#we could be blight buddies

[petchic101]

[quirinah]

ummmmmmm guys this dungeons looking a little dark here..........................ummmm..... hello??? guys??

[mikobeautifulheart]

As requested part 2 of 4 or 5??

JJK MEN Pretending to be your boyfriend/saving you form creeps.

INCLUDING: Gojo and Geto

TW: Cat calling and creeps. Okay so I did ues swear words and you getting sexualised ig?

Also unedited. Quantity > Quality

°Gojo°

You guys were coming back from a mission. You didn't even know what you were sent if they already sent Gojo but when you looked at his face you could see his eyes blood shot. Even on the mission Gojo was at his breaking point. Killing everything regardless of damage or repercussions. It was lole he was going to go insane.

When the mission was done you two were going to walk to the nearest hotel Ichi had set a booking in for you. It was dark already and the bars opened up. And people were already stumbling out drunk.

You were walking next to Gojo with your skin covered in goose bumps. Gojo must have noticed because he wrapped his arm around your waist. Your shoulderd visibleie untensed. It kept getting darker and the street lights turned on. Only a few miles away from the hotel when.

"LITTLE WOMANNNN" A man yelled behind you. You ignored it thinking it could have been someone else on the totally empty street.

"WAIT FOR MEEEEE" He yelled. You turned your head seeing he was stumbling after you.

You kept walking of blighting your lip hoping that it would blow over with Gojo to.

"Fuckin' bitch." He mumbled

"I bet your jUST A PROSTITUTE ANY WAY." He yelled near the end making you wince.

Immediately your side felt cold as Gojo has seemingly disappeared.

"Look, buddy, we tried to ignor you because your drunk, but now you have to apologise."

"Your just her client there's no reason for my to apologise when its true."

Spatter of blood on the side walk and 2 teeth.

"I'm not jer client prick. I'm her boyfriend. And she's not a prostitute so you have no chance."

You thought the man's jaw was broken as he fell to the pavement. Noted. Never insult you or get beaten by Gojo.

He turned his head and looked at you.

"You alright" He said as he slowly started to walk back to you.

You ran to him throwing your arms around him. No infinity, just a tierd Gojo.

"Thank you" you said on the edge of treears. Something about Gojo standing up for you made you feel so welcomed into this life, that there was something to love.

"I meant it. I mean if you want. But I really do want to be your boyfriend" He said now red.

"I want that to" you said in his chest as he patted your back.

♧Geto♧

It was the afternoon when you called Geto to met you at a Cafe, but not for anything good. You knew Geto was the only one who wasn't on a mission at the moment. You had been getting disturbing messages all afternoon while you were in the Cafe. All of them taken by someone inside. You didn't want the to follow you home, if they did, and you didn't want to walk alone.

When Geto got there he saw you inside staring at you phone wide eyed. He walked in and sat across from you making you flinch and pull your eyes away from you phone. Looking up at him. You looked mortified as you tried to give him a gentle smile.

"Whats wrong" He said genuinely concerned. Hes never seen you loke this, your usually so brave and courageous but when it came to people you were so fragile.

You slid the phone over the tabe. Geto sensed something was wrong. He looked down seeing all the images and some weird messages before scrolling higher and higher.

"How long" He said bluntly

"It started last week but it was just text's... now that it's photos..." You mubled lowering your head.

Immediately Geto gets up and gose over to the counter. You grabbed your phone and followed him quickly. Before you could even ask Geto punched the cahsire in the face.

"Leave my girlfriend alone" He said.

"SUGURU" you said shocked at his sudden actions.

"Hes the creep that's been taking g photos of you. Look his phone is right here." Geto picked it up and to no surprise revealed the camera still open.

You looked mortified at the creep holding his cheek on the floor.

"Come on let's go" Geto said cold grabbing your hand and walking out the Cafe with you.

"Thank...you Suguru. I appreciate it."

He leaned down gave you a peck on you cheek making you flush red. He let out a chuckle at your face.

THANK YOU FOR READING ♡

AUTHOURS NOTE: Next one has Nanami and Sukuna in it so that will be later today. Imma have a break for a while so hope u enjoyed this.

EDIT: Here's the link to part 3. I ended up doing Nanami and Toji firstttt

[thedastravelerer]

I just finished the Dragon Age Veilguard and I need to scream my thoughts into the internet void.

My Rook, Lucrezia, was bought along with other kids by the house de Riva when she was 3 years old. She doesn't remember anything before that. When her magic manifested at the age of 8, she begged Viago not to send her to the Circle. Viago saw great potential in the little elven chaos gremlin, so he decided to hire private tutors for her. From the age of 14, she became Viagos apprentice, accompanying him everywhere. Her sunny, bubbly personality was a great distraction in social settings. She was the Robin and Viago was the Batman, basically.

Inquisitor romanced Solas.

So that is the viewpoint, from which I experienced the game.

The good:

The music is AMAZING

The environments are gorgeous

Spellblade is sooo much fun. The perfect mix of rogue and mage.

Treviso is so beautiful. I am never saving Minrathous. That sh*thole can get swallowed by the ocean.

The final missions were great. The tension, the loss, the heartbreak, the betrayal—10/10. No notes.

Baby griffons

The conversations/dynamic between Lucanis/Spite and Taash crack me up

The dynamic between Viago and Lucrezia was everything I could have hoped for. I still laugh when I remember the letter from Viago starting with "IDIOT".

Viago and Teia—I would die for them. Every time they flirt, I picture Lucrezia sticking fingers into her ears and going LALALALA. I don't want those pictures in my head.

Harding wins the competition for the prettiest room in the Lighthouse.

I love the little offhand comments and banter between all of the Crows. It was fun to hear Lucanis or Lucrezia randomly mention Viago or Teia. It really painted a picture of them knowing each other for a long time and being able to poke fun at each other.

I loved Lucanis as a character. Also, the 3-way relationship between Rook-Spite-Lucanis is perfect. I loved that when Lucanis learns about Caterina being alive, he shuts down and Spite is like: "What?! Why are you putting more locks into our prison? I AM GETTING ROOK! :D

The "Solas therapy" ending was heartwarming (and also a bit funny)

I loved Solas as a character. I see, why he is the god of trickery and lies. And how his wisdom turned into pride. I just wish I could slap that stubborn liar. Just once.

You know it is real love when you spent the last few hours chomping on an archedemon and your Vhenan still kisses you.

I liked the relationship progression between Davrin and Lucanis. They went from open hostility to mutual respect to drinking buddies.

Lucanis questioning Bellara and Neve about their business decisions was hilarious. Crows are first and foremost business people.

Isseyas storyline. I just wish they delved deeper into her story instead of getting an infodump. I enjoyed seeing how the blight twisted her grief and regrets. How she remembered only her love for the griffons she saved. And the blight corrupted that love, forcing her into horrible mistakes.

The bad:

The story is so shallow in comparison to previous games. All of the nuance is gone. There is no Loghain, no Meredith and Orsino, no Anders. Everyone is either the good guy or the bad guy. Maybe except for the Butcher and Isseya.

A lot of the darker, complicated, interesting themes are ignored. After the Antaam Qunari (Sten in DAO), the Ben-Hassrath Qunari (Bull in DAI) we finally meet a scholar of Qun and we get NOTHING interesting from her. We can't have a deeper conversation about the Qun. We can't even talk about her hypocrisy of running away from the very rules she forces on Taash. The Antaam are the a$$holes and everyone else following the Qun is good. Until they disagree with their assigned role in life and get their mind broken until they fit the mold again. But we don't get to learn that.

Who TF is Anaris? Why is he the Forgotten One? What does it even mean? What beef did he have with the Evanuris? We don't get to learn that. We get MWHAHAHA I AM SOOO EVIL. Boring and disappointing. It would have been much more interesting if he convinced Cyrian his sister was a pawn for the Dread Wolf. There could have been a conflict between elves choosing Anaris, who promised them power after their gods turned out to be a$$holes, and elves choosing a new, free path.

Are we not going to address the EXECUTIONER in the room? Who is he? Where did he come from? Why is he totally cool working a desk job in the Necropolis?

We finally see Kal-Sharok and we learn almost nothing about the dwarves living there. How did they survive? How do they govern themselves? What is the culture like?

I don't understand the Titan powers Harding has. Like, I get the concept, but the details are confusing.

I am sick of the words "ritual" and "artifact"

The quests "press button in three places" or "destroy/place crystals so they link/unlink" were a bit repetitive.

Characters sometimes have lapses in memory. Ferelden has fallen to the blight, but Emmerich and Harding are going camping there... Mmmmkay. Rook, baby, you have used the teleport vortex like three times before. We have 2 in the Lighthouse.

I love Lucanis, but his romance is very undercooked. I get, that he pushes a lot of emotions down, and flirting is just another weapon the Crows use to get to their targets. But we see no inner turmoil in banter, no notes wondering about Rook. He touches Rook exactly once - in the romance scene at the very end. They never even address the almost kiss.

The brutality of the life of Crow recruits is smoothed over to be nice and family-like. We are talking about an organization that buys enslaved children and forces them into hunger games to shape them into elite assassins.

The widespread Tevinter slavery is mentioned minimally. The only mention might be the codex of Dorians speech in the Magisterium. Their whole social system is built on slavery and caste system. We don't get to talk to Neve about any of it.

Most of the helmets are hideous.

The "stealing cultural stuff is wrong and we, the pirates and treasure hunters, are not doing it. We are the good guys!" talk you have with Taash right when you meet her was so jarring. Like, it makes sense, because Isabella is in charge. It would have been funnier and less preachy if they went with "We don't steal cultural stuff, because Isabella stole something from the Qunari once and it was a sh*tshow".

No dirt, no persistent gore

You don't get to have deep conversations with your followers. Instead, you get to read their diaries and letters in the codex. I felt like a creep snooping through their notes and letters to each other. Same feeling with the Lighthouse banter.

I miss the more abrasive followers. Everyone is high on friendship. Why is no one protesting against the demon-possessed assassin cooking all of our meals? Why isn't Bellara more wary about the Tevinter mage? Emmerich gets a lot of sh*t for the creepiness, but nobody questions the morality of using body parts as Legos.

I wish we could choose a class for the Inquisitor. She looked so ridiculous and out of place in the last fight. She is one of the most fearsome fighters in Thedas and she wears the blandest outfit possible. She isn't even armed.

We find out the Andrastian faith is a fairytale and no one except Harding comments on it? All of the human followers grew up in Andrastian cultures. Religion forms the structure of society, customs, inner values, viewpoints on the world, and what is considered "normal" on a subconscious level. In DAI you have a conversation with Josephine about how the Andrastian faith provides common ground for negotiations across cultures. Cassandra walks through an elven temple that is older than her religion and still wonders who could believe this nonsense. Why aren't you more upset, people?!

I am going to pretend the post-credit scene didn't happen. You will not soil the beautiful tragedies of the very human mistakes and choices the imperfect characters like Loghain made. I will not accept some demon whispering over the wonderful multi-faceted people and their rises and falls. F*ck you.

The bug, where the game loads the preset character instead of your custom Rook is annoying and didn't get fixed by the patch.

I hate the UI with a passion

No grey streaks in Inquisitors hair is a crime.

I hate the underwater view in Rooks room. I have an irrational fear of deep waters and sea life. The Ossuary is a prison of my nightmares.

I hate the redesign of the demons. They look like dementors with their robes open.

It is not clear how long was Rook trapped in the prison of regrets.

Anyway... rant over. I enjoyed the game like I enjoy the Marvel movies. With half of my brain turned off.

[bonefall]

You've redid the lake before, so out of curiosity, if you could change anything about the forest territories, what would you change? I actually find the Clans MORE seperated at the forest because of the gorge, road, and river in the way. The only actual space debatable on who it belonged to was sunningrocks as far as I remember

I do have my changes for the Forest Territories too, but buddy, naaaah I have to fight you on the Forest being MORE separated. My brother in StarClan, the new map is full of lake.

They might have well just dropped a Windwaker-level speedrun breaking forcefield in the middle of everything. How can you have a border dispute over a LAKE? Are we walking on water now? Is Jesusclaw going to throw hands

Meanwhile at the Forest, the road was a passable but dangerous border with tunnels beneath. The river had stepping stones and the famous Sunningrocks. The gorge was next to a sliver of land that RiverClan would start dangerous fights near.

Any stealing on your land could be ANYONE. Who is stealing WindClan's rabbits? In the Lake, there's only two suspects, and it's unlikely that ThunderClan would go alllllll the way to the RiverClan side to steal. That's huge.

So changes to the Forest are much smaller. There's only one big change.

There is now a Mothermouth Moorland/Mothermouth Marshland, just above Carrionplace. It is a floodplain that Shadow and Wind had a massive war about. It is the best source of flax in miles.

Any retroactive mentions of random "pine" in ShadowClan are gone. It is a bog. The only pines there are yew, juniper, and scotch, with cedars being planted around Carrionplace to fight the smell.

There's a patch of new-growth, introduced sycamores. They replace the forest that burned down back in DOTC, and are in what-is-now ThunderClan territory. They're next to the hiking trail.

The bridge between RiverClan and ThunderClan is new. It wasn't there when Mapleshade fled.

There used to be five oaks at fourtrees. One caught blight and died within 5 years of SkyClan's exile, crushing Ripplestar.

And that's about it for physical changes. It doesn't need a ton of fixing imo.

[chaifootsteps]

The most annoying thing for me so far is the fans and the haters that refuse to acknowledge there is a middle ground. The fans refusing to acknowledge that the show is not good but its ok if you like it and the haters refusing to accept that there were some legit funny moments (and let's be real the plot had a great 'idea', too bad they ruin it because of the way the show it's written).

You cab like the show, that's fine. But it wasn't perfect. It had a lot of hit or miss moments (especially miss). But I think it was entertaining. And that's very important at the end of the day. Pretending like it's the worst thing to ever exist is really stupid, I mean it's not great but it's not that bad either.

I can say it was predictable and a little disappointing. And rushed. Felt like they combined 2 or 3 seasons in 8 episodes (we could have a separate season for the Angel situation and the War with heaven because they were both so rushed it was underwhelming)

I think the problem looming over and behind it all is Vivzie. Vivzie and her posse of Spindlehorse higher up buddies are this ugly blight on the show, the ones who slipped Raph's rape fetish comic scenes into episode four and then yelled at survivors for three days, the reason for the Sir Pentious rape joke.

If it weren't for Vivzie and co, the stealing and workplace abuse, the underpaid animators, the pain they've caused? I'd be a lot more eager to say "This is dumb, but I like it."

(You know what it reminds me of? Rent. Rent is so, so fucking stupid, and even when I ate it up as a kid part of me always knew that, but it's an enjoyable kind of stupid.)

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

I need to gush about Origins and discuss Duncan okay, listen- DAO is so good for a plethora of reasons but it’s the origins, the thing that it’s literally named after. Which origin you play is the important decision on the players part that has an impact on everything you do, especially if you go hard into the roleplaying of it all, it makes me want to scream. I adore it so much.

So Duncan, right? Great character, love that dude. I read The Calling and he's one of the best parts of that book. If you haven't read it, I recommend it just for Duncan alone.

I enjoy reading opinion pieces on Duncan, especially when the poster mentions which origin their warden is. I find it so interesting because your origin can change your entire perception of him.

Playing as Aeducan or Brosca? Duncan has great respect for dwarves just as the dwarves do for the wardens. Duncan’s your hero. He saved your life. You would’ve been executed or left to rot in the Deep Roads if not for him. And since the wardens are so respected, it’s honestly an honor to join them, no?

Playing a Cousland? You’ve lost everything. Duncan not only does what he can to keep your father alive long enough for you and your mother to find him, but he saves you and gives you a shot to avenge your family by becoming a warden.  

Playing as Amell or Surana? Your best friend lied to you about being a blood mage and chances are you tried to help him escape rather than turn him in, and now he’s gone and Greagoir demands you be punished. But here comes Duncan to conscript you, to take you away from the prison known as the Circle of Magi.

And I know this can vary depending on how you play or what kind of character you’ve created, but I believe you’re waaaay more likely to have a better opinion of Duncan in these origins… but if you play as Mahariel or Tabris?

Mahariel’s more obvious, here. You’re Dalish, and odds are, you and Tamlen are on the same page about humans. Duncan, a human, dragged your ass back to your clan after the eluvian gave you the blight, and sure, that was nice of him… except when you go looking for Tamlen and Duncan destroys the mirror, he’s so dismissive. He doesn’t care about Tamlen. There’s no point in going looking for him, he’s dead. Also you have the blight and Duncan’s taking you away from your family to make you a warden and no, you have no choice in the matter. He'll force his hand if he needs to. Say goodbye, forget about Tamlen, you’ll never see your family again, you’re a warden now. Hope you have fun involving yourself in all these human affairs while everyone points out how different you are!

First off, I think most Mahariel players would agree that they’re still not over Tamlen. How many of you had the thought, “If we look just a little longer, we could find Tamlen and make him a warden, too!” only for Duncan to ruin that? I don’t blame any Mahariel for throwing a fit when he and the Keeper agree you need to go, nor do I blame them for any ill feelings toward him.

And Tabris? This one is personal; my canon warden is a female Tabris, Rosalie, and Duncan really gets to me.

Rose's already being made to marry a man she's never met, some human nobles made their first attempt to crash the wedding, and now here’s this other human waltzing in. Duncan is such a little shit here, too. When you try asking him to leave, he actively tries to push your buttons just to see what you’ll do. But that’s nothing. When Rose and the other women are taken by Vaughan and his buddies, Soris and Nelaros go to Duncan who pulls his bullshit “wardens can’t get involved, they must remain neutral, best I can do is give you a sword and crossbow, good luck.”

Duncan KNOWS what will happen to those women but nope, can’t get involved. Wardens must remain neutral, can’t upset the nobles. I firmly believe that if Duncan had gone with them, Nelaros wouldn’t have been killed and maybe they could’ve made it to Shianni in time, and that infuriates me.

And yeah, in the end it’s Duncan who saves Rose from the guard, but you expect me to be okay with going with him? Alone? After everything that just happened?

It almost feels like Duncan was more interested in testing you, to see if you COULD get out of that situation or what you’d do when the guard showed up. That gives me a lot of complicated feelings about Duncan, and the way the Grey Wardens do things in general. Because let me tell you, Rose hurls that “Wardens must not involve themselves, they must remain neutral” out the fucking window, even post DAO after the blight is over and things return to “normal” for the wardens.  

Side note, I like to think that the wardens out at Weisshaupt or wherever contact Alistair at some point like "What the hell is Warden-Commander Tabris doing over there??? She's breaking every rule we have??" and Alistair's just shrugs like "My wife killed an archdemon to end the Blight and survived, she gets to do whatever she wants forever and honestly, I love that for her."

But anyway-- I get it, Duncan. The Grey Wardens were booted outta Fereldan once before and we don't want a repeat of that. Sure. Fine. Makes sense...but also Rose doesn't give a shit about that? She may come to understand it eventually but that doesn't mean she accepts or forgives it, or would ever be willing to adapt the same attitude.

And I'm not even going to get into everything with the Joining and Ser Jory, because oh my god.

Everything Duncan does influences Rose's views on the Grey Wardens and their duty, like if there was ever anything she and Alistair have straight up argued about, it's Duncan and the concept of "being a warden is an honor."

And I think that's neat. Duncan's a consistency in every origin and even though he dies so early on, his influence remains with the warden no matter who they are.

[babumakeanart]

Here are some of my thoughts about Dragon age Veilguard. There is of course spoilers so read on your regard

I’m so excited we got another Dragon Age game! But do I adore Veilguard as much as the others in the series? Hard to say—I have very mixed feelings about it.

First of all, a lot of the lore we learned in earlier games feels erased or brushed aside here.

For instance, the choice of who drinks from the Veil of Sorrow seems diminished. Seeing Morrigan again wasn’t as thrilling as I’d hoped. Mostly, I kept asking, “Why are you here?” and “What do you mean you have Mythal in you?” She was relieved she didn’t drink from the Veil once she found out Mythal would control her if she did. And now, out of nowhere, she has that power anyway? Generally, I feel like previous choices don’t really matter. Everything feels so predetermined, even scripted, in terms of what will happen, what’s canon, and what isn’t. I get that BioWare had a lot of issues with this game’s development, especially shifting from multiplayer to single-player. But it still feels like many important choices from earlier games didn’t matter. For example, if Morrigan has a child with an archdemon’s soul in him, wouldn’t that mean—by the new lore—that the elven god bound with Urthemiel would still be alive? Didn’t the archdemons make the Evanuris immortal?

And while Rook is a fun and well-written character, I feel like the story should have continued with the Inquisitor. After all, we should get the chance to finish what they started. Even though it is said at the end of DA:I that Solas knows everything about us, the Inquisitor could still choose a new group to surprise him, but they should still lead them.

I did, however, love the ending for Solavellan. It brought closure, which was very very.. damn.. I cried. :’)

When it comes to our companions, I loved a lot of them—they’re all really cool. Yet I do have a few complaints that may be just my personal view but still. 

First, I’m not a fan of how Taash’s nonbinary identity was handled. As a nonbinary person myself, it felt somewhat disrespectful, as if it were written by someone who didn’t understand the experience. Initially, I was excited, but after reflecting, it started to irk me. I cant write all my thoughts well to say what all bothers me about it, other people put it much better into sentences than I would do so I am just leaving this.

I also wish there were more scenes to get to know these characters. There are a fair number of scenes, sure, but everyone seems overly friendly from the start and it didnt feel that they naturally get to know the main character, but that we already know each other for years. 

Despite the conflicts among some companions, there’s this vibe that everyone is just too nice. Does that make sense? Like, even during the Blight in Origins, some companions didn’t like each other and wouldn’t be buddy-buddy over a coffee date. In DA2, companions had strong beliefs that many times clashed, which made them unique. Veilguard feels too friendly—and not just the companions, but Rook and other NPCs as well.

Another minor issue: the romances are too short, which is sad. :(

But enough negativity! 

There’s still a ton of things I freaky love about Veilgaurd

The visuals! When first peek of this game came out I know some people didn’t like the look of it at all, but GOD is freaky stunning! The characters look great, with tons of little detail movements that make them feel alive. Mostly in expression.

 Every location you travel to is unique and beatutiful. I love running around just to take pictures. The cutscenes? Chef’s kiss. WOW

The fighting style was surprisingly enjoyable, too. I’d just finished DA:I

when Veilguard came out, so the adjustment took a minute, but I got into it quickly and ended up loving it. :)

And then, there’s SOLASSS. My poor man, my poor little egg—I love him, and I would die for him!

I loved all the companions’ personalities and stories. Just wish there was more of it.

Honestly, I cried multiple times during this game. :’D The ending was epic, the final battle gave me chills, and it was just...so cool! I could eat every pixel of these scnes.

One thing I would love to see: what would happen if you sided with Solas and tore down the veil. Even with different endings, the veil stays intact. I’d love to know what happens if it’s actually torn down. Would it end the world? Kill tons of people? Actaully realease the blight in full speed?

-

So far, that’s all I’ve got. I’m tired, and my brain’s fried, but I wanted to get my thoughts down. I know I wrote more criticisms than praise, but I really did enjoy the game. What did you all think? Because honestly, Veilguard has hyped me up to replay all the Dragon Age games again! And created all the ideas I have for my ocs in these games.

[thievinghippo]

I know it will never happen, but I would love if Veilguard got an Awakenings style expansion. (I know they said no DLC, but maybe we could have an expansion as a treat?)

Like, if your Rook died? Here's a new protagonist from the same background as your Rook. Otherwise, since Rook's buddies are all busy with their own stuff, Rook needs to find new people to save the world

Sorry, Emmrich, your lab has been taken over by a goth Dreamer from Tevinter. Harding's conservatory is cared for by an older Grey Warden who joined right after the Ferelden blight and expects to hear the Calling any day now

Lucanis's pantry? Oh look, it's Cole

I just want to spend more time in Thedas, especially if they could set up DA5 somehow!

[meowkavian]

So I’m around 5 ish hours into DAV, and I’m honestly not impressed. I started playing DA back when Origins first came out and still consider its story to be incredible. I hope this gets better because I really want to enjoy the game I’ve been waiting for for TEN DAMN YEARS.

Some thoughts so far:

- The dialogue is so incredibly exposition heavy and repetitive that it started turning me off from the first minute. It is the extreme “tell not show” and I feel like I’m watching some sort of information dump in the most hand-holdy way. I don’t need Harding to tell me there’s probably another blight pod—I need to be allowed to look for it myself.

- In that sense we don’t get time to explore the world state and understand it in our own time—just getting slammed with information through overly direct dialogue and not actual, you know, world building. If I wanted to hear everything explained three times in each dialogue I would go watch a lore explainer video. Plus, the voice acting feels sub par for several of the NPCS but it may just be their dialogue. Like Bellara stating how she’s a rambler when it’s OBVIOUS because she just was rambling?? Generally people stating obv things about their personality or traits that would be 1000% more effective if we learned it for ourselves through play instead of having it spelled out for us up front.

- A lot of the facial animation feels stiff for a game as stylized as it is and as new as it is.

- Where is the nuance or consistency in world building? Why are the Crows suddenly more freedom fighters than assassins?

- Lucanis being possessed by a spirit and mage rook barely bats an eye even with the aggressive options? Anders has a whole thing where there was an entire scale of how Justice affected him and we’re just supposed to take this in stride?

-Eluvians being ancient tech powerful enough that Merrill is basically shunned for attempting to create one in DA2, but Bellara basically just can tinker with them and other artifacts with no one giving a second look, and the veilguard just uses them as portals without any sense of fear or danger?

- Why am I supposed to care or feel attached to ANY of these characters so far? I’ve had no opportunity to start getting to know them aside from some flashy introductions which feel more like opportunities for quips than actual dialogue that gives me insight into their characters. And it’s not like you can really talk to them so far outside of their predetermined intros so far. We’re all just buddy buddy immediately? And no real insight into how Rook and Varric got to be close? How Harding is an integral part of this? How our backstories connect to everyone else in a way that makes sense?

- the overly explanatory dialogue “memories” and how they seem shoehorned into later conversations as if an AI is saying “I remember you said X….”

- I preface this one also by saying I’m trans and nonbinary— what is with the hamfisted dialogue about rook being trans with the mirror? There has to be a better way to discuss how you feel about your body. It already starts out like a monologue to nobody—no one SPEAKS LIKE THAT. I want representation that feels right and realistic, PLEASE. (Plus, the concept of being trans is approached in a different way in DAI with Krem it just doesn’t feel lore friendly??) Not all of what they do with Krem is Good at all but like, it was at least established as a concept. Also the phrase nonbinary implies that binary exists in Thedas which has implications?

- inconsistent vallaslin designs???

- no way to have a completely flat chest + top surgery scars with a “feminine body type” that I could see

- the level design so far feels very railroady even without the quest markers. I know there’s limits but even in Origins and in DAI it felt like there were places worth trying to explore.

- the world state import being so incredibly limited that it feels like nothing I did in DAI matters one bit? When that’s the entire draw of the game??

- there’s more but this is making me frustrated. I want to like this game. I want to. But I’m having trouble.

[patissonthepumpkin]

I've read so many posts praising Gorim as the good romance, and good companion, and good man in general.

Don't get me wrong - he is well written secondary character.

It's just... the aftermath of the Blight what is bugging me about him. And I don't see it talked about enough if at all.

We remember, that there's a new noble house made in the name of our Warden, and Gorim will join it (all unconditionally, I believe). There's also an optional choose for him to be your second again and fight alongside you, if you survived.

Good to have our buddy back. What's wrong? A couple of things:

1) Wasn't it mentioned, that he was badly injured and unable to properly fight because of it, so that's why we can't recruit him? Wouldn't it make him not suitable for the role of the Second?

If we consider it more like a title and less like an actual function, it's solvable. But not satisfactory enough.

2) What troubles me the most, from role-playing reasons, is that - he has a family now. It is not fare to leave them behind just to again join his former commander. Sure, the game can simply choose not to mention it because of the lack of detailing, and it partly apologises it, I get it. Just... One time he's too injuried to join the fight, and the second he can be reinstalled in his knightly position he remembers duty again. And for f! Aeducan it doesn't feels right even more that that. The second he could be restored in titles and in honor he throws out of the window the people who depend on him now.

Maybe I'm a little touchy about it, because my girl went to Denerim pretty early in the game and meeting him just after a few months after the break-up to discover a child on the way felt a bit Jacob-like (if you know you know).

Given more time before meeting is morally fair for him to move on. But still not fair to shift his allignances so suddenly.

Imho, obviously. But I can't seem to shut my brain about this and the Aeducan origin in general so there you have it.

Thoughts? Would appreciate someone's opinion too.

[prismaticpichu]

Can you imagine I like to read Sephiroth fanfics???

As I’m going back and re-reading some of the dearest, most embedded Crisis Core/Pre-Nibelheim works in my heart, I’ve kinda gotten to thinking why I love them so much. And then it hit me! It’s the stellar characterization of the 7-foot-tall-cat-man-thing that deepens and dimensionalizes and humanizes him all at once. Recently I’ve been reevaluating my own stuff, kinda thinking how I could improve and shoot to be more on-point with my own interpretation (personally I think I make him too squishy). So! To do this, I’ve went ahead and jotted down some key traits that, in my humble bumble opinion, make sane!Sephiroth who he is- both for me and my fellow writers!

Get ready for some overanalyzing, friends. Here we go. Brace yourselves. *applies dollar store glasses*

~~~~~~

• One of the #1 integral traits imo is his RESILIENCE. Sephiroth. Is. Frigging. Resilient, man. He never stops working. It’s an extremely double-edged trait, but that makes it all the more human. On one hand, Sephiroth gauzes wounds through doing this, using work and fighting as a distraction. He’s not a guy to take a day off; he ain’t going to Costa Del Sol for a vacation, no sir. That’s the negative side of things tho. On the other hand, Sephiroth is physically resilient! I’ve never ever ever seen this portrayed better than in LuckyLadybug’s fic Shine Until Tomorrow on FF.Net, wherein after being consumed by flames, knifed in the back, and thrown down a FREAKING MOUNTAIN, this man drags his shredded body all the way across Wutai looking for someone who’ll help him. When help doesn’t come, he eventually falls to his knees, unable to stand any longer. And then he proceeds to crawl (bless this fic I love it so much <333). Whether it’s mentally or physically pushing himself on, it’s a VERY core part of Sephiroth’s personality; giving up ain’t an option. It’s unacceptable in his little kitty eyes.

• Second to resilience, I gotta say, is undoubtedly his loyalty. No better example for this than canon itself! Y’all know the story: Sephiroth was ordered to kill his only buddies in the world, ordered by the company he was supposed to devote every aspect of his life to. And he went ahead and defied them; he spared his buddies’ lives even when their friendship was blighted. He refused missions to fight them at all (see this WHY SEPHIROTH WAS TOO GOOD FOR— *tv bleeping sound; takes deeeeeep breath, collects herself*). Loyalty is prolly the trait I wanna nail most! Sephiroth is a good friend. I’ve seen so many fics explore how deep his care goes and what he’s willing to do for others.

• Sephiroth AIN’T bloodthirsty. The best works I’ve read is where he only ever kills out of defense for others, or when others are a noticeable threat. He does NOT enjoy killing, not at all, and will look for alternate routes when possible. However! At the same time… the guy is well aware that sometimes it can’t be helped—and that bloodshed, sacrifice, that whole jam… it’s all engraved into the line of work he’s in. Additionally, Seph can lose it sometimes (GASP— I know, I know, I know, calm down folks in the back.) There are times when sore spots are hit, and those sore spots unleash the Dragon™️ I’ma bring back LuckyLadybug for this one; in the sequel to the aftermentioned gem, there’s a part wherein Sephiroth is taunted to the point of snapping. Blood is sent flying, bodies crumble like dominoes… The thing is though, when he came back to himself, he’s horrified at what he’d done. He can barely stand. There’s a real human heart in there, folks ;,3 Not a monstrous one. Sephiroth’s hero title is well-deserved.

• In a similar vein—kinda, not really—Sephiroth AIN’T stupid. Not socially, not culturally. This man knows what an oatmeal cookie is, folks! He knows how to dip french fries in ketchup! From what I can gauge, there’s more or less a spectrum of “things that Sephiroth had no idea existed”. Pastries? Yes! Just cause this guy was most likely sheltered and raised by evil slimy scientists, just because he never had one before (we don’t talk about that :,3), that doesn’t mean he looks at a cookie and his mind explodes into a Windows buffering screen. In tandem with that point, Sephiroth is also not socially slow—at least in my opinion. There’s a difference between being unable to express empathy and unable to pick up cues. There’s a little scene in CC wherein Sephiroth sees Zack grumpy and asks what’s wrong. The guy is very empathetic, perceptive, and he is kind <333 But it is true to his character that it doesn’t always come across so palpably.

• Sephiroth’s gotta sense of humor. He does! “This goes on your permanent record” came outta this refrigerator’s mouth. Sephiroth’s amusement is very veiled, very quiet, and it usually takes something reeallllly good to get him to crack a smile. I think everyone knows it, but this guy ain’t made of bricks! (Nor is he made of play-doh. That’s my problem x,D). He is also not all that formal, either. I’m saying this to myself more than anything—little me avoided Sephiroth using contractions like the PLAGUE, which only really crafted someone who you frankly wanted to punch. Though he’s not throwing around slang, he is a perfectly chill fellow and doesn’t speak in Shakespearian riddles (yeah remake Seph.)

• Sephiroth is not thinking about his mommy issues 24/7. They’re usually tucked away, hidden somewhere in his caged little heart. Certain things will trigger them—but they’re rarities imo. Sephiroth is focused, professional, and most likely has accepted what happened to his mother when he was young. It’s not allllllll a mask, y’know? This bean genuinely has moved on, or at least convinced himself that he has.

(And when he has a friend by his side, those things can’t plague him at all <3)

[unreadpoppy]

Buddy

Cousland Warden x Alistair (but the real focus is on Dog).

TW: death of animal

Summary: Ten years after the Fifth Blight ended, Anneliese must make a decision in regards to her mabari.

Read on AO3

Per royal custom, Anneliese and Alistair did not share a room. That did not mean, however, that the queen slept alone. Laying near her feet, Anneliese’s loyal mabari, Buddy, would be found. 

When she was young, her mother would have never permitted such a thing, though, on particularly bad nights, she would sneak the dog in and cuddle him until morning. 

“You can’t let him sleep here” her mother would say “you’ll get him badly accustomed to it. Look at the mess he made of your bed, Anneliese!” 

But those days were long in the past and now, Buddy slept with Anneliese every night, curling into a ball at her feet.

Buddy had a tendency to move around a lot and scratch himself before finally settling down and sleeping. He faintly snored as he slept, and although that would have bothered others, Anneliese was used to the sound. It reminded her that he was there, that she wasn’t alone. Even during the Blight, sleeping next to him brought an odd sense of comfort that only a dog could provide. 

So when she heard the sound of heavy breathing, Anneliese immediately woke up. 

At first, still half asleep, she thought it could be some assassin in her room. But soon, she noticed the sound came from Buddy. Instead of curled up, he was splayed around, his mouth open as he struggled to breathe. 

“Buddy?” She whispered, putting a hand on his head. He seemed tired, not even lifting his head. She put her head on his chest, and although she did not have medical expertise, it did not sound good. 

Unsure of what to do, Anneliese lifted the dog in her arms and ran to Alistair’s room. 

. 

Alistair woke up with the sound of his door breaking down and his wife calling for his name. Without thinking, he shot up from the bed and grabbed a nearby sword, ready to spring into action. 

“Are we being attacked?” He asked and only then realized that Anneliese was on the ground, with Buddy in her lap. He put his sword to the side and knelt beside her. “What’s happening?” 

“I don’t know.” She said, and he could hear the worry in her voice. “I woke up and he was struggling to breathe and he looked so weak. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.” Anneliese looked at him, a few tears running down. “I didn’t know what to do.” 

Alistair took a deep breath, turning his attention to the dog. “Hey, Buddy.” He said, petting the mabari’s head. “Are you feeling alright?” 

Buddy whined and sucked in a breath, and it was Alistair’s turn to worry. He remembered the sick mabari hounds at Ostagar, the ones who died of the Blight, and how weak they looked, laying on the ground, whining in pain and struggling to breathe. 

“Alistair…” His wife said, after a moment of silence. 

“You stay here. I’ll go fetch someone.” He said, beginning to stand up. “And you-” he looked at Buddy “you stay strong.” 

.

30 minutes had passed when Alistair came back, followed by the kennel master.

He examined Buddy and soon, he said “I believe I know what the problem is.” He turned to Anneliese. “Your Majesty, how long have you had this mabari?”

“I don’t remember the exact age, but maybe since I was ten or eleven. Why?” She asked, but she knew what he was going to say next. 

The kennel master took a deep breath. “May I speak bluntly?” He asked and both Anneliese and Alistair nodded. “He is dying of old age. Just as we humans wither away, his body can no longer keep going on. This is why he is struggling to breathe. I am sorry.” 

Anneliese took a deep breath, petting Buddy as he whined in her lap, seemingly aware of his condition. “Is he in pain?” 

“He is most likely uncomfortable, yes.” 

“Is there anything we can do to soothe it?” Alistair asked, his voice slightly cracking. 

“There are a few herbs that might deal with the pain but there is something I’d like to suggest. I cannot predict how much longer your hound has, Your Majesty, but there are some herbs that can…speed up the process.”

“You mean to poison the dog?” Alistair said. 

“No. These are not poisonous, but they would put him to sleep and eventually stop his heart.”

“So just like poison.”

“Alistair.” Anneliese huffed and he shut his mouth. She turned to the kennel master, trying to keep her voice still. “Would that…hurt him?”

“No, Your Majesty. I guarantee, it is completely painless. A quick and painless death.” 

She closed her eyes and she brought her forehead to Buddy’s. She felt Alistair crouch down next to her, and rub her back as she whispered to her dog. 

“Oh Buddy, I don’t wanna lose you too…but I can’t stand to watch you suffer.” Tears streamed down her face as she continued. “Will you forgive me if I let you go?” 

With more effort than normal, Buddy lifted his head from her lap to lick her cheeks, bringing a small chuckle from her, but also an answer. She looked to the kennel master. 

“Do it.” 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Alistair whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder. 

She grabbed his hand, squeezing it and shaking her head. “I don’t want to. But it’s the kinder option.” She turned to the kennel master. “I just ask...let me have one final night with him. We’ll do it in the morning.” 

He nodded and stood up. “Of course.” 

After he left, Anneliese picked up Buddy once again, and placed him in Alistair’s bed before joining him. She held him close to her, and the mabari was content to let her do so, even if it meant her crying in his fur. Alistair laid behind her, his chest to her back, as he held her too, petting her hair and trying to soothe her. 

In the end, neither got much sleep. 

. 

When morning came, everything moved quickly. 

Soon, Buddy was by the Maker’s side. They decided to bury him, next to a large tree in the garden where he liked to sit underneath. 

Anneliese had cried more than Alistair had ever seen her cry before that day. For the few days, she barely spoke to anyone, keeping more to her room. It was only a week later that Alistair found her sitting on the bench that faced that tree, and he noticed she was embroidering something. 

He said nothing as he sat besides her. 

“Mother didn’t want him at first.” Anneliese said, not looking at him. “But I had asked father for a dog, and of course he was going to give me one. It took some convincing, but she eventually allowed it, on the condition that I would train him.” 

She sniffed and then continued. “We used to run around the castle, and when father taught me to fight, Buddy would spar with me.” She shook her head and the beginning of a smile formed on her lips. “I remember Fergus teasing me about the name. He’s a mabari war hound, you can’t call him ‘Buddy’, he said. But I was a ten year old girl, so of course I was going to name my dog something like that.” 

Alistair chuckled. “When we were in Ostagar, I kept thinking that if I managed to bond with one of the mabari there, I’d name him Barkspawn.” That got a laugh out of Anneliese. “So I think Buddy is better.” 

“If we ever have children, remind me to let you pick the name.” She jested and shook her head. 

“But he was that. He was my best friend. He was there for everything. I thought he was all I had left of my family, he helped us end the Blight and train the new Wardens. I can’t believe he’s gone.” She took a deep breath, as she covered her eyes with her hand, tears running down. 

Alistair hugged her and she clung to him, sobbing into his chest before looking at him. “I don’t know if I did the right thing. In letting him go.” 

Alistair looked at his wife, and he thought for a moment on what to say. 

“A long time ago, someone once told me that there would be decisions in our life that had no good outcome. That no matter what we did, we couldn’t save everyone but we could try to choose the least worst option.” 

She knew what he was talking about. it was what she told him after they left Redcliff, when Alistair confronted her about killing Connor. She did not expect for him to remember it after so long, even less for him to say it to her. 

“Either Buddy was going to die a slow and painful death, that we could never predict when would happen, or we could put him to sleep, granting him more mercy than other dogs near death.” He referred to the mabari at Ostagar, whom the kennel master put down after they couldn’t be cured of the Blight. But back then, the method had been more bloody.

He wiped a few tears from her face, his finger lightly tracing the scar on her face, as she took a few deep breaths. 

“He would have died either way.” She whispered and turned her head towards the tree. “I hope he forgives me.” 

“He was a smart dog. I think he understood.” She nodded to what he said. “Maker, sometimes I think he was too smart. Maybe he was just some guy turned into a dog by some witch like Morrigan.” 

Anneliese laughed at his silliness. “You think Morrigan would do that?”

“Think? Oh, I’m certain she has done so before. She kept threatening to turn me into a frog half the time we were camping.” 

“She wouldn’t have done so.” 

“You always put too much trust in her.”

“Even if she tried, I wouldn’t have let her.” Anneliese kissed his cheek and placed her head on his shoulder, bringing up the embroidery she had been working on before he arrived. “It’s not done yet, but it’s almost there.” 

On the fabric, Anneliese had done the silhouette of a dog, and was in the process of filling it up. Underneath that, there was the phrase ‘Buddy - Loyal hound and friend.’ 

“When did you begin this?” 

“The day after Buddy died. I needed to stab something, to put the pain somewhere else.” 

“It looks lovely.” He handled her work back to her. 

“Thank you.” She placed it on the bench, before standing up and walking to the tree. She touched the bark and looked to the ground. “Oh Buddy…I hope you’re running around mother and father and Oren and Orianna.” She said the name of her deceased family members. “And when my time comes, I know you’ll be there to see me.” 

She walked back to Alistair and hand in hand, the two walked back to the castle. 

Even years after his death, Anneliese would remember Buddy how he had been: playful, loyal, strong. She’d always remember him sitting by her bed, putting his head on her lap or when he begged for food she couldn’t give him. 

Buddy had been almost 20 years old when he passed, a very long age for his breed, and he had been the best dog any girl could have asked for.

.

A/N: Two weeks ago, we had to put one of my dogs, Malta, to sleep. She was 8 years old and she was fighting both melanoma and tick disease and we didn't want her to suffer further. She was the best girl in the world and I'm still dealing with this grief and I wrote this to try and help it a bit. It's not perfect, and I don't know if it helped a hundred percent but I needed to put some of pain somewhere else.

[historyhermann]

"Against the hair of your professions": Fictional librarians and hair buns [Part 1]

12 librarians with hair buns in Western animation (Top row, from left to right: unnamed librarian in Futurama, unnamed librarian in DC Super Hero Girls, Ms. Hatchet in Kim Possible, Rita Book in Timon & Pumbaa, unnamed librarian in Rugrats. Bottom row, from left to right: Mrs. L in Dexter's Laboratory, unnamed librarian in Totally Spies!, unnamed librarian in We Bare Bears, Eztli in Victor and Valentino, Francis Clara Censordoll in Moral Orel, unnamed librarian in Big City Greens, Arlene in Phineas and Ferb, and Censordoll again) The last one is Censordoll again because she is a prominent bun-wearing librarian

Often librarians are portrayed as quiet, bookish people, who shush those who are noisy, and act in a stereotypical manner. However, librarians come in many types and kinds, either with an MLIS/MLS or not, and those stereotypes can be disrupted when a librarian changes professions as it changes audience expectations. Even so, librarians aren't united on what the image of librarians should be changed into in order to counter the stereotypes. Through all of this, many librarians are portrayed with hair buns, part of the oft-stereotype. [1] Today, I'll explore that, determining why this is the case, its significance in librarian portrayals, and what it means overall. As Swallow said in Act I of William Shakespeare's classic comedy play, The Mary Wives of Windsor, "if you should fight, you go against the hair of your professions," meaning that you are going against the grain.

Originally posted on Pop Culture Library Review on March 21, 2023.

Fictional librarians are often shown with so-called "traditional" outfits, looks, and hairstyles, including hair buns, which are symbolic in research around stereotypes themselves. This has even cropped up in webcomics. This is in part because styling one's hair can be "highly politicized" and complicated, especially for people of color, who experience microaggressions when people want to "touch" their hair or question it entirely. Some have even argued that different hair styles can be empowering and resist stereotypes, even as a library can be a "very conservative" place to work, although this may not be as strict in university library environments. Hair can also be an opportunity to communicate change, while serving as an intricate part of the identity and responsibility of the profession itself, with different hair styles having the potential to dispel stereotypes. [2]

In Western animation, this is clear as librarians of color, like Clara Rhone in Welcome to the Wayne, and Mira in Mira, Royal Detective episode ("The Case of the Missing Library Book") don't wear hair buns. Neither does Ms. Herrera in a Archie's Weird Mysteries episode ("The Haunting of Riverdale"). However, the unnamed librarian in a We Bare Bears episode ("The Library") prominently wears a hair bun, and serves as the only librarian of color that I know of, in Western animation, that does so. This could be a function of her role in the library and set rules which may establish that she dresses to "impress" in a semi-formal outfit. So, it could be a consequence of that, as other librarians I've mentioned may work in environments which are more open with their rules around self-expression or care little about how people look.

When it comes to White female librarians in animation, it is a different story. Apart from Kaisa in Hilda, the unnamed librarian in a Steven Universe episode ("Buddy's Book"), the librarian in the first Zevo-3 episode, Mrs. Higgins in a Sofia the First episode ("The Princess Test"), and Amity Blight in The Owl House, who briefly wears her hair in a pony trail, which became a sensation among fans of the series, to give a few examples, many of the other librarians wear hair buns. [3] This includes the librarian characters, who are effectively one-episode-wonders or only appear very briefly, in episodes of Futurama, DC Super Hero Girls, Rugrats, Kim Possible, Timon & Pumbaa, Dexter's Laboratory, Totally Spies, Phineas & Ferb, and The Simpsons, to name a few shows.

Also, Francis Clara Censorsdoll in Moral Orel wears a hair bun. Even, the blue-glasses wearing librarian in The Flintstones episode "The Hit Songwriter" wears a hair bun. At times, it appears that librarians with hair buns are meant to symbolize social conservative and prudish people, like the librarian in an episode of Beavis and Butt-Head ("Cyber-Butt"), who faints when she sees a nude image on a computer screen. Although she doesn't wear a hair bun, what she symbolizes is similar to how some librarians are portrayed in Western animation.

Others have declared that the perception of librarians with hair buns or lace collars should be discarded, as librarians are highly active and high tech now. While someone can easily agree with this, it is harder to push away the image of a spinster librarian with a hair bun, with some wearing buns and braids while working in the library. There is the further point that many librarians may not have enough hair to put into a bun in the first place. At one point, librarians adopted the hair bun style at one time, giving life to what became the stereotype and cliche. However, nowadays many younger librarians have different hair styles, and some might even have better eyesight than anyone else as they don't need glasses! [4] Still, tropes like the"Prim and Proper Bun" remain, with those with this hairstyle said to be in charge or be respected. This is somewhat countered with the "Loony Librarian" trope, which is said to describe a librarian who's let "their profession mess with their mind a little."

Continued in part 2!

© 2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

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

Notes

[1] Matthew Wood. "10 Most Awesome Librarians in Pop Culture," Comic Book Resources, Aug. 22, 2019; Stephen Walker, V. Lonnie Lawson. "The Librarian Stereotype and the Movies," MC Journal: The Journal of Academic Media Librarianship, 1, no. 1 (1993): 16-28; Dana Vinke. "Unconventional Librarians," Image of Libraries in Popular Culture, Fall 2001, accessed May 27, 2022; Sadie Trombetta. "11 Of The Coolest Librarians From Pop Culture," Bustle, Mar. 2, 2015. For additional resources, see Ashanti White's Not Your Ordinary Librarian: Debunking the Popular Perceptions of Librarians, Nicole Pagowsky's The Librarian Stereotype: Deconstructing Perceptions and Presentations of Information Work, to mention two books. There are librarians like Lani in Diner Dash and Myrna Bookbottom in Freaky Flyers who both embody librarian stereotypes, but there are others that buck these stereotypes.

[2] Raymond Pun and Jesus Lau, "Hair and Hairstyles as Metaphors for Librarians," IFLA WLIC 2018, pp. 1-5.

[3] Amity is beloved by fans since she is a somewhat prominent recurring character and she is a lesbian who is in a romantic relationship with the show's protagonist, Luz Noceda.

[4] Christine Sharbrough, "What Does a Librarian Do All Day?," BellaOnline, 2013; DarLynn Nemitz, "Male Librarians: Stereotypes and Role Models," Image of Librarians in Popular Culture, Fall 2001; Amy P., "Librarian Who Hadn't Updated Her Look In 8 Years Underwent An Extreme Head-To-Toe Makeover," LittleThings, May 12, 2022; "So, what does a librarian do all day?," Iowa State University University Library, Apr. 11, 2007; UNH Library, "The Top 10 Misconceptions about Libraries and Librarians," The Charger Bulletin, Nov. 14, 2012; David Levy, "Reel Librarians: Images and Stereotypes of Librarians and Libraries in film and literature," Proceedings of the 53rd Annual Conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries (Boston, MA – June 18-20, 2018), pp, 1-3; "How to Style Your Hair Into an Upside Down Bun," StepByStep, accessed May 27, 2022; "More Librarian Misconceptions," Bound: A Blog About Books & Libraries, Apr. 1, 2014; Glenn A. Hascall, "Larry & The Librarian," accessed May 27, 2022; Megan Halsband, "Let’s Talk Comics: Librarians," Headlines & Heroes, Library of Congress, Jul. 3, 2019; Jodi McFarland, "Saginaw Valley librarians ride Internet age forward," mlive, Jul. 7, 2008; Michelle Reilly, "Librarians," It's a Dog's Life, Jul. 10, 2008.

[princesshillaryellaworld25]

Birthday Arc sequel: The flashback: The kindergarden fire

*fire! Fire*

The fire started to spread through the whole kindergarden building, kids were screaming in fear from the fire.

It was mostly because Lila Sky was misbehaving and she was using her manifest form to cause a fire while having a temper tantrum.

Kid: Ah! fire!

Kid #2: *cries* I'M SCARED!

Kid # 4: Me too!

Ms. Amy got up from her desk in a panic and open the door.

Ms. Amy: Quick kids, exit through the doors, Quickly!

The kids quickly got up and ran outside of the school building.

Kid Drugfriend: Oh man! Lila Sky has gone crazy!

Kid Sick BF: *shaking* I'm scared!

Kid Drugfriend: Quick! Let's get out of here!

Kid Sick BF: Okay!

The two was about to follow the rest of the kids but Lila Sky blocked the way.

Kid Manifest Lila Sky: YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE! *ROARING*

Kid Sick BF: AH! My EARS!

Kid Drugfriend: *grunts* My ears! *covers his ears*

That roar caused some of the rubble to fall and block the door and to trap the three inside the classroom.

Kid Drugfriend: *coughs* What was that?!

Kid Sick BF: *coughs* Oh no, we're trapped!

Kid Drugfriend: Damn it!

Meanwhile Outside......

Ms. Amy: Is everybody out

Mr. Rose: Yeah, I think so

Ms. Blight: Jesus, That child is a real spawn of satan! She's a devil child!

Mr. Luke: I knew that girl was dangerous!

Ms. Denise: Wait.....WHERE'S DANIEL AND STEPHANIE?!

Ms. Amy: WAIT WHAT?! I THOUGHT THEY WERE WITH THE OTHER CHILDREN?!

Ms. Blight: Oh no, They still might be in there!

Mr. Luke: I'm going to save them!

Ms. Denise: No! Are you crazy?! You could die in there!

Mr. Luke: But those kids will die in there!

Ms. Amy: Oh where's the firefighter departement?!

Meanwhile.....

Kid Drugfriend: LILA SKY, YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR! THIS NEEDS TO STOP NOW!

Kid Manifest Lila Sky: NO! YOU KEEP HANGING OUT WITH HIM INSTEAD OF ME! HE TAKING ALL THE ATTENTION AWAY!

Kid Sick BF: Drugfriend, help me!

Kid Drugfriend: Sick Boyfriend! Lila Sky, you're crazy! He's just my friend!

Kid Manifest Lila Sky: BUT YOU GAVE HIM TOO MUCH ATTENTION AND I HATE THAT! SO I'M GETTING RID OF HIM!

Kid Sick BF: *screaming while crying* Drugfriend! I'm scared!

Kid Drugfriend: Don't worry buddy, I'll save you!

Kid Manifest Lila Sky: COME ANY CLOSER AND I'LL KILL HIM!

Kid Sick BF: AH!

Kid Drugfriend: No! Please don't hurt him!

Suddenly the ceiling was starting to grumble down and some of the rubble was starting to fall down.

Kid Manifest Lila Sky: I'LL MAKE YOU A DEAL, KISS ME AND BE MY FUTURE BOYFRIEND AND I'LL LET SICK BOYFRIEND GO, REFUSE AND I'LL STAB HIM IN HEART RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!

Kid Sick BF: Drugfriend, please don't do it!

Kid Drugfriend: B-but if I refuse, she's gonna kill you!

Kid Manifest Lila Sky: YOU BETTER CHOOSE DANIEL, OTHERWISE I'LL KILL HIM COMPLETE-

The rubble started to come down from the ceiling and it was about to collapse.

Kid Sick BF: *gasps* Drugfriend look out!

Kid Drugfriend: Huh?

Sick Boyfriend pushed Lila Sky off him and rushed to save Drugfriend from getting crushed by the rubble.

Kid Drugfriend: Woah!

Kid Sick BF: AH!

Kid Manifest Lila Sky: AGH! *the fire pushed her outside of the classroom* No! My future hubby!

The firefighters finally showed up and put out the fire, they managed to remove the rubble only to find Sick Boyfriend and Drugfriend unconscious.

Firefighter: I found them! They're unconscious!

Fire fighter: Quick get them out of here! Bring them to the ambulance!

Fire fighter: Yes sir! *he picked up Sick Boyfriend and Drugfriend while they're unconscious and took them out*

Ms. Amy: Are they okay?

Fire fighter: They're unconscious, we had to take them to the hospital.

Ms. Amy: Oh no!

The kids started to feel sad about their two classmates being hurt by the fire.

Mr. Luke: Oh those poor kids....

Ms. Blight: My favorite students, and it was stephanie's first day here too....God bless their souls

Kid Manifest Lila Sky: *coughs* Ow....stupid fire!

Head Principal Crystal: Ahem!

Kid Manifest Lila Sky: Huh *shocked to know that she's screwed* (mind) Uh-oh.....

The teachers and principal were circling around her, very pissed off.

Head Principal Crystal: You are in a lot of trouble, young lady! 😡😡😡

Kid Lila Sky: (nervously laughs) M-my bad? 😅

[sincerely-sofie]

I'm not sure how weird of a question it would be to ask, or if it's one i should ask, but if you could choose to hallucinate one of them again without any kind of drawbacks just to talk with them, would you? And who would you talk to?

Not a weird question at all, and it's one I've actually asked myself a lot over the years! If I were able to hallucinate one of my old Brain Roommates™️ again, but without the intense anxiety that is required for me to hallucinate in the first place or the actual damage to my brain that hallucinations do, I'd be very, very interested in it. However, my answer for who I would speak to in this hypothetical scenario has changed throughout the years.

Originally, I wanted to talk to the Black Clock. He was the most consistently distressing hallucination, and was a sort of manifestation of my intense perfectionism and high standards for myself. I wanted to ask him if I was enough. It was a question that haunted me for years, and either answer scared me. If I was enough, then that meant I wasn't living up to my potential and that I was "sinful, irredeemable filth" according to the script I told myself back then. If I wasn't enough, then I didn't deserve anything good and I was an active blight on all that I loved, somehow. Nowadays I don't have anything to say to him. I'm enough for myself and I'm enough for God. The opinion of some misfiring synapses doesn't matter.

After that, I wanted to speak to the Red Woman. She expressed remorse after I found my first set of medications that partially stopped me from hallucinating, and she apologized for what she put me through and told me goodbye. I held her the night I took those medications while she cried and said she was scared to die. I never saw or heard from her again, at least as a hallucination. I wanted to tell her I forgave her and that I hoped she was okay, wherever she was. I don't have that same anxiety over the speculative mortality of the voices in my head anymore, so I wouldn't say I would want to talk to her again. There's not much point to it in my eyes. She hurt me and said she was sorry. That's a full sentence. I don't need to open it up for anything else.

Later on, I wanted to talk to the Lime Hands because, in a very bizarre exchange, he expressed to me he was depressed and didn't want to exist. I wanted to see if he was feeling any better, as strange as it was to ask that of a hallucination. Now, though, I hate that freak and make no apologies for what the dang thing put me through, and the only way I'd want to reunite with him is in some wonderland scenario where I could tangibly interact with him. And that's only because I'm punching that sucker's teeth in and breaking his pinky fingers.

As for the present day answer: If I were to choose any of my hallucinations to speak to without consequence, I think I'd like to speak to Doc Brown, or the Marigold Girl.

Doc Brown was the most cordial of the hallucinations and actually stepped in to advocate for me on occasion when the pain was really bad. I liked him a lot. He was a friend to me when I had very few people to talk to. We joked together and he gave me advice and words of comfort during some of the worst nights of my life. I think it'd be fun, in a very surreal way, to catch up with him— ask him how he's doing, how he's been, if he and the Marigold Girl are still buddies and if the Red Woman and him ever got over the hump of their flirtatious hatred for each other and actually became an item. It'd be a nice little send off to the guy. He was one of the first hallucinations I stopped experiencing, and his disappearance was very abrupt. I'd like to be able to say goodbye properly, thank him for his help, and smile and kindly say I hope I never see him again.

(also, the guy's whole shtick was anxiety over disease / contamination and the possibility of me infecting others with whatever bug I caught at the time. I stopped hallucinating him WAY before 2020 and I think he would lose his mind if I told him about COVID-19. That was his time to shine and he missed it. Poor thing.)

The Marigold Girl was a very difficult figure for me to handle when I was hallucinating. On the one hand, she was a lovely, if somewhat unsettling, little girl. She liked it when I read books and explained the plots to her. She always wanted to be held. She was scared of the dark. She adored my stuffed animals and would whisper to them while I was trying to sleep. I enjoyed being around her for the most part, but she was a very weepy hallucination, and the Black Clock would deal out punishment without fail whenever she cried— it was always my fault somehow, and so I suffered the consequences of her being a bit of a crybaby.

Looking back, I feel bad for her. She was a good kid, or at least as good of a kid as an unhealthy cocktail of neurochemicals in a weary brain can be. She once said she didn't want to cry all the time and wished she knew how to stop because I got in trouble because of it. I think it would be nice to comfort her and tell her it wasn't her fault that I'd be hurt. She couldn't control things anymore than I could back then.

I'd really like to show her the new stuffed animals I've collected over the years and read her one of the short stories I've written. I think she'd like Winter Came and Went if she didn't have to worry about the consequences of crying during the sad parts. She'd definitely enjoy Bibbidy Bee Goes to the Library. If possible, I'd like to ask what her favorite color is. I think she'd have a lot of fun answering, and I'd like being able to get to know this part of my psyche that was scared to let herself show any sadness for fear of hurting others with it.