#Clear the darkness ⇼ answered

[skyofstorms]

“I’m going to be stuck in bed for how long?” (From Steve for Peter or Tony)

"Until I'm certain you're better." Peter counters, shaking his head. "You may be able to heal fast, Steve, but even the serum can only work so fast." Blue eyes are worried, the slightest hint of crimson around his pupil as he fusses over his mate, sitting one the edge of bed as he pets his fingers through Steve's hair. "I can't lose you, Steve. I would lose myself in that pain and never get back. The pack doesn't need to witness an alpha in a spiral from losing their mate, especially Derek and Cora." His voice is soft, watching Steve intently. "I can't live without you."

@heroesofbr00klyn

[chubbidust]

I wonder how Ralsei would react to the Human of the Prophecy, the only person for MILES who can seal the Dark Fountains, being a tiny baby who doesn't know how to speak and can barely walk

bro would be flabbergasted

[chronurgy]

I think part of the reason people struggle with act 3 (other than the actual computer load) is because act 3 is very much Durge's act, so if you're not playing as Durge you miss a lot of the impetus to act. Seeking out Orin isn't just tracking down the macguffin, it's finding your old home and position, your sister and usurper all in one. Rivington isn't just an entryway to Baldur’s Gate and a review of the refugee crisis, it's the site of a major revelation about what you are, and Orin's taunts are gloats about what she did to you. The meeting with Gortash isn't just for plot, it's a dark mirror homecoming where you can't remember the home you're coming back to and where you learn exactly what sort of person you used to be and just how much of this situation is your fault. Act 3 is packed with thematic and emotional resonances for Durge, and full of people and locations that will help elucidate Durge's past. That's part of why Orin falls so flat on a Tav (or other origin) run - so much of her story is tied up with Durge's.

I'm not saying that act 3 isn't massive (it is) or that it doesn't drag at all when you're playing Durge (it does), but I think it drags significantly less and feels significantly less disconnected than it does for Tav. I think when the decision to split Tav and Durge was made Larian probably should have reviewed what the third act of the game would feel like from a non-involved character's point of view and made more changes to help better tie them to the main plot. Orin, for example, absolutely could have used way more development generally but especially on a Tav run the game really needed to give the character more connection to her. Her abducting a companion was likely an attempt at that, but there was nothing you could do about it and no time limit on rescuing them so it fell pretty flat.

[not-poignant]

ah another question for you then! what was Jack and Pitch's reaction over everything that happened post Game Theory à la Gwyn and his alignment + unseelie kingship? they're not really mentioned in TCOFT and the other interludes as far as I've read them. I'm really curious what they think in general... if they've got the news at all

Hi anon!

I've actually answered this question a bunch, but a long time ago, so I'll find some responses for you. It's a really interesting question but the answers are all very tragic and heartbreaking.

They're not mentioned in The Court of Five Thrones because they no longer exist to me in that universe, and they were formally removed and replaced by the Nightingale and Terho the Mouse Lad (I don't know if you read it, but there's literally a story with this name bridging between Game Theory and The Court of Five Thrones which bridges this transition!)

And the reason for that is, TL;DR, Jack and Pitch would loathe Gwyn for the events of Game Theory, (link is to the long response), and it's entirely likely that Jack's PTSD would relapse in the process. As a result of that I think of SAL and Game Theory as two separate timelines.

But yeah the reason they're never mentioned again is pretty intentional, I stopped wanting them to be a part of the series long before Game Theory ended. I want Jack and Pitch to keep their happy ending, and they can't, if they're involved in the Fae Tales canon. Eventually they'll be written out of it!

[ectonurites]

SUPER DARK TIMES (2017) DIR KEVIN PHILLIPS

[floralovebot]

helia is obv meant to be androgynous and bishounen but I get why people would think he was designed to be a woman initially because his name is a woman's name actually. helia is a girls name. also, compared to avalon or other long haired characters, he's also somewhat more different.

I don't think it's too far fetched. some language groups like greek fans could have other pov. in latin american spanish his name was changed to helio for this very reason.

i know his name is feminine. that still means nothing tbh

sky is a popular girl's name in the west. does that mean he's automatically a girl? like no of course not. no one is arguing that sky is a woman just because of his name. griffin is a masculine latin name. don't see anyone questioning her. if his name is the Only proof people have that helia was meant to be a girl, that's weak when other characters also have feminine/masculine names that don't align with their canon gender.

also, you need to ask yourself, what is different about helia? like actually answer that question. what exactly makes helia different from characters like palladium, valtor, or avalon. it's not his body - helia has the same muscular body the other specialists have and he's one of the few male characters we see shirtless on screen. it can't be pacifism - he's not a pacifist and pacifism is not a feminine trait. it can't be art or poetry - neither of those things are feminine traits/hobbies. it can't be his fashion - he's just wearing a shirt and jeans. if anything his wardrobe would be considered more masculine compared to the crop tops the other specialists are wearing (even for the time). it can't be his personality - nabu is also wiser and gentler, timmy is also a simp, brandon is also caring.

so what exactly makes helia different from other long haired male characters?

nothing. that's your answer.

the only thing that makes helia So different is that other long haired male characters are often coded as white Or specifically have darker skin, so fans don't feel the need to question their masculinity (which is a Whole other discussion). helia is not coded as white. even fans who don't consciously realize it are still picking up on that coding. these white fans then feel comfortable questioning his masculinity because they've done that to men of color for decades. it's not just asian men either. white people love to question the masculinity of all men of color, regardless of race or skin color. that's how they demean them. how they separate them from white men. they uphold certain racial and gender stereotypes and then demean any man who "doesn't fit that". which in their eyes, is all men of color.

it's like this: man of color doesn't adhere to western/white/european cultural standards > white people realize, don't like, insult them, and try to make them feel like they need to adhere > white men prioritize the patriarchy and feel the need to glorify it > in order to insult men of color, they specifically call out and question their masculinity > white people around the world think this is genuinely innocent because it focuses on gender instead of race > white racists get away with it

listen, i know at first this seems like a really harmless and maybe even amusing topic. "oh helia is so pretty people think he's a girl ahahah". and for some fans it is genuinely harmless. they just think he's too pretty to be a man. and then they realize, laugh it off, and don't question it again.

unfortunately, that's not the case for a lot of other fans. it's not innocent. it's not harmless. it's white people picking up on racial coding and questioning his identity because of it. you guys don't do this to other characters. you don't do it to sky, who also has a "feminine" name. you don't do it to palladium, who is slimmer and has a gentler, nicer personality. you don't do it to saladin. or nabu. or ogron. or gantlos. or anagan. or tritannus. or nereus. or king neptune. or king teredor.

all of those names are male characters with long hair.

i know it's nice to assume that this is innocent and genuine. but unfortunately, that's not the case. this is an example of something that isn't innocent for a majority of adult, white fans. even if they're not doing it On Purpose. subconscious bias is called that for a reason.

[buridans-darkace]

How did Cyclonia become the empire that we know today? 👁👁

The history is a lot more elaborate than that, but there's the condensed version. I'm glad at least someone is willing to pay attention to it.

((Dagr is an OC belonging to @ashe-alter :3 thanks Grimm for letting me include him in this AU, enjoy the surprise cameo.

[thevalicemultiverse]

To Alice and Smiler:

Is VD actually terrifying when he's really mad, like about to snap your neck mad?

Blades in the Dark

Smiler: Well, it takes a lot to get him to that point, and he really tries to keep his temper under control --

Alice: He has the ability to hit people with lightning and summon portals to the depths of the Void Sea, so very much yes.

[civilight-eterna]

need my discord oomfies to stop sniping me from orbit

me: no. eggs boiled in onsen water would be disgusting. that's bath water

them: what if it was girl bath water though

me: still fucking no

them: what if it was specifically ch'en bath water though

me: i think we should be all done talking about this now and that's enough out of you.

[hellothere2009]

What's your favorite kind of scenery? (Defend your answer with pictures)

dark forest

[skyofstorms]

" what makes you think I should apologise?" for any of yours!

Jace arches a brow at the vampire, biting back his anger because they are alone and his anger is more based on how Simon can't see the level of danger he was in. "Seriously, Simon? You almost got yourself killed, for angel's sake." He runs a hand over his face. "Are you trying to kill me in the process?"

@forwardlion [Jace demanded, I cannot control him]

[lightblinds]

tag drop !!

[fideidefenswhore]

@glorianas & it just straight up does not work, it might make more sense if the anti-boleyn faction had had a royal marriage in mind, like warwick for edward iv…. but it’s an odd chess-play, to push forward the seymours just because jane happens to be his mistress. you’re so incensed at the upstart nobles becoming royal so you want … the gentry, to become royal?

[tevinterdays]

🎵

the song on shuffle when i saw this was french ambient metal without lyrics so moving to the next thing

shuffle has brought us:

rain in soho, by the mountain goats!

favorite lyric

no town more barren than our town no haven safer than the one they tore down

lots of honorable mentions in the tags on this one but this line in particular i always misremember as "no haven safer than the one we tore down" because i was listening to it a LOT when initially playing act 2 of bg3 as my tragic nightmare durge

send ♪ fr a song on shuffle from my library and a favorite lyric \o/

[bootyful-seventeen]

Got called mopy and moody and an overall killjoy for not enjoying the one (1) party experience I had in February of last year cuz I kept getting left alone at a party so I just sat and had nachos 🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻

[cryolyst]

:/