#tho I saw someone say this was ambiguous

[amphibious-thing]

"You have left some such remembrance behind you that I assure you (if 'tis any satisfaction to you to know it) you are not in the least Danger of being forgotten. The favours I have received at Your Honour's Hands are of such a Nature that tho' the impression might wear out of my Mind, yet they are written in such lasting characters upon every Limb, that 'tis impossible for me to look on a Leg or an Arm without having my Memory refresh'd. I have some thoughts of exposing the marks of your pollisonerie [lewdness] to move Compassion, as the Beggers that have been Slaves at Jerusalem doe the burnt Crucifix upon their Arms; they have remain'd so long that I begin to think they are equally indelible."

~ Lord Hervey to Stephen Fox, 1 June 1727

[burstinn]

REQUEST!

as a male!Reader, I feel very represented in your works,

could you write a male!Reader that’s really tall? Like, humongous? In hight, and body? (In the military as well)

I always see male!Readers that are so small and tiny and baby.

like, no. You get me? Just saying. Thanks!

Male! Reader with the height and body of a goddamn Monster.

(Headcanons)

Note: some mentions on top reader but I like to keep it ambiguous. So you can read it as a switch! Reader. This is a quick drabble of some Hcs

People shown: Ghost, Soap, Gaz, Price, Keegan, Graves, Nikto, König, Horangi, Logan Walker,Roach, Makarov, Krueger

-Reader is 6'5.

-Basically built like the Russian terminator guy

GHOST

- Got shocked when he first saw you, wanted to seem more intimidating than you.

-So he puffed out his chest and glared at you.. Bro wants to challenge you nahh 😭😭🙏🙏

-You would fold him tho ngl (in the ring and in bed fr fr)

-when he got comfortable with you kinda jealous his title of the big, tall intimidating man got taken away.

-When you sparred with Ghost it was a tough fight but you managed to get Ghost in a chokehold wrapping one of your tough bulging sexy ass arms around Ghost's neck.

-Never knew he wanted to be man handled so bad it was Hot he had to excuse himself and run off because he got hard.

-Starts imaging if your cock is just as big.. Spoiler alert.. It is..

SOAP

-Looks at you then Ghost mind blown that there was someone more humongous than Ghost

-Teased Ghost for awhile

-Drools over your pecs..

-He totally dreams of being crushed by you..

Or being crushed between Ghost and you.. Or both..

-Asks if he could feel your guns (Your arms..)

(IT COULD ALSO BE YOUR HUGE THROBBING CO-)

-Keeps glancing at your cock. Even though it's clothed.. I mean look at you.. Your manhood is basically too tight for your pants he can literally see your outline.

-Soap asked if he could measure your Length.. So he could see how far it could go inside of him YK?! YOU UNDERSTAND.

GAZ

-More interested than having dirty thoughts.

-Keeps asking how you got that big

-Wants to be just as strong as you

-Cutie patootie (T_T)

-Basically hangs around you to see how you work

-Even follows you so he could watch you train and spar

-Asks about your diet and if how your body looks is genetic

-inspired by you. Like a child (😭😭WHALUAAHHAH GAZZ)

PRICE

-Beneficial for him I mean he gets to have another soldier that's just as intimidating as Ghost.. Maybe even more.

-Is like a proud father

-Talks to everyone about you and how bla bla bla

-Trains with you

-He'd show you tricks and tips on how he trains and you show him tips and tricks on how you train

-Probably has a picture of you at his desk.. Beside the other pictures of his other not biological family. Aka. The whole 141..basically has a pic of everyone they all family up in 'ere

KEEGAN

-Heh.. Yknow.. Pictures..

-In the showers in lockers makes sure he's there near so he can see you in all your glory

-Probably had wet dreams about you

-Also makes sure he's there when your training. It's not like he's obvious everyone there is fuckin watching you

-What's that? You wearing a compression shirt? 🤨🤨 nuh uh in the sex chamber you go 👉

-Touching, touching, touching EVERYTHING

NIKTO

-Quiet

-What the fuck

-Silent panicking

-Jealous very jealous

-Compares himself to you, would train harder just so he can look like you (bb nooo 😭😭)

-Would watch also how you train your body so he could copy it

-You caught him once training in the middle of the night.. And he's using your technique on how you use the punching bags.. He's just getting some stuff wrong..

-When he notices you he got.. Slightly embarrassed and angry.. Panicked inside when you came closer asking him if he was using your technique in training

-You trained him properly on how you do it.

-so like now.. You train him in the middle of the night..

GRAVES

-same as price shows you off but more in an annoying way

-Hes boasting

-Would face you off against his strongest shadows no diff you still win.. Yuuuhhh

-Subtle touching like hand on shoulder, arm, head whatever.

KÖNIG

-Relieved that he has someone that looks like him.. Albeit slightly shorter.. Still!

-Got nervous meeting you first.. Forced himself to act tough to impress you I mean he is a colonel

-Makes sure to be in missions with you. Wants to see you in your most serious and intimidating

-Got intimidated himself once he saw how you act on field

-Tries to be on your good side the whole time

-One day he was watching you and just started thinking about YOU KNOWWW!!

-Blasphemous! He got red and cried to Horangi about it

HORANGI

-You know about this guy

-He's silly

-He'd read fanfics thinking it's him and you

-he'd make fanfics too, about you and him maybe adds König

-Shows it to König all proud and shit as if König isn't looking at him with absolute horror in his face when he reads what Horangi wants to do with you or you with him.

-He's delusional

-Slapped your ass and blamed it on someone else that's near him. It was König.

-Is it as veiny as your arms? A man can only dream.

-gives you a soda can and tells you to crush it in your arms.. Better yet in between your legs.

-Would then tell you like "good now do my head"

-PlEASE let him be between your thighs

LOGAN WALKER

-Rolled his eyes when he saw you

-Avoids you like the plague

-Why doesn't he like you? No idea. He a big pussy bitch is what. He sad you get more dick n pussy than him.

-Complained about you to Hesh

-He may not like you. He can't lie tho. You are good at your job so like he can't do anything about that

MAKAROV

-Sex Chamber. Now.

ROACH

-Quiet around you..

-Looks up at you like a damn bug. It's cute. He likes it when he looks up at you

-He'd jump on you and crawls around like a cockroach

-haha funi jok

-Would use your shoulder as a seat.

-If you do pushups he'd be on top of your back

ALEX KELLER

-Oh..

-Audible gulp sound (haha he's drinking your seme-)

KRUEGER

-Curses in German

-Dreaming about HAHAHAHAAHAH

-If he's fingering his gun to clean it he just.. Thinks..

-If he sees YOU finger your gun to clean it.. That's it he's done.

-He's dragging you somewhere

[mythalism]

ok im going to try and parse through my feelings on the entire game in the hopes that expelling these thoughts from my brain will allow me to actually sleep because i am running on about 3 hours right now

i will start positive with the things i absolutely loved:

solas. whos suprised

just kidding i will elaborate further of course. genuinely, from a (mostly) objective writing perspective, he is the best part of this game. like hands down. his writing is bonkers insane. he has the best lines and the most complexity out of any character in the game (besides mythal perhaps). i was so so so afraid they were going to completely woobify him into someone who was right all along and never did anything wrong in his life blah blah to make him sympathetic to a new audience. they did not give a fuck however and i could not be more glad. he is exactly the dread wolf and bringer of nightmares of legend. he is so wonderfully in character, even if that character is not someone we saw in inquisition (we saw solas, not the dread wolf!). there are moments that solas shines through, like in his mentions of varric in the very beginning, when he mentions his love for the inquisitor, his convo with a rook he respects (which i do believe was genuine, even if he betrays them anyway. we know that he regularly betrays people that he likes and respects lol), the way he helps the shadow dragons and saves the dalish, and of course in his final scene with the inquisitor. he manages to retain that perfect back and forth, mask on and mask off, solas vs. fen'harel dichotomy with a different balance than the one we saw in inquisition. in inquisition, we saw solas with hints of the dread wolf peeking through. in veilguard, we see the dread wolf with hints of solas peeking through. ok i need to move on or i will talk about him forever. but they nailed the moral ambiguity with him. they nailed the theme of forgiveness being hard. i loved when harding said something along the lines of "there is no one who doesnt deserve forgiveness" this is one of the few consistent themes that this game was successful in exploring. ok ok moving on now i promise

i also loved mythal (fragment mythal, not morrigan mythal who was a flop). admittedly i am a mythal stan, but her integration into this story was a highlight for me. she haunted the narrative in such a great way. it added so much complexity to solas. hearing him GROWL at elgar'nan in rage "you have lost the right to say her name" made me scream in glee. i loved talking to her and having to prove my worth to her. i love that it was hard and she would kill you without hesitation if she found you unworthy. i love that if she does find you worthy she is instrumental in changing solas's mind. i loved her dragon appearance even if she was useless in the damn fight lol. morrigan mythal sucked tho but thats for later

similar vein but the main quests were fantastic, with a few caveats. but overall every main quest had me hooked, having so much fun, at the edge of my seat and screaming and flailing in my chair. weisshaupt was incredible, BLOOD OF ARLATHAN WAS INSANE (the solas elgarnan bitch fight will go down in history as a moment of all time for me) and of course the finale was some of the best writing ive seen from bioware. the way suspense was built was well done, the stakes felt high, and the twists were interesting.

choice and consequence was absolutely banger. i gasped when i went back to dock town after leaving minrathous to fend for itself and saw a gallows with bodies hanging from nooses and piles of bodies in the streets. i gasped when harding died. i gasped when bellara got blighted. definitely the best choice and consequence in the entire franchise and it was very satisfying. i feel motivated to play again to see different options play out.

the environments are fucking insane. genuinely insane giga brained genius. i have never been so gagged by a video game like this. not only were they beautiful but they were well-designed, interesting and diverse. i rarely got bored anywhere (except treviso lol) and i was regularly picking my jaw up off the floor. some highlights for me were the anderfels area where you first meet davrin with that amazing vista, kal sharok, the docktown catacombs, pretty much anything in arlathan, the deep roads, and honestly so much. absolutely beautiful.

this game felt incredibly cinematic and the direction was fantastic. the cutscenes were so well done and they transitioned so smoothly into gameplay. the animation was fantastic, and everything was so engaging to watch. my favorite cutscene has to be when solas is about to switch places with rook and you see him in the background out of the corner of your eye twice, though rook doesnt know. i was literally screaming it was so fucking cool. it genuinely felt like watching a movie a lot of the time

i genuinely enjoyed the gameplay loop of exploration. i had a lot of fun just exploring around docktown and arlathan, there was always something new to find, i loved the puzzles, and i loved finding codex entries. this is a crazy thing to say but it actually reminded me a lot of genshin impact LMFAO. which i know a lot of people would probably consider to be a negative but i thought it was engaging and fun.

combat fucks. it got a little repetitive by the end, mostly because i think i just wanted to find out the end of the story and fucking darkspawn were in my way, but it was a huge step up from previous games and i think action combat was a good choice.

this game has an incredible amount of genuine heart and soul put into it and you can feel it in every facet of the game. i can tell that the devs were passionate and their creativity was genuine. i could feel their love for the characters and the world. this game is unflinchingly sincere and not afraid of being cringe (though it definitely is cringe at times, i respect the commitment to it so i dont mind it). it genuinely does not feel like an EA cash grab, which is a huge win considering how likely it was for years that a cash grab was exactly what we were going to get.

i enjoyed the varric ghost twist. i knew something was up with him but i didnt fully call him being dead until right before the reveal. i get why people are going to be upset about it, its a pretty fucking crazy decision, but i think what saves it is the quote he gives rook in the fade about his choices being his own and still encouraging rook to try to get through to solas despite being KILLED BY HIM.... fucking crazy. it ties in enough to the overall theme of regret and forgiveness that i think it works.

ok time for the negatives

its hard to pick my biggest issue but i definitely have a top 3: the lore flopped majorly, much of the writing felt juvenile, and there was an overall lack of nuance to everything about the game except for solas's storyline that did feel very not-dragon age to me

i actually dont give a fuck about lore retcons, especially if they are explained well. i think they are often necessary and can be pulled off. but this game literally just pretended to answer decades long questions about the lore and then does not. which would be fine if we didnt have someone who knows all the answers to those questions hanging out in our brains and willing to answer them. we did not learn what exactly a titan was. we did not learn what they were like when they were alive and before they were blighted. mythal called them monsters. harding suggests they might have been violent like the elves. we literally dont know anything about them except for what solas and mythal did to them. i dont think anyone even actually gave a clear answer on what the blight is. ok it was the titan's severed dreams but what the fuck does that mean? it was their rage and pain? then why does harding say the red lyrium manifested by her rage and pain was not blighted, just red? if blight equals titan nightmares then that lyrium should have been blighted? so what the fuck is the blight that ghilan'nain cooked with? red lyrium? how did the original darkspawn get made? did she start injecting people with red lyrium? but we know what that does to people because we saw it in inquisition. it makes them red lyrium freaks but it doesnt make them darskpawn. WHAT ARE DARKSPAWN? WHAT IS THE BLIGHT? did i miss this in a codex entry or something guys im so serious. how did we play this whole game and not actually learn what the blight is. we also learned almost nothing about the forgotten ones, which is fine except we literally met one and all they really had to say about it was "evil spirit" ? ok. also um. where are the rest of the evanuris. ok they are gone but where did they go. we know where their archdemons went, but where did they go? ghilan'nain exists separate from her archdemon so its not like killing an archdemon kills the evanuris, it just makes them vulnerable. should they not all be still alive in that prison together, just mortal and archdemon-less? they literally just say "they're gone" and expect us to be like ok! WHAT THE FUCK??? WHERE ARE THEY?? WHERE ARE THEIR BODIES??? WHAT??????? also the explanation for archdemons was boring. it felt like the team literally did not know the answers themselves (and didnt feel like calling up david gaider) so they just gave us vague non-answers hoping we wouldnt notice. I NOTICED.

similar vein; we learned nearly nothing about elgar'nan and ghilan'nain, and they overall felt cartoonishly evil and one-dimensional. and this is a greater problem that ill talk about next, but they were afforded none of the nuance that solas and mythal were given, and it feels glaring in comparison. why was elgarn'nan evil? was he just born fucking evil? we know thats not true. he originated as a spirit, what kind of spirit? what was his relationship with mythal like? what was his relationship to the other evanuris like? he calls ghilan'nain "sister", were they always close? did they become close in their prison? what are his goals beyond tyranny? or do you actually want me to believe he is just full stop evil? if he was one of the original spirit born elvhen what virtue did he embody and what polluted him into something so terrible? why does ghilan'nain love the blight? why is she obsessed with creation? we only get a single codex about she and andruil (that i found). what was her and solas's relationship like before she ascended to godhood? he calls her "the best of them" but we never see anything about their relationship. neither of them has any nuance. they are just pure evil, corrupted by ???? something ??? power??? i guess. and we are supposed to just be fine with it lol. what are even their motivations? why do they want to cover the world in blight? what is their emotional connection to this pursuit??????? we get such an exploration of this for solas and just NOTHING for them. they feel so one-dimensional in comparison, literal comic book cartoon character villains.

similarly, this game lacks nuance overall. bioware is known for its exploration of grey morality on both personal and sociopolitical levels. this game has that only for solas and literally no one else. qunari antaam? evil (super fucking racist depiction as well). venatori? evil minions. elven gods? evil. forgotten ones? evil. meanwhile, crows? suddenly good. its okay. just forget the MURDER, child slavery and abuse. seriously its fine. caterina dellamorte is a sweet old lady :) dont worry about it :). every faction is good and every antagonist is bad. its genuinely insane coming from the studio who gave us dragon age 2 to now give us something so fucking boring and black and white. they got SO CLOSE with the wardens and isseya and in the end davrin still kills her. why does solas get a chance at redemption and no one else does? here we are with an entire story centered around this morally grey character, interrogating whether or not his actions are justified, whether his intentions matter, whether his abuse informed his atrocities, asking ourselves if he deserves forgiveness asking if he deserves to be saved, where do we draw the line? what is the point of no return? why do people do the things they do? its fantastic. and then you go and do a faction or companion quest and its just like, these are the good guys and these are the bad guys. dont ask questions. have fun! WHAT???? FROM BIOWARE??????????

this issue bleeds over into the companions as well. i genuinely liked all of them. they are likable. but holy shit they have no flaws. all of them are genuinely good people and their problems center around others rather than themselves. there is little to no complexity, to the point where honestly they did not feel like real people to me. harding is sweet and perfect and her worst trait is being *checks notes* TOO AGREEABLE? davrin's worst flaw is raising his voice at his pet too much. emmrich's only flaw is FEARING DEATH LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN BEING? neve is kind of cold. thats it. bellara never does anything wrong. lucanis doesnt sleep enough? taash is the closes they come to any sort of complexity and i did genuinely enjoy their identity struggle and i loved seeing their complex relationship with their mother. but none of those are flaws. like these characters are cookie-cutter perfect. we used to have companions who committed acts of terror and blood mages and mean jealous little brothers and did horrible things and said horrible things to each other and struggled with things like internalized racism and complacency in violent corrupt institutions and addiction and facing your fucking war crimes and they are some of the most beloved of the franchise because they feel SO REAL. like genuinely going from characters like anders and blackwall to these companions was so jarring and disappointng. i LIKE them all, dont get me wrong. but they do not act like real, complex fully fleshed out people, and the writing overall suffers greatly for it.

again connected, the writing in terms of literal dialogue but also what i mentioned above comes together to feel incredibly juvenile. i know some big reviewers beforehand said that the game feels like a pixar movie at times, and unfortunately i dont think thats inaccurate. a little harsh maybe, but there are moments that are truly written in such a way that it feels like the audience is children. and that doesnt mean its bad, because i am a lover of childrens media and most of my favorite media of all time is actually for kids (avatar the last airbender, fullmetal alchemist, etc), but this game oscillates back and forth so violently it will give you literal whiplash. it reminded me a lot of the way young adult fiction is written. GOOD young adult fiction, where its well-done, but its deliberately written to be simpler in both diction and theme and focuses on concepts that young people can identify with. this is how i felt during much of the companion quests during this game. again, it was GOOD young adult fiction, but it had the narrative styling and lack of nuance and complexity that is characteristic of such things, and that is just literally not what the game is supposed to be like. and there are great writing moments that do feel appropriately mature and complex, but they are mostly in the main quest and their presence makes the lack of maturity in the rest of the writing feel even more jarring. i have no idea why they wrote it this way.

morrigan's mythal flopped and was out of character. i missed flemeth's crazy ass. they literally nerfed her. i think this is connected to everyone being nice and good and perfect (no abusive mothers allowed!) which is crazy because the other mythal fragment got to be a crazy bitch. so what the hell

the lack of world states is still a major L. it felt like things were missing that should have been present and had no reason not to be other than just no worldstates. well of sorrows needed to be there ESPECIALLY considering the solas/mythal/lavellan dynamic.

this one is self-indulgence but solavellan could have benefited from better pacing. packing so much into act 3 made it feel rushed. i loved the scenes themselves, but there could have easily been more build-up with a few codex entries.

no fenris. i will never forgive

ok im running out of steam and actually feeling more able to sleep now (thank god). i know i said a lot of negatives but i actually believe this game is very, very good, especially within the context of its development. i think a lot of the issues likely do stem from their fraught development cycle, and overall they did a great job of identifying their priorities and pursuing them to the fullest. i dont necessarily agree with what they prioritized or what their vision was at all points, but i respect the clear direction that this game had. i do not believe it will stick with me the way the previous games did, and while playing i often found myself just missing the characters from 2 and inquisition that i love, and the writing that so often had me screaming crying throwing up and/or giggling and twirling my hair. however, this game gave me the #1 thing i wanted which was a satisfying solavellan conclusion, and though yes it could have been done a bit more... artfully, i think its incredible considering where we were just a few years ago with this game. i will play it again a few times, and the fact that it has sold well enough to guarantee bioware gets to stick around and make new games is a major win. 7.5/10 thank u for listening

[letters-adressed-to-the-fire]

pov: you’re addicted to the “if-onlys” (or me when I’m over-analyzing Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus)

Yes, I’m gonna analyze the entire song. No, I don’t need an introduction. Yes, let’s dive into it.

Let’s start with the very interesting use of the word "hologram".

"Your hologram stumbled into my apartment"

We’ve seen Taylor use "phantom" and "ghost" to talk about past relationships in other songs (for example: loml), but we’ve never seen her use "hologram." Why? Well, this suggests she might be talking about something more present, as if the relationship had become so worn out that he stopped being a real person to her and turned into a hologram—something close yet untouchable.

But, this line, followed by “hands in the hair of somebody in darkness” paints a picture of someone cheating. So, even if Taylor intended this, the ambiguous nature of the verse means it’s necessary to approach it from a different angle too.

Yes, the idea of her coming into her apartment and being followed by the presence of the person she loved, does resembles the idea of a ghost. But the use of "hologram" indicates something different this time, she’s talking about the person’s current actions, and given Taylor’s past relationships with famous people, it makes sense that she would know when they started seeing someone new.

So, what does this mean? With these lines Taylor is bringing a completely different emotion to the song, one that permeates throughout: The rarely discussed how, when someone you loved starts moving on, you’re left wondering, "Why am I staying behind?" and "Why does it still hurt?"; and how this can lead to drowning in "what ifs" and trying to remember why it didn’t work out.

"As the decade would play us for fools And you saw my bones out with somebody new Who seemed like he would've bullied you in school"

In the same note, this part of the verse mirrors Taylor's narrative but from the guy’s point of view. She’s now saying the same thing happened to him.

There’s something common in both perspectives tho, Taylor is not just saying “you’re with someone else”, she’s saying “you’re with someone else and that makes me angry”. In the first lines, the mention of names like "Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus" emphasizes her anger and condescension, showing that she doesn’t care about the specifics of who he’s with, just that it’s not her. Paralleling this, the line “who seemed like he would’ve bullied you in school” suggests she’s trying to provoke her ex by mentioning something that would bother him, not because the new partner is a bully (obviously), but because it’s a sore spot for her ex.

"And I just watched it happen" "And you just watched it happen"

Here, we are already introduced to one of the key elements of the song: the act of watching. Throughout all the song, Taylor will resort to this bit to depict a sense of helplessness.

In the first verse, it is used to portray how both parts of the relationship watched each other drift apart without trying to reconcile.

“And I couldn't watch it happen” “And you just watched it”

In the second verse, she couldn’t bear to watch, indicating she took action to stay away from him; which was also possible because the guy didn’t do anything to stop her.

“Like it never happened?” “It just didn't happen”

By the third verse, she dropped this act of watching, now she’s stating facts and contemplating whether pretending it never happened is a viable way to move on.

Now, we’ll move to the chorus.

To start, we need to discuss the double meaning behind the line “I loved you the way that you were”: Did he love her for who she was without needing to change, or did he only love a past version of her? Both interpretations are equally devastating.

“If you wanna tear my world apart Just say you've always wondered”

Then we are presented to the most heart-wrenching part of the song. Taylor is already wondering, and it would destroy her to know she’s not alone in this. This could mean either she’s hoping to get back together, or she fears she’ll never move on. Imagining a scenario where they meet years later and he admits he’s always wondered about their potential could terrify her, showing how significant this person was to her.

*Part 2 in a few days!!! I'll be discussing some metaphors and some alternative interpretations (because I'm me and I love to complicate things)*

[strawberry-milkbunny]

I have no one to talk to about Tokyo Rev so here r my random hot takes that I need to say:

- Emma and Hina r boring and used as romance plot devices it’s okay to admit that Wakui can’t write women idk I don’t expect shounen/men to be able to write girls well (still cried when Emma died tho bc she didn’t deserve it!!!)

- lol I LOVE Yuzuha and Senju tho

- I actually do like Emma and Draken together but I also firmly believe Draken is in love w/Mikey and was just projecting onto Emma LMAO

- Yuzuha is a lesbian

- Controversial: I don’t think Shinchiro was THAT great of an older brother. Like he was cool but he still introduced Mikey and Izana into the world of gang life/normalizing violence and yeah OG Black Dragons isn’t like that but….what do u expect when u form a gang??? .obviously there’s a high chance that it’s gonna develop into LEGIT gang activity

- As an adult and someone who was basically raised by an older sibling w/a big age gap (my sis is 7 years older) I kinda don’t blame Takeomi for being a bad older brother??? Realistically he’s a 17 yr old in charge of raising 2 toddlers like NO SHIT he did a bad job. At least Shin had his grandfather to help out but Takeomi actually had no one. Doesn’t explain y he’s a brokey LOL buttttt again I don’t FULLY blame him for being a bad sibling still hurt my boi Sanzu 😤😤

- I HC that Mikey is used to having a caretaker (Draken and later Sanzu) bc when Shin died he was so depressed and genuinely couldn’t get out of bed

- Takemitchy is also lowkey boring/typical shounen protagonist and canonically stinky like Hina could do sm better. This is personal preference so I find myself wanting more chaotic/dumb protagonists who are slightly morally ambiguous like Denji, Gintoki, hell even Naruto at times. Takemitchy didn’t get character development until BD arc and that’s just a bit too long for me….

- Koko and Inui r gay and dating 💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻

- the Haitani brothers r the kardashians of the TR universe they’re so embarrassing Deadass show up and pose/do absolutely nothing I LOVE THEM SHKSKSKSK

- I love how it’s universally agreed that Mitsuya and Chifuyu r the best bois

- I have mixed feelings about Izana. I genuinely do like him and DESPISE how he’s whitewashed by fanart

- I get it u genuinely just wanted to not be alone and found out ur adopted in the worst way possible but…..idk how that justifies killing ur own sister but u do u ig 🤷‍♀️ and u have KAKUCHO AS UR FAMILY WTH

- don’t listen to me tho I’m a Mikey and Sanzu stan LMAOO 🤭🤭🤭

- Izana is the definition of mommy issues and 100% had crunchy hair lik mans was homeless

- if I saw Izana IRL I would RUN 🏃‍♀️idk he looks a lil crazy

- also this man does not know Tagalog he didn’t even know he was Filipino until he was lik 12

- idk the Tenjiku arc is so funny to me bc Izana is deadass: imma kill everyone in Mikey’s life for revenge and Mikey is lik: bruh I didn’t even kno u existed until last week and now ur killing our sister UNPROVOKED ???

- Bonten!Mikey is a virgin/no libido mans is DEPRESSED

- wished the Bonten arc was longer simply for the outfits bc Wakui KNOWS FASHION but that shit was DEPRESSION

- 3 Deities Arc was amazing and also funny/serious at the same time. It literally was an all out brawl in an AMUSEMENT PARK

- fr tho wtf was Benkei, Wakasa and Takeomi doing there??? Like they’re canonically 27 GO GET A JOB STOP FIGHTING 15 YEAR OLDS SHKSKSKS

- U cannot tell me that Sanzu WASNT sad when Baji and Mucho died.

- Baji was straight up his childhood friend and the only one other than Senju who knows about the plane incident/Mikey’s possessive side. And In the OG!timeline I’m pretty sure Baji was the only friend Sanzu DIDNT attack. While with Mucho he was pretty much his older brother, Sanzu just decided Mikey was better

- Tbh if the dark impulses/Shin thing wasn’t real I would’ve firmly believed Mikey had DID or something. Which again made only worse by the fact that violence and death is such a regular thing in his life (GET THIS MAN THERAPY LIK WTF IS SHIN AND GRANDPA SANO DOING???)

- Kazutora going a lil crazy is lowkey expected and I hate how we only find out about his home life in the character books. This kid grew up in a physically and mentally abusive household (gaslight to pick between parents and as s/o who has experienced that shit it’s fucked up) and I rlly don’t think prison helped out his mental stability either no shit he tried to kill Mikey

- I don’t ship Mikey and Takemichy (despite the IMMENSE gay ness btwn them) firmly bc I think everyone can see how much power Takemitchy has over Mikey idk it has a weird power dynamic like if Takemitchy tried he could 100% control Mikey (platonically or romantically)

- Baji, Chifuyu and Kazutora r a throuple

- I HATE how Sanzu is reduced to this crazy drug addict. Sanzu is canonically smart, manipulative, and formally trained fighter. He also REMEMBERS the OG timeline, he had to experience Shin dying twice and everyone else die no shit he’s a little bonkers/needs drugs to take everything away. Plus his relationship to Mikey which tbh is a whole separate post

- controversial !!!: I ship Mikey and Sanzu or Mikey and Draken. Sanzu only bc this man has a big ass crush and deserves some niceness for once

- ppl write Kakucho as this shy, nice guy like ur not wrong but mans is also running UNPROVOKED into Yakuza offices like it’s the gym while dragging Rindou wit him 😭😭😭

- the haitanis r the best sibling duo

- It lowkey makes me mad in fanfics where Ran is depicted as cheating w/Rin’s gf like??? This man raised his younger brother himself u cannot tell me he doesn’t love his brother and would actually do that to him

- Ran would 1000% do anything for Rin and i firmly believe he kinda regrets not saying anything in court to prevent Rindou frm joining him in jail. Like saying he forced Rindou to kill someone w/him, abusing his brother at home, etc especially in the Bonten! tl he def thinks about wtf he dragged his brother into

- I also don’t think they’ve slept w/ the same person before. Idk I feel like they have diff types like Ran goes for more motherly/mature types while Rindou goes for sweeter/shy types

- Draken has road rage

- Yuzuha should’ve been taller like AT LEAST 5’7 bitch is related to Hakkai and Taiju for gods sake

- OG BD 100% thought Wakasa was a girl for at least a month. He’s canonically 5’3 and pretty.

- Characters who r 100% bisexual: WAKASA, Senju,maybe Hina, Draken (def in denial), Rindou, Ran (he’s a whore as long as ur pretty he’s down), Sanzu, Koko, Kazutora, Chifuyu

- Mitsuya had a crush on Draken

[xf-cases-solved]

S1E13: Beyond the Sea

Case: A young couple is kidnapped in North Carolina, and the authorities have five days to find them before they're murdered. Unfortunately, they have no leads, except for the testimony of Luther Lee Boggs—a serial killer Mulder put behind bars years ago—who is claiming to have psychic knowledge that will lead them to the missing children. In some serious turning of the tables, Mulder is skeptical of Boggs' claims, whereas Scully—whose father just died, and who is desperate for just one more message from him to know that they didn't part on bad terms—finds herself believing Boggs, much to her chagrin. After Mulder is shot, Scully is on her own to work with Boggs, leading to some sexy fucking "Silence of the Lambs" -esque scenes that make this episode not just a top tier s1 episode, but a top tier episode of all time. Mulder tears up his New York Knicks shirt (he probably has like seventeen tho, so it's okay), Scully is scared to believe, and Brad Dourif puts his entire goddamn pussy into playing Luther Boggs. A+++, fam.

Does someone die in the cold open: Yes! But it wasn't a crime. Scully gets the dreaded "middle of the night phone call" and learns that her father just died. (Even tho she just saw him sitting in her armchair across the room. Say what???) 

Does Mulder present a slideshow: No. 

Does the evidence survive the investigation: This is another where it depends on what you mean by evidence. Evidence of the actual, literal crime? Yes, that actually worked out like how normal police work is meant to go if you're good at your job. Evidence of Boggs' psychic abilities, however? Unfortunately, proof of those went with him to the gas chamber. 

Whodunit: Lucas Henry, who is either Boggs' accomplice, or somebody Boggs keeps having psychic visions of. It's up to you to decide.

Convictions: Lucas Henry would have been convicted if he hadn't crashed through several floors and fell on his face directly onto some concrete, so we'll give it to 'em.

Did they solve it: While the supernatural element remains a mystery, the crime itself is solved. This one is a resounding yes!

[how do i determine if a case is solved? check the scale here: x]

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: Confusing and upsetting your loved ones by appearing to them after your death. Look, we all die—it's a fact of life!—but just because you're dead doesn't mean you have to be dull. When accidents strike, illnesses rage, or the clock has simply run out, keep the fun going by confusing and upsetting your loved ones by appearing to them after your death. By keeping the excitement of living alive by causing trauma to those closest to you as they mourn your loss, you're guaranteeing your time in the afterlife is off to a great start!

*Confusing and upsetting your loved ones by appearing to them after your death is especially recommended for those with loved ones who are particularly skeptical, or who are looking for answers to ambiguities left behind after your departure.

Try it today! Or, well, when you die, we mean. Which might be today!

***

General Total Stats:

(green means stat has changed since last ep; red means new stat added to list)

Total Cases *Definitively* Solved So Far: 6 (holy shit, three in a row?? unprecedented!)

Total Number of "Mulder/Scully, it's me" phone calls: 1

Total Number of Times Scully Has Conveniently Not Seen Something Crucial: 4 (Mulder was actually the one who was out of the room whenever Boggs said something that resonated with Scully)

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Been in Mortal Danger: 5 (pew pew) 

Total Number of Times Scully Has Been in Mortal Danger: 3 ½ (half point bc she should have died, but she had that warning from Boggs, so it was kind of a toss up) 

Total Number of Sexually Charged, Uncomfortably intimate, and/or Flirty Moments Between Friendly Coworkers: 8 (i changed the stat to add in "uncomfortably intimate" bc especially in these first few seasons, a lot of the MSR moments are more like... buddy, i get that you're going through it, but that is your coworker, why are you holding them so gently with so much love in your eyes? anyway, Mulder cupping her face in the beginning, and Mulder putting his hand on her gigantic 90s pant suit shoulder pad at the end are the ones i'm counting)

Total Number of Autopsies Scully Has Performed On Screen: 1

Total Number of Times Scully Plays Doctor: 1

Total Number of Times Mulder Talks to an Informant: 5 

Total Number of Times People Making Out in a Car are Hurt or Killed: 1 (new stat!)

Total Number of Nosebleeds: 4

Total Number of Times Someone Says "Trust No One": 1 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "I Want to Believe": 2 (new stat! first one was actually in that snore fest "Conduit," but i didn't want to go back and add it since i just considered making it a stat now)

Total Number of Cigarettes Cigarette Smoking Man Has Smoked: 2

Total Number of Maggie Scully sightings: 1 (new stat!)

Total Number of Alex Krycek Sightings: 0 :(

Total Number of Times I Had to Look Up What State the Episode Takes Place in Even Though I Literally Just Watched It: 3 ½

Total Number of Times I Had to Look at an Episode's Wikipedia Page to Fill This Out Because It Was Fucking Confusing and/or Too Boring for Me to Pay Attention: 2 (we stan Beyond the mother fucking Sea)

[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

One thing that always hit me in Bleach fandom is that some people see Hitsugaya as a literal child in the main history, even tho we get glimpses of his childhood - and a lot of Hinamori haters use that as an argument of why hitsuhina would never happen. I particularly see him as a young teenager with an obvious problem of aging (😂) and I’m glad to see blogs just like yours that perceive his youth, but doesn't put him as a kid and also explore his feelings towards things and people who are dear to him in a way really loyal to the character (because putting him acting as an adult also give me awkward vibes, you know). Just a thing I was minding, you can take it as a compliment, I guess.

Sorry for the late reply anon!

I want to start off this response by saying for anyone who does see Toshiro as being a child, more power to them if it helps appreciate his character more.

I have to admit one of the main reason I saw him as a teenager in the beginning is because I was a teen myself when I started reading BLEACH and assumed any character who didn't obviously look like an adult/child/elder or had an ambiguous age was probably a teenager. That's probably a weird reason, but that's how my brain worked while reading BLEACH at that age ^^;

There were other factors too, like his reactions to others referring to him as a child, the flashbacks to his childhood, and that he was able to pass as a student at a high school.

His reactions in particular are what convinced me he's not a child, they struck me as not just someone who was demanding respect for his high ranking position but also as someone who's sick of people thinking he's a child because of his appearance. I've always seen it as because of his short stature and maybe a baby face, everyone mistakes him for being a child when he's actually a teenager.

As for the flashbacks, when I compare his appearance from back then to the one in the main story, to me there's a noticeable different. As a child, his eyes and face are rounded and he's obviously shorter. In the main storyline, his eyes shape changed (perhaps to reflect the change he underwent as a Shinigami), making them look more narrow and sharper, his face is slightly sharper, and he's taller (not by much but).

Then there's the recent revelation from Kubo that Toshiro is actually older than Momo. I've seen most people take this to mean he's literally older than her, which would strongly suggest he isn't a child, because then how old would that make Momo (who is definitely not a child)? If this interpretation is the correct one, then I'm okay with that. However, as I've mentioned before, I've actually taken this to mean he's been in the Soul Society longer than she has (if you're interested, you can read more on it here).

In the end, as stated many times on here, aging in BLEACH is weird. How come Unohana isn't as old looking as Yamamoto if they existed together long before the Soul Society was established? What the heck is going on with Kyouraku and Nanao's families? The list goes on.

Also, thank you for your kind words too, I'm glad that's how my writing comes across for him :D I find it interesting to explore how someone like Toshiro reacts to things, whether they're mundane or life and death situations. While not a child, he's still a minor who has put himself in a world of huge responsibility, and death and violence. How does someone that young, despite being a prodigy and having a mental maturity that's suitable for the role, think and feel about what he does? How does he view those around him? How does it affect his relationships? What kinds of memories does he keep from his past and how are they different someone else his age? It's all interesting to me.

Anyhow, I'll leave it here. Thanks for sending this in! :D

[fancyfade]

Could I get your thoughts on how the Teen Titans cartoons have influenced recent or fandom characterisations?

I'm not sure I'm the best person to answer this, because I haven't been keeping up on a lot of modern titans comics. I know that @ravensvirginity has read a lot of them.

In general what I do know:

Kory's solo title (starfire) was very toon-influenced. She felt like a completely different person, and they really played up the 'doesn't understand idioms' thing from the toon, even though that was never part of her initial characterization in the comics. And she had all her rough edges shaved off to make her boring. In general, if kory is portrayed as like... overly soft or kind of just would cry if someone said something mean to her, that's toon influenced (also like. I don't think she even does that in the toon, but people like flanderize an already OOC version of her). If she just wants you to hug and make friends -- same thing. Like Kory loves her friends and she is a very affectionate character. But she's also the Teen Titans Character Most OK with Murder ™. Her character has a fascinating dichotomy where she's merciless to her enemies and incredibly loving to her friends and that's not an inconsistency that's part of the point.

Raven is generally de-aged a lot more readily than Kory, probably because Kory is tied into being Dick's love interest so they can't de-age her, but the toon really made teen raven a thing for people and then in the comics in tt2003 they also brought her back as a teenager -- I don't know whether that was toon synergy or an independent decision, but the same comics did have a plotline that pretty much just existed to give beast boy pointy teeth and ears like in the toon, so I wouldn't be surprised.

In general, if Raven is not portrayed as struggling against her father's influence and fearing being like him, but rather just fearing that he'll hurt her (or any instance in which she is used as a portal), that's toon influenced. A key point in NTT's raven is that she fears becoming like her father.

Also Raven as like... more sarcastic and deadpan is generally a toon invention. Raven was emotionally reserved, but she's not really sarcastic. She's a very genuine character, emotionally, she just fears expressing it.

Fandom perception wise I'd say when she's portrayed as like edgy or OK with people getting hurt ( and it's not something that horrifies her and/or tied into Trigon's influence and a slow decline into becoming demon raven), that's ... OOC but I also don't think it's really toon influenced, since she wasn't OK with people getting hurt in the toon. But maybe people read her character wrong? She wears black (toonwise) and acts sarcastic so she must be morally ambiguous. Even tho even in the toon the whole point was she thought she was destined to destroy the world and spent her whole life trying to save as many people as she could before then.

Vic I know we have people who view him as like. joined to beast boy/gar is pretty toon-influenced. I mean, they were friends in the comic, but Vic had a lot of strong relationships with other titans. IT wasn't just a changeling (his NTT name) thing. And even in his own solo they addressed the 'booyah boy' thing which is like... I will not even lie I didn't even notice he said booyah a lot in the toon the first time I watched it I have no clue how that became part of his character's reputation.

Slade thinking Dick is super special is pretty toon influenced, as well as any apprentice-related arc. I think Slade as a nightwing villain NGL is toon-influenced. Like. In the comics we saw him fight Slade once after Joey's death. But earlier more tension was set up (and then regrettable friendship) between Gar and Slade and I Don't approve of the decision really because it was mostly the writers treating Gar as if he got more anger due to the fact that he had a crush on terra (They weren't even dating before her death), but... I also don't approve of the 'slade as nightwing villain' thing, especially any that act as if Dick is just somehow more talented or special than the other titans.

And I know that Titans Academy (and also Terror Titans for some reason, though he was just mentioned in Terror Titans) brought in Red X. If I recall correctly (I read the comic a long time ago) they made references that acted as if the Red X thing in the toon had actually happened in comics, which again, is stupid. Not necessarily the 'bringing in something from cartoons to comics' (I mean, I like Renee Montoya and she's a cartoon invention) but the way that comic is presented in the toon and the 'dick is the most special boy' plotline that goes with it.

Anyway I'm not sure I really got into depth here, b/c like I said I haven't read much recent Teen Titans stuff (I think that Titans Academy was actually the most recent, besides the Kory and Raven 1 shots when they did tales of the titans), and I don't browse fandom tags a ton. But hopefully other people can add if they want :P

[overgrownmoon]

my thoughts on downpour

i like downpour but i do agree that some of its lore is weird. its in a weird state of canon yet not canon. its a canon AU

my solution: downpour is a story.

this is long as hell the rest is under the cut

vanilla slugcats feel like you are in charge, you are playing your own journey and experience. there is an ending, but you have to choose to go to it. everything is on you. even in hunter, your journey feels like your own, just with added challenge. downpour felt like i was playing a story. the scugs are characters that i dont have all the agency in; the plot has been written and im simply playing through it. i dont think this makes downpour bad, but it makes it fundamentally different from vanilla.

my take is that vanilla is what actually happened through the eyes of three slugcats. its their real journey through this world. they are incidental in a larger world, learning bits and pieces about the past, but never the main character. you are the slugcat, experiencing the world, making your journey.

downpour is the telling of stories about specific protagonists, perhaps oral traditions told by future slugcats. the campaigns of downpour have a plot, and you are not free to make your own choice in ending; you are led to it, as if this has already happened, and someone is recounting it. that is why the lore gets weird; these stories have been told and retold and changed, details have been lost and made up.

for me, this take would make the outlandishness of saint make sense; perhaps the real saint was a simple saintly traveler, whose story was told and exaggerated over time. maybe they became a fable, to explain the death of the computer gods. others, like rivulet, maybe really did happen, and we are reliving it like a play, acting out a story a mother tells her pups. maybe artificer became a warning about revenge and violence; gourmand a folk hero of a tribe who long ago led them to new lands.

(side note about spearmaster - i think their story is also what actually happened, but only through the eyes of the messenger. they dont have the whole story, just what they saw and did, and so not every detail is accurate. there is another thing to say here about rain world's themes of individual experiences. maybe spearmaster is recounting their own journey from their memories to SRS or another slugcat, who knows)

i like to think that this would make a place for survivor and monk's outer expanse endings make sense. they are another story, a tale of siblings who reunited, long after their original lives. it kinda leaves their journey open; did they choose to ascend or live to find each other? nobody really knows. the past has already happened and we'll never know the truth. i think thats a recurring theme of rain world; this story has already happened, this world is already dead, and you cant change it or ever know exactly what happened. you only have your own experiences and the words of others.

this is all just basically my justification for why in my own canon that im building my strategy with downpour is to just take the bits and pieces i like and leave the others behind, lmao. again, i like downpour! but i do agree that is is fundamentally different from the original game's intent. i preferred the ambiguity of the vanilla cats' endings. gourmand is still my favorite tho i love the chonk

[thewistlingbadger]

With the most recent installments to the fnaf franchise, the discussion of Cassie's father has become a main topic. The common theory is that Cassie's father is "the Bonnie bro". I'm personally against this theory and here's why

(Note: please take everything I say with a grain of salt I don't know the lore like the back of my hand and this is all just my opinion)

1. Satisfaction

The main reason I'm against the theory is because it's not narratively satisfying. This franchise is defined by its exclusively when it comes to characters. They always want to recycle the same characters we've always had. "I always come back" is literally one of the most iconic lines from the series. So to me, to have some random, no name, only mentioned once, less than a minute of screen time, ass dude become an important figure? Hell no.

2. Background info

In order to identify Cassie's father, we must use the information that is given by Cassie. Cassie is a racially ambiguous girl with some dark features who is at least a decade old. She says during Ruin that her dad works for fazbear, has had a deep love for the company, and it's also implied that she hasn't seen him in awhile. In help wanted 2, the player is an older ("hey, you look like you got kids") and masculine (listen to the burp sounds when eating food) worker for fazbear. All three of those fit the bill for Cassie's father. So if I don't think it's Bonnie bro, who do I think it is?

3. It's Micheal

In help wanted 2, there's three (maybe even 4) different time periods we play through. We play through sister location, security breach, and ruin (the additional 4th being fnaf 6). Clearly even though help wanted 2 is supposed to a fazbear employee training sim, it's so much more since the games seem to transcend time by going back and forth between past and future. So that means the player has lived through all of those times. We know for a FACT that Micheal is the main character for sister location. In fact, there ARE no other human characters in sister location besides the dead technicians (supporters of the Bonnie bro theory suggest that Cassie's dad still worked at sister location despite this). There are also multiple voice lines in the game that are extremely important! There's the stuff mystic hippo says, there's baby's lines, and "why are you so special".

Baby says "I feel bad for you" , "I like it here. It's safe, safe forever.", "i recognize you", and "you should have known I'd find you". These lines are PERSONAL. This is NOT stuff she's saying to someone she saw years ago at birthday party or to a random worker that was at sister location. This is her BROTHER, whom she has a hard history with. Why is the player so special? Because it's Michael, and he's always been important.

Michael, the first born, the one responsible for the death of CC. Michael, the one who went location to location, trying to undo the sins of his father. It's Michael that's always been the main character.

Michael also fits the bill for Cassie's dad. He's an older, masculine guy who has a history with working for fazbear, and if we're looking at how Michael looks in the bite of 1983, he and Cassie look similar. (Meaning Michael has dark features like tan skin, brown hair, dark eyes. Of course tho, it doesn't really matter what Michael looks like since Cassie could just look a lot like her other parent. Michael is also canonically white so-)

In the pizza Plex, there's a recreation of Michael's room from sister location. It's not the real room, since there's no evidence that Michael's house was built near sister location, or that sister location and fnaf 6 were one in the same. Micheal's room isn't found underneath the pizza Plex where fnaf 6 was, but in the main levels of the building. His room is also altered. The door is smaller, the show on the screen is different, and there's a message on the wall. If Michael isn't an active player at this point, why is his room here. No one else besides him would recognize that room. This also proves that Micheal was somewhat around during security breach, since that is the only time we see this room.

With that being said, let's move on.

4. Counterpoints

It is heavily stressed that Cassie's dad likes Bonnie. Michael is often associated with foxy, since he would attack CC with a foxy mask on. However, he's only associated with foxy in fnaf 4, and that's it. I don't think he would continue to associate with it decades after. Bonnie was always William's favorite and the rabbit is always associated with his evilness and empire. It's unlikely that Micheal would associate with something so connected to his father. There's two things I say to this. 1: it could be that Micheal doesn't like Bonnie/is impartial but says he does to Cassie since she's a kid and he's her dad. If little Cassie asks her dad, who's your favorite animatronic, he's gonna pick one. By choosing to stay so close to fazbear, he has to somewhat open his heart to the company a bit post the defeat of Afton. 2: when you look at the Bonnie mask in the hidden chest of PQ4 and the AR Bonnie mask in Ruin, the masks are red underneath the purple. The foxy mask is red.

At this point in the story, Micheal is "dead". He died in the fnaf 6 fire. However, given that baby, William, and others have clearly come back after the fire, who's to say Micheal can't come back as well?

So is Michael Cassie's dad? Idk, but I think there's some real compelling stuff.

[antiradqueer]

To be honest I think it would be interesting if there were actual terms for things like "transcute" "transshy" or things like that because I feel like there are so many reasons why someone would want to have a certain personality that they don't have.

like for example (and that's definitely is not my own experience, never, how could it /j) someone with OCD or a personality disorder who feels like a "dirty" (immoral) person or is perceived that way but wishes they were seen and have a cuter personality, not just to be perceived as moral but because that is who that person should be and cannot do so due to disorders.

Of course, it is a very specific case and this term is not necessary at all, but I still see a cool use for a term like this. idk, I just think it would have some use that is not so bad as it is.

there is a term for it for people w/out disorders like that it its called "growing and changing as a person", its like the same as the trans-job n trans-artstyle and trans-fashion stuff, you dont need words for this kinda shit cus its literally just how shit works, you want a job, you want to learn to draw, etc. these arnt "trans" or "im transitioning" things. secondly the transcute stuff is definitely a self conscious thing, ive seen someone in our notes abt it iirc that talked abt transcute and transsmart etc. so if you see that post thats basically what i wanna say here.

the stuff for OCD or personality disorders i think labels like those shouldnt exist either bc to me that feels like its internalised ableism n hatered or straight up guilt over the people who demonise and hate people for those things, i dont think anyone with personality disorders or ocd or anything else should feel like that, i dont think terms for these things should exist because i feel it harms the one w/ the disorder and strengthens the people who think all of us are nutjobs who need to be locked in a hospital.

i can 100% see where youre comming from dont get me wrong. as someone whos got some ambiguous undiagnosed shit going on, people find me offputting, gross, strange, stupid, scary, and so on, for the ways that i act n the symptoms i show, i wish people saw past the symptoms and saw me differently, ofc you would want that to change and be perceived as nice or "normal" but i think it should be different because that fuels the hatered towards those things more, u shouldn't have to change or want to change because someone is making u guilty over something like OCD or a personality disorder. end of. you can feel guilty ofc, we all do, but we dont need to give in to what those people who want us to be "normal" or get chucked into a hospital til we are "normal" want.

thats just my 2 am just slept since like 6 pm brain tho lol, could word this far better but im too tired n just went through something today at school that i didnt think would happen ever in my life and i cant even get into on here but like yeah. take this rant with that little thought too, my brain is all kinds of exhausted rn...

[trampledore]

Rhaenys' decision to join Rhaenyra's side was arguably the most logical choice and in line with her character/motivations

I'll be partly referring to a recent post by @squgs HOTD and Ambiguity. They discuss a really interesting point and I didn't want to hijack their post by addressing a minor detail that they used as an example. But it also wouldn't leave me alone, since it's been bothering me for a while how a lot of people seem to interpret Rhaenys' motivations and actions in episode 10 (and 9). Apparently, House Velaryon backing Rhaenyra seems confusing to some (which I agree it might). Obviously everyone can have their own opinions and interpretations of the characters, but I am passionate about mine and need to make my case somewhere where I don't offend anyone accidentally. So I'll just write down my thoughts here. (This is just me ranting for fun, don't take it too srsly pls)

I agree that the Velaryons taking Rhaenyra's side instead of remaining neutral doesn't seem to make a lot of sense if you look at what happened in the show and their conviction that Rhaenyra is responsible for Laenor's death. BUT, I've wasted a lot of time thinking about it, and I do think joining Team Black was their best shot.

I do believe that her wish to see a Queen on the Iron Throne and protecting her grandchildren are her main reasons for joining Rhaenyra.

Moreover, I think that she believes that an alliance with Rhaenyra ensures she keeps what she has and furthers the goals of House Velaryon as well as her own (more than, say, joining Team Green would)

Firstly, I'd like to address why I would rule out Alicent's offer in episode 9. It seems like a good way to go if Rhaenys wants Baela to inherit Driftmark, IF Rhaenys believes that Alicent is to be trusted and actually has the power to back it up. If she thinks that Rhaenyra has the better chance of coming out on top in the end, then she would only make herself a traitor by agreeing to this deal. Then there is also the fact that she would turn directly against her remaining family members. Corlys made his wishes clear before he left, naming Lucerys heir and by that putting them indirectly on Rhaenyra's side - there was no way to be sure at the time that he would actually die, or, if he survived, go along with this deal between Rhaenys and Alicent; Baela expressed her loyalty for Rhaenyra too (in the deleted scene, and probably made her standpoint clear before at some point) and might not even agree to go along with it. So putting all her eggs into Alicent's basket might not work out in Rhaenys' favour, and even tho it might prolong the negotiations for peace between the factions, it would definitely not hold back Daemon and Rhaenyra indefinitely imo. They have enough dragons to risk it even without Meleys and the Velaryon fleet. They are completely convinced that Rhaenyra is the rightful claimant to the throne after all. They won't just give up and resign themselves to the situation. In any case, with or without an escalation, Driftmark is closest to Dragonstone and I don't see them forgiving Rhaenys for siding with Alicent. They would fly over there and take that inheritance away from Baela in a heartbeat and just install someone else on the Driftwood throne. I don't see the Greens being able to stop that from happening, and Rhaenys probably knows that. Apart from the possibility of Rhaenys getting the heir for Driftmark that she wants, I see no gain in joining Team Green, especially since the Velaryons clearly consider them traitors; view Aegon's coronation as usurping the throne and have to assume that Team Green would actively try to kill Rhaenyra's sons.

Secondly, I also believe that Rhaenys' main motivation is to keep her family safe and ensure her house's survival. I am convinced that she cares about the boys, not only Baela and Rhaena. We didn't get any real scenes with them, but what I saw in the background in episode 7 is enough for me to believe that she at the very least doesn't want them to get hurt. They are also members of House Velaryon as far as most of Westeros (including Coryls) is concerned and additionally, they are betrothed to Baela and Rhaena. By making sure that they survive to take over the Iron Throne and the Driftwood throne, she is ensuring her granddaughters' futures (futures that they also both seem to want). She may not have the same ambitions as Corlys, but she probably also wouldn't pass up that opportunity. So: even if she didn't care about the boys, it is in her interest that they survive. Joining Rhaenyra is the way to protect them.

That also brings me to the question, why she didn't fight for her own claim, but then decided to fight for Rhaenyra's, even though she couldn't really stand her at this point in time. Simply put, her chances back in the day were much worse than Rhaenyra's. At the time of the Great Council (and Jaehearys' death) she only had one dragon and very few supporters. Rhaenyra has a whole bunch of dragons, more support, the lords actually swore fealty to her at one point and she was appointed by the previous king, which means more loyal lords might stand with her even if they had preferred a male heir otherwise. Rhaenyra has a claim that can be backed up with a lot of arguments and force, while Rhaenys was a woman AND rejected by Jaehaerys. Of course she could have tried to fight for the throne anyway, but that would have been so much more risky and probably doomed to fail, especially with no other members of House Targaryen backing her up. She would have risked the lives of her family and herself to take a throne that she might not be able to hold in the end anyway (Daemon and all the lords who voted against her would have had something to say about that even if Viserys himself didn't care that much). So, arguably, Rhaenyra has a better chance of success (at least that's how I see the situation) and I am convinced that Rhaenys wants some form of justice for the slight against her. She might see Rhaenyra as a way to change "the order of things" after all.

And finally, while Rhaenys obviously doesn't trust Rhaenyra and Daemon, she also has no more reason to trust Alicent and Aegon. In her eyes war seems to be an inevitability, but while Aegon hasn't exactly shown a lot of virtues so far, Rhaenyra seems to prove herself reasonably capable at the moment. So why not back the arguably better ruler for the kingdom? I do think that it also would have made sense for the Velaryons to simply remain neutral and wait out the war, but her deciding the way she did also isn't unreasonable. Especially when the support of House Velaryon might just cause the scales to tip in Rhaenyra's favour (which would be way more in their interest than the Greens winning). Not to forget: Corlys actually swore obeisance to Rhaenyra, so accepting her as Queen would actually be the honourable thing to do.

And then there is the fact that she seemingly is now tired of standing at the side lines, unable to do anything. She clearly wants to take action and have more influence on what is happening around her. So taking a side and becoming an active part in the war might be her way to do it. Whether it's smart in the long run is another question entirely.

My point is that her reasons for wanting to join Team Black do actually make a lot of sense even if one might think that her disagreements with Rhaenyra and Daemon are too great. If House Velaryon stayed out of the war, they would risk their grandchildren's deaths that might have been prevented if only they had helped when they could. All five of them are closely connected to Rhaenyra and Daemon and have no intention of just leaving; if they remained on Dragonstone and then died, House Velaryon would have no future. From Corlys' and Rhaenys' perspectives, there is probably nothing worse than that, even if for different reasons. Staying neutral for no other reason than a (completely justified) grudge, could possibly cost them more than joining the war would.

[wizzycore]

helo fellow spider enjoyer :]] a tuppence for any spider headcanons ? or any thoughts u had abt him lol

thank u for the interactions on the internet btw it gives me serotonin <3 happy to have someone to cobpost with

HIIII!!! my fic is totally my dump for spider related headcanons but here are a couple off the top of my head!

- spider saw mellori as a child not knowing she was the daughter of raven. one way or another thru prophecy or vision or just showing up thru somebody else (#posession)...i have a sillier differenter fic abt this interpretation of his mirage battle dialogue but its very sweet to think about hahahaha.

- ive always had underdeveloped thoughts abt how spider sees spiral peoples, especially as some of them (such as aztecans) descend directly from first world peoples rather than having been created theoretically after the titan war. but somehow spider's attitude (if he is to be believed) toward the yw i think indicates smth abt how he sees mortals in the spiral. he talks a lot of shop about how he doesn't care for any of the spiral or its peoples because his ex made it, that they're all weak or fodder but he is still grateful for what the yw had done for him even if it were prophesized. even if it were essentially "fate" at that point - spider recognizes that even if the yws actions to help him were done under coercion (from himself or others) they were still kind actions to him - they made him say that the yw was "one of their favorite things the spiral made" bc of that act. you wouldn't necessarily tell that to somebody you regard as a puppet that was bound to do those things anyway. (ofc he could've been sweet talking us but i choose the belief that theres part truth in it-) TLDR: spider ascribes a very interesting free will to certain spiral beings despite manipulating their fates massively over the years -- and i think that indicates more of a kind opinion toward the spiral than he lets on.

- my funniest spider hc is that he loves knitting and like fabric-related arts because he's good at it and better than raven. you just know the motherfucker is making sweaters in the husk

- his blood contains the purest form of shadow magic. a reason among other things that the chaos heart is one of the most powerful shadow artefacts in the spiral. theoretically other body parts of his are up there as well in terms of power. but luckily for him they arent removable.... as far as we know

- another reason why spider is fond of the yw is because spider himself was essentially the first wizard/first teacher of wizards - bartleby doesn't betray either witchiness or wizardry honestly i think "druid" is a legitimate camp to be in and bartleby is there -- raven is overtly witchy -- i think spider is in his own way incredibly wizard-y and mage-like. i always like to think he gave nuggets of his knowledge to the spider mages and guided their studies for a time...and the reason why people dont speak abt wizardrys root in spider is bc of raven's casting of him as ultimate evil in spiral mythologies. the role of guide to wizards is given rather ambiguously to bartleby instead...

- this hc is silly but. the divinities eat azoth. spider subsisted on that shit even in the black hole. idc that immortals don't need to eat i think it'd be funny if they ate azoth. consume ancient magics my boy

- tho raven and apider settled down in the husk, they still watch the yw but dont say nothin. spider COULD step in and narrate but why would he. all of arc 4 is so literally not his business at all ur on ur own wizard. however spider gossips about the yws goings on in lieu of being helpful literally at all.

- spiders favorite non-shadow schools of magic r storm and myth bc they're the most chaotic ::::)

- spider isn't taking to divorce therapy very well at all. 💋

[justanothershippingcan]

merry christmas anna! :3 to your last response, i am doing better actually! sorry to hear that you're not :( hope it gets better, but congrats on the job too! i wanted to say i saw your discord status and i told my friend who's obsessed with akeshu abt it lmao. they even wanted to know your recs. idk how i have sm friends that are into be gay do crime enemies to lovers like that, bsd, vanitas, yuumori?? i recently got one of mine too (which turned out to be my first ever fic kekw)

AJIDDH SORRY FOR BEING SO LATE! Merry Christmas and the most beautiful of holidays to you as well, Ling!

I am so happy you are doing better, that’s what counts. And thank you for the congratulations!

AKESHUU HAS ME LIKE. I HATE THEM, I have been reading most fics I could chew on while trying to avoid spoilers since I am still in the middle of the game. The mission, of course, kiiinda failed, but it’s fine, I say. Welp, I am pretty sure they have read most of the ones I am about to link but anyway! Here are some I have read, might come around to this once I actually am on par with the game content:

Closing Speed, Wishes wisely expounded (Fairy Tale AU), Irregular Resolution and Ambiguity Aversion all by Lady_peony. The first and the third in particular are absolute favorites. My usual taste in fic involves long one shots with super pining, forgive me.

I said that, but the next is as a hello. which is short, but absolutely felt.

Then, for some damn reason, for once, I went around eating Soulmate AUs. I prefer canon-adjacent fics most of the time, Persona isn't an exception, but with the spoiler-limiting thingie and just in general the presence of great Soulmate AUs, I dived into these waters. The one where they are meant to be is possibly my favorite among them, followed by Saudade, Missing Pieces and The Botany of Love. And welp, A quick drop if you want the angsty-angstee-angstboom and, of the same vein, Black Bird which I believe is the one that made me start this Soulmate AU spree (and has an amazing little twist at that).

And finally, three very different ones. 701 is, I believe, the first fic I read and follows the writing line of "as a hello." Short one shot, relationship study focused. But it has a way more philosophical, artistic vein, so to speak. Should be the first one I read even!

The second is a knight/prince AU The prince's token and finally, one I am actually planning on reading as of now is an actual Phantom Thief/Detective AU Love and Justice share a blindfold. I put these two together because both have, respectively, sexual implications and explicit sexual content. I am someone who usually skips the NSFW parts, so better safe than sorry!

I find it funny how I said that I am more for canon-compliant but ended up reading AUs. That's what I get for not wanting to spoiler myself, but still loving to get more than what I should bargain for. However, these fics are all outstanding tho and worth a read.

Your friends btw are... incredibly cultured. Like, absolute peak taste. Yuumori, BSD and Vanitas are some of my favorites in general and their ships? Chef's kiss. If your Akeshuu friend wants to share recs as well, they are more than welcome to do so!

AND OOOH? DO SHARE YOUR FIC, I'll be happy to read it! (EDIT: I JUST REALIZED YOU PROBABLY MEANT that you made a friend whose fic was the first one you have read. Ooops, sorry!)

Wish you again happy holidays, hopefully imma adjourn this list once I manage to read more!

[mxtxfanatic]

I saw the post before you and sangsang replied to it, and it was with the op asking for yours and sangsang opinion in it. So I waited for the full posts, I've read ur post, thank u for clarifying! I still have to ask tho since I don't know the meaning, what's a bad faith analysis? is it like a biased analysis?

Alright, so a biased analysis can be bad faith analysis, but a bad faith analysis is biased and also much more than that. For instance: a good faith analysis is one in which someone is reading a source in order to understand the intent behind it. In the case of that post, it is reading mdzs to understand how mxtx wanted us to perceive her character, Jiang Cheng. A biased analysis would be: I like this Jiang Cheng character, so my reading of him in the text may be softer. I, personally, have a negative bias towards the Lan Clan that I can use textual evidence to back up my dislike for; others have a positive bias and can use the same text to argue for. When I engage with mutuals on this, we both go in knowing where the other stands and can still have a proper discussion about the merits of the Lan being considered good/redeemed or bad/irredeemed in post-canon. This is all good-faith despite including a bias and/or being in disagreement. A bad faith analysis, however, is one that pretends to be a good faith one in order to trick readers into thinking that they are engaging with someone who wants to find out the author’s intent, not push you into believing their interpretation.

What made that post a bad faith analysis is that the person already has a formed conclusion (“Jiang Cheng is not a torturer.”) but rather than say this and admit they like a fanon version of the character, they pretend like they are engaging honestly and move to, instead, cast doubt on the text itself to convince others that Jiang Cheng’s actions are “textually ambiguous.” To do this, they had to get their readers to ignore both the context of the rest of that paragraph and the scene plus the multiple other moments in the novel where other characters confirm Jiang Cheng as a serial murderer and torturer, showing that they are not doing an analysis at all. If one had not read the book and only read that person’s “analysis,” they could come away with the idea that 1) this is the only place where “torture” is mentioned in the novel, as op never brings up any other instance as evidence, 2) the word “torture” is not even used and the violent word choice (“beat”) that is used could “reasonably” be a translation choice rather than author’s intent, and 3) the translators are not to be trusted; only the op and their wikitranslate skills. So now you’ve possibly come away believing a rando over the internet while doubting the actual source material from which they are pulling from.

That’s what makes it bad faith and not just biased.

[starry-blue-echoes]

I

am

L O O K I N G

THIS

THIS THIS THIS THIS HOLY SHIT I AM GRINNING LIKE A MADMAN Y E S

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS WAS AMAZING AND I ABSOLUTELY ADORE IT THE “a twisted oasis, a refuge in the familiar” LINE GOT ME HAPPY STIMMING SO MUCH BECAUSE THAT LINE IS SO COOL HGVHGVBHFV

Oh and the twist at the end where they forget again. Imagine it. They’re both crawling down the stairs, every inch they manage the paper along their bodies slowly closing up bit by bit until they can finally move normally, at which they bolt for the exist-

And suddenly it’s gone. Their panic, their memories, all gone with nothing more than slightly hazy pleasant memories of their time spent with the mangaka, and oh silly them it’s almost sunset they really lost track of time! Well, it’s a good thing he asked Koichi to return tomorrow, he could tell Hazamada all about it when it was over, hey what if you even come over tomorrow to my house and we can hang out together doesn’t that sound fun!

To add on more to Koichi’s fight with Rohan, what if it’s just him doing everything he can to escape. Doors, windows, even straight through walls, he just needs to get outside and then he’ll be safer. Not safe, never safe, but safer, outside meant other people possibly seeing them and Rohan clearly didn’t want people finding out. And maybe Rohan realizes what he’s doing so he Heaven’s Door’s both kids without them realizing to make sure they won’t be able to tell anyone

And I’m ADORING the change with Hazamada, that’s going to be so fun to play with. I will point out that I don’t think Hazamada would currently have Surface because Keicho never would have shot him with the arrow, but that’s a simple fix and we could just say he managed to grab a pen by himself. And as we saw with Hayato, non-Stand Users can see and read the effects of Heaven’s Door, so that’s the only real change. If anything this would add even more intrigue and chaos because Hazamada wouldn’t have any clue what the hell was going on

Anyways tho, I got off topic, back to the change you did. Hazamada would likely be completely oblivious to his differentiating behavior, and while Koichi might notice and think it’s a tad strange, the ambiguity of what Heaven’s Door actually made the two remember could have him just think “oh we just became friends and he’s getting better because of that” or something. And then later down the line when Hazamada gets Surface, Koichi would be there to help explain what this is and combined with his new character arc, would prevent him from doing anything actually bad or harmful with Surface. Heck, maybe the two could bond even more over having sentient Stands and Surface and Act 3 could befriend each other and be chaotic little shits together

And Rohan. Oh boy Rohan

While Rohan definitely isn’t going to let Koichi, the pinnacle of inspiration, get away, he’s also definitely not going to try things that way a second time. Maybe he tries befriending him genuinely in order to make Koichi able to be comfortable with him and willingly share his experiences. Yes Rohan technically already knows about them, but it’s….. different when someone tells you something then when you learn about it yourself. It would feel wrong to just take the inspiration that didn’t belong to him, to violate this boy’s privacy more than he had already. This could then eventually lead to them hanging out and actually bonding, which then leads to them finding the Bad Alley together.

I can honestly see it being a coin toss on whether Rohan would ever actually come clean about what really happened during their first meeting. Knowing what he knows Rohan regrets so much of it and hates that he’d traumatized this scarred boy again and would wish nothing more than to erase it from ever existing. But at the same time, later down the line deceiving Koichi like this would start to make him feel guilty about doing that too. In the end it’s really just a matter of which guilt will over power the other

Koichi’s family would…… in all honesty probably hate Rohan. They definitely wouldn’t start off on the right foot when Koichi came home with mild injuries he didn’t remember getting after kinda disappearing without warning for a whole day. They also might get the feeling that there’s something going on, but they would have no idea what. They probably wouldn’t even know Rohan was a Stand User for a bit. Plus Koichi seems to genuinely enjoy the man’s company, and the boy needs more friends, so they’re willing to put up with the man if his sake

So I’ve once again realized something really freaking depressing about Childhood Friends

Out of all the kids…… Koichi is going to be the one having the hardest time getting used to a normal and safe life

Josuke grew up with his mom and only started getting traumatized when Dio got involved, and for the Nijimura brothers, while Vanilla was an absolute shit bag of a father, they at least had a little bit of time with their mother(though Keicho can remember more than Okuyasu) and during the first couple years Vanilla was getting involved with Dio the two were mostly left by themselves and were at least safe in that sense

Koichi…… wouldn’t have any of that. He’s been quite literally raised in Dio’s mansion since he was an infant with only Hol Horse as a positive, no strings attached relationship. And as the years went on, Hol Horse was forced to spend more and more time away from the mansion on jobs for Dio, leaving him without protection

Koichi’s never really known true safety. He was almost constantly at risk, be it by Stands he couldn’t see, the more twisted and crueler minions under Dio’s command, or even Dio himself. The only time Koichi was ever close to the definition of safe was when he was by himself. So when the other kids are brought to the mansion and adjusting to everything that’s been dropped on them, Koichi’s already gotten every trick and rule figured out and memorized. He knows which minions are safe to talk to, which should be avoided at all costs, how to go unnoticed, how to tell when a Stand is there, what to do if you end up bumping into Dio, everything because his safety and wellbeing depended on him knowing these things. He’s probably got more than a few scars from his earlier times spent on the mansion before Josuke showed up with his ability to heal things

And when they move to Morioh…… it’s going to be incredibly difficult for him to adjust because he’s never experienced anything close to this. The framework in which he’d built his childhood has now become useless. He doesn’t need to hide in nooks and crannies anymore, he doesn’t need to dash from room to room with quiet footsteps so he won’t get caught, he doesn’t need to sneak food when nobody’s looking, he doesn’t need to hide injuries out of fear of showing weakness, so many things he’d taken as law in his life he now doesn’t have to do and it leaves him floundering in his new life

He’s not alone, he has Tomoko and Hol Horse and Josuke’s grandpa teaching him how to be safe, but it’s going to take a long time for him to unlearn his behavior