#not to be rude but I've seen some people do that on others' posts recently and it's like

[candlewaxandp0lar0ids]

How to Leave Comments on Fanfiction

So, I recently made a poll to know if people might find it helpful to have a list of things they could talk about when leaving comments on fanfictions, be it on Ao3 or on here. A majority of people were interested in seeing the post so, well, I'm making it. I started writing and posting stuff online when I was a teenager, on a website where leaving constructive criticism was the norm. It's by far the place where I've gotten the most feedback and it was an incredibly formative experience for me as a young writer — and it taught me how to leave detailed comments.

Writing comments doesn't necessarily come easy. It's something that you may need to learn how to do, but the good news is that you can learn how to do it, so don't worry if you don't know what to say at first. Hopefully this list will give you some pointers on how to do that.

This is more or less the list I go through when I want to leave a detailed comment. Even if I don't have a specific idea at first, I'll go through the steps and I never come out empty-handed.

Comment etiquette:

What became apparent with the poll I made was that a lot of people worry about how they'll be perceived by the writers if they leave a comment. Now, obviously, writers aren't a monolith, but 99% of the time writers will be thrilled that you took the time to leave a comment to let them know what you enjoyed in their fic. I cannot stress this enough. We're not going to judge someone based on a positive comment they leave.

As it stands, on Tumblr and Ao3, it's seen as rude to leave negative feedback, unless the author has explicitly asked for it/agreed to it, so that's what I'll be going over here. Since quite a few writers did say on that post that they would like to get constructive comments as well, stay tuned, I'm trying to get something together to do that for authors. Other than that, you're good to go.

The main ways to let an author know your thoughts on a fic on Tumblr are:

reblogging a fic with your thoughts underneath it

reblogging with your thoughts in the tags, which is often less formal

leaving a comment as a 'reaction'

sending in an ask if they're activated on the blog (which means you can stay anonymous, if anon asks are allowed)

Reblogging means that your followers will see the post as well, and is therefore really appreciated on Tumblr.

As a note, you may find different systems work for different fics! Maybe leaving tag rambles works for you when commenting on drabbles, for example for me it's the system I use to leave comments on smut.

General advice:

Everything I'm saying in here is for people who want to be able to leave longer/more detailed comments and don't always know where to start. If, for whatever reason, you're not comfortable or you don't have time to do it at the moment, a simple "I love the fic, thank you for writing it" always goes a long way for an author.

The key thing to keep in mind if you're trying to find something else to say, I think, is to try making the comment specific to the fic you're leaving it on. It shows the writer what you took away from the fic and the fic's strong points, which is both meaningful and helpful to an author.

Comments don't have to be long to be meaningful. Don't stress about writing a ton; a one-sentence comment highlighting the fic's humor or how emotional it made you can be incredibly impactful.

With this out of the way, I'll go through things you can talk about in a comment, starting with what I think is the easiest and moving on to things that could require more thought. You don't have to do all of that. You may never use some of the things on that list. Leaving comments should not be a source of anxiety. So take what you want from the list, maybe come back to it if you need more inspiration, and don't worry too much about it :)

Favorite line(s) : pull from the fic to let the author know what your favorite line was. If you wish, you can expand on that by saying why it was your favorite: did it make you laugh? Did it make you feel something specific? Did the author nail the characterization with it? Was there some incredible metaphor? Did you find it beautiful or poetic even if you can't go into detail? Is there one line in particular at the beginning of the fic that hooked you in and made you want to keep reading?

All of that is very valuable for a writer to know. Some of my favorite comments I've gotten were a list of a reader's favorite lines from a fic with one or two sentences to explain why they liked them, so don't hesitate to do that more than once if you can!

Emotions:  if there’s one thing I know about writers, it’s that we’re thrilled when we’ve made you cry. So tell us: how did the writing make you feel? Did you laugh out loud? If you did, was it the dialogue, or the narrator? Did it make you cry? Which part? Could you relate to one of the characters? Did it make you feel seen? Did the fluff make you feel all fuzzy inside or did the angst twist knots in your stomach? This isn't an exhaustive list, and emotions are great to draw from when you're leaving a comment!

Favorite element of the writing: Is there one thing in the writing that struck you as being particularly good, or what was your favorite thing to read? Is the author a master at writing dialogue? Are their descriptions so good you could see the whole scene? Are they really good at getting in a character's head and describing their emotions? Were you hooked from the start and couldn't stop until you reached the end?

Characterization: Now, this might be less instinctive, but if you've been in a fandom for a while, you'll probably be able to identify these things fairly easily. You can tell the author if you think they've nailed one aspect of a character. Did you have a favorite character in the fic? What did you think of them? Did the author manage to capture their voice? Was the attitude spot-on? Which parts of the character, if you can name them? Were there aspects of the character you particularly enjoyed? Did the author shine a light on something you hadn't considered or on something you don't think is highlighted often enough? Is there one thing from the fic you can actually picture/hear a character doing/saying in your head?

Style: I'd argue this is the hardest part, and you shouldn't feel bad if it's not something you can really comment on. As someone whose first language isn't English, I know I struggle with it. Style can be perceived as the way the author's voice comes through in the text. It can come through in punctuation, in the way sentences are formed, in the choice of the words themselves. If, when you read, you feel something intangible that doesn't fit well in the other categories, it just might be the author's style.

Here are some things (non-exhaustive list, of course) you could say about an author's style: it can be direct, straight to the point. The author doesn't bother with ornaments. Every sentence feels impactful. Maybe the writing feels intense. You're overwhelmed by the characters and their feelings and you feel truly engulfed in the story. Maybe the style is light and airy. It's so easy to read you don't even notice you are reading. Maybe the writing is intricate. Going through it is like piecing a puzzle together, sentences are foreshadowing and metaphors reveal deep truths about the characters. Maybe the style is rich. While not always the easiest, it's a pleasure to read through it, the author has a wide vocabulary, and you might want to compare it to a well-written novel.

If you identify specific elements of that style (metaphors, interesting use of punctuation, etc.), don't hesitate to point them out and let the author know you enjoy them!

That is it for this post, hopefully it doesn't look too daunting — again, you absolutely do not need to do all that in any comment, but maybe going through this list can help you leave comments for authors you enjoy.

I like to end my comments with 'Thank you for writing and sharing this with us', so I'll tell you thank you for reading, I hope this was helpful, and please consider reblogging if you'd like to save this or if you think it could help someone else!

As a bonus, my friend @elidebrey and I (but mostly her) made a 'checklist' for commenting, to help remember all this if that's something you'd like, so use at will!

A big thank you to @elidebrey, @yoongihan and @antoniorhinothethird for their precious opinions on this ♥

#fanfiction #ao3 #fic #fic things #fanfic #archive of our own #author things #fanfic comments #ao3 comments #writing #long post #very long post #fandom

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for being truthful with my husband's coworker?

I (23f) have a husband (25m) who is very close with his coworkers. They come over to our house a lot for DND, holidays, etc.

One of his coworkers, N (27m) and I were close. N is very charismatic and flirts with EVERYONE. My husband legitimately did not care, I've even showed him me and N's texts before which look the same as my husband and N's- yes some flirting but nothing actually serious. Most of it is joking

Well, N started dating someone they all work with, J. I had never met J, I have 0 clue her age. The first time we met, I tried to be inviting as there isn't a lot of girls around except those of us that are married or who already are coworkers. She seemed shy, maybe a bit socially awkward.

Then the second time, I caught her pointing at me and whispering to her best guy friend and they both started laughing. It felt like I was in high school, but I ignored it. N had been out of the room. This was at MY house.

We've met a handful of times since, and by a handful I mean literally 5 times. Every time she does not say a word to me. I've tried talking to her and she'll blankly stare at me. So I've stopped. If she doesn't want to be friends that is her choice.

Except my husband caught her vagueposting about me on social media. N doesn't have social media fyi. She basically posted the exact outfit I was wearing, something that happened, and then put "what a dumb situation caused by someone stupid, but at least the outfit was cute". She also replied to a comment saying i was flirting with her man and a homewrecker, which is why I brought up how N is because he is like that with EVERYONE. So I haven't liked her since because, sure she can be upset with N and me joking and "flirting" even if N is like that with every coworker and even my husband, but to post about me and call me stupid just seemed petty and rude

I asked N if she was uncomfortable with our interactions, because J had me blocked on social media and I couldn't ask her, and N said she shouldn't be because he treats me no different then anyone else.

Well, any group hang outs she doesn't come to. There is always an excuse, and I dont even want to invite her because of what she said about me. Except for DND which I am not a part of (I do enjoy it, but the way they play is so fast paced and im dyslexic and not good at math, I have a better time watching then playing so I do other things while they play, it also gives my husband time to enjoy a hobby he likes alone). Anytime J is over for DND she ignores me or whispers to her guy friend when I'm around. N is still N, flirting with everyone (me, my husband, the guy who plays an orc, J, etc.). I dont even think he is intentionally flirting i think he is just very charismatic and some stuff he says can be taken that way

Well most recently N invited us to his house so me and my husband went. J came home started talking to everyone there and then saw us and went to her room (N, J, and two other people live together). She didn't come back out the entire time me and my husband were there, but I found out later she came out once we were gone.

N texted me asking my opinion of J. I was truthful and said, and I quote "Well she seems smart and she is pretty, but I don't really know her. I don't think she likes me, which to each their own. I wish she was a bit more polite about things when she is at my house. Cant really speak on someone i dont know except that shes a bit cold and not who i had thought you would be with.. Otherwise, as long as your happy, what does my opinion matter?" To which N replied "so you have a bigger opinion" and then blocked me.

My husband agrees with me but N is his best friend, they haven't discussed it at work. I have seen J recently, we ran into each other at a store, and she called me a bitch (I guess N told her what I said). AITA?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

[sansaorgana]

It's not caused by any recent situation, I've been thinking about it for a long time now but I have some things to say about fic writing.

Being a fic writer in a fandom might be the most ungrateful "job" in the community. I have lots of gif maker friends and I make mediocre gifs myself so I will compare these two a lot but I want to make it clear I don't want to say fic writers are more important or suffer more or anything like that because I value gif makers more than you can imagine.

– First of all, the whole cringe status around fic writing – especially x reader fanfics – is awful. I often see posts that whine about the fact that these fics even exist. People don't think twice, they just hit "post" and in result they are shaming other people for having innocent and creative hobbies. We spend real time of our real lives writing fics we love for ourselves but also for other people's enjoyment. For free. I really don't want to see posts about how cringe and silly fic writers are just because someone thinks they're superior in a fandom. It's a fucking Tumblr. Also, would you say the same about a person drawing fan art? I don't think so.

– I know there are some gifsets that take literally weeks to make but in most cases fic writing takes more time to create and at the same time it takes more time to consume. It's easy to hit a like or a reblog button under a gifset that you consumed in under a minute just like it's easy to ignore a fanfic because consuming it would take you more time. It's understandable but at the same time, if you read fanfics, reblog them at least. Leave some sort of feedback. Even one word or a reaction image. It really means a lot... And, once again, the lack of reblogs bothers gif makers as well, but I think in the case of fic writing it's mostly caused because y'all ashamed of admitting that you read these fics. Like who the fuck cares? It's not Facebook, no one here knows who you really are, who the fuck cares?

– Speaking of reactions under fics. Being like "Part Two" is considered to be extremely rude. We are not AI bots and we certainly won't force ourselves to write a second part because you demanded it without even commenting on the work itself or hitting a reblog button. If "Part Two" is all you have to say, then it's better to stay quiet.

– Also, readers who comment rudely under fics written for free like ??? So what he's out of character? So what he's a sad little meow meow in the movie but a ray of sunshine in this fic? You are not being forced to read it and there's a whole community of people preferring fluff to angst. If some fic is not your type, just ignore it. I guarantee you, there are other fics that are your type and if there are not, you're welcome to start writing yourself. I've also seen people starting dramas about some details in the smut fics. Like Jesus fucking Christ... Go touch some grass.

– What hurts the most is the prejudice from other content makers. I've seen some posts hating on/mocking fic writers that are coming from gif makers themselves. We're all on the same boat, we create fan art for the media we love. Why do we have to bring each other down? I am aware of the problem of gif stealing in the fic writing community but it mostly is caused by the fact these people don't know how to properly credit gifs with the gif tool. Believe me, most of the fic writers have a huge respect for the gif makers and I wish it went the other way around as well, even if you don't read fanfics, you don't have to be rude about people who do.

– Fan fiction writers are not desperate ugly teenagers locked in their parents' basement. Some of them are mothers, some of them have PhDs, some of them are doctors, some of them are just simple people who want to relax after a stressful day. The same things y'all be thinking of fic writers can be said about any content maker on this site because they also spend hours in front of a computer making fan arts or gifs of their favorite characters.

#sansaorgana's shitpost #*** #fic writing #fan fiction #fan fic writing #fan fic stuff #fan fic things

[discworld-heritage-posts]

What do you think you add? Do you think you make a poignant post better when after scrolling down through it we see someone saying it's "official"?

I'm choosing to interpret this ask as a genuine question (albeit one that's been worded a bit rudely) instead of a hate anon, because I wouldn't want to tarnish people's dashboards with hate anons.

Now, to answer your genuine question... The "Discworld Heritage Post" tagline I add to the end of posts has as much validity as I have authority to bestow it: none. Do I think my tagline makes posts better? Of course not! And I certainly don't think I make them official, (and neither my url or my pinned post claim that I do so).

I don't know what reasons other people had to start their own Heritage Posts blogs for other fandoms, but I will gladly tell you mine: I got into Discworld. I discovered the Discworld fandom in Tumblr. And, one day, while scrolling down some Discworld related tags, the idea just popped into my head. After checking that there wasn't a Discworld Heritage Posts blog already, I decided to make one.

I personally follow a few Heritage Posts blogs, and my reason to do so is probably the same as to why many people follow this blog: I wanted to see that kind of content. Tracking tags and being up to date on the most popular posts of a fandom is doable, but doing so for the dozens upon dozens of media I'm into is impossible, so I like to follow some Heritage Posts blogs to get some of those posts directly into my dashboard (it's also worth mentioning that sometimes, some iconic posts are made when people comment stuff on them, and those don't appear in the search tags, so following blogs that post about a certain fandom is the best way to come across some of those collaborative posts, because otherwise you'd rarely get to see them). So yes, I created a blog that, had it already existed, I would have liked to follow. Also, while other blogs with this gimmick usually limit themselves to reblogging, let's call them the "greatest hits", I've said since the beginning that I didn't care about how many notes something had. Be it cool art or a funny or insightful post, if I like it, I send it to my drafts.

However, none of those reasons are the main reason why I made this blog. The main reason is that I did it for myself. After exhausting all the content that showed up in the Popular Posts tab, I couldn't help but think of all the gold and treasure that wasn't there, buried and hidden due to the way Tumblr's search engine works. If you're familiar with the Discworld concept of "lies-to-children", that's what the "top posts of all time" is in Tumblr. A 20k post from 2016 will not be there, but a six month old post with 400 notes will show up. Surely there had been amazing Discworld posts and art posted in 2015 and 2013, but I wasn't going to find most of them unless I expressly went looking for them. And this blog was the perfect excuse to do so. As of replying to this ask, there's nearly 600 posts sitting in my drafts, and if I didn't have this blog I would have never discovered 90% of them. And those are the ones I've seen. I still have dozens of places I haven't searched.

I know that if I reblog a month old post with over 2k notes, a lot of people in the fandom will have already seen it. However, a 2k notes post from 2014, or a drawing with 40 notes from 2012 is something that is less likely to have hit people's dashes recently, or at all. When you come across the "Discworld Heritage Post" tagline in a post, please don't picture me as an uppity monarch performing the Tumblr equivalent of a knighting ceremony, or a stuffy museum curator deigning a piece worthy of being included in an exhibition. Picture me as a kid enthusiastically jumping and flailing my arms around while yelling "holy shit guys check out what I just found!!", because that's how I feel running this blog.

Ultimately, whether one of my posts does better or worse is indifferent to me, because they aren't my posts, or memes, or drawings. I'm just the intermediary. That being said, of course it's not indifferent to me, because more engagement means that was a post many people hadn't seen before, or had forgotten about, and one of my goals was to run a blog that would allow people to find those hidden or long forgotten gems.

When all is said and done, Heritage Post blogs are just another one of Tumblr's gimmicks. If we're not your cup of tea, you're free to ignore or block us. If you want to reblog something and don't want the tagline, you can reblog it directly from OP (or from another reblog if OP has deactivated their account).

#long post #THAT BEING SAID #I've seen people being very exited about something they made showing up in this blog and calling it an honor and stuff like that #and to those people I say: I see you and your lovely tags and my heart warms when I read them #i might not have any real authority besides a self imposed gimmick in a nearly defunct social media platform #but if seeing your stuff here makes you happy and proud those feelings are valid and I want you to treasure them #a lot of things only have the meaning we ascribe to them and my tagline might not hold any official meaning #but it does mean something VERY IMPORTANT: #that I saw your post and I loved it and I reblogged it to make sure other people could also find it and love it #I need to come up with a tag for asks don't I? ok how about #asked and answered #dhp's asks #discworld

[originalartblog]

Hi Nawy!!! I was wondering if you had a tiktok, I saw some posts with your art there and no credits :((( was hoping I could tag you in them so they know you are the artist

Sorry for asking because of such a bummer reason

I've been very clear in not wanting my art reposted freely and I've gone over why it's very rude to repost/reupload other people's creations without their consent MULTIPLE times, I know most who do this are simply unaware of the harm, yet I keep getting messages about the same person uploading all of my art (among many others', including art watermarked "do not repost") on their tiktok account anyway.

If I wanted tiktok fame I'd make a tiktok account and I'd tell all of you. I haven't touched tiktok for my own reasons and I'd very much appreciate some basic respect in not putting other people's creations on random platforms they have not consented for? Especially in the fucking "AI art" age with all the scraping and the selling of data? Just a fucking idea?

I've seen an uptick in people calling them out on reposts of my art and they started defending themselves by saying they give credit in the collection's name (wow, credit you won't see unless you go out of your way!) and that since they don't make money off it "it's fine". Glad to know independent artists on the internet and giant corporations are the same to you. No, scratch that, giant corporations would have sent you a cease and desist for reuploading their entire catalogue yourself.

Take care of small creators and don't conflate legality with decency. Some people are fine with reposts under certains conditions, some never are. Not respecting boundaries is how you lose beloved fanwork creators. We've seen it just recently. I've been seeing it for over a decade. Please keep that in mind.

#non rebloggable #ask answered #not art

[mejigay]

MEJIBRAY MiA is chewing on his ribcage bone

Keeping up with MEJIBRAY: The Series

⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹ . * ꙳ ✦ ⊹

Hello to my favorite bitches, long time no see! Ready for a classic mejigay gossip sesh?

If you were anything like me, you started a Tumblr blog about visual kei very young (I've posted about vk on this blog since I was 16) and now you're an adult. MEJIBRAY broke up around 6 years ago now I think right? I am now 24, have a masters degree and planning on moving to Japan in spring. Crazy how time flies right.

Let's refresh our minds a little bit okay? Now I'm assuming you remember everything from those 6-ish years ago. The MEJIBRAY label/contract issue with Tsuzuku and Koichi, Tsuzuku's borderline disorder, the refusal to do encores during the last tour, the charcoal face paint and the result of it all which was 8p-sb. If you want a recap on that specific semi-disbandment drama there's plenty of posts that I made about it while it was happening so feel free to check it out! (keep in mind I was like 18 and very dramatic writing those posts lol) There's also this great summary from a redditor in the comment section here

The same redditor even filled me in on stuff I felt out of the loop about in their reply to the OP. I know 8p-sb is gone and Koichi does Trembling Bambi solo stuff while Genki (Tsuzuku) is a vocal coach, is in the band 30 seconds certain victory, and revives VanessA occasionally. But this has also happened:

Yeah what the fuck Koichi? Now, I do remember starting that yakuza theory here on Tumblr back in the MEJIBRAY semi-disbanding days. I read it on tanuki and told y'all about it and got soooo much shit for it at the time lol. Looks like Koichi kind of confirmed the theory! (take that rude anons in my asks back then lmao). However, Koichi staying in the same industry he claims is rotten and run by the yakuza is definitely weird. Why talk all high and mighty while benefitting from it one may ask. Either way, for those wondering what Koichi is up to, there's your answer and an explanation to why he got backlash. About the VanessA stuff, one can conclude that our favorite duo, Genki and Koichi, doesn't seem to be that involved with each other anymore.

I would also like to take time to talk about Genki's well being, as some of you might know he has a youtube channel in Japanese. From my so-so Japanese skills I can still keep up with a lot of what he's saying. Good news, he's doing better now than the MEJIBRAY days from the looks of it. In this video he talked about how the photo from the MEJIBRAY days was him being unwell and the picture to the right is him feeling much better!

(TW for this paragraph: self harm) In another video he talked about various topics/gave advice such as about self harm/cutting and how it annoys him when people say he shouldn't hurt the body his parents gave to him. He thinks that's an incorrect way to tell someone to stop cutting and seems in general to be very open to talk about this topic while smiling and not getting angered. So he seemed very stable, mature and content to me.

What about Meto/Yutaro? Well, he seems to be a happy chef! As for MiA... I've seen him hang out with hosts like Roland and in general seems to live that bougie life. Roland is a top host who aims for the prince vibe just like MiA, and is open about his plastic surgeries just like MiA. Now let's get into a really recent topic about Mia!

Just like me, you might still follow our MEJIBRAY boys on various social medias. And just like me, you might have seen MiA's picture where he chews a bone. "Huh, weird" you might have thought as you scrolled past it. Well here I am, resurrecting this blog once again, just to tell you that the bone is MiA's fucking ribcage bone. I ain't posting that picture, find it yourself cause it's gross.

As MiA poses in the same costumes from his MEJIBRAY days and posts them on Instagram, you'd think his life and social media posts were a bit mundane. Then, a fucking picture of him chewing a thick ass bone pops up. The bone in question was taken out during a ribcage surgery, that MiA claims was done in order for him to create a custom guitar with his BONE INFUSED into it. Yeah I know. What???

In general you could either see it as him being a massive attention hungry person, or as unhinged and putting his life in danger. Bone surgeries are very harmful and anyone with two working eyes can see his shaved jawline bone already. So adding a removed ribcage bone to that... It's dangerous.

That's it for the gossip sesh! I'm thinking of making this "Keeping up with MEJIBRAY: The series" a thing whenever I think there needs to be a big gossip update like this.

To anyone still here in the MEJIBRAY Tumblr tags and to anyone following this blog, thanks for reading all of this and I hope we can laugh at this absurdity together! <3

xoxo mejigay

(feel free to read that sign off in the gossip girl voice lmao)

#mejibray #8psb #trembling bambi #koichi #koichi niiyama #genki #genki takebuchi #tsuzuku #ex-mejibray #meto #30 seconds certain victory #VanessA #yuutaro #yutaro #mejigay #mejibray gossip

[commander-krios]

A Divine Dream

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3 Pairing: Rolan/Dammon Rating: Teen Summary: An invitation to a Grand Ball. A returning hero. And the man who'd gotten away. Words: 5798 Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Slow Dancing, Ballroom Dancing, Banter, Happy Ending, Love and Hope, Second Chances, Mild Language, Background Wyll/Karlach

Read on AO3

This fic was written for @Cozy_Bossi to go along with a piece of art they made a few months ago of Dammon and Rolan. I've attached the picture and their twitter on AO3 so that you can follow them for more wonderful art!

Also, I hit 200k words posted for 2023!

Your presence is requested at a Grand Ball in honour of the rebuilding of Baldur’s Gate by his eminence, Duke Ulder Ravengard.

The invitation was written in elegant script, looped letters in golden ink that glittered in the light. He knew he should attend. Most likely, his absence would be noticed and considered rude among the upper circles of the city. He was the master of Ramazith’s Tower and Baldur’s Gate’s newest archmage, yet he had much to still do, even a year after the destruction of the Absolute. With a sigh, Rolan tossed the parchment on his desk amidst mountains of scrolls and books. 

The movement caught Cal’s eye. His brother glanced up from his book, scrunching his face in concern. “Another solicitor?”

“If only.” Untying his hair from the elaborate braid he’d started to wear recently, he brushed his fingers through the strands, combing the knots out. “There is a party for the Duke in a tenday. I’m expected to attend.”

“A party sounds fun.” Cal reached for the paper, glancing it over quickly before a grin appeared on his face. A grin that Rolan didn’t like the look of. “And Ravengard is fair and honorable. You might actually enjoy yourself.”

“The horror.” Rolan muttered, the sarcasm not lost on his younger brother. “I can think of a hundred other things I’d rather be doing than getting dressed up like a prized peacock and prancing around a dance floor.”

“Is it because you don’t have a date?” Cal teased, setting the invitation face up in front of Rolan again, the golden script mocking him.

“A date? Have you seen the type of person that tries to woo me? Hardly any of them are worth the time or effort.”

“So you’re saying that some of them are worth it?” 

“Please spare me.” The invitation sat open, a temptation despite his objections. How long had it been since he’d left the Tower to merely socialize? His work as archmage brought him to many drawing rooms in Baldur’s Gate, not to mention his travels across Faerun visiting with other archwizards. He wasn’t locked away in Ramazith’s Tower like his predecessor had been. No, he frequently took on apprentices, delved into research with other wizards in the Realms.

But his patience for frivolous things, for frivolous people, had waned in the last months. What use was making connections, social or otherwise, when the one person he wished to see had left for Avernus nearly a full year ago?

Cal shifted in his seat, bringing his book closer as if he planned to continue reading, but his eyes were fixed on a singular spot on the page. He knew what this was. Cal craved life outside of the tower walls. Lia was well established with the Flaming Fist. She had friends and dates and hobbies that kept her away for days at a time. Cal had put his life on hold to stay behind and help Rolan with the organization of the Tower, of everything Lorroakan had left behind. He worked in Sorcerous Sundries most days, only going out on the occasion when Lia insisted.

After everything they’d been through to get to this point, Rolan knew he owed his brother this.

With a sigh, Rolan rested his elbow on the desk, cupping his chin in his hands, his eyes fixed on his brother. “Cal.”

Cal glanced up curiously, the shadow of a grin twitching at his lips. “Yes, Rolan?”

“Did you want to go to the ball with me?”

In his excitement, Cal slammed the book shut hard enough that the entire table shook. Rolan cast a spell to stop the ink pot from tumbling to the floor. It floated, suspended in mid-air before he snatched it and returned it to the safety of the desk. 

“I know you’re excited, but please be careful.”

“Sorry.” Cal said with a sheepish grin. “Should we invite Lia?”

“I suspect she’ll be there.” Rolan cleared away the texts, standing and replacing them to their spots on the bookshelf. He didn’t want to discuss the ball, or the Flaming Fist, or anything when he knew how easily it could lead to places and people he wasn’t ready to talk about yet. Friends that were long gone and most likely would never return.

“Right. Flaming Fist and all.” Cal stood as well, stretching to relieve his muscles from sitting in one place so long. “Should I check in on Tolna before bed?”

“No.” He said, realizing his voice was sharper than was necessary. Forcing himself to be gentler, he turned to his brother, putting on his best smile. The frown on Cal’s face only proved he was still terrible at it. “I’ll do it. I should secure the vault and check in on a few things anyway. Go. Get some rest.”

Cal hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, but decided better of it. “Alright. You’ll let me know if you need help, right?”

Rolan nodded, but he knew no matter how much help he needed, he wouldn’t bother his brother’s well deserved rest. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he gathered up his loose hair, tying it back like he used to do when they traveled the dangerous roads of the Storm Coast. If Cal noticed, he didn’t comment on it. “Of course. Now off with you. I have work to do.”

Cal knew better than to argue with him, it wasn’t worth the trouble. Even if Rolan was in the wrong, it took practically pulling teeth for him to admit it. When his brother finally exited through the portal, the wizard of Ramazith’s Tower was left in the echoey silence.

~~~~

Duke Ulder Ravengard’s estate was lavishly decorated with red and gold hangings, perfectly shined silverware, the glow of hundreds of candles creating the perfect romantic atmosphere for the couples that had already taken to the dancefloor. Gowns made of delicate fabrics in colors of indigo and crimson, lavender and silver, each one more beautiful than the last, billowed and swayed with each movement. Elaborate beading, expensive jewelry, fashionably coiffed hair…

Rolan still couldn’t believe he was here with the nobility as an equal. All of his ambition and dreaming never prepared him for this new life: the opulence, the respect, the wealth of knowledge at his hands. He knew how lucky he was for such a chance, he’ll always be grateful to Wyll and his friends for helping him acquire it. 

With a wave of his hand and a quiet recitation of a well-known spell, stars sparkled across the ceiling, falling in wide arcs of light and color, and a smattering of applause went through the room at the sight.

Cal inhaled sharply beside him, eyes fixed on the magic until it disappeared, wonder and appreciation  on his face. “Wow. That never gets old, does it?”

Rolan smiled softly, clapping a hand to his brother’s shoulder, enjoying the way his eyes lit up at the light show. Almost like old times. “I’m glad you convinced me to come. Now, go. Enjoy yourself. I am going to see if Lia is here yet.”

Cal met his eyes, hesitating. “Are you sure you want me to leave you?”

“I can handle some nobles, Cal.” Rolan held back a laugh at the incredulous look on his brother’s face. “I’m not that insufferable, am I?”

“Well…”

Pushing gently against Cal’s shoulder, he wasn’t surprised when he burst into laughter. “Get out of here, you menace.”

Cal was still chuckling as he melted into the crowd, in search of whoever he knew among the guests. The Flaming Fist was here in force, silent watchers in the corners of the room, although most threats to the Duke or the city had long disappeared with the destruction of the Elder Brain and the deaths of the Chosen Three. Baldur’s Gate, like much of the Storm Coast, hadn’t experienced peace such as this in years. He hoped it lasted.

Rolan had no difficulty finding Duke Ravengard in the crowd, he and Counsellor Florrick speaking to nobility and common folk alike, neither being barred from the Upper City as was once the norm. Now, everyone had a voice in the rebuilding, in the life that was going to bloom here, and Rolan was grateful to be part of it.

Perhaps there was hope, after all. Hope for a better future, for a happier one. A future where he didn’t have to regret or question the choices he’d made.

A future where he finally made a life for himself.

His sister was at her post near the back of the room, the refreshment table not far from where she stood. When Lia noticed his approach, a smile spread across her face, waving in the direction he’d come from.

“I knew you had to be here when the magic show lit up the room. Can’t stop showing off, can you?”

“I did it for Cal, if you must know.” He replied flippantly, reaching immediately for the Arabellan Dry and pouring a large glass full. “He is here, somewhere.”

“Probably searching for Lord Guthmere’s daughter.” She teased, pretending to be at attention when he glanced at her. “They’ve taken a liking to one another.”

“Please, Lia. Let’s not make enemies of the patriars of the city already. I don’t want to be chased out by a mob because you and Cal cannot be discrete.”

She was silent as he sipped the wine, watching the people of Baldur’s Gate flirt, dance, and stand a world apart from them. Even if he was considered among them, Rolan doubted he would ever feel as comfortable among the glitter and gold than he was in the Sundries library, discussing spells and history with other wizards, most notably Elminster and Gale, both of whom visited him frequently over the last year. It’d been quiet, informative, and immensely enjoyable.

“You look weird.” Lia said, barely concealed mischief flirting across her face. She wore her Flaming Fist uniform, the crimson fabric and silver iron looking right on her. He would never admit it aloud, but he was proud of the woman she’d become.

But that didn’t mean she didn’t still irritate him.

“What is that supposed to mean?” He brushed a hand over the rich blue robes he wore, enjoying how the golden threads shone in the light. Rolan had spent days searching for the perfect set of robes for the Duke’s ball, only to end up in Facemaker’s at the last moment to find something worthy of an archmage. “This was an expensive purchase.”

“You might want to ask for your money back.” She teased him, motioning to the ensemble. His frown deepened. ���Half of it is missing.”

Rolan sniffed in irritation, lifting the goblet to his mouth again.“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

“Hells, you’re sensitive tonight.” Lia rolled her eyes so hard he was surprised they didn’t roll all the way into her skull. “I was joking, you idiot.”

“It’s difficult to tell when everything you say is a joke.”

She stared at him until his lips twitched, a smile curling his lips without his permission. Lia snorted a laugh, shaking her head but the expression on her face was approving. Figured.

“Why are you over here sulking, anyway? I’m sure there are plenty of people who would love to get to know the fabulous Master Rolan.”

He gazed into the wine glass, the dark burgundy liquid holding no answers to what plagued him. Only he knew and like hell would he explain any of it to his sister. 

He diverted her attention instead.

“Shouldn’t you be worrying less about me and more about protecting the Duke instead?”

Lia rolled her eyes, nodding to the Duke in question. “As if anyone is going to get past his entourage. Most of the Fist are here for the appearance of protection. Absolutely no one is going to hurt the Duke with a wizard prodigy, a Harper, and a damned vampire spawn protecting him.”

There was no doubt about that. The Duke’s son had left Baldur’s Gate to his father’s benevolent rule, but hadn’t left him alone. Many of his companions had either stayed in the city or visited frequently, to the point that they were welcomed guests at Ravengard’s.

“I suppose you have a point.” Rolan conceded before taking another sip of wine, refusing to meet his sister’s gaze. The last thing he wanted was to see her smug grin. She may have won this argument, but there would be plenty of those tonight and he wasn’t going to concede victory so early. “But then again, I am also here to protect our beloved Duke. Lest you forgot.”

“Could never forget a head that big.”

Rolan held his tongue when there was movement ahead, a gathering of the patriars and their guests as the familiar visage of Duke Ravengard appeared, calling for their attention as if his very presence didn’t immediately call for it. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed even Lia had snapped to attention, her chin held high and her focus entirely on the man she worked for. He’d never seen her so disciplined before. 

Perhaps he wasn’t the only one to truly benefit from the time they’d spent in Baldur’s Gate.

“Now that everyone has gathered, it’s time I explained why I asked you here.” Ulder Ravengard stood slightly raised above the crowd, a goblet of wine in his hand, Florrick and a few of his closest council standing a few feet off, watching with much less anxiety than the rest.

Whispers broke out, speculation running rampant. Ravengard raised his hands in supplication, a genuine happiness on his face that Rolan hadn’t seen much of since Wyll left for Avernus, and the guests fell silent, waiting with bated breath for his announcement. Rolan sighed quietly, trying to still the anxious flutter of his hands. He folded his arms over his chest, tucking his hands against his body, trying to ignore the foreboding that tickled at the back of his mind. 

“It’s been nearly a year and yet, I never gave up hope that my son would return home to Baldur’s Gate. To us.” Rolan didn’t miss the whispered ‘to me’ that Ravengard spoke under his breath. “And for the first time since that day against the Netherbrain, he isn’t alone. Please aid me in welcoming back the Pride of the Gate, your hero, and my son. Wyll.”

Applause and cheers mixed among the patriars, all turning as one as the enormous ornate doors opened once more to admit their heroes. Wyll Ravengard stood at the front, looking as much the hero as the Blade of Frontiers ever had, dressed in an impeccable doublet of black and gold, a prince among patriars.

The tiefling barbarian, Karlach, stood beside him with their arms linked, a radiant force with her wide smile and affectionate laugh, eyes sparkling with a fire that always burned within her.

Rolan hadn’t heard a single scrap of news regarding the tiefling with the infernal engine until now. Her return to Avernus was kept quiet among the companions and the few people who knew of her affliction. Duke Ravengard’s mood had soured considerably after Wyll left with her, refusing to let the woman he loved suffer alone, but tonight, there was a new light within the Duke… within them all. A happiness that Rolan hadn’t seen in so long. 

Wyll’s infectious laughter and wit immediately drew people to his side as it always did. He was surrounded by his usual friends, those that had helped him end the Absolute plot. The silver-haired cleric held a goblet of wine and a rather beautiful smile on her face. The wizard of Waterdeep with his jovial laughter and light hearted, yet silly jokes. The pale vampire who was the life of the party, taking in the attention with the air of a man who’d done this sort of thing his entire life. The High Harper and the former First Druid stood side by side farther back, discussing something at length with the Githyanki, supplied with all manner of drink and entertainment, preferring to shield themselves from the golden light that radiated from the savior of Baldur’s Gate instead of basking in it.

But none of them held the allure of the one who stood within the confines of their circle, out of place among heroes but never far from Rolan’s thoughts.

A tiefling blacksmith with a heart of gold and a smile to match it.

Dammon’s radiant smile was all the more blinding with the joy reflected in his dazzling blue eyes. He watched Karlach and Wyll with the pride of a friend, the affection of a brother. They had been his constant companions for nearly a year and yet, Rolan was jealous of the bond he’d so clearly built with them. 

It was then that Rolan realized what their return meant. Karlach was no longer burning up, the fire of the infernal engine stifled in her chest. 

They’d done it.

“It sounds like father has been telling tall tales about our exploits.”

“If anyone deserves to be a hero, it’s you, darling.” Astarion cooed at him, lifting a glass of wine to his lips. “Just take it before he decides to build a statue or something. The man is relentless.”

Karlach laughed, a harsh loud bark that was full of so much love and joy that it nearly broke Rolan’s heart. How he missed her vibrant personality, despite how loud and perhaps a tad bit boisterous she could be. Wyll took her hand in his, pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles, a gesture that felt too intimate for the setting.

He ignored his friend’s teasing and instead, tugged Karlach closer, slipping his free arm around her waist, their combined hands coming up in the imitation of a dancer’s pose. “Let’s lead this dance, shall we, my love?”

Karlach responded, but Rolan didn’t care what it was she said, what any of them said, not when Dammon had noticed him staring. Realizing his mouth was hanging open, he snapped it shut, blush crawling up his neck and cheeks to the tips of his ears. Dammon smiled at him kindly and approached as the heroes of Baldur’s Gate continued to the dance floor, ignoring the two of them completely.

Rolan’s gaze swept Dammon’s body, taking in the new piercing hanging from his pointed ear, the dark blue doublet with fancy cloak, gold clasps glittering in the light of a thousand candles.

“I didn’t realize you’d returned. This is quite the surprise.” Rolan said, trying to keep his voice as casual as possible, but knowing he immediately failed when Dammon glanced at him, curiosity winning out over anything else. He swallowed with some difficulty, a lump sitting painfully in his throat. Might as well have been his foot.

“Yes. It was… recent. Very recent.” Dammon cleared his own throat, suddenly captivated by the sight of the dancers. Avoiding his gaze, most likely. “Karlach is doing much better than I expected. Better than I had hoped. I’m proud of how far she’s come. She deserves a happy ending.”

And what of us?

Rolan’s shoulders stiffened as his gaze sought out the subject of their conversation. She was laughing loudly, her voice carrying over the music and the chatter. Rolan could acknowledge that she deserved this, both she and Wyll did, but he was still angry that Dammon of all people took that responsibility on to himself. To leave for the Hells, the very place they’d escaped from such a short time ago, to put himself in danger for a woman he barely knew. Only because of the infernal engine she carried. 

He took advantage of Dammon’s distraction to study him. The doublet he wore was a rich ocean blue, only highlighting the azure of his pretty eyes. His blond hair brushed his shoulders when he turned, watching a particularly handsome couple spin across the dance floor. The corners of his mouth tipped up, his expression gentle, softening his features. Longing thrummed beneath Rolan’s skin, the desire to reach out and comb some of that blond hair from his face, to tuck it behind an ear, if only to trail one of his claws across Dammon’s jaw.

“I suppose they all do. They did save us, after all.” Rolan forced the words out, trying to bridge the gap between them, the one that he had created when they’d last spoken. Because despite Dammon deciding to help Karlach’s mission in the Hells, Rolan was the one who’d taken a step back, reexamined things. He decided to leave the fleeting touches and longing looks behind him.

Rolan didn’t want to be left alone picking up the pieces of his heart when Dammon didn’t return. For a year, he’d been right. Dammon was gone, he wasn’t coming back, the Hells had torn him apart or had broken him. And if he did come back, what would be left? Would the man he cared for even still be in there, somewhere?

Rolan knew he wouldn’t survive that. Not after everything they’d fought against, fought for.

Dammon played with the edge of his cloak, the fine fabric shimmering with each movement. He was lost in his mind again, the revelry echoing in a sea of sound and color, a kaleidoscope of chaos. “Everyone here is a hero, in their own way. Even you, Rolan.”

He snorted, resisting an eye roll at the almost compliment. “Of course I am. My greatest achievements being almost getting killed by goblins and shadow creatures only to end up abused at the hands of a megalomaniac. You have a strange definition of hero.”

Dammon glanced up at his confession and Rolan realized too late what he’d admitted. He couldn’t meet the blacksmith’s gaze, this time he was the one to stare out into the crowd. “Lorroakan did what?”

Shit.

“I… Karlach told me about the aasimar, but not-”

Rolan waved the concern away, trying not to feel embarrassed at how easy it was to talk to Dammon. Like old times, indeed. “It’s fine. I’m fine. If it makes it easier to swallow, I helped to throw him from the Tower.”

“It does not.” Dammon sighed, closing his eyes and breathing slowly as if to calm himself. “If I had known, if you’d told me-”

“It changes nothing. Lorroakan is dead and I’m the new Master of the Tower. It’s taken a lot of work but it is mine now. And the Realms’. Knowledge shouldn’t be hoarded.” 

Dammon made a noise low in his throat. A strangled laugh. At least, that’s what he thought it was.

“Is something funny?”

“I didn’t expect you to see the silver lining in such an awful situation. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve always had confidence in excess.”

“Confidence or not, I’ve had plenty of practice surviving. We both have, it seems.”

Dammon bit his lip, concentrating on the words for what they were, a truth that was impossible for him to refute. They’d both done quite a bit of surviving over the last few years. Together and not.

And that was the problem, Rolan realized. Despite everything he’d gained, the safety and security of his position, the wealth and knowledge at his fingertips, the wonderful lives that he always swore he’d provide for his siblings, he was still in survival mode. A difficult habit to break, for sure.

“Rolan, I-”

Clearing his throat, Rolan cut Dammon off before he could get anything else out. The last thing he wanted was a heart to heart in such a public place, with the man who he, once upon a time, wanted something more with. “I apologize, but I really must return to the tower. It’s excellent that you’re well, Dammon. Truly. Perhaps, in the future, you can regale me with tales of your fight in Avernus.”

A brief flash of uncertainty crossed Dammon’s face before he hid it behind a smile. The blacksmith was always levelheaded, more so than Rolan ever was.

Rolan turned away, intending to disappear into the crowd without another word, when a hand clamped down on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks before he could take a single step. “Ah, here you are. The man I was looking for. Where are you off in such a rush?”

Wyll. Of all the people who could’ve caught his escape, it had to be the one whose disappointment would hurt most.

“I’m terribly sorry for leaving so soon… there are things I forgot that must be done, tonight-”

Wyll tsked, shaking his head with a frown on his face. For a brief moment, Rolan felt like a child again, being scolded by the matron of the orphanage he’d been abandoned at. The expression always rankled and this was no exception.

“The Archmage of Baldur’s Gate must stay for one dance. Come, I haven’t seen you in nearly a year and you’ve been standing here stiff as the statue my father said Lia had commissioned of you.”

“She did what?”

“I must insist that you enjoy yourself.” Wyll smiled kindly, nodding towards the dance floor. Rolan’s heart thudded dangerously fast in his chest at the thought of twirling among the other guests. Dancing wasn’t one of his strengths. He couldn’t recall ever having to do so. “Please. Think of it as a favor to an old friend.”

Damn him.

“I’m sure I can enjoy myself quite well with another glass of wine.” 

Dammon coughed, covering his mouth with a hand, eyes staring at his feet. Rolan easily saw the smirk he attempted but completely failed to hide. So this was an ambush, was it?

“You mustn’t leave us so soon, Rolan.” Wyll continued as Karlach joined them, the fitted ebony gown looking even more stunning up close. She slipped her hand into Wyll’s, the joy of being to touch her love clear on her face. “There is plenty of fun left to be had.”

“But, I don’t have a partner.” Rolan responded, a smug grin aimed in the direction of the blacksmith. Dammon’s eyes widened slightly, as if he realized where Rolan’s thoughts had gone. If I have to suffer this madness, then so do you.

“Crazy idea!” Karlach interrupted, a grin breaking out across her lips, excitement sparkling in those glowing golden eyes. “You and Dammon could dance. Together. Because if it’s one thing I know after all of this crazy shit, it’s that everyone needs a chance to find that special person that makes them better. And Dammon here,” Karlach nudged him with an elbow, a grin that could light the Hells on her face. “Well, let’s just say he hasn’t stopped thinking about you since we left for Avernus.”

A blush colored Dammon’s cheeks at the revelation. “Karlach!”

“Was it a secret?” She asked, seeming genuinely confused and Rolan might’ve laughed if he wasn’t so embarrassed. “Come on, the two of you are irritatingly obvious and if I have to throw you into a wardrobe until you finally just f-”

“What Karlach means to say is-” Wyll cut her off, tugging her away from the two of them with a laugh. But not before throwing one last look at them. “Enjoy yourselves.”

Karlach’s laughter faded into the murmurs of the crowd, the son of an Archduke and the tiefling barbarian he loved finding the time to enjoy their lives now that the latest crisis had passed. Rolan released a breath, feeling the tightness in his chest ease only a little, a new fear warring inside of him. With a quick glance in Dammon’s direction, he wasn’t surprised to see the blacksmith studying him. 

“I think that was the most polite threat I’ve ever had aimed at me.” 

Rolan laughed, feeling breathless, and perhaps a little dizzy. It was definitely a threat, but one he might actually not be afraid of the consequences of. “I guess we have only one option then. That is, if you’re amenable to a dance.”

Hells, was he really doing this? He didn’t even really know how to dance a proper waltz.

Dammon raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him. “Is that what you want?”

The man was so annoyingly handsome, with his light hair cascading around his face and striking blue eyes that haunted Rolan so many nights since their first meeting in Elturel. And here they were, both alive and settled in Baldur’s Gate, surrounded by friends, living the future they’d only dreamed about. Dammon was watching him intently, a soft grin curling his lips in a way that left Rolan’s insides feeling like pudding.

Holding his arm out in invitation, he tried to quell the erratic beat of his heart when Dammon linked their arms together, fingers brushing softly against his forearm.

Dammon was alive. After all of this time. The Hells hadn’t destroyed him, hadn’t changed him. His eyes were still kind, soft, beautiful. And to touch him after everything...

The room was too warm, too crowded, too bright, but when Dammon turned to face him in the midst of it all, everything faded to background noise. The only thing Rolan could see was the hypnotic azure of his eyes, a golden ring around his irises that was the same color as a noonday sun. There was a pink flush to his cheeks, the candles in the chandelier above highlighting the gold in his blond hair. Dammon was ethereal, dazzling, and too good for him.

The orchestra began its song, the music swelling around them as Dammon took the lead, free hand sliding to Rolan’s waist while the other gripped his hand gently. Then, without warning, they were moving, no, gliding, across the dance floor, their feet barely touching the ground as they went. Rolan knew there were eyes on them, he felt them burning into the back of his head, but the look of unadulterated bliss on Dammon’s face kept his attention.

There was nothing more beautiful to him than the sight of Dammon’s smile as they spun in the complicated dance, his face flushed in exhilaration, a laugh on his lips that came out awed, delighted. 

“You’re good at this.” Rolan said, forgetting himself in the moment. He felt weightless as Dammon changed direction, stepping even closer. Blush creeped up his neck at the soft brush of their chests and his breath caught in his throat. “Uh, dancing, that is.”

Dammon chuckled, barely able to hide the smile on his face. “You are kind to say that. I admit, it’s been a while.”

The music picked up speed, a tempo that had the rest of the dancers spinning madly around them. Dammon’s gloved fingers tightened on his hip, digging into his waist and if his hands weren’t protected by the thick gloves he wore, his claws would’ve drawn blood. Rolan clenched his hand against Dammon’s shoulder, letting the music distract him from the sudden uncomfortable feeling flooding through him. Closing his eyes, he let Dammon lead him through the dance, each twirl and sway of their bodies, each tap of their feet to the rhythm, each brush against the other’s body nothing short of intoxicating.

Rolan wanted to stay in this moment indefinitely, free of responsibility for the first time in months, with the air rushing by as he realized how much he truly did enjoy dancing. At least, he did in the arms of a man who clearly knew what he was doing. 

“Can I be honest with you?”

Dammon’s question pulled Rolan from his mind. He opened his eyes to find his friend watching him intently. His eyes begged for understanding, for a chance to be vulnerable. Rolan, at least, owed him that much. “

After a beat, Dammon realized his breath, tilting his head slightly to watch out for other revelers, focusing on everything but Rolan’s face. Almost as if he couldn’t bear to see his expression at his revelation. “I didn’t believe I would survive the trip to Avernus. I’d accepted that the Hells would be my tomb. That I would never see the sky again. Never see my friends from Elturel again. But whenever Karlach or I started to doubt, the Blade of Frontiers was there filling our heads with hope.”

“That does sound like him. Irritatingly so.”

Dammon laughed, a soft sound that loosened the butterflies in his stomach and he nearly felt as if he’d be sick. “If there is one word to describe Wyll Ravengard, it is hero.”

“A hero, yes, that’s for certain.” Rolan snorted, leaning forward to glance around them. Guests were still coming and going, and would be well into the night, and for a moment he contented himself with watching the glittering jewelry and fabric, the gilded gold and gemstones, the dancing lights above. It was lovely to behold, this moment of peaceful bliss.

“Do you have an issue with heroic types, Rolan?”

The question brought his gaze back to Dammon and the smile that greeted him there. He was teasing, eyes hooded and sparkling with laughter, and they twirled again, in their own world where no one else but them existed. “Depends on the hero we’re talking about. But to answer your question. No, I don’t have an issue with them. Not anymore.”

With a shake of his head, a breathless laugh escaped his lips, but he didn’t once take his eyes from Rolan’s. “Well, that’s excellent news because I’m dancing with my hero. To be fair, I almost feel like I'm dreaming.”

Rolan might’ve scoffed if the admission didn’t shock him. “Me? A hero? I think the Hells scrambled your brain.”

Dammon rolled his eyes, but sidled closer, their bodies touching again as they danced. “You saved us in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. I wouldn’t be here if not for you so… thank you.”

Rolan broke eye contact, staring at where their hands were entwined. Maybe… this was a second chance. Maybe there was more here than either of them expected. Perhaps, together, they could figure out what that was.

With a smile, he returned his gaze to Dammon, thoughts of a divine dream dancing in his head. A dream that he refused to imagine for so long that he craved it as much as he did the wine in his goblet. His hand tangled into the golden locks that brushed Dammon’s shoulders, enjoying the shiver that ran down his spine at the silkiness. 

“If you’re staying in the city, I’m certain I’ll need your heroics to save me. From a stuck cork in a wine bottle, perhaps?”

Dammon laughed, the sound a balm for the soul but did little for the erratic beating of his heart in his chest. “I’m sure I can handle that.”

Yes, quite the divine dream.

#my writing #bg3 #bg3 fic #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 spoilers #bg3 rolan #bg3 dammon #rolan x dammon #dammon x rolan #wyll ravengard #karlach #wyll x karlach

[jiminsass-istant]

tae already asked them to get out of their imagination

Then the next day he regretted it and tell them that jk is sleeping next to him

And who told you that he regretted it? Or did you come to that conclusion yourself?

Thanks for your ask anon. I've been thinking of doing a deep dive on Tae's personality for some time now.

IS TAE-A-KOOKER?

How is Tae telling them to get out of their imagination and telling jk is sleeping next to him related?

If he calls tkker's to get out of imagination, doesn't that already establish that jk is his bro and friend? Have we not seen jk and tae sleeping next to each other on camera before?

Do you think Tae, jimin and jk have the time to do the mental gymnastics shippers do?

When Tae kept Jimin around for more than half of his fan meet, was he promoting Vmin then? He made Jimin sit down in front of the whole crowd and made everybody sing HBD. If I didn't know they were friends, I would think it was boyfriend behaviour. And mind you, Vmin is a more significant ship than TK in Korea.

🔆Do you think Tae reads the multiple delusional threads in english on insta and twitter? He can't read medium to advanced level English, period.

🔆Tae has always been an impulsive person since the beginning. Be it interviews, saying unhinged stuff, being romantic towards members for no reason, revealing jk-jm are hanging out in the dead of the night. Entering jk's room during a live when JK was naked in Osaka. Asking James Corden to touch Jimin's thighs on national television, no..INSISTING on it multiple times while RM just sat there embarassed. You forgot when he went live while being drunk with Jimin, WHILE JK was already live? Hybe intern must have pulled their own hairs when that happened.

_🔆The taekook page Tae recently posted from has military pics from private sources, completely illegal to be posted in public. While Tae and the members clearly do not want their privacy invaded during military. (Hybe almost sued camp app). If Tae had checked the page once, he wouldn't have posted. But man has no media training recently, so he posted without even checking the source. The same way he posts from fansites, airport pics, posts AI pics etc.

Can you imagine any other BTS member being that impulsive? Apart from JK? No. That's why they are 'partners in crime'. Always getting scolded together.

You need to understand the dynamics members have with each other from official content. Not from shipping spaces or solo spaces.

Now, let's look at some of the early impressions of Tae on the members -

- 'alien','we used to fight a lot' in Jimin's words

-'i knew he wouldn't listen to me' - RM when he met V

-'difficult to understand' - Suga

- ' in his own world' - Jin

But Jungkook -

' helped me get out of my shell'

And finally me-

" Tae reminds me of my cousin who people around me used to think was a 'special kid' because of his weird behaviour, but he was perfectly normal, just different "

And let's not forget this reaction by knetz when V was singing along to a song of a group he liked during an encore. People accused him of making fun of the song, when it was actually one of his favourite songs. He was just so lost in singing with exaggerated expressions,that too on national tv, on stage- that people mistook it for rude behaviour and he was harrased by netizens.

I cannot count the no. of times Tae has been misunderstood at this point.

Why is Tae like this?

Would jhope post from a random account without checking? Would RM? Would Jimin ever do that?? No. They are the real adults of the group. Taekook are the children. Tae - the prime trouble maker, Jungkook who gets in the flow with him.

I unfortunately also have to remind you of the durag incident Tae had during his live. Do you think he did that to offend a community? He is simply ignorant. (Which is a problem). Isn't that a much more scandalous thing than posting from a shipper account? Just because he makes mistakes, doesn't mean he shouldn't be held accountable. And i do INSIST that his manager needs to organize media lessons for him ASAP.

FINAL THOUGHTS-

It is clear as day, he's just impulsive and doesn't have the intentions you are making up in your head. Stop behaving like tkkers, anon. They are the worst breed, don't stoop to their level.

The members took their time to understand him, and so should you. No one is a saint, but Tae has never come across as a vile person who would sabotage his own group member. He's impulsive, mischievous, different, creative and very talented.

In suga's words from suchwita-"Taehyung would sulk when he's not given what he wants, so we started fulfilling all his wishes".

Why would he want people to hate on Jimin, lol? It's so funny to even think of that. Haven't you seen their love for each other throughout the years? It honestly surpasses TK bond. Infact do you know why V said ' i only have you' and ' you were the one who cried with me' to Jimin? Because jimin understands him. Even better than jungkook. I have even seen instances when Tae is ignored during conversations, but then jimin is listening to him, drawing everyone's attention to Tae. Jimin is precious to Tae, ngl.

And why would he want beef with Jimin when they all want to get back together in 2025? If they had some issues, wouldn't RM interfere first, as the leader? Why the hell is Tae always texting jimin, searching up Jimin AI pics, asking to be in a reel with Jimin? Drinking with Jimin? Why does Jimin want Tae at his own fan event? Why is Jimin feeling up Tae's torso when he learnt he's working out? There's literally no evidence of Tae being vile to Jimin. You think they are that good actors?

Believe me, vminkook don't give a fuck about the delulu shipping discourses or vile shippers. You know why? Because they are not the ARMY that they recognize. Hybe or the members will never address shippers. They will show bromance for sure, but no direct call outs.

But you know who directly addressed shippers? The only one to ever do that? KIM TAEHYUNG.

And he had shut them down!

#shipping discourse #bts ships #jikook

[avpdvoidspace]

Do you ever struggle with being demonized for your quietness? I have, pretty much my whole life. I think it's a huge problem in society, if I'm being honest. I'm tired of acting like my whole child-self was in the wrong for not being able to bring myself to talk in a lot of situations, especially since I didn't get diagnosed and treated for my disorders until I was an adult. To be honest, I think it's society's way of demonizing people with AvPD, non-verbal autism and selective mutism. Thinking people like us are "rude" or "suspicious" for only speaking when spoken to, or having a non-verbal episode where we can't speak at all. I was suspected of being violent or "hiding something". Also I was deemed "weird" and treated like some alien due to other neurodivergencies as well.

People on this website sometimes act like being quiet is also a weakness or result of privilege. My parents were encouraging me and trying to get me to speak all the time, though. No one was saying "you don't have to speak if you don't want to". My father used to get angry with me about it, calling me "weak" and my mother used to guilt-trip me for it, claiming I "never tried hard enough" for her because I couldn't get myself to be neurotypical.

I also grew up in a world of domestic violence. My mother told me the abuse she faced from my father started getting particularly worse when she was pregnant with me. I was a little child born on-edge and having to walk on eggshells. My parents would get into violent fights with each other and my father would hit me, too. Both my parents worked and instead of spending time at home playing or bonding with family like other kids did, I was made to go to headstart when I was only like 2. I know it might seem like not a big deal, but thinking about it, I didn't have the same experiences that average kids do, and I still don't know if whether or not that contributed to my avoidant personality. I didn't even realize most kids don't even start school until they're 4 or 5 until I was much older. People have been getting me out there and encouraging me to socialize with others since the very beginning. It never worked.

I spent my whole life hating myself for it. I felt like I was never competent and that I was a burden on my mother. And there were many times I did try to make connections with others but they ended up either backstabbing me or shaming me for my interests. I regret a lot of the times I allowed myself to be known by others. There are many memories of me simply saying things to people that make me feel awful. Terrible disorder.

I did manage to make and keep some friends. But also I'm still not truly myself with most of them and still afraid they're going to end up demonizing me too if they knew more about me. Being queer and growing up with having kinks has left me with seeing so much family, strangers, and even other queer people say people like me are "freaks" and "degenerates" to my face without knowing they're talking someone who's exactly the kind of person they think should be killed.

I saw a post recently and honestly, it doesn't even apply to me. However, it still managed evoke a lot of negative emotions and memories I am experiencing right now...

So there's this post going around that goes something like "discourse about letting kids not say 'trick or treat' is concerning"(paraphrasing) which was weird to me at first because I've never seen anyone say they allow their kids not to say it. I've always said "trick or trick" during Halloween as a kid, even adding some "meows" because I liked being a cat. So it doesn't even apply to me.

But then there were people acting like not saying it comes from a place of privilege. Someone was like (paraphrasing again)"when I was giving out candy, all the black children were lively and sweet, and all the kids who didn't say it were white and probably middle class".

And that struck me a bit. I'm mixed race. People treated me like a potential violent threat because of my quiet nature, which was a result from trauma, not anyone "babying" me. I was always working class. My parents didn't even own a car. We used public transportation to get everywhere.

BIPOC kids who are quiet get treated as threats! Of course you fucking enjoy lively black kids. If one of them was quiet, you might demonize them...

Then there were people saying "you people just need to grow up."

It's so strange that traits that apply to non-verbal autism or CPTSD get deemed as "social anxiety", because tumblr thinks that is the lesser disorder.

I don't know. I got a lot of bad memories spring up from seeing that post, and I just wanted to vent about it here. So many people demonized me for being quiet growing up and it made me believe I was a monster for so long.

I'm not even saying I encourage the behavior of refusing to talk to people. I had a nice conversation with an old woman at Dunkin yesterday. I enjoy small talk and listening to others talk, even when I can't add much to the conversation. I just worry about other children who are like how I was growing up, being traumatized and quiet and being treated like shit for it... I don't trust anyone sees "quiet" as "rude"

I'm sorry about the length and I hope you're doing well.

anon, I'm sorry this took me so long to post. I just want to say that your ask really resonated with me and I've thought about it several times since receiving it. I get similarly frustrated when I see priveleged people praising marginalized for being more friendly, more whatever, for similar reasons. Or setting up an oppression competition between two groups they're not even a part of.

#avpd #avoidant personality disorder #again #sorry to take so long to post these #have been especially avoidant

[kinnbig]

Hello! I just recently binged KinnPorsche and I found your blog and I have to say I love it so much. The analysis, the different stories and ships. It's all amazing. I love it.

Secondly, I will DIE on the hill that Big deserved better. My manz did not deserve what he got.

🥰🥰 this is such a lovely message, thank you so much - and welcome to the fandom!!! 💖

oh yes. I actually (maybe surprisingly) like that Big dies - @snickerdoodlles articulates why really well in this post - but I think he deserved better in that I wish that his death had had more of an impact after the fact.

I wish the show had leaned slightly harder into making Big's feelings for Kinn explicit (I've seen a bunch of people come out of the show not realising that Big was in love with Kinn!), and I wish more time (or any time at all lol) had been given to exploring how his death impacted the surviving characters.

I'm not saying Big needed a funeral - I think part of what is so tragic and good about Big's death is that ultimately, he was just another bodyguard to Kinn. he had to be. he died because it was his job to do so and that was that - but I think the way he died would have had an impact on Porsche especially. Big, who hated Porsche and antagonised him constantly, sacrificed himself for him because he knew it was what would make Kinn happiest. I wish there had been some exploration of how this affected Porsche!

until then, Porsche had very much seen Big (and Ken) not as people with emotions and desires and reasons for being there just as he himself had, but as Kinn's mean mafia lackeys. Porsche had shown up, been rude to both them and to Kinn, demanded (and been given!) Big's job despite being completely unqualified, and then had been surprised that Big and Ken didn't like him all that much. Porsche is not typically one to hold grudges - we see this in his relationships with both Tankhun and Vegas - but Big and Ken had seemingly been exceptions to this. so I think this very abrupt confirmation that Big was human, just like Porsche, and that his actions had been motivated out of the very thing that now also motivated Porsche - love for Kinn - would have been difficult for Porsche to come to terms with. and I, personally, would have liked to see that!!

also, part of the tragedy of Big's death for me is that if he had been listened to at literally any stage of the Tawan situation, his death would have been avoided. Big risked his job to stand up in front of Kinn and Tankhun and Korn and urge them not to trust Tawan, but they let Tawan in anyway. he told Arm and Kinn not to trust Tawan's flash-drive, but they ignored him and the flash-drive turned out to be a virus that broke the CCTV and allowed Tawan to escape.

but Kinn didn't listen to him, and Big was forced, against his better judgement, to follow Kinn to his own death - while Kinn and the others escaped unharmed.

"this would never have happened if you guys had had a better boss", Kinn said to Arm in the aftermath of the warehouse showdown. Kinn knew it was his actions that led them there - but this grief and this guilt is never explored. it lasted for a single scene and then, like Big, was never acknowledged again.

and that's where I think that Big deserved better.

#whoops i started rambling 🫣🫣 #tysm for this ask!!!!! i appreciate it SO MUCH #kinnporsche #big kinnporsche #big kp #kinnbig #darcey.txt #ask #kinnporsche meta #kp meta #kp posting

[boccher]

https://www.tumblr.com/boccher/743039677087498240?source=share

hey, not to nitpick a important post, but do you have examples of the mentioned transmisogony exempt people who are saying that this is a good thing to do or is that just transphobic shitheads/cis peeps

the people who I've seen who would count as TME (and aren't transphobic asshats) under the most common definitions have been outspoken in their statements that this is a bad thing, or straight up haven't posted about it at all, (presumably due to them being inactive or only here to post art) and those that have posted shitty stuff have generally been told, hey, this isn't fucking cool by peers.

is there some sort of pocket of extra shitty non-transfem queer people, or is this just being used as a shorthand for... idfk, people who hate transfems, and thusly unfairly lumping (potential) allies in with the shitters?

sorry if this comes off as rude, that's not my intention here

I dont have links on me, but in recent transmisogynistic waves I noticed a number of queer bloggers who seemed to keep starting arguments against transfems, digging their heels in, exhibiting similar boundary-disrespecting behaviour to the ones I listed matt as doing. This usually happened over topics like transfems disliking being called gendered terms, or the validity of transmisogyny as a political framework. I think this also occurred on posts made by predstrogen herself? These bloggers also seemed to be more likely to participate in callouts (there's been a number of posts detailing how these are disproportionately weaponised against transfems).

I don't mean to lump allies with transmisogynists, I apologise if it came across that way. As far as I've seen these shitters are not the majority of TME people (in which I use TME to mean people who are not the intended target of transmisogynistic violence). I know plenty of cis men, cis women, transmascs, other flavours of nonbinary ppl who have all understandingly stood up against this sort of behaviour, in solidarity with transfems. The recent controversies have definitely led more TME ppl to listen in and declare their solidarity, which I'​m extremely grateful for.

To be fully clear, when I noted that transmisogynistic behaviour is accepted among a significant proportion of TME people, I didn't mean to imply that that proportion was a majority of TME people. I meant it more as in like, the effect of queer TME people who enact transmisogynistic violence is non-negligible compared to, say, transphobia enacted by bigoted conservatives. And it's significant enough to affect how transfems navigate queer spaces and find safety.

#also the ask doesnt come across as rude #ty for giving me space to clarify myself

[halfmoth-halfman]

You should respond to reblog comments more tbh. People are taking the time to reblog your stuff, and tell you how much they enjoyed it and not answering is kinda rude. I love your fics, and you seem nice and all, but I’ve seen your notes recently— they’re nowhere near what they used to be and you don’t get anywhere near as much interaction as other CoD writers. It’d probably help your blog a lot! Just some advice, but maybe think about it! 😘💖

this has been sitting in my inbox for a few days cause i've been debating about whether or not i want to answer this, but i'm 98% sure you're the same anon who's sent me a few other messages since they all use the same kiss emoji and are riddled with the same backhanded bullshit you're spewing here, and you've succeeded in annoying me so here's your answer before you get blocked. 😘

i do this for fun. writing is not my bread and butter, it's not how i make my money, it's not how i support myself. it is a hobby. i use some of my free time to write and post fics for my own enjoyment above all else. i don't give a fuck about how many notes, or likes, or reblogs i do or don't get. is it nice to see them and see comments from people who enjoy my stuff? absolutely. i'm incredibly thankful for anyone who takes time out of their day to read one of my fics and even more so for people who go out of their way to interact with me and my work, but i'm not going to worry myself over numbers, because that's not why i write.

also, i've been in fandom spaces for a long time and, i hate to break it to you, but more often than not fandoms tend to slow down and die after the initial hype. i posted my first CoD fic like a week or two after the game came out when it was blowing up all over social media, of course it got an unusually high amount of notes that were, honestly, a little bit overwhelming at the time. now it's been some time, and the hype for the game has died down, so people are moving on to different shows/games/etc. which means interaction is gonna slow down. it happens, and i don't intend to sit and worry over how many asks or reblogs or whatever i get compared to other blogs. that's not fair to me, the other authors, or the people interacting. i'm happy with where my blog is at, and the amount of interaction i get.

i've said this a few times already, but i work a full-time job and have other obligations outside of tumblr. i don't have a lot of free time, and have to plan ahead how i want to spend it. i try my best to respond to replies, to answer asks, and everything else when i can, but i am an adult with adult responsibilities and just don't have time to keep up with every single like and reblog i get. that doesn't mean i'm purposely ignoring anyone, or that i'm ungrateful, i just simply don't have the time to keep up with every single notification i get. if i had more time in the day, then i'd probably respond more and be more active here in general, but i don't.

i greatly appreciate every single follower i have, every person who likes, reblogs, comments, replies, sends asks, etc. while i write for myself, it's always nice seeing other people enjoying my work, i won't pretend that it isn't. it absolutely blows me away the amount of people who like my writing enough to tell me. i'm always open to people sending me stuff, and try to respond as best i can, but i feel it's unfair (and not just to me, but to other writers and creators in general) to call me rude for not responding how you think i should. and i think it's even more rude for you to come into my inbox (on anon of all things) to spam me with messages about how you think i should run my blog with condescending and backhanded asks that you want to pretend is friendly advice.

i think it would be good for you to take some time and step away from tumblr and go outside, touch some grass, climb a tree, eat some dirt, or interact with real people, and maybe try to realize that, outside of this blog, i am a person too and one who really doesn't need to deal with this shit.

Just some advice, but maybe think about it! 😘💖

#anon #moth talks #answered

[toorebelstrawberry]

What do you do about other fat friends when they start noticing you lose weight cuz I have a "friend" who all she ever thinks about is her looks like she a pick me girl, she is always like, I'm so ugly, omg you guys don't like me bc I'm ugly

And one time two of my friends were doing that mewing thing 🤫🧏‍♂️ and because her jaw is like bigger than the rest of her face she thought they were making fun of her and stopped taking to them and said the were fake friends, I don't like being mean but honestly she isn't pretty even if her jaw was normal she still looks ugly but then whenever it comes to guys she like who, the two I know one of them does look better than her and the other one is just average, she is always like, I lowered my standards form them and they are so ugly and stupid this and that, I don't really like how she acts either, she talks like she stole her personality from tiktok and she is so rude for no reason because she likes talking about people behind their back ( I know I am doing that rn but I'll touch on that later ) and then calling them stupid for not knowing everything she knows and one time I did better on a test than her and she was like how did you do that In supposed to be the smart friend like I'm just smart usually and that's also why I stopped congratulating her when she did well because she is to fucking self centered to care about anyone else, also about the talking behind her back the only reason I'm doing that is because when you try to talk to her attitude to her face she is either starts trying to guilt trip you and say it's because her family is abusing or accuse you of being mean cuz she is ugly. When me and my friend told her about her behavior she was like you need to stop victimizing yourself, if I wasn't at school I would have mauled her alive cuz that scratand my core and not only that but she is a nasty rat too cuz she always has a washcloth to her face and I've seen her drop it and put it back by her face and cough in it and put it back and because of that I keep telling her to leave my stuff cuz she is disgusting but then she takes her nasty washcloth and opens my bottle to put her mouth to it, like ew bitch I don't even let my parents do that and I told her that and she still did it, suffice to say a threw out all the water right after she did it while she was still in front me and she looked so upset because it got on her leg 🥺 but we had PE that day and I didnt even get to drink any water because of her bs, I had to buy another one, she also likes talking about poop and stool for some reasonand I tell her not to and she still does, I also have a slight case of misophonia (can't stand people chewing) but yet although I told he that she still goes right in frontof my face and chews its nast as hell she also types like she doesn't know English and for some reason it pisses me off when people type like that. I love complaining about stuff here that's why I posted this but I just can't wait to see the look on her face when I am skinny and look even better, Js I have a few other fat friends and none of them are like this so idk what her problem is

These are the poop messages, I got a new phone recently so I don't have all the other shit she sends but this was just from last week

#ed not ed sheeran #4norexi4 #ana bllog #tw ana diary #ana rant #i want to ⭐️ve #tw disordered eating #disordered eating thoughts #4norexla #4n0r3xia #fake friends #weird friends #weird #personal blog #blog #personal rant #rant post #rant

[neonscandal]

Neon, do you mind, if I ask your opinion on this post https://www.tumblr.com/hxhhasmysoul/729291653862621184/i-disagree-with-his-isolation-being-self-imposed ?

Mainly I don't agree with this post, but what do you think?

Also, sorry if I'm wrong in calling you "Neon". I don't mean to be rude. Can I ask, what to call you?

No need to apologize! I love that you guys call me Neon, I enjoy it. The thought that someone wants to refer to me by a name when they address me is really endearing, I don't know if that makes any sense. Neon, Scandal, Randall, whatever else you come up with - all are perfectly fine by me. 💜

GOJO

Regarding OP, there were some parts I'd say were maybe a little off base? but ultimately up for interpretation; however their characterization of Gojo is largely accurate, in my opinion. A few things here and there that I wasn't sure what they meant (like Kannon? but I know I make so many grammar/spelling mistakes in my rants so I get it).

Everything after the ATLA quote, in particular, is pretty rock solid. The section re: Gojo's isolation and comparison to Kageyama Shigeo is really interesting but, in my opinion, not quite apples to apples when, in universe, we've seen other examples of this extreme isolation caused by strength with Kashimo, Sukuna, and Yorozu (well, she tried, search Yorozu in link). Considering this, I wouldn't say it's a happenstance of Gojo's personality even though we can understand how it was cultivated within him specifically. There's also an inherent difference between socialization and being intrinsically understood which is what Gojo yearns for.

I say off base above but that's not the right sentiment. This poster has personal IRL experience that informs a bit of their interpretation in the section Gojou vs Megumi but that doesn't invalidate their opinion. If anything, it probably provides a greater, more authentic insight that other viewers, myself included, do not have access to which they don't necessarily have to disclose. This isn't an on par comparison but helps to explain what I might be having trouble articulating. I recently shared a video about listening to queer people about queer coding in media. That can be extended to other identities and experiences wherein the overarching idea is to listen to people who have experienced or are X, whatever X is, because their insight informs the validity of what they see in a character through coding, symbolism, pattern recognition, etc. So I don't outright disagree with them, I just lack understanding which is okay and doesn't, in any way, take away from their assessment but should perhaps temper my own.

Canonically, I think some bits in that section weren't entirely accurate, though

According to Gojo's recollection, he started to tell Megumi about killing his dad but Megumi cut him off having written his father off some time ago. Re: Megumi's recollection, he'd already tuned Gojo out anyway. I've said it a few times but maintain that this will boomerang back in a way that hurts so we're in agreement there.

I can't say this is based in canon so I'm calling that out now but the only thing that I do outright disagree with is as it pertains to Gojo "forgetting" he was fighting Megumi. Readers shouldn't always be influenced by the observations of characters in the story because even they are watching the story unfold. I expect some grand scheme/plot coming to light.

Re: Six Eyes + Limitless vs. Ten Shadows, knowing their mutually assured destruction, if Gojo were really worried about a reckoning, he could have just not told Megumi that that was even a possibility. Megumi is so unmotivated and, perhaps, insecure that I doubt the thought would have come to him at all so intimating that information had another purpose. Hell, at this point I guess we've seen it, no?

Even though I love Gojo as a character, I largely echo similar sentiments, I just don't proffer them as harshly (given the setting of the story) or, perhaps, I lightly romanticize or provide context for the "why" which softens or glosses over it. Like, even in the lovey dovey post I made listing out all of the saddest things about SatoSugu, I mention that Gojo prioritizes evening the score with Toji as opposed to avenging Riko in that deliberate order. Gojo is no angel and my affinity for him doesn't preclude me or anyone else from identifying his flaws and less than altruistic motives.

As I've said previously, I don't particularly care about other people's interpretation of a character or story as it doesn't impede my enjoyment. Subsequently, OP's fan/fandom inspired hate of a character was a bit outside my experience as perfect strangers won't taint something for me out of pure hateration lol When I first started reading it I was like... oh, brother.. it's gonna be one of those so I wouldn't be surprised if other people have trouble acknowledging their accuracy just because they let the intro sour their ability to read/learn/listen.

TL,DNR: Despite OP's very clear disdain, they objectively made accurate points that could help to temper other people's interpretation of Gojo's character who over idealize him.

Put down your pitchforks, you can keep your soft Gojo head canons and the like (and I'll keep mine ✨). But if you're interested in accuracy, the above is my opinion.

Fans and antis alike have a tendency to project way too much on Gojo which is funny because, as that writer pointed out, he exists within the context of this story. What you love, what you hate are still symptoms of the societal conditions that created him. He doesn't exist in a vacuum and he's not the only character who is flawed but, man, does he attract as much hate in fandom as he does in universe. Isn't that a microcosm of a phenomenon?? Still doesn't detract from the validity of OP's assessment of him.

Gojo is an impudent, selfish, awkward brat whose naivete allowed him to gamble on the fate of the world when he was a kid. He lost the one person he felt he connected with/understood and carved out a "master plan" befitting a 17 year old long into his 20's wherein even his good deeds carried the shadow of an ulterior motive (mind the title for the off the wall-ness of some of those theories..). I wish I could find the tumblr post where someone called him a lameass loser because that, too, was spot on and I feel like I reblogged it enthusiastically. We love him in spite of this. I still sympathize and identify with him which probably says way too much about me, actually 😅

SUKUNA

While this is a starkly shorter section compared to the above, I focused on Gojo since I think that was namely where your question was focused; however, OP made a really stunning observation regarding Sukuna and Uraume in comparison to Gojo and Ijichi which I totally missed.

But Uraume never seems worried that Sukuna might act erratically towards them because his mood is unpredictable. When they meet for the first time in the modern era they are both so genuinely happy to see each other. Sukuna immediately offers them words of reassurance. He always praises their work and their efforts even when Uraume themself is not happy with their performance. They totally just vibe with each other, like when the go mean girls on Yuuji when he breaks out of the ice. Sukuna is a mean, violent, murderous asshole. But the one person he appreciates has absolutely no doubt about it.

That is a solid hint of Sukuna's humanity that betrays his villainy. Here I thought he was just getting interesting in these last few pensive chapters where he's coming to terms with why he's been so insistent about belittling Yuji! Meanwhile, Uraume was the first indication.

Thank you for asking, anon. I'm sorry if I disappointed you but maybe the "spoonful of sugar" as relayed here helps from presumably one Gojo fan to another. I'm curious to know what you may have disagreed with (I don't take issue either way). Just because I'm unbothered doesn't mean other people's opinions don't influence my own so I'm always down to read your thoughts!

#neon asks #anon asks #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #gojo #gojo satoru #satoru gojo #character analysis #jjk meta #jjk rant #jjk gojo #sukuna #sukuna ryomen #ryomen sukuna #jjk sukuna

[unclippedwings]

Heya… could you have a look at my most recent post and Mabye reblog? This ain’t a publicity grab or anything we are tryna spread a message to all the blogs. have a nice day either way

//ooc

*i apologize if my tone sounds rude, i just woke up, but as far as i've seen and been told, most blogs ARENT dying

*most of us are on hiatus due to burnout, some other blogs may have decided to quit

*many of us just haven't been in the mood, and that's okay, some people may decide to quit, and that's okay

*we have lives outside of this and have been busy with other things such as school/work/etc. and some of us simply want to do other things

*i'll take my main blog for example, @martlet-of-snowdin, i haven't been active there because i don't WANT to be active there right now, im burnt out and want to focus on my other blogs and do other things with my time

*i, and many of the other main blogs, intend to come back

*hope that makes sense

#ooc #underblog💛

[kiriona-apologist]

🔥 For the Masquerade series

so this has....apparently become a hot take in the recent times but

i think that disliking the masquerade series for its tone is something that is perfectly acceptable, even if said person is in love with the locked tomb.

i've seen bits of this debate here and there, and while i understand where the baru defenders are coming from, i sympathize more with the locked tomb people (and not just because i love the locked tomb!)

i baru post a lot. i've answered an ask about baru where the person asked me to give a recommendation for it based on liking the locked tomb. i gave my honest opinion there, and in tags elsewhere: recommending these series next to each other without appropriately warning the reader about the darker tone, themes, and narrative of baru is not only rude, it's negligent.

while i understand that tone does not a book make, it is also vital to a narrative, and i believe that baru and tlt differ greatly in tone, and that should be disclosed from the outset.

i don't have the post saved (and if i did, i wouldn't want to specifically call someone out anyway) but i saw someone sarcastically saying that "of course tone is more important than the similarities on a narrative level" (not a direct quote), as if tlt and baru are really that similar on a narrative level.

these are, of course, my opinions but i don't think they're similar narratively unless you count the most basic premise of "queer protagonist against imperialism". here's the thing (at the risk of being wrong on the internet)

The locked tomb is not focused solely on the Empire at a systemic level until bits of the second book and more dominantly the third book. Are there elements early on? yes. are they in your face, immediately relevant or a key aspect of the narrative, especially on a first read through? no! Baru kicks off with it. tlt's empire is not graphically homophobic. Baru's is, and it is fundamental to both her character and pieces of the narrative.

They're similar in the chivalrous figure dying at the end of the first book, they're similar in the weird brain stuff, in some of the weird bits, but at a fundamental level, Muir and Dickinson are telling stories of empire in different ways at different levels. Baru hates the Empire from the outset, is constantly working against it while she's working for it. Harrow and Gideon are not like this from the outset, and because those are the central characters for the opening two books, not the BoE, not the other Lyctors, it does change the narrative. resistance to the mechanisms of empire in tlt is not the focus from the outset (but definitely becomes more important as the larger story unfolds and we move outside the bubble of the nine houses)!

I understand the urge to defend Baru when people from the locked tomb fandom do read it on recommendation of it being similar to tlt and end up disliking it for how dark it is. i understand wanting the narrative to be spread despite how graphic it is, partially because that is the reality for a lot of people. i wholly acknowledge i'm speaking from a place of privilege in terms of violent homophobia like baru faces and as an american in a world that has been colonized by america and other wealthy nations, so i cannot fully identify with baru as a protagonist or those who associate on a deep level with her. if you do, i'm not saying that's bad or that you shouldn't recommend the book! i do, but i do so always with the caveat that it's dark and graphic and that the narrative is heavily centered in this darkness.

i think the masquerade series is a valuable series, but i think recommending it to locked tomb enjoyers and expecting them to love it because they love the locked tomb (and especially the critique of colonization that muir is building) or hounding on locked tomb enjoyers for not liking baru because of how graphic and violent it is can be uncomfortable and potentially triggering for a lot of people. tone is not everything, but it is key to enjoyment, and questioning why books are lumped together the way they are can be beneficial.

i remember finishing tyrant and reading the author's note dickinson left, where they state they're not sure when they'll finish the fourth book because the series is draining to write. i remember sympathizing to that, because reading it is draining. i mowed through the locked tomb books in a matter of days. each baru book took me months. the depth of the locked tomb is there i'm not saying it isn't, but baru's is like a painfully gaping wound from the outset, where tlt keeps it hidden until near the end of the first book

i'll end here by saying that both of these series are dear to my heart, and both sit in my top five favorite series of all time. i understand the urge to defend baru, who feels like an underdog compared to the largely more popular tlt, i tend to do it all the time. i do think, though, the conversation surrounding these two series and how they relate to each other can be better and more productive, and generally more generative in discussions of current advertising practices of "book similar to x book, so you'll like book!"

#i'm so sorry anon you didn't ask for an essay #but i'm tired of seeing my two favorite fandoms fighting ya know #i think the gut punch reaction to defend baru at all costs can come at the expense of recognizing tone does matter when reading #and that disclaiming some of the triggering material is probably best practice when it comes to both of these tbh #anon #ask #the locked tomb #baru cormorant #the masquerade series #tlt #really praying this does not get me yelled at because i really do love both of these series and they've fundamentally changed me #for the better i think