#i don't believe that people for serious reasons sort their books any way but by author

[justalittlebluetiefling]

#i don't believe that people for serious reasons sort their books any way but by author #and then obviously by release date/series within that #i am being told that i am being JUDGY #also if you sort your books any other way HOW DO YOU FIND THEM #i really need to know #polls #can't believe i forgot to include genre in here

[mrpenguinpants]

Green Slumber

— "Ah, look! Is Alhaitham taking a nap?" "Shh...You're too loud, Paimon." "Th-That's not true…Paimon was definitely whispering-wait, who is that beside him?"

— Alhaitham

Ayato Ver: Pale Blue Slumber Traveller & Paimon lines are taken from the official Genshin Twitter post. [Masterlist]

Congrats Alhaitham, your birthday postpones the fic where I tear you apart for scamming me. I usually don't write birthday fics but pretty art. Can you tell I'm not used to writing second pov and rushed again :)) I don't know how to end fics.

"Ah, look! Is Alhaitham taking a nap?"

Lumine looks in the direction of Paimon's voice, her floating companion peeking through a room with a giddy face. No doubt hatching some sort of plan to get back at the scribe for his words during their quest to rescue Lesser Lord Kusanali. On one hand, she should probably scold Paimon for immediately jumping to payback since the reason both of them are here is to wish the man a happy birthday before departing to the next region. But on the other hand...

“Shh…You’re too loud Paimon,” Lumine whispers as she tip-toes towards the door and gently pushes it open further. She's pointedly ignoring the face Paimon is throwing her for acting just as bad as she is. If anyone asks, she'll make an excuse that she was just being a polite guest and if Alhaitham was sleeping, she would excuse herself quietly. In no way is it her curiosity to see the ever-serious Alhaitham in any mode that's defenseless and relaxed. So with Paimon’s head hovering above hers, they both poke their heads into the room. Alhaitham doesn’t look any different from the last time they met, although asleep, he looks far less intimidating. He’s leaned back in the wooden chair, arm propped up to hold his lolling head in place. Calculating amber and teal eyes are closed as his chest falls up and down slowly with each breath while the gentle sun paints him in warm yellows and soothing whites. If Lumine had never met Alhaitham before, she would have thought he may have been the Dendro archon with how serene the scene itself is. Something that almost makes her want to reach out and touch him just to check if he’s real or not.

"Th-That's not true…Paimon was definitely whispering-wait, who is that beside him?" Paimon’s voice tapers off at the end, eyes alight with confusion. Lumine tears her eyes away from Alhaitham to look at where Paimon is pointing. Seated on the desk right in front of Alhaitham’s sleeping figure, a stranger hums softly with their ankles locked as they swing their legs ideally in the air. In their hands appears to be the beige book Alhaitham usually carries around, the one about physics and motion if she remembers correctly. Now that she’s looking - she can't believe she missed an entire person because she got distracted by the image of a sleeping Alhaitham - the stranger looks far more comfortable in the room than she is. Maybe they're another roommate? Although Alhaitham doesn't seem like the type to have an extensive list of friends and she's positive she's met most if not all of the people Alhaitham could call close enough to have them in his home. She shares a look with Paimon who returns it with a shrug of the shoulders. Neither one of them has ever seen this mysterious person before.

"Haitham, this section here about..." the stranger's voice brings blue and yellow eyes back to the room. Lumine watches intrigued as the stranger finally looks up from the book to see Alhaitham fast asleep. A soft sigh escapes their lips as they close the book, shoulders dropping into something more relaxed, and they just sit and look at the man. They have the same look in their eye but instead, their hand slowly reaches out until their fingertips meet the tips of soft silver hair. Pushing strands away from his face before waltzing down to caress his cheek. It's an intimate touch and Lumine isn't sure whether she should be here interrupting the moment. The stranger surely seems to be having fun as they return to playing with silver strands. Through it all, Alhaitham remains asleep yet, his body seems to lean into the touch naturally. As if these practiced movements have happened before.

Oh. Oh, she understands now.

“Hey, Paimon…” Lumine starts as she slowly picks herself off the floor as quietly as possible lest she disturbs the peace. "We should leave."

"Huh? But why? We've never seen this person before right? What if they're one of those bad guys that are after Alhaitham because he's the acting grand sage!" Paimon adamantly nods, small hands clutched into little fists. It would be cute if it weren't for the fact that Paimon has no sense of volume. Before Lumine can reach out and press her palm against Paimon's mouth to stop her from shouting again, a light chuckle rings out. They both freeze in place, flicking their heads back inside the room.

"You know...if you talk any louder you will actually wake him up," the stranger drops their hand as they turn to face the duo. There's mirth dancing in their eyes and Lumine has enough decency to look embarrassed at getting caught red-handed. Paimon on the other hand has no such reservations.

"Ah, sorry! We didn't mean to! Wait-Hey! Don't turn this on Paimon. Who are you and what are you doing in Alhaitham's house?!" Paimon stomps her feet in the air, crossing her arms as she pouts at the stranger. Her frown further increased by the stranger laughing harder.

"I basically live here. There's no need to be so on edge. I doubt Haitham could sleep so easily if a stranger was in his home," they say, gesturing to the still peacefully unaware scribe who hasn't moved a muscle since they arrived.

"Ohh, so you're like that blond guy from before! Ka-Ka something? But wait, why were you touc-"

"Ahem, sorry for barging in. We just wanted to say Happy Birthday to Alhaitham. We'll visit again some other time when he's awake," Lumine cuts Paimon off, successfully managing to slap her hand against Paimon's mouth. She can feel the back of her ears turning red as she bows and practically sprints away and out of the house. She'll just write a note to the scribe instead.

+

You blink a few times before chuckling again. Wow, that girl sure can run fast. You've heard stories about the Traveller and this "Paimon" character, patiently waiting for your turn to stumble into their journey. Although you wish you had met them with better first impressions, they seem like a lively bunch. Your eyes slide over back onto the sleeping figure in front of you, and there's a slight nudge of his lips. The smallest of smiles threaten to burst before it placates into something more neutral. A small detail that hasn't escaped you.

"I know you're awake Alhaitham," you state blankly, your gentle hands reaching back up before suddenly turning harsh and tugging at his cheek. Pulling the skin so he has a lopsided smile. True to your words, teal and amber eyes open without an ounce of shame. "Weren't those your friends? Don't be rude and ignore them when they came all this way to say happy birthday."

He offers a half-hearted shrug before the hand supporting his head moves to take your fingers still tugging at his cheek. Intertwining them together until his face is free. His smile is still small but his eyes shine with fondness that you're forced to look away. Sometimes you forget just how pretty Alhaitham can be.

"Weren't you the one that said I should indulge on my special day? Is it so wrong that I want to spend it with you and you alone?" He adds to his point by brushing his lips against your fingertips before pressing a kiss to your palm. There's a small smile as he extends his other hand out, eyes taking in how pink your ears become. "So let's indulge."

“For such a pretty face, you sure are…” you trail off but you take his hand and let him move you onto his lap. It's unfair how fast he can turn the tables on you and how easily you let him do so. It was fun being able to poke and prod the man to your heart's content since he had to hold the disguise of being asleep, even if you do feel a bit bad that the Traveller had to postpone their greeting, but now it's his hands that roam over your body. Slipping under your - his - shirt and rubbing small circles into your hip before growing bored and moving onto another patch of untouched skin until there's nothing left to take. Lip hungry as he kisses away your words because every breath that isn't mixed with his is worthless. Perhaps it's a blessing that you need to take a proper breath because you're sure that Alhaitham would keep taking until there's nothing left. Disregarding how tightly your hands cling to him and refuse to let him stray too far away.

"Greedy."

"Pot meet kettle."

---

[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

@genshins1mpact @creatorofstars @xoneaboveallx @timmyitsmeeee @raingoesboomboom @duhsies @thegayrubberducky @isa-solasun @afoxesgreed @yuuki4646 @angel-luv-04 @inlovewithwaffles @maddymints09 @moonssandstars @ieathairs @crypticbibliophile @cumbermovels @totallynotaraidensimp

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin alhaitham x reader #alhaitham x reader #al haitam x reader #genshin headcanons #genshin impact headcanons #genshin imagines #genshin impact imagines #genshin alhaitham #genshin impact alhaitham #alhaitham #alhaitham headcanons #alhaitham fluff

[heliomanteia]

did u delete ur latest post regarding rick giving leah a lackluster script?

Hi! Yeah, it needed rewording & more examples but if you don't mind I'll use your ask as a reason to talk about it! Annabeth is my favorite girl and I feel very passionate about how easily she could be dealt a better script.

Under read more because I go on a tangent.

I genuinely think Leah's script was mediocre at best and it's in no way the actress' fault. Many people pointed out that she's way "more Annabeth" within mediums not controlled by Richard & Co: interviews, promotional material, her personal interactions with the cast, and such.

My beef with Richard is that he very obviously "used", for the lack of a better word, Leah as some sort of a shield against any sort of criticism and then sort of really failed her - and I believe Leah to genuinely like her character & do her best.

I. I feel like there's a Lack of Annabeth in the camp scenes as an educator/guide.

Chiron wasn't alone in showing Percy around in the book, Annabeth did it with him. That's how we are first introduced to Annabeth as someone who knows so much of the Camp as she lived there so consistently. She also was the one to teach Percy Greek alongside Chiron. I feel like this positioning of her as someone with high degree of knowledge suffers greatly in the show: we aren't really shown that Annabeth is really knowledgeable, we're told that, and that's all.

II. I feel like Percy overtakes a lot of Annabeth's role as a character.

He offers exposition, explains the myths to HER in the Amusement Park episode (why is he the Wise Boy?), and overall "does her job". I wouldn't mind it as much if Annabeth was given a different archetype in return for that exchange, but she's left hollow. It's just Percy doing the thing and her trotting behind. That's... not how their dynamic works.

III. I think Leah!Annabeth is written off as a "Strong Woman" not allowed to show childlike qualities.

She is so serious and it makes her character very single-faceted. Annabeth is serious and focus-oriented, yes; but she is also silly, she is so geeky, she is adorably passionate, and she's so human. Feels like they reduced this in Leah's script by a lot and I don't get why. It would literally cost nothing to let her rant about architecture or let her passionately tell others myths.

IV. I believe her backstory is sort of forgotten about.

Many people spoke about how weird it is that she is presented as the one who needs to reach out to her neglectful dad, to do the emotional labor despite being a young neglected girl. It feels weird that it was Leah who was dealt such unfair treatment of her character.

Annabeth canonically didn't leave the camp much, she isn't familiar with the world outside; it'd be nice to see that aspect of her too. Also, her bond with Thalia is sort of there but her bond with Luke is nonexistent, it's just spoken about. Again, this strips her off so much of her humanity as a character. Without these little things showing that Annabeth can be fragile, vulnerable, sweet, funny, loving we just end up with an arrogant, angry girl. Not a good look for Richard tbh.

V. The show fails to objectively narrate Leah!Annabeth.

The Disney+ adaptation - for the abovementioned reasons - ends up presenting Annabeth to us as Percy's future love interest first and as her own character second. It wouldn't work even if it was Percy's POV because Percy sees her for the girl she is first.

VI. I think Richard fucked up the premise of the character.

Book Annabeth was one of the examples of deceitful appearances: the "dumb blonde" that actually was insanely witty. This "she's not what she appears like" trait was sort of taken away from Leah and I don't get why? I fail to believe that there are no stereotypes regarding presumed lack of intelligence that could be played off with a Black actress. Sounds like Richard and Disney didn't really think about it.

VII. I hate how she was cut out of Tartarus scenes.

That was such a BIG moment for 'beth, she was the one talking to Hades! Because Grover was scared to death and Percy was impulsive and with no filter! He doesn't know how to talk to Gods, he's been a halfblood for so little and Annabeth has been one her whole life! She's the brains, she's the negotiator. The show leaves her in the forest of regrets and sort of forgets about it after.

So, I do think that the script for her sucked bad. And the worst part is, it could be better SO easily. Leah deserved better imo.

#🏛️ #pjo show crit #pjo tv crit #rr crit #Throwing to the sharks: #percy jackson #annabeth chase

[creature-wizard]

Toxic Individualism In Modern Witchcraft

The modern witchcraft movement is very much a product of the 20th century, and one thing it picked up from that was a pretty individualist way of thinking. This isn't all bad, since it helped normalize people being allowed to do spirituality in a way that truly resonated with them, rather than following whatever an institution prescribed for them.

But as many of us know, western individualism comes with a lot of really toxic shit, encouraging and even enshrining apathy, cruelty, and social Darwinism. This, unfortunately, is very much an attitude you occasionally see within modern witchcraft.

This is sometimes expressed through a "let 'em sink or swim" attitude. For example, you might see people bristle at the idea of warning people about dangers such as toxic plants; "well, they should know to just research this themselves, if they get hurt, that's their own faults." Never mind that most of us live in a socioeconomic environment where "natural" tends to be equated with "safe," and few people were taught any real amount of research skills. (Most people don't know how to research beyond "type a thing into Google and click the first link" or "watch a video on YouTube and follow the algorithm.")

There's this sort of idea that witchcraft and the occult is this kind of Darwinian proving ground. You're either just born having what it takes, or you're not. Supposedly, there's no need to warn people about red flags, fascist rhetoric, pseudohistory, or anything, because supposedly, the "worthy" will just be able to find their own way on their own. Anyone who doesn't make it? Anyone who ends up poisoning themselves or falling down the alt right pipeline or abused by a predator? Couldn't be helped; they were never "meant" for this path anyway. It was simply too much for them. Why, if you really think about it, it was their own faults for daring to reach above the station they were born for, anyway.

This is a completely irrational view, because it's simply not how things work. People aren't born having research skills, critical thinking skills, or knowing the difference between real history and pseudohistory; they're taught these things. And some people are statistically much less likely to receive a good education than others. There are a few people who beat the odds and end up better educated than most people in their socioeconomic status, but this doesn't mean that they were born with inherent greatness; it just means that they were curious and lucked out in finding the right materials.

As many of us also know, Victorian-era eugenicists believed that members of the upper class were just inherently better. They had the genes for intelligence and strength of will. (Yeah, that whole modern occult fixation with willpower has some dodgy origins, too.) They just ignored that whole thing where they lived in a socioeconomic system designed to keep most people in poverty. If they ever saw someone beat the system, they attributed it to that person being born exceptional for some reason. I would highly recommend that anyone who hasn't done so already watch Shaun's video, The Bell Curve, which criticizes the book by the same title that effectively tries to argue for Victorian-age eugenics, to get a better picture of this whole thing.

Toxic individualism also encourages thinking of individuals as main characters on some kind of hero's journey, where every pain they suffer and every mistake they make is a vitally important part of their journey and growth; so much so that any effort to prevent them from making mistakes or suffering harm is hindering their personal growth.

Sure, people do often gain valuable insight from their mistakes and suffering. But it's absurd to claim that this is always the best way for people to learn and grow, especially if there's a risk of serious harm for themselves or others. Certainly it's much better to learn from a friendly Tumblr post that essential oils can give you chemical burns or harm your pets than experience it first-hand. And it's much better to learn what far right rhetoric looks like beforehand so you can recognize it when you first see it, rather than get drawn into some far right belief system and perpetuate harm on vulnerable minorities for any amount of time. (This whole thing of acting like you're life's main character and other people are basically just NPCs on some hero's journey that you imagine yourself to be on is so immensely fucked up.)

And finally, if anybody out here finds themselves thinking, "but nobody should expect help from others; after all, I didn't get any!", I'm gonna tell you: it shouldn't have been that way. You didn't not get help because that's just how the world works; you didn't get help because that's how modern western socioeconomics are created to work. Toxic individualism is a construct, and it's one that we can dismantle and replace with something better.

#witchcraft #eugenics #social darwinism #spiritual eugenics #spiritual darwinism #victim blaming #individualism #toxic individualism #anti communal behavior

[c0l0re]

I think people need to be reminded that media literacy is an actual, extremely important thing and not just a fancy buzzword people throw around to look smart.

Media literacy is completely and unarguably absolutely vital in order for you to engage with media at all, not just extremely complex ones, and I am being dead serious. You cannot constantly refuse to actually think about something. You cannot refuse to read between the lines. You cannot refuse to actually use your brain when interacting with media, especially it actually is based around nuance and dark/uncomfortable topics.

You can't make everything black and white, and you can't refuse to ever thoughtfully engage with anything. Not only does it make you immature, but it also makes you extremely easy to manipulate. No one, and I mean NO ONE is immune to propaganda, but it is especially dangerous for people who can't even recognize that what they're seeing is propaganda in the first place. This is not a debate. If you cannot understand basic media literacy and analysis, then you are even more vulnerable to getting swept up in some really sinister shit because you simply couldn't recognize the red flags and took everything at face value, or deliberately refused to actually think about any other possible implications.

People who refuse to learn media literacy and understand why certain pieces of art exist and are important are a massive reason for things like book bannings. Why do you think books like Lolita are still so controversial and still has so many people insisting that it romanticizes child sexual abuse? It's because they refuse to actually read the fucking book and really think about what it's trying to say, and how it's saying it.

Or if you want a more online example, why do you think fandoms for really heavy and mature pieces of media still have people that refuse to acknowledge and talk about the actual media and its messages, metaphors, etc? Why do you think so many people grossly misinterpret and misrepresent characters and stories that have any amount of nuance or development? They refuse to accept that media is not, nor should it always be "easily digestible" or "comfortable"

Believe it or not, sometimes art is SUPPOSED to make you uncomfortable. Sometimes art is SUPPOSED to make you rethink yourself and your own ideologies and world views. Sometimes art is SUPPOSED to have a message in the story it tells, and that message needs to be analyzed and talked about in an actually meaningful and mature way.

You don't get to just ignore the entire point of more heavy and mature media just because it's uncomfortable for you, or because "you just aren't good at media literacy" or because "all you know is your little blorbos" or whatever the fuck. You do not get to sweep meaningful and extremely valuable stories aside and ignore everything about them other than makes you comfortable.

And don't even try to say "But that's what fandom does, that's to be expected!" because that is not the winning defense that you think it is. Tell me, do you truly believe that it's good, constructive, and healthy to have massive groups of people all sharing the same incorrect and potentially harmful information and incorrect readings of something that is meant to have a real point and message? Do you really think that it's a good thing that people are refusing to read into heavier and more mature works just because "They're too silly for media analysis uwu"? Do you genuinely believe that that sort of space is going to lead to anything good? "It's just how fandom is!" is not an excuse for you to refuse to use your goddamn brain and actually think critically about a piece of media for once.

If you don't want to talk and think about such heavy stuff, then find a different piece of media. Find something that's more to your tastes than bastardizing and spreading misinformation about something that is supposed to be layered, nuanced, and yes, even uncomfortable. Don't come into a community for a piece of media that is mature and nuanced and get pissy when people are discussing that media in a mature and nuanced way. Take a second to think that maybe you aren't the person that this media is for, actually.

Don't be surprised when people get annoyed with you for refusing to actually use your brain when engaging with something. Don't be surprised when people tell you that it's not funny or cute that you don't understand the basics of metaphors, symbolism, or allegories. Don't be surprised when people tell you that a piece of media is not for you because you refuse to actually appreciate and respect it for what it actually is, and instead turn it into something completely different.

Sometimes there is a reason that the curtains are blue, and you're gonna have to learn to accept that. The world isn't black and white, and neither is the art that people make.

Don't get mad at other people for actually acknowledging that and talking about it.

#media literacy #media analysis #textual analysis #fandom #colore speaks

[denimini]

What is going on with Jimin, Jungkook and Jikook?

Warning: long post

I've been a BTS fan since early 2017. Back in the day, I ran this blog here, analyzing a lot of Jikook moments, but life sort of took over, and I stopped having the time for it. However, I never stopped being a fan and observing BTS and Jikook through the years. There's a lot said and written already about the supposed video of JK, but here are my two cents.

To me, the most logical explanation for that video is that this really is Jungkook. The layout of the apartment matches (yes, even the position of the security system, if you have ever watched JKs lives, you'd know that it actually is at his shoulder height, just like in the video), the dog looks like Bam, the couch is the same and this definitely looks like JK. There's also another video of the man in this apartment, alone, shirtless, and having a whole tattoo sleeve on his right arm just like JK. Obviously, we don't know for sure, but it looks like it's him. People say it was filmed in late Feb, early March, and I agree. JK had the same hair then, the outfits look warm, like winter clothes and not to forget, that when JK was stalked in his gym (late of February) there were a lot of fuss about a girl being there with him, so it all checks out in my book.

Now, what the video shows isn't that scandalous. A boy hugging a girl from behind and them playfighting/tickling each other or whatever. It isn't overly explicit. It could mean a lot of things, but it's clear the people are at the very least physically comfortable with each other. It's a short video. We don't know if they're even alone, but it looks like it. There are a number of possibilities for whom this person is to JK: a long-time girlfriend, a casual hook-up, a one night stand, or just a friend.

We'll probably never know for sure. What we do know is that this is an unacceptable invasion of privacy, and the person who took those videos should be sued for all they are worth. I hope we all agree on that, yes?

Now, if this girl is someone JK is dating/has dated/has slept with, where does that leave his and JM's relationship?

In my eyes, as someone who's observed them for literal years now, there's no way JM and JK have always had a strictly platonic relationship. Too much just doesn't add up. Sure, technically, they could be bestest friends with great chemistry, but as someone who is now 30 years old, I don't think I've seen this type of chemistry between people ever be just platonic. At times, it looked too much like sexual tension for it to easily be dubbed as "friendly".

My theory is this (keep in mind these are still just assumptions):

In 2017-2020, pre-Covid era, JM and JK spent A LOT of time together, basically all of it. BTS were super active, they didn't have any breaks. They were always working. Always on tour and doing smth else. JM and JK were pretty young back then (20-24) and this is typically the time when someone discovers their sexuality and starts experimenting, and I believe that at some point they did this together. They were best friends but also had this weird tension and air around them and I think they could've started a physical relationship back then. The members teasing them hear and there about being a couple, also kind of supports this, though of course, it doesn't prove anything.

Contrary to other people, I don't belive they only just fucked. It's very hard to have sex with someone who you are very close to otherwise, who you love and admire as a person, and not catch romantic feelings for them, so I think they did more than fucking. Whether they had a serious relationship or decided not to label it much, due to MS coming up, the group being in jeopardy or other reasons, I tend to think that other than sex, they also had feelings.

Side note: In any case, they were figuring thinks out about themselves as individuals, as well as a pair. I think maybe this is the time JM realized he is definitely bisexual (which he proudly expressed in his photobook of last year in my opinion). Idk what Jk figured out for himself, if anything.

Anyhow, by 2020‐2021 it seemed they had some sort of agreement about what/who they were to each other. At times they could have been on and off. There might have been other people/partners in-between, but I think they were mainly together by this point. It even looked like they lived together for some time. The fact they always took the same car and they were together on JKs birthday night when they first had number 1 on hot 100 sort of proves it. JM's birthday live in 2021 was also sus af (the way he was blushing while mentioning JK and their whole convos, very sus).

I think before Covid they had smth somewhat stable but then Covid hit. Their schedules changed, it was a tough period overall. Suddenly, they were not working and traveling so much, they were staying in SK. I think this was the time things started getting much more real and different. MS was also in the near horizon. Maybe one of them wanted a more committed relationship, and the other wasn't ready. Maybe they were both afraid. Maybe they tried and it didn't really work out. Maybe one finally realized his sexuality and the other had doubs. Whatever it was, the feelings of affection were still there. Chemistry as well. Proof: JM bday live in 2021 was just crazy, the way he blushed when JK was mentioned and the way the spoke to each other... man. Also, the way the were at PTD L.A. The way JK answered questions about JM etc.

So , all that connected them as people was still there, but I think their relationship come late 2021-early 2022 was definitely more unstable. Who knows what happened then. Personally, I don't believe in the theory that they opened their relationship, rather I believe by the second half of 2022, due to whatever reasons, things were simple mostly off between them. I believe they stayed this way all through the second half of the year and at least the first 4 months of 2023. They were friends, their families still loved and supported each other (JK's mom made seaweed soup for JM's bday, which one does for family) but that's about it. They weren't living together anymore, as well.

The beginning of 2023 we saw a very busy JM and a very not busy JK. Sure, they still commented on their welives but it seemed they didn't meet each other that often. Jm was working, JK was at home and occasionally with Tae. Yeah, JK watched a lot of JM content and often invited him over, but he also didn't know when his promotions will be over and it seemed they haven't seen each other for some time and JK was missing JM. I think if they truly were a serious couple back then, they would still have found the time to meet each other no matter how busy one or the other was, especially considering they live in the same city, and it wasnt the case. I don't think JK would have to resort to watching hours of JM's content just to satisfy his need-for-JM thirst, if they were a couple back then.

So, yeah, I think they were not more than friends by this point, for sure, which also ties up pretty well with the timing of the recent leaked video (February-March). To me it seems that JK and JM probably saw other people in that period, at least JK, JM was pretty damn busy then. Maybe they had some serious partners even, maybe just hook-ups here and there. Maybe this was JK's time to explore more of his heterosexual side, who knows. I don't think he stopped caring for JM in some capacity. In fact it kind of looked like he longed for his company but for one reason or another, they were simply not that much in each other's lives in the first quarter of 2023.

But then something weird happened around June-July. First JM is all scratched up from something (presumably Bam) indicating he saw JK and spent time with him. Then Seven came out and JM flew to NY. There they spend a long, fun weekend amid promotions. It wasn't a secret but they seemed to want to keep private and didn't really want to talk about it , judging by the way JK answered the question about JM being in NY as well. JM was practically silent. Then they returned and that welive happened. The one where they openly flirted, JM said he could handle JK naked, JK blushed like a school girl and tried everything in his power to get to JM but JM said "I'm not that easy". That welive. Idk about you, but that welive didn't seem platonic to me at all and if I had been JK's partner at the time, I would definitely be very angry with his behaviour. I don't think JK is disrespectful and a cheater, and neither is JM for that matter, so I believe there's no way any of them had a partner when that welive happened. I simply refuse to belive they are that type of people.

So, my conclusion is they were both single then and something definitely happend in July and NY. They returned somewhat different and they still kind of are. Jk posted pics of NY to Twitter for the first time. Jm shared a pic from then for JKs bday (shirtless, as we all know) and then recently another pic from a boat that could have been from back then, as well. The whole way they're acting offline and online strangely reminds me a lot of the time after their trip to Tokyo, actually. The way JM has been posting about JK very much give me nostalgia about the way he used to post Jikook often in 2017-2018 before he withdrew from social media. But maybe that's just me 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, to finish this long post I will say this. I don't know what Jikook were and are to each other and unless, it is explicitly denied the person in the video is JK, I will believe that it's him. But also, unless it is confirmed he currently has a girlfriend, I will have my doubts. The video is old and in any case, it doesn't prove much other than the fact JK is maybe into women (solely or also into them). This video though doesn't automatically negate everything I've seen between Jikook through the years. In some ways, it confirms what I've been thinking for a long time now. Unless JM and JK personally shut down any rumors about them and deny any romantic connection or confirm a relationship with someone else , I still believe that at some point in their lived their relationship crossed the platonic line.

Whether that was in the past or is currently true, I only can guess, but to me there's no way these two were always, all these years, just only friends.

For now, I will observe how JK, JM and Hybe are acting after the leaked videos and go from there. It will also be indicative.

Peace.

#jikook #jungkook #jimin #bts

[meraxesmoon]

Ok, but... What exactly did alicent do wrong tho... Why do people hate her (in the show ppl calm down)

Her being married to viserys was ottos doing ... She didnt have a choice she was a girl who was manipulated by her own father...

Her attacking luke was because he maimed aemond... If my son lost an eye i wouldnt stop until the person who maimed him was dead

"but lucerys was a child" SO WAS AEMOND, and he has to live with the loss of an eye

And lucerys didnt even feel bad... He was laughing when the pig was served at the table at the feast years later

The only thing that you can get her with is not being a very good mother, that i accept but blaming her for defending HER SON... girl...

Now in the book...

I do think shes mother... She such a complex character shes flawed but understands her mistakes... Dont get me wrong she is still mean and vengefull to people she deems as enemies but she has more of a heart than cersei lannister (despite some people trying to say that she is the version of cersei in hotd)

Idk... Some people just see the targaryens as superior beings and skip over their faults because they have dragons and are cooler to watch

I do think rhaenyra is the heir to the throne... But that doesnt mean that she has to be likeable to someone... Or that team black is better because she has dragons... If they werent evenly matched the war wouldnt be one of the most memorable in weteros for years to come

Im sorry for the rant... But im just tired of every team black member calling her alicunt...like... Are you twelve?

Yeah, people like to call Rhaenyra this feminist in Westerosi history, but it's just not true (at least if you believe some of the accounts in the book). Rhaenyra stans are like very extreme about her, and as a joke, that's fine, but most of them are dead serious.

I recently saw a post on TikTok that said the Driftmark scene was just Rhaenyra being a victim, and that's the most chronically online thing I've seen in a while. If you really sit down and think about it, Alicent had every reason to snap. Like, I love Rhaenyra, but she really was getting away with murder. Like, she had three illegitimate children, obviously, and just expected everyone to act like they weren't bastards.

People also say that it doesn't matter that Rhaenyra's children are illegitimate because she's heir to the throne. That makes ZERO sense, especially if you think about how that's treason and against the laws of Westeros. Alicent has every reason to feel bitter and upset about Rhaenyra pulling wool over everyone's eyes.

As for Alicent in the book, I really like her as well. Unlike Alicent in the show, she is in a huge position of power. A lot of people don't realize that she ruled ten times longer than Rhaenyra and Aegon combined. She wasn't this small little pawn being used like she is in the show. I adore both versions, but book Alicent is such a boss ass bitch! Despite her coldness and brutal behavior towards the Blacks, Alicent loves her kids so much in the books. Like, she places her own crown on Helaena's head after Aegon is crowned, she has a lot of faith in her sons, and the fact that Helaena and her children visit Alicent visit her every night before bed definitely says something about how Alicent was with her children.

Alicent in the book is pretty young when she marries Viserys, not as young as in the show. I feel like she was still sort of a victim of Otto, even in the book, but she ends up taking power into her hands because she wants to protect her children.

Notice how the people who hate Alicent would like her a lot if she was in any other type of series. They just don't like her because she's going against Rhaenyra.

Targaryen supremacists are so fucking annoying! If Alicent were a Targaryen woman they wouldn't have a problem with her, and Visenya Targaryen is a prime example of their hypocrisy (she literally usurped Aegon's son lol).

I'm Alicent's biggest defender, and I'll stay that way <3

LIKE LOOK

SHE JUST WANTS TO PROTECT HER CHILDREN

#alicent hightower #rhaenyra targaryen #otto hightower #hotd 2 #hotd #house of the dragon

[daintybrute]

WIP of my SECOND favorite rarepair from Stardew. As an opposites-attract fan, it's no surprise that I sometimes swoon for these two!

Back when I wrote "Slim to None", I had to make a brand new tag for Elliot/Maru on AO3, because they are even rarer than Penny and Seb, and I think for more reasons than the obvious ones.

It's clear they aren't alike. Left brain vs. right brain. Logical vs. Creative Scientific vs. Artistic. Straightforward vs. Poetical. You get the idea.

But the more I think about these two, the more interesting their dynamic becomes.

Because I strongly believe that people like Elliot, who are extremely expressive and artistic, tend to be easily burdened by their own deep feelings - especially when they don't know how to show these feelings to someone they profoundly care about, because they want it to be conveyed perfectly and beautifully.

While people like Maru who are more pragmatic, logical and practical, may not be very receptive of romantic expression initially - especially the elaborate and flowery kind of affection that Elliot would probably try to offer her.

But I imagine what's going through Maru's mind is 'He's just doing it to be nice.' Basically trying not to fall harder for him than she already has, because she's already done the premature damage control in her brain, rejecting herself on behalf of him, so not to get hurt.

Because allowing yourself to fall in love is scary, right? Especially in the case where it turns out the one you feel deeply for, feels nothing for you in return.

So, Maru tried to resign herself, chipping away her own fondness for him (Which only sort of worked when he wasn’t around). Love had zero applicable positive in her life. Her unearthed feelings had the potential to seriously encumber the way she's systematically ordered her life, and that is a serious problem for someone like her.

Plus, Elliot would never go for someone like me, right? She convinces herself, What gorgeous, sophisticated man in their right mind would pick the scrappy girl with machine grease spatters on her face and arms, when he could have anyone he wanted?

Little does she know (because she refuses to believe it herself), the more Elliot spends time with her, the less capable he is of stopping himself from thinking about her. His mind was consumed. Countless hours lying in bed, staring at the ceiling wondering how she was doing. If she had any interest at all in the book he was writing, or if she would find it boring and dull... What it would take to get her to not avert her eyes when she glanced his way.

"I just like her..." He whispered plainly to himself, somewhat humiliated that he couldn't formulate a better way to say it.

Not that he didn't try.

All the articulations he mustered to piece together, it seemed as if all the poetry and literature the world had to offer would fall short, unable to capture the weight that rested squarely on his heart when his mind simply drifted to her – as it so often did now. His words are far too inadequate to covey his insurmountable feelings.

This is displayed in his canon ten heart event. For a man who is usually suave and elloquant with his speech, Elliot fumbles over what he's tries to say; "Um... [Player]... How do I say this?" "N-no! I'm not saying I want to cut all ties with you!" "... Let's see, how do I put this...?"

Never had he been at such a loss for words as he was during Maru's 8 heart event. Standing in front of Maru. Alone with her in her room. Letting her carefully apply burn cream to his hand after her project demonstration didn’t exactly go as planned.

“That kind of ruined the moment, huh?” She sighed with glistening eyes and flush cheeks, clearly very disappointed in herself.

He’d said hardly anything since he’d even arrived. What could he say? He knows nothing of this stuff… Regardless, now was the time. It had to be! Even if he didn’t exactly know how he was going to say it, he couldn’t conceal his appreciation for her any longer.

Instead of gracelessly blurting out his feelings, he chokes his inadequate words down, stepping forward, aching to simply hold Maru in a perfect moment. Longing for her to carry his bursting heart in her palm. To inspect and refurbish his yearning spirit as she would a malfunctioning gadget or broken machine.

"You, uh," Maru tenses, blushing deeply as he does so, taking a small step back, "You don't have to do that." She chuckles awkwardly, knowing he couldn't possibly...

His heart palpitated wildly as he pulled away, unable to keep himself from feeling hurt and embarrassed by her unexpected rejection, "Maru...?"

"I know gadgets aren't really your kind of thing.." Maru's voice trembled as she looked away, "And I do appreciate that you're showing interest in what I do... but you don't have to overdo it. I mean, thank you for humoring me, but, especially after that… You've already done enough...."

All his hope and desire clattered to the ground. Practically drowning in his own confusion and humiliation, a small moment passed as Elliot's mind began to spin with all the details that lead up to this moment. All the looks Elliot caught her sneaking his way, the way she grew bashful when talking to him about herself, how he could have sworn she was about to ask him to dance with her at the flower festival this year, but never did. The way even just now, how blithely she invited him in to her room to show him what she’d been working on.

After all that?

Determined not to let it end here, Elliot gingerly took either side of Maru’s face, prompting her to look deeply and directly into his eyes. A single word fell from his lips...

"No." Elliot hushed, pupils dancing back and forth between hers.

Maru's brow crinkled.

He repeated himself, "No. I have not done enough." With a light shake of his head and a breezy chuckle, "In fact, I've hardly done anything for you at all."

She again averted her eyes, "Elliot, y-"

Cutting her off, Elliot insistently pulled her face back, tilting his head to meet her eyes again, firm and intentional. The words that he had were simple, yet inspired, "No, Maru... Not enough."

Elliot's soft expression and lowered voice was enough to make Maru's eyes mist. He seemed so genuine; she couldn't find any way around the cold hard fact that faced her in this moment. There was no answer key or user's manual for this kind of thing, there were too many variabls in the equations. But right now with her face cradled in his palms, Maru couldn't calculate (or re-calculate) this moment to equal anything less than the total of what it all added up to;

Elliot adored her.

A smile bloomed on Elliot's face, repeating himself yet again, “No… Not enough.” wrapping his arms around her once more, "Not even close."

OR Maybe it's not that deep and I just think they'd be cute together :) Thanks for reading my headcanon ramblings.

Side note: it's supposed to be a heart floating off of Elliot in the doodle of them kissing, but instead it looks like someone threw a pretzel at him and it bounced off his jacket 🥨😂

#stardew valley #stardew valley fanart #stardew valley headcanons #elliot stardew valley #elliot sdv #maru stardew valley #sdv maru #Elliot x Maru

[theultimatepumpkinpie]

I have always felt the Drifter and Tenno being the same person opened up a LOT of possibilities, and intresting ideas and want to know your thoughts on the two, because I think you have got some of the best views on these two one person duo ever

Because I've always felt both are incredibly intelligent but in different ways, the Operator knows all these Orokin mannerisms and ideals, they're calm, collected, they have emotional outbursts when in serious situations but are normally incredibly calm and they in the end never get so pissed it causes problems, they understand their weapons perfectly, they are probably more comfortable piloting a warframe then they are walking around themselves

The drifter while less intelligent in fields of study they make up for it in something the Operator does not have, being far more willing to take risks and being physically stronger and also extremely quick on their feet, still incredibly intelligent and even grasp many ideas the Operator cant, such as how Durviri works, how the Zariman can be a meeting point for the two, then theres also their ability to survive, they Survived Durviri and set up camp in the woods and Survived there for a long time, alone, outside of Ordis and a near dead Lotus, they crafted their own weapons, own gear, own tools, they didn't have magic void powers but they were absolutely going nuts and dropping grineer, corpus, even killed off two sentient prime warframe hybrids with a bow and arrow and their own wits to stay alive

The Operator is a more classic intelligence, this proper and well mannered void child and the Drifter is a more survival smarts person, sure they cant do all the fancy stuff or fully understand a warframe like the Operator but they don't need the Warframe to survive, they're a capable fighter without and with the warframe

Why thank you so much <3 I am absolutely not normal about these two and I’m always glad to hear that people enjoy that lol

You are absolutely right, they are both intelligent in those, different ways and yet still somewhat manage to seem like the same original person due to subtle personality ques. The reason behind the differences is likely due to their upbringing. Like the whole nature & nurture instead of the “or” argument.

Like you said the operator lends a lot of their calmness and manners to the orokin’s rule. Their training during the old war would have demanded them to be so as well as discipline towards combat. Their difficulties with managing their void powers as well as their youth could contribute to those outbursts you mentioned. The fact that they are more skilled and comfortable in the warframes is cause of the sheer amount of time they were in them as well as the time spent in the second dream after their re-awakening. And personally, I believe that part of it is also an escape from their trauma as well as someone to share and heal from the pain with (the warframes themselves as who they used to be).

As for the drifter, they were all alone with nothing more than books and videos and whatever was left on the zariman as they were never rescued. Without much to answer to discipline would take time to acquire and would have mostly been from their survival. They learned a lot of those skills you mentioned on the job and in a similar way it was their situation that demanded that of them. And they took of the mantle insanely well.

But without any real people to answer to, (only ever having people they brought to life from a book) they would not have needed to adopt the same manners. They could just be themselves in any situation and still get the job done which made them a lot more carefree in the end.

I absolutely love these characters more than I ever thought I would and I love trying to get inside their heads (and there is no short of subtleties to sort through for that) and based on what I’ve noticed from them, I think you got them down pact.  

(also sorry this took awhile to respond to, asks are unreadable on my phone and my brain is made of mice who don’t want to sit still)

#warframe #warframe spoilers #character thoughts

[deadlynightshadeunderthestars]

In response to "Nosy Anons"

0: Height -> 5'2" (short hehe)

1: Age -> not so sweet 16

2: Shoe size -> 9 US, I believe.

3: Do you smoke? -> No

4: Do you drink? -> No

5: Do you take drugs? -> Nope

6: Age you get mistaken for -> 13 to 14

7: Have tattoos? -> No

8: Want any tattoos? -> Kind of? I wouldn't mind a small, simple one.

9: Got any piercings? -> Nope

10: Want any piercings? -> I can wear clip ons, thank you. And I don't really take an interest in other piercings.

11: Best friend? -> I have some close irl friends-- I don't consider one my best friend though. I love them all.

12: Relationship status -> Single as a pringle

13: Biggest turn ons -> Intelligent, logical people who aren't know it alls, people who actually believe something out of conviction and thinking, not because they're parroting what someone told them, people who love book and writing discussions, a good sense of humor

14: Biggest turn offs -> Social justice warriors/Karens, superficial people, people who aren't fair

15: Favorite movie -> Not really a movie person, so I don't know.

16: I’ll love you if… -> I don't have conditions.

17: Someone you miss -> A friend that moved away (we still talk though)

18: Most traumatic experience -> Probably slicing my toe the day before my birthday or my dad getting really sick during 2020-2021

19: A fact about your personality -> I can be really reserved and serious at first, but when I warm up to people, I'll be a lot more talkative and free.

20: What I hate most about myself -> My hair, my nose, my face shape, and when I smile with teeth. My clumsiness and awkwardness.

21: What I love most about myself -> My death stare that even scares my parents when i'm mad-- No, i'm just kidding. I love being a daydreamer. And being generous with people.

22: What I want to be when I get older -> Not sure yet-- I'm torn with being a psychologist, an author, or an english professor or high school teacher

23: My relationship with my sibling(s) -> I'm an only child, lonely child

24: My relationship with my parent(s) -> Could be better, but they're good parents despite their flaws

25: My idea of a perfect date -> We have an organized list of things to do: touring the city, library, stargazing, and we just spend time together that way as we go.

26: My biggest pet peeves -> certain noises, being touched in most ways, immature people who cuss others out instead of forming any sort of rational argument or just not interacting?, favoritism, and cliquey behavior

27: A description of the girl/boy I like -> Nah, I'm not comfortable sharing about it.

28: A description of the person I dislike the most -> Nobody needs to know.

29: A reason I’ve lied to a friend -> I don't recall lying to a friend.

30: What I hate the most about work/school -> bossy authority people who have to yell at me if I don't even understand them in the first place.

31: What my last text message says -> "(My name) wants to bring a box of books to give away. The September birthdays can choose whatever they want."

32: What words upset me the most -> there are a lot of words that cut me like a knife, but I guess along the lines of "F you," and anything like that.

33: What words make me feel the best about myself -> I'm not sure. I guess if it's a genuine compliment from the heart.

34: What I find attractive in women -> intelligent, logical ones, women who are kind and patient, women who give good advice and are good with their hands, and I don't think this is the only thing--

35: What I find attractive in men -> men who respect women and girls and don't treat them like trash, men who are good with children, like their little siblings, and intelligent ones

36: Where I would like to live -> Switzerland, Quito, Alaska, Hungary, and Antarctica (though that is impossible)

37: One of my insecurities -> my weight, personality, and just how other people view me at times, and my intelligence and talent level

38: My childhood career choice -> microbiologist

39: My favorite ice cream flavor -> mint chocolate chip

40: Who I wish I could be -> Sometimes, my friend.

41: Where I want to be right now -> traveling

42: The last thing I ate -> Pumpkin spice latte

43: Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately -> No.

44: A random fact about anything -> I can hyperextend my joints without thinking about it

tagged by: @e-everlasting-g

Tags: @liketwoswansinbalance

@harmonyverendez

@gallifreytreeflower

@eatgan

@scarletblakeney

@heyo-428

[nobodysdaydreams]

😍❓ for the ask game :)

Thank you for responding to the ask game I made! 🥰 I hope you are having a lovely day!

😍-published lines or a section of a fic that you loved writing?

Oh this is a good one. I'll go with a section from Chapter 2 of my Book Martina redemption fic (Who You Were Meant To Be on AO3)

"I know you don't want to see or speak to them. But now that I know that you really are sorry, all that's left for you to do is apologize. I'm sure Mr. Benedict and the Society would accept your apology. And then we could all be friends, and you wouldn’t have a problem celebrating my birthday with them!” SQ exclaimed, excited to have found the solution to his predicament. 

Martina laughed.

“Is that supposed to be a joke?” she asked.

“No,” SQ replied, “I’m being honest. They accepted my apology, and I’m friends with them now.”

“Yeah, but I’m me and you’re you.”

“What does that have to do with anything? We both worked for Mr. Curtain. We both hurt them.”

“Yeah, but it’s different. You’re… you’re nice.”

“So are you. Or maybe you could be if you wanted to be.”

“No, I couldn’t,” Martina replied. “Look, we both worked for Mr. Curtain, but it was never the same. You actually believed that what we were doing was good and right, and you never wanted to hurt anybody. I thought what we were doing would bring me success and make me happy, and I enjoyed hurting other people. You had selfless reasons, I had selfish ones. People like you get redemption and forgiveness, okay? People like me don’t. That’s just the way the world works.”

SQ paused and thought a bit about what Martina had said.

“I’m not sure that’s true,” he observed, “or at least, it can’t be true all the time. Because I forgave you.”

Martina struggled to think of something clever to say to SQ’s objection, but she couldn’t find the words. And strangely, a part of her felt like she didn’t want to find them. That for once in her life, she was actually, surprisingly, okay with losing an argument. Because she just wanted to accept what SQ was saying was true, even if she knew it wasn’t.

“You shouldn’t have,” she finally mumbled.

I loved writing these lines. It's hard for me to articulate exactly why, but I love the concept of forgiveness and how it's discussed here. Martina points out that intentions matter, which is true, but SQ counters with his own point that even if you did something bad intentionally, that doesn't mean forgiveness is impossible or unattainable. He's the first person to show Martina that kind of love, friendship, and understanding, and Martina doesn't want to fight it (even if she can't accept it yet). It's hopeful, and I love the message, I love redemption stories, and the way the dialogue shows it... I'm sorry, I can't articulate, but I hope you get what I was going for here.

❓-any WIP snippet you want!

Hm...now this is a hard one. Because I have a lot to choose from, but I think I'll go with a funny snippet from a character who I haven't written a lot for yet, but was a character than many encouraged me to write for.

“Oh, I’m afraid it’s far more serious than that sir,” warned Cannonball in grave tone. “It appears that one of our passengers was caught smuggling illegal contraband into the country.”

“WHAT!” exclaimed Noland, then suddenly conscious of the fact that others could be listening, began to whisper.

“And…what exactly did they attempt to smuggle in?” he asked.

Cannonball leaned in and whispered.

“Tangerines.”

Noland gasped in horror.

“Tangerines? Cannonball, this may be the greatest threat to my career yet! Just think of the ecological damage that even one single tangerine could inflict!”

“It would be truly catastrophic,” agreed Cannonball seriously, shaking his head at the senseless tragedy.

“It’s hard to imagine what sort of cold-blooded individuals would dare attempt such an infamous plot,” continued Noland.

“Oh, they’ve caught the culprits,” explained Cannonball. “Don’t worry sir. Things might not be hopeless yet. We’ve been asked to deal with them personally. If our punishment is harsh enough, that is if we can make an example of these fruit filching criminals, it may yet redeem us. And show the world that we do not tolerate environmental carelessness aboard our vessels.” 

“Very well,” agreed Noland. “Then though it may be harsh, we shall do what we must.”

#long post #Thanks for the ask! #Bods Answers #ask game #mbs fanfic #tmbs fanfic #fic ask game #sos #wip #martina crowe #sq pedalian #cannonball mbs #cannonball tmbs #captain noland #captain phil noland #noland mbs

[coldresolve]

So I've read a lot of your posts and replies about torture apologia and I wanted to ask you what you think the best way to educate people is without throwing books at their faces and how best to signal to readers that you're writing unrealistic torture.

I'm asking this as someone who is moderately educated on torture and its effects. But I do enjoy reading and writing some of the more outlandish tropes like brainwashing in over-the-top settings for a variety of reasons I'm not going to mention here because explaining that would take ages and risk my anonymity.

Because there is a way to tell people that you're writing erotica that shouldn't be used as educational material for safe sex or bdsm etiquette (because its purpose is to be fantastical and unrealistic) and while it's going to be way harder with torture since people are less educated on it, there should be a way to go about it, right?

for the record i'd prefer the torture discussion sorts of questions to go over to @dark-audit, but im too tired to copy this over rn lol

i'll say this: if you're going to knowingly perpetuate myths and/or make themes that inadvertantly justify the use of torture, a good handful of which are so accepted in public discourse and fiction, a good portion of your audience believes they're factual long before they read a single thing you've written - you better make sure you signal that that's exactly what you're doing, and systematically shut down any suggestion that treats your depiction of torture as realistic, or, yknow, thematically moral in the context of real world politics. one thing is disclaimers, another is having regular conversations with your readers about how torture actually functions, which means you're gonna have to dip your toes into reading up on the topic. this is the bare minimum for handling this sort of thing responsibly imo. the current conventions for depictions of torture are misinformation and justifications. if you want to change that status quo while sticking to harmful narratives "for a variety of reasons I'm not going to mention", you're gonna have to put some serious effort in out-of-text. apologies but you dont get the good boy points for free lol

the better option would be to maybe perhaps not indulge the myths, no matter how compelling they are to you? it requires a bit of effort but if the alternative is turning a blind eye to apologia, maybe it's worth that effort. imo torture is an interesting and cathartic thing to write about even if you stick to depictions that are in line with reality. there are so many facets to it you could dive into, i don't really see the point in engaging with war on terror/reeducation rhetoric. but maybe thats just me

#asks #torture discussions #ppl are so desperate to cling to the brainwashing. why. ask yourself why please #full disclosure i read the “reasons im not going to mention” as #“im unwilling to engage with the question of why i like this bc it makes me uncomfortable. so im going to pretend i have legit reasons” #which is uncharitable sure but yknow. id love to know your reasons then #shoot me a dm if you want. ill keep your anonymity. we can talk about it #maybe youll change my mind on how charitable i should be in convos like this. i sincerely doubt it but who knows #dms are closed rn so if you want to dm send an ask abt it and ill open nw

[fintan-pyren]

You're a Fintan expert should I change his personality in my kotlc au or should be like canon Fintan (who I can't remember much of anyways lol) bc I'm planning it and he has a fairly important (antagonistic) role so I don't want to ruin him in the eyes of keepblr. Btw his ass is thin as hell this is non-negotiable

Okay you have like 4 moderately canon-compliant routes to go with here. Canon Fintan is a mix of all of these because Fintan's character is incredibly inconsistent.

"Fanon" Fintan (attributed to fanon but IMO also very much supported by canon)

Dramatic

Makes jokes about murder

Or puns about fire

He's mainly monologuing because he wants to be cool

He's just a silly little guy!

One who occasionally murders people

Genuinely a terrible person but he looks cool while committing the atrocities

This is like the comic book villain version of Fintan. His motives are mainly ignored. He's just there to be dramatic and cause problems for the protagonists, not to spark deep debates about the problems in the world

He's a less serious version of Fintan

Secretly Good Fintan

Solemn

Noble

Feels remorse for ruining the lives of all pyrokinetics and wants to fix his mistakes

Willing to sacrifice himself for the Neverseen

He monologues because he's genuinely trying to convince people to join his side

Blames himself for a lot

He knows that what he's doing is bad. He hates himself for it. He remembers every person he's harmed. But he's convinced himself that it's the only way to save the elven world.

Variation 1: He tries to conceal his guilt by acting dramatic and laughing and pretending he enjoys what he's doing but sometimes the facade cracks and you can see him crumble. He ensures he never cries openly and stays put together when he's around other people until the facade cracks.

Variation 2: His mind is slowly breaking from the guilt or from Sophie not fully healing his mind in Everblaze. He's trying to hold the pieces together just long enough for him to fix the world, but then he'll let go. He has no expectation of surviving past the rebellion.

(This version of Fintan works best if you want Fintante)

Fanatic Fintan

Focused on achieving a goal like restoring pyrokinesis or enslaving the humans

The key difference from Secretly Good Fintan is the lack of remorse

He wholeheartedly believes that he's doing the right thing and that the ends justify the means, no matter what

Able to kill without being affected by guilt

Relatively put together

He talks as though his actions are completely normal and reasonable

His motive might be a good one but the atrocities he commits in the process are clearly bad

(Also decently good for Fintante)

Just Straight-Up Murderous Fintan

Joined the Neverseen because he misses his pyrokinesis and the power it gave him

He won't send minions to do things for him—he wants to kill people himself

He might use a dagger instead of fire or use some sort of other close-range weapon to make the murder more personal

Remember how he tried to force Keefe to brand Sophie with the black swan monocle?

He has a motive but he commits many unnecessary atrocities for fun along the way

He would enjoy it if you let him get covered in blood at some point in the fic

Might be as a result of his mind shattering from guilt, or the insanity resulting from his craving for fire (see the prison scene in Exile for his explanation)

Any are fun. Secretly Good Fintan might be best for your purposes.

#kotlc #fintan pyren

[blackjackkent]

There's definitely a lot going on in the ominously-named "Blighted Village" leading up to our quest marker for finding Halsin, and to be honest I'm skidding past most of it cos I want to at least start the quest soon. :D As with my BG1/BG2 liveblogging, I think I'm endeavoring not to get TOO hung up on side questing for this first playthrough (though I fully expect Hector to have a similar lack of attention span if something catches my interest :P ).

"Lookit, Klaw! Supper's here! Unless you got another reason to be here, feck-shite."

Charming people.

"Let's try to be diplomatic, shall we?" Gale points out in an undertone. "Goblins don't come by the handfuls but by the dozens."

Hector has a LOT of possible dialogue options here - simply asking for Halsin, plus [INTIMIDATION], [MONK][INTIMIDATION], [DECEPTION], [DETECT THOUGHTS] (from a scroll we've been carrying around), and my personal favorite, [NATURE]:

Incredible.

We also have the option of an [ILLITHID][WISDOM] check, making use of the tadpole to control the goblins since they're clearly also marked in some way by the mind flayers.

However, we're going to go with the nature check, because I am really trying to lean in, as much as the game will let me, to the idea that this is Hector's first real experience out in the world getting things done, that he's spent most of his time training martial arts or with his nose in a book, and that sometimes he just is completely lost on the idea of how normal conversations work. Even if this was a passed check, it would be an incredibly strange thing to say, but as it is:

Amusingly, the goblin doesn't even get angry - he just sort of stares at Hector in bewilderment.

He then suggests:

"Celebratin' a raid, we are. You'll need to wear our war colors." He points at a pile of animal dung in the middle of the path.

"Nice dab o' this across the mug oughta do it."

Gross.

"You can't be serious."

"Come on. Don't skimp, neither!"

Damn it. They need to get into this camp, and welcome visitors would be much better than combat. If this is some sort of...goblin tradition...

Grimace and do what you have to do.

The goblin immediately bursts out laughing. "HA! Hahaha! I can't believe you did it! You stupid idiot." He waves a hand dismissively behind him. "Go on, mate. Enjoy the festivities. You earned it."

Hector can feel his companions' eyes boring into his back, and flushes with humiliation. It takes all the self-control of the monastery to prevent him from dropkicking the little bastard, but instead he says, through his teeth, "I'm looking for someone named Halsin."

"Who?" the goblin asks disdainfully. "If he ain't one of us, and he's here, he's down in the pits."

"Down in the pits, no less," Gale murmurs. "Sounds ominous among creatures that love bloodsports. Better step to it."

Without another word, Hector turns and stalks away from the goblin, deeper into the camp, wiping the dung off his face as best he can. He deliberately avoids eye contact with any of his companions, but he can hear Astarion's soft snigger, and Gale's sardonic commentary drifting on the breeze.

#bjk plays baldur's gate 3 #hector carlisle #lmao poor hector #also why on earth did shadowheart approve of this :P