#what a time to be alive but BH we are alive!

[laineystein]

Do you have any tips for not completely falling apart right now? I know everyone always knocks your positivity but its actually one of my favorite parts of following you so I figured if I should ask someone it would be you. Thank you for always being a light…and only answer when you feel up to it. I know you have alot going on right now!

First off, thank you! That’s so kind 🥰

Honestly, it’s kind of okay to fall apart. I wouldn’t expect anything less of any Jew right now. Let yourself feel the pain and lean into those emotions and ideally channel them into something better - action to bring the hostages home, a mitzvah or tzedaka, etc.

When you’re done falling apart? Or during? Hug the people you love so so tight. Hold on for just a bit longer than usual. Take care of yourself - rest and self care are key. Do the things that make you feel like you and do them with people that know you best. Daven - be mispallel for the hostages we’ve lost and the hostages that have yet to come home. Celebrate - lean into simchas and let yourself feel joy and pride at these traditions that have always kept our people going. Dance - because you can. And love your fellow Jew - ahavas chinam always. That is the only way out of this.

Sending so much love your way. We’ll get through this IYH 💙

[ittybittyremy]

All the details Bells Hells know about Cyrus' death & everything surrounding it

I've been seeing people wondering/forgetting how much Dorian has told Bells Hells about the circumstances of Cyrus' death. So I've decided to go through the episodes!

A couple disclaimers before I start:

Orym shouldn't have made that comment to Dorian. Even if he didn't know all the specifics, knowing Dorian's brother died recently (and at all for that matter) should have stopped him from making that theoretical. Even if Cyrus' death had nothing to do with the gods, it would still be an inappropriate thing to say. He could've made that theoretical to anyone else in that group but he said it to the person with a recently dead family member.

Even though it would be beneficial for Dorian to tell BH (and for BH to learn/understand) everything about that day, he doesn't have to (and` shouldn't be forced to). Plus, it's very in character for Dorian not to tell them.

I don't want to see any comments saying "well it's implied," "BH should be able to connect the dots," or "BH should get the hint because of how Dorian has been acting." I'm bad at picking up hints irl so I won't fault BH for not connecting those points.

This post is about what Dorian has explicitly said (even though I did add a couple parts where he implies what happens).

This is all under the assumption that Dorian has not told BH everything off camera.

All timestamps will be based on the YouTube VOD.

I may miss a couple tidbits so sorry in advance.

Now to the actual information

Episode 93

Cyrus died (3:43:24)

Two of Dorian's best friends became the champions of the Matron of Ravens and the Spider Queen (3:43:28)

It all happened yesterday (3:43:38)

Opal is "not really" okay (3:43:45)

Cyrus died in battle "if you can call it that" (3:53:36)

Until that day he never thought real evil existed (3:53:46)

What he saw in the previous couple days does was "irredeemable" (3:53:55)

They tried to help Opal (3:54:59)

Dorian knows that there are forces enacting on the world that go "deeper than [he] imagined" (3:55:05)

Fy'ra Rai stayed with Opal (3:55:16)

Dariax is "all right" (3:55:20)

Opal is alive but corrupted (3:57:04)

Fy'ra Rai may be walking down the path as Opal (3:57:12)

Episode 94

Dorian doesn't explicitly mention it this episode but there is a moment where he hints that the prime deities may have somehow been involved.

"If you are relying on the help of the gods, champions, I can't say that I trust them anymore" (2:30:17)

Episode 102

No explicit mentions here BUT we begin to get Dorian's opinions of the gods. That's not what this post is about so I will move on

Episode 103

More of Dorian's views on the gods and we finally get another (sort of) explicit mention

"The last I conferred with a god, they cared very little about the feelings of anyone around us." That god being the Spider Queen (1:37:01)

The reason I say "sort of" is because Dorian doesn't say this is in regards to Cyrus' death (even though we the audience knows this). Orym and Fearne could've easily assumed that this was in regards to their EXU times.

Episode 109

Get an idea of what "getting dark" means. Matt describes Opal as "a humanoid shape of white hair and a black crown dripping and black oil and ichor. Opal stands dark and still" (2:19:13)

"Opal the Twice-Crowned, born a fractured, dual soul. A being of unknown potential, manipulated by cult and betrayer gods alike to walk a violent path without agency, a pawn for the gods and their whims." Raven Queen describing Opal (2:19:32)

Opal has a spider form (different from three-armed Opal) (2:49:20)

Episode 110

Dorian remind Bells Hells that Opal is now the champion of the Spider Queen (51:29)

Laudna says "hang on, because didn't, the last time you saw Opal, wasn't she trying to brutally murder you?" (52:22). I guess BH knows it was the Spider Queen? I'm a bit confused because Dorian never explicitly told them this but maybe it was an off screen thing

Dorian: "I'm not certain any information we would get from her would be particularly reliable" (52:30)

What does Bells Hells know?

As far as they know, the day before Dorian reunited with Bells Hells:

Cyrus died in a (sort of) battle.

They tried to help Opal but she is corrupted, she is still alive though

Fy'ra Rai stayed with Opal

Dariax is safe

Opal and someone else are now the champions of the Spider Queen and Matron of Ravens.

Dorian discovered real evil existed

The title "Opal the Twice-Crowned"

Opal's spider form (but different the three-armed Opal that Dorian saw)

Opal is not a reliable source of information right now

What does Bells Hells not know?

Wildmother refused to help

Matron refused to help

The Spider Queen killed Cyrus (? tbh i'm confused about this one)

Dorian came here because Opal casted mass suggestion

Dorian abandoned Dariax

Opal's memories are either gone or altered

Opal with three arms

The whole Ted thing

And much more

[qs63]

FMA 03 appreciation post.

Aside from the fact that FMA Brotherhood outright assumes you have watched FMA 03 — and skips a lot of the early events and world building — everyone should watch 03 because the manga/BH resolution also takes it into consideration.

FMA 03 is in many ways a mirror image to the Manga/BH story. It's a bit of a “what if these characters turned left instead of right” situation, and that makes 03 more significant if you want to understand how and why the manga ends up like that. I already talked in another post about Basque Grand and how much he changes from 03 to manga, but he's not the only one nor the most important character to do so.

Ed's core beliefs is that every life is precious and shouldn't be taken. He repeats this again and again throughout the story, and manga Ed manages to uphold that belief to the very end when he refuses to kill Pride. 03 Ed is no different, he too holds this belief dearly, but since FMA 03 makes the characters take a different turn, 03!Ed ends up accidentally killing Greed, effectively shattering his ideals. This single event marks the end of 03!Ed's innocence and childlike idealism/positivism. It pushes him into a more adult cynical and practical outlook of life.

This new outlook is what leads him to kill sloth (when manga Ed wouldn't kill Pride) and then sacrifice himself to get Al back despite knowing this decision would hurt Al, and so many others.

The Manga ending is very aware of the 03’s ending and outright references it when Mustang says Ed would never sacrifice himself as he knows the pain of being left behind. But the truth is that manga Ed is only able to reach a different conclusion to 03!Ed because he was able to maintain his stubborn idealism to the very end and find a solution his jaded practical self could've never reached.

Mustang's 03 ending is also another excellent example of what would happen if the character didn't uphold their beliefs and — somewhat naive— idealism to the end.

There are two key differences between 03!Roy and manga Roy. The first is Ishval. 03!Roy is all alone in Ishval and that makes a world of difference, 03!Roy doesn't get Hawkeye to question the value of alchemy/power, he doesn't have Hughes to support him every time he's facing the abyss, he doesn't have his squad to thank him for keeping them alive. The lesson 03!Roy takes from Ishval it’s not “We need each other to succeed” it is “I need to be stronger to succeed”, because 03!Roy was alone and never learned to share his burden, or the value of having someone to lean on.

It's no surprise then that 03!Roy ends up facing Pride ALONE, which is the second difference. The 03 ending where Roy turns his back to everyone and everything is exactly what would've happened to manga Roy if he too had been alone in Ishval, if he hadn't learned that he needed people at his side to keep him on the right path, if he hadn't had someone to stop him from making the same mistakes as 03!Roy when he faced Envy and almost embraced revenge over his values. Just like 03!Ed, that forceful break from his ideals (the core belief that you need the help of others to succeed and to work for something beyond yourself) is what makes 03!Roy ends up as a mirror image of his manga self.

So really go watch FMA 03 if you haven't because both endings become so much better when you understand they're a juxtaposition of each other, one that showcases the importance of hope, ideals, and companionship.

[autumnteawithfriends]

One thing i don't understand about HB and HH is that, Vivziepop said it was inspired by the show Bojack Horseman. And i don't see it at all.

First is that BH adresses that Bojack is a horrible person and we shouldn't root for him, while in HH we should like Alastor,Vox,Angel Dust and Valentino even tho they did somewhat worse thing then Bojack. Alastor and Angel are confirmed to have killed people wgile they were alive, Alastor was also a cannibal and literaly in Hell. I would honnestly prefered if it was like Bojack Horseman, that even thecreators know their characters are bad people. But instead these characters are codled like little babies on their mothers lap.

Second is deffinitly the clear misoginy Viv shows through her shows. Female chracters in BjH are complex characters who don't have to be a man's armpiece, unlike in HB and HH. PC and Diane Nguyen are one my favorite female chracters in cartoon media and love their stories throughout the show. I unfortunetly can't say the same in HH and HB. Female characters are, for what i saw, reduced to 3 categories: bitch,normal/nice wife and chaotic. And nothing else. One of the best examples of these is Stella(Stola's ex-wife and Via's mom) for what i seen she mostly had the same childhood as Stolas, or even worse. Only seen for her ability to give birth to an heir and be a wife and the show hates her for that? She must have been under alot pressure to give birth to an heir, Octavia. I honnestly somewhat preffered Stella over that crybaby Stolas.

And even Vivziepop said she loved Bojack Horseman, but i can bet on all the money i have that she hates PC and Diane for trying to distance themselfs from Bojack and that she was on Bojack's side all the time.

Anyways these my thoughs only and you can tell me yours if you want to

Thanks for the ask!

Okay, something I’ll admit is that I’ve never fully watched Bojack Horseman, I’ve only seen some specific scenes on YouTube. But something I can say with full confidence is that Viv claiming her shows are on the same level as Bojack Horseman is fucking ridiculous

First of all, she can’t say her shows are in the same level as Bojack when she refuses to do serious shit that even kids cartoons do. Such as having morally grey characters, not having a black and white morality, actually giving your characters development and consequences, it’s basically a laundry list.

Yeah, Stella would’ve been an infinitely better character to feel sympathy for if Viv actually gave a shit about her female characters + didn’t try her damndest to make us feel bad for Stolas. Like, how the fuck did Viv not expect some people to actually feel sympathy for her compared to Stolas considering her backstory? Stolas is a classist, racist, monarch who enacts Quid Pro Qud on Blitz yet we’re supposed to feel sympathy for him. Yet when people for sympathy for Stella, someone who’s only really a violent person with intense anger issues at her worst (which is 100% justified to me considering her backstory) suddenly people who feel bad for her are abuser apologists (which is false)

Like, you cannot say your shows are on the same level as Bojack Horseman if you refuse to focus on any of your female characters, refuse to give ACTUAL consequences that stick, and try to make us feel bad for arguably the most vile character in the show (Stolas) without doing anything to justify it. There’s so much more I could mention but you get the point.

Thanks for the ask again, apologies that I couldn’t really cover your points about Diane and PC (Also I realize that this is more about HB then HH, but the points still count)

[fromtenthousandfeet]

How about a change of topic, @fromtenthousandfeet?

Last night I watched the JK Golden mini-concert on YouTube. Hold on, I am going to relate this to Jimin, promise. Here are some things I noticed:

He only sang 12 songs. 10 from his album, and two from his BTS days: Still with You and Magic Shop (singing his part with the recording.)

There was a fair amount of talking. Also two brief videos. So that took up some time.

I wondered how he would work the collabs. As far as I could tell, he just sang Seven and 3D without including the others.

He used the backtrack for his BG vocals. Why don't they ever use real background singers? This seems so inexplicable to me.

The production values were, I would say, modest. As in, sparse.

This was definitely an event for Army and JK solos. RM was there and did speak briefly from the audience on how much he admired JK. He said the others couldn't attend because they had schedules or words to that effect.

OK, here's how this relates to Jimin. I keep hearing that Jimin doesn't have enough songs to do a concert, but he certainly has more than 12! He wouldn't even have to include his collabs (except SGMB?)

Does he have enough time to rest between the intense choreo ones and the no-choreo ones? I think so? And please include his Black Swan solo. And maybe a cover or two. Keeping hope alive for something in Spanish, como siempre, but there are other possibilities. Recently I read a recommendation for Human Nature by MJ. What a brilliant idea. I could totally see (hear) that.

Everybody seems to agree that the 1st song has to be SetMeFree, pt2. Hell, yeah! But could they bring in the actual choir, please? And I wonder if Suga would do the rap part--I'm glad he isn't on the album, but it would be cool to have a truly live performance... and something that ISN'T just like the recording. That's why you go to a concert, isn't it?

I mean, I get why they have to have a backtrack, but how about some live background vocals from background singers, too? I found it disconcerting when Jimin sang WHO on Jimmy Fallon and there were those moments when his recorded voice came in. Isn't there a way to use BG singers in those moments?

But...bottom line: Jimin has enough material to do his own concert. Perhaps not a full two hours, unless he had an opening act, but his own concert is entirely feasible and very desirable. I believe he has the fan base to support him, or am I being delusional?

Should we start making a set list?

Anon,

Thank you for this wonderful ask. I'm sorry I'm a bit late in responding.

All of your points are so on point (lol)! I'm now obsessing over the idea of Jimin covering the best song from MJ's Thriller (IMHO). JM was born to sing Human Nature!

While it wouldn't allow him a chance to rest, I would love an award show-style dance performance or two. Marionette Fake Love? Blindfolded Lie? OMG. And yes, let's get Black Swan in there, too. He doesn't have to repeat these performances, of course. Something new would be amazing. Do people understand just how one of a kind Jimin is? His dancing is on another level.

Backup singers? Yes, please! I beg. Rearrange his songs so that he doesn't need to rely on backtrack vocals and use real, human backup singers since add such warmth and depth to songs. Why is BH so violently opposed to them? And that choir from LA? They are breathtakingly talented. Please add them to the tour, too.

Finally, a song in Spanish? Claro que si! We know he has it in him - it's only a matter of time.

Anon, let's get the set list started, vet some possible opening acts, and start crowd funding for the tour because I don't trust BH to do anything.

[pstelwitchcraft]

Rewatching the last 4-Sided Dive episode and Liam's description of what a Bells Hells tower would be like (in Caleb's voice!) just hits me very hard. The thought that they would just live in a treehouse with a bunch of tunnels that connected their rooms like an anthill will not leave my head.

Because that really hits their dynamic on the head imo and it made me think. For the Nein, at the very beginning, they were very distrustful, very cutting and even harsh with each other on occasion, they saw each other as allies and not friends. Most of them didn't even want friends aside from their immediate pairings, and that made for some delicious drama, some brutally honest conversations, and the whole evolution of their dynamics as the campaign went on was very satisfying and fun to watch. They were allies first and eventually became friends by proxy of working together and sharing time.

With Bell's Hells it feels like they were allies for .5 seconds before becoming friends. They tiptoe around each other SO MUCH because they care about each other's feelings more than they care about saving the damn world. Aside from some exceptions (both ashton/laudna showdowns come to mind), they very rarely will be brutally honest with each other or even risk crossing a line, and that, in the situation they're in, is absolutely dangerous.

It so perfectly feeds into each of their self-destructive tendencies that I'm actually surprised they are all still alive. For example, they consistently would rather coddle FCG and let them believe whatever they want even if it puts them in danger because the alternative is possibly crushing their spirit when they already struggle heavily with understanding their place in the world.

The point is they care a lot from the very beginning, and I feel like the real challenge for Bell's Hells is going to be the complete opposite of what it was for Mighty Nein, the friendship comes easier to them than it came to the Nein, but the allyship and sincerity came easier for MN than BH, and if they want to survive this, we are going to have to see them become allies too, instead of just friends, and that means learning to call each other out on their bullshit. Hopefully Beau is still alive to give them a crash course 😅

[ravenalla]

Was rewatching gravity falls just for the childhood feels and it made me realize I think one thing Villainous could improve on, or at least something I just personally think would be cool to see, is establishing the manor as a setting better. Black Hat’s manor is very striking and recognizable from the outside, but we don’t get to see a whole lot of the layout inside besides Black Hat’s office and Flug’s lab in the actual show. I know we do know what the whole thing looks like from the books, old shorts, etc., but I’d also love to get more domestic scenes like the crew sitting in the kitchen that one episode so we could get a better feel for how it’s lived in. The Mystery Shack from GF just felt so alive, you instantly became accustomed to the gift shop area, the living room, the attic, etc., you could picture how they navigate it. Obviously Villainous is a very different type of show and won’t be keeping the characters at the manor most of the time since they have jobs to do in the outside world, but still I’d love to just get one full episode someday that takes place purely in BH’s home. At least to help out the fanfic writers over the years who’ve had to use their imaginations for how the heck this old man’s house works 😂

[dearweirdme]

https://www.tumblr.com/dearweirdme/759347529935699968/httpswwwtumblrcomdearweirdme7592386192182149?source=share

If taekook are truly together and if they will ever decide to come out to the public in the future, I’m not sure how this is going to end! Especially If it’s going to happen in the next couple of years! Even thinking about it sends a shiver down my spine!

I’m going as far as thinking about “jimin’s partner revelation first” theory…and this doesn’t seen fair for him to be made to reveal his partner first just because of bh’s ridiculous strategy since the beginning!

bh could’ve handled the situation way better than this never ending circle of hate towards maknae line! bh got so flustered and lost its composure big time and still to this day I believe that it was something more than just dispatch finding out about taekook. just a guess tho.

bh has messed everything up to the point that I can not think of any other better way to lessen the amount of hate that taekook will get from jikookers!

Hi anon!

If Are you sure has shown us anything, is that it’s very possible to chip away at a ship without taking huge measures. It may seem as though Jkkrs are still going strong as ever, because their loudest voices carry on… but, there is always a bigger part of silent shippers whom we don’t notice and who will just leave when stuff becomes clearer. I truly think Jkk as a ship has taken a hit here. If they were to continue on this way and this clearly, while simultaneously stopping the jkk baiting.. Jkk as a ship will lose a lot of their shippers. Though there will always be ones persistent enough to keep the ship somewhat alive… being hit multiple times as strong aa they have now will have an effect. Bh is still doing the baiting though, so.. I don’t think they will go that way just yet.

I think a safe way to go, would to have Jin announce a relationship first. I think a lot of fandom already feels as though he’s in a relationship, him being the oldest might also make it more acceptable. I think Jin would be very able to counter any backlash in a non-negative way. I think maknae line announcing anything will be drama 🙈.

I think Dispatch possibly finding out isn’t even the onset of why Tae and Jk has to hide. I think for BH the mere idea of risk was enough to take action. There’s always been enough fandom talk and scrutiny to make them scared of discovery I think. Imagine what no intervention from bH’s aide would have meant.. Jkk wouldn’t exist as a strong ship had Tae and Jk continued on the way they did.

I don’t think there’s a way for this to be solved without hate. I think chipping away would be best, but we can already see people turning on Jk now.

[mad-who-ra]

Dagger and Arrows (16)

Dagger and Arrows 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13 14 15

Well well well, look who still remembers how the keyboard works- Me, that's me, in case you were wondering. I still remember the sentence structure and all- You get it. I am gonna taunt myself before you do. But hey, here's the last chapter. And no, we probably won't have an epilogue since it took me months to write this chapter. But yes, here's the happy ending you all threatened me for. Enjoy.

Ram x (still alive) Wife!Reader

Word Count : 904

Y/N did not remember a lot. She fell in and out of consciousness. She remembered bits and pieces of what happened or what was actually going on. She remembered the pain. She remembered the desperate voice of her husband trying to wake her up. Begging her to open her eyes. She remember him screaming her name, and then Bheem’s when she tried. Bheem- She thought she heard his voice too. The next time she came to, all she saw was fire. It was blurred. She felt the wind caress her wounds. She felt something cold wherever it hurt. Before she could move, darkness surrounded her again. 

When she finally gained enough consciousness to move, she realised her whole body hurt. It took her a lot of efforts to open her eyes. Her vision was blurred. She moved her fingers with last ounce of strength she could muster in her body. It hurt. It hurt to breathe, to move, to open her eyes. Was she dead? Was she in heaven? If it was heaven, why was she still hurting? 

Maybe she was in hell. She would deserve it, knowing what she had done to Bheem and Malli. No amount of pain on earth would be enough to erase her sins.

“Y/N?” She heard a voice she thought she had heard before in a dizzy state of mind, but couldn’t remember who it was. She tried to focus her eyes on the person.

“Ram! She is awake!” The girl shouted before rushing to her side. She helped Y/N into a sitting position, stuffing a blanket between her and the wall. She held a glass of water to her mouth and as the water entered her system, she realised how parched she was. She drank the water slowly, trying not to hurt herself.

“Do you need more?” The girl asked. Y/N blinked. The girl’s face finally came into focus and she realised she had seen her before, in pictures. Seetha. It was Seetha. 

“More water?” She asked again.

Y/N shook her head lightly. It took a lot out of her to actually focus on her surroundings. It was a small room. Probably a tribal hut. Where was she?

“Y/N-” She heard his voice before she looked towards the door. He stared at her as his eyes teared up.

“Bhabhi!” Bheem walked into the room before Ram did. 

“Bh-Bheem!” She croaked out, tears clouding her own vision. He pulled her into a hug, careful as to not hurt her. She held back a wince. She did not want him to let her go and she knew he would as soon as he realised she was in pain.

“I am so sorry.” She started.

He shushed her, holding her to him. He was alive. He was fine. He was not mad at her.

“Malli?” She asked.

“She is fine, everyone is fine.” He said, pulling away to look at her. There were scars on his face. But other than those, he looked fine.

“How, what-”

“We will explain. But not right now, you need rest.” He said. She looked at Seetha.

“I-”

“Not now.” Seetha echoed.

“Rest for a while.” Bheem said, getting up, “We will go tell everyone that you are awake and fine. Everyone is worried about you.” 

With that both of them walked out of the room, leaving Ram standing in the doorway looking at her like she would disappear if he looked away.

She lifted her lips into a small smile. 

“Are you going to stand there?” She asked.

He took hesitant steps towards her. He, like Bheem had scars on his face. But he too, seemed fine otherwise. Healing, at the very least. He was alive. That was a relief.

“How are you?” He asked, settling on the bed beside her. 

“Never been better.” She joked, lightly. He did not say anything for a long time. He did not look into her eyes. His eyes were glued to the bed sheet. She slowly moved her hand to hold his. He very tentatively laced their fingers together as a tear rolled down his cheek.

“Ram-”

“I thought I had lost you. In the cell, after we got out. I thought I had lost you on multiple occasions in the last few weeks and I-” He shook his head, “I am so sorry, Y/N. All of this is my fault. I-”

“Hey, hey.” She said, squeezing his hand as tightly as she could. It was not his fault. Both of them were to be blamed. Both of them were trying their best.

“I am so sorry.” He said, again finally looking at her. Her heart broke looking at the tears in his eyes.

She shook her head.

“I am okay. I will be okay.”

“You should rest.” He repeated, “we will talk about this later.”

They will. They will talk about this and a lot of other things. Later, when she is able to get more than a few words out of her system. But right now, she did not need to think about it. Bheem and Malli were fine. Ram and her were alive. That is all that mattered. They were together.

“Don’t go. Stay?” She asked. A thousand emotions flashed in his eyes. She recognised love as he slowly nodded, looking at her. They would talk about this, too. They had an eternity in front of them.

I love each and every one of you

@sada-siva-sanyaasi @manwalaage @maraudersbitchesassemble @gauri-vishalakshi  @rambheem-is-real @seherie @how-is-it-in-london @itsfookingloosah @ma-douce-souffrance​ @irisesforyoureyes @cainiyor @zaddylokiandthorsimp​ @bromance-minus-the-b​ @kafkaesquebestie @hissterical-nyaan @ramayantika @reallythoughtfulwizard @phoenix666stuff @iam-siriuslysher-lokid @obsessedtoafault @budugu @chaanv @nerdreader @pavbhajiofficial @hxnky-pxnky @shawty-writes-a-little @azraelcruor @rambheemisgoated @aasthuu @vidhurvrika @jeonmahi1864 @jjwolfesworld @yehsahihai @voidsteffy @lite-teesko

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[beautifulterriblequeen]

Are Rayla's grandparents alive since elves live longer than humans?

I guess they sure could be, but I don't know what that has to do with them all being elves?

Let's dig a bit and see what we get:

Rayla is still a teenager. She was 15 during arc 1 (S1-S3), and has her 18th birthday somewhere during S4-S5. Her parents were described as 35-40-ish during arc 1, making them 20-25 years older than she is, and only a few years older than Runaan and Ethari.

This is purely a guess, but just for reference, if Rayla's grandparents were similarly young when they had Lain and Tiadrin, that would put them around 55-65 right now. Which is a normal grandparent age even for humans. Many people will live to this age if nothing dangerous happens to them.

The real question is, how dangerous is it to be a Moonshadow elf? And that's what we don't know. We don't know what it's like to just live in Xadia all your life, and to know its daily ins and outs. But considering there are plenty of elves in Xadia, all of whom have ancestors that survived the last 1000 years without human ingenuity and just relied on their magic, I'd say it's probably no more dangerous overall than living in the human lands is for humans.

Our world has everyday dangers, and we just learn to avoid them when we can. Car crashes and pandemics and sporting accidents do exist here. But we take steps to be as safe as we can, and most of us are fine most of the time. I imagine that, even with magic, the same sort of vibes work in Xadia, because Xadians want to live too.

We don't know a lot about family traditions as far as career choices are concerned, either. Rayla's parents were some kind of guards when we saw them in BH. Runaan, Lain's BFF, is an assassin. Does this mean they used to be assassins? Maybe their family are assassins? Maybe they're just guards, with a more boring and safe kind of pace in their work. Maybe Rayla's grandparents are nothing of the sort and they live quietly in their village getting nice letters every month from the Storm Spire until- oop- never mind.

I'm sure they're fine! Maybe they've retired to somewhere with a shady coast? Or a nice tropical valley full of giant palm trees?

Alternately, Lujanne really is Rayla's grandma and we've known where she is all along. Which husband could be Rayla's grandpa is another matter, though!

[mintywolf]

eisfuura, bard and fighter?

(CR Asks)

Eisfuura: Who is your favorite NPC?

Appropriately enough (since this is a bird question) it’s Kiri!! She is one of my top favorite characters in the whole M9 campaign. I really hope we get to find out in C3 what she’s up to these days and I can’t wait to see her in the M9 animated series. (Also I’m glad we’ll get to see her goodbye to Jester animated because I can’t believe they parted ways with her while Laura wasn’t there! I understand why they did it, it would have been too dangerous for her where they were going, but I’m sad that Laura wasn’t there to RP Jester in that moment.)

Bard: What is your favorite “how do you want to do this?”

Ooh okay. I don’t know if it’s my favorite but the one most burned on my mind is Imogen lightning bolting Evil Sun Tree in Darkstone because that was the end of a MERCILESSLY INTENSE fight to determine whether my favorite character of all time was going to be allowed back in the game. And it was SUPER CLOSE, she was barely alive and only survived because she had to spend her last Mote of Possibility (which she was probably saving for Laudna’s resurrection ritual) to make Delilah reroll her last attack on her.

Also there was some really nice symbolism there because she opened the fight with the words “Delilah Briarwood, we’re gonna sunder you.” You know, like lightning does to a tree. And that was what she did in the end, with all the love and fury in her soul.

Fighter: What was your favorite funny moment?

Oh no there are too many individual moments to choose so this is more like “funniest running gag” even though most of the scenes involved with it are actually traumatic but is endlessly hilarious to me though how much of a ruckus Bells Hells cause whenever they go to Whitestone. Especially from Percy’s point of view. They barge into his office at 7am with a dead body demanding he bring it back to life, unwrap it to reveal what at first appears to be the corpse of his wife before he realizes that no it’s actually it’s the anonymous girl whose murder has been haunting her for 30 years why do they even have this?? also HOW is she somehow inhabited by the spirit of his worst nemesis? Against his protests they bring her back to life (?? this part is debatable) and she in turn immediately resurrects a dead rat which she insists is a long-lost relative of his, and then makes him hug a tree. They refuse his offers of hospitality but steal a bunch of linens from the castle and sleep outside in the main square. They leave. They come back and inform him they need to go to the moon. They break into a room in the castle that he has specifically sealed off and invoke the spirit of his worst nemesis IN HIS HOUSE. They destroy an armoire to make a sled and break all the castle windows with rocks. Before they leave for the moon one of them turns himself into a living bomb and detonates right underneath the thing that is the living heart of his city. Also, they picked a fight with a blameless crepe vendor in the street.

BH, why are you like this. (Don't ever change.)

Also something about the contrast between how Laudna is perceived by the de Rolos when she's dead -- she's this object of pathos, a symbol of the guilt and trauma of a horrible thing that happened 30 years ago that they feel both responsible for and a victim of, and can never fully atone for -- and when she's revived like oh she's not just a dead doll that looks like Vex there's a whole personality there and it's bonkers and delightful and she has a pet dead rat and friends who love her so much they crossed continents to bring her back to life -- is so good. (Not necessarily funny just really good.)

[punchoutheadcanons]

I don't know where this one came from, but I headcanon that Bear Hugger is ABSOLUTELY the "Dad-Friend" of the WVBA, trying to keep everyone else alive. (I'd say "safe," but when folks as crazy as Aran Ryan exist in the WVBA, there's no such thing as "safe." Just "staying alive" at this point.)

BH is just a ray of sunshine and has great energy to be around and a lot of that comes from his upbringing. He also does a good job in trying to keep up with you. Like even if you haven’t spoken to him in like, years, he’ll remember you and tries to catch up in what you’ve been doing. Is also incredibly resourceful and helpful! Incredibly generous as well.

Your car battery died? He’s on his way! Need a ride home? He’s on it. Blood sugar’s low and you need something to eat? He carries snacks just for you! Some creep staring you down at the bar? He’s your temporary boyfriend for the time being and he’ll make sure you get home safe.

We all need a dad-friend like Bear Hugger <3

[livuvur]

Favorite Edwin moment? Either 03 or BH?

Oh god that's a hard one... Considering I love every moment the two of them are on screen together but I will try, (also note I'm not including the most well-known, iconic moments aka gun scene/proposal, etc.) Just to keep the variety a little, I'm gonna focus more on moments that I believe have very high significance to their relationship but simply don't get talked about nearly enough. (Not in particular order)

1. This moment, especially in the manga makes me very very soft, in the page before this one we see ed being all miserable by himself, he goes to call winry (who is also being all miserable by herself) and I really do love the approach of this moment as it is not Ed trying to comfort Winry after Hughes' death nor bringing up the topic at all, since he himself doesn't know what else he could say about it, on top of the fact that he feels responsible for what happened to him, instead, he just tries to make sure winry doesn't go without eating because it would do her no good, and attempts to leave, but then she just takes his hand and leads him into her room and his face as she does so is just so utterly adorable... I love how soft that panel is, and how despite Ed not being one to comfort her she is still non-verbally asking him to stay, because she needs him by her side in those moments, and his presence alone is enough, and then, despite how he had just eaten he still accepts the apple pie Winry made because she put so much of her heart and her effort into it. And once he sees the tears gathering in her eyes he is simply physically incapable of saying no to her.

2. I think I've talked about these panels before on here, something very interesting to me is how the first panel shows ed admitting he always saw Winry as someone so upbeat and cheerful, to the point it is easy for him to forget how much pain she's actually been internalizing the whole time, and then scolding himself for not understanding her feelings at all. And then you have Winry seeing right through Ed, saying she knows he is just trying hard to be tough (and that he is an idiot, *cough*). The thing is, Winry has seen Ed at his worst, she was there taking care of both him and Al when they had lost everything and Ed was struggling under the weight of his guilt and pain, she saw him crying and sobbing everyday, she even mentions that at nights he just couldn't stop moaning from the pain and fever automail caused him. And on the other hand, Ed had been thinking quite the opposite about Winry, because she was always there being a rock for both him and Al even after having lost her family herself, she was there, always smiling for them and supporting his every step with such strenght he couldn't even imagine she was simultaneously grieving as well. Ed always saw Winry's strenght, but she always knew his weakness all too well.

3. Self-explanatory, I'm a sucker for edwin parallels: she thinks of him while she's dying, he thinks of her while he is fighting to stay alive. They are obsessed with each other, next one.

4. THIS MOMENT, GOD. “seeing it made me realize I couldn't go home”, “I want to be able to help you, so your road's not so hard” this whole scene is just so overlooked it hurts, cause it just goes to show Winry's love and dedication to Ed, and how his determination and resolve inspire her own, she is always looking to improve in any ways she can to help him, Ed literally is able to walk and to continue his journey because of her, (and he reminds it to her in one of her darkest moments) and I just think it's amazing how they're both always challenging each other under different circumstances, this is just one of them, with Winry declaring she is gonna push herself to be the fucking best she can so she can be there for him. (Also his sudden self-awareness and blush when he realizes he is staring at her smile... *blows them up with dynamite*)

5. Again, self-explanatory. Absolutely fucking love some good male rage when his boo is threatened, Bradley didn't even have to lay a finger on her and this guy was ready to strangle him right there. (Also Olivier's entire speech in BH saying Ed's eyes were “desperate” and of “a boy who would do anything to protect the things he loves” when he refused to tell her anything about the homunculi because Winry was a hostage, even tho he knew Olivier could have chopped him in little pieces just because of that. <3

6.

Damn apparently I can't add more images lmao but basically this whole thing they unspokenly have going on where they give each other an item that belongs to the other so they keep it as a reassurance/promise they will see each other again: Ed giving winry his red coat after the gun scene, Winry giving Ed her earrings and asking him to keep them safe for her, and even in their very last scene, Winry keeping Ed's white hoodie, the one he wore when he came back home to her. Just. They are so. Yeah.

Believe me I have many more I could go on for hours, I wanted to include some 03 moments too, but it's 1 am and I need sleep so yeah (also forgive any grammar/spelling mistakes on this I really do need to 💤)

thank you for the ask !

[brjeauregard]

Guys I love Ashton so much and I have so many thoughts about them. He's easily my favorite character that Taliesin has played simply because he's a mess. They have no memory of their past or childhood, they only remember watching someone who felt like family be ripped apart. Then he was alone in the desert. Who knows how long he spent wandering before someone found him and brought them to an orphanage. At this point Ashton's just a kid who has literally no experiences other than loss and being alone.

Then they go to a shitty orphanage and meet a group of people who begin to feel like family. They grow up together and start a little adventuring crime party. He'll never admit it but Ashton loves this group and finally feels like they found where they belong. Then a job goes bad, the group's about to get caught and Ashton gets hurt. He falls off that balcony and the last thing they hear before waking up on Milo's table is someone yelling to leave him because he's dead. But they were still alive and conscious at that point. If the nobodies actually loved him then how could they leave him behind.

He wakes up on Milo's table, maybe alone maybe with Milo leaning over them. Either way, the nobodies, his family and the group he loved has left them behind. Ashton takes on their debt and agrees to work to Hexum so she doesn't hunt the rest of them down because you take care of family. They could have taken Milo with them and left town but instead he stayed behind to protect a group of people who left him behind. They insist that they don't blame the nobodies and that he would have done the same, but if he was really willing to completely cut ties then they wouldn't have taken on their debt. And the nobodies never come back. As far as we know they never make an attempt to contact Ashton or make sure he's okay. They just leave and move on with their lives. Family doesn't forget like that. Family fights for each other and makes sure nobody is left behind. So maybe the nobodies weren't family, or at least Ashton wasn't family.

Then they meet FCG. A little traumatized robot in the desert. Ashton could have so easily sold them or convinced them that their purpose was to serve him. Instead Ashton spends their time protecting letters and encouraging them to stand up for themself. Ashton tries to convince them that he can be his own person and that he does have a soul. They could have paid off their debt to Hexum by giving her Letters, but Ashton knows what it's like to be left by someone you care about, so he never mentions them to her.

Then he meets this ragtag group of people with just as much if not more damage than him. And he grows to care about them. They watch time and time again as the Bell's Hells refuse to leave each other behind and try to help each other get better. And the entire time Ashton reminds them that they don't leave people behind. He was abandoned and there's nothing he can do to change that, but they can make sure nobody else feels that way.

But then Otohan happens and shit hits the fan. The plan is to run and everyone scatters, but Ashton goes down in the opening round. And instead of leaving them behind bh gets him backs up and won't leave until he can get away too. Then everyone starts dropping but the group refuses to leave anyone behind. And all of a sudden Orym, Laudna, and Fearne are dead and they don't have the spells to save Laudna. But instead the group travels to a different continent and beg for help. They enter a dreamscape and fight Delilah Briarwood all for the chance to bring Laudna back. And the nobodies left them when they thought he might be dead.

But everything is moving too fast to fully process and talk about. Then he has some downtime on the airship before the solstice and they might die figuring out where they came from and finding out why the nobodies left him. And there has to be part of them that's wondering if bh would go to the same effort that they did for Laudna to bring him back if he died. His last family abandoned him how does he know this one won't too? And despite all of the trauma in this group none of them can really understand him. Sure Laudna knows what it's like to be lonely and to die, but she also knows how it feels to have your family around when you're brought back. Plus she knows where she came from. Because despite everything that's happened to them, Ashton still desperately wants to know where they came from. What if he had a family? What if that family left them behind too? What if Ashton's the problem? Would the nobodies have left anyone else in the group behind or was Ashton the only one they didn't care about?

[inkstainedheartbeats]

Sue Sinclair is going to be having words with Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper if she survives this. She is going to tear them to absolute pieces and there is nothing Charlie can say that will stop it.

Erica is calling a ‘Code Red’ into that walkie talkie she lets no one but her brother touch. Charlie is swinging his bat at the dog like creatures that want to eat a bleeding and scared Lucas.

There’s a great hulking thing in the doorway. Grey mottled skin, huge head.

“We’ve got a demogorgon,” Erica hisses. Lucas moans.

They’re in the front room. Moving with a calmness she doesn’t feel Sue picks up fire iron. Javelin throwing hadn’t been a big sport in Hawkins but Sue had loved it the few times she played. And the skill transferred well to other things. So the iron in her hands flies true, straight down what she thinks is the hulking things throat. It gargles. Wails. The dogs back off. Turn tail and retreat. The… demogorgon rips the iron from its face before doing the same.

She turns to Erica. Erica blinks at her. Others are calling in code reds. Shit has truly hit the fan.

“Charlie-“

“Already on it dear.”

Lucas gives another groan. They shuffle to where their first aid kit is. Erica is staring at her still, walkie clutched tightly in her hands.

“The incursion at the BH’s has been neutralized. Some injuries but no fatalities.”

“Same here at the Wheelers. Unless you count dad’s chair.”

“We lost Gareth’s drum set and Freak has a pretty nasty bite but we’re fine.”

There are calls for Lucas and Erica to answer. For Steve and Robin.

“Sinclair’s are safe. Lucas was a dumbass and got bitten but we’re fine… mom looks ready to commit murder though.”

“Steve? Robin? You two okay?”

“Steve?!”

“Come on guys answer us.”

“We weren’t so lucky.”

“Mom!?”

“Steve and Robin have a few scrapes.”

Sue brings a hand to her face. The Buckley’s have a large amount of children, some have even begun to have their own and while Robin was the only one living there full time the others pop in. She takes the walkie from shaking fingers.

“Dia? Is Dottie and River okay.”

The wait for an answer is suffocating.

“They’re… they alive. We lost Luna’s husband.”

It’s said in as much of a whisper as one can when talking on a walkie.

[sullustangin]

SWTOR 7.3 Feedback

Non-spoilery stuff first

No technical glitches that I experienced on two playthroughs on Pubside.  Minus one or two moments with Odessen NPCs wandering around, nothing broke the game or immersion.  All the quests worked for credit; I had the weekly for Ruhnuk not work the time round, so this was nice. 

I am aware that there are some financial changes they’re trying to patch back.  Basically, too much is being charged between trades with other players directly and when mailing to alts.  Also!  There is now a 30-day cooldown period between joining a guild and being able to access the guild bank. So get those alts in sooner rather than later, especially if you plan on raiding/doing group stuff with them.

On the Gunslingers and Snipers you now have a 2% per 3 seconds passive heal while in cover  -- level 64 option.  This is a big deal for survivability for these two classes.  I ran dailies and set my companion to DPS.  I had to pause and heal the comp after combat, not myself.   No more glass cannon, but this might be nerfed soon, since it’s a little op.  I’m going to have fun with it while I can.

If you love the Mantellian Privateer or Mira’s Armor from KOTOR II but can’t afford either on Cartel Market, good news:  the Mira set from Bounty Association (the event that comes around every 1-2 months) is now unlockable in collections.  So if you have a Mando char that goes hard on Bounty week, you now have a new cert sink + unlock with Cartel Points for the whole account.  There are some subtle differences in the outfits for the discerning Space Barbie player.

The Date Nights don’t happen in this patch; I would guess it will probably be activated during Night Life in July. Speculation on my part, though

Non-Spoilery Plot Stuff:  A lot of characters that we had the previous option to kill are present in this patch.  This really gives me hope for future content; I previously complained that Bioware was writing to the deadest version of the game (where they assume everyone is dead and only work with Lana).  We got A LOT of coverage with ‘optional’ characters, so this does give me hope for the future writing: assume everyone is alive, and some people get less content.  I’ll talk about what that means later for this patch.

Onward to spoilery stuff.

Torian does get an Alliance alert, which his ba’vodu Eva answered; this is unromanced I feel good about the Torian piece I just reblogged, because it seems consistent with what we see here.  Torian thought the drama over his father was over, the shame was done, the name redeemed -- and there is all is, resurrected from the dead.  Even more content with our neighborhood Mando really does make me want equivalent content with Vette; given that (shitty) decision was almost 7 years ago now and we JUST got a storyline with payoff for that choice, Vette needs some love now, romantic or platonic, beyond Date Night. 

The only downside to letting Torian live at the moment, especially if you’re a smug or bh, is that you lose quality screen time with Akaavi Spar on Ruhnuk. She comes to your rescue in the final fight.  I also feel as if this scene should have been back with the 6.2 content drop, when the banner is first stolen, but it does work here as well, with the burning of it compounding all of Torian’s feelings about his history. 

While Eva does hate that burnt tater thot, the content for Arcann was really good.  I actively wonder if they are pulling things from the aborted third KotXX expansion.  THIS is the character development many of us wanted to see before romancing him: we wanted to see the realization of what he’d done, the desire to fix things, the acknowledgement it may never be enough for some people.  Ding Ding Ding!  I did view both versions of the Darth Nul investigation -- I killed him on DS Eva and let him live on my sunshine and Rainbows LS smug Dyo -- and the version with Arcann in it is so much better.  You also get an additional scene with him; romanced folks get a hug! 

Like the Torian scene, this Arcann development probably should have been earlier in the plotline, but WAAAAY earlier -- like 6+ years.  I think before the romance trigger, most definitely, but at least by the time of Nathema, especially if the Commander takes any of his advice to heart regarding Theron.  I think this falls to fan fic writers to fix, in terms of char dev. 

As I mentioned above, both of these guys are killable.  And they got some great content this patch.  The story feels better with both of them in it. 

As for our dynamic duo, Lana and Theron do show up and play a vocal role with Shae in regard to the interrogation of Malgus.  Theron does get to call Shae out on her working with Malgus to sack Coruscant 2x years ago (I have no idea what year we’re in since COVID screwed everything up).  We also get wonderfully protective partners in Lana and Theron.  Theron makes a comment that the work among other “benefits” keep him young if you’ve romanced him -- poor Lana.  There is noticeable smoldering going on between him and the romanced PC.  Theron does provide significant dialogue content and reaction shots, even though he’s killable.  And of course you get a Theron letter, which alludes to Date Night.  In sum, I don’t think Theron was at all side-lined compared to Lana.

The one weak part of all this is the tenuous connection between the Voss and Malgus’s plans.  In part, it’s becacuse Sana Rae had to be on Voss and decided to kill a few birds with one stone (or one Commander).   It boils down to a vision in which the PC saves the galaxy again.  We do get the tidbit that if we outright kill Malgus, things happen faster, but ‘things’ are ‘inevitable.’  Some of the ‘mundane’ quests verge on the ridiculous, but Star Wars always stomps on character hubris when it can. 

Did I enjoy going back to Voss?  Yup.  Did it make sense, given the nature of the Arcann content?  Yup; if you didn’t spare Arcann, this feels more contrived than if you did, in my opinion.  If I recall correctly, Voss was supposed to be visited in an earlier expansion but that was also canned. 

The transition from Bioware to Broadsword may be bringing old things back to life to ‘finish’ the game -- or start a new beginning.  I remain optimistic.  I will say that the old story of Voss and the new story post Eternal Empire does spin together well.

Good patch, in my opinion, minus the issues with the economic system that are ongoing.