#reconstruct writes

[reconstructwriter]

Ask Game

Been a while since I've played an ask game so thank you @charmwasjess for the tag.

Any eating utensil preferences? I get weirdly specific about the size of spoons I like. Teaspoons are for tea, tablespoons are for measuring and the spoon sizes in between are for actually eating.

A genre of music you love? Can't think of one particular genre. I have to listen to each individual song generally, and it also depends on the mood I'm in. Some singers/bands like Disturbed, the Hu, Delta Rey and Mark Petrie have caught my attention with enough songs I consistently love.

A type of seasoning/condiment that would make anything edible for you? Seasoning is ginger. It goes with savory, it goes with sweet, it blends well with garlic and with lemon and is a very bold spicy flavor without feeling like I tried to copy Knol Ven’nari’s tricks. For condiment, Yum Yum sauce is very aptly named.

Pens or pencils? What kind? Mechanical pencils. I don't do a lot of handwriting stuff anymore but when I did it was with the kind of pencil with replaceable lead and the old-fashioned backspace button.

What's your weirdest/most interesting hobby? Medieval German Longsword Fighting. Swords in general for which I have gotten some weird reactions for showing up at my local park with long wooden and metal sticks.

If you had to get rid of one color entirely, what would it be? Any color I pick is loved by a friend. Besides if I got rid of orange then Chicken of the Woods mushrooms would be harder to spot, so I guess none.

Any allergies? Routine yoga has dealt with whatever spring allergies I have so while everybody else is sniffling and sneezing here I am taking long hikes in the woods and going my what a beautiful spring day!

Favorite fictional character? Must I narrow it down to one? Currently a Jedi character but I’ve got a revolving cast of blorbos to obsess over: Jon Antilles, Feemor, Agen Kolar, Ferus Olin, A’Sharad Hett, etc.

Favorite real person that you don't personally know? Currently Ryan Coogler. I already loved what he did with Black Panther (only have a couple of hang ups) but after watching Sinners? Holy crap did Disney hold back this man’s talent! It’s especially obvious with the Lilo and Stitch live action crap coming out at around the same time.

How many alarms do you have set? None, the sun functions as an alarm for me.

Do you have any pets? Do you want some? Three cats: Boo, Magic and Smudge Pot. I would like a dog but a) never had one before, b) my cats have a hard enough time getting along with each other. A horse would also be cool but $$$

Favorite drink, alcoholic or non? Boba Chai with brown sugar flavored tapioca pearls, no ice, it is hands down the most addictive combination of flavor and texture for me. Alcohol has an intensely unpleasant bitter aftertaste to me so I avoid it like brussel sprouts.

Favorite smell? Just about any dessert cooking in the oven but special mention goes to the cinnamon-brown sugar smell from cinnamon rolls or a good bread pudding.

Favorite shoes? A pair of light, comfortable shoes that can withstand a dozen long walks/hikes a week without falling apart in a year or two. Thus far these mythical shoes don’t exist for love or money.

How do you feel about bugs and spiders? Spiders are friends. Bugs are cool except for mosquitoes and ticks. I slap the former and I’m still a bit creeped out by the latter. Getting better though. Parasites exist and therefore deserve to exist, its not their fault they spread diseases.

Outdoors or indoors? Not even access to my computer and the wealth of entertainment on the Internet and/or cold, blustery freezing rain can keep me from my intense need to at least take a short (1-2 mile) walk.

Sunny or rainy? I don't really love either of these but sunny over rainy as a general rule. Like my cats I don't like the wet – not when it's falling on me anyway. But I prefer my sun when it’s 60 or cooler thank you or I’m not trying to type.

Where would you really like to visit? Would you move there? There’s no place like home. I wouldn't mind visiting anywhere that had some beautiful hikes and/or kayaking, but unless all my friends and family are going to move with me I'll stay where I am, current administration be damned.

Are you a people person? Not really, though I'm growing into more of one as I age.

At what temperature do you keep your home (or would if you could)? Cool enough to wear a robe, warm enough that my fingers don't freeze.

No pressure tagging: @panther-os, @beskad, @s-c-g-s-c-g, @searchingfortheuniverse, @ankahikoibaat, @dragonciphering

[gabichanwrites]

I think that way too many people gloss over the reason why exactly those 6 men were such a big deal and a last straw for the crew and Eurylychous. Up to this point Odysseus made mistakes, yes, and people died because of them but never before has Odysseus made such a deliberate sacrifice.

Before this, he was still their Capitan - a bit arrogant, too prone to playing into Gods' Games and with a damnation right on his heels - but still on their side. Not to mention that this saga happens SO soon after Circe Saga, where he CAME BACK for them, put himself in grave danger and risked his return home to save THEM. Since the wind bag fuck up, this crew must have regained so much trust in him, Eurylychous must have felt so indebted and plagued by his own guilt because of his actions in Ocean Saga and Circe Saga. Because despite their doubts and question of How Much Longer Till His Luck Runs Out, their Capitan still came and saved them.

And then the Different Beast happens and it's ruthless and cruel but it's against their enemies, it feels like protection, no doubt. It's their Capitan making sure that they can make it home, that no other monster will follow them and make it impossible.

But then the Scylla happens and it never has been more clearer than there. Eurylychous would not be that furious if he didn't realize and he IS a second-in-command, he is not stupid. Six men who held the torches died and it was by Odysseus' order. This is no longer slaying every foe on the way home, this is Odysseus willing to sacrifice even them. Is it the same capitan who came back for them on Circe's island, is the same who always did everything he could to make sure they all made it back? How Are They Supposed To Trust Him Now?

This situation is so fucked and both sides have their point, I'm so sick of seeing posts putting the full blame on either side. They are all human and stressed and they don't know what to trust, what to do to come back home - and the worst part of it all, they probably never stood a chance.

After all, Zeus has already said they The Blood On Your Hands Is Something You Can't Lose, All You Can Choose Is Whose.

[fetidbog]

I find the Dark Dany conversation really confusing (and maybe part of this is because I haven't watched the show, and I think a lot of analysis of Dany's arc is wrapped up in trying to use the show as a barometer for where George is going to end up – which I don't agree with), because I feel like she already had her Dark Dany arc and the end of ADWD is her realization that compromising with the masters is bad! You can make no peace with slavery!

Her last two chapters seem really clear to me as a denunciation of compromise in the face of moral evil!

Here's her second to last chapter (when she's going to the re-opening of the fighting pits):

The "floppy ears" comment is in reference to the tokar, the outfit of the ruling (former slave owning) class. Brown Ben Plumm makes a joke that if you want to be king of the rabbits, you have to wear floppy ears, and so Dany refers to blending in with the ruling class (again, the former slave owners!) and adopting their customs as putting on her floppy ears. Here she describes how putting on the floppy ears, the symbol of her attempt to compromise with slavers!, will keep her cool and hide any blood splatters. But she also acknowledges little about this day shall please her – she knows the compromise is wrong.

Dany is upset that that so little has changed despite ending slavery. "One step, then the next, but where is it I'm going?" is Dany questioning herself about if she's taken the right approach to agreeing to reconstruct Meereenese society under the influence of/beholden to the whims of the former masters. Has she compromised her entire abolitionist project?

Dany witnesses Barsena's violent death in the fighting pits. The boar realizes he can't charge Barsena directly (much like how the masters of Meereen have changed tactics. Instead of fighting Dany directly, they are manipulating her into compromise, attempting to provoke and misdirect her, and waging violent guerrilla war from the shadows with the Sons of the Harpy).

Barsena is brave, but dies horribly in front of the crowd, and Dany is sickened. The sequence ends with her TAKING OFF HER FLOPPY EARS, the symbol of her compromise with slavers, because she can no longer ignore the violence of the fighting pits and the moral rot of appeasement.

She's realizing the depths of her mistake in compromising.

I am looking into hell (the fighting pits), but I dare not look away (instead of allowing Hizdahr and the rest of the masters to convince her to ignore the problem and lead her astray).

If I run from him, he will burn me and devour me (the moral consequences of compromising with slavers will destroy her.

And here's her final chapter (where she's wandering lost with Drogon):

"That was where she belonged, surely" – she's trying to convince herself that her place is in Meereen, back with her husband. She's telling herself to keep walking forward despite the previous chapter's quote about "one step, then the next, but where is it I'm going?"

I also think this part about Drogon is interesting – is she talking about the path of moral truth, that she shouldn't have bowed to whip or words (of the ruling class)? Or is she talking about the rot of slavery, that she can't turn the masters away from it if they do not wish to be turned?

And then! In this next paragraph she contradicts the previous statement, saying "Drogon had bent before the whip, and so must she"

But she believes that her place is in the arms of her noble husband, the husband who has pressured her to reopen the fighting pits, which she knows is evil, that's the realization she has in the last chapter! So she's conflicted here, and I think we're supposed to be taking away that she shouldn't do that. Her place is not there! She should not bend!

Then Dany describes the blisters she gets "from the way [she] walk[s]" a clear callback to the line in her last chapter "one step, then the next, but where is it I'm going?" – the path of compromise is quite literally hurting her!

Dany has to remember who she is – someone who abhors slavery, who doesn't compromise on her principles.

She's sick, dehydrated, hallucinating (and seemingly having a miscarriage), all alone at her lowest point, and finally she realizes Meereen is not her home and never will be! She cannot be a Harpy!!!

[cajunfoxnight]

(Continuation of Rain's POV) Wish's expression turned to concern as Rain seemed to be floundering to get his words right. He could understand as much. They dont often-.. er.. ever, come across others out here, so this was a shock to all three of them.

As per usual, Reconstruct was awful when it came to any social interactions, and as such, not helpful in this situation what so ever.

'Come on there has to be something…!'

Wish's thoughts were interrupted by an idea that struck him. Reaching into one of his back pockets, he pulled out a small bag- dull in color, with the word "jerky" blurred across the side. Upon opening it, the smell of spiced dried meat came wafting from it. Putting on his best face, trying to look as least intimidating as possible (not that he ever could pull off such a look), he held the bag out to the boy.

"Oh! Are you hungry, maybe? Here! I have plenty of jerky, youre welcome to have some! No need to be shy, please help yourself!" The Eevee nudged the bag in Rain's direction, trying to entice him to take a piece. "Its really good~" he added with a playful tune.

He figured some food might ease the boy's nerves and maybe, just maybe, he'd be able relax around them. After all, who knows how long he'd been out here!

"Great.. youre giving him our food now, too.." Came the gruff voice of Reconstruct as he made himself reluctantly join the conversation. He reached into the offered (not to him) bag, and taking out a piece of jerky.

"…Would you like some too…?" Wish asked dryly, trying very hard to keep the sarcasm out of his tone.

"Well since you offered.." Reconstruct replied unbothered, biting down onto the dried meat, and tearing off a piece as he chewed it over.

Wish closed his eyes momentarily, drawing in a calming breath, giving up on any argument before it had even started.

Anyway..

"So, are you lost?" Wish tried again, then realized that was a silly question. "Oh- well I mean, its just that we dont see people out here very often-"

"Ever." Reconstruct interjected. "No one else should be out here"

"B-but.. you two are out here..?" Rain added, pointing out the hypocrisy.

Reconstruct only spared him a sharp glare. He didnt need this boy's sass. (Even if he did make a point.)

"Oh… well, ah.. its…. complicated.." Wish muttered, looking sheepish as he scratched the back of his head.

"And none of your business-"

"Would you stop that?!" Wish hissed back at his partner. "Youre not helping.."

Reconstruct shrugged indifferently.

Wish glanced back at Rain in the same concerned face as before, then back to Reconstruct. He kept his voice low, even tho there was little point as Rain was standing right in front of him, so any secrecy wasnt going to be very secret. "We should help him.. But where do we even start..?"

Finishing off his piece of jerky, and helping himself to another, Reconstruct didnt appear to share the same concern.

"I tell you what.." he started, "Since youre the one that found him, you can be the one to deal with him." He added a less than playful slap on Wish's back, the force causing the Eevee hybrid to stumble forward, thankfully catching himself before he fell over.

"W-well- Wait- What are you going to be doing, then??" Wish asked, confused.

"Hm? Oh im not dealing with whatever this is. You let me know when you figure it out." With that the Silvally hybrid washed his hands of the situation, excusing himself from the conversation. He walked a few feet away and found himself a spot on the desolate rock, making himself quite comfy on the ground; laying on his side, back turned to the other boys, and continuing eating the piece of jerky.

Wish's ears and tail wilted in defeat. He looked back to Rain who was looking even more confused now. He really wanted to put his mind at ease. After all, how else could they help, if he was too wary to speak to them? Putting on smile, he shuffled himself to be a bit closer (but not too close).

"Dont worry about him. He's a little rough around the edges but he's actually really nice once you get to know him."

There was a loud huff of disagreement.

Wish smirked in his small victory, even if it was only temporary. Now to get back to the matter at hand.

"So.. Uh.. How about we start this over, hm?" Wish cleared his throat, straightening up. "Hi! My name is Wish. You seem to be lost. Perhaps we can help you get home?"

(And then stuff happens here : D Wish is probably going to babble on like he knows what he's talking about and help get his new found friend home!.. Pretty sure anyway.)

[imbecominggayer]

How To Write A Deconstruction!

And a subversion. And aversions as well since I am here to get clicks baby!

Hi, Small-Time Tumblr User™ here to tell you how to write different types of twists and turns in your tropes. Remember, just because it's new doesn't mean it's interesting or compelling. Tropes are exceedingly important so don't get all arrogant and pretentious here

Formatting wise, i'm going to go from aversion to subversion and then to deconstruction!

Aversion

Aversions are exceedingly simple so that's what we are starting with first!

The definition of aversion is when a writer makes the conscious decision to not include an expectation of the genre within a story.

A subversion is where the writer literally "subverts our expectations," while an aversion is where the writer completely avoids them from the get-go .

Aversions are rarely ever mentioned because there are thousands of tropes within a genre that just avoiding one is rarely unique. For example, romance without enemies to lovers is an aversion but not a notable one.

It also doesn't count when the expectation for a trope isn't there. A sci-fi story lacking in magic isn't an aversion because magic isn't expected in a sci-fi story!

Aversions tends to be only mentioned when the trope is so ubiquitous in a genre that's lack is a huge surprise. For example, a sci-fi work in space where there is genuinely no noise in space.

This section, as you can guess, was less about writing advice and more about dismissing buzzwords you hear

Subversion

A subversion is where the expectation for a trope is set up within the actual story but is avoided.

Subversions are a common tool in comedic scenarios since comedy is all about the playing with expectations! You can't have a joke if everything that happens was expected to happen.

For example, a "violent" horror movie where nobody dies is a subversion because all the attacking sets up the belief that one of these characters are gonna die BUT they don't!

Deconstruction

Deconstruction is the entire foundation of a story involving a close analysis of a concept to reveal the inherent instability and contradictorary subjectivity of itself.

A common and "easy" way to deconstruction is to ask how the trope would fare in the real world and the consequences associated with the trope. Think about the politics of weird fantasy cultures! Actually try to understand how being the depressed girl hiding her despression with pluckiness isn't just an interesting reveal but an actually serious thing

Despite the belief that deconstructions are inherently cynical, darker, edgier, and sadder overall, there is no reason they have to be. Stories can also be explored with an idealistic worldview with neither the cynical or the idealistic perspective being incorrect or worse than the other.

The most important part of a deconstruction is the reconstruction. The ability to take apart a story is meaningless if you are unable to offer realistic advice for improvement. This improvement could be applying more nuance to character development, diversifying in terms of perspective and who gets to tell their story, or by giving more gravity to a character's traits.

[sunshine-knight]

[[Just a little ficlet about the letter:]]

Bailey sat on the bed, cross-legged. The flowers, dried-out and dead, were sitting in a ceramic mixing bowl. She'd snapped the stems to make them fit, and privately she'd admit that felt kind of nice.

The letter sat on the tangled sheets in front of her. It was unmistakable who it was from and who it was meant for -- Chickadee was written across the front of the envelope, in Carina's familiar looping scrawl. She'd found it shoved under the door of her apartment the morning after Carina's break-in at the museum. The morning after Carina's confession. The morning after Bailey's panicked rejection.

Bailey flopped to the side, dragging the letter towards her. It smelled like black cherry and leather, the way Carina did. Bailey closed her eyes, letting the scent draw her back through the last few weeks. Clinging to the back of Carina's bike, holding her tight, her face pressed into Carina's neck and shoulder. Carina's arm around Bailey's shoulders, drawing her close, her other hand cupping Bailey's jaw to bring her in for a kiss. Carina's lips ghosting over her ear and down her neck --

Stop that. Bailey shoved the letter away, an ache blooming in her chest all over again. She lied to you, Bailey. The whole damn thing was a con. She wanted the stupid treadmill, and you were her way in. That's all. She didn't mean a word of it -- how could she? You hadn't even known her a month.

Bailey rolled over, facing the wall. She couldn't keep her mind from turning back to their last conversations.

Carina's voice had been near-frantic on the phone, all but begging her to meet somewhere. She'd said she wanted to apologize, explained about the phone -- one Bailey now realized had been dropped in the aquarium tanks, not the bathroom sink -- and Bailey had all but jumped out the window and run to find her.

They'd crashed into one another outside the restaurant, both babbling nonsensical apologies, talking over one another. Bailey had given up on words and just grabbed the lapels of Carina's jacket, yanking her down for a kiss.

Carina had melted into it, all but going limp in Bailey's arms, before finally surfacing for air.

And then it all went wrong.

"I need to tell you, Chickadee -- I love you. God, I love you."

And Bailey had said the stupidest three words she'd ever spoken: "...No you don't." Because it was unthinkable, wasn't it? That something like Love -- the real kind, capital-L, the kind that burns cities and starts wars and razes kingdoms and brings people back from the dead -- that something like that could happen in less than a month?

Wasn't it unthinkable that it could happen to her?

Bailey dragged her pillow over her head, unable to keep the scene from continuing to play out behind her eyes. The way she could see Carina's heart shatter, written all over her face. The quiet, almost-broken "...what?" Carina had breathed, disbelieving.

She's a damn good actress, I'll give her that. Bailey let the argument play on fast-forward, a blue of shouting and wild gestures, both of them stomping away in tears. Even knowing what I do now... I can almost believe she meant it.

She'd sped to the Flash Museum as fast as she could, as soon as she'd gotten the ping on her phone. She'd known then. She'd known, but she'd wanted so badly to be wrong.

But sure enough, she'd seen Carina, standing over the treadmill. The one Bailey wasn't allowed to touch, after the recent mischief with Starry. A white cropped jacket over a red bodysuit, a quiver of arrows at her hip and a red bow across her back. Knee-high boots, her hair pulled up into a ponytail, a heart-ring choker around her neck -- she'd almost looked like a completely different woman. The red-and-white domino mask she wore had done nothing though, absolutely nothing, to hide her face. The sharp jaw and aquiline nose Bailey had so recently traced her fingertips over, the long-lashed eyes so deep and dark and easy to get lost in, the snakebite piercing Bailey could still feel -- Bailey couldn't keep denying it.

"...'Rina." The name had left her mouth unbidden, full of hurt and heartbreak.

Carina's expression was shock, before settling into realization and quiet acceptance. "...Hey, Chickadee."

The fight was short. Neither of them really had their hearts in it. Bailey had taken the bag and left it on the reception desk. Carina had escaped out the window, away into the night.

Bailey still wasn't sure why she hadn't chased her.

She sat up again, lifting the envelope to the overhead light. Didn't seem like there was anything inside but a folded-up piece of paper.

Bailey sighed, opening the envelope. There was only one way to find out what was in it.

Chickadee,

I meant every word of it. It started as a con, yeah. My client wanted some stuff from that treadmill -- hell if I know why or what for. I just got a description of the parts and a profile he had in you. He said you were my best way in , and he was paying enough I didn't question why he had a target in mind already.

But the more I got to know you, the more I saw all the things he didn't have in there -- the way your eyes light up and your voice rises and catches when you get excited about something, the way you hum while you cook and do dishes, the way your hand fits in mine, the little squeak you make every time I kick the bike forward a bit too hard, that adorable little crinkle you get between your eyebrows and the way your nose scrunches up when you get annoyed -- I fell in love. I really did.

I took those extra jobs because I didn't want to do this one. Not anymore. Because I wanted to get things squared and go straight -- well, for certain definitions. The monster-fish alone would have been enough of a payout for both of us to retire on, go live in a little cottage on the east coast. Get a dog or two. But when you said what you did... I don't know. I was angry. It seemed hopeless. Why not do it, if you didn't love me?

Stupidest thing I ever did.

I don't expect you to believe me. I don't know what to say or do to make you believe me. Hell, you probably won't even read this. I don't know why I bothered to write it.

Guess I just... Thought you should know.

Always Still stupidly yours,

Carina

"...Liar." Bailey shoved the letter back into the envelope. A snap of her lighter had the corner flaming. She tilted it, watching the flames crawl across the paper, before dropping it into the dead flowers. She moved the bowl to the empty windowsill, letting the smoke waft out into the city.

"I hate the ocean and I'm not a dog person." Bailey glared out at the sky, talking to the air like Carina could hear her. "If you'd taken the time to to get to know me, you'd have known that."

[yunwangja]

re: fic requests

i actually want to accept requests but also i take up a long time writing them since im more focused on my smaus. i always keep in mind what people want to read (which characters they want to see, etc.) and i put it on my to-write list. when i have free time to write i go through that list and explore from there! example of that is unrecognized with kenma. honestly a hinata one is lined up but it's soooon and tba !

i do want to encourage you guys to request if you guys want to ! as long as you guys are fine with it taking a bit of time to be written </3 if there are scenarios you want me to picture out like "what if ____ is a ____ and does _____" or whatever ! feel free to send an inbox !

p.s yes this is only exclusive for hq characters !

[sunlight-shunlight]

i had this idea for an au of inquisition, bc when i played it i had a mage lavellan, and i was a bit like "damn, is everyone really ok with yet another apostate being found at the scene of a giant explosion that kills the chantry leadership? anders 2.0, except the apostate is a dalish heathen this time, and doesn't even have any rich friends or 7 years of running a free clinic in their favour? is one vague female silhouette in the rift REALLY enough to make any meaningful number of people think that it's andraste there?"

and it was very convenient that the fade memory broadcast says things that make your character seem more innocent of the explosion, people actually believe it despite usually distrusting the fade, and corypheus speaks understandably rather than in ancient tevene, haha.

so, imagine if the inquisition was actually the antagonist. like the game starts, you get aggressively frogmarched down to the breach at sword point, the mood in haven is either "angry terrified mob" or "take this dangerous criminal to orlais for imprisonment and interrogation". and then there's no clear evidence found at the breach to make you less likely as a suspect.

so after partially sealing the breach and blacking out: rather than waking in a nice room with a starstruck servant, you wake up in a cell.

outside your cell, the mood is now like 90% angry mob, and 10% "but, what if that lady in the rift was andraste...? 🤔" which is still not enough to save you from execution. so, it's a prison break where solas, varric, leliana, and maybe cassandra get you out of jail! you are now pursued by chantry forces who have launched an inquisition. they see you as a dangerous criminal, and any sympathizers as heretics.

you flee down the frostback mountains, and what do you know. that's where rainesfere is. which is where bann teagan (the one and only) lives. he's the type of conscientious guy who'll be out fighting demons to protect the town, while also having an affair with his brother's wife (don't worry about it). so he's impressed when you swoop in and close the rifts for him, and offers to quietly shelter you from the chantry if you continue doing that.

rainesfere becomes the haven equivalent of your pre-skyhold base. teagan replaces cullen as your military advisor. you run around the map trying to still secure allies to support your cause of permanently sealing the breach, and more and more people start whispering about you being blessed by andraste. bc you are the one closing the rifts, when the chantry is not. which develops an interesting schism in the chantry faithful, and the chantry becomes even more desperate to regain legitimacy.

and! there could be a whole side plot where cassandra or cullen are antagonists for the first third of the game. they would be likely to reluctantly follow orders if told to arrest you, and cullen already has enough beef about explosions killing chantry leaders on his watch. after a few encounters, you win them over through the Marketplace Of Ideas/doing something cool enough that they buy into the andraste thing, and they can abandon the chantry and join you instead.

also, instead of being called the Herald at first (bc it's not a popular theory that you are one) you can be called the Anchorite.

[fortunatenoldo]

Okay, so what’s the point of occlumency in-canon? Really by in-canon I mean as a plot thread in book 5, because it really doesn’t make much of an impact afterward.

But still, it’s the kind of thing that captures the fandom’s attention because it’s a really important piece of worldbuilding that is easy to summarize in a single sentence. And the setup is so juicy! Harry has to learn to defend his mind from Voldemort’s potential secret incursion, and to do that he has to willingly subject his mind to potential invasion…from SNAPE???

But what does that whole plot thread actually result in?

1. Harry doesn’t learn occlumency and Snape doesn’t really try to teach him. Neither of them can get over their hatred of the other to try, despite the stakes.

2. Harry finds the memory of his father and his father’s friends sexually assaulting Snape. He has a brief crisis of faith in his father’s goodness before being successfully reassured. This isn’t directly relevant to occlumency or fighting Voldemort, and also doesn’t really precipitate a change in anyone.

3. Sirius dies because Voldemort successfully fools Harry, allowing him to start the DoM confrontation on his terms.

#3 would make up for #1 if the failure were actually treated as a result, however indirect, of Harry failing to learn occlumency, failing to control his mind or emotions, failing to learn to learn from a professor he hates. Heroes fail all the time, but their failures must be recognized as such and precipitate change.

The books try really really hard to absolve Harry of any blame in his godfather’s death. It’s true that Harry’s responsibility is indirect, and him feeling guilty is not the point; the point is him changing, like characters do in a story. But no one, not Harry not Dumbledore not Ron nor Hermione, connects his Occlumency failure to the death of Sirius.

AND THEN, just to make sure Harry never has to learn occlumency after all, in the following book Dumbledore just says “oh Voldemort’s doing it now so you don’t have to.” So it might as well have never been brought up at all. No one uses it, and the failure to use it doesn’t actually cause anything meaningful in the story.

Ultimately, the main thing that the occlumency plotline does is reaffirm that Harry *doesn’t* need to change. When Voldemort possesses Harry, the literal worst-case scenario of failing occlumency, it doesn’t actually matter because Harry’s love, an innate quality that he has not made any effort to cultivate, makes his mind and spirit toxic to Voldemort. That may have its own interesting thematic dimensions, but it is itself toxic to the basic law of storytelling that characters should change.

This leads us to the ultimate problem with the storytelling of Harry Potter. The hero’s actions count for very little, and he is never supposed to change. Harry is as capable of taking on Voldemort in real terms at 17 as he is at age 1, because it is the same combination of innate qualities and random circumstance that leads to Voldemort’s second downfall. Occlumency is just a microcosm of that problem.

[gingermintpepper]

"So Ginger, what're you doing today?"

The beauty of linguistics is that I still do not know a lick of modern, living Greek. (I am, in fact, a fraud)

[beevean]

Have you considered that Julia x Hector means being with someone who looks like Rosaly who has Isaac's mannerisms (as siblings tend to do) on the one hand ouch heartbreak, on the other the potential for "the people we love never truly leave us" narratives.

I did. Extensively :P

I also like a lot giving Julia some of Isaac's mannerisms. For example, her bangs could frame her face in a certain way :P and I imagine that they share a similar sense of humor (poking fun at Hector lol) and a fascination for the morbid.

I think this plot point can be approached from different angles. The most obvious one is "these two are hurting each other just by living together". Julia would be a constant trigger for Hector and there's nothing she can do about it. Plus, there is the constant fear that Hector was only interested in her because she reminds him of other people, including the brother that he killed which I don't think would make her happy. However, depending on the time frame, and perhaps by reimagining the events of the game (i.e. my idea that he and Julia would often chat in her shop), Hector could come to go past her appearance and just see her as herself, even more so once he wins against the effects of the Curse who make him obsessed with Rosaly and Isaac, and grow to love her because of her unique traits, like her resilience despite the hardships she faced and the fact that she can empathize with him in a way no one else has done before. In that way, the fact that parts of Rosaly and Isaac survive in her would feel more touching and less uncomfortable :)

Similar reasoning with Julia, I suppose. She could either resent him for not saving Isaac while keeping everything bottled up like she usually does, or grow to accept him as the kind man he is and allow herself to open up about all of her emotions to let go of them. Maybe even she could see parts of Isaac in Hector, as the two grew up together for a good chunk of their lives and I imagine lil Hec learned a lot from his older friend :>

(i headcanon that hector can't have children but if he could ofc he and julia would name them after their dead loved ones ;A;)

[cajunfoxnight]

(monday ask) what would the dreams of your character if they were effected by the infinite tsukuyomi?

Friday Answer! : D I would have loved to draw out a response to this, but sadly I lack both the time and energy right now, but I really like the idea of this so I wanted to go ahead and answer it anyway! Since I wasnt sure if this was directed at a specific character(s) I figure I'd go with Wish and Reconstruct since they have been my obsession for the past few months 😅 So lets see that they dream about 👀 Wish's Infinite Tsukuyomi

Wish would find himself back in his original world. While the events that had lead up to him becoming an eevee hybrid still happened, the difference is that the Gladion from his world would still be alive. The mission that he and Gladion had set out on (after Necrozma and the Ultra Beasts attack their world), ended up being successful. Not only had they been able to restore their universe, but most important was that they had been able to find Lillie and being her back home, safe and sound. Lusamine stepped down from Aether, letting her children take it over, and the two of them were able to rebuild Aether from the ground up, making much needed improvements and bringing it back better than it was before; truly it became the "paradise" that it was meant to be. Wish doesnt mind being an eevee hybrid, he is accepted the way that he is, no one thinking it strange. He gets a chance to pursue other interests in his life, like cooking and art mostly. He helps around Aether with taking care of the pokemon, as well as his own. One day a litter of eevees come in, one of them taking a real shine to Wish. The little eevee is tricolored, his face adored with freckles. Wish instantly falls in love with him, and he follows him around like a second shadow. He lives his days at Aether, being by the side of the person he loves the most, which is all he ever really wanted. ----------------------------------------------------------- Reconstruct's Infinite Tsukuyomi

Having never fallen into the clutches of his mother, Reconstruct never would have been changed into the way he is now, and would have remained human. He would finally cut his mother out of his life completely. No fear of her, or what she would do to Lillie, just gone without a word and he is fine with that. He would have gotten to travel the world, becoming an amazing trainer, and getting to partake in many battles, making a name for himself and his trusted partner, Silvally. He got to battle because he enjoyed it, and not to fill a void in his life or a desperate need to get stronger. During this time he would discover a passion in that of fashion design and gets the chance to explore that. Being that the events of the Reconstruct Project never happened, meant that he actually got the chance to create deep, meaningful connections with others. He would have found love in two people, Hau and Elio (Sun), and they would have a polygamous relationship, eventually getting married. He is safe and more free than he ever thought that he could be. He feels a love thats unconditional, something he didnt think he was worthy of. Finding that happiness can exist for him. -----------------------------------------------

Honestly this is such a neat concept so thank you so much for asking this question. It was actually intriguing to think of what their dreams would have been, and im sure there are more things that could be added, but this is a good general idea. If there was another character you had wanted to know about please let me know. Thanks for the question! 💖

[virtuouslibertines69]

"There is no vacuum in the human heart. Certain demolitions take place, and it is well that they do, but on condition that they are followed by reconstructions." - Victor Hugo, Les Misérables Photography by Laura Makabresku

[moodyseal]

FAV APOLLO / PJO SHIPS GO 💞

OOOO difficult ask! I'm not usually someone who focuses on ships that much so I don't have many favourites (despite giving the opposite, much more intense impression) but there are some that make me particularly. How should I put this. Unwell

1. Apollo/Hyacinthus! I know that it's usually considered a boring ship because we were effectively shown 1% of what Hyacinthus' real personality might've been (Apollo spends more time thinking about his death than about his life doesn't he), but I'm hopeless over these two. I don't know what it is that's doing this to me

Maybe it's Hyacinthus potentially being much less perfect than what the myths present him as (as in stubborn and flawed, not homicidal and deranged and whatnot. Let's leave that to Commodus). Maybe it's Apollo's constant waiting and mourning over someone who will never really return. Maybe it's the love persevering despite it all. Maybe it's the mystery behind this man being so extraordinary that not only Apollo never forgot about him (to the point of still being reactive over any mention of him, as if the grief were still fresh) but also wished to be turned mortal just so he could die and be with him

Like dude who ARE YOU what's the deal with you how did you and this god tie your souls together so tightly that he's not known true happiness ever since you died

2. Apollo/Commodus. I have no good excuse or elaborate analysis for this one I just love drama and watching things burn to the ground. A flawed man who sees the good in everyone he lays his eyes upon VS a flawed man who hasn't got anything good inside him anymore. The desperate attempt to save someone who cannot be saved. Poetic cinema

(I do like to explore scenarios where these two reconcile though, because I do still believe that there's just the tiniest chance that Commodus might've been redeemed) (🤡)

3. Apollo/Naomi, the only (modern) rrverse relationship of his that we know anything about LMAO

I've been drawn to this ship mostly through fanfics but I do enjoy even what little content we have about them in canon. Between the song Naomi composed and Apollo's digressions about her in TOA they seem to still really care about each other, plus I'm quite convinced that he still watches over her because idk about you but the crowds cheering EXACTLY when the song about him comes on is a pretty obvious sign of a blessing to me

I'm actually still writing a fic about them!! Hopefully it'll see the light of day someday but anyway if I'm willingly writing something about a ship you just know that I'm not normal about it in any way shape or form

[morninkim]

robot sex lore in my au

[writing-relatedactivities]

It's here!! My short story "Reconstructing 'The Goldenrod Conspiracy,' Edina Room, Saturday 2:30-3:30" is out in Lightspeed today! It's an alternate history told through the format of a convention panel about a lost episode of an old Canadian TV show, and a meditation on censorship, trauma, and the ways fandom and fannishness remain a part of who we are and how we process the world, even in unprecedented times.