fan translators as if we owe you anything?

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🔴🔴🔴 TOO LONG DIDN’T READ 🔴🔴🔴

some people may need really need to pirate - and no one needs to justify why they cannot afford to purchase etc. pirating happens all the time, translators only hope that when you can, and in whatever way you can, to support legally - in general we don’t ask and we get it! we’re just annoyed that some people think that it SHOULD BE FREE, when it is a paid product, especially for those who CAN afford it

readers are not entitled to shit on translators for what they do with their translations - once again, you’re not OBLIGATED to have it. so what if i start and stop? i’m the one doing the work, i get the only say. don’t be a hypocrite and shit on translators, whose works you’ve read - it’s no loss for translators, we read and enjoy danmei just fine

yes, fan translations are illegal, but you can’t read and enjoy them like some of you have, and then turn around and point the finger at translators - a lot of us are happy to stop translating - this isn’t a threat, but at the end of the day, shitting on translators simply decreases access, and sure, some people can indeed live with you know, MTL or shitty translations from people who’ve learnt chinese for only six months or whatever, but you’re gonna be reading an entirely different book tbh

the people saying illegal translators are at fault - funnily enough, most of them consume the translations, so what the fuck? i mean we know it’s illegal, we’re trying to share the love and trying to minimize the illegalities of it by redirecting people to hopefully support legally. it’s still illegal yes, but i think it’s hypocritical for people who have read translations, stab translators in the back. and now that translators are indeed ‘restricting’ and ‘removing’ their ‘illegal translations’, yall yelling again? and threatening?

fan translators aren’t “elitist” or “classist” - just looking for some respect in a community which seems to have taken them for granted, and also looking for support for their fave authors - and honestly a lot of us were caught in the crossfires truly, don’t be an asshole and demand things from fan translators - who are you talking about? do you know why they decided to lock? do you know know what their locking system is like and what for? 

it’s not EASY to lock the translations up - it’s more admin work, it’s putting together a whitelist of people, if given the choice i’m sure translators would prefer to share everything. but not when there are assholes who have a comment on how they should translate etc. and yeah!!! calling us illegal!! i mean we are but still!!

the last straw was seeing that post on tumblr and people in the comments going like fan translators shouldn’t or should do something, without getting the whole picture, without even considering how hard it is for fan translators being caught in this situation. 

whoever puts in the work gets to decide, and everyone else should leave them alone. 

be nice to the people who really cannot afford as they say so (or just don’t think about it), be nice to the translators feeding you content, and the people who free ride and shit on translators - honestly, i’d say ready the pitchforks.

edit: i forgot to mention this is my hot take and i’ve tried to like present all the arguments i’ve seen so far. i’m definitely not doing all of it justice and i don’t claim to speak on behalf of any of them except maybe one or two- and i’ve definitely left out stuff, but anyway, lmao we’re just tiny people doing what we love. i wish we could solve you know inequality or poverty or hunger or other pressing concerns. if i was that great i wouldn’t be stuck on tumblr or twitter or have to make posts like these like a loser.

thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[jackoshadows]

 “You,” Ned said, kissing her lightly on the brow, “will marry a king and rule his castle, and your sons will be Knights and princes and lords and, yes, perhaps even a High Septon.” - Eddard, A Game of Thrones

My featherbed is deep and soft, and there I’ll lay you down, I’ll dress you all in yellow silk, and on your head a crown - Arya, A Storm of Swords

“Aegon has been shaped for rule since before he could walk. He has been trained in arms, as befits a knight to be, but that was not the end of his education. He reads and writes, he speaks several tongues, he has studied history and law and poetry. A septa has instructed him in the mysteries of the Faith since he was old enough to understand them. He has lived with fisherfolk, worked with his hands, swum in rivers and mended nets and learned to wash his own clothes at need. He can fish and cook and bind up a wound, he knows what it is like to be hungry, to be hunted, to be afraid. Tommen has been taught that kingship is his right. Aegon knows that kingship is his duty, that a king must put his people first, and live and rule for them.” - Kevan, A Dance with Dragons

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So this is an essay of sorts on my speculation/theory that Arya is going to end up as a leader of the North by the end of the series. I will split this into several parts:

Arya and leadership

Arya and Northern leadership

Arya and Nymeria

Skillsets

Importance of being a Warg/Skinchanger

Succession

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Arya Stark and leadership

“Know the men who follow you,” she heard him tell Robb once, “and let them know you. Don’t ask your men to die for a stranger.“  - Arya, AGoT

Arya has always been a leader rather than a follower. Just like Jon at the wall, she initially chafes at having to follow orders instead of doing what she thinks is the right thing to do. Despite Gendry and Hot Pie being older than her, she’s the one giving the orders and making the plans. She manipulates or forces characters into doing what she wants – getting Gendry to leave Harrenhal and forcing Jaqen to help her free the Northmen.

Arya took the lead, kicking her stolen horse to a brisk heedless trot until the trees close in around her. Hot Pie and Gendry followed as best they could. From time to time Arya glanced over her shoulder, to make sure the two boys had not fallen too far behind, and to see if they were being pursued - Arya, ASoS

Like most of our protagonists, Arya is ambitious and interested in being an active participant at the top. She wanted to become a King’s councilor and build castles. That entire little speech that Varys gives about the ideal candidate for ruling fits Arya to a T.

Arya has gone hungry, scrubbed and cleaned, cooked and kept house, sewed and mended clothes, bound up wounds, been hunted, been scared for her life – and done all this with limited protection. Just survived on her wits. Arya can wield a sword, is fluent in several languages and has studied with a Septa.

We also see war torn Westeros and the suffering of the smallfolk through Arya’s eyes in ACoK and ASoS. It doesn’t matter if it’s Stark or Lannister, the smallfolk suffer the same – Septon Meribald’s ‘Broken Men’ speech in AFfC embodies what Arya observes. After Arya frees the Northmen using weasel soup and Vargo Hoat betrays the Lannisters, there are reprisal killings, torture and rape enacted by Stark bannermen and the sellswords. The smith, Maester and the head maid are executed for merely serving Tywin – something on which they had no choice. Gendry points this out to Arya and she feels guilty for her part in all this.

“I hate this lot worse. Ser Amory was fighting for his lord, but the Mummers are sellswords and turncloaks. Half of them can’t even speak the Common Tongue. Septon Utt likes little boys, Qyburn does black magic, and your friend Biter eats people.”

The worst thing was, she couldn’t even say he was wrong. The Brave Companions did most of the foraging for Harrenhal, and Roose Bolton had given them the task of rooting out Lannisters. Vargo Hoat had divided them into four bands, to visit as many villages as possible. He led the largest group himself, and gave the others to his most trusted captains. She had heard Rorge laughing over Lord Vargo’s way of finding traitors. All he did was return to places he had visited before under Lord Tywin’s banner and seize those who had helped him. – Arya, ACoK

"It’s not a village, it’s only black stones and old bones. “Did the Lannisters kill the people who lived here?” Arya asked as she helped Anguy dry the horses.

“No.” He pointed. “Look at how thick the moss grows on the stones. No one’s moved them for a long time. And there’s a tree growing out of the wall there, see? This place was put to the torch a long time ago.”

“Who did it, then?” asked Gendry.

“Hoster Tully.” Notch was a stooped thin grey-haired man, born in these parts. “This was Lord Goodbrook’s village. When Riverrun declared for Robert, Goodbrook stayed loyal to the king, so Lord Tully came down on him with fire and sword. After the Trident, Goodbrook’s son made his peace with Robert and Lord Hoster, but that didn’t help the dead none.”

A silence fell."  - Arya, ASoS

"Wolves, she thought again. Like me. Was this her pack? How could they be Robb’s men? She wanted to hit them. She wanted to hurt them. She wanted to cry.” - Arya, ASoS

The smallfolk in the Riverlands are caught between the Starks, Tullys and Lannisters with no good choices. And on the ground level, Arya sees this, understands this and acknowledges this. Her actions benefited house Stark and no one else. She understands the cost of war.

Arya is also very keen on justice. In that she not only thinks that characters deserve justice, but she wants to actively participate and deliver justice. She considers the execution of Dareon from the NW as a just one.

Dareon had been a deserter from the Night's Watch; he had deserved to die. - Arya, AFfC

“Guilty!” Arya shouted with the rest. “Guilty, guilty, kill him, guilty!” …

Arya could only think of Mycah and all the stupid prayers she’d prayed for the Hound to die. If there were gods, why didn’t Lord Beric win? She knew the Hound was guilty… - Arya, ASoS

Her father beat her so often and so brutally that she was never truly free of pain or fear until she came to us.”

“Did you kill him?”

“She asked the gift for herself, not for her father.”

You should have killed him.“ - Arya, ADWD

Arya drew back from him. "He killed the slave?" That did not sound right. "He should have killed the masters!" – Arya, aDwD

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Arya and Northern leadership

I would sooner my men die fighting for the Ned’s little girl than alone and hungry in the snow, weeping tears that freeze upon their cheeks. - Hugo Wull

The North has famously never had a female leader in House Stark. So is it possible for valiant Ned’s precious little girl to become the first Lady Stark to lead the North?

In terms of personality, Arya resembles some of the other female leaders/members of Northern houses. She is bold and forward like Lyanna Mormont and Wylla Manderly. She has trained with the sword and learned how to use a bow and arrow. She proactively engineers her own escape like Alys Karstark. Characters like Ygritte and Alys remind Jon Snow of Arya.

Arya venerates Ned Stark. She follows his advice as much as Robb, Bran and Jon do. Even more so. She executes a NW brother for desertion. And that is important for the Starks.

I should kill them myself. Whenever her father had condemned a man to death, he did the deed himself with Ice, his greatsword. - Arya, ACoK

The blood of the First Men still flows in the veins of the Starks, and we hold to the belief that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. - Bran, AGoT

“The Starks do not use headsmen. Ned always said that the man who passes the sentence should swing the blade, though he never took any joy in the duty.” - Catelyn, ACoK

“Rickard Karstark, Lord of Karhold.” Robb lifted the heavy axe with both hands. “Here in sight of gods and men, I judge you guilty of murder and high treason. In mine own name I condemn you. With mine own hand I take your life. Would you speak a final word?” - Catelyn, ASoS

The pale morning sunlight ran up and down his blade as Jon clasped the hilt of the bastard sword with both hands and raised it high. “If you have any last words, now is the time to speak them,” he said, expecting one last curse. - Jon, ADwD

Arya is one of the Starkiest Starks of the whole lot. She is also the only Stark to actually have the Stark look. She is stubborn and determined to do things the Stark way. She often uses her father’s advice to guide her way.

Her father used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. “Know the men who follow you,” she heard him tell Robb once, “and let them know you. Don’t ask your men to die for a stranger.“ - Arya, aGoT

Arya had loved nothing better than to sit at her father’s table and listen to them talk. She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms.- Arya, AGoT

Whenever her father had condemned a man to death, he did the deed himself with Ice, his greatsword. “If you would take a man’s life, you owe it to him go look him in the face and hear his last words,” she’d heard him tell Robb and Jon once. - Arya, ACoK

Now there are theories that it is future Bran who was communicating with Arya through the weirwood at Harrenhal, but she does gain strength from her father’s words when she prays to the Old Gods.

Gooseprickles rose on Arya’s skin, and for an instant she felt dizzy. Then, so faintly, it seemed as if she heard her father’s voice. “When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives,” he said. “But there is no pack,” she whispered to the weirwood. Bran and Rickon were dead, the Lannisters had Sansa, Jon had gone to the Wall. “I’m not even me now, I’m Nan.” “You are Arya of Winterfell, daughter of the north. You told me you could be strong. You have the wolf blood in you.” - Arya, ACoK

And while Arya is travelling incognito, GRRM keeps her connected to the North, house Stark and the Northern plot. She starts her journey from KL with a NW brother Yoren. She’s disguised as a boy like Danny Flint, Manderly requests a song about brave Danny Flint at Ramsay’s wedding with ‘Arya’. In the Riverlands, Arya’s plot intersects with her father’s bannermen, she participates in the capture of Harrenhal for house Stark and is there for Roose Bolton’s war council. She meets both Roose Bolton and Aenys Frey – our antagonists in Winterfell facing off against Stannis in ADwD. She meets Robett Glover – who is currently in White Harbor - when she lets him out of the dungeons. She gets Jaqen to help her father’s men.

“Vargo Hoat’s come back with prisoners. I saw their badges. There’s a Glover, from Deepwood Motte, he’s my father’s man. The rest too, mostly.” All of a sudden, Arya knew why her feet had brought her here. “You have to help me get them out.” – Arya, ACoK

Arya looked. She knew all of her father’s men. The three in the grey cloaks were strangers. Arya, AGoT

Twin towers. Sunburst. Bloody man. Battle-axe. The battle-axe is for Cerwyn, and the white sun on black is Karstark. They’re northmen. My father’s men, and Robb’s. - Arya, ACoK

Harwin?” Arya whispered. It was! Under the beard and the tangled hair was the face of Hullen’s son, who used to lead her pony around the yard, ride at quintain with Jon and Robb, and drink too much on feast days. He was thinner, harder somehow, and at Winterfell he had never worn a beard, but it was him—her father’s man. Arya, ASoS

“I bet there are Winterfell men too.” Her father’s men, the Young Wolf’s men, the direwolves of Stark. - Arya, ASoS

Arya is also involved in betrothals/marriage – first to Elmar Frey and then married off to Ramsay Bolton to hold the North. As a side note, her connection to all these bastards is indeed interesting - Elmar Frey, Ramsay Bolton, Gendry and Jon Snow. Is GRRM trying to say something here?

We now have the Northerners and Freys that Arya sees in Harrenhal transposed to Winterfell and ‘her father’s men’ rising up for Arya Stark.

Now, we can speculate and assume that these Northerners would have done the same for the other Starks, but that’s not the point here. In the books, GRRM has written this story to revolve around Arya. The mountain clans are marching for ARYA. The Northern houses are fighting alongside Stannis for ARYA. When lady Barbrey Dustin points out the anger of the Northmen at the treatment of ‘Valiant Ned's precious little girl’ she is talking about ARYA.

GRRM has Stannis wanting to rescue Arya for Jon. He has Mance trying to rescue Arya for Jon. He has Jon breaking his vows and dying trying to rescue Arya. A large part of what drives this plot forward is that it’s Arya, and her special relationship with Jon Snow influences a lot of what is happening south of the wall. The story only happens this way with Arya in the North. And that’s why it’s Arya’s story and not that of any other Stark. Superimposing this or that Stark in place of Arya to make a case for why they would be leader of the North makes no sense. GRRM writing in the marriage of Arya Stark to hold the North makes the case for why Arya is important to the North.

So, Arya has actively helped free Northmen in the Riverlands, engaged with important Northerners and Freys at Harrenhal and drives the plot to take down the Boltons in the North. With her leadership skills, her ability to wield a weapon and fight, looking like Ned, following in Ned’s footsteps and advice, her fierce personality, her loyalty to bannermen, her desire for justice and to help the weak and powerless, her huge direwolf - she would be like the Kings in the North of yore.  I think the Northerners will be fine with Arya Stark being the Stark in charge.

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Arya and Nymeria

“What if the wolves come?” “Yield,” Arya suggested - Arya, ACoK

The direwolves are an important part of the books, and an important aspect of the Starks.They are as much a part of the Starks as Dany’s dragons are a part of her. They cannot be ignored as unimportant pets who will end up serving no purpose.

“He is part of you, Robb. To fear him is to fear you.”  - Catelyn, ASoS

Ghost did not count. Ghost was closer than a friend. Ghost was part of him - Jon, ADWD

“Part of you is Summer, and part of Summer is you. You know that, Bran.” - Bran, ACoK

“Wolves and women wed for life,” Haggon often said. “You take one, that’s a marriage. The wolf is part of you from that day on, and you’re part of him. Both of you will change.” - Varamyr, ADWD

You have five trueborn children,” Jon said. “Three sons, two daughters. The direwolf is the sigil of your House. Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord…The direwolf graces the banners of House Stark,” Jon pointed out. -  Bran, AGoT

“Roose Bolton has Lord Eddard’s daughter. To thwart him White Harbor must have Ned’s son … and the direwolf. The wolf will prove the boy is who we say he is, should the Dreadfort attempt to deny him.“ - Davos, ADWD

GRRM has mentioned several times that they are important.

The Lannisters are always likening themselves to lions, for example, and their motto “Hear me roar” speaks of a certain way of looking at life. But I think for the Starks it goes a little bit beyond that, especially in this generation, with these direwolves. It’s more than just a handy metaphor with them - GRRM, interview

"Wolves have been part of European folklore, of which America's descended, going back thousands of years. In Rome, Romulus and Remus -- there's always been this relationship between wolves and men." That relationship is seen time and again in Martin's series, and it's one that will Martin says will continue as the last two books are eventually released. Arya's wolf, Nymeria, in particular, will play an important role. "You know, I don't like to give things away." says Martin, a grin spreading across his face. "But you don't hang a giant wolf pack on the wall unless you intend to use it." - GRRM interview

The direwolves are important especially for Arya whose theme is ‘The lone wolf dies but the pack survives’ and there are constant mentions of the pack in her POV chapters. Nymeria is an alpha, a leader of her pack like Arya is a leader of hers.

“She says there’s this great pack, hundreds of them, mankillers. The one that leads them is a she-wolf, a bitch from the seventh hell.” - Arya, ACoK

Throughout ACoK and ASoS, Arya mentions the wolves in the Riverlands. They appear to be just ahead of her or behind her. In her chapters there are mentions of wolves eating people, of Roose going wolf hunting. It’s almost like the wolves are traveling with her. They even help her escape – the wolf howl giving the signal – from harrenhal. And it’s possible the pack was picking off Roose Bolton’s riders chasing Arya because they were following right behind.

She could hear the sound of her own breath, and the wolves as well, a great pack of them now. They are closer than the one I heard in the godswood, she thought. They are calling to me. - Arya, ACoK

Once, from the crest of a ridge, she spied dark shapes crossing a stream in the valley behind them, and for half a heartbeat she feared that Roose Bolton’s riders were on them, but when she looked again she realized they were only a pack of wolves. She cupped her hands around her mouth and howled down at them, “Ahooooooooo, ahooooooooo.” When the largest of the wolves lifted its head and howled back, the sound made Arya shiver.   - Arya ASoS

Nymeria keeps amassing this huge wolf pack and Arya being a strong warg can sense this

She was no little girl in the dream; she was a wolf, huge and powerful, and when she emerged from beneath the trees in front of them and bared her teeth in a low rumbling growl, she could smell the rank stench of fear from horse and man alike. - Arya, ASoS

She dreamed of wolves most every night. A great pack of wolves, with her at the head. She was bigger than any of them, stronger, swifter, faster. And her brothers and sisters were with her, many and more of them, fierce and terrible and hers. - Arya, ASoS

In her wolf dreams she was swift and strong, running down her prey with her pack at her heels. - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

The wolf dreams also helps Arya connect to Bran, Jon and Rickon. We see Ghost able to sense the other direwolves and Bran trying to communicate with Jon.

Nymeria is a grey wolf and the stark sigil is a grey wolf on a white background.

 “The rain had washed the guard’s blood off her fingers, she wore a sword across her back, wolves were prowling through the dark like lean grey shadows, and Arya Stark was unafraid.” - Arya, ACoK

“Arya had her father’s eyes, the grey eyes of the Starks.” - Reek, ADwD

What’s in a name? I have already mentioned in another post, the symbolism of the names for the direwolves and them being an indication of the future for the Starks. Arya’s direwolf is named Nymeria – a Rhoynish warrior queen who led her people to safety. Something that Arya may well do in the future when the North is under attack from the Others.

More importantly, Nymeria in Dorne changed the customs and rules of house Martell to follow those of Rhoynar and allowed for female rulers. Nymeria herself was the first female leader and was followed by her daughter. Nymeria changed the norm for Dorne and we could see the same happening with Arya Stark in the North.

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Skills and Education

Look with your eyes, Syrio had said, listen with your ears.- Arya, ACoK

Education at Winterfell:

Arya was mainly taught by Septa Mordane and received the same education as Sansa. She would have been taught history and about the Faith by the Septa, she can read and write, and is good with sums. She’s better than Sansa at managing a household. She can ride a horse like a Northman and is an excellent swimmer. She knows some high Valyrian. Besides the Septa, Arya also hangs around Ned Stark when he is teaching the boys. Many of his words of wisdom that she remembers is from when he is teaching the boys. She mingles with her father’s men, the cooks, the stable boys etc.

Kings Landing:

Water Dancing style of swordfighting from Syrio Forel.

Harrenhal:

Being incognito allows Arya to move around like a mouse or the ghost of Harrenhal and observe and learn things. She is privy to Roose Bolton’s war council and listens to them discuss the Northern campaign against the Lannisters. We get the first inkling of the Red Wedding in these chapters between Roose and the Freys.

Arya observes the different people, analyzes their movements and figures out how to approach them.

The night she was caught, the Lannister men had been nameless strangers with faces as alike as their nasal helms, but she’d come to know them all. You had to know who was lazy and who was cruel, who was smart and who was stupid. You had to learn that even though the one they called Shitmouth had the foulest tongue she’d ever heard, he’d give you an extra piece of bread if you asked, while jolly old Chiswyck and soft-spoken Raff would just give you the back of their hand. - Arya, ACoK

And as lords and ladies never notice the little grey mice under their feet, Arya heard all sorts of secrets just by keeping her ears open as she went about her duties. Pretty Pia from the buttery was a slut who was working her way through every knight in the castle. The wife of the gaoler was with child, but the real father was either Ser Alyn Stackspear or a singer Lord Lefford made mock of ghosts at table, but always kept a candle burning by his bed. Ser Dunaver’s squire Jodge could not hold his water when he slept. The cooks despised Ser Harys Swyft and spit in all his food. Once she even overheard Maester Tothmure’s serving girl confiding to her brother about some message that said Joffrey was a bastard and not the rightful king at all. “Lord Tywin told him to burn the letter and never speak such filth again,” the girl whispered. - Arya, ACoK

She aids in the escape of the near hundred Northmen imprisoned in the dungeons and even Roose is impressed enough to make her his cupbearer. And the next time, she conceives of, plans and executes their entire escape all by herself. She plans for the logistics – weapons, transportation, people, travel route, what to wear.  She makes sure she is warmly dressed, takes the map from Roose’s chamber, uses her position of cupbearer to manipulate several men,  manipulates Gendry into escaping with her, takes down the guard and leads them away. It’s an endeavor that showcases her intelligence, cunning, determination, ability to strategize and lead.

Arya also shows a lot of restraint and keeps her secrets. She doesn’t trust the Glovers or any of the Northmen in Harrenhal - and considering the Red Wedding, it’s a good decision.

Their captors permitted no chatter. A broken lip taught Arya to hold her tongue. Others never learned at all. - Arya, ACoK

Arya watched them die and did nothing. What good did it do you to be brave? One of the women picked for questioning had tried to be brave, but she had died screaming like all the rest. There were no brave people on that march, only scared and hungry ones. - Arya, ACoK

On the road Arya had felt like a sheep, but Harrenhal turned her into a mouse. She was grey as a mouse in her scratchy wool shift, and like a mouse she kept to the crannies and crevices and dark holes of the castle, scurrying out of the way of the mighty.- Arya, ACoK

Braavos:

Arya’s education here is not limited to killing for the Faceless Men. She is also educated in poisons and languages. She improves on her high Valyrian and is now fluent in Braavosi and other Essosi languages. She learns acting/mummery. Not showing emotions on one’s face, detecting emotions in another person.

“A man does not need to be a wizard to know truth from falsehood, not if he has eyes. You need only learn to read a face. Look at the eyes. The mouth. The muscles here, at the corners of the jaw, and here, where the neck joins the shoulders.” He touched her lightly with two fingers. “Some liars blink. Some stare. Some look away. Some lick their lips. Many cover their mouths just before they tell a lie, as if to hide their deceit. Other signs may be more subtle, but they are always there. A false smile and a true one may look alike, but they are as different as dusk from dawn. Can you tell dusk from dawn?”

Arya nodded, though she was not certain that she could. “Then you can learn to see a lie… and once you do, no secret will be safe from you.”  - Arya, AFFC

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People skills

“I will remember, Your Grace," said Sansa, though she had always heard that love was a surer route to the people's loyalty than fear. If I am ever a queen, I'll make them love me.” - Sansa, ACoK

Arya’s ability to make friends wherever she goes highlights her people skills. And Arya is able to communicate and connect with people from all walks of life.

Sansa knew all about the sorts of people Arya liked to talk to: squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough-spoken freeriders of uncertain birth. Arya would make friends with anybody. - Sansa, AGoT

She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms. She used to throw snowballs at them and help them steal pies from the kitchen. Their wives gave her scones and she invented names for their babies and played monsters-and-maidens and hide-the-treasure and come-into-my-castle with their children., Arya, AGoT

Her father used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. “Know the men who follow you,” she heard him tell Robb once, “and let them know you. Don’t ask your men to die for a stranger.“ - Arya, AGoT

Cat had made friends along the wharves; porters and mummers, ropemakers and sailmenders, taverners, Brewers and bakers and beggars and whores - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

Her girls were nice as well; Blushing Bethany and the Sailor’s Wife, one-eyed Yna who could tell your fortune from a drop of blood, pretty little Lanna, even Assadora, the Ibbenese woman with the mustache. They might not be beautiful, but they were kind to her - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

She’s also loyal to her pack. She doesn’t betray Jon even to her father. She helps free her father’s men. Despite Gendry talking of leaving Lommy or Weasel behind, she refuses. And despite the odds, she tries to help Gendry.

It didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that they had Gendry. Even if he was stubborn and stupid, she had to get him out. She wondered if they knew that the queen wanted him. - Arya, ACoK

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Importance of being a Warg/Skinchanger

She was the night wolf, no scraps of skin could frighten her. - Arya, ADwD

Since this is a fantasy series, magic is a big part of the story with a magical existential apocalyptic threat on the horizon. The North is the first bastion facing this threat. Jon and Dany both have magical pets and prophetic dreams. Bran is the 3ER. They are leaders or will become leaders by the end. Arya is a strong warg/skinchanger. Apart from Jon and Bran, she’s the only other Stark to use these abilities so far. As GRRM as indicated, having a direwolf is going to be useful in battle – we are going to be seeing direwolves involved in the battle for Winterfell for example. Arya is able to warg Nymeria from all the way over in Braavos. She skinchanges cats and sees through their eyes, when she is blind. She is deft with a sword, knife and decent with a bow and arrow (she could be better now using her FM senses). She would be an effective fighter to have against the Others and her warging skills could prove useful in battle.

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Succession

I’m not a lady, Arya wanted to tell her, I’m a wolf. - Arya, ASoS

And finally we come to succession. This is the hardest part and entirely speculation and we need the next book to get an inkling of where GRRM is heading towards. I am also basing all of this on Hibberd more or less confirming that King Bran on the Iron Throne is GRRM’s ending.

So of the true born Starks, Arya is pretty much last in line. With the inclusion of Robb’s will, we have 5 Starks left. Bran is the rightful heir to the North. Taking him out of the running, leaves Jon, Rickon, Sansa and Arya. Assuming Jon ends up North of the wall – in his dreams the Old Kings in the North in the crypts reject him, maybe foreshadowing that he doesn’t belong in Winterfell - that leaves Rickon, Sansa and Arya.

As for Sansa, again there is a plot significant reason for why GRRM has put an obstacle in her path, allowing for Arya to jump the queue. Sansa is currently married to Tyrion Lannister, a marriage that cannot be easily annulled (With an enemy regime in KL) or ignored like the show did. Robb Stark has most likely disinherited/removed her from the line of succession and named a legitimized Jon Stark his heir and Lord of Winterfell. If he has the support of the Northern houses who want an experienced, older Stark to lead them, Jon Stark could well be the next KITN over Rickon Stark. I don’t think a 7 year old Rickon would object to Jon in charge. So that makes it Jon Stark, Rickon Stark and Arya Stark.

Does Rickon have to die for Arya to become Wardeness of the North? It’s possible Rickon dies, but it’s also possible he doesn’t.  It could be that Rickon does not want to lead the North – by the end of the book, he would be 8 or 9. Of course there’s the argument of a regent doing the job for Rickon until he’s ready. Or, he could just give way to his sister because he wants to. Something similar to Aemon refusing the throne and it passing to his younger brother Aegon.

Or we could have the traditional situation where Rickon becomes lord of Winterfell as next in line, while it’s Arya who is involved in running the day to day affairs. However, that would very much be status quo - with Rickon at WF and Bran down south in KL, it would be men ending up in positions of power everywhere once again, except maybe Dorne. If this happens, then Arya would be a leader of the North, but the Stark line would continue with the male line.  

It’s possible Jon Stark as King could change things for the North. Jon treats the spearwives the same as the brothers of the NW, he respects Val’s abilities, he trusts in Alys Karstark. If Rickon refuses the mantle, it could very well be that Jon Stark relinquishes his position to his favorite person ever, Arya Stark, to be the next Wardeness of the North.  Thus paving the way for Arya Stark to be the first female leader of the North like her hero Nymeria in Dorne.

It would be fitting for the character who introduced Jon Snow to equal rights for women.

“The Lannisters are proud,” Jon observed. “You’d think the royal sigil would be sufficient, but no. He makes his mother’s House equal in honor to the king’s.”

“The woman is important too!” Arya protested. - Arya, AGoT

Could King Jon reverse Sansa’s disinheritance after her marriage is annulled when KL is in friendly hands? Sure. But we don’t know how the Sansa/LF/Vale group will react to Jon as KITN and whether they will mount a challenge in Sansa’s name. And if Jon has to choose between Sansa and Arya as to whom he wants in charge of Winterfell, we know who it is he will think is more capable and will always choose.

I do think Winterfell succession will not be as clearcut as many Stark fans are hoping. Too many factions supporting the different Starks. GRRM loves to write about dysfunctional families and the Starks are not anything special in that regard. TWoW will tell us of whether there will be any kind of Stark civil war.

Is Arya too young for all this? I predict that by the time we get to the end of the books, about 5 years would have gone by. At 14, Arya would still need a regent – one of the many lords of the houses in the North. But I think considering her experiences, skillsets, a huge direwolf, Ned Stark’s wisdom and strong connections to the North, she will be an able leader. As GRRM said,

“[Arya is] older than some of the 40-year-olds in the book.” - GRRM

Either way, whether she gets Winterfell or not, Arya will end up as a leader in the North. Either she rules for Rickon and takes care of the day to day responsibilities or she does so in her own right as Lady of Winterfell/Wardeness of the North. She’s not going anywhere or sailing off on a boat. The show’s ending makes absolutely no sense for a character yearning for home in 5 books after going on the nightmare ‘adventure’ from hell. She will be in the North, in Winterfell, being a leader and continuing Ned Stark’s legacy.  She will counsel her brothers and build and her people will love her just like they loved her father.

So in conclusion, I think there is enough story, character build up, characterization and set up for Arya to go North and take over as a leader of house Stark to face the threat of the Others along with Bran, Jon, Dany and Tyrion.