#that's where she honed her acting skills. obviously.

[butmakeitgayblog]

I will forever be a simp for actress Lexa. She got that limp to a T and the playing with the leaf? *chefs kiss*

Like,,, was this absolutely necessary?

Was it Lexa? Was it?!

She could've easily just stood out of sight behind the massive wall and gate and listened to them talking. Or. She could've just walked in like a normal gd person, considering she's all of 5'5 and a buck ten sopping wet. But no. That was a character choice. It added nothing to her finding out more information.

What did it add tho?

It added 💫pizzazz💫

[genericpuff]

I'm not sure if you've answered this question before but what were some of the things that made you interested in Lore Olympus in the past and at what point did you lose interest?

I adored the art in the beginning, and just like, the really warm-feeling romance that just had me feeling so giddy reading it. There were some red flags in the beginning like the age gap, but I kinda fell for the same mindset of "well they're gods so what does it matter" (obviously I can't in good faith use that argument anymore because if the age gap didn't matter then it either wouldn't exist or wouldn't be brought up in the first place lmao but it took me a while to realize that).

Now, to be fair, LO was also one of my first introductions to webtoons as a format, prior to that I had read mostly manga and left-to-right indie webcomics (i.e. comics that were hosted on their own site) and I was still in the early years of my own development as a writer and artist (I still feel like I'm early in that development tbh) so of course there were undoubtedly a lot of obvious flaws that went over my head (and I was younger and inexperienced so I wasn't as critical of what media I was watching / reading as I am now) but that's been half the fun of catching them now - it's given me a lot more perspective and helped me hone my own skills in my writing by analyzing what's wrong with LO and brainstorming on how those problems can be avoided.

But then there was the Act of Wrath plotline and I was completely sold on it being gold. Anyone who's read my original work knows how much of a SUCKER I am for "dark alter ego" plotlines, I eat that shit up like junk food. But what I like about the dark alter ego tropes is when they're used to explore the subconscious, question one's morals and true identity, etc. That was what I was hoping for and expecting with the AoW plotline in LO - that her "dark self" was gonna be a reflection of how she felt "held back" by her circumstances in the Mortal Realm, and her wrath being something she could use for retribution (in a "do no harm but take no shit" kinda way). Especially with how naive and innocent she was in the beginning, I loved the idea of her slowly coming to terms with her "darker" side and learning not to suppress her emotions until they had nowhere else to go and exploded (which was how I interpreted the AoW).

So when it didn't do that, or even explore an ounce of nuance regarding her relationship with her wrath, I was very disappointed to say the least. When Eris was revealed to be the one who "blessed" her with wrath, that was when the rose colored glasses started to fall off and I realized "wait, does Rachel not have an actual plan for this whole Kore vs. Persephone thing???" And now her wrath is literally just there to... give her the power to bully people?? It just feels so disheartening to see such potential squandered.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna chastise a story if it doesn't go exactly where I want it to go, there would be no fun in that anyways (and that's what fanfiction is for lmao). But when a story is leaving very interesting but connectable breadcrumbs that are VERY clearly leading you somewhere and then just... doesn't, that's when it's disappointing and unsatisfying. LO feels like a "creator vs. the reader" story in the worst way possible, where it's constantly leaving breadcrumbs, getting pissed when the audience "figures it out", so then it overcorrects and tries to "subvert" itself to keep the readers "on their toes"... but the problem is that all it really does is punish the readers for paying attention and investing themselves in the story by giving them a worse story. It's like Rachel's getting mad at people for figuring out a story that she's writing and hinting towards.

And this has been going on for YEARS now, it's like a Shepard tone where it sounds like it keeps getting higher and higher in pitch but then doesn't actually resolve so your brain is just scrambling trying to figure out what in the world it could be "building up to".

There's nothing. It's not building up to anything. It's just constantly putting down new plot threads that are slightly altered versions of previous plot threads and expecting you to keep following along while it makes a mess of itself. It feels like you're going somewhere but you're actually still just running in place. It's just Rachel never learning how to progress past the middle school writing level of "and then this happened and then this happened and then this happened". Not only is it disorganized writing, but it's just... it's so boring. Nothing's exciting or interesting anymore when it keeps distracting itself with shiny new plotlines and characters that never get resolved.

It's like when you were a kid and thought "man , when I grow up, I'm gonna eat nothing but chocolate cake and ice cream every day forever!" and then you get older and you realize you were being silly because eating nothing but chocolate cake and ice cream every day 1.) isn't good for you and doesn't feel good, and 2.) the appeal and novelty of it wears off if you can have it any time you want, it doesn't feel as special anymore as it did when you were a kid and having those things was a treat.

To compare this back to LO, none of its "reveals" feel like treats anymore, they feel like just another half-assed attempt to keep people interested. It's clickbait.

And don't get me wrong, you CAN totally subvert the breadcrumbs you put down for your audience and go in a completely different direction than where the audience was expecting, but it takes a shitload of skill and thought to do it well. Attack on Titan is one of the best recent examples of a story appearing to completely throw out its original script halfway through, only for that script to actually still be relevant in a very complex and thought out way. Especially when there ARE hints towards the big "twist" that make you go back and rewatch it and realize "WAIT, THEY'VE BEEN GIVING US THE ANSWERS ALL THIS TIME?!?!"

(it would be TWO MORE FUCKING SEASONS before this ending would make sense, that's fucking GENIUS foreshadowing and in the CREDITS SEQUENCE LIKE ?? IT'S SO BLINK AND YOU'LL MISS IT HOLY SHIT-)

Evidently Rachel does not have that skill and is not willing to put in that thought; maybe she could some day, but I don't think she's learning it on the job as well as she thinks she is.

And it's disappointing as fuck because it could have been so much better than this. Rachel is literally the only one getting in her own way of LO being something truly great.

[humorisstoredinthetits]

The Heathers+Veronica play D&D

What a surprise, another random AU that I came up with

So one day the gang is hanging out and JD mentions that he wants to play D&D with them and he thinks it would be fun

Everyone but Chandler is all for it while she, like usual, is being a bitch about it

'Its a nerd game and I'm not a nerd' and 'It sounds boring'

Eventually Mac uses her puppy-dog eyes which makes Chandler relent and agree to play the stupid nerd game

JD DMs while The Heathers, Veronica, Betty and Martha play

He's the kind of DM that goes all out, spending untold amounts of money on minis and other kinds of shit

Eventually the day arrives where they start playing

They enter the room and holy shit JD decked the place out

He put blackout curtains on all the windows and turned the lights off so the room is pitch black besides the candlelight of a chandelier he hung on the ceiling

He put a fancy looking blood red tablecloth over the table

At each seat there is a set of dice in each person's assigned color (The obvious for the Heathers and Veronica, Pink for Martha and Purple for Betty)

They aren't the cheap plastic ones no, they are the metal ones that are as sharp as a knife

JD himself is wearing a gray cloak that covers his face

They sit down and JD begins the campaign

The premise is simple, they are students at a magical academy where a series of murders has happened recently, and they have decided to take it upon themselves to investigate it

However, there is a twist

One of them is the murderer, and it is their job to make it to the end of the school year and graduate, thereby being able to flee the investigation and live freely

Of course, they don't know that the killer is one of them, except for the one who was assigned the role

He starts by going over each of the player's characters

Betty drew a picture of everyone's characters to get an idea of what they all look like and she shows off the picture when they introduce themselves

The Heathers are all named Hecate bc of course they had to have the same name in D&D too

There's Hecate Carnation, Hecate Dahlia, and Hecate Magnolia

(Their last names are all different kinds of flowers bc their actual name, Heather, is a type of flower so they thought it would fit)

HC is a Sorcerer who comes from a long line of powerful magic users and came to the academy like her parents and grandparents before her to hone her skills

She looks pretty much like what she looks like IRL and she acts like how she did in High School, acting superior to everyone bc she thinks she is

She thinks that solving this simple Murder Mystery case won't be a problem for someone as talented as her

So basically she's Claire from I'm In Love with the Villainess

HD is a Wizard (Or Witch ig, the class name is Wizard but she's a girl sooo) who came to the academy to learn the Wizarding arts from the talented professors the academy employs

HD also looks like IRL Duke, but much taller and with longer sleek hair compared to Duke's short curly hair

HD acts as the check to HC's id, being the ego and the one who can rationally look at a situation and make the best course of action from there

She's not very good with emotions, however, and can struggle to act appropriately in emotional situations

HM is a Druid who hopes to get some hands-on experience with the Druidic Work while studying

She is the superego to the other two's id and ego, the one who can look at a situation with both emotion and logic and determine the best course of action from there

She also looks generally like IRL Mac, but she has light brown hair compared to blonde and is a bit less muscular and more well endowed in certain areas

The Hecates joined the investigation as they are obviously the most capable of doing so, and as such they have a responsibility to be apart of it

Veronica is Vadina Siannodel, a High Elf Cleric

She picked Cleric bc she just knew that the Heathers were gonna do some dumbass shit and she was gonna need to bail them out with her healing

She is also the only one of them to pick a non human race

She joked Duke should pick a dwarf bc she's so short and Duke elbowed her in the stomach

She looks kinda like Frieren from that anime (She watched it with Duke around the time JD said he wanted to play so it influenced a lot of her character choices)

Vadina is a model student, the one who always aces her exams and does everything she can to help those at the academy to prove those who didn't want her there wrong

The academy is generally only open to humans and other races, especially half-elves and other mixed races, are looked down upon and by and large not accepted to it

But, because of Vadina's overwhelming academic talent she was admitted despite the prejudice at the academy

But with the murders occurring, many suspect the non-human students of being the murderer, especially Vadina, who many assume to be behind the attacks as an attempt to off her academic competition, and so she joined the investigation to prove her innocence

Martha is Megara Deepcrest, the Warlock, who made a deal with the demon Jami for power in exchange for the occasional sacrifice (animal, not human)

While everyone assumes that she is the one who did it, she knows that it wasn't her bc her patron desires the blood of fauna, not humanoids, and this school ain't big enough for two Warlocks

Everyone is just kinda stunned bc they assumed she would be a Druid or something but they did not expect Martha the Warlock who sacrifices animals in elaborate rituals every full moon to maintain her power

She looks nothing like Martha, she is a tall, lanky figure who wears a cloak which covers all but her hands, which reveal an elaborate tattoo on each palm and her fingers are covered with rings with unknown gemstones in the center

She is not in the uniform of the academy but all the professors are too scared of her to say anything

Finally Betty is Barnabas the Bard

Out of everyone Betty is taking this the least seriously, she heard the stereotype of bards seducing everyone and thought that was hilarious and decided to make her whole character around it

She put all of her stats into making sure that her seduction rolls would have the highest chance of being succesful

It kinda ruins the whole vibe JD had going on but whatever as long as she's happy

Her plan is to figure out who the murderer is then seduce them into not killing anymore

Once JD got all of their character descriptions he had to decide which of them is the murderer

He ruled out Martha immediately because it would be too obvious, he couldn't think of a motivation that would fit Betty's, and Veronica, while giving him a reason to pick her as the murderer, would probably have more fun trying to find them instead of being them

That left him with the Heathers, which works as they had created their characters together as a well-oiled machine, so by throwing a wrench into it he could make it more difficult

He settled on Mac bc he thought it would be unexpected, but then he realized that she is a terrible liar so he switched to Duke who agreed to be the murderer

Duke is smart enough to know how to cover her tracks and has that element of chaos that would make it more fun

HD's motivation is that the wizard track was overcrowded with students who weren't born with magical abilities and were forced to study, and it made it hard to stand out, so she eliminates other students, knowing that the school would turn their attention to the wizarding track, where she would be able to show them how talented she really is and hopefully be placed into higher-level classes

She also knows that even if the other three get suspicious, the other two Heathers would never suspect her and that infighting may allow her to get away with things

**Line break bc tumblr is dumblr**

So from there the campaign starts

They meet once a week, Wednesdays at 5:30 to 8:30 at JD's, Betty's and Martha's house in what became referred to as the D&D room

It starts with the group forming after the 3rd murder this month and an overview of all the evidence found so far

So far there had been 9 total murders over the school year

JD put a dossier on all of the students on the table and had all the players look over it

They quickly discovered that all 9 students had been in the Wizarding Track, but besides that they had little in common

They had a range of academic scores, came from a variety of different backgrounds and had varying social standings

The group came to the consensus that their culprit was probably in the Wizarding Track

They decide to then get a list of everyone currently enrolled in the Wizarding Track from the School Dean, to which Duke suggests that they also find anyone who used to be in the Wizarding Track as well

By doing that Duke hoped to increase the suspect pool and introduce the idea that it might not be someone directly in the Wizarding Track

They get the list from the Dean and in total there are 30 students in the Wizarding Track and 9 Former Students who transferred out

The group goes back to HC's dorm and they discuss the game plan

Vadina says that they need to eliminate suspects one by one and narrow down their options, which everyone agrees too

HC tries immediately eliminating HD form the list, arguing that if she was the killer she wouldn't be part of the investigation, but Vadina counters back that this could be a cover up and a chance for her to mislead them

Duke is sweating bullets and trying to seem as inconspicuous as possible but thankfully both Chandler and Mac stick up for her and even Betty and Martha think it would be unlikely that someone would join the investigation if they were the killer

That discussion stops when Chandler threatens to make Veronica sleep on the couch if she keeps accusing Duke so she backs off

From there, they spend each session looking into one or more of the suspects, interrogating them and comparing their testimonies against the evidence, and eliminating those from the list who could not possibly be the killer

Chandler rolls so many Nat 1s and she swears up and down that the dice are rigged (They totally are, JD and Duke both thought it would be funny to see her get mad over it when she didn't even wanna play in the first place)

Much to JD's horror, Betty's seduction strategy works more often than not and despite his attempts to put a stop to it, she always finds a way around them

JD (speaking as the NPC): "I appreciate the gesture, but I'm not attracted to women"

Betty: "Ya wanna bet?" Out of character "JD, If I roll a Nat 20 and add that with my +5 bonus can I still seduce him?"

JD (Done with her bs): "Sure why not"

Betty: rolls a nat 20

JD (Doing just fine he lied he's dying inside): "You all watch as Barnabas somehow seduces a gay guy, and as JD regrets all of his life choices"

It becomes Mac's mission to make as many animal friends as possible and to stop Martha from sacrificing animals to her demon overlord

Whenever they have to fight an enemy that is even remotely animalistic, Mac tries to roll for Animal Friendship and to make it her friend

Like one time they were fighting this Tabaxi (Cat person) and Mac tried to use Animal Friendship, arguing that even tho its humanoid its still a cat and therefore an animal

She ends up somehow becoming friends with an Owl Bear and she plans to use it to smell some cloth left by the killer and track the killer

Duke acts quickly by sending a quick text to JD while hiding her phone under the table so no one sees saying that she does something to agitate the Owl Bear, sending it into a frenzy which allows Duke to kill it, saving herself

When the party questions JD on that he says that somebody did something to anger the bear

Mac got pretty upset after this so after that session they all went out for ice cream

Over the course of the sessions Veronica becomes more and more suspicious of Duke but no one believes her despite the mounting evidence that points to her involvement

Sometimes at the start of sessions JD will add that another student died, sometimes just a random that they hadn't gotten too or one they had decided wasn't the killer, but sometimes it would be someone they heavily suspected, forcing them to question themselves further

Eventually they get who they think is the culprit and they are arrested and the group thinks they won, only for JD to start the epilogue where he says that because of all of the deaths that she caused, Hecate Dahlia was able to stand out more among her class, allowing for her to be placed in the upper classes and get a better job once leaving university, and that she lived the rest of her life guilt-free for both the murderers and the innocent person she condemned to death by framing them for the murders she committed

Veronica jumps out of her chair screaming that she knew it the whole time but the rest of them didn't believe it and that she was right and they were wrong

Mac, Betty and Martha look betrayed

Chandler storms out of the room and tells Duke that she's sleeping on the couch for a while

Meanwhile Duke and JD are just cackling about how they actually got away with it

Duke ends up sleeping on the couch for a month before Chandler lets her back in

Whenever someone brought it up Chandler would get pissy and they would say "But I thought you didn't wanna play the stupid nerd game Chan-Chan?" and she would only get more pissed off

[cosmicgardencreative]

(Ismaire here:) ~6 hr speed-paint, + 1.5 hrs to tweak for the second version.

I love Resident Evil. I won't go through my whole personal fan history or journey, but it's my favorite franchise. I've loved the Resi Remakes too. And like it seems a lot of people did, I absolutely loved the new Separate Ways.

And this is just a personal opinion, I'm not saying that anyone needs to agree - but I adore Lily Gao as Ada Wong.

Every actress who portrayed Ada before has their place in Resi history and I'm grateful for the work they did in the franchise, but I think Lily Gao did such a perfect, snappy, subtly multi-layered version of the mysterious mercenary I was familiar with.

I always loved Ada, so I say this with love and appreciation:

She's taken Ada from femme fatale spy stereotype to a fleshed-out individual, from an archetype to a complex woman who has her own ideals, feelings and struggles, and has to juggle them with the decisions that got her where she is now. Obviously the writing was great too, which played a huge part in setting up Lily Gao's acting to absolutely sing (at least to me).

She's a different Ada, for sure. Was I caught off-guard by her voice at first? You bet. She doesn't have the airy, playful, motherly (sometimes kind of condescending?) tone about her anymore - she's got things to do. She's as sharp and cunning as she is quietly compassionate. She's willing to cut off Albert Wesker mid-sentence, but she's just as willing to call Leon and tell him where to find Ashley. She feels like a merc who's had it rough and made her way by sheer hard work, not a model who gets out of bad spots by blowing kisses and tossing a perfectly timed grenade.

Now, I love over the top badassery, and I love how that was rehashed and still fit back into Ada's character. But she felt like a human first, and like those "glorious moments of awesome" came out of painstakingly honed skill, not absurdly sturdy plot armor.

What I stated here applies to a lot of things about the Resi remakes, of course - not just Ada. So much has been tweaked, amped, remixed, and so on. Ada is just maybe one of the most prominent parts of the remakes that made me really pause and go "oh my God, I can't believe how much I love this!"

I don't have a problem with the originals - I loved them (camp and all), grew up with them, etc. As a whole package, the series is just my jam and it would be hard to lose me as a fan. I even got used to first-person play so I could enjoy 7 and Village - they were awesome. (Bless you who already love first-person games. I... don't, haha.)

But back to Ada - I just thought this was the most well-rounded performance her character has ever gotten. Anyone else can read her any way they want to. She's fictional, let's all remember. But Lily Gao is not, and she now has my heart and my vote as a fan!

[immobiliter]

okay so i think i'm finally ready to talk about furina & the melusines because it's such an interesting topic in the sense that there is almost nothing to go off in canon regarding this lmao. for obvious reasons, we hear a lot about the melusines from neuvillette ( both in his voice lines and his story quest, which furina is absent from save from her one voice line in the final cutscene ), seeing as he was the one who introduced them to fontaine in the first place and he feels a sense of paternal affection towards them. but furina has been around the melusines for as long as neuvillette has, was witness to the conflict that occurred between melusines and humans when they first arrived at the court of fontaine ( and the carole & vautrin incident ) and has seen them integrate into fontainian society over the same four hundred year period.

so first off, neuvillette could never have successfully brought the melusines to the court of fontaine if furina hadn't agreed to it in the first place. we know that furina was the one who invited neuvillette to the court of fontaine — obviously it was focalors who needed him present for her grand plan but, contained inside the oratrice as she was without a human form, furina, as her human counterpart, would have needed to actually seek out the hydro sovereign and summon him to the court. of course, furina never truly understood why she needed him to bear witness to humanity and take on the role of iudex ( she could only speculate that in fooling fontaine she needed to fool the one whose power she had stolen too ), but she summoned him and i imagine the two came to some sort of bargain or arrangement where furina agreed that the melusines would be permitted to enter into fontaine society if neuvillette accepted the role given to him.

however, i do think that furina warned neuvillette of the risks of this, both to himself and to the melusines. furina would have already had roughly a century of ruling fontaine to hone those skills that allowed her to masquerade as a god for so long, chiefly the ability to read people and situations incredibly well. given how she had to alter how she acted in those early days of archonhood in order to be accepted by the people, i think she would recognise that anyone considered "other" would face similar challenges integrating into the status quo. neuvillette, she could help assimilate into human society given that he looked human, but melusines were visibly different and therefore were easy targets.

i think she would certainly have encouraged any move towards allowing melusines to work and occupy roles throughout fontainian society to help with integration between the two species — politically speaking furina was taking a big risk in appointing a stranger ( and non-human ) as the chief justice and inviting an entire race of creatures to live among her people and she would do everything she could to try to smooth tensions as much as possible.

obviously over many years we know that melusines became part of the fabric of the nation and, while humans do work at the palais mermonia in its various departments, a number of melusines work there too, particularly within the palais building itself. given how closely she and neuvillette worked together for centuries, furina would have been surrounded by melusines in her day to day duties and i do believe she has developed a certain fondness of her own for them.

this is for a few reasons: firstly, they are a species who live much longer lives than humans and so, as someone whose lifespan has been extended by focalors as part of her curse, furina is able to develop a closer professional rapport with them knowing that she will not see them age and retire and die. they are also not human, and i think there is a certain comfort in that to someone who is actively trying to appear not human. who is most likely to spot her more human qualities if she does not hide them well enough? other humans. while i don't think furina was ever truly able to be herself and make true friends during her time masquerading as archon, i do believe that the closest she ever got to that sort of companionship is in her dynamics with the melusines ( and neuvillette too i would argue, although talking about those two is a whole other meta lmao ) precisely because they are not human and therefore the same level of constant vigilance is not required when she is around them.

i like to think of furina's role within fontaine's governing structure as similar to that of a constitutional monarchy ( but more involved than just purely ceremonial, as is the case in most european countries that still have a functioning monarchy ), and while it's never stated anywhere that furina has official ladies in waiting or anything like that, i do think that those job roles within the palais that involve a lot of personal interaction with her ( i.e. a private secretary who organises her diary or a housekeeper who maintains her apartment at the palais ) would have been given to melusines and not humans.

[queenharumiura]

Dino x Squaletta opinion

[My KHR ship game] ||Accepting|| @squaletta Reminder: As with the last one, take my thoughts with a grain of salt because I can only work based off what I know of Squaletta and I don't know too much of her yet.

Just like with the one with Tsu-chan, take everything with a grain of salt as I don't really know her and her background. Forgive any inaccuracies, I did my best.

Hate it | Am Neutral to it | Ship it | love it! |

Readmore

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Aiya… well—just like with the fem!Tsuna one, it’s a lil difficult to speak on, but this one is harder because Squaletta doesn’t have much information about her written. So I’m a bit uncomfortable with assessing what ranking to give the ship and then speak about the ship and then perhaps talking about cute ideas… because I don’t know enough information. However, you obviously know that I don’t know much about her, and still wanted to hear my thoughts anyways, so I assume you’re willing to read even if I get things glaringly wrong about Squaletta. So, like with Tsu-chan’s, take what I say with the grain of salt.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s start!

Like with the other one, I’m neutral about the ship to possibly being okay with shipping it because well- I know that you have a ship going on with Whiskey’s Dino and it’s interesting to look at so ye I can say that I ship it (thereby accepting it), but I personally don’t know much about Squaletta so I personally don’t feel strongly about the ship, so I’m more neutral about it, if that makes sense. It’s somewhere in between, I guess you could say.

So, I do have some information from the time we were discussing Haru’s Varia!Au, but I won’t really go into details of what was said because that is your story to tell when you write it for Squaletta’s blog. I don’t know who else may know the information or not, and I won’t spoil it. However, I will take what I read on discord into account for what I will consider.

From what I know, she and Varia!Haru have in common that they at large don’t like to be touched by others. I’d assume that they’re okay with touch from some people but at large, they dislike being touched in general. For Haru it’s due to her trauma of being abused and harmed during the kidnapping, for Squaletta, it’s due to her past. If I read and understood correctly, I would surmise that her love for stabbing can be attributed to the fact that it is the act that allowed her to run away from a wretched fate. To her, it was her salvation, it is what granted her the freedom to make life her own. By stabbing, she could reclaim her life, and so she likes it. IF I am correct in that assessment, it is an important point of distinction apart from Squalo who likely just likes the way of the blade and such because he was good at it, he could prove/boast his skills, and it was something that he could hone by using all the abilities he possesses in his body.

It isn’t to say that Squaletta wouldn’t also enjoy the thrill of battle, that she wouldn’t enjoy fighting as a means to prove herself, but it is to say that the core of where the interest may have come from is different. One may have liked it to begin with as a way to exert his power and show off his skill where hers first came about as a means to protect herself and gain her freedom. Taking this into account, it would be likely that freedom and a strong sense of self is incredibly important to her. Which would then make sense (along with her past) why you mentioned how she wouldn’t be able to be in a relationship with Xanxus because of the way he acts. It is something that she wouldn’t be able to tolerate, which contrasts Squalo who does tolerate a lot of Xanxus’s bullshit.

No, I am not saying that Squaletta cannot handle his bullshit. It means that from a romantic standpoint she wouldn’t tolerate it, whereas Squalo just might. ANYWAYS, it’s not important. This part was mostly me bringing up areas where they contrast. Makes you wonder about her motivations for allying with Xanxus and why she supports him in this verse. Maybe they’re the same, maybe they’re not. I don’t have those answers, so moving on.

Being the strong and independent woman that she is, where she cares about her sense of self, her right to herself, and being in control of what happens to herself, I can see why she would like Dino. He’s a respectful guy, who is polite, and has a gentle streak to him. If that was all that was needed to interest her any kind guy would do but that’s certainly not the case. As I’ve seen that it was noted that she’s a bit of a huntress, and has the instincts of a killer/hunter, it would make sense for her to also like a man who is capable. Someone who has the ability to fend for themselves adequately is just the bare minimum. So Dino, has the gentle sides that is good, also has the rougher/more dangerous side that is also good.

It's not only exciting as it’s a bit of a gap moe kinda element, but it’s also super important from a romance perspective because being around a Varia member can mean someone could be in danger. I’m sure people can recognize the flag of the Varia and possibly also the uniform. So being seen around her is like walking around with a target. So Dino being able to protect himself is very important. He is plenty capable so as long as he’s got his famiglia around him lol. It did seem from what I’ve seen in some interactions that she likes his ditziness too, as it’s kinda cute/silly.

If you take some of those things into consideration, it gives the feel of… Squaletta having a preference towards men who not only can treat her well, but also allow her to be a woman. Those who will not look at her as any lesser of a woman because she swings swords around. Someone who will not see her as any less a woman because of her swordarm. Someone who wouldn’t demean her for being loud, bossy, having a snarky attitude, etc. Dino is a very accepting guy, so he just takes things in stride. He would accept Squaletta for who she is and not see her as any less.

He respects her and there is a healthy amount of fear, in the sense that he does not look down on her. He is well aware that if she truly wanted to, if it came down to a fight, it’s not going to be an easy one. That’s where a healthy amount of fear comes in. This means he acknowledges her skill and her ability, which I think would be very important to her. In a sphere where women may not be taken seriously, underestimated, or looked down upon, Dino’s ability to simply accept her and respect her skill is important.

With him, she can feel like a woman, because he treats her as such. Though, the important distinction I’d like to make is that though he would treat her like a woman, he doesn’t do so in a way that undermines her ability. He wouldn’t treat her like a woman in the sense that he’d treat her like she’s fragile or that she can’t do anything for herself. I strongly believe he’d still respect her autonomy and her abilities. He would just treat her like a gentleman with the necessary etiquette and suave politeness that usually sweeps women off their feet. That is the basic vibe that I get for how a relationship would work best between them.

On his end, I think important things of note is the fact that she’s such a dedicated and thorough woman. She’s strong and independent. She’s stubborn and tough as nails. She will not budge when it comes to her ideals, her motives, her goals, etc. She’s so dedicated to becoming who she wants to be, and always improving herself. She is what you call a self-made woman and that’s so impressive when he was born into having a solid history line backing him. It was said that the Cavallone famiglia was struggling financially and such for a while until he came into power and he built things back up to what they are today and that alone should really tell you how capable he is. He’s intelligent and he’s skilled (with his famiglia around). He is able to handle Hibari Kyouya for pete’s sake.

Not only that, he is a great judge of character, knowing just what to do to get Hibari to listen to him. THIS shows that he’s really good at assessing people and understanding them. Perhaps he’s very empathetic. This is very important to note as it can then add another layer to Squaletta, where he may have noted things about her, like she doesn’t like to be touched, and that she can be harsh as a way to protect herself and that’s just what helped protect her when growing up. She does have a softer side to her. She loves it when people admire her and respect her because it is like a reward for all of her struggles. He can notice the small things that some other people may otherwise look over because they are so startled by her rough personality.

For a person who has a good eye and notices things about you, it may bring about a sense of trust and willingness to open up. For a person like Squaletta, that would have to be important bc I doubt she really opened herself up to many people. I think… Dino would know that having gone to the same school as her, he’d probably seen just how standoffish she can be to those she thought were too weak or those that weren’t worth trusting. If so, he knows that her opening up to him and trusting him is a big deal. Given who Dino is, and how he greatly appreciates bonds (look at how he’s ready to jump onto a jet plane the moment he hears something happened in Japan lol) he would not be blind to the fact that Squaletta is trusting him and opening up to him.

It would be a thing to feel honored by. The way that they can just banter with each other is fun and a way for them to kinda flirt in a harmless way. I think, Dino being who he is made it easier for Squaletta to be more feminine and to embrace it around him. She knows that he wouldn’t judge her for being more feminine despite being an assassin or her usual demeanor. If she had a moment of being more feminine just because she wanted to, he would simply comment on how she looked lovely or something. He wouldn’t comment about how it was out of place for her or anything because he wouldn’t believe that. Whatever Squaletta wants to be IS her, so there’s nothing out of place for it.

For someone who was an orphan, had a lot of struggles growing up, and has to constantly prove herself and her skills, someone who is so accepting is like a breath of fresh air. For him, he can watch her journey and I’m willing to bet he feels PROUD of her for all that she’s accomplished. He loves to watch her over the years and see just how accomplished she is. There isn’t much of a place where he is overly worried about her or anything and it’s because of all the trust he has in her skills. He knows if she mentions something about a dangerous mission, he KNOWS she’ll come back. That’s his Squaletta, a powerful woman.

He would probably see her strength as a beautiful thing. Her resilience is beautiful, and it’s praiseworthy. Though she had to be a killer essentially from a young age, she made the best of her situation and she rose to great heights. She is a vice commander now, and that’s so impressive. I think he would admire how far she’s come and I think she would respect his efforts as well, bringing the name of the Cavallone famiglia back up with his hard work.

They have a sense of respect for one another, though I think she may sometimes feel fed up with how kind he can be, ahaha, and the way he’s so close to Tsu-chan. Though like with Xanxus, I think Squaletta would come to terms with the idea that yeah… okay… this lil brat may have what it takes to be the next boss. FINEEEEE I’ll accept her—MAYBE!!!! B/

At least I think I’ve noticed that sometimes she can be fed up with how gentlemanly he can be at times, and I think in those instances it can probably come back to the fact that while she normally dislikes it when people touch her, if she’s decided she’s okay with someone touching her—she is totally okay with it. She wants it. Stop pussy footing around!!! Touch her already! She’s waiting for it!!! Is how I see it and rationalize it. I could be wrong, but that’s what my gut tells me.

I think in that case Dino would eventually learn that it’s okay to touch her and maybe help her explore things in life. I don’t think he’d go past a certain threshold because he doesn’t want to actually really hurt her or do anything that he thinks would be demeaning. Ultimately he respects her and cares for her and would hate himself if he did anything that would undermine his respect for her or make it seem he didn’t respect her. So there would have to be a balance there, I’d think. So yeah, basically, I think they are an interesting pair and that they could work well.

-

Hmmm cute ideas… a lil hard to do since I’m not confident at all in my understanding of Squaletta lol.

Though I think it would be interesting if he tripped (clumsy Dino at it again!) and he touches her because she steadies him up and he realizes that he’s touching her and that she’s allowing it. Imagine that moment of him realizing that she’s wordlessly telling him how much she trusts him and is okay with him. He’d probably feel so happy and honored that she thinks that highly of his presence. AHHHHHHHH very good. TASTY.

I have ALWAYS had this notion of thought over the many years of me being a fan of KHR (I’m truly a KHR fandom senior) that I think that if Dino came to love someone and see a possible future with them, there would be a new addition to who he can be around and not be a clumsy Dino. IMAGINE his famiglia isn’t around but he’s still plenty able to exist as a regular human and not trip over his entire life every three seconds. IMAGINE Squaletta making a joke like weird, you haven’t tripped over your feet yet. Imagine a small blush on his face and he’s just ‘well… because I see you as my family’ flakdsjfalkdsfjldskf THINK ABOUT IT? HEAR ME OUT? CAVITIESSSSS THAT IS SWEET.

I just like the idea that we’ve seen Enzo end up in random ass places all the time. Dino, please invest in some special holder. Enzo has fallen into water TOO MANY TIMES. Please! Imagine Enzo just happening in Squaletta’s possession one day for who knows what reason and she has to take care of him until Dino can come pick him up (no way will she send him via mail lol). Imagine her just taking some pictures with the turtle and sending him sporadic updates so he knows the turtle is still alive and not made into soup yet. He’s just saving all the pictures because the silliness is quite cute. Just think about it and shrivel up from the wholesome. Just do it. Join the club.

I think that’s enough from me for now. I’ve talked way too much now. Pheww

[jenerousjenocide]

Familiar Face

CHAPTER 4 LESSGOOOO. Comments are always welcome!!

Prologue - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - A03 Mirror

Taglist: @skittleabyss

Growing up surrounded by the weave was, for a lack of a better word, magical.

Knowing that if you put your focus into something enough, say the right words and move your hands just the right way, you can create anything with an endless amount of possibilities. Being human comes with it's perks, which is something your father has told you time and time again throughout the years of growing up.

You had spent countless hours entertained by your father's tricks and light shows, teaching you everything you needed to know about the different planes of existence, showing you stories beyond your imagination that he claimed to have lived through his lifetime, along with the characters that came with it.

Your first memory is being taught how to conjure up potions with just a few simple ingredients, and during the time you detested having to read through lists and pick out which ingredient is what because according to your father 'this was just as important as connecting with the weave'. In a way you wonder if he regrets showing you so many wonders while you were young, not knowing how deep your fascination with it caused you to not what to pay attention to the more educational things life had to show you without the weave involved. 

It was your first potion that you realized you had an allergy to certain ingredients, having fallen unconscious in your father's arms and hearing the tales of how distressed he looked while bringing your limp body to your mother, expecting her to be furious with him for causing such harm to their beautiful baby girl.

She laughed instead, explaining that the allergy comes from her side of the family and that there was nothing to worry about, perhaps a headache and an upset stomach afterwards.

She was right, of course, she always was. 

Your relationship with your mother was complicated. She meant well, and you obviously knew that, but she was always so stubborn. The teenage years you fought to see eye to eye on a lot of things, not allowing you to explore outside of your hometown and keeping you homeschooled while the other kid your age got together and hung out to do their own thing. As much as you begged and pleaded to allow yourself some room to grow and become your own person, she shook her head and said you were safest where she or your father could keep a close eye on you. 

"You have no idea what dangers out there you'd end up facing." She'd always say, sitting by your side as you pout from your latest meltdown from being so frustrated and cooped up. "I have no idea what I'd do if anything happened to you."

She always had a way of calming you down even after saying so many awful things to her to make her hate you, making it look like she was on your side and ensuring your safety before anything.

In fact, safety was always at the forefront of your mother's mind, having taught you how to properly wield a dagger and defend yourself against anyone trying to attack from any direction.

When you were finally brought out on one of your mother's outings, unfortunately you weren't quick enough to defend yourself in time, leading to your mother having to take an arrow for you in the process and a very stern lecture from your father regarding bringing their underage daughter to a goblins camp for the sake of honing her skills.

You weren't allowed to join her anymore after that, and soon she'd end up sneaking out to ensure you didn't know and couldn't catch her in the act. 

She said your pout was her weakness, but your father said despite feeling a certain way with her heart, she always went forward with her actions using her brain in the end. 

This began a cycle of the same routine day in and day out. 

Wake up, eat breakfast, have magic lessons with your father, have lunch, training with your mother, dinner, maybe some reading, finally followed up with a good nights rest to start the whole process all over again.

As you grew into your later teens, there had been little left to show you. You had a knack for conjuring magic, becoming one with the weave and focusing your time and energy into spells that can both wow a crowd and protect you in a fight. Your skills with blades have excelled as well, knowing how to stick to the shadows and remain undetected- For the most part.

Your father was an easier target, your mother definitely wasn't.

But regardless of the promise you showed with the skills you were able to pick up on so quickly, it wasn't enough to allow you to leave. You were an only child, and you wondered if you had siblings or more family if they would been a little more lenient with the rules.

Until recently all you'd do was wake up to your bedroom, looking over your equipment, books and clothes strung about and audibly groan with the realization that your every day life was just as boring as the next.

That was until you opened your eyes and wasn't met with the familiar blue and purple hues of your galaxy themed room, there weren't any sounds of your parents talking or laughing outside your bedroom door.

Panic began to erupt in your chest as your brain rattled through a million different things at once, unable to move just yet as your eyes desperately dart around the room and remember what was happening.

The last thing you remember is the taste of wine on your tongue, arms around your waist before being lifted into the air and seeing red before it all faded to black.

Your head pounds as you remember your journey to Baldur's Gate, the masquerade party and finally realizing you've come face to face with an entire gothic monastery filled with immortal blood thirsty vampires. 

If this wasn't the shittiest first solo outing in the entire realm, you weren't sure what else could be. 

You curse at yourself under your breath, slowly feeling the familiar tingling sensation begin in the tips of your fingers and toes before moving up your limbs and your body was finally catching up on the fact you've woken up from your catatonic state. 

How much time has passed by? You generally don't end up unconscious for longer than 5 hours as the potion works it way through your body, but you are on unfamiliar territory filled with power hungry beings that wouldn't hesitate to rip you apart in a second simply for looking at them the wrong way.

You needed to get out, and fast.

First you made a mental checklist of things you were still aware of, your clothes still clearly on your body so there hadn't been any inappropriate touching from what you could tell, definitely obvious when you inch your hand over your thigh and realize your concealed dagger is still strapped to you. Your mask also still remained over your face, something you were grateful for but you couldn't see very clearly with the edges of the eyeholes obstructing your view. The once cool plastic against your skin suddenly feeling rather uncomfortable, you raise your trembling hands up and swiftly remove it from your face and toss it onto the bed next to you, the headache pounding in your head more apparent even as the pressure of the mask lifted from around your scalp.

You feel pathetic, hopeless and frightened. But you have no choice but to gather yourself despite the way your stomach churns as you muster your strength and push yourself up into a seated position to scan your surroundings. 

It was a rather large room, not like anything you've seen before. It looked as though it hadn't been lived in for years, but the silk sheets were obviously fresh from the way it felt against your skin. It had a comforting scent, some of which you can't quite put your finger on, but you detect a hint of rosemary and aged brandy, like the one your mother drank during special occasions. There was a seating area off to the side, with a coffee table and a bookshelf likely filled with valuable tombs and scriptures that could be useful to those in charge of the city itself. Despite the dusty chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the only source of light came from the candles lit along the walls. It was dark enough that you couldn't make out a lot of the surrounding details to the room, such as the paintings hung on the walls or the intricate designs of the wallpaper, but perhaps you could find something to work to your advantage.

There weren't any windows, so the plan to tie together every piece of fabric to create a rope and scale down the side of the building was out of the question- Not that you even knew how high up you were from the ground. 

Your eyes finally land on the only wooden door in the room, which could only be presumed to be the only way out. 

Your slow to get up, everything aching as you turn your body to swing your legs off the bed and nearly crumble to the floor when you find your footing with those god forsaken shoes on. Kicking them off, you figured it would be easier to make a run for it if you weren't hindered by the death heels in the process. If you had really thought through every scenario possible, maybe you could have saved yourself the trouble and packed all of your usual equipment in a bag of holding- But then again you took your parent's stories too seriously and actually believed the vampires in Baldur's Gate were long gone when Cazador Szarr had finally been taken down. You honestly can't say what you expected before arriving to the party, but it definitely didn't involve having an allergic reaction, losing consciousness and waking up in a strange dark bedroom.

You suppose it explains why there hadn't been much news about the city for years, but you wondered if they had been telling you the truth at all. 

In the moment it didn't matter, the only thing that did was getting out alive and chewing them out about your discoveries once you're safely back at home. 

With a sudden push, you sway towards the door, stumbling forward as your knees buckle beneath you and you catch yourself against the antique wood and golden doorknob. You give it a slight turn, realizing it had been locked from the outside, which is obviously just your luck.

Why did you even think it would be so easy? You really are a naive little girl. 

You take a step back, considering your options. There weren't many places to hide, until you settled upon the wardrobe once more. Perhaps you could wait it out, someone is bound to come back to claim their meal, right? You only needed to remain hidden long enough to get the door unlocked and when their back is turned you can sneak out before anyone could be the wiser. Maybe if you're lucky, they'll think the entire ordeal was a drunken nights hallucination and everyone can go on with their lives as if nothing happened. 

Somehow you doubt yourself even as the thought crosses your mind, but your options are limited and the clock is ticking. 

You stumble your way over to the wardrobe, with every step your head pounds but you're determine to carry out your plan the best you can. You're surprised to see it's empty, for the most part. It's lined with towels and there are a few fancy ruffle shirts hanging up, but it definitely wasn't as grand as you had expected. Part of you is just glad there weren't any literal skeletons in the closet, so to speak. You push forward, climbing up and securing a spot among the towels before closing the heavy wooden doors behind you, closing yourself in darkness and providing yourself enough room to peek through the crack in case anyone were to come in and walk by. 

You only need to wait until the opportunity presents itself. 

------

The party itself played out as normal, eventually some of the guests roamed home as the sun started to peak over the horizon, other guests were less than lucky to have been chosen by his spawn and taken away for a private meal between predator and prey. 

Astarion couldn't focus himself on the event at all, his mind swirling with ideas of what could be going on in his own home. Was someone playing a trick on him? Send a shape changing nymph after him to remind him of what he lost when he finally thought he had it all?

To be so lost in thought over this was destroying his mood to enjoy the evening, fuming at the idea a stupid human woman was causing him to spiral into madness from his own decisions and how he could have acted differently in order to keep her around. He had no real need for her any longer from the moment the black mass was completed, but to think had she provided a different response the night their relationship ended, she would likely have looked just as divine and youthful as the young girl he came across and left to rest in his chambers. 

He scolded himself, voices fighting within his own mind regarding the fate of the girl he locked away for safe keeping. He could turn you, make you as compliant as the rest of his children and keep you around as a reminder of the woman he once loved and lost. He could kill you, reminding himself that he doesn't need anyone or have time for weakness, if he rids himself of the problem before it becomes one, surely it'll finally be enough to put his heart at ease and settle the thoughts swarming his mind. He figured he could make that decision once he faced it, wanting answers regarding who you were and what your intentions really were when you decided to dress up and waltz into his home as though you weren't the most delectable creature to grace these halls in so long.

His mind wanders to when he was able to look at your neck, the way your chest rose and fell with every breath you took, how beautifully unmarked your silky skin was as it disappeared behind the plunging neckline of your dress. You were so pure, untainted and part of him wanted nothing more than to make you his and his alone. He wondered what your lips would feel like, looking so soft and delicious, nearly inviting him in to have a taste. He had no pained hunger for blood the way he did, but the idea of sinking his teeth into your soft skin and drinking your very life essence as his hands roamed your entire body was enough to make his mouth water and his lower abdomen twist in a way he hadn't felt for years.

It was only when he realized the hall had been cleared out of guests safe for a few spawn lingering about with their charmed or drunken conquests. Astarion had no issues where his children did their business, as long as it wasn't in his way or invading on his personal space. The sound of moans coming from their patrons was enough to snap him from his thoughts, the party coming to a close and he could finally get back to what had been plaguing his thoughts or what felt like hours. 

"Lawrence." He called, pushing himself up from his throne and loosening the top buttons of his shirt to give himself some room to breath, not realizing how pent up he had gotten just losing himself in thoughts of devouring you just moments before. "Ensure everything is cleaned up once everyone has cleared out, if any bodies are left over make sure it is taken care of discreetly. The last thing we need is angry civilians showing up to our doorstep with torches and pitchforks raised." 

"Yes, Master." The man replied quickly, straightening up from the moment he heard the first letter of his voice slip from his Lord's mouth.

He bowed his head as Astarion walked by, swiftly moving to start the clean up and keep his master pleased and avoid further punishment for his actions earlier in the night. It was obvious Astarion's thoughts were elsewhere, otherwise he would have been shoved into the kennel and told to stay put with nothing to feed on until his lesson of pushing the line was learned.

Astarion dug through his pocket as he approached the door of his chambers, pulling it out and slipping it into the lock. With a click, he opened the door and was greeted with the same darkness he had left it in, however notable that you were no longer resting on the bed where he had left you. He closed the door behind him, ensuring if you were determined to get past him, it would be just one more obstacle to overcome before you were free from his clutches. He had no reason to panic, or even get angry about the situation. Any sane person would be frightened waking up in an unfamiliar place, he expected you to hide. 

His eyes fell upon the shoes kicks across the floor, trailing up to the bed where the imprint of your body on the silk sheets could still be seen. The only other thing catching his attention would be the discarded black and gold mask now sitting on the bed in your place. He reached to pick it up, inspecting the piece of costume plastic as if it were a rare piece of art he had just come across. It was elegant, yet simple. Cute, even, and it looked absolutely divine with the dress you paired it with. 

You could see his back turned to you from your place in the wardrobe, your heart fluttering in your chest as you observe his every move and deduct when the best time to strike would be. You're glad the mask was distraction enough for you to make your next move, opening the doors just slightly enough to get a better view of the elf standing before you, clearly lost in his own world as his fingertips trace the intricate gold details against the black base. Your dagger was in hand, clenched in your fist as you slow your breathing and calm yourself from trembling too much. The wrong move and he could turn on you faster than you could conjure up a spell to protect yourself from his attack. 

You push the doors open wider. If he caught on, he's doing a good job hiding it. You aren't sure what it is about the mask that has him so captivated, but he remained wordlessly lost in thought.

The next few seconds pass by in a blur. You're feet are springing off the wooden base of the wardrobe, doors now flying open as you make your move. Why you aimed for his back, you aren't entirely sure, but before you realize it you've got your legs wrapped around his hips, one hand in his hair as you grip it and pull his head back while the other swings forward to press the blade against his neck. 

For a split second you believe you have the upper hand, until all you see is a flash and you have your back pressed up against the wall instead. The hand once holding the dagger to his neck now high above your head, your wrist caught in his tight grip while the other remained around your neck. You gasp as you feel the wind get knocked from your lungs, wincing as you try to keep up with the switch of positions and how to go about navigating your next steps. 

It takes a moment to adjust to the darkness, the candlelight doing very little to help you see, but a moment passes and you catch blood red eyes staring intently at your face, studying your every feature as if he was learning a new subject. He was so close to you, his body pressing up against yours to ensure you don't move from his grasp, his breath mixing with your own as you both remain silent with a tense unspoken feeling to the air.

You expected him to be angry, furious to have been placed in a situation where you could jump onto him like a spider monkey and threaten to cut his throat while he did nothing to threaten your safety.

But he wasn't. 

His eyes were wide, his grip around your throat loosening up as he searched your eyes for something. When he is this close you can see how his beautiful white eyelashes fluttered over his piercing eyes, the way they narrowed as though he was trying to register exactly what he was looking at, his eyebrows knitting up in what you could only describe as confusion and it felt as though you were staring at each other for ages.

Before you could open your mouth to say anything and cut the silence, his lips found yours in a heated kiss.

[jynxeddraca]

About Tav Moonridge

Early life stuff:

Tav and her family aren't originally from Baldur's Gate - Felicity, her mom, was an animal handler and Iados, her dad, was a leather worker. Both were from towns near Waterdeep and they moved to expand the leather working business.

They settled in the Blackgate district in the Outer City.

Her dad died when she was 5, sending her mom into a deep, alcohol-fueled depression forcing Tav to have to start taking care of herself.

Tav actually started pick pocketing at 6 to make sure there was money for things like food and rent - even though she was still young enough to not really understand money and she was not great at picking pockets.

In fact, she got her wrist broken by people catching her hand in their purse often.

Despite her bleeding-heart nature as an adult, as a child she had hardened off her heart and was actually deeply unpleasant to be around if she didn't like you.

She especially disliked the men her mom brought home, even Euphony - who ended up being Temerity's dad.

Euphony often described Tav as being "The grumpiest 8-year-old he had ever met" and talked her into learning the lute so she would actually have a hobby and maybe not be so grumpy.

It worked, and though she genuinely hates being compared to Euphony in any manner - he did plant the seed of loving music in her.

He also honed her pick pocketing skills because he thought that was a necessary life skill. There were other reasons, but we won't go into that here.

When Euphony vanished and their mom died (unrelated to the disappearance) - Tav hyperfocused on taking care of Temerity, her small circle of friends, and herself - pretty much in that order.

Cat and Serena - her two best friends - did make sure Tav took care of herself (as much as they could), acted her age, and had fun now and then.

They also got her in trouble now and then too though.

Tav has never been particularly great in a fight so talked her way out of trouble when she could - but if blows came to blows she didn't fight fair. Biting, clawing, and cutting words were all on the table.

She fully bit a chunk out of someone's ear as a kid.

Sometime as a teenager, around 16 or 17, she has an epiphany about urchins, poor life choices, and falling into the same pattern of behaviors that adults did to her that kept her life more difficult than it needed to be.

Because of this epiphany, she starts trying to help current urchins from starving or falling prey to the elements - even managing to recruit other people (mostly former urchins themselves) into helping provide spots where kids can go for temporary shelter or a meal if they really need one.

It takes time and she has to learn how to allow herself to care about other people again, but within the year she has 3 other people helping her keep an eye on the city's less fortunate urchins.

Her friends jokingly refer to this as her "Network" and by the time the events of BG3 role around it's a decent sized group of adults/older teenagers who all are willing to give up their couch for a night and spare a hot meal. Tav especially is well known as a safe person to go to for help.

Tav knows a large portion of the urchins in Baldur's Gate by name or at the very least by sight.

Post game time! Obviously this is going to contain spoilers end game as well as contain many headcanons and deviations from game canon. Much of the focus is going to involve her relationship with Astarion as well.

First of all, I feel like Jaheira adopts Yenna, or she leaves with Halsin because the city is just ~*~trauma~*~ at this point.

Astarion does move in to the small townhouse that Tav shares with Temerity. It is crowded, especially with all the stuff Tav hoarded during their adventure.

They also do not really have doors to the bedrooms as it's technically a one-bedroom with the actual bedroom being in the loft (Temerity's room) and a makeshift one being under the loft (Tav's room). Both rooms are sectioned off with curtains.

Astarion immediately sews the silencing rune into the curtains upon moving in.

Tav and Astarion break into Cazador's palace shortly after end game, sack it, and look for anything that can be useful to help Astarion live in the sun again.

Sometime after, Cazador's palace burns to the ground. Astarion refuses to confirm or deny if he did it - but Tav is fairly certain he did based on how he grins whenever he talks about it.

Ransacking Cazador's former palace does not help the cramped space by the way, even with their bags of holding Gale crafted - thanks to the phase spiders and their silk they found in the blighted village - space is at a premium.

Also, Temerity does NOT like Astarion and they both act a bit like cats being forced to share the same space.

Temerity does warm up to Astarion during that first winter because Tav gets horrifically ill and Astarion does commit to taking care of her.

They both still snipe at each other, but it ends up more like sibling banter than the previous "Take a walk at noon" "Go kiss a beholder" banter it had been.

Astarion can never decide how he feels about the kids that show up to sleep on the couch or for a random meal - but it does solidify in his head that Tav has always been Like That™ and he thanks every deity again that he didn't meet Tav before the Nautiloid.

Thanks to his association with Tav, Astarion gets a reputation among the orphans as a "safe" person (Astarion disapproves) who will sometimes give really good advice on slight of hand, and if you're really lucky advice on how to wield a knife (Tav disapproves).

Since there's often urchins in the house, Astarion does worry that Tav will want kids one day. Tav assures him that she absolutely does not want children as she already raised a kid - Temerity - and does not want to raise another.

Tav writes down the ballad version of events as she had been composing in her head for most of the adventure and realizes that Volo beat her to publishing the events of the Netherbrain.

It is not the most accurate account, embellishments have been made, as have insinuations of her love life - which Tav had expressly forbidden Volo from writing about.

Tav publishes her ballad in a book along with her account of the adventure, names it: 'The Ballad of Brains, Brine Pools and Balderdash', and out of spite the first page states "Ballad and true account of the adventure leading to the defeat of the Absolute as written by Tav Moonridge - the leader of the heroes of Baldur's Gate who destroyed the Netherbrain."

While Tav is having a publishing war with Volo, Astarion does his first check in with the spawn he released into the Underdark.

Mentioned this in another headcanon list but Tara discovers that the Ring of the Sunwalker is in Gale's tower in Waterdeep, and Gale gives that ring to Astarion during the epilogue party.

Between the rewards for saving the city and selling some of the things they got during adventures (and stole from Cazador), Tav and Astarion end up purchasing a larger house.

Temerity does move into the house as well because I feel like family homes tend to be multi-generational in Faerun.

Works out beautifully because Tav and Astarion end up being professional adventurers, so Temerity gets the house to herself quite a bit.

At some point, Astarion deems it "safe enough" to check in on the spawn in the Underdark with Tav, and Tav decides to donate some of the books they gathered during their adventures.

Gale, somehow discovering Astarion and Tav are going to check in on the spawn, sends copies of books and plenty of writing materials to donate to the spawn as well.

Full headcanon here - Sebastian is in charge of the library in the ruins and is delighted about the book donations since most of the reading material left in the ruins are delicate and can't really be used for casual reading.

He also is spending time transcribing and preserving old scrolls and books from the library.

Tav and Sebastian get along quite well and Astarion does not know how to feel about that.

They both visit the spawn semi-annually to check in on them and make sure things are going good.

Otherwise, most of their adventures are about locating a wish spell or the like to cure Astarion's Vampirism.

Araj periodically sticks her nose in their lives trying to get more blood from Tav and/or Astarion to bite her.

At one point she does attempt to hire people to kidnap Tav while they're out adventuring - it does not go as Araj planned and Tav tells her that if she tries to pull that again Tav won't talk Astarion out of hunting her down.

This got long so I'm going to stop it here for now. Have a cookie if you made it this far.

[seitsukino]

finally realized why i always found “the waterbending scroll” to be a little uncomfortable.

it’s a pretty good episode exploring katara’s frustration with aang and her own feeling of inadequacy… except it’s not?

i feel like there is a bit of lack of depth regarding WHY katara is jealous. we can see she is merely jealous because she took a lot of time to do something while aang gets it quite easily. obviously she is wrong in this feelings since aang is the avatar, even though he was being obnoxious about it (though i’ll let it slide since they’re literally children).

there was one thing i wished they explored a little more about WHY katara was upset and WHY she wanted so badly to understand the scroll. the actual canon reason is linked to pride, but i think there is actually a deeper and more emotional side to this that i think would’ve been better.

katara spent her entire life knowing she’s a waterbender but being able to do nothing about it. her combat skills leave much to be desired and she doesn’t even know she can heal with it until after she meets aang. she’s been stripped from a vital part of her culture due to the fire nation’s colonialism and imperialism, and the northern water tribe’s neglect (perhaps neglect isn’t the best word but i can’t think of anything better rn rip).

it would’ve been a better reason for katara to act this way because she has always felt in the dark about her culture and ability as a waterbender, and for aang who isn’t even a person of the water tribe to be better than her… she feels like she has wasted all these years and this cultural identity has been slipping through her fingers to the point where her bending is no better than that of someone who has never waterbended in their entire life. and then later on for the reveal to be that she LOST her mother because she was a waterbender… it would’ve set up and honed in on katara’s insecurities with her own bending and how she interacts with the spiritual side of her culture.

unfortunately this is a very common thing in indigenous communities. it would have been a great way to represent this feeling many indigenous people have felt from colonization and imperialism. aang deals with this sometimes but it’s less about his loss of culture and more about the loss of the people around him. it would’ve been nice to also see how he dealt with trying to keep this dead culture alive, and how he felt being the last airbender, the one who was basically tasked by the spirits to further this culture.

anyway, just my thoughts as an indigenous woman myself. i always felt a little uncomfortable with this episode because of how they treated for katara, who seemed justified in her anger and drive to keep learning from the scroll. of course most of the blame on her comes from “you stole” but that’s not really relevant lol.

i’m curious if anyone feels similarly or different so pls let me know if you do :D

[oonajaeadira]

15 questions to get to know me!

Thank you for tagging me, dearests @something-tofightfor and @songsformonkeys!!!

1. are you named after anyone?

No. Unless you count my middle name. My paternal grandmother had two middle names and my sister and I got one each.

2. when was the last time you cried?

About a month ago in a psychopomp lecture during a guided meditation. When guided to talk to an ancestor, my Auntie B came up and it was waterworks. She's a good one, my Auntie.

3. do you have kids?

Nope. I've known from an early age that I would be a child-free lady.

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

Yes. It's usually in the form of tough love when my SO or my artists need to be given a little correction but also need to take it with a spoonful of playfulness.

5. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

Their aesthetic. I acknowledge my initial learned prejudices about them and wait for the delightful moment when they prove my societally-engineered expectations wrong. (The N and J are strong in this INFJ. And then my F/T toggle kicks in real hard.)

6. what’s your eye colour?

I just put gray on my ID, but they're blue-grey on the rims and green-grey inside? And they're more blue or green or grey depending on reflection from what the sky is doing and what I'm wearing so...?

7. scary movies or happy endings?

Both. I am obviously a sucker for a soft, happy ending. But I love love love horror films to the point where most of them do not scare me anymore. But when I do find one that gives me the tingles, I will love it forever.

8. any special talents?

I have a lot of special skills that I've honed, but inherent talents? (Where skills = learned and practiced acts and talents = just good at it from the get go.) I guess the biggest one is being able to pick up an instrument for the first time and play a song on it by ear. I guess also I'm pretty empathic. Oh! And I'm very very good at always choosing the slowest line in the supermarket; I don't even have to try!

9. where were you born?

In Minnesota, but not in Minneapolis. I was born in the city I was raised in and then escaped to my college town and then escaped the country altogether for a little while before coming back to Minnesota.

10: what are your hobbies?

Writing Pedro fic, reading Pedro fic. Reading in general. Video games, embroidery/cross stitch, collecting tarot decks and stickers. dinking around with musical instruments and trolling Etsy/Ebay/Craigslist for new ones. Online shopping's a big one. Puzzles--logic puzzles, sudoku, word puzzles. Thrifting for wardrobe and art purposes. Making weird shit out of thrifted junk. Board and card games.

11. have you any pets?

Right now, we just have the one dog and we're on senior care with her. She's a black lab mix that we took in from a neglectful family member when she was 12, riddled with tapeworm, heartworm, and tooth problems (all of which we fixed). Thinking we could give her some pretty happy golden years, I was like, sure. I can put up with this very stupid, very neurotic dog for a couple of years if it means she gets to go down happy and warm.

Well, it may be too happy and too warm in our house, because she's 19.5 and the welcome was worn out years ago. Girl just keeps on ticking. She needs help getting up half the time and her back legs don't work very well so she needs to be lifted to go outside (both doors require stairs which she can't do anymore). She has accidents in the house not just daily, but multiple times a day and we just keep dog pads down in the bedroom and my hands just constantly smell of bleach now. She's mostly deaf and fairly blind and is, without hyperbole, the dumbest dog I've ever known or owned in my life. But that also makes her constantly hilarious. And very happy despite her struggles....we often say in this house that "she's just too happy to live and too dumb to die."

I wish I could say that I loved her, and in a way I do. But while she's very sweet and very friendly, she's not interested in the exchange of affection or in any way that "shows she knows what you're feeling" kind of pet, so we've never really bonded. Even after all these years, she feels more like a guest than family. She just exists to be a benevolent force of fur, odors, and amusement in our house for now. And we just try to keep her as comfortable as possible for as long as we can.

12: what sports do you play/have you played?

When I was young, my folks tried to get me into softball and skiing, but I always shied from the ball and never wanted to ski too fast because I didn't want to get hurt. I was on the swim and gymnastics teams in junior high and did pretty well there, but was only really doing it to stay close to my grade school bestie. I couldn't keep up with her and found the performing arts instead. So now, nothing.

13: how tall are you?

5′5″

14. favourite subject in school?

I actually really loved biology and chemistry. And anything where I got to use my hands like art, home ec, woodshop. I excelled in English and music, but I think I really enjoyed my science classes more.

15. dream job?

I have my dream job! I help new artists produce their work and experienced artists challenge themselves! AND I'M GOOD AT IT.

But if I didn't have this job? I'd probably love to be a PA to someone artistic and kind. I know somebody that used to be Neil Gaiman's PA and that sounded like the best thing ever.

tagging: @unbound-space-trash @lowlights @nicolethered @beecastle

[nightraiderwrites]

Hello! 19, 41 and 77 for the ask game?

19. What is the most used tag on your ao3?

Angst.

41. Do you tend to reread first or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

Fics are, above all, written for me. So yes, I do go back and reread my fics. I read them in the car, on the bus, pretty much everywhere. Because they're written for me, something they're the only thing that hits the spot.

77. Do you have a favorite scene you've written from [Fanfic Name] story/chapter?

You didn't specify a fic, so I'll do my favorite scene to write in All the World's a stage.

In chapter 9, right at the very end, BigB talks to both Pearl and Grian about each other.

It's a very emotional and necessary scene, where they confess to a man who knows them very well, that they feel like they should have done better. Both of them feel a disconnect to their sibling, as a result of the trauma and separation they went through as children.

All the World's a Stage is a fic that deals with big heavy topics that I wouldn't normally be able to talk about. Grief, obviously, is one of them, but self isolation and alienation is also there.

Pearl is a character that is very, very alone. Aside from BigB, she's not on fantastic terms with anyone in the town. She's estranged from her brother, and has had pretty strong disagreements with most of the people. As a child, she witnessed the death of her parents, and immediately after, was sent to complete the "Desert Wandering," a process where children who have the talent of illusion magic go out on their own to hone their skills.

As a result, she had to grow up very quickly, very independently. The closest relationship she had immediately after deserting the army was with Scott, and their first encounter was her trying to kill him (fic coming soon!!!!). After that, it was BigB, who took care of her after Scott blew her up.

Grian hasn't really seen his sister since she deserted the army. He's in this really weird place of "I should have done better" and "I was only six." It's fascinating to me how he barely has any memories of her, and yet he still loves her. He still understands.

They don't have a conventional sibling relationship. For the time they spent in the Vale, they both had a fear of reconnection. This stems from Pearl's fear of connection and tendencies to self isolate, and Grian’s fear that his sister had completely forgotten him.

This is why this scene is so, so important. It's a moment of indirect connection, through a man, acting as their bridge, who knows them well. It allows this moment of vulnerability in a place where they might die, so need this connection.

[kmjcngins1]

@tcemint

Hi, my love~ You weren't expecting this, were you? Well...surprise! I just wanted to give you a little something special because you deserve it, baby. I love getting chances to shower you in gifts, especially when you least expect it because your reactions are priceless but I also just love getting to spoil you at all times. I know you'll tell me I didn't need to get you anything but..I did anyways and you can't stop me! I'm gonna keep doing it because it's one of my favorite things to do for you. Besides, you've been working your ass off lately and I couldn't be prouder of you and everything you've done and achieved. I'll never stop telling you that every single day of our lives together so you better buckle up and prepare yourself! But aside from being the most hardworking man ever, you've been the best father to our baby girl. I love seeing you singing to her after I come back from a shower or something and you're having these little moments I know she's going to cherish forever (because I do too). Seeing you in this fatherly role has been the best thing that's ever happened to me, aside from finally getting together with you. Hyein and I genuinely couldn't be luckier to have you, Taeminnie. We love you to the moon and back. Yours forever, Nini. x First, a nice peony bouquet~

Some bits from Alexander McQueen -- the outfit will make sense later, trust me!

Bits from Amiri.

The Theragun Sense from Therabody.

Your guide for everyday well-being, Theragun Sense features relaxing massage therapy scientifically proven to relieve aches and pains, ease soreness, reduce stress, and help you sleep better. Take the guesswork out of your treatments with an LCD screen that acts as your personal guide, displaying easy-to-follow step-by-step massage and breathwork routines directly on the device. Choose from 5 preloaded routines, or personalize them to fit your needs by swapping and saving your favorite routines from the Therabody app. Plus, build daily stress-relieving habits with an immersive breathwork experience in the Therabody app featuring 3 visually-guided breathwork routines, relaxing TheraMind sound therapy, and haptic vibration cues directly on the device. Whisper-quiet, lightweight, and equipped with our patented triangle grip so you can easily reach anywhere on your body, Theragun Sense makes it easy to create an effective, personalized wellness routine. Theragun Sense is an FDA-registered medical device designed with strict quality and safety standards.

La Boite Concept x Supakitch LX Turntable for all our records.

So..I couldn't decide which one to get you which obviously meant I had to get both!

Bond No.9 New York Luxe Fragrance Trio & the TOM FORD Private Blend Woods Collection set.

And finally, this is why I said that Alexander McQueen outfit would make sense later. We're going to have a special date night at L'Effervescence in Tokyo while we're here. Don't worry, your manager agreed to watch Hyein for the night while we enjoy just a little more time to ourselves in one of our special places. Chef Shinobu Namae refers to the foodstuff producers who support L’Effervescence as “artisans” out of respect for their finely honed skills. The ingredients list, passed out by hand, is a chronicle of the producing regions Namae visits in his travels. Artisanal Vegetables, a dish that changes its appearance with each passing season, is one speciality. The love for nature that wells up from his pairings of umami from land and sea is the tale told through the cuisine here.

"Flavors we adore from this island where we were born and raised, and savors that have travelled from all over the world to see us. Both are somehow destined to meet on the plate. We come together to create a harmonious whole.

Our restaurant is a hermitage in the city, we hope you can escape from busy bustling life. Feel like you are deep in the forest or in the big ocean as you appreciate the blessings of nature.

Never forgetting the diligence and patience of the farmer, picture the magic of the invisible microorganisms in a glass or on a plate that effervesce your body and mind."

[crimsononiarataki-archive]

The Oni knew the boys well enough to know they held no resentment toward Sara, hidden, or otherwise. They had no reason to dislike her as she'd never done anything to them, and while she had done something to HIM he didn't hold a grudge. Of course, during the war he'd acted like he did, posting those notices to get her attention and all that, but there was really never any grudge there to speak of.

If he noticed her enthusiasm toward what he planned on cooking, he said nothing about it. He knew Onigiri was a simple dish, but it was also filling, and incredibly versatile. While he used fish this time, he could have just as easily made it vegetarian, or even with boar meat. He felt that fish was the best option because it was simple to prepare it as a filling with some minor seasoning.

"When I started makin' Onigiri, they never came out this nice lookin'. It took a bit of practice to get 'em to stay like this."

He'd chuckle softly before finally taking a seat himself once he'd given her the share of food he'd made for her. The broth was fairly simple, but it was made to pair well with the seasonings he'd used on the fish in the Onigiri itself. He had a feeling she was a capable cook herself, but as a General she likely hadn't had much time to hone that skill. Where he'd begun buying rice in bulk when he had the extra Mora while the war was going, and foraging for wild herbs and other plants. He also did a bit of hunting and fishing too, so he wasn't just eating rice and vegetables.

"I'm glad I didn't accidentally offend ya. Sometimes I ain't the most eloquent guy out there, but the only people I really talk to regularly all live with or around me."

He was obviously speaking of his Gang members, and Granny Oni. He spent a great deal of time with his friends, but he also visited Granny Oni at least once a day. She wasn't so old as to forget to eat, but he always made sure to check on her. She was the main reason he was still alive and kicking, after all, he owed her a lot. She'd taken him in as a child and all. Despite the fact that she was human, and he wasn't, she'd always treated him as if he was her son. He'd be forever grateful to her.

"You're welcome, Sara, hope ya enjoy."

He knew how the etiquette worked in Inazuma as well, so he'd take the first bite of one of his Onigiri, before taking a small drink from the bowl of broth shortly after. That would be her signal to dig in as well.

@general-kujou-sara

As Sara walked alongside Itto, his words reassuring her about the upcoming dinner with the gang, she couldn't shake the subtle sense of anticipation mingled with a hint of anxiety. Despite his assurances, she knew she would be paying close attention to the social dynamics during the meal, ever vigilant for any signs of discomfort or resentment.

When Itto mentioned that he would be making Onigiri, Sara's eyes sparkled with genuine excitement, a rare moment of childlike enthusiasm breaking through her usually composed demeanor. Onigiri had always been a favorite of hers, not just for its delicious taste, but for its versatility and efficiency as a meal. She couldn't help but place a hand over her stomach, the hunger and eagerness evident in her demeanor.

"It sounds delightful!" she remarked, her voice steady yet eager. "And I agree, it pairs perfectly with some broth."

As she observed Itto deftly prepare the dishes, Sara couldn't help but marvel at his culinary skills. While she was no stranger to cooking herself, she seldom had the opportunity to indulge in such practices outside of her military duties. She made a mental note to appreciate the simplicity and warmth of the meal before her

As Itto efficiently prepared the dishes, Sara observed his culinary skills with admiration. While she was no stranger to cooking herself, she rarely indulged in the practice unless she was camping with her troops. Even then, she would prefer to consume dried military rations, reserving the best rations for them to boost morale. She recalled a particular incident during a harsh winter campaign when she had personally overseen the distribution of warm meals to her weary soldiers, ensuring that each one received a hearty portion of nourishing stew to stave off the biting cold.

While she might have seemed like a cold and distant general, she cared for her troops and made sure to look after them behind the scenes. Whether it was providing financial aid, or simply helping them through a tricky situation, Sara looked out for them as they looked out for Inazuma.

"It wasn't offensive at all," Sara reassured Itto as she accepted the plate he offered, her gaze lingering on the neatly formed Onigiri and the fragrant broth that accompanied it. The aroma wafting from the bowl was tantalizing, a blend of earthy herbs and savory spices that promised a symphony of flavors.

"Thank you for the food." she said, her words sincere and respectful, embodying the customary grace of Inazuma's dining etiquette. With a nod of thanks to Itto, Sara waited for him to dig in before she followed suit, a gesture of respect for the food and the company they shared.

[lavellane]

i deeply enjoy making ocs that r totally different to me in in p much every conceivable way but like. making it canon that gracie is good at maths/science goes SO against my personal code i dont think i can do it 🥴

[mariaashby64]

(I meant to get started this post closer to when issue #2 dropped but I guess later is better than never) Anyway...!

Since that scene between Cassie and Cissie in the last yj dark crisis issue was clearly ripping off a scene from the original ‘98 run so I decided to dig around and compare them.

First of all here are the panels from the Dark Crisis run:

Now the team nagging Cissie about returning to archery is nothing new. Cissie reconciling with the bow was it’s own thing back in the ‘98 run. (Particularly in the arc where she went to the Olympics.)

I’d like to think this exchange in Dark Crisis is more the writer’s reminding the reader about the whole Cissie quitting, but still honing her bow skills. Or acting as a recap for new readers unfamiliar with Cissie’s storyline. However I’m not familiar with Cissie’s appearances beyond the ‘98 run so I’m not sure how accurate this characterisation is post N52.

The scene from ‘98 starts similarly.

For context, the reason for Cassie’s visit here is because they’re being called to help out in a big galactic war going on. (This is post the Olympics arc)

Now, Cissie’s argument in the ‘98 run is more of a personal one: Reaffirming her position on Arrowette despite the global need for her skills. Keyword here is personal. Cissie is a character that carries a lot of themes and veiwpoints (I rambled about this in another post) but it’s tied so closely to her character and identity that you couldn’t change these viewpoints without fundamentally changing her character.

Later, Cissie tricks Cassie into bailing after firing an arrow at her (Which I think is nicely contrasted with Cassie catching the arrows in the Dark Crisis issue) Cissie gives her this remark.

It’s got a lot to do with the title of Arrowette being a symbol, and how she’s become a tainted symbol due to Cissie’s actions and mistakes.But I think you get the point. This convo is all about Cissie.

In the Dark Crisis run Cassie is obviously talking to Cissie about finding the boys.

This is where the conversation changes from Cissie’s personal story to a critique on the 98′ run.

Now it’s been a while since I’ve read the run, so I don’t remember every villain. There were definitely villains that were misunderstood. Heck the boys’ very first villain was a kid who just wanted to play ‘nintendo’. They’ve also fought some very comically simple, evil, villains. (The baseball arc is a good example.)

But also, like, they fought Darkside. That was the climax of their series. Not to mention they also fought the people to kept Greta captive and freed a bunch of her friends from them as well.

Anyway,Cassie acts at the defence argument:

The line about the Boys is obviously there cause that is Cassie’s goal in this moment (To find them) but it also sets up this retort from Cissie:

Now the toxicity line is technically true. Cissie did have a toxic relationship with Arrowette, driven mainly by her mother and generational trauma. The next line is where cracks in the writing start to show. While it’s true that Cassie is the only one who stayed on with Tim, Bart, and Kon, (post YJ‘98). During the time that the run was still happening, Greta, Anita, and Slobo were all still major players within the team. (And might I remind you this writing is specifically a critique of the 90s run. Not the stuff that came after.) This could have been interesting if Cissie were to advocate for Greta and the others who were forgotten.That it’s not fair that the boys continued to get so much attention over them.

Instead Cissie is used to throw more shade at the boys.

It’s a shame the meta commentary comes off so heavy handed. I think Cissie’s point here could have been made a lot stronger if the writers had shown she’d kept in touch with Greta and Anita and really highlighted the fact that Cassie had disconnected with the friend group through her heroism. It would have grounded the argument within characterisation, rather than using Cissie as a prop to talk so directly about how the female characters were treated.

By the way this her stance in the ‘98 run: (Note the similar pose)

(Again, personal character motive)

The way these scene’s wrap up seem similar at first but there’s some key differences.

In Dark Crisis Cissie relents and agrees to help Cassie. Very begrudgingly, but she does.

And again giving her this attitude towards helping Cassie find their friends just makes her come off as cold and unlikable. Especially with all the meta talk about not wanting to sit in the same comic about three privileged white guys. These guys are her friends, and she’d never let them down like that, nor even pretend to not care

In ‘98 it’s all about her and Arrowette again. But here she doubles down on her stance and refuses to join.

This causes Cassie to leave without her and the conversation ends. In Dark Crisis, Cissie is the one to have the last word.

She acts really cold and refuses to be of much help later in the comic. She complains about her uselessness as an ordinary human.

But here’s the real kicker.

In ‘98, CISSIE STILL TURNS UP TO HELP THE TEAM AT THE END.

The whole set up is about her finding a way to help people outside of being Arrowette. It validates he character’s position on the matter while finding a loophole that allows her to still be part of the comic and team dynamic. Even if she is just a girl with a bow, when the cards come down to it, She Cares.

I kinda wish the convo in Dark Crisis was able to get a few more pages. The ‘98 scene was able to show this entire scene in about 5 pages whereas Dark Crisis had to over the same thing in only two (Talk about scraping for attention). I also respect it’s hard to write both characterisation and commentary on those characters, when said characters haven’t interacted in a comic for who knows how long. Plus ‘98 had the advantage of being in the middle of an ongoing run with ongoing character arcs.

I think the Dark Crisis scene could have been better if there was more focus on the loss of connection between Cassie and rest of the leftover ‘98 cast. It could have given readers more sympathy for the characters rather than the meta commentary. Even if they somehow manage to pull a “Ahah! Cassie was in a fake world the whole time too!” twist, it would have connected us more with Cassie and given her character more to reflect on personally. And you could have still related it to the meta critique, it just would have put character first.

I don’t envy the writers. They clearly want to give some commentary on the 1998 run, but are having a hard time portraying the characters... as characters, and not just mouthpieces for their viewpoints. If they really did use this scene from ‘98 as a reference, they did a poor job of understanding why that scene worked within it’s issue/run and clearly struggled to distil it into the two pages they had available.

There’s more I could talk about but I think I’ll leave it there. This post is long enough. I’m disappointed but curious to see if this series if going to be able to pick these characters up again.

[kendrixtermina]

Edelgard and “meritocracy” - an essay

In this essay I wish to adress the common argument that “meritocracy bad, therefore edelgard bad” & the logical leaps therein.

Before we begin, I’d like to stress that she doesn’t even use the word “meritocracy” & they’re not even looking at it’s modern definition but reacting to the way it has been used as a fighting word to denigrate the poor specificically in the post reagan modern USA & then assuming Edelgard means the exact same thing by that without bothering to examine what she actually says & in what context.

Modern capitalism & the way it uses rhetoric of merit as an excuse is bad & with its reduction of human value to their moneymaking ability, definitely inherently ableist, I agree totally.

But 3H does NOT take place in the modern world. Progress is always relative to what came before. It*s progress away from entrenched problems.

It’s a total failure to even imagine a world different from the sucky one we live in - that’s exactly what tolkien meant  by that saying that if we’re prisoners we have a duty to escape.

Edelgard doesn’t live in a capitalist society nor is she bringing about capitalism (if anything Claude’s the one talking of free trade & giving the merchants what they want, though he is almost certainly playing them much like the church)

And the main component of capitalism - factory owners, rich elites who owns large swathes of companies or real estate - is nowhere to be found.

In our world that cropped up because industrialization made owning factories, offices, trade etc. more lucrative that just owning the land, so factory owners replaced landed lords, essentially promising the peasants freedom if they helped them overthrow the kings but granting them only in a limited manner - the flawed inequal democracies that resulted were a compromise between peasants and factory owners.

But by and large the nobles are very much in the same niche as the factory owners today - they own the land and get special trade privileges (the means of production), they often abuse the populace with impunity, the peasants are very poor.

Edelgard cracks down on corruption & special trade privileges even during the timeskip.

And like the rich of our world, they have a self-mythology propaganda justification based on merit. Yes, there is the “by the grace of god” argument, too, but crests give you extra fighting power, and if you look at the Ferdinand support for example you do see that Fodlan’s nobles - especially the adrestian ones - see themselves as a honed elite that is trained from birth & therefore better at ruling.

Not quite the same argument a modern billionaire uses - who is very invested in convincing you that they didn’t get their power and wealth by their birth - but a myth nonetheless.

Edelgard’s not bringing “meritocracy” as in brutal competition opposed to caring social safety nets, but as opposed to unearned privilege.

If you wanted to compare that to any kind of sociohistorical context, you might look at Napoleon’s peasant liberation or the implementation of civil service examinations in ancient China.

That wasn’t an all good thing - In the same way that Europe is very impacted by the legacy of rome both good & bad (there are persisting bad attitudes toward war, authority and agriculture for example), east asia still has a lot of education obsession causing pressure & unhealthy work habits to this day.

But if you compared ancient china before the reforms to ancient China after it definitely got better, by ancient china standards.

We couldn’t expect the people back then to come up with all advances up to our exact modern values at once (not can we be sure how much of our values will stand the test of time)

Considering that Fodlan’s ideal of merit is basically what Lorenz, Ingrid and Ferdinand are embodying for their respective countries, and that she stocks her inner circle with very different leaders, it is no stretch to say that she wants to shake up the social ideas of what even counts as merit, to make ppl value other things that crest power or elite upbringing, the same way we might say today that hey, cleaners are valuable actually.

Edelgard is basically doing her world’s equivalent of taxing the billionaires - reducing the power of what the overprivilieged class happens to be, & it’s obvious from her talk of how she despises inequality that she would hardly be for rule of factory owners.

When Edelgard says that she wants to make Fodlan more merit-based, that has to be taken in the context that she lives in a world where your birth determines everything, incompetent nobles can be as lazy as they want, and no one cares how competent you are if you lack a crest, title or both.

If she looked at our world, she would quickly see through the propaganda that it is supposedly “merit based” and object to how wealth and national origin obviously dictate wealth & opportunity while talented people go to waste in sweatshops.

Now of course there have been arguments even against “perfect” meritocracy - one is the devaluation of working class jobs.

To this one could answer that this is more a flaw in how merit is conceived. Historically there have been societies that exahlted blue collar work, artisans or farming.

The second argument, however, is not so easy to get rid of: That is devalues people who can’t just go & produce like machines, especially the unemployed, the sick, the mentally ill, the disabled…

But at this point we’ve got to lean back & get our definitions straight, & make it clear what we even mean by “meritocracy” -

Because if we’re just talking about the basic idea that competency should be rewarded, I don’t think too many people disagree with that. We might see a problem with valueing the competency of a doctor or lawyers dispropottionally over the competency of a cleaner or a bricklayer, but we all, by and large, want the people who prepare our goods and services to be competent. Maybe we wouldn’t exalt it over all over qualities, but most of us admire skill.

Of course the problem with the political rhetoric of “meritocracy” is that it goes beyond just rewarding skill, first with the afore mentioned rewarding of only some skills, but mostly with the reversion or overemphasis of the above: Saying that skill is the only thing that matters (to the exclusion of any inheent human value) & that those who don’t have it are worthless.

First I want to throw out the thought that this is a product of the production/profit orientation of capitalism, but one could of course imagine, as many sci fi authors have done, a non-capitalistic society that is still obsessed with merit at the exclusion of those who are not oriented towards productivity & care more about fun & relationships than producing, or those who can’t produce because they are sick or disabled.

So now we must ask ourselves the question: Which of those views does Edelgard actually hold?

Cause I want you to notice that they’re not the same. “Skill should be rewarded & jobs should be done by competent people”  is not the same position as “Skill is the ONLY thing that matters and if you don’t have it you are worthless”

In one position, skill is a good quality, in the other, it's a prerequisite to worth.

Most of us here probably agree that skill is admirable (we like and reblog pretty fanarts), but not that the unskilled are worthless.

Looking at her superficially I could perhaps see how someone might suspect her of the latter -  She gravitates to & surrounds herself with skilled intelligent people and she’s obscenely superpowered.

It’s an misunderstanding that Dimitri makes in-universe, he accuses her of “only benefitting the strong”

But note that her answer to that is that she wants to empower the weak to no longer be weak & decide their own lives, instead of accepting charity. (Contrast with how Dimitri romanticizes abyss, for example, even as Claude points out that locking the poor underground is hardly help.)

Of course she can say many things, as rulers often give florid speeches.

But let’s have a look at what she actually thinks. How does edelgard actually act towards people who struggle or aren’t productivity oriented?

This is one of her lecture questions from part I:

“When one professor lectures many students, some will inevitably have trouble keeping up, while others will get too far ahead in their studies. I wonder how this problem might be solved…”

Her favorite answer is “lectures should be optional”.

Which part of that sounds like a bell curve type eugenicist “only skill & intelligence counts” kind of person? She wants the struggling students to be taken proper care of, not just the good ones.

Look at the speeches she gives to Petra & Lysithea about not giving up on themselves & wanting them to move forward from an empowered mindset. Look at how she tells Lysithea to take it easy & not overtax her body. (Not "don't whine & keep working")

Look at Bernadetta - very much an ‘unproductive’ individual with great struggles & limitation. Does Edelgard dismiss her as a weakling? Not at all. Not even in the C support. She makes sure to stress her good qualities when introducing  her, makes an effort to be more patient so as not to scare her, & they become good friends.

Look at the Linhardt support - at first she mistakes his behavior for youthful lazyness (He’s 16 after all) & wants to get him to apply himself, but when she realizes that he just has different priorities, she respects that, & works to get him the exact sort of position that he wants. No “suck it up!” or dismissing such a different lifestyle. Nor does she chide him for hating fighting at any point.

Edelgard does everything in her power to accomodate people so they can do their best. She sees the value even in strange unsocial people that society would dismiss. She found a job for someone like Jeritza & helped him, she doesn’t hesitate to make Dorothea a general or Manuela the prime minister no matter what people say or if they don’t act like typical politicians.

Also, when she talks about choosing her sucessor, she wants them to be brilliant/competent yes, but also kind and 'an outsider' (ie, impartial) - hardly a PoV of "if you are skilled you can do whatever you want and if you aren't no other quality matters". She's prizing kindness & objectivity just as highly, something which is absolutely reflected throughout all her actions & behaviors towards others.

She doesn't devalue living quietly & low key without making waves - in fact, that is her dream life, which she deems superior to achievement and ambition, which are to her just tools to archieve good aims.

She couldn’t be further from having a narrow definition of what a “valuable” person is, she is all ABOUT empowering people to take control of their own lives, no pity-driven charity, no paternalism, none of that. This is one of my favorite traits about her, so I can’t help but get mad when people accuse her of being the exact opposite.

But maybe the biggest argument is abyss. This is where the genuine underclass lives, poor, struggling, traumatized, refugees etc.

Edelgard isn’t as vocal during Cindered Shadows as Claude - she can’t blow her cover & just isn’t as expressive personality wise. But she’s the one who makes everybody swear to take care of Abyss no matter who wins.

And her route is the one where, instead of telling you that they lost people, Hapi tells you that they’ve all been pretty much fine over the timeskip.

If you want to help the struggling & the poor and those who don't have "conventional" skills, you should back edelgard.