#AND LIKE. OFC he feels like he's on the same level because he's achieved and done SO MUCH with what little comparative time

[sherlock-is-ace]

.

[flockrest]

i think there is something so funny about tu.lin going from honorific-name to just name with adults of his flock as he grows. oh, the masters will still be master and dad and mum do not have any other names duh (joking) but everyone else is suddenly on a purely first-name basis with a t(w)een whether they like it or not

[haunted-xander]

I think one of the (several) reason for why Shadowbringers is so good is because the narrative is more about the individual characters than it is the Greater Conflict.

Like, the Greater Conflict is definitely there, obviously, it's what keeps the story going, but the focus is always on the people, much more so than the other expacs. HW and STB also have some level of character focus ofc, but it's very selective and even then the focus is based on them in the specific context of the current conflict.

But in SHB, the story bends around the characters' narratives, rather than the other way around. The story forms to put them in situations that challenges their flaws and limitations, by forcing them to confront it and actually deal with it. Even just at the very beginning, you see the twins being dealt a terrible hand that very neatly clashes against their faults.

Alisaie is confronted with a situation that she can and could never do anything about. She has no means to help the patients (at the time at least). The only way for her to help them is by eradicating the source of the affliction itself: the Light. But the Light isn't just some Big Bad she can kill and be done with. Even when all the lightwardens are down the Light is still there, it's just more manageable. Alisaie learns to not only see the bigger picture, but to care for it for her own reasons. For all that she has participated in Big Operations, it has always been because that's what others were doing, what others cared for to be done. She feels for the people of Doma and Ala Mhigo, but she didn't set out to liberate their homelands because she has any personal investment in it. But other people do, and she cares about what other people- be they strangers or friends- care about.

Caring about other peoples feelings and opinions isn't a flaw by itself of course, but doing things without any sense of personal purpose, is. This is what SHB helps her fix and confront, because it is personal now, she does it because she cares.

Alphinaud is forced into a situation where diplomacy and negotiations does and would never work. He can't talk himself into Eulemore, and he sure as hell can't convince Vauthry or the free citizens to let go of their life of ignorant luxury. The problem here also isn't as straightforward as a corrupt ruler, because even after Vauthry is revealed for the bastard he is, it takes considerable effort and convincing to get them to get off their asses and get to work. It's one thing to change the minds of people who wanted the same outcome just in a different way (like Ishgard- they rejected unity with the dragons, but they still wanted an end to the war), but it's another thing entirely to convince people that another way of life is even worth it.

And this is what SHB teaches Alphinaud, that words and deeds can achieve much, but that there is much more to diplomacy than appealing to their wants and/or sensibilities to convince them of an alternative outcome. His development may not be as immediately noticable as some of the others (largely bc he had a lot of it already from HW), but it is still very much there.

Urianger's development had already been build up and sort-of started already, but we don't really get to see it until it near explodes in his face after we kill Vauthry. Even after he swore off secrecy, he's forced to confront his morals when the Exarch bids his assistance. Urianger has always been looking at the greater picture, to the point he'd almost lose himself in it if it wasn't for the overwhelming guilt he feels. He works with the Exarch, because he knows he's the only one capable of it, and he hates the very fact that he is. When the climax of the plan is about to be executed, he is pained to the point that even he can't mask it anymore. He has betrayed their trust once more and once more it will result in the death of a friend.

But it doesn't, and that's what's needed for him to confront himself. As terrible and unexpected as the circumstances around it was, it did show him that there are other ways. There is no one way to solve a problem, the first choice doesn't need to be the only one. And he would find those other ones of he had just talked to the others.

The pay-off doesn't quite come until EW, where we see him actively make the choice to go against his first instinct of acquiesing to the Loporrits' plans, and instead chooses to consult us, but that scene wouldn't have made sense or even happened had it not been for his development in SHB.

Now, Y'shtola is a bit of an odd one because while she does get her due focus, she doesn't quite get the same amount of development as the others. Rather, it shows how she thrives when not held back by others interests and (often somewhat needless) bounderies. Her intelligence and charisma have the chance to shine, her independence and confidence now rewarded rather than punished. In ARR, she is constantly annoyed by the Maelstroms way of dealing with things, and how no one bothers to actually listen to her. Her advice and reprimands are almost entirely ignored until the problem blows up in their faces and they have no choice but to concede that she was right.

Being independent and confident aren't flaws by themselves, but her sometimes aggressive approaches to telling others off does her few favors. In SHB, she has the Night's Blessed who actually heed her word and respect her, they listen to her and actually take what she says- be it advise or reprimand- to heart.

She does also, however, have to deal with Thancred who, much like the Maelstrom, ignores her reprimands and doesn't listen to her. The difference here is that her bluntness actually serves a purpose. In ARR, her bluntness lacks tact and meaning, simply a result of frustration. The Maelstrom won't listen to someone who doesn't come up with fleshed-out arguments and solutions, but Y'shtola doesn't bother giving them any until she knows they'll listen. But with Thancred, she does give him the solution. It's just that the solution is him. His words, to be precise, and his acceptance. And he needs to be reminded of that, and she does. It doesn't automatically solve anything, but that's simply how it is with complicated situations like that.

Speaking of Thancred, his narrative is probably the most important of all for SHB. He's always been shown as a capable, but ultimately self-destructive man who genuinely does not know how to deal with himself in a healthy manner. Theoretically speaking he knows, he recognizes that he is self-destructive, but he still has no idea how to actually fix it. It's been shown as early as ARR when it results in him getting possessed, but it's not really made a point of until it almost ruins his relationship with Ryne. Up until now he could just ignore his problems, but with Ryne he can't because now The Problem(s) aren't just his anymore. Anything that would hurt him now would also hurt her, meaning that if he wants to continue doing the one thing he actually cares about (protecting his loved ones) then he needs to get his shit together.

But Thancred doesn't know how to. And for all that his friends try and try to help him, he doesn't know how to. He's paralyzed. Thancred is so deep into his self-destructive habits that it takes the threat of both his and the person(s) he loves the most in the worlds deaths to get him into action. He doesn't know if it's Minfilia or Ryne who will return, and I'm not sure he expected to survive Ran'jit. He only has this chance, and if he wants to die without (as many) regrets he has to do something now.

And he does. He does and what it is he does is tell Ryne that whatever happens, it has to be her own choice. That he will accept any outcome, that he will still care about her no matter what, that as long as she lives or dies as she wants to, that he still loves her. He still loves her. And it works, because that's what he's needed to do all this time, to be able to just tell her that she matters. That he cares.

He tells her to live her own life, and he learns to live his own too.

[beybuniki]

Best MHA teacher in your opinion?

*puts pedagogical glasses on* i think aizawa is a great teacher :D

i made a pot about this before but let me say it againnnn, while i understand why people like to assign parental roles to the mentors in bnha (and it def isn't that serious to each their own don't kill me), i think it is a bit of a disservice to imply that the role of the mentor has to be "elevated" to a parental one in order to do them justice.

yes aizawa sensei does fill a somewhat paternal role, but i personally think that role is exclusive to Eri. Other than that, I think he is a teacher to the other students and he's great at it :)

I don't think horikoshi did it on purpose but i love that Aizawa sensei has what we call pedagogic tact (he a short definition i found in english, all of my papers on this are in german sorri)

bnha has a lot of moments that emphasize Aizawa's situational awareness & interpersonal skills etc. like while he's a strict and highly consequential teacher who doesn't mince words, he knows when to compromise rules, be more lenient, and communicate with his students on a more personal, intimate level.

I love that horikoshi shows this pretty often through aizawa's body language; Aizawa sensei kneels down pretty often to talk to Eri or Deku like that is so importantttt, he also sits down when he talks to Aoyama idk these small gestures are important when you talk to kids and I like that Horikoshi emphasizes that, too. Aizawa's body language is instark contrast to someone like Endeavor, who intentionally uses his intimidating size and fire to emphasize a power imbalance but back to Aizawa

I also love that he goes easy on Yaomomo early in the manga like why he usually does not hold back because villains wouldn't hold back, either, he clearly prioritizes the long-term goal of strengthening yaomomo's confidence by giving her a sense of achievement like that is his pedagogical tact!

i think he could've handled deku and bakugo's conflict better but i guess he didn't for the sake of plot lmao, would've loved to see him put them in a sports club where they could vent their frustration and feeling in a safe environment lol

i think Aizawa represents a good balance of what makes a good teacher, he teaches with confidence because he's a great hero (expert), is consequential & has great situational awareness etc. (conductor), but he also knows when to compromise his austerity for sake of a more personal, intimate dynamic with his students (pedagogue). he feels very grounded to me i think horikoshi did a good job at portraying a healthy teacher-student relationship because tbh i don't need ever ficitonal teacher to be a pseduo-parent, especially when these kids already have parents lmao

which brings me back to the beginning, the parameters of what make a good teacher aren't the same as the parameters for good parenting, there are big overlaps ofc, but the goal of being a good teacher isn't that your students see you as their mommy or daddy, yes building a relationship with your students is rlly important but there's more than that and I think Aizawa sensei balances those aspects pretty well :D

[pookietsunoda]

I'm trying to withhold judgment on the new F1 movie given that we've only seen a teaser trailer, but I shan't lie I'm going to be a little disappointed if it's just Brad Pitt made a self-insert F1 fanfic, or a live action version of Cars 3. (Former great needs to get over himself to mentor the next generation.)

Not saying Cars 3 is bad! Just that even in the last ten years in REAL LIFE there have been so many movie worthy stories of nearly Shakespearian proportions that could inspire more original works of fiction.

Ex. Brocedes-- two childhood friends who achieve their dreams of racing at the highest level, only to be torn apart by professional rivalry. Includes optional homoerotic subtext. (Though ofc they wouldn't make the movie abt anything close to brocedes because Hamilton is producing it, and that would be awkward lol.)

Or Fernando Alonso's long and eventful career, and how like Forrest Gump he is somehow in proximity to the craziest F1 drama and scandals? (Fernando breaks the fourth wall constantly and is an unreliable narrator.)

Heck, in 20-30 years I'd watch the hell out of a decently made Max Verstappen biopic. What makes a racer great? And how does it feel to have your overbearing F1 stage dad living out his dreams through you?

Even with the same plot, it would be a much more interesting film to focus much more on the human drama of how as an athlete, you either retire in your prime and question what you could have still accomplished, or slowly decline and watch yourself replaced by younger and shinier things. Do you risk your health and legacy by trying to still win glory for yourself, or do you allow yourself to fade into the background? Focusing on the emotional stakes would make for a much better film than just technically impressive visuals.

Also I found out bc of posts about the F1 movie that Brad Pitt allegedly abused Angelina Jolie and their kids so. Yikes.

[dystychiphxbia]

☆ - Gym crush! pt. 3

this sucked but im so busy with uni aaa

gn!reader

characters: isagi, reo, nagi

Isagi Yoichi:

this guy is new to the gym

he catches your eye, mainly because his form is horrifying at first

where did bro learn how to squat...

you try your best to help him!!

and wow he learns super fast

like...when one is new to the gym they usually progress fast but he's on another level...

you are honestly impressed

and he's so nice too??

except when he has progressed enough to attempt a pr...yeah it's the same level of focusment as when he's playing football

and he can get angry at you for bothering him

but he will always apologize afterwards and say that he just really needed to focus

he really enjoys your company...he was a blushing mess when you first approached him and he still struggles to keep his composure when your hands accidentally touch

always spots for you but first you have to teach him how to do it

definitely talks about you to his friends

they try to get him to ask you out but he always says that you are just his gym crush, no way you return his feelings (but you do)

and your thighs...he WILL be looking at them.

Mikage Reo;

now let's be real...this guy has his own personal gym for sure

but let's say one of his friends drag him to a regular gym....for plot reasons

rich boy is shocked

but you catch his attention...you are so elegant...you dont fit in with all the gym bros

now the problem is he wants to talk to you...would it be weird? can he just invite you to his gym instead?

he overthinks too much

you notice him too, he looks out of place and his gym etiquette is lacking

he forgets to rerack his weights and you immediately go remind him

"oh...im used to not having to rerack them at my own private gym...thanks for the heads up."

nah not the entitled rich boy

but you are a bit jealous...especially when you are waiting for the leg press to be free

reo hates working out in a packed gym but he just cant get you out of his mind even couple days later

his friend says you come often during the peak times and always seem pissed off about having to wait between machines...

so, he returns to the gym once more with a plan

and there you are....waiting for a free squat rack

you were quite surprised to see him...why would a rich boy with his own gym return to a regular gym during peak hours?

once you start racking your weights, reo comes up to you asking how many sets you have left

"bro. i just started. you saw me." "well lemme squeeze in between ur sets yeah?"

you dont like sharing. but the gym is packed. so you give in.

reo keeps talking to you and you realize that he's actually nice

sure he's rich and entitled and has no clue about how the life of a poor commoner is, but you enjoy talking with him

and the way he throws in a few flirts, and makes sure to compliment you...you are a goner

you end up doing your entire routine with him, getting to know him more

you can't help but notice the way he looks at you...and your body

by the end of the workout, he drops the big question

"wanna ditch this gym and workout at mine?"

he promises you can workout for free...ofc you say yes cause that means you can save money

so you save money and he gets to see you almost everyday...an ideal situation!

honestly in the end you care more about seeing reo than saving money...

Nagi Seishiro;

nah who got this man to the gym

again...let's say a friend forced him to come along...for plot reasons...

he does not want to be there

like yes he has his goals that he wants to achieve, but a packed gym is just too much

you see him occupying a machine you need for like 10 mins just being on his phone so you go up to him

he's confused but lets you have the machine, he wasn't really using it anyway

honestly he seems kinda lost

like he doesnt actually know what to do. since he was already dragged to the gym, he should do something useful but he doesn't know what

and you notice...and kinda feel bad for him...he looks like a lost puppy

so!! you help him out!!

you dont know much about football but you help him figure out what he should do at the gym to improve :)

he actually appreciates your help. and you see him come to the gym more and more

this is nagi we are talking about so it's a miracle that he actually keeps coming back

but the thing is that he really wants to see you!! you motivate him

you always smile so brightly when you see him. he just can't get enough of that smile.

everything is less of a hassle with you around!

[mysterious-moonstruck-musings]

Closed Position Prologue

Closed Position Masterlist ||| Dieter Bravo x OFC

Series Summary: Dieter Bravo, now sober, was looking to change his bad boy image after hitting rock bottom. His team hoped that having him join the nationally televised family friendly dance competition would be a good first step, if they can keep him out of trouble. 

Katarina Stamos expected her last season as a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars to go the same as it had for the past thirteen seasons. That all changed when she was partnered with the infamous Dieter Bravo. 

Dieter and Katarina are reluctantly thrown into their partnership and must learn to work together to succeed in the competition. In the process they form a deeper connection beyond the dance floor that neither anticipated.

👉 Warnings: Themes dealing with intimate partner violence, past alcohol abuse, and past drug abuse. There will be fluff, tears, spicy language, and smut. This will be a slow burn. Read at your own risk. Dieter Bravo comes with his own warnings.

In ballroom dance, the closed position is one of the most common in which partners face each other, typically offset, in an embrace that may vary slightly for each style of dance being performed. This position enables partners to provide the necessary physical contact and support to lead and follow. Increased body contact is encouraged because it allows for a deepened connection and furthers the use of touch to communicate. Another way for partners to establish a deepened connection is eye contact. Eye contact allows each of the dancers to anticipate and synchronize with the other’s movements. The stronger the eye contact and non-verbal communication, the more effortless and intense the performance will appear to be.

Because of the physical closeness and emotionally charged environment, ballroom dance can be an oddly intimate experience that requires a high level of trust between partners. It’s easy to understand why it’s heavily romanticized. For some, it’s not unusual that it may lead to feelings that extend beyond the dance floor.

In my line of work on a nationally televised tv show, I’m placed with a new partner every season. None of which I’ve ever actually achieved a real connection with (on or off the dance floor). It’s always very formal and instructional. Strictly a student learning from their teacher type of experience. The student (or celebrity in this case) is there for the purpose of winning the dance competition and any notoriety that comes with it. I’m there to teach them how to reach their goal and nothing more. I was, after all, in a sometimes-happy long-term relationship that I was not looking to jeopardize.

Everything changed the day Dieter Bravo waltzed into the dance studio. He was looking to repair his image and boost his career after a rumored long stint in rehab while I was simply trying to make it through my last season on the show. We were reluctant partners at first. I was aware of his bad boy reputation and didn’t want my professional image to be tarnished by his antics. He could sense my reluctance, which fueled the initial hostility between us. The hostility soon faded during our sessions as the electricity ignited. The attraction could only be ignored for so long. No one could have predicted the way our stars would eventually collide and be bound to each other’s orbit.

Next: Week 1

I included everyone who interacted with the initial teaser. Please let me know if you would like to be removed going forward.

Tag List: @secretelephanttattoo @titlee78 @maggiemayhemnj @legendary-pink-dot @linzels-blog @morallyinept @survivingandenduring @undercoverpena @wannab-urs @harriedandharassed @hisandsnakes @misstokyo7love @readingiskeepingmegoing @runningmom94 @sin-djarin @cakipy-blog @missladym1981 @guelyury @weho2kcmo @alokaerza @girlofchaos @trulybetty @rhoorl @bitchwitch1981 @madnessofadaydreamer @darkheartgatita @jazzloveslatte @timpletance @musings-of-a-rose

Let me know in the comments below if you would like to be added to the tag list.

Credits: Star divider courtesy of @saradika. Support divider courtesy of @cafekitsune

[weird-bookworm]

ᴇʟᴅᴇʀ ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ!ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ

HYUNG LINE MAKNAE LINE

a/n: i am writing this purely because all an irl friend of mine can talk about nowadays is how shua would be as an elder brother

pairing: elder brother!svt x fem!reader

genre: headcanons, fluff, crack, comfort

word count: around 150 each? imma say 1050-ish in total

warnings: reader is implied to be straight, mentioned alcohol and clubbing, excessive use of ™, excessive simping, me thinking i'm good at this 💀 (we're getting there lol)

ᴄʜᴏɪ ꜱᴇᴜɴɢᴄʜᴇᴏʟ

more of a dad than a brother

wayyy too overprotective

a kid at heart, bless him 🤭

chaotic asf

will not let you date. ever

expect him to go all out to scare potential dates away

as in, movie-level dramatic

no cooperation, will tattle to your parents

cuddle bear!!

as protective as he is, he probably introduced alcohol to you (or so he thinks)

"you are now an adult" "i've been an adult for 3 yea—" "YOU are an adult now, i will show you what alcohol is" "...cheol wtf 😃"

does not care about the fact that you've "known" alcohol for 3 years already

just know you're gonna take forever to meet his friends

gatekeeps you from them

they've known about you for a long time so they treat you normally after you pester him enough to introduce you

but they go all flirty when he's around, just to annoy him <3

and ofc you play along lol

pouty babie

ʏᴏᴏɴ ᴊᴇᴏɴɢʜᴀɴ

a menace 😃

do not trust

mischievous af

i feel like he'll be the kind of brother to take you clubbing

as in, have fun but imma be there just in case

pretends to be your bf to ward off creeps lol

"i won't tell if you won't" when it concerns your parents

helps you sneak out at night as long as he can keep full tabs on your whereabouts

your therapist

silently holds you when you cry 🥺

then does some shit to make you laugh

Always cheats in games

annoying asf

likes to whine for attention when he's bored

aka full on pouts and doe eyes and long drawn cries of your name because "i'm boreddddddd"

acts the same when you're trying to study

probably doesn't care if you're dating

but only if he approves and you're happy and safe

ʜᴏɴɢ ᴊɪꜱᴏᴏ

weirdly protective

will randomly barge in your room to tickle you

hangs out with your friends as if they're his, not yours

the Bane of Your Existence 😩

but also your comfort person

one minute he's teasing the hell out of you

and another he's holding you tight in his arms as you rant about your day

will listen to it all too

no interruptions

says shit, then goes "i love you" before you can get a word out

partner-in-crime for Everything

goody two shoes in front of your parents though 🙄

his life's goal is to make you cringe at any given moment

will cross boundaries to make it happen

starts flexing (his muscles) in front of your friends to embarrass you

willingly drives you around

teases you with the fact that every. single. one. of your friends has a crush on him

pretends to be clueless

really isn't

he just loves you a lot ok?

ᴡᴇɴ ᴊᴜɴʜᴜɪ

a goof

hyperactive, practically bounces around the house

forever giggling at everything remotely amusing thing you do

acts like a younger sibling

most adorable

roams around the house like a ghost in broad daylight

likes to yell randomly

it scares you shitless

every. single. time.

a tease

talking to a cute guy? *eyebrow raise* going on a date? *eyebrow raise* talking on the phone? *eyebrow raise*

(it was just your mother 😭)

is often found asleep on the couch

creeps your friends out with the way he sleeps 💀

strangely wise

like, you'd expect the goofball to be a himbo

always has good advice

ᴋᴡᴏɴ ꜱᴏᴏɴʏᴏᴜɴɢ

hyperactive puppy

(he would prefer tiger but when have you ever listened to him?)

you are sick of choosing tiger themed gifts for his birthday and as celebratory gifts for his endless achievements

(you're proud of him, really, but seriously?)

you're even sicker of getting tiger themed gifts for your birthdays

you can never bring yourself to throw them out though 😔

forever doing adorably weird shit

you can't tell if he likes it when you squish his cheeks anymore, you do it so often

in the mood for teasing? call him a hamster

hell bent on annoying the hell out of you

rambles non-stop when he's excited

comes to your room later to quietly thank you for listening anyway 🥺

stands behind your parents when they're scolding you

and makes faces to make you laugh

a lightweight drunk

so you're basically stuck dealing with a toddler who's constantly trying to kiss you

always goes pouty when you threaten to murder him

ᴊᴇᴏɴ ᴡᴏɴᴡᴏᴏ

on the more quieter side

often games all night

and you join him because why not

only ever yells while gaming

you guys have a very Chill dynamic

annoys you— not too often— by using the biggest, most nerdiest words ever

in casual conversations no less 🙄

secretly Fond™

you'll find cute notes everywhere in the house if you're sad or stressed

only and only you can hug him (...and maybe mingyu, who can so no to him?)

silent comfy hangouts

sometimes very very loud and very very dramatic

pretends to be cool when you introduce your bf to him

he is not cool

i'm talking stinky side eyes when you're not looking and total hostile cat behaviour 😅

just know he's scaring the poor guy away

ʟᴇᴇ ᴊɪʜᴏᴏɴ

spends more time in his studio than he does home

workaholic

worries you by never sleeping

when he does sleep though

sleepy kitty 🥺

you're gonna spend at least 15 minutes just trynna get him up

cares quietly

has his crazy moments

you're somehow taller than him? excuse me? he's older and has more testosterone, what do you mean?

gets so annoyed when they strangers treat you like his elder sister

ofc you're busy laughing at his -_-

extreme kitten mannerisms

he doesn't know though

so you and his friends have a good laugh every time he does something remotely cat-like

and ofc you have special access to his studio 😁

because he may not admit it but he's just really fond of you

so he spoils you as much as his budget allows

[queenburd]

SLAMS OPEN YOUR DOOR please share the stuff you are hiding behind your back (only if you wish to share ofc smiles

sighs and pulls my papers out from behind my back and spreads them across the table

so here's the thing. it's not so much that the settings person/employee 432 and the narrator have a lot in common, that's to me, a debatable point. it's.... complicated. but they have a lot of PARALLELS and features that come from the same place.

but, to me, they play different roles. they have to. because one of these individuals is someone who has accepted and embraced and fallen into their role (settings person) and the other is in full denial about his role and pretends he has more power than he does and, on a subconscious level, wants freedom he can't have (the narrator).

sorry this is all over the place so Im going to go back to where everything always starts and it is The Parable, the Game Itself, as a living thing that has wants and drives. The end is never the end, because it loops and loops, so that you can keep playing, and the wheel keeps turning. (Ive compared the Parable to a haunted house. I've compared it to the House from The Haunting of Hill House.)

It has its own rules, and its own physics, and I can't say it's sentient but it steps in when the Narrator tries to change too much. For the game to work, for the Parable to function, it needs you to play, and you play to hear the Narrator talk, and he's funnier when he's mad, and he only ever wants the Story, so you disobey and go off the Story and you are, in essence, playing the game. Get the dialogue. Find the secrets. Be In Conflict With The Other Person, because games have winners, which means there are losers, which means competition, and defeat, and Conflict.

So the cycle is You (or Stanley) Vs Narrator, trying to gain the upper hand, and this turns the wheel. This makes the game repeat. The end is never the end.

But the thing is we can't argue that that's what the Narrator wants. He THINKS he wants it, but his assumptions are based off fallacies that he made the game (we're gonna come back to this) and the second he starts to not care about the Story (confusion ending) and BOND with the player/Stanley, the Parable steps in and wipes the slate clean.

That's not a being in control! That's a person who has to be manipulated repeatedly and forced into being a specific way for the machine to work. (there are arguments to be made here that this is like employee 432. that's extremely true. I PROMISE we will get to Settings/432) I think about the Curator's speech a lot, and I think about the Demo a lot, and the confusion ending and. gestures.

The Narrator has SOME control over the Parable, but only so long as he acts in line with what it wants, and it's not hesitant to put him through suffering if he pushes against it.

(and I can and have talked about his own fears, and how not progressing feels safe for him, how he's stuck in the past and the player/Stanley is the force that drives things forward, and that back and forth is what moves the Parable and makes it loop, but I am already SO off topic Im so sorry)

The Settings Person, I think, has more power over the game mechanics than the Narrator does (achievement machine, always with you even in the pause screen, stuff like that), because it wants what the Parable wants. The Stanley Parable cannot end. I must keep the wheel turning. It's not a prisoner, it's a warden. And it makes you/Stanley complicit in pulling the Narrator back to the game when he's supposedly "escaped", because, again, Conflict Drives The Game.

They get their abilities from the same place but one of these individuals is dogmatic in its belief of the Parable and the other is only obeying the Parable because he thinks he has to and has been manipulated and forced into compliance.

And, okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, right? After all, the Narrator made the game, didn't he? And 432 was just a character in the mind control facility in the game lore.

Incorrect buzzer, but like, quieter so it's less annoying and condescending.

None of that's real. Crowsx3 made the game. This is a game about meta and it's not so far of a stretch to detach yourself from the "game lore" and look at the game from outside, while also trying to meet it on its own level.

The Narrator didn't make the game, but so long as he thinks so, and as long as he thinks he has power, he'll fight with Stanley for control. As long as he abides by the made up backstory, then the Parable succeeds.

Then there's the Settings person who knows this is a game, and that they are just part of it. The fact that this character has "lore" has no impact on its work now. It's flavor. It's for fun. the character knows that.

are there similarities? absolutely. But those similarities will always stem from the same place: whether their intent and interests are in alignment with the Parable's itself.

Settings Person will ALWAYS align with the Parable. The Narrator will not.

And That's My Take.

[wisehearts]

i dont understand the idea of service during sex that i've seen a lot in byler fan spaces. it seems to be about someone preferring to pleasure their partner over pleasuring themselves, or perhaps actually getting their pleasure from seeing their partner receiving it? but isnt that just normal healthy sex lol

the only alternative i can think of is someone who only has sex for themselves and basically uses their partner's body as a masturbation tool (something that a lot of douchebag men do unfortunately) which ofc is not an ideal scenario you would write for your fictional favs. i guess there could also be two people who are having sex and enjoying it, but still mainly in it for their own pleasure? but surely it's not possible to connect with someone during sex at all unless you keep their pleasure in mind anyway? hope you can help

hey! you're absolutely correct that it sounds like normal healthy sex (that's why I like exploring it!), I'd say "getting pleasure from seeing their partner receive it" is the meat of what a service top/partner is - so no need to worry about the alternative you mentioned! Some people think it means submissive but it really doesn't necessarily, at least from how I've interacted with it in life. and there's no 100% concrete definition, but it's less the general mutual "oh I'm making them feel good, we make each other feel good" of sex and more they actually get off on what they can do for their partner and don't necessarily expect the same thing back and are still just as fulfilled.

I like it for mike atm, but I see resistance for the role in general sometimes and I think there are two other things people can consider to help get a better understanding of why it's a totally valid and fun way to enjoy sex:

people's quite limited view of sex, whether due to inexperience or lack of knowledge

the belief that a partner can only experience their personal maximum pleasure from being the receiver is pretty basic. everyone has different likes, kinks, boundaries etc that to others might be a total turn off, there isn't one way to achieve full pleasure is my point! a simple example of some different forms of pleasure might be women who like to be held down vs a dominatrix, does that make sense? hopefully!

sex and love are not transactional

some people would genuinely think (and I've seen this) character A wouldn't be satisfied in life, or it's "unfair" if they don't also get fucked to completion, or fucked the same way they did character B, when it's simply not the only way to enjoy sex (this doesn't apply to eg. someone who finishes and then the sex is just over they don't bother helping their partner out 🍅 not what I'm talking about here). No one is cared for less (in fiction especially) just because one partner wasn't fucked the same way they did to the other, it's about sexual compatibility

so those points in relation to byler - for me! - are why I like mike getting off on will's reactions, the fact his body can please someone, body worship, praise kink vibes because will has no issue babbling praise since he genuinely feels amazing lmfao, getting overwhelmed and faltering, or rougher because he's trying so so hard and it excites him to see his best friend fall apart, to name a few :)

there's also the fact unless you really enjoy your preference in life, sex isn't the same every single time so there's degrees of the dynamic depending on the mood/scenario/horny levels - at least when I write!

tl;dr: service top/partner definition is pretty similar to how you'd view standard sex but the difference is that they don't operate with their own pleasure in mind as much/they get off on pleasuring

Hope this helped and didn't just confuse you more 😅❣️

[mecachrome]

this is kind of close to wag speculation so feel free to ignore. re: your oscar & alex analysis, it makes me curious what lily z is like in her private life? from the surface level details we know about her, i guess i usually think of her as very similar to the way you described oscar/alex (academic/intelligent/deep thinker, private/calculated in how much of yourself to make public, strong sense of self/clear lines drawn between her career and oscar's even tho they theoretically intersect in f1). but she and oscar clearly don't have the oscar/alex dynamic you've described (again at least from surface level interactions that we see). don't know where i'm really going with other than it caught my interest

also lol at alex and oscar mirroring each other to the point of each dating a lily

nw anon!!! oscar and lilyz are sooo endearing to me from what we've seen of them which ofc is very surface-level considering how protective she is of her peace & privacy... which i respect a lot since i hate pda and am personally extremely averse to being perceived HLSKDFH 😭 love when straight people refuse to hold hands in the paddock... ok sorry. i'm joking. #lovewins i'm an ally it's okay to be straight etc. etc.

but there's definitely an interesting like... difference in base dynamic considering how they met and their respective priorities in life (from what we've been told at least!!!), like alex and lilym bonded as adults already involved in their respective sports over their experiences and struggles as athletes, whereas oscar and lilyz met in school and (presumably) bonded over their love of motorsport but while pursuing different sectors of it... which is kind of interesting because it's like, alex sought someone with similar experiences to him in a different world while oscar sought someone with different experiences to him in the same world. not that that really Means anything but 🤷‍♀️ and like oscar obv places value in his personal academic achievements but in the grand scheme of things lily is sooo much more educated than him LOL so it's not really the same, like she has a master's and he's just some guy who took his a-levels.

also even though alex and oscar have so many similarities i do think alex is a bit more naturally outgoing/gung-ho at the end of the day, so you can see from all their tt/ig posting that lilym's vibes match him super well whereas from how oscar talks about his own relationship he and lilyz seem Very Chill and content to just watch tv and take walks together LMFAO. ofc that's just what we hear but it's like such a ~settled~ old-married vibe.... 😭

[ivomartins]

clock it bc omg im playing hs rn (to understand requiem better but im just diamond mining) (apologies to hs lovers) and the dialogue and the storyline has been making me laugh it's so childish and uninteresting like wheres the flavour?? these people are supposed to be divine beings alive for centuries and they speak like twilight characters? every characters personality is so one dimensional and i kind of can't stand mc i hope she gets better in hs2 (also heard we'll get sexy anemic looking men w long hair for lis can't wait)

as opposed to that, like you said, requiem is DELIVERING. every characters is unsettling and creepy in their own way, but nothing about cain makes sense. mc herself said she couldn't understand what's going on in his head despite being right next to him and it actually shows to the player too. it genuinely feels like we're dealing with beings beyond comprehension, understanding and that just ups the stakes for the mc and maintains this dread the player feels throughout the story.

idk if you've played that diamond scene yet but when he tells mc he can understand her and be on her side, it feels so Fake like he's pretending to be human for achieving his goal and im obsessed w it. the writer is operating on levels we can't even begin to understand.

ofc it's only going to be more delicious to figure him out and watch him fall for mc and grapple with his feelings 🤭🤭

(ps the last four requiem asks you've gotten are from me, can i be your 'vivi' anon 💌)

girl (gender neutral) 😭😭😭 tell me about it i deadass can't get over how cartoonish hs is like no hate at ALL towards the book or the people who love it but i think it's so overhyped and most definitely the book/series that i'd rate the lowest out of all of alice's projects

because of that it's a blessing in a way that requiem is written by a different author?? like it's been so interesting seeing the lore from a different lens and being portrayed with such a different "voice" to the writing. like i thought requiem was written by alice at first and i remember how i suspected otherwise purely by the otherwordly way that cain was described in his first diamond scene like ???? i got so hype cause i thought alice was more in her element with this story and just has her spark again GDKSHDJE no shade towards her at all but i definitely think requiem having a different writer is one of the main reasons why it stands out and exceeds hs in this way. i think it's safe to assume it would have had the same storytelling/writing style as hs if it was written by alice (unfortunately)

i loooooove your take about cain being disingenuous when he talked to mc about understanding her??? that would add so much dimension to him if it's true!! i took it at face value tbh because they both do share the similarity of being outcasts from the group + being selfish and invested in their own goals instead of the greater good or whatever the squad is seeking to achieve. BUT it would be absolutely amazing if your interpretation turned out to be true because i can definitely see it with cain's devious lil ass

also. can we PLEASE take a moment to discuss the fact that LANE AND CAIN MET BEFORE???? i mean i saw a screenshot recently from chapter 1 where he's like "do you remember me?" and i also vaguely remember lane dreaming about him in chapter 1 too??? when i tell you. i am chewing my fist just thinking about it... i LIVE for pre-established dynamics like this 😭

[blorbocedes]

my favorite hetcedes girl!lewis dynamic would be kind of a continuation of 'desire unfolds' by bestliars where girl!lewis (or louise, elle, etc) also hits the wall of women's racing and is like a role reversal of your wag story. I know non racing lewis au's usually have him (or her in this case) go into music or fashion but I can't imagine early 2000s girl!lewis would know that about herself and wouldn't pursue that in time for it to make sense (i feel like for these wags you had to have become famous in your career before your wag status, or else it won't pan out). The Catholic guilt narrative especially without racing in the way would make it so they got married rather young. Their relationship would still be complex and not perfect because I envision in this au nico would still be racing and have 7 or so championships, not because he wants to but because he has to carry the ambition for both of them (2014,15,16,17,18,19,20 is easy to achieve in the Mercedes dominance when you have no teammate competition). I don't think she would want him to stay home and have a happy family and instead be encouraging him to stay in F1 for as much success as she wished she had. And if they did have kids I still think she would be at every race lol. It could also be interesting to explore how that level of dominance and success would contrast with his personality (as i don't think he would be partying it up with hollywood like lewis did during that era, so he wouldn't be F1's figurehead in the same way lewis is today). Also him equaling Michael's championships after how his relationship with Michael was????

But also, I can't creatively write to save my life so this won't be a thing I write lol. I wish I could tell someone my idea and instantly get a fabulous fic back lmao

I also love your toto idea! I know you said that it would be difficult to do girl!nico/lewis because of how he would feel entitled to end up with her, but I think that entitlement and almost cockiness could be an interesting side of him to explore. Especially when he has all the options of women you could want in front of him but he's still expecting Nico to be his. Could be interesting!

I would personally find that super depressing to write because the constant background information of what we know: lewis is the greatest racer of all time, the 7 titles nico is winning is hers and the only reason she can't and is instead known as his wife is due to her sex. ofc not all fics are supposed to be happy and romantic but there's no happy ending beyond lewis having to accept and have her man vicariously living out her dreams (ergo be discontent of that potential What If life forever). you as a reader would pity lewis the whole time

you do raise a good point that she would be too young to know herself yet to get into fashion/music, although probably later in life with nico's money she'd have access to those avenues.

although the idea that nico is the one who wants to retire and be with his family while lewis is the one who keeps pushing him to renew his contract and bribes him with another baby he won't have time to properly see is kind of interesting.

but it's not my flavour, sometimes the more realistic idea is not the better fic. but I would read it if someone wrote it and did the dynamics right

I personally find it easier to do girl!nico hitting the racing ceiling and being perfectly discontent about it because she has so many safety nets, even as Toto's problematically younger gf where the power is imbalanced, she's still the daughter of a world champion, she's still rich, she still graduated from imperial college. with the hetcedes you proposed lewis married young, there's still that class insecurity, that universe's GOAT chose her because they were childhood friends but now he has all the pick of beautiful women in the world should he want (even if he's 100% loyal), and the discontentment would just be too much.

with girl!Nico hetcedes of "lewis still chooses her" it veers too much into traditional heterosexual romance for my taste. but yeah I'd be down to read it someone else wrote it hahaha, there's just a lot of delicate gender power dynamics to keep in mind when doing a gender swap fic and still have it be compelling. a lot of work!

[inosukes-boar-mask]

Yo chat, I just wanna say that after replaying amd finishing the entire 6 cases of century mile.... I just wanna say that I actually enjoyed this district sm (ofc like I used to when I was 14)

Anyways, I really do like the main theme of this district (which really focuses on power) and how having too much power can lead to their own downfall. (*Cough* Stanley. *cough*)

And the crazy part is???? That those three inventors (Celine, Stanley, and Orville). Both died in the same way. By falling down so hard into the ground. It's quite tragic but like at the same time I kinda like how the message was like... Portrayed here or some shi (the higher you rise, the harder you fall). The more higher they want to achieve, the more chance that they're getting to their own downfall which is really, really crazy and also, sad at the same time.

I also just read this from a fellow server member on discord. That Stanley literally did all of that for nothing even though he could've had the chance to win without sabotaging those inventions. Because of course, his exo suit can be quite phenomenal (or not idk) and yeah when I was replaying it I was like oh shit he did all of that for nothing it's crazy. (Ngl either Stanley or Greta could win the exhibition or idk)

Anyways, about Greta. It does kinda makes sense on why she's the only inventor who had survived in the entire district. I think it's because she isn't like the others who wanted to achieve something... Higher. Like, reaching the peakest of peak or some shi because she had already won the competition before. 👀👀👀 About her character, I just wanna say that I do really love her character sm. She's so smart af and she really knows all of the cons of being an inventor or something. Girl's just minding her own business and she also... Quite cares a lot when it comes to inventing some stuff (like idk how to explain it now. My brain isn't braining unfortunately). So yeah, it kinda made sense why she's the only inventor out of the four to be alive. It's because she's different from them. Despite the fact that she had reached the higher level already... I feel like she doesn't want to do it again. (Cuz I feel like she just want to invent some stuff to change the world lmao or other reasons)

Yeah anyways this is all it's crazy how this district has its own great, well-written characters. And I just wanna say that I will miss my glorious king Stanley Spark sm. Rip my guy you definitely would've loved the marvel cinematic universe/j

[mwebber]

im p confused rn lol, feel free to ignore this ofc but questions are meant genuinely.

is it the domination that you have a problem with? the lack of fight at front?

or is it more simply you want seb to keep his record(s)?

or just with verstappen winning?

i understand the first 2 and hear the 3rd a lot but just ur prev posts came a lil outta left field for me lol. i'd like to hear your thoughts, with peace and love on planet earth <3

pourquoi pas les trois... actually i think it might boil down to two main things: my frustration at the continued erasure and diminishing of seb's achievements, and my pet peeve of Total Fucking Bullshit.

it's no secret that this sport has a problem with dominating teams. and yes, you could argue that's the point--hello, it's a constructor's championship, the point is to have the best car. and red bull have built beasts the last couple of years! seriously, all my respect to the team as a whole for pulling everything together. i was and remain a red bull fan at heart despite it all, and it makes me happy from an objective standpoint to see so many elements of a team come together in harmony. red bull is a well-oiled machine at work.

but i genuinely don't think there's been this level of domination by a singular driver in a singular team since like, 2013. think: if lewis' era of domination was so much "worse" than this as the dudebros like to say, why hasn't lewis come close to beating 9 wins in a row? the main phenomenon at play is the sport's short term memory--but really, the way fans like to completely forget 2015-2018 and arguably 2019 too really frustrates me. it wasn't like 2014 hit and suddenly lewis was winning everything. nico won the 2016 wdc. seb posed a real fucking threat in 2015, and in 2017-18 the messaging from the sport was that the battle between him and lewis was, quote unquote, titanic. a battle between, quote unquote, titans of the sport. fast forward to 2020/21 and the narrative is that nothing has stood in lewis' way for the last 6 or 7 years, and that his era of domination needs to be ended for ~the good of the sport.~

so seb makes a couple mistakes, fine, but mostly gets visibly cucked by his team for years, and suddenly he's nothing. his four championships mean nothing, his 3rd most wins in the history of f1 mean nothing, he's just ferrari's next failure.

but then the narrative around max. max, who's introduced in 2021 like he's an up and coming driver intent on toppling lewis' throne. it's a great narrative, right? mercedes took red bull's ball. red bull want it back. casually ignoring how max has been in the sport since 2016, max is red bull's new young golden boy, the one who's going to lead them to victory as the youngest driver like seb already did before and wow, wait, sorry for mentioning seb in relation to success there, let's keep on reinforcing that he's an old man who needs to retire. anyway, max is someone who doesn't give a flying fuck about anyone or anything except racing! max is a beast on track! max is [checks notes] our great white hope!

let's put the racism discussion on hold, because i think people try really hard to pin him down as this like, absolutely sociopathic bigot who is the most racist person in the world, and while he's not NOT racist, i don't think the extreme conclusion ppl are reaching is true. plus this rhetoric is mostly smoke and mirrors to try and find a leftist/social justice reason to hate on him anyway. so let's get fucking real: i dislike max for the same reasons i dislike taylor sw*ft. i hate that there's this blatant marketing campaign that fans buy into and perpetuate, that these people are the greatest of their generation, that they're masters of their craft. like, what? max's racecraft is just threatening to crash people out or push them off the track, something multiple drivers have been quoted saying. that's not ruthless, that's just bad fucking driving. that's an asshole on the dvp suddenly merging into your lane without using their blinkers or checking their blindspots and forcing you to pull out your defensive driving skills from that one class in drivers ed just to avoid a massive pileup on the highway. and i'm expected to suck this guy's dick?

max wins a fraudulent championship in 2021 and proceeds, for the next two years, to basically cruise at the front. it's like the second half of 2013, except it's lasting for a YEAR AND A HALF. only this time, instead of the sport trying to diminish this stint by saying it's just the car or that the golden boy has put himself above the team, people are......... celebrating? listen, i enjoy a singapore 2013 moment as much as the next seb fan but come on. get real. if every race was singapore 2013 that would be boring. and that's what we're seeing, but that's not what fom wants us to think we're seeing. it's complete bullshit.

which leads me to my posts. oh my god, i hated the comparisons between max and seb's first championships. the circumstances could not be more different--it was fucking insulting. seb won his championship fair and square, no rulebook bending required. seb's most violent moment on track that year was in turkey with mark--but he didn't park his car on top of mark's head and walk out saying that's what you get. how could people say that seb was anything like max.

seb's 9 wins at the end of 2013 were the culmination of five years spent fighting tooth and nail for his success. even for how dominant he was in 2011, there were still other teams up there! he had to fight his own teammate for so many years! and even with displays like singapore 2013, there were races where he was fighting in the second half of the season! and now we see this current streak of wins from the last two years where everyone else has tumbled behind and perez is contractually obligated to be a doormat. (not to say that teams haven't tried--i had so much hope at the start of 2022 when ferrari showed up with that pussy monster.) so look me in the eyes and say that max has fought with everything in him just to get that #1 spot. the two of them are leagues apart, but people--the same ones who have said seb is washed--are inevitably going to say that max has beaten seb, that max is on par with the third most successful driver in the sport. it's like a slap to the face.

and so we end back with the constant retconning of seb's position in f1 history. it drives me insane. he's nothing when it comes to propping max up, and then he's the benchmark to prop max up. he's a titan of the sport, and then he's just a failure. come on. come on. i'm just tired of my favourite driver never being given the credit he deserves, and i'm tired of having this fictional story shoved down my throat that max is anything like the goats in the sport. tl;dr. get real.

[blazingblorbos]

Okay Genshin 4.1 thoughts dump because if I don't compile my thoughts somewhere I will literally implode. Anyways, spoilers for the Fontaine Archon Quest so far (as of Chapter 4, the Version 4.1 update) under the Read More (a couple paragraphs under, but you catch my drift)

So. Something I have always absolutely adored about Genshin's storytelling is the way it goes about presenting its gods as "Human too"...

At first, it was seen painfully obvious through Ei and her incredibly human response to grief and trauma (a lot of people thought she was being unreasonable, and yeah for a ruler of an entire nation, closing yourself off to the outside world certainly seems - and is - irresponsible. And then... you consider how easily any other normal person would have done the same thing, if not worse, if they had lost nearly everyone they loved in quick succession, while also being personally responsible for a handful of those deaths).

And upon further reflection on the topic, you can see blatant traces of it present in every archon. And I don't just mean their trying to blend into/ further their understanding of humans, human society, and human nature.

I mean, Venti is kinda hedonistic and aloof; Zhongli wasn't always as wise and so intricately-versed in his knowledge about so many things - before the Archon War, he was more of a brute who preferred to solve things head-on (literally) as opposed to thinking things through; Nahida- oh don't even get me started on Nahida. Her self-doubt and insecurity as a result of facing constant beratement and feelings of inferiority to Rukkhadevata; her constant desire to learn more (both for her namesake as the God of Wisdom, to prove herself, and for her own curiosity's sake); her child-like nature (as a result of her research and human observation ofc!!! but still adorable none-the-less; I mean "dook-dook" !?! come on!)...

But now with Furina, oh. I think we've entered a BRAND NEW level and it's part of the reason why I absolutely love her so much.

In classic good-story-telling practice, Genshin achieves all of this through "show-not-tell" and it's world-class ability of characterizing its characters (IN MY OPINION ! I love them so much, okay?). And from the second I MET this girl to the very last line of 4.1's archon quest, it has been made painfully abundant to me that

Furina is just a child.

She has. NO IDEA what she's doing!!! Now, the underlying reasons for this have yet to be seen, and will most likely be tackled in the very next Archon Quest chapter, but if you'll allow me to speculate right now... Knowing that Egeria also conducted trials for citizens who broke the law (meaning she should have also been a God of Justice), I believe whole-heartedly that it was her who built the entire system Furina and Neuvillette are running right now. Meaning, I'm confident Furina has absolutely nothing to do with it. The ONLY (and I think I truly mean ONLY) thing Furina did in the time since she inherited the role was: change the perception of what justice and its deliverance should be into something a lot more akin to a dramatic play, only enacted for people's enjoyment.

Which includes her lack of knowledge on the Oratrice. Furina didn't create it. How could she? She's so utterly ignorant on what it is, how it works, and dare I say what it's truly even for.

The moment I read this statement I convinced myself that it had to have been the previous Hydro Archon. And while I concede that: looking back on the wording of this statement now, it seems like its existence would only be beneficial under someone like Furina's ruling… But, I'm willing to just chalk that up to "Egeria had great future-sight" (or something more along the lines of: she trusted the machine to help keep her in check so false charges were less likely; and it just so happens that its decision making is carrying the court system now under Furina’s rule).

Like many things related to Fontaine's history, it would seem, Egeria being solely responsible for the creation of all these staple facilities and aspects of the nation's inner workings would shed light on why Furina is so unknowing. She had nothing to do with it. And while I'm no envoy from Celestia, so I have no insight as to what the hell happens when a new Archon is born to fill in the void that was left, I think that whatever that process is (IF THERE EVEN IS ONE) went completely awry for Furina. She probably didn't even inherit the Gnosis - ever ! I'm thinking it's stuffed into the Oratrice somehow/somewhere. I'm thinking the "curse" Arlecchino sensed has something to do with that process of inheritance (or... lack thereof) going so wrong.

It’s obvious that Furina is running from something. Ignoring something. Distracting herself from the realities of the world with the “spectacle of the courtroom” (as Dain put it). And it’d be easy to just chalk it up to her being a little bitch with no deeper meaning but I don’t think that’s it.

Genshin doesn’t make it gods “just human”. They spend their time trying to prove that they’re “Human too”.

The underlying reasons for it have to lie in whatever happened when Furina was born. Cursed. Whether it was a curse to end up alone (as per the prophecy), or to never obtain the powers becoming of a god in this world... Whatever happened, it overwhelmed Furina to an unbearable degree, and naturally, like any Human would... she resorted to escapism. She found entertainment in the trials headed at the court room, realized she could make people like her by being this mascot of justice, and upon learning that it's only a matter of time before all of her subjects turn into puddles and she'll be left all alone… she decided to just- NOT think about it!! Who would?! That is a horrifying! revelation.

THAT is why she's so scared to fight - literally anyone!! She doesn’t have the power (and if she does she’s never had to use it).

THAT is why she’s turned out this way - a brat with very little humility, never knowing when to stop the act - because for centuries she’s lived in this little Lala-Land of a bubble denying the inevitable. A fate she was cursed with from the moment she inherited the title of “God”. She wasn’t really given powers, she wasn’t given dominion, and she most certainly hasn’t received instruction, or… ANY!?! HELP!! it seems, in understanding what it means to be an Archon (perhaps even in spite of those other perks she was “supposed” to receive.)

Born to be a god, yet being set up to suffer the loss of your entire people with almost no power to change it? That would fuck anyone up, even an Archon.

And it’s the way that they’ve shown how it’s fucked with Furina that blows my mind.

She’s so disconnected that Arle’s assassination attempt shocked her to her core. She’s a GOD!! Who would try to assassinate her (aside from the Fatui)!? She’s never had to even perceive the notion of being a target of something like that. Stack that on top of her general sense of helplessness in the greater context of what’s happening to her nation, and it makes sense that she broke down crying later that night... :(

Girlie just needs some help </3