#tag: meta

[kirkwall-age]

this is a stupid me personal thing. but Fereldan names have always driven me a little bit insane because they are a hodgepodge of different Britonnic languages with no rhyme or reason. the devs will take one name, and use all versions of it: Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Irish, Cornish, and then some Germanic variants to boot.

which etymologically is very frustrating and sloppy world building to me. incredibly niche pet peeve, i know. but languages are my specialty and such careless use does invite questions

e.g. Mhairi, Moira, Maura, Miriam are all different language representations of the same name. how did that come about? or Wynne and Fiona being a Welsh and Irish representation of the same root, and they are in a room having a conversation, and I'm here wondering when did the language split?

one could ostensibly make a case that before Calenhad united Ferelden, all the Alamarri tribes had one single root language family but it devolved in these related but different languages

but. regardless. as I was looking up all the names and trying to map out where they fall in the actual Earth languages

i made a discovery i should have really made a long time ago

which is: i know from general history examples -- and also other fiction (*cough* Dishonored *cough*) that Teague is an Irish masculine name

based on that knowledge, I never questioned Teagan

but Teagan (also spelled as Tegan) = while most certainly related to the name above = actually follows the same logic as such names as Megan / Meagan. or Regan / Reagan. current unfortunate association with a president who ruined everything notwithstanding, Regan is King Lear's daughter. and Regan is the child protagonist of The Exorcist, a girl tormented by the demon. these are feminine names. TEAGAN is a traditionally feminine name

another OBVIOUS example being of course the ever famous sister-duo Tegan and Sara. but. based on the queerness. I kind of assumed the opposite? that it was a butch thing and she wanted to use a masc name? or that the name is just unisex and the popularity with one gender or the other changed with time, like it did for Addison, or Cameron, or Ashley. or that the spelling made a difference

but no. straight-up. historically it's a woman's name

and listen. i'm all for unexpected unisex names. Artemis Fowl? Star Trek: Discovery's Michael and Pushing Daisies' Chuck? hellyeah. my own name is traditionally masc and I'm fem-presenting

but also i'm just saying: trans!Teagan

(they did blithely retcon and canonize that Eamon and Teagan had polyamorous parents. that their father had a wife and a male lover (Connor) whom Rowan, Eamon and Teagan also considered a father. and Eamon named his son after the man. so honestly this isn't the most wild headcanon I could put forth about them)

[timeloop-angel]

Yknow. While the manhwa Your Majesty Please Spare Me is a very well written story, with very well written protagonists and well written enemies to lovers romance in a setting with well thought political battles it is very very very annoying how almost every female side character is out there being jealousy, plotting and betraying the protagonist because of men or for no apparent reason.

I wish the author's efforts in writing the FMC as a well rounded female character without having to adhere to the '#girlboss' mindset also extend to other female characters.

If you will make a female antagonist then please make her character at least a bit interesting and exciting to read/analyze, and please put some effort in making her relationship to the protagonist at least 1% as complex and well thought as the relationship between the two protagonists.

And please, at least have one (1) female character that is actual friends with the protagonist. I'm so so tired of the trope of a FMC having no real friends outside of her love interests or family and the narrative portraying every female character as an enemy to her.

I'm in ch 84 and im seeing the story going down in that path. It really takes my excitement from reading it. Its so tiring and annoying.

[dawnstriding]

"...--perhaps one day you will see victory in the arena, Beau, though I am always surprised to see that you are in good spirits afterwards - win or lose."

"And why not?" The warrior replied, a grimaced grin upon her features. Good spirits, after all, did not dull the pain of a bullet in the back. "I am able to leave this place, after all; hale and hearty and none the worse for wear. There's naught to prove in this arena, for me. That I can get up, shake my opponent's hand, and depart? That will always be a victory unto itself. I'd not have it any other way."

Dawnstrider had never considered herself crafty. Though, in times such as these, she occasionally saw the merit in the adjective bestowed unto her. Perhaps others in her position would be glad to wear the title with pride and honour befitting a fabled hero, but she was no such person. Faceless; nameless. Unrecognisable, save for her white hair, and she'd not have it any other way.

The walls of the Hallow were her sanctuary; her respite. The patrons; her friends, companions, and strangers alike. There, she was known - but unassumingly so. She could lean upon a wall and remain unbothered for the eve, opting to people-watch and eavesdrop on conversations about memories; desires; dreams. The stories of others took the spotlight and swept people's attention and concerns by the boatload, and she'd not have it any other way.

Here, she was Beau Dawnstrider: registrar; adventurer; beloved companion to some and a cheerful, friendly face to others... and very unfortunate indeed, unanimously agreed, when it came to any manner of pit fight - and she'd not have it any other way.

There's a good amount of folks who indulge me (for whatever reason) and subscribe to Beau being their Warrior of Light in-game. It changes very little about her, in truth, but one of the things I often have to navigate is the reality that she is an incredible fighter - at least enough of one to be able to defeat the foes she does - and I am putting her into scenarios where fights are determined by random dice rolls... which I often lose.

Being who she is, though, the solution is pretty straightforward for me - and though it's kind of become the butt of a joke to have Miss Dawnstrider have her arse handed to her in the arena it has paved a path for me to explore with her that I've really been enjoying. A form of self-acceptance that she need not be perfect, and that she is truly no different from any other being. She is safe in her little sanctuary, and she cares not if she is the butt of people's jokes or the reason for their ego boost. She is just glad that they get to walk away at the end of it, unscathed.

It's a true pleasure - when compared to the horrors she has faced and seen - to be able to say that she can do that each and every time she faces someone in that pit. It is a joy unto itself and nothing will have that grin fade from her face. Not even seven bullets lodged into her body...

I look forward to the day that someone who subscribes to the WoL!Beau bit puts two and two together and realises that the person who is laughing about having been beaten for the ninth time by an arena combatant is the same person who is spoken about - and has been spoken about for years - in legendary fable. Such will come in its own time, though.

[lahficclub]

What Rhymes With Bottom

What Rhymes With Bottom

Link for the fic: What Rhymes With Bottom

Author: BoneLord

Relationship: Greg Davies/Alex Horne

Additional Tags:

Poetry

Meta

Crack

Breaking the Fourth Wall

top!Alex

bottom!Greg

Humor

Summary:

Alex is tired of reading all these bottom Alex fics. He wants to be the one on top and getting serviced for a change! Is that so much to ask?

[mycroftrh]

Far worse, in my opinion, than the famous “he wouldn’t fucking say that” is “he WOULD fucking say that, as part of his facade, but you seem to think he would mean it genuinely”

[chaichai-draws]

Personally I think that Telemachus permanently and irreversibly changed Athena for the better, more on that at twelve

[gammija]

nothing personal but this kind of comment rlly exemplifies to me a disconnect between canon and popular fanon jmart characterization because they almost literally had this conversation in canon - except, their lines are swapped!

jon, for all his scared grouchiness, is a secret romantic, while martin, for all his forced optimism, is at his core a pragmatist

[hickeygender]

tragedy enjoyers when a character perpetuates the cycle of violence they themselves were a victim of

[hexhomos]

isnt it wild how jayce is the most heavily misunderstood arcane character..everytime i see takes about him being upper-class and rich or mean and condescending or not caring about viktor in s1 or whatever other garbage ppl say about him i lose a year of my life

It's crazy to me that I've been saying jayce is working class for years and this got confirmed in the draft 1 board for arcane christian linke posted on twitter sometime ago lol

house Talis is a MINOR HOUSE of toolmakers whose most prominent contribution is the 'collapsible pocket wrench'. They're literally blacksmiths. This is a service and labor position. Jayce can't even afford to use gold in his inventions in act1 because he relies on the Kiramman money for everything. This is not the life of a rich guy in Piltover this is middle class at best lol his drive to finish up hextech and succeed academically is him trying to build a better life for himself!

Blacksmithing is historically a very intensive work position. The work wears you down & eventually disables you very early in life (jayce's injury in act3 seems to be a metaphorical speedrun of that, in some ways) we're never told how jayce's dad died but it is very fair to imagine it was a work related. he's fucking aware of this, its true In Real Life and it brings such an interesting context to his interactions with Viktor and how they want to create things that help common laborers and make the work better if it wasn't for the council. (in s1 act2 their progress day showcase to heimerdinger BEGINS with jayce complaining that they've been stuck fulfilling the council's demands these past 10 years and now, finally, *finally* it's their time to decide what to do with hextech. and they're not even allowed that.)

Also, the perfected hexgems in s1 are kept in Kiramman-crest boxes. I noticed this just the other day. JAYCE AND VIKTOR DON'T OWN SHITTTTTTTTTTT they're getting exploited big time while all that 'investor' money is charged back with deep dividends

just like real life academics they probably spent most of their life writing up grant proposals like dogs and begging for funding that will wring them dry later on. Where the hell is all my jayce and viktor class solidarity 'getting drunk off their mugs and complaining about their dipshit bosses' content?

[related post]

[consultingfujoshi]

inconsolable over irving in this episode. no nuance here, irving is straight up suicidal in this episode. essentially placing him in the same circumstances in which mark chose to become severed - suffering unimaginable heartbreak and seeing switching his brain off as the only viable option for coping with it - and giving him that same choice at surface level to be relieved of it - except it's NOT the same at all, because innies don't get to compartmentalise, they ARE the compartmentalisation, if they choose to switch themselves off, they DIE. the illusion of choice here. irving can either suffer mindless torture of monotony every day with the knowledge that the man he loves is dead and never coming back, or he can fucking DIE. and he genuinely sees that as a viable option. as his only way out of this pain. because even if he did make it out, if he somehow against all odds gained his freedom in the outside world, he'd still have nothing. burt would not be waiting for him.

"I should be happy he's happy" and the way he doesn't even feel entitled to his grief?? like he has no right to be feeling the pain he's feeling right now? innie indoctrination goes so hard he's incapable of seeing that the very fact he's grieving innie burt, a hypothetical life they could have had together, is proof that he's just as real as his outie counterpart! he has just as much right to that life as anyone! like, NO, irv! you have been wronged, you have been so deeply wronged, they made you capable of feeling these things and forming this relationship and falling in love and then systematically removed every tool you could have had to pursue it, and then effectively handed you a length of rope and made you feel like the only empowerment you can find is in the act of hanging yourself with it.

"if he's gone and I'm gone, then somehow, we'll be together" broke me because he really has been so beaten down by this point at the hopelessness of it all, realising that there is no scenario in which he can be with the man he loves, that his only hope at finding any triumph or meaning in this is to die along with burt. at least in chasing him into oblivion, he will have made the one choice he could have to follow his heart. and that as a queer-centric narrative specifically is actually devastating.

SUCH an insane and heavy thing to come straight out of the gate with in the season premier. immediately cementing irving as one of the most masterfully complex characters I've ever seen - i can only hope his arc this season is in finding strength in the act of defiance at last and making good on his promise to burn lumon to the ground for what they've put him through. to carry that grief and channel it into bringing the system that has wronged you down. I believe in the power of queer rage and vengeance!!!!

[descendant-of-truth]

Shipping is fun and all but I swear every single time someone makes a comment, whether as a joke or in a legitimate analysis, about there being "no other explanation" for a pair's interactions, I lose just a bit more of my sanity

Like, no, you guys don't get it. Romance is not about the Amount of devotion, it's about the COLOR. the FLAVOR of it all. a character can be just as devoted to their platonic friend as they are to their romantic partner, and they don't love either of them more, just differently.

But because the majority of people still have it stuck in their minds that romance exists on the highest tier of love, I'm stuck seeing endless takes that boil down to "these two care about each other too much for it to NOT be romantic" as if that's the core determining factor to how literally any of this works

In conclusion: stop telling me that I don't understand the story if I don't interpret the leads as romantic, I am TIRED

[kirkwall-age]

probably about to reinvent the wheel here

but i think my favorite explanation for the off-screen Athenril fallout is pride before a fall

sidebar: i think i nearly always go the Athenril route because, well, Meeran asks you to straight up kill somebody as a job interview, and Athenril says in her pitch: we’re not slavers and we’re not murderers. and i think the majority of my Hawkes who just left a farm in Lothering are not exactly contract killer material

and the game requires you to walk away from both of them. from the doylist perspective = i get it.

but quitting Meeran’s crew is easy to explain away: the man’s a grade A asshole. but Athenril’s personable. she knows how to be polite which has taken her this far. and yet we know that she has done something so offensive that Hawke storms off and promises to never work with her again

in spite of which Athenril sends you three very politely worded letters (job offers for Loose Ends, Bait and Switch and The Bone Pit), keeping the line of communication open and fairly amiable

so the way i see it is:

Athenril’s crew is small. she is trying to get by without attracting too much attention from the Coterie or the Carta. that’s fact

Hawke joins her crew -- which betters Athenril’s business considerably. that’s also fact. we know from Varric’s introductiory speech that Athenril’s operation ended up growing large enough, and the only reason why the Coterie and the Carta didn’t succeed in wiping her out was Hawke

and, at first, I think things go pretty well. Athenril seems like she would try and get along with Hawke. keep her people happy. that’s speculation :)

but, I think, she does enjoy the power play, a little bit. that type of benevolence where you can offer the carrot because you know there is the unspoken threat of the stick. she’s really in control. and everyone knows it. and they should be grateful that she chooses the carrot.

Hawke + sibling have to work for her for a whole year, and they have no choice -- because of Gamlen’s debt, and because Fereldans don’t really have a lot of great options around Kirkwall, and also made worse by the fact that Hawke has to hide either their own magic, or Bethany’s. and, in conversation, Hawke literally refers to it as Athenril having Hawke’s life in her hands for the whole year.

so yeah, Athenril treats them well, but she knows she holds the leash, too

and Athenril sees how her business prospers with Hawke at her beck and call, and her ambition grows

Hawke improves Athenril’s crew overall skill and competency and standing by a large margin, and as other groups get either swallowed up or torn apart by the Carta and the Coterie, Athenril’s crew holds their ground

and Athenril starts telling herself that it is on her merit. that it is her command and her smarts that have gotten them this far, not Hawke’s. and whatever Hawke did to contribute to it — well, that’s still Athenril’s win for finding them and bringing them to heel

and Hawke, with some personality variations, grows either more and more concerned with Athenril’s gluttony for power, or more and more frustrated

and then the year is coming up on its expiration date, and Athenril tries to pressure Hawke into staying. threats are issued -- and fall on deaf ears because Hawke was never afraid of Athenril. she hurls insults, then offers bribes. standard manipulations tactics. arrogance and possessiveness abound

and that is the note on which Hawke leaves as the year is up, and the contract is done, and Hawke no longer has to deal with any of this

and Athenril’s business instantly starts to dwindle. and the power that she imagined starts to turn to sawdust in her hands. and the Coterie starts breathing down her neck (once again: fact) because Athenril no longer can back up her threats or offer sufficient pushback

so, from aggressive, Athenril turns plaintive, sending Hawke multiple letters that are kindly worded, trying to lure them back

the severance note she sends literally says: Your year’s up and you’re free to go. Despite what you think, we had a good thing working together. I might pass along an opportunity or two, if you’re willing to get your hands dirty. Stay safe. — entirely pleasant

and then, as stated above, she also sends letters for Fenris’s recruitment and for the Bone Pit chain. tasty morsels to win Hawke’s trust back. along the lines of: “see, wasn’t this profitable? aren’t i a good boss partner?”

but then when you go to meet her: she isn’t friendly at all. she’s showing some teeth. “Didn’t think you’d stoop to our kind again. Or are you not too proud to make some coin?”

so, some of this is a little contradictory -- and i just required a decent watsonian explanation to tie these loose threads together into a neat narrative

and, then, dealer’s choice. personality pending. in my current playthrough Hawke is pretty patient and doesn’t hold a grudge. she is willing to give Athenril a second chance. see if she came back to her senses. this bit is pure headcanon land. insert whatever rationalization fits the bill

but the thing is: Athenril didn’t change. if possible, she became worse. she’s paranoid, a little more desperate, and a lot more cruel? she started employing orphans and children and virtually abusing them?

so Hawke reneges. helps the kid. and then tells that to Athenril’s face. like: how dare you? are you insane? since when is this how you run your business? this is a far cry from when i agreed to work for you a year ago.

which sends Athenril into... well, pretty much murderous rage. which, i think, is just juicy untapped potential: how incredibly difficult it must be to have worked with/for someone for a year -- only for them to turn on you so completely that you have to put them down with your own hand

at the very least, that’s how this particular playthrough concluded for me. lying is always an option, of course. telling her the Coterie got to her goods first, and then leaving, knowing full well that the Coterie will finish her off. like seeing a person drowning and offering no safety net at all. that’s a good narrative too

either way, that’s my plausible headcanon for The Rise and Fall of Athenril between Prologue and Act 1

[galedekarios]

while i did a gifset to showcase an armour set, i was also intrigued by just how different the animation is for the wizard class vs gale's unique animation:

wizard class animation

gale's unique animation

it's amazing to see not only just how quickly gale performs the somatic component of the spell, but also his efficiency of movement compared to the standard wizard animation.

there's a world of difference here, the difference between a wizard vs a prodigy, an archwizard and chosen.

[isagaiia]

you are the wolf

[elsaclack]

Yeah okay so like I said in the tags of the last post I’m rising from my tumblr grave to say that the ban on TikTok is symptomatic of a MUCH larger and more terrifying problem. Because yes, on its surface it’s silly dances and asmr and cooking videos and whatever, but in truth and at its core, TikTok single-handedly revolutionized the way 170 million Americans communicated with each other AND the rest of the world. Non-Americans love to point out how America-centric Americans are, but fail to realize that we are purposefully raised in an isolated, insulated environment where we are told from basically day 1 that America Is The Best and not to even bother taking a look around because it’s all downhill from outside of here. TikTok has, for MANY Americans, single-handedly destroyed that notion and allowed them (us!!) to broaden our world-view and realize that actually, things are better in other countries, and it did so in a kind, empathetic, and compassionate way.

And yeah most people wake up to the truth of that on their own as they get older, but holy shit!! The VAST majority of the Americans on TikTok are millennials and gen z (and even some older gen alpha)!! People who are becoming disillusioned with “The American Dream” (said with the HEAVIEST sarcasm) while they’re still school-aged or are just entering young-adulthood!! People who are entering - or TRYING to enter - the American workforce who suddenly have an unfiltered window into non-American lives and are wondering why tf we’re struggling and penny-pinching and toeing the line of poverty while our rich elected officials sit around and fight and argue over everything that actually matters to the citizens they supposedly represent and get richer all the while. THAT is why they’re banning the app, and that fact alone should terrify every single American citizen.

Not to mention the precedent it sets for other social media platforms!! You think some nebulous, unproven, and unfounded “threat to national security” will stop with TikTok?? They’ve already censored Adult Material on tumblr, who’s gonna stop them from coming back and doing it again or getting rid of it altogether for the exact same reason? It’s a blatant act of censorship and a direct attack on the American first amendment right to free speech.

NOTHING radicalized me the way tiktok did. I watched people in my life who were STAUNCH Trump supporters in 2016 AND 2020 wake up to the truth and vote blue for the first time in their lives BECAUSE OF TIKTOK, and did so with al the nuanced understanding that even Democrats are severely failing this country, but are at least better than the alternative. That level of awareness and presence in the average US citizen scares American politicians.

The fact that the vast majority of them - including the ones loudly opposing the ban!! - bought stock in Meta BEFORE the ban was legalized/upheld by the Supreme Court?? That Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk were legally allowed to lobby congress to ban TikTok when BOTH stood to DIRECTLY financially gain from their biggest competitor being banned in the US and are guilty of unethically gathering data and selling it to MULTIPLE third parties?? The fact that Trump is now teasing that he may or may not intervene to save TikTok when he was the one who talked about banning it in the first place AND ALSO OWNS HIS OWN COMPETING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM??

It’s the burning of Alexandria. It’s the loss of a significant chunk of culture. It’s the sharp and sudden loss of contact with the rest of the world for more than half of all American citizens. It’s the loss of $240 BILLION dollars in the GDP when the country is already TRILLIONS of dollars in debt. And on an individualistic level, it’s the loss of millions of small businesses and primary income streams for so many individuals and families who found their primary audience on TikTok. Is the app perfect? HELL no. Are there significant changes needed to make it a safe environment for all users? ABSOLUTELY. But that can also be said of ANY social media platform. TikTok openly fostered connection and communication and creativity and compassion that is completely unique to that platform! It made so many people - myself included!! - feel less alone. I get the feeling I know what the general consensus is about TikTok on this site, but the ban on this app should scare the shit out of everyone.

[500-moths-in-a-trenchcoat]

i'm expecting a tiktok exodus since this seems to be the bomb shelter of the internet. have another update/repost. NOW WITH HIGHLIGHTED MAJOR HOLIDAYS!

IT JUST HAPPENS

DAY 15 GIVE IT UP FOR DAY 15

Thursday the 20th

The Fifth of Wednesday

Second Week of May: Eurovision

Sometime in June: That One Halloween Post Starts Circulating

Sometime in July: Dancing Pumpkin Man Video/Gif

First Monday In September: Todaybor Day Is Labor Day

WEEKLY EVENTS (at least the ones i celebrate)

Every Monday: Garfield Hates Mondays

Every Tuesday: Tuck Him In Tuesday

Every Wednesday: It Is Wednesday My Dudes

Every Thursday: Out of Touch Thursday

Every Friday: Thank Gnome It's Friday

Every Saturday: Caturday

Every Sunday: Energy Sword Sunday

YEARLY EVENTS

January 1: Copyright Expiration Day

January 2: New Years, New Tears

January 8: Spiders Georg Day

January 16: Appreciate a Dragon Day

January 18: Bug Race

January 29: Threshold Day

All of February: Funguary

ALSO All of February: Femslash February

February 3: WOE, VANILLA EXTRACT BE UPON YE

February 8: King Taejong Fell Off His Horse

February 13: Galentines Day

February 14: Aromantic/Asexual Day

February 15: Annoy Squidward Day

February 18: Perserverance Rover's Birthday

March 9: Miku Day

March 10: Mario Day

March 14: Pi Day

March 15: Ides of March

March 23: Ever Given Got Stuck Today

April 1: Mishapocalypse

ALSO April 1: Staff Does Something Fun On The Dashboard

April 2: Dashcon Announcement Anniversary

April 3: Dannypocalypse

April 5: First Contact Day

April 8: Rex Manning Day

ALSO April 8: MARGARET THATCHER IS DEAD

April 13: Neil Banging Out The Tunes

ALSO April 13: Homestuck Day

April 19: Some Roman Made Bread Today

April 20: haha 420 blaze it

April 24: Josh Fight

April 25: The Perfect Date

April 28: Ed Balls Day

April 29: 94 Meetings Day

April 30: It's Gonna Be May

All of May: Mermay

May 3: Beginning of Dracula Daily

May 4: May the 4th Be With You

May 5: Revenge of the Fifth

May 6: Revenge Of The Sixth

May 7: World Language Day

May 25: The Glorious 25th of May

ALSO May 25: Towel Day

All of June: Pride Month

ALSO All of June: IT'S HALLOWEEN TIME TO GET SPOOKY

June 5: Barricade Day

ALSO June 5: RONALD REAGAN IS DEAD

June 12: Another Homestuck Day

June 16: Let Papyrus Say Fuck

June 22: Summerween

June 23: FUCK This Post And Happy Birthday Sonic

All of July: Disability Pride Month

July 11-13: Dashcon Anniversary

July 20: Moon Landing

August 5: Curiosity Rover's Birthday

August 30: Frankenstein Day

September 8: The Queen Is Dead and Sans Undertale Killed Her

September 11: Mole Interest Monday

September 19: Talk Like A Pirate Day

September 21: DO YOU REMEMBER-

All of October: SKELETON WAR

ALSO All of October: People Draw A Lot Month? (so many names)

October 3: Mean Girls Day

ALSO October 3: Fullmetal Alchemist Day

October 13: Treat Yo' Self

October 18: None Pizza Left Beef

October 20: Unnecessary Feelings Day

October 25: Homestuck Day The Third??

October 31: HALLOWEEN

November 5: Destiel Nevada Putin Elec'tion Covid Way

ALSO November 5: Doc Brown Invents Time Travel

November 19: Goncharov

November 29: HENRY KISSINGER IS DEAD

All of December: Will the Gävle Goat Get Destroyed Again?

ALSO All of December: WHY WEREN'T YOU AT ELF PRACTICE

ALSO All of December: Season's Greason's

December 4: Deny Defend Depose Day

December 10: Please, It's Christmas

December 12: Hawaii Part 2

December 23: Christmas Adam

ALSO December 23: Festivus

December 24: ALMOST CHRISTMAS MEANS IT WASN'T CHRISTMAS

ALSO December 24: Cabinet Man Day

December 25: happy chrismum

December 27: Porn Ban Effective Today