#whether romanced or not

[sunflowerhazel]

I've seen a couple of people both here and on twitter be upset that it looks like a solavellan world state is the default, based on a female lavellan with no vallaslin being the default Inquisitor. It really looks like solavellan and how much energy is being put into their story is pretty contentious amongst the fandom right now so I just wanted to remind everyone that even though a female lavellan might be the default for the Inquisitor, you can always change that!

Remember when BG3 first came out and people were super excited to create their characters as well as the dream guardian, even though none of us knew who the dream guardian would be yet? You know how when you boot up a new game the "default" race/class is an elven barbarian? You know how you almost always change that immediately????

The same way that we all changed the default origins character and the default dream guardian design to fit whatever we wanted, new Dragon Age fans that have never played the game before will most likely change the Inquisitor's design based on whatever they want. Also "elf" comes first alphabetically when your options are "elf, dwarf, human, qunari"

But all that being said, I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing that a solavellan Inquisitor is the default. If that's not what you want, totally fine! Go wild! Make your Inquisitor a hot qunari woman who's married to Sera! Make it so your Inquisitor hates the egg man's guts!!! However, for new fans who might just be picking up Dragon Age for the first time and don't want to go through the trouble of making an Inq. (and therefore choose the default option,) making it so your character's advisor is in love with one of the main antagonists of the game can be a really interesting story. That's all.

And once again "elf" comes first alphabetically anyways so like of course the "default" would be an elf I just think it's really not that deep

[galedekarios]

Karlach: Aw, was that Gale’s granddad? Player: That was Elminster Aumar - the most famous wizard in the realms. Karlach: Huh. Doesn’t ring a bell.

[myrkulitescourge]

i'm surprised i haven't seen any text posts yet about the Unsubtle Differences between astarion’s tiefling party/high approval forest scene and the one you get after the goblin party.

there’s something so terribly interesting about how the conversation afterward plays out depending on which variation you pursue.

like, most people have seen the tiefling party version by now. astarion basking in the sunlight the morning after, playing off most of what tav says with relative ease, even when they ask about his scars and he tells them about cazador. his cadence is smooth and composed, his smile almost friendly, even though you know, as the viewer, he’s playing a game of manipulation at this point. the only real crack in his demeanor is if tav notices that cazador’s “poem” was written in infernal, which, understandably, startles him.

but recently i watched the goblin party version of this same scene, and everything reads so differently. unlike at the tiefling party, it’s still the middle of the night when astarion tries to leave, thinking tav is asleep—almost immediately after the act, in fact. when tav does speak to him, he’s visibly nervous, halting and stammering in the middle of lines delivered unflinchingly in the other version of the scene. he gestures broadly and fidgets more while talking, his smile comes and goes. there’s even some of his distinctive high pitched, fake laughter sprinkled throughout the exchange, almost identical to later scenes where he's very, very obviously uncomfortable (like if raphael mocks him and magics off astarion's shirt to show the party his scars in act 2, or when confronting the gur children in their cell in act 3, etc etc).

siding with the goblins represents something deeply familiar to astarion, a level of cruelty he's more than familiar with and embraces likely because cruelty and duplicity, to him, go hand-in-hand with the power and freedom he craves so badly—but he won't stay the night with this tav, even if he approves of their actions. no, in this case, he'll keep to what's familiar and attempt to leave them in the forest under the cover of the very same darkness he resents having been cast into by cazador. when he gets caught, it sets him on edge, and everything he says becomes such a blatant lie to save face that tav would have to be completely oblivious not to see through him, or maybe just not care enough to.

but if tav saves the refugees? challenges his worldview and comes out victorious? oh, he'll complain of the poor rewards for his trouble at the party and whine about it being boring, but he decides to stay with tav through the night while they're asleep and on past dawn. he takes a moment to enjoy the morning sunlight, returned to his life after two centuries without. the same is true if you have high enough approval that he asks before the party, in which case, you've almost certainly hit his biggest approval gains: trusting him and supporting his safety. maybe he doesn't trip over his words when he speaks because, well, maybe this is someone he doesn't have to worry about. someone who's already more than proven themselves a foolish, heroic sort with a bleeding heart or otherwise demonstrated that they're already in his corner. in other words, not a threat—at least not to him.

does any of this make sense. i wanna study this guy under a microscope.

[lurukifennecfox]

a prompt that my brain concocted from a combination of other things i saw on Tumblr or Ao3.

so jason's family teased him for being single because they're just shits like that, so Jayson implied he wasn't and he was just protecting their privacy from being stolen by the bats.

now Alfred invited his partner for dinner which would be a problem since they don't exist.

fast forward: Red Hood has been bridal-sacrificed to the ghost king in front of the bats

for whatever reason he decided to ask Danny(said king) to play the fake partner because why the fuck not?

Danny having had the same problem with his extended Fraid agreed. (good fenton parents, maybe a little overboard like they are with everything and are now scaring the hoes with cultural questions)

so now the batfam has to deal with the fact that Jay's mysterious partner is the Ghost King(technically a prince since he's too young for a ghost and has a life to live even if he chooses to live it more ghostly)

add to that ghosts screwed up traditions and preferences and you have me.

[bookshelf-in-progress]

I love how a well-written romance is so often structured as a mystery. A person starts with a certain idea about another person, and over the course of the story, they uncover more evidence that gives them a fuller picture of who the other person truly is. They learn about layers to the personality and backstory that give the other person more depth. They learn how the other person's personality meshes with theirs. Even the third-act misunderstanding fits the mystery structure--it looks like they've uncovered the final secret to the other person's identity, which is that they're not the worthy person they seemed to be, but then discover that they misinterpreted that evidence, or the other person takes steps to apologize and repair the level of trust. When the mystery is resolved, they've reached a full understanding of each other and know they've found a partner they can trust their whole future to.

[avenoirn]

my store is back open again until feb 3! with a little surprise 🥰 (prints and other merch are available as well!) 💐

🩵 international / locals (🇮🇩) 🩵

shares are greatly appreciated! thank you for looking 💝

[percheduphere]

Things I love about Loki and Mobius PART 1:

They get excited when they are on the same mental wavelength ✅️

They play while they work ... ✅️

... and work well together. ✅️

They have philosophical conversations ✅️

They care about each other's wellbeing. ✅️

They talk about and work through feelings ✅️

They tease and sass each other. ✅️

They gently touch one another like it's second nature ✅️

They believe in each other ✅️

They forgive one another. ✅️

There's so much more, but the 10-image limit is cursed. Part 2 to come!

[codacheetah]

I joke abt Loop being a critter a lot but I do honestly wonder if they'd be considered like. Not a "creature" per se but part of some kind of mythological species from the Island's culture. To make a wish so severe and so powerful so as to completely destroy yourself, and be remolded in the shape of the Universe, well that just feels like the kind of thing that would get infinite fables written about it. Some parents warn their children that if they're too irresponsible with Wish Craft and ask too much of the Universe, they'll become a star as punishment (and if this is told to young children I have to imagine the next threat is "and you won't be able to eat all your favorite snacks anymore!") Some people however revere Stars as the most dedicated followers of the Universe, favored so much for their direct communication with it that they've been reshaped to match the stars that guide them. Idk

[aconstantstateofbladerunner]

Genuinely I think at least 80% of fandom toxicity would vanish overnight if people stopped seeing shipping as the primary way of engaging with media.

I would also personally have more fun and that is the real issue here.

[youngerfrankenstein]

Feeling emotional about Nick and Maya tonight. Their relationship really is the backbone of the og trilogy. How the trilogy is largely about trust and the first major turning point is Phoenix trusting Maya and agreeing to defend her, and Maya putting her trust in Phoenix by letting him.

How Maya was willing to leap in front of a stun gun for Nick before she knew him a year. How Nick ran across a burning bridge because Maya needed him. How they constantly heckle each other but when the chips are down they have each other’s backs no questions asked. How they get into petty arguments all the time. How they both looked up to Mia and live in her shadow for different reasons but help each other become the best versions of themselves.

They’re ride or die and gossip with each other and there’s no one else they’d rather be stuck with.

[forecast0ctopus]

just wanted to tell you I really enjoy seeing your star trek art with all three of the boys together. I always see a lot of spirk, but there's significantly less of them being poly the three of them (or otherwise platonic shenanigans). being a poly person myself, it's just really cool and nice. No need to answer this or anything if you don't want to, I just wanted to let you know how happy it makes me

thanks!! the dynamic between the three of them is my favorite part :] just spock and kirk, or kirk and bones, or bones and spock all have compelling interactions but when one of them isnt there it kind of feels like somethings missing……

^second star trek sketch i ever did.. did not know how to draw them but they all Had to be present….. important

[elfcollector]

I feel ill. All the fools and villains who ever fell for my ploys, they're — they're here!

[bobby-turner]

Lane and Dmitry in the tunnel:

[kateis-cakeis]

Do you ever think about how the scene where Arthur catches Merlin with a dress in S2Ep9, and the scenes where Arthur is like "girl??????" in S5Ep8

that it's like just a lil bit suggested that Arthur thinks Merlin is both into men and crossdresses (which does that suggest some kind of queer culture in Camelot where gay men are known to do drag?? who knows) and not only thinks that, but accepts it too.

Like Arthur who is presented with the fact that Merlin might wear dresses in his spare times just shrugs and says what a man does in his spare time is up to him, and that the colour suits him.

He literally could have made any joke about Merlin being a girl like he often does when he teases Merlin about being a coward (which we know is just teasing) but instead he just accepts it, and still calls Merlin a man.

Meanwhile in The Hollow Queen, well, I'll let the lines speak for themselves:

GUINEVERE: He’s not in danger. He’s seeing a girl.

ARTHUR: Merlin?

GUINEVERE: Gaius, I’m sorry, but there is no reason to worry.

ARTHUR: Except for the poor girl.

---

ARTHUR: Oh, so you can go and visit that girl again.

MERLIN: What?

ARTHUR: Girl.

MERLIN: Don't have one.

ARTHUR: That's not what Guinevere tells me. So, why don't you tell us all about her?

MERLIN: Right.

ARTHUR: And why you're walking with a limp.

---

The first lines could be interpreted that Arthur doesn't think Merlin is good with women, but paired with the lines from the 2nd scene where Arthur asks him about it.... it definitely feels like Arthur is saying to worry for the girl because he thinks Merlin isn't attracted to women.

I mean the sheer disbelief alone when he says "Merlin?" like it's so out of realm of possibility. (I mean it could also be suggested that Arthur doesn't think anyone would be attracted to Merlin, but with the 2nd scene it definitely doesn't seem so.)

Especially the way he says "girl" with sarcasm dropping from his tone, like literally "girrrl" is how he says it. Like he's basically calling out Merlin, or saying that he knows that the girl Gwen told him about is actually a man.

Which I believe is why the "and why you're walking with a limp" has Arthur so, well,

like this. I think he truly believes that Merlin is lying sjhdfghsdfg Like he's thinking in that little brain of his that Merlin got pegged by a man and just isn't admitting to it.

And he's definitely accusing Merlin of sneaking away to have sex, you know, during an important time and all.

Basically, with these like 3 scenes in the show, I'd say it really comes off as Arthur accepting Merlin as gay and just waiting for the day where Merlin tells him the truth.

And that's really funny to me.

[morrithal]

Blackwall is so fucking funny "I'm done with fighting other men's wars" and then turns around and fights your war

[mintypsii]

more reijiko cuz if i have to keep this island floating on my own then SO BE IT