#tired: no one should make this decision for the whole world because it might as well be us

[helimir]

i can’t write this coherently but it’s unbelievably stupid that the members of bells hells who are like ‘the gods have too much control over mortals, things need to change’ are also the ones dedicated to following specifically the arch heart’s plan (which they believe, incorrectly, is also the matron’s plan) and have completely ignored the plan of the exandrian concord, which represents the closest thing we have to the entirety of mortal civilization on exandria. like who exactly should be in control of this??

[khruschevshoe]

You know what? I'm gonna say it. As someone who is asexual and on the aromantic spectrum myself, I'm a bit tired of the Doctor Who fans who all say that Donna is the best companion of Ten's just because they were best friends and nothing more and that automatically makes her the best companion of RTD and for a lot of you, the best companion overall.

Listen, I LOVE Donna. Adore her. And I also think that her friendship with the Doctor is amazing. But it has always rubbed me the wrong way that the companions who have a romantic interest in the Doctor (and let me tell you, there is textual evidence for every one of them that the feelings were reciprocated in some way) are somehow considered lesser BECAUSE of that interest. That just because they fell for the Doctor means that their relationship with the Doctor is cheapened in some way.

I personally think that just as platonic relationships should not be considered lesser than romantic ones, the same goes in reverse. Amy, Clara, Martha, Rose, River, and Yaz's feelings may have some weak writing decisions attached to them, but so does Donna.

Personally, I love Donna's character arc/the tragedy of her ending, but I've always felt a little disappointed by the fact that her becoming the DoctorDonna in Journey's End was not predicated on her strong characterization/choices (Ala Planet of the Ood/Fires of Pompeii) but by "fate" pushing it to happen. It's honestly more Dalek Caan than Donna making all that happen.

This is NOT to say that I don't love Donna, but just to say that the fact that she had no romantic feelings for the Doctor doesn't automatically catapult her above the rest. Romantic feelings can lead to just as interesting, well-developed character arcs/complicated dynamics as platonic ones can, from the creator/created reciprocated question mark wanting but unable to choose each other over everything dynamic of 11amy to the fascinating destroying each other saving each other one taking all of the emotional toll but honestly craving that prophet-god relationship of 10martha to the shaping each other making each other kinder and braver reminding each other there is hope dooming and saving each other of 9rose to the full dooming each other but running straight at it full tilt because we are purposefully ignoring the turn back now signs of 10rose to the batshit insane codependent reflecting each other refracting each other who is Orpheus and who is Eurydice of 12clara to the there was always someone else in the room keeping us apart but you somehow became my whole world and I knew you from birth to death and we will never be anything more than a shut door of 13yaz to the you doomed me and saved me and you hate me but you might have loved me once and i will spend the rest of my life devoted to you dynamics of 10jack 11river and 12river.

Every relationship is interesting and personal preference might steer you in a certain way due the character arcs/ending preferences/etc., but elevating one over the other because the companion wasn't "foolish" enough to fall in love with the mad genderfluid alien in a box who ran away with you and stole you away to the stars doesn't sit well with me. Romance doesn't cheapen a relationship just as it doesn't automatically make it the ultimate relationship, either.

[ceratedfish24]

Your takes on c!Scott and flower husbands have honestly been so refreshing that its reignited my old Hot Takes on c!Jimmy bc I detest the way people characterize him.

I feel like so many people portray Jimmy as this dejected downtrodden victim of bullying, which feeds into a narrative that Scott was cruel and abusive and awful or whatever, and tends to act like Jimmy doesn't have any agency ever. But IN REALITY??? Jimmy is not downtrodden and dejected and sad!!!!! In my opinion, Jimmy's defining character trait is his unshakable TENACITY! Ppl never want to admit that Jimmy is a little shit! That he acts out of spite, that his friends' teasing only tends to motivate him!! He *thrives* in environments that challenge him! AND to be so for real, he is a grown man with agency and decision-making skills and I'm tired of people acting like he isn't.

In general I feel like people just have the wrong outlook on him as a character. Maybe they've just collectively misunderstood him, or a Helpless Miserable Victim is easier to write about in fic, or they just want to project their own bullying-related trauma onto him or whatever. (People do similar things to Scar when talking about desert duo, which I understand even less). IDK. These are just my thoughtssssss sorry for rambling :P

No because you’re literally so real for this. Jimmy is SUCH a little shit. His response to Joel being mad at Jimmy for trying to kill him was to SHAKE HIS ASS AT JOEL. He taunted Joel because Jimmy successfully used Lizzie to bait Joel out. He tried to guilt trip Scott into giving him time. These aren’t negative qualities. This is a guy being silly with his friends. Embrace them when writing c!Jimmy. These are wonderful and realistic qualities.

Jimmy’s tenacity is so remarkable. He gets knocked down and all of his friends tease him about it, and he stands right back up with pep in his step. A lot of people treat Pearl the same way. Like, guys, these people are adults who make their own choices, and, often times, people who are given free will are not going to make the responsible choice most of the time when there are no real world consequences to their actions other than maybe “I might not get to be in the finale of this Minecraft series”.

There is SO much favoritism in the Life Series. Jimmy and Pearl are always reduced to their greatest tragedies, while Scott and Cleo are reduced to their most selfish moments, even though everyone else is equally selfish because IT IS A DEATH GAME. IT IS A COMPETITION. THAT IS THE POINT.

A lot of Jimmy’s deaths tend to be his own doing. Whether he unnecessarily made an enemy or just wasn’t being careful, a lot of Jimmy’s deaths are his fault, and that’s fine. He likes to play into bits. He’s not that serious about winning as opposed to making fun content. Pearl has made her fair share of mistakes and enemies, and that adds plot and drama to her content. That’s how she plays it, and it’s fine! Don’t infantilize them for dealing with the consequences of their actions just like everybody else!

Scott was widowed, and he had to watch his allies die before he did for seasons. Nobody ever comforts him about it. Nobody says “oh this man is so sad he’s just doing his best but he can’t keep his friends alive and it’s eating him up and everyone should baby him”.

Nobody even calls Joel toxic for constantly targeting Scott, but somehow Scott is toxic for teasing Jimmy now and then? (Which is not to say that Joel is toxic. He just finds it fun to target his good friend and knows where Scott’s limits are. It’s actually a sign of how close they are in real life). Nobody calls Etho and Bdubs toxic for being so mean to each other. Nobody calls Impulse manipulative when his whole thing in Third Life was betraying people. Nobody says Ren is controlling for taking the lead in Dogwarts or calling the Renwood Mound the Ren Mound. Scar is a liar and a scammer and no one thinks less of him for it.

Do you wanna know why? Because they’re friends having fun. Scott and Scott’s character should be treated with that same respect given to everyone else. Also, people need to keep in mind that Scott is not actively playing a character. Scott is just playing the game the way that cc!Scott wants to play the game, so any in depth analysis of Scott’s “character”? That’s an over analysis of cc!Scott in a competitive environment, and that man is literally on this site, people. He knows about Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss, Girldad. I’ve seen him reply to analysis posts on why Scott is manipulative. He’s literally just a guy playing a game for fun.

Imagine if someone accused you of playing an evil and selfish character because you asked your friend to give you the monopoly money they owe you. Or, worse imagine if someone accused you of playing a manipulative character because you let your friend land on your monopoly property without paying you????? Because you love your friend??????? Like, excuse me????????

Thank you for the ask!!!!!! 🩵🩵🩵 It’s always flattering when someone calls my posts “refreshing”💕💕💕(also I see you all the time and I love seeing your additions to my posts💖)

[olis-inkwell-symposium]

How to Write Multidimensional LGBTQ+ Characters with Authentic Emotional Journeys & Moral Complexities

As a fellow proud member of the alphabet gang, when building LGBTQ+ characters in fantasy, it’s essential to push beyond surface-level representation and craft characters that are fully realized—characters with rich emotional arcs, intricate moral dilemmas, and personal journeys that go beyond their sexuality or gender identity. To do this, the character's identity should be one part of who they are, not the only thing that defines them. Below are some strategies for creating multidimensional LGBTQ+ characters in your fantasy stories.

1. Give Them Full Emotional Arcs

LGBTQ+ characters should have complex emotional lives that don’t just revolve around their sexuality or gender identity. It’s important to explore their hopes, fears, ambitions, and personal struggles just as you would with any other character.

Ask yourself:

What do they desire most in life?

What internal conflicts are they grappling with?

How does their identity shape their view of the world, but also, how do their experiences in this fantasy world impact their identity?

A lesbian warrior who’s conflicted about war may wrestle with the toll it takes on her spirit, her duty to protect her community, and her desire for peace—not just her love for another woman. These internal tensions create depth, making her more than a “token” character.

2. Place Their Identity in Context with the Fantasy World

How does your fantasy world view LGBTQ+ identities? Are they accepted, ignored, or misunderstood? Is there a specific cultural, political, or even magical significance to being queer in your world?

For example, in a world where shape-shifting is common, could gender be seen as fluid, or would rigid gender norms still exist? These questions not only affect how your character navigates the world but also how their identity interacts with the story’s larger themes. A gender-fluid sorcerer might find their powers misunderstood or even feared because of their shifting identity, adding layers to both their personal and external conflicts.

3. Move Beyond Stereotypes

Avoid fully focusing on tired LGBTQ+ tropes like the “tragic queer,” “gay best friend,” or “sassy queer sidekick.” Instead, allow them to occupy spaces where their queerness informs, but doesn’t limit, their roles in the story.

This means allowing LGBTQ+ characters to be:

Heroes and not just mentors or sidekicks.

Villains with moral complexities rather than simply “evil” because they are queer.

Leaders with the same flaws and virtues as any other character.

Relatable without relying on typical stereotypes.

Focus on their unique personalities, decisions, and values, allowing their identity to be one aspect of a multifaceted whole.

4. Explore Moral Complexity

One of the most compelling elements of character-building is the moral struggle. Allow your LGBTQ+ characters to face tough moral choices that aren’t just black and white. This shows that they aren’t infallible paragons of virtue or simplistic villains—they are people with the capacity for light and darkness.

For example, a gay knight may find himself torn between loyalty to his kingdom and the corrupting influence of power. His struggles are not centered on his sexuality, but on how his personal identity interacts with the external pressures of war, duty, and justice. This complexity makes him someone readers can empathize with, even as they wrestle with his choices.

5. Authentic Emotional Journeys

Many LGBTQ+ characters experience moments of personal discovery, whether coming out, finding community, or struggling with self-acceptance. However, these stories shouldn’t be reduced to a single “coming out” narrative.

If your character undergoes a journey of self-discovery, ensure it’s nuanced. Think about:

What are their internal emotional struggles?

What external pressures do they face from society or other characters?

How do their personal discoveries impact their relationships, goals, or views of the world?

6. Build Relationships Beyond Romance

Romance is often one of the main focal points when writing LGBTQ+ characters, but building meaningful, non-romantic relationships is vital. Focus on their bonds with friends, mentors, family, and enemies. These connections give them more texture and depth, allowing readers to see different aspects of their identity.

Develop these bonds to show how they shape your character’s motivations and emotional growth throughout the story.

7. Subvert Expectations

Fantasy offers the perfect space to subvert real-world biases and expectations. Maybe in your world, queerness is the norm, and being straight is the thing that raises eyebrows. Or, perhaps gender identity is fluid, and strict binary definitions are seen as old-fashioned.

This allows you to play with audience assumptions and opens the door to explore LGBTQ+ identities in new and innovative ways. By breaking the mold, you give your characters space to be fully realized individuals within a fantastical, yet meaningful, framework.

Crafting Characters with Complexity

Ultimately, the key to writing multidimensional characters lies in treating them with the same care and attention you would give any other character. Give them goals, flaws, emotional depth, and moral struggles that transcend their identity while still allowing their queerness to enrich their journey. By doing so, you create characters that readers can relate to and root for, regardless of their background.

The goal is not just to create LGBTQ+ representation but to craft complex, authentic characters that will resonate with your audience, making them unforgettable figures in your fantasy world.

[cadaveerie]

ignore this post if you're tired of reading anything abt transphobes complaining about trans ppl (and top surgery scars) in dragon age, but:

David Gaider, the creator of the Dragon Age setting and veteran writer at BioWare (no longer working there, he didn't write for DATV), has given some reasoning as to why top surgery scars can be justified in the world of Thedas. Here are his posts:

"You want this to be about the top scars? OK, let's go. 1) There's no evidence that shapeshifting can selectively, and permanently, alter body parts. Even if it could, shapeshifters can only alter themselves. Morrigan cannot turn other people into spiders." "2) Even if other magic could alter body parts permanently, and there's no evidence this is the case, not everyone has access to it. One cannot walk into a Circle of Magi and go "remove boobs plz"." "3) If your issue is "why not heal?", healing magic also does not do everything. Scars exist. Why does Cassandra have a scar on her chin? If anyone could go "heal scar plz", it'd be her. Recognize there's a difference between the way it works in gameplay and lore, with healing as many other things." "4) If your issue is "how surgery exist?", you're probably looking at our own medieval world. Thedas is, at best, quasi-medieval. There are SO MANY instances of things that, in our world, didn't exist until the Renaissance or even later. It's not our medieval world and never tried to be." "But it's not about the top scars, is it? You've been presented with new information and you just don't like it. You don't want it. Like anyone who balked at the qunari change in DA2. So you try to make it about inconsistency because you feel that's stronger than this just being about YOUR biases."

source: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

I know that if you're pro-trans (or just normal) you understand all of this, but still. This is literally coming from the person who created Dragon Age. He defends the existence of both top surgery and its scars with a watsonian reasoning. At least this in-world explanation might be valuable for some people. That such a significant person behind Dragon Age justifies to you directly why this decision can make sense in such a world. And even from a POV that's pro-trans, it's cool to hear the in-world reasoning from someone that knows the setting better than anyone.

Overall I'm glad he's openly defending it because even if it's logical it's also nice that he speaks about it when he doesn't have to, especially since he's not involved in this project anymore. Idk if all of them, but it's nice to see that the devs are overall so trans-friendly. And nicer to see that there are trans devs to start with involved in the game.

And this whole thing is bigger than it should be, but the reality that not only people are still transphobic, but most big games simply don't have top surgery scars at all. Some have trans options, but they're still incredibly binary and restrictive, like BG3 and Cyberpunk 2077 (I like both of those games a lot, but being able to give a very stereotypically masculine character a vulva and vice-versa, or even worse, having that situation but the character's voice be directly related to pronouns, is not good enough. It shows a lack of care and understanding of trans people. And in BG3's case at least you can independently change voice and also go by they/them, but even then. Overall, it's good that those games went in that direction and that you could in that way be trans at all, but it was still not good at all. It was like saying "you are allowed to be trans, but only in this very passing, gender-conforming way and binary way." I feel like in this case, DATV's approach is one of the best I can think of so far, so in that sense I'm grateful (and apparently you can also say in the game that you're trans, which if that's true, that's great.) And this doesn't mean that the CC couldn't be better and more inclusive in a lot of other ways, but this is decent at least for trans characters.

So anyway, it's nice to have top surgery scars in CC. I hope at some point trans people will stop being targeted in this way and that it can be just something that's in the overwhelming majority of games, and done respectfully, and that people just leave us alone. Also wishing the same for POC, women, and people with any condition they decide is woke like... having vitiligo I guess.

[bernardellinewsagency]

short neuvifuri angst idea

"Oh, did you enjoy the script that she wrote? Did you like the role that you were cast as? I hope you were happy in those five hundred years, Neuvillette, because I never was!"

Furina storms off after pushing him, leaving him drenched to the bone and sitting awkwardly in the waters of the Fountain of Lucine with naught to do but contemplate his long lasting memories. Remembering the way she would smile is an easy endeavor. Furina always looked sincere when smiling; perhaps he wasn't looking hard enough, but surely even fleeting moments between just the two of them had to have brought her some amount of happiness, as small as it may be.

He thinks of one long ago night, during the third century of her reign. Actually, right on the cusp of the new milestone, he recalls the Palais had been eerily silent after wrapping up a week of festivities held in Furina's honor. The people of Fontaine were still celebrating, and would be doing so until the early hours of the morning, but all was still within the Palais. Except for them, that is. She had supposedly retired to her bedchambers, and him to his office, yet the two had bumped into each other within the kitchen.

"Let's go to the Opera," she had told him, in lieu of answering when he asked what she was doing. He supposes that the flecks of pastry crumbs on her clothes answered that, and he didn't ask other questions such as why she wanted to go to the Opera. He followed her as willingly as if she had simply asked for the time.

(Their whole relationship had been like that, hadn't it? A duty that extended beyond just an Archon and her Iudex. He once heard the Traveler mention a sea of flowers at the end of the world, and should Furina declare that she would like to see such a sight, he would tear down Celestia just to make it happen.)

Furina had packed a basket of food to bring, and two bottles of wine to go with. Then they partook perhaps more than they should've, and perhaps he should've questioned if Archons can get drunk, or if a Sovereign should be getting drunk with one. He definitely should have stopped her from going into the storerooms of the Epiclese and procuring even more for them. The memories start to get a little hazy after that, but he can vaguely recall a remark she made about the location not being the best choice, and that she wanted to get away from something. He can't recall who made the decision to go up, and have him help carry her as they climb to the roof, but suspects it was still her doing.

As clear as day, though, he can remember her smile, bathed in the light of the slowly rising sun as it crested over the waters of her dominion. Out of every beautiful sight in Fontaine, she is the one he gets to appreciate most often, but never before in a light like this. He could gaze at that moment for another hundred years and never tire of it. "Dragon of the waters," she had called him, "might you allow an Archon to call you theirs?"

Should she have asked him that at the start of her reign, should they have been in a similar situation, the answer would be clear. He might have even wondered, with the walls of the Court to block them from their peoples' sights, if an Archon so in love with her people would fall like one if he shoved her. But they were not in the past, and he already knew by then that he had come to love her, and thus his answer was "I was under the belief that I already was yours, Lady Furina, both within my capacity as your Chief Justice and without. The people of Fontaine adore you, yet it is my love for you that truly knows no bounds. Nothing would make me happier than to be yours."

"They do, don't they," she had whispered, a note he almost lost to time with how he just barely could hear her. "Promise me this, Neuvillette, if you wish to be mine- promise you will never stray from your duties to Fontaine, and you will always, always, do what is best for her people."

"I will."

"And promise that you will stay by my side forever, then, for another three centuries and beyond that, even if you grow tired of me!"

"Of course, Furina, is... is something the matter?"

It was the first time he had seen her come close to crying, droplets of tears clumping her eyelashes together yet disappearing as she blinked, "Oh, you silly dragon, only the fact that you make me ever so happy."

Leaving the warmth of the memory behind, Neuvillette returns to the cold of an overcast sky dripping with sleet, as a blue silhouette leaves him behind and disappears into the cloudy distance.

[igglemouse]

Through blood, pain, and tears, here she is. Ten fingers and toes and two eyes and ears and completely adorable! Florencia Lola Alcocer Varela is her full name but to keep it short and simple she is Florencia Alcocer and I should add that she is just a little fussy right now but try to imagine being in her position? Everyone knows how hard labor is, how difficult it is to bring life into the world, but no one talks about how hard it is to be born! I guess because no one truly remembers it.

Oh, that's right, you're probably wondering what Pascal was up to? Well, he did miss most of her birth but he did come late into the night after she was born and he was excited to meet her! He, a little surprisingly I should add, started his morning with her too. Talking to her and playing with her and getting her to wriggle and coo. I really hope this is the start of a beautiful relationship and it is nice to see that he delayed his usual morning routine to spend time with her.

I'm glad he spent some time with her but it did not take long before he was on his treadmill again, as you might have expected already. Morning workouts are a ritual for him and I've learned nothing stops it. NOTHING. We could be in the middle of a nuclear and I firmly believe he'd still find some way to push his legs and lungs and keep active. I think it is a mental thing for him. Like, meditative even? Either way, some mornings I do pop in to bother him.

"She is amazing, isn't she?" I ask him as he pounds away on the machine, the pounding of his feet is my only response until he can gather his breath for an actual reply.

"Y-yea! Yeah! She is!" He pants out, not looking over at me, keeping focused.

"What do you think of the name? I know we didn't agree on one but-"

"I l-love it!" he says, keeping it short and sweet. This would have bothered me normally but he is currently running. I think he keeps the setting on ten or however high it can go.

"You know, if she takes one thing from you I hope it's how hard you work," and I mean that sincerely. The guy is a machine.

He sort of chortles at that, picking up the pace even more. "And she will only make me work harder..."

I like the sound of that but is that possible with him?

This whole mama thing is new to me so be patient! I'm sure I'll make mistakes but I feel like I'm on the right track. Her diet will be milk milk and more milk of course and I've decided to handle that naturally, for now at least. It feels like one of the first big decisions I have to make and its about her health. A well fed baby is one that will grow after all!

But it is also important that I get a lot of time to relax myself. If Flora is napping, as she is right now, then it is the perfect time for me to nap as well. I certainly need it. I'm tired, hurting, and yet for some reason happy? I feel like I've been tortured and yet I'm smiling about it. Flora being born has a lot to do with that but I could not have expected any of this when I moved here to Oasis Springs. I thought life for me would continue to be a struggle, continue to fight every day just to put a smile on my face but it's been the opposite. Yes, things with Pascal have not been perfect but chasing perfection is a fools errand.

While Flora will be my #1 priority moving forward I still don't want to be stagnant. The idea of having a simtube channel would provide me work on my own time and hopefully give me some financial independence. I don't want to be the domesticated wife getting an allowance after all.

So I move forward with that plan by calling Mr. Booker. Remember him? He runs a pretty big simtube channel and through what was at first a rocky relationship we have somehow become friends. He seems eager to share a few tips and tricks to getting started too!

But like I said, Flora is my everything now and I'll make sure her room is just perfect for her. I'm not sure how she slept through all of the vacuuming but I'll keep every speck of dust out of her room!

But mama is still going to keep to her goals too! I'll try and trim some of the baby weight I've gained off of me because it is simply healthy to do so and it gives me something else to do right now. I kind of feel like I have to with how hard Pascal works it is kind of motivating! I won't be as dedicated as he is, who can be? But, I'll do what I can with the time I have.

When I make it back home I check in on Flora and make sure she's fed, happy, and clean, and then realize I've almost forgotten to eat myself! Has that ever happened to you? Get so busy that you forget to eat or shower or something like that? Any ways, I try a new recipe for today, lemongrass chicken!

And it is amazing! Just the right amount of savory and sweet and definitely filling!

I am reminded though that I need to have a conversation with Pascal about a few things. Just life in general things. He's been working all day of course but as soon as he gets home, which will be late, but it is a conversation that needs to be had.

So when he comes home I am all over him although I can tell he looks exhausted and heads right for the bed. I can only imagine how much he pushes his body, playing a sport at a high level is no joke, but it is funny that I'm the one sweating and he's not. ANY WAYS, I do talk to him about my whole Simtube thing and now he's a lot more open to it. "I do think it's a really good idea after thinking about it some more," he says.

"Oh?" I'm surprised he thought about it at all.

"Yeah, it keeps you here with Flora, that's really all I want. I know we've been through this before but I don't want her mom being too busy for her."

I pause, stopping myself from the obvious rebuttal. He's the one too busy for, well, EVERYONE. Not me. I take a deep breath and calm myself. "Do you think I'd put work ahead of her?" I am just a little insulted here! "Pascal I-"

"Noo! I just...you know, I'm traditional. I want you to be here with her, I don't want her being raised by a nanny even if I could afford it you know?"

"Yeah..." that is reasonable but... "Maybe not a nanny I agree but maybe we can look into a maid service?"

"I actually want to talk to you about something." He tells me, which surprises me and scares me a little but the smile on his face tells me it is good news, hopefully.

"Y-yeah?"

"My contract has been extended," I have no idea what it means but it sounds like good news. "So, I'm staying here, we're staying here, in Oasis Springs, and not only that but I think we're going to need a bigger place which yes, will include a maid!"

"Oh!?!?" Now that is exciting. I can't wait to look for new houses, big houses? Huge houses?!?! "Where will we-"

"I already bought the place actually! It's not amazing but it is at least not as cramped as this place. This is more like a fancy bachelor pad soooo I thought it was time to move on from this."

"Oh..." well, I wish we would have made that decision together but... "I can't wait to see it!"

You know, all things considered. Things are going really well!

Frida Varela - Next Episode 9 'Pascal's Wager'

[adragonsfriend]

SW Prequels: 1 Politic Please, for the Naive Child

(A complicating narrative…but probably not for you, reader of this post)

The prequels, according to quotes from GL, have two main goals:

“How did Anakin become Darth Vader?” (How does good person become a bad one)

“How did the Republic turn in to the Empire?” (How does a democracy become a dictatorship)

The first goal, though perhaps not perfectly executed, is largely achieved. We see Anakin go from a child who wants to help others, to an adult willing so sacrifice children for his own selfish desires—and we the viewers understand that (if not always agree which) decisions he and others made caused him to follow that character arc.

What the Prequels do Not do

The second goal falls far short.

The prequels offer some broad factors in the Republic becoming a dictatorship (as well as why the Separatists were no better)—corporations in government, greed of the already wealthy, war, fear-mongering manifesting policy changes, etc—but does not examine them in detail. It doesn’t take particular care with the timing of when the main characters acknowledge Republic’s values as having been lost, or the construction of “democracy” in-universe, or to what degree planets like Alderaan must be stealing from the Mid and Outer Rim, or even how Padmé and Palpatine both being from Naboo potentially alters any political commentary to be about Naboo rather than on the Republic as a whole, and carries around a whole bunch of other careless world-building problems that muddy the waters of plot elements which should be fairytale-clear (look I was gonna link a bunch more individual posts, but I got tired. Go read @saga-ordsmed’s star wars tag—she writes more elegantly, scathingly, and competently about Star Wars’ political & narrative failings then I ever will).

The prequels are a story about Anakin and about values of personal responsibility, and any political commentary suffers for that.

We know that the Senate willingly votes Palpatine into absolute power, but we do not know what alliances led to that vote passing, what Palpatine has been doing inside the Senate rather than outside it (his Sith & separatist activities), what battles and press releases cause the tide of the Senate to turn. We are shown a few bad apples but largely left unsure what turned the whole Senate, other than “time” “decay” and “greed.” These are vague comments on human nature, not on systematic conflicts.

If we saw something like this deleted scene, where Padme gives a speech to the senate, or this deleted scene, where some Senators talk about the Delegation of 2000 confronting Palpatine, I might have a reason to believe Padmé has fresh insight into the current political instability when she says the Republic is crumbling (if we actually got some of the pointed comments from the Delegation of 2000 scene, I would never have been able to make this post). Frankly, all of Padmé’s opinions are already under narrative suspicion because of her choice to help cover up Anakin’s massacre; without taking time to establish her expertise in politics as separate from her decisions about Anakin, her words about the Republic mean little. But these scenes are deleted, and whatever the reason, it causes the prequels to fail at their second goal, even more than they do structurally by not paying it much attention.

The most convincing comments about the political state of the Republic and the Chancellor instead come from members of Jedi Council, who have deliberately held themselves at a remove from the political process—for philosophical and practical reasons—and so lack detailed insight into the Senate’s functioning (why have so many benevolent Senator characters if you’re not going to use them as such? Just put one in the room with the Jedi council for a minute, seriously).

The most interesting scene we get about politics is the scene when Anakin and Padmé chat in the field and Anakin basically says he thinks the right dictatorship would solve the Republic’s problems, and Padmé largely laughs it off. It has the potential to be commenting on how people become radicalized when governments do not serve them, but the scene is so short and Anakin is in such a unique position as a Jedi and someone being personally groomed by the Chancellor, that it falls flat in terms of telling us anything either fresh and interesting about GL’s perspective on radicalisation, or anything applicable to a wider group of people.

Instead, the scene is again almost solely about the characters. It tells us about Anakin, Palpatine’s influence over Anakin, a little about Padmé, and a lot about Anakin and Padmé’s relationship. This would be fine—stories are allowed to use politics merely as a backdrop to character-level conflicts—if the creator didn’t claim to be telling us how a democracy can become a dictatorship.

So the prequels fail as a detailed or even followable portrayal of how a democracy becomes a dictatorship. They set up a few dominoes, but largely do not connect them to one another—for that we must fill in elaborate headcanons, read a million and one comics that probably don’t help the matter, or refuse to pay the question any detailed attention at all.

What the Prequels do Achieve

I recall a day, quite a while ago now, when as a kid—9 or so—I was walking to a friend’s house. It was sunny; the lawns were green and the sky was blue but the pools were bluer. I don’t remember the exact trigger for the thought, but I suspect my eye caught on the American flag hung by someone’s door. Whether it was the first time, or only the most memorable time, I remember realising: There is nothing inherently stopping my country (the US) and the whole world from getting worse again.

Now, there was a lot that was limited and outright wrong about that thought: the idea that the world didn’t currently suck for a lot of people, that it couldn’t start sucking for me, that the safety I experienced wasn’t built on other people not being safe, that the world was necessarily headed in a positive direction at the time, and so on. Many children are obliged to realise those things far earlier, if they ever held such beliefs in the first place.

But it was a step on the ongoing path toward a more complex world view, and a necessary one.

What the Prequels do is to present a situation in which the Evil Overlord takes over not by having a bigger army, or by poisoning the Good King, but by asking for and being granted supreme power by the government which is supposed to be checking his power. It is not detailed, or nuanced, or particularly well orchestrated. The how is barely a concern. The Prequels are highly unlikely to tell an adult anything they do not already know—in fact they are more likely to reinforce overly simplistic, individualistic views of highly systematic, large scale issues.

But the prequels do present a naive child with the possibility that a democracy can willingly become a dictatorship, that a government and a world can become worse.

That is only a step—one everyone must eventually move beyond—but for the naive child, it is a necessary step.

[futurepastme]

The king's war

Merlin receives some bad news. (Cannon au)

All the happiness Merlin had felt when he figured out how to get back to Camelot vanished the second he managed to actually get there.

Something felt wrong.

He wasn't sure what it was, or why it was, but the land itself felt wrong. The air seemed heavier and his whole body had goosebumps, even breathing felt weird.

He tried to shrug it all off as best as he could, attributing it all to his tiredness. After all, Merlin did spend four days stuck on an island at the middle of nowhere, and he did use a lot of magic in order to come back. So tiredness it was, and he continued his path back to the castle ignoring the goosebumps, the chills, the heaviness and everything else his magic and his instincts might have been trying to tell him.

He should have listened.

Merlin went to Gaius first, not because he was avoiding Arthur — and the likely punishment for disappearing — but because he wanted to discuss what had happened and make sure Gaius knew he's alright.

Turns out going to Gaius first was the wright decision, apparently Arthur was not in the Castle.

"What? Where is him?" Merlin asked a little exasperated. He did not want to go on a wild hunt after Camelot's prince. He was exhausted! And his bed was right there.

Gaius took a second too long to answer and that's when it hit Merlin. Gaius was acting weird. When he first saw Merlin entering, his face was flooded with so many different emotions that changed so quickly that Merlin couldn't register what any of them were. Even after he had closed the door, he could still see them dancing around Gaius’ face, and it was only now that Merlin realized that they were somber, too somber to be only concern for Merlin's well-being.

"Gaius, where's Arthur?"

Gaius let out a heavy sigh and sat at the table. "Maybe you should have a seat first."

The world seemed to slow down as Merlin moved to take his seat. He felt it all again, The heaviness of the air, the chilliness of the room, his heart beating so fast he was sure it would pop out of his chest.

"Two days ago, early in the morning, Uther made an announcement." He started as soon as Merlin sat down, not wanting to keep the boy waiting. "He made a big speech — you know how he is about those things — and the main focus was, of course, magic."

Merlin could tell Gaius was stalling. "Gaius, please. Where is Arthur?"

"Merlin…" He opened his mouth and closed again, he gave another heavy sigh and frowned his eyebrows. Both of them. The scariest part was that whatever news Gaius was sharing, he couldn't meet Merlin's eyes.

"Uther has announced that he is restarting the purge."

Merlin felt the air being stolen from his lungs as if he were punched at his stomach, he felt dizziness creeping up on him and a ringing in his ears that muffled whatever was it that Gaius was saying next. Suddenly, Everything he felt since stepping inside the kingdom, every weird feeling he had attributed to being tired, augmented tenfold and he finally understood. He wasn't tired, no, he wish he were because the alternative made him sick.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt. Not tired at all. What he felt from the beginning had been the land, the magic, everything around him, screaming.

Help Help Help Emrys

"Merlin!" Merlin fought his dizziness and tried to focused his eyes on Gaius. The ringing slowly subsided, and he breathed in — a long, deep breath as if he were holding it for days.

"Arthur?"

Gaius looked at him with concern and sympathy. "Arthur was sent by Uther to lead one of the search parties."

Merlin felt like throwing up again.

They were interrupted by a rapid knocking at the door. Merlin didn't know what was happening, his mind everywhere and nowhere, feeling both sluggish and too quick to follow. He knew someone was talking but he couldn't register anything, the ringing getting louder again.

"Merlin." Gaius' voice brought him back once again, and when he managed to get out of his daze he noticed that they were not alone. Joining them at Gaius' tower were a few injured knights that slowly were being placed on the various patient cots Gaius kept for emergencies.

"Arthur's back." Merlin looked up, meeting Gaius' eyes with his confused ones. "Maybe you should go check on him."

Merlin felt himself nod and stand up to get to Arthur's chambers, but he didn't register anything on the path there.

His body was flooded with feelings and he felt like he both floated all the way there and at the same time he was dragged down by invisible forces that made his feet drag through the floor. He has no idea how long it took him to get there, might have been a second or a week, a minute or a month, but somehow he got there.

He knocked.

(Pt.2)

So, the scene with Arthur is the bit I acctually sat down to write but I've been awake for almost 24h and my brain isn't braining anymore so we will all have to wait for it to reboot and hopefully by tomorrow I finish this. spoiler: it gets worse before it gets better and i might not even write the 'getting better' part anytime soon

[i-write-boop-spoops]

Professor Sycamore Proposal and Wedding Headcanons

so.... instead of festive headcanons, yall get this!! frick, when did it become february?

features: gn! reader, fluff, mentions of alcohol and cigarettes and very minor reference to sex

not proofread lol

owo what’s this? a classic boopy headcanon??

Sycamore is DIVORCED

So he has a lot of anxiety about marriage

When his last one crumbled, he felt like a failure, even though it was a mutual decision

After that, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to get marrid again

Like, could he really find someone to spend his life with? Was that even possible?

But then he met you

And suddenly, he liked the sound of wedding bells again

You’re together for about two or three years when he feels his ring finger starting to itch

Needing the cool metal of a wedding band to soothe it

Being with you, living with you… it was like the puzzle piece his life was missing

He wants to see that smile of yours for the rest of his life

The proposal HAS to be special

Because you’re special

And you make him feel special

You two have so many special memories together

Luckily, he’s a romantic, so he has an incredible idea

He’s going to take you on a walk down memory lane

Literally

To places that mean the world to the both of you

It starts at your shared apartment of course

You come home from work, to find your beloved wearing a chic suit (the top shirt buttons undone, of course)

He tells you he has a surprise, and that you should put on a nice (but easy to wander in) outfit

It’s not the first time he’s done something like this, so you’re not suspicious of anything just yet

And off you go on your grand adventure!

Having dinner at the restaurant you spent your first anniversary at

Getting dessert at your favourite little café

Laughing about the time you both dropped your ice cream while you stroll through the park

And all sorts of other memories

He’s nervous the whole time, but the excitement wins out

You just look so beautiful, his heart skips a beat every time he glances over at you

He wants to marry you SO BAD!

The walk culminates at the bridge you shared your first kiss at

At this point, you’ve kinda sussed out what his plan is

And boy!

You’ve never been more giddy with excitement

Honestly, if you found out he wasn’t proposing, you’d be disappointed

He takes your hand as you look across the river, the city lights dancing in the water

The speech he gives you is equal parts romantic and heartfelt

Just poetry

You’re trembling the entire time

He gets on one knee

His bones click but ignore that

And presents you with a velvet box

A gorgeous, classic ring inside

He doesn’t even have a chance to finish asking the big question before your arms are around him and you’re shouting “Yes! Yes!”

He’s in disbelief by your reaction

I mean, he knew you’d say yes… but he didn’t expect you to be this enthusiastic

You really do love him, and that makes him feel so happy and blessed

Wedding planning is a bit hectic, since Augustine is very involved BUT also very busy and tired with work

Do you get into silly fights over dumb things like what canapes to serve? Probably

But do you make up like two seconds after? Yes

Your invites are so elegant (art deco perhaps?), and they are rose scented!

In terms of the wedding, it’s gonna be a small but classy affair

Not super traditional, but definitely romantic and stylish

Depending on what point of the timeline it is, he might not even have a best man

Because he’d want it to be Lysandre eek

The ceremony itself would be held in one of the many beautiful, historic buildings in Lumiose

Somewhere full of art and culture and beauty and life

Maybe somewhere like the art gallery? The theatre? The botanical gardens?

Wherever it is, you KNOW Sycamore’s vows will be the most romantic prose

The heartfelt, genuine words that fall from his lips are the stuff of fairytales

It would make the most jilted, stone-hearted person  believe in love again

The whole time, he’s trembling with emotion

His hands are holding yours, his eyes gazing at you with such fondness and admiration

There will be tears

From you, from him, from everyone

Speaking of…

The guest list is STACKED

Despite it only being a few dozen people

It’s like a Pokémon conference crashed into your nupitals

Diantha, Steven Stone, Wallace, Cynthia… a whole host of professors

Your now-husband is well-connected that’s for sure

Expect AMAZING wedding presents

The dress-code is cocktail

Perfect for the cocktail hour

I wouldn’t be surprised if the two of you chose to wear cocktail attire for your ceremony as well as the reception

But you could also stick to more formal/traditional options for the whole event, or switch to your more casual looks after pictures

no matter what option, he WILL find a way to show off a little chest

The reception could be held in a myriad of places

A rooftop in the city, a grand manor in Laverre City, a ballroom in Hotel Richissime

Wherever it’s held, there will be a very Kalosian sounding band playing the whole time

The Champagne will be flowing and plentiful

And there will be SO many flowers

You get those really aesthetic black and white photos taken ah! i love those!

Just saying… your first dance will be so beautiful

Graceful and romantic, you two gliding together as one

It’s Kalos, so you KNOW the meal will be delicious and rich and indulgent

I can totally see the two of you ditching the cake for a round of delicious pastries for everyone

Ones filled with berry curd or cream or chocolate ganache or frangipane

Just exquisite little pockets of joy

At some point, yourself and Augustine slip away to somewhere quiet

A balcony perhaps?

So you two can share a moment together, just the two of you, as pouses

Officially!

And so he can have a quick ciggy

As the evening goes on (and your hubby gets tipsier)

You’re on the dance floor again, but much less gracefully this time

It really devolves from a classy affair to a bunch of drunk friends having a good time

Which honestly? Was exactly how it should end

Well that, and your magical first night together as newlyweds ;)

[soimcoga]

"every major baddie problem in the lmk universe is caused by SWK not dealing with his shit properly"

exept he dealt with all the shit and i'm tired of people ignoring it to paint him as an ignorant, uncaring bastard.

(very very minor s4 spoilers, so the cut)

Demon Bull King? Got his ass whooped and was sealed away for however long years it took for an entire ass megapolis to be built literally on top of him, causing absolutely no trouble to anyone whatsoever. Oh, and what sealed DBK? The staff. And if you'd care to know SWK outside of the LEGOverse, you'd realize how strong was SWK's resolve to seal DBK - keep him relatively safe, one might say - by using his trusty staff. The guy would literally die seven times over than let go of this thing.

Also people like, ignore the fact that canonically SWK stuck around the area (for the most part to stalk MK, but still), so he was literally there to deal with the DBK family if something went southwards? He didn't, because MK was able to hold the staff and the legend of the Monkie Kid then began.

(also zero antagonistic feelings towards DBK from SWK, like, whatsoever. i bet the dude actually wanted DBK to be free, cuz he felt bad abt it)

Macaque? In a morally gray manner, still very dealt with. SWK killed the dude. He was literally as dealt with as it can be. Or what, should SWK have predicted that after thousand upon thousand of years later a spirit (he dealt with too) would pull Mac out of Diyu? Yeah, I'd like to see that thought process.

SWK isn't omnipotent, he isn't even that far-thinking. Never was, actually. So holding that against him is like, very stupid. Especially because you don't do it to any other character in the show. 

Spider Queen? Wouldja look at that, also pretty much dealt with. We don't really know how exactly, but we know that she lost literally every ounce of power she had and had to resort to living in the sewers, prolly never to cause troubles ever again because, well, we never even heard of her until the special. SQ was pulled onto the scene by the Lady Bone Demon.

Which is, again, something SWK couldn't predict even if he tried.

And now into the fun part.

Lady Bone Demon? Was sealed away by Tripitaka and also didn't cause any trouble until DBK decided to use this freaky coffin he knew literally zero things about for his plans.

"But he should've killed LBD!!!"

He tried. Believe him he tried. This decision just wasn't his, and if you hold it against him and not Tripitaka, shame on you.

"He should have told the crew about LBD!"

He really couldn't have.

And people thinking that are blatantly ignoring SWK's character. Not that obnoxious fan favorite uncaring bastard one.

SWK deals with things on his own. That is just how he is, how he always was and he never learned to do it the other way around. If that's a fight, he'll do it, because he's damn strong. If it's to scout the mountain, he'll do it, because Bajie is a lazy ass motherfucker. If it's to find food for Trip, he'll do it, cuz he's fast and his eyes are awesome.

Same applies here.

LBD? Tried to kill her and Trip didn't let me -> Basically I didn't do the job right -> WTF I always do my job right, I am Sun Wukong hello???

It was, dare I say, a question to his pride, and SWK will forever be prideful. And when he acts on his pride, he does it with style and flare, in the most stupid way possible.

Hence all of the s2 off-screen investigation arc.

"Well, he should've told about the Samadhi rings!"

It would've endangered Mei, questioned his at this point in time very shaky authority and ability to handle shit, and prolly would've fucked Mei up a very whole lot.

You don't go and say to a person that they are a part of the most dangerous seal in the world and could die and destroy everything they love because you fucked up long time ago (again, very much jabbing at his mentality of 'Sun Wukong can do no bad job, and if he does he'll better fucking die trying to make it right').

Was his plan a shitty one? Obviously. Like, no question asked, it was a shit show of a plan. Very in character, though (SWK handles all the shit because he thinks he can).

And this little character arc of SWK not learning a damn thing results in him, oh golly you would not believe it, running off to do things on his own because he thinks he can handle it, because he's THE Sun Wukong who already handled this in the past.

Who woulda thought.

MINOR S4 SPOILERS START HERE

And the new addition to the baddie group, Azure Lion. Won't be addressing all 'SWK is a betraying bitch' because the show refuses to give us SWK's perspective and I hate it.

But you already know what I will say, because you know the truth. He was dealt with. Got his ass whooped and sealed away in the inky scroll. To be pulled back onto the scene by a third party that Wukong literally couldn't have known about.

See a pattern?

SWK deals with the shit, some unknown variable meddles in it, suddenly SWK is an incapable asshole who left the problems for the poor lmk crew to deal with.

MINOR S4 SPOILERS END HERE

Wukong did his job. Someone fucked him over by undoing his job. He tried to deal with it again the only way he knows how, but the solo play doesn't fly anymore, so he made it kinda worse.

He's not an unbearable, incapable asshole because of it.

And I'm tired of people not seeing this.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk, I am Sun Wukong Apologist till the day I die.

Have a nice day!

[semperama]

Daniel getting injured in ex-husbands with benefits universe… 👀

This takes place before the divorce. A little bit of a peek into how things might have started to fall apart. Sorry in advance for the angst. <3

It's dumb and petty, but Daniel's pissed at Max for the rest of the weekend.

Max couldn't have done anything. He wasn't realistically going to park his car, jump out, and run to Daniel over something as small as a broken hand. Or even something much bigger than a broken hand. They had this conversation before they got married, about whether they were both okay with the reality of being married to someone with such a dangerous job. It's one thing to take your life in your own hands daily; it's another thing to watch someone you love do it. But they both laughed it off. Of course it'd be fine.

But now Daniel's sitting with his arm in a sling, watching Max win his 6 millionth race in a row, and it's just--he's tired. He's tired of all of it. He wants someone who will jump out of their car and run to him. He doesn't think Max will ever be that person.

"I wanted to bring this one home for Daniel," Max says in his post-race interview, to cheers from the crowd. "We of course hope he will recover soon, but it was important to me to win this one for him."

Daniel knows the cameras will pan to him, so he makes himself smile, hoping he looks the part of the proud husband.

After the race they ride to the airport in silence, Daniel resting his head wearing against the window. Either Max doesn't notice anything is wrong, or he's content to let Daniel wallow in it for now, because he doesn't even attempt to drag Daniel into a conversation about the race or reassure him for the hundredth time that he'll be racing again in no time. He's been oblivious to Daniel's bad mood, for the most part. Too busy, probably. Too focused on racing. Daniel wishes he'd just...reach out. Pull Daniel's head into his lap. Kiss him. But then again, if he tried, Daniel would only push him away. The distance between them feels too big, too impossible.

He makes it about ten minutes into the flight home before he says, "I think I might retire."

Max's head whips toward him so fast, Daniel would laugh if he wasn't feeling so shitty. "What?" Max says. "Don't be stupid. Your hand will be fine."

"It's not about my hand," Daniel says, his anger rising quickly, so he has to swallow hard against it. Why can't Max just understand for once? "I'm just tired of being kicked around by this stupid fucking sport."

"Kicked around?" Max's whole body is tense. "Things have been good, though. I thought you were happy?"

"I was." He was. But now... It can all change too fast. He hates that feeling, of not being in control of any of it. "It'd work out for the best, I think. I've had a long career, and I could be, like, more supportive of you, if--"

"You know I don't care about that," Max says, and yeah, Daniel knows that's true. Despite what he said to the whole world after the race, Max doesn't race for anyone but himself. He's never cared about fans or admiration. Not even Daniel's. And maybe that part hurts too.

"If I do it, will you be okay with it?" Daniel asks, because ultimately this isn't a discussion. It's Daniel's decision to make. "I'm not saying right now. I'll get better and try to finish out the season. Maybe I'll even change my mind and do one more after that. But will you be okay with it?"

Max looks away for a second, a muscle jumping in his jaw. Daniel can see him visibly getting control of himself. It's--fuck, even when he's angry at him, Daniel still loves him so fucking much.

"Of course it is whatever you want, Daniel," Max says when he turns back to him. He reaches across the space between them and wraps his hand around Daniel's good wrist, squeezes it. "I just think you should not make any rash decisions."

"I won't," Daniel says. He turns his hand over, lets Max thread their fingers together. It feels good to touch him. The past few days are still sour in Daniel's mouth, but some of the tension eases when Max brushes his thumb along the length of Daniel's, then brings their combined hands up to his mouth and kisses the base of Daniel's thumb.

"Good," Max says. Then, "I love you."

"I love you too," Daniel says on a sigh. It wasn't so long ago he thought those words could fix anything. Now, he's not so sure.

[songmingisthighs]

Genesis

introduction pt. i | pt. ii | pt. iii

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ch. xxvii - scuse me

fashion mogul!mingi × reader

buy me coffee ?

things aren't always what it seems but when even the truth is left unheard, what can people do? one musn't lie but what if the lie is more accepted than the truth? the scariest thing in this world isn't monsters or demons. it's people with no agenda and time to waste.

To be quite honest, you knew being alone at night was stupid. Not that it was very dangerous or something, it was just amplifying the loneliness. Sure, some people might revel in being alone, but you had to admit that you were slowly getting tired of being alone. Or maybe it was that you were tired of beinv alone again. Three years and an engagement later, you wouldn't have guessed that you'd be going to the convenience store you used to frequent with your ex by yourself. The road used to be filled with lighthearted teasing and nearing the end, wedding planning is now cold breeze and crickets.

But, you had cravings. Bean had cravings and you didn't stock up because the cravings differ from one day to the other. So the broken heater of the convenience store couldn't stop you. It wasn't like it was too cold either, it was just slightly uncomfortable. Bean had wanted to eat something warm anyways so it shouldn't be an issue. And yes, you really do heed into Bean's cravings. Once, bean craved ice cream and jjajang at the same time. It wasn't that weird but maybe a mango ice cream was a bad choice. You didn't even know what bean wanted until you got to the convenience store and immediately craved spicy jjamppong ramyeon with cheese, egg, and sausage. You wondered if Bean will still have the same questionable palate once it's born. Then you wondered if bean shares the same palate as its dad. Not that you wanted to think about him much because obviously, he has yet to make up his mind while still trying to drown you in presents. You were running out of people to give away the presents he still left you and while it seemed mean, you didn't want your anger to be resolved by items. Maybe your friends were right, maybe you wanted Mingi to make a decision to approach you first. And maybe you should've been straightforward with him and tell him the answer you needed instead of playing this chicken game. Besides, it was bad enough that you left him all alone in the hallway of your apartment at 11 pm while needing to pee. To be quite honest, you felt bad for that and you would apologize. If he'd come to you.

The whole Mingi train of thought took up only until your food was cooked. As soon as it was done, you immediately focused on eating, enjoying the taste and warmth that spread all through your chest. You ate the whole thing with such gusto, feeling your mood getting better that peaked once the bowl was empty and you have cleaned up all your trash. With a satiated craving and a full belly, you walked out of the convenience store So of course, you thought you were going to end the day perfectly what with your craving satiated and belly full. Though, you were slightly concerned that your baby was floating in spicy ramyeon broth but that was just a regular odd fear that was washed away easily with the cold night air.

"Excuse me," You turned to see two women jogging towards you.

Considering that it was nearing midnight, you should've been more nervous and cautious of any interaction happening. But for that same reason, because it was nearing midnight, you think you should help your fellow women who might be in some sort of trouble, no matter the complexity and size.

"Yes?" You answered as soon as they reached you. The two women looked at each other momentarily, before turning back to you, "Do live in that apartment?" you followed the finger of one of the girls who was pointing at your apartment building. You nodded in affirmation to them, assuring that you actually do, "Yes, I do," as soon as you said that, you could see their eyes light up happily. "That's great! Do you know the girl who's dating Song Mingi the fashion mogul?" the other immediately asked. It was a rather odd question and the furrow of your eyebrows seems to only make them more intrigued. You immediately got a weird vibe from them so you did what you thought was right and tried to escape as quickly as you could. "Uh, I don't know what you guys wanted or how you even know about the apartment, but if this involves anything weird, I don't want to be part of it. So..." you tried to turn around and walk away but they went around you and blocked your path. One girl grinned happily while the other stared at you with furrowed eyebrows, "Oh, she so does, she's probably friends with her," she said excitedly, hitting her friend's arm continuously. You wanted to say no, but you didn't want to give them hints or anything that could make them think that you were actually helping them.

However, before you can do anything, the girl whose arm was hit by her friend stepped forward as her eyes widened, "Oh my God, forget that, Hyemi, this is her! She is her! Didn't you see the leaked pictures from that blog?" All of a sudden, you felt your stomach drop and your instinct was triggered. Your hand flew to your stomach as if you were trying to protect your baby even though there was no proof that your baby was even being targeted. "You're so right," when the excited girl took a step closer to you as well, you immediately raised a hand at her that she simply grabbed to pull you closer, "We have so much to ask you,"

They weren't even treating you like a human being, using you to get answers on Mingi because they thought that you were personally involved with Mingi which was so wrong on most levels. The questions they asked were rather invasive too. For example, since when was it okay to ask a complete stranger what Mingi usually does as his shower routine? Does Mingi take a bath often and when he does, does he use bath bombs? What is Mingi like at home, what does he wear or does he even wear anything? And worst of all, has Mingi really been with men?

"Really, I can't help you with this, I need to go home," as hard as you can, you tried pulling your arm out of their grip as your eyes tried to find a way to safely make your escape. The only thing you fear is truly your baby being in danger from you trying to escape them. But no matter how much you tried to pull away, they kept bombarding you with questions you didn't have the answer to. You were damn near crying at that point and the sliver of people who passed by were no help, they simply looked at you who was in trouble and decided to not give a shit. So much for you trying to help someone. You couldn't stay and let them do whatever they wanted because that will just encourage more shitty behaviour on their part while preventing you from developing an effective way to get rid of assholes like them.

When you felt your arm being yanked, you damn near screamed bloody murder, but you soon realized that it wasn't really your arm that was being yanked, it was the girl who was holding you. You looked up to see Mingi scowling at the two girls who stood frozen. "What do you think you were doing?" His voice was void of the usual lighthearted tone he used on you, this was not even the voice he used when he accused you of whoring around. This was... Assertive.

"I..." "We..." Both girls were nervous now, they hadn't expected to be confronted by Mingi because they thought that they were going to be the ones doing all the confronting. Idiots.

"I'm trying to be nice right now for the sake of this woman right here," he nodded to you which made your breath hitch, "But if you don't leave her alone, I'll make you regret it." With that, he turned you around and with a hand on your back, he guided you away from those girls.

Just as you were about to feel relieved that Mingi had stepped in, one of them screamed 'wait' and proceeded to grab you by the shoulder, almost making you fall. But Mingi's reflex was better than theirs as he immediately pushed the girl's grip off and stepped between you and her. At 6 ft, Mingi was a mountain that put the girls under his shadow. "I'm serious, I will press charges," he said sternly. You didn't see what he looked like completely, but you saw that he was glaring at them and his chest was puffed while his shoulders were squared. In all honesty, he kind of looked like a guard dog, protecting whoever or whatever it was he deemed needing his protection.

The message was VERY loud and clear as seen from how both girls immediately nodded their heads in fear. Only then did Mingi gently take your hand in his and walk you to his car that was parked just across the road.

"Mingi?" You called out meekly, afraid that he was still worked up. But when he turned to look at you, you were only met with his usual kind eyes and that showed a lot of guilt and a hint of embarrassment. "I can just walk to my apartment alone," you told him, hesitant to receive his kindness especially since he had just saved you after you ignored him for some time. But Mingi shook his head, even tugging you further to the passenger seat where he opened the door and motioned for you to get in, "No, you just experienced something traumatic from trying to walk home all alone, the least I can do is make sure you don't get followed even after you get inside your home," he said determinedly. You wanted to say no, send him home, and tell him thanks but no thanks. But, you don't really want that. Not at all, actually. So you smiled which surprised Mingi, "Thanks Mingi, that's really nice. Way nicer than the gifts you've been dropping off," you teased. At the mention of gifts, Mingi blushed and his hand flew to ruffle the back of his head, "Uh... Actually, I was just about to drop off a bouquet I got you, but I threw it there when I saw that you were in trouble," he said as he pointed to the road. True to what he said, you saw a bouquet of white and soft yellow flowers wrapped in baby pink and baby blue paper abandoned by the side of the road, the wrapper soaked by disgusting murky water, the flowers crumpled and some of the petals even scattered around dramatically.

The sight should've been sad, but for some reason, you laughed at it. Even more odd, Mingi was laughing along with you. It wasn't that you both were laughing at each other, but you were laughing at the situation and how unpredictably ridiculous it is.

Yeah, everything involving you two were absolutely silly.

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@randomness7198

[paragonrobits]

"One thing you will unfortunately have to combat," Iroh says, slowly walking a meandering path around a pond, Aang walking beside him, the both of them moving at a similar steady pace. "Is that far too many people of the age believe that the will to harm, and ruthlessness as a whole, is a sign of maturity."

Aang sighs, tilting his head up towards the stars. His expression is solemn, his face young, and his eyes unbelievably old. There is wisdom there; wisdom from a century ago, and echoes of wisdom even older than that, going all the way back to the foundation of the world.

The wisdom of the Avatar is something built from pain. The pain of past lives, the pain of countless generations that will not learn or are made to forget, the pain that comes from a thousand sources. The world is locked into an endless cycle, he thinks, and that cycle turns on pain.

"I think too many of the world's problems today," Aang says, in the soft and steady tones of one who is stating a fact that he ill likes, but does not ignore. "Is that people keep saying things like 'harmony and spirituality don't matter, all that matters is that we do whatever it takes to get what we want'."

"Indeed." Iroh stops, turning and looking at the water. His eyes seem younger than the Avatar's. For a moment, they almost glow with dragon-flame, or a mirror to the sun. It's a different sort of fire than that burning in most of his countrymen these days.

"I'd guess Sozin thought something like that, back before I went into the ice," Aang says.

The grandson of Sozin nods somberly. "It's one of the great illusions we see in these days," Iroh suggests. Something in tone implies that he may be thinking out loud; wondering, pondering, guessing at things that he cannot definitely say for sure. Pain, and uncertainty; that is the hallmark of the world today. "Thinking that because you are a different one from your enemy, that doing the same things as them doesn't carry a risk of repeating the harm they bring, because its you doing it, not them."

Aang nods. He is silent, for a time, and then he speaks. His words bear the weight of a great distance, and Iroh knows that he has made some kind of a connection, or an old fear. "Do you know the death toll of the Fire Nation navy at the battle of the Nothern Water Tribe?"

"Yes." Iroh gives Aang a concerned side glance. "Do you?"

Aang breathes in deeply. He looks down, calmly, at his hands, and his expression is tired, and looks older than he should.

It was not his will that happened there. He was the channel, that was all. Through him, the Ocean Spirit did as it willed, as was its right.

Nonetheless, it was his hands that had carried the deed. It was hard, to remember it, to accept it.

"Yes," the Avatar says simply.

Iroh is silent, and waits for the Avatar to speak.

When he does, he gives a heavy sigh. Aang continues, "I know that in the future, people are probably going to write about the... the Ocean Spirit being wrong. That it was vicious, or cruel, or that it might have attacked the Water Tribe too if things had been just a little different. Judging the Ocean by human attitudes, by the way humans have to be."

"And what do you think?" Iroh asks.

"That the Ocean Spirit isn't human," Aang says. "That the spiritual rightness of humans doesn't apply to the Ocean. Something like... our ways are not their ways. And in any event, things like how abstaining from the slaying of another liberates people from the ties of the world, or the flow of pain in the world... I don't think that CAN apply to spirits, at least not the world-defining ones like the Ocean. They are what they are. Their natures are tied TO how they are a part of the world. It's not really about making a moral decision for the Ocean Spirit. It's simply doing what it does."

"And as humans, it is our duty to seek harmony with the spirits, and the nations of humanity," Iroh says, stroking his beard; he strikes the image of an old master, and together with Aang he looks the part of a master and pupil. And yet, it is the reverse; there is so much he does not know, and that Aang does. He is the student, and the young man the teacher. "If the Fire Navy had not attacked with intent of conquest, they would have lived, and the Ocean Spirit would have no need to take retribution."

There was a certain way to things; if one wronged a spirit, it had to take retribution. It was like a pendulum; if you pulled it far enough back and let go, it would have to swing the other way just as far. It was simply the shape of the world. It was human error to attribute human morality to gravity moving the way it did. And it was greater human error to expect the most ancient and mighty spirits to abide by flawed human belief that the nations were fundamentally separate.

Aang's expression was solemn. For a moment, a thousand lifetimes of understanding shone forth, and beyond that there was an intelligence far older than that; the world itself in human form, regarding itself.

It was a look of sorrow. Sometimes that was the only response to human foolishness.

[zerzurianspy]

man i grew so tired of people portraying alexander as a manipulative heartless selfish evil villain and call him ooc if he doesn't lie to daniel for whole 0,0001 sec in fanfiction so right now right there i am going to explain YOU why YOU are wrong about this character!

and first of all, he is a complex character, just like daniel and has various traits that most people seem to forget. this means that alexander is not only capable of lying, abusing and torturing people near him, this means that he is also capable of sypmathise and care for people near him, just like he cared for daniel

most people seem to forget that alexander actually WANTED to save danny and even bring him to the other world, the only reason why he didn't is because he couldn't TRUST daniel(and because the portal could not allow more than a one person to go through it-) and not because he was so selfish and cruel that he easily left his friend behind.

and the reason why he forced daniel to torture those victims was because his efforts weren't enough and he "had to teach his friend to harvest vitae", not because he thought that it would be fun to watch danny lose his mind from seeing gore

people also do not pay the needed attention to the fact that alexander was betrayed by johann weyer and therefore he obviously lost his faith in people, which is very important, considering that at the end of the day he is still an otherwordly creature and not an actual human, however through the ages of living on earth he naturally managed to develop genuine connection with the humans, which his species perceive as a lower kind

what i am trying to say is that if you want to call anyone in this game a villain(which is, honestly, a stupid decision as everything in atdd is messed up and everyone were hurt by everyone + labels are shit) then you should be honest to yourself and remember that not only the protagonist was hurt by his trusted ones :^

and the way he was explaining himself to his wife in those capsules showed that HE IS AWARE of the fact that what he does to his victims is inappropriate.

and that he also regrets the atrocities that he commits to those people :)

however i defend him not because i see him as a pure and innocent soul, i am not blind either, and i realise that alexander tends to justify himself and refuse to agree that he might be wrong, but, unfortunately(or fortunately? :0), we cannot be certain as we have never seen the real things that happened before his banishment

and he also might be simply not aware of the fact that he is wrong(or might be aware :D) and that is why i can say that alexander / ayandra is a complex characters because he really has a personality and isn't "evil" for the sake of being evil, he has his flaws and there are many of them, but he also is a victim in some way, so calling him "bad", because he was manipulative and calling daniel "good", because he was manipulated is not really smart way of viewing the characters and lore in general..... just like calling alexander good, because he had intention to reunite with his wife and calling daniel bad, because he killed people to save himself what a bastard how dare he have an instinct of self-preservation)))

and uhh he also didn't know everything about the orbs and the shadow so it's logical that he made mistakes poor old man(( shouldn't have commited crimes in his world :(

i know that i may be wrong and that i may love the character way too much and therefore not see the things that make him really shitty person, but my reason is already written in the beginning of the post i am tired even of being angry at the half of the fandom, that see only ugly traits of alexander and generally see the characters as "good" and "bad", this black and white mindset just pisses me off srry

[carefulfears]

@amplifyme thank you lovely! answering these one by one <3

top 5 underrated MSR moments

(i’m still not feeling well so this may not be coherent lol, just gonna ramble a bit)

1/ redux ii - "because i knew you'd talk me out of it if i was making a mistake"

this is my favorite line delivery of the series. it carries so much weight. he hasn't stopped smiling at her the entire time she's been in the hospital, trying to alleviate how much she worries about leaving him alone, and at times it is forced, but not here.

when he tells her that he was lost the night before, but found his way when he was with her. and explains to her the situation that he is in, the choice that he's been given, the decision that he's made. and she asks why he came to see her if he'd already made up his mind.

the way that he laughs and chokes through tears at the same time when he responds, "because i knew you'd talk me out of it if i was making a mistake."

it's almost ridiculous to say out loud, in the end, because it's the end. it's a foregone conclusion, and it's so so limited.

the look on her face says so much. there is so much grief in being needed. it doesn't last forever. it might not even last the rest of the day, she might not live long enough to ever find out if he's walking into that hearing to make a mistake. how can either of them do anything but cry and laugh in the face of that??

she's on her deathbed and he's flashing that smile at her so maybe she won't worry, like he did when he knelt before her in a surveillance unit and handed over his gun, a lifetime (or two years) before, trying to make it all okay. but how could it be okay when this person needs her like this? when it's all so fragile? when tomorrow, maybe, there won't be anyone to listen to him and tell him if he's making a mistake.

it aches to be depended on.

"you are going to die in your best friend's arms. and you play along because it's funny, because it's written down, because you've memorized it, it's all you know." (richard siken planet of love)

she's going to die in her best friend's arms, and it's funny, because what is there to do except choke out a laugh through tears?

2/ sein und zeit - "she was trying to tell you to stop"

this is tough as nails love.

this is the dirty work that no one can bear. this is being willing to tell someone what they need to hear, and to stay for the fallout.

i love this episode, and this whole scene is such an intense and important moment in who their characters are.

she gets down on the floor. she looks him in the eye and tells him the truth, even when her voice wavers. she holds steady in the midst of his lashing out, his eruptive grief, his inability to accept the facts that she cut through skin and bone to find. she grabs him and holds him tight and rocks him on the ground.

i always think of this quote from audries' throat, eye, and knucklebone:

"Sometimes she wishes he’d get some kind of universal object permanence. Actually practice the world-weariness he preaches with his tired eyes and dingy kitchen. Learn to anticipate the punch or else to slip and roll with it. It’s all incongruent - leaves her there cursing God and rocking him on the floor and all the while thinking you should know better at no one in particular."

mulder, who at 12-years-old, closed his eyes every time he walked into his room, because maybe his sister would be there when he opened them.

who looks up at stars and sees wandering souls, who can spin any light in the sky or water in an autopsy report into a reason why the world is still kind, despite all to the contrary. for whom "trust no one" is little more than a computer password, because he listens to everyone, believes everyone has something important to say, even cold answering machines.

he wants to believe, he comes into every situation with a bad joke and the most hopeful answer, he is rarely wrong. he still walks into every room with his eyes shut tight.

and what a thing to dedicate your life to, to spend your days with someone who sees the world this way. except, what happens when even the most complex spins and intricate theories cannot account for the dull sharp reality of loss? when there are certain things that are just too awful to be explained.

he should know better. one of them should, at least, but sometimes when you walk into every room with the most hopeful answer, you're wrong. sometimes there's just no evidence or conspiracy or mythos to be dreamed up.

his mother killed herself. she did so without saying goodbye, without telling him the "unsaid" truths she's kept secret, without leaving anything more than burnt photos of him in the trash and a message on his answering machine about how he didn't call her back. a message that he can rewind and replay a thousand times over, it still won't hold any answers. he still won't be able to figure this out.

it's horrible and painful and devastatingly human, with no grander purpose to it, and he should know better than to look. after everything that he's seen and lost and been through, he should have retained some understanding that this is the world.

but he looks anyway, with as much dedication and hope as he does everything, and there is no one there other than scully to say stop. to say this is the truth. to say these are the facts.

there is no one there other than scully for him to run up against, and she sits calmly and holds onto him.

she tells him the truth, and she tells him something else, too. she tells him that his mother wanted to tell him to let go, that she wanted to "take away his pain."

which...maybe this is true, or rather, maybe scully believes this. but scully stood in the next room when his inquiries to his mother got him little more than a slap to the face.

scully watched on tape as tena signed her son over to the devil, a hospital pen in her hand and cigarette smoke framing her face. scully's heard this voice on an answering machine too, and she never got a response either.

there's so much pain in her face as she tells him, through tears, that his mother just wanted to take his away. her own version of shut eyes and a strategic spin, this is what she has to offer.

in the following scene, it's morning now, and scully answers the door with her hair frazzled, still wearing her blouse from the day before but not her blazer.

weary from a night spent confronting the punches of the world, she's visibly exhausted when she looks at skinner and says, "it's been a hard night for him."

when mulder comes to the door, she never moves from her place in front of him, blocking him in. (she has always shared him with the world only reluctantly). as skinner tells mulder that the mother of the missing little girl in california has something to say, and she will only talk to him.

sometimes, when the worst happens, you want the person with the most hopeful answer.

skinner tells him that he's booked them two flights, and after mulder nods and walks away to get ready, scully looks at her boss and tells him that he "better book three."

tough as nails!

3/ the erlenmeyer flask - "mulder? i just want to say that i was wrong."

this moment exemplifies so much of their relationship in season one, and this is my favorite MSR. baby-faced and curious and overjoyed to know each other. they are best friends.

no one else would run up behind him on the street and stop him to tell him they were wrong, and that they should have believed him. it means so much.

when she tells him that she should have just trusted his instincts, and he replies, "why? no one else does." and she just smiles at him...season one scully has found secret treasure no one knows about. she can't believe she's getting away with hiding him in the basement.

4/ paper hearts - "but i do know you"

it's about THE INHERENT GRIEF IN BEING NEEDED!! of course a paper hearts moment was going to land on this list somewhere. my attachment to this episode knows no bounds. i could bring it into anything.

paper hearts is an ahab and starbuck episode. mulder is more haunted than we ever see him, as he spends the hour grasping at ghosts. scully's place in this episode is everything that makes her role so important, as she tries to balance hope and rationality. this is their quest, and these are their skeletons.

earlier, when roche tells mulder that he just wants to see his face when he finds samantha's body, you hear scully exclaim "oh my god" before standing up and screaming at him, opening the door and just getting mulder out.

she tries to reason, she tries to rationalize, she tries to get him away from "the darkness", but when it comes down to it, she digs in the dirt next to him with her bare hands.

i love these little moments that they always share in the end, when it's all over. there's nothing more to be done. all that's left is a tattered scrap of fabric with weary eyes looking on. she just comes in to check on him.

she gives him the results of the labs on the last heart, how there's nothing to go on, and then she tells him that they will find who that last little girl was. when he asks how, she replies that she doesn't know, "but i do know you."

this is their quest. they will find all of the victims, give the families the answers that mulder so desperately wants for his own. she doesn't know how, she just knows him, and that's enough to believe.

when she tells him to "go on home and get some sleep," all he can do is laugh. after all of the heartache and tension in this episode, how brutally visceral the pain of it all is, it melts away in the incredulousness of her suggestion.

he flashes that smile and hugs her, "thank you" and "i'll be okay" at the same time

and she strokes his hair and stares at the floor.

the grief in being needed. (who would come make sure he's okay if she were gone?). the grief in following ghosts. (there has never been a more brutal reminder that samantha was more than the photo in that frame). the grief in loving someone so encased in pain and loss. (he will not go on home and get some sleep).

there's so much grief in being starbuck, in the end.

5/ how the ghosts stole christmas - "maybe i did wanna be out there with you"

is there any better representation of season 6 than hanging out with a movie after a night of some light murder/suicide plans?

this episode is just the best. and one of the things that makes it so good is that it's comedy is rooted in examination, in bringing mulder and scully's psyches into question and condemnation.

😭😭😭😭

having only christmas eve to keep up their reputation, our titular ghosts, lyda and maurice, are forced to resort to "pop psychology" to fulfill their haunting. they have no idea the gold mine that stumbled into their house this year.

instantly upon meeting, maurice WHACKS mulder, calling him "narcissistic," "overzealous," "self-righteous," and prone to obsessive compulsive antisocialism

a lonely man who considers himself passionate and misunderstood, but chases illusions in order to find warped meaning and significance

meanwhile, in the next room, scully is not safe from disturbance, as lyda calls out her "conflicted yearnings" and delusions of loyalty. the reason why she's "really here"- for the satisfaction of proving her partner wrong.

in the end, mulder and scully escape the house only by realizing that the ghosts don't actually have any power over them. it's all an illusion, it's not real, and lyda and maurice can't hurt them- or make them hurt each other.

but it doesn't stop them from internalizing the messages of their haunted house, and mulder spends christmas alone watching a christmas carol, as the scene opens on him listening to scrooge say the line, "i don't deserve to be so happy."

also unable to shake the events of the night, scully shows up

and asks if any of that was real. if it was just an illusion. which, always knowing when to back down on the need for belief, mulder gives her, agreeing with her that it must have just been in their heads. (folie a deux, she is always more comfortable in shared madness with him than with the world.)

after having been dragged out on christmas eve to look for ghosts, finding them, and then deciding that it was all shared delusion: she repeats back the insecurity that lyda gave her, "not that my only joy in life is proving you wrong."

but after coming inside, she betrays her true insecurity. responding to mulder's "when have you ever proved me wrong?" with "well...why else would you want me out there with you?"

why else would he want to spend christmas eve with her, why else would he want her with him, if not to play her role? if not to offer the "science and rationalism" that he told her, not too long ago, saves him?

"you didn't want to be there? oh, that's...self-righteous and narcissistic of me to say, isn't it?"

god, they are both so slow.

they both consider for a moment, these roles they play. these "subconscious desires" that they mask in their own personal pursuits. how easy it is to turn them against themselves, to expose their uncertainties and weaponize them.

before scully lands on, "no, i mean...maybe i did want to be out there with you.”

and they exchange the christmas presents they totally swore they weren't gonna get each other this year.

maybe they do just want to be out there together.

maybe it's not about grand perceptions of loyalty or meaning. maybe it's not about the parts that they play. maybe it's not about obligation or dependency. maybe they just want to.