#so please feel free to correct me or add on

[a-lil-rat]

Important addition:

While I am still uncertain as to whether Luigi Mangione is the UHC shooter or not (I'm more on the fence now than my original conviction in this post), my personal opinion does not matter because he is being treated as if he's been proven guilty.

While this is disgusting for a number of reason (e.g. the WHOLE POINT of "innocent until proven guilty" being undermined before the trial had even begun) it is important for people in the US to push back against the precedent this case might set.

I'm speaking from an outside perspective so if you're a US citizen please feel free to correct me, but it seems to me like Luigi Mangione's trial and Briana Boston's arrest are being used to try and scare the American population into standing down against your ultra-rich oppressors.

I won't speak much on Briana Boston (others have said what I think about that situation far better than I could) but I hope the Americans who see this whole debacle know:

The people in power in your country are genuinely afraid of your collective power!

They are trying to make examples of Luigi and Briana because they are afraid your support for the uhc shooter will lead to collective action against the system.

Because if there is collective action, you will win!

I know the current political climate is scary to say the least, but please do not be discouraged from joining in community and protest because there is real power in your solidarity.

I kindly ask you reblog this version of my post if you see it as I think it adds some important nuance my original post was lacking.

As always,

Deny

Defend

Depose

And keep solidarity, my friends.

I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist on main but all the memes about Luigi Mangione kind of piss me off bc I am 90% sure he is not the assassin.

I know I've joked in the past that all white men look alike but Luigi Mangione litterally does not look like any of the shooter pics.

The shooter has a long face and a sharp chin, Mangione has a more square face and rounder chin, and THE EYEBROWS!! You're gonna tell me he groomed his eyebrows before commiting a murder and they just grew back completely in less than a week? Nah

Not to mention, police claimed he was wearing the same jacket and backpack from the day of the shooting. You know, the same jacket and backpack the NYPD found discarded in Central Park?

And they're saying his fingerprints match the crimescene even though security footage clearly shows the shooter wearing GLOVES!!

Not to mention, after every meticulous step taken to get away with the shooting, why would the perpatrator still be carrying the murder weapon and a manifesto??

I genuinely believe the cops are using Luigi Mangione as a fall guy. They found a centrist Ivy League kid who kind of matched the description in order to shift the narrative from class war back to a less threatening "left vs right" culture war.

His politics are messy enough that people will spend more time debating over what side of the spectrum he is on than the actual issue at hand. THIS IS A DISTRACTION!

Also the story is all over the place. Was it a McDonalds employee or patron that reported him? The story keeps changing but either way it sends the message that the working class will turn on itself during an unprecedented moment of class unity and solidarity in the United States.

Also I think pinning this on an Ivy League kid was done in an attempt to shift the narrative from the assassin being a working class hero to just another trust fund kid. That being said, even if it WAS him, an Ivy League trust fund kid has more in common with you than you have with the 1%.

So people in the US, please think critically about the distraction tactics being pushed onto you and don't forget who the real enemy is.

Keep solidarity.

Deny

Defend

Depose

Edit: I have since been informed that Italians grow eyebrows at a very fast pace.

[yourownutopia]

Anomaly [Jin Woo x !Shadow !Fem Reader]

When the Shadow Monarch adds you to his ranks, he has no idea what he's in for. Not only are you uncontrollable, but you also harbor a secret that even the System keeps hidden from him. As he searches for a way to bring you under control, it becomes clear that your existence exposes a flaw in the perfect structure of the shadows—one that no one could have foreseen. Why don’t you yield to his will, and more importantly, why doesn’t the System want you to remember?

Information: The prologue is written in the third person. I’m honestly unsure whether I want to keep it that way or write the following chapters from different POVs. Feel free to let me know if you’d be interested in a second-person perspective as well.

This idea has been stuck in my head ever since I saw a similar start to a roleplay on Character AI. I’ve had so many thoughts since then, and I hope I can integrate them meaningfully into the story!

I’m known for starting ideas and never finishing them, but I really hope it’ll be different with this story. At the very least, I still have plenty of fuel in the tank and a lot of motivation to write! <3

Ideas, story requests, and feedback are always welcome, so don’t hesitate to reach out 😊

Enjoy the prologue!

Note: I want to clarify that English is not my first language. I’m sorry if there are any mistakes or if I sometimes use incorrect words. Please feel free to send me corrections so I can continue improving my skills! 😊

[Prologue] “Arise.”

The Shadow Monarch’s voice reverberated through the room, deep and commanding, shattering the silence like fragile glass. Clear and resonant, his words echoed off the stone walls, lingering as though the air itself sought to hold onto them. The sound was low and powerful, vibrating faintly, giving the room a brief sense of life before the quiet crept back in.

A translucent window appeared in the air, the oppressive dark aura blanketing the ground retreating like mist. Once again, the extraction had failed. [Soul Extraction failed. 1/3 attempts remaining.]

Jin-Woo’s cold gaze flickered down to the lifeless figure lying on the ground. He exhaled deeply, raising his hand again.

“Is this truly where you wish to meet your end?” he asked, his eyes beginning to glow faintly. His voice was the only thing animating the desolate room. Vines crawled up the cracked stone walls, fractured beams of sunlight piercing through the shattered ceiling above. It looked like an abandoned boss chamber—ancient extinguished torches lined the walls, weapon gouges marred the hard stone—but there was no trace of life to be found. Not even the body before him radiated vitality.

So why couldn’t he extract her shadow?

Had it been too long since this monster’s death? Monsters decayed, yet her body showed no signs of rot. Only the deep lacerations across her skin, the missing heartbeat, and the faint, oppressive aura around her gave away the truth—she was dead.

“What a pitiful end,” he murmured. Jin-Woo didn’t expect a response, but something about her unnerved him enough to speak aloud, as though testing the air for answers.

“Arise,” he commanded once more, his hand tightening into a fist as though he could will her soul to obey.

The black smoke coiled around the lifeless body, intertwining with the tendrils rising from her chest. Slowly, the shadow took shape. Jin-Woo’s lips curled into a victorious smirk as the dark form solidified into the outline of a woman. Her glowing white eyes locked onto nothingness, the telltale mark of a newly risen shadow.

The system window popped up again, prompting for a name. Jin-Woo glanced at his latest recruit, who now knelt before him, one leg folded beneath her and the other bent upright. Her gaze remained forward, never meeting his.

“You belong to my Shadow Army now,” Jin-Woo declared, lowering his hand. “From this day on, you will serve me and obey my commands.”

He pondered briefly, then began typing a name into the prompt. Just as his finger hovered over the “Confirm” button, the window glitched, flickering erratically before closing. The chosen name replaced by another. [Y/N]

“No.”

The voice was so faint it barely registered. Jin-Woo paused, convinced he must have imagined it. Yet, before he could dismiss the notion, the shadows surrounding her physical body dissipated, retreating into the darkness along with the lifeless form on the ground.

“What?” His voice was sharp, his composure slipping for an instant as the word lingered in disbelief.

“No.” The second time was louder, firmer. The shadowy figure began to rise, her form shifting. The darkness coating her crumbled away, replaced by color. Her eyes, once glowing white, now gleamed a vibrant shade of [E/C], locked onto his in defiance. Her hair, [H/C], shimmered with an unnatural vitality, stark against the bleak surroundings.

Jin-Woo’s usually impassive expression flickered with subtle astonishment. A shadow capable of speech? Only Beru had ever displayed such an ability.

He cast his gaze toward the floating information above her:

Name: [Y/N] Level: ???

He couldn’t read her level. And she already had a name.

A tense silence filled the space, his dark aura intensifying until even Igris, his loyal Blood-Red Commander, shivered. Yet, [Y/N] stood unflinching, her jaw tight as she met Jin-Woo’s penetrating stare. Despite the icy dread running down her spine, an unyielding resolve kept her rooted. She refused to kneel.

“I refuse,” she ground out through clenched teeth, watching as the black-haired man’s glowing eyes narrowed into sharp slits. Her voice was thin but steady.

Before she could react, he had grabbed her chin and leaned down toward her; after all, he was a good head taller than she was. His grip was firm, not enough to hurt, but enough to convey his dominance. His hands were icy cold. Could shadows even feel such sensations? His face was mere inches from hers, and his piercing gaze sent a cold shiver crawling up her limbs.

[You are forbidden from harming your master.]

The window that briefly popped up caught her eye for a moment before her gaze returned to the Shadow Monarch’s icy stare.

“What was that?” he asked in a deep voice, as though his physical intimidation and the flicker in his glowing eyes could compel her to reconsider her defiance in light of what he was capable of.

“Say that again,” he growled, his tone icy and measured, daring her to reconsider. He was giving her one more chance to retract her initial refusal and do what��at least in his mind—was the only correct thing. [Y/N] stared at him for a moment. Her irritation over the situation gradually gave way to anger, which settled heavily in her chest. Who did he think he was? More importantly, who did he think she was? ... Who was she?

But there was no time to dwell on that thought, as the Shadow Monarch grew impatient. He made this clear with a brief but painful squeeze of his hand. But her defiance didn’t falter. “I. Refuse.” The words were deliberate, slow, and unwavering.

For the first time, Jin-Woo felt something beyond annoyance—curiosity laced with disbelief. Never had a shadow disobeyed him. His dominion was absolute. So why did she stand so boldly against him?

“You’re either very brave or very foolish,” he said, his voice low as his violet eyes flickered dangerously. “Do you even realize who I am?”

Her lips curled into a faint smirk. “When you’re dead, titles lose their meaning. Honestly, nothing really matters anymore.”

For a fraction of a second, Jin-Woo’s stoic mask slipped. Her words, blunt and logical, were disconcerting. Yet his pride demanded he reassert his authority.

“If you won’t obey me, I have no use for you,” he declared coldly. “I’ll kill you again a second time”

“Go ahead.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, her expression challenging. “I have nothing to lose.” Something in her tone—half daring, half resigned—made Jin-Woo hesitate. The tension between them crackled like static, thick enough to choke. Shadows coiled at his feet, thick as ink, creeping toward her like serpents. Yet, as they reached her, they paused, lingering for a moment as though recognizing her as one of their own before retreating.

Even Jin-Woo couldn’t deny what he had just witnessed. Releasing her chin, he let out a heavy sigh, his energy dissipating as the oppressive weight in the room lifted.

This was no ordinary shadow.

The shadows retreated as quickly as they had appeared, his eyes returning to their cool gray, and the immense energy he exuded vanished entirely.

He couldn’t simply let the chance of having a powerful shadow slip away, even if her lack of respect infuriated him to no end. The fact that he couldn’t determine her rank and that she didn’t yield to his will suggested she must be strong.

[Y/N] exhaled in relief; the whole ordeal hadn’t left her unscathed, but she was incredibly fortunate that the black-haired man hadn’t killed her on the spot. Despite her earlier words, she really didn’t want to die again.

His cold expression remained unchanged, but his gaze lingered on the [H/C]-haired woman, who stared back at him blankly.

Her appearance was human—different from his other shadows. She had color, glowing eyes, and if not for the name and lack of rank floating above her head, he wouldn’t have even guessed she was part of his army.

“Let me put it another way: as the one who revived you, you don’t have a choice but to follow my commands. So stop being so stubborn and just obey,” he said, his voice slicing through the silence as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Stubborn? Me? Does he even listen to himself? [Y/N] thought.

“Clearly, we’re both stubborn,” she stated , rubbing her chin, which still bore faint pressure marks from his firm grip.

She didn’t notice the faint flicker of concern in his eyes. Did he hurt her?

“If you’d stop being stubborn and accept that you can’t just go around resurrecting people and making them your slaves,” she retorted, earning another angry glare from the black-haired man. He at least seemed to accept that physical intimidation wasn’t going to work on her.

Jin-Woo turned slightly away from her and opened the window displaying the current number of his shadows.

“I revived you for a reason. You are now part of my army and will serve me. End of discussion.”

[Y/N] laughed humorlessly—a cynical laugh. He still didn’t get it.

She rolled her eyes, though there was that peculiar feeling in her chest—a strange connection that had been there since her resurrection. It felt more like a tether pulling at her core, drawing her toward him.

But she didn’t feel compelled to obey him—so why should she?

“Nope, as long as you act like an asshole, I’m not even going to consider it.”

The Shadow Monarch froze mid-movement, shooting her a deadly side-eye.

Did she just insult him?

His frustration grew with every passing second. No one had ever defied him like this, especially not someone he had revived.

“And why should I be nice to you? You’re the one defying me here. You’re the one refusing to obey me. What have you done to deserve my kindness when all you’ve shown me is disrespect?” he said.

[Y/N] responded without thinking, “You reap what you sow.”

Yes, he was an asshole, and she couldn’t stand him, but her reaction wasn’t exactly the best icebreaker either. Besides, they were both in a pretty crappy situation, and it wouldn’t get any better if they kept clashing.

Plus—what choice did she have? She had no idea who or what she was, where she was, or where she was supposed to go.

A resigned sigh escaped her lips, and her tense posture relaxed a little.

“Maybe... just maybe, we got off on the wrong foot,” she said, her voice softening slightly, almost innocent—though theatrically so.

The Shadow Monarch was once again surprised by her words. She had personality—and plenty of it, apparently.

He could insist that she was his shadow and that he was therefore superior to her, but what would be the point in the end? Perhaps it was time to swallow his pride and admit he might have been wrong.

Maybe he had simply spent too much time alone, consumed by his role as the Shadow Monarch, losing whatever social skills he once had.

His expression remained cool for a moment longer before his features softened slightly, and he scratched the back of his head. “That’s an understatement,” he muttered, reflecting on how he was almost the cause of her second death. [Y/N]’s eyes lit up slightly. Had she just detected a hint of humor in his voice?

His tone had lost some of its anger, which gave her a bit of relief.

“Okay. What am I even supposed to do, and where the hell are we anyway?” she asked, glancing around the room and taking it in. She knew she had seen this place before—clearly, it was where she had died—but it didn’t feel familiar. Jin-Woo, still a bit taken aback by her sudden cooperation, followed her gaze.

“We’re in a dungeon,” he said matter-of-factly. He really didn’t share more than he absolutely had to, did he? As for what she was supposed to do? Well, his shadows usually fought for him, but what about her? She had no weapon and didn’t seem magically inclined—at least he couldn’t sense any significant mana coming from her.

“Follow me. That’s enough for now,” he finally said, turning on his heel. His cloak lifted slightly with the abrupt movement before settling back down.

Jin-Woo didn’t look back, his footsteps silent on the cold stone floor. The young woman hesitated for a moment, but the invisible force seemed to nudge her forward, almost pushing her to follow him. She let out another frustrated sigh. “Okay,” she said, taking a few quick steps to catch up with him, though she stayed a few meters behind. “I’ll follow you,” she said after a brief pause. “But I won’t follow your orders blindly. If a command seems pointless to me, I’ll refuse,” she added—a compromise she could live with. Jin-Woo stopped abruptly, nearly causing her to bump into him. He paused, processing her words. For a moment, he hesitated. With a sigh, his expression softened slightly. “Fine. I’ll accept your compromise,” he said, reluctantly agreeing to her terms. “But if your reason for refusing seems pointless to me, don’t expect my mercy,” he added without glancing at her and continued walking. Though he was satisfied with this for now, there were limits—even for her.

What had he gotten himself into?

[loz-the-noob]

Because I’m playing dual destinies and I miss Ema Skye with my whole heart, please take this WIP list of Silly Goofy Things Ema Has Done throughout the games I’ve played. Feel free to add to it if you think of anything I’ve missed.

Things Ema Skye has Done

Threatened to spray potentially hazardous (?) chemicals on a child

Unwittingly convinced everyone she was a crack addict

Sung a song in a court of law with very little persuasion  

Openly admitted that she intended to commit tax evasion. To a lawyer.

Accused a blind orphan of murder with a 45. caliber revolver 

Cried because she couldn’t push something over

Essentially received a bonus in the form of snacks and was completely fine with this

Apologised to a trash can 

Bullied Apollo into buying tea for her from an overpriced vending machine

Somehow confused the words “pickle” and “sausage” in the context of a well-known phrase. 

Inexplicably physically morphed into the Prosecution’s imprisoned brother briefly during a trial. This is never addressed. 

Said ‘Ah’ AT LEAST 12 times in Apollo Justice. I’m pretty sure I missed some 

“Eh heh heh, you want to know about my tool do you?”

Signs legal documents with a little heart next to her name

Was placed on security for a major venue with literally no means of communication with backup?? She had to physically go and get people. This is not her fault.

She has been set on fire. This was also not her fault.

She’s canonically very clumsy. Allegedly breaks bulbs all the time. Did I mention I love her.

Momentarily considered going on a destructive rampage at a concert she was supposed to be security for.

Very nearly let a 15 year old girl convince her to eat potential evidence at a crime scene.

I’m 90% sure her footwear is a health and safety risk

[i-used-to-wear-the-fedora]

I want to preface this by saying I'm almost definitely not qualified to really get into this analysis as I am very white, but I would like to think there's something very intentional and interesting with the casting of this movie and how it effects the series thematically as a whole.

Youtuber Yhara Zayd has a video called "The Day Rue "Became" Black" talking about the first Hunger Games movie casting Amandla Stenberg to play Rue and the racist backlash that came with this despite the fact that anyone with basic reading skills would know that in books, Rue was already not white. Rue was still a little girl who died tragically and is the reason for the revolution, but how does this relate to the 10th Hunger Games and Reaper?

I haven't read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes book, and I don't know if this is a similar situation to Rue, but the casting of Dimitri Abold as Reaper is important. He's shown to be the toughest competitor in the ring. "The Scariest." In the movie, he lashes out at the girl assigned to "mentor" him as a joke because he knows she's scared of him. But he's not scary. He's not a monster. He's a teenage boy who doesn't want to hurt anyone and is protective of people he cares about. The alarmingly (and unsurprisingly) mostly white capital doesn't view him or any of the other children as people. So what does he do? He shows everyone watching that they're people, too. He gives them proper respect and covers them in the flag of the people responsible for their deaths. A black teen protesting the cruelty and unfairness of all their deaths in a move similar to Katniss' honoring of Rue years later.

There's probably something about Gaul being the one to cut off Reaper's death live on air in the movie, too. Yes, she's the game maker. But also imagine the politics of the capitol announcing that they might kill all of the kids this year after an event like that. It wouldn't look good if the, presumably white, based on casting, president cut off this boy's plead for humanity. So, instead, they go to the Black woman they have on staff and have her talk about these "disgusting rebels." Because it's okay if she specifically says it.

There's all of this, while not even including Lysistrata's side plot of being one of the only other mentors with human empathy towards the tributes, specifically Jessup, also being a woman of color. I know a lot of people are miffed by some of the changes from book to movie, but I will go to my grave defending the movie's casting at least thematically.

“he tore down the flag.”

[gallusneve]

I want to put Neve Gallus in DA2 or DA Inquisition sometimes like:

poisoning Solas with her boiled coffee after realizing he hates tea (she means well)

feeling at home in Kirkwall since it's very similar to Dock Town

Cole with the wisps around Neve

Inquisition Dorian and her would probably have spats because Dorian was low-key "status quo" about Tevinter before (further elaborated on his codex in DATV)

Vivienne would let her know right away if she's being tricked or about to be sold out during her jobs

would ask Josephine with her connections to help solve her cases plus fashion talk

Neve and Sera having the same artistic level of doodling

her going bonkers with how the Southern Thedas Templars handles their mages, her mind flashes back between Rana and Cullen's experiences

would SOMEWHAT agree with Divine Cassandra’s ideas with revamping of the Circle and making it actually "educational"

actually pulling big sister moves on Merrill by telling her to not mess with blood magic

her understanding Calpernia first and foremost, the verbal standoff between them (after all, Neve was suppose to be Calpernia)

would give Bethany pointers with her magic

Anders 🤝 Neve CEOs of Cat Parents Society, plus Justice would be somewhat pleased with her moral compass and intentions

Cole calling her out on being emotionally stunted, having her walls up, and not taking care of herself (while being curious/helpful about her cases)

would've likely clocked Solas or Blackwall from a mile away

her and Fenris interacting with how they view Minrathous and definitely helping him kill Danarius, also both being scared of emotions

Isabela flirting with Neve but sharing love for fried/grilled fish since it's closest to pirate cuisine, also makes Neve not work so much and have fun

[wizardsix]

ok... so I have finally finished veilguard after about 90 painful hours (two playthroughs). im not gonna write an actual review about all of my detailed thoughts bc it'll actually take days, this is just to at least get my general thoughts out and see if anyone else feels the same or if ive actually lost it.

overall it is the weakest dragon age game story-wise, and I'd give it a nice lukewarm 4/10.

(i wrote this post right after I finished the game on the weekend so maybe I sound a bit harsh, I tried to edit it to be more reasonable lol but I didn't really want to delete this since I do still stand by a lot of this)

I really tried to go in with an open mind, bc I always want to experience media in full before making any kind of judgement, but about a few hours in I had this horrible feeling that once again this was another soulless, rushed game, and I still don't feel any different after finishing the game.

what stuck out to me was that there's no sense of urgency despite what the plot is, serious topics are not treated with care as the writing overall is shallow, and the gods as well as any other enemy you encounter are just cartoon villains (and apparently the lore retconning, but I'm not well-versed enough to dissect that so I won't).

I can't take this plot seriously when it feels so disjointed and forced and lazy. and I see no point in caring about anything when choices literally don't matter. no say in who you recruit, no say in the relationships with them and they have almost no awareness of rook, definitely doesn't matter if you have allies or not bc they show up anyway, and only four companions are locked into unavoidable decisions where one of them bites the dust no matter what (which is strange bc why are harding and davrin forced to die no matter if they're at hero status while bellara and neve can literally survive blight if they're at hero status), so it's impossible to try to strategize for better (or worse) outcomes with all the people you've gathered when there's only one right answer that the game pretty much tells you instead of letting you think for yourself (and side note this game does an incredible amount of hand holding). the game actively tries to trick you into thinking your choices matter with the onscreen notifications, but nothing matters bc the devs clearly had only one story in mind and for some reason lied that it had "complex choices".

also rook in general wasn't interesting as a protagonist bc they were written to be perfect. they always know what to say and are so supportive of everyone. they never struggle with anything. not even with leadership beyond "man leading a team is hard :/" but it doesn't actually show how hard it is by having actual volatile conflict between the companions* or showing how their plans sometimes fail. which, if we actually had choices that mattered, would have helped develop that struggle. also? what's with everyone being so friendly? I'm not gonna get into that but everyone is so eerily nice and it's been said a lot but yeah, the world is extremely sanitized and devoid of any real conflict aside from the gods I guess.

*(like off the top of my head cassandra fighting with varric and accusing him of not being on their side or how the inquisitor can literally punch dorian and solas if approval is low enough or fenris and anders bordering on killing each other is not the same as lucanis and davrin distrusting each other or people being uncomfortable with emmrich's necromancy. it just scratches the surface of conflict and never goes anywhere)

and let me say real quick again, there's nothing wrong if they wanted to make a more rigid story about being a hero. it's been done a million times and it can be executed well, but if you do that you need to make sure you 1) don't lie to people and 2) actually flesh out your (especially main) characters and plot to give people a reason to care. look at dragon age 2. hawke is a fixed protagonist with their own life front and center. they ultimately only have two choices (siding with mages or templars), but it works bc the game took time to build up the conflict straight from act 1 so by the time chaos happens in act 2 and 3 you understand why bc it's Been brewing the whole time. it just makes sense. the villains as well have sound reasons and feel real instead of being evil just bc. the story is more grounded, yet you have choices. you decide if hawke ends up alone or not. you decide how they approach situations with force or diplomacy. there's none of that in veilguard. a game that supposedly took 10 years to make. when dragon age 2 took almost 16 months (yes I know da2 also has problems like the fact that the templars are always proven right but this isn't the place to dissect that).

I want to be fair though and I do want to restate what I enjoyed about the game. the cc (though would it kill them to have more variety in face textures like age and body types beyond average.. also no colour wheel... especially since they claimed their cc was so good), the map progression/visuals/exploration (how certain places become more blighted overtime), the factions (though I feel there should have been more content for your faction, and helping them or not should have mattered more), the combat (did not feel like a slog, pretty fun and mindless), the companions (bellara, davrin, emmrich, harding, and lucanis had solid personalities and stories despite my complaints. neve was not memorable and I just feel sad for taash's bad writing), certain parts of the story were good, the intro and the point of no return sequences were solid, and the ending didn't feel rushed or boring compared to inquisition. and yes, I do appreciate that rook can be trans, I just think a little more subtly and care would've been nice.

another thing I did like and predicted was that varric died at the beginning of veilguard, and for a second I actually enjoyed that because i thought we were finally (a bit too late tho) getting some depth to rook and their own struggles of accepting his death and carrying this weight without him. and while I do think maybe they should've taken more time to establish the mentor/mentee relationship so we really feel rooks regret, I still think it was at least the right direction where in their grief they still see him, giving advice and narrating their journey.....but then it turned out to just be solas manipulating them the whole time, immediately destroying any emotional weight this reveal had.

whenever bioware has good ideas they shoot themselves in the foot and make it about solas. it's like nothing in the world exists without solas being involved somehow, and that is just incredibly boring and uninspired to me. not to mention solas just being an insufferable ass the whole time, which is fine, but it's not even in a compelling way like he used to be. he became so ugly by the end and the fact that the devs consider redeeming him the "good ending" and not giving him what he deserves is very telling and once again shows their own bias is king over good storytelling (solas' feelings should not come into play here, whether you/your companions live or die should determine good/bad ending since solas is trapped no matter what, only difference is who is trapped with him. idk but I personally think different endings actually means different outcomes). i will not go into the bs of the secret post credit scene, bc frankly I'm fed up with bioware's shitty writing and I won't be playing their next world ending space aliens game (unless they miraculously pull a good story out of their ass but lbr).

overall the bad outweighs the good for me. it's fun to play as a game, it's a decent fantasy game, but the story just doesn't do anything for me. sometimes I wonder if dreadwolf was a completely different game and was scrapped for veilguard last minute. maybe this was yet another inevitable industry fuck up and maybe there was a good story planned at one point. idk. all I know is bioware lied. respect and credit to the poor devs and writers who actually cared and to those who were kicked from the project, but in the end bioware promised too much and delivered too little.

[episodes-without-incident]

Drawfee Bits Wrapped (2023)

Cats (2019)

Episodes referenced: 14 (14.89%)

Episodes not referenced: 80 (85.11%)

First reference: January 17

Last reference: November 30

Longest streak of no references: 20 episodes (June 1–August 24)

Shortest streak of no references: 0 episodes (Referenced in the September 14 and 19 episodes)

Cascada (2005)

Counting for Cascada started on August 15.

Episodes referenced: 8 (22.22%)

Episodes not referenced: 28 (77.78%)

First reference: August 15

Last reference: December 26

Longest streak of no references: 12 episodes (August 22–October 3)

Shortest streak of no references: 0 episodes (Referenced in both the August 15 and 17 episodes; then again in both the October 12 and 17 episodes)

Combined statistics

Again, note that this only covers August 15 onward.

Episodes where both were referenced: 2 (5.56%) (October 12 and November 30)

Episodes where only one was referenced: 10 (27.78%)

Episodes where neither was referenced: 24 (66.67%)

Other Notable Bits of the Year

This is a list I kept this year of the most enduring bits, but it's obviously biased.

Fight Song (Origin: Patreon Bonus Stream 03/24/2023)

Italian Cold Steel Cinquedea (Origin: Turning Words Into Drawings)

Merobiba (Origin: Turning Medieval Words Into Art)

So do, Scooby (Origin: Turning Monster Hunter Armors BACK Into Monsters)

[just-more-pr0mts]

Danny was not here.

It's the only way he could describe how he felt. He was walking, talking and breathing. But it wasn't him, yet it was? It was all so complicated and confusing.

He was supposed to be walking, talking and breathing with his his family, his mom and dad, his sisters dani and Jazz. He was supposed to be walking, talking and breathing with his friends, Tucker and Sam.

But he wasn't he was sitting at the end of an extravagant table where he had been all of his life.

Danny was walking, talking and breathing in someone else's body. He felt like a spectator of his own life life he was in a fever dream. But it wasn't his life. Yes he was controlling how he moved and how he spoke, he wasn't possessed after all, yet it felt as if he were.

He was walking down halls he's been in for years, knowing the layout like the back of his hand, yet it all looked so new.

He was talking to people, his siblings and parents who he'd been through hell and back with and knew what made them tick, but he struggled to recognize them as they waved hello.

He was breathing in air that reeked of death , air that tasted like the electricity of the portal air that was so polluted you hardly ever saw the moon at night yet he'd been breathing it in all his life and yet never before.

Aka

Danny wasnt able to save his planet from the asteroid, and in that fiasco he gets thrown into an alternate version of himself that grew up in Gotham with the wayne family (can be twin au or whatever) and now he's stuck there pretending like his danny as he has old Danny's memories.

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

WHAT IS THIS SAGAU THING I KEEP SEEING IT????

*claps hands* i will try to explain as best as i can with what i know!!

SAGAU is an acronym for Self-Aware Genshin AU. in its most basic form, it's an alternate universe where the genshin characters are aware of the player's existence in some capacity, often extending to them being/becoming aware of their existence as video game characters

HOWEVER as far as i know (might be wrong) the most popular iteration of the SAGAU is the cult/creator version. i'm not sure what the name of it actually is, but the basis is that in Teyvat, the player is revered as the creator of the entire world (basically the one true god) and more often than not it involves the player being somehow transported into genshin and being completely baffled when they see people worship them

there's a LOT of different versions of this AU, my personal favorite is the "imposter" route of the creator one, aka where everyone thinks the player is a fraud and tries to kill them, and i definitely don't know everything about it but i hope this helps!!

[givemearmstopraywith]

im usually prettt good with deciphering american culture but i still dont know what a quaker is in its entirety

although i love quakerism and attend meetings sporadically, i am not a quaker myself (yet- we'll see). additionally, there are many different kinds of quakers (for instance, evangelical versus programmed quakers) but i'll try to give a general overview.

quakers, formally known as the religious society of friends, are a historically christian denomination group which developed during a period of religious unrest during and after the english civil wars and the english reformation. george fox is recognized as the founder of the quaker movement. quakers reject religious ceremony and episcopal hierarchy. although quakerism was founded in england, religious persecution (the term "quaker" was actually somewhat pejorative: george fox wrote in 1650 that, "Justice Bennet of Derby first called us Quakers because we bid them tremble at the word of God") led many to migrate to north america in the mid-1650s.the guiding principle of quakers is generally considered to be the idea that every human being has the capacity to experience "the light within" or "answer that of God in everyone." quakers are perhaps best known for their advocacy: they have been involved in abolitionism, women's rights, and civil rights, and continue to advocate for non-violence in accordance with their belief in pacifism.

quaker.org gives a highly accessible overview of their beliefs and practices.

additionally, you can access some of the writing of early quakers here.

bayard rustin, the organizer of the march on washington, was a quaker; another famous quaker is this website's beloved public universal friend; and both joan baez and, weirdly, hozier were raised in the society of friends.

[kozachenko]

I remember hearing some stuff about how if ZUN wanted to take the story of Touhou Project to a new stage, there would have to be some kind of major change to the status quo and would be focused on how each character adapts to that change. This got me thinking about what would happen if the story of Touhou "went to another level" and I personally think that's going to happen when Marisa inevitably becomes a Youkai. It's already been established that Reimus whole duality is balancing her duties as a shrine maiden with her wants as a person, and this leads into basically the reason as to why I wrote this post.

Buckle up, because this is going to be a long one

So, I've been thinking about ReiMari a lot, and like, IDK if there are any fanfics/fanworks exploring this idea, but the ship could work incredibly well for a romantic tragedy story. I mainly say this because of the possibility that Reimu would have to kill Marisa if Marisa becomes a Youkai, and there are a few possibilities for this:

Option 1: Reimu doesn't think about it/doesn't fully know

Reimu isn't fully in the know about the behind the scenes stuff of Gensokyo's balance. Yukari probably tells her half of what she needs to know, but leaves Reimu with more questions than answers. She most likely doesn't think about this much, and even forgets about with Marisa. This means that when the time actually comes when Marisa turns into a Youkai, Reimu is reluctant to exterminate Marisa until Yukari finally tells her the "truth" that she needs to kill her in order to maintain Gensokyo's balance.

Option 2: Reimu and Marisa both know this fact and have both been putting it out of their minds for a while

This option is a variant of the previous one, but I feel like it could also lead to some interesting story beats. They've both been putting it out of their minds and have instead been trying to enjoy the time they have left together to the fullest. Yukari and the other sages probably don't know that Marisa also knows her days are numbered, but she knows that day isn't there yet. I like to think that in this version, they both have a sliver of hope that maybe they could change things, that maybe they could re-write the laws of Gensokyo entirely and create a world where they can both still be with each other, but deep down they know the cruel reality of it.

Option 3: Reimu does know but she doesn't tell anyone

Reimu does know the full extent of Gensokyo's order and knows that she will need to kill Marisa eventually. Only she, Yukari, Kasen, and Okina (maybe even some of other sages we haven't met yet) understand this. However, none of Gensokyo's higher ups know that this fact pains Reimu to the point where it becomes a close guarded secret of hers. This also adds to my headcanon that before she met Marisa, Reimu probably closed herself off from a lot of people, and even afterwards, she still has a feeling of loneliness from the rest of Gensokyo when she's not with Marisa. I imagine the scene in this hypothetical fic where Marisa has turned into a Youkai and she finally sees Reimu again, but their reunion isn't a happy one. Reimu, with tears in her eyes looks up at Marisa and she silently realizes why Reimu has come to see her. A feeling of betrayal followed by anger rises in her, and she asks as to why Reimu never told her about any of this sooner, only to be answered by Reimu wordlessly attacking her. Marisa gets away for the time being of course, but she then realizes that nothing is going to be the same for her. Reimu on the other hand, has to grapple with having to kill the one who helped bring her out of her loneliness, the one who has always been by her side even in her worst moments, and the one who she loves more than anything.

As you could probably tell by the time I've spent writing about it, but option 3 is my favourite. While each of these are slightly different variants on the same premise, I think having the cruel irony that Reimu knew this was inevitable all along would make for such interesting conflict. This story also makes ReiMari this beautiful type of doomed love, which could pit all of Gensokyo against Reimu, leaving her as isolated and alone as she used to be without Marisa. This fic idea could also be an interesting way to explore the characters of the sages individually.

And if by the end of this fic, Reimu does indeed kill Marisa, we should expect to see Reimu come into conflict with the sages, asking questions they don't want her to ask. And like ok, I know we're veering back into headcanon territory, but I think it would be interesting to imagine that the sages probably view the Hakurei lineage as a mere tool for Gensokyos balance (aside from probably Kasen), Reimu being no exception. This also could also question the ethics regarding how the Hakurei Shrine maiden of each generation is treated by the higher ups in Gensokyo, especially with the fact that Reimu is still an orphaned teenager who doesn't have a proper support system outside of Marisa and Kasen. Speaking of, I imagine that she's the only one of the sages who is actually trying to help Reimu with this whole situation, and would probably end up being one of the few people Reimu could trust in this situation. However, after she kills Marisa, she would probably be just as distrusting to her as with all the other sages.

I think could also make a very interesting manhunt type of story, with Reimu and Marisa being on thier own and a bunch of Gensokyo residents coming after Reimu to avenge Marisa. Which could also make for some really interesting conflict. I'm also very curious as to how Yukari would respond to this situation, and if a part of her, deep down is subtly reminded of the time when she lost someone oh so dear to her, if only she could remember them...

And then there's the big question of, "how would this fic end?" and to be honest. I don't know, but a cool idea could be Reimu potentially rewriting or recreating Gensokyo and becoming a god herself. It's a very farfetched idea, but it could be neat. Actually no that's basically what Madoka did uhhhh yeah no kinda stumped. Maybe Reimu could escape to the real world or something??? Yeah I'll have to think on that one.

In the end, while some people are kinda frustrated with the status quo reliant nature of Touhous narrative, I personally don't mind as Touhou is primarily ZUNs playground for ideas and the like. It also gives fanworks more freedom in regards to how it wants to fit itself into the canon. So yeah that's the end of my very very long Touhou fanfic/fanwork idea. If I feel like actually writing this as a fanfic, I probably would if I had the time lol.

[buggbuzz]

Israel is a terrorist state? We don’t even want this war, we want to live in peace and we don’t mind if we get a Palestinian state existing next to the state of Israel as long as no one hurts no one.

I don't really give a shit? As far as I'm aware Israel forced the palestinians out of their homes and land. Israel is commiting a deliberate genocide against an entire people and destroying every physical part of their culture they can. You don't get to defend a country committing an ethnic cleansing with bombs targeting children, infants, pregnant women, hospitals, ambulances, and journalists and then go "oh I just don't want anyone to hurt eachother 🥺🥺🥺" get real.

Coming from an american whose country has had a direct hand in catastrophically destabilizing countless other countries' governments and economies, as well as the indigenous peoples' of the land they stole AND its own people's political movements/saftey/rights, you have to at least fucking acknowledge when your country is commiting crimes against humanity.

I'm sure there're israelis that don't want to massacre an entire people. But your country is commiting devastating acts of terrorism against another. It's a terrorist state.

[white-cat-of-doom]

Hi, I was wondering; do you know if there was any sort of social (or official) discouragement of Cats actors sharing their headcanons, especially pre-2010 or so? I feel like that was a thing, but I can’t remember if I just made an assumption or read something concrete.

I feel like I read a “Broadway Revival has been surprisingly open about their headcanons in contrast to traditional productions” somewhere but I can’t remember.

I will lead with the fact that I cannot say with complete certainty, but I would imagine all productions, including ongoing and any future ones, have a form of clause in the contracts outlining what performers are allowed to say and their general conduct, and that encompasses headcanons to a degree. I would say that guidelines around publicly sharing thoughts have very likely been relaxed as time goes on, but it is very important to consider that the show is left purposely ambiguous for the audience to interpret themselves. That is largely the whole idea of the musical. How much is prohibited depends on the company running the production I think, but I cannot see any replica production being too stringent in more modern times, as long as the general structure that is taught is maintained (which I will discuss briefly). In the end, we must remember that cast members are doing their jobs and are not obligated to share anything at all.

I do not believe anyone is going to openly say whether they were discouraged from sharing, as that could jeopardize their future opportunities in the industry, and I do not believe anyone was not allowed to speak openly from an official standpoint. I also do not think anything is realistically stopping anyone from sharing their thoughts once not part of an active cast.

As I was not a fan of the show long enough ago to speak exactly how much headcanons were readily shared in the past, the below is more my thoughts on why it seems to be case now that it is more prevalent for recent productions.

For some perspective, US Tour 5, which ran between 2001 and 2012, had stipulations related to what the cast could say and definitely what photos taken by the performers were allowed, with nothing showing in process makeup or anyone not fully in costume. The recent US Tour 6 had the same rules as well, as both were non-Equity productions.

However, your question pertains to something slightly different as headcanons are not necessarily tied together with the appearance of a production or the performers. This is where different factors come in to say whatever it is more prevalent seeing headcanons now than in the past. Despite US Tour 6 having strict rules on what could be shared by a performer from a costume standpoint, it did not stop them from sharing headcanons fairly regularly.

Perhaps the most important point is that social media is a much bigger aspect of daily life then it was even ten years ago. It is obviously going to be easier to know what a performer in the last five years thought about any part of the show than someone from a production that ended decades ago. Performers are now much more likely to share headcanons because it is considerably easier to connect with fans of the show directly, and the first big productions for that would have been those starting around that 2015 mark, like the Broadway Revival. Before this, all fans had were interviews or media that would be primarily focused on what would be the plot of the show, instead of something like headcanons. Most performers were going to be limited to speaking on those points as they did not have a wider audience that they could connect with more directly. It was all about promoting the show itself if they ever found themselves in a situation to talk more freely. No one in the media typically was going to ask for more background on the characters themselves unless that cast member was being specifically interviewed at length. Any personal thoughts were kept within the cast and production themselves, and carried through based on what newer cast members saw established performers do and act. Also, given the larger variety and amount of productions worldwide in the past, there was probably considerably more divergence in how the characters could be viewed than compared to now. It was nothing for a performer to have been a part of an US Tour, Broadway, and Hamburg within a span of five or so years, and they were exposed to many more views of characters that they could bring to wherever they went.

This brings up the second important point, in that most modern productions are overseen by Chrissie Cartwright, the associate director of basically every European production since 1986, and very applicably to this conversation, all US productions starting with the 2016 Broadway Revival and Australian productions like the recent Asia Tours. Chrissie has her own viewpoints that are, more or less, officially cascaded to the respective cast during rehearsals on behalf of The Really Useful Group, Andrew Lloyd Webber's company. As a good chunk of the performers are not likely very aware of CATS and the story in general in any capacity from the get go, they will take everything at face value and not think too much more on it. Those performers who grew up with the show are definitely more likely to have a set of headcanons that they could be more willing to share, but to actually speak on them was not realistic. Either way, what is directed to the cast takes precedence for them over anything that a fan might come up with or is seen as a fandom consensus, even if a cast member themselves believes differently. It is much easier to share a headcanon that is now, for all intents and purposes, universal among all English productions.

Which leads me to how modern productions can be more open about headcanons when the time calls for it. For recent productions, like the US Tour, we saw some performers mention headcanons in select social media posts, but they were mainly the ones told to them by the creative team. A few performers expanded on what they learned to make more unique headcanons based on their individual style of performance and personality, but I think most of the cast had done the same as well, but were not interested in sharing publicly. It also depends on how readily members of the cast wanted to overlap personal friendships offstage and what they learned and were taught to build different scenarios and add variety. From what I found, North American cast members were/are likely to share because they are used to over sharing on social media, compared to European or Australian cast members who are considerably more private with their lives on social media, some to the point you would not even know they were in the show. It is cultural thing as outlandish as it may seem. I know many more cast headcanons from US Tour 6 than probably Vienna, all the UK Tours from 2016 onwards, and the Asia Tours combined.

Circling back to the Broadway Revival, the main reason we saw a wider sharing of headcanons was because Tyler Hanes, who played Rum Tum Tugger, was doing a video series backstage on the development of the production from the very start up until opening night (and then a few more videos due to popularity through to closing night), otherwise I do not think we would have seen more than what the US Tour shared, and if anything, probably less given how social media only has become even more prevalent.

At the end of the day, the only reason anyone would notice headcanons being shared at all by performers is because we are fans and can now find media fairly easily where a performer is interviewed more specifically on what they thought about their character and the show at large. Those same performers can also talk about the show in a capacity if they see fit, but outside of bigger, well-known names (i.e., those from the 1998 film), the fandom at large does not particularly care what someone involved in the musical has to say, in my opinion.

TLDR: (In my opinion) You see headcanons more from recent and current productions because they have much easier access to share them, if they wanted to, worldwide at the click of a button using social media, but I would not say that past productions would have not done the same if they had the same opportunities and access. Having a standardized lesson on the show during rehearsals from the same figurehead is largely going to reduce individual headcanons that would have been more prevalent in the past, and that is why you hear similar headcanons that can be more readily shared. There are also more opportunities for a cast member to share their experiences if they wanted to now, but the past is largely unknown unless someone speaks up and another person is there to listen.

[dittydipity]

the flowers in mp100 op3

come get your free ammunition, hanahaki writers

(i tried to get most of these flower meanings from hanakotoba but also added in some interpretations from other cultures if they all seemed to share a common theme)

red dahlia: perseverance, resilience, dignity red carnation: admiration and love + red rose: love white daisy: hope, peace, innocence white buttercup: joy, youth, friendship, purity

cherry blossom: spirituality, transience, (mortality, self-sacrifice) cape/normal daisies: humility, loyalty white gardenia: trust, hope, protection pink hydrangea: pride, gratitude, (pink: sincerity)

[hoyotunes]

Startover from Honkai Impact 3rd Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Zoe, JODODO, HOYO-MiX

[rwby-ontheside]

So RWBY Justice League is in some weird alternate timeline, kinda like RWBY Ice Queendom. But instead of it being near canon until end of volume 1, it's set in a time where the fall of Beacon, did and did not happen. What I assume from the trailers and clips:

Beacon is still there.

Yang lost her arm.

Team RWBY start off being separated (except Yang and Ruby).

Blake has reconnected with her parents and starts off in Menagerie.

Weiss starts off being in Atlas.

Pyrrha isn't there (hard to say if she's dead or not).

It starts off in between semesters (directly after the fall/not fall of Beacon).

The CC towers are down.

There is some weird memory things.