#I'm angry at the government

[almostfini]

You really should have thought of that before you became disabled!

Been trying to get on disability for over 2 years and I just found out they won't even review my appeal for another year. Shitposting through the pain as always

[veerbles]

hot take but I fully do not support the 'kaz becomes king of ketterdam by ascending to a position of power equivalent to a literal king' because. do you even know kaz. that is the WORST idea lmao. for his benefit and also ketterdam's benefit and frankly also for several other nations' benefits

but while on most days I trust in captain inej ghafa and believe maybe ketterdam can be saved, other days I think: actually maybe kaz SHOULD burn his city to the ground 🙃 let them dismantle the government and build literally nothing in its place. a little anarchy couldn't hurt that fucking city at this point. it's not a good solution it's just a funny one

[horror-lady00]

Can't stop thinking about how creators of Ruby Gillman tried to make classical story reverse, where Krakens are good guys and Mermaids are bad.

Instead, they accidentally made Mermaids into oppressed and vilified minority group and Krakens into a literall Police of the sea.

[eskawrites]

okay who’s gonna take one for the team and write a super soft ptsd/recovery ronance fic with the title ‘if you wanted you could do no harm’

[varyathevillain]

Sebastian Vael would've been such a better character for the Dragon Age fandom to enjoy if in act 3 instead of the shitty "here, have a Leliana cameo and another proof there's Blood Magic Everywhere in Kirkwall, go fetch!" quest, we had a different one.

Let's say... Hawke has an option of investigating a weird deal between a chantry sister and a Starkhaven diplomat, and during it you uncover that the chantry has been embezzling from Starkhaven's treasury, as well as putting "former chantry members" (read: malleable or outright Chantry puppets) in the ruling circle which is currently holding Starkhaven afloat in absence of Sebastian as their Prince.

If Sebastian is not in the party as you uncover this, you have an option to either tell him about it, or investigate the questline further. If he is, however, in the party as you find the first notice of something being wrong between Chantry and Starkhaven relations, Sebastian will exclaim that this is a mistake, someone posing outside (or within) a Chantry to implicate either Starkhaven royalty, or Grand Cleric Elthina, and reference Sister Petrice. The moment you involve him in the questline, however, he'll be locked in for the investigation missions, and start getting special points in the code, one for each encounter (including the very first one starting the questline), for the final confrontation of the questline. The same happens if you start involving Sebastian at any other point of the questline, but with less and less points available.

As you progress, there would be three more quests to go through, one of which even takes you to either the outskirts of Starkhaven, or to the busy streets of it, allowing 1) to show another city state of Free Marches, 2) where Sebastian comes from, 3) actually be worth your money for the DLC, if ideal DA2 still had him as a DLC companion. Which I still hate with burning passion a decision, same with Javik being DLC in ME3.

The questline has chantry sisters and nobles implicated, Flora Harriman reaching out to Hawke about weird decisions made in Starkhaven politics, resembling what her mother did, and at a second quest there's even a possibility of you uncovering a chantry brother in a contract with a Desire demon. It seems like it all leads up to corruption in the political sphere and stragglers in the Chantry circles, right?

Except. On the final quest. It is revealed that Elthina, in her own handwriting, no forgery as confirmed by any rogue in the party, has forced Grand Cleric of Starkhaven to resign, installed her own puppet (one of the chantry sisters you might see in Act 1) as a new Grand Cleric, all for a bid of "uniting the Free Marches under the Chantry banner". It also implies that Sister Petrice was telling the truth, and that Elthina was, in fact, more involved with the unrest against Qunari than one would believe in the base game (I believe she was involved, but it's not majorly pertaining to this post in particular). There's a letter that implies Lady Harimann was allowed to do what she did, because Elthina believed she'd be able to manipulate Sebastian in favour of the Chantry. It also unveils how many people of Starkhaven were hurt by this. Turns out, a lot.

Then, you can go about this questline ending several ways.

This is where the points counting in the background come into play.

If you did not bring Sebastian alongside you on any of the missions, or if there aren't enough points for you to sway him... Sebastian will claim the evidence as plot against his support of the Chantry and Elthina specifically, and burn the letters in particular, calling them a "bad replica of what sister Petrice tried to do". Elthina, on prodding, feigns innocence, or if you have not talked to Sebastian yet, calls him in to discuss "this silly accusation", which gives +15 rivalry if you're not in a locked relationship with him. He still burns the letters, and accuses you of believing the conspirators, or even being one of them. There are some undertones in Elthina's dialogue to imply she's ready to blackmail you back if you press the matter, and Hawke has no choice but to back off.

If you bring Sebastian along and your relationship with him at this point is so-so, neither a full friendship or a rivalry, you'd need at least 3 points with favourable dialogue, this makes Sebastian question the Chantry, even Elthina. You'd need all 4 points (bringing him from the get go in your party when they rock up to the start of the questline) without going further into discussion for him to buckle. With friendship, you'd need to bring him on at least 2 missions, or 3 with favourable dialogue. With rivalry, however, you need for him to be brought only on one mission with favourable dialogue, the final one, after which he'll even say that "You (Hawke) were right about me needing to step up and rule Starkhaven". On two missions if you want to bicker with him throughout the quests instead.

If you would manage to sway Sebastian by the end, you'd have one final choice: support him in standing up and demanding answers from Elthina, or asking him to forgive her involvement.

Supporting him on Friendship is the simplest, but supporting him on Rivalry ends up in Sebastian switching to Friendship, like with Merrill reversing her Friendship in Mirror Image if you don't give her the Arulin'Holm. This ends up in a calmly voiced, but very angry Sebastian Vael, pure venom in his words, listing how Elthina has abused his trust and his people by using faith in the Chantry, and manipulating a Prince of a sovereign nation for her own means. If you supported him on Rivalry, he'll have additional lines on how you've challenged him to see problems with Chantry and Templar order, as well as to come back to Starkhaven, and outright thank you right in front of Elthina, whose eyes will throw daggers in your direction. At the end of the speech, Sebastian will actually start removing pieces of his armour, them clattering to the floor at Elthina's feet, and walk out alongside you out of the Kirkwall chantry.

However, if you ask him to forgive Elthina, he'll have the biggest rivalry (+30) jump in the game if you aren't in a Friendship, and will briefly lash out at you, saying that complacency with his devotion to the Chantry is what got him and his people into this mess. On Rivalry, it's worse. Instead of a calm but angry and vicious reprimand of Elthina's actions, Sebastian will SCREAM at her, throw evidence in her face, and then scream at you on Rivalry for good measure, about how you can't simply forgive someone who would seek ruin his city, and is actively ruining Kirkwall. How he was blind to Elthina's actions, but sees now that blood magic isn't the rot at the city's heart that is dividing the Circle and Templar order, it's Chantry politicians like Elthina. And instead of armour pieces clattering to the ground, they're thrown at the feet of the Andraste statue, while Sebastian outright declares that if Elthina doesn't cease machinations in Starkhaven, he'll rage war against her, specifically, and everyone who would support her. Then, he storms out, alone.

You can insert either a "there's nothing to talk about" with Elthina afterwards in both endings of this form, or promises of Hawke "never holding a position in this city aside from carrying the Amell name".

After that, you can find Sebastian, clad in a new armour (simple, reminiscent of what Alistair wears in his introduction scene in DAO, only with the Starkhaven symbol emblazoned on an archer chest piece), with a box in his arms, on the steps out of Hightown into Lowtown. He jokes about how his whole life in Kirkwall can, at the same time, be put into a small box like this one, and be something world encompassing. After a dialogue, where he tells you he is going to live in a small hovel in Lowtown, since he doesn't want to even see the chantry building, or talk with nobles who'd gladly eat him and people of Starkhaven alive, until the moment Kirkwall unrest is over, since he wants stability for you and your city as well. Also, he'd rather spend money on his people and those in need, not himself.

If romanced, or with certain persuasion options, you can invite him to live with you. You can still try to invite him with a couple of options, but he'll deny them for various reasons. After that, he'd live near the market; or, if you managed to convince him, in Hawke's mansion.

If in a romance, there's a hot makeout scene in the library which fades to black implying a proper sex scene. If not, he'll have amusing additional scenes with other companions, especially other love interests, with a bit of hostility from Isabela and Anders, and a lot of genuine fun from Fenris and Merrill.

When you talk with him alone (at either Lowtown hovel or at home in the Library), Sebastian discusses, on Friendship, how he is still Andrastian, even if Chantry failed him and his, or on Rivalry how he feels that blind devotion blinded him to Chantry mistakes.

Banter between party members also changes, with one dialogue from Merrill implying that Sebastian is now helping refugees and the poor, Fenris talking about his efforts in making an organisation for former templars/chantry members expelled for one reason or another, Anders being surprised at a late night visit where Sebastian covered in blood (not his) brought him herbs and potion flasks as a peace offering, et cetera. There's still tension over Sebastian belief in the Chant and Andraste, but it's not anymore about him having to perform for the Chantry and his public image.

If you don't complete the quest with this ending, Sebastian Vael still demands Anders to be executed, or he'll wage war. But if you do... he confesses that Anders has asked him to warn as many people in Lowtown and Darktown not to come to the Hightown and chantry, but assumed this would be because of Meredith and Orsino outright fighting in front of Elthina, not this... murder.

He will, however, draw his bow and point an arrow at Anders, saying that this was not the answer to help his cause, and Anders needs to pay now. Hawke can allow him to do that, or step in.

In a so-so relationship, if you choose anything else but "I will execute him myself" or relent to Sebastian's demand and let him shoot Anders? Vael will spit at your feet and leave your party and the conflict, resulting in a very similar ending to his character as in the original DA2, just less anti-mage and pro-Chantry.

However, in a Friendship or Rivalry, it's very easy to convince him to still stay at your side and see it through. With his unknowing help, many innocents of Kirkwall were saved, and now he has to stick around to help as well, and to either see Anders pay for his crimes with work and healing, not redemption through martyr-like murder, or to understand that this, inadvertently, would be every city across Southern Thedas, including Starkhaven, if Chantry dogma supported by Templars will continue murder, physical and emotional, of mages. He'll have additional dialogue depending on whether you're a mage Hawke, or if Bethany died/is in Circle.

In Romance, Sebastian will lower his bow immediately as Hawke steps between. You'll have to mess up really badly in dialogue for him to storm out.

[rosesandfrills]

I can't stop being angry at this fucking government. We were responsible for the largest genocide in history and we have an education system that makes sure we know it in all its horrors. To make sure we won't repeat the mistakes of our grandfathers.

And now we as a country see what's happening in Gaza and support Israel.

What the fuck?

Calls for a free Palestine are conflated with being antisemitic. There is a real antisemitism problem in this country that's been growing rapidly. Wanting to stop the murder of innocent civilians isn't it.

I'm not being homophobic when I call Alice Weidel a fucking clown. I'm not being antisemitic when I criticize the fact Israel is commiting warcrimes.

I'm not an expert on this conflict and I'll never pretend I am. The only thing I know is that the side that's killing innocent civilians, killing children, by the thousands, isn't the one on the right side of history.

[tittyinfinity]

"But if we dismantle our government, disabled people will suffer!"

Me, a disabled person: I and many other disabled people are actually currently suffering & dying under our current government

"Shut up and vote blue no matter who"

[allwaswell16]

I got to thinking about the prison binder fics. Just last month, people were talking about it again and you had some posts setting out the history. I remembered that the fan it all originated with explained in her original tweets that she was in an Israeli prison because she refused to serve in the IDF. That really hits differently now. I always thought of her as a light-hearted hero of the fandom. Now I finally appreciate that she’s a straight up hero.

I've thought about her lately, too, anon. I remember at the time I thought she was cool for what she had done, but I wish I'd thought about it more back then and about her reasons for what she had done. I wish I'd thought about it a lot more seriously.

[fraye-complex]

I'm trying to get the information I need to apply for disability assistance and the more I read the more I feel like I'm going to be sick

The fact that I already have to rely on people and suck away their resources means I don't need about 30% of the help they might have considered giving me.

I'm not surprised, I know the system is a fucking nightmare, but I was clinging to the delusion that these systems were put in place to help people like me, but I just get to be reminded it's really just there to keep me busy fighting until I keel over, and only consider giving the bare fucking minimum I need to maybe survive.

I'm so fucking tired. My world is disintegrating around me and there is nothing I can do to stop it.

I don't even know where to go for help trying to figure this out anymore.

[sga-owns-my-soul]

just saw the phrase "luxury water"

i'm going to go on a murder spree

[daz4i]

what is it about "being disabled means i can't do things that other people can" that parents refuse to understand

[royalberryriku]

Just hearing now about Israel and, upon such, have some thoughts but I also recognise I'm not the most educated in the history of the matter nor know enough to have a strong opinion.

I will say, however, that it seems that the governments and those in power are to blame on both sides while I'm always seeing innocent people, civilians, suffer for power hungry governments.

Too many innocent Palestinian civilians have died, too many innocent Israeli civilians have died. And it's always the governments doing the killing, the driving people from their homes, the bombing, the kidnappings; the atrocities.

War is poison, nationalism only serves those in power.

So much death in the name of patriotism and nationalism, and for what? Because a one rich man wants more land over another rich man's land, both of which are inhabited by neither just regular folk who die either way because the rich men in question don't care who lives there, just who owns it? Or perhaps they do, perhaps that's the whole problem; because they're so caught up over who's Palestinian or Israeli that they don't realise both are fucking dying because they want to kill so badly.

Just... who's this war even for? Two greedy and bloodthirsty people who aren't the ones dying and having their homes destroyed? Two leaders who are harming their own citizens in the name of nationalism? It's true, I don't understand the cultural significance of these places, who's ancestors are "rightfully" from where and whose ancestors have said what. I don't know and it's not my place to say. But I do know that nationalism, ownership of land and pride isn't worth the price that's being paid in blood. It's the civilians being killed I can't stand, and there's lists and lists of Palestinians who are dying and who've been killed and Israelis are dying and have been killed. And none of them, of either side, should have had to die.

It's just nothing but sad and senseless, and the rest of the world can only watch helpless as those in power squabble with not the slightest guilt of how their own citizens die from their greed and desire for each other's land. And for what? Scorched dirt filled with each other's blood? A land with no one left to occupy it because you're fighting each other by butchering anyone who lives on that land?

I don't know how to solve this conflict, but I can say with confidence that the citizens aren't to be killed for the sake of those in power who can't see past their own ambitions. I do think that both leaders are criminally corrupt to allow such bloodshed and brutality, to let citizens pay the price of their respective leader's desire for land. Land is land. When both countries are nothing but giant bloodstains, land won't matter because there won't be anyone to inhabit them. It's ridiculously idiot of these leaders to place their pride ahead of their people.

Again, perhaps I'm wrong, I don't know what others do and I'm just some young adult who lives far from this reality. I don't have the information to judge off of and all I have is the attempts to understand with what I have. But I do have the common sense to say that this bloodshed is wrong and senseless, and that the leaders must surely be corrupt to not have the slightest care for the people being killed, even in their own nation, while strangers look own and have more compassion for their own people.

It all makes me sad, angry and endlessly grieve for those who suffer for those in power who don't care for the suffering of those outside their pristine windows.

[tiredgayloser]

I despise the fact that a) I'm not a legal adult and b) I earn below the taxable amount of money in Australia and I still have to do tax returns. like, bro. dearest aussie government, what is the point? you tryna see what more you can take from me? would've been nice for you to be this thorough with CPS

[onyxhellebore]

My soul's got so much fucking rage in it right now it's all I can do to not freak out the people I depend on with it.

[punkmacabre-arc]

# ( 𝔮. ) — ◟ WHAT IS YOUR THRONE MADE OF ???

OF STEEL:

a ruler of steel leads their people with strength and determination. they are renowned throughout the lands for their dedication to their people and their high levels of ambition. they have opponents, and many whisper about their ruthlessness. however, it cannot be denied that a ruler of steel cares for their people and their kingdom, and aims to always rule them with strength and with success.

tagged by: @magitanna my darling 🖤 tagging: @mekhashephah, @iudicatus, @crowhley, @szygyst & anyone else who'd like to !!

[sapphic-sorceress]

So the Tories have successfully pushed their Immigration Bill through parliament.