#this is the best tagging game ever

[critter-covenant]

tryin' to get along

singin' a little song

[puhpandas]

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY SECURITY BREACH!!!!

[amessformiles]

the sibling energy was STRONG in this one 😭

[genikrispies]

the modesty tiger........ 🫣🐯🎀

[hermanubis]

Blood & Stars / Tears & Time

[rin-sith]

I love. LOVE. Get In the Water

It's one of the objectively best songs in the musical; I will die on this hill.

Poseidon was always, despite being pretty much the main antagonist of EPIC, a really underdeveloped character in my opinion. He just needed a little more nuance, and the fact that one (+ kind of one more) song managed to add so much to his characterization pretty much exclusively through subtext and implications is incredibly impressive writing. Because it did!

At the start, he's yet again playing games with Odysseus, the way he did in Ruthlessness. In both songs, he could kill him easily at any point, yet he chooses not to for the sake of playing games. In Ruthlessness, this becomes his own hubris as it leads to Odysseus escaping.

If you listen closely, at the start of GITW he already sounds slightly different. He's still trying to keep up this "God of Ruthlessness" front that he's so proud of, but he's no longer more or less carefree the way he was in Ruthlessness. He's been obsessing over this feud for ten years, and even if he would never admit it, it's actually clear just from his voice that he really is tired of it too. Not in the sense of it emotionally draining him the way it probably does Odysseus, but in the sense that it's a bother, a loose end in his life, a book that he finally wants to slam shut.

But he still has a reputation to uphold, and he still cannot close this book until Odysseus is dead, so he keeps up the game. Instead of just killing him, he's taunting him to kill himself. He might associate the idea of just striking him down with a sort of loss, like then he'd have to get his hands dirty. Then he's rambling about killing his people, his family. He's provoking Odysseus on purpose, likely trying to get him to snap back, to hate and fear him the way that Poseidon would think any mortal who has consumed this much of his time should. In his eyes, Odysseus deserves nothing less than to curse him with his last breath as his "darkest moment," the god who became the bane of his life.

And Odysseus replies, of all things, with ... sympathy.

Honestly, I don't blame Poseidon for being speechless for three full seconds. He literally just threatened to gauge Telemachus' eyes out the way Odysseus did with Polyphemus, and this absolute madlad of a man replies with an acknowledgment that he (might have) caused Poseidon pain too.

Now, I don't really think Poseidon was particularly hurt over Polyphemus' loss, or hurting in any way in that moment (if he were, I highly doubt he'd still be playing games, and he would've mentioned his son as opposed to speaking about his reputation.) But just the fact that Odysseus acknowledges that he might be hurting too is probably something Poseidon hasn't heard in ... who knows how long? His family is the Olympians. I don't think I have to say more.

It's actually more of a genuine apology than Odysseus' explanation in Ruthlessness ... (even though that was also a perfectly fine apology by Greek standards, as far as I'm aware.) Now he doesn't say "sorry" because he's still not sorry for hurting Polyphemus, since he still needed to do that in order to escape. But he expresses regret over the pain he caused in a more genuine way than ever.

I am convinced that Poseidon is utterly unfamiliar with sympathy or mercy. He's lived by his "Ruthlessness is mercy" motto for centuries, and he doesn't know anything else. No one would try to teach him something different. The other gods all live by this logic, even if he's the most vocal about it considering he seems to have made it his whole personality. Mortals wouldn't dare to question Poseidon in the first place. And barely anyone would be willing to treat someone with kindness who is in turn treating everyone around them with ruthlessness.

It's very likely that Poseidon hasn't encountered anyone like this until Odysseus. Ruthlessness is simply how he treats people and also how he expects to be treated back. The fact that Odysseus doesn't, the fact that instead of hating, fearing, or cursing him, he acknowledges that they have both hurt each other and that it doesn't lead anywhere to still pursue vengeance, must have triggered Poseidon in an unprecedented way.

To him, this was probably the most outrageous thing Odysseus could have said in that moment. And it throws him off so much that he is genuinely speechless, and then simply replies, "I can't." ... his most genuine-sounding line in the whole musical.

I cannot stress enough how much it threw me off to hear this line; in the best way imaginable, it doesn't sound like Poseidon. It sounds almost vulnerable. Almost human. Because he is genuinely at a loss so much that he forgets to put up his "wrathful god" facade for just one second. Standing ovation to Steven Rodriguez for his whole performance, but especially this part.

And then Odysseus goes all out to say something even more outrageous: "Maybe you could learn to forgive?"

... Which is when Poseidon snaps.

Kind of understandable, honestly. There's this mortal whom he has likely fantasized about seeing pleading, hate-filled, and terrified, cowering before him for ten years now ... telling him that he ought to learn something. Even hijacking his own motif and his instrument in order to turn it on its head, "defile" it if you will.

This f*cking mortal pr*ck took his own "Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves" catchphrase and turned it into forgiveness ... Of course, Poseidon is no longer hesitating; of course, he is no longer concerned with getting his hands dirty or not. He yells "DIE!" and unleashes his ultimate move (which is really overkill for simply killing a mortal if you think about it) ... But he does it anyway because this time he genuinely means it.

... That, and I am also convinced he jumps to that in order to simply shut Odysseus up, fearing what he might do or think if he lets him go on. Because you cannot tell me that Odysseus didn't actually reach him for just one moment. He was far too thrown off guard, far too vulnerable in that one second. That moment of kindness did something to him, and he hated it. He also probably didn't trust himself to be able to keep listening to Odysseus speak like that. So, he abandons his (still very technically feasible!) blackmail/intimidation and just straight-up kills him.

This simple exchange (my favorite moment in the whole musical, actually) tells us so much about both of these characters that it makes me want to skitter and squeal in excitement.

Here is Odysseus—the very same one whom Poseidon specifically tried to teach ruthlessness—becoming the first person in a long time to offer him sympathy despite how Poseidon himself showed him nothing but ruthlessness. And then one song later, here is Odysseus showing him the consequences of not accepting said sympathy.

Six Hundred Strike and what Odysseus does to Poseidon would've not hit the same, in my opinion, if he hadn't made this offer, if he hadn't given Poseidon this way out, even if no one watching genuinely expected it to work (probably not even Odysseus himself.)

Six Hundred Strike is not Odysseus exacting vengeance If GITW proved anything about Odysseus, it's that he does not want vengeance. He wants all of the hatred and pain to be over, to the point where he is willing to let go of, and I am inclined to say forgive Poseidon for what he's done to him. Six Hundred Strike is simply Odysseus teaching him this lesson that Poseidon couldn't have learned in any other way, because he has proven in GITW that he genuinely does not speak any language besides that of ruthlessness (more on that in this essay!)

It's just the perfect representation of how Odysseus has now finally learned the balance between mercy and ruthlessness, which seems to be the core theme of the musical: Both have their time and place; one simply has to be willing to act in both ways and know when to use either. No one extreme is the solution. I am genuinely exhilarated that Odysseus finally seemed to have figured out that it's been both all along.

[kingdoms-edge]

Today being the last day of 3ds online has me feeling very nostalgic and wistful. I love the switch but it does not have the magic of the 3ds. It's not just about dual screens, it was the accessibility. It was less expensive, more portable, had more cheap games you could play with your friends, and a lot of people underestimate just how fantastic some 3ds games are. Streetpass alone was a phenomenon, and along with 3ds menu themes, illustrates a sort of magic that I feel nintendo has been losing sight of since the switch.

With the way games are going in the modern day (higher price tags and system reqs, tons of focus on AAA titles, people needing graphics to be absurdly good for no practical reason), I find myself latching onto my older games more and more. Sure, some of it is a nostalgia-tinted lens, memories from a happier and simpler time of life. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing.

Even after the online services go down, I'll always be playing my 3ds until the hardware breaks to unusability and I can't find another one. I'll play locally with my friends whenever we can. I lament how things must change, but I go on anyway. Here's to my favorite console ever made, may it never really die.

[madbard]

I think Tumblr might be giving me a skewed impression of what ‘In Blood and Stars’ is about.

@actingwithportals this image is your fault. Thank you.

[zwierzodudle]

every time i get prae in the roulette i put off starting gaius' questline for another month (i will never start it)

[bigfootsmom]

tease/tidbit tuesday

No one tagged me but I’m still gonna post something anyways cause the laws of this land mean nothing to me. Have some more of buck’s oof ouchy broken ears:

The weight of a hand suddenly settles on Buck’s shoulder, sending a jolt through him as he jumps just about a foot in the air, heart pounding in his throat as he whirls around. He hadn’t heard anyone coming up behind him. That’s probably not a good sign.

Eddie is standing in front of him, arm still outstretched with his hand hovering in the air between them. From what Buck can make out of his face, Eddie’s brow is knotted with concern. Buck squints, willing the world to stay still for a second.

Eddie’s mouth forms the familiar shape of Buck’s name, his eyebrows drawing together to form a question. Buck can’t tell if he actually heard him, or his brain supplied one of many memories to fill the silence. Well, not silence, more like a buzzing so loud Buck has a half serious thought that somehow some of the bees had managed to crawl their way into his head.

“What?” Buck asks, his voice startling him as it bounces around the confines of his skull.

Eddie’s eyebrows climb up his forehead and his mouth moves again, his lips and teeth moving almost too fast for Buck to parse out the words. The mustache doesn’t help much either.

Tagging:

@usersiren @honestlydarkprincess @swiftietartt @holdmygum @maygrantgf

@lonelychicago @monsterrae1 @underwaterninja13 @father-salmon @devirnis

@giddyupbuck @princessfbi @homerforsure @mellaithwen @bisexual-buck

@boykisserbuckley @shyaudacity @eddiebabygirldiaz @thequeenofcarvenstone @smallandalmosthonest

@eowon @iinryer @try-set-me-on-fire and anyone else who has something they want to post!

[felassan]

SPOILERS FOR MEMORIES

The asks are back!

How did you feel about Felassan? I was thinking of you the whole time.

Any idea what the Slaughter of the Pillars could be referring to?

hello! ◕‿◕ (rest of post under cut due to DA:TV spoilers)

indeed ~ヾ(＾∇＾) having completed the game now I'm no longer afraid of spoilers hhh. I hope that you enjoyed the game? tysm for writing and thinking of me, that is 🥺..

Felassan - some random reactions: [one, two, three]. I was sooo excited and shook to see Felassan in the game!! I yelped/hooted out loud like a clown (...) and then it was kind of overwhelming (in a good way). and then it took me quite some time to process or gather my thoughts about it. I was sure that there would at least be some references to him in codexes/notes etc or allusions made in passing dialogue like Cole and Solas’ lines about him in Trespasser. then when the marketing mentioned that we would see flashbacks from Solas’ past in the Crossroads, I was like aaa omg, wouldn’t that be the perfect time to actually show Felassan??, as a Fade memory or flashback or spirit echo or something. so I was hoping like🕯️🕯️ but still wasn't prepared to see him as a voiced in-game model, or for the amount of content relating to him (all those codexes and notes etc) that there was.

Slaughter of the Pillars - the Pillars of the Earth are the Titans. (“Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!”) That undead boss embodies one of Solas’ greatest regrets, what he and Mythal did to the Titans during the war with them - sundering every Titan from their spirit, severing them from their dreams, which resulted in the Blight as the dreams were driven mad. it also in a sense broke the dwarves in two and caused the fall of the fate of the dwarven people. Beyond the mural-memory that pertains to this in DA:TV, there are depictions of this time in the ancient past in the DA:TV artbook: [one, two]. Annotations there describe Solas rendering the Titans tranquil and capturing their souls; dwarves as a consequence then losing their connection to magic and fleeing into the now-Tranquil earth; and the Evanuris then building Elvhenan using the power of the captured Titan souls.

[a-most-beloved-fool]

For the writing prompts;

19. For luck - Rom and Leeta

"And then," Bashir was saying - though in truth, Rom was paying only half attention, far too busy thinking about Leeta - "she came right up to me, and kissed me on the lips!"

"Oh, she did, did she?" Chief O'Brien said, scoffing good-naturedly.

"It's true!" Bashir insisted, though he didn't look insulted by the Chief's doubt. He was smiling into his glass, seeming quite delighted by the disbelieving frown on O'Brien's face.

Rom didn't quite understand what was supposed to be so 'unbelievable' about the story. In fact - "It seems pretty believable to me," he said. "Doctor Bashir's always kissing beautiful women." (Including, at one point, Leeta - though not anymore, Rom thought with some pleasure.)

"Yes, but this one was out of his league," the Chief said, batting his hand playfully across the table.

Bashir just smiled bashfully, ignoring the swipe. "Ah, well. You're right about that. She wasn't really interested in me after all. Turns out, she'd just misconstrued the human concept of a 'good luck kiss'".

"Ohh! A 'good luck kiss'!" Rom said eagerly. Then, after a pause, "Uh, what's a 'good luck kiss'?"

The Chief sat back, idly crossing his arms. "Well, it's pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It's a kiss that you give someone to wish them luck."

"Oh," Rom said, considering that. Luck was always a good thing to have. Perhaps... "Oh! Leeta!" He stood, sending his chair clattering backwards. "I'll be back!" he shouted, then raced from Quark's bar, ignoring his brother's parting shout out dismay.

He needed to find Leeta.

--

"Leeta! Waaaait!" Rom hollered, shuffling through the crowded promenade as quickly as he could manage, chasing after her familiar voice. "Leeta! I need to give you something!"

This would be easier, he thought, if Bajorans could hear as well as Ferengi could.

But, at last, Leeta stopped, turning to find him. "Rom? Rom, what's the matt-"

The rest of her sentence trailed off into a hum as Rom reached up, pulling her down to plant a kiss square on her lips. One of her hands cupped Rom's cheek, soft. Rom didn't really know how long a 'good luck kiss' was supposed to last for - he really should have gotten more details before running off (for example, does it need tongue? Bashir never specified.) - but he thought that this should satisfy it.

He pulled away, grinning toothily up at his wife. "Hi, Leeta," he said.

She smiled down at him, cheeks flushed and lovely as always. "Hi, Rom. What was that for?" she asked, looking bemused and delighted.

"It's a kiss," Rom said, perhaps unnecessarily. "For luck," he added. "It's a hoo-man tradition!"

"For luck? Rom," she asked, laughing, "what are you wishing me luck for?"

Rom blinked. "Uhhh... For your day?"

Leeta beamed at him, and then leaned down, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Well, I think it worked. I do feel pretty lucky now."

Rom grinned. "Me, too."

--

(also if anyone else wants to make a request, the ask game is here. i can't promise they'll get done as quick or be as long as this one is, though!)

[fghgfgf]

I FUCKING HATE JIMMY

[sakura-no-eclair]

my first birthday art for a Genshin character!

they are chib because I stopped drawing for too long apparently and suck now..

[bandi-fundi]

Hattie!!

[xxplastic-cubexx]

PROFESSOR X MARVEL RIVALS ANNOUNCEMENT REAL ???? ON MY BIRTHDAY ???