#shem hate

[zahra-hydris]

daewen got cassandra's low approval scene before we even went to crestwood

which I was initially surprised about because I didn't think their relationship was *that* bad

but tbh daewen is a blunt ass dalish mage who takes every opportunity (and makes some) to trash human political and religious authorities so... yeah maybe I shouldn't have been

[gutshift]

ahv in haven is so fucking funny because she is SOOOO nice

[jkateel]

me, in this playthrough, surprised how swayed i am about Arl Eamon’s argument to make Alistair king

[psalacanthea]

Are we going to talk about how scary being the Inquisitor is for a Lavellan or…?

I mean, the more and more I have played this game, the more the Chantry shit is terrifying. Over and over again, you see painful and irrefutable evidence about the shit humans did to elves in the name of the Maker. The Exalted Plains is an obvious example.  (I consistently call it Dirthavaren you don’t like it fight me bitch) 

Like I think the entire fandom can agree on fuck that bitch sister Amity. The Chantry crusades destroyed what was left of the elves, destroyed them. Culture, body and spirit. Like be honest, there aren’t many Dalish clans left and each time a new game/book comes around, another one bites the dust. It’s so easy to lose your clan in Inquisiton and even easier to accidentally kill off Marethari’s. Hell, you can choose to kill Zathrian’s. 

The Dalish are dying out, any way you slice it.

Then suddenly a hole rips open in the sky and everybody thinks Lavellan did it. It destroys the Conclave…don’t tell me for one second that the humans didn’t immediately start developing an ‘elves and vengeance and antiMaker’ conspiracy theory. The ‘remain silent’ dialogue option in that first interaction isn’t a stoic ‘I don’t give a fuck’ to me, it’s more of a ‘whatever I say doesn’t matter I’m already dead’ for a Dalish Inquisitor. 

The true horror is knowing that they wont just kill you, they’ll call for a bloodbath on elves across Thedas.

“For the elves were guilty of the greatest sin, of turning from the Maker.”

You’ve damned them all and you can’t even remember how or why. For a First, it must be terrifying to realize even if you try to diplomatically talk your way out of it, they’ll never believe you. As a hunter or warrior, you know it’s hopeless. All you can do is throw yourself forward as the villain, claim that whatever happens you acted alone and take as many of these shems out with you as you can.  As a mage you know if they take pity on you, you’re condemned to their mage-slavery prisons.

“Whatever you think I did, I’m innocent!”

But then they believe you (barely, like thank the Creators the Lavellan clan taught you how to talk to humans civilly and not panic) but it’s basically a hostage situation. There’s one other elf with you and even if he’s not Dalish thank Mythal because shit you were scared and you’re still scared but at least it’s something. His name is ‘Pride’. You take it as a sign from the Creators that it’s not time to give up yet. Suledin, you think.

There is an orb, a weapon that caused this. Solas tells you it’s elven and your heart sinks.

“Eventually, the humans will find a way to blame elves…”

You become Inquisitor and things are a little better but the humans call you Herald of Andraste. You don’t believe in their Maker but none of them care. You know your clan would feel betrayed, think you’ve given up your gods. You haven’t of course but the terror is there…what if the gods think you’ve given up them? You talk to Cassandra and Leliana, trying to understand the human chantry and maybe figure out a way for your two beliefs to coexist. 

 But no.

You realize it wont help. Cassandra talks about spreading the Maker’s word to all corners of Thedas…you remember the lonely howls of the wolves across Dirthavaren. You know what ‘spreading the Makers word’ means. Leliana at least acknowledges what the Chantry did, but she dismisses it with words. All those lives and hopes and dreams dismissed with the words ‘that hate won’t just go away if you dissolve the Chantry’. You understand what she really means, though. 

She’s saying that the hate will never go away, not until the elves are just like humans. The Chantry will never stop.  She says she wants elves to be part of the chantry so they survive and you try not to taste bile in the back of your throat when you think of what that means.

“My father says humans are like weeds that choke out the grass…”’

Slowly, slowly, slowly...they consume you.

[mariacallous]

(JTA) — As we mark the grim second anniversary of the Ukraine conflict this Shabbat, I’m reminded of a haunting melody I heard in the city of Poltava last month.

I was standing before Sonia Bunina, a plucky 17-year-old, when she opened her mouth to sing when an air raid siren rang out.

I flinched. Not Sonia — she didn’t miss a beat.

“Kol haolam kulo gesher t’zar meod, veha’ikar lo lifached k’lal,” she belted out before seeking shelter. “The whole world is a very narrow bridge, and the most important thing is to have no fear at all.”

Sonia, like so many Jews I know in Ukraine, is many things — determined, grieving, focused — but she’s certainly not cowering.

As she sang those words by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov — the Ukrainian Jewish sage whose followers continue to come by the tens of thousands to his grave in Uman annually — she embodied the prayer’s indomitable spirit.

Sonia and I met outside Poltava’s Hesed, part of the network of Jewish humanitarian hubs founded by my organization — the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, or JDC — more than three decades ago. Today they’re a lifeline to tens of thousands of Jews facing loss and strife. Since she was a toddler, Sonia has been attending activities at Hesed — her mother coordinates cultural programs for the elderly, and she connects teen volunteers like herself with isolated seniors, a critical source of comfort these last two years.

These days, traveling to Ukraine feels like a pilgrimage — there’s a pull in my soul to visit family near Lviv, to bear witness to Ukrainian Jewish resilience, and to be inspired by the clarity of purpose that is so palpable there. Since my first trip in 2011, I’ve been eight times. Last year, I wrote about how a year of crisis had transformed the ordinary into the sacred in Ukraine. Now, visiting feels even more essential with the worsening humanitarian situation.

Ukrainian Jews aren’t blasé about these challenges — far from it. Just take the delicate ballet of emotions on their faces when checking their phones during an air alert — contacting loved ones, scrolling through photos of devastation, and analyzing Telegram chats speculating on a given rocket’s make and trajectory.

But life goes on — there’s work to do — and though they’ve lost so much, they refuse to give any more away.

Showing up for each other, whatever it takes, is now baked into their very essence as Jews, and in Ukraine, there are tens of thousands to serve — hungry old women and displaced young families, disabled Holocaust survivors and stunned middle-aged professionals, shocked to now need help when they were once donors and volunteers.

They act fearlessly to ensure their communities make it through this crisis, body and soul intact. Can we expect anything less than boundless creativity from the people who birthed Sholem Aleichem and the Baal Shem Tov?

“These bombings, all these things that are killing people, destroying houses, leaving children homeless … it’s very scary,” Galina Limarenko, an 82-year-old retired nurse, told me in her small bedroom in Berezivka, taking note of the warm blanket, firewood, and other winter supplies my colleagues provided. “Thank God for the Jewish community, which never gives up and always shares even their very last piece of bread.”

I saw that irrepressible spirit again at our Beit Dan JCC in battered Kharkiv — a shapeshifting wellspring of strength just a few dozen kilometers from the eastern border. Shortly after Feb. 24, 2022, the center became a staging ground for truckloads of emergency aid — part of the 800 tons of humanitarian assistance we’ve delivered so far.

A few blocks from missile strikes, it now hosts children’s camps and soulful Shabbat services and operates a “kids hub,” offering academic enrichment to children who haven’t had in-person school for years — robbed of normal childhood by the pandemic and now the ongoing crisis.

And amidst blizzards and blackouts, Beit Dan has also become a “warm hub,” a safe place for beleaguered Jewish Kharkivites to charge their devices and obtain a hot drink and warm meal.

“If you share in our pain, and provide support where it’s needed, I’m forever grateful,” said Nika Simonova, Beit Dan’s program director. “The ability to remain human is the main thing. Done right, I believe that can save the world.”

That’s why we at JDC, aided by a coalition of partners including the Jewish Federations, Claims Conference, and International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, deployed a historic response to this conflict and remain committed to the Jewish future here.

We’re focused on ongoing humanitarian support for more than 41,000 Ukrainian Jews, expanding trauma relief, closing children’s educational gaps, and getting unemployed Jewish community members, among millions of Ukrainians plunged into poverty, back to work.

There is no doubt that the Jewish world is now responding to crises on multiple fronts, including this one, but we have been here so many times before. We must draw strength from our history and from the sure knowledge that this is what we’re built for. Our compassion and commitment, when leveraged with that timeless sense of mutual Jewish responsibility, means we can tackle the challenges we face — and come out on the other side even stronger.

As I walked through Lviv on my last day in Ukraine, I asked my cousin Anna Saprun, a 25-year-old business analyst, how this period has changed her.

“I hate what’s brought me here, but I love who I’ve become,” she said with a fierce and feisty smile. “Nothing scares me anymore. I feel powerful.”

Two years after the conflict began, Ukraine’s Jews are inspired anew each day, resolute in the sure knowledge that they know exactly who they’re working for — each other.

[zealfruity]

Made a couple more losers.

Some info:

Victor’s name is for his his constant desire for victory, given to him by the squad’s main mandalorian trainer. Hes quiet, grumpy, can stand very still, and is bad in social situations. Good yelling voice. Hates bugs and can’t look at Elytra’s tattoos for too long before he gets the creepy crawley feeling. More of a strategist than a brawler, and he’s skinnier than Elytra and Fogs.

Fogs is a pretty relaxed and chipper guy. Despite his bright paint job, is great at sneaking around without being seen or heard. He’s the group’s tattoo artist, but he doesnt have any himself, and he’s been trying to convince the others to get piercings. Usually takes over the talking when Zeta-8 have to interact with people they don’t know. He originally wanted to name himself after a singer he likes (“Fogierana Shem”), but Fogs was all that caught on.

Feedback, also called “Feed” or “FB” by the others, has a long list of issues that the others have done their best to hide from higher-ups for fear of punishment. He went through some reconditioning when he was a tubie after displaying a lot of anxiety, but it didn’t really stop the issue. He’s a germaphobe who didn’t do well in the first few months of deployment. He’s jumpy and always has something to say. He mostly runs on stims and stress, and his memory sucks.

Elytra loves bugs. So much. He gets a tattoo of every new bug he gets to hold, and he HAS snuck bugs onboard. She’s the second best shot in the squad, and she’s VERY polite. Almost weirdly so, except with Fogs. Secretely yearns to have a normal natborn life.

Heres this too ig.

[snippychicke]

So kuro IDEAS..

How do you feel about like...enemies to lovers? Like so if Kuro has like a weird relationship with one of the staff of the mansion? Kind of one upping each other to care for Kaya.

Heh, I was working on this… and then my beta reader/friend pointed out it was more hate!sex vibes than enemies to lovers. So while I will be posting that in the future… It also meant I ended up restarting this, which is why it took so long. 

You and Klahadore were rivals, though not in the common sense. 

You had been taking care of Miss Kaya since she was just learning to walk. First as more of a babysitter/playmate when you were a young teen, and then as her personal maid as you both grew.

So when Klahadore had somehow assumed command of the household staff and was obviously trying to garner the new lady of the house’s favor, you were less than thrilled. 

Kaya was your charge. You didn’t care for the rest of the manor, or anything like that. But he was not about to usurp your position. 

So your rivalry was for taking care of the teen after the death of her parents. Though Klahadore was more the strict parental figure that had a soft spot whenever Kaya gave him a pleading look (Such as when he discovered Usopp visiting). Whereas you were more the big sister, happily conspiring with her in various plans. 

If she wanted some fish instead of the ‘medicinal soup’ that seemed to become the mainstay of her diet, you’d sneak down to the village and buy something freshly fried and bring it to her. If she wanted to travel into the village--which Klahadore was very much against due to the unseen dangers-- you and Usopp would find a way to keep the butler distracted for at least a few hours. 

Well, you kept Klahadore busy while Usopp escorted her into town. And keeping him distracted but not suspicious was a trial in itself. At first it was difficult, and Klahadore caught on more than a few times--whether it was for when the two teens were sneaking out, or if Usopp was merely visiting-- and was never happy. His protective streak fueled his irritation, and more often than not it ended up with you  

But then you started to actually learn about Klahadore, and then your ‘mission’ became easier…and also more enjoyable. A very weak question of ‘what’s your favorite animal’ revealed he was fond of cats, which had been the crack in the mystery of Klahadore. 

Because you loved cats. And convincing Kaya to request a few cats to ‘keep the vermin away’ was an easy task, meaning soon there were a few felines wandering the manor and the sprawling estate. You even caught Shem and Buchi playing a few times with the new ‘recruits’, making you smile. 

Discussions about the latest antics of the manor’s newest residents led to talking about other things with the butler. You found out he did enjoy a glass of wine once in a while but despised drunkards, he had been to several different islands around the East Blue before washing up on the shore of the Gecko Islands. He insisted he was neutral when it came to the Marines and the World Government, but you didn’t miss the slight sneer of disgust when news of them were splayed in the newspaper.  

Then there were the things you learned without really talking. He was constantly on high alert. There was no  chance of trying to sneak up on this man. He was also rather suspicious, verging on paranoid. There had been a lot of odd looks when you had first begun…and hence how often he figured out you were trying to distract him purposefully. Add the fact Klahadore was rather sharp-minded, and you had a feeling he was well aware what you were up to, but was instead amusing you along with Kaya. Maybe because he was as soft on the girl as you suspected… 

Or maybe he enjoyed spending time with you, just as you were. 

The realization hit you when he sought you out for once. You had been ironing some of Kaya’s favorite outfits when you felt a faint tap on your shoulder, making you jump. There was a sly smile on Klahadore’s face when you turned around, causing you to narrow your eyes and wave the iron threateningly towards him. “Are you trying to get burnt?”

His smile never wavered as he gently took the iron from your hand and set it down. “I’m finding that risk isn’t as great as I once thought,” he answered, which made little sense to you, but that was pushed out of your mind when he took your arm in his and pulled you away from the ironing board. “I found something I believe you should enjoy.” 

You were really confused as he led you down to the cellars, where the vast amount of Kaya’s parent’s wine collection sat (mostly) untouched. Back in the darker corner, you heard soft little mews before Klahadore pulled back one of the heavy curtains that hid the open window in the stone wall. Laying in a nest of scraps of fabrics you recall had gone missing over the last few weeks was one of cats with a litter of multicolored kittens. 

“Oh my god!” you whispered as you pressed closer to Klahadore (completely as a way to keep you from picking up the newborns. No other reason.) “Babies! I thought she was looking like she was about ready to pop.” 

“I stumbled upon them just this morning,” he explained softly, kneeling down and pulling you down with him. “I assume she gave birth sometime through the night.”

“We should set out some fresh water down here for her, and food. Oh! And I’m sure there’s some old towels that would keep them warmer than those scraps. I wonder…” you trailed off, happening to glance at the man beside you. Those dark eyes were focused on you again, full of warmth and amusement as he smiled softly. Something about his expression made your heart flutter and your face warm in contrast to the cool air of the wine cellar. “What?” 

“Your compassion never ceases to surprise me,” he admitted, which did little to help your blush. “It’s… endearing.” 

“I recall someone not too long ago called me a bleeding hearted fool for assisting Kaya to sneak down to the fireworks festival.” 

Something shifted in his dark eyes as he looked back to the kittens. “I admit, I am prone to being overprotective of the girl. And I don’t take others sneaking around my back very well. But in hindsight, I’m aware you only have Miss Kaya’s wellbeing in mind when you allow such things to occur.”  

You bit your lip before sighing. “I’m sorry, Klahadore. I really don’t like it either, but I just can’t seem to say no to her. But, on the plus side, I got to know you better. And I’ve really enjoyed that.” 

His free hand reached up to touch your hand that was still wrapped around his arm.  “I have as well. Which is why I was wondering if perhaps you had any plans this weekend. I overheard that Miss Kaya and Usopp have plans in town, and was hoping maybe we could have an evening to ourselves.” 

Your blush returned in full force and your heart traveled to your throat. Was it your imagination running away? Or was he intending to have that sound rather romantic? Especially with his fingers still gently caressing your knuckles. “I-I think I could clear my schedule. For you.” God, why did you have to say it like that?!

The internal-criticism fell silent as he looked back to you, his smile widening. “Then it’s a date.”

[shewolfofvilnius]

Wallavellan brainrot has consumed me once more while thinking about Dragon Age.

Because if you really think about it, Blackwall and Lavellan really do have inverted but mirroring stories.

He so utterly despised who he became that he took the persona of a better man, moulded himself to be like who he thought the real Blackwall was. Grafted the best parts of Thom Rainier on to this construction of Warden Blackwall and chose a new identity.

Contrast to Lavellan, who was just living her life with her clan, either as a scout, tracker, and hunter (rogue/warrior) or as the clan's First and thus future Keeper (mage). She's got an entire life and it's the world she's always known and as soon as the Conclave goes BOOM, that is over with. Now she's the Herald of Andraste, an idea that can easily be abhorrent to her. She's The Inquisitor. She's every other title in the game, but she's not Lavellan anymore, not really.

So Blackwall x Lavellan builds to a climax of "Who are we?" If you grant him his life as Rainier back, you're still you. Beneath the trappings of office and politics, it's still the elf who likely cared not for shem politics. And you can either reunite with your love, or let him go free while acknowleding the lie was a bridge too far. But either way, you're you. If you're cunning enough to remand him to the Wardens' custody, however, Lavellan starts to slip away in favor of The Inquisitor. Remanding someone into the Wardens' custody is a political move. An order from a leader. His lie sits on your heart enough to want retribution, oh so fitting. It might BE fitting, it might be suitable, but it's also not Dalish. It's an acknowledgement that part of the old you has slipped away for good (and the part of you that loved him will be silenced when he has to go).

And if you force him to pretend to be Blackwall? You're forcing him to fully take on his own faked identity while you yourself have completely and willingly subsumed yourself into this new you that you didn't even want at first. The power and authority to make a man be another man. To taunt him for his crimes. To in effect enslave Blackwall/Rainier into your control. (Maybe the old ways of the Evanuris persist still, that moment you get that first taste of true power).

For my Lavellan, Thom turning himself in solidified that even through the deception, that was absolutely the man she fell in love with. And if the nobles hated how she used the Inquisition's leverage to free him? They can all sod off, they all hated her anyway because she's an elf. She's an elf who loves Thom Rainier.

[gyrovagi]

hello and welcome to my gamer's den. here's a quick and dirty guide to the ocs i talk about constantly

CANON PROTAGS/NORMAL MEN. INNOCENT MEN:

eloy "el" surana - i'm like if a control freak could control things ❤️ with blood magic ❤️. generally well-intentioned but hypervigilant, always playing 5d chess about the worst scenario. world's first moral (not necessarily ethical) male bigender manipulator. wields a wholly inappropriate degree of political influence in denerim

seongmin hawke (primarily diplomatic, sword + shield warrior) - afraid that his abandonment issues will leave him. pathologically conflict avoidant, fawn response to the max - up until someone he loves gets threatened, at which point good luck leaving alive lol. 'i don't think i need to talk about my feelings,' says man who just broke the arm of a templar asking around too much about the darktown clinic and then continued making casual conversation with varric as if nothing happened

ciuying "arav'assan" lavellan (archer, assassin) - king of compartmentalization. would really prefer to be one guy helping people on the ground rather than the unwilling inquisitor chained by power he never wanted, fighting for his life to be as politically uninvolved as possible. guy who is duty-bound never to return home

dak-wai (with horns) - prospective rook, direct port of my bg3 durge. tal-vashoth grey warden mage seeking a righteous purpose after a complicated and bloody past, but who has yet to find a better general approach to problems than killing things with hammers.

TGIRLS SAVE THE WORLD(STATE):

sang tabris - (champion) next shem bastard who pisses me off i'm just going to fucking kill you. alistair did you eat yet ^_^. struggling to reconcile an irrepressible hope for a better world with the abject horrors he's been subjected to by the world he lives in at present. morrigan's lesbian husband.

so-min hawke - girl could you at least pretend not to be a chantry-hating apostate in the middle of the gallows. carver just got suddenly pissed off in a darkspawn tunnel and he knows it's not because of the genlocks

r trevelyan - tranquil since 18, and at age 33, honestly dealing pretty well with accidentally getting a magical lobotomy reversed. yeah ok so maybe the random prolonged neutral-expression weeping is a little off-putting. it's hard when you're the white girl who needs to save yourself

INSANE WOMEN AND MALE MANIPULATORS:

ngayu brosca - (reaver) what do you MEAN the fate of the country is dependent on two twenty-year-olds one of whom gets scared looking at the sun. has never once in her life believed she would live past twenty and that's looking increasingly likely as a prediction

rina hawke - when you are endlessly bitter and refuse to deal with it in any healthy way because that would require you to acknowledge your resentment towards the family members you perceive as a burden. chronically insincere, subservient but seething the whole time, wouldn't be able to name a solid belief if you asked her, incapable of self-reflection. crack baby you don't know what you want...

caden trevelyan - (templar) gay transgender homophobic misogynist. has weird ideas about being a man. constantly develops obsessive fixations on authoritative older men. believes he has the divine right to mete out violence. white boy who sucks 🔥

ha-neul lastname - prospective rook, veil jumper. fascinated by magic and magical artifacts. something of an oddity by both dwarven and non-dwarven standards, a guy with an endless thirst for life and little interest in denying himself pleasure or dwelling in guilt, for better or worse. can be surprisingly cynical and self-interested, despite his generally upbeat, affable vibe.

PRONOUNS USERS GOING THROUGH IT:

enasa mahariel - (ranger) deadalive nothing girl who isn't. didn't anticipate that taking the vallaslin of dirthamen, twin brother to death, would be quite so prophetic. very clearly crumbling under mounting pressure while refusing to stop dragging the rotting corpse

bryn hawke - half-avvar on malcolm's side, raised with what avvar beliefs and practices their father could half-remember from childhood. never quite at home in ferelden and struggling to come to terms with the idea they'll never be quite at home in their mother's city either. quietly shouldering other's burdens until it chokes them.

meiying lavellan - turns out when you take an anxiety-ridden elf burdened with excess responsibility since youth out of their familiar environment and support system she'll have a bad time. solas' ex-spouse still misses him… but their aim's getting better!

ASSORTED GUYS:

dea surana - reserved but observant, knows it's best not to attract attention, tries to look after herself and her own in the ways she can. surprisingly worldly/cynical after her brother was taken by the templars at a young age and her life afterwards was spent largely on the road. then her situationship was like 'you know the hero of ferelden is named surana? circle mage, relative of yours?' and now she regularly talks to the king of ferelden

owain trevelyan - never really stopped hoping his older brother would come back from the circle and everything would be fine again. he's socially well-connected and charismatic, and could make for an influential heir to the house with motivation and an advantageous marriage - but he's a lot more interested in dragon hunting and boy bestiesisms with the prince of starkhaven.

valerie trevelyan - black sheep of the family, annoyed that this is more about lesbianism than being a fantasy communist. managed to pull off a 'buy my silence - for $8000 a month i will stop' ploy on her parents at 20, before she knew that this would end with her as the warden-commander's sister-in-law

ga-ying lavellan - middle sibling b/w meiying and ciuying, closer to both of them than they are with each other. tends to take things a little too lightly, an optimist unconcerned with anything outside of the clan and the present. the siblings' dads (and meiying, and his wife) are hoping the birth of his daughter will make him more serious. ciuying likes him as he is.

everybody's parents tend to be less developed than their kids are but they exist. In my mind . there's also a couple other extremely incidental fellas but they'll come up when they come up. i might also ramble about my non-da guys here but (closes my eyes and passes away silently)

[sethshead]

I think it's hard for Israelis to understand that there are many innocent people in Gaza who have suffered as much from Hamas's evil as they have. I understand those Israelis. During my life as a Gazan, the only thing I believed about Israelis was that they all hate us and want to eliminate us as a Palestinians.

Now I know better. After criticizing Hamas for its horrific actions on Oct. 7, I made friends with Israelis for the first time in my life. It turns out that many of them, like me, just want this conflict to end so they can live in peace. These friendships opened my eyes to their suffering. I now have a better understanding what they are thinking, and have decided never to make judgments before listening to the other side.

This is what Hamas’s Western defenders and BDS activists want to prevent: dialogue and understanding. They want to sabotage any possibility of Palestinians and Westerners encountering peace-oriented Israelis, with whom they might plot a new course for the region. Instead, the “pro-Palestinian” establishment must continue to sell the conflict as an existential one between two maximalist antagonists. It’s the only way for the corrupt, violent, and short-sighted leadership of Hamas and Fatah to retain their holds on power, from which they can extort from foreign NGOs and from their own people. That it also benefits Netanyahu and Likud is gravy.

For all the sympathy I feel for Mia Shem, not all Gaza is Hamas. Tens of thousands are members, many more are fellow travelers, and many more than that willingly cooperate for the benefits they receive. It will be a formidable challenge to break that human infrastructure, but the people of Gaza yet deserve better. A new regime will be brittle, since all it takes is 10%-15% of a population to destabilize it and drown prosperity in violent anarchy. This is why it is all the more incumbent on Israel and the international community that there be a plan in place for the day after, for when Hamas is militarily defeated, so that it cannot restore itself to power at the expense of ordinary Palestinians. Free Palestine from Hamas, indeed, but that will require bold leadership from all, and a willingness by Israel to contemplate difficult concessions.

[psychopasss4]

Kogami: His return to Japan.

This analysis had long been running to my mind ever since I watched Sinners of the System 3: Beyond the Pale of Vengeance.

This might stir a lot of violent reactions for some folks out there. But bear in mind that this reflections are from SS3 era. So hold your horses and refrain from flooding my inbox with hated remarks 😅😁🙈.

💮💮💮💮

In PP the Movie (Gekijouban), we saw Akane immediately bought a plane ticket to SEAUn the moment she received the news of Kogami's whereabouts. (Our dear Akane-chan is a bit aggressive there. Chasing the man she loves respects most 🤭).

And she tried to indirectly persuade him to go back with her to Japan. But she's unsuccessful. That scene when she wants to join Kogami (before his epic motorbike stunt with Shem) showed how eager she is to stay with him until he's ready to return. But Kogami-chan shove her off while assuring her that he won't die just yet with a smirk on his face.

But then, a year after that he came back after a shared bottle with Frederica and their midnight discussion about Cigarette puff psychological context 🤗😅😁😜

I've been thinking hard what could be playing on Kogami's mind when making those choices and I believe it has something to do with his view of the two women whom he worked with.

Note: Look how old handsome he looks in here 😜😅😳

✨✨✨✨

Kogami's View of Akane

Respect and Admiration: Kogami respects Akane's strong moral compass, intelligence, and dedication to justice. Her idealism and determination to uphold her values in a corrupt system likely resonate with him deeply.

Influence: Akane has a significant influence on Kogami, helping him see different perspectives and consider the importance of lawful justice over personal vengeance.

Bond: Their bond is built on shared experiences and mutual growth. Kogami likely sees Akane as someone who understands him on a fundamental level, given their shared past and the way they've shaped each other's views.

Kogami's View of Frederica

Professionalism: Kogami likely views Frederica as a competent and resourceful colleague. Their relationship is rooted more in professional respect and shared goals.

Pragmatism: Frederica's pragmatic and strategic approach to their work might appeal to Kogami's tactical mindset, but it doesn’t necessarily imply a deeper, personal connection.

Support: Frederica provides Kogami with opportunities and resources that are beneficial for his missions, fostering a sense of mutual benefit rather than personal attachment.

Why Kogami Returned to Japan After Meeting Frederica in Sinners of the System 3 vs. Akane in the First Movie

Return to Japan After Meeting Frederica

Mission-Oriented: Kogami's return to Japan after meeting Frederica in "Sinners of the System 3" was driven by a clear mission and purpose. His focus was on addressing specific threats and working towards goals aligned with his professional objectives.

Strategic Opportunity: Frederica's proposal likely offered a strategic advantage or opportunity that aligned with Kogami's current goals and needs, making it a pragmatic choice to return to Japan.

Not Returning After Meeting Akane in the First Movie

Unresolved Conflict: After meeting Akane in the first movie, Kogami might have felt that returning to Japan would complicate their unresolved personal and professional conflicts. His presence could disrupt Akane’s work and potentially put her in difficult situations.

Self-Imposed Exile: Kogami's self-imposed exile and desire to atone for his past actions might have kept him away, feeling that his return could do more harm than good, both for Akane and for himself.

Protective Instinct: Kogami's decision could also stem from a protective instinct, wanting to keep Akane safe from the dangers associated with his return and the attention it would bring from various factions.

In summary, Kogami's interactions with Akane are deeply personal and complex, while his interactions with Frederica are more pragmatic and mission-focused. His decisions are influenced by the nature of these relationships and the strategic implications of his actions.

Postscript:

After watching PP3/PPFI on 2019, I think Kou-chan is way more comfortable in working with Frederica 🤔. Why?

They've been working for almost 2-3years after SS3 and compliments each other's skills better. Compare with Akane whom Kogami only worked with for only several months.

Yes, yes despite of that Shinkane still have more deeper bond, I know..I know.. but I'll talk about that bond and the intensity of it in the next Shinkane analysis...

🤭😘❤️

[cosmosrebellion]

Hey, Symphogear XV! Using the HibiMiku scenes for the credits right after Hibiki sees Miku turn into Shem-Ha was a very, VERY, low blow. I both hate and love it at the same time!

[knife-eared-jan]

So, erm. Sorry Maxwell. I have a new favourite child.

This is Lindiranae. Hates shems. Is not happy to be here.

[siennadraws]

Wenalen is probably gonna be my DA:D protagonist. And he's absolutely loving it 🙃

At least there's Fado?

Tuning the guitar was already second nature to Wenalen, so as he fiddled with the strings, one by one, he scanned the tavern.

It was a strange sight to Tevinter, to have a Dalish elf playing Dalish songs as he spoke Elvhen with a fellow Dalish elf and drank Tevene wine. But times were strange, or changing, or, most likely, ending.

Terys sat diagonally to him, the corner of their small table separating them, one of her legs stretched to have her foot rest on his bench, as she leaned on her wooden arm and smoked. But her eyes never really laid on him, behind their laziness he recognized restlessness- no matter how much elfroot she smoked, he couldn't remember the last time he saw her relax.

No, that was a lie. He remembered it vividly. The day before she went away, to that Shem temple. They had smoked and drunk that day too- in their Aravel, smelling of rosemary and lilacs. She had joked about every danger she'd find at the Conclave, and he had laughed along, because his soultwin was strong and brave, and invincible as far as he could tell.

The twelve strings were tuned, so he started picking on them with his nails, as his voice remembered the words to match the chords. It was a sad song, but when were Dalish songs happy? He couldn't remember any. Or, at least, her uncle had never taught him one (his father had only taught her to kill, so it was only fair).

She seemed almost distracted by the song, now. He could see her fighting it, but she was losing. He hated it, hated how she resisted any reprieve given to her. If she hadn't gone away, if she hadn't surrounded herself by those self-flagelating Andrastians, she'd be okay- another lie he told himself.

But it was still their fault anyway, wasn't it? They were the ones who made them both change their paths, who made them need to wield blades. He had thought his anger died down with Wycome, with breaking bread with them.

He hoped everyone listening to him here could feel it too. He wished they'd feel everything, cry at both their feet. Maybe he could get that from the other elf, the one that dragged her here to Tevinter, who dragged her to Ferelden and Orlais. Away from her life and family and him.

He'd always been so certain of the future, he had walked that tightrope with his eyes closed, only to have it ripped from his feet. And he couldn't even hate the man who did it- he could still taste him on his lips and tongue.

She was looking at him now, her foot following along with the beat, but her shoulders remained tense even at the final notes.

His face twisted as he swallowed back a shaky breath. "You need to go home, Terys. You need to rest. And I really mean rest."

"The world is ending," she enunciated each syllable, baring her teeth in disgust at his words.

"I know that- I'm here, aren't I?" he locked his eyes on hers, daring her to get out of the conversation.

"Then what would you have me do?"

He almost hated her then, the patronizing tone, like she was above this conversation, just humoring him. Almost hated how clear the facade was and how she acted like he, of all people, wouldn't see past it.

"I wouldn't have you do anything! I just would have you try to be happy sometimes. You may have left us-"

"I was forced by circumstances bigger than any of us-" she didn't look at him as she interrupted.

"-but, I have always, and will always stand by your side, Terys. Talk to me. I came here to help you, make me more than your pawn."

"What?! 'Pawn'? Why are you calling-"

"Then do something with me other than moving me in that game of yours with him! Talk to me! I have known you for our whole lives, we've shared every breath."

"We both know that's not true."

Redcliffe- it was all he could do not to roll his eyes. She had played that card as often as she had woken up screaming about it, as often has he had been woken by her screams to comfort her.

She was angry, but the more he looked into her the more certain he was that it was not directed at him, even if a part of her hated that. He hated it too.

He kept his gaze steady and mouth sealed into a tight line.

"You know I would still love you, even if I never saw you again," she broke the silence.

"But can't you love me, seeing me every day?"

She kept her silence then, tracing the lines of the bark in her arm with her flesh fingers.

"How am I supposed to feel safe when not even you do?" his voice was soft now, only a whisper he knew she heard. "You can't even feel safe around me?"

"It's not about feeling safe, Wenalen. But this burden I carry is mine alone. I can't share it, even if I wanted to. And I'm not going to show it just for you to feel helpless."

"I feel helpless already."

She slid then to his side, wrapping him up in her arms, "It'll be over soon. I promise I'll be back."

He held her too, as tight as he could, as he shook the dread from his chest. As if she hadn't told him that so many times, so many years ago.

[cityandking]

5, 35, 54, 62, 83 for dai, minah and narayani!

ty my dear! // 93 fun oc asks

5. What’s their relationship with their parents like? What about other relatives?

DAI — dai's relationship with his dad is good! they're incredibly similar and dai has always looked up to t'velle as a role model and an inspiration and a source of wisdom. it's been a little strange to come home and have that moment of realizing his dad is also just A Guy. dai's relationship with his other parent is largely nonexistent, as they were an earth djinn who used their final Wish to wish daichi into existence as a fuck-you to dai's horrible grandmother, and dai has some very complicated feelings about that—some pride, some guilt, some grief. he's been reading through musa's diary and it's bittersweet to see parts of himself reflected in someone he's never going to get to meet. beyond that, dai gets on well with his uncle, does not get on well with his grandmother (the bitch), and is fond of (if often exhausted by) his cousin lhoris. (and of course, he loves his other dad pelor so much, and historically he's gotten on well (if awkwardly) with his other other dad tempus) MINAH — minah was absolutely a daddy's girl growing up and wanted to be like him and do him proud. her family got along well, though they had their usual spats and arguments. unfortunately her parents are dead, so there's not much of a relationship anymore. (she misses them horribly) NARAYANI — rani's birth clan is gone and she never knew her parents, but she was taken in and raised by clan lavellan as a sort of collective village+child thing, and she loves—loved—them all very much. she was closest to one of the elders who was something of a grandmother to her and really took her under her wing, but she considered the entire clan her family. it wasn't their fault she grew apart, not really. she just spent so long being the thing that protected them that she forgot to be their da'ayani

35. What is the easiest way to annoy them?

DAI — insist on things being true when they aren't. the more inane and stupid the better. dai would have hated the lolz so random era of internet humor. MINAH — complain about helping with things that everyone else is doing. she doesn't mind some kvetching but there's a time and a place, y'know? also, nosiness NARAYANI — every single unthinking, unconsidered word out of a shem's mouth is annoying to her. "the elves" she's already tuning you out.

54. What is their current hairstyle? What have been some of their past hairstyles? Which was their favorite hairstyle?

DAI — currently he's got cornrows capped with little gold beads and a sorta black/gold ombre thing going on (it gets lighter at the ends). in the past he's had long locs, a buzz cut, and natural hair. when he has a minute to restyle it, he's gonna go back to locs, but shorter this time. this vibe MINAH & NARAYANI — answered!

62. Have they ever been betrayed? How did it affect their ability to trust others?

DAI — he's definitely been screwed over and is far less trusting of people than he was before the campaign, but I'm not sure he's been in a position to trust anyone enough for being turned on to feel like a betrayal. he felt a little betrayed when zaref first revealed he was a void tiefling/got them trapped in the void, but he's level-headed enough to know that wasn't actually a betrayal. MINAH — yes. as we've all seen, she's totally normal about it (girl has intense trust issues) NARAYANI — absolutely, but she's slow to take it personally. she's got plenty of other stuff going on that makes her wary of trusting others; past betrayals don't change much. (she also insists—once, firmly, when someone brings it up, and then it never comes up again—that what solas did wasn't a betrayal. it was a lot of other things, but she never felt betrayed by his actions. she is, perhaps, a little biased)

83. Can they swim? How well? Do they like to swim?

DAI — yes, mostly just enough not to drown. I think he probably learned from one of the soldiers during the rebellion (I'm not sure his dad even knows how to swim? I guess there might be underground lakes in Il'hesa but I'm not sure I'd trust them). he's ambivalent about it; the water is nice but he tends to sink like. well. like a stone. also he's died underwater twice now and that kinda puts a damper on beach days. MINAH — yes! she grew up near a river and enjoys swimming. one of the best parts of traveling with the troupe was camping by a lake or a river and getting to take a dip. NARAYANI — yes, very well. she enjoys swimming on a hot day and the freedom of moving through the water. it's a pity the south is so cold

[ammoniteflesh]

15 Lines of Dialogue: Ghila Mahariel

Thank you for the tag, @theluckywizard!! I opted for Ghila - which was a challenge, because she doesn't tend to wax poetic. I dipped into the as-yet-unpublished bits of TPoAB for this, so consider this a ~sneak preview~. Also: CW for suicidality.

Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well! No-pressure tagging: @dragonologist-phd @breadedsinner @queenaeducan and @transprincecaspian!

I almost died. Twice. I was force-fed Darkspawn blood. I keep seeing things when I close my eyes. All blood and guts and music louder than I can think. My whole life… the shape of it. It’s all different now.

I don’t know much, I’m afraid. None of us do. But… I know enough to teach, just a little. If you want to learn.

Yes, we’ll help. Mythal willing. We'll get you through this.

This is the longest I have ever been around shem- humans. Have you seen the state they’re in? I’m not cowering. I’d never cower. But I’m behind enemy lines, and I need them not to hate me, and there’s nothing I can do.

I spent half of Ostagar distraught and the other half unconscious.

Oh, Creators, lethallin. Lethallin. I missed you. How has it been so long?

No, I’m sure. I could feel it. I could feel the Blight in the act.

Losing you. It hurts me. Every day. It’s like I lost myself. And I don’t know who I’ve been, since then. But it hasn’t been me. It hasn’t been your lethallan. It’s been somebody else.

What do you want me to say? I’m tired. I’m ready for the end.

Maybe, just maybe. This wasn’t about you at all.

Frankly, I hate you all.

Let me end it. Please. Please just let me die.

It’s good. To have another elf here. Kind of.

If you want to talk about Duncan – I… I don't know if I can make myself mourn him. But I can listen. I'm willing to do that much.

You’re right. I’m not [sorry].