#a few villain quotes i made while doing this chapter :)

[cloud-somersault]

Your fic "The constellations within us" was so perfect, and exactly what I wanted and needed for since I joined the fandom. I wish I had eloquent words but english is not my native language, and I'm struggling with the translator now, but this fic is probably one of the most high quality ones I’ve ever read so i've finally worked up the energy to leave a solid comment.

I love your prose, the descriptions and internal monologues are so immersive and emotional that I need to reread over and over again. The worldbuilding scratches my brain real nice, all contribute to make a really cohesive image that canon still doesn't quite achieve in my opinion. And you did a good job capturing the mood and humor of the show with every little detail but at the same time you’ve added a whole new dimension to the plot and characters. Keep cooking, I beg you but also have mercy on me. I imagine you saying something like: I am going to create an situation that is so emotionally fucked up before writing any chapter.

I really love the way shadowpeach interact in this story. From trying to kill each other to sharing the food. It's kinda crazy that people genuinely thought shadowpeach was a one sided crush until s4.

To be honest, I'm not a fan how the fandom treats shadowpeach but you have successfully kept the characterization of mystical monkeys to perfection while setting up a realistic shadowpeach plotline. I read this quote in another fic but it applies very well to them: "They really embody the pain/comfort thing, except that comfort is understanding and trust."

Sun Wukong is canonically a latent danger that not even the most powerful entities in celestial realm or underworld could subdue him, but he has no self preservation skills whatsoever. He's a bleeding heart. He's the one who sacrifices everything possible to protect the few he loves because, god, he has lost so much. The immortality he achieved with peaches, wine, pills, among many other things, may have made him indestructible on the outside, but inside they made him emotionally vulnerable, lonely and afraid of attachment. This monkey can fit so much trauma and he's holding a lot close to his chest even from the audience. The fandom villainizes him unfairly, but sometimes they also put him on some kind of pedestal, which is also incorrect.

The same happens with Macaque. He's the walking mystery who may or may not realize how much of a prickly capricious hypocrite he is in some things. For example, he feels an apparent resentment at being relegated to being a mere shadow of someone much brighter, but at the same time he seems unwilling to step out of that role. In s1 and s3, he clings so much to the past that he pushes Wukong, the only constant of him in a modern world after his resurrection, to be the version he remembered. Where Wukong advanced, Macaque retreated.

Nonetheless, the motives behind every action of his are more nuanced than him just being evil. He did once he was free from LBD's control was immediately start helping everyone even until s4, as if it were a tacit way of apologizing because he was just trapped under incredibly shitty circumstances, let's remember the part where LBD said she'd kill him if he didn't do what she wanted. Although I don't think he didn’t have fun knocking everyone around a bit (to his ex-husband especially).

It's little funny because I consider that before the perigranation trip, Wukong is a self-proclaimed hero with destructive or villainous tendencies (depending on which side you look at, celestial Realm definitely sees it that way still) while in the current timeline, Macaque is a self-proclaimed villain with heroic tendencies.

I wont keep rambling, but thank you again for pouring your time and talent into this beautifully painful read. I can't wait to chew on the next chapter like a hungry dog ​​with a good steak and also I'll be keeping an eye out for your future works, in case you continue writing about queer monkeys with emotional constipation, but if not, it's such a treat to read what you've already gifted us. Have a good week! and sorry for any translation errors again.

AAAAAH i'm sorry i've taken so long to respond to this. this ask is SO SWEET and i loved just rereading it over and over to suck all the serotonin out of it. Filled me with gleee!!

Thank you so much for taking the time to translate and write out this message! There weren't any errors, it's okay! I'm so glad you liked my story sm and read it and ENJOYED IT YAAAAAY!!!

honestly, I only cackle evilly before posting chapters sometimes. Only sometimes, when I remember. I usually cackle while writing, but then, by the time I've posted it, I've read it so much, it doesn't have that emotional impact on me anymore LOL

I think that's a great way to sum up shadowpeach! It's about understanding and trust. No matter what, that trust has to be rebuilt, and that process is so painful and hard and time-consuming that...it takes such a great amount of effort on both their parts. It's the choice to persevere in spite of that amount of hardship that makes them beautiful, even if what they create together isn't inherently beautiful. What's beautiful is that, in spite of tragedy, these two monkeys want to be together in whatever way they can.

I think with any fandom, people are going to misinterpret characters. I've kind of gotten used to it, but there's definitely a lot of missed nuance and character depth that the fandom chooses to not see or doesn't except. Maybe they like to keep it surface level, but i think critically thinking about the plot and characters is where you can find depth or make depth of your own that's not present in the show.

Wukong is either a trickster villain or a precious soul who has done no wrong and needs to be protected. Macaque is usually a mustache-twirling villain or a sweet, bashful monkey who was just pretending all that time! and has never done anything bad.

A lot of the fandom sees things in a clear black and white way, which is dangerous for several reasons, but it means that their interpretations lack that depth or understanding that people crave. Because no one is black and white. The world doesn't work that way, so it's kind of worrying that they think that's...normal. It's not normal. I see it as a lack of life experience and maturity, but I also don't know these people. Maybe they like their fictional worlds to be black and white, I dunno.

Aaaanyway, you're not the first person to speak about this topic with shadowpeach and how, through constellations, they found some understanding or were pleased with how shadowpeach interacted. and to that I say, thanks! I just like some realism and three dimensional...ness to my characters, please and thanks. Don't even get me started on MK.

But wow! Yes! I'm so honored you'll keep reading whatever I write next. I have no fucking clue what I'm doing, and I'm just smashing my dolls together, but I'm happy to have you here in Constellations AU land! Welcome! Enjoy your stay 💕

[seek--rest]

I read and loved When May Met Sally, and I adore May and Sally's friendship! How you treat Sally being jealous that May has Ben is amazing. But I'm curious about why you have Percy lying to his mom all the time even aside from Spider-Man stuff? In the books he was mostly honest to her about his demigod life. And about Frederick Chase, it's less about villainizing him than it is that Annabeth at 7 felt so unloved and a burden that she'd rather run away with no guaranteed food and shelter.

The best part of being a brand new fan is that I have an entirely different perspective on the books/relationships. Case in point: views on parents in pjo and how it differs when you read these books with a fully cooked brain.

I could be off base, again I read these books a month ago and read the sections with Sally in them while writing When May Met Sally but… Percy doesn’t tell Sally shit lmao. He’ll tell her the details of a quest the few times he actually deigns to tell her anything (which is few and far between), but for the most part? Percy is very much in his own little world with the demigods, especially after the Lightning Thief. I specifically went back and made sure any scene where Sally is “part of the action” is almost word for word from the books. It’s one of (the many) pet peeves I have with the series that after that first book? Sally is basically a non-entity for Percy, given a boyfriend very early on and then very “have fun sweetie don’t die” when it comes to the shit Percy gets up to. It’s a kids book, parents have to be detached or otherwise occupied because of the function of the genre but it’s distracting for me because Percy grew up JUST with his mom who seemed to do damn near almost anything to protect him… only to be totally fine with and be very hands off about him fighting monsters every year for the next five years.

(It’s why she and May are such good parallels imo, since HOCO May vs FFH May are two different people as far as I’m concerned)

The one exception obviously is not telling Sally Peter’s secret but (spoilers for Chapter 8) even that is something Percy does eventually tell her which to me, seems perfectly aligned with his M.O. for everything else. He does things first, tells Sally last and while I can’t change canon, I can make it so that a fic in Sally’s POV does her more justice.

as far as Frederick, I’ll say it before and say it again: was Annabeth really unloved and a burden or was she just seven. There is nothing in the text that gives me the impression that Frederick made her feel those things vs Annabeth— whose fatal flaw is hubris— felt those things all on her own. Now Mrs. Chase is definitely quoted as implying/saying things to Annabeth but it’s telling to me that we don’t learn this until the sequel series.

Fanon is a hard thing to unlearn and everyone is allowed to have a different interpretation but from canon alone, I cannot say with any confidence that Frederick was this horrible dad that made Annabeth feel like shit OR that he didn’t do everything in his power to try and get her back after she left. If anything, canon directly contradicts this narrative that Frederick was relieved/glad that Annabeth was gone since at the end of the lightning thief, he was thrilled she was coming back home.

Again— I’m new here and read these books as a grown ass adult. I think that is a huge reason why I see things differently than a lot of others.

[booksalot]

The Ballad of Never After Review

This will contain: spoilers, tropes, and some quotes

Where do I  start? This stunning, fast-paced sequel picks up right where Once Upon A Broken Heart left off - with Evangeline swearing off Jacks, and Jacks stuck to Evangeline. I've not read the Caraval trilogy (it's on my list, okay?), but the way Stephanie writes about the world building and fairytales is unlike any other fantasy writer out there, and makes her books so wonderfully unique.

Jacks character really came through in this book - from the outside, his personality remained the same, but his actions and his character were really developed in this book and made me love him even more. I love that he's reckless, immoral, and selfish. He repeatedly states he's bad and only wants one thing and that he's a villain; he's not trying to change himself for others. I love that throughout this book, Evangeline comes to love this maddening side of him while also seeing firsthand how he's caring and passionate, especially towards her.

I've seen some criticism of Evangeline's character in that she's still too trusting and naive. I'd agree with that and go so far as to say it probably won't change in the next book (at least in the beginning), but it's kind of what endears her character to me. She is the quintessential quirky, clever and sweet girl in a fairytale story. She is the Aurora, Cinderella, Jasmin etc. She's a dreamer,I and believes in true love and happy endings and I think that's what makes her a great foil to Jacks. She knows that he's the villain, but it's her love towards him that makes him believe in love and vise versa. His strong will and passionate behavior drive her to love even harder, because she believes at the end of the day love is the strongest emotion of them all and I find that charming and a nice change of pace. She is sweet and a little naive, but she's not helpless. She's strong and caring, but knows when to stand up for herself and when to speak up when she doesn't agree with something.

Spoilers below:

That ending? I've read a lot of reviews that were like "WTF!" and while I agree, I also think that cliffhanger was really well done because not only did it leave me immediately wanting more, it left me with endless theories and I'm truly excited to see where the third book takes us. You know by the end of the book that Evangeline realizes her love for Jacks, and hopes that her love will break his curse but it isn't until she dies that you as the reader truly see how Jacks feels.

"He held her with the type of intensity that only happens when a person wants something that isn't quite theirs."

"...it would have been made clear by the horrible scream of the Fate who held her in his arms. The story curse was familiar with pain, but this was agony, the sort of raw grief that was only seen once in a century. The Fate was every tear that anyone had ever shed for lost love. He was pain given form."

How heartbreakingly beautiful is that line? And even though it devastated me, it also filled me with such joy because it was written confirmation for us readers that he truly did come to love her. While the ending left me reeling, I honestly think the last few chapters (namely starting from 'The End') were my favorite of the entire book because we finally got to see Jacks stripped bare and raw, and how tragically romantic is that? The fact that he willingly sacrificed what he initially believed to be his only chance at true love to save her life is proof in itself that for perhaps the first time ever, he was being selfless for love.

"There is nothing of equal value to me." *swoons* 

This is a book I will reread over and over, because it gave exactly what I was hoping it would give, and I cannot wait to see where else the story takes us.

Tropes:

One bed

"Who hurt you?"

"I'll kill anyone who touches you"

Tending to wounds trope

Some of my favorite quotes: 

It made far more sense to fall in love with the prince than with the villain. But Evangeline didn't want love that made sense, she wanted love that made her feel, love that made her want to fight and hope for the impossible."

“He held on to her the way a person might grasp the edge of a cliff, knowing once they let go, there was no taking hold again."

"...Evangeline didn't feel as if she were in a ballroom, she felt as if she were in the center of a hundred stories. Love stories and tragedies and tales with endings lost to time. And suddenly, her worries felt lost as well, swept away by a feeling that her life was one of those stories. She'd know it vaguely, but it wasn't until then that the enormity of it hit her."

[blackdagger456]

Lets Talk About: MHA CH 378/Hope and Redemption

Well, it’s certainly been awhile since i did one of these eh?

Well let’s get right into it then. First off let me say that the last few chapters while good didn’t really inspire me to make a full analysis on. There was alot i enjoyed yes but nothing that a simple quote post/tweet couldn’t have gotten my excitement or point across.

NOW though? Now I have something to talk about and we’ll start with our boy Gentle Criminal.

Most know his story but as a refresher allow me to give you a brief TLDR. The man wanted to BE something, he wanted to help people but never achieved his dream due to his quirk and the one time he did try to help it ruined his life.

So, he turned into Gentle Criminal doing small crimes and the like until a short woman came into his life to make things better. Brighter. The both of them made each kther brighter but they were still soing crimes at the end of the day and over the years he learned just how powerful he could br.

He and La Brava would have stayed out doing those things—-but then they chose the wrong target. They chose UA, they chose to attack it and ruin a festival after the kids there has already gone through so much.

Then they met a green haired boy that altered their course. Suddenly they weren’t fighting for views or clout suddenly they were fighting for each other.

To stay with each other, to preserve one another’s happiness.

They realized that’s what Izuku was trying to do too. For his friends, for a little girl he wanted to make smile. In the end Gentle surrendered, taking all the blame so La Brava could go free but we hoped it wouldn’t be the end of his story.

Luckily for everyone it wasn’t.

Gentle Criminal singlehandedly stopped a prison break. All of the villains and criminals that were they to both escape amd spring others free were stopped by him, stopped by a man wuestioning if this is what they really wanted? To just cause destruction for no rhyme or reason?

This man stopped them all...to see the one he loved and to achieve his dream.

To be of use....and to pay back the boy who started the flame to give him hope again.

He wasn’t the only one either.

I’ve talked about Lady Nagant multiple times on my blog, i’ve talked about how she and Izuku are two sides of the same damned coin.

Kaina went into this profession with the same hope and determination thag Ozuku went through. Like him she saw the much and the from that society produced both on the dark AND the light side. He weathered the storm but her? She got tired of it, tired of being apart of hit, of being a Hero hit man to the point she couldn’t even find it im herself to shake childrens hands.

Children she wanted to inspire and did so—-but what they looked up to was a lie. To her at that point in her adult life what those kids looked up too didn’t exist and for years she thought it would never exist.

She lost hope—-until a green haired boy at the end of his rope showed her that heroes still exist. That true heroes are alive—that he was the real deal.

This boy who threw himself to save an enemy without a second thought, who matched her skill even when it was dulled from years of non use. This boy gave her hope again, enough so to defy the boogeyman of quirked society.

Midoriya Izuku gave these people hope again. Hope to believe, hope that redemption was possible.

Midoriya Izuku this boy—this CHILD. Made them believe, made others believe that they could be saved. That people deserves to be looked at as people we could potential save and because of that—-because of that the heroes can truly turn this around.

Because despite what the villains tell you and despite some of them having valid reasons for being who they...hope and redemption are real.

They’re alive—and it’s what’s going to help the heroes kick their ass.

[bicheetopuff]

Battle Trial Arc Dissection

Deku vs Kacchan Pt. 1

This one is gonna be a little different. I know my other posts are separated by individual characters but I think it’d be stupid to analyze this fight in separate posts (by character at least). Because of that though, I’m gonna switch between their perspectives a lot so, buckle up.

Before we start, let’s look at our boys costumes:

Katsuki looks sick as fuck. His costume is meant to stand out and be practical. He made sure his costume was perfect from the start in looks and usefulness (a reflection of his personality). He considered his quirk from the beginning and as a result, never had to make drastic mods to his costume (aside from his winter costume of course). I’d also like to appreciate the originality. (Also I’d like to point out how Katsuki mentioned dynamite on his form despite drawing a grenade based costume… foreshadowing)

On the opposite end, we have probably the ugliest fit I’ve ever had the displeasure to lay my eyes on. It’s not that bad in black and white but in color… good lord. It’s impractical and not pretty. However, there’s sentiment behind it and leaves obvious room for growth. It was designed to take after All Mights appearance and it was tailored by his mother. He didn’t consider it’s practicality because he still doesn’t know how his quirk works and doesn’t have techniques that he’d need gear for yet. He’s wearing it because of the meaning and not because of the looks.

Their costumes are reflections of how they see themselves and they’re being presented to appear as opposites of one another down to their costume designs.

Contents:

I: The Misunderstood, Misunderstands

II: Izuku Doing His Best Again

I: The Misunderstood, Misunderstands

So this quarrel starts out with battle training and it’s team A: Heroes: Izuku and Ochako vs team D: Villains: Katsuki and Tenya. Right off the bat, they made the Indoor Anti-Personnel Battle Training… personal. Iida even asks Katsuki to refrain from targeting Izuku.

This is our first telling evidence that Katsuki has misunderstood Izuku at some point. If he knows and accurately understands Izuku, why would he think he’s ‘punking’ him? That doesn’t sound like him at all. Why not consider any other explanation first? We’ve been shown already that Katsuki is smart which further proves that Katsuki simply loses all reasoning when it comes to Izuku.

Meanwhile…

We get nothing but praise on Izukus end. He’s putting himself down and putting Katsuki on a pedestal. We get a semi official indirect declaration of rivalry. He sees Katuski as a goal instead of an obstacle whereas Katsuki sees the opposite.

II: Izuku Doing his Best Again

Izuku can’t use OFA in this training exercise because he has no grip on it. Using it would mean incapacitating himself and putting everyone in the building in danger so he depends on his natural strength to hopefully get himself through this. After a predictable sneak attack from Katsuki, his natural strength and knowledge of Katsukis fighting style works in his favor for a bit and lands a few hits. Katsuki realizes, and is surprised, that Izuku was able to read his moves and predict his attack. He’s told why directly after.

Quotes I find semi-important to bring up and talk about:

I’ve analyzed heroes I think are awesome: this isn’t that important but Izuku basically just admitted to having at least a few pages dedicated to Katsuki in his notebook…i know what you are

I’m not gonna be your worthless punching bag Deku forever… I’m the Deku who always does his best!!: he’s already proved this when he stood up to Katsuki a few chapters ago. But he’s saying clear and direct this time which proves the change even further and sets it in stone for good. Further development of his confidence.

…It just screams “do your best!!”: this is Ochako realizing how much her words meant to Izuku. She unintentionally changed the way Izuku sees himself.

You spout that crap… all while scared out of your mind: he thinks of the time they were kids. I think he’s telling Izuku that although his perspective of himself changed, he still sees Izuku as the scared little kid he used to be while also recognizing his new strength and the contradiction of the two thoughts is pissing him off. He’s refusing to see Izuku as anything else but a scared little kid but is upset that Izuku is attempting to see himself as something different.

What could he be thinking?: Iida, we have no clue… well, we do. It’s just that Katsuki is a difficult character to read and understand. He’s using this opportunity to make sure his ego is still intact after seeing Izukus new power and he doesn’t know how to express anything unless it’s masked with anger.

DvK

Next>>

Dissection Series

<<Prev | Next>>

[grayzeppelin281]

🎶🙋‍♀️🥺💖

🥺: Oh, boy. There are most of my characters interact, and I like to create their feelings more realistic and impactful to their family/friendships.

What's impacting me more from my WIP is the bitter connection between the father and son. Not long ago, I made the first draft of my latest chapter for my original character paying his visit to see his father one last time. One of his father's crimes was domestic violence, which Le forced his son Wang not only to make him a student as a flawless warrior, but he abused him once his son never liked what his dad did to bully anyone, even his own students.

I kept thinking about a heartwrenching scene that did make me reflect on them most of all: in the beginning, they were a happy family until a complicated crime went down south which Le never did anything wrong. It's a long story from their backstories, but I can't share this spoiler.

I do have a few characters that I am related to their personalities. While I am good at angst and friendship, a main character of mine will encounter one in future volumes.

🙋: I do, not gonna lie. My friends in real life I hang out with do read my fics. As much as they inspired training in a martial arts class, I wrote my first fic for my teacher and my companions. We all are fans of KFP (Kung Fu Panda). Now the second book (I am currently writing) for my cousins (they are my sisters we grew up with each other) and my grandmother. They do not know yet, but someday I will, as the sequel's hidden element presents something that each of us souls means in our hearts.

🎶: Oh, yes indeed!! There are like mega lists I wish to list all that I jam while writing. Classic rocks at first, then on youtube if you see videos of several-hour themes like melodies, meditations, writing, etc.

During writing an action scene, I use Snyderverse Adrenaline Cut (pieces of music from Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman, and Zack Snyder's Justice League), any rhythm music that maintains the pacing of the action sequences. And those will be looping when I am at the climax!

For sad scenes, I would find a few that can let me manifest in my characters going into difficult paths, and dramas.

Writing something calm, I search for Chinese melodies as I am currently in the Kung Fu Panda world, writing quotes at first before describing visual scenes. I also found music for villains' purposes while writing from their perspective or about them.

There are several, but these are the links I recommend for writing and inspiration as well.

https://youtu.be/lobbo-NS7iA (Why am I still alive?)

https://youtu.be/MO9NaTfZG9o (Stars Rising Over Wide Fields)

https://youtu.be/XGC80iRS7tw (Dark Academia Classical Music)

https://youtu.be/ESbioodSaHQ (One Flower is a World)

https://youtu.be/zNfP2LKhVG8 (Ban Shan Ting Yu)

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiqHQKlBjX-1D_MMmKjhqgxyUu_adfoZT (Kung Fu Panda Trilogy Complete Score)

https://youtu.be/8CJ6WlGH6IU (Snyderverse Adrenaline Cut)

💖: This is a very good question.

Ever since I was in high school, maybe around junior or senior year, while having a new journey of writing, I started a very first fic (which, to be honest, I was terrible at grammar) when I thought of my favorite cartoon movie, featuring my childhood heroes Charlie and Itchy from All Dogs Go to Heaven. I used to write an old fic before but lost my inspiration, so I scrapped it (I still have All Dogs Go to Heaven fic in my vault).

At first, when a teacher I knew said that writing is hard, she was exactly right that when you write a novel at first, there are always going to have mistakes here and there, but coming back to revisit your drafts for correction is a must. But still, even writing a book is a hobby for fanfiction (or work if you are publishing your original works with your editor or beta readers, receiving lots of money, and having your constant readers from around the world), it is challenging.

Not all of us are gifted writers (unless you are a popular horror novelist who wrote 2000 words a day), but we all like to become authors, each of us to share incredible stories. At first, FanFiction is where I started there, doing my best as I may be a good novelist as that does practice my writing. Not only the website but reading books that Stephen King said is a tool for the best use of writing. And I strongly agree. Reading books, including good fanfiction stories, sharpen your mind, even keeping your words flowing like wine. While there is also complex words in books, you wish to know, Google is all there for dictionary websites. Research is your best friend!

Merriam-Webster

https://www.merriam-webster.com/

Dictionary (My preference) they have their app included on either Google Play or Apple

https://www.dictionary.com/

That's all I can answer questions, including links for musics! Thank you for asking four questions, Shey! Time for me to get back writing KFP fic! Have fun listening the links!

[foxymoxynoona]

I’m gonna start with TKAK because I took flux personally I have a lot of insults to deliver and my lawyer will contact you in the next few days for emotional damage☺️.

TKAK: This story gets better and better every chapter. And I feel like the actual story didn’t even start yet! I’m a sucker for royal drama (both irl and in fiction lol) and intrigues. It is soo layereeed and it makes want to know everything NOW. I usually make predictions about character and well I get them wrong every time lol but DULCE DAMN I CAN’T READ HER AT ALL. Who is she?? why is she there??? The only thing I can think about her is that she’ll end up being the actual “villain” of the story but other than that zero, nothing, nada goood I’m so curious. AND THE DRAMA IN THE COURT ROOM MSJSOW that was so upsetting and dramatic poor kid didn’t need to throw him across the fucking room like that😫. But there is something more to it and my lil conspiracy theory brain is working🧠😶‍🌫️. Also, #JusticeForTheRabbit #IStandWithTheRabbit #FindTheRabbitOrImGonnaCry.

Alright, the elephant in the room, I’ll try to be civil: I believe JK could’ve handled the situation with a bit more maturity starting from.. telling her?🤪 well on this blog we’ve been telling him for MONTHS to do that so.. forewarned is forearmed🤷🏻‍♀️. Honestly sure, Sasha has no right to be jealous about him fucking around because “they were on a break😑” (quoting my least favorite character on friends😬) but imo these “no rights to be” cancel out as soon as he literally gave her an STD. In all honestly, I’m probably less experienced than JK certified international playboy but even I know that anytime your crotch is bare and is touching something it’s probably thoughtful to check that🫤. What made me want to punch a wall was Namjoon tho. EXCUSE ME? THE AUDACITY OF MEN? “SHE CAN’T BE MAD!!! sucks you gave her chlamydia😢 BUT DUMP HER IF SHE’S JEALOUS!” Michele, come and collect your man please he’s delusional. I though he was the 148IQ one but apparently it stops at common sense. And JK regressed to age five, no offense to 5-year-olds who are definitely smarter and more mature than him. “If Naoko could be chill about getting a text saying he might have given her chlamydia why couldn’t Sasha?” Idk big boy did Naoko said she loves you? Is Naoko your girlfriend? Is Naoko not rejecting the idea of bringing you at the altar when people joke about it? Then I guess the trust level is just a tiiiny bit different, that’s why. Sasha left him before but truth be told, this would’ve been my dealbreaker. First breakup was hurtful and almost seemed unnecessary but this one? Girl if Sasha were my real life friend I’d be with her telling her to dump his ass lol. (Sasha if you read this don’t do it🤪)

🌸

I love that you're still eying Dulce and wondering who she really is. She's definitely in a situation and a profession where she's not supposed to "be herself" in any way, but there are little mometns where she creeps out. Same with Nasimiyu and same with Seokjin, particularly in his safe space bedroom (that I want to have for me.) While I know how I intend for the story to go, it'll be interesting to see how reactions nudge the story here or there; they always do and I think they're better because of it! #justiceforlettie

The Naoko comparison killed me. Girlfriend with chalmydia and knows you lied by omission to her reacting in face to face versus acquaintance who wants you(r tattoo business) and knows she does not have chlamydia but does not know you're lying by omission reacting over text 🤦‍♀️ Now the question, will Sasha dump him? 🤪

Tell your lawyer I said "hey girl hey."

[ivyines]

Wait, what happened at the end of A Useless Villain? I read it for a bit but ended losing interest around ch 30 or so and now I'm curious why the ending was so bad

Its the usual opinion of those who read it that it all strted going downhill around 30th chapter, so its no wonder you started losing interest.

If it wasn't for absolutely amazing art I too would've dropped it then, probably.

Spoilers for ending of A Useless Villain!

If you read this on webtoon then you know this comic has a thing called daily pass.

While first 3 episodes can be read and opened normally, all the next ones have to be unlocked. And you can unlock only one episode per day.

This wasn't personally that bothersome but it did annoy many fans. Some even used their coins to unlock the episodes to read ahead. Which made the ending so much dissapointing for them.

Now let's talk about the MC

Dongjin was first introduced as this OP villain who wants to take over the world, but he has a fatal flaw to his plan. Every time he kills a person, a time reset happens and he is forced back to time before he did it.

Thats interesting idea, and many were curios to see how he will menage to get out of the loop.

And some still wonder.

Exactly.

The series ended and he is still stuck in the loop.

One of biggest questions still remains unanswered. Main Characters goal is still unfulfilled.

And don't get me wrong I'm not saying he should've taken over his world, I'm all for good character devolpment. But it needs to be good. As in, actually written well.

And for him, the author just randomly decides to show his potential for redemption in the very last chapter. He saved a man even when he was bloody and barely conscious while he himself wondering why he was doing it.

But I'll talk about that a bit later.

Remember this guy?

Turns out the only reason Minho got powers is because, Founder, the person who started the loop wanted him to serve as redemption for Dongjin.

The exact quote being: "This was the best way for him to be rehalibated."

And in next sentence the Founder is praised for his love of humanity, never mind his "love" is why Minho litterly lost almost everything. His mom was kiddnaped, Dongjin blamed him for the loop and both attacked him multiple times and traumatized him by killing in front of him (and though it has been awhile, i do have vague memories of threatening his family and maybe even killing them in fron of him), his sister and few others find out about his power, and because his powers are now known he is targeted and his arms are literally cut off (from what I remember, maybe they were blown off but the point is that he dosent have them anymore).

Now to talk about the plot itself.

While I was talking about Dongjin I mentioned the basic of the plot is "a villain wants to rule the world but can't because the time loops whenever he kills someone"

And then Minho is introduced as a guy with multiple powers who dongjin targets. He is hero to his villain, though both do not fit the mold.

And in 30 chapter or so this girl is introduced.

Initially she acts naive and pushy, but she is later revealed to be working for the founder who she claims is this world strongest being. Her job is to keep world safe from Aliens and Monsters who cross over to their world and cause trouble.

And she wants Dongjin's help to kill them. Since they aren't human, the loop won't activate and he can kill as much as he wants.

Dongjin says yes, just to get a chance to find more about the funder.

Then there is a big fight where Dongjin almost dies and I'm pretty sure the team he was with is killed, and he saves a guy. I do not remember why.

The founder is like "ok so i won't let you die and I'll create one more loop and you'll go few minutes back in time."

So Dongjin survives. He goes to see minho, sees the kid is with no hands and goes "you have more potential then you know" while the founder is watching them. Then he leaves thinking "just you wait Founder, I'll become stronger then you."

And than it ends.

The series ends with a cliffhanger.

[mistwraiths]

3.5 stars

The Golden Enclaves was a doozy in both the good and the bad way. It was a hell of a trilogy and I really liked the concept of magic and how it works, and the mals that constantly plague them all. Overall, I'm happy with how it ended but I definitely have some complaints too.

I love that this book picks up right where that cliffhanger ended. Straight off from the gate, El's emotions and actions are enough to bring me to tears because the desperation is there. She's trying EVERYTHING to save Orion, to bring him back, and it fails. This first part is so wonderfully written. It's a shame that after that, all the emotional parts really don't hit very well. We get told how El feels throughout the book but there's no depth or rawness to it that didn't hit me. There was several good quotes that did feel very emotional. But I do feel like this anger and grief gets labeled but we don't really get to dive into it.

The friendships that El made and also meeting her mother finally was something I was really looking forward to. I understand why she didn't reach out to anyone in the beginning. That grieving part was done well. But, throughout the book, El barely has any conversations with her friends or moments with her friends? Yes, they were country hopping around, but it just was incredibly disappointing. We don't get much with her mom. Aad, Sarah, and Liu are fairly absent, Liu understandably but still, and we spent those two books of El really gaining them to just have them barely there.

I am here for sapphic representation, I understand why it happened, but I didn't really like how it was handled and done. I mean, this might be a personal thing but if someone I LOVED ended up dying, I can't see myself fucking someone else to feel good a week later? I can wrap my head around it, but I don't understand it emotionally and maybe that's because I'm a cold person lol. Also, we're told Liesel never does anything without a calculated plan and we already know that Liesel wants El on her side to join her thirty year plan. Liesel says she didn't do it for anything like that but El throws the thought out there and it just doesn't leave a good taste in her mouth. Also, I kind of barely remember Liesel really from the books? Not like Sarah and Aad and Liu, so it is felt jarring to have her be so important suddenly. If it was one time, I could have made my peace with it. But it happens a second time, literally two chapters after having sex with Orion. There's NO emotional reason for this. El states that while she thought about seeing other people she only wants to SEE HIM. And still does this after. I know officially they aren't together, but it feels like cheating. It just does.

I figured Orion was alive and I was so glad he was! The whole reveal about him was shocking. I actually didn't mind his acting differently because that made sense, he wasn't entirely himself now. Again, these emotional hits didn't hit hard enough at all. Orion's mom was a bit of a surprise but altogether a weak villain? We're told she's super dangerous but other than what she did to Orion, it never seemed like she did that much. She's the villain of good intentions I guess but also super evil but you can't really buy any of that? She's just in the background noise until relevant.

I did really enjoy how the prophecy worked out, how the Sutras were essential, how the Enclaves were created and how easy it was to accept the horrid cost, and just the balance of El and Orion. I really enjoyed the whole of it. Mawmouths and breaking the Enclaves, etc. El is a great character but she's also notoriously exhausting in her long winded info-dumps that often feel more confusing than if you were to just TELL us. I can't tell you much about the belief, mana, malia, pocket dimensions, reality, etc that this book is about. I found myself zoning out a few times in the middle of infodumps.

The ending was a big dump of information as well but the final part was really good. I love that El helped killed him and saved him, and brought back the good that Scholomance was supposed to be. And that the future she was desperately trying to avoid isn't as terrible as she thought. It was done really nicely and I am happy that both are okay and alive and in love with each other by the end.

[im-an-anxious-wreck]

Memories Aren't Important… Right?

Chapter Fifteen • Janus

Word count: 1291

MAI...R? chapter collection

First | Previous | Next

-

It had been nine days since Roman and Virgil had gone on their first date, and two weeks since Remus and Patton had gotten together, and all Janus had been thinking about was how much he loved Logan… and how guilty he felt because Logan didn't know that Janus used to be… outside of the law.

They used to fight all the time, not verbally, but physically. They had been on opposite sides and only had stopped because Logan didn't remember anymore.

What kind of cheap trick was that? Your enemy doesn't know to fight you and so you manage to trick them into trusting you.

Janus was getting very tired of the guilt that pressed heavily on his chest. He just wanted to be able to love Logan in peace.

He wanted to be able to be with his friends, his family without feeling guilty about, and being worried that Logan, Remus, and Virgil would find out the truth.

He didn't want to tell them, but he also knew that eventually, and probably soon, it would surface. At some time, in some way, it would come into their Truth, and Janus had absolutely no intention to stop it.

Not this time.

Perhaps it would be better if they found out from Janus, Patton, and Roman, but Janus didn't think that the three of them were ready for that.

Patton and Remus were dating, and Virgil and Roman were well on their way to dating as well. Plus, Roman was over the moon to have gold's sister back, so there was no way that they were ready to risk that, and that wasn't even counting the new friendships that they'd all made. None of them were ready to possibly let that go.

They were going to hang on for as long as possible.

Janus checked back into his surroundings, hoping that no one had noticed, only to be surprised at the angry expressions on Remus and Roman's faces.

"How dare you!" Roman roared, glaring at Remus.

"Oh, fuck you!" Remus all but screamed, slamming her hands on the coffee table. "You fucking asshole!"

"Oh, I'm the asshole?! You stole like, all of my money! How can I trust you after this, you puny villainous unmuzzled foot licker! I am sick when I do look on thee!" Roman quoted, and Janus instantly recognized it from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

"Hey! Listen here you fucking—"

"Alright!" Patton firmly interrupted. "That's enough from both of you! If we can't play Monopoly without the two of you hurling insults at each other, then we just won't play Monopoly."

"Aww, but Angel Cake," Remus whined.

"No! We're switching to something else."

Janus was glad they decided to just abandon that round before things could get worse. He determined that he might make Monopoly just… disappear one of these days.

They switched over to Uno, but Janus couldn't help but wonder if this game would end similarly to Monopoly.

After the Uno game had been going for a few passes, Remus seemed to be getting restless.

"Wild card!" Remus announced as chaos put down said card. "And the colour is now purple!"

"Ugh, Remus," Roman whined. "That's not one of the options."

"Well, it should be, and it is now!"

"Interesting, how would that work?" Logan asked.

"Uhh… oh! You have to put a blue and a red card down."

"Hmm, do they both need to have the same number?"

"Um… yes."

"While it is certainly not in the rules, I propose that we add it to, at least, this round."

Roman pouted. "Noo, don't encourage chaos!

Logan ignored Roman, continuing on, "Of course, it can only work for a few colours, but we could do orange, purple, brown, lime green, and verdigris. Obviously yellow and blue make green, but one could combine a yellow card, and a blue card to count as a green card."

"What's ver…" Patton frowned. "Um, vergdies?"

"Oh, it's a mix of green and blue!" Remus supplied before trying to chew on a card.

"Ew." Virgil wrinkled his nose. "Remus, don't chew on the cards! We all use them, ya know."

Remus grinned maniacally, wiggling chaos' eyebrows. "I know."

Logan adjusted his glasses. "Anyway, if everyone is amenable to the new rules—" He paused for everyone's nod before continuing, "Then I supposed the colour is now indeed purple."

Roman put down a red reverse card and a blue reverse card, making it where part of the red card underneath the blue could still be seen. "Your turn, Re."

"Oof, sorry, Pat." Remus placed down two skips, one blue and one red.

"Aww," Patton foux pouted, not sounding very upset.

Virgil stared at the twins for a moment. "Hey, how do you and Roman always have so many special cards? It's like you guys have damn near unlimited."

Remus twisted one of the ends of her mustache like a stereotypical villain. "Pff, as if we'd reveal our secret."

Logan adjusted and then smoothed down his tie, inadvertently signaling that he was about to go on a mini-rant. "They both save their special cards until after everyone else has exhausted all of theirs, therefore being able to, metaphorically, destroy their opponents. It's much like stamina in a race. Besides, saving their special cards for later means that they can use them when they're really in trouble, not just for fun."

Virgil whistled lowly. "Damn, do you know different things about all of our playing techniques?"

"Yes, but I won't be sharing any more of them. I do need the information and should have some advantage for myself. I did collect all of this by myself, after all."

"Hah, fair enough… Wait, who's turn is it?"

"Mine," Janus finally said, and although he was quite used to just being an observer in most conversations, he also was trying to actively participate in conversations with those here. "Draw four, Logan. Also the colour is… green."

"Why have you betrayed me this way?" Logan joked, even though his face was completely deadpan.

"Oh, you know I love you." Janus looked away quickly in embarrassment, Shifting his face so that his no doubt pink cheeks couldn't be seen.

He didn't mean to say it out loud! Especially not since it was the embarrassing truth.

Janus glanced at Logan, trying to gauge his reaction, but Logan just stared at the cards in his hands, face completely blank. Almost a cold stare but Janus couldn't be sure.

Virgil drew a card and put down a green reverse.

Logan put down a card.

Maybe Logan was disgusted or offended and was trying not to let it show. Was Logan mad at Janus?

Janus made a mental note to get Logan a jar of Crofter's as soon as possible.

Not to bribe him into not being mad at Janus anymore! Just… exactly that. Fuck.

"Janus," Logan said, his carefully neutral voice sent a shiver down Janus' spine, but whether it was in a good or bad way, Janus wasn't certain. Perhaps both. "It's your turn," Logan prompted.

"Oh, so it is. Quite right. …Draw two, Patton." Janus set a green draw-two card on top of the pile.

"Sorry, Remus!" Patton put down another draw-two card, this one blue.

"Aw, man! Maybe we shouldn't have sat next to each other after all."

"But how would I give you kisses if you weren't next to me?"

"...Nevermind, this is the perfect place actually. Now where's my kiss!"

Patton laughed and kissed Remus on the cheek before playfully shoving him away. "You still have to draw two."

Remus pouted but did so.

Yes, Janus couldn't help but think again, there was no way that any of them were ready to let go of this.

-

Next

[felassan]

Dragon Age development insights and highlights from Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development

Some really tasty factoids here.

Cut for length.

Dragon Age: Origins

The continent of Thedas was at one point going to be named Pelledia, a name initially floated by James Ohlen

“Qunari” was a temporary name that ended up unintentionally sticking, much like “Thedas”

Mary Kirby wrote the Landsmeet. To this day, nobody understands how it works, except possibly her. If she’s “really really drunk” she can explain how it works. There’s as many words in it as Sten’s entire conversations put together

Concept art for Thedosian art - as in in-world art - draws heavily on Renaissance-era portraiture, the Art Nouveau movement, religious styles and media like stained glass, and favorite pieces from the golden age of illustrations in the early 20th century

Andrastianism in-world (art-wise) is depicted in wildly different methods depending on who in-world made the art in question. “One religion, 3 different lenses”. There’s the Chantry take, the Orlesian take and the Fereldan take; each with its own different interpretations, different mediums and different stories

The stained glass images were drawn by Nick Thornborrow for DAI, to decorate religious spaces in that game “and beyond”

irl Viking art influenced Ferelden

Greek and Italian art influenced Orlais

The book also had other insights into and anecdotes from the development of DAO, but I’ve transcribed them recently as they’re essentially the stories DG has recently been relating on the awesome Summerfall Studios DAO playthrough Twitch streams. (On those streams he provides dev commentary while Liam Esler plays through DA. The ones with DG are currently once every two weeks. Check them out! Here’s a calendar where you can check when the next one is) Instead of repeating myself I’ll just provide the link to the first transcript. From there you can navigate to the subsequent parts. Note these streams are ongoing. At this point I will also point you to a related post which is cliff notes of the Dragon Age chapter in Jason Schreier’s book Blood Sweat and Pixels.

Dragon Age II

DAO had the longest development period in BioWare history. In contrast DA2 had the shortest

Initially DA2 was going to be an expansion to DAO. A few months in EA said “Yeah, expansions like these don’t sell very well, so let’s make it a sequel.” So it suddenly became DA2 and they had to make it even bigger, although they still only had 1.5 years of time in which to do this

Production of DA2 officially lasted only 9 months, and at the time the team was still supporting live content for DAO! They finished development that January after the design team crunched all the way through the holiday period that year. Then it went to cert 9 times

The limited time they had is why the story takes place mostly in and around 1 city, and over 7 years (so it was temporal, rather than over physical distance, because a more expansive world would have taken more irl time to make)

They had no time to review even the main plot. Mike Laidlaw pitched the idea of 3 stories taking place at different points in the PC’s life, tied together by Varric’s recollections of events. DG rolled with this and made 1 presentation on the idea. This presentation was then approved and off they went

As they were writing DG realized that there was going to be no oversight and that everything was going to be a ‘first draft’. “Because nobody had time.” He sat down with the writers and said “Look, here’s the conditions we’re working under. A lot of what we’re putting out is gonna be raw. We’re not going to get the editing we need. We’re not going to get the kind of iteration we need. So I’m going to trust you all to do your best work.”

Looking back, DG has mixed feelings on DA2. “A lot of corners were cut. The public perception was that it was smaller than DAO. That’s a sin on its own.”

Despite this he thinks DA2 has some of the best writing in the series, especially character-wise. The DA2 chars are his favorite

The pace with which production progressed may in some ways have helped. “When we do a lot of revision, we often file away [as in buff off] some of the good writing as well. Somehow DA2′s whirlwind process resulted in some really good writing”

The pace meant chars landed on the writers in various stages of completion. For example Isabela was fairly defined due to appearing in DAO. In contrast Varric at the start was just that single piece of widely-shown concept art

Varric was conceived as a storyteller not a fighter. His skills are talking and bullshitting. Hence the question became, so what does this guy do in combat? The direction was to make him as different as possible to Oghren, so not a warrior. He couldn’t be a dual-wielding rogue in order to differentiate him from Bela. But you can’t really picture this guy with a bow. “For a dwarf, it would probably be a crossbow. We didn’t have crossbows, or we only had crossbows for the darkspawn. And they were part of the models. We didn’t have a separate crossbow that was equip-able by the chars. They had to like, crop one off a darkspawn and remodel it. And that became Bianca” (quote: Mary Kirby)

“Dwarven mages are exceedingly rare.” [???]

If DAO was a classic fantasy painting, DA2 was a screenshot from a Kurosawa film or a northern Renaissance painting. (Here Matt Rhodes was commenting on art style)

John Epler: “In any one of our games, there’s a 95% chance that if you turn the camera away from what it’s looking at, you’ll see all kinds of janky stuff. The moment we know the camera is no longer facing someone, we no longer care what happens to them. We will teleport people around. We will jump people around. We will literally have someone walk off screen and then we will shift them 1000 meters down, because we’re fixing some bug.” John also talked about this camera stuff in a recent charity Twitch stream for Gamers For Groceries. There’s a writeup of that stream here

Designing Kirkwall pushed concept artists to the limits of visual storytelling, because it has a long history that they wanted to be present. It was once the hub of Tevinter’s slave empire, so it needed to look brutal and harsh, but it also then needed to feel reclaimed, evolved, and with elements of contemporary Free Marches culture

The initial plan was for DA titles to be distinguished by subtitles not numbers, so that each experience could stand on its own rather than feel like a sequel or continuation. (My note: New PCs in each entry make sense then when you consider this and other factoids we know like how DA is the story of the world not of any one PC). Later, DA2′s name was made DA2 in a bid to more clearly connect the game to its predecessor. For DAI they returned to the original naming convention. (My note: so I’d reckon they’d be continuing the subtitle naming convention for DA4)

DA2 was initially code-named “Nug Storm”, strictly internally

The Cancelled DA2 Expansion - Exalted March

This was a precursor to DAI

It was meant to bridge the gap between DA2 and DAI

It focused on the fallout from Kirkwall’s explosion, with Cory serving as the villain

Meredith’s red lyrium statue was basically going to infest Kirkwall and it would end up [with what would end up] the red templars taking over Kirkwall and essentially being Cory’s army

To stop him Hawke would have recruited various factions, including Bela’s Felicisima Armada and the Qunari at Estwatch, forcing Hawke to split loyalties and risk relationships in the process

It was meant to bring DA2′s story to an end and end in Varric’s death. DG was very happy with this because all of DA2 is Varric’s tale. The expansion was supposed to start at the moment Cassandra’s interrogation of him ended in the present. “And we finished off the story with Varric having this heroic death.” It tied things up and would have broken many fan hearts, something BioWare writers notoriously enjoy. But between a transition to the new Frostbite engine and the scope of DAI, the decision was made to cancel EM, work any hard-to-lose concepts into DAI, and in the process save Varric’s life. DG has talked about the Varric dying thing before

Concept art for EM explored new areas previously not depicted in the DA universe, with costumes that reflected next steps for familiar chars. Varric was going to war, what would he have worn? With Anders, if he survived DA2, the plan was to present a redeemed Warden

A char that vaguely resembled Sera in DAI was first concepted for EM. This fact was mentioned near this concept art (see the female elf) and this concept art of Bethany with the blond bob

The writers sketched out plans to end it with Hawke having the option to marry their LI. This included alternate ceremonies for party members like Bethany and Sebastian if the player opted not to wed. There was even a wedding dress made for Hawke. This asset made it into DAI (Sera and Cullen’s weddings in Trespasser). The dress can also be seen in DAI during an ambient NPC wedding after completing a chain of war table missions

The destruction of a Chantry was explored in concept art as it might have happened in EM. This idea ended up carrying over to the beginning of DAI. (My note: Lol, the idea that DA2 could have had 2 Chantries being destroyed in it 😆)

World of Thedas

Sheryl Chee and Mary Kirby started with “a disgusting little dish called fluffy mackerel pudding”. In the middle of DAO’s busy dev period one of them (they can’t remember who) found a recipe online for this, scanned in from a 70s cookbook. “I don’t understand why it was fluffy. Why would you want fluffy mackerel pudding?” MK says. “We loved it so much we included it in a DAO codex.”

This led them to create more food for Thedas, full recipes included, like a Fereldan turnip and barley stew from MK and SC’s Starkhaven fish and egg pie. The fish pie became Sebastian’s favorite. “To me it made sense for it to be fish pie because a lot of the Free Marches are on the coast”, SC says, “It was something that was popular in medieval times, so I thought, let’s make a fish pie! I looked at medieval recipes and I concocted a fish pie which I fed to my partner, and he was like ‘This is not terrible’”

For WoT the whole studio was asked to contribute family recipes which might have a place in Thedas. SC adapted these to fit in one Thedosian culture or another, including a beloved banana bread that localization producer Melanie Fleming would regularly bake to keep the DA team motivated. “Melanie’s banana bread got us through Inquisition”

DAI

It says part of DAI takes place in or near the border with Nevarra [???]

This game was aimed to be bigger than DA2 and even DAO in every conceivable way

The first hour had to do a lot of heavy lifting, tying together the events of DAO and DA2 while introducing a new PC, new followers etc in the aftermath of the big attack. DG rewrote it 7 times then Lukas Kristjanson did 2 more passes

DG: “Our problem is always that our endings are so important, but we leave them to last, when we have no time. I kept pushing on DAI: ‘Can we work on the ending now? Can we work on the ending now? Can we do it early on?’ Because I knew exactly what it was going to be. But despite the fact that it kept getting scheduled, whenever the schedule started falling behind, it kept getting pushed back... so, of course, it got left til last again.”

“The reveal of the story’s real antagonist, Solas, a follower until the end, when he betrayed the player”. “Solas’ story remains a main thread in Inquisition’s long-awaited follow-up” [these aren’t DG quotes, just bits of general text]

Over the course of development they had 8 full-time writers and 4 editors working on it. Other writers joined later to help wrangle what ended up being close to 1 million words of dialogue and unspoken text. While many teams moved to a more open concept style of work for DAI, the writers remained tucked away in their own room, a choice DG says was necessary, given how much they talked. All the talking had a purpose ofc as if someone hit a bump or wall in their writing they would open the problem up to the room

As writing on a project like DAI progresses, the writers grow punchier and weirder things make it into the game. This is especially the case towards the end of a project (they get tired, burned out)

Banter and codexes require less ‘buy-in’ (DG has talked about this concept a few times on the Twitch streams) from other designers. DG liked to leave banter for last as a reward because it was fun. Banter begins as lists of topics for 2 followers to discuss. These may progress over time or be one off exchanges. One banter script can balloon to well over 10k words. “The banter was always huge because we were always like, laughing, and really at that point, our fields of fucks were rather barren, so we would just do whatever”

The bog unicorn happened pretty much by accident. It was designed by Matt Rhodes and was one of his fav things to design. They needed horse variations and he had already designed an undead variant which was a bog mummy [bog body]. irl these are preserved in a much different way to traditional mummies. When someone dies in a bog their skin turns black and raisin-like. The examples we know of tend to have bright red hair for whatever reason. It’s a very striking look and MR wanted to do a horse version of this as he thought it’d be neat. 5 mins before the review meeting for it he had a big ‘Aha!’ moment, quickly looked up a rusty old Viking sword, and photoshopped it through its skull like that was how it died. “And I was like, ‘I just made a unicorn. Alright, in it goes!’” It got approved. “So we built the thing. It fit. It told a little story”

With the irl Inquisition longsword, one of the objects they tested its cleaving ability on was a plush version of Leliana’s nug Schmooples

The concept art team explored a wide variety of visuals for the Inquisitor’s signature mark. It needed to look powerful and raw but couldn’t look like a horrific wound. In some cases, as cool as the idea looked on paper, they just weren’t technically feasible, especially as they had to be able to fit on any number of different bodies

Bug report: “Endlessly spawning mounts! At one point during development, Inquisitors could summon a new horse every time they whistled, allowing them to amass a near infinite number of eager steeds that faithfully followed them across Thedas. “You could go charging across levels and they’d all gallop behind you,” Jen Cheverie says, “It was beautiful.” Trotting into town became an epic horse siege as a tidal wave of mounts enveloped the streets. Jen called it her Army of Ponies”

The giants came from DA Week, an internal period when devs can pursue different individual creative projects that in some way benefit DA. They also had a board game from one of these that they were going to put in but they didn’t have time. It’s referenced though. It was dwarven chess

Josie’s outfit is made of gold silk and patterned velvet, with leather at her waist. She carries “an ornate ledger” and she has “an ornamented collar sitting around her neck, finished by a brilliant red ruby, like a drop of Antivan wine in a sunbeam”

Iron Bull’s armor is leather. His loose pantaloons and leather boots give him agility to charge

On DAI in particular, concept artists took special care to make sure costumes would be realistic, at least in a practical ‘this obeys the laws of physics and textiles’ sense. “While on Inquisition, we thought about cosplay from a concept art perspective. Given how incredible a lot of [cosplays] are, I now am not worried about them. In fact in some cases in the future I want to throw them curveballs like, ‘All right, you clever bastards. Let’s see if you can do this!’”

2 geese that nested on the office building and had chicks were named Ganders and Arishonk (it wasn’t known who was the mom or the dad). Other possible names were Carver Honke, Bethany Honke, Urdnot Pecks, Quackwall, Cassandra Pentagoose, the Iron Bill, Shepbird, Garroose, Admiral Quackett, Scout Honking, HChick-47 and Darth Malgoose

Bug report: “The surprising adventures of Ser Noodles!” DAI was the first time the series had a mount feature, meaning this had a lot of bugs. A lot of the teams’ favorite bugs were to do with the mounts. There was a period of time where the Inquisitor’s horse seemed to lose all bone and muscle in its legs. They had a week or so where all quadruped legs were broken. It was a bit noticeable in things like nugs and other small beasties but the horse was insanely obvious. “The first time we summoned the horse [for this] and started running around, the entire QA exploration room just exploded with laughter.” Its legs flapped around like cooked fettucine, leading testers to lovingly nickname it Ser Noodles. At galloping speeds the legs almost looked like helicopter blades, especially when footage was set to classic pieces such as Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries

For DAI the artists were asked questions like “What would Morrigan wear to a formal ball? Can Cassandra pull off a jaunty hat?”

On DAI storyboarding became the norm. John Epler: “Cinematic design for the longest time was the Wild West. It was ‘here’s a bunch of content, now do it however you want’, which resulted in some successes and some failures.” Storyboarding gave designers a consistent visual blueprint based on ideas from designers, writers and concept artists

Quote from a storyboard by Nick Thornborrow (the Inquisitor going into the party at the end of basegame sequence): “Until Corypheus revealed himself they could not see the single hand behind the chaos. A magister and a darkspawn combined. The ultimate evil. So evil. Eviler than puppy-killers and egg farts combined.”

A general note on concept art:

In the early stages of any project, before the concept artists are aware of any writing, they like to just draw what they think cool story moments could be. It’s not unusual for the team to then be inspired by these and fold them into the game as the project progresses

– From Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development

[stardustbarbarians]

I'll Just Wipe Off My Neck

Chapter 1 (ch. 2 | ch. 3 | ch. 4)

A Jake Kiszka/Daniel Wagner & Samuel Kiszka/Daniel Wagner Fic

Summary: Nothing can come between brothers. Except when your older brother steals the person he knows you have feelings for.

Tags: pining, unrequited love (maybe), angst

Words: 3.7 k

A/N: So, I kind of make Jake a dick in this fic, but I don't believe he is one in real life at all. I was inspired by Drop the Guillotine by Peach Pit and I needed a "villain" so please don't come for me for that. Anyway, I'm having a lot of fun with this fic and I hope you enjoy! (I'm working on that Josh fic you guys voted for, don't worry!)

+++

The semester had ended yesterday, the excitement of freedom for a brief reprise of time was the buzz all throughout the campus for students and faculty alike. Many students were packing up their cars or rented U-Hauls and returning to their homes until the bell of academia chimed once more with the chill of autumn. But not Sam and Daniel. The two of them were perched on the balcony of their apartment and watching their peers flurry about while hauling box after box from their dorms. 

“I know I was against this apartment at first, but I’m glad we got it,” Danny admitted over the brim of his coffee mug, cringing in sympathy as a woman tripped over an uneven part of the sidewalk and sprawled her box of clothes all over the pavement. 

Sam looked up from his book to gaze at Daniel, a borderline smug smile on his lips. He was on the verge of saying “I told you so” when he stopped. The breeze decided to pick up at that moment, gently tussling Daniel’s raven curls and causing a few of them to halo around his head. Not for the first time since they had known one another, Sam was struck with just how gorgeous his roommate was. 

To say that Sam had feelings for his roommate was an understatement. He was absolutely and positively smitten for him. He had been for a while now, going on for nearly two and a half years. Sam had thought about telling him how he felt, but he didn’t want to ruin a good thing. 

“You’re not gonna say ‘I told you so’? Normally you jump at the chance,” Danny teased, one of his eyebrows quirking up at his roommate. 

“I don’t have to since you seem to know I’m right anyway.” Sammy cursed himself for getting lost in Danny’s beauty. He had to be more careful or else he’d get caught. 

Daniel just huffed out a laugh before turning back to people-watching. They sat there soaking up the warmth of the sun for a few more minutes, finishing up their coffee and book chapter, respectively. 

“Alright, we should start packing up. It’s starting to get less busy on the streets,” Sam prompted, placing the sticky note he was using as a bookmark into his book and setting it on the ground to stretch out his spine. The note was one Daniel had stuck onto Sam’s door that simply read “to do: shower” on it. 

“We’re staying here over the summer, Samuel,” Danny absentmindedly spoke, his attention on a family of birds nesting on the tree near their balcony. 

Sam halted his stretch, arms still hoisted above his head as he glanced over at his best friend. 

“Don’t tell me you forgot I invited you to my family’s lake house for this week, did you?” 

Danny froze momentarily, regaining his composure and setting his empty mug on the ground like Sam had with his book. 

“Oh my god, you did,” Sam stated, amusement seeping from his tone. 

Danny sighed deeply and stood from his chair. He stretched his arms up above his head, his shirt riding up just enough to reveal a strip of skin between the hem and the line of his pajama shorts. Sam traced the line of it, his gaze then flicking up to the muscles of Danny’s arms. The groan Danny let out made Sam blush despite how innocent it was. 

“I’ve been sitting in that chair for as long as I can remember,” Danny quoted in a supercilious accent, sending Sam a smirk over his shoulder. 

“Sorry to hear that, Miss Jordan Baker. I’d offer to take you golfing with me, but I don’t really like playing with cheaters,” Sam played along, a smile pulling at his lips on its own volition. 

“It’s fine, I’ll find some bond salesman to act as his beard even though he’s clearly infatuated with his neighbor,” he continued, his arms falling to his sides. 

“You’re still mad that Mr. Wallace wouldn’t let you argue that Nick Carroway was gay, huh?” Sammy already knew the answer to that, but he also enjoyed getting a rise out of Daniel. 

“Nick was clearly very gay! For god’s sake, he described Jordan - his supposed love interest - in a sentence or two. Do you know what the length was used to describe Gatsby’s smile alone?” 

“Fourteen lines.” Sam knew because this wasn’t the first time he’d had this discussion with his best friend. Yet despite the repetition of the debate, he was just as enamored and enraptured as the first time. 

“Fourteen lines!” Danny repeated, throwing his hands up in the air. It caused Sam to giggle like a schoolgirl, something that he was embarrassed over. 

“Go get packed, you maniac,” Sammy demanded through a laugh, his cheeks beginning to hurt from how hard and how much he was smiling. 

Danny did as he was told, but not before sticking his tongue out at Sam in a show of playful defiance. Sam was left alone on that balcony, a bittersweet ache in his chest at the interaction that slowly eroded into melancholy as the seconds ticked by. He just wanted more from Daniel, but he’d never ask. He knew that he had to take what he could get, but it also wasn’t enough. He just wanted to be able to show how much he loved him; to display the full extent of his adoration. 

With a bone deep and weary sigh, Sam got up from his chair to start packing himself, grabbing the mug that Daniel had left beside his chair. 

+++ “Wake up, Sam, we made it to a rest stop.” Danny gently shook Sam’s shoulder, rousing him from a dream about being Nick Carraway; standing by as the love of his life falls for someone that will be nothing but bad news for him. 

Rubbing at his eyes, Sammy winced at the bright sun as it streamed into his line of sight. Grumbling, he unfastened his seatbelt and yawned as he tumbled out of the passenger seat. 

“Where are we?” His voice sounded like he smoked ten packs a day, gravely and raspy. 

“We’re about half an hour out still,” Danny answered, leading the way to the doors of the rest stop.

This caused Sam to groan petulantly. He was so tired of being cooped up in that car that he was very close to just running the rest of the way to the lake house. The best part of road trips Sam wasn’t even experiencing because all the radio stations around the area played awful music. Normally his solution would be to use his radio transmitter, but he forgot to bring it with him. 

“Your turn to drive,” Danny told Sam over his shoulder. Sam could tell Danny was also irritated due to the speed of which he was walking. Sam and Daniel weren’t that different in height, but those extra few inches Daniel had really counted towards walking speed when he wanted them to. 

Cursing under his breath, Sam just let Daniel speed-walk away, putting his hair up in a bun as he walked at a normal pace. It was way too hot to have his hair down and the humidity was not helping in the slightest. 

Once Sam walked out of the bathrooms, he spotted Daniel waiting for him over by the vending machines. When he spotted Sammy walking towards him, he pushed off the wall he was leaning against. Sam did not notice how big Danny’s arms looked while they were crossed over his chest or how good they looked on full display with the tank top he was wearing. He also did not notice how a girl around their age was being very obvious with how much she was checking Daniel out, her face pulled into a mask of approval. There also was no deep-seeded jealousy flare up in his chest. 

“Sam,” Danny called, gaining his best friend’s attention and snapping him out of his poisonous train of thought. 

“Yeah?” 

“You didn’t hear what I said, did you?” The tiredness was apparent in his voice. 

“Oh yeah, I did. But you should say it again just in case I heard you wrong,” Sam smoothly responded, flashing his charming smile to hopefully dispel Daniel’s annoyance. It worked. 

“Such a damn charmer, Kiszka,” Daniel muttered under his breath, a smile threatening to break out on his face. “I asked you if you wanted to grab snacks now or wait and stop at some place for food.” 

Sam didn’t need to think about it at all. “Stop somewhere. I’m starving and chips won’t be enough.” 

“Alright, then.” Daniel tossed Sam the keys and they walked towards the car. Conversation didn’t pick back up until they were back on the interstate.  

“Hey, Daniel, I should probably warn you. My older brother Jake is gonna be there and he’s a little mad that you’re coming. He’s not gonna do anything to you, but don’t expect him to be in the best mood.” 

“What? Why is he mad?” Sam didn’t need to see Danny’s face to know how perplexed he was. 

“Our lake house only has one extra spot for someone to sleep and usually Jake is the one to bring someone to fill it. It’s never been the same girl twice, either. Anyway, he’s mad because I called dibs before he could,” Sam explained, his eyes flicking away from the road momentarily to look at his best friend. 

“So he’s mad at the circumstances?” 

“Yep. Mostly at me, but I know how to handle him. I just thought I should warn you because he can be a real bitch when he’s pissed off. Just please don’t take it personally; he’s mad at me,” Sam continued, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel in place of the silence that had filled the air. 

“Alright, I’ll keep that in mind,” Danny assured, his hand momentarily gracing Sammy’s shoulder. It was only for a moment, but that was all it took for Sam’s heart to jump. 

God, he was stupidly in love with Daniel. 

+++

Sam was so relieved to finally pull into the driveway of the lake house that he shouted in joy. “HA! Finally!” 

Danny, the poor bastard, jumped about a foot in the air. He was hardly ready for Sam’s screaming. Danny shot him a dirty look that dared Sammy to say anything; he had to purse his lips to keep from smiling or laughing. 

“Samuel! You made it!” 

Sam whipped his head away from his roommate to look over at where the familiar voice had come from. He was rushing to get out of the car, his seatbelt thrown off and the door being thrust open. He launched out of the car and towards her, his long legs taking him there within seconds.

“Mom, I missed you so much,” he admitted once he was captured into her embrace. He was easily half a foot taller than her so he had to hunch over to properly hug her, but he happily did so. 

Immediately Sam felt safe and warm, his mother’s embrace the safest place in the world as far as he’s concerned. They hugged each other for a long period of time, but Sam would’ve stayed there forever if he could’ve. It was so easy to forget about the stress of his school and future as well as the constant arduous thrum that resided in his heart over Daniel Wagner. 

The sound of the car door shutting reminded Sam that he couldn’t hug his mother until the end of time like he wanted to. Regretfully he pulled away and gave his mother a genuine smile. Just as he did so, he heard footsteps approach from behind him. 

“Oh, you must be Daniel!” his mother exclaimed, that huge and inviting smile on her face. 

“Hello, Mrs. Kiszka, it’s good to finally meet you,” Daniel greeted, a warm smile on his face that had Sam weak in the knees. 

“Sammy, you never told us how handsome he was,” Mrs. Kiszka playfully scolded, her gaze taking all of Daniel in. She looked over at her son, a knowing look in her eyes as she noticed the dusing of pink that colored her youngest’s cheeks. 

She knew. 

Sam went to start speaking, already knowing that he’d be a floundering mess when Danny spoke before him. 

“That’s very kind of you, Mrs. Kiszka,” he graciously thanked. Sammy looked at him like he was his guardian angel, but of course Danny couldn’t see that. 

“Oh, please, call me mom, or Karen if you’re more comfortable with that. Sam’s already told us so much about you I feel like I know you.” To the untrained eye, his mother’s smile looked warm and friendly. Sam recognized the mischievous glint in them and it made him nervous beyond belief. 

“Has he now?” Daniel turned towards his roommate of three years, a cheeky smile on his lips. If his mother embarrassing him wasn’t enough to make Samuel blush, Daniel’s smirk definitely was. 

“Uh- have Ronnie and the twins made it yet?” Sammy asked, very desperate to change the subject. 

“Yes, they have. You two were the last ones to arrive,” Mama K informed, a look on her face that said she knew what Sam was trying to do but was letting it happen anyway. 

“Daniel, would you like to meet my siblings?” 

“Sure, but we should probably take our stuff inside,” Danny posited, his hand pointing at the car to indicate said stuff needed to be taken inside. 

“Right, good idea,” Sam agreed, flashing his signature charming smile. 

“While you boys do that, I’ll make something for you guys to eat.” And with that, Karen turned onto her heel and walked into the house. 

It was under the burning orange sunset that Daniel and Samuel hauled their belongings into the Kiszka family lake house. They became lost in their own world momentarily as they cracked jokes and laughed over things only they would understand. The cooling air from the setting sun nestled onto their skin and nearly formed goosebumps had it not been so welcomed. The early summer air was far from blistering, but some extra movement was a surefire way to accumulate sweat across one’s skin. 

Finally, they had moved all their belongings into their respective room. It wasn’t the bedroom Sam had usually used, but since he had brought a guest this time around, he got to use the room that Jake usually occupied with whatever new girl he managed to bring with him. It had two twin beds in it, Daniel taking the one close to the window and Samuel taking the one near the door. 

The pair walked into the kitchen, their stomachs more than stoked at the promise of food. Sam noticed his three siblings and their father sitting at the table, a card game ongoing between the four of them. They were playing Euker, a game Sam was never good at and could barely remember the rules for. Josh was the first one to notice them enter. 

“Sammy!” he cried before getting up from his seat. He walked towards his little brother with his arms wide open and a smile just as wide. Sam met him halfway, a smile about as big as his brother’s on his face as well. 

“Josh, this is my best friend and roommate Daniel.” Don’t look at him any differently than you would your other friends, Samuel Francis. If you look at him even slightly differently they’ll know.

“Hey Daniel, I’m Josh, Sam’s oldest brother,” Josh introduced, extending his hand for Danny to shake. 

“By five minutes,” Jake called from his spot, making absolutely no move to get up from his spot. 

Sam looked over at his older brother, seeing the truly nasty look in his eye that didn’t show anywhere else on his face. It made his skin crawl the way Jake was able to hide it with his charming smirk that got him all the female attention he wanted; Sam hated even more that he was the one he learned that from. If Sam had looked over at his best friends, he would’ve seen the flush coloring Daniel’s cheeks as he looked at Jake. 

“And you’ll never live it down,” Ronnie pipped up, the teasing tone evident in her voice as she flipped her long hair and got up from her chair. She didn’t even look in Jake’s direction, but the smug look on her face told Sam she knew just how much she got under Jake’s skin. 

“Hi, I’m Ronnie, the best Kizska,” she introduced, going up to Danny and giving him a friendly hug. 

He let out a startled but delighted laugh and hugged her back. 

“Goddamn, you’re gorgeous,” she blurted out, speaking the exact words on Sammy’s mind. “You failed to mention that detail, Sam.” 

He couldn’t see his face, but Samuel bet that he was about as bright red as a stop light. If the look on Ronnie and Josh’s face were any indication, then Sam placed a pretty safe bet. 

“Leave your little brother alone, Ronnie. You know he’s as oblivious as they come,” Mr. Kiszka finally spoke, much to Sam’s chagrin. 

“Ah, you’re right. Sorry, Sammy, I forgot about your crippling obliviousness.” 

“And I forgot about your terminal annoyingness. I see it’s progressed,” Sam shot back, a fake sense of pity lacing his words. 

Ronnie bit her lip to keep from laughing. To change the subject, she looked over at her older brother. “Jake, aren’t you gonna say ‘hello’?” 

Jake briefly looked up from his phone only to say: “Hey, David.” 

Sam just scoffed and shook his head. Of course he didn’t care. 

“Jake, what the fuck was that?” Josh questioned, an incredulous look on his face as he faced his twin. 

“That’s enough, Joshua,” Mrs. Kiszka lightly scolded, plating the salmon she had been cooking. “Sit down, boys, food’s ready.” 

The two youngest of the group took their seats at the counter, Danny stealing one last look in Jake’s direction. Sam wasn’t so oblivious to notice that. 

+++

Sam was the only one inside, the rest of his family and Daniel all sitting around the campfire that was adjacent to the beach. He had to get away. He couldn’t stand the knowing looks his family were throwing him every time he spoke to Daniel. Had he been that obvious? Was he so infatuated with Daniel that it had been so glaringly obvious with each look he gave his roommate? 

The only one who wasn’t making Sam sick to his stomach, strangely, was Jake. He was the only one who wasn’t giving him a look every time Sam talked to Danny. In fact, he wasn’t paying anyone any attention. He was moodily brooding into his beer bottle and barely engaging with everyone else. 

Sam was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice his big sister standing in the kitchen with him. In fact, he jumped about five feet in the air when she spoke to him. 

“Whatcha doin’ hiding in here?” 

Sam screamed like a horror movie protagonist, his heart rate jumping to at least 120. 

“Ronnie! Don’t sneak up on me!” 

“If walking normally into a room is your definition of ‘sneaking’, I think you need to brush up on your vocabulary,” she seamlessly replied, that same devious glint Sam saw in his mother’s eyes in his sister’s. 

Samuel just gave her a look, his hand over his heart, and turned towards the sink to fill up the glass he took out of the cupboard about five minutes ago. He took the opportunity to try and calm down his heartbeat. 

“You never answered me.”

“I don’t have to,” Sam petulantly responded, bringing the glass to his lips as he looked out the window above the sink to see the campfire flickering in the summer night air. 

The silence that laced the air was pressing and awkward, Ronnie’s anticipation and willingness to stay there until she got her answer annoying Sam to no end. But Sam was nothing if not stubborn. They waited in that kitchen in silence until Ronnie finally broke. 

“It’s Daniel, isn’t it?” 

“How obvious is it?” Sam desperately questioned, finally turning to face his older sister. 

“Well, it only took me about five seconds to figure it out, so…” At that point, she had taken a seat on one of the bar stools at the counter. Her long brown hair was spilling over her shoulders. 

“Ronnie, it’s so bad,” Sam lamented, a pain in his chest that was very familiar. 

“How long have you felt this way?” 

“About two and a half years, now.” 

Samuel watched his sister’s face morph into one of deep sympathy.

“Sam-” she began, being interrupted by her brother. He knew what she was going to say. 

“I should tell him, I know. But I don’t want to lose him, Ronnie. I love him too much and I can’t have him walk out of my life. I’d rather have him like this than not at all,” he admitted, choking up at the very thought of losing Daniel. 

Ronnie got up from her chair, pulling Sam into a hug. “It’s ok, Sammy.” 

They stood there for a moment as Sam choked back his tears. He never knew that being held by his sister would make him feel better, but he was glad that she was the one to check in on him. 

“Are you good to go back outside?” Ronnie asked after a moment. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m good.” 

Sam grabbed two beers from the fridge, handing one off to his older sister. He was grateful that it was dark out so no one could see his red eyes from his crying. 

The two of them rejoined the group, Ronnie reclaiming her lawnchair and Sam taking the spot on the blanket next to the fire. He put his hair up so there was no chance of it catching on fire. Scanning his family surrounding the firepit, he noticed that Jake was nowhere to be seen. Part of him thought that was curious, but the other part of him just shrugged it off. It wasn’t like he was being the life of the party as it was. 

What Sam didn’t know was that the moment his older brother would return would be the beginning of the end. Everything would change. And it would all start with Jake sitting down next to Daniel. 

+++

Taglist:

Danny:

@doodle417 @sammykiszkasunusedshoes @jmks-housewife @alwayssotiredbutneverofyou @ageoferin @etoilesnoor @ascendingtostardust @godlygreta @s0livagant @gretavanflowerpower @morganic-goods @dannythedog @baguettejuliette @fan-girl-97 @gaby-gvf @age-of-nyahh @mzbrightside @myownparadise96 @xserenax-13 @sammysvanfeet @strugglingtodoshit @loofypoofy @chalametpwk @seventieswhore @razorbladekiszka @kdarling1 @unfortunatelykristin @welightthefire @gretavanfleas @sammiejane22

Sammy:

@doodle417 @sammykiszkasunusedshoes @jmks-housewife @ageoferin @alwayssotiredbutneverofyou @etoilesnoor @ascendingtostardust @godlygreta @turtleskane @s0livagant @gretavanflowerpower @morganic-goods @dannythedog @baguettejuliette @fan-girl-97 @gaby-gvf @age-of-nyahh @mzbrightside @myownparadise96 @xserenax-13 @sammysvanfeet @loofypoofy @chalametpwk @seventieswhore @razorbladekiszka @kdarling1 @capturethechaos @unfortunatelykristin @welightthefire @gretavanfleas @sammiejane22

Jakey:

@doodle417 @sammykiszkasunusedshoes @jmks-housewife @ageoferin @alwayssotiredbutneverofyou @honor-gvf @etoilesnoor @ascendingtostardust @godlygreta @turtleskane @s0livagant @gretavanflowerpower @morganic-goods @dannythedog @baguettejuliette @fan-girl-97 @gaby-gvf @age-of-nyahh @mzbrightside @myownparadise96 @brokenbellsgvf @xserenax-13 @sammysvanfeet @strugglingtodoshit @loofypoofy @chalametpwk @seventieswhore @razorbladekiszka @kdarling1 @capturethechaos @unfortunatelykristin @welightthefire @gretavanfleas @sammiejane22

Taglist Form

[thephantomessoftheopera]

Notes on Gaston Leroux‘s „The Phantom of the Opera“ - Epilogue

<< Previous chapter “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known”

-Charles Dickens, “A Tale of Two Cities”

As we are coming to the end of the story, Leroux ties up a few more loose ends in the epilogue.

As for Raoul and Christine, their possible happy ending is only implied by what Erik told the Persian - that they had “taken a northbound train” and were planning to get married in secret. They have disappeared from the world, and Christine never appeared again on stage anywhere. According to Leroux, they might have finally settled in Norway together with Mama Valerius. At first, I thought Leroux might have been confusing Sweden and Norway, but when I did a little research on the name „Daae“, it turns out that the name is actually most prevalent in Norway, with almost no occurrences in Sweden. It is also implied that even if they took that “northbound” train before, Christine took a train back to Paris a few weeks later to return to Erik, because she had the wedding ring on her when she left, and it was finally found on Erik‘s finger.

As Philippe‘s death was deemed to be the consequence of the fight between the two brothers over Raoul’s supposed engagement to Christine, Raoul was a murder suspect - but as his previous testimony had already made him appear a lunatic in the eyes of the Commissary, Philippe‘s death was ultimately pronounced accidental. However, as Parisian society had taken less than kindly to the news of the engagement, I think that the couple would have had a very difficult standing if they had officially married and assumed the now vacant titles of the Count and Countess de Chagny. It is therefore likely that Raoul, having officially disappeared, never claimed his titles and inheritance, and chose the more simple lifestyle that Christine was accustomed to. Leroux concludes the story of Raoul and Christine with the statement that one day, he too might „hear the solitary echoes of the Northland repeat the singing of the woman who knew the Angel of Music''. In the epilogue, the boundaries between the „false“ and the „real“ Angel of Music become blurred, as Leroux repeatedly speaks of Erik as the “Angel of Music” - indicating that maybe, just maybe, Erik truly was the Angel of Music.

After following up on Raoul and Christine, Leroux relates how he obtained proof of Erik‘s existence from the Persian, mostly through the letters written by Christine that Erik had sent to him, but also through the testimonies of Meg Giry and La Sorelli. He supposedly placed all the proof he had gathered in the archives of the Paris Opera.

He also obtained the testimony of M. Poligny, the previous manager of the Opera. The „Opera Ghost“ affair was the final straw that made him resign his post, which again indicates that Erik‘s reign as „O.G.“ was rather short and caused by Erik falling in love (since he had been living in the Opera House presumably since the early 1870s). He also quotes from the fictional „Memoirs of a Manager“ by Armand Moncharmin, where Moncharmin relates that a few days after Christine‘s abduction, Erik returned all of the forty thousand francs he had extracted to the managers, no longer having any need for the money as he had given up his plan to marry Christine. The mystery of the safety-pin is also finally resolved, as Leroux was supposedly able to locate a small trapdoor in the floor of the managers’ office, through which a dexterous magician like Erik could easily have reached up and retrieved the envelope from Richard‘s coattail pocket as it was hanging down from his chair.

Leroux also notes that the marble pillar next to Box 5 sounds hollow and would offer ample space for Erik to hide inside it. According to Gérard Fontaine’s research, the pillars being hollow applies to all the pillars in the auditorium of the Palais Garnier. Whether that proves or disproves anything is up to you... Leroux’s plan of having the lake drained in order to obtain the ultimate proof of Erik‘s existence - finding the entrance to the house by the lake - did not go through, but Leroux still sustains his hope of one day finding the score of „Don Juan Triumphant“ there (that is, if Christine had not taken it with her when she came to bury him).

Leroux then gives a summary of Erik’s life according to the Persian. Erik was born near Rouen in France and ran away from his parents as a young boy, as they were afraid and horrified by how he looked. After being exhibited as a “living corpse” at fairs, he became a singing sensation and garnered a reputation that reached as far as Persia. The daroga of Mazenderan was sent to bring Erik to Persia as entertainment for the “little sultana”. Erik, who also worked there as an assassin, is described here as amoral, “not knowing the difference between right and wrong”. Even though he does not have an evil heart, his life up until this point has left him completely without a moral compass of any kind.

After building an ingenious palace for the shah, Erik’s execution was ordered so that he could not divulge its secrets to anyone. The daroga was supposed to carry it out, but as he owed Erik favours (and was the one who brough Erik to Persia in the first place), he helped him escape instead. He was punished for this and went into exile to Paris. Erik took a detour to Asia Minor and Constantinople before he ended up in Paris as well. It is also mentioned that Erik could make lifelike automata, which is reflected in the musical in the form of the monkey music box and also the “mirror bride”, a physical representation of Erik’s dream of a loving wife.

Once in Paris, Erik decided that he finally wanted to live a normal life, and placed a successful bid to work as a contractor on the Opera House. Wishing to hide his face from the world forever, he built his comfortable home into the foundations of the Opera. Erik’s plan to live out the rest of his life in peaceful tranquillity went well - until he crossed paths with Christine Daae and lost his heart to her completely. And the rest is history…

Leroux here gives his own view of Erik: “He had a heart great enough to hold the empire of the world, and in the end he had to be content with a cellar.” With a normal face, Erik, with his brilliant mind and extraordinary talents, could have had the world at his feet. And even though no one had ever loved him, he still had a heart capable of feeling deep, pure love, which is pretty remarkable. His beautiful voice is a reflection of the beauty he carries inside his soul - which was sadly eclipsed by his ugliness, which did not allow him to live “like everyone else”. The great tragedy of his life was his face, which kept others from treating him as a human being and recognizing his full potential. He is therefore clearly worthy of pity, instead of being cursed and condemned as evil.

Leroux had already mentioned in the Prologue that he believed the skeleton found in the cellars of the Opera was Erik’s. Now he finally reveals why he was so certain of that: because Erik’s skeleton wore the gold wedding ring on his finger, which Leroux believes Christine had placed there. Even though Erik had set her free and given her the ring, she later came back to him, and this time it was certainly not out of terror. With Erik dead, none of his threats would hold any more sway over her - and yet, she still returned to him to keep her promise. She not only buried him with the wedding ring, but she slipped it onto his finger, ultimately fulfilling her promise to accept him as her husband. In a sense, she buried him with her love, and that is truly a bittersweet and beautiful ending. After everything he had to endure, Erik’s life ends with a kiss and a ring on his finger, put there by the woman he loved more than his own life, and with Leroux praying for his salvation. That may not be a traditional happy ending, but it‘s very powerful. And it’s definitely not a villain’s ending.

As „Faust“ is the most strongly referenced work in „Phantom“, it is also worth comparing how the endings are different. In the final act of Gounod‘s opera, Faust and Marguerite first swear their love to each other, but when Marguerite sees Mephistopheles and realizes who Faust really is, she turns away from him and chooses death instead, while Faust is dragged into the fires of hell. Her famous last words to him are „You horrify me!“ In „Phantom“, the progression is almost the other way round - Christine is horrified at first, but then accepts Erik and chooses life instead of death.

It should also be noted that the ending in the novel is so vague that it also allows a lot of room for the reader’s imagination. Was Erik really dead when Christine returned? He himself was announcing his death, so it would not even be so very unlikely. But as this is Leroux’s story, the official reading would of course be how he himself imagined the ending: Erik dying and Christine coming back to bury him. This might be my favourite line from the novel:

“The skeleton lay near the little fountain, where the Angel of Music first held the unconscious Christine Daae in his trembling arms after taking her into the cellars of the Opera.”

As if the return of the ring was not enough poetic closure, he also asked to be buried in the very spot where he held the love of his life for the first time...

Symbolism and Metaphors

Now that we have concluded the epilogue, I would like to add a few more notes on the general themes which are present throughout the novel and still influence how we feel about it today.

To understand the extent of symbolism employed in  „The Phantom of the Opera“, it is necessary to understand the cultural mindset and environment in which it was written. At the turn of the century, the arts (and sciences, as evidenced by the slowly emerging works of Sigmund Freud) were rather obsessed with the fateful connection between Eros and Thanatos - love as the life-bringing force, and death as the destructive force. Both were often seen as intertwined and mirrored in the other.

Erik is the personification of Eros and Thanatos. He unites both forces in him to a degree unparalleled by any other character in the story. The death symbolism that is also clearly reflected in how he is described, would be both perceived as horrifying - and yet not without a strangely seductive fascination inherent in it. Death is intricately tied to darker feelings of passion and desire.The “Eros” and the “Thanatos” part of his character are intertwined, but his character also oscillates between the two sides in the course of the story.

Music in „Phantom“ also serves as a metaphor for romantic love, not only in the spiritual but also in the physical sense, as it is connotated with “passion”, “fire”, “ecstasy” and “rapture” throughout the story. Erik’s teaching awakens “an ardent, voracious and sublime life” in Christine, symbolizing the burgeoning romantic feelings in the young woman. She is terrified with the changes going on in her, which is also in line with how „Eros“ was originally viewed: as a frightening loss of control. Erik says in “Apollo’s Lyre” that “some music is so formidable that it consumes everyone who approaches it”, and Christine states that “Music has the power to abolish everything in the outside world except its sounds, which go straight to the heart”. In both sentences, the word “music” can easily be replaced with “love” - especially in Christine’s example, it would be the musical equivalent of “love is blind”.

Like in other (gothic) romances - “Wuthering Heights” being perhaps the prime example - the two rivals in the principal love triangle represent two very different types of love: one is intense and passionate, but also consuming, terrifying and potentially destructive, and the other is safer, but also somewhat chaste and lifeless. Erik and Raoul each represent one of the two extremes. This contrast is exemplified in the scene at the Masked Ball: Raoul wears white, the colour of innocence, while Erik wears red, the colour of passion, but also of danger and blood.

It is suggested in the novel that Erik and Christine were chained together by fate (“La destinée m’enchaîne à toi sans retour”), and I believe they were destined to save each other. Erik saved Christine from her grief in the wake of her father’s death and brought her back to life, and Christine saved his soul by being the first person in his life to accept him and grant him true happiness. „Phantom“ may be a tragic love story, but it is also a hopeful one, as love proves stronger than death. Christine’s choice, Erik‘s sacrifice and the skeleton’s wedding ring are all symbols of love triumphing over death.

[aboveallarescuer]

#that happens even when the person isnt trying to argue that shes a mad queen/villain but that she has both 'good' and 'evil' in her#and is meant to fail#(e.g. that meta about how dany is a tragic shakespearean hero; which annoys me more bc it sounds convincing when you don't remember what#happened in the books very well...

Can you talk more about your problems with that essay? I thought that it sounded plausible... I don't want those things to happen to Daenerys, but I don't trust GRRM either.

Anon, thank you for this ask and sorry for the delayed answer. I was already planning to write several posts as a response to the arguments of “Daughter of Death: A Song of Ice and Fire’s Shakespearean Tragic Hero” (which you can read here), but I couldn't find the time or motivation for that lately, so thanks for giving me the opportunity to counter-argue it in a single answer. I tried to be brief by summarizing some of my notes and by linking to a lot of metas instead of repeating all of their points, but the response unfortunately ended up becoming long anyway.

In the context of that essay, Dany is considered a Shakespearean tragic hero because the writer thinks she fits five requirements: 1) Dany’s chapters contain supposedly deliberate references to Shakespearean plays; 2) Dany is “torn by an internal struggle”, namely peace versus violence or companionship versus rulership or home versus the Iron Throne, all of which also drive the external conflicts. Choosing the second options will lead to her demise; 3) prophecies and “influential accidents” - that is, events that “have roots in a character’s motivation”, as well as “the sense of ‘if only this had not happened’” - will “heighten and exaggerate [tragic flaws that] already [exist]” in Dany; 4) Dany will (according to the essayist’s speculations) take actions that produce “exceptional calamity” and her demise will be “her own choice and doing”; 5) Dany “[rose] high in position” and is “an exceptional being”, which sets her apart as a character that fits the mold of the Shakespearean tragedy because her reversal of fortune will highlight “the greatness and piteousness of humanity”.

I would argue that the points that the essayist made to justify how Dany supposedly fits these five requirements are all very skewed.

1) When it comes to requirement 1 (Dany’s chapters contain supposedly deliberate references to Shakespearean plays), the essayist is conveniently cherry-picking (as they often do throughout the meta). Bran Stark wants a dreamless sleep just like Dany: “Sweet, dreamless sleep, Bran thought.” (ACOK Bran I); “That night Bran prayed to his father’s gods for dreamless sleep.” (ACOK Bran II). Indeed, @marinabridgerton argues that that’s most likely tied to the fact that they’re the two characters most heavily associated with prophecies. Even Sansa is said to have a dreamless sleep: “Sometimes her sleep was leaden and dreamless, and she woke from it more tired than when she had closed her eyes” (AGOT Sansa VI). And yet, where are the essays about how these quotes are teaching the readership to interpret Bran’s and Sansa’s characters, storylines and trajectories based on Shakespearean tragedies?

2) When it comes to requirement 2 (Dany is “torn by an internal struggle”, namely peace versus violence or companionship versus rulership or home versus the Iron Throne, all of which also drive the external conflicts. Choosing the second options will lead to her demise), the essayist is right to point out that those dilemmas exist. However, they portray Dany’s struggles in a way that makes it seem that 1) there are “good” options (peace/companionship/home) and “bad” options (violence/rulership/Iron Throne) for Dany to take and that 2) choosing the latter ones will lead to Dany’s downfall. There is a lot to question about these assumptions.

2.1) When it comes to Dany’s conflict between peace versus violence, the essayist takes everything that Adam Feldman’s series of essays “Untangling the Meereenese Knot” says for granted when it shouldn’t be. I’m not going to delve into all the problems/inaccuracies/double standards with those essays. For our purposes here, it’s enough to say that they: 1) dichotomize Dany’s identity into mhysa and mother of dragons to argue that the former represents her desire for peace and the latter her violent impulses; 2) assert that the peace was real; 3) conclude that, by rejecting the peace, the Dany of ASOS is gone and from now on she’s going to be a very different person because she will have chosen to follow her violent impulses.

As already argued before, though, 1) Dany’s character can’t be dichotomized in that way because these facets - mhysa and mother of dragons - actually complement each other (as @yendany made clear in her most recent meta). Because Dany was the mother of dragons, she was able to act as mhysa way before she was hailed as such, which we see, for instance, when she kills the Astapori slave masters to free the Unsullied. Both of these identities manifest Dany’s fierceness when faced with great injustices. This is why, in ADWD, locking her dragon children prevented Dany from properly defending her human children… She needs to integrate both parts of her identity to be able to protect them. But Feldman couldn’t recognize that because 2) he accepts the peace deal that Dany made with the slavers as valid. Doing so would mean, however, ignoring the re-enslavement and suffering of thousands of marginalized people, which GRRM continually emphasizes in Dany's and Tyrion’s final ADWD chapters (read more about this here and here) to hammer home that the peace is false for prioritizing the slavers over them. Finally, 3) Dany is not a violent person nor does she have violent impulses. Feldman decontextualized the moments in which Dany uses violence from the standards of her time and place (read more about this here and here and here and here) to portray them in a more negative light than how they are actually meant to be viewed. Additionally, he conveniently left out all the moments in which Dany chooses to be merciful, from when she spares Yunkai and most of the Meereenese slavers (she didn’t do the same in Astapor because she was outnumbered and needed to protect her retinue) to when she doesn’t punish people who threaten or disrespect her to her face (such an envoy who spits at her face, a boy who tries to attack her, Xaro after he says he wishes he’d killed her), to give a few examples (read more about this in @rainhadaenerys's comprehensive meta). I would argue that Dany’s conflict is less about peace versus violence and more accurately about her tendency to be merciful versus her desire for justice (which, especially in the particular context she finds herself in, is unattainable without violence). In fact, I would go further and say that it’s distasteful to characterize Dany as someone “violent” or with “violent impulses” when, so far, she’s only used violence to a) defend and protect victims of (physical and systemic) violence and/or b) in circumstances in which her actions are no more problematic than those of any other leader of her world. And yet, the essayist portrays them as if they were (“To choose indiscriminate destruction over peace tends toward the evil”).

It’s also convenient that the essayist only talks about fire negatively (“Dany wields unmatched power that can “make or unmake at a word”—Dracarys—villages, armies and kingdoms”, “in the words of Maester Aemon, “Fire consumes.””) when it's also connected to life, rebirth, healing and enlightenment. And dracarys in particular is explicitly associated with freedom by the narrative while Dany frees the Unsullied (her decision, in turn, is associated with her future actions in the War for the Dawn). But acknowledging these things would make it harder to portray Dany as a Shakespearean tragic hero.

2.2) When it comes to Dany’s conflict between companionship and rulership … Again, the dilemma exists, but not in the way that the essayist presents it. What I mean is that they go out of their way to make it seem that Dany’s loneliness was the main factor driving her decisions, such as the liberation of the Unsullied (“She feels for the forced loneliness of the Unsullied, and it is loneliness that convinces her to commit violence in the plaza to free the slaves—just as it is in loneliness she chooses violence amidst the Dothraki Sea.”)... And not, y’know, her compassion and sense of justice (“Why do the gods make kings and queens, if not to protect the ones who can’t protect themselves?”), which are rarely acknowledged in this essay even though it’s arguably the main aspect of Dany's characterization. Why does the essayist do that? Because, since they are arguing that Dany is a tragic hero, they need to present Dany’s loneliness both as the reason why she achieved greatness and as the reason that will lead to her demise when she (supposedly) starts distrusting people, closing herself off and choosing violence (“the moral conviction she feels for her abolitionist crusade is part of the greatness that is also her tragic trait [...] She feels for the forced loneliness of the Unsullied, and it is loneliness that convinces her to commit violence in the plaza to free the slaves—just as it is in loneliness she chooses violence amidst the Dothraki Sea.”). As I said, however, doing so requires downplaying Dany’s compassion, as well as ignoring the fact that she does not close herself off to people in ADWD, nor is there any sign that this was seeded as a serious issue for her in future books (especially considering that her governance is meant to be contrasted with Cersei, the character who actually does close herself off to people. But more on that below when I talk about why Dany doesn’t fit the essayist’s third requirement).

Also, singling out rulership in particular as a reason for Dany to feel alone is conveniently selective (“Returning to Westeros means ruling Westeros - and ruling means loneliness”). All the major characters have reasons to feel lonely and isolated in their society because GRRM chose to focus on the underdogs. Their social standings are already enough to make all of them feel alone. As he said, “Tyrion of course is a dwarf which has its own challenges. Dany is an exile, powerless, penniless, at the mercy of other people, and Jon is a bastard”. You can also throw in Arya for being a young girl struggling to adhere to gender norms and Bran for being a disabled child. And that is just one example… There are a myriad of reasons and situations for various characters to feel lonely and isolated, but the essayist specifically chose to talk about how rulership causes that for Dany. And, considering that the essayist thinks that Dany’s rulership -> growing isolation and loneliness -> her ultimate downfall, it really feels like they’re punishing Dany narratively for acquiring and wielding power. Which leads me to the next point...

2.3) When it comes to Dany’s conflict between home and the Iron Throne, I would argue that that’s not really a conflict. Dany (like any feudal leader) believes she needs to retake the Iron Throne to stay in her homeland just like the Starks believe they need to retake Winterfell to stay in their homeland. Whether Dany finds herself at home in Westeros or not is irrelevant to that fact. And yet, the essayist only presents the former as being in the wrong for fighting for her birthright. However, as it's been already explained before, the Starks’ claim to the North isn’t morally righteous. They only have dominance over the North because, for thousands of years, their ancestors fought against, drove away and killed most of its indigenous population (the Children of the Forest), as well as multiple families who were also vying for control over the region. With that in mind, Dany fighting for her birthright isn’t any more problematic than the Starks enjoying the lands and privileges obtained with conquest and bloodshed, as well as the labor of peasants. One could argue that GRRM may have a double standard against Dany in this case (though it's been argued before that he doesn't intend to present the Iron Throne as a source of greed and evil like how fandom presents it) because of the order of the events and depending on whether he holds Dany accountable for more problems for waging her war than the Starks for having done/doing essentially the same thing, but that’s not what the essayist is doing. Instead, they a) take for granted that Dany is doing the wrong thing for fighting for the Iron Throne ("To delay the call of the North and continue to divide an already weakened realm is to give into dark desires.") and b) center all their speculations about her eventual demise based on that belief.

Ultimately, I would argue that none of these three dilemmas - peace versus violence, companionship versus rulership, home versus the Iron Throne - come with easy answers. When it comes to the first conflict, it’s important that Dany prioritizes the lives of the slaves over the privileges of the masters, but that causes more war and bloodshed. When it comes to the second and the third conflicts, it’s worth noting that the first options (which the essayist presents as the “good” ones) are actually the selfish paths for Dany to take. After all, she would rather live a normal life with a husband (companionship) in the house with the red door (home) - “She would rather have drifted in the fragrant pool all day, eating iced fruit off silver trays and dreaming of a house with a red door, but a queen belongs to her people, not to herself”. But, as the quote shows, instead of choosing these selfish goals, Dany accepts the burden of rulership and the fight for the Iron Throne because of her duty towards her people and ancestors. And, while this path leads to war (either in Meereen or in Westeros, though the former is morally righteous and the latter, while not inherently justified, is not any more problematic than Robb fighting for Northern independence), power is also the means through which Dany can make changes that benefit the common people.

With all that said, it’s ironic that Dany fans are often accused of flattening her character or her choices when it’s actually her detractors or “neutrals” (like the essayist) who do so - they are dead set on portraying Dany’s available options as either “good” or “bad” and on speculating that choosing the latter ones will lead to her downfall, but the text actually gives her conflicts in which all the options have their pros and cons.

The essayist also makes a mistake that isn’t really up to interpretation or difference in opinions. They say that, in AGOT Daenerys III, “after admitting this difficult truth [that Viserys will never take back the Seven Kingdoms], Dany assumes the goal for herself (and at the time, her son)”. That is incorrect. In AGOT Daenerys V, moments before Viserys’s death, Dany says she would have allowed him to have the dragon eggs because “he is my brother … and my true king”. Jorah doesn’t think she should still acknowledge him as such, but she tells him that “he is all I have”. So no, Dany hadn’t assumed the goal for herself at that point, she only took over his campaign in her son's name (not hers) after Viserys's death. But the essayist needs to exaggerate Dany's ambition to justify her demise, since they speculate that “in that hurt and betrayal, all that will be left - she will think - is the crown”.

3) When it comes to requirement 3 (prophecies and “influential accidents” - that is, events that “have roots in a character’s motivation”, as well as “the sense of ‘if only this had not happened’” - will “heighten and exaggerate [tragic flaws that] already [exist]” in Dany), the problem is not in cherry-picking or in double standards against Dany, but rather in the essayist’s lack of knowledge about Dany’s characterization. It’s simply not true that Dany’s distrust of people grows to the point that she closes herself off to them. Instead, I would argue that Dany is actually portrayed as someone with a healthy distrust of people. We know from the books (1, 2, 3, 4) that she finds it unlikely that Barristan, Grey Worm or Missandei would ever betray her, but that she doesn’t think she can rely entirely upon Reznak, the Green Grace, the Shavepate, Hizdahr and Daario. Do Dany’s doubts about these people’s intentions lead her to, as the essayist says, “push people away”? No. Through almost all of ADWD, she (wrongly, though understandably) believes that "until [freedmen and former masters stand together, Meereen will know no peace". Accordingly, Dany is willing to listen to the counsel of all of her advisors (both the ones she trusts and the ones she distrusts) to ensure that she makes informed decisions. To give some examples:

Dany allows “well spoken and gently born” people (i.e., not the typical condition of most former slaves, who are glad that Dany freed them) to sell themselves into slavery and imposes a tax each time men chose to do so like how it happened in Astapor (ASOS Daenerys VI). By making this decision, she agreed with both Missandei and Daario.

Dany employs the Unsullied to ask the Blue Graces if someone showed up with a sword wound and to ask butchers and herdsmen who’s been gelding goats (ADWD Daenerys I). By making this decision, she disagreed with Barristan.

Dany chooses not to punish any noble in response to the murder of Stalwart Shield and only increases the amount of gold for whoever gives information about the Sons of the Harpy (ADWD Daenerys I). By making this decision, she agreed with Reznak and disagreed with the Shavepate.

Dany gives up on banning the tokar and wears it herself (ADWD Daenerys I). By making this decision, she agreed with the Green Grace.

Dany (rightly) refuses to reopen the fighting pits for a while until she later relents in the name of the peace with the Meereenese nobles (ADWD Daenerys I, II, III, VI). By making this decision, she disagreed with Hizdahr, Reznak, the Green Grace and the Shavepate and agreed with Missandei.

Dany delays the choice of a husband until it becomes necessary later (ADWD Daenerys I). By making this decision, she disagreed with Reznak, the Shavepate and the Green Grace.

Dany chooses to pay the shepherds for the animals that they say their dragons ate (ADWD Daenerys I). By making this decision, she disagreed with Reznak.

Dany pays Hazzea’s father the blood price (i.e., one hundred times the worth of a lamb) for her death, lays her bones to rest in the Temple of the Graces and promises to pay for his children each year so they shall not want (ADWD Daenerys II). By making this decision, she disagreed with the Shavepate.

Dany allows the Shavepate to torture the wineseller and his daughters for information about the Sons (ADWD Daenerys II). By making this decision, she agreed with the Shavepate.

Dany imposes a blood tax on the noble families to pay for a new watch led by the Shavepate, takes the gold and the stores of food of any nobleman who wishes to leave the city and keeps two children from each pyramid as hostages instead of letting the nobles go unpunished after nine freedmen were killed by the Sons (ADWD Daenerys II). By making this decision, she agreed with the Shavepate and disagreed with Reznak.

Dany has Barristan and Groleo and his captains and sailors to inspect Xaro’s ships (ADWD Daenerys III). By making this decision, she agreed with Barristan.

Dany chooses not to go to Westeros despite being offered ships to do so (ADWD Daenerys III). By making this decision, she disagreed with Barristan.

Dany doesn’t kill her child hostages despite the Sons’ ongoing attacks (ADWD Daenerys IV). By making this decision, she agreed with the Green Grace and disagreed with the Shavepate.

Dany agrees to marry Hizdahr if he’s able to give her ninety days of peace in Meereen (ADWD Daenerys IV). By making this decision, she agreed with Hizdahr, the Green Grace and Reznak and disagreed with the Shavepate, Barristan, Missandei and Daario.

Dany refuses to gather the masters and kill them indiscriminately (ADWD Daenerys IV). By making this decision, she disagreed with Daario.

Dany doesn’t allow the Shavepate to continue his tortures due to their unreliable results (ADWD Daenerys V). By making this decision, she agreed with Hizdahr and disagreed with the Shavepate.

Dany refuses to use her dragons in battle (ADWD Daenerys V). By making this decision, she agreed with Reznak.

Dany decides not to take the field against Yunkai (ADWD Daenerys V). By making this decision, she agreed with the Shavepate and disagreed with Barristan.

Dany brings the food to the Astapori refugees instead of sending someone else to do it (ADWD Daenerys VI). By making this decision, she disagreed with Reznak, the Shavepate and Barristan.

Dany burns the dead among the Astapori refugees, bathes an old man and shames her men into helping her (ADWD Daenerys VI). By making this decision, she disagreed with Barristan.

Dany refuses to allow Hizdahr’s mother and sisters to inspect her womb and to wash Hizdahr’s feet before he washes hers (ADWD Daeneerys VI). By making this decision, she disagreed with the Green Grace and Reznak.

Dany decides to marry Hizdahr by Ghiscari rites and to wear a white tokar fringed with pearls (ADWD Daenerys VI). By making this decision, she agreed with the Green Grace and Reznak.

Dany allows Hizdahr to reopen the fighting pits (ADWD Daenerys VI). By making this decision, she agreed with Hizdahr, the Green Grace and Reznak.

Dany goes along with a peace agreement with the Yunkish slavers in which she’ll let Yunkai and Astapor reinstall slavery if they leave Meereen intact (ADWD Daenerys VI). By making this decision, she agreed with Hizdahr.

Dany holds court in order to, among other reasons, meet the Westerosi men that came over from the Windblown (ADWD Daenerys VII). By making this decision, she agreed with Daario.

Dany doesn’t accept Quentyn’s marriage proposal because she doesn’t want to abandon her people (ADWD Daenerys VII). By making this decision, she disagreed with Barristan.

Dany doesn’t ride a horse in a tokar to meet Hizdahr (ADWD Daenerys VII). By making this decision, she agreed with Missandei.

Dany decides not to sound out the Company of the Cats (even though she wanted to) because Barristan says he's untrustworthy (ADWD Daenerys VIII). By making this decision, she agreed with Barristan.

Dany attends the reopening of the pits (ADWD Daenerys IX). By making this decision, she disagreed with Missandei.

Dany allows the Brazen Beasts to guard her because she wants to show that she trusts them so that her people can trust them as well (ADWD Daenerys IX). By making this decision, she disagreed with Barristan.

Dany prevents Tyrion and Penny from fighting against lions with wooden swords. By making this decision, she disagreed with Hizdahr.

I didn’t include all of Dany’s decisions because she makes many of them on her own and/or without someone explicitly supporting them or opposing them (in fact, many of the ones above were made without any advisor giving her their feedback, but I listed them if they’re seen agreeing or disagreeing with her onpage anyway). That being said, note that Reznak is the one that Dany is most suspicious of (because he perfectly fits the description of one of the treasoners), but that five of her decisions follow his recommendations, in contrast to Barristan (the knight who she actually trusts and who keeps all her secrets) only having his advice followed twice. Also note that Dany “trusted Skahaz more than she trusted Hizdahr”, but she agreed with the former three times and disagreed with him eight times, in contrast to having agreed with the latter four times and disagreed with him twice. The list clearly shows that Dany listens to everyone’s feedback (including from people she distrusts), considers it carefully, makes her own decisions and handles dissent extremely well. Her actions reflect her own words (“A queen must listen to all. [...] One voice may speak you false, but in many there is always truth to be found”, “It seems to me that a queen who trusts no one is as foolish as a queen who trusts everyone”).

There is, however, one character who is seen only listening to people who agree with her and who distrusts and closes herself off to almost everyone - Cersei Lannister. And it’s especially worth noting that Cersei is meant to be “directly contrasted” with Dany, that the author was “doing point and counterpoint” with them and that each of them is meant to show “a different approach to how a woman would rule in a male dominated, medieval-inspired fantasy world”. In other words, Dany and Cersei are narrative foils, but Cersei’s traits are being transferred to Dany in this essay.

Also, I could just as easily create an entire narrative about how Sansa will end up closing herself off to people based on what we see on canon. She thought she could trust Joffrey, but she ultimately couldn’t. She thought she could trust Cersei, but she ultimately couldn’t. She trusted Sandor, but he left her. She tried to trust the Tyrells, but they ultimately disposed of her after she was no longer necessary. She tried to rely on Dontos, but he was a disappointment and was ultimately murdered. She doesn’t trust Littlefinger, but she needs to stick to his side because she has no better option. She considered telling the Vale lords her identity, but she doesn’t trust them. All of this feeds into Sansa’s distrust of others and will lead to tragic consequences. Indeed, as Sansa herself says, "In life, the monsters win". I bet that the essayist would find this whole speculation biased considering that they favor Sansa's character. But then, why is only Dany singled out as the one who is going to meet her demise even though it’s made clear that she continues to trust people through and through?

The essayist needs to say that Dany starts distrusting people to an unhealthy degree (“As Dany gains more power, [...] her focus on the treasons causes her to push people away, widening the gap between rulership and companionship”; ”The more power she gains, the greater her isolation and likely her fear of betrayal. The fear of betrayal is, of course, human. But GRRM has stated that he likes to turn dramatic situations up to 11, which is necessary to create the Shakespearean tragic hero. Dany’s fear must be larger than life.”), as well as to judge her campaign to take back the Seven Kingdoms based on double standards (“Dany’s great sin within the story’s moral order will have been focusing on the war for Westeros against Aegon VI before she turns to the enemy of the North”) compared to the Starks. If they didn’t do so, there wouldn’t be a reason to justify Dany’s demise. If they didn’t do so, the entire speculation that she’s a Shakespearean tragic hero falls apart. But saying that something is true doesn’t necessarily make it true, you need to provide the textual evidence (which they barely do … They assume that the reader will take almost everything they say for granted. After all, since there’s a prophecy foretelling that Dany will be betrayed three times, of course she’s going to distrust people way too much from now on).

There’s also another aspect of Dany’s relationship with prophecies that the essayist portrays inaccurately. They say that “the effect of this prophecy on Daenerys is multifaceted” for “[promising] greatness” (which, along with the also inaccurate statement that “part of Dany’s pursuit of the Iron Throne is born from a sense of destiny”, implies that Dany wants to be great or that she thinks of herself as great, none of which are true) and pushing her “further from the people who surround her”. I already questioned the latter statement, and the former is inaccurate too. After all, Dany has doubts that there are men in Westeros waiting for the Targaryens to return. The birth of the dragons has to do with the fact that Dany was able to put two and two together with clues from dragon dreams and Mirri's words, not because she thinks she's exceptional. Dany is not really sure that the red comet was meant for her. She followed its direction because the other paths weren't reliable and, even in Qarth, she's unsure that it was meant to guide her to success. Then she never thinks about it again. I'd expect otherwise from someone who thinks they're exceptional. Dany is surprised when told by Quaithe that she's the reason why magic is increasing in the world and never thinks or brags about it after their interaction. I'd expect otherwise from someone who thinks they're exceptional. Dany doesn't think she won any victories in the House of the Undying, she credits Drogon for burning the Undying Ones. She only allows Jhiqui to add a bell to the end of her braid because "the Dothraki would esteem her all the more for a few bells in her hair". Dany refuses to sit on the throne inside the Great Pyramid's audience chamber and chooses to sit on a simple ebony bench that the Meereenese think does "not befit a queen". Dany refuses the offer to have a statue in her image to replace the bronze harpy in the Plaza of Purification. I'd expect otherwise from someone who thinks they're exceptional. Dany is highly self-critical and, later in ADWD, thinks that she "was as clean as she was ever going to be" after taking a bath because she holds herself accountable for the upcoming slaughter in the opening of the fighting pits. I'd expect different from someone that thinks they're exceptional. Dany doesn’t think that the people who came to the reopening of the pits wanted to see her - “it was my floppy ears they cheered, not me”. I'd expect different from someone that thinks they're exceptional. Most of Dany's titles (the Unburnt, Mother of Dragons, Mhysa, Azor Ahai, etc) are given to her by other people, they're not self-proclaimed (not that there's a problem if they were, I'm only saying it to reiterate that Dany doesn't think she's exceptional). The ones that she assumes on her own are the ones that anyone who believes in birthright (i.e., everyone in her time and place, regardless of family, regardless of whether they're Targaryens) would assume.

4) When it comes to requirement 4 (Dany will (according to the essayist’s speculations) take actions that produce “exceptional calamity” and her demise will be “her own choice and doing”) … Well, we now enter the realm of speculation. It’s not impossible that Dany “will feel like a villain to the Westerosi, as she burns their villages and crops ahead of a hard winter” in the future. The problem here, once again, is in the double standards. Look at the way the essayist describes the likely reascendance of the Starks in the upcoming books - “With the death of “good” characters like Ned, the injury of innocents and moments such as the Red Wedding, ASOIAF as a story is not concerned with justice. But as the story progresses, we see that the way Ned ruled his people and raised his children contrasts with characters like Tywin and his methods. Much of the North seems to continue to rally behind the idea of the Starks, some with less “honorable” methods than others, while Tywin’s legacy begins to fall apart. Like in Shakespeare’s tragic world, there appears to be an order that arcs towards a higher idea of goodness that instills a dramatic satisfaction”. Like I said above when I questioned requirement 2, the Starks’ claim to the North is no more justified than Dany’s to the Seven Kingdoms. They have the advantage of having had their rule normalized throughout the thousands of years they ruled the North, but it doesn’t change the fact that, because they’re feudal lords, they still maintain a system rigged in favor of the nobles that promotes social inequality and extreme lack of social mobility. It doesn’t change the fact that there's no righteous form of feudalism. But only Dany is criticized in that sense by the essayist - “By nature, power breeds inequality, when one party has the ability to decide the fate of another. That inequality creates distance. As a queen Dany wields absolute power over the rest of her subjects and her court”. Which is pretty infuriating not only because the Starks are also morally grey in the sense that the essayist describes, but also because GRRM specifically mentioned that Daenerys is the ruler "who wants equality for everyone, she wants to be at the same level as her people". Additionally, if Ned left a legacy that motivated his people to fight against his enemies, so did Dany with the former slaves. But the essayist needs to ignore all of that to paint Dany as a Shakespearean tragic hero.

Even if we don’t take into account what TWOIAF reveals about the Starks’ ancestors, the main story itself often paints House Stark’s actions in a negative light. We see a peasant spitting at the mention of the Starks and saying that things were better with King Aerys II in power. We're told that Northmen looking for Jaime on Edmure’s orders burned a village called Sallydance and were guilty of rape and murder. It’s no wonder that the High Sparrow mentions the wolves along with the lions as threats to the septas. Also, thousands of soldiers died indirectly because of Robb’s decisions, as well as lots of people who remained north and became vulnerable to raping and pillaging due to his inability to hold Winterfell. And finally, when winter comes, the smallfolk will be affected by the actions of the northmen, who (like Dany might do in the future) already helped to disrupt the harvest and to leave the continent short on food. And yet, why is their future success framed as “an order that arcs towards a higher idea of goodness”? Why is Dany the only one who is said to be “giv[ing] into dark desires” by “divid[ing] an already weakened realm” when the Starks (framed as the heroes in the essay) did the same thing? This double standard gets infuriating when one remembers that Dany is the one fighting a war in the name of the disenfranchised (even though she is not connected to them by blood or lands or oath of fealty and doesn’t gain anything by helping them), while the Starks are (and will be, if they want to retake Winterfell) fighting a war because of personal injury (which, sympathetic as it may be, doesn’t justify the damage that they caused to the smallfolk). It gets even more infuriating when, as @rakharo pointed out to me, one remembers that, while Dany is trying to right the wrongs of the Valyrians by ending slavery in Slaver’s Bay, none of the Starks have acknowledged, much less tried to make amends for injustices perpetrated by the First Men against the Children of the Forest. It gets even more infuriating when one remembers that Aegon the Conqueror united Westeros in preparation for the War for the Dawn (something that GRRM himself confirmed), while the Starks’ ancestors conquered the North solely because of their greed. That's why Dany’s story can’t be effective as a tragedy: she’d be punished for starting to do what everyone else was doing after doing more than almost everyone else was doing.

5) When it comes to requirement 5 (Dany “[rose] high in position” and is “an exceptional being”, which sets her apart as a character that fits the mold of the Shakespearean tragedy because her reversal of fortune will highlight “the greatness and piteousness of humanity”), again, we’re in the realm of speculation. But there are some things to question as well. First, the essayist validates the criticisms that Dany “too easily ascends to a position of power” by using them as proof that she’s a tragic character. But that’s not really true, which becomes clear with a few comparisons: the Starks lost their father, mother and older brother throughout the story because of the Lannisters, which Dany also did; but her losses go beyond them: she also lost another brother, her first husband and her first child. The Starks had their direwolves given to them, Dany had to use her intuition and then literally walk into a fire to birth her dragons. Aegon the Conqueror used dragons to take Westeros, Dany conquered three cities without barely using hers. Jon Snow’s conflict in ADWD involves conciliating the Free Folk and the Night’s Watch after he makes decisions favoring the former group, while Dany’s involves conciliating the freedmen and the slavers after she makes decisions favoring the former group, which has a worldwide impact; Jon’s conflict has relatively low stakes (because it hasn’t involved the Others so far), Dany’s conflict leads to “half the world” wanting her dead. As these examples show, Dany suffered more losses than the Starks. Dany had to do a lot more than the Starks to find her animal companions. Dany became a conqueror primarily because of her military strategies and resourcefulness without relying on dragonfire like her ancestor. Dany faced greater opposition than her male counterpart Jon so far. As we can see, gaining power and retaining it has not been easy for Dany at all. Every single one of her accomplishments has been earned. But it sure is interesting that Dany’s supposed future tragedies must stem from her actions, but that her victories aren’t given the proper credit and acknowledged as being a result of what she also did as well.

And then the essayist declares something even more inaccurate: that Dany “overcame each obstacle that came her way” and that “Robb and Jon paid for their mistakes while Dany did not” (which, to the essayist, is evidence that “Dany’s fall is meant to stand in contrast as something grander than just one slip-up”).

First of all, Dany clearly did not overcome every obstacle that came her way. Saying so means ignoring all of her ADWD storyline (and it’s funny how Dany's detractors go from saying that she’s overpowered and hasn’t suffered consequences to accusing her of being a bad ruler precisely because she dealt with the negative consequences of her choices, lol). To recap, Dany had an indirect part in the wars outside Meereen because she left the Yunkish slavers’ wealth intact, which leads to terrible consequences - multiple city-states and sellsword companies joining forces against her, Astapor’s fall, the pale mare’s outbreak, the emergence of refugees from Astapor outside her city and the upcoming Battle of Fire. Dany had an indirect role in the wars inside Meereen because she left most of the Meereenese slavers alive with most of their wealth intact, which leads to terrible consequences - the Sons of the Harpy’s attacks and dozens of freedmen’s deaths. Additionally, Dany had an indirect role in Hazzea’s death because Drogon was allowed to roam freely and she had no way to train him or her brothers. All these problems culminate in Dany agreeing with a peace deal that, as already explained here, was inherently unjust for prioritizing the slavers over the freedmen. Dany had to learn that, as much as she wants peace and to plant trees, there are situations in which she can’t be merciful because violence really is the only way to achieve justice for the disenfranchised. (On the flip side, that’s one of the reasons why I’m critical of the theory that Dany accidentally burns King’s Landing. When she was merciful, as I just listed, great tragedies occurred (which is fine, it was a realistic exploration of what happens when you abolish slavery and try to do good). When she used fire and blood, great tragedies will occur too? Even though she would be acting just like the Starks or any other feudal lord by fighting for her birthright? The theory narratively punishes Dany in a way that it doesn't do with the Starks, which is why it's no wonder that it was created by someone with Stark/Stannis biases. Additionally, it validates the common belief that Dany is only meant to be a wartime queen, even though she’s already showed that she’s a good peacetime ruler.)

Second, is dying the only way to pay for one’s mistakes (considering that only Robb and Jon are listed as examples of characters who did)? I don’t think so. Consider Sansa. Didn’t she pay for the mistake of going to Cersei to tell her of Ned’s plan? I would say she did. I would say the author agrees - “Sansa was the least sympathetic of the Starks in the first book; she has become more sympathetic, partly because she comes to accept responsibility for her part in her father's death”. Similarly, Dany had to accept her indirect responsibility for the tragedies that I just listed (Hazzea, forgive me; No marriage would ever bring them back to life, but if a husband could help end the slaughter, then she owed it to her dead to marry.; “I should’ve gone to Astapor. [...] I am the queen. It was my place to know.”; “What kind of mother has no milk to feed her children?”). I would argue that Dany and Sansa both paid for her mistakes, which were acknowledged, made them suffer and influenced their character developments. But the essayist needs to say that Dany didn’t pay for them (or that she had an easy rise to power) to help to paint her as a Shakespearean tragic hero.

6) Now that the essayist’s five requirements have all been questioned, I would also like to mention positive prophecies and speculations related to Dany that are never brought up in this essay.

First, Dany is AA/PTWP/SWMTW. That was heavily foreshadowed (read more about it here) and built up to and, if it doesn’t happen, it frankly would be bad writing. After all, haven’t readers praised GRRM for the foreshadowing of Ned’s death (e.g., a stag having killed the mother direwolf in the beginning of AGOT)? Haven’t readers praised GRRM for the foreshadowing of the Red Wedding (which we see from Tyrion’s to Theon’s to Dany’s chapters)? And yet, the essayist thinks that Dany’s death will cause “the forces [to] become more even, making victory less sure, or the Others surpass the side of the living in strength” and that “the White Walkers gain Drogon, becoming one-on-one but with the White Walkers having the larger dragon.”

Second, Dany and Bran both have dreams in AGOT leading up to their magical awakening. Bran needs to fly to escape from the “cold” of the darkness below, while Dany needs to run from the “icy breath behind”. Both of these dreams culminate with Bran and Dany learning to fly and accepting their magical destinies, which will be important in the War for the Dawn. And yet, the essayist thinks that “by understanding that the concept of warmth is tied to companionship, we can understand that the cold, “icy breath” must represent the opposite: loneliness” to justify Dany’s demise. Instead, it's clear (especially considering the parallels with Bran) that "icy breath" is an allusion to the Others. But they can't acknowledge that Dany will have a crucial role in the War for the Dawn, otherwise their entire speculation falls apart.

Third, Quaithe was presented as the third of the three Qartheen envoys (after Pyat Pree and Xaro) that came to find Dany in Vaes Tolorro, which heavily implies that she breaks the norm and is the one person that Dany can trust. And yet, the essayist takes for granted that Quaithe’s “narrative connection to betrayal is already established”.

Fourth, Dany might as well be the prophesied betrayer, not the one who’s betrayed by three people (after all, she’s already been betrayed by more than three people - Jorah, Mirri, Pyat Pree, Xaro, Brown Ben, the person that gave her the poisoned locusts, etc). It would fit with the pattern of Dany being an active participant in the prophecies rather than a passive one (e.g. Dany is AA/PTWP, not the one who gives birth to the AA/PTWP or the one who dies as a sacrifice to AA/PTWP) even though, at first, the readership is expected to think otherwise. And yet, the essayist takes for granted that Dany will be betrayed because otherwise their entire speculation falls apart.

Fifth, Dany is foreshadowed to have a positive relationship with Jon because “the blue flower” from the “wall of ice” filled the air with “sweetness”. And yet, the essayist needs to say that Dany "[will push] Jon away [...] from fear of betrayal and hurt” and from worries that he might be a “usurper” (nevermind that they are mischaracterizing Dany as someone overfocused on retaking the Iron Throne and who closes herself off due to prophecies, none of which are not true, as I already showed above) because otherwise their entire speculation falls apart.

7) Finally, I would also like to ask: what’s the point of giving Dany a storyline like this? Not only because it would be unearned due to the double standards and the changes that would have to occur in her characterization, but also because Dany has a special place in the narrative. She is 1) one of the two women (along with Asha) claiming power in her own right and the only one that we actually got to see rule, 2) one of three Chosen Ones (along with Bran and Jon) and the only female one, 3) one of two POV revolutionaries (along with Jon) and the only female one (and the one whose storyline arguably has the most political messages since she’s fighting against human slavery), 4) one of two POV female rulers (along with Cersei) and the only one who’s been depicted as competent (because she subverts the Good Princess Evil Queen dichotomy), 5) one of two Targaryen conquerors (three, if Young Griff does indeed take Westeros) and the only female one - “Aegon the Conqueror with teats”, 6) the only major mother who isn’t sure to be doomed and/or hasn’t gone mad, 7) one of two Targaryen queens regnant (along with Rhaenyra) and the only remaining Targaryen woman who gets to have power after a long line of Targaryen women - Rhaenyra herself, but also Rhaena, Aerea, Rhaella, Daenerys (Alysanne’s daughter), Rhaenys the Queen Who Never Was, Baela, Rhaena of Pentos, Daena - who were disempowered. GRRM already has a terrible history with female leaders in particular. If he causes the downfall of another one (especially one who is also one of the five main protagonists) for such unearned reasons like the ones that the essayist laid out, there would also be sexist implications. It would make the only she-king that we saw wielding power onpage overly defined by violence and destruction in a way kings don't have to be depending on their actions, it makes the only competent POV female ruler look incompetent in comparison to the other POV male rulers and it makes her conquest a disaster while the other male Targaryen conqueror (two, if Young Griff takes Westeros) gets to succeed. And yet, death by childbirth is the only speculation that the essayist calls out as problematic (“death by childbirth is a uniquely biologically female phenomenon and would be punishing Daenerys for her sexuality”).

8) What I find insidious about essays like this one is that they pretend to be unbiased (I do not argue for the death of Daenerys as a judgement on her ethical/moral goodness as a character nor of the world she inhabits. I argue it on the strength of her characterization and story, that she should be able to encompass such intensity and greatness as to be considered as complex as all these other single-name headliners in literature.) even though they really aren't. To recap, the essayist portrays Dany as someone with "violent" impulses even though she's a merciful person in general, accepts the peace deal with the slavers as valid even though it prioritizes the slavers' privileges over the lives of marginalized people, only talks about the negative connotations of fire, downplays Dany's compassion and sense of justice, argues that Dany is losing her ability to trust others even though she isn't, says that Dany is negatively affected by promises of greatness even though she isn't, argues that Dany had an easy rise to power and didn't pay for her mistakes even though she did, paints Dany's campaign to take the Iron Throne in a negative light without doing the same with the Starks having dominance over the North and ignores Dany's foreshadowing as AA/PTWP, as well as her special place in the narrative. So it’s not that Dany stans are unable to accept Dany’s mistakes and flaws, it’s that people who dislike her can’t understand her characterization or acknowledge the double standards against her or accept her particular place in the story. At the end of the day, an essay like this one is no better than jonsa metas mindlessly hating on Dany because, just like them, as @semperty and @niniane17 made clear, it also creates speculations with the intent of making Dany self-destruct and become irrelevant to pave the way for their preferred characters. The only difference is that it's more successful at appearing "neutral" to someone who doesn't remember what happened in the books very well, especially because Dany has become a polarizing character for a variety of reasons and it's easy to buy into the Appeal to Moderation fallacy.

Also, as I said before, the fact that these Twitter 'neutrals' all misunderstand Dany's characterization, downplay her struggles and judge her by different standards actually makes me somewhat hopeful that she's getting a better ending, because how can their speculations come true if they don't know Dany at all? But then, it's hard to trust GRRM.

[froggysoup]

wowee

Alrighty I’m just gonna ramble on about my thoughts on the new quest (and things in general because I talk too much) and pray that at least some of it ends up coherent. Spoilers, by the way.

I’ve had this first theory since the last archon quest but got nervous and didn’t share, so here it is now. Maybe it’s an obvious thing that I’m just in the dark about, but I’m fairly sure that Dainsleif’s “Boughkeeper” title has a large part in explaining why he knows so much about things he really shouldn’t. From the newest quest, we learn that he is actually cursed with immortality, which could explain some it, but the guy still knows too much for it to simply be chalked up to his age. He’s literally the designated narrator for half of the official videos and knows a lot about what and who he talks about.

I suspect that the ley lines serve as an information network of some sort, and that Dainsleif’s position as Boughkeeper allows him access to it in one way or another. The only other places we really see the whole tree/branch thing is with the ley line branches, Irminsul trees, the Frostbearing Tree, and the tree who once had roots that spanned the whole continent (which we know the ley line branches were once directly a part of), all of which are connected in a way that I haven’t quite figured out yet. 

Now, from those screens that come up while the game is loading, we know that supposedly, the intertwined roots of the Irminsul trees far beneath the earth determine the pattern of the ley lines above, and we also know that ley lines are a “mysterious network that links the whole world together” and that they are said to remember everything that happens in the world. From this, I don’t think it’d be that much of a reach to say that Dainsleif can access that somehow.

Next. I do think there’s a pretty good chance that the Archons were involved in the destruction of Khaenri’ah. The Viridescent Venerer set actually tells us how the former Dendro Archon died during the cataclysm while in Khaenri’ah, which. Uh. That’s kind of really incriminating. 

However! Obviously, we’ve only heard this from Dainsleif’s point of view and he’s pretty biased considering his whole thing. We don’t know how much control Celestia has over the Archons’ actions, either, and I’m about 98% sure that some of them weren’t into it, and likely didn't even have a choice. Like, look at the Tsaritsa. Her whole thing is that sometime during the cataclysm, she witnessed something so view-shattering and unjust that her whole thing now is to “burn away the old world” and overthrow Celestia. 

I also can’t see Venti and Zhongli going along with the destruction of an entire nation with no hesitation. Like, obviously, again, Dainsleif is going to be biased, but from what we’ve been told Khaenri’ah didn’t even do anything divine-retribution-worthy. Celestia just seems be into dropping skyscraper-sized pillars and other things onto nations who get too good at being independent, for whatever reason. The new quest is definitely supposed to make us question the current systems of this world but I don’t think we’re meant to hate Venti or Zhongli, at least yet. I think they’re even kind of meant to be seen as the “best” out of the Archons, so to speak. (Not that I think they’re perfect, by any means.)

Like, just look at the way they’ve been presented to us, versus how some of the other Archons have been introduced (Storyline Trailer, my beloved). 

Raiden Shogun is made out to be some self-absorbed divine ass-kisser who doesn’t have humanity’s best interests at heart (which we know is supposed to be a thing you do as an Archon). She’s doing her whole confiscating visions and oppressive rule thing in an effort to be seen as more divine, but, as Dainsleif puts it, “what do mortals see of the eternity chased after by their god?”

The Dendro Archon/God of Wisdom is implied to not actually be as smart as somebody with that title is supposed to be, one way or another, and either has turned a blind eye to or blatantly encourages the “push for folly” in Sumeru. Can’t tell exactly what that would mean or entail (thanks, Dainsleif), but obviously. Doesn’t sound good.

Dainsleif says of the Hydro Archon that she “lives for the spectacle of the courtroom, seeking to judge all other gods. But even she knows not to make an enemy of the divine.” While the not making an enemy of the divine thing I get (I guess, coward), the whole “seeking to judge all other gods” bit seems very “remove the log from your own eye”-y. Like, you’re an Archon, too, what are you trying to prove here?

The Tsaritsa is- well, the Tsaritsa, as we know. While I do think we are meant to sympathize and agree with at least part of her core ideals and motives, she still is the one behind the Fatui and is, by extension, a war criminal. She also apparently has “no love left for her people”. It’s a bit of a complicated relationship that we have with her.

The only ones who Dainsleif does not directly slander in the trailer are Venti, Zhongli, and Murata. While I don’t think we have enough on her to come to any conclusions about her character yet, Venti does say of her that she is a “wayward, war-mongering wretch”. Now, he does also jab at Rex Lapis during this voiceline, but unlike with Murata we know that those two are buddy-buddy and it was very likely that it was “buffoon (affectionate)”.

Venti and Zhongli are also the first two Archons we encounter, which is important for multiple reasons.

Gonna derail for a bit because I don’t know where to start. But. The game very likely will (or at least should) end with no Archons.

Obviously, especially in light of the new quest (although this stuff has been floating around since the Dragonspine update and even before that), Celestia Bad. Like, cataclysmically bad (lmao). In fact, I’m highly certain that you could trace basically every problem in this game back to them, some way or another.

Even our main “villain” groups all seem to be gunning for Celestia. The Fatui obviously work for the Tsaritsa, who’s made it very clear that she plans to rebel against the divine. The Abyss Order, too, has their Deeply Upsetting plan of creating a mechanized god with the power to “topple the divine thrones of Celestia”.

Evidence points to an overthrow of Celestia at some point in the game, and considering how being an Archon or even a god is directly tied to Celestia, yeah. No more Celestia means no more Archons.

But even besides that, there’s a lot there to suggest that that’s where things are going.

I find it interesting how Mondstadt’s our prologue chapter, or that there’s even a prologue chapter of the game at all. Prologues are meant to set up ideas that will be present throughout the rest of the story, and Mondstadt does exactly that. Venti’s let the people of Mondstadt govern themselves and has almost completely been out of the equation for millennia, even if that means he is significantly weaker than his godly peers. When asked why he chose to do that instead of remain in charge and just give them freedom, Venti responds that “freedom, if demanded of you by an archon, is really no freedom at all.” This sentiment is also brought up in the Mondstadt portion of the storyline trailer, and the traveler even has a whole voiceline debating what Venti really meant when he said that.

This idea of freedom and that humanity is capable on its own is further reinforced in Chapter 1, in which Liyue learns to move on from the death of its Archon. Zhongli set up his plan with the intention of testing if his people could stand on their own legs without him there to guide them, and they do. He even expresses how pleasantly surprised he is that the Qixing were able to take advantage of the situation and seize control like they did. Keqing gives us this whole speech when we first meet her about how the adepti and gods underestimate humanity’s capability and how Liyue’s future is meant to be a godless one. This, in a way, extends to the rest of the continent as well.

In the storyline trailer (which I quote too often, I’m sorry. My favorite and only party trick is that I got bored one day and memorized the whole thing), Dainsleif spends the entire Khaenri’ah section musing about something similar. 

“In the perpetual meantime of a sheltered eternity, most are content to live and not to dream. But in the hidden corner where the gods’ gaze does not fall, there are those who dream of dreaming,” is obviously about the people of Teyvat vs. those in Khaenri’ah. While a future under the care of the Archons is a safe and reliable one, is it one that allows humanity to chase its potential to the fullest? Khaenri’ah was destroyed for flourishing like it did without gods, both as a punishment and a warning to everybody else.

“Some say a few are chosen and the rest are dregs, but I say we humans have our humanity.” This is in reference to visions. Throughout the game, this idea that, at least in the eyes of the gods, vision holders are more important than those without them, is constantly brought up.

In the commission “Leaves on the Wind”, Dr. Edith expresses how it often seems as if vision holders are the main characters of this world. From the notebooks we receive during the “Time and Wind” world quest, we learn that the Sumeru Academia actually discourages non-vision holders from conducting outdoor surveys, and how “these days... trying to be an academic when you don't have a Vision, it's really restricting...” Dainsleif even just straight up asks us what we think the gods think of vision holders and people in general during question time in that one quest.

In Lisa’s stories, we learn that the reason for her laziness is that a part of her is afraid of learning or doing too much, after witnessing what “uninhibited erudition” can do to people during her time in Sumeru. She also senses that something beneath the surface is happening regarding the distribution of visions. “For whatever reasons, the gods gave humans the key to changing everything, but they did not explain the cost involved. Lisa grew fearful of the truth.”

I forgot exactly where I was going with that last paragraph, but yeah. There’s definitely sketchy shit going on behind the scenes in regards to visions, possibly to keep people either quiet or complacent. I suspect it may even be to restrict access to certain knowledges or even the elements themselves. Anyways.

I lose track of my thoughts too often. Fuck. Right. Mondstadt and Liyue served as good examples of society under the rule of the Archons, and in Chapter 2 we will encounter our first bad example, showing us the pros and cons of the current situation. However, despite Zhongli and Venti seeming to genuinely care for their people, humanity’s wellbeing shouldn’t be reliant on how their god is feeling that day, and they shouldn’t have to look to the gods for a chance to become something greater than themselves, either.

Um. All that’s to say I’m just very excited to see where the story will go, and if Zhongli’s contract with the Tsaritsa is any indication then it’s gonna go somewhere good. Celestia bad, Archons bad but also not bad but also bad, I don’t know if what I just wrote actually even counts as understandable, thank you and good night.

[ihopesocomic]

iirc I think one of you said you liked the Redwall books. What's your take on the "racism" that goes in the books with the villains (the vermin, like rats, foxes, weasels and so on) and the good characters like the mice? Is there anything you would've written differently?

Oh boy, I have a lot to say on this. A lot of it does not differ from what various Redwall fans have expressed already but here goes:

As much as I like the Redwall books, I've never enjoyed the black and white mentality that "vermin will always remain vermin" (which is quoted quite a few times by several characters). Jacques even goes as far as to portray the vermin not even caring for their own kin or each other, with the relationship between Ferahgo the Assassin and his son, Klitch (from Salamandastron) being the closest to avert this. Even so, they spend most of their time backchatting each other and trying to outdo one another.

Even when Jacques tries to mix things up by making vermin "good" and woodlanders "bad", these characters are still pretty grey and they still follow a pattern. For example: voles - while starting out as good in the case of Rollo and his sister, Cynthia, (from Mattimeo) - become the grey species. Even when they're good, they're still grey and are often criminals like vermin themselves. It's just viewed as OK because their crimes are often committed against vermin as well as woodlanders. Whereas vermin are demonised for the exact same crimes (i.e. thievery). Whatever "good" vermin (which amounts to maybe three or four characters throughout the whole book series) there is, their goodness is marred by some pretty heinous acts, like killing someone. Accidentally or otherwise. Even Blaggut (the only true good vermin character in the series) is implicated in the murder of a beloved character and him being reformed is hardly explored. It just seems like Jacques came up with these examples on the spot to try and fend off ideas of racism in the series, as opposed to being actually interested in breaking his formula. Which is a shame because he's a good writer and he should've known breaking the formula isn't a bad thing. In fact: it could've made for a better story.

The two most egregious examples for me though are Tagg from Taggerung and Veil Sixclaw from Outcast of Redwall. Tagg - for some bizarre reason - is naturally good and angelic despite being raised by a band of vermin. He never exhibits any sadism or a desire to kill even when defending himself, and it's never explained why. It's just 'oh, he's an otter who was originally from Redwall and he's our protagonist so he's naturally good - so there!', which is fine and all but he has no idea of his origins until so many chapters into the book. What would've been better is if he'd developed some evil traits and the book was about him finding out his entire life was a lie and trying to better himself and make amends. He had it in him to be an interesting character but he's ultimately a copy-and-paste of other Redwall protagonists and yep, just extremely disappointing how the concept of an evil otter trying to reform himself was never explored.

Veil Sixclaw as a character just pisses me off. Like Tagg, he's seemingly born with his "natural" alignment (evil instead of good, because he's a ferret) despite receiving no love or attention from his natural parents and being raised by the good beasts of Redwall. The annoying thing is that the "good" characters that find him all behave like jerks and treat him like evil incarcerate because - get this - he does whatever tiny baby animal would do and bites fingers. I mean, wow. How dare he.

The lesson here should be: don't judge people based on their origins and Jacques seems to be setting the stage for it... except nobody is called out for doing this to Veil.

And naturally, what happens is that he ends up growing up into an antisocial teenager who has obviously been judged and blamed for things his entire life. Yes, he is often the culprit but if he has been blamed for such things even when he is innocent, of course he's going to declare 'fuck it!' and do these things anyway. What's the point in trying to be good if people are always going to view you as bad based on what species you are? Jacques then sees to it that the poor kid is portrayed as being an unfeeling asshole and it's like 1) he's a kid, 2) he's an orphan and the sole ferret living in a community of mice and 3) said mice blame him for every misdeed under the sun.

And then he deliberately poisons a member of the Abbey and it's like jfc why?? Again, the stage was set for the book to deliver a pretty powerful lesson and Jacques completely messes up by having Veil be completely evil anyway.

What I would've done is had Veil be a reckless but misunderstood youth. He's lazy and disobedient but he's a good person at heart. He's just never been given a chance, so why bother? He knows that his adoptive mother, Bryony, loves him and she's about the only person he 'lets in' and allows to see his true self, which is somebody who wants to fit in and prove himself to the other creatures of the Abbey. He's still blamed for things by certain residents of the Abbey because of past misbehaviour but he's either innocent or dragged into things by a gaggle of mischievous young mice, because he's desperate to be liked and have friends.

And when the poisoning occurs, there's a completely innocent explanation for it (i.e. there was a mix up or w/e) and he is blamed and exiled from the Abbey like in the original book. He's distraught that nobody but Bryony had his back and sets out to find his real family. Instead of being an utter dick to Bryony, he maintains that he cares about her but refuses to return to the Abbey on the grounds that nobody liked or appreciated him there. Which is the truth. That's not in his head. He eventually finds his real family and, instead of Swartt - his father - being a prick towards him like in the book (seriously, this is how all parent-child vermin relationships in the books go down), he's accepted by him and his horde and appreciated for who and what he is... Except Swartt wants him to do bad shit - like killing people - alongside him and Veil has to decide between staying with him (because he grows to love him as a father) and taking off with Bryony. I'd still like the ending to remain the same. It would make me sob like a baby but at least Veil would have the chance to show that he is truly good to the core, despite what his many detractors would maintain.

I love these books, there's absolutely no denying that but the whole 'these species are vermin and they shall always be vermin and shall always behave like vermin' angle really got stale and kinda problematic after so many books and I'm sure a lot of Redwall fans agree with him. I just really wish Jacques had deviated more and explored aversions to his own formula. Fortunately, stuff outside of his canon (i.e. a family of stoats in some of the spin-off video games) has been exploring the concept. Which I hope continues. - RJ