#so many wonderful and kind people here!!!

[edenfenixblogs]

Here’s the deal:

I’m Jewish.

I grew up celebrating Christmas with my best friend/sister. I loved looking at all the lights and helping put ornaments on the tree.

But that wasn’t a secular experience for me. It was a loved one inviting me to partake in their culture, which was lovely and kind of them. It was like if I asked my friends to come to a Passover Seder or a my bat mitzvah.

It’s a joyous time for those who celebrate, and it’s very kind when a member of a culture of which you are not a part invite you to join them in their joy. It is a sign that someone you love also loves you and wants you to be present in moments they associate with joy.

But that does not make it ok for you to ASSUME that EVERYONE celebrates, wants to celebrate, or has fond associations with the things that you celebrate at that time. For the vast majority of Christian history, celebrations of Christian religions were often very intermingled with violence and oppression against those who were not Christian.

I grew up being surrounded by loved ones who celebrate Christmas and made it (and Easter!) super fun times for me.

But some Jews grew up watching people celebrate Christmas joyfully while knowing they couldn’t celebrate any of their own holidays openly because they would be targeted for bullying or violence.

Some people grew up watching people who bullied them get presents from a magic man who brought gifts to all the good boys and girls…as long as they were Christian. And they grew up wondering why Santa thought Billy the Bully was worthy of the nice list but didn’t think their non-Christian self wasn’t worthy of the same.

Some Jews grew up with parents who fled nations that were hostile to Jews and had to leave behind everything in order to start fresh somewhere else. And their parents might not have had fond associations with Christmas in their home countries. So the kids didn’t grow up with fond associations with Christmas. But they did get asked by all their Christian friends why they were weird and didn’t celebrate like all the “normal” kids.

Some kids grew up doing school choir and wondered why the “holiday concerts” included all Christian songs and one round of Dreidl dreidl—which isn’t even our best song but is the only one that Christians could be bothered to learn (even though Jewish kids learned a million different Christmas songs and even some Latin hymns).

And, to be honest, many Jews this year and last year have a lot of trouble getting “into the holiday spirit” when we know that many of the people celebrating “joy and love and peace” have spent substantial amounts of energy shouting down Jewish voices and making our lives demonstrably less full of joy and love and markedly less peaceful.

There are million and a half reasons that Jews and other non-Christians might not wish to celebrate or take part in Christmas or the Christian idea of the holiday season. And that’s ok! They shouldn’t be expected to!

Reminder that Christmas is a religious holiday and all the things that come with it (the tree, the colors, the traditions, etc.) are apart of it (even if you don’t celebrate for religious reasons it still is) and if you say “Oh it’s just part of the season” you’re throwing your Jewish & other not Christian religious participants under the bus

[qqueenofhades]

I bought your 'Empire' the other day (which I am excited about; I haven't started it yet), but somehow completely missed that you had written historical fiction, and about the Plantagenets, my favourite historical dynasty, so I'll be jumping on that.

I was wondering if you had recommendations for historical fiction set during the Plantagenet reign? I've tried Sharon Kay Penman and unfortunately didn't get on with her writing, which is a shame as I've heard good things about her series. I know Philippa Gregory has several novels set during that time period, but her books seem to be verging on bodice rippers, which isn't what I'm looking for. Was just curious if you had any suggestions for well-researched fiction set during the Plantagenet reign.

This ask has been sitting in my inbox for several days (my apologies) largely because I was trying to think of a more helpful answer for you. Medieval historical fiction is VERY hit and miss for me, not least because it is often written by people who, uh, are not historians and thus have Certain Ideas (TM) about what the medieval period is like. Or they want to use various aesthetics, or they want to make some (usually questionable) point about how women were treated in the past, or they just go whole-hog on total nonsense. As an example of all of these things at once, let us all stare in horror at this recently-released book description together:

(The book is called the Stone Witch of Florence, by the way. I took one look at this and ran screaming. WHY.)

A stone witch?? So she channels the power of gemstones like a modern-day Instagram healing crystals influencer??? BUT ZOMGZ WITCHCRAFT. In the middle of the Black Death. "Unorthodox cures" you say. But they also need holy relics for protection, and I totally trust the author to understand about medieval hagiography/cult of the saints. Totally. We definitely won't get some half-baked comparison between Sekrit Women Magical Gems Which Really Work and Dark Ages Church Superstition Holy Relics Which Are A Fraud, or.... something??? And our nobly mistreated protagonist will super definitely be a real physician if she gets these and never ever accused of witchcraft (which LET US ALL SAY IT TOGETHER IS AN EARLY MODERN THING!!!!) Because medieval medicine was just a bunch of gemstone vibes anyway! Makes total sense!

...my head hurts.

Anyway, while not all examples are this egregious, the point is: I love historical fiction, but I almost always can't read it when it's set in the medieval era. I read Sharon Kay Penman a while ago and enjoyed her stuff at the time, though I have assorted gripes with it on a stylistic/historical level. While Philippa Gregory does have real academic credentials, she likewise has gone totally down the bodice-ripper alternate-history crackpot theory Secret Women Magic version of things, which is... fine if that's your jam, but just like you, it is not mine. I thus have to read fiction which is set in other periods or which I know less about or where at least I am more capable of turning off my brain and accepting things for the sake of the story. So as you see, I unfortunately don't have many useful suggestions for you in this field, since the kind of medieval historical fiction that I like to recommend is, say, The Name of the Rose. Which is terrific and written for someone of a professional medievalist's level of knowledge, but is not exactly everyone's cup of tea when they just want something fun and easy to understand.

I am, of course, happy to give other book recommendations if you'd like to broaden your request, and I'll do my best to think -- but yes! As I said, I wish I could be more helpful here. I shall persist.

(Also, of course: thanks for buying EMPIRE! I do hope you enjoy.)

[ir-abelas-vhenan]

Something Something Yeah It's Still Solavellan Hours (Mythal is kind of here, too)

I've seen a few very beautifully articulated posts talking about the conflicted responses players are finding themselves having in regards to the decision by writers* to have Solas' atonement route possible because of his conversation with one of the remaining fragments of Mythal.

(*honestly I hesitate to put the weight of bigger game events on their shoulders because of how much I know bigger players in the company were involved, so when you read 'writers' know I just mean whoever had final say on plot)

I love reading where people are at on this, and having now breathed, re-played the scene, cried, read some more theories, and then played the scene again enough times I think I'm now able to figure out where I'm at.

TLDR: in my humble opinion, the conversation Solas has with Mythal doesn't bring him any actual closure at all. It is only the version of the atonement ending that has Lavellan in which he is actually set upon a road to redemption.

This, like everything else where I lose my mind, will be long. I tried to restrain myself and here we are, unhinged as ever.

I was unhappy at first that Mythal's incredibly brief conversation with Solas where she releases him from her service seemed to be what finally allowed him to make a decision based on his wants and not hers. My concern stemmed mostly from the fact that a lot of us are trying to be active participants in a society that recognizes patterns of abuse and seeks to establish channels through which individuals can pursue healing without the approval, consent, or demise of their abuser.

But the more I look at the scene, the more I wonder what would have happened in a world where Veilguard got just a little more time in development. Could we have gotten a scene that more elegantly conveys the theme that we cannot heal every part of our loved ones, much as we might like to?

In an imperfect world it isn't always up to us how someone finds closure, which really sucks when you'd like to ensure a loved one finds it in a way that preserves their dignity and limits exposure to the individuals who have harmed them.

And while it could be left there, I'd like to actually push back on the idea that Mythal is in any way responsible for "healing" Solas in this moment.

I went on a different tirade a few days ago about how at the end of Inquisition, Mythal says words to Solas that on their surface seem well-intentioned or placating, but they actually just serve to further bind him in guilt and a position of servitude. In Veilguard's finale, she still does not take accountability for exactly how much of a role she played in the pain that Solas, a man others have revered and feared as a god, has gone through as he cowers, actually cowers before her.

Mythal's interaction with Solas conveys exactly two things to him as far as I am concerned (I'm going to botch these quotes but my laptop is dying so please accept some paraphrase as I rush to finish this before I go cry about this analysis to my uncaring dog):

"The terrible things we did, we did together." You are forever tied to me.

"I release you from my service." But what am I releasing you to?

Because up until Lavellan joins the fray here, all I take away from the physical and unwilling emotional cues Solas gives in this scene (he is a master in trickery, for goodness' sake, the thought of so many witnesses seeing him unable to hide behind a mask has to leave him feeling anguished on top of everything else) is that Mythal has once again reminded him of everything he did in her name and telling him that all that's left for him is to go back to the fade prison and, as he as always done, endure the crushing weight of his failures alone.

To me, in my interpretation, the Solas that hears this from Mythal with no Lavellan intervention may choose to willingly step down from his original plan (and yeah, that's gonna do some damage) but he is certainly not free of his past. He's going to be reminded of it every time he turns a corner and finds more blight to try and soothe, and even the moments that he rests will be filled with more manifestations of his regret. He says it himself: where he's going? It's terrible.

Enter Lavellan. Yeah, he couldn't bring himself to listen to her at her first plea (but like damn how many times are we going to have to watch her give a heartfelt speech only for him to be like 'something something beautiful elven rejection'). But I know that you know that our clever icon knows better than to take what Solas says at face value. She tells Rook plainly that he's absolute dogshit at lies of the heart, and she says it with her whole chest.

Lavellan sees the way his shoulders slump (in resignation yes, but you can't convince me there's not a little bit of relief there, too), she hears the agony in the "vhenan" that escapes his lips (which, don't even get me started on the fact that it's been like nine years and he has no hesitation at all calling her his heart, it just spills out of him). It is not the sound of a man delighting in the steps he's about to take. They're certainly not steps he does not dislike that lead to a destination he enjoys.

And then she watches Mythal (who I can't imagine she feels any sort of fondness or respect for) pull some weird nonsense on her love one final time, and she knows it's her moment to shine.

Mythal, I would argue, pushes Solas down one more time, shames him into seeking atonement, into once again being alone.

It is the romanced Lavellan that kneels so that he cannot fail to meet her eyes. It is she who invokes their connection, not to remind him of his failures but to reaffirm his greatest strength: their love and their love alone is inevitable. Not the consequences of his past, not the regret he thinks will consume him as he seeks to mend what has been broken. It has only ever been them.

"There is no fate but the love we share". We are forever tied together.

"There is no fate but the love we share." *I* am releasing you from everything else save for this love.

Put colloquially: get absolutely fucking wrecked, Mythal.

Body language comparison to chase up the dialogue one, anyone? The way Solas shrinks before Mythal as opposed to him walking off into the fade with Lavellan at his side and standing tall, and he does not flinch when she lifts a hand to his shoulder?

Ultimately, Mythal is a part of the atonement endings no matter what. But it is only Lavellan that refuses to let him walk alone. It is only Lavellan that guarantees that his dinan'shiral ends not in a prison of regret, but a place of promise.

Mythal bends Solas until he breaks one last time. Lavellan takes each piece, claims it as hers, and uses them to build the beginnings of a future.

[dnickels]

I don't think Gibson gets enough credit for how skillfully he extricated himself from the sodomy allegations. Long post to follow ->

The evangelical mindset is "we are constantly under siege from both invisible powers and our fellow man (and even one's own thoughts), every waking moment is nonstop spiritual battle" so Gibson framing himself as too weak to refuse advances (without spiritual backing, naturally) is a brilliant play for Irving's own anxieties while also putting him in the position to be the shepherd rescuing one of his flock. A direct appeal to the Victorian bourgeois savior narrative, expertly played. He's given Irving a script so familiar and one he's so eager to act out he doesn't for a second question its veracity.

And now we depart to the realm of pure speculation (oh boy my favorite) but I always wonder what exactly Gibson told him, and how much it actually corresponds to what we hear Irving scold Hickey for. I wonder if something got lost in translation (Irving heard what he wanted to hear which is not quite the same as what's actually being said). I think Gibson is perfectly capable of shopping Hickey to save his own skin no question, but that scenario doesn't quite jive with how surprised/concerned he is that Hickey and Irving apparently had a chat about the situation. Surely Gibson didn't think he could say "I was coerced" without some kind of follow-up? It could be a feint, he's just acting to try and keep Hickey from holding a grudge (I think Gibson knows with brutal clarity that you do not want to be on Hickey's shitlist) but his reaction reads to me like he's seeing his fib start to spiral out of control. Of course, one of the grand themes in Terror is people not being as smart as they think they are (or, more charitably, that even well-conceived plans often shipwreck on the shoals of human unpredictability) so it could just be an example of a reasonable plan blowing up on contact with an unreasonable person, as individuals are a universe unto themselves and truly unknowable to each other. Or maybe he really didn't think Irving would do anything, because he asked him to keep it quiet? Maybe that's how it usually goes, everyone agrees to keep it quiet-- sobering thought.

Still, it intrigues me to think about Irving as the wildcard in Gibson's plan, not Hickey-- bringing baggage to it that Gibson didn't include in his calculations. I wonder if Gibson heard the lecture, how many of his own words would he recognize? I can see the shape of a communications breakdown, where a tactful "the temptation was overwhelming, I couldn't resist him" becomes "he used overpowering force" or "I didn't come forward because I was afraid" becomes "he threatened me into silence". Not unreasonable assumptions for Irving to make, honestly, I just think its interesting to play with the idea that they are assumptions and not part of Gibson's ass-saving explanation. Just no accounting for what happens in the pressure-cooker of the evangelical brain!

Obviously the darker read here is that Irving can't understand a messy gay situationship despite spending years at sea is because he is homophobic (while desperately refusing/denying/fighting his own desires) or was himself party to coercion, either towards himself or someone else.

I just think its interesting to think of how it might have played out if Gibson and Hickey been surprised by say, Hodgson instead-- who might have given them a stern "I don't want to catch you two not at work again" but otherwise let the matter slide, or Little, who I can see loading them down with donkeywork but refraining from escalating because doing so means talking to Crozier and Oh God, Please No.

I keep coming back to the question of whether or not Gibson was ready/intending to burn Hickey as badly as his lie makes it seem. While I think he's perfectly capable of it, but it seems like such a risky move when his confession (owning what Irving has no real proof of, I'm more familiar with the early 19th century legal situation on land but the standard of proof for sodomy specifically was actually pretty high) could just as easily backfire on him rather than exonerating them both. We only have Gibson's word that he acted for their mutual benefit, and even if he's telling the truth it seems like stepping on a landmine: no one seems to think Hickey would hang on his accusation, so he's going to still be around after a potential flogging and presumably pissed off. Obviously its a bad situation all around but I am so curious about his own risk/reward accounting. For me, I really enjoy imaging him trying to play master manipulator to Jirv who is absolutley not a player and mostly lets Jesus call the shots. Very funny to me to be so ambitious and skillful and willing to play the Great Game but it all comes to nothing due to human folly. Thesis moment.

[dalliancekay]

And it is All. Aziraphale's. Fault.

NO IT FUCKING ISN'T HIS FAULT

First of all: I'm pretty sure every time we see Az and Crowley in the past, Crowley is wearing whatever is the height of fashion while Aziraphale wears things that are well made but several decades out. Meaning he is wearing them for a good while. Swapping his clothes around when they become maybe too worn, maybe too conspicuous.

Walking the clean, gas-lit avenues with Crowley and Elspeth, Aziraphale is oblivious to the privilege he has in this world.

Really? Was he born yesterday? He has no idea how the world works?

the angel spouts trite pontifications created by the rich to justify poverty. He genuinely believes Elspeth has more opportunities for goodness.  After all, look at Wee Morag. 

It wasn't invented by the rich. It was 'invented' or used rather by the church that got used by the rich to keep the poor in place. There is no way you can blame Aziraphale for this. All he wanted is for Elspeth not to end up in Hell. Which Crowley wanted too, after he saw how upset it made Aziraphale. That's not fucking wrong. And you can't tell me either that rich have more opportunities to do good. Or that they do so. Or that more of them go to Heaven.

The inequality in humanity? Well, Adam and Eve had nothing. We have caused all this bullshit to ourselves. Nothing to do with Aziraphale. Or Crowley.

He respects her goodness tremendously.  It proves to him his “rightness.” 

Did you mean to say, he's glad she's not heading for Hell.

And so he sabotages Elspeth’s attempt to sell the body she dug up in her attempt to support Wee Morag.  Dalrymple gets no body, Elspeth gets no money, and Aziraphale believes he’s saving her soul.

He WAS saving her soul. Remember? Heaven and Hell being real places you go to when you die in GO?

Selling stolen bodies puts good in the world.  He’s all for it now, and goes back to encourage Elspeth.  Good heavens, he’s even willing to help this time!

Maybe next time try to be a bit more condescending to someone who just learned something new. And IMMEDIATELY changed his mind about it. Plus, Crowley had no idea digging up bodies could be spun to be a good thing either. He was learning just as much as Aziraphale. But I haven't seen one single FUCKING META about how Crowley was completely disinterested in Elspeth and her life. Only in having his usual argument with Aziraphale. Until he didn't. (And as I pointed out, he wasn't right about - you have start people off equal, people did start off equal, we are just assholes)

But, as we know, it all goes wrong.  Wee Morag is shot by a grave gun, and dies of her injuries.  Elspeth steals laudanum, and plans suicide. 

In other words, everyone makes their own choices, things go badly for Wee Morag. Maybe re-watch the ep and see how Elspeth doesn't blame Aziraphale (or Crowley) for what happened. So why do you?

Crowley drinks the laudanum, saves her in a compassionate Scottish frenzy, and is stolen away by hell because of his kindness.  

Is he? Or is he taken cos he sent two guards directly down to Hell, alerting them?

And it is All. Aziraphale's. Fault.

(I deleted what I wrote here)

He considers all of the money he casually spends on fine clothing and expensive tailoring.  He wonders how many lives could change if that money was better spent on helping to relieve the poverty that surrounds him. 

There's absolutely NOTHING in canon to support this. We can HC whatever we want sure, I for example think that Az wears things, as I said above, that are stylish but always out of fashion because it takes him time to find the right things and then he wears them for decades and decades. Because that's what is suggested by the canon, by the care he puts into his clothes and how well loved they are. The fact that 'male' fashion got less flamboyant down the centuries was not Aziraphale's decision. I for example HC too that Azi, when building his bookshop, and using his own, earned money as you rightly say, was spending miracles on making sure his workers didn't injure themselves, that he spent miracles looking after the street urchins in the very poor neighbourhood he has chosen to settle in (as opposite to say Mayfair). And that when Gabriel told him off for using too many 'frivolous miracles' in 1792 he got mad and decided to go to Paris like the stupid angel he apparently is and get, say, ravished by his enemy who would surely find him helpless and not able to save himself in a prison.

What would Crowley do, if he were free to be kind? And so Aziraphale changes.

Yes, because Aziraphale is an asshole who cares about nobody, and nothing, right?

the angel who took too long justifying a life-saving miracle for Wee Morag

Because he's NOT ALLOWED TO INTERVENE.

who hesitated to give Elspeth his 90 Guineas

Do you think he should have just worked and worked and give all his money to poor people? Is that the answer to all the world's problems? Making Aziraphale poor?

willingly and freely gave Maggie forgiveness for thousands of pounds of debt

Why wouldn't he. It's his property and I am sure he lends it to Maggie for significantly less than anyone else would have. Definitely less than those 'gentlemen' in the book who come and try to persuade the angel from time to time to sell his bookshop.

I'd love to know what else he's done over the last 180+ years!

He's been the kind, big hearted angel he always was. Looking after his shop, his tenants and anyone else who he could. Saving babies in prams and making sure shady men never came back. Looking out for Crowley, trying to keep him out of trouble, worrying about him, keeping an eye out to see if he's not doing something reckless. Finding out the demon wants to rob a church, handing him the one thing that could take him away forever with the heaviest of hearts. While of course, Crowley was doing the same thing. Not giving in to Aziraphale's princess act in the Bastille because he knew it would not ultimately end well for them. Understanding when Aziraphale said no to a date in 1967, not surprised since he remembered well what happened in 1941 when they were seen together.

*** YES if Aziraphale did absolutely nothing on the graveyard, Wee Morag would have probably lived a bit longer. How much longer though... and they would very likely end up in Hell, because they would have had to do much more crime down the road. Maybe even get hanged for graverobbing. Also see: Aziraphale just wanted to help. Did you never make a mistake??? He didn't mean to hurt anyone. If he did nothing, he'd never have learned yet another way the world is complicated and not black and white. Crowley was going to do nothing at all, just have a laugh at someone robbing a grave. No one cares. He's a demon. He stopped Elspeth from killing herself and everyone applauds, yes, it is super kind of him, and dangerous for him too, but it is the right thing to do. He didn't want her to go to Hell either.

The people who think they would have figured everything out before any events happened at all...well, good luck in your life.

And people who think Az should have done nothing - okay then. Let's just all do nothing at all, hoping we avoid all the bad things. Also: Changing the world is not done via charity but via changing the society, creating better welfare systems, housing, medical care, education. Those are things one lone angel (and his husband) can't do. And it's not their place anyway. I have like 5 pounds in my bank account (I hope) and yet I am not blaming someone well-off for that. It's the systems that are failing us. Much like the systems failed Aziraphale and Crowley. Putting two wonderful beings through so much pain because - that's how it is done.

And as I have said a million times before, Aziraphale is not learning some morality lesson in GO (HE IS A WONDERFUL, GOOD, KIND, GENEROUS, BRAVE BEING ALREADY), he doesn't need to get off his high horse, he doesn't need to finally 'see things clearly'. He knows how fucked the system he lives in is. He's just trying to help. Even Crowley says (in the book) that Heaven is the better option over Hell. However fucked it is.

Aziraphale learns from Crowley that he can question things, yes. But not in some, oh he's so blind and stuck and deep in some dogma bullshit. NO. He was always told things will happen a certain way. That Earth gets 6000 years tops. That God Herself made a Plan. It may be Ineffable, but it is a Plan.

I'm sorry, if you think you are far smarter than this and you would have figured out that God is telling porkies, good for you, I'm glad such intellects exists.

Because Crowley also didn't know the Plan could be changed until the end of S1. Yes he asked Az to try stop Armageddon but I don't think he really believed they could. He just wanted to give it a go. Cos - well what did he have to lose?

And they did change it. They held Adam's hands and they told him to be himself and when Gabe and Beez wanted to go ahead anyway Az confused them by asking about which Plan said what. So yes, he learns to question things. And he learned that from Crowley. And Crowley? Who was abandoned by the one Being who was always supposed to love him? Well. Crowley looks into those blue eyes and trusts.

The Night That Changed an Angel (or, why does Aziraphale still wear that shabby vest?)

Mini-Meta Musing (#4)

I've been brooding for a long time about, of all things, Aziraphale's worn velvet vest and the long cream jacket he's kept in "tip top condition for over 180 years now." I love the sweet familiarity, but this is the same angel who popped across the Channel and almost lost his fluffy-topped head in 1793 for dressing like an aristocrat.

"I have standards!"

He's the height of elegance, extravagance even. A dandy. We've seen the same at the Globe Theater 1601, Edinburgh 1827, and even as a Knight of the Round Table in 527 Essex, where he's wearing a glorious pelt across his shoulders! However, sometime after Edinburgh 1827, Aziraphale's stylish extravagance ends. He adopts the dress of distinguished but modest gentility. No seamstresses strain their eyes for days hand stitching ruffles and trims for him any longer. When we next see him in 1862, his clothing is refined, simple, and serviceable. It becomes his uniform, with only minor replacements. Why? What happened to change him?

Edinburgh 1827 happened. And his encounter with tragedy ran over his sensibilities like a locomotive.

Aziraphale had, we were told, saved his earnings over time and had bought land, invested wisely, and became quite well off. He used real money, not miracles, to build the bookshop, paying the builders well and taking care of bills honestly. He built himself up to a more than comfortable lifestyle, from nearly nothing. And his clothes are real, not miracled from nothingness like Crowley's. (source: original showrunner)

Aziraphale's wealth allows him to afford luxurious tailoring and fancy shoes and ruffles and trims. He'll certainly pay the cobblers and tailors and seamstresses well for their labors. It will be a substantial expense for the era. (The linked post gives a wonderful perspective on 1793 lifestyles and costs.)

https://agoodflyting.tumblr.com/post/753227014283083776/why-aziraphales-white-satin-pumps-are-ridiculous

The angel's Edinburgh multilayered and trimmed top coat, soft leather gloves, matching scarf, jacquard vest, silk cravat, etc., look entirely out of place in the back alleys where the poor huddle. Walking the clean, gas-lit avenues with Crowley and Elspeth, Aziraphale is oblivious to the privilege he has in this world.

As he strolls along in philosophical banter with Crowley about the "blessing" of poverty, the angel spouts trite pontifications created by the rich to justify poverty. He genuinely believes Elspeth has more opportunities for goodness.  After all, look at Wee Morag.  He respects her goodness tremendously.  It proves to him his “rightness.”  And so he sabotages Elspeth’s attempt to sell the body she dug up in her attempt to support Wee Morag.  Dalrymple gets no body, Elspeth gets no money, and Aziraphale believes he’s saving her soul.

It’s a poignant moment, though, when Aziraphale cradles the jar containing a tumor from a seven year old child who died because there wasn’t enough medical knowledge to save him.  Turning point number one.  It becomes Real, not a philosophical debate.  Selling stolen bodies puts good in the world.  He’s all for it now, and goes back to encourage Elspeth.  Good heavens, he’s even willing to help this time!

But, as we know, it all goes wrong.  Wee Morag is shot by a grave gun, and dies of her injuries.  Elspeth steals laudanum, and plans suicide.  Crowley drinks the laudanum, saves her in a compassionate Scottish frenzy, and is stolen away by hell because of his kindness.   And it is All. Aziriphale’s. Fault.

Turning point number two.  Another watershed moment where Aziraphale’s world changes again.

One of Crowley’s last earthly acts, before getting plunged into hell, is to have Aziraphale give Elspeth all of his pocket money.  What is pocket money to the angel is a fortune to her, one that can set her up for a better life.  I have no doubt that in the aftermath of the traumas of that night, missing and worrying about Crowley, Aziraphale thinks about all of this.  He considers all of the money he casually spends on fine clothing and expensive tailoring.  He wonders how many lives could change if that money was better spent on helping to relieve the poverty that surrounds him.  He wants to help, and to try to make amends for the harm he caused.  What would Crowley do, if he were free to be kind? And so Aziraphale changes.

I’d love to know the story of how it all played out.  Did he sell his fine clothing and donate the proceeds?  Did he become involved in charitable foundations?  Did he buy the clothing of a simple gentleman and decide to preserve it, however worn it became, as a reminder to himself of his past blindness and vanity?  We see in Season 1 how important it is to him to preserve that coat. (Sure, it's also a fantastic opportunity to flirt and flutter those angelic eyelashes... But, nonetheless!)

By Season 2, the angel who took too long justifying a life-saving miracle for Wee Morag, and who hesitated to give Elspeth his 90 Guineas, willingly and freely gave Maggie forgiveness for thousands of pounds of debt. I'd love to know what else he's done over the last 180+ years!

Whatever happened, it began that night in a graveyard.

[hotvintagepoll]

Sid James (Hell Drivers, Carry On Camping, Carry On Doctor, Three Hats for Lisa, Bless This House)—Sid James has the kind of scrungly face that looks like a guy has spent his youth boxing but now breeds canaries. Yes, he became legendary as the kind of bloke who is always happy to eye up the ladies and pull a fast one on the system, but he could also do terrifying gangster and comforting dad who might grumble a bit but will always be there for his family.

Conrad Veidt (The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, The Man Who Laughs)— oh my god look at him in Caligari. I specifically said that he's from this because him as Cesare is just. MMMMM. he's so wet and sad and scrungly. and little. he's like a kitten left alone in a dark alley except he's also killed people (not his fault). something wrong with him (Cesare). as for Conrad himself. oh my god look at him... them big ole eyes and the walk of some fucking thing creature

This is round 2 of the contest. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. If you're confused on what a scrungle is, or any of the rules of the contest, click here.

[additional submitted propaganda + scrungly videos under the cut]

Sid James:

Conrad Veidt:

I mean just look at him. The wet cat energy. The ghostly eyes. He did the monster mash before anybody. Where would we be today without him, he even has one (1) song on spotify. I regularly forget he's dead and wonder what his next movie will be. He slays in any role. The Ultimate Skrunkle.

He's the ultimate scrungly to me, the basis for many of our scrungly guys today. he's so skinny and pale and he wears so much eye makeup

He was THE bisexual goth tumblr sexyman of early film. Seriously the old timey Tumblrinas would send him fanmail about wanting him to choke them. He inspired the designs for the Joker and Jafar,and was nicknamed the “Demon of the Silver Screen” for his horror roles. His first wife divorced him for crossdressing. Hitler sent him hate mail for speaking out about antisemitism. He really loved his wife and told the Germans to go fuck themselves when they threatened his job if he didn’t divorce her for being Jewish. Just look at me and tell me this guy isn’t scrungly he’s like a personification of the emo kid from Horton hears a who

[cw the below clip depicts assault/abduction and could be scary for some viewers]

[batboyblog]

So fun fact about the trans-military ban! Someone did the math and it would cost around 18 billion dollars plus another 1 billion to actually go through with it, compared to the 1 billion it would take to just keep those 15,000 trans people in the military!

In other words, it's stupidly shortsighted, and will likely be shifted onto taxpayers as well... All this out of sheer hatred of trans people...

yeah, I've been wondering how many of those 15,000 are specialists, I know the military has run a special program that allows people to by-pass normal basic training and get a commission for specialized non-combat roles, they particularly been looking for computer skills and jokes about trans computer nerds here right.

in any case each and every one of those 15,000 servicemen and women are doing a job that we'll have to pay to train someone else to do, and as mentioned above there's a chance that some of them will be basically irreplaceable

and yeah all the tax payers will pay, as a country we'll be less safe since there will be a period where a ton of new inexperienced people will have taken over the jobs of fired trans people, and long term the US Military is always struggling with recruitment, now a whole class of people is off the table for no real reason, plus anyone for whom this kind of discrimination is a deal breaker so they won't join. We may end up footing the bill for more recruitment incentives or just suffer because the military can't meet its goals.

[sockatoothewafflebird]

u prolly have already but pls i want in depth yap abt caitvi in arc3 and how they heal :)

oh anon i have NOT yapped about how they heal. not in detail at least. so here we go. there's not a lot that hasn't been said about them, but i'd like to put my perspective into the ring just because. as an eldest sister and as a lesbian i can relate to vi in a lot of ways.

i think my main takeaway for caitvi in act 3 is how they're both human, in the ways they love and in the ways they fight. arcane is a show that respects its audience and trusts us to be able to read between the lines and i appreciate how you can see every little detail of the words they're not saying if you look close enough.

in The Scene especially you can see just how real theyre being... im not gonna dwell on it, but by the skin of my teeth and the bones in my knees they LOVE each other. you can see it so clearly.

caitlyn walks in on vi questioning everything she is. violet legit just let her sister slip from her fingers, again. i cannot tell you how many times i've felt guilty when my sister or brother are hurt or do something wrong, even if i had no part in it. i cannot imagine how much it would hurt to lose them and keep going only because of the possibility of finding them again, and then when i finally do find then they're ripped from my arms. and it happens more than once. i would be in the same place vi is. blaming herself for all of it. making the burden of protecting her sister all hers and no one else's. wondering whether or not she's doing the right thing at all. (cough coughh petra minecraft is that you)

as stressful as they can be sometimes they're my siblings and i'd do anytning for them. and with the kind of person vi is, for her that means punching whoever's in the way. doing whatever she can. she has a big heart and she's never lost it.

after caitlyn basically dumped her in the most entitled way possible vi had nothing left. no one to protect and nothing to fight for. so she fought just for the sake of fighting. after getting her family back and losing them again (holy ballsockets she was put through the wringer) all she had was cait even if cait hurt her. i think even if cait never did anytbing to make it up to her, she would have stayed, because vi needs an anchor.

caitlyn's hurt a lot of people directly or indirectly. she grew up priveleged and stayed that way, never truly seeing exactly how much pain people are going through until it's too late to turn back. caitlyn's arc is a very interesting one because she never says the words "i'm sorry". she never tells vi that what she did was wrong and that she wants to fix it. but she does things that prove her remorse.

caitlyn works with vi in the end of act 2. i think this is partially because she was already skeptical of ambessa from the start, and partially because she wanted to find a way to make it up to her. caitlyn doesn't fold as soon as vi calls her cupcake, that's not what the look is. The Look is her thinking, "wait, does she not hate me? why did she call me her term of endearment even after everything i've done?"

in act 3, caitlyn takes all the guards out of the prison, because she knew vi would try to rescue her sister. in the words of another post i forgot to save (deepest apologies to the op of that one), vi could have taken jinx and ran. caitlyn might have never seen her again and she let that happen anyway. and cait even went to the cell to check to see if her theory was true, and lo and behold it was. and vi failed at trying to save her sister. again.

what does caitlyn do? she tells vi that she relieved the prison of the guards because of her. all confident and sultry and commanding like she knows what she's doing.

and then when they're getting into it caitlyn frantically pulls away. she realizes that, yeah, she still needs to make things right. she tries to be honest, tell vi that she saw someone else, and vi just reassures her and keeps going. i think thisnis because 1) vi wants the cupcake, who wouldn't, and 2) she's... not exactly forgiving, that needs more work- but she's showing her appreciation for caitlyn here. caitlyn did something huge for her, she let her break a prisoner out which could have dire consequences for both of them.

i think vi just absolutely smothering cait is also a way to show that even though cait hurt her physically as well as emotionally, she's gone past that. if vi hadn't at least given some thought about cait's actions she would not let this happen, i don't think, unless she's super desperate. this proves that vi is starting to move on and cait is starting to revert back to that sputtering stuttering pinned-to-a-wall-flustered woman she was in season one- that's the woman vi fell in love with, after all... and that woman is battered and bruised and has plenty of sins to stone for. but that woman is not dead.

The Scene in the cell is both them being desperate and them showing their love for each other without words. caitlyn's hand lingers on vi's injury, maybe about to utter an apology, but vi cuts her off anyway. there's SO many little things here gaughehgjf.

and in the end of the show, when caitlyn looks into the hexgates in her family's archives, she looks because vi probably asked her to. vi wanted to be sure. she looked because she cares about vi. whether or not she'll tell vi about this is an interesting thought- i don't think she would. it would undermine jinx's sacrifice.

jinx walked away so she could move on. so piltover could move on. so zaun could move on. so vi could move on. and caitlyn telling vi that she's alive would ruin the steps they've taken towards healing.

i think vi's main problem was dedicating her life to her sister and nothing else. and caitlyn's was just her exploiting a broken system and mever recognizing her faults. vi starts to heal because now that her sister is truly gone to her, she can move away from the past and build her own future. and now that caitlyn's fully realized her mistakes she can take steps towards changing piltover for the better. GAHH i love complicated sapphics especially when there's sapphic joy after all the suffering....

this was all written in one sitting so apologies if it's messy, and i've sort of compiled some other ideas and theories i've seen in here too; but yeah, these are my thoughts on caitvi in season 2. i think they could've been fleshed out a bit more, but overall their relationship is legendary. i'll never stop loving them. caitvi supremacy people 💪

[igglemouse]

Lets start this day with some big news! Our little Flora is officially too big for her crib which means she's grown some! They do grow fast, don't they? It's almost hard to keep up!

Just look at her! My little princesa! She's wiggling and cooing and happy as can be and what else is there to say? I'm soaking in the moment with her and have little else to say. I just feel so lucky and fortunate and I know I keep saying this but all my love is for her right now!

I would have played with her a little more but I think all that growing wore her out, as it tends to do, so I would let her have her nap and whip up a pizza! Pizzas are easy to make thankfully and this one will just be a regular classic pepperoni as you can't go wrong with that. I think I do make a pretty good pizza pie! That's amore!

I think the scent of pizza brings Pascal to the kitchen but when he arrives he's looking a little sad. I admit, the frown on his face makes me forget for a moment that he's been oogling models in his spare time and I can't wait to offer my emotional support.

"What's wrong?" I ask, putting aside his wandering eyes for just a moment. I bet it has something to do with futbol, usually if he's sad that is why, but I can't ignore one significant difference about him. "You umm, forget to shave?"

"That's just it, my razor broke and I might have to go out like this," he looks so disheartened even as he rubs the new beard that now adorns his face.

"You look great! In fact, I'd say keep it!"

"Well, if you say so."

I can't help but chuckle at how dramatic he's being. "You look fine either way! Actually, I think it suits you! You're a daddy now and it matures you some."

"I guess it's not so bad..." he mumbles although the frown on his face doesn't budge. I remind him that there is fresh pizza in the kitchen so if that doesn't make him feel a little better than I don't know what will.

I've decided not to bring up the model oogling just yet. Eventually, yes, but right now I just don't feel it is the right time. I've thought a lot about it last night but I want to keep those thoughts to the side, not let them consume me. He's a man. I know, that's a poor excuse, but it is also the truth. It is also the truth that really I'm still very very very much into him and that right now is enough for me to set it aside and give him the benefit of the doubt.

Instead, my mind drifts to bigger things, longer term things, another baby kind of things and maybe, hopefully, a proposal. Yeah, the big M. I can't help but wonder when it will happen or...if it will happen.

I'll be honest, I probably would've spent the rest of the night overthinking about Pascal's liking history on Simstagram but the moment I see Flora's little face it grounds me completely. She's the result of our passion and love and I won't throw that away on a whim. Feeding her, holding her, playing with her reminds me of what truly matters.

Oh! She loves to hiccup! That makes her a hiccuper? It's the most adorable thing, it's a squeaky little sound and whenever she does it she almost looks confused as if she's asking 'did I do that?' and I have to remind her to have manners! A little lady doesn't go around hiccuping at others after all!

And I love her so much that I am taking her everywhere I go in my little carrier. Thankfully, she's a quiet one and she's pretty calm about being carried around. Only wriggling and cooing here and there and hopefully taking in what will hopefully be her home for many years to come.

Oh! Also, as I'm out and about, I notice that people are recognizing me? Nothing major, a few waves and hellos along with my name "Frida!" and I can't help but wonder is it from my food stand or me new growing SimTube channel? Either way, it does feel nice to be noticed! There's even a fellow food stand chef who offered me a free hotdog but I had to decline because Flora started to whine and flail, her way of wanting to go back home I think.

Oh, and Pascal did spend time with Flora after he came back from a game. I SWEAR she was giving him the side-eye. I might have ummm vented to her about the traveling eyes of men. Not that she could understand a word I've said but maybe, just maybe, she picked up on it in my tone...or it could be she's unsure of him because she really doesn't get to see him too much, he's always working, after all.

Meanwhile, in the poorer part of town, Sara and Simón were curled up together in his humble trailer. He had called her over saying that there was something important they needed to discuss but it didn't end up being much of a conversation. Instead, he simply asked for her loyalty and her love.

She wanted to, she wanted him to be the one, Watcher how she wanted to. He could be her escape, her distraction, her addiction, her everything, how she wanted every bit of that, but she knows oft times the heart doesn't get what it wants. The brain though, the brain can be a lot more realistic with its desires.

"I know what you are," she said suddenly, the realization blowing past her like a chill breeze. Her hands roamed his chest, the tips of her fingers searching for something, reassurance, maybe? The mystery of him perhaps, the missing puzzle piece that would make this thing between them work.

"I know you'd figure it out," his reply was quiet and his voice heavy. He wasn't shocked. He wouldn't deny it or talk her out of it. He couldn't run from his past like Frida because he had become his past and now as he looked at Sara he wondered if she could ever be part of his future. If she should. The danger he could put her through..."So, what do you think?"

"I don't want this to end," she decided, the words surprising even herself. Maybe, just maybe, he was worth the risk. Love is always worth the risk...

Frida Varela - Next Episode 9.5

[onehelluvafan]

IncuBlitz Part Two: Verosika

This is part two of a three-part analysis related to "Better Than Blitzo" (or "IncuBlitz" as I like to call him) and the look that he gave Blitz, right before he kissed Stolas.

Click here for Part One: His Tattoo, or keep reading to dive into Part Two: Verosika—how and why she could have orchestrated things.

Alright, this theory in particular was my main working theory and what I thought I would be giving evidence for in this analysis. However, after digging into it and following my own lines of reasoning, I’m considerably less sure of this theory.

But let’s go ahead and break it down. Starting with:

Is Verosika stalking Blitz?

I think at this point, it’s heavily implied that Verosika has to be stalking or keeping tabs on Blitz. The nature of the party itself, wouldn’t work nor be full of so many people if she wasn’t getting information on him somehow.

But at the very least, we know that the barometer for who is welcome at this party is pretty low, considering that Dennis is in attendance.

Because the only interaction we see him have with Blitz is a brief encounter during the Queen Bee episode. After Loona interrupts the two making out and Blitz finds out his name, he recoils, shoos him away, and yells, “Get away from me! I’m not fucking a Dennis tonight.”

This did appear to hit poor Dennis a bit hard, but it’s still a pretty low-stakes, low-investment encounter compared to the history that Blitz has with Verosika.

I did wonder at first if this was proof that she was having Blitz straight-up followed this whole time. Because not only was he only there to pick up Loona, but it’s clear that he hasn’t even been going to these kinds of parties in a long time.

But then my friend reminded me that Tex was at that party. And not only that, but he had explicitly asked Loona to go check on Blitz, at the time when Blitz was actively making out with Dennis.

Since he works for Verosika as security closely and often enough to be at the “I Hate Blitzo” party, I think it’s not too much of a stretch to assume that she heard it from him directly. Perhaps, when it comes to Blitz, he’s actually “paid enough to care.”

I think the night of the disastrous date at Ozzie’s is what brought Stolas to Verosika's attention, but she was clearly keeping tabs on Blitz since long before that.

The "Freshest Ex" Timeline

There’s been some discussion in the fandom about the timeline of Full Moon and Apology Tour not quite lining up because, during the duet, you can see on Blitz’s calendar that he has the 29th circled as the night of the full moon.

With the party taking place on Halloween, which is always October 31st, this has understandably led to some confusion about whether or not these two episodes are intended to be within the same 24 hours.

But based on the way that Blitz and Stolas talk about it and the text that Blitz almost sends that says, “I’m sorry for last night,” I think it’s clear that the events are canonically taking place back to back and that the calendars not lining up to just be a mistake or oversight. Or perhaps even an indication that time moves differently in hell.

So that being said, how could Verosika have known so quickly that they had "parted ways," given that it had just happened the night before and Stolas received the invitation sometime the following morning?

I think the answer is simply that she, or someone in her network, was there watching when Blitz was thrown out of the palace by Stolas.

It honestly seems like it would be super easy to know when he was there because, despite climbing in via balcony, he is seen to have parked right out front. Then when he is forcibly ejected, he yells “fuck” so loud that a group of birds nearby fly away.

That alone wouldn’t necessarily warrant the certainty of a dissolved relationship, if not for the fact that he usually spends the night. We can see from that episode that their entire encounter only lasted 5 minutes and he presumably drove off right after that.

So after an entire shopping spree of Blitz acquiring new sex toys before arriving at Stolas’, only to be teleported outside a few minutes later, yelling fuck, and driving off instead of spending the night, I can see why Verosika would feel confident in assuming that whatever kind of relationship they had, it was now over.

Alright, that out of the way, let’s move on to:

The Party

First, I want to cover how she could have orchestrated things, and then I’ll go into the why.

I’ll start with how she knows that Blitz is even at this party. There are several points at which she could have easily become aware. The first being when Blitz first walks into the party. Not only is he not in disguise, but he actively insults several people on his way in. It’s only after that we see him go over to the drinks table and take the tablecloth to disguise himself.

The second opportunity she had was when Stolas was singing on stage. At first, Blitz was pretty far back, but very early on in the song, he moves forward, almost to the edge of the stage. He spends the rest of the song, face tilted up as he watches Stolas, completely transfixed—not pulling his hood back down until near the end of the song.

The third opportunity she has, and the one that I think is the most likely, is when he follows Stolas into the house and approaches him.

If Verosika had also gone into the house after the song, she wouldn’t have been very far behind him. But even if she didn’t see him then, her attention could have been brought to the both of them, when Stolas reacts to Blitz by choking on his drink.

After that, Stolas proceeds to usher him over to a nearby side room. It is in this doorway that Blitz mentions the “apology tour”.

This is the moment that I feel the most confident about Verosika being aware of Blitz and being nearby. Because when they are talking later on the balcony, she uses that exact phrasing with him. I went back through the entire episode, and this moment in the doorway is the only time we hear the words “apology tour” until we hear them again from Verosika.

Fast forward to when IncuBlitz pops in and sweeps Stolas off onto the dance floor, and you can see Verosika, right in Blitz’s line of sight. He can’t have looked at Stolas and IncuBlitz without seeing her.

Not only does she not look particularly happy, but she immediately turns and begins to literally stalk up the stairs, her expression changing from that unfocused look to obvious anger.

This also leads me to believe that if she had become aware of Blitz earlier in the night, we would have seen something indicating that reflected in her expression at some point.

Then, when Blitz follows her to the top of the stairs and joins her on the balcony, she looks completely unsurprised by his presence.

So, to me, it’s clear that she was at the bottom of the stairs, intentionally in his line of sight, just waiting for him to approach her. Once she was certain she’d caught his attention, she then deliberately lured him upstairs so that their confrontation would be farther away from the party.

The Kiss

After they’ve talked for a bit and Blitz gives his actual apology, she is seen looking over the crowd and specifically brings Blitz’s attention over to Stolas and IncuBlitz, right before IncuBlitz checks that Blitz is watching and kisses Stolas.

For me, this created the possibility that she had intentionally brought Blitz’s attention to the two, specifically so that he could see them kiss.

After watching this a few times, I became considerably less sure, since it really does look from her expression like it was a coincidence or writing choice for telling the overall story.

Because if she had orchestrated the whole thing, I would have expected to see some smugness or satisfaction in her expression in response to Blitz's negative reaction.

Instead, it just looks like she's happy for Stolas, annoyed by Blitz, and then possibly even a little sympathetic as she gives him some advice.

The Cake

Lastly, is the slice of cake. I think most people agree that there is absolutely a metaphor being shown here. Be it “eat your heart out”, “have a heart”, her serving his heart up “on a silver platter”, or all three. But the thing that bothered me, was where the heck did that slice of cake come from?

Because the cake itself is below them on the main floor and we did not see her carrying anything when she first stalked upstairs. So logically, she would have had to either place that slice of cake upstairs in advance or have someone in place to bring it up to her during their conversation.

After further investigation though, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s simply “movie magic”. Because if you look at the cake, it doesn’t really seem like there’s room for a heart inside in the first place, nor do we see a heart or any other organs nearby the cake earlier in the night.

Then, when we see the cake again, from the top-down, the heart area appears completely unchanged and intact.

So, now that I’ve covered how she could have orchestrated things, let’s go over the why. With the biggest but simplest question being:

Why get involved at all?

At first, I assumed that it was just to get back at Blitz. Both for being a dick to her in general, but also for having the “balls” to show up to her party in the first place.

But when I looked through the footage of her in this episode side-by-side, I felt there was a different, more likely reason. And that was just to look after and take care of Stolas.

The first time we see Verosika on screen is right after Stolas arrives at the party. She walks up to him, greets him with enthusiasm, kisses him on the cheek, and asks in a gentle voice how he’s holding up.

She then takes him over to the cake, like any good hostess would, to give him something to interact with. She, of course, then proceeds to murder Blitz’s dick right in front of him.

I think she does this, to some degree, for herself but also to set the tone for Stolas, and encourage him to feel like he belongs there.

When he declines to slice into any of the cake, she immediately backs down but then proceeds to scream “fuck blitzo” to the crowd. I think this is to further make Stolas feel at home and like this is a safe space for him to express his anger towards Blitz.

Because not only does she have experience with being hurt by Blitz, but years of hosting this party has likely reinforced what she expects one of his “freshest ex’s” to be thinking and feeling.

So, it’s possible that she’s assuming Stolas is angrier than he actually is or she might be actively trying to encourage him to turn his hurt into anger.

When she encourages him to come onto stage and talk about his experience with Blitz, she calls Blitz a “cock sucking mother fucker” and then more gently asks Stolas to speak from his heart, specifically mentioning to him that they all “know how he feels”.

So, again, trying to make him feel like he belongs at this party and that it’s safe for him to express any kind of rage at Blitz that he might have.

Then, when he starts to become self-reflective in his song, her backup vocals with Tex try to shut down that line of thinking, saying, “No, no, no. He’s a mother fucker.”

I think this directly correlates with what she says later on in the episode to Blitz, “The worst part is, you make me feel like a bad person for still being angry at you.” And I think she just doesn’t want that for Stolas or anyone else who’s been hurt by Blitz.

And then of course, there’s Stolas crying.

Since we can reasonably assume that she was aware of Blitz, from, at the very least, the mention of the “apology tour” in the doorway, there’s the question of why would she not have intervened right away? Be it by her own self or through someone like IncuBlitz?

I think the reasons for that are two-fold. By confronting Blitz in front of a crowd, the most likely outcome would have been disrupting the mood of the party at best and at worst, ruining the party and possibly even future parties.

Because this would have made everyone aware of Blitz’s presence there. The one person that they are all at that party to be angry at and feel safe in their shared commiseration.

The other reason I think she didn’t intervene was because of the “reason” for his visit. The “apology tour”.

Stolas did not appear to be angry in that moment and was clearly consenting to Blitz’s presence when he pulled down the tablecloth to better hide Blitz’s face and guided him off to a room where they could talk.

Seeing this, she may have not wanted to risk getting in the way of Stolas actually being apologized to, since she herself is someone who deserves and owed an apology from Blitz.

IncuBlitz himself doesn’t intervene until Stolas is clearly no longer consenting to Blitz’s presence and the conversation that they are having. But I will go over that part in more detail during the final theory.

So, to me, Verosika’s interactions with Stolas suggest that she is just trying to comfort him, help him express his anger and hurt in a safe space, and encourage him to have a good time.

Now, on to one of the biggest reasons that this is no longer my top theory.

There is no other entry into that room.

In order for her to have walked in from the yard, seen Blitz and Stolas, followed them, overheard the mention of an “apology tour,” and have been able to send someone in after that, IncuBlitz would have needed to come into the room, after Blitz and Stolas entered.

Running back through the footage, IncuBlitz is clearly seen to already be in the room, when Blitz and Stolas first come in. Same wrist bandages and black heart tattoo on his lower back, though it does appear larger and a bit more faded when we see it the second time.

So, the only way he could have been sent in fast enough to already be standing at a nearby table is if there was another entrance into this room.

I went back and scrubbed through the entire party scene, even going so far as to draft an actual floor plan of the entire house on grid paper, and I am certain that there is no entry into this room other than the doorway that Stolas and Blitz passed through and sat next to.

So, with that in mind, I don’t see how IncuBlitz could have been sent in by Verosika, as a direct response to Blitz being at the party and engaging with Stolas.

Click here for Part Three: Just an ex??

[myz-wykkyd]

Used my limited graphic design skills to make a chart of all the characters Rosalie has romanced in (almost) every farming sim I've played with her. Lol I'd always wanted to do something like this and I'm pretty happy with the result.

I made a free to use template of it on the right if anyone else wants to show off who they romanced. Feel free to decorate/doo what you like with it- just link back here if you use it so other people can find it o/

Brainrot Below<3

Now, though many of these games involved premade mcs- I've played as some variation of Rosalie in games for as long as I could remember.

I noticed there's a trend that popped up in her choices that I think is as interesting as it is amusing. Ofc, most of these choices were just my personal favorite bachelors of that game, but they were still used to devlop her, and I hadn't realized how much she leaned towards certain professions, personalities, ect. I've concluded my girl loves a hardworking boy whose brooding but sweet- or a golden retriever Marlin: Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life was my first Farming Sim. I didn't get to play the female version until much later in life. So my choice of who'd I/Rosalie married had been pretty decided lonnng before I finally got to play it. But honestly even though I like Marlin, he's kind of the default choice because I didn't care for Rock and Gustafa- and Rosalie wouldn't either. I think if I had ever gotten to play HMDS:Cute I might have liked him more- or she would have married Griffin-

Blue | Harvest Moon: Magical Melody / Friends of Mineral Town: Loved Grey/Blue. (Let's face it their pretty much the same character). Upset the remake took away his hat. Little off topic, but even though character customization wouldn't be a thing in these games for years- I'd used to imagine my character had pink hair like Popuri LOL

Vaughn | Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands: Vaughn was the first time I ever was head over heels for a character in one of these games- I just adored everything about him and I don't think it's hard to see why. Once she got to know him better, Rosalie def would have been hella smitten for this cowboy- (Also Vaughn walked so Logan could run-)

Owen | Harvest Moon Animal Parade: So Owen is an unexpected deviation. Most of these choices are also my favorites, but when I first played through HM:AP Gil was actually my favorite bachelor. I could have made him and Rosalie work, but it just didn't feel right. So after looking them all over I think she def would have preferred Owen

Dylas | Rune Factory 4: One of my favorite games from the genre- and I think the cast of romanceable characters was STACKED. Dylas was my favorite because he was seriously SO damned cute in all his events 🥰 Also think it's kinda funny he's a horse guy and Rosalie has a lot of horse motifs herself-

Alex | Stardew Valley: REALLY unpopular opinion incoming! I've put over 500+ hrs into SV 😭 but in all that time, I've just never clicked with any of the characters. Which really sucks because this is the first game I ever got to play as Rosalie. Alex and Sam were my favs, but I think Rosalie would lean more towards Alex.

Logan | My Time At Sandrock: Logan 😍💖🥰Just, guh- I LOVE everything about him and MTAS so damn much. Especially because the hyper fixation I had with this game/character was what led me to finalize Rosalie's design/character at long last. I developed so much content for him and Rosalie I never got to share 😭hope I can someday!

Mark | Coral Island: God I love big men who love animals- and Rosalie does too. 💦🥰 Honestly, even though he started out as one of my favorites (later to be replaced by Shark man hoo hoo haw), I wished more of his heart events focused on his relationship with the player instead of the dog. It was really cute at first but like 6 of the 8 cutscenes were about it and most of the time he never even interacted with your character. Was disappointing ngl.

Nokk | Roots of Pacha: Now- Nokk is not currently a romanceable character, but I'm hoping the future update will add him to the roster. 🫠💔Cause this is another case where I LOVE the game to pieces but none of the characters speak to me- aside from the one I can't have- Hayden: Fields of Mistria: and last but not least- Hayden. He just completely encapsulates so much of what Rosalie finds attractive, it's a little funny. I'm waiting until the game is finished to continue playing and I can't wait to see what the future holds for him.

The following will include some honorable mentions that I didn't include because I didn't have anymore room on my template/they weren't a farming sim/ect.

First up! Nathaniel from Sunhaven!<3 Feel like this responsible captain of the guard would work well with Rosalie. Honestly, there weren't really any choices that felt right for her, but for once in many years my main playthrough of the game ended up being with a different character and I had someone pre-picked out for her. So there lots of great choices, just none that suit Rosalie well.

[gothamite-rambler]

Damian meets Swamp Thing

Context: This is based on one of the canon's but I do like this one the most. Absorbing the memories of the dead person you think you are has always been a fascinating trope. Plus Damian wanting to help out villains he finds interesting is just heroic and sweet thing for him to do.

Alec (Swamp Thing): Hey, little dude. Awesome to meet a new Robin! I really love the representation. We need more diversity in the Bat League.

Batman: I have heroes of other races—wait, I’m going to stop there before I say something inappropriate.

Damian, dressed in his Robin suit, chuckled at his father's embarrassment.

Alec: It’s cool, Batman. I get you. You’re a cool hero, and you seem to take care of these kids. Ivy really likes one of them a lot.

Batman: I’m painfully aware of that.

Alec: I was thrown off by it too. Back to the little dude—Robin, I love this suit. Rock on, little dude!

Damian smiled, his head down. Batman cleared his throat to remind the young Robin to focus on why they were there. Robin nodded, preparing to speak.

Damian: Mr. Swamp Thing—

Alec (in a chill tone): You can call me Alec. Swamp Thing is what my enemies call me.

Damian (slightly surprised): Oh, so we're not enemies?

Alec: Nah, you’re friends with Ivy's girlfriend, and she’s pretty chill. Ivy seriously needed that kind of positive vibe.

Damian nodded with a prideful smile, then glanced at his father, subtly rubbing in that another villain liked him. Batman rolled his eyes and waved a hand for his son to hurry up.

Damian (to Alec): I agree, sir. This conversation is going well, and I hope not to offend you, but I was curious about one thing: Are you a former human turned into a swamp creature, or a sentient plant that has absorbed all of Alec's memories?

Damian placed his hands behind his back, waiting for an answer, while Batman heaved a heavy sigh, too embarrassed to speak.

Batman (to himself): I would've gotten to the point already.

Alec (surprised): Oh… wow. I haven’t been asked that in a long, long time.

Damian: Is it okay if I ask? Batman said it was wildly inappropriate and you'd "go berserk" if I asked that, and then I wouldn’t be able to ask any further questions. Right, Batman?!

Damian looked up at his father, who remained silent, covering his eyes in frustration and holding his head down.

Damian: I think that means yes. My apologies, Alec, I’m a curious child. I love to learn about criminals or former criminals such as yourself. I'm not going to judge you or anything.

Alec: You're okay, little Robin. I accepted what I am a long time ago. I couldn’t deal with humans, though; that’s why I live here, surrounded by the swampy foliage—meditating and stuff like that. My 'birth' is odd, to say the least. I’m a hundred percent plant, but I absorbed most of the original Alec's memories. The poor guy died in the explosion that created me, and his body sank deep into a swampy marsh. After going through an existential crisis, I searched for him and buried his body in a better spot.

Damian: Oh... that's quite the bittersweet origin story. It’s reassuring to see you’ve had good personal growth since then.

Batman (chiming in, exasperated tone): Robin, he killed so many people and almost created plant zombies.

Damian: And you invite Red Hood over for Thanksgiving; you have no room to talk.

Alec laughed, then sighed with a smile.

Alec: Yeah, don’t worry; I’m not doing anything evil anymore. I did some goon work for a few years and worked with Ivy, but I’m retired now. I enjoy spending my days chillaxing here, keeping my zen in check. Gotta make sure to avoid toxic outlets, you know?

Damian: I do. I'm not giving up my iPhone, but I get it. I'm glad you've reached that level of enlightenment; you can reject my offer. Thing is, I helped out Mr. Freeze and was wondering if you needed any assistance?

Alec smiled and shook his head.

Alec: While I appreciate you wanting to help, I'm good.

Damian: Hm, are you sure? I can do a lot, especially with my dad's money. Batman knows my dad; he can help, right, Batman?!

Batman (deadpan): Trust me, when I talk to your father, you’re going to be so grounded.

Damian (chuckling): Worth it.

Alec (crossing his arms): How about this? If I do need something from you guys, you'll be the first I contact.

Damian: That works. Here’s a phone to make it easier to reach me. It’s solar-powered, so there’s no need to charge it like a regular cell phone. It’s waterproof and gets reception in this bayou. My number is on there, along with Ivy's, Harley's, and Batman's.

Batman (angry): I told you not to involve me in this!

Damian (gritting his teeth): You know my rich father, so you're helping!

Batman: Okay, fine. I’m going to the car, and we’re having a talk when we drive home.

Batman walked off as Damian handed the phone to Alec. Alec took it with a genuine smile, surprised.

Alec: I have to say, I’m not too into these cell phones. They’re bad for the environment and the mind. But this seems like a pretty simple touchscreen. Thanks, kid.

Damian gave a thumbs up.

Damian: It’s what heroes do. All right, Batman is ready to go. See you around, Alec.

Damian put up the hood on his suit and walked off as Alec opened a music app on the phone.

Alec (smiling): Huh, the kid's not that bad.

[just-another-in-the-universe]

Greetings Fellow Travelers!

I think Lady Aphrodite is using my love for writing and helping to send another message to anyone new to deity worship. I was about to make some ramen but then I got another speech in my head so here goes:

I’m sure we’ve all seen the TikTok’s, Instagram and Tumblr posts about how some people say that they can feel the gods, whether it’s when they pray, worship, do devotional acts, or just in life.

And I know that some of you might feel a little jealous, sad, or upset that it hasn’t happened to you.

Well, the truth is, in order to feel that, you have to be intuitive, whether you’re naturally intuitive or you practice it by meditation, deity work, etc.

But

Just because you can’t “feel” the gods, that doesn’t mean they’re not there, or they’re refusing your offerings, praise, or call.

Many times, especially in the beginning, they’ll work in mysterious ways. Super vague, I know but I’ll use Lady Aphrodite as an example.

Before I worked with her, my skin was worse for wear, I had a troubled past with my hair, generally disliked my body, and overall, I didn’t like me.

But the more I worked with her, I noticed subtle changes.

- Hair became shinier and healthier. As well as my love for my hair grew, instead of wanting it to be straight and blown out, I started my curly hair journey and it’s as healthy as it was when I was a little girl, which was 16-17 years ago

- My makeup skills started to improve. The last time I had an improvement was years prior.

- My skin became brighter, and clearer.

And the most important and the most shocking, I began to love myself more, I started to love my body, not just the attractive parts, but appreciating how functional my body was. Feeling blessed for what I had and didn’t have. Feeling beautiful in clothes I used to hate, feeling comfortable in whatever weight or condition I was in. People began to see my aura as brighter and in the best shape I’ve ever been, even when technically nothing had changed.

People around me, start telling me how kind and great I am when I’m feeling down, even if it’s out of character for them.

I met my wonderful boyfriend after 3 dates on Hinge. In the exact way I described him to Her.

And to be honest, I don’t really “feel” her as often as I feel others, but I don’t have to, to know that she’s there, helping me, supporting me, and pushing me to be the best version of myself.

And yes it takes time to build a relationship with the gods, that part is true. But you don’t have to compare yourself to others in their journey.

The gods work in mysterious ways, and it would be foolish to think we know everything about them. They’re too vast for our human brains to fully comprehend them. And I think that’s the beauty in them.

As always, be kind to yourself and others. And if no one’s told you this yet:

Keep it up, you’re doing a good job

Blessed be

[heroes-of-lemuria]

patience Parker soundsso funny to me i want to hear about patience Parker. if ud like .

Ok hi im here to yap finally. You just happened to ask about the one person mentioned I didn’t really have any sort of idea of what they look like so I had to ponder a respectable enough design to show off. Patience Parker. Mary-Crane Watson’s “”close female friend””.

She is a byproduct of what I’m now realizing is my favorite way to make “ocs” which is someone posits a guy as a joke and then yes and-ing with a friend until we get attached to the really stupid idea/joke. Which you know what. Probably in the spirit of Wiz lmao.

Patience! She keeps a decent herd (?) of giant spiders as livestock and harvests and spins their silk into usable fibers. Lucian never really cared for them but even he could acknowledge the Night Forest doesn’t lend itself to a ton of options. Goats and sheep are very heavily relied on for meat, milk, and fabric,yes, but they’re always looking at you. Tempting you to “live deliciously” or something. Well the creatures of the forest eat enough people as is, no one needs to get any tastier. She honestly came to mind because I was wondering what kind of food and goods would be viable in the Night Forest. The silk is the main product, but you’d honestly be surprised at how many people can’t tell the difference between spider eggs and chicken eggs. Absolutely no one. …But they made good bait! So there’s that.

She’s a very… close friend of Mary-Crane. It’s really nice, the sense of community, seeing these two widows be so close and supportive of eachother. It was a tragedy when Patience’s husband, Guin Stacy fell to the Malughast. His family was from Heap originally, the Night Forest doesn’t get all too many converts, so he did always stand out. Hard to run from beasts and ghosts when you can only manage a waddle :(. It was even sadder when not a week later Mary-Cranes husband took a tumble into the spider pen. You can only tame them to such an extent. A tragic accident, for sure.

I think she’s on the more lighthearted side as far as Night Forest residents go, but she’s still a fantasy puritan, isn’t she. She’s not friendly to Solomon, but she’s not as outwardly viscous as some. If he was a competent monster slayer she’d still be married, no? Not that she’d ever admit that

[mskwtz]

THANK YOU - thanksgiving is a few days away & i've really genuinely been in my feelings so hard of late when it comes to our little corner of the rpc. this fandom has been amazing since i joined it in 2022, and i am very very thankful for it and all of you every day. i have met some of my very best friends because of this show and this trash site that has us all in a chokehold despite its many flaws (there's a reason we call it dumblr). it has been an incredibly trying year, and not just for me. many people have been feeling the weight of life and this month especially has been incredibly stressful, sad & rage inducing given the pol.itical climate. my dashboard has been a welcome reprieve from all of it, and getting to talk with all of you more has been such a delight and i wanted to say thank you.

thank you for being you, for your kindness, for you acceptance of new people in this rpc, for being so open to ocs when that is not always the case in the rpc. i just adore all of you and wanted to fully write and show my thanks. it's hard to do much over the internet, but i wanted to list off those of you in this community whether you're a single muse, multi muse, canon character, oc, have ck verses. i just think everyone should be aware of how wonderful this section of the rpc is.

this goes out to everyone in this fandom, not just my mutuals !

if you're in the ck fandom or like the show or have verses for it or just want to write with some really great people, here are my wonderful moots in this fandom in no particular order:

@moonlitkata / @queencvbra / @valleyschamp / @venustrape / @defenseonly / @offenseonly / @amreality / @pierprincess / @senstrike / @taughtdefense / @cobraes / @mecwmellc / @himbohotel / @webheadedhero / @legacytaught / @taughtpain / @opponentcompel / @ncmcrcy / @taughtcobra / @karatetaught / @taughtmercy / @freezegirl / @bonsaibadass / @frxncaise / @sarcaasmic / @nancewheelr / @dvarapala / @prophecey / @valleykarate / @teachesdiscipline / @karatestar / @princecvbra / @karatetime / @taughtranquility / @taughtdamage / @taughtartist / @duquete / @taughtintegrity / @cobrascores / @katascores / @queenkarate / @allvalley / @adreamfully / @misterkeene / @crazytough / @cancelkarates / @ironstrike / @bonsaistrike / @valleyflorist / @alcrescendo / @liacabrera05

i just adore you all. and you can find me here and @valleykids for all the feelings.

[joonduuun-blog]

sorcerers v warlock

Alright, here's a dnd hot take I've been thinking about for a while now. Sorry it's a long one but the thought's been cooking for a hot minute and I have a bit to say.

The Sorcerer class and Warlock class should switch flavor. Just the flavor. Keep the mechanics and let the classes be distinct from one another, but fully switch their vibes.

Think about it, what is the lore of a sorcerer? They are specially endowed with a supernatural power that can scarcely be controlled. They are raw, undiluted magic in their being and bursting with power.

So why are they one of, if not the most tactical caster in the game?? Why do they get so many options for finesse and control?? Metamagic gives so many options and so much control that they give the exact opposite impression rather than the flavor that sorcerers are written with. The only thing close is the wild magic subclass but 1/7 subclasses isn't great for a core vibe to the class. It's no wonder people consider sorcerers the better wizard when meta magic straight up makes it.

But you know what might help to give the vibe that they are extremely powerful if still difficult to control? Casting all of their spells at max level. Like a warlock.

"my magic is hard to control. I either do this big or not at all"

"my magic is instinctual. I kind of just, do it" (without extra meta magic conversions and steps)

Plus, sorcerer's inherited blood line and general "specialness" makes them easy chosen ones in possible storylines for your out of the box sorcerers. But I feel like most chosen ones stories focus on what the actual character brings to the story, rather than just boosting the powers they get for being picked. Why not lean into that with invocations? Let your super special little chosen one be more individual by picking out specific special traits for them that aren't just the innate spellcasting they're stuck with. Let them define themselves more with how they choose to use the power and how it can manifest differently. Struggle with having powerful but ultimately unreliable spells that they make up for with their own skills and personality.

But if we just switch flavor for the classes, what does warlock get? Hypothetically, warlocks are now a mainly magic focused class that entered a pact with an otherworldly being for unnatural and strange magics. Magics that behave strangely, due to the power of whatever secrets the patrons have given to their charge (like metamagic). Those who make those deals can now showcase the otherworldly cunning they gain in twisting spells to suit their needs. They can show the dangers of "magic's shortcut" better than a 1d10 cantrip.

"I paid a terrible price for my power and have learned terrible secrets" (like metamagic)

"my magic is not mine own. It is through my patron that I gain strength" (like source points)

So yeah, I think where the classes are now don't actually resonate with what the class does. That dissonance makes the class feel weird and feel like the characters that try to play into it say one thing but act totally different. I recognize that there's a lot of mechanical thought that goes into it but I feel like that mechanical structure might fit better if we just aligned the classes a little differently to let the game help define the feeling of being those classes