#but i was just curious what other people would've done in that situation

[non-operator]

Okay so, imagine you are stuck somewhere and you know you definitely can't get out for a while and you will definitely die of starvation before any help arrives.

Right by you are a human corpse and a humanoid supernatural creature corpse (vampire, werewolf, etc).

... I feel like you can tell where this is going...

I guess the "what the fuck is wrong with you" choice is just you choosing to die.

Explain your answers in the tags or replies or something.

I don't want to interfere with the poll, so my choice would be the humanoid creature. Because it's not human, so it's not cannibalism. Also, if eating it gives me magical side effects, there might be the chance that I either live longer on that one meal or I die faster.

[violeteclipseboaty]

So I recently went to go watch KOTPOTA again. I wanted to share my thoughts overall on the film, I couldn't properly do it before because I had forgotten some stuff lol

The pacing: at first watch I though it was kinda weird but watching it again I realized it pretty much went straight to the point, if anything I wanted MORE but you know the movie would've been too long but I wouldn't have minded either way. I mean, I've watched the Avatar and Harry Potter movies, so yeah I could've handled that lol

I really like the environment they set up with the eagle clan; their culture, their tradition with the eggs, and their bond with the eagles. I hope we get to see more details in the next movie.

The cinematography was amazing, they really nailed it. The sceneries were outstanding. A lot of that stuff reminded me back to Rise, back when it was filled with human life, now sadly the structures are abandoned and overtaken by nature but look pretty either way. The action scenes omg were so engaging and just done so well.

Let's talk about the main characters:

Noa: Great character. He's curious, smart, brave, and compassionate. I know a lot of people wanted him to be Caesar's descendant but i didnt really care about that. I'm excited where his next journey will take us if they have the chance to make a sequel (please 🙏) I'm pretty sure at the end of the film, Noa now has a new view of the world he lives in and now questioning his entire existence lol

Raka: loved him!! I really like how he truly understood what Caesar stood for. I did notice some things he believed were wrong lol but he's got the spirit and would lighten up the mood after what happened with Noa's clan. He's got a good heart, he sacrificed himself for Mae despite knowing her for a very short amount of time after all. Also I refuse to believe he's dead so there's that also and I hope he comes back to guide both Mae and Noa onto the path for the coexistence of both apes and humans.

Soona: I really wish we could've gotten more scenes with her, but I really like her. She's brave, sweet, and a ride or die for both Noa and Anaya. I hope we get to see her more in the next film

Anaya: yall already know cause I made a seperate post lol but loved him and I wish we had more scenes with him as well! I felt so bad for him when we see him again with Proximus, he's been through enough!

Proximus: he was a great villian and I did not like him, which is good! Not all villians need a sad backstory, this dude was clearly only hungry for power. He was twisting Caesar's words, enslaving other apes, killing humans, and wanted access to technology capable of bringing destruction and chaos. He's smart and knows how to be resourceful. I find it funny that he was talking smack about humans yet his way of thinking and actions are similar to the bad side of humanity. I only wish we could've gotten more scenes with him; he was underused and I thought he would have a much bigger role based on the trailers, but I enjoyed his presence overall.

Mae: I've already made a seperate post about her character and I still sorta feel the same way about her. Rewatching it again, I got to sympathize more with her situation. She's a survivor who clearly grew up and was taught misinformation about apes, but after meeting Raka and bonding with Noa; i truly believe she'll come around and change her mind. I believe in her, and I hope we get to see her again and get more of her backstory to understand her better.

The movie was great. The plot, visuals, and acting were so well done. I took about 5 years for them to work on this, and it SHOWS. Their dedication shows that when enough time is given; movies that involve CGI can be done properly. I'm sick of projects being crunched and the visuals ending up looking like 💩 because the teams/artists aren't appreciated enough. I definitely recommend watching at least twice, and I pray for a sequel.

[vavoomed-for-crowley]

"What If"... Aziraphale really wanted to confess in S2 Ep5?

... and they wouldn't have been interrupted? Now, hear me out. Aziraphale didn't know that demons were waiting outside, which is why he didn't share Crowley's worries. Let's just pretend for the following scene that the demons never threw the brick because they simply couldn't do any harm to the bookshop and were forced to wait for the doors to open.

Crowley had made his way through the dancing people and appeared right behind Aziraphale, who watched the scenery with a smile. "Making it rain is one thing, but a Ball with..." Crowley tried to find the right words for that absurd scenario he was in. "Look, there's something wrong. There is something really wrong." Aziraphale tried to breath even, he felt nervous as he thought about his plan once again but he was ready to shoot his try.

"Well, perphaps you could tell me" he began even before turning around to look at Crowley. "... while we dance." He looked expectantly at the demon.

"You don't dance" Crowley said sceptical, brows furrowed.

Since the reaction wasn't exactly a 'No', Aziraphale grabbed Crowley's hand excitedly and dragged him along to join the others dancing. A wide smile was spread across his face, unable to hide the joy he felt. This was perfect, utterly romantic even.

Crowley was more than just confused. Everything felt so odd, not to mention the danger awaiting them outside the bookshop. If his angel would just listen... They were safe for now but this evening couldn't last forever. Overwhelmed by the entire situation, Crowley somehow just went with it. He knew they could dance, he knew they weren't part of the miracle, yet Crowley was surprised how well they knew the steps and moved together. And that it didn't bother him at all to dance with his angel in an utterly exaggeratedly cheesy situation like this. His hand lay softly on Aziraphale's, fingers slightly curled around his hand. Their touch so softly, so gentle and not even planned but Aziraphale noticed every detail of it, his heart racing as they moved. First, he thought Crowley had curled his finger like that by accident but with every new time their hands touched, Crowley's fingers curled around his hand again like it was the most natural thing. Their eyes met and did Crowley just blush? Aziraphale's heart sure skipped a beat.

Actually, Aziraphale was curious to see how Maggie and Nina were doing but he couldn't take his eyes off Crowley. He looked so handsome and everything about this moment felt so good, he wanted it to last forever. Knowing that this was impossible, Aziraphale tried to capture every little detail to at least remember it whenever he wanted to.

"Hell has sent demons" Crowley said gravely and disturbed Azirphale's thoughts. His brows were furrowed, jaw clenched. If Aziraphale wouldn't have been so caught up in the moment, he would've realized that Crowley was actually really worried. "They are milling around outside, they want Gabriel."

Nevertheless, Crowley didn't stop dancing while talking. It was like the angel was guiding their way and the two of them never having done anything else than spending the evenings dancing together. "We're perfectly safe in here" Aziraphale tried to reassure the demon. He couldn't help the smile that still lay on his lips out of pure joy for this moment. He was dancing with his demon. "Technically, this bookshop still counts as an Embassy."

"I think you need to stop this charade" Crowley said sternly, seriously worried "and we need to work out what to do." And still, his fingers curled around Aziraphale's hand again, this time even somehow more as he really tried to hold onto the angel.

"I am not giving them... Jim" said Aziraphale strictly. He began to get mad, not as Crowley especially. But this wasn't how he imagined the moment to turn out. He wanted a dance, romantic moments, a moment of peace. With him!

"People will get hurt, angel" Crowley almost hissed whilst their faces were a lot closer than usual. Aziraphale felt Crowley's hot breath on his skin before they were more distant again.

"I think you're overestimating how much trouble we're actually in" Aziraphale tried to calm the demon. They were safe in there.

Once again, Crowley raised his eyebrow, giving the angel a sceptical look before turning his gaze towards the window next to the entry of the bookshop. Aziraphale followed his gaze. He could sense the presence of demons, he could make out that they were waiting outside but that was the point. They were outside.

"See?" Aziraphale stated and before he could lock eyes with Crowley again, his gaze met Nina and Maggie, dancing and talking. A smile was on Maggie's face as they were so close and even Nina was somehow smiling throughout their conversation. It worked! Joyfully, Aziraphale faced Crowley again, smiling widely.

"You're way too happy about the situation" Crowley said but joined Aziraphale as he began to dance again to the soft tones.

"Well, my dear, I think what you don't see is that my plan is working and Nina and Maggie... how did you say? Vavoom."

"Vavoom?" Crowley asked and Aziraphale nodded proudly. Crowley looked over at the two mentioned women and indeed, they did not only look like having a good time but as if something had changed between the two of them. The demon couldn't help the small smile forming on his lips as he watched them, suddenly forgetting about the danger outside. Could it really be that Aziraphale's weird plan had worked out?

Aziraphale looked at Crowley the entire time, admiring the dimples appearing as soon as Crowley began to smile and his forehead softening. He felt his heartbeat fasten once again as he admired not just what was in front of him but that things seemed to work out.

"Well, now look at that, angel..." Crowley muttered, still watching the two women. "Looks like you really know what you are doing."

"You think so?" Aziraphale asked happily. Did Crowley the demon actually truly appreciate his actions?

The latter finally turned his head to look at the angel and when their eyes met, even though Crowley still had his sunglasses on, Aziraphale's heart stopped beating for just a second. It was one of those rare moments where Crowley was truly happy and enjoying the moment, no hint of malicious glee or sarcasm, no falsehood to pretend he wouldn't care or like what was happening. And to Aziraphale, he looked so wonderful in that moment, that he fell even harder, if that was even possible.

"Don't like to admit it but looks like it."

"Crowley..." Aziraphale mumbled, his cheeks blushing. The song was slowly coming to an end and Aziraphale was sure Crowley would then start talking about the demons outside again. Right now, at this very moment, this was his chance.

It was Aziraphale that curled his fingers around Crowley's hand this time, allowing even some soft pressure on them and when he did, it was Crowley's heartbeat that fastened, himself unsure to keep the eyes on the angel or their hands, surprised by the action. "I was thinking..." the angel continued slowly, choosing his words wisely. "About us. I was thinking about us, I mean."

"Us?" Crowley asked, brows furrowed once again but automatically holding tighter onto Aziraphale's hand as his heartbeat fastened even more.

"Us. As in you and me. And I realized, not that I hadn't noticed it before, but in all this time I could always rely on you. You were always there for me. Put your trust in me, helped me. And... even if you don't want to hear it, you're not so bad after all. And you show that to me every day." Aziraphale realized that the music was about to end in less than a minute. Time was running out. "Crowley, having you by my side makes me happy. I-" The courage left him; the last notes of the music starting. Now or never! "Vavoom" Aziraphale muttered and quickly shook his head. Too late. The composition came to an end and Crowley had heared what Azirpahle had just muttered, even though Azirpahle had multiply practiced what to say earlier. He blushed instantly.

"Vavoom?" Crowley asked. They had stopped dancing, a new composition started to play but they just stood there, hands still touching mid-air. Too caught up in the moment to realize what was happening around them. It felt like time stood still, even though a new composition started to play. A slight smirk was in the corner of his lips, not giving away how fast his heart was beating. Was really happening what he was thinking was happening?

"I..." Suddenly, Aziraphale felt very shy. Almost ashamed by his choice of words.

"Yes, angel?" Crowley asked, left eyebrow raised.

Aziraphel felt Crowley's fingers curled around his hand, softly holding it, felt his gaze through the sunglasses but did not notice that Maggie and Nina, even though they were still dancing, were watching them as well now.

"Do you think this is their first time?" Nina asked Maggie. "I mean, he told me they don't date but look at them!"

"I think they are about to kiss!" Maggie said with a mixture of excitement, surprise and joy. "We... We should look away" she said and adverted her gaze quickly.

Aziraphale put down his hand and placed his fingers around Crowley's glasses instead. Carefully, he put them down. "Angel..." the demon whispered, trying to stop him, trying to stop people from seeing his eyes but he was too caught up into the moment and too distracted from Aziraphale right in front of him.

"I want to see your eyes..." Aziraphale whispered, their bodies much closer now than before as he had come closer to take off the sunglasses "...when I tell you that I love you, Crowley."

"You-" Crowley repeated softly before his eyes widened. "You do what?" He didn't even wait for Aziraphale to repeat his words. He might would change his mind then. Not giving that a chance. Instead, he grabbed the angel by the collar and closed the distance between them by pressing their lips together.

Vavoom, indeed.

[captain-mj]

Hey, not op for this ask. But what about a part 2 the alien thing?

Maybe they run that experiment to see how long soap can go? Maybe using "instruments" to test reactions to different sensations or sensory input?

I love your work, you've introduced me to so many different pairing, and the range for the au's are *chefs kisses*

Oh I can definitely do that! So many people have asked and I'm so glad they liked my little alien thing!

Part 1

Ghost didn't let them out of bed. He kept dragging them back and tucking back into the sheets. It was only when the time hit for breakfast being served that he relaxed his grip on them.

Roach quickly got up and got dressed, gently scolding Ghost for being so cuddly. He kissed his forehead and pulled his mask up. Ghost's tail lashed and he hugged Soap a little tighter to his chest.

Soap seemed fine with it, twisting in his arms and pressed his face into Ghost's neck. He hugged him for a moment before they both pulled away.

They got dressed and went about their day normally. Bumping into each other and sharing glances.

Ghost did delete the footage of him carrying them out. He also found himself waiting for the night with an almost obsession. Soap was deliciously soft. Roach was amazing and he made his head spin with want to be near, but Roach didn't see him the same way and... maybe Soap could.

Especially if he showed him how good of a mate he could be.

Ghost was sure Roach would be thrilled to observe their mating customs.

So that night, he brought Soap food for dinner, watching him closely. Soap had brought both of them bracelets made of little intertwined vines. Ghost could see where the flowers had been stripped from his so the vines could be tied tighter. The knot had been twisted and turned to blend it into the bracelet, giving it the look of an infinite braid. He was dazzled by the craftmanship.

Roach gasped softly at it, his eyes full of stars. Ghost hated that his heart jerked a little. Both of them were just too damn pretty and it got on his nerves that he could just have both of them.

After his species had branched out, harems were actually normal. At least, in the beginning. He remembered seeing a friend of his grab up a few creatures from a planet they had raided and spend months courting them. Ghost had thought it was pathetic at the time. Seeing someone he knew as strong and powerful padding after these scared creatures. Only one of them ended up accepting his offer and the others were "Sent home". Even though his friend put them on a ship to their home world, Ghost doubted they ever made it.

Unmated prey animals on a ship? They were probably eaten in minutes.

He imagined if Soap had been one of them. Ghost would've probably courted him too. Followed him around like a shadow and gave him food, begged for his attention.

Exactly like he was doing now.

Ghost sighed and Roach noticed. "Something wrong?"

"I'm fine." He said, touched the bracelet again. "I really like it, Soap."

Soap smiled at him, ears perking up. "Thank you. I heard humans have a ritual called friendship bracelets."

"Yes, it's mostly done by the juveniles of our species, but I really like it." Roach traced one of the vines, looking enraptured.

After dinner, Roach tried to get them to his lab. "Soap, can I run a few more tests on you?”

Ghost could smell the spike in hormones and see the way his spine straightened and his tail twitched.

"Yes, sir."

"Undress. I'm curious, about how many times can you finish before you can't anymore?"

Soap undressed himself, shy and blushing. It didn't match his normal demeanor but it looked nice. Once all of his clothes were neatly folded, his anxiety and arousal sky high, did he finally answer the question. "I don't know."

Roach smiled at him. "Do you want to find out?"

Soap whimpered.

They tied him up and gave him a safe word "Friday" to say if it hurt or got to be too much. Ghost couldn't help himself and happily took advantage of the situation to litter his neck in bites. Giant ones that would take forever to heal and looked pretty. He did all of this while Roach checked to see how a "vibrator", Ghost thought of it as the cursed object, made Soap react.

The wail it got from him and the thrashing pleased Roach. He wrote down the results as he trailed it up and down Soap's cock, making a line to signify that Soap just came.

Soap strained against his binds and looked at Ghost with giant baby blues. "Can you kiss me like yesterday?"

Ghost almost smashed their lips together in his haste. He licked into his mouth to claim every bit. Each time Soap came, Roach would let off a symphony of praise that had Soap almost shaking out of his skin.

The buzzing did not stop but it did move and Soap sobbed once it was inside his body. He was so sensitive there and the vibrator didn't care.

Ghost ran his claws over Soap's tummy, watching him jerk and then press up into him, almost cutting himself. He noticed little markings around Soap's hips. He put his hands over them and realized they were bruises from last night.

Roach tapped Soap's thigh. "Darling, can you do anymore?" Big brown eyes. He kissed Soap's stomach, ignoring the mess.

Soap trembled and nodded. "I can, it's just not quite enough."

Ghost pressed the bruises and watched Soap come all over Roach's face. Roach laughed and wiped it off, only to run his tongue over it. He noticed Ghost staring and shrugged.

"He tastes sweet."

Ghost's tail lashed side to side as he watched. He snatched Roach up and bent him over next to Soap. The surprised look on his face was all the warning he needed and he quickly put his hand over the back of his neck so he wouldn't wiggle away. He expected a little pushback, but Roach just grabbed Soap and arched his back.

Ghost yanked his pants down and noticed he was already slicked up. Roach wouldn't meet his eye, too red and embarrassed. He buried his hand in Roach's hair and pushed in.

Tight.

Hot.

Human.

It was all Ghost could think of as he fucked Roach. He kept an eye on Soap, not wanting to neglect either of them.

Hopefully Roach was keeping count though because Ghost wasn't.

Ghost kept the pace rough and fast, using Roach like a toy. His hand moved from his hair to his throat and he tightened his grip when he was fully in so Roach would tighten out of panic.

"Good boy. Both of you doing so well." Ghost cooed and he reveled in the mix of sobs and whimpers he got.

Roach came while sobbing into Soap's chest. The only thing that kept him up was Ghost's hands.

Soap shakily said "Friday" and Ghost quickly took the cursed object out of him. He twitched and moaned in relief, looking ruined but a lot more lucid than yesterday. Ghost tightened his grip on Roach more and propped him up more.

"So powerful and scary and smart until you're the one getting railed huh?" Ghost purred. "You see, Soap, that's the thing about Roach. A firm hand and he melts."

Roach struggled, probably planning on protesting those claims, but Ghost hit just the right spot and the thoughts left his head. He couldn't hide his face anywhere, forced to let both of them see him. It was hard to feel shame when Soap was looking at him like that. Roach reached his limit right as Ghost came in him. He let him finish before tapping him, signifying he couldn't take it anymore.

Ghost scooped them both up and took them to his quarters with much less complaints this time. They washed up and laid in bed.

"You okay, Johnny?" Ghost asked. Roach was still floating, so he left him alone for now.

Soap hummed. "I don't think the experiment was very effective. I think it's better with you and Roach. More intense." He smiled at Ghost, looking him dead in the eyes. They both realized it at the same time and Soap went to turn away, but Ghost grabbed his chin and made him keep looking.

"Are you scared?"

"No."

"Do you want to be mates?"

"What??"

[fabuloustrash05]

Hi, Sorry to bother you again but You seem to be like...a lorekeeper of TMNT 2012 Knowledge.

How the hell does Magic work in that show? I'm aware RatDad Kinda has it with the healing hands, and I also saw Shinigami has it? I don't know. I'm confused. I kinda fell off in the middle of S3 and only know stuff based off the Wiki.

First off, don't always trust the wiki. Lots of fans edit it and add false info just to push their own narrative or make ridiculous claims with no source to back it up. I also recommend checking out the rest of season 3 and onward! It does get kinda sloppy by season 4 but it's still a fun watch! Reading a wiki ain't gonna do the series justice lol

Now, to your question, imma be honest with you, regarding the magic in TMNT 2012, I really don’t know how it works XD

TMNT 2012 barely acknowledges the magic concept, granted it was a very out of no where thing like "hey magic also exist in our universe btw!" and when it does show up it’s gone before you can even process it was there so it gets forgotten quickly (at least to me when I rewatch the show).

The magic in TMNT 2012 I don’t think shows up until season 3 (someone correct me if I'm wrong) when Leo is confronted by the deer spirit in the episode Vision Quest (who btw never shows up again, put them on the list of one and done 2012 characters). After that, every other magic related thing is very subtle cause the series focuses way more on the sci-fi angle, which was the theme that was established in the first episode and was continued to be explore throughout the series. I just crack it down to it being a spiritual ninjutsu thing, but I've rarely put much thought into it.

For those who are curious, the magic and even paranormal things we see in TMNT 2012 are few but what we got are...

The Deer Spirit

The Healing Hands Technique

(which btw I wish they used this technique more cause it would've been VERY helpful in other situations later down the line...)

Sir Malachi

Was it magic or did he just drug the Turtles to play discount DND with him??

Alopex's cursed Blades of Vengeance

Ghosts and possession

Cults and Demons

Magic users such as Jei and Kintaro

Yokais such as Bake-danuki and Jorōgumo

(granted these mostly existed in Usagi's universe so they probably don't fully count in the Turtles world but who knows)

And the very existence of Shinigami

Though Shini and her whole magic thing is barely explored or explained. They say she's a witch but we barely see her do witchy things. Most of her tricks and techniques seem more like blink and you'll miss it magician stuff than an actual literal witch. We know she can hypnotize people and make them see scary hallucinations, and it's also suggested that she can shapeshift into a cat but she only ever does it once and it's very subtly to the point that some fans probably didn't even know that the black cat in her intro scene in her first episode was her.

Btw, according to Shinigami's concept art, her hypno stone weapon (as seen in gif) is said to be a family heirloom, meaning she comes from a supposed long line of witches and magic users. Sure wish THAT was explored more for her character instead of her just being there as Karai's hype woman and another chick for Mikey to drool over...

[diamondperfumes]

@saltywinteradult I don't know why you blocked me before screenshotting my post and reposting it to, I suppose, "refute" my post amongst your followers, but I welcome open discussion at any time! I don't like this back and forth of screenshotting. You definitely don't need to censor my username either, as I stand by what I said and don't see any problem with it. If your followers have issues with what I said too, they can easily reply to the post I wrote, or send me an ask (I'm pretty sure my inbox is open; please let me know if not).

That said, I think this post is a good encapsulation of the reasoning fans have for hating Daenerys, but also an encapsulation of why I love her:

Murder is horrific. That applies as much to Dany burning Mirri alive in a magical ritual as it does to Mirri murdering Dany's baby in her womb. And you are absolutely entitled to finding Dany a horrifying character for murdering an enslaved woman. What I love about Dany, though, is that she is not a hypocrite or an aestheticized martyr. She refuses to let bad things happen to her loved ones without reprisal. She will not accept the death of her child blithely. Just as any other parent or family member who seeks vengeance for their loved ones, be it Robb Stark, Lady Stoneheart, the Sand Snakes, Doran Martell, and more, Dany will not forgive the woman who murdered her son. Her son is her bottom line, just as he was when Viserys threatened his life, making Dany finally accept that he was no longer her brother. And I would much rather that Dany do the "horrible thing," an act of vengeance and blood magic, than forgive Mirri. Forgiving Mirri would not have been a realistic or human response. Above all, GRRM writes well fleshed out, human characters. I relate to the Dany who loves her children so much that she'll forgive pain to herself (for example, she bears no ill will toward Mirri for causing her the exruciating physical pain of a miscarriage) but not to her children, people, or loved ones. I relate to the Dany who is angry at those who harm her loved ones, and is ruthless and furious rather than passive and docile in the face of that pain and suffering. I relate to the Dany who, as a teenage bridal slave pit against another slave, made an arguably selfish decision. I want my female characters to make at times selfish, at times horrific choices, in the name of love, family, motherhood. GRRM created a beautifully multidimensional female character in breaking from the "passive recipient of violence" mold for so many fantasy women––violence is done unto Dany, but she will not be the submissive, obedient, demure martyr who dies or suffers to make others comfortable. Her baby had meaning to her. Her baby was her home. And she avenged that loss, as I'd expect any realistic, human mother to.

In a feudalist setting, any character who did what Mirri did would've been executed. Mirri expected to be executed to, and in fact goaded Dany with that intent. I would love if you, or anyone else, would name someone who'd forgive Mirri and let her go in this situation! I genuinely am curious to see if you can come up with anyone. If Mirri was going to be executed anyway, I much prefer Dany's mentality––"She told herself that there were powers stronger than hatred, and spells older and truer than any the maegi had learned in Asshai. The night was black and moonless, but overhead a million stars burned bright. She took that for an omen."––than just pure hatred. Dany creates life out of death. As Mirri teaches her, "if life was meaningless, what was death?" "only death may pay for life." She could have beheaded Mirri in one go, and such violence may have satiated her anger, but what would be left? The cycle of life and death is ever present in Dany's arc, and I find it fascinating. Most of the characters who behead or murder people, even innocents, like Ned Stark with Gared (the starting action of AGOT), have no interest in creating life from death. They emphasize the finality of death; Dany transcends it.

If it was just enough for Dany to burn Mirri, then I myself wouldn't praise the act as much. All the loss Dany experienced, the upheaval and pain and suffering, went into the birth of the dragons. She had to follow the clues left behind in her blood and dreams to understand that the ultimate key to the ritual was her own sacrifice. Dany did not just stand by and watch as Mirri burned. She walked into that funeral pyre herself, with, yes, bravery in her heart (I noticed that some people were mocking that phrase of mine in the tags of my post, but does it not take bravery to walk into fire?). If she didn't sacrifice her own life and self, the dragons would not have hatched. Thus you may argue that Dany is a hypocrite for burning Mirri, but Dany involved her own being in the ritual too. She paid the price for the ritual and suffered its consequences in the loss of Rhaego and the splintering of the Khalasar.

Mirri is not innocent in the act of murdering Rhaego. One of the clever aspects of GRRM's writing is that characters like Mirri and Penny serve to problematize the overall heroism of characters like Dany and Tyrion. Dany and Tyrion are still heroes (though of course, for most of the fandom, they are villains, and I'm sure for you they are both villains as well). Very rarely do authors give characters like Mirri agency. And it's not as if George has given all of those positioned characters that agency. Jeyne Poole, Gilly, Lollys and Falyse Stokeworth, Pia, they don't get these kinds of emotionally charged, high tension moments with their respective POV characters. They get emotional moments, yes, but the space to call out the POV characters? Mirri and Penny get that. Mirri has the textual agency to express her motivations, act on her motivations, and explain them to Dany. She is an intelligent woman. Trying to take away her culpability in Rhaego's murder is not a progressive or feminist reading, in my view; it strips her of her agency and her motivations. Now, if you want to argue that she had every right to murder Rhaego, that is a separate conclusion! But as to whether or not she did murder Rhaego, it's undeniable. And even if you don't believe me, or Dany, both the official ASOIAF app and the ASOIAF appendices list her as the murderer.

I would love if someone sent this to @saltywinteradult! I enjoy healthy debate (I put that post in the ASOIAF tag for a reason). What I don't like is back-and-forth screenshotting. If you don't want to have a conversation with me that's no problem, but I find it odd to screenshot someone you have blocked and discuss her post. Why don't we have a free discussion? That's why I made a tumblr account, to discuss ASOIAF. Please let me know your thoughts!

[cuddles-with-dragons]

Boss: Who the fuck- Fixer: Language! Boss: Whom the fuck- Fixer: No.

Sev: What has the galaxy ever done for you?! Why would you wanna save it?! Scorch: Cause I’m one of the idiots who lives in it!

Scorch & Wrecker: *accidentally set the kitchen on fire* Scorch: We need an adult! Wrecker: Scorch, we are adults! Scorch: We need an adultier adult! Get Hunter!

Tech: Isn't it weird that people kill mosquitoes just because they're annoying? Scorch: Damn, if people did that to each other, Fixer would've killed me years ago.

Sev: “Ladies and gentlemen” is unnecessarily gendered, overly formal, lengthy, and honestly, I’m falling asleep already. “Cowards” on the other hand, is inclusive to all genders, to the point, and dramatic.

Echo: Stop setting things on fire because you're curious about what will happen. What will happen is fire. Scorch: But what if something else happens just this one time.

Boss: Hoodie pockets are so great. I can fit like three sandwiches and a grenade in there and my hands are still warm.

Crosshair: So... what’s goin’ on? Boss: You want the long version or the short version? Crosshair, hesitantly: The short one, I guess? Boss: Shit’s fucked. Crosshair: Oh. Well, yeah, that’s definitely not an optimal situation.

Hunter: *finds half a watermelon at Whole Foods* Hunter, holding it up for everyone to see: LIES!

[enquiringangel]

idea for a little drabble, and you can take whatever tone you want with it, dark or lighthearted: Max seeking out Michael or, oof, Sam, to talk to alone. Putting on airs of 'well, I just want to get to know my possible future step-sons'. Alternatively, Max wanting to introduce His Boys to Lucy and how that goes down lol. Just some ideas!

(for the record I love both of these and may do the second one later.)

paterfamilias

Sam couldn't believe his mom was making him do this. "Do I have to?" he whined, dragging his heels on the way from the car to the door of his mother's workplace.

Max may not be the head vampire, but this small redeeming feature did nothing to increase Sam's desire to spend time alone in the man's company. Which both his mother and the dork in question were keen for him to do.

Sam was aware of the irony of someone with nerdy interests like him calling someone else a dork. But if Michael were here, then he would definitely have pegged Max as a loser from fifty paces away. (Mike hadn't come home last night. Sam was worried sick about him. He didn't have time for this bullshit when he needed to be looking for his brother so he could save him before he did something stupid and irreversible.) "Yes, you do," Sam's mother said firmly as she zipped her car keys securely into her purse. "It's the least you can do to make up for your recent behavior." She gave him a look that let him know that yes, he was still definitely in trouble for that. "I thought it was incredibly sweet of Max to offer, considering that he barely knows me." His mother smiled to herself and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"But mom, what if he's a weirdo?" Sam tried to argue. "You've spent my whole life telling me not to take candy from strangers, now you're sending me off to go get ice cream with one?"

"Samuel Emerson." The sound of his full legal name from her lips was like the crack of a whip. "I don't want to hear you implying that kind of thing about Max again. He's been nothing but kind, he doesn't deserve that. Am I understood?" "...yes, Mom. Sorry." With no way out of the situation, Sam trudged after his mother feeling vaguely like someone marching to his own execution. When they got inside, Max was at the counter talking to the pretty cashier and gesticulating at one of the displays with a pen. At their entry, the bell above the door jingled and he turned. "Ah, there you are," he said, bestowing Sam's mom with a beaming, crooked smile. She ducked her face slightly and smiled coyly in return. Gross. Old people shouldn't be allowed to make eyes at each other, especially not his mother. (Even if she did look happier than he'd seen her in ages.) It was bad enough when both people involved were actually his parents, never mind this weirdly tall guy who looked like his suits were all made out of old tablecloths. Sam hovered behind his mother as she smiled and chatted with Max for a few moments, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the carpet boredly. He let his eyes wander around the video displays, lingering on a section labelled 'ADULT'. ...Wait, they rented out porn here? Sam was immediately wildly curious, having never seen anything of the kind other than dirty magazines his friends in Phoenix had swiped from their older brothers. (When Sam had gingerly searched around Michael's room all he'd found was a bunch of men's health magazines full of oily beefcakes lifting weights. Lame. There had been no time to search beneath the mattress because Mike had been coming back up the stairs and he would've shown no mercy if he'd caught Sam snooping in his room.)

He was surreptitiously craning his neck for a better look at the titles in that section when the sound of his name abruptly dragged him back to reality.

“—to go, Sam?" Max was blinking at him expectantly, a polite smile still in place.

"Uh, yeah," Sam replied, trying to sound like he'd been paying attention. He must have done okay because his mom gave him a small smile and a wave as she told them to have fun.

He doubted that, somehow.

The ice cream parlour wasn't far, just around the corner. Max gestured for him to sit in a booth and ordered them both sundaes without even consulting Sam on what he'd like on his. Rude. His righteous indignation was dampened somewhat at the sight of the towering confection Max set down in front of him - a smorgasbord of gelato, whipped cream, fudge brownie pieces, sprinkles and a drizzling of chocolate and strawberry sauces.

"Bon appetit," Max said, raising his spoon. He scooped a mouthful of ice cream into his mouth and hummed approvingly. "Mm, still good. It's been a while since I've come here. My boys are too cool to be seen with me these days."

"You have kids?" Sam asked, curious despite himself. His mom had never said anything about it.

"I have a family," Max agreed. "Five boys."

"Oh. I didn't know that." That was a lot of kids. It seemed weird Mom hadn't mentioned something like that.

"There's a lot we don't know about each other," Max said patiently. "It's why I wanted to do this. I wanted to clear the air after last night and to let you know that I'm not angry about your sabotage. I understand. Believe me, my boys have been very difficult on the matter too." He shook his head slightly and sighed.

Sam looked down at his sundae. He didn't really want anything to do with this guy and his 'I just want to be your friend' bit, but it's not like there was anything actually wrong with him other than the fact that he wasn't his father. And that their father hadn't cared enough about them to fight for visitation.

"You should eat that before it starts to melt," Max said, watching Sam closely.

Reluctantly, Sam swiped his spoon through the ice cream, making sure he got a good amount of sprinkles, both sauces, and a chunk of brownie on it before popping it into his mouth. At first contact with his tongue there was an unexpected flavor, something a little tangy and kind of salty. Maybe caramel or something? After a moment it passed, replaced by an exquisite sweetness. This was easily the best ice cream he had ever tasted - it was quite possibly the best thing he had ever tasted. Sam dug his spoon back in and leant forward, shoveling ice cream down the hatch with a soft hum of pleasure.

Across from him, Max leant back against the booth and watched him eat with a satisfied smile. "I have to say you did surprise me though, Sam. Though for future reference, garlic doesn't work that way."

Sam froze, spoon still between his lips.

Max regarded him benignly. "Bulbs of garlic don't do squat against vampires. It's the flowers that do it."

He felt light-headed and strangely incapable of the panic he should be feeling. Sam blinked down at his half-eaten and partially melting sundae, and at the streaks of brown and red sauce smeared against the glass. Not sauce.

He raised his eyes to the window and saw himself sitting alone at the booth, his reflection growing fainter by the second.

[danielofmayfair]

I have a question for your mun, if they happen to be around…

(I’m curious, why Daniel? What do you like about him so much? I just ask cause I love hearing about people’s connections to characters or reasoning for loving them! Only if you’re comfortable)

((That's all right! I chose to write for Daniel because I found him a very human character. Just someone who found themselves in a shitty situation and ended up doing what a lot of us would've done if we felt our lives were threatened - not that it excuses it, but yeah!

I also started it because he was my favorite character for a few years. He's since been dethroned, but I do still enjoy his character and I'm too stubborn to stop writing for him while I still can. I've seen too many ask/rp blogs go dormant within a few years, so I'm determined to keep going while I've still got it in me to do so (though I miss the Amnesia ones since my Daniel blog interacted with them quite a bit).

Also, having moved to larger and more popular fandoms, it's very easy to get lost in the crowd over in those. Amnesia and other niche fandoms are places where you can really carve out a space for yourself, and yeah - I have here, quite a few in the Amnesia fandom know about me, even if it's not a ton.

I'm glad people have admired my dedication to this blog, it means a lot that some folks have returned after years and are pleasantly surprised that this blog is still kicking!))

[thebramblewood]

Hey! :) First I want to say I just loveee your story and the universe you created and the lastest update is truly heartbreaking but I was super curious on the spellcaster vs vampire dynamic in your world and what are the limits of it, especially morally for Caleb:

If giving the chance, would Caleb have turned Morgyn and the sages to vampires in order to save them? Would Caleb even want to do that, would that even be saving them in his eyes or would it be condemning them - a fate almost worse than death?

Thank you soooooo much! I'm having so much fun writing, sharing, and discussing this story with you all, even when it's painful. 😭

Before I get to these questions directly, I want to reiterate that this all originates from me deciding to kill off the Sages as an inciting plot point in the legacy-based story I started this blog with, Escape from Windenburg. I posted that story here in short snippets, but in its original form it was essentially written like a novel. You can read it at my retired blog if you're so inclined. (Yes, I was doing all that for nobody but myself.)

Since I know most people don't have time to casually read a 17-chapter story, I'm going to link the most relevant parts. The attack on the Sages (which is shown but using EA animations, so it's not terribly graphic) and Misael's defeat is here. An explanation for why the Sages cannot be revived is here, and I semi-rewrote this for Caleb's talk with Grace a few weeks back. Honestly, the reasoning behind why the Sages are dead dead has always been kind of hand-wave-y, but the essence of it is that they'd been using magic to extend their lifetimes already and since they were already overdue for death, the universe literally refuses to give them back, even if methods of revival technically exist.

Combined with that fact, I know there are lots of different takes on vampire creation lore, but in this universe it's only possible if the person is still alive. They might be barely hanging on (like Helena), but they can't be fully dead. Therefore, Caleb still wouldn't have been able to fly to the Realm after getting the news from Grace and save the Sages by turning them. It was far too late by then. Now, if he had gone as soon as he started to worry and found them still alive, would he have actually turned them? This is a trickier question!

Keep in mind Helena is the first person he's ever turned, and he was faced with a similar conundrum - let her die or "save" her by turning her. In his mind, being a vampire is a curse, but if it's the only way to prevent an otherwise untimely and undeserved death, maybe it's worth it. Of course, as much as he'd like to downplay the role it played, the fact that Lilith begged him to do it can't be discounted. Would he have intervened if Helena were a random person attacked by a random vampire who he just happened to stumble upon in an alley somewhere? Probably not. He's not really the type to get involved in a situation if he doesn't have to (unless it's one created by his sister).

But if he was willing to do it for Helena, he would have absolutely turned Morgyn if given the chance. He certainly wouldn't have been thinking rationally, and he would've seen turning them as the only way to hold onto them. They were the one person Caleb had fully let know him and let himself fall in love with, and he would've done anything not to lose that. It would've been a selfish move, and he might've had to deal with the consequences later (especially if it wasn't what Morgyn wanted), but it would've felt like the only choice. As for the other Sages, if his tunnel vision even allowed him to register them, he'd hesitate at turning them because he has less of a personal connection. (Simeon and Faba were older and more traditional, so Morgyn didn't see much of them outside work and Caleb barely knew them).

I know that was a lot, but I hope it satisfied your curiosity! There's sometimes so much context crammed into my head that I can't fully fit into the posts themselves, so I always welcome questions or theories! 💜

[ulircursed]

♡ ok but I'm actually genuinely curious as to what Andrei himself would think of how his situation would change in this situation KSHDKDB

from this picrew!

a new child in jugdral-verse? yup, but hold tight, this au is my wildest one yet. there's another child too, but i'll talk about the other kid when it comes up

cw for rape

unlike the other jugdral asks where i just went crazy on my own, a few sensitive details were discussed a little with erica bc of the topic at hand. so deirdre and andrei have a precanon thread currently going on, where the two of them meet and have a meal and it's their first time hanging out just the two of them. in it, deirdre thanks andrei for, and i quote, 'dealing with one of the men who killed [her] father'. that's ring! andrei freaks out internally, of course, though he is able to salvage the situation to an extent

now, what if that meeting went well enough (in deirdre's mind) that they had more meetings? andrei is on one hand extremely uncomfortable with her, but on the other hand, this is exactly what he wants!! think about what it does for yngvi's reputation if the duke has a direct and personal friendship with the princess and future queen of grannvale!!! this is excellent and great and he cannot possibly refuse this. so he agrees to every single meeting, and talks to her, and they form some sort of friendship thing. at this point andrei's mental health is a mere thread away from utterly insane by the way. surely this will end well, right?

(oh yeah, at this point, andrei does already marry antares and have scipio. scipio is not involved in this mess and is the exact same as he is in canon)

it all comes to a head at one meeting, where deirdre confesses to him that she is ready to have children with lord arvis. she thinks she's ready, finally, thanks to the support and friendship of those around her, including andrei! she mentions something about ring again, and andrei snaps. i've mentioned it before, but andrei resents arvis for (as far as he knows) heading the conspiracy plot, because without it none of this would've had to happen. and so, upon hearing that arvis is about to get what he wants with the woman he loves, andrei forces himself upon deirdre

he comes to his senses after the deed is done, and apologizes profusely, begging her for his life essentially. he says that he will die if word of this ever gets out, and deirdre agrees to keep it a secret. and she does! until. she gets pregnant. i won't go into detail about when/whether she and arvis would've consummated their marriage at this point, but as erica points out, deirdre is not good at hiding her emotions and will eventually tell arvis about it as soon as he asks, so even if being pregnant was potentially expected, the secret would've gotten out at some point during the pregnancy

for his crimes, andrei is publicly executed and yngvi falls into disgrace. antares, already not a noble (this is purely my hc but andrei married a non-noble claiming to have minor ullr blood to have scipio), gets kicked out of yngvi along with scipio, and they go live their non-noble lives somewhere else

anyway, deirdre is pregnant! with twins! manfroy is kinda frustrated, bc he wanted her to have kids with arvis, dammit. but she's of course gonna keep the babies, so they are born. julia is still julia, just with major naga and minor ullr instead of fjalar blood. but her older brother, get this—

name: julio

gender: male (he/him)

class: prince > master knight minus bows and sword

minor ullr, minor loptous

tiptoes around his 'father', whom he's aware isn't really his father. has developed some chronic people-pleaser tendencies because on some level, he feels like his and his sister's existence broke something in this household and that he's not meant to exist. good at charming the staff! very polite for a noble scion

protective of his sister, mostly because of the above reason. the twins grow up really close! julia is the only one that julio feels he can show his true feelings around

they stay in the velthomer household as part of the family upon deirdre's insistence, which isn't terrible because they get a loving mother growing up, but also isn't great because they have to interact with arvis. arvis isn't abusive or anything, but everything about these kids brings back his trauma re: victor so his mental health is just not great in general. they try to avoid each other wherever possible

he's set up to become the duke of yngvi, or whatever that territory is gonna be called if that whole house ends up being dissolved. he works really hard in his youth, but doesn't pick up the bow because he can sense that his 'father' is really really not ok with that. forgoes the sword too, while he's at it, because his 'father' doesn't seem too pleased with that either. he knows how to fence and stuff, but not horseback sword usage. he learns magic though, magic is a-ok in this household

deirdre isn't blamed for this incident, because andrei was the one who initiated the whole thing, and the twins are... yeah, they're bastards, but they're the blood of the legitimate royal family, so it's not like they can be killed or anything. anyway, at this point, sigurd gets to belhalla and arvis cooks him twice as hard as in canon because at this point he's pissed off at anyone who's ever had kids with deirdre, but it's not like anyone can tell because no one knows how hard he cooked sigurd in canon so they just think wow his meteor spell is that strong

manfroy urges them to try again, and tbh azmur wants fully legitimate grandkids too, so according to erica, they do! because deirdre loves arvis and everything. but you know, holy blood weirdness and all that, their kid (let's call him julius) is born with fjalar blood and naga blood but not loptous blood. manfroy, extremely frustrated now, tells them to try AGAIN, and this time, uh, deirdre dies in childbirth and the child doesn't survive. listen, this is kid #5 ok i don't think health care was that good at that time. as an extra screw u to manfroy, maybe this kid would've had major loptous had they survived. but they didn't

manfroy's plans fail! julio becomes the new duke of yngvi and arvis just tries to avoid looking at him. julia is married off to one of the neighboring countries (i had to google what happened to illegitimate children of nobility/royalty and the answers were... this basically). julius becomes duke of velthomer and the heir to the throne. seliph can come in and fix some things about this, but loptous isn't one of his problems for once. everyone is either happy or dead! if julio ends up fighting febail, he will die to febail and his cousin will become the new duke of yngvi, but he doesn't have special dialogue with any of them because who tf are these people. the end.

bonus: thank u to erica for suggesting this route btw

[khaire-traveler]

Your blog is really insightful about the deities and gives many good points about their character. Can you say a few things about Ares? Because unfortunately in modern media and retellings people believe that he is only a bloodthirsty god of war and also sexist for some reason, even though he respected Aphrodite and loved her and gave her the freedom of choosing partners as it is her nature and even was helping the Amazons and so on.

He is underrated i believe because media misjudged him terribly even though he did many good things as well.

Hey, Nonny, thanks for the ask! I'd be happy to talk about Ares!

Honestly, I am not as knowledgeable on Ares as someone like @theoi-crow might be (if you have any history related questions, specifically, he's a good resource), but from what I do know, Ares is actually a really great father.

That may seem like kind of a random thing to point out, but there is a myth involving Ares that tells of how one of his daughters was r*ped by one of Poseidon's sons. In response to this, Ares killed Poseidon's son. Obviously, Poseidon wasn't too thrilled about that and brought Ares to trial by the gods. If Ares lost the trial and was found guilty, he'd be sentenced to Tartarus, forced to leave Mount Olympus and (presumably) never return. Despite this, though, Ares remained resolute during said trial, fully admitting that he would've done it again to avenge his daughter. The other gods found Ares to be innocent, much to Poseidon's dismay, and both Ares and his daughter were A-OK after that. 👌

In another myth, at the wedding of his daughter Harmonia (iirc), Ares celebrated with her, even taking off his helmet (and potentially his armor???) to relax and enjoy the occasion. He danced with his daughter, and it was just a really wholesome moment in mythology. 🥰

These are the best myths I can think of to show that Ares isn't what modern media makes him out to be. He is much more than a violent, crazed god who seeks only bloodlust. The reasons many myths depict him in an unfavorable light is because they're mostly Athenian, hailing from Athens. Anything that was considered to go against Athena in some way was depicted poorly, and the Athenians saw Ares as basically being as far from Athena as you could get. Naturally, their myths about him are not exactly very kind.

On top of all these things, within my own experience, Ares is a really wonderful god to worship. He has protected, guided, and advised me in many situations where I truly needed it. He has been a somewhat stern yet positive influence in my life, and personally, I absolutely adore and admire him. He and Aphrodite share an altar in my worship space, and honestly, every time I interact with that altar, their energies feel so lovely and peaceful. They make an incredible pair. I'm pretty sure if Ares was a misogynist Aphrodite probably wouldn't mingle well with him - just saying lmao.

But yeah, Ares rocks! I suggest worshipping him to anyone who is curious and interested. He is a powerful ally and an even greater friend. Hope this is what you were looking for! Have a great day/night! ☺️🧡

(Feel free to add onto this with your own stories and myths spreading love and appreciation for Ares!)

[alex-just-vibing]

uhh... gonna be bad at this but

Heir?? Seer??? Heir just... sounds right... But also I have like, a need to Know, not exactly always Learn tho..

Aspect uh... Mind????? I sometimes like to, clear things up, plan things out, and then come up with ideas there.. Or maybe Void???? I am... rather lonely, in real, and, isolate... Often. Real life tho.. Also often do, stay in the dark, or hide, using darker themes and having lower light real, and sometimes actively hiding away from people online when I know they are and would likely question it or something

...I'm onna go through, what I *think* might be the way each works, bcus I, know basically nothing abt homestuck, and there is a good chance there is a clear character who is one of these..

(Oh btw considering, when looking online, skipped past Hope as an aspect, uhhh... Derse, also I do like purple, a good bit, thumbs up)

Heir of Void, I think would bring isolation. Likely isolating themselves, and others possibly by proxy of isolating themselves, in a way of disconnecting, when there would be a link.

Heir of Mind, I think would be a sort of... archivist (not the other big thing with stuff like this I know nothing abt) like.. has a lot of info, likely either having been given or searched it out, and just, has it on hand, likely only sharing the knowledge when necessary, and specifically relevant to the situation, likely coming with a "That would've been useful to know a bit before it's immediately happening!" And a reply of "You didn't ask, and there's too much to tell"

Seer of Mind, Uh, most likely would be the one giving information, and likely when that clear info is used wrong, or that info is ignored, being the one to say "I told you so" (Karma part of Mind)

Seer of Void, Likely the one who specifies when something HAS no deeper meaning, when there is nothing, and just as well likely gives information not with full context.. May say "You may lose something important to you" and you just break your glasses, or say, "your glasses are going to end up needing to be changed", and they end up breaking into your eyes, or you go blind and thus not needing the glasses

Uhhhh.... So.. honestly Heir does fit better here uh... I think, considering online, which, sburb is a game right? I'm not as antisocial as Irl... And often do end up going into wikis, and doing research, and being curious on random things, and often the one who ends up making a plan and clarifying things bcus I am tired of everybody acting confused and not understanding things, and also... This entire, like, essay?? explaining and clarifying things so.

Heir of Mind

Dream Moon Derse

This is most definitely inaccurate, and also very rambly, and also only using the two ask explanation things, and two random tumblr explanations I found online... (Also this was done, while researching into things so!! And again, I have never read and know basically nothing abt homestuck other than internet osmosis and You Posting osmosis) But uh, does it fit me, ya think? And uh, is there any character(s) who are also Heir of Mind?

Okie thx and uh, what is your, Classpect, you think?

i think you got it pretty good? and there arent any characters who are heir of mind (at least in homestuck proper, possibly in hiveswap idrk), but there is a seer of mind (terezi) and heir of void (equius). i think it fits pretty well! and i bounce between knight, mage, and seer of mind, but ive settled on knight of mind For Now.

[liesmyth]

re: Ianthe Villainy, I feel like Ianthe saving John from the stoma was never really about loyalty/a betrayal of Augustine as her mentor. I mean, even Gideon’s narration frames it as a self-serving choice — “Ianthe, with the world in the balance, reaching her hand out and pressing down on the weight marked BAD” — but all it really reveals about her is that she wasn’t so committed to Augustine that she’d value his personal revenge plot over the survival of the Nine Houses. she *does* explicitly want to benefit from John’s power, but I feel like this was a situation in which the right strategic choice for her also just happened to be the right choice in terms of, like, valuing human lives. under other circumstances, would she have killed Augustine purely for personal gain? maybe. probably. I’d find it completely unsurprising. it’s also a good thing that she wasn’t willing to follow him down a path that (imo) could have been even worse than John destroying Earth — what Augustine had in mind was definitely not “a home not paid for with blood,” not by any stretch. lmao this makes me want more Ianthe POV chapters. sometimes it seems like we only know 40% of what’s going on with her

I thought Ianthe saving John was just the most pragmatic choice! She knows where she stands in John's universe. She doesn't know where she stands in a post-EJG crumbling Empire. I don't think she was ever loyal to Augustine, just appreciated him on a personal level (to some extent. I think she found him also insufferable) but not enough to stand by and let him kill John.

I think if the choice had been between securing her position and killing millions, she would have made the Morally Right decision and sacrificed her standing; IMO she's self-serving but not THAT self-serving, and it's one thing to kill Babs another to turn her head to dozens of million of her people dying. On the other hand, if the decision had been on a smaller scale and involved people she didn't care about (like, for example, half of New Rho) she would've gone with the self-serving option. Though as you say, in this scenario doing what was best for herself was also somewhat morally sound, so good for Ianthe!

Also I'm curious about your interpretation that “what Augustine had in mind was definitely not a home not paid for with blood.” PLEASE tell me all about it, I'm so intrigued! I think if John had died for good there and then, yeah, it would have ended in a clusterfuck and I doubt it would have been as easy as Augustine dreamed it, and I also think that he knew that but needed to evoke a hopeful scenario at that moment for Mercy (and himself) to believe that some good could come out of what they had done first and foremost for personal reasons. But I'm curious about what you think he had in mind!

/this is an OLD ask sorry I'm Only Now cleaning up my inbox

[snow-system-wol]

A set of (six) small tales covering from after S'ria and Thancred's argument until the end of the Rak'tika Greatwood arc.

Ao3

S'ria had known to expect this sort of thing, with Urianger muttering to himself and Y'shtola giving him that wary look. He hadn't quite expected it to be so soon, though, or quite so easy to overhear.

“I tire of these games, Urianger. Why do you pretend you cannot see it?!”

Oh, to have heard whatever preceded that. For someone who very clearly seemed to be aware of the Warrior of Light situation, S'ria would've liked to have known how dubiously Urianger had responded to Y'shtola’s questioning.

S'ria stifled a laugh. He shouldn't be standing here listening, not really – but Y'shtola should not be talking about him, behind his back, at such a raised volume either.

It was nothing S'ria couldn't guess. Y'shtola had not mistaken his aether for that of a Lightwarden purely by accident – and yet, was there really such a problem? He'd felt sick for a moment or two both times, but then he was fine. She spoke as if there was something horrible happening to him, and he couldn't decide whether he was more angry that she was privately debating his fate or whether he was more… scared. 

S'ria didn't know which of the two frightened him more. Y'shtola, who spoke as though it was already likely too late for him. Or Urianger, who refused to tell even her what his assessment was.

The rational part of his brain, in that unclear way where he could not even tell if it was his own thought or distantly Menphina's, reminded him to calm down. That he should listen to the actual way Y'shtola spoke about him – she cared, she didn't accept this as an inevitable loss.

S'ria felt that it was a sweet sentiment – sweeter still if said to his face, though.

 ----------

S'ria did not intend to trust Emet-Selch, and that would likely remain the case for the foreseeable future. If anything, he'd be more inclined to give him a chance if he would stop transparently complaining about their lack of goodwill towards him. It felt like… well, S'ria wasn't even sure what to make of it, aside from an attempt to be a nuisance. He'd think that the performative complaints of how – oh, he'd done this kind thing for the Scions and they still would not accept him – were something for Emet-Selch to internalize as a reason to sabotage collaboration. He'd think that, if it were not obvious that Emet-Selch didn't much believe what he was saying either, nor was he really pretending to.

S'ria was still grateful for his promise to return Y'shtola, even if he could not fathom why Emet-Selch would offer. There was no reason to refuse, with Y'shtola already lost to them without his aid. Any little tricks would hardly leave them worse off.

Despite his…recently re-worsened feelings towards Y'shtola, he missed her. If anything, today had been a reminder of how deeply she cared for people. The look in her eyes and completely lack of hesitation while diving after the antidote... S'ria felt that his misgivings may have been unfair, even if being spoken about in secret was unpleasant.

It was with no complaints that S'ria roamed the Greatwoods looking for just the right spot for Emet-Selch’s needs. He wondered if other people could feel the ebb and flow of aether, where it is stronger and weaker – those that were used to using it and casting spells. S'ria could… not feel any difference between the spots where the lantern was dim or bright.

The Ascian likely would have been able to feel the slightest of changes. S'ria wondered how he even saw the world – right before he started his work, he'd muttered to himself to ask what color her soul had been, and S'ria could not help but be immensely curious for a moment. What color was it? Or what were any of theirs, for that matter? Was it even a normal color that could be seen by his very mortal eyes?

S'ria sighed in relief as his attempts at collecting Y'shtola seemed to find purchase. As the aether coalesced into the rough shape of a human form, a body beginning to knit itself back together, S'ria averted his eyes some few fulms to the side. He'd seen this once before, and that already felt like enough of a discourtesy to her.

S'ria had been slightly concerned that Emet-Selch would say something, anything, about Y'shtola’s inevitable state of undress. S'ria could not help but be grateful that he simply snapped his fingers and summoned her clothes onto her body with nary a stray comment on the matter.

Perhaps he didn't feel the need to try to antagonize them at every turn. S'ria would not spurn small mercies.

When the others escorted Y'shtola back to Fanow for her to rest a few hours and be checked over, S'ria hovered behind for a few moments. He thanked Emet-Selch again, for saving her (and for showing basic decency, though he did not add that part out loud.) With just the two of them, Emet-Selch quiet for the moment and S'ria speaking without hostility, it felt like a normal conversation for a brief second. He fixed S'ria with a look that was… indiscernible, but somehow pained.

And then the moment passed, with Emet-Selch rather brusquely informing him that he didn't actually need the gratitude and would rather S'ria stop with the heroic platitudes.

 ----------

S'ria had agreed to be hands-off with regards to Thancred's decisions, to best keep the peace (even if the delivery of said agreement had really bordered on mocking.) That agreement proved difficult within the next sun.

It was difficult to hold his tongue. Surely the conversation happening a few fulms to his left was rather related to the last few days, and he felt guilty for any role he played in that.

Minfilia had fought alongside them before, with the Fuath. They made a good group – she seemed extremely comfortable with Thancred's fighting style, fairly comfortable with interacting with Urianger on the battlefield, and settled in easily alongside himself as a fellow Rogue. There wasn't even an issue with her getting particularly hurt or endangered, no more so than the usual.

By all measures, it would have been fine for Minfilia to enter The Qitana Ravel with them.

But here Thancred was, insisting she return to Fanow to wait for their return – to her obvious dismay. She only protested briefly before falling silent, and S'ria could feel her eyes on his back – wondering if he was hearing, and if so, why he wouldn't be vouching for her. S'ria busied himself checking the cutting edge of his daggers for any severe knicks or damage, something that could at least pass as focused preparations before the upcoming fight.

S'ria hated to deny her what she'd likely hoped for from him, but when Thancred turned back towards him with nothing but tiredness and faint relief in his eyes, S'ria knew he'd made the right choice. He'd promised not to undermine, after all. Whatever fragile peace this was would likely not have survived immediately arguing with this decision.

S'ria could not truly disagree. With the Eulmorrans having already retreated from the vicinity of Fanow, he did not wholly mind the idea of her not needing to fight a Lightwarden for the first time.

(And, if it had some sort of visible negative effect on S'ria to slay another, she didn't need to watch that.)

 ----------

S'ria braced for it, as though that'd help. For a moment it was gentle, the light ebbing into him slowly. And then it was not, hitting him with the same inevitability of accidentally swallowing something scalding hot and knowing there was not a single thing left to do but endure the mistake.

It was not agonizing so much as it was just overwhelming.

The brief dizziness and nausea was not quite as bad as the temperature experience was. His body was clearly fighting it, spiking fever hot under duress. His preferred coat suddenly felt far too warm for the moment. And yet, even as the heat lingered, there was a chill that seeped into his bones. His fingertips were entirely numb and shoving them into his pockets did little to help. If he was too warm, how was he also so cold?

There were eyes on him, though, he had to remember. It was easy to remember. His skin crawled with it, the very knowledge that someone was looking at him made him want to snap.

Despite the feeling, the observation itself meant he could not do that. He suppressed the shivering of his body, too, to the best of his ability.

With the physical effects starting to abate, there was simply a strange aimless fear left in him – but being able to look up at the night sky made it settle just slightly.

 ----------

S'ria stood in “Master Matoya’s” room, the dim light of the room a balm on a fresh headache. He was still faintly shivering – but perhaps she would not be able to tell, really.

“Thank you for coming”. Y'shtola’s voice was solemn. “I thought to keep my suspicions to myself, but after witnessing your victory at Rak’tika Falls, I fear they prove true, and so I must share them with you.”

S'ria smiled crookedly. “I appreciate that you decided not to follow through with your first idea. It was unnerving for you to be hiding something so blatantly. Well, then?”

Y'shtola winced briefly before she settled into something neutral. “From the first when we met at Fort Gohn, your aether has appeared…tainted. Suffused with an overabundance of light not unlike the sin eaters.” She tilted her head in consideration. “When you defeated the Lightwarden, I fear the light which poured forth from it was not negated by Hydaelyn’s blessing. Rather, it was absorbed into your being.”

A confused frown settled onto S'ria's face. Was this meant to be new information? “I… had already known that much, with the way you nearly had me killed before you heard my voice. And the second part – is that an important difference? As long as I can handle it, it doesn't matter exactly what's happening to the light, right?”

Y'shtola’s grip on her staff tightened, the wood just slightly creaking. “I believe it does matter. Urianger also suspects as much, though he is unwilling to share his thoughts on the matter.”

It was a relief for Y'shtola to be so open with him, surprisingly quick and surprisingly frank about it all. Nothing she said sounded worth keeping a secret, really. If they'd actually asked whether the light felt destroyed or still a part of him, he'd have been able to easily answer that question. But he did not need to resent that, now that this was open.

Something pivoted a bit in S'ria's mind then, at fully processing her words. If Y'shtola’s conjectures were simply that something seemed wrong and he was likely in some vague danger, why would Urianger be so unwilling to so much as discuss the prospect? Y'shtola and Urianger often kept things to themself for a bit, but for her to deem it time for S'ria to be informed while Urianger refused to speak on it…

If Y'shtola was trying to turn S'ria against Urianger, to loop him in alongside her own doubts and suspicions, it was working. He'd always been cagey, but Y'shtola was dropped secrecy because she felt it was best for S'ria's safety. So what, then, was Urianger’s aim?

S'ria had felt aimlessly anxious, unable to settle down, skin crawling, but the thought of Urianger betraying his trust made him want to bite first and ask questions later.

No, he was fine. Urianger was the one keeping him alive the whole ordeal that evening, there was…nothing to…worry about. He swore, if Urianger meant him harm, he should be well aware of that by now.

It didn't help much, to try to convince himself, but it was at least enough to keep the veneer of normalcy in place.

S'ria realized Y'shtola was talking, having briefly dissociated out of the conversation.

“ –every Warden you defeat, the danger to you grows greater. Greater perhaps than we can imagine. If you begin to feel anything strange – anything at all – pray inform me at once.”

Anything? That ship had long since sailed.

S'ria would have difficulty describing why he did what he did next. It was the lingering fear, the sense that Y'shtola trusted him now but would not if he told her what'd been happening the whole time – that she'd hear him describe how it felt and she'd brand him on the verge of becoming a monster – the paranoia that no one could know it already was affecting him since the beginning.

With not a moment's thought or hesitation, S'ria opened his mouth and lied.

 ----------

After S'ria had returned from Eulmore, he'd found sleeping in his bed intolerable. It made memories bubble up too easily and made them feel more real when they did. He'd turned to his tried and true solution for sleeping easier after nightmares – moving to the floor.

It was far less comfortable than home though, with only a single pillow and blanket pulled from the bed – and lying half on rug and half on tile.

S'ria had sheepishly gone downstairs to ask for an extra pillow or two. It was still quite terrible, really, and he'd even more hesitantly asked for another the following night. He told himself very firmly that he would not ask for more after that, with his actions surely already being worthy of judgment (or, if nothing else, he was being a nuisance.)

Even if he was still waking up sore, it was at least slightly better than before – and most importantly, he was getting decent sleep at all.

Now, as S'ria trudged up the stairs after returning from the Greatwoods while feeling exhausted in delightful new ways, he was somewhat dreading how the floor may treat his battle-weary body.

Perhaps if he'd considered a certain someone's insistence on asking after his needs and tending to his well-being after his ordeals, it would not have been such a surprise. As was, though, S'ria was absolutely not expecting there to be around a dozen spare pillows stacked on his bed, and an extra blanket added besides.

He smiled to himself as he arranged his little floor nest into somewhere he was excited to sleep. Many of the pillows did not match each other and none of them matched the basic ones provided by the Pendants – no, even if he didn't already have suspicions about who to thank, the distinctly Allagan patterning of some of them suggested exactly what sort of location they may have been sourced from.

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

So what do you think about the writing on Takemichi breaking up with Hinata?

On first viewing I was cringing because “Why would you choose to say that Takemichi!?!?!?”

And I was laughing when Hinata just decided to box with him to the point of jumping on his body and continue to pound him, not because I view a girl hitting a boy as funny but because I didn’t expect that at all, also I was baffled at Hinata because that felt extreme “There’s no reason for that Hinata! There’s other fish in the sea.”

But now looking back because of the anime adaptation I realize the scene wasn’t as bad as I thought.

It made sense for Hinata to be angry because Takemichi is clearly lying and Hinata’s been nothing but honest with him so I understand her anger

And with Takemichi I realize that him saying he likes someone else to be a little smart because that would have Hinata question the least then to say it’s dangerous for us to be together because why would you wait to tell someone that.

But I do view the scene as a little flaw because what I remember from the manga translation Takemichi says he’s fine with this because Hinata will have a better chance of living in the future where they’re not together.

HOWEVR, in the last timeline when he’s Toman top dog and she still ends up killed so the writing makes Takemichi look really stupid for not realizing that fact

But I’m curious how you feel about the scene because the fandom feels pretty dead to me for this season because there’s not a lot of people talking/ analyzing it (and the fandom on Reddit is pretty negative about it)

I actually really love this scene in both the manga and anime, I think it does a good job at showing Takemichi's and Hina's chatacters. For Takemichi I think him going along with Hina's dad's advice and breaking up with her makes a lot of sense. It's what Takemichi has been shown to do best, he's running away from the situation. He's scared for Hina so he's leaving her behind. This was something he was especially shown to do in the original timeline, when something gets too much for him he runs away, he abandons it and in a way that's what he's doing here, he's fallen into his past behaviours.

As for his excuse of another girl I think it's like you said because it's an easy and obvious excuse that's pretty self explanatory and won't get questioned. But also because it's an excuse which doesn't put Hina at fault, I mean it still sucks to hear this but it's definitely gotta be better then him blaming it on one of Hina's behaviours, I think he's still trying to spare her feelings.

And as for Hina this also a great scene for her, it's definitely not great that she beat up Takemichi because that's definitely something which shouldn't be done no matter how upset you are. But with her doing that it perfectly shows her loss of control and emotions, it shows just how upset she is by this, much better then it would've been if she'd just been crying. What she does here goes completely against her character and her morals, Hina is a pacifist who's opposed to violence.

The only other time we see her getting even a little violent is when she slaps Mikey but to her that was an emergency situation where the guys who kept beating up Takemichi turned up to school and were trying to kidnap him. So for her to completely lose it and go against her morals when Takemichi breaks up with her it perfectly illustrates just how much this break up hurts her.

In regards to the future and the flaw yeah I can definitely see that. The only reason I can think for Takemichi going ahead with the plan knowing that he breaks up with her but she still dies is because he wasn't thinking about her death when making that decision. Maybe instead he was thinking more about the present and the danger of Hina being hurt by rival gangs. Kind of like he was viewing Hina's safety in two separate ways, the first being saving her from dying and the other being keeping her safe in the meantime. I think this works especially well after the confrontation with the black dragons. It works better in the anime since Hina got a lot closer to being hit and hurt but the threat is still there in the manga.

So maybe him breaking up with her wasn't to try and save her from dying since he already has a plan for that but to protect her from the threats of the past.

That's just my take though.