#thewillowbends

[sparkylurkdragon]

I guarantee you the high video game numbers for that poll are because Baldurs Gate 3 and Assassin’s Creed are wrecking the competition right now lol.

Ah, good point! Haha!

[stromuprisahat]

The extremely slut-shaming, almost Puritan attitude that Leigh Bardugo has towards her characters, especially the female characters, makes me so angry. On one hand, it comes across as hypocritical, and on the other hand, the way a character's sexuality is portrayed is based on how much Leigh Bardugo actually cares about the character in question. What infuriates me the most in regards to this is Alina being slut shamed by Baghra for clearly having sexual and romantic desire for Aleksander, and even Aleksander is shamed for having sexuality in general (though Aleksander as a character overall is treated very awfully in general by Bardugo). I especially get enraged for Alina, because not only does Baghra shame her, even Malyen shames her for clearly being drawn to the Darkling and being comfortable around him. Mal gets very angry when he leans in to kiss Alina and she flinches. I wanted to slap him so badly in this scene, because he just automatically assumes that she doesn't like him and wants her to feel bad about that when she doesn't even need to feel bad. He didn't even ask her if she was okay, and he's never done anything to make her feel comfortable or at ease with him. Compare this to Aleksander, whose moments with Alina always have a tenderness to them, even when the moment is painful for both of them. That moment where Alina gets the collar put on her, you can tell it killed Aleksander to do that, more so in the show (Ben Barnes, I love your stupidly cute romantic face). Also he did pause while kissing Alina because Alina sensed that he was angry and wanted to pause in the book (in the show they made this moment so much better). The fact that Alina was shamed for flinching when Mal came close to her, when flinching is a normal reaction when you've either never been kissed before or that often or just a reflex people have if someone comes very close to them (I do this, so I'm particularly mad about it) makes me so incensed. Sorry for how lengthy this got, but I get so mad about this crap. What are your thoughts?

I bitch about specific parts, when I get to them (some of Baghra's slut shaming, Winter Fete, Malyen's episode after WF, The Collaring, Malyen's tantrum about Alina flinching), but this ask reminded me of older thread, esp. the part by @thewillowbends that might be written mostly about the show, but applies to the books too.

Oh, and I found a pretty good post about Alina not really wanting the Darkling in their book!make out scene (Don't worry- it's nothing about her "One True Love", but Alina not allowed to ~want~ carnally.).

It's all really about the author's disturbing views on female sexuality.

[bananasfosterparent]

@thewillowbends Hope it's okay I moved to text post, it seemed like a better idea.

First, let me be clear: People can write whatever they want and I'm not saying they can't or shouldn't.

----

"If Tav is happily evil, then we’re back to the issue of limits in the narrative functionality beyond shorter works."

If Tav HAS to be a meek, regretful abuse victim in order for a story to be lengthy and meaningful, then that is 100% a skill and creativity issue of the writer. Either them not having the ability to see the story from another perspective, or them not having the creativity level to consider other canon-friendly manifestations of the Evil Tav x Asc Astarion relationship. Those "limits" you speak of are only limits if you allow them to be and don't let yourself grow as a writer.

"As it is, game is pretty blunt about how the story of spawn Tav ends"

The game is not blunt at all. The game gives us NO ending to that. It's up to the player. The closest we have to an idea of an ending for "spawn" Tav, is this datamined title card:

(read image description for transcription)

While this was cut from the official release of the game (like all the epilogue content), it still shows what Larian had/has in mind for the direction of the Asc ending. And it's got no hints about abuse.

Astarion tells you as much if you break up with him — “I would’ve ruined your love, used your trust.”

This is called metagaming. BG3 is not like a tv show where all the little dots connect and line up. BG3 is a "choose your own adventure" novel in video game form. It works just the same. So any choices or options you DO NOT select are NOT TRUE for your character in that playthrough. So nothing Spawn Astarion says in that ending matters in regards to a playthrough with the Ascended ending. Nothing Asc Astarion says matters in regards to a playthrough with the Spawn ending. In BOTH endings, he thanks Tav genuinely, fully appreciates the choice, is glad the opposite choice wasn't made, and wants Tav to choose what their next adventure will be. Both endings have to be worthwhile and feel satisfying for the player, and the best way to do that is to have Astarion genuinely appreciate what Tav has done, in BOTH endings. And he does.

"it’s a story about cycles and the destruction of life. It’s telling you what Astarion will become because Cazador used to be in his position."

It's telling who Cazedor was and his story. That doesn't mean Astarion is doomed to repeat it. Or that a specific ending IS him repeating it. There is no warning of such. It CAN go that way, but nothing in-game says it has to. Because breaking "the cycle" isn't one specific thing. And he breaks cycles in BOTH endings.

Astarion's story is about corruption and choosing to either become more corrupt (than he already is) or try to live by the rules of society and just accept how things are. In the Spawn ending he talks about the "cycle of power", meaning the cycle of vampire culture that thrives on a pyramid of power. He is free of that headache and appreciates that. As to the quote you mention, Astarion is speculating about ascension. He has no idea what would have actually happened, he can only guess. He is an opportunistic optimist so he'd more likely see the path he couldn't take as one he shouldn't have anyway. And having him say that in-game for that ending, makes that ending feel worth it for the player.

In the Asc ending, he breaks the cycles of loneliness, living in darkness, selfishness, hunger, and wants to treat his own spawn better than Cazedor ever did. Astarion hates the word spawn and chooses to call his future ones his "children" instead. He loves the sun, it's symbolic for him. Yet, he is fully willing, without hesitation, to give up something he loves so much, so that his "children" can thrive in a world that is shrouded in fog. He also takes on a consort (vampire bride/groom) and wants to share that power, something Cazedor did not do (as far as we know).

You can break away from Larian’s story, certainly, but a lot of fanfic writers are trying to stick to what was extant within the media itself. At some point, if you pull too far away from it, you’re just writing an original story, and the issue most writers then run into is…why not turn it fully original and publish it then?

Here's the problem with this: Larian's story IS BOTH endings. There is no metaphorical build up in the game that sets up *only* the Spawn ending as his "real" or "true" ending. It's a metaphorical build up that can have TWO different solutions. One being reject the power and accept life as it is. The other being usurp power and rewrite the rules. Ascension is never shown to be a truly evil or bad thing. The worst part of it is sacrificing the 7000 spawn. But if Tav/Durge rationalizes this, there are no real negatives. The only negatives may be if one does not vibe with his confidence boost and prefers him more docile. The whole last statement you've made and way of thinking makes it seem like his Spawn ending is the real one and his Ascended ending is just some "fun and sexy" alternative but invalid thing you can do.

His story arc is BOTH endings. They are both just as bad and as good as the other, it's just a matter of what works for your Tav/Durge and for you as the player. He does not have ONE TRUE ENDING. You choose the lesser of two evils. Which one is "lesser" depends entirely on the player and Tav/Durge as individuals.

If ANYTHING, writing Ascended Astarion as an abusive, uncaring, unloving monster is just writing an original story and not sticking to what is within the game itself. Not the other way around.

Also, as a last comment... a fanfiction does not have to be a 70 chapter epic. It can be 1-3 chapters and be a complete work. Or just one chapter. Or a few paragraphs. But Tav and Astarion being happily evil together shouldn't be a reason you can't write a lengthy and fleshed out story. That's just lack of creativity. Spawn ending fans outnumber Asc ending fans, and most Spawn fans have a negative view of Asc Astarion. So that's more likely the reason why we never see many happily evil Tav x Astarion fics.

[lassieposting]

I was really enjoying watching lucifer until it became sihtty. can you recommend anything that's similar? what to watch next?

Hmm, it's been several years since I watched Lucifer - seasons four and five were disappointing, and everything I heard about season six made it clear that I'd have hated it, so I just never bothered watching it.

I don't know about similar, exactly, but I'm currently watching The Rings Of Power (yes, the one made by...[retching]...[more retching]...Amazon [retches again]) and there are certain similarities to Lucifer in the ship dynamic, at least. Sauron's backstory and Lucifer's are very similar, and we see shades of him in Lucifer when he's in Scary Devil mode, but he's definitely a darker character and doesn't have Lucifer's whimsy. The first season also has a lot of the "determined heroine reluctantly attracted to deeply annoying supernatural being" dynamic from Deckerstar. The main thing that reminds me of Lucifer is that Sauron is called "The Great Deceiver", but he doesn't tell a single lie in season one; he just omits the finer points of detail to allow people to tell themselves the story they want to believe in the spaces between the truth.

So like...maybe that? But I don't have anything that's similar genre-wise that I can recommend unfortunately. Opening this up to my fellow ex-Lucifer mutuals - @matchstickdolly @thewillowbends @serotonin-up, any suggestions Anon might like?

[senseandaccountability]

Last sentence meme

rules: post the last sentence you wrote (fanfic / original / anything) and tag as many people as there are words in the sentence.

@rowanisawriter & @mightymizora tagged me (thank you) so here goes: -- It’s one of the first things he must unlearn but keeps, stubbornly, deep in the very core of his being. 

--- I don't think I have 20 untagged writers on my mutuals list so forgive me if I tag someone who's already been tagged: @thievinghippo, @serotonin-up, @noseforahtwo, @thewillowbends, @acciokaidanalenko and really, anyone who doesn't hate tag games.

[lassieposting]

@storm-elf @incalyscent @matchstickdolly @thewillowbends

me @ my mutuals

[cto10121]

@thewillowbends replied to your post:

I'm nearly done in S&B now and honestly startled at how much the show legit sold Darklina as reciprocal compared to the book. Like, it would have been the more interesting plotline either way, but I can see where it was significantly more one-sided on Alina's end. (Has the same problem of her being more sexually responsive to him than Mal, though.)

The mutuality, reciprocity, and level of consent consistently present throughout their relationship in the show was just beautiful. I did not expect it from reading the first book and from all indications they were pushing Malina, so I was just floored. They didn’t have to go so hard for a non-endgame and “problematic” ship, but they did, and I am undone. Keeping the Baghra ex machina twist felt even more wrong in the context of the show than the book.

I really hope they listen to Barnes' comments in that one interview because...like...these aren't the same Darkling lol? Like, he's a borderline different character to me, even as compelling as he is the book. Ben just played him way more sympathetically, human, and more emotionally involved. An unnuanced villain is going to be a hard sell.

By this point I’m just hoping they will let Ben Barnes do whatever the hell he wants with the character next season. He deserves it for creating an actual character out of a cautionary tale with legs.

[lilithsaur]

Just wanted to drop a note saying how much I enjoyed scrolling through your Tumblr today looking at all your unique art and pairings. You have a really lovely style. Thank you so much for sharing it with us!

<3<3<3<3<3<3

Thank you so much!

[lassieposting]

@thewillowbends

Time machine

(Source)

[mulderscully]

Between Maze’s overly convoluted plot lines and Eve eating up so much time in S4, I often wonder if the writers forget who their lead female character is. Chloe is a painfully rare example of a 30+ female character who is emotionally complex, flawed, and has a well realized backstory, and they’re so bizarrely disinterested in exploring that. 5A was a breath of fresh air in that regard, but it’s really glaring in S3-4. Maze, Ella, Marcus, and Reese all get character focused eps, yet somehow Chloe, the lead, only gets the half-assed high school episode whose thematic point is literally undone several episodes later during the dating arc. (And hoo boy, don’t even get me started on Marcus exploiting her emotionally being used to examine LUCIFER’S pain and for which there’s no emotional fallout followed up on in S4.)

tbh if i think abt s3 and all of that too much i get really angry so i try to ignore it most of the time which sucks because i shouldn't have to. you bring up a good point that all these less significant characters had specific back story episodes that chloe hasn't. i actually hadn't realized that. wow.

[sparkylurkdragon]

thewillowbends said, on this post: Aces...stole...dragons? Do they mean like...you guys claimed it or something?

I’m still not entirely sure where the joke came from (I think it was a riff on headcanons about a Harry Potter character originally?) but ace folks adopted dragons as one of our symbols, which I’ve mostly just found amusing since I’ve been a feral dragon furry for ages. Well, acephobes took exception to that because something something dragons are a beloved children’s creature! Only KIDS like dragons, how DARE you asexual perverts steal from children!!

(Nevermind that dragons are a folkloric motif that have shown up in one form or another in a buttload of different cultures.)

It was very strange and mostly just very funny to me because of how much of a reach it was.

[lassieposting]

@matchstickdolly @thewillowbends it tru

I wonder: Do Americans know about american school buses? Not their existence in general, but how they're seen overseas.

Over here, they're one of the symbols of America, on par with the Statue of Liberty, the flag, the Eagle, and well ahead of any chain restaurant you can name. People won't know any US states, but they will know these vehicles.

The thing is, here in Germany, we don't have dedicated school buses. The general idea is that kids go to school on their own. When that's not practical, they're expected to use (and given free tickets for) public transit. Public transit is designed around this requirement; there are many places where there is a bus, and anyone can get on it, but the route and timetable really only makes sense for school children. In case a dedicated school bus is really needed, that's generally subcontracted out, and the lines either use something like a Sprinter Van for smaller routes, or a normal city or interurban bus (often a used one that's a bit older). School trips are normal public transit, or a rented bus, typically a coach or regional bus.

It's not a perfect system, in the past couple of years there's been an epidemic of people bringing their kids to school in their cars instead of letting them walk, which is less than ideal. It is what it is. But building a dedicated network of public transit lines only for students, and building dedicated vehicles only for that, has never occurred to anyone here.

Of course we know about these buses, from movies and such, but they're as foreign here as cacti or pick-up trucks (actually we're seeing more and more of these here) or yellow cabs (all europeans will assume all cabs in the US are yellow until they actually visit).

You do see these buses here at times, because people still generally like the idea of the US, even if they have a lot of issues with a lot of details, and so folks bring them over, along with stretch limos and stuff (also not really a thing here). And of course, if someone goes to all that trouble, they don't do it to haul school kids, they rent it out for city tours or as a party bus or whatever.

So you see these yellow things as a symbol of faraway places, scenic vistas, some vague undefined idea of freedom that doesn't necessarily hold up to any contact with reality, and it's just a huge part of the whole US aesthetic.

And then you go to a student exchange with the US, and you finally get the chance: You yourself get to ride in one of these iconic chrome yellow buses! It looks just like in the movies! You get in, you drive in them a little…

…and you realise they're shit. Just the worst buses in the western world. Terrible suspension. Uncomfortable seats with weirdly high backs (so they don't have to put seatbelts in, they just restrict how far kids can fly in an accident). Everything made out of the cheapest materials. Turns out the reason why the US uses school buses like that instead of normal modern city buses, which the US has, is to save money and because they just hate kids.

And then it hits you why US Americans say "as American as apple pie", a dish that is made and enjoyed literally anywhere in the world, instead of "as American as yellow school buses". Of course the Americans already knew all this. They got tortured by these things forever. It would never occur to them to see this as a symbol of America, it's just a normal part of life for them. It's a symbol of school and school life and sometimes normalcy, and tells us that these actors getting out of it are supposed to be teenagers, nothing more.

But most people in Europe have, of course, never ridden on these buses. So when they see them in movies and TV, that's a giant big yellow signifier that we're not in Hessen or Wallonia or wherever anymore. A symbol of a different world, one that may be at most a once-in-a-lifetime-experience for most people, just like a picture of a tropical beach, Mayan Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, or Hildesheim (there's no reason to go there twice). And I think Americans don't know that, and that's fascinating.

[arlome]

"for my PhD" WHAT A F*CKING NERD LOL

I was being truthful! 😂😂😂

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

thewillowbends said: I’m glad I’m not the only one who was surprised Dan/Maze wasn’t the shock pairing lol, but I do prefer that she got a female interest instead.

yeah i was so expecting the show to go there and since it seemed like the obvious move in retrospect i’m proud of them for not doing it. honestly if dan had hooked up with maze it wouldn’t have changed anything for her but it would i think have kept dan going down a darker path and he didn’t need that.

giving us canon maze x eve at all is amazing to me and more than i hoped for from a show where eve came in as an obstacle to the core otp.

[greatghuleh]

thewillowbends

replied to your post “okay but when Linda asks Maze if she loves her, instead of what we...”

I will never understand why they didn’t justify her S3 spiral narratively by having her fall in love with Linda and then witness the heartbreak of her dating Amenadiel.

that would have worked so much better!! 

Maze’s story got a bit lost in Season 3 and having more of it revolve more around Linda, her feelings for Linda, her feelings of abandonment around Linda. Would have been so much more solid. and we could have really explored Linda/Maze

[cto10121]

@thewillowbends replied to your post:

A lot of it hinges on whether they have him blind Baghra, IMO. That’ll tell us if they’re sticking with S2’s idiot evil characterization. A lot of the problem of the guy in that book is he’s just not scary. He’s so incompetent in his evil doing that you can’t ever imagine him as a long term threat.

Same here. The evil stuff the Darkling would do in the second and third books made no sense to me, particularly Genya’s scarring and Baghra’s eye-plucking (hello, King Lear!). For one thing, Genya never did betray him or the cause as far as I can recall, just felt sympathy for Alina, and as for Baghra...well, if he didn’t kill or maim her for any of the shit she pulled 500+ ago, why would he start doing it now? Especially since Baghra only warned Alina off (in the show he only threatens her when he thought she hurt or kidnapped Alina). Not to mention his sincerely distraught reaction when she died in Book 3 (then why...mutilate her?). It read as mostly evil for the sake of evil, so honestly my reaction was a shrug. So though he does do more horrible stuff in the books, I can’t blame book shippers for actually not gaf about his atrocities. He just didn’t ring true as a threat.