#this is very pre-relationship still

[cecoeur]

How do you sleep at night? No one to hide behind Betrayed every alibi you had You had every chance to make amends instead you got drunk on bitterness And you still claim that you're innocent, it's sad

[gothicrepetitions]

I’ve often seen with children who live in households where they feel helpless and without any autonomy in their households, they tend to verbally lash out for a sense of control, especially in situations where the adult exerts their authority or power over them (such as demanding they do something or making decisions for them without regard to their own wants). Very true for Sam Winchester (from what we know in pre-series and what we see in at certain points of S1) but imo this often gets misunderstood and misconstrued both by fandom and by other characters

[musubiki]

new tragic plot line by the way is both the to-be snake witch (older daughter) and the current snake witch (mother) die so it goes to the younger daughter who is too young to even traditionally be a witch but the mothers familiar deems it to be so

[theluckiestlb]

as a self-identified adrienette girlie....kinda miss them, ngl.

[8cfc00]

Okay but linc is such a good character??? His development this season has been amazingly consistent and COMPELLING... PLUS, hes not only a good character on his own, but the way he adds to the other teens' arcs is. so good. i think thats why hes shipped with literally almost every other teen... its because his relationships with each of them is just so unique and interesting.

[storfulsten]

Whitty And Bf Personality Swap? Lovely Art By The Way, Truly Inspiring. ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

hm I guess k, not feeling the most creative but here lol

idk lol

mostly based on this bc idk thought the vibes looked fitting in theory lmao:

[shalpilot]

well one of us is going to have to change

[aldisobey]

WIP Word Game!

Always love a tag, and I seriously appreciate it @caffeinatedmunchkin (and also @ollypopwrites because this is the actual game you had tagged me in before). Alright here we go. I’m letting myself be messy here.

Rules:

You will be given a word. Then you share one sentence/excerpt from your WIP(s) that start with each letter of your word.

My key word was S a t i n

I’m breaking the rules and giving you ‘cut content’. I’m toiling over wips in a weird way. I don’t know how else to let some of this see light of day and I’m taking the opportunity to make this what I want. Because these are fun…uh, character studies? These are bits I want to get at, these are things that are true and real for the characters, but I don’t know if I’ll ever have time to flesh it out. They all need editing okay but have fun, here is some writing process, these are all technically 'wips'. You could say they are different stages of stories or scenes. S - is from Nevarran Noble Anatomy, currently dropped shortfic A - is a pulled paragraph from post-epilogue I'm still looking at T - is a silly I - is a look at a dialogue first draft N - is a flowy first draft.

------------------------------

“See that ya shits? The fuck you think might happen if dead tissue gets in there hmmm? You gonna explain that one to dear old Professor ‘I’m not taking more than ten students’ Volkarin that you killed his lover?” Rook’s entire body went red. “Think that’ll help ya make the list?” the botanist was snapping and pointing her fingers, “Yeah and you! I know your family is gonna have a goddamn inheritance war if you can’t find a competent corpse whisper. Mother’s knickers. Idiots.” “Well he can’t be more than a paramour. A proper Nevarran Necromancer would never fail to lavish a lover.” The noble’s jangling limbs gestured to the bare arms of the Warden, smirk on his face as he sneered towards Emmrich. Rook hopped off the examination table with a heavy thump, slammed that muscled weight down, and strode over to that noble. Spit on his shoe. Locked eyes on the shocked countenance before him as he hissed out a, “Hey, darling dearest heart, can I have a knife back. Please. Time for the practical demonstration. I can show where to stab so he’ll live.” “Rook, I think it’s time we took our leave.” Emmrich finally spoke, voice hushed. Rook leaned forward and grinned wide, “I don’t wear rings for a reason, want to see why?” Smile too wide the Warden extended his hand as if in greeting. The laborious movement drew the eye. Bent, bruised, one could tell numerous bones had healed incorrectly. Movements were stiff, cracking, fresh cuts and life long calluses ran the surface. Menacing. It held an air of strength that promised instant injury if the brat dared lay his own there. Emmrich paused overlong. Mind reeling. Rook didn’t know it, but he faced someone with royal connections. And the necromancer knew that stance, this silence. The gathered Nevarrans might think it acting, bravado. But Rook was still. Quiet. Loose. Every nerve primed for movement. He’d kill that man. And for a moment…Emmrich considered letting that happen. Rook didn’t need the knives. Normally the Warden was kind, de-escalating, talking things out if possible. But the moment a threat appeared he removed it. Mercilessly. And Rook wasn’t wrong, a man such as this would be a threat. But only alone, only if Emmrich were to disappear. This was no trouble, this was a fight won by Professor Volkarin long ago. Emmrich smiled pleasantly and swept in between them, back to the student, took hold of Rook’s outstretched hand in both of his, gave it a gentle squeeze, raised it to his lips and held it there as he cooled the Warden’s gaze in the depths of his longing stare. “You needn’t sully your hands darling.” Emmrich spoke slow into the knuckles. One would think the room had emptied but for the two of them. The professor dropped their hands from his lips, twined his fingers with Rooks, and held firm as he drew the rogue away with a gentle pull, “Come, we have a reservation to make.” Smiling dumb Rook let himself be taken away, threw a bright laugh at the noble over his shoulder. “Ooh, those undead cooks again?” “If you desire it dearest.” And they were gone. Rook forgot his shirt.

------------------------------

All Rook’s build. Close as possible. Venatori freshly caught. Spaces of the Necropolis were his alone. The peers that dubbed him ‘young Volkarin’ would be the only few that could check, possibly even see. And their attentions were elsewhere for decades. He could keep them here alive. Long as their lives might permit. Had to remain alive. Material. Simple reagents. The shift in Emmrich’s mind came crashing. He’d saved these men. Had saved many in the chaos of the aftermath. They would be dead without him. The moments of life left were owed.

------------------------------

“Turlum!!” Rook throws a truffle at Davrin, and with a squawk and a ‘dammit Rook’ Davrin never gets to finish the joke he started as he’s smothered in a rush of fur and feathers.

------------------------------

“It…it’s that, but Emmrich it’s mostly not. I’m worried about you.” -this is Harding- “And Rook.” -taash- “And Rook. But Emmrich look at where we’re at. Why did you want to go to the Deep Roads?” “You’re a bad liar” -taash shrug- “Taash, not helping. But they're right. You’re studying the Blight aren’t you?” “And what of it? I’m researching a cure. Harding. It’s changed. Who knows what it will be tomorrow, someone must endeavor to understand it.” -Emmrich- “Should that someone be you? You might be too close. Maybe…maybe just enjoy what you got with Rook now? And if that blight stuff ever changes I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

------------------------------

Night never really came to the Lighthouse. The name alone forbid it. Yet dusk arrived. The pots and pans washed and returned, baths steaming but empty, and the warmth of quiet wrapped the near atmosphere. Rook sat on the floor of Emmrich’s study. Cross legged and hunched on a plush rug before the fire, book propped by a pillow before him. The rug was relatively new. Rook had protested. Floor’s fine! I’ve called worse a bed. Sincerity rang in laughter and a chair sat empty across the room so it must be a preference. But Emmrich had taken it upon himself to see to some comforts. Smiled soft from his desk now as he peered up to see it in use. Recalled it’s christening. Oh pretty! Boots had gone flying the first time Rook spotted it, clothes nearly followed but quick words halted the excess, Emmrich, it was a long day in Arlathan, I don’t want to get twigs in it. Emmrich had ‘nearly’ rolled his eyes at that one. Taken Rook by the shoulders and pushed him to it. Darling, I’m a mage, tidying the thing is a triviality. Please. Rook needed no further encouragement, spun in Emmrich’s hands, placed a peck on his nose, and fell back starfished onto the rug. Landed with a loud thud. Barefoot, grinning, and stretching like a mabari in the mud the rogue sank into the fine fibers sighing. That had been some weeks ago. A few pillows and stacks of books surrounded it now. Rook’s back warmed by the fireplace, furrowed brow visible to Emmrich at his desk. The Warden snorted, almost a laugh, shook his head, brow smoothed and smirking he turned the page. “An error darling?” “Hmm?” Rook didn’t catch it at first. Mind taking a moment to shift from realm of reading thought to listening ear. Blinked as those warm round eyes flicked up to the necromancer. “Oh!” It clicked then and Rook chuckled. “It’s entertaining, but they talk too much in the fights.”

------------------------------

All my moots have been tagged from what I've seen. Okay I haven't seen I'm just not sure who to go to and am crippled by perception and want to throw this out before I don't. use BONES if you see this and want to throw something at me.

[meat-pvppet]

Watching an analysis on orin and i wanna write out or draw smth about orin and deimos' relationship but idk how to present it really

[dainesanddaffodils]

FFXIV WRITE 2024 DAY 30: TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE

Estinien overhears a conversation in Dravania | HW | Rated G | 800 words

It’s a somber walk to the eyrie. None of the party are particularly talkative but since leaving Iceheart behind to grapple with what she had learned, what little conversation there would have been with her is noticeably and uncomfortably absent.

Estinien keeps to the back, scanning the skies lest Nidhogg take a more direct approach to halting their plans. Ahead of him, Cimorene walks with Alphinaud, giving him her silent presence as comfort. For not the first time, and certainly not the last, Estinien considers that he really is just a kid.

When Alphinaud does break the silence the words are clearly for the Warrior of Light alone and so he makes no move to close the distance between them - but that doesn’t mean he can’t hear.

“-feels like the Braves again,” the boy is saying, his voice the smallest Estinien has ever heard it. None of his usual airs of confidence and maturity.

There is a beat of silence. “Oh, Alphinaud. No, this isn’t like that.”

“Isn’t it? I- I was naive again. Assumed I knew best for everyone again. And I was wrong. Again.” Cimorene makes a noise like she’s about to speak and he waves her off. “And now I must again have you clean up my mess.”

“Alphinaud,” Cimorene says again, her tone just a little harder. Estinien has noted it’s the closest she gets to yelling and Alphinaud reacts accordingly, ducking his head and falling silent.

“We all agreed to this, all right?” She continues. “It may have been your idea but that does not make it your failure. Remember, the goal was to halt the Dravanian attack before it began; we are still doing that, even if it is not the way we wanted.”

“By continuing the cycle of violence?”

Cimorene shakes her head. “Ishgard needs to change; they will need to know what their forefathers began and that their history has been built on a lie. And that will take time - the kind of time they won’t have if they have Nidhogg forever tormenting them. Hraesvelgr made it very clear that he doesn’t want Ishgard to repent, he wants them to suffer, eternally. Naught else will stop him or this war, paradoxical as it may seem.”

Estinien nearly stops walking. It’s the most he has ever heard her speak at once, he thinks, and what’s more… it is the exact argument he would have given had he been speaking to the young lord, almost word for word. It’s not the first time he’s felt as though she knows his mind, but often that mutual understanding has been as silent as she is. It is something else to hear her speak it aloud.

The boy nods. “I know, I know. I just… I had such hope…”

“I did, too. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not happy that this is how we must end this and-” She lowers her voice. “I don’t think he is either.”

Now he does freeze - part in surprise and part in order to get out of the hearing distance the Warrior of Light clearly doesn’t think he is in. Still, he doesn’t want them separating from him while they’re in a hostile environment. He shakes himself and takes a couple long strides to bring back at least the original distance between them.

He misses what Alphinaud has said, but he is still clearly the subject as Cimorene responds, “- was a surprise. I’m glad he was with us and… I am glad we will be facing Nidhogg together.”

The edge from her voice is gone again, leaving it soft and sweet and warm - even when she is speaking of facing a Great Wyrm. She’s a very fascinating contradiction.

“You do work well, I’ve seen,” Alphinaud observes, sounding also a little more like himself. Estinien is grateful for anything that makes him less dejected - even if that is… him, apparently. “I wonder if… never mind.”

Cimorene makes a questing noise but Alphinaud doesn’t say more, instead looking over his shoulder at Estinien and raises his voice. “Ah, you are still with us; you were so quiet I thought we might have lost you.”

He huffs. “Funny. Someone has to keep an eye on the sky. We are far from safe out here.”

Cimorene, having followed Alphinaud’s backward glance, says nothing at first, regarding him with a small smile. In that look alone he knows she knows that he has listened to the entire conversation. She places a hand over mouth to smooth it back down and turns away again.

“He’s right - we should pick up the pace.”

Without another word she takes her own advice, continuing briskly on their path. Alphinaud makes a startled noise and quickly lengthens his strides to catch up.

Estinien hesitates a second longer, then shakes his head and follows.

[mikodrawnnarratives]

gonna ramble for a bit cuz im thinking about maggie again

do you think maggie ever thinks about how long it would take for someone to find out she was dead if any bad encounter on the street ended with her life, since she doesn't have anyone wondering were she is if she went missing? No one to submit a missing person report after she'd disappear? No one knows were she lives currently, how would they know were to search?

do you think she stops that train of thought because Obviously she'd never let it happen and she's too good at surviving for that

do you think that as much as she suppresses the thoughts, they always come back up when she's putting her life on the line in a city full of rooky vigilantes? anything can become a near death encounter when everyone is a prodigy, everyone has powers that the majority of the population has only had a couple years to master? She could be one accident away from dying. After a day of risky actions, she's left to try and rest with her stomach churning and gut knotted over morbid what-ifs

Do you think when these thoughts do pop up, whether she would wonder if she'd be recognizable as a mangled corpse? With no living relatives, no one close over the years, wonder how they would identify her? The renegades have proved their record keeping is faulty with her at least two times, who's to say she wouldn't be correctly identified in such an event.

Maybe there would be a flicker of wonder for if she'd finally be matched up and identified as her parents daughter, assuming the Renegades had that data to match up and say her corpse had their blood. But even in that scenario, it isn't like she'd be able to enjoy that discovery

Do you think these thoughts would infuriate her with their persistence? That she keeps thinking about who would be the first to find her body, or who would mourn her? Would anyone? Would anyone in the renegades care? Would they mourn HER or the missed potential she had? Would they mourn who she was or who she never became?

she wishes she didn't care about the answers

[illumorial]

yall give me like. a week or two, and ill drop the harmonia doc HAJSJAJBAJ (she was NOT having a good time btw.)

[impossible-rat-babies]

I love ppl doing bad end for vierapril day 10 ! love to see it ! but tbh there’s half dozen bad end possibilities for eyrie that I could not pick

[chuchayucca]

Tbh I'm surprised nobody else has brought up the idea of Richard being abused too

It feels like a lot of potential for it and an explanation (aside from their status) as to why Roy never got help for it either -- Richard thought it was normal.

Now this is just making me imagine a scene where Carmen remarks that Roy will "grow out of it" (it being his behavior) like Richard did in front of the other Hatz and Ross and Robert just share a Look

Anddd now I'm wondering how much Carmen knows

TW for discussions of fictional CSA/SA and mentions of alcoholism

Me too, I thought it would be an obvious assumption but I guess not.

Exactly, I’ve seen the fandom explore Carmen and Roy’s relationship regarding his CSA but never with Richard. I think it’s ashamed because there’s a lot you can write for the relationship, even outside of their CSA.

Omg that’s a good scene idea. The Hatzgang are realized there is a deeper issue, and Roy has to unfortunately unpack that generational trauma. I can see how learning his dad is a possible CSA victim, like him, starts pushing Roy to tell his parents but also discourages him because basically Richard unknowingly knew Roy was SA but never recognized it because he doesn’t know he was SA too. I also believe Richard normalized his brother’s actions too. It’s truly devastating how Richard indirectly contributed to the normalization of Roy’s abuse but he doesn’t know it’s SA. He believes those fun “games” him and his brother played were normal family bonding activities and is happy to hear his son is getting along with his brother, a brother he admired when growing up.

These headcanons might change as the series continues and the deeper I get into research.

I headcanon Carmen doesn’t know anything but has suspected something was off a few times. She never thought anything of Richard’s behavior at first because he alway been this way. When they became adults, she started questioning as Richard still had issues with intimacy at that point in their relationship and his alcoholism was at its worst. (Short ver: Richard started drinking at a young age to cope with trauma of his SA and the Uncle encouraged this, buying him alcohol for various reasons. Modern day, Richard is a functional alcoholic but has gotten better with his drinking)

As of the moment, Roy’s parents are unaware of Roy’s CSA. The day the Uncle died, Roy did get in trouble but for separate reasons. Carmen and Richard were mad at Roy for hanging out with “plebeians” and sending them to one of his uncle’s private properties. Roy doesn’t feel comfortable telling them yet because they’re snobby, judgmental people, so he assumes they won’t react well.

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

The issue of power is so interesting (or something) to see because yes, from an economic perspective Taylor undoubtedly has more sway -- she's one of the most famous people on the planet, she's a billionaire, her every move is followed, etc. So I can almost sort of understand the concern, in another scenario, where some people may expect that she could crush her detractors (For instance, I'm thinking about how Harvey W. silenced his victims as a Hollywood mogul, or how corporate titans silence whistleblowers which I feel are analogies some people may turn to. Or maybe we've all just watched too much of the Roys on Succession.)

I said this in the tags of a post the other day I think, but I think some of the discourse is kind of conflating power with platform. And yes, Taylor undoubtedly has a bigger platform, again by virtue of her fame and position in the media/industry. But part of that is that she's visible in these areas, and her presumed subjects aren't, of their own choice. If any of these subjects ever chose to spoke out, or make art based on their experiences, or pursue opportunities in the media/public eye, they would absolutely be given a platform for it. (Going way back, think of how JM used the media to give his side of the story through his music and his interviews after their split. And I'd argue he was probably way more public/direct about it than she ever was.)

If any of these people decided they wanted their side of the story out there, it would be and it would absolutely be turned into a story. (And arguably that may already be starting but that's a whole other thing.) And this is just my opinion, but given that the subjects of these topics are often privileged white men, I'd argue that their sides tend to carry (more) weight regardless of their economic status in relation to her. If JM or JG or JA or HS wrote a book or a song or a script about their experiences, even only insinuating about her, it'd be the conversation. And not to be a cupcake about it, but the media seems to always want to find something to knock her down a peg about (which, sure, journalism's job is to hold people accountable, but that's not what always happens here and we know it), so they would absolutely give this the time of day, if they chose to put anything out there.

The thing is, I do see in a superficial way that there is there is a clear difference in their socioeconomic/celebrity status, and perhaps that's perceived as a power imbalance, but that's implying that she's dictating a whole host of entities out of her control, and I just don't think she holds the sway of those that some feel she does. Don't get me wrong, she's absurdly wealthy and has influence, but so do so many other people around her, including those who don't support her. (That's the wrong word for it, but I just mean, people who aren't in her circle/sympathetic to her.) And as I've posted about so so so many times before, THESE OTHER PEOPLE (men) ARE WEALTHY AND IN THE PUBLIC EYE TOO. They are all in careers that entail celebrity and involve their own influence in the media. These are not shrinking violets in private civil life who are like, grocery store checkout clerks. They're actors and musicians and media personalities who play the same game. And even the "poorest" of these subjects for the most part are millionaires who are far, far wealthier than any of us will ever be in our lifetimes. They may choose to stay off of social media or the press when it suits them, but they could absolutely make art or give interviews about their experiences and they would command their own kind of influence. (I'd also argue that they would be given a platform thanks to Taylor's platform, but that's another thing.)

I don't want to dismiss the influence of her wealth and stature in the entertainment industry, and I feel like that's kind of where the perceived "imbalance" comes from, but to be frank, I feel like if any of these other subjects spoke out, the media would be so quick to raise their stature in the press for the sake of clicks/controversy/what have you. Critics claim that Taylor can crush any story or person who goes against her, but I think given the breadth of stories out there about her at any given time (the NYT op ed, the jet stuff, the DM stuff, etc.) I don't think that's true; I think the publicity/clicks outlets get for covering stuff, even if salacious, outweighs any concerns over upsetting her or burning bridges. (Not saying that may have not happened, but... I think it would be more obvious if it were a regular occurrence these days.) If anything, 2016 through rep kinda proves that she doesn't have the "control" of the media that some claim she does.

But most importantly, THE ALBUM ISN'T OUT YET. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE LYRICS ARE. Taylor gets accused of writing diss tracks, but she rarely does, and I don't think she's written an outright callout song since her Fearless/Speak Now days when she was a teenager/very young adult. Just about everything since Red on has been about her own feelings, experiences, etc. and not a literal "you did x and y and z and you're stupid and i hate you" song. She's not calling people out by name, and truly only chronically online fans are going to deduce who songs are about; five years from now, people discovering the music will just know they're bops (or depressingly sad breakup songs, as the case may be).

I don't know where I'm going with this, i'm talking in circles, it's just interesting how things are being interpreted or assumed so far. I fully acknowledge I'm a cupcake so I'm generally not going to jump to the worst conclusion about Taylor, but there's also curious sociological/gender stuff happening in these conversations. I absolutely think that if the roles were reversed and her exes were billionaire household names and she was an indie artist, nobody would ever talk about power dynamics. I think it's all moot because like so many people have said, I don't think the album is going to be what some think it's going to be, and I think it's going to be way more introspective/vulnerable/dark than what they assume a breakup album is going to be, though obviously I don't know anymore than they do. It's just funny because you never hear about this with other people. (Like, was there a big fuss when Kelly Clarkson wrote a breakup album about her ex-husband? I know she's not as wealthy as Taylor and her ex was probably wealthier than Taylor's exes, but she's someone with sway in the industry and is on TV everyday, but everyone kind of said "lol her ex was a jackass wow she writes sad banger ballads" and moved on.)

Anyway I don't want to start shit or anything, but I'm just giving my two cents about my observations of the whole media landscape stuff.

[three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat]

Hate it when people say aoc when they mean pre-calamity. Like sir no they are the same yes but they are also very different! Even before Terrako's intervention things were different!