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#lol i just made it into a separate post
akechi-stole-my-heart · 4 months
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akechi's "i do not regret with my choices i'm rather proud" line in no more what ifs is so widely misunderstood it drives me nuts. it's a coping mechanism guys. it's a lie.*
(*that has an element of truth to it, as most of akechi's lies do.)
like. there's this trend to take the line at face value. he doesn't regret what he did for shido. he doesn't feel bad or think he did anything wrong. he has zero remorse. but you shouldn't take anything akechi says at face value, and regret and remorse are two very different things.
there's a lot to unpack here, so bear with me as i try to break it all down.
so okay, the source of this whole misunderstanding--the line in no more what ifs. i've gotten into this before in my analysis of the song, but the context of it is specifically in maruki's reality. goro is looking back on his life and thinking about where he ended up because of his choices. he's thinking, was i a fool? did i mess up? was there a better way? this line of thinking is reflected within the game itself when he explicitly says in the engine room that he wishes he met akira sooner, but that it doesn't matter what he wants because it's impossible to change what happened.
but here's the thing--that impossible wish he made in the engine room, where things were different and he and akira could be friends? it's no longer impossible. it's literally right in front of him. but it has a catch. accepting the reality of his impossible dream comes at the cost of being himself. all his choices and agency will be stolen, including the choices he made in the past that got him here. so he's left with one last choice--accept maruki's reality, give into his desires, and lose himself. or accept the choices he made for himself, and the consequences that came with them.
so, his conclusion in the song is that any what if's and regrets are pointless. he cannot afford to regret. he must be proud of what he did and who he is. goro is terrified of losing himself and being forced into becoming another puppet like he was for shido. (and notice--him acknowledging that he was a subservient puppet before, as he does on 2/2, requires that he's aware that the choices he is so apparently proud of weren't entirely his own. he was pushed there by someone else. he still blames himself for being manipulated, but a part of him knows that what he did for shido was wrong, and that he shouldn't have done it. doesn't sound like someone completely without regrets to me.) so he has to hold onto his choices and be proud of them. he can't let himself be tempted. the price he'd pay for them is far too high.
so, yeah. it's a coping mechanism. he's forced into that conclusion by his circumstances. akechi does regret where life has brought him and how he got there and the choices he's made, but regret is pointless, because he can't change the past and he can't accept maruki's future. so he chooses not to regret. people like him can't let themselves regret.
but of course, that's not all. in a post-canon world where he lives, goro isn't going to suddenly break down and be filled with remorse. because like i said, his feelings are complicated, and he still has his pride. akechi doesn't want to admit his faults or his weaknesses, and he does still think the people he targeted deserved it. so is he remorseful? yes and no. he is aware what he did was wrong, and that it was all for absolutely nothing. but he still doesn't view the world as something worthy of saving or protecting. to him people are all still inherently evil, save perhaps for akira, so what he did was both deserved and negligible, because the people he hurt were on the path of destruction regardless of him anyway.
so feeling for his victims and experiencing true remorse is going to be a process of recovery. at the same time, akechi still has the innocent child who wanted to be a hero hidden inside him. part of him does care, it's just been so neglected he isn't aware of it most of the time. that part of him began to be reawakened with akira and would continue to be as he makes connections, especially with the people he hurt like the phantom thieves.
which is part of why i think akechi befriending and reconciling with the thieves is so important! he needs to face the consequences of his actions and realize what he did didn't just hurt evil people, but innocents too. he needs to learn to see people as beings who can change, who are redeemable and are good. that people can love him even if he's done horrible things. and as he realizes these things about himself, he will eventually start to realize that it's true about the rest of the world, too.
goro wants to believe in the world, and in people. he doesn't anymore, but he wants to. when he starts to believe in people again, that's when he'll be able to finally be honest about his past mistakes, and feel true remorse for his actions and mistakes, and be able to start to make amends. the parts of the detective prince that reflected the little boy who believed in truth and justice are still in him somewhere, he just needs a lot of time, self reflection, recovery, and help to rediscover those parts of himself.
another aspect of this is how akechi voluntarily turns himself in. i do think there are ulterior motives here, mainly that he can be the one to help convict shido. it's also self-destructive, a way to sort of end his life when literally doing that didn't work. it's the path of least resistance, where he never has to truly look back on his crimes and self reflect because well, he's paying for his crimes anyway, so who cares. it's the easy out. but it also shows that he is aware what he did was wrong and that it's right for him to try to make amends. goro isn't totally without remorse or regret. his remorse and regret literally pushed him into trying to kill himself. he's just very, very bad at coping with them, and so chooses instead to repress those emotions like he has been for years.
okay, so, conclusion. stop forcing in lines in comics and fic where akechi is like "I don't regret!" without also portraying the nuance lying beneath that line. how in third sem it's a coping mechanism, and otherwise it's a shield keeping him from being honest with himself about his past and his ruined dreams of being a hero. remorse ≠ regret, and goro feels both but to different extents and different reasons. he hates his victims, but he's deluding himself about their guilt, and once that delusion crashes down and he sees that he's hurt innocents, he's going to have to deal with a lot of intense feelings like his already existing self hatred.
akechi isn't some heartless killer who feels nothing for his victims. he's only using that idea of himself as a coping mechanism. he forced himself to become that by repressing the parts of him that care until he can barely feel them anymore. he isn't just the black mask, he is also the detective prince. he's both. akechi is and always will be both sides of himself, even when he tries so hard to shut one of those sides down and ignore it as an aspect of the truth. you can't write akechi well until you understand that. akechi is always both.
so, does akechi regret? well...it's complicated.
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sebastianswallows · 1 month
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The English Client — One
— PAIRING: Tom Riddle x F!Reader
— SYNOPSIS: The year is 1952. Tom is working for Borgin and Burkes. He is sent to Rome to acquire three ancient books of magic by any means necessary. One in particular proves challenging to reach, and the only path forward is through a pretty, young bookseller. A foreigner like him, she lives alone, obsessed with her work... until Tom comes into her life.
— WARNINGS: none for this chapter, just Tom being grumpy and hating the world
— WORDCOUNT: 3k
— A/N: This is a fic that was commissioned by @localravenclaw as a gift for @esolean 💕 It's going to be a bit of a rollercoaster, with angst and fluff and smut galore. I plan to post twice a week, Mondays and Fridays. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you will have fun reading it, my dears! 💚
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I
Tom was twenty-five. It had been seven years since he graduated from Hogwarts, and just as many since he started working at Borgin and Burkes. Now, he found himself in a sweltering place with the world passing him by. Trapped, for his sins, in a moving metal coffin. If this was hell, it looked like rolling hills, houses nestled in the fog, narrow rows of poplars and puffs of grazing sheep, all set to the tune of clinking chains and carriage shuffles. He hated this assignment.
After taking the train from London to Dover, he caught the ferry that sailed to Calais, and from there took a series of coaches and trains meant to take him on to Italy. To Rome. They had just stopped in Lyon to pick up more passengers, and now they were on their way again.
He had fought with Burke regarding the logistics of the whole thing. Why couldn’t he just use Floo like a normal wizard? But the miserable old stoat said he’d sooner trust muggle transportation than Tom’s pronunciation of Italian or French — and besides, was Floo even networked all the way down there? It didn’t matter anymore.
Tom was convinced it was all done to save costs, and perhaps for Burke to not have to call in any favours. So off he went with one measly suitcase and two billfolds of franks and lira — all of which were merely enchanted oak leaves. They would inevitably transfigure back to their original form in a couple of weeks or so, but by then Tom should be long gone. Who said money didn’t grow on trees?
He tried to distract himself from all this misery by checking his notes again. His little book cracked open, snapping at the spine, and its insides were revealed to him like a cadaver cut through with a black spidery scrawl. It was a list of books and authors, with observations added vertically on the side to save space.
“The Secrets of Wisdom, N. Tamisso 1650 — high priority, any edition. The Lost Word, B. Trevisan 1661 — low priority, optional. Delomelanicon (or The Invocation of Darkness), A. Torchia 1666 — first edition, mandatory.” The latter word was underlined three times. His notes continued with the instructions Burke had given. “Check the rare book dealers, antiquaries, private collectors if necessary. If you can not find it, find out who can. If they will not sell it, take it anyway.”
Tom’s lip curled. Whatever joy there was in being away from the squalor of Knockturn Alley was soiled by what he had to do in Rome. It wasn’t the books he minded, and in fact, he quite admired Burke’s taste in this matter. But to be flung so far away from home on such short notice, and for such a length of time, was pitiful to him. The heir of Slytherin turned errand boy…
“Excuse-moi, est-ce que — Oh, bonjour.”
Tom turned his frown toward the sliding doors of the compartment, between which stood a young man in his twenties. Lanky brown locks fell into his eyes veiling the crinkles of a smile.
“Yes?” sighed Tom.
“I was wondering if this was free,” said the boy. And without waiting for an answer, he dragged his luggage inside — three suitcases, all leather with copper fittings looking ready to burst — and closed the doors behind him.
“I suppose it is,” mumbled Tom. He subtly closed his notebook and tucked it back into the messenger bag at his feet while he kept track of the stranger from the corner of his eyes.
The fine quality of the newcomer’s clothes was somewhat disguised by how carelessly they hung around him. His white and starched shirt was loosened at the top, revealing a hint of tanned skin sprinkled with sparse curls. A golden pin kept a red and blue striped tie affixed to it, and around his pinky finger was a silver ring thickly laid with marcasites and crowned with a malachite stone. His lips were full and purple-stained from wine. His eyes were a bright blue. Judging by his pressed trousers and clean leather shoes, he was a gentleman who had arrived at the station by car — or, at least, he was the spoilt brat of one.
“Clement,” the boy grinned, extending his hand.
“Tom,” he replied, giving him a firm, brief shake.
“I’m on my way to Rome!” Clement sighed, plopping down onto the seat opposite him. Almost immediately, he cracked open a cigarette case and started fishing for a lighter in his trouser pocket. His luggage lay strewn all around the floor, suitcases filled with junk, no doubt. “You?”
“The same,” Tom said and instantly regretted sharing anything at all. With people like these — the overly friendly types — it was best to not encourage conversation.
“Oh, magnificent. Vacation?”
“Work.”
“How sad,” tutted Clement as he popped a cigarette between his lips. He offered one to Tom as well.
“Don’t smoke.”
“Ah.”
He closed the case with a loud click and set it on the table between them. With a smooth, almost theatrical motion, he lit up his pocket lighter — silver, older than him, probably an heirloom, engraved with an elaborate floral motif featuring a fleur-de-lis — and let the flame dance on the tip of his cigarette until he was satisfied.
“Don’t talk much, either,” the boy chuckled. He kept his eyes on Tom as he took a drag, then started puffing away without a care. He attempted to blow rings of smoke but failed. “What do you use your mouth for, then?”
“Cursing, mostly.”
Clement laughed. “The same!”
Tom doubted it.
The compartment soon filled with smoke, and the narrow window open at the top only made it dance around inside. The muggy summer fumes were driving Tom to madness already, and he could only hope the train moved fast enough to clear the air. But as they went further into the rural parts of France, the scent of sheep took over. Maybe it’s not too late to try to Apparate directly at the station, he thought.
“So, what do you do?” asked the French boy, vowels gliding altogether in one breath between his lips. His arm extended elegantly to tap the ash into a cheap tray by the window.
It took Tom a moment to look at him and answer. “I’m in, er, publishing.”
“Truly?” he said, excited enough to lean over the table. “That’s magnificent. I intend to be published too.”
“Oh? What do you write?”
“Poesies.”
“Poetry? Ah, not my area, I’m afraid.”
“But you must know some people…”
Tom wanted to tell him that if he were any good he’d have found a publisher already, but intuition told him to temper himself.
“I might,” he said, “but I’m afraid I’m full up at the moment.”
The boy puffed away nervously as he tapped the round gemstone of his ring against the window, and kept his eyes on him. Tom turned to watch the view rolling past them, seeing without seeing. The sensation of being watched was as familiar as it was discomforting. It crawled down his thin cheeks, his narrow neck, and from there sank into his clothes like sweat. He gazed briefly at the tapping ring from the corner of his eyes in irritation, before focusing away again. For a few moments, he thought he’d successfully ended their conversation.
“Well, I’m in show business,” Clement said instead, grinning brilliantly. There was a gap between his first incisors that made him look boyish and pure. “Theatre.”
“Your parents must be very happy.”
“No,” he laughed. “Miserable. But,” he shrugged, “it is not their decision.”
Tom hummed and said nothing else.
“Your parents are happy with your job, no? You go on important business trips to France, to Rome, and… erm. Well, it is a good job, for sure. Makes them proud, yes?”
Whatever sunshine beamed through the window was chilled and clouded by the glare in Tom’s dark eyes. Why did this bothersome Frenchman have to talk to him? He wasn’t going to keep doing it the whole way to Rome, surely…
“I wouldn’t know,” he finally said. “They’re dead.”
“Oh… Oh, I am so sorry...”
“I’m not,” he mumbled. He didn’t think Clement had heard him, but he wouldn’t care even if he did.
The boy pulled the ashtray closer and put out his cigarette, then leaned his head against the glass. Fidgeting, he held the silver case in his hands and clicked it open and closed, open and closed… He did that for quite a while.
Tom could feel him staring. Could even sense to some extent the messy thoughts inside that head: curiosity, intrigue, and joy.
What could be joyful about that moment?
Well, if Tom was being honest, this wasn’t the first time he’d had such an effect on people. Memories of Burke’s clients came back to him accompanied by the customary shiver down his spine. Clement had the same flippant merriment about him that all the others did, those careless old witches and wizards. That unguarded look of innocence surrounded by the fog of greed. An airy absence of thought and feeling. Must’ve been the side effect of all that money.
Tom had once envied such people. Had even flattered himself with the knowledge that he, however distantly, was one of them. What greater destiny than to be born to glorious old blood? What greater tragedy than to be fallen from it…? He could even remember, with much clarity and shame, how he’d spent several months during his third year obsessing over the Gaunts and Riddles, chasing up on genealogies, and smattering the back pages of his diary with heraldic designs.
But the more he understood the upper classes — their uselessness, their inborn idiocy, their paradoxical sense of superiority which stood impervious to anything reality threw at them — the more he grew to hate them.
“I am sorry if I offended…” said Clement rather softly. “Sometimes, I talk too much.”
“Oh, really? I didn’t notice.”
“No, but I do, I do…”
Tom had overshot his subtleties, apparently.
“So you are not happy with your job? Forgive me for asking…”
“No, it’s quite alright.”
“A pity, you know…”
“Why?”
“To not like it.”
“Oh, it’s not too much trouble most of the time. Why? Do you like your job?”
“But of course!” he said, blue eyes twinkling.
Tom cast a scathing look his way. How strange… He couldn’t imagine enjoying any form of employment — other than the coveted post of DADA professor at Hogwarts.
“Why are you in Rome, then?” Tom asked.
“On vacation. I am, erm, meeting a friend,” he whispered with a grin.
“A girlfriend?” asked Tom with a smirk.
Clement shook his head and giggled. “A boy friend.”
Tom’s brows nearly reached his hairline. He’d never heard of such things being bandied about quite that openly before, at least not in England. Clement seemed not to care. Must’ve been a habit of his, as he seemed to not care about much at all other than enjoying life.
“You have a fun vacation ahead of you, then.”
“More than you know,” he winked.
Tom curled his nose at that and sat back, away from the whole conversation. But Clement leaned closer, arms braced over the table lazily, eyes flashing excitedly.
“We will rob this old fool, and run with his money.”
That captured Tom’s attention again. The boy was waiting eagerly for his reaction, and not a thought ran through his head that Tom might’ve been untrustworthy. Of course, far be it from him to ruin someone else’s fun, but the scenario Clement proposed was too absurd to be believed.
So what else could Tom do but laugh? The sound of it filled the cabin, and so out of use were those muscles that his cheeks began to ache. The sight of it seemed to delight young Clement. He leaned back and gave another one of his brilliant smiles.
“You can join us, if you like,” he offered smoothly.
“Sorry,” said Tom, his cheeks still flushed. “My schedule is full.”
“Oh, pity, pity… You would like my friend, I think. His name is Donatien. He is more serious, like you.”
“Is that so,” said Tom distractedly.
“By the way, what is your hotel?”
II
They entered Rome on a train that ran six hours late, and wobbled on its tracks, and stank of mouldy cheese and wine rust.
Clement talked most of the way there, and seemed to be satisfied with Tom mostly reacting with brief hums and tilted smiles. They even exchanged gifts. The French boy was enchanted by what was, in Tom’s estimation, a fairly average switchblade. He’d only taken it out to peel an orange. It was something he’d bought in London right before his seventh year, and although it was quite plain, it did have some delicate embellishments on its ivory handle of two writhing snakes. That seemed to appeal to Clement, who offered his own blade in exchange — a Swiss army knife that also had a screwdriver and bottle opener tucked in its red body. Considering it a more efficient deal, Tom shrugged and accepted the trade.
Faint details came up now and then about his plans with this Donatien, but most of it was lost in smoke and loud metallic rattles. As much as Tom hated flying on brooms, even he could agree it would’ve been preferable to this…
But at least he didn’t have to fear any Ministry or Aurors in these parts. Not any that were familiar with him, anyway. The Italians had their own Ministry of Magic, of course, but it was all the way down in Mirto, Sicily, and foreigners were a low priority for them. There were so many people from all over the world in Italy those days that it wasn’t worth keeping track of them all, or at least so Burke had told him.
The train slowed and pulled into the station, and pulled, and pulled… It groaned as if in pain. Clement took the jolt of inertia as it all came to a stop with cheerful clapping, and promptly got up to collect his bags.
“So, we are agreed?”
“Absolutely not agreed. Besides, I doubt my lodgings would be to your taste.”
“Ah Tom, you do not know my taste!”
“Very well, but best keep your complaints to a minimum once we get there.”
They struggled to get everything off the train with four suitcases between them. Tom was travelling light with just the one, about which Clement made some snide comment that he soon forgot, but he helped him anyway. His own belongings consisted of plain muggle clothes and some books that Burke wished him to barter with, if it came to that. Between the lines, and between Burke’s sparse and slimy brows, Tom understood he was expected to use his charms to get a bargain price — as per usual — but he did not intend to let some fat old antiquary put his grimy hands on him. Not this time. Besides, conversing with Clement had stained his dignity enough.
Being away on the continent had one advantage, at least: he was no longer under the vulturous watch of his employer.
Tom stepped out onto the platform, muscles sore from days of sitting down, and looked ahead as if he knew where he was going. People were chatting all around him, filling the cool hall with murmurs all the way up to its dome — some in German, some in French, others in variously accented English. Tom wiped the sweat off his brow with his sleeve and picked up his suitcase to follow Clement, who was hunting for a trolley to load his luggage onto.
As soon as they stepped out onto the street, the heat of Rome in August hit Tom in the face like an oven door and he, frail and pallid thing, was not prepared for it. He squinted in displeasure, to Clement’s great amusement.
“This way, Tom!” he said as he popped on a pair of sunglasses. “I see a taxi!”
Tom had spent most of the journey brushing up on his Italian with the help of a conversation guide he picked up at the Gare du Nord. His extensive knowledge of Latin came in pretty handy. But now that he saw Clement handle things, perhaps he needn’t have bothered. His companion could easily direct the driver to the dingy old hotel Tom was staying at, the Gallienus on Via Domenichino, and chatted a bit more besides.
“Vacation in Rome often, then?” he asked.
“I just know some phrases,” Clement smiled. “You don’t need much with these people.”
The driver pretended not to understand the slight.
“Where do you want to have lunch, then?” Clement asked.
“Lunch? I’m certainly not in the mood, not now.”
“Oh come ooon…”
“You can eat on your own.”
“We can leave our stuff and take the taxi to this place I know on Via della Mercede. They make the best seafood, the best!”
It had not been until now, with this journey to somewhere far away, that Tom realised how limited his world had been at Hogwarts. He’d once felt equal parts ashamed and at a strange advantage next to the other Slytherins, his peers, all purebloods, for knowing both the magical and muggle worlds. Now, exiled for this assignment among strangers, it seemed to Tom as if he were starting life all over again. He looked out the window and everything was new, everything was strange. The buildings, the street, the people, even the clothes were different. The city, like London, was massive, but the streets were broader, blazing white. Some disappeared into little alleyways that slithered like dark serpents. Tom could easily see himself getting lost in such a place.
It was… humbling. He didn’t like it.
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lsleofthelost · 3 months
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eye contact
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notllorstel · 1 year
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I just want to say I adore your art style and the latest sketches you did for Darimila. I would happily listen to any more headcanons you have regarding Bell, I LOVE the dynamic they have with Darius.
Thanks!
The potential with Bell is limitless. So here’s a hc-
Bells drawn to consuming products is due the need to gather materials (I hc that palisman also still need to consume when not in dormant/staff form) but due to Bell being an more active palisman with a mix of abomination magic (where abominations usually can be reused from the material they are made of) Bell is burning through some of that material when bigger acts of magic are used, so basically Bells aiming so there’s a good storage of abomination material always ready for Darius to use. And the reason to the preference of consuming more fancy, high quality and purple themed products (mmm shampoo), because Bell is spoiled like a cat given fancy wet food and not would go for anything less. This also means that the abomination material Bell stores is very rich in quality. Every witch that’s been in a duel with Darius has been after like my skin/hair/horns has never looked better (think mud bath).
I’m been playing with different ideas of Bells dynamic with Darius, how the magic works, what lead to this and that etc etc that I mean it when I say the potential it’s limitless and pretty much anything else isn’t set in stone yet besides the tidbit above.
Please look at the most recent mental image I had of Bell
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imogenkol · 8 months
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🎵 ORIGINAL CHARACTER PLAYLISTS — IMOGEN KOL
[inspiration]
tag list (ask to be added or removed!): @adelaidedrubman @florbelles @marivenah @simonxriley @shegetsburned @voidika @kyber-infinitygems @v0idbuggy @inafieldofdaisies @statichvm @socially-awkward-skeleton @aceghosts @jillvalentinesday @risingsh0t @unholymilf @thedeadthree
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bigkickguy · 2 months
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wip - trying to doodle my rarepair on the beach and i can't stop trying to make emo ideas happen so im spitting out here to get it out of my head eustace and isaac could be cute !! just let them have their peace and quiet!! I'm starting to rotating them in my mind !!
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brookheimer · 1 year
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okay. i need to rewatch the episode probably but i think my current feeling is that i like most of it a lot (rome, ken, the siblings not getting ceo, etc), think the tom ceo makes sense from a logical/character perspective but not sure how i feel about it from a broader more thematic lens (altho i'm leaning towards fine with it), and am very mixed on shiv's ending because i think it's well-conceived and meaningful from a broader thematic lens (shiv becomes her mother, the cycle always repeats, etc) but doesn't quite make sense to me from a logical/character one -- it could've worked, it could've worked brilliantly, but it was far too rushed and forced. it makes sense as an ending for shiv, but not her next step. i'm largely talking about her decision to return to tom, not her decision to vote against kendall (which i think should've been executed better and given more space but can understand given her character, mostly). i'm fine with it as an ending for shiv, but what i'm struggling to stomach is the way it played out -- it didn't feel like a choice the shiv we know would've made. it's an ending that makes sense thematically and for her character arc, but not a decision that makes sense for her character at present. that's kinda where i'm at right now
#long shiv post talking ab this upcoming lol#bc so far i haven't seen like any shiv takes i've actually agreed with#it's either entirely anti ending or pro ending#whereas like. to me the ending works as an ending for the character. it's tragic dark devastating but it works and works well#but shiv making that choice does not make sense for where she is right now. it was rushed writing that forced an ending on her#that would be a satisfying ending but not a satisfying character choice and thus NOT a super satisfying ending#could've been EXTREMELY satisfying. but shiv wasn't there yet. her fatal flaw is blowing up good situations when she feels she's being#disrespected -- she's respect > power when it comes down to it#even tho she thinks she wants power more she NEEDS respect and is unable to stay quiet or make the smart choice in the face of disrespect#or men thinking they're superior etcetcetc. so her making a choice that allots her power (wife of CEO) but is the singular least respecting#outcome imaginable (meekly returning to your husband who betrayed you and stole the job you've been fighting for your entire life right out#of your grasp alongside your closest ally/flirt guyfriend who tapped him to do it explicitly to fuck you over because you're a pregnant#woman and thus inferior to the man who inseminated you -- and EVERYONE KNOWS ALL OF THIS! everyone knows you're the daughter of#the previous CEO and on two separate instances were meant to be CEO and now the weak man you married publicly betrayed you TWICE#but you still meekly return to him and place your hand in his and have his baby like the good pawn you are...)#that does not make sense for shiv. if we saw some development on the power > respect front or had a few more scenes or episodes developing#shiv as someone who would choose to become her mother (powerful and rich yet a disrespected pawn) over literally anything else#given her fundamental fear of being disrespected than maybe this would've made sense. it could be a great meaningful devastating ending#but it's one that just does not track for shiv as we know her right now.#ok tags got long as always sorry LOL i'm gonna write a longer thing explaining my hashtag thoughts bc i haven't seen much i agreed w on thi#front yet oops. ok bye 4 now tee hee#succession#succession spoilers#casey shut the fuck up about shiv roy
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wonder-worker · 1 month
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J.L. Laynesmith taking the 'Buckingham Did It™' route for the murder of the Princes in the Tower AND the rumors of Edward IV's bastardy ... I have to laugh
#my post#history media#this was in her book 'Cecily Duchess of York' which I have ... Thoughts on#I really liked it overall - it was meticulously researched and gave me information that I hadn't previously known about Cecily#However this often contrasts with Laynesmith's own very evident biases assumptions and conjecture#and the effect is very jarring#This becomes slightly more pronounced after 1464 and actually ridiculous after 1483.#She also suggests that Henry VI may have genuinely died of a melancholy-induced stroke like Edward IV claimed which is just...lmfao#I don't know what to say at this point lol#To be fair she does specifically note that he died shortly after Edward arrived in London and that most contemporaries believed#it was far too convenient#which is far more acknowledgement and culpability than she gives Richard III whose culpability for the 'disappearance' of his nephews is#literally never touched upon - the blame is conveniently dumped on Buckingham#honestly the whole Deal with Buckingham is so odd. dude was a political neophyte; was given a primarily ceremonial role by Edward IV#throughout his reign and was younger than Richard (who was a seasoned politician). What makes you think Buckingham of all people#was some kind of political genius and making decisions over RICHARD of all people lol?#anyway#This book was pretty decent with Margaret of Anjou which was great#it was less decent with Elizabeth Woodville which was not so great :/#some of the assumptions it made (for Cecily's benefit naturally) were so weird#and the way she 'reassessed' Elizabeth's role in 1483 was very distasteful#I might make a separate post on that because it was very annoying#(also claiming Henry Tudor landed with 'a small band of Lancastrian exiles' - yeah no. the majority of the 'exiles' who supported him were#Yorkist aka Edward IV's supporters who opposed Richard. because this was very much an internal civil war between the dynasty#and Henry became a claimant only after being chosen by Yorkists after the October risings made clear the Princes were dead#the claim that challenged Richard's was Elizabeth of York not Henry's. let's not twist words here)#(ALSO I'm sorry but William Stanley certainly did not choose to commit his troops to Henry Tudor because Henry was 'his brother's stepson'#he did that out of loyalty to Edward IV and his children as Henry was the chosen claimant of the Yorkist faction#hence why he may have betrayed Henry VII in the 1490s for Perkin Warbeck who pretended to be Edward's second son. so jot that down)#you really see these small minor details which are very much chosen purposefully and paint a very different picture lol
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grapecaseschoices · 2 months
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UP TOP: Is the Tadpole Consumers! Sometimes being 'Power Hungry' means eating an actual worm.
Kendis Wolfcrossing (left): Bearbarian (Druid and Barbarian), She/They (nb). Romance Rolan [Maybe Minthara. Maybe Halsin. I'm just fucking around in the PT]
Kaeliana (right): aka The Dark Urge, Soradin of Kelemvor (Sorcerer and Paladin), She/her (trans). Romance Wyll.
BOTTOM DOWN: The Parental Trauma Cleric Sibs (and potentially both technically undead).
Amryl Shadowhoard (left): Ranger/War Cleric of Bahamut, They/It/She (in order; nb). Romance Wyll/Lae'zel/REDACTED [yeah that's the polyam!]. Is, technically, Isyl's younger sibling.
Isyl Shadowhoard (right): aka The Dark Urge. Cleric of Light [hhaha] of Lathander, ???? (trans and nb). Potential Romance Barcus. Is, definitely, Amryl's older sibling. Isyl remembers that fact and Isyl remembers Lathander. Everything else is secondary. Right?
#meet my tavs#grapes chars#bg3: kendis wolfcrossing#oc: kaeliana#oc: amryl shadowhoard#oc: isyl shadowhoard#bg3 tav#bg3 durge#grapecase posts#meet my ocs#the thing im most excited for isyl is tthe sibling stuff and the struggle between past and 'nature' and ofc exploring duergar shit but i#hope isyl can be a particular shit to wulbern#im more excited about the barcus 'romance' than i expected?#i need to learnmroe about him#kendis is supposed to have a scar over their black/white eye. idk if its hard to see bc of teh tadpole eating or if a mod took it off#i'll check later#this is my current [mostly] active PTs.#but i have like six others in the shadows? lol and one nebulous plan. bc i dont have a geriatric. i wanted to make an old man githyanki but#then the enbies ate my brain#also tho some people put nb as under the trans umbrella i know some people see it as a separate umbrella.#i feel isyl sees themselves as both. they transitioned but they also see themselves as nonbinary. kendis sees being nonbinary as both in#a weird way like its own seperate thing but also under the umbrella? idk a venn diagram? i just vibe for kendis#kae proudly has a girldick. and proudly is a woman. i have mixed ideaas on when she transitioned. im sure it would have been a mess. but it#HERS.#[on the one hand i dont think bhaal cares. but on the other hand idky i feel bhaalists would get very evangelical about it. like THIS IS TH#BODY BHAAL MADE. A RE YOU SAYING BHAAL ERRED???]#amryl is they/it nonbinary. trans. wte. but they're also i think one of those nonbinary unless it's 'god forbid women are allowed to do ANY#HING'#lmao#okay okay im going back to my burrow
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canon-gabriel-quotes · 4 months
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I have been exporting the audio wrong this whole time I- anyway. All posts from here on will have the correct setting :)
*edit. The post right before this does have the correct settings and the new equalizer stuff. If it sounds slightly better, that’s why.
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thewizardingtoad · 5 months
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Time, Chess, and the Tower of Magic
(novel: 29-35)
(manhwa: 44-45)
I just reread the scene in the novel, and I'm kind of obsessed with it, but also am in awe of how well it established the dynamic between Desir and Zod, something that I feel like the manhwa didn't really do, so, I'm doing a bit of comparing under the cut.
Also, if you like these characters in the manhwa, then you should 100% read at least these few chapters, because, as I said before, they are amazing.
So the manhwa starts us off with how Zod is an "odd fellow", he's always been that, and how he lead civilization into a new era of magic, he's achievements are endless, and is Desir's irreplaceable friend.
Now, in the novel, Desir says that Zod accepted his request because he was intrigued by it. (True) He says that Zod single-handedly renewed interest in magic.
(Also, fun-fact: someone wrote a book about all of his accomplishments, and it's thicker than most encyclopedias.)
(Also also, in the manhwa he looks like 40, in the novel that's 30)
The next scene plays out almost the same, except that we learn, in the novel, that Zod has an 'archaic feeling to his words'.
While in the manhwa he's all nice, and smiley etc. novel!Desir points out that until the North Sea's rules are mentioned, Zod's so impatient to get on with the match that it can almost be heard in his tone, which for this old man is VERY impatient.
And then of course Desir drops the bomb, that yeah, he wants to play the Rule set that originates from Zod's homeland and n!Desir immediately points out how much more relaxed Zod gets from hearing that.
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The chess match starts, and in both mediums Zod's like, this kid is pretty good, but he's still just a kid, and "[He's] too hasty with [his] moves"
Desir, when he's on the verge of losing, makes the bet. It goes in the novel as it goes in the manhwa, except that a) Zod's like, 'I know that everything you did so far was to make this wager, and I hope you see how suspicious you are.' and b) At this Desir's just like, 'Wow, you're very interested, huh? Then I won't tell you until I win.'
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And then the whole 'you play like a whole different person' thing happens in the manhwa, 'oh, well, I played against him in the future so of course I know how he plays', 'I've been the same person this entire time' etc. etc.
So. That does not happen in the novel.
What happens instead is we get the explanation as to why is Desir losing:
He's been playing with Zod for 6 years, yes,
However, this Zod plays differently than other Zod
In the future, his play style is more aggressive
Now he focuses on counter-play and he's more reserved
And Desir deduced this in the first few steps in their game, and been sacrificing pieces since then to analyze Zod's play style.
And also, yes, Desir did figure the greatest mage of all time out in what? 20 minutes?
And Desir might be losing, but because of the time limit Zod's going to make some stupid moves, which Desir deducted will happen, then he makes even worse moves, and the next thing Zod knows is that he got ripped to shreds in 3 minutes.
In the novel, Desir mentions that in the last minutes of the match, Zod's straight up panicking over how bad the situation has gotten for him.
Then, when Desir mentions the trade, Zod tries to calmly explain to him why that's not possible "You're asking to exchange a bar of gold for a peanut"
Desir of course doesn't budge and after a bit of "bartering" it's clear just how fed up with this "boy"'s bs Zod is and reading this scene after the manhwa is kind of shocking
Zod expressed disdain at the boy's choice. "I expected you to choose more wisely. You've rejected my offer, and I can't accept your deal. With that, the negotiations are over." The man rose to get up from his seat.
(...)
"So you think this is a fair deal." The Tower Master was audibly upset by Desir's words.
And I'm very sad that this scene in this form didn't make it to the manhwa, because while we see Zod being dismissive and uninterested in Desir's idea before he sees it to himself, we don't see him being, well, like this.
Prideful, kind of cocky, and straight up offended that a mere student would even dare to suggest that his idea worth as much as support from the Tower of Magic, upset to the point that Desir has to actively put out 'fires' during the conversation so that it can progress.
Which is a beautiful way of showing us how, yes, Desir does know this guy, he knows why he's upset he knows what to say to get him to calm down enough to listen and also how to say it.
What in the manhwa is essentially just 'Well if I show you that my idea is worth it then it will be fine, right? Let me show you then.' in the novel is Desir going on first about how of course what he's saying is outrageous, and Zod is right to be upset, but shouldn't Zod know that impossible things are sometimes real? And then he starts explaining how 20 years old Zod Exarion becoming the Tower Master was an impossible feat, or maybe, perhaps, even more impossible, a student defeating him in chess! Which happened just now, and That is when Zod tells him to show him his idea.
This scene alone reaffirms to the reader, that Desir doesn't just know Zod as a tactician, but as a person, he knows how to talk to him, he knows how to talk sense into him, and that Desir did this enough in the past that this comes like second nature to him.
Zod being stone headed and stuck to his ways until Desir reminds him that he's been just like this boy in the past is also one of the most Old Person Thing TM Zod does in the entire novel, showing and not just telling us that the G is not just for show in that GILF he is actually old.
After that the "reveal" scene plays out pretty similarly except that Zod gets a bit more info out of Desir, one of them is that he didn't necessarily discover the technic but he "knows of it", and Desir lets the reader know that the person who discovered it was in fact Zod, just 3 years into the labyrinth, and as he starts explaining the theory Zod catches up extremely quickly, actually taking over Desir's explanation of how resonance is better than the enchant method.
When Desir mentions that he has more ideas like this, Zod tells his secretary to cancel every plan he has until he says otherwise, which is a very entertaining turn of events in my opinion.
So to wrap it up, while I love how the manhwa did this scene, (this is probably my favorite two chapters from it) I'm kind of sad that most of the little tidbits of building up the relationship between Zod and Desir, that would be important later got lost in adaptation.
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skyloftian-nutcase · 2 years
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Have any soft FD HC’s/ scenarios when he would take care of them?
(Not actual scenes, because I know you you would end up writing something, just scenarios.)
(Bonus points if it includes the Burrito Bros…)
LOL you know me too well, I would probably write something. XD
Sky likes to wear the mask so Fierce can interact with the others (he tells Fierce that it isn't too painful for him personally, which is an absolute lie, but Fierce respects his privacy and doesn't read his mind after the first time so he doesn't know). He always does it when Time isn't around that way the elder doesn't get upset (Time wants to meet Fierce as much as the rest but he doesn't want Sky to get hurt/ill/drained from it). He talks to Fierce a fair amount to help him keep up with what's happening. So when one of the boys is hurt or ill beyond something a simple potion can fix, Fierce is usually fretting about it and Sky lets him come out.
One time Twilight pushes himself too far because he's still recovering from his Dink Disaster, and it happens because the group got separated. Sky, Twi, and Four are together at the moment, and Sky happens to have the mask because he was talking to Fierce when the ambush happened that got them split up. Fierce is worried as all get out, so Sky lets him take over because the deity has more experience in this sort of thing and is far more capable of fighting off the hordes that they know are lingering around. Four is overly stressed and freaking out because it's too soon from the last time Twi almost died, so Fierce soothes him and takes care of Twi and slaughters any monster that breathes within a ten mile radius. Twi tries to pull his weight and Fierce just ends up carrying him as they walk. Four loves doing storytelling with Fierce because he adores listening to his little rainbow fill him in on events in the world. Twi eventually settles into being cared for because he can't really argue about being a burden to a freaking godlike figure, and Fierce learns to his delight that Twi loves cuddling. Four does too.
When the trio finally reunites with another chunk of the Chain, it's Warriors and Wild, and oh boy because Fierce knows about Wars' PTSD and Four told him all about Wild's issues and this Mother Hen is going to town now because he can already see how stressed and worn out they are and he just sets to work calming them down and insisting everything and everyone is fine and gathering ingredients for Wild so he can stress cook and Fierce wants to taste everything because he hasn't eaten in millennia, and he senses when Warriors is going from normal to I have to take care of everything and everyone and I am spiraling mode, and he has Twilight basically tackle him as Wolfie before carrying Warriors over to the group wrapped in his scarf. Fierce showers Wild with praises because he knows he needs to hear it, Four does more story time (interspersed with Warriors and Twilight and Wild piping in) and the like.
After a few days, they reach civilization, and Fierce hesitates, knowing he'd be an intimidating sight in a town of Hylians who know nothing about him. He asks Wars what it was like when he took the mask off, and Wars tells him about the sensation. Fierce feels really awful, and he asks the boys to gather supplies for Sky and get a room at the inn ready for him. Fierce tries to mentally reach out to Sky and can't find him. Nervous, he takes the mask off, and Sky is a hot mess, but the boys take care of him.
The next time Sky tries to talk to the mask, Fierce won't reply until Sky almost puts it on. He asks Sky to not use the mask, and says he's content with just hearing about the boys. Sky can immediately hear the pain in his voice and knows he's lying, but he doesn't know what to do about it, so he decides to go to Legend and Hyrule, magic and artifact experts, to see if they can work something out.
Because by now, everyone wants to meet Grandpa Fierce.
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lucalicatteart · 1 year
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Poll adventure (paventure? lol) Day 14: read the small story tidbit below the poll for more details, OR just vote based on initial impression
(✦ see past poll results + further information HERE (link) ✦)
Yesterday's poll decided that The Adventurer should relax by spending his afternoon shopping ..
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He trots down the mossy cobblestone walkway, gazing around in awe as he approaches the central hub of the small city. Tiny shops and stalls and carts are woven through the few clusters of taller buildings, with a modest crowd bustling back and forth between them. Despite much of the land being cleared for structures and pathways, it's still lush with greenery wherever it can be, every blank stone wall or street corner dotted with trailing vines and flowering fruit trees.
After spending a good 25 minutes trying to orient himself at the city map directory, he finally finds his way onto one of the primary shopping streets, eager to spend the afternoon lazily strolling about, trying to ignore his physical aches and just take in all the sights as he hunts for interesting items....
...A few hours (and multiple snack breaks) later, the streets begin to glow with a hazy warmth as lanterns are lit, marking the nearing sunset. Possibly because of the fight yesterday, he's felt shakier, more easily startled than usual, and suddenly realizes an urgent need to be safely inside his room at the inn before nightfall. He wanted to stay out longer, see the lights and the crowds, fascinating scenes of city nightlife he's never been exposed to before.. but, his nerves are impossible to ignore.
Begrudgingly preparing to slink off towards the inn in a sweaty anxious panic, he stops in the doorway, resolving to at LEAST buy himself ONE nice item before he leaves. He doesn't have much money, sure, but it'd be a shame to simply look around all day and not get anything. All travelers need to collect their souvenirs, right? But.. What should he get?
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Additional Information (feel free to skip this part, it's just extra context for people who are interested lol)
just for record (in case it influences what people think he should buy), this is the adventurer's current inventory contents:
small journal + pencil to document his travels (and a few colored pencils for sketching plants or doodling)
a basic travel guide booklet
a simple map of the area
a small glass lantern case you can put candles in
fire starting materials
basic matches
first aid kid (a few bandages, simple antibacterial balm, some dried herbs that can be used for minor issues like stomach aches or nausea)
one metal cup, one metal bowl/plate thing, one metal fork/spoon, a cooking knife, and one metal pot for cooking over the fire
a basic toiletry bag (toothbrush, herbal mixture toothpaste type thing, bar of soap, one towel, a rag, a few disposable paper napkins, moisturizing oil, hair brush, a tiny cracked mirror)
three bottles of various spice mixes for flavoring the plain/bland food he usually forages on the road (+ plain salt)
a glass jar of berries
a container of plain dried oats
a container of dried beans
half a loaf of stale bread
one carrot he found
a bag of dried fruit
about 15 coins (maybe equivalent to $45 USD in our world money lol)
a basic fishing kit (simple lures, hooks, string)
two containers of canned fish just as a back up in case he ever can't find fresher food for the cat
a cheesy fairytale romance novel about people going on a grand heroic journey, to help give him inspiration to continue on his own travels and be the ultimate Super Cool Adventurer Hero
an old folded up letter from his family
a fabric pouch of cool shiny rocks + other trinkets he's collected
one change of underwear, one change of socks, + winter gloves
foldable saw
some twine/string
a basic sewing kit (2 needles, one spool of thread, a thimble)
lawyer's business card (from boat party)
lawyer's fancy expensive giant scarf (also from party)
1 lunchbox of vegetable dumplings (from Innkeeper)
2 canteens of water
a small dagger for cutting rope, vines, multipurpose anything
a little tin of mint & rose flavored candies for when his mouth gets dry
a box of cubed dried chicken as cat treats
a box of fancy tea
one large rope
a roll of fabrics (one thick blanket for padding when sleeping on the ground, some basic tent fabric to make shelter from, a few spare fabric scraps, 2 cloth napkin/towel things, two cloth sacks for extra carrying capacity if needed)
1 pouch of dried meat
5 candles
Innkeeper's hand-drawn map to her brother's hideout
and of course, the Mysterious Egg in a little wooden box
the adventurer's current main quest: follow his map to reach the abandoned castle ruins and see the rare animal specialist about the mysterious egg he has
#paventure posting#poll#polls#choose your own adventure#Just a fun shopping day! what shall he get? :0#Also the cat is riding on his head in the image but I picture more that the cat probably sits on his shoulder or just#follows him on the ground when he's walking around. probably shoulder is best in crowded areas so they#don't get separated. I just can't draw the cat on the shoulders because of the more like ''chibi'' art style. his head is so giant there's#no room for anything on his tiny shoulders that are covered up by his hair anyway lol#If I drew him in my own actual more realistically proportioned style then. maybe#I should do a ''normal'' drawing of him.#maybe like a a character sketch to show his outfit fully or something. But..eh#I finally made the writing shorter again. The past few days have been too long. but I'm working back towards like#3 paragraphs or less. Today is 4 but still.. better than some of the other days. Which those days I did also have to describe#more but still. I do these super super quickly so it's better for it to be shorter if it can be lol#the writing SEEMS longer since I did also include his entire inventory but jhjknk#I just LOVE thinknig about inventories. Part of the pictures I want to post on my main blog at some point if I ever finally#edit all of them is I gathered a few items from around the house and made little fake adventurer inventories#like just groups of things someone might carry around. This was months and months ago it just takes me THAT long to actually#find the time/energy to edit and post photos lol. But for whatever reason some of my favorite Unnecessary Details to fixate on#(and I LOVE fixating on small pointless details) is like.. what someone is carrying aroun with them. What they have in their bag#and why and what it says about them and what it looks like and the story behind it and where they got it and etc.#Of course his is pretty plain because he barely brought anything with him. but still lol.. I'm leaving his backstory up to interpretation#since he's kind of a character where most of the decisions are made by other people. so I'm not sure if he doesn't have much because#he used to be a poor farm boy or something. Or maybe he just was so overexcited to leave he forgot to pack enough. maybe he's just#bad a planning. maybe he's rich actually but his parents didnt want him to waste his time on adventuring so they didnt support him#or buy things for him and he had to scrap it together himself. etc. etc. Whatever the case. He has ENOUGH to be prepared#and to survive generally. but it's all very like. flimsy basic stuff. materials that tear easily. bent metal pot with dents in it. etc. lol#ANYWAY.. new poll adventure.. this one did take a little longer than I wanted but not as long as the last one. Trying to get back on track#I will hopefully have less dr's appointments in april. so.. aaaa
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mbat · 9 months
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i find it really interesting by the way that in the flashback to the both of them being angels, crowley is clearly not really paying aziraphale much mind? like, he just called him over to help him for a second and then talk to him about this thing he was excited for, he doesnt even bother telling him his name, and hell he also comes off as being higher ranked to me somehow, idk. and then aziraphale gives him bad news and makes him all sad and they talk a bit like that, but crowley is like, still not really considering this dude hes talking to, mostly focusing on his own stuff
but he still bothers to hold out a wing to shield him from the "rain" at the end...
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orcelito · 1 month
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Having lost my cat, my uncle, my great grandmother, my grandma's best friend (& one of the people who helped raise me), AND my dad all within the span of 9 months,
I have little sympathy for people who use deaths as an excuse to be an asshole. I get it, it sucks. Get the fuck over it. Your grief is not an excuse to treat others like shit. What the fuck.
#speculation nation#this isnt anything personal. im just reacting to a post that kind of pissed me off.#to be fair i was never close with my great grandmother so im not particularly broken up about that one#but it's still yet another death in the family within such a short period of time.#my cat is on this list bc he was the first one and it majorly fucked me up. so yeah it deserves to be here.#the others. well. my grandma's best friend makes me sad but at least she was getting up in years#my uncle and dad though. especially my dad. yea those have fucked me up the most.#im never gonna be the same after experiencing all of this in such short succession.#it sucks in a major way. and things are still continuously tumultuous.#but you dont see me lording it over people and using it as an excuse to be an asshole.#maybe i make people uncomfortable with how casually i mention it. but like whatever. it's simply my truth.#that's still just like. me just talking about what ive been up to. that kind of thing.#idk acting like someone needs to be treated with the most tender of touches after experiencing a major death#to the point where you cant even tell them when theyre being a manipulative little asshole?#i dont fucking think so!#yeah okay all grief hits different but ive pulled myself up by the bootstraps and kept my head on straight#even after i experienced death after death after death after death after Fucking Death#whats your excuse? youre Sad? we all fucking are. thats just life.#it's horrible and awful and it sucks that we have to live with this but you CANT let that affect how you treat other people!!!!!#and here i am making my own post venting about it instead of replying to the aita post that sparked this#bc the person the post was about just made me so angry to hear about.#but i am... a reasonable adult who separates themselves from situations before reacting in anger...#and so im making a tumblr post to get the emotions out instead of getting emotional at random strangers lol#anyways i actually had a pretty good day today. but in the way of grief. the smallest things can trigger moods sometimes.#but i am letting the emotions flow... here they are... i have expressed them... and i shall now release them... amen...#negative/#i guess lol. i sure did rant enough for it.
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I don't know much about Hozier myself and Eat your Young is p nice but I honestly think In The Woods Somewhere (my favorite) will be a lot more to your liking <: Even if only for the unsettling lowkey Hannibal vibes/imagery
ohhh noted! i do like unsettling and I do see hannibal in way waaaay too many songs. thank you!!
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