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Would you rather be able to clean anything you touch, or have instant transportation anywhere?

Having learned from my last big poll, I'll clarify stuff before the poll itself 👍

Clean Anything You Touch is pretty simple; think of it like you have prestidigitation from D&D, but can do it with something of any size. This isn't limited to items, though! You can clean whole rooms instantly as long as you are in them, with everything being sorted to your preference. Buildings of any size, things that can't normally be cleaned (one-use filters, for example), and any food can be cleaned as well- though it's up to you what it means when you clean a bowl of chili or whatever. Pretty much your only limit is that you can't recover parts of objects that are already degraded or irreparable. Can't replace new parts, just get rid of the dust and soil on what's already there.

Instant Transportation Anywhere includes instant teleportation, but it's not really limited to that. At any time, you can freely request any form of transportation you like. You can summon a bus, a plane, a car, a trolley, or any specific model of those that you like. You can only summon land-based vehicles for land and water-based vehicles on water, but otherwise there's no limits on what you can choose. Any vehicle you choose is of no threat and entirely safe. It has no emissions or fuel needed, is self-driving, and is ethereal, unable to run into anyone or anything. They can also go as fast as you like; if you want to drive a car at 150 miles down the highway or whatever, assume you won't run into anyone nor will you be punished for any driving laws you're breaking. When you want to go somewhere, you don't have to be specific about the location. You can name a city, a country, a specific address, anything you like and your vehicle will bring you to the place as best it can. You can also order it to go however many miles you want in a random direction, or have it follow a specific route that you've imagined or have on a map. The only limit is if it's feasible- you can't order your boat to go to somewhere landlocked, and you can't have your bike cross the sea. Otherwise, it doesn't give a shit about roads or unsafe waters, and can go through those with no issues.

No one that sees you using either of these abilities thinks this is strange; it's accepted as entirely normal, and any weirdness about it is ignored by strangers. They still have the average chance of complimenting you if they like how clean everything you have is or that your vehicle is cool.

Reblogs encouraged!! I have a curious soul ^_^

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Marisha has now twice (on 4SD and in the Fireside on Monday) said that she thinks perhaps that perhaps the relationship between Imogen and Laudna might not end happily, or that they might be better as friends, and honestly I really respect her for being willing to entertain that, whether or not it comes to fruition.

The discussion of Delilah as akin in some ways to an addiction that was under control until it wasn't feels very real and applicable here, and that's something that causes people, even people who love each other dearly, to break up in real life. The same goes for other interpretations of Delilah or Laudna; low-self worth is also something that can be a relationship ender, even if one's partner doesn't agree, just because it's hard to be a supportive partner if you don't like yourself. The frequent comparisons to past Laura Bailey Character partners shed some light as well, because those relationships occurred only after the darker forces involved were less of an immediate threat and the characters involved - on both sides - had developed a stronger sense of their own worthiness of love before entering into a relationship. Indeed, they all hesitated beyond that point and acted after others had provided some encouragement. I don't think every relationship must follow the same pattern, obviously, but I think moving too quickly when one isn't ready can also, itself, be a reason for a relationship to ultimately not work out.

I think Marisha has often been willing to dive into some of the more complicated aspects of interpersonal dynamics in game, including her stated enjoyment of conflict, and that's always been one of her strengths. I've had a lot of well-documented frustrations with Laudna in the past, so it's great to see that strength come to the forefront again at the same time as the Delilah plot is finally coming through. Together, those have addressed the majority of my criticisms, and I'm really excited to see her take those big swings.

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Just wanted to try drawing some of the Bells hells in my style as I’m finally. Finally catching up

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POV: You're Ashton Greymoore

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ARTFIGHT REVEAL LETS FUCKIGN GOOOOOOOOOOOOO

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emerging from the afterlife to share this really cool video my friend made :) it was fun to reprise my role as martlet from back when we ran through the game together, but geno really shines as flowey and i think it is definitely worth a watch! and kiwi rules as toriel too <3

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this could honestly go either way

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Okay here’s a colored version bc I’m obsessed and I am eating them eating them eating them

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It's become stunningly clear with this most recent episode that Imogen and Laudna's insularity, mistrust of everyone else in the party, and refusal to take responsibility for their actions is at the heart of the disconnect and lack of bonding within Bells Hells. It is not the only reason - I think Orym's constant smoothing over of issues in the interest of forward motion has certainly exacerbated the situation - but it's a significant and unavoidable factor. I'm hoping that while the actual exercises of the team-building probably won't themselves fix the issues this party has, addressing the various secrets that are now out, specifically the ones that touch on issues that affect the functioning and dynamics of the entire group, actually might.

As this post notes, their unwillingness to question each other or develop any conflict resolution with each other means they tend to, even if unwittingly, dogpile the rest of the group by acting as a singular voice. In a small conflict-averse group, this tends to constantly overwhelm the conversation. This is worsened by Imogen's psychic abilities, which permit her to glean information about the others without the need to have a conversation; it means the others in the party frequently start with two votes against them before they've even said anything.

They also both suffer from a pretty profound lack of boundaries. Again, Imogen's psychic abilities are invasive, frequently unwelcome, and often lead her to both jump to conclusions and to police the behaviors of others without considering their actions nor giving them any chance to have a full conversation. It also means she controls what information the rest of the party knows, as her interpretation of someone else's mental state is the only thing they're given when she reads someone's mind. Laudna, meanwhile, is extremely quick to trust, while also taking any deception as profound betrayal. As a result, they both tend to take a hot-or-cold approach to the others in the party based on the other person's most recent thought or action. They are prone to black-and-white thinking and snap judgments, which, as the next paragraph indicates, has serious ramifications.

Imogen and Laudna are terrible about actually talking to people and getting anything out in the open. This includes each other; again, see their frequent unquestioning support or the claim that their relationship defies words (which it does not; as of last episode this has culminated in Imogen revealing that, in fact, she is disgusted by a fundamental reality of their relationship, which is absolutely not something that can be addressed without a pretty intense conversation.) We also see this in how they've taken Fearne's choice not to take the shard. While, arguably, they had heard Fearne express her concerns about the shard to Morri by the time of the honesty exercise (which would make their behavior even worse), even if they hadn't, that's two voices shaming her for without hearing her side of the story. It's in sharp contrast with Chetney, who also expresses his disappointment with Fearne in episode 3x78, but immediately follows it up by asking her why she didn't want it. Imogen and Laudna never take it upon themselves to ask her how she feels or why she made that choice and let her explain; they jump straight to judgement.

That failure to ask ties into the final element of why they are the weak point in Bells Hells' communication: they are just as guilty as Ashton of "violent projection of responsibility", but unlike Ashton have not realized the depth of this flaw and the consequences it has not just on their own life but on the others in the party. This is less of an issue with Imogen with regards to Bells Hells (in fact one might argue she takes far too much responsibility in that she apparently sees policing the party on the basis of their thoughts to be her duty, though I would note that unattuning the circlet leaves her, the person with the clearest ties to the Vanguard, vulnerable to the powers of others within the organization) and far more so with the gods, from whom she apparently expects instant gratification. However, this is at the core of Laudna. It's true that she is by no means the only powder keg within the party; Chetney and FCG's abilities are also dangerous. However, one must take into account that Laudna has been aware of Delilah's presence for, as she has repeatedly stated, over three decades now, and only now realized the implications thereof, whereas Chetney became a werewolf less than a year ago and immediately took steps to mitigate the threat he posed, and FCG only learned of their condition within the past few months. Like Chetney, she has learned to remove herself from situations in which she could pose an immediate threat, but that slow learning curve and lack of proactivity is not promising for the future. It's also true that, keeping all other circumstances identical, the impact of Laudna's loss of control is far more dangerous. If Chetney bites someone or FCG attacks, unless they kill someone, the damage and curse can be undone and the power within them is unchanged. The same is not true with regards to what happens if Delilah makes Laudna absorb a magical item or a soul.

While everyone in Bells Hells shares some responsibility for the current state of affairs, Imogen and Laudna are without a doubt the primary source of toxicity. I think the others have become aware that they are in an environment in which Imogen is likely to either shoot them down, read their minds nonconsensually, or make insensitive suggestions, and that Laudna will nod along next to her as she does. It does not feel coincidental that Fearne chose not to voice her concerns and that Ashton avoided the group conversation entirely. This again does not absolve Ashton or Fearne of their deception of the party, but it does explain why they might feel an honest conversation is impossible. Unpacking what was said during the Honesty exercise might finally allow Bells Hells to excise this rot and to begin a new era of group conversations in which everyone feels they can say what needs to be said without fear, but it will be an effort to be sure.

Because it's me, I think it's worth noting that the fandom emphasis on absolving Imogen and Laudna of any accountability (which I've spoken about at length and have had on my radar for a long time now) is obviously not the cause of this behavior in-game, but does echo it in interesting ways. I'm not sure I would have realized the extent to which they evade responsibility in-game without this mentality being so prominently in the fandom. It explains why they are never expected, by many fans, to even achieve as minor a task as "asking Fearne how she feels instead of letting their own feelings dominate what they think she should do", let alone set boundaries for each other. But ultimately, that is the key: I think the only way for this party to achieve the trust they need is through the assertion of those boundaries. When Bells Hells know that they have the freedom to disagree with each other without being accused, dogpiled, ignored, or told to get it together, only then will they be able to actually come to true consensus rather than the fragile and tenuous teamwork they have had so far.

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i know i've got no right to feel it-

but it doesn't mean i don't

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I’m her

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i haven’t checked my feed in two weeks, mutuals you better not have been posting cool shit in here

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Pages 3 & 4

Oh boy….

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From the earth, of the earth, to the earth....

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Oh Ashton, you aren’t as expendable and unloveable as you think…

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"And then I give her a big ol' kiss." EXQUEEZE ME SIR YOU WHAT. I just had to paint it lol.

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playing with dolls