#but literally everything about Cassandra starts to add up when you consider

[chantlight]

Cassandra is the biggest and best example of why considering a character within the full context of their historical and cultural background is so important to me

[otakufansim]

Story Questionnaire

Thank you for the tag @milliondollarnooboo ! I’m so excited to finally share a bit about my current obsession,The Kingdom of Sevedia 👑✨

I’ll be answering this based on my ongoing save, The Kingdom of Sevedia, set in a fictional regency-inspired monarchy with noble houses, power struggles, and lots of family drama.

1) How did you come up with such unique & fascinating characters?

I’m mostly inspired by the historical shows, movies, and manga I consume on a daily basis (it’s a lot to keep track of lol). Many of my sims are based on characters I particularly love from those sources. Also, when creating my Sims or deciding who they’ll become, I often ask myself things like, “What would a girl raised in a strict noble family actually feel if she eloped with a common soldier?” or “How would a duchess hide her heartbreak while still upholding her family’s honor?” I basically just follow my instincts, this save is my personal sandbox for tragedy, romance, and everything in between!

2) When you started writing your story, what did you take into consideration?

Honestly, I try to keep things as realistic as possible. I ask myself, Would this actually make sense in the Regency era? For example, if someone’s going to marry a prince, why would her house support it? What would they gain? I couldn’t just pair people because they looked cute together, I had to consider political alliances, land inheritance, family dynamics, and all the messy layers in between. It also mattered to me that every character had individual stakes in the story. Not just “let’s serve the plot,” but “how would this benefit me if I were this character?” Sometimes I even had to scrap ideas I really loved because a character simply wouldn’t act that way. It was painful, but worth it for the sake of consistency. That said, I do use some mods that can totally derail my plans, like one that adds a chance of mothers dying in childbirth. So sometimes realism comes at a cost 😅

3) How did you shape each character’s background/family?

I am a big supporter of going with the flow. While I have written backstories for each noble house, their futures are definitely not set in stone. Yes, I may make plans for what I want to do with them, but I do not bind myself to these rules. Everything is subject to change depending on how my Sims progress. For example, I originally planned for Lord George and Princess Cassandra to have a happy family life with lots of children. Then the princess died after giving birth to Princess Anastasia, and that completely derailed my plans. Lord George died in a fire shortly after, which messed things up even more (I may or may not have had a hand in that death hihi). Basically, whatever happens, happens. But I also try to balance birth order, power, and personality. I always ask, who is the heir, who is the spare, and who is the evil uncle who wants to takeover the family?

4) Do you plan everything before starting, or are you more spontaneous?

Haha, definitely spontaneous. Yes, I make plans, but do I follow them? Not always. There is a general roadmap, who marries whom, which duchy controls what, and so on, but then the game says, “Cassandra dies in childbirth,” and suddenly everything spirals into beautiful disaster. That one death literally derailed three family arcs, but it also gave the royal family a new emotional anchor in her daughter, Anastasia. So, silver lining, I guess. Some scenes I write ahead of time. Others are written after gameplay, where I retroactively add meaning to the chaos. It is very much writer-in-a-thunderstorm, clutching-a-quill energy.

5) Does reality inspire you, or do you rely more on your imagination?

Both! The political dynamics are definitely inspired by real-world monarchies and regency etiquette, but the drama is pure imagination and fanfic-core. I like imagining what would happen if rich nobles were stuck in traditions they couldn’t break, and what secrets they’d keep behind all their pearls and titles. It’s a bit like watching historical dramas and yelling, “Just tell him you love him, Duchess!!”

6) When did you KNOW you were going to make this story?

Long before, I had already been inspired to start a new forever save and start a simblr with a historical twist but what really made me fully commit was Tumblr, and all the amazing simblrs on here. The people here are amazing, and I was given a lot of inspiration. I also wanted to show what I made and I am so happy I did because starting this save has been so much fun for me! I also noticed that while there are plenty of medieval and Victorian Simblrs, the Regency era was mostly forgotten. With shows like Bridgerton and the works of Jane Austen gaining lots of popularity, I thought, why not? Besides, the fashion of this era is to die for. My biggest inspiration is definitely @simbury .

7) What has shaped your story into being the way it is?

I’d say it’s my will and determination to finally start a forever save, and also the balance between chaos and control. The Sims is an unpredictable game, but the story I tell from it is where my agency lies. I let myself be inspired by what the game gives me, but I also say “yes, and” as I build it out into full character arcs, letters, historical records, or whatever I need to make it feel real. And of course, Regency drama, forbidden romances, and noble family aesthetics... I just love, love, LOVE all of it hahah.

Thank you so much for tagging me @milliondollarnooboo!!! This was so much fun <3

I still get emotional thinking about how a silly save file turned into something that means so much to me. Hope you stick around for more court gossip, ducal betrayals, and royal grandbabies! 💍✨

I tag: @clouseplayssims @squeezleprime @esotheria-sims @cupcakeyysims @niamh-sims @ennysimmer @simbury

[nanowrimo]

When Should You Worldbuild for Your Novel?

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. World Anvil, a 2020 NaNo sponsor, is a writing software that helps you develop and organize your characters, plot and world setting. Today, World Anvil Director Janet Forbes shares some tips for worldbuilding at all stages of your novel:

As a writing and worldbuilding expert, and the director of the award-winning worldbuilding and novel writing software World Anvil, I get asked this question a lot: at which stage during the novel writing process should you be worldbuilding? Should you be worldbuilding as you plot, as you draft, or as you edit? And—I see you out there, you glorious pantsers—what if you don’t plot? When should you be worldbuilding?

A quick disclaimer & explanation:

EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT! (Isn’t it beautiful?) This post is full of suggestions. If in doubt, try things out! But not everything will work for everyone. Experiment with these ideas, and develop a novel writing process that works for you!

Some of the best worldbuilding articles are only a few sentences—just long enough to document your ideas! You’ll probably expand them a bit through the drafting process as you discover or decide more details. But don’t feel you have to write the entire “Silmarillion” for your world! Longer articles often just mean more to read through when you’re in a hurry.

When to worldbuild as a Plotter?

Are you a plotter? Prefer to take a run at a first draft with a solid plan? Then here are some of the best places to work worldbuilding into your novel writing method!

Worldbuild the big stuff during the plotting phase

As a plotter, a lot of the big worldbuilding ideas probably come as you plot your novel. You’ll need characters who live in settlements, and were probably educated in organizations. They may or may not adhere to certain traditions or religions. You might add magic systems,  supernatural powers, and/or futuristic technology (which you’ll need to know the limitations of!). Writing down your ideas NOW means that you have them safe, and won’t lose them!

Worldbuilding your organizations, like Nations, Religions, Jedis, Police Forces and Universities, will help give them more impact, and make your world feel more dynamic and real!

Image Credit: Davina, made on World Anvil.

If your novel is an event novel—aliens invade, the Earth quakes, or a zombie virus is let loose—then write a bit about the nature of the threat. If you’re creating a character novel, make sure you have some notes on your main character’s background, mentors, relationships, education and skills. 

Worldbuilding these elements of your plot—even in just a few notes—before you start the first draft will really help you down the line! You can plan all of these out using the worldbuilding templates in World Anvil. They give you the freedom to create WHATEVER you want, help you connect everything together, and make everything searchable when you need it!

Worldbuilding during Draft 1—character experience and juicy details!

So, if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably find that something magical happens during your first draft. You start to consider your world through your character’s eyes! This means adding a lot of details to your worldbuilding—both SHOWING rather than TELLING, and sensory detail.

For example, you won’t tell your readers that an organization is evil. Instead, you can show a poor man in the stocks because he couldn’t afford his tithe or tax. Add that punishment to the  worldbuilding article about the evil organization, so you can remember it for later (or for book 2!).

Also, as your characters interact with places and people, they’ll feel, smell and hear (and maybe taste) details which heighten the experience. This makes your writing more evocative, and invites readers to feel they’re living in your novel, too! 

Add these details—you can even copy-paste relevant paragraphs as quotes—into your worldbuilding articles. Some Plotters prefer to do this scene by scene as they write their first draft. Others (like me!) prefer to do this as a separate stage, once the first draft is done. Read through the first draft, and add quotations or details into your worldbuilding articles. Future-you will thank you!

A fantastic example of a quick character profile! Hotlinks (shown here in red) help you link everything together in your world, so you can find things easily! 

Image Credit: ShyRedFox, created on World Anvil

Worldbuilding as a Panster!

If you’d rather fly by the seat of your pants than plot out each step of your novel, then congratulations—you’re a Panster! You probably love the exciting feeling of discovering your story as you write your first draft. So here are some ways you can work worldbuilding into your novel writing process!

Characters are worldbuilding too!

Most pantsers I know love to craft characters, even if they don’t know what will happen to them over the course of the story! And characters are full to the brim with worldbuilding opportunities! 

For example, the places your characters were born, went to school, travelled—they are all important locations to worldbuild in a few sentences. Which country is your character from? Do they fit in and, if not, which traditions or view points do they chafe against? These are all excellent places to start your worldbuilding, even before NaNoWriMo has started. You’ll still be pantsing—just Pantsing with Purpose! 

And remember, none of these ideas are set in stone - you can always change them later. It’s just a jumping off point, to give you inspiration. 

Characters are worldbuilding too! Writing out a detailed character profile is a great way to discover more about your main character. World Anvil provides prompts to help you flesh out your characters even more.

Image Credit: Dhelian, created on World Anvil

Plan worldbuilding using the “Jot, Bin, Pants” method!

The Jot, Bin, Pants method (originally developed by Cassandra Lee Yieng) is a way to plan without plotting! Once you have those scenes, scan through them quickly. You’ll already spot elements you can write short worldbuilding articles about! If a scene takes place in a ship, a smart townhouse, or an abandoned castle, write a few sentences about that space. What material is it built from? What feelings does it conjure up? 

Now you have a few notes on that location, you’ll be able to recapture the feeling much more quickly during crunch time, and get your words written!

Keep worldbuilding notes during Draft 1

Another helpful moment to make notes is at the end of each writing session during Draft 1. Try spending 5 minutes documenting the people, places and things you came up with. World Anvil’s tree layout can give you a lot of inspiration when you’re glancing over your setting to decide what should happen next! So if you mention a creature, a character, a location or a technology, scribble down a few notes about your ideas. You never know - it might save your character’s life!

With World Anvil’s novel writing software, you can easily reference your worldbuilding and update your series bible either AS you write, or after each writing session! 

The worldbuilding review phase 

Regardless of Plotterism or Pantitude, you should eventually have Draft 1 of a book! Granted, it probably needs some tweaks right now. But there’s a story there, characters, ideas, and an ending. Congratulations!

Now is a great time to take stock of your worldbuilding. As you read through your novel, build up your world bible or series bible. Make sure you have articles for each major character, for the places and things you’ve introduced - just a few sentences is fine. But as you edit and flesh out your novel, these will be great references to have, and it’ll speed up the next phase no end!

Worldbuilding and Structural Edits

During structural edits, i.e. re-editing the actual story and big ideas of your book, you’ll find that keeping an updated version of your series bible is really useful! You can do this as you edit (which is what I prefer) or at the end of each draft. 

By the time you’re at line edits, you’ll be done with your worldbuilding… and ready to get on with your novel’s sequel! And I can promise you - you’ll be thanking past-you for keeping such good worldbuilding notes in your Series Bible! 

If you want to keep your worldbuilding organized and instantly available in your novel writing software interface, then check out World Anvil! We’re recommended by Writer’s Digest, as well as bestselling authors like Brian McClellan, Chris Fox, Jenna Moreci, and literally a million other writers and worldbuilders! You can also pick up a 25% discount with the coupon code NANOWRIMO!

Become the ultimate writer and worldbuilder : NaNoWriMo participants get 25% off World Anvil!

Whatever you’re writing, and whenever you worldbuild, World Anvil will help to develop and organize your characters, plot and world setting, link everything together, and write your novel in our integrated novel writing software! 

And right now you can bag 25% off 6 & 12 month memberships of Master Tier and above, using the coupon code NANOWRIMO on checkout! 

Janet Forbes (pen name J.D. Blythe) is a published author and the Director of World Anvil, the ultimate worldbuilding and novel writing platform! This award-winning software helps you organize, store and track your worldbuilding as you’re writing your novel. Our novel writing software, accessible from anywhere, integrates stunningly with your worldbuilding. And when it’s time to publish, you can export, or publish directly on the World Anvil platform and monetize YOUR way! Check it out at World Anvil.

[queerbutstillhere]

Addressing the Batman Conspiracy theories, on the Wayne Family true crime podcast.

(this is based off of my post. I just had fun with this, and yes it's very chaotic. I hope it makes sense!)

"Welcome, listeners, to this months episode of the Wayne Family Circus-"

"That is NOT what it is called and you know it!"

"Okay okay! Shut up Tim!"

There was a hard cut in the audio. You, the listener, smile and put your car into reverse, backing out of your parking spot, you had a long drive to get home, and hopefully this new podcast will entertain you.

"As I was saying! Welcome to episode seven of Crime In Our Midst - I still hate that name - today we are discussing our most requested case. The Mysterious Batman. We will be discussing where he came from, and conspiracy theories involving him," the voice said, ending with a hum. "Today, I am your host, and for anyone who doesn't know, I'm Dick Grayson, the eldest Wayne child. To my left is our illustrious father, and number one theory for today, Bruce Wayne."

"Dick, I told you I didn't want-" a new, deeper male voice started.

"Next to him is Jason, the second eldest and the wildcard of the family."

"Sup bi*****," was the voice response.

"Master Jason," an older accented voice inputted.

"Sorry Alfie."

"Then we have Cassandra Cain-Wayne."

"Hello!" A chipper female voice said.

"They can't see you wave, Cass."

"Oh, sorry."

"Tim Drake is also present, as always. Tim have you ever missed an episode?"

"No," a softer male voice said with a hum.

"Even Damian has missed."

"Tt, that is because I have a life, unlike Drake."

"I am literally a CEO-"

"And just then you heard Damian Wayne, our youngest and saltiest member. Say Hi, Damian."

"Salutations," a younger sounding, yet still accented voice said.

"So formal," the host, Dick, said with a laugh. "And always, we are moderated by our Butler and Grandfather, Alfred Pennyworth!"

"Hello, listeners."

"And this week, we are joined by special guest, Barbara Gordon, daughter of Ex-Commissioner, Jim Gordon. He's not here in person, because he said, and I quote, 'This is bs and there's no amount of money you could pay me to be on your weird podcast'. To which I would like to counter, Jim, we most likely could pay that amount of money-"

"Grayson, you're rambling again," Damian said, sounding annoyed.

"Why did Dick get to host this episode?" Jason asked.

"Because it's Bruce didn't want to, so it was my turn next, shut up Jason."

"Come at me!"

There was another hard cut and a few seconds of pause. You chuckled, already enjoying this pointless bickering.

"So. We're going to start at the beginning. Batman, the masked vigilante who guards Gotham and battles crime, appeared way back when in the 2000's. He was considered a criminal for a long time, mostly due to his method of fear and violence, despite that he never killed, and solved countless cold cases - much like we do, if I might add -" Dick started explaining, paper could be heard rustling.

"Yeah but we don't dress up in spandex and go out every night and punch people, Dick."

"Okay, obviously, Jason."

There was muffled sniggering and then a grunt as someone got hit.

"Boys, calm down and let your brother finish explaining."

"Thank you, Bruce!" Dick exclaimed, there was the beginning of a yell and then another audio cut.

"Batman eventually became a founding member of the Justice League of America, alongside heroes such as Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern and the Flash. It was around this time his protege, Robin, joined his side for the first time. Batman would eventually become the hero of our city, stopping criminals such as the Joker, Bane, Harley Quinn, the Riddler, and Poison Ivy, whom we all Stan," Dick's smooth voice continued.

"Dick," Bruce warned.

"Continuing! It is believed that Batman has had five or six different Robin's over the years, including two female ones, though neither were Robin for very long. The Batman has become a international, and even interstellar hero, working with the Green Lantern Corp on many occasions. I don't think I need to go into further detail, as almost everyone knows who the Batman is. Now let's get into theories!"

"Oh, finally," Tim said, followed by a muffled yawn.

"Shush, Drake. Let Grayson finish talking."

"Now most the theories are about Batman's secret identity or where he came from, right? And obviously the number one theory is that Bruce Wayne, our dear daddy here, is Batman."

"Do not ever say those words again," Jason groaned out.

"I most likely will."

"Can we all just agree this theory is absolute bulls***?"

"Damian!"

"I am speaking the truth father. I live with you, I can confidentially say you do not spend your nights running around Gotham unless it is in a sports car with some annoying woman-"

"Master Damian."

"My apologies Alfred."

"Can I give the evidence?!" Dick exclaimed.

There was mocking noises, and yet ANOTHER hard audio cut.

"So the main source of evidence is that Bruce Wayne and Batman have never been seen together. Which isn't true, because I have seen, and there is photographic evidence of such, which of course, you can find on our website!"

"The second evidence is something about them having the same a**, which I would rather not go into because of obvious reasons. Third, is all of us kids, somebody on Reddit mapped out all of our arrivals with in a years time of the Robin's arrival, and they think that we are the Robin's."

"Implausible. Have you seen Drake? He couldn't be a Robin, he'd snap right in half. And the second Robin died in an explosions, wouldn't that be Jason?" Damian countered.

"There actually was a kid Bruce fostered for a bit named Jason that actually died in an accident," Dick explained. "People think that Jason is the Robin."

"So we're not going to discuss the fact that you had another kid named Jason?"

"Jason, we've already discussed this a million times, I did not bring you into the family because of your name-"

"Can I continue?!"

"Please," A female voice piped in, Cass.

"Okay, the rest of the evidence is just kinda, fishy, I guess? Someone reports having heard Bruce actively state he was Batman as an excuse to not be on a jury duty, but let's be honest, who hasn't? Lastly is that Bruce Wayne disappears a lot around the time big things are happening, which is quote 'awfully coincidentally.' but circumstantial. An example of this is about five years back, Batman and Bruce Wayne both disappeared for a week, and then when Batman came back, he was reportedly 'different, more cheerful, and more charming. Less threatening', while Bruce Wayne remainder missing. Nearly a year later, Bruce Wayne returned, and Batman once again became gruff and intimidating. Shall we discuss this theory?"

"I don't see what we need to discuss," Damian grumbled.

"It's really not good evidence, but it is a good theory," Tim chipped in.

Jason spoke next. "I haven't been here for long, so it seems plausible to me."

"Jason!"

"What?!"

More bickering. Audio cut. This is getting a little weird with all the audio cuts.

"I think we can all agree that Bruce is not Batman," Cass said finally.

"Dad thinks the Bruce Wayne theory is dumb, and he's been working with Batman since year two. They're nothing alike. He suspected Bruce for a few years, but started seeing them in the same room and area and finally had to drop the theory," another female voice spoke, sounding bored.

"See? So, not plausible, moving on," Damian said dismissively.

The next theory was about some random middle aged man, the whole team thought this one wasn't terribly plausible either.

The third theory was that Batman was some type of alien, and this caused a lot of loud bickering and arguing.

The final theory was that Batman was a vampire, and all the kids seemed to like this theory, while Bruce was less then amused.

"Okay, Bruce, who do you think the Batman is?" Jason asked the second Dick closed out his presentation.

"I think he's a hero who protects the city and the planet, and had saved my life, and the lives of those closest too me, many times. If he wishes to keep his identity secret, then we should respect that the same way we respect Superman and Wonder Woman."

"Boooooo!" Jason and Tim yelled.

"Come on, Bruce. Really, give us an answer."

"Okay, I can't because I do actually know who it is," Bruce admitted.

"WHAT?" Tim screeched.

"You know who the Batman is and never told us?!" Dick exclaimed.

"Did you really miss his speech just now?" Damian asked with a huff. "He obviously wants to protect The Batman."

"You won't tell us?" Cass asked.

"Nope."

More bickering over this for a moment.

"Okay, how many agree with Vampire theory?" Dick asked.

There was a pause in the audio.

"Okay that's four. Any takers on alien theory? . . . No hands. Smith theory? And that's one. Jason and Damian, do you want to elaborate?"

"I still vote for Bruce Wayne theory," Jason said with a sigh.

"OH MY GOD-"

"OW! BRUCE HE PUNCHED ME!"

"BOYS!"

There was muffled speaking and sounds of hitting.

"Damian?"

"I don't like any of the theories."

"Do you have your own then?"

"Not particularly, but I suppose if I would have to give one. . . I believe the Batman is just some random guy with some behavioral and mental issues, and decided that the best way to combat crime, instead of becoming a police detective, was to put on spandex and Kevlar and a bat mask and theme everything after bats."

Dick chuckled. "Well there you have it folks. We finally tackled the Batman conspiracy, now could you please stop flooding our social medias with requests for it? Take that as you may, but obviously, as Bruce said, even if some of our members may know the identity of the Batman, we will not disclose that information, because it's not ours to give away. It's his choice and his privacy, so do not ask us who he is. We will not tell. Guys, anything to say?"

"I'm tired-"

"Tim you're always tired!"

"Ookaaaay! Anyway, next month is Bruce's turn, since we switched, and as always, we'll be putting up a poll on Twitter to see what case you want us to discuss! Until next time, this is the Wayne family signing off!"

"Goodbye."

"Peace out."

"Farwell."

"Death is inevitable."

"Time is a social construct."

"Children- Thank you for listening!"

"Please free me from this hell-"

"And in all the other ways to say it, Goodbye, and Goodnight!"

And you, dear listener, were left to listen to dead silence for a few minutes until you reached your destination, thoroughly confused, and mildly unsettled.

[streets-in-paradise]

Women of Troy appreciation post

I realized i kinda started a small series of posts about this film because of my excitement about it and the big lack of content there is about it. I’m trying to make my small contributions to fill this gap. Since i already did one fangirling about the men i want to make other a bit more serious to talk about the female characters.

 I have only three ladies to talk about here, the female characters were very few and in their story arcs they condensed the roles other women had in the original story. I understand a bit that, since they already had a three hours long film, they needed to cut some stuff. Even when i understand that, i would had liked to see at least a few more women. To be fair i think the character cut is not gendered, for example, the rest of the very extense list of brothers of Hector and Paris were cutted out in the same way of their sisters. We also don’t see a lot of important greek captains that are not mentioned, in the same way we don’t see other greek queens besides from Helen. I think it was an issue of lack of time for development of more characters. 

For this post i will talk from the movie’s perspective and i will add some of my personal headcanons for this version. Since Troy is pretty much Wolfgang Petersen’s Iliad fanfiction i will ramble from that perspective. In the dvd extras he said he read the iliad in greek , what makes me think he basically created his own fanfict in this movie and,as flawled as it is, i’m here for it. The characters, the costumes, the locations, everything gives you an amazing scense of inmersion. In that spirit, i want to talk a bit about the trojan princesses. 

I don’t own the images i will use. 

Sorry for my terrible english

Helen 

I had to start with her since she is the first woman we are introduced to in the film and she is the most famous female character of this story. I like the approach her story has, she is never blamed for the war.The film picks sides and a moral compass, the narrative is with the trojans and it assumes Priam’s morals. In the context of this adaptation is pretty much impossible to blame Helen. How could somebody blame her for wanting to scape from that husband? Even in the case of her not being sure of her love for Paris she saw a chance to scape and took it. She was a prisoner of a husband who didn’t cared for her, as she clearly states in the talk with Paris “ Before you came to Sparta, I was a ghost”. She was forced to marry a man who didn’t cared for her, she felt invisible and unimportant. Despite being the queen of the damn city, she felt worthless.

Having this in consideration i also believe that, in this approach, the reasons of why Helen could had fallen so fast for Paris are more understandable. He is not only a man that shows interest in her, Paris is such a non threating guy. I can imagine him as this womanizer who is used to win over all the ladies wherever he goes but, when he meet Helen, he fell so hard that he ended up as a dorky mess at least at first. I think he was very different from the sort of guy she used to see in Sparta. Being used to all the rough warriors there Paris is a literal dork in comparison and i think that’s exactly what she liked of him. The tenderness and softness of this non threating reckless dork absolutely head over hills for her. 

Most of her story arc is setted by this romance, i would had liked to see more of her in the city once the war starts. Did the trojans blamed her for the war? Did they support their king’s choice of letting her stay? How was she like as a princess? Did she ever felt like a princess of Troy? She supported the people in any form? How did the rest of the trojan elite recieved her? 

The only hints of interactions we see of her without Paris are with Priam and Hector. The closesness in which they always are makes me think she got close to Andromache as well. I would had loved to see how Briseis reacted to her. Was she upset with Paris for it?  Did they got along? I can imagine her yelling at Paris when she found out, not upset with Helen but with him. 

I love the friendship she has with Hector. We saw only a few interactions of them but i think they developed a frienship and it’s nice how he makes her feel part of the family once the fate of war is decided and there is no chance to avoid it. Priam seems to make efforts as well and i think that she eventually felt part of the family at least with them. 

I would had loved to see at least one scene of actual interaction between Helen and Andromache. I picture them bonding over all the shit arround them and comforting each other but i would had liked to see if they actually got close as i imagine by the hints in the movie, how was their relationship like. 

I would had wanted to see more of Helen’s relationship with the trojans and her story arc expanded besides from her love for Paris and the role it had in the war. Besides from that i love and enjoy her character, i empathize with her and i would protect her against anyone who could dare to blame her for the war. 

Briseis 

Storywise speaking she is a mix of story arcs from different women of the original. She assumes the roles of the original Briseis, Chryseis,Cassandra,Polyena and (at the end) Clytemnestra. Despite this fact I have to say I love this girl. From when I watched the movie for the first time as a child I remember how much I used to love the scene where she is taken to Agamemnon and, while Achilles tries to defend her, she calls everyone out on their bullshit even when her own safety is at risk. Briseis is so unapologetically herself, even in the worst possible context, and I love that. 

We already see something similar in her meeting with Achilles. Let’s think about it for a second, she is there as a captive, her freedom was taken away and all she knows is that she is going to be a slave owned by the most fierce greek warrior in the entire army. Instead of being terrified she confronts him,she raises her voice at him like it’s nothing. Briseis is so used to speak her mind that she does it without hesitation. 

Right after, she stops Achilles from fighting Agamemnon’s men because she doesn’t want to see another bloodbath. To me it’s such a powerful moment because, if we remember that to every man in that room she is nothing but a slave, that action is so fucking brave and awesome. The first time i saw it i was shocked, Briseis calling them out was super badass to me. Also, whatching her killing Agamemnon at the end is so satisfying. 

Since her backstory is not detailed much  i have a few headcanons.i can mention. Her parents are not there, i can imagine her growing up raised by her uncle and being very close with her cousins. I would had liked to see more of her relationship with her family but, since her part of the story gets a startpoint with her capture, we didn’t had much time to see her in Troy. 

Some interaction between her, Helen and Andromache before or after her time as captive would had been great to see, specially because this three women are awesome and it sucks to never have time to see them interacting. I can see Helen and Briseis having at least a small bonding moment after she comes back. I can imagine her being the bridge between Briseis and Andromache after Hector’s death. Briseis must had feel so terrible and guilty. The man she fell in love with killed her cousin.Andromache’s husband. I think she would have a hard time in procesing her own grief but at the same time she would find hard to approach Andromache because of how guilty she feels for what happened. In that context, Helen would help her to get close to her again. At the same time, nothing is mentioned on how people reacted to her return. What if her reputation got questioned? Rumours about her and Achilles affected her life there? I can imagine that, in the case of her getting questioned or judged  by some people, Helen would had encouraged her. 

Other character i would had wished to see her interacting more with is Patroclus. I think the would get along very well considering that both are morally calling out Achilles all the time. He is such a sweet boy, his presence could had been comforting to her. That would make everything more tragic. if she cares for Hector but also for Patroclus then the war upon them would had made her witness how her cousin killed her friend, then the man she loves killed her cousin and got killed by her youngest cousin afterwards. I can see Patroclus and Briseis being friendly to each other and maybe being friends. It hurts like fuck to think about it but it is something that could had been. 

Andromache 

My favourite female character in this film. Andromache is the best, I love her so much. She is such an empowering character despite being the most traditional woman on this list. Actually that is something I love, she is a traditional mother and wife character and a strong female character as well, a proof that one doesn’t exclude the other. Just by seeing how her husband asks for her advice all the time you can think that, if Hector would have been crowned king after Priam, this lady would have been the actual ruler of Troy. She is so clever, an amazing strategist Hector himself is impressed by. When he says to her that she would be a good general you can see it’s totally true. She’s amazing, more clever than lots of trojan noblemen in Priam’s council. 

All the family moments between Hector, Andromache and their son warm my heart. They are such a cute family. Hector and Andromache are perfect for each other. In this version I headcanon them being friends or knowing each other long before marrying, Andromache as the woman Hector always knew he wanted to marry and when he finally does he feels like the happiest man alive. That’s the vibe they give me, a couple that has been in love for a very long time and they know each other better than anyone else. Hector is the best husband ever, so loyal and loving to his wife. They are a lovely couple. 

I had already described a few of the interactions I would have liked to see between her and other characters. As I said, I can see her getting close to Helen, bonding and becoming friends and I would have loved to see that explored. Since Clytemnestra is not in this version we don’t know if Helen had any siblings and I imagine Andromache adopting a sort of older sister role to Helen, even without realizing it directly and more towards acts than words. As we see in hints of the few city scenes they must have spent a lot of time together and, since Andromache has the same caring nature of her husband, I can imagine her ending up caring for her more than what she may had expected at first. Regarding her relationship with Briseis and what i said before i think she didn’t blame her for what happened, Briseis felt guilty about it and may have tried to avoid her because of that guilt for a while until Helen helped them to get close again. 

My biggest complaint to the movie in terms of this character is that I would have appreciated to see more of her interacting with the other women. Also, more of her clever badass self involved in the war like from a tactics perspective or something. Honestly, Andromache should had been in the council of Priam. She and Hector would had been awesome calling out that old priest giving always the wrong advice. Also, i can totally see her leading the group of trojan survivors we see at the end in the director’s cut.

This is all for now, i hope you enjoyed this very long post and my headcanons for this awesome women in the universe of this movie. If you want to add more i’m always open to discussion. 

Thanks for reading this long ramble 

@hrisity12​  I tag you since you already told me you are interested in this post.

[betweenthepage]

Mini Reviews

As always, you can find my reviews on Goodreads and you can also follow my Instagram

Review’s for: 

1) Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland 

2) Scammed by Kristen Simmons

3) The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

4) Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

5) Ember Queen by Laura Sebastian 

6) The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh 

7) Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger

8) Tithe by Holly Black

Beyond the Black Door

The book read a bit like early 2010’s YA (which isn’t a bad thing, I was fine with it. But some people don’t enjoy it). While I enjoyed the general plot, I wish some parts of the book were left out so that Kamai—the main character—could get the ball rolling sooner. I feel like it would have made for more interesting situations. I really enjoyed reading all the characters—especially Vehyn and all his villainous ways! The diversity in sexuality was beautiful and I am so glad that people are finding themselves in these characters. I think it was done beautifully, and will hopefully open the door for more books like this. Overall, I felt like the conflict was resolved very well and realistically for the book—aka no, “everything happened because I say.” 3 out of 5 stars!

Scammed

I enjoyed the first book, but this book? LOVED. The writing is great and the twists and turns? Did not see a lot of it coming! I’ve been conned! I LOVED that we got to see more of the secondary characters (Henry and especially Charlotte who I love x3 now) and I hope even more of the other students get some screen time in the third book. Beyond Charlotte, I was surprised to see how attached I got to Moore! More Moore! Lol Some of my only problems with Scammed were that a lot of the events that happened could have easily been solved with honesty (but then...no drama!) and that Brynn—our main character—was an easy pawn. For someone who’s good at what she does, she sure got played. I’m still spinning at all the twists that happened, trying to piece things from the first book. Seeing if maybe I missed clues, suspecting everyone, questioning who the real villains are and their true motives. That makes for a good book. @ Kristen Simmons/ Tor Teen, please send me the third book today, I am ready for third book, today. I will eagerly be waiting the third book, which I am ready for today. 4 out of 5 stars!

The Kingdom of Back

Marie has once again written a beautiful book with emotion and grace. As a pianist, I’ve been obsessed with many composers, Mozart being one of them. I knew he had a sister but didn’t know how she too was just as talented as Wolfgang. This books scratched the surface of her talent and used their imagination to write a different world. While I enjoyed the writing itself, I did feel like the otherworldness was a bit confusing and for me, didn’t make a lot of sense some of the time. I had to ignore things or add my own things in order to make more sense of it. Some times I was a bit bored due to the plot slowing down. Beyond that, I was filled with rage at the real life injustice portrayed in the story that Nannerl had to face. Not only from society/the world, but from her own father. I wanted SOMEONE to shout at him. It truly is a sadness and loss to the world that her compositions were lost to the world and she didn’t get her chance to be just as great as her brother. Marie Lu talked about how she believes her music lives on through Wolfgang, I believe so too.

Chain of Gold

Normally with so many characters, I mostly enjoy them but really only care for a few. With Chain of Gold, I LOVED every single character. They all stole my heart in different ways. Though, Matthew is my favorite by far. I have a soft spot for sassy men who like clothes.

I absolutely loved all the minor plot lines; I can clearly see how they’re going to develop into bigger plot lines. Though since there were so many small ones, it made for the overall plot to be...lacking? Not that it wasn’t good, but I just felt like I wasn’t at the edge of my seat. But given everything that happened, I know it’s only going to give me more anxiety as the books continue. I also had to pull up a family tree to see who’s kid was who’s because there are so many Lightwoods. They’ve kept busy haha

I loved seeing all of our characters from TID and I LOVE how much EVERYONE knows Tessa and Will love each other. Makes me feel even more lonely lmao.

And the ending with some of the main characters...it’s a troupe I haven’t read in a while but I’m so excited.

4 out of 5 stars!

Ember Queen

I’ve finally read this! I didn’t get to it because I travelled for a signed copy and then school but finally!!

Lots of moving parts to this book, which make sense considering they’re in the middle of a war. A lot seemed a little too easy, and while many were lost on the pages, it wasn’t anyone we really knew. Thus, the feeling of it being too easy.

The big heart ache towards the end of the book, I knew was going to happen. It no longer had a plot or arc to move the story forward unlike everyone and everything else so it was made clear to me. Regardless, I was still incredibly sad as it was one of my favorite things. (Trying to be vague and avoid spoilers lol)

I LOVED that after everything Theo has gone through, even all the growth she has had, she still remained a soft hearted person, unafraid of her emotions. Embracing her tears and everything she felt. I love a strong willed woman, but we need more soft hearted women. Both are equally strong and Laura did an amazing job at capturing that.

The ending was great, I think. It took something Theo often thought about and was a big thorn to her plan and made her embrace it. It was fitting.

I was fortunate enough to start this trilogy early via an arc, and I’m so glad I got to see it to the end.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Beautiful

Right from the start, I fell in love with Celine. I love everything about her but especially that she wasn’t afraid to want power AND love. The setting and time that this beautiful (haha get it?) book was written was a time where POCs were still treated badly. I liked the fact that Celine—and others—acknowledge this as well as enjoy that all people from everywhere could have a place where they could work side by side. There wasn’t a character I did not like or love. I enjoyed them all, even when they annoyed me or broke my heart. Even the potential lives interests (plural). I love both though I have my heart set on one boy. I didn’t like that even though a lot of things were revealed, those things were still vague. I have to think it’s because grander things will be revealed in the next book, but for now, it’s left me a little confused. This would have made this a 4 star read for me. But I just loved Celine SO MUCH that I have no choice but to make this a 5 star read. She literally made this whole book for me. 5 out of 5 stars.

Steel Crow Saga

Listen...it’s an Asian inspired book filled with LGBTQ+ INCREDIBLE characters, found family, POKEMON-ESQUE things? Just buy the book already. Don’t even finish my review.

This book was great. Every character in this book was amazing in one way or another. Lee warmed my heart (we love a sarcastic thief) but Tala owns it. She was by far my favorite character. Everything she went through, has done...she’s amazing and her growth through the book speaks loudly. She fought a lot of inner turmoil (NO ONE WOULD BLAME HER IF SHE PICKED DIFFERENTLY THAN WHAT SHE DID IN THE BOOK...but I’m glad she didn’t) and all the emotions she felt? I felt them too. I just want to wrap her in a hug and make sure nothing bad ever happens to her again. I did find one of the characters, Jimuro, annoying up until the end, where his growth was finally tangible. He was big talk but finally led with actions. Good job, dude. Still want to mildly slap you, but it’s all good. The pacing of the book was perfect and I want to live in this world where I basically can get my own Pokemon. Or metal bend. I do wish some smaller details were talked about more, as it left me with a couple questions, but overall I enjoyed it. And I hope one day there’s a sequel. :(

4.5 out of 5 stars!

Tithe

Story wise, I felt it was rushed and definitely could have been longer for the pace. But I liked it for the most part. Beyond the pace, everything felt a little too easy. If that’s the case, I can make it in the Unseelie court too lol The main character, Kaye, was something. While I generally liked her, she’s very selfish and unaware of the emotions or well being of her friends and family. Possibly it could be because of what she truly is...but still. And while she apologized for some of her actions, it seemed very surface based and it just rubbed me the wrong way. Her one real friend, Corny? LOVE him. Felt for him too. I hope if he pops up again that he gets nothing but happiness because poor king. Roiben? He was cool. I generally liked him! He was kind of the calm to Kaye’s chaos. He didn’t have much character to him but I know the later story revolves around him more so I’m excited to see his development. 3 out of 5 stars.

[rowankingsleyy]

Like this if you want to plot with Rowan and I’ll come ramble

NAME: ROWAN JESSAMINE KINGSLEY

NICKNAMES: Ro, Winnie (close friends only)

AGE: 28

PRONOUNS: She/Her

OCCUPATION: Published Author/Freelance Baker

HEIGHT: 5′1

BIRTHDAY: May 11th, 1992

ZODIAC SIGN: Taurus

PARENTS: Cassandra and Tony Kingsley

SIBLINGS: Damien Kingsley

ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good

MBTI: ISFJ

MORE UNDER THE READ MORE =)

TW: domestic violence, sexual assault, anxiety, eating disorders, mention of death, illness, drugs

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

Rowan was born to Cassandra and Tony Kingsley in the early summer of 1992, at which point things were already strained between the two-some because of Tony’s alcohol problem and Cassie’s generally meek personality.

Rowan’s brother took a leading role in her care from a very young age, not just because her dad was useless, but also because their mother was so distracted by her need to please Tony that she dropped the ball often.

Both her brother and her saw things they certainly shouldn’t have, were told things that no children should be told, and occasionally went without for no reason other than Tony liking control, but he never hurt them physically.  However, he did hurt their mother.  

Less than a year after her brother turned 18 and moved out of the house, their mother died of an aneurysm suddenly and unexpectedly.

Despite how Rowan’s father treated her mother, the loss of her broke him and send him on a 3 month bender that only ended because he was booked with vehicular manslaughter and his 3rd DWI.

Luckily, Rowan only spent a few weeks in foster care before the court allowed her brother to assume custody over her.

From the moment her brother joined, the Valencia became her family.  The women, wives and daughters of the organization were the people who taught her everything she knows about being a girl, doing make up, doing her hair, navigating boys.  (This is probably why she went through a blue eyeshadow phase at 17)

Rowan is a textbook overachiever and perfectionist, she always had all As, was always in 6 clubs, and held officer positions in every single one including the dance team.  While she did hold officer positions, she never really was one to take front and center--she prefers the positions of the people behind the scenes keeping things together.  (secretary, treasurer, anything that has to do with organizational skills.

While over her high school years she wrote a lot, and even published one of her short stories in a local newspaper, she didn’t write her first full novel until she went away to college at 18.  No one ever read that novel, it hit the trash during its 5th round of editing.

At 18 she received a full scholarship to the University of Nevada--Reno and left Red Ridge for the first time to go to school first time.  She lived in the dorms all 4.5 years and graduated with a degree in English, minoring in Psychology.

If you ever ask Rowan what she’s afraid of, she’ll tell you losing control again.  She notes two prominent times of completely losing control over her life, one fairly recent, and the other while she was away at college.  While she was away, she went out fairly often with her friends and one night someone slipped something into her drink.  Nothing happened, she made it home without incident, but the way it made her feel, the way she felt victimized or the potential of being so set her off.  She had two drop three of her classes and extend her time in college an extra semester because of how hard she spun out, trying to control things that she wouldn’t typically even think about.  She started her senior year 20 pounds lighter with 0% of the friends she had started her Junior year with.

While she was away at college her brother became a father, which meant frequent trips home to visit and help out with her niece who quickly meant enough to her to be her own.    

She returned home from school at 23 and worked in a bakery until she could live off of her cookie business (at 25 her cookie business was self sufficient).  

While she was growing her bakery cookie business, she began writing her first professional novel and completed it at 26.  She sold it that very same year, and published it at 27.

While it changed her life or the better and got her foot in the door with the publishing world, publishing her book also led to the the single most traumatizing thing she has ever experienced.  

While she was marketing her book, the marketing manager became very demanding of Rowan and her time, which often led to them being together very late at night.  One night, while out of town for a book reading, he pushed himself on Rowan.  This assault led to the second occurrence of Rowan losing complete control and her life suffering because of it.

After the assault, Rowan threatened to blow the whistle, and in return he threatened her career so she is still with that publishing company with him as her marketing manager.  

As of now, Rowan is in the process of getting her second book published, filling in as mom as best she can for her niece, running her cookie business and holding cookie classes, and trying to make amends for the bonds she broke when she spun out last.

TENDENCIES

Because of how contentious Rowan’s early childhood was, she has a pretty anxious mind that is always running on 100.  Her thoughts come a mile a minute and they can be pretty difficult to stop.  Melatonin is her best friend.  

When she loses control over things in her life (hELLO we meet again control-less childhood) she controls everything she can, and that manifests differently every time.  Controlling what she eats to the point of malnourishment, controlling every single word of what she’s writing, putting herself on lockdown until whatever she’s working on is      p e r f e c t.  

She fixates on her mistakes, in high school if she answered to the wrong name during roll she would be thinking about it for the rest of the day.

She bakes in excess when she’s trying to think through something, the measurements and muscle memory movements help calm her brain into being able to process whatever is on her mind.

She’s always been a writer, from the very first time she had to write in her 4th grade ELA class.  That only grew through Middle and High School creative writing classes.  She’s always loved exploring the stories and that it was something that she could perfect through six or seven round of editing.

Sticky notes cover her bedroom walls because of how quickly her thoughts come and go, her ideas for books do NOT come in order and she can often be found starring at her walls with her little scribbles trying to figure out what order they should go in.

For someone who would be considered the ‘bright & shiny’ type, she has a thing for researching and watching shows about serial killers.  She can rattle off facts like its her day job.  

Because of how quiet she can be, sometimes folks assume she’s innocent or that she doesn’t know anything, but in reality the opposite is true.  She’s spent so much time watching and analyzing everyone and everything that she knows much more that she lets on or that any civilian should.

She learned how to play guitar in college (not very well) and is a pretty damn good singer, but she’d never be the type to want to be front and center in front of a crowd.  She mostly uses these talents as a means to an end in writing mini stories with lyrics.  It appeases her in the in between period of having finished a book and being able to start a new one.

All floral, all the time.  Enough said.

GENUINELY afraid of birds and giant frogs

I’ll probably add to this it’s 1am and I’m tired.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

**ex boyfriend, who she really fucked up with.  message for more**

high school friends/enemies

someone who works in the bakery with her

women who influenced her growing up within Valencia

Valencia members who are like family

someone who mentored her in her baking

friends she lost when she spun out during college

literally anything

ESTABLISHED CONNECTIONS

wherever i go, you bring me home Damien Kingsley// her brother.  her parent.  rowan is extremely close to her brother, as kids they were all each other had.  he’s done everything he could to give her a normal childhood, to make up for her parents’ lapses.  she would do just about anything for him or his daughter.  

can't stop staring, at those oceans eyes, burning cities, and napalm skies. fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes Lev Yegorov// no title.  but he’s the only man who has ever quieted her brain long enough for her to both lose her breath and catch it.  they’ve kissed a few times and have something comparable to a magnetic field between them, but lev broke it off out of respect for her brother.

i'll stand up with you forever, i'll be there for you through it all Natalie Cassadaga// her sister.  they may not have grown up together, they bonded to an extent that would have been unfathomable had she not experienced it.  barring childhood, they’re sisters, no buts.

i’m a mess, i’m a loser, i’m a hater, i’m a user Freddie Dawson// her confidant.  this is the only person outside of nat who gets to see rowan admit to being a mess.  freddie gets the 100% honest version of rowan, usually with a little bit of liquid courage.

you can leave me in the dark if that's all I get from you ??????? OPEN // her ex.  they dated in secret for 8 months before her assault.  when she spun out after the assault, she didn’t tell him and she pushed him away.  she fucked up the relationship, but she’s a little bitter about how easily he gave up on her.  

'cause they’re gonna tell you all the rules to break, to take away that light OPEN // her roommate.  the boldness to rowan’s softness.  how different they are makes them work, they bring balance to each other (and rationalize the one another when they go too far).  

If you’ve made it this far, you deserve a baby Rowan picture, here.

[overthinkingfandom]

A song analysis for the promo

The series have been setting Varian and Cass as mirrors of each other's for a while now. Their arcs are very similar, with the major difference between them being where each is right now on their arcs. Cassandra is in a position that reflects Varian's during season 1. In fact, it can be argued that s3!Varian is talking to his past self just as much as he's talking to Cassandra.

With that in mind, we can learn from the song a lot. Both about Varian's current mindset and what went through his mind during s1.

Here are the most accurate words I found so far. Credit to TakuShinobi on the discord server with some tweaks from me.

[VARIAN] You have so much to hold on to

[CASSANDRA] I only want my rightful dues

[VARIAN] Listen please, you’ve lost your grip- And lost your mind All’s not lost don’t be so blind Cut your losses Drop the I-owe-you's Oooh, choose It’s time for you to choose You can stop turning off the screws(?)

[CASSANDRA] Lose, I’m not gonna lose I refuse, I refuse I lose no tears and lose no sleep What I want I’ll take and keep You can start turning up the screws(?)

If we look at Varian's verses, we see they reinforce what we saw of his character so far this season. He's feeling guilty and ashamed but more than that he's feeling regretful. He can no longer relate to the thought process that went through his head during s1, calling it crazy, but at the same time, he does show that he still understands the reasoning as to why he slipped into that mindset. Considering he generally shows a pretty good self-awareness, the reasons he states are likely spot on.

It's interesting to note that what he blames his past self of isn't being malicious or selfish, but of being "blind". A fault that's mostly rooted in lack of knowledge, whether by voluntary ignoring it or just genuinely not noticing.

He goes on to advocate giving up, which on the surface seems to go against his personality. When Varian sets himself a goal he just goes and does it, no matter what anyone says about it or the odds against him. It's both his greatest strength and flaw and without it, it's highly unlikely that events would've happened as they did.

By condemning that trait, it could show a healthy understanding of what went wrong in s1, but considering everything else we know both about his current situation and his personality, it's far more likely to be a sign of self-loathing. Especially considering that's basically the only logical thing to have fueled his redemption as it was presented in the show.

On a bit more positive, the last line of his verse seems to indicate that he feels like he has made the choice to act better, or at the very least that he's capable of choosing that change rather than considering himself inherently bad or irredeemable. So it seems like he at least made some progress from the premiere not that it says much considering just how bad his headspace was at the time.

His line about having so much to hold on to is also indicative of a better mindset. Whether those things are his family, friends, hopes or anything else, it shows that he's once again connected to the world. A big part of the problem in s1 was just how isolated Varian was, to the point he was desperate just to be heard.

If we continue down our road of assuming Varian is metaphorically speaking to his past self as well as literally speaking with Cass, then it stands to reason that her verses can stand in for s1 Varian's mindset

The most obvious is the absolute refusal to give up on the goal (losing) and the amount of determination displayed, which is part of what made him such an effective villain.

(And the word choice of "refuse" is very fitting here. Varian overcame crazy odds all by himself that most anyone else would've shied away from rather than contemplate seriously.)

The rest of the verse indicates that Varian used both the work and the persona he built at the time to repress his emotional turmoil, rather than "losing tears". Considering how over the top he acted it says rather interesting things about him, since the behavior we saw on display was mostly the one he chose rather than his 100% real responses to the situation. He was given the option of playing a type of character as an "armour" against both his emotional turmoil and against his opponents and he chose a hammy persona that loved to gloat. The kind of person that everyone notices because he makes them pay attention to him. It's a power fantasy with two aspects, the first of being in control and the second of being heard. Meaning Varian felt like he was neither in control nor heard when he desperately wanted to be.

The line about "rightful dues" is a reaction born of a feeling of injustice and distrust that any others would come help and so he must achieve justice by his own actions. 

Varian very much displayed that kind of mindset in s1. He was angry about a lot of things, most of which can be summed up with "it's not fair", and he was disillusioned about every authority figure in his life in a very short period of time. Add in how his support network collapsed overnight and that he had to deal with a hostile city in the form of Corona and the result is him developing a him vs. the world mindset.

And there are of course s3 Varian's hindsight about his behaviour with the line "Hope’s not lost don’t be so blind". Desperation was a major motivating factor in Varian's actions. As the number of his options decreased, his willingness to go to extremes increased. But what this line tells us that at one point or another Varian outright lost all hope.

In exactly what context is a bit fuzzy. It's possible that over time he internalized Quirin's encasement as permanent to the point some part of him considered his dad outright dead. If so it's possible to read his actions both in a self-destructive light and desperation to avoid confronting the fact that (in his mind) he killed his own dad. Another possibility is that Varian lost hope in himself, in the possibility that he would ever get to go back to a normal life with his dad so it didn't matter just how bad what he had to do was, since he was already lost anyway.

Assuming the moment that's being held up as a mirror to Cass in this ep is SotS, it would mean that he lost hope sometime before that.

It tells us a few things about Varian. One is that even without hope his determination doesn't falter. Meaning that even Varian can't stop himself if there's even the smallest chance of still achieving his goal, even if he lost his belief. So far the only thing that we saw that actually caused Varian to stop pursuing a goal is when that goal was proven literally impossible.

It also casts a lot of his actions in SotS in a new light. Everything we saw there was basically a hail mary even the first time around, but when taken with the information that he lost hope at some point before then a level of self destructiveness, or at the very least carelessness with his self and the consequences that can come on him as a result. Not enough to compromise his goal, that's not how Varian works, but enough to leak into everything else.

And now there's another awful layer to his meltdown. It's not just that his last solution, his last shred of possibility of hope, was destroyed. It was that his hopelessness was validated, that all that bad stuff his hopelessness caused him to think was true. In some ways, this is worse, because in addition to all the stuff he was repressing slapping him in the face he also had all the implications of his failure growing and festering in the back of his mind for a while now.

[jensvisualnoveladventures]

I want to say at this point Baby Bump is probably my least favorite Choices book. It’s about halfway through now and most of my issues still constantly end up there. 

It’s not my most disappointing book (I’d give that to Passport to Romance especially, but also a honorary mention to TRM. ACOR sort of fits, but they went for what they were going for-- I just felt like I had no real choices despite how it started and was the minority in that, but both TRM and PtR’s set-ups compared to what we actually got are why they are some of my biggest disappointments in that sense. Sunkissed is another one, but it felt more like they had no idea what they wanted) as it’s not like it grabbed me in the first place, but as someone who is okay with fluff books and even enjoyed stuff like Home for the Holidays (which just... needed better moments towards the ending where things got really obnoxious) and I don’t necessarily need realism (which Bachelorette Party’s crazy antics worked well for me), but Baby Bump has somehow managed to hit nearly every single thing that bothers me and I’m just riding it out to get it over with. The patches are cute I guess?

I think what really bugged me from the start is the plot doesn’t work with the MC they advertised. She is interested in Clint because he is one of her role models, there is no real sense of romantic interaction, they mainly keep things professional, and then they end up sleeping together because she’s moving? For someone who’s planned so much of her life and is so focused on her career, it’s just... baffling. They could’ve gone so many different ways with the initial plot (maybe even a long-term relationship that ended for one reason or another so she gets ready to focus on her work and then that happens and then it also would lessen the over attachment to Clint which just makes me uncomfortable at this point and I say that as someone who doesn’t know who I plan to go for) to make it work better for what they were trying to sell, but they made it such a mess and so even as I play, that stands out to me every time. 

I can’t understand the character because she feels like a constant contradiction. She’s already super into the baby with talking to it and things (Which... I guess is a thing for a lot of people, but it still feels out of the blue considering the initial plot-- just for her to be so okay and gungho about it and just go with it), but that brings me to my next problem: Clint

First of all, I feel bad to those playing who have no interest in the male love interests. While I admit interactions can be overly forced and sometimes you’ll still have weird moments, I think what bugs me the most with Clint is the MC adds to it. Even if you pick all platonic choices, they often end up very close together and it’s super weird.

The MC literally flat out denies his proposal and mentions needing to know each other and be friends (yet... you got into this position in the first place), but then they just constantly act like they’re ready to be parents and move in together. And why even give us a choice then or other love interests when this seems to be the option that is pushed to such a degree? She constantly acts like Cassandra is taking Clint from her or acting like he’s doing stuff behind her back  even if you never picked any romantic options with him. -_- 

And then there’s Clint saying he wants to help, has a lot of power in the city clearly, also has a lot of money, but we end up having to deal with Cassandra and the government and other harassment and just, everything makes no sense. (I won’t even go into how far along the baby is and the mess with that)

it feels like they just want certain drama to happen wherever and don’t care if it makes sense based off plot points they’ve already given. And I have a high level of suspension of belief, but this book has skyrocketed way passed it. 

Just when your own plot is constantly contradicting itself, it’s hard to take anything seriously, let alone care a bit more. 

Some of the characters are okay I guess?? At the same time, it feels like they belong in completely different books because this book, despite having a central plot, has no idea what kind of book it wants to be and that’s where it’s biggest downfall is. 

[jackson-jemson]

3/21/19

I am officially quarantined. And I am figuratively or hypothetically alone mentally. As mentioned earlier (I think) this virus has disrupted everything. To add to the list of things it’s disrupted my therapist got laid off and I’m probably not gonna get another one, because I don’t feel like re-explaining my whole life story. Re-explaining and discovering all the ways my parents messed me up, how I messed myself up, because while all of that is helpful and has helped me grow, I do feel that if I re-discuss all of that it’ll just make me get all in my head about it. Like with Angela we had gotten pretty far but the last time we spoke she implied I was being narcissistic because I could easily list positive things about myself and in her doing that I literally doubted every positive thing I had to say and now every time I make a decision that I feel would be best for me I think I’m being selfish, and me accepting that I’m not as sacrificial as my parents was like a week one issue that she helped me work through. She’s a good therapist though and I really hate she’s not gonna be mine anymore. She’ll be great to the kids that need her more. I was a bit too old to be seeing her. Maybe this means I need an adult therapist?

Speaking of my parents though, it is 6:30 am and I am at my boyfriends house who I have been at for the last 3 going 4 days. This relates to my parents because 1) my mom, rest her soul, is not here to make me feel safe and keep my anxiety at bay (slight aside: mom for all that you may have not done well, you did your best and you loved me. You made me feel safe and loved and spent time with me and even during the times when you made me anxious you were always there to make the feeling go away, so much to the point where I didn’t know it was an issue until you were gone. Thanks 💙) 2) My dad, bless his soul, has his hands full with two other family members that require his attention more. And let’s face it I’m 21. I need to deal with *gesters to self* this on my own. My mom was my primary caretaker and my dad was there when I needed him thereby disproving any idea or thought I had in my mind that he didn’t love me. I now know I can lean on him if need be. I had a point, and it was that.. because my parents are dead or over worked and I need to be in an environment where I gotta figure shit out on my own I am here at my boyfriends which is like ultimate survival mode. I am scavenging for food (delivery), literally living off the land in terms of clothing (I wear his shirts) I have to venture into the unknown for supplies (target is down the street and it’s cold). I’m so focused on surviving I don’t think about the fact that my dad’s house literally causes me to have mini panic attacks and the thought of returning also gives me mini panic attacks. Well being stuck there does. Like I recognize that neither Tyler or Isaiah leaves their homes, and I would happily stay at either of their places indefinitely (if they are there) and that’s because they are very comforting people whose smiles and auras bring me peace and make me feel that everything will be ok. Also they have windows and natural light. Like it’s mainly the windows. Like this is an apocalyptic situation. The entire world has shut down due too this crisis, and yes it is fun to think “let’s all just live in a bunker we will be safe” but no Chad it’s not fun and sure Cassidy we will be safe physically, but no living thing outside of maybe bats can survive mentally without sunlight. They will go insane. Literally warmth is a primal need for all life and you know what’s a reliable source of warmth. The sun. And you know who we exprience the sun as well as nature overall when we’re unable to go outside, a fucking window Cassandra! Now sure I could just ask hey open the curtains or hey turn up the heat past 68 so I can shake this cold hallow loneliness I feel, but that would be rearranging their entire way of living. Something that I’m just not ok with doing entirely especially considering doing so would just be for my benefit, and would start some petty thing that will blow out of proportion.

Though it would be for someone else’s benefit that of my brother. Lil Theo. Now Theo poses a bit of a moral conundrum for me, because just like I don’t wanna be in that house I don’t think he does either like his entire life I have made jokes and somewhat empty threats that I will remove this boy from his home given the opportunity. The threats are somewhat empty because I’m not equipped to take care of Theo. his life with though being filled with love and care would be less structured and chaotic and to remove him from a place just because I don’t like it wouldn’t be fair to him, that being said let me see one sign of abuse and I will not hesitate. I will take him in he will live with me and Isaiah will just have to figure something out. Though my dad got it if something ever goes down I can see it in his eyes. My dad will die for his kids shit he kinda already is. Point: he’s a moral conundrum because though I know ultimately Theo is safer where he is and our dad loves him an amount that exceeds the typical amount children feel who have both parents (his mom’s alive she’s just questionable in my eyes), I know theo would prefer if I was there forever. Which isn’t possible for a multitude of reasons that I am unable to explain to a child, and one of my character flaws is that if I can’t explain something to you odds are I’m not gonna try. Which is something I could work on during these trying times. I just want theo to know I love him.

[tangledgal]

WARNING: SUPER BIG POST! This is a complete list of my ranking of the season 1 and season 2 soundtrack.

Alright, first, I truly like/ love all the songs in the soundtrack, so low-ranked songs are never “bad.” Second, I’m not counting the 3 scores we got with the season 2 soundtrack. Third, I know that once season 3 has released its songs, this list will become kinda irrelevant, but hey, I’m impatient. Lastly, this is all biased so if some songs seem like they should be lower or higher than others, then that’s fine. I don’t claim to be a genius musician. I just prefer some songs over others.

(P.S. this was written in a day so misspellings are likely) 

21.) Hook Foot’s Ballad

I don’t think I need to explain why this is the lowest. XD I really don’t mind this song, but it’s so short and just makes me wonder why this was considered a song, but the Reverse Incantation wasn’t! Just . . . meh.

20.) Wind in My Hair (Reprise)

We’ve all heard this one a BUNCH of times, and it’s pretty okay on its own. I just don’t consider this as high on the list just because we’ve heard it a lot and it’s just “Wind in my Hair” but shorter.

19.) More of Me

Another song we hear over and over again, but I’m a sucker for upbeat Disney pop music, and the full song is pretty fun to listen to. Nothing special, but enjoyable.

18.) Next Stop Anywhere (Reprise)

I like this one, but the 30 seconds of just talking at the beginning is a little grating. Again, just “Next Stop” but shorter. Still, Mandy and Zac always sound amazing together.

17.) Let Me Make You Proud (Reprise)

As you see, I put all the reprises last since they aren’t the most . . . interesting, but this is definitely the best of them since this is the MOMENT Varian vows revenge and makes his arc. It’s very powerful and the singing is great, but again, reprise.

16.) Listen Up

A fun song that’s just right for Halloween. I particularly love how it has the same sound as “I’ve Got a Dream,” but in a minor key, making it spoopy! It’s just lower on the list since it doesn’t really add much to the plot. Just a good song.

15.) Life After Happily Ever After

One of the few songs that sound exactly like it came straight from the movie. I like how it fills us in on the plot and with a great melody. Just . . . lots of talking that wasn’t edited out. And not that it’s not good, but I don’t find myself listening to it as often. Still, this was great as the first song of the show and it’s great now.

14.) If I Could Take That Moment Back

Yeah, I’m a New Dream sucker, and this song made me choke up a bit on my first listen. ASIDE FROM THAT, it doesn’t sound too different from most sad love songs. I didn’t want to put it too high because it’s not particularly unique. Not saying it’s BAD at all! The melody is beautiful (especially on the piano), the lyrics are heartbreaking and match up with the situation pretty well, and of course, Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi duet #2. That’s a win in my book. 

13.) Livin’ the Dream

Admittedly, I was REALLY surprised when we got a musical number in this episode, and the song did seem really random. Still, this is just a really funny and upbeat music number! It sounds similar to “I’ve Got A Dream,” but with a twist, it’s pretty catchy, the singer does a great job as a replacement for Brad Garrett. I know for most, this wouldn’t usually be this high, but hey, different tastes.

12.) Friendship Song

I will admit, I like this song A LOT more than most people do. Then again, sucker for upbeat-Disney-pop music right here. I love how the instruments are so clear and beautiful, the melody and fast tempo are really fun to listen to, the lyrics can apply to anyone with a bff, and it always puts me in a good mood!

11.) Set Yourself Free

This is a weird one. It is nice to listen to and sung well, but I think my main liking for this song is that I feel a little bit of an emotional connection with it. When I hear this song, I think of the beginning of January and waiting anxiously for the finale of Season 1. I remember seeing a sneak peek of this song briefly, then seeing the episode as all the past moments of season 1 flash through the screen. Idk, it’s not really my favorite, but the feeling I get from listening to this brings back a lot of memories to me. I wouldn't put it lower since it does sound nice and I feel sentimental when listening to it, but it’s not higher since, honestly, it really is just Wind In My Hair, but instead of Rapunzel wishing for something, she’s doing something. Overall, good song.

10.) Everything I Ever Thought I Knew

It’s . . . complicated. The song is so beautiful, I love the opening lyrics and Zachary Levi. Just. . . .  just Zachary Levi. However, I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of the whole “Dark Prince Eugene” thing. I never wanted it to be true, and I was low-key disappointed when it was revealed to be true. (Not devaluing the DPE theorists. Just not a personal fan of it being canon.) Still, I think the song does express Eugene’s feelings pretty well and it is kinda amusing when you realize he’s just having an identity crisis. All in all, we’ve waited a long time for a Eugene solo, and though I wasn’t thrilled about the context, still a fantastic song, and I’ll listen to it many times over.

9.) Wind in My Hair

The first full song I listened to from the show, sung beautifully, gives the show a great starting point, feels like a classic Disney princess song, and I simply love it. Next.

8.) Next Stop Anywhere

Great intro song to Season 2! It’s catchy, has amazing singing from the 3, and just a wonderful song. Yea, more unnecessary talking here and there that should’ve been cut out, but I love this song too much. Just like Wind in My Hair, I don’t have a logical reason why I love the song as much as I do. I just do!

7.) I’ve Got This

I love the opening notes to this song and it drags you right into it! It’s really fun to sing along to and pretend to be the angry citizens. Mostly, I love how the song progressively goes from upbeat and positive, then to worry, then to panic, then eventually to sadness. It’s catchy and upbeat, yet depressing and slow, and I love it. (Also, kittens)

6.) Buddy Song

Okay, first, can I just say how much I love the context of this song. While the majority of the other songs have an important meaning behind them or are there for some logical reason, the literal purpose of this song is just because Eugene and Lance are drugged up on flowers and that’s it. Usually, I’d be critical to scenes that are pointless or don’t push the story, but here, I have NO problem with it. It’s so fun and enjoyable in how carefree it is. Not only that, but add Zach and James singing like they are having the time of their lives (and not about to die) all to a jazzy beat and you have a musical masterpiece. I was waiting for this kind of song, and I was not disappointed in the slightest!

5.) Ready As I’ll Ever Be

The first two notes of this song should win an award alone. I love the intensity of this song and how epic it all feels. It stands as an amazing group number, as well as its own song separate from the context. Everyone gets to shine in this song, and it all has a very grand feel to it. Also, it really is the only song of its kind in the whole soundtrack. It’s “the epic theme song before going into battle” song. It’s amazing and really deserves the praise it gets (and then some.)

4.) View From Up Here

Admittedly not the most “dramatic” song. However, there is just so much about this song I love. First, I never expected Mandy Moore and Eden Espinosa to sound so good together! Imho, their harmony is one of the best in the show. Their voices blend so amazingly together and though they are different kinds of singers, they sound so in sync and the difference in their voices add so much! Also, even though this is like “whimsical exploring song # 12943,” it has this energy and charm to it that I can’t describe. The way it’s sung + the instruments make it sound so carefree, weightless, and whimsical. I feel I have no care in the world listening to it. Also, it’s upbeat and catchy (as always) Love it, love it, love it! (Also, the entire song is actually extended from what they sing in the episode, so that’s even better!)

3.) Waiting in the Wings

3 words: Eden Freakin’ Espinosa. Her voice was absolutely perfect for this song. Cassandra singing about her dreams and feelings towards being looked-over are expressed so well in the lyrics, the music, and in the emotion and power in Eden’s voice. It’s not only just an amazing song on its own, but it also gives insight into the character and makes us understand her struggles. I love the how gradually it builds up emotion just like in a classic Broadway song and the final note. Holy crap, THAT HIGH NOTE THO. I adore this song, and it definitely deserves to be in my top 3.

2.) With You By My Side

I’ve been singing this all the time since the end of season 2, and it has never gotten old. The highs and lows each singer reaches in each part sound great, the melody is catchy and hopeful, yet a little solemn and sad. It sounds great and has so much emotion put into each note. The instrumentals are enough to get me to listen to this song! Also, the song itself is a milestone in the character’s relationship that went from acquaintances/ enemies to the best of friends who can’t do anything without the other. It’s a song that means friendship, trials, hope, and the end of a journey. (Or at least that’s what they thought >:))

1.) Let Me Make You Proud 

No, I’m not a hardcore Varian fan or Jeremy Jordan fan. Not really even a Broadway fan. What I’m saying is that this song, to me, is perfect. The performance, the music, the context, the instruments, and even the nostalgic feeling I get when listening to this. It’s flawless. Jeremy Jordan is amazing at expressing emotion not through just his voice, but his singing as well. Him playing an emotionally vulnerable 14-year-old who is anxiously traveling through a snowstorm all to save his dad who he isn’t sure will even survive the mistake he made, but his motivation is what’s getting him through, adds so much emotion, personality, and power to this character and song. Also, my memories of watching the D23 panel (on youtube. I wasn’t there) when this was being played over a montage of clips we have and haven’t seen before, exciting us for what was to come, was one of the greatest experiences ever. What else can I say? Just . . . perfection.

Super long post, but I’m happy with my selection and I can’t wait for Season 3!

[stressedowl]

TTS songs ranking (s1&2)

Disclaimer, this is my own, personal opinion. By all means you can think this list is completely wrong! There are no right answers.

The songs I included are not background music (Rocks lead the way etc.). They are clearly pictured as an actual song in the series. This being said, I threw in the Friendship song and More of me just for good measures. I included reprises as their own song, since my opinion about the reprise might be a lot different from the ‘actual song’.

The ranking includes the music, vocals, animation in the background, and overall if the song was necessary (what it brings to the scene etc.) That being said, if I absolutely hate the song, yet the animation is beautiful, it won’t actually lift it upwards on the list.

Let’s begin, shall we? I probably forgot like one song anyway.

21.. Hook Foot’s Ballad

Let’s be honest with ourselves; this was never meant to be a good song. It just a silly little thing to show Hook Foot’s dedication towards his supposed love. It’s sort of cringy, but a lot of love songs thend to be that way. It’s not necessarily bad, but no one would listen to it just because. It’s that song in the Spotify list that we all just skip. Last place for the skip that didn’t have to exist.

-

20. Livin’ the dream

Alright, this is by no means a bad song even if it ranked this low. I think a big reason why this song is here, because of my dislike to really low, raspy male voices. Yes, it’s forgettable and kind of unnecessary, but why not. It’s catchy to an extent, lyrics aren’t bad. Therefore it’s a pretty neutral song to me.

-

19. Let me make you Proud

Alright, I can hear the fans screeching. Everyone knows I have a dislike towards Varian, but that has nothing with this song’s ranking. It’s an alright song, showcasing Varian’s trip from Old Corona to Corona. The song fits well to where it is, and it shows Varian’s need to ‘make his father proud.’ However, the song has always felt a bit bland to me. It’s not as forgettable as the two songs before, but I did not remember it was a thing until I opened my Spotify to list the songs. It sounds like it’s supposed to be a song for ending credits and nothing more.

-

18. Friendship song

I dislike too happy songs. They rarely go over the line, and this one dangles so close to the edge. The beat isn’t bad, but it feels like something out of My little pony (no shame I watch it too). It’s a nice addition, but I don’t know if it was needed. This is one of those song that I will skip. It’s just way too ‘sunshiney’ for the lack of better word.

-

17. I’ve got this

I thought this one would rank a lot higher than it did. I remember listening it to the first one and not getting it out of my head. It’s a nice fit to lower Rapunzel’s believe in herself as a ruler, and this song does it in two minutes. What can I say, it’s so catchy. I honestly have nothing more to add to ‘I’ve got this’. It seems that it’s more forgettable than I originally thought, and that is why it ended up this low on the list.

-

16. If I Could Take This Moment Back

I like it. There’s honestly nothing more to say. It’s a nice duet between both Rapunzel and Eugene, but it’s just nice. It merely brings anything more to the table. It’s sorta bittersweet with both melody and overall aesthetic. I get why people like this song - heck, it’s shipping material. But still. It’s shipping and it will forever to stay as “just shipping”.

-

15. Life After Happily Ever After

There’s a line between too much dialogue and just a good amount of dialogue in a song. This song just keeps going and going, because of it was a normal scene built as a song. This whole scene could have worked without the song easily, and that’s the main reason this ranked kind of low. If song is five minutes long, it better have a purpose, and this really doesn’t. It’s catchy, especially Eugine’s part, but it doesn’t make it much better.

-

14. Next Stop Anywhere (Reprise)

Heck, I like this one way less than I like Next Stop Anywhere. The reprise is so much more controlled in terms of excitement. It starts as this calm, peaceful melody, and then picks up speed towards the end. Even so, it stays controlled throughout the song. I love the way Eugene supports Raps in her journey, even if neither of them knows what lies at the end of their journey. I LOVE the lyrics in this one. It’s a really sweet reprise that compliment a the original Next Stop Anywhere. And why is this low, you might ask? I just like the other ones more :’D

-

13. More of me

I have honestly nothing to say about this one. It’s a good song, but not something I’d expect from Tangled the series. Another very neutral ending song that I don’t really have a good opinion to

-

12. Listen up

Another song I thought would be much higher (or at least in the top 10). It’s catchy, fun, has a nice instrument and good singers. Yet, it’s sort of forgettable. It’s not too important for the main plot either, so that might be one big reason why it’s so low.

-

11. Wind in My Hair

Wind in my hair is an a strange song. First I liked it, then I didn’t and now I kinda do again. It’s not a ‘musical’ song in my opinion, but an actual song that could play in the radio. In a way it holds no plot, and it doesn’t need to, because it’s job is kind of to be there for the intro. It’s placing is nice in the show, so I can’t hate on it. It’s a good song, but the finnish version has burnt into my brain too badly.

-

10. Buddy song

I know - this shouldn’t be as high as it is. I’m so mad it got to the top 10 :’D I fell in love with this one because of the beat in the background. It’s so stupid, and it’s even stupider that it works. The two singers harmonize very well, and make it overall enjoyable experience. It only gets better when you know they are basically high. This whole song is just a joke and I love it.

9. Set yourself free

No idea how this ended up to here. There was a point where this was my least favorite Tangled song. Where the animation during this is pretty minimal because of the flashbacks, I love the animation of Rapunzel’s during: “You know that you are strong, you’ve known it all along, so seize the day, let down your hair..”. It’s an unnecessary flashback song, but heck it’s good. During it you can hear Rapunzel having enough of her father’s rules, and how she decides finally step up. Just a side note, I feel like it was a weird choice to leave the sound effects in the flashbacks.

8. Everything I ever thought I knew

Honestly, at first I didn’t like the song. I’m not sure what made me dislike it, but overall it wasn’t anything special. The first verse still kinda lacks something, but the bridge and chorus are emotional and beautiful. The visuals are gorgeous, especially the black rock/flashback scene.

7. Waiting in the wings

I was so confused when Waiting in the wings ended up this low. I never realized how much it sounded like “Everything I ever thought I knew” until now. They’re both bittersweet songs with the main thing being “I guess I can’t have anything good”. Eden Espinosa’s voice is absolutely angelic, and I love the lyrics. The second half of the song is gorgeous, but the first half lacks something. It reminds me of “Let me make you Proud” in a way. However, since this long literally made me cry the first time I heard it, there was no way to rank it as low. The fact that it’s as soft as it is, and it’s a Cassandra song, makes it so special to me.

6. Wind in my hair (Reprise)

This is kind of mix between “Life After Happily Ever After” And “Wind in my hair”. I’ve always liked this reprise better than either of those songs. It starts peaceful, and picks up tempo as it goes. The lyrics are gorgeous, my favorite line being: “True I’m in here with those I hold dear, surrounded by their love. And for some that’s more than enough, no doubt.” It beats both original songs, because of the realization, that leaves the song kind of open at the end. It showcases that the adventure is only beginning.

5. Let me make you proud (Reprise)

Now here is how you make a reprise. The piano at the start, the sudden change in tone, and beautiful vocals. The last “pay” is delivered with so much emotion it makes my skin crawl. There’s no doubt that this is the best reprise in the series at least for now. It starts so sweet and innocent and ends to be dark, all in just under a minute. I approve.

4. Ready as I’ll ever be

Ah, the song that got me into the fandom through the Warrior cats map. The composition of this song is brilliant. The way they basically sing the same song in three places and link them together. The words have a meaning to each character who sings. It’s, to this day, the only song in Tangled the series I consider a ‘Villain song’. It’s not one entirely, but the intense feel it has really makes up for the rest. My love for this song has definitely faded, and it’s not what it used to be anymore. Still, I had no heart to rank it any lower than this. I mean, it’s one hell of a song to a person who hears it for the first time.

3. Next Stop Anywhere

Man, the top 3 were hard to organize. They’re all incredibly beautiful songs, not just in the story, but overall as well. Next Stop Anywhere is no exception. Even if there’s some talking in between, it compliments the song nicely. I was playing this song in a car while driving my mother somewhere, and even she was jamming into it.

I tend to love story based songs. With this, I mean that the lyrics hold an ongoing story or complication that the characters singing need to overcome. It doesn’t need to be completed in one song, but I love when the lyrics leave you questioning things. How is their story going to end? Where are they coming from? Also I’m weak when it comes to story based duets. During this 3 and half minutes of this song, we’re being introduced to 5 completely different characters and their personalities, yet it doesn’t feel rushed at all. Not only that but the melody, uplifting music and absolutely beautiful vocals by everyone who opens their mouth. I’m sold.

2. With You by my side

Is anyone actually surprised this masterpiece made it this far? I have one word. The imaginary. It’s absolutely gorgeous. They way they are being separated, but find their way back together. This highlights their friendship in a way it hasn’t been highlighted yet.

Holy heck let’s start with saying the main cast song. Their voices harmonize ridiculously well together. They sound like they were always meant to sing together. They sound like the team their characters are.

The song sounds so happy “let’s do this” type of song, but when you pay some more attention to the words, they hit you with this depressing “we might not all come all out of this, let’s have fun now” stuff. This song is so much more painful after knowing how the episode ends. That being said, it seems odd they put it on here, especially in Cassandra’s part. However, I can’t judge it currently, since we don’t know the whole story.

The reason I preferred this one over Next Stop Anywhere is the obvious, painful lyrics, that turns to be even more painful after watching the episode. It literally breaks my heart everytime I listen to it now. They both have similar aspects, in a way With you by my side sounds like a reprise to Next Stop Anywhere.

1. View From Up Here

I’m actually very surprised that this made it all the way to the top. I’ve always loved light hearted, happy songs. Not to mention this is a duet between my favorite characters. Their voices are absolutely gorgeous together (remind me a lot of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash). It just feels so free in a way. Like after listening to it you feel so free yourself. It’s the only one of these songs I haven’t gotten bored of yet (to some extent). I absolutely adore the part where Cassandra joins to the song by basically crying in the background that “this is crazy”. It bring some kind of sense of ’real life’ into it (I mean they’re birds but still). The instrumental is absolutely gorgeous, especially the beginning, and the flute in the background sounds absolutely magical. To be honest, I don’t know if the shorter (actual) version could have competed with With You By My Side, But the Spotify release grabbed the place of my favorite song.

[cosmiciaria]

In defense of Dragon Age 2 (review - no spoilers - long post!)

It seems I'm only allowed to play games in disorder, because I played this one after Inquisition, and guess what I'm almost at the end of now (yes, you guessed it, Origins). But it's not a problem for me, because after I *checks notes* ejem, played, uhm, like nine playthroughs of Inquisition, cof, cof, I've learned all the tiny details and branches and possible endings of each installment. So this game's story wasn't a surprise in many aspects – although there were still things I didn't know or I didn't expect.

So DA2 is the black sheep of the family, and somehow I can see why. It differs greatly from the origin prologue you get to play in the first one, and the silent protagonist is gone, replaced by an already created and established character, Hawke. Hawke can be male or female, mage, rogue or warrior – but they are only human. We are ripped off of the option of choosing between races.

And that's not the only thing the game takes away from us – we are used to travel around Ferelden, searching for allies, to fight the Archdemon, because the End is Nigh and we Must Save the World united with friends and so on – here, it's just a city. We only get to know Kirkwall, a Free Marches city that used to be owned by the Imperium and now rejoices in its so-called freedom. Kirkwall consists in some neighborhoods and some notorious buildings, but that's it. It's just the city. And I daresay, it's another protagonist of the game.

Yes, you get to go outside a few times – you even go through the ( I don't know WHY) still mandatory Deep Roads quest and whatnot – but the main storyline will still happen inside the city walls.

And that's… not so bad. But I'll get there in a moment.

So you play as Hawke, the older sibling of the Hawke family. You're escaping from Lothering, which you may remember from Origins – yes, it's the same town you visit right after Ostagar. Lothering has been overrun by darkspawn and so you take your mother and your two younger twin siblings with you: Carver, a warrior, and Bethany, an apostate mage.

In your way to the port, you come across Aveline, a well seasoned captain, and her husband Wesley, a templar. Wesley isn't in a very good condition but you still allowed them both to join your escape.

It isn't so long before the darkspawn reach you, and you make your last stand here.

Now, in this part of the prologue, what matters the most is the class you chose for Hawke. If Hawke is a mage, Bethany, the other mage, will perish at the hands of the ogre that is leading this barricade of darkspawn. If Hawke is a warrior/rogue, it will be Carver the one who makes the ultimate sacrifice so his family would survive. As I have stated in my Inquisition review, I love mages, so of course I created a mage Hawke, and so I watched Bethany, so young and rebellious, die in front of my eyes (Wesley, Avelin's husband, dies as well but we don't care much for him sorry not sorry).

Choosing a class isn't a minor or just a gameplay thing here, because it leads to two very different stories. Carver is resentful with you, he blames you for the death of his twin, and he can't get over the idea that you (and him, as well) are being hunted by templars. He can even become a templar if you choose the required options – so ironic, you a mage and your own brother a templar! His inferiority complex makes it really hard to get on well with him. Bethany, on the other hand, seems to care more for her older sibling, and bears a great admiration for their father, who was a mage and the one who taught her everything. She's guilty over the fact her family is doing everything they can to protect her from the templars and the Circle, and her attitude towards Hawke always follow that line. Her destiny has more options than Carver, though, so it makes me think that maybe Bethany was the "canon" sibling who survived – Still, I always play as a mage so I'm used to Carver by now and it feels kind of contradictory to see Bethany alive and well.

Amidst the chaos, a dragon appears, stretching its wings – it destroys the rest of the darkspawn, and soon we see that it's not just a beast. It transfigures into a human, quite known for us DA's fans: Flemeth, the Witch of the Wilds, Morrigan's mother. She's saved us, but of course she wants a little favor in return, nothing too problematic. For those who are wondering "but HEY I killed Flemeth in Origins", well this encounter happens before you do that. And if you know anything about Flemeth is that she always comes back.

Finally, you reach destination, the almighty Kirkwall, with its columns that seems to go on forever into the sky. Here, you'll start over. Here, you'll pave your way to your future. And the plot begins!

The story is divided into three well marked acts: the first Act you'll be saving money to go on an expedition to the Deep Roads to gain enough coin and reclaim the Hawke estate in Kirkwall; the second Act has you going around playing the diplomatic link between the Viscount and the Qunari who have made the city their headquarters; and the third Act, well, everything blows up. Literally, I might add.

Between the prologue and Act 1, one years passes. Between Act 1 and 2, three more years go by; and finally, Act 3 happens three years later as well. The whole story takes up like 8 years or more inside the same city. This… wasn't a good decision on the developers, in my opinion, but I'll say it after I talk a little about the characters.

First we have Hawke, our Champion. Their personality varies between diplomatic – sarcastic – upfront and direct. And this time is easier to know because gone are the days with the many responses available and now we have the wheel which shows you an icon displaying the "tone" of your reply. If there's something common across all the Hawkes you can create, is that they care for their family, they want to recover what's theirs, and there's no stopping them. They are loved by those around them and seen as a leader. Loyalty is a powerful word here, which will play a big part in the final act, because only those who are truly loyal to you will remain by your side. And it's endearing, really, to see the support of those characters that accompanied you the whole game. Oh, and they have voices. I say this because in Origins we have a silent protagonist (which took me aback considering I played Inquisition and 2 prior), and they are so well portrayed it makes them more human and approachable.

Now that we are on that topic, voice acting here is just FLAWLESS. I can't get over Gideon's voice for that stupid elf damn it.

Alright so, just like in the other games, you can recruit companions. I already spoke a little about Carver and Bethany, who are playable… for a time, at least. 

This is the first time we come across Varric, our favorite storyteller. Varric isn't only just your best bud for life here, but he's also the one telling Hawke's story: he'd been abducted by Cassandra Pentaghast (yes, the one from Inquisition) who wants to interrogate him about the Champion. Varric is like your north in the game, he's always there for you, he's always supporting you, he doesn't take sides, he's funny, he's welcoming and he cares so much that I want to hug him. Goodest best friend forever.

Aside from him, you'll be crossing paths with Aveline again, now a soldier in the guard. Aveline is the correct type of person: she takes pride in her job, she wants things to get done well, following the rules. She respects honor, dignity and justice, and she doesn't approve of taking advantage of "illegal" situations and underground activities. If she's on your good side, you'll get a great supporter and a great friend, who will got your back, always.

Fenris is an elf who comes from the Tevinter Imperium – if we know anything of Tevinter apart from its blood mages, it's that they are slavers. Fenris used to be a slave who managed, somehow, to escape from his master. He bears a burning hatred towards the Vints, mages and every slaver out there. He always remarks he's a free man and he will disapprove of your support for the mages or any kind of sympathy towards slavery. So much so, that I started my relationship with him in -10 because I was a mage.

Merril is a dalish elf whom you'll be recruiting after finishing Flemeth's little favor. Merril is a blood mage, and she doesn't see the demons as enemies, but rather friends. She intends to leave her clan and go live in the city, because she's sure she can help her kin from outside instead of remaining cloistered and secluded inside. This will grant her the dislike of all her clan's members, but that doesn't stop her. She's naïve, she doesn't seem to understand most of human customs, and she's quite direct because she can't see through sarcasm or white lies. She's the purest of the team, although her abilities may tell you otherwise.

Isabela isn't new for us, if you come from Origins. Here she'll be joining us again after losing her ship. Her intentions remain a mystery most of the game, but let's just say she's quite involved with the plot of the second act. She's a forced to be reckoned with: she doesn't mess around when things need to be done and she gets them done in her own way. I'm still a bit spiteful about her because she abandoned my team after the second act, although I thought I was doing everything right!

Sebastian is only available through the Exiled Prince DLC – he's a chantry brother whose family was brutally murdered and his estate back in Starkhaven lies headless. He's conflicted about whether to remain in the chantry or go back to reclaim his land. He's righteous, he doesn't accept any rule breaking and, to be honest, he's pretty dull – specially if you're trying to romance him only because of those shiny blue eyes. The fact that he only joins you after Act 1 supports this allegation, in the way that he's not available through the first part for party banter, which always adds a lot of more depth to the characters you're playing with.

And at last… we have Anders. For those of you who played Origins' expansion, Awakening, Anders isn't a new character either. This time, though, it's not just Anders: he's possessed by a spirit of Justice, the same Justice we meet in Awakening. Anders remains in control most of the time, but when he loses it or when he enters the Fade, it's Justice the one who takes over. Anders serves as a healer in Kirkwall, helping refugees for free. He wants to move on from his past as a Grey Warden and he fights for the rights of the mages who are being hunted by the templars. Oh, man, of course I would fall for the subversive mage! Boy was I deceived… He plays a large role in the final battle, which, depending on your choices and your principles, will change your view of him forever. Let's just say that he's a pretty hated character in the franchise.

In this game you'll have choices as well, and your comments and actions will bear points of friendship or rivalry with your companions. This doesn't mean that if you get 100 rivalry points with one of them they'll abandon you, no, it doesn't work like in Origins or in Inquisition. Here you have to see the bar in both directions: the closer it is to one of the extremes, the better. The danger zone is the central one: if you have little points of friendship or of rivalry, the companion is likely to abandon you. This is what happened to me with Isabela: I had a good chunk of friendship points with her, but it seems I needed to max them out, which I didn't, and thus she flew away, goodbye. You can even romance characters with high rivalry points, and their romance plays a little different because of it. As it says, it's "rivalry" and not "deep hatred with death wishes", so maybe it spices some things up in your relationship.

Each companion will have their own questline that stretches across all three acts, and if you want to have all your team available by the end of the game, I recommend you do them. Although… well, you won't have the whole team, but I won't spoil it for you.

So I mentioned before I would talk about why the eight year story decision wasn't a good take for me after speaking a little about the characters – well, it's simple. In those three year gaps, the story acts as if nothing happens. Yes, sometimes the characters say "hey, I haven't seen you in a while" or "that thing happened three years ago" or whatever, but it doesn't work well. For instance, if you romance Fenris, you'll sleep with him in the second act, and then he goes away, seemingly not wanting to continue with the relationship. Three year pass, and then you resume your romancing with him, and he's like "yes, idk why I left that night I so regret it lol" DUDE, you're like just two meters away from Hawke's house, are you truly telling me you didn't talk to them after what happened in these three years? 

The story plays as if there are no gaps in time. In fact, if you take away Varric's narration, which states that x amount of time happens between act and act, you won't even notice it! And that's the thing: I don't know why they chose to do this. I mean, I guess I understand the point, they wanted Hawke to make their own name, to be known and loved by the citizens as years went by, they wanted them to start in rags and rise to fortune, I get it. But something similar was accomplished with the Inquisitor in the third game: time passes, I believe almost a year, and you feel the love and respect you've earned from your companions. It didn't take my Inquisitor eight years for that. It didn't even take her half a month to get Cullen in love with her ok sorry. What I mean is, the eight years thing isn't well developed, and characters act as if no such time had passed, and the story is planned as well like that. It's almost as though they wanted to stray as far as possible from Origins in terms of design and choices, which is a great idea, but some things just don't add up.

For example, in Inquistion's expansion, Trespasser, two years have passed. And here you see, you feel that your characters have been away for long. They've all been following their own paths and when they finally reunite they catch up and speak about their futures and what they want for themselves. It truly feels like two years have passed. There's a huge impasse between the ending and the expansion, which marks a milestone, and you can understand why all these characters haven't seen each other for a while. Whereas between Act 1 and 2… it's like… yeah we went to the Deep Roads and yeah… hmm… Varric really three years and you still didn't hear of your brother or… wait is this letter by Carver just sent? I mean he's been away too long now but he could always send me letters why wait three years…. and so on. It breaks the continuity. In fact, it doesn't only do that, but it also makes your characters stupid. Are you telling me Anders has been in love with me for three years and he still hadn't done anything?? What are you, fifteen?

But apart from that, I believe this game is really good. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I enjoyed the mechanic regarding your siblings: their appearance changes depending of what preset for the face and skintone you choose for Hawke. I like the idea that only one of the twins is available throughout the game. I like that the gameplay has been improved from Origins, I love that as a mage you feel so destructive with all those spells, I love that it's fast paced and more colorful. I got also really involved with some of the companions, specially Anders, Fenris and Aveline. I love that, even though they may disagree with you on some topics, they still remain by your side if you were a good friend, because that's what friendship's about. Friendship/rivalry here feels like a human thing, something quite relatable, instead of just shoving gifts onto your companion so they'd like you better. I like that somehow all of your companions are entangled with what happens in the city, and this leads me to my final point about why DA2 is still a good game.

Kirkwall. Our vedette. Our goddess. Kirkwall is the scenario for 90% of the events of the game. We're not saving the world here. We just want the peace for the city. Who should rule? Whose forces should Hawke support? Is Hawke good enough to be Viscount? Are the templars doing a good job? Or is Knight-Captain Meredith going too far?

Political intrigue. And just one city. Not all of Ferelden. Just one bad person trying to control the strings in this small portion of land, not an army of zombies or a dragon ready to consume the world. I love that the plot is just restrained to this small thing, because it lets you go deeper into everyone's stories, and it doesn't mean that it gets less epic, on the contrary. I enjoyed the final boss here way more than I did with Corpypheus in Inquisition. Here Meredith has an actual goal and she's acting upon what she thinks it's right, and at some point and to some extent, she's right! But her methods are questionable, in the least. She's not just a bad guy for the sake of being a bad guy, like it happens with Corypheus. She's bad, but she has her reasons.

You don't get to know a lot of people, because you just know those who live in Kirkwall. The familiarity, the warmth of its streets, it's like you've been living there as well, sharing with these characters and learning about their pasts. Instead of allowing you to see a huge picture with hundreds of characters involved, you just focus on those you care about, explore them more in depth. Sometimes covering everything doesn't lead you anywhere, so it might be better with just a handful of well written plot points and characters.

I'm not saying that Origins is the worst because of this, because it seems like I'm hating on it. In fact, I can't still speak much of it because I haven't finished my route yet (although I know how it ends). I'm just saying that Origins is good, that Inquisition is good, and that DA2 is also good. It's different, but still a good game. Sometimes you're tired of playing as the chosen one hero who must save the world, and maybe saving one city is enough for your heroic career.

I loved the game. I loved that it pushed my beliefs of helping the mages to the limit, to the point of questioning myself. I loved that it played tricks on me like that with the romance option. I loved the sarcastic Hawke, such a well written script. Also, Cullen is here so of course I'd love it.

Just… don't hate it that much. And if you still haven't played it, give it a shot. You might be surprised.

[gayestnerdsinfiction]

Isaac and the Angel - Chapter 21

Read on AO3

Israfil sits cross legged on Isaac’s couch, trailing his fingers along the mark branded into his wrist over and over again. The glowing green pigment that accompanied its appearance has since faded, leaving only a thin, dark scar in its place. He sighs, his gaze wandering to look out the window. This wasn’t how he pictured his day going.

This wasn’t how he pictured his life going.

“You’re still up?” A quiet voice asks from somewhere behind him.

“I don’t need to sleep,” he reminds Isaac, turning his head just enough to look at him from the corner of his eye.

“I know. But you seem to like to sometimes.” Isaac shuffles into the kitchen, flicking on the light switch. “I’m making tea. Do you want some?” he asks, opening a cupboard and removing a small box of teabags.

“I’m alright.” He’s never been particularly fond of the way Americans serve tea. It’s somehow even worse and less interesting than the way British people do it. He watches Isaac fill a kettle with water, setting it on the stove to boil. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“Can’t sleep,” he mumbles, spooning sugar into an empty mug. “Been tossing and turning for hours but I wasn’t getting anywhere so I just gave up.”

“You need to rest,” Israfil murmurs, looking back out the window at the glittering lights of the city.

“One night of missed sleep won’t kill me.” The kettle begins to whistle insistently. Isaac moves it off the burner, pouring steaming water into the mug. He bobs the teabag up and down by its string. “What do you do all night?” he asks. “When you don’t sleep?”

Israfil shrugs. “Sometimes I go out. Mostly I just listen to music and look through your things.”

Isaac scowls, picking up the mug and coming to join Israfil on the sofa. “Don’t do that,” he scolds. “Nosy asshole.”

“I’m not nosy. Just bored.”

“Still. It’s rude to snoop.” He takes a hesitant sip of the tea. “Imagine the fit you’d throw if I started going through your stuff.”

“I don’t have anything for you to go through.”

Isaac scoffs. “That can’t be true.”

“Well, nothing you’d be able to get to anyway.”

“What, is all your stuff sitting in a cardboard box in the attic of Heaven?” Isaac asks. Israfil is fairly sure this is supposed to be a joke.

“There’s no attic in Heaven. Or cardboard.” He reaches just in front of himself, past the borders of the physical world, and produces a worn paperback book seemingly out of nowhere. “I keep most of my things in storage,” he admits, turning the book over in his hands. Invisible Man. He tosses it back in the direction he had pulled it from and it vanishes.

Isaac stares at him, mouth slightly agape. “How’d you do that?”

He wiggles his fingers at Isaac. “Magic.”

“Yeah, obviously. But how do you do it?”

Israfil considers the question. “I’m not sure,” he decides after a few moments. “I guess I’ve just always been able to do it.” He plucks a seashell out of the air, holding it gingerly for a moment before sending it back where it came from. “It’s as easy as… well, as picking something up, really.”

“So you can just pull stuff out of thin air with literally no effort?” Isaac asks incredulously.

“I’m not pulling anything out of thin air. Anything I summon has to come from somewhere.” He tries to think of a way to explain the principle as concretely as Isaac obviously wants him to. “It’s like… a closet that only I can open. And I can put things in or take them out as I please regardless of where I am in the world. But I can’t take something out of the closet unless it was already there to begin with.”

“But where does the stuff go?” Isaac presses, still not fully satisfied with the explanation.

“It just… goes.” Israfil shrugs again. “I’m afraid angels don’t operate as literally as you might like.”

He rolls his eyes, taking a long drink from the mug. “If I had known you had an infinite magical storage room I would’ve been making you store shit for me this whole time,” he grumbles.

“All you had to do was ask,” Israfil says.

Isaac pulls his feet up onto the couch, curling up against the slightly saggy cushions. The mug is clasped tightly between his hands, and he stares absently down at the dark liquid within. “How long do you think we have until Raphael comes back?” he asks softly after a few moments.

“I don’t know. Time is… weird.” Angels, in his experience, don’t really operate within human restrictions on time. “Could be days. Could be years. Could be twenty minutes, if he’s efficient enough.” He catches a glimpse of Isaac’s horrified expression and adds, “But that’s not likely. It’ll probably be a few days at the very minimum. And even then, he’s never been the type to rush something just for the sake of it. He’ll probably want to come up with a new plan, new strategy, consult with the other Archangels…” He trails off. “I’m sure we’ll be rid of him for a little while.”

He nods slowly. “You must know him really well.”

“Better than anyone,” he says automatically. “Though… I guess I didn’t know him well enough to know he was going to do all this.”

Isaac sips his tea quietly, pulling his legs closer to his chest. “Can I ask you a… personal question?”

“I think most of the questions you ask me are personal questions.”

Isaac shoots a quick glare at Israfil, but says nothing.

Israfil sighs. “Go ahead and ask. I don’t mind.”

“Are you still in love with him?” Isaac blurts out, as if the question had been sitting on the tip of his tongue all day.

He blinks, taken aback. He doesn’t recall ever telling Isaac anything about Raphael that wasn’t directly relevant to the situation at hand. “How did you—”

“Cassandra told me.” He looks both embarrassed and horribly guilty. “I just—I’m just curious.”

Israfil doesn’t respond right away. He knows his answer without even having to think about it. But he doesn’t think it’s an answer that Isaac would understand. “I don’t think,” he begins carefully, “that there is anything he could do to make me stop loving him. But after everything that’s happened… there’s no way I could ever be with him again. So the way I feel about him doesn’t matter.”

“But all he’s ever done is hurt you,” Isaac protests. “How could you—”

“You don’t know him like I do,” he says simply.

“But still, he tried to kill you twice!”

“I know.”

“So why,” Isaac snaps, “are you still in love with him?”

“Because I’ve loved him for as long as I’ve been able to love—which is a very long time—and that’s not just going to go away in the blink of an eye.” He rests his chin on his palm, staring blankly at the carpet in front of him. “You can’t even imagine what it’s like,” he says softly. “To be with someone for that long. How can I help but love him?”

“Does he even feel the same way about you?” Isaac asks pointedly.

Israfil can tell that Isaac wants to upset him, wants him to argue back. But Israfil does not like arguing. “I guess you’ll have to ask him,” he says, his tone even. “It’s late. You should get some rest.”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Well, maybe you should try again.”

“I can’t,” he repeats tersely. “Not tonight.”

“Why not?”

Isaac only glares stubbornly at him.

“Isaac,” he murmurs, “tell me.”

Isaac sighs, slumping back against the sofa. “I’m just… too freaked out. About everything.”

“Oh.”

“Every time I close my eyes I feel like an angel is going to creep up on me or something,” he mumbles. “I know it’s stupid and paranoid but… well, I’m stupid and paranoid, so at least it’s in character for me.”

“It’s not stupid.” Tentatively, with as little movement as possible, he reaches to lay a hand on Isaac’s shoulder. “You know I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“I know that but it doesn’t make me feel better.” He gives Israfil’s hand a quick glance but doesn’t comment on the gesture. “I just want to stay up tonight. Let it go.”

He lets his hand fall to his side. “Okay.”

They sit silently for a few minutes. Isaac goes back to sipping his tea, while Israfil stares vacantly out the window.

“Do you want to watch something?” Isaac asks after a while, leaning forward to set his empty mug on the coffee table.

“If you like.”

Isaac switches on the television, pressing a series of buttons that takes him to a screen with various folders of what Israfil assumes are television shows. “Do you want to go through and pick something?” he asks, offering the remote to Israfil. “There’s also Netflix, but these are all the shows I downloaded off the internet.”

Israfil shakes his head. He wouldn’t have anything to base his choice on. “You can pick.”

He scrolls through the list of shows before selecting something called The Good Place. He scoots closer to Israfil, reaching past him for a different remote sitting on the other side of the coffee table. He does not move away after doing so. “Listen, I’m sorry I said that thing about Raphael,” he mutters. “It was mean. I guess I’m just… cranky because I’m tired.”

“I’m not upset.” He shifts his weight ever so slightly, moving almost imperceptibly toward Isaac. He can feel Isaac’s thigh just barely grazing his own. “Is there something I can do?”

“No,” he says, “I don’t think so. Thanks, though.”

“You’re welcome.”

Isaac sits rigidly beside Israfil, his eyes fixed on the television screen in front of them. He seems… deeply uncomfortable. Israfil almost moves to the other side of the couch, but before he can figure out how best to do so without attracting attention, Isaac leans over and mechanically lays his head against Israfil’s shoulder.

“Is that… comfortable?” he asks carefully, eyeing Isaac’s somewhat awkward position.

“Not really. I don’t know,” Isaac says sharply, straightening up. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say anything.”

Israfil lifts one arm slightly, making space for Isaac. “I won’t say anything,” he promises.

He looks warily at Israfil but, with only a little reluctance, he nestles against Israfil’s side. Israfil wraps his arm around Isaac’s shoulders. He presses his cheek against Israfil’s chest, still staring at the television.

This is good, Israfil decides. It feels good to be… close to someone again.

[whenyoulosesmallmind]

1, 3, 9, 37, 38 on inquisitors promt🌸

sorry for the delay, these later days have been hectic and i manage to get on tumblr only by mobile - which is horrible terrible and awful for answering asks. anyway! thank you for your patience and your interest! <3 alas, i am doing this for my Adaar.

- this is the ask meme i am answering, for anyone other interested!

1.  what is your inquisitor’s name & race? Arvaari Adaar, and he is a qunari vashoth. Here I rambled a bit more about the meaning of his name but tl;dr, it’s a pun his mother made when he was little and he got stuck with it. It literally means “little keeper”.

3.  what do they look like? (add screenshots, drawings, descriptions!) Here there are some screenshots I took my last playthrough (warning: lame PS4 quality), here, here and here are the awesome commissions I got <3. I’m terrible with descriptions, so here are some little details you can’t tell just by looking at the pictures: he is very tall, almost as Bull, and has freckles all over his body. He often forgets to shave so he sports an almost-permanent stubble. 

9. who is their love interest, if they chose one? do you ship them with anyone else/non-romanceable options? Maybe a little obvious, but it’s Dorian. I imagine they connected a lot, with Arvaari’s habit to visit the library corner in Skyhold at odd hours of the day and chatty attitude. Mh, then I admit I have considered Cassandra and Josephine as possible romances for him; Cassandra because they can be very similar-minded and Josie because he admires her so, but in the end he always comes back to Dorian. I think it’s because they both feel like outsiders at the beginning, and though for different reasons, the thought of them finding their place with each other is *chef kiss* melting me.

37. do they like their skyhold pajamas? Holy fuck, no he didn’t. He hated it so much, but he had to endure. It was too tight on his shoulders and too large on his waist, plus obviously the tailor never fitted anyone his height and the pants were a bit too short. Luckily, he kepts his own boots. Arvaari prefers much practical clothing, skintight shirts he finds constricting over everything else; he wants to be able to move freely in his every outfit. (Getting finally to choose his wardrobe once in Skyhold was a liberation).

38. are there any insults they find to be especially offensive? (i.e. “knife ear”/”rabbit” for elves, “oxmen” for qunari, ect.) “Ox-man” and “beast” are the ones that bother him the most. Before the Inquisition came along he wouldn’t have hesitated to start a fight over it, now he mostly has to make it up with sarcarsm, for Josie’s sake. 

[kirain]

Dear Dragon Age Community!

Let me start by saying that I don’t want to sound like an entitled gamer, but it's been confirmed that Dragon Age 4 is currently in production. That said, I want to send BioWare and EA a list of suggestions that I think most fans of the saga would like to see. If you agree with this list, please reblog with #Bioware, #EA, and #Dragon Age so hopefully both companies will see this post and take my suggestions to heart. Feel free to add your own suggestions as well. If you’re anything like me, Dragon Age is near and dear to your heart and you really want them to blow our minds with another epic sequel! Wardens, Champions, and Inquisitors unite!

1. Don’t rush it! I know hardcore gamers can be pretty intimidating, to the point that they nag and threaten and force you to release a game early– but don’t give in! Just know that they don’t represent the majority of us. Most of us would rather wait and for a glitch-less, well-rounded game, than a half-assed, heavily bugged disaster that’s barely tolerable to play. If it’s obvious that a lot of heart and soul went into the final product, we’ll stand by you and denounce the haters every step of the way.

2. Beta testing. Remember that consoles and PCs work differently. Please ensure that the game runs smoothly on all systems, not just one. I realise that PC gamers generate almost 50% of all sales, and that that number is only growing, but that doesn't mean console gamers should be forgotten. We're still diehard fans who simply can't afford a $2000 PC.

3. More kick-ass companions with one personal quest (or more) for each one. If there’s one thing we love about BioWare, it’s their colourful characters and awesome companion interactions. Please give these characters as much thought as possible. Each one should be someone’s pet project, because each one should have a unique personality. You nailed it in DAI and we hope to see that kind of dedication and creativity again!

4. Romance options. I understand that it’s hard to please everyone, but there should be several options for every orientation. Don't forget your target audience. I hate to say it but video games are mostly dominated by straight men, and in DAI straight men only had two choices-- Cassandra, who's a bit too brutish for most, and Josephine, who isn't even a main companion. In contrast, gay men only had two choices as well-- Dorian and Iron Bull. Straight women had more options than most, but one of their choices was a liar (Blackwall) and the other was a heartbreaker (Solas). And lesbian women got the shortest stick with Sera as their only option for romance. What I'm saying is, we need more variety. It might be a difficult feat, but we'll definitely appreciate it.

5. Story. Most gamers don’t even care about graphics or setting, so long as the story’s good. Please do your best to come up with a gripping narrative that we’ll love to follow. We also want to see a great conclusion to the cliff hanger DAI left us with. I think many of us are expecting Solas to be the main antagonist of Dragon Age 4, and it would be incredible to see how that plays out.

6. Story import. Please don't tell us we played through three games only for our choices to be stricken from the experience now. Please allow us to import our world state from DAI. You've done a fabulous job connecting the stories so far, and we're dying to continue it.

7. Don’t break our hearts. A little pain is fine. A little sorrow it fine. Audiences love being moved, but no one wants to finish a game and walk away feeling emotionally butchered. You can tug at our heartstrings, but please don’t shred it into a million pieces.

8. Speaking of broken hearts ... please tell us that Hawke is still alive if we chose to leave him/her in the Fade.

9. Throwbacks to the original games. You’ve done a great job with this so far, so all we ask is that you keep at it! It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside when we see characters from the old days, or find a fun little Easter egg. It’s very nostalgic and we need that. Enchantment!

10. Make our choices matter. Please. We want to see the impact of our choices and how they affect everyone and everything around us. We want to think before we act, not act with the knowledge that it won’t matter.

11. Allow us to save and import/export our character profiles. In DAI, it was rough having to recreate the same face if we lost/restarted a game.

12. Keep the same combat system! It literally kicks ass! The only thing I can recommended is more specials. Remember, there's no point in fixing something that isn't broken.

13. Continue to let us build and colour our armour/outfits. That was an awesome bonus that was a lot of fun for DAI players. It was a great way to let us express our individuality as players, and I for one spent hours finding the perfect armour for my character and companions.

14. Don’t experiment. Please. You nailed the graphics in DAI, and that’s all we could ever ask for.

15. Jumping! Jumping is important, and we’re so happy you included it in DAI! Please keep the jump feature!

16. Multiple voices for the main character. I understand that hiring voice actors is expensive, but if you’re able, I highly suggest you follow this pattern for Dragon Age 4. Having so many choices really made DAI go the extra mile for so many people.

17. Can we have a mabari, please? :)

18. The amount of side quests and locations to explore in DAI was absolutely stunning. There’s a reason DAI was awarded Game of the Year and considered a fan favourite, and this was one of them. I think most of us would be overjoyed to see the same variety of maps and quests available in Dragon Age 4.

19. Don't kill Varric. You can trick us into thinking he's dead for a while. Hell, you can even injure him, if you want. But don't kill him. That would be ... such a dick move.

20. Good character presets. Please give us decent templates. Something that we can mould into a character we can all be proud of. Please don't limit our options.

Again, these aren't demands, just suggestions. I personally won't send out death threats or burn down buildings if these suggestions aren't met. XD But as a long-time fan of Dragon Age ... I will be very hurt if BioWare doesn't listen to their fans on this. A lot of people are looking forward to Dragon Age 4, and we're ready to help you make it something that will be remembered for generations of games to come!

Ma serannas!