#she made her choices

[saotome-michi]

My least favorite take when it comes to the Hijikata x Mitsuba situation is that their separation is all Hijikata's fault. That it's him and his singular focus on the Shinsengumi, his lack of self-esteem, his fears, that are why they didn't get to be together. That just doesn't make sense to me.

Because it takes two to tango in a relationship.

Hijikata might've rebuffed Mitsuba's confession, but it was Mitsuba's choice to not continue pursuing him and to stay behind in Bushu. Because she loved them, she loved the Shinsengumi so much that she didn’t want to do anything that would be a distraction to them, to him. 

“Those three always looked happiest when they were hanging out together. There was no place for a girl among them.” 

“You’re leaving me behind. Don’t let me down. Stick to your path. I believe in you. I believe in you.” 

That’s why Hijikata goes after her shitty fiancé with no hesitation. That’s why Kondou, Okita, and everyone go to help Hijikata, even when Mitsuba’s at death’s door in the hospital. That’s why we don’t see Hijikata by her bed, hearing her last words. Because that’s the Hijikata Toushirou and the Shinsengumi Mitsuba loved. 

The Hijikata Toushirou and the Shinsengumi who she decided to protect in her own way. 

#hijimitsu #hijikata toushirou #okita mitsuba #gintama #the whole 'oh if only hijikata wasn't so stupid they could've been together' thing has long annoyed me #it robs mitsuba of her agency #she made her choices #random blah of letters

[zellk]

Githyanki doodling on post-it notes that I cleaned up a lil bit Lae'zel from memory on the first (im only happy with the profile tbh), and Anma and Mitas on the second (It was SO easy to fit them in BG3 lore it's insane... I even have a whole storyline roughly figured out for them and it came together in like 30 minutes on my walk home from work.) I don't have any energy to draw nowadays except on post-its, but it's better than nothing.

#baldur's gate 3 #ocs #oc #mitas #anma #lae'zel #beary sketch #mitas camcara #anma camcara #mitas and anma aren't really classic “crèche” githyankis... or well they used to be but :^)c #let's say that Anma follows Voss' ideals #Mitas tries to help her but she's never in the same spot so Mitas gets to be Tav's companion #while Anma is an npc you meet on his storyline #the meeting goes.... very differently depending on your choices :^) #zellk #i made a game with the two of them together in it #and most of the time i have lae'zel in the team too (after she learns a few things Anma would get along quite well with her) #so it's like #3 giths team #it's so fucking funny #3 toads #bg3

[tofixtheshadows]

So I've been thinking lately about how Mithrun is Kabru's dark mirror (more on that another time- it needs its own post), and I thought it interesting that one of their parallels is that they were both cared for by Milsiril, but in opposite directions. She took Kabru in as her foster after he was orphaned and tried to convince him not to become an adventurer. On the flip side, she helped rehabilitate Mithrun specifically so that he could rejoin the Canaries.

And I kept wondering: why?

For Kabru, obviously she loves him a whole lot- despite any other shortcomings in their relationship, I do believe that.

So I get why she tries to convince him not to go dungeoning, and, failing that, at least prepares him as thoroughly as she can.

But why help Mithrun? She used to hate Mithrun, but after realizing what a secretly twisted person he was, she actually thought of him more positively (oh, Milsiril). So it wasn't as if she held the kind of grudge that might motivate her to make his already-depleted life even more miserable by sending him back to the dungeons. And it wasn't that she felt bad for him either, since she didn't visit Mithrun for the first ~20 years of his recovery.

The Adventurer's Bible says that Utaya was the impetus for Mithrun returning to the Canaries, but Milsiril is the one who made the trip to see him and tell him about it.

Why would Milsiril work so hard to get her old coworker back into fighting fit? Why encourage him to return to such a dangerous lifestyle, when she was the one who chose not to mercy-kill him?

That last panel is such a crazy thing to hint at and then never elaborate on. Without it we could have just thought that Milsiril wanted the Canaries' work to continue without her, even if it seemed out of character. I think some people even assume she's just a natural caretaker as a foster mom and handwave it to include nursing Mithrun too. What could Milsiril's suspicious motives be? What does she gain from Mithrun joining the Canaries that isn't an altruistic desire to see dungeons safely sealed? Feeling a sense of responsibility for the work she left behind isn't an ulterior motive.

My theory is: Milsiril, knowing that Mithrun was empty save for the burning desire to face the demon again, wound him up like a clockwork doll and pointed him back at the dungeons.

Hoping that he'd eliminate the biggest threat to Kabru's life, before it was too late for him.

Milsiril the puppetmaster.

#Dungeon Meshi #Dungeon Meshi meta #Mithrun #Milsiril #Kabru #btw I'm working with the only translations I could find sorry #so keep that in mind #like it just seemed WEIRD to me #that gloomy introverted Milsiril #who left the life of a Canary behind #decided to do this Canary-adjacent work of helping this guy #maybe the queen made her do it because so many people died and they needed more Canaries idk! #but why would anyone pick Milsiril as a life coach? I really think it was her own choice #it's so interesting how we get these hints of a downright sinster Milsiril #I really like the complicated relationship she and Kabru have #struggling to fully humanize him from her elven perspective #but still taking him seriously wrt: his fears over being a monster or his desire to go to a party! #crazy stuff there #everything about Kabru and adjacent to Kabru is insane what a character #musings with Dea

[rhiannonsaintofcharm]

do you guys think that part of the reason Gideon’s death was so devastating to Harrow was that before then, there had at least been one person who survived the mass murder that created her? two hundred souls had been destroyed for her sake, but the annihilation wasn’t complete — there was one who escaped. one who lived. do you think Gideon dying, for the sake of Harrow living, snuffed out her one last glimmer of hope for absolution?

#she didn’t die for Harrow. but then she died for Harrow anyways #griddlehark #harrowhark nonagesimus #gideon nav #gtn #tlt #htn #thinking about that poll where it was like ‘who suffered more’ #‘Harrowhark Nonagesimus or Jesus Christ’ #and the answer was 94% Harrow #shoulda been 100%. #honestly it’s probably worse that Gideon got to CHOOSE to die for her #thinking about Harrow saying ‘I let her die’ because admitting Gideon made that choice was worse. #accepting that Gideon thought she was worth the sacrifice was worse #not to sound like Ianthe but I’m gonna rip my own arm off #txt #rhispeak #harrow: ‘it took eighteen years but I killed her just the same’

[swordmaid]

brienne but she's wearing 1949 cocteau's beauty and the beast inspired fit!!! this is the inspo pic i used if ur curious.

gonna be posting more of this redesign thing (and also jaime's ver) some time in the future but i just wanted to share this one <3

#brienne of tarth #asoiaf #mine. #u know literally just as i finished colouring this i found that some theater made an opera version of this batb #and they made belle's dress BLUE...which is a win for me and also not bc they made it light blue #but here it's supposed to be velvet.. idk if it comes across as velvet but that's the fabric of choice lol. #but im gonna ramble because i really like the concept... i love brienne in pearls!! i feel like pearls will be her jewellery of choice #and i talked abt this before in some post but i think tarth regalia would have a lot of pearls just bc they're an island #and i think they would export pearls alongside marble lol #i love brienne in silver and pearls BUT the reason why the flower thing on her cape is gold bc in the film #the pearl chain was actually a gift from the beast. so she's wearing jaime's gift. and i made the cape more silvery white (leaning on white #to resemble his cloak so it's like... jaime gifting her his white cloak..... hihihIHIHIhhihihihihi...... #tbh i drew that concept before too BUT I JUST LIKE IT!!!!!!!! i want it to happen actually....please....thank u.. #also the feathers in her hair is bc i want to accessorize her in a brienne way BUT ALSO supposed to be like the plumes knights wore in thei #helm. she's wearing trousers in the fit btw only the upper half of the design is based on beauty but the silhouette mimics beasts' more. #but anyway i really like this design!! bc it's a bit ott but also not in a way that seems out of character for her? idk LOL

[turtleblogatlast]

Man “Battle Nexus: New York” was a great episode but I do have one major gripe with it.

Like. Raph being paired up with Ghostbear? Makes sense. Works great. Works amazing, even.

Mikey being paired up with Meatsweats? Yeah that checks out!!

Donnie getting…Hypno…? I mean. I guess Donnie doesn’t like magic so it kindaaa works but Kendra would have been a much better choice to me personally. Maybe Big Mama didn’t wanna include a human or something…

And Leo getting…uh…one of the Sando Brothers???? Of all villains? Nah let’s be real, his main villain is more Big Mama herself (or Leo could be considered his own worst enemy lmao-). Hell Hypno would have probably worked better here considering their shared love for magic tricks and stuff, but Carl Sando????

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #battle nexus: new york #nah this will always be baffling to me #like no joke big mama really is Leo’s main villain so it makes sense that she’s not paired with him #given that she’s running this all #but giving him ONE of the Sando brothers?? not even both??? #outrageous #hypno or even warren would have been better here tbh #at least there’s some basis there for both and either option would have been so fun #not that what we got WASNT fun it def was but the sando bro was the weak link because no one cares about him #and I would have killed for a Donnie Kendra forced team up 😭 #Donnie also could have worked with Stockboy ig or hell even Repo tbh? #but Kendra is the much more interesting and fitting choice here for him imo #honestly though this post was made because I do NOT understand the choice of CARL SANDO #both of them together are forgettable enough #separating them gets rid of the one thing they even had #I remember watching and being like who tf is that #he’s got some funny moments but man anyone would have been better 😭 #going back to Kendra and Donnie because I LOVE their dynamic #the result of their team up could have ended exactly the same as canon #only instead of Kendra not knowing chess it’s instead her and Donnie arguing about what the right move would be #and they never actually make a move because of it

[haunted-xander]

Sometimes I think about Urianger's role in and feelings on the Thancred-Ryne dynamic and I think watching it kills him a bit inside. For several reasons.

Like, to begin with there's the guilt he's been carrying with him since he ushered Minfilia to the first, how he effectively killed the person Thancred cared about the most in the world and who's "death" ended up causing Ryne's entire Situation. He looks at what's happening between them and can only think "I caused this" even though that's not really true. No one person is responsible for this outcome, it's a culmination of several circumstances and the consequences of them. Logically, Urianger knows this. But it doesn't matter, because his guilt is overpowering his logic.

And also, like. What Thancred is doing here, the way he's knowingly letting Ryne be and stay hurt because he literally cannot bring himself to tell her his feelings, is the exact same mistake Urianger made with Moenbryda. Of course, the circumstances are vastly different, and the potential consequences to Thancred telling Ryne the wrong things or her misinterperating it is far greater (being a matter of literal life or death), it's still the same sort of paralysis they are trapped in.

And he knows it. He sees it. But he can't say or do anything about it, he doesn't have the right to. He acknowledges the mistake, but he hasn't really improved upon it yet. He still doesn't voice his thoughts and feelings as he should. He's also non-confrontational by nature, he doesn't argue or try to change peoples minds, he probably doesn't think he has any place to.

So, he tries to help in what little ways he can. Because he doesn't want it to become Monebryda again, he doesn't want to know he stole not one but two people from Thancred. So he does what he can. He tells Ryne little tidbits about Thancred, things that help her understand him but are safe to share. Nothing too deep, nothing too personal. Just small things, things that are purely factual, because he can't afford to give her a false image of who Thancred is. He teacher her fun and interesting things, because Thancred isn't in the mindset to provide her with non-essential skills.

I like to think Urianger has brought it up with Thancred at least once, during one of his stays. But nothing would've come of it. Not really. Unlike Y'shtola, Urianger isn't pushy, he'll bring it up once or twice and when he sees this won't go anywhere, he gives up. He wants to help, but he knows that persistance only does do much, and he is not the person who has the resiliance needed to push and push until Thancred finally budges (because he won't budge, it won't help anything but to sour things further by adding aditional stress to an already strained dynamic).

And like. Urianger gets it. He gets it because he's been the same way- not saying what he should to someone he loves more than anything else because she was meant to figure her life out herself, and 'steering' her in any direction by telling her his feelings (regardless of if the 'steering' is intention or not) will go against that. He gets it. He gets it and it's all the more painful for it. He knows it can't just be fixed by acknowledging it or with encouragement, something needs to happen to break the stasis.

I think this is probably why he stayed behind while they went off to Nabaath Areng. This is the very last chance they have to say what they want to, and he can't afford to be the anchor anymore. This is about them, not him, he can't let their resolution be buffed by his presence, so he stays behind. Which was probably for the best. Ryne got nervous when Urianger said he's staying behind, probably not too excited about being alone with Thancred (well, not alone, but WoL doesn't count) so soon after she had ran away crying. But she needs to be nervous. For anything positive to come out of this Thancred and Ryne both can't afford to be too relaxed. As sad as it is, the stress is necessary for anything to happen. He knows it. Does he like it? Absolutely not, but nor does he like his other plots. At least no one dies this time if it goes right.

#urianger had an integral part in the thancred-ryne situation and i think its very important to remember that #like i think he served as a very important buffer that prevented the dynamic from becoming even more strained than it already was #but also like. ryne NEEDED to have at least someone she can be comfortable around without the stress of her circumstances souring it #urianger is uniquely suited to play that role. even with his guilt regarding minfilia he never showed anything but genuine kindness for her #it helps that she didnt know about his hand in the situation existing to begin with (as shes surprised when he tells her in ahm areang) #THATS ALSO IMPORTANT BTW. like this man had a DIRECT hand in making this happen (even if it isnt fully his fault. minfilia made her choice) #AND LIKE. the parallels between uri-moen and thancred-ryne. they both love these girls so so much but cant bring themselves to say anything #urianger has been through the pain before. he knows. but he hasnt improved much himself. what right does he have to scold thancred? #silent support is all he can give. pushing thancred would make him a hypocrite and risk making it worse. hes not suited for confrontation #y'shtola and uriangers approaches to helping both have their merits but it needs a balance #too much pushing and the dynamic just gets worse but too forgiving and nothing will ever change #and yes i know im just repeating myself but ITS IMPORTANT OK #GOD #urianger augurelt #thancred waters #ryne waters #final fantasy #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #ffxiv #xander rambles #xander being insane about ryne #urianger actually this time but. its related to ryne so. it gets the tag

[lovl3igh]

the beacon on the hightower… do you know what color it glows when oldtown calls its banners to war?

#ngl this dress is kinda ugly imo #her other dresses in s3 look much prettier #but she made the entrance! #i have no choice but to stan #penelope featherington #bridgerton story #bridgerton #polin #alicent hightower #house hightower #hightower #hotd #house of the dragon #nicola coughlan #lady whistledown #bridgerton season 3 #bridgerton s3

[alienssstufff]

Updated Gillion and Edyn designs as exercise

+the oldish Chip and Jay sketch from twt

#stufffsart #character concept stufff #I use it before but how DO u tag jrwi characters #jrwi riptide #jrwi fanart #jrwi #excuse to get myself to properly draw my edyn design cuz I like her :] #aslana too tho she is not here (I think of her) #despite being at ep99 no new armour design yet that stuffs hard :[ #also read a post somewhere abt gillion and his (lack of) fashion choices and why is that #-and the reason made me sads :( so for now he gets casuals instead :] #tags annotations are a MESS future roman fix these tomorrow

[eye-of-the-hawk]

Moicy baby au? In our lord 2k24? More likely than you think.

Hcs surrounding this au below the cut (screenshoted from my xitter bc I’m lazy)

#she’s crying bc she’s overwhelmed by the fact that she really made the Right choice #happy tears! #moicy #I have Feelings about this #Moira overwatch #mercy overwatch #angela ziegler #moira odeorain #moircy #ovw #moira x mercy #moicy baby au #also all of Moira’s features are recessive genes so designing this bby was interesting #I decided to treat her red eyes like brown ones snd go with that #even tho I hc Moira’s red eye is due to a lack of melanin in it #in the end these characters are pixels and nothing matters so whatever lol

[squuote]

finalized my curator design FINALLY. she is here now :-)

(these arent actually her pajamas btw. i just thought the idea was funny hehe)

#the stanley parable #the stanley parable ultra deluxe #tspud #tsp #crows art #the narrator #the curator #stanley #unlike the narrator her mask doesnt emote! just stays still. well unless i think its funny to make it otherwise lol #ended up with the simple look for her design in the end #think i made the right choice :-) hopefully lol #i know her size changes a lot in these images but she is always at least taller than the rest #any limbs she conjures are all statues and unmoving like her face

[seaworthit]

The black brides

#elinor costayne #rhaena targaryen #jeyne westerling #fire and blood #asoiaf #valyrianscrolls #asoiaf art #f&b #i made an active choice to make these outfits mismatched and devoid of heraldry given the circumstances of the wedding #elinor getting a simple dress thrown together rheana picking a dress from the targ vault with as many buttons as possible and jeyene wearin #one of her good dresses she already had dyed for mourning in the past few months as the death of her husband died with aegon rather than a #a week previously like elinors #also kinda headcannon her son was the first in a longer marrige so i could make her a little older design wise #also the faint dagger outline in rhaena's dress is meant to be bellow the garmet the outline was just my way to show its presence #btw the background lines was a texture study of birch bark from my sketchbook i recoulored visually #also pin on rhaena's viel is an heirloom last worn by visenya added at the last minute #my art

[itspileofgoodthings]

one of my favorite things about pride and prejudice is that in the last third of the book Elizabeth’s internal monologue about Darcy is her admitting that she’s in love with him but also putting all sorts of qualifications around that statement that kind of ...tamp down the level of emotion (the “feelings, if not as tender as Jane’s for Bingley, at least as just” line, even the whole thing about her and Darcy being well-matched objectively speaking) and as soon as she’s engaged you get the unbridled joy in the narrative about her own joy, cc: “I am happier even than Jane; she only smiles, I laugh.” 

#pride and prejudice #jane austen #this is very obvious but it's in the narration itself #that she's trying to sort of distance herself from the depths of her own feelings in case this DOESN'T work out #i also think the rational stuff is totally true and she would say that after as well but she would say it in a different way #idk i just love it. it's so subtle and it's so true #also very obvious?? i feel like i'm making a very obvious point #but anyway 'elizabeth's feelings soon rising to playfulness etc. etc.' #also this is why i hated the end of a civil contract actually #i felt like she was tamping it all down and for some reason it just made me SO mad #like no. it's supposed to OVERFLOW NOW #adam being like 'and in the end the rational choice was jenny' sir i will FIGHT YOU IN THE PARKING LOT #idk i was student teaching and very emotional at the time maybe i missed something and read it wrong #but my entire spirit REBELED #like. how honestly DARE #i'm avoiding grading can you tell #yes you can I will go now

[dirtytransmasc]

ok but like, Modest!Alicent Hightower au (more modest than she already is) cause I feel like it, it adds ✨layers✨

Alicent who veils her hair during her day to day life, elegant laces and silks adorning her long ginger-brown hair, covering it completely at the Sept.

Alicent who wears dresses with long heavy skirts and always covers her elbows with billowing sleeves.

Alicent who conceals her silhouette with thick shaping garments. they also just helped her back during her pregnancies and taking care of kids (her servants recommended them so she'd have full range of motion and support)

Alicent who was stripped of her modesty, her dignity and sense of security whenever Viserys wanted her. stripped of it by her own father when he sent her to Viserys's chambers in a dress that didn't cover as much as she would have liked, especially when she visited a man with those (silent) instructions.

Alicent who lets her hair down around people she trusts. covering it around Rhaenyra after she abandoned her, a blow to Rhaenyra, a blatant "you hurt me and broke my trust". letting Criston see her hair after he becomes her sworn sword. covering in front of Viserys until he demands she stops. Alicent putting a little makeshift veil on her daughter, who wanted to look like her mum, promising it would protect her from how loud the world was.

Alicent who only trusts her closest servants to dress her, and even then insists on being in a full shift before they can come in.

Alicent who felt stripped bare while giving birth to her children.

little Alicent looking up to her mum who was also very modest, and spending her childhood playing in long skirts.

Alicent who wears shawls and scarves out in public or at events. Criston watches to make sure she remains properly covered. her hands fiddling with the patterns or tassels while she talks to others.

Alicent doing this with her kids:

Criston offering her his cloak when she's put in bad situations like sudden crowds or outings.

wearing flowy but opaque fabrics during the summers, looking ethereal and goddess-like with her layers skirts and sleeves.

the whole Larys situation being even more sickening.

all 3 of her sons being protective of her modesty alongside Criston, always offering their cloaks to her or standing to block her from the wind or wandering eyes. Aegon holding her veil in place when it's windy, Aemond placing a cloak over her in public, Daeron fiercely defending his mum from lusting glances or lingering stares.

Helaena continuing to veil with her mum when they go out, they love matching veils and trying ornate styles.

Alicent fixing her daughters veil in attempts to get it to stay in on dragon back. it doesn't. but they don't mind the extra bonding time none the less.

gold veils that literally make her look like she's dripping in gold.

tucking her babes in her shawls or holding them against her skirts that are practically swallowing them whole.

Alicent collecting layers. Ornate undergarments that cover her arms in gold and embroidered patterns, some almost like tapestries others more simple. undershirts that cover her neck, with "choker" patterns and sewn in jewels. modest nightgowns and robes made of the softest, most breathable fabrics in existence.

covering her face on holy days/days of importance.

I just have so many thoughts.

#based vaguely off of my modest Catholic family #cause modesty is so fucking beautiful and I think we should talk about modest Alicent more cause it has so much potential #I think giving her that kayer of preserving her modesty. showing more to those she trusts. having it robbed from her. the way it involves- #those she loves. its all symbolism and its making me salivate. im chewing my own leg. #plus the etheral almost divine beauty that comes from modesty #(but also intentional and consented immodesty. cause they are two sides of the same coin) #is indescribable #especially when its a choice made by someone for themselves and themselves only #alicent (in my mind) chooses to be modest. she wants to be. she does it for herself as a commitment to herself. her faith. her mother. #she loves her modesty and creates her own rules as to who sees what #ita control #it's self care and love #its beautiful #alicent hightower #pro alicent hightower #queen alicent #alicent my beloved #ser criston cole #criston cole #pro criston cole #vauge #alicole #platonic Alicole #aegon targaryen #aegon ii targaryen #aemond targaryen #helaena targaryen #daeron targaryen #pro team green #modesty

[etoilesdeglace]

All this time, we've always walked a very thin line. You didn't even hear me out.

#my poor boy #him looking up at the sky kills me - he did what her thought he had to do to keep his promises to his mom!! #and he was going to tell her fully!! and she made her choice before he could :( #tsitp #tsitp edit #tsitpedit #belly x conrad #bonrad #bellyconrad #conrad fisher #*my gifs #*my tsitp

[a-dumb-sarcastic-bisexual]

I’m back from my coma to talk about Nimona again

Specifically these scenes 

Because this is the moment where the similarities between Gloreth and Ambrosius’ stories end

At face value, these scenes seem incredibly similar 

In both scenes, Gloreth and Ambrosius are watching terrified as their homes are burning down around them because of a “monster” 

But that’s where the similarities stop

Because in the first scene, Gloreth decides to listen to everything that her community has told her 

And in the second scene, Ambrosius has finally figured out that everything he’s been told since he was a kid is a lie

#nimona #nimona 2023 #nimona movie #ambrosius goldenloin #gloreth #can you tell how much this movie drives me insane #god i love it #it gets better every time I watch it #I have no intention on bashing Gloreth btw #did she betray her friend? #yes #was it an incredibly fucked up thing to do? #absolutely #but she's also a terrified child #who made a dumb choice while her world was falling apart #and I cant blame her for that #if I start thinking about the parallels between goldenheart and Nimona and Gloreths stories I’ll start crying #I could talk about this man til I’m blue in the face #and I have no air left in my lungs #god I love him #he’s such a compelling character #‘​what are we doing’ is one of my favorite lines of all time #is so powerful