#charging objects

[modernwitchsguidetolife]

Charging Objects is simpler than some may realize & truly a very practical bit of witchcraft most can easily master. Virtually any object can become magical & serve a higher purpose than originally intended ✨🧿����🐚🎖️🎲💎🪬🧹🔑🎀🪭🪄📓🖊️✨

[a-compass-without-a-needle]

This is what happened after 3.1 isn't it?

[xxplastic-cubexx]

top five worst people to be around when theyre experiencing road rage

[secriden]

This line. God, this line! It has been eating me up inside for 2 days now, because let's not forget, this line isn't about love, it's about trust. And that has implications that make me want to scream.

It's a direct reference to this moment earlier in the episode:

At the start of this discussion, Style and Fadel still have a kind of playful air about their conversation:

Style: Oh? Not even me? Fadel: You're at 80% at best. I feel like you're hiding something from me in the 20%.

In this exchange, though, there's a sense that Fadel is issuing a challenge, like there's something specific which Style can do to gain Fadel's full trust. And while Style knows there are things he cannot (yet) reveal to Fadel, I think a part of him is determined to be as honest as he can be, which is why he issues a challenge of his own by asking for more specificity:

Style: What do I have to do to gain your complete trust?

Part of this question is a simultaneously inquisitive and deflective - What (and why) do you think I'm hiding (something) from you? - but there's also a moment after Style finishes speaking where he stills and goes quiet that feels... genuine, weighty. Or, as @airenyah has pointed out in her meta on Style in episode 4, the "grounded[ness]" in Style's demeanour is a signal that Style means what he's saying in the moment. Maybe about his own desire to be worthy of Fadel's trust, maybe about how he genuinely does want this relationship to be real in whatever way that matters to Fadel.

I think Fadel sensed that too, because the moment looses all the lightheartedness it had before. Fadel pauses, and then gets a look on his face that just... breaks my heart. There's a sombreness there, like he knows he's going to have to say something that makes him sad. Fadel looks away, and then down, before he seems to steel himself and says:

Fadel: It'll never happen. No matter how much you love someone, I just don't believe that you can completely lay yourself bare in front of them.

Fadel says this like it's fact. Like what he's expressing is something foundational and true and irrefutable. It's not even about his doubt in Style's honesty, because this statement has no qualifiers or conditions put on it to connect it to Style. Rather this is what Fadel fundamentally believes about relationships and trust: he finds the very concept of being fully known and still accepted an impossibility.

Sure, maybe this is because of the falling out (or betrayal or disappearance) associated with the former lover; but I also think it might be because Fadel is acutely aware not only that he's hiding a rather big and dark secret (not to mince words, but: actual literal premeditated murder), but also about what it implies about Fadel. Because being able to kill another human, coldly and clinically and without remorse, takes a certain type of person. Because, yes, Fadel has lived through an absolutely harrowing and traumatising event (his parents' murder), but it's also undeniable that it changed him. Because there's something about Fadel that twisted dark and which he never quite got back. There's an anger, a hurt that colours every moment of his life; that enables him to look a man in the eyes, smile politely, and pull a trigger.

And at this point in their relationship, Fadel's understanding of Style is that he's... well, kind of innocent. Especially in comparison to Fadel and Bison, and even Kant.

Style, who easily reveals facts about his life which Fadel already knows (winning a car tuning competition), making Fadel doubt his own instincts about Style hiding secrets. Style, who also reveals the things Fadel doesn't know, like the tender and secret pain of a mother lost to cancer (which, now that I think about it, Fadel may also know) and his worries about a father who "lost his bearings for a bit" (which he probably doesn't). Style, who tries to comfort Fadel in his own loss by offering a safe space and a sympathetic ear.

Style, who doesn't just see Fadel for his tragedy, but is asking to be given the chance to accept all of Fadel as a person. Style, who not only wants but has the capacity, to be the only person Fadel needs to rely on. Style who, despite the sea of differences between them, understands Fadel on a level that is so very foundational.

I'm going to slightly segue and mention something that may not resonate with everyone, but really hit me in the gut this episode: because I lost my father when I was 16 after he battled cancer for 2 painful years. And this revelation about Style has totally shifted and coloured everything Style has done in a new light for me. Because not only does this totally explain Style's sometimes almost stubbornly childish demeanour (it's common in adults who've had to 'grow up' too early), but also why Style shows seemingly random flashes of insight and maturity when they are most crucial. Notably, Style has this almost instinctive sense of when he needs to back off a sore point with Fadel that I couldn't quite put my finger on until this episode.

I've seen a few jokes about Style's awkward subject change, but I've actually got a friend who I hold very dear to my heart who was one of the only people to give me a sense of normalcy and comfort when my dad was on his last few days and then at his funeral. And part of that was the instinctive way she would know when I needed to just. Not be a grieving daughter for a few minutes. To get a small respite from the overwhelming hopelessness and sense of impending loss. To get a moment to breathe and gather my strength, because knowing I was never going to see my dad again, or hear his voice, or hold his hand was tearing me apart back then. Sometimes she'd talk to me about college drama, sometimes she'd introduce a new kpop video to me, sometimes she'd just ask me what I wanted to eat and take me to go have a meal with her. And sometimes there really just isn't anything else to say other than "I'm sorry." Nothing you say - nothing you can say - is going to ever, ever make this grief go away, and in most cases, it was better when people (especially those who couldn't really understand) didn't try.

And I think if you look at Fadel very closely, there's a moment of genuine surprise (Fadel wasn't expecting the subject change at all) and then... something that looks like fondness mixed with exhausted relief. Because I don't think Fadel was ready to talk about his parents yet. This was honesty he wasn't ready to give Style, mostly prompted because Style himself had willingly been so vulnerable that a part of Fadel wanted to reciprocate. But further down that path lies not only his darkest memories, but also the connection to the part of his life he is not willing to share with Style yet. So this subject change is a relief, it's a blessing, but it's also Style knowing when he shouldn't push any further with Fadel's fragile heart.

Which brings me back to how well the episode's theme of trust (both deserved and undeserved) was woven in this episode. This is true on multiple levels and characters but I'm not even going to attempt to touch Kant in this post because... Lord, that is beyond me at the moment. Someone else needs to do that, pretty please, so I can reblog it and scream.

It starts, somewhat unexpectedly, with Fadel asking for entrance into the intimate spaces of Style's life.

So, this episode was not about Fadel's fear of his own feelings, desires, or even affection for Style - that appears to be fully addressed in episode 4. I think that's why we see Fadel be so physically affectionate and indulgent of Style in this episode. He's come to terms with his lust for Style's body (hence his comfort in initiating sex), he's accepted Style as his boyfriend and so can enjoy Style's playful teasing (still reluctantly, but Fadel is still an introvert even if he's mostly enjoying Style's rambunctious nature), and give into Style's (and Bison's and Kant's) cajoling with relatively little fuss.

He's even comfortable toying with the edges of revealing his darker and more sinister side by reminding Style implicitly about how violent Fadel has the potential to be. Recall that Fadel knows Style knows some of his capacity for violence; he just doesn't know how very thoroughly Style is aware of the full scale of this truth. It does help that Style evidences no actual fear and, in fact, looks positively euphoric. Like, buddy, pal, dearest one... please control yourself.

And yet something very, very telling is the way the show makes it a point to depict Fadel very deliberately getting drunk during the double date. Even before the date has started, Fadel looks to be about half a beer in and we see him constantly drinking, drinking, drinking during the whole date. From the conversation about trust he has with Style while Kant and Bison are being off key and adorable about it, to after Kant leaves and Bison gets worried. And we've seen Fadel cope with emotional and mental distress with alcohol before, so we know that Fadel is internally fighting some kind of very intense battle even as he is also very clearly enjoying moments with Style on this date (most notably when they're dancing by the bowling lanes and when Style asks him to go home with him).

So here's my take: rather than being about love, this is about Fadel fighting to hold onto his own philosophy on relationships and trust. Because as much as I do believe Fadel believes he's telling the truth when he tells Style that 100% trust is "impossible", I think it's clear that's not what he wants.

What he wants is to finish this last job so that the only thing he can't be honest about with Style will finally stop being a factor in his life. What he wants is to fully and completely reciprocate the openness Style seems to be giving Fadel. What he wants is to switch off his brain and let his heart lead for once, to stop fighting a battle he has no desire to win anymore, only he can't. Trust (not love) is Fadel's final frontier, and one which he can't quite give up in spite of himself.

Which is why I think Fadel intentionally gets himself drunk here. Because he wants to let his guard down around Style. He wants to open himself fully, he wants to "lay himself bare" for Style, he wants Style to know the full truth and accept him anyway - and he gets so close, but can't quite get there - because he doesn't know that Style already has.

When Style says this, Fadel thinks it's empty words, not knowing that Style has long passed the bar Fadel thinks is insurmountable. And just like Style was able to offer safety and reassurance to the vulnerability Fadel was showing in episode 4, Style instinctively gets to the core of Fadel's darkest fears again:

Style: One day, I'll be your 100%.

This isn't (just) a promise that Style will wear Fadel's stubbornness down, or that Style will be worthy of Fadel's 100% (which, already, has me in tears, ngl). Beyond that, this is Style promising Fadel isn't ruined for this; that it isn't too late, that whatever hurts and wounds Fadel has can be made whole again. That the kind of honest and all-encompassing and unconditional trust which Fadel says is impossible can, in fact, be his. That Fadel still has the capacity to trust and be trusted the way he so desperately, painfully longs for.

I know a lot of people have said Style in this episode is writing cheques he has no ability to honour, but I think it's more layered than that. Because in a very significant and profound way, Style is wholly deserving of Fadel's trust. Because in all the ways that Fadel has ever known he should want, Style actually IS worthy of his trust. Style knows the truth Fadel is hiding, knows what this man is capable of, knows the danger of being in his arms, knows the likely nonexistent future Fadel has to offer him -- and wants him anyway. Style is a man who would stare into Fadel’s darkness and reach out first. Strip away the complication of Kant being blackmailed and dragging Style into his mission, and Style is literally perfect for Fadel. He is exactly what Fadel wants (and possibly has wanted for a very long time). He is, in fact, exactly what Fadel needs to ever experience anything beyond the shadow of a life he's had so far.

But oh, the cruel narrative means that Style is also, simultaneously, painfully undeserving of Fadel's trust; and this is something Style is very much aware of. I think that's why he's trying so very hard to be worthy in all the other ways he can be. Style's awareness of what Fadel is hiding enables Style to (counterintuitively) be completely honest about his feelings for and about Fadel even as he cannot reveal his motivations. So he gives Fadel as much honesty as he can: offers the vulnerability of his own pain and hurts; the comfort of his true understanding and acceptance.

And just as Fadel's vulnerability in the abandoned factory was met with Style choosing a form of physical connection that prioritised Fadel's pleasure (it's made very clear that Style is jerking Fadel off and that all his focus in that moment was on Fadel, not his own pleasure), so too is this moment met with Style very intentionally choosing to worship Fadel's body with all the tenderness and genuine emotional weight that Style wanted Fadel to have in their first time in the storeroom.

Because, crucially, this was Style giving Fadel the chance to lay himself at least physically bare. This is the closest either of them can get to full honesty with the secrets they both are keeping. It's why Style tries so very hard to show the care and adoration and genuine feelings he has for Fadel. Why he makes sure that the vulnerability of Fadel getting himself as drunk and as relaxed and as trusting as Fadel can allow himself to be is tied only to gentleness and tenderness and pleasure.

Because Style actually knows that Fadel can't (and shouldn't) trust him in the way Fadel truly wishes to.

And as much as I believe that Style genuinely means this from the bottom of his heart, the horrifying full truth is that it is Style that has the metaphorical knife hovering over Fadel's chest. He is the one with the capacity to actually give Fadel a new scar that would truly matter. He is, in fact, the only one Fadel wants to fully trust -- and this, along with Style's compromised heart, makes it so that the circumstances will doom them both.

[gusu-emilu]

obsessed with this scene of jiang cheng in his purple pajamas, tossing and turning in pathetic torment, comb peeking out from under his pillow

[powerglides-leotard]

Depth Charge meets Dinobot

[transingthoseformers]

I'm sure there's gotta be an established government outside of Sentinel in TFONE and I think it'd be funny to see them scramble after Optimus Prime appears as a god sanctioned leader.

"SIR! You cannot simply appoint your friends to positions of government! THERE IS A PROCESS!!!!"

"yeah well Primus says I can so suck it"

You know considering how Sentinel likely did the same goddamn thing they should've expected this

[plusultraetc]

I'm so sorry but ever since that teen Hawks page was translated on twitter I can't stop thinking about it. like. Mera treated him like a person. he was assigned to Hawks when he was already a teenager. did no one treat him like a person before then? was it such an uncommon occurrence that it seemed special when someone did? I mean, they didn't even let him have a person's name. they gave him a hero name, and to the HPSC, that was the name of a tool. of a product. they basically bought a child and treated him so coldly that Mera stood out to him because he treated him like a person. the bars of my enclosure.

[fumifooms]

What if we were both magic prodigies and it otherized us in different ways and we devoted ourselves to protecting a family member who has general other goals & priorities. What if we both did self-sacrifical devotion in opposite ways.

What if we were dark mirrors of each other and where I've grown overcontrolling you've grown complacent. What if, bought as a servant into a pretty loving home, ownership and control is what love looks like to me, and to you neglected and lonely growing up, love is gratefully taking any scraps of it you’re lent.

By belonging to someone, even if she comes back injured or fails at finding Delgal, she feels like she belongs and is cherished, by owning someone he feels safe in them not leaving him.

She’s what’s tethering him do you see… And he’s the only thing giving her direction and purpose in her state. She needs a compass and he needs a support.

They’re both so out of it 😭 It’s the weirdly intense and unearned mutual trust and reliance on each other?? They’re each other’s weird little comfort codependent teddy bear. Or at least they were headed towards that before SHE DIED THEN HE DIED THEN THEY BOTH FORGOT ABOUT EACH OTHER AND NEVER MET EVER AGAIN. Though she’s also the guard attack hound keeping him safe… And vice versa he heals her and can rewrite her very being with just one wave of his hand. They’re both so so mentally and physically vulnerable both but they cling onto each other. They can’t perceive things accurately but despite it all someway somehow they stumble into something closer to resembling companionship just before they both die. Falin is just that kind and Thistle is just that lonely. Overworked.

We both haven’t lived for ourselves in a very long time, haven’t we.

They both have a similar devotion to the people they love but again the difference is that Thistle starts overtsepping while Falin is self-effacing. The other difference between them is that people care about Falin <3 People have given up on Thistle long ago, and he has given people reasons to, while people refuse to give up on Falin. Yaad has a mini arc about it dw about it it’s ok he’s not all alone in the end 😭😭 He reached out for Marcille’s hand but they already all wanted to help him, they just had to be given the chance to, Yaad just had to be given the chance to, it’s okay I’m okay

Hey what if we learned to get in touch with our own identity and the world around us and living in the present again through being in the worst codependent situationship ever.

Falin and Thistle sitting in a tree, sucking on flowers together because they’re h-u-n-g-r-y 💕💕💕

I bet he’s only ever thought of flowers as useless ornaments. Weak weeds. But she shows him they’re tasty and useful and good and pretty in their own right too and deserve existing without proving their worth and waaa <33 Thistles…... Did you know thistles taste sweet if you remove the thorns and eat them?

"Even as a chimera, her kind nature remains" you can’t suppress her in the way that matters. You can’t soothe him in the way that matters. It’s doomed. You’re doomed. It’s all doomed. Save me.

[angelknives]

"It's unfair to compare Veilguard to BG3!"

Err, no it isn't? A game supposedly in the same genre, made by a studio with experience in that genre, produced around the same time. How is that unfair? I love BG3 but Larian isn't reinventing the wheel. It's building on what works in this genre and (gasps) improving on criticism it got on its previous games.

But sure, let's not compare DAV to BG3, how about we compare it to:

Disco Elysium

Divinity Original Sin 2

The Witcher 3

Pillars of Eternity 2

Elden Ring

While all different, they all contain elements Bioware gutted out of Dragon Age: The Veilguard (like a good snappy title), to reach a younger broader new audience. These titles didn't gut themselves and were highly successful on every metric. And they all came out between DAI and DAV, so Bioware could have learned from that.

Especially as they already tried to dumped down, simplified approach with Andromeda and most people weren't happy with that either.

Oh and I forget one important game DAV could have learned from:

Dragon Age: Inquisition

[machinel1ke]

Toriel, Undyne, and Asgore: *die*

Mettaton:

[taryn40k]

White Drakes in deployment

Ok. So. Belisarius Cawl, right? Charged by Guilliman to try to make better Marines. Then left without supervision, right? Ok. Not EVERYTHING he had to have tried panned out, right? And sometimes, you experiment, and try to solve issues that aren't actually issues, and something sticks. Consider, if you will. Where did the MK 9 power armor go? Do we even know what it looked like? (Maybe we do, but I don't, and so I run with the idea : ) Maybe the reason why it was never deployed, with the MK 10 in development for Primaris marines, is because... That bitch hot. Anything mechanical that you run is BOUND to heat up. And the more you slap cool things in, the more it WILL heat up. So, how do you make it work without cooking alive any Astartes inside? ...What if the Astartes had a new organ that would just lower their body temperature? If we push it, we can even have them hook up to their armor, and cool it off themselves! The warmth of the armor running keeps them from freezing, and they keep the armor from overheating! :D Of course, we have to adjust the aspirants bodies, let's just have a test group, see what we can do.... Alright, well, that's not actually a real issue, and not actually a viable solution, so let's go back to researching something with a less dramatic death rate for the Primaris project- What do you mean one of the aspirants survived? Because she had a naturally low body temperature to start with? ......You know what, side projects boost creativity, so... let's keep an eye on that. Let's see if we can actually make it work!

The White Drakes would be a very new chapter, with under two century under their belt, not even part of any specific founding since it is purely a Cawl special. A pet project of sorts. They have additional organs that produce coolant continuously, and if not removed from their system, it is a genuine danger of freezing them to death. It would look like their armor is cold, given the amount of frost and the cold clouds around them... but actually, their armor is incredibly hot and keeps them alive by regulating their temperature. The coolant they produce can be stored in the powerpack and used to flash-freeze targets, or diffused to create a cold cloud cover that messes with auspexes. In big enough numbers, they can create a full storm front.

Officially, Cawl tells anyone that their geneseed is a modified version of Vulkan's... but there is definitely a bit of chimeric shenaniganery going on. Some would say Leman Russ... Some would note their preference for stratagems and support over open conflict, and look at a couple of bald guys switching identities faster than Cawl switches personalities. Given the youth of the Chapter, every member is a Primaris, and they have a deep respect for Firstborns because their Chapter has none. They work best when deployed alongside another Chapter, to support them ; because of their fragility and the delicate balance between their bodies and their armor, they can't really take a hit as well as they should. If anything gets damaged, the risk to their lives is very real, and finding proper recruits to survive not only the ascension to Primaris but the inversion of their body heat is difficult.

However, a good point remains : this procedure actually bring the chances of success from female aspirants to be on par with male aspirants. An unexpected side effect of this little proof of concept, that unfortunately didn't carry over to the wider Primaris project. Still, this trait alone justifies a casual monitoring from Cawl, and a certain support to the chapter from the adepts loyal to him. However, on a wider scale, the Mechanicus doesn't see them favorably : too new, too... inventive. Yes, technically, they could find all of the blueprints separately, that could make this project work but.. the way it has been assembled borders on tech-heresy. So, considering all of this, and numbers that struggle to pick up, the White Drakes are rarely seen outside of their own system, quietly out of the way. Still, they are a welcoming chapter ready to work and adapt to anyone, without seeking glory more than knowledge. They know they are not yet ready to walk out of the shadow of the other, more storied chapters, and so they learn from them as they find their footing as a new Chapter. :) Also, ice weaponry. So much ice weaponry. The Space Wolves would be proud. XD Their armor is white with light blue accents so they can blend into the blizzard they bring, until all you can see are black heads fading in and out before a strike. So yeah, here is my idea for a homebrew chapter in the modern 40K! :D

[vigilskeep]

so gorim is going back to orzammar to sort out my goddamn house implying that, after all that, he is going to have more of a role in my son’s life than i do. is he allowed to bring his wife and kid back to orzammar too. will they also be there

[romainlettusdinnerparty]

questioning "coming out" as the culmination of will's character arc

i just had this thought of just like,, what does coming out mean for a characters arc? like is that really the final goal in a queer person’s life/ story? i mean, i think in some cases it makes sense like if a story is about a character’s queerness and also their relationship to their family and how secrets can affect relationships but i feel like there’s this idea that if there is a queer character their goal should be to reveal said queerness. i think that 1. kinda makes them a caricature of queerness, dumbs their character down to just one aspect 2. centers other people way more in the narrative - things that have fs been said before. but i really like the scene of will “coming out to jonathan” because its not like a “coming out scene” - will doesnt come to him with a confession - instead jonathan comes to him with support because he can see will’s sadness and longing and most importantly, the distance that has grown between them. queerness isnt necessary to this scene but we know its there so this support, this kindness, this connection means so much more, defies expectation - especially in this time period when such acts would not be at all expected of someone encountering a queer person. we dont expect cruelty from jonathan but its important that he is the one to reach out to will. idk if i want there to be an emphasis on will telling people he’s gay despite the agency it may give him - with both of the “coming out scenes” we’ve had in this show neither of them were necessarily voluntary or on their own terms. robin came out to steve because he told her he liked her and she Couldn’t like him back. jonathan shared his support for will without will ever voicing the monstrous desire jonathan offered comfort for. that feels so much more true to the time period and the lives these characters are leading - queerness is not the biggest issue rn, theyre being haunted by an evil dimension or whatever. idk what it would do for will’s character to tell joyce that he’s gay - i dont like that the idea of coming out to her would just be motivated by wanting to Come Out in that situation, i dont think thats a good enough motivation for will - i dont think he wants to be known necessarily, i dont think that his goal or his overall thing,, mike however? maybe? because of the more societal pressures and hiding and “forced conformity” his character deals with i feel like sharing that secret with someone and having them react well could be really important for his arc - like revealing his true self and not hiding behind what he thinks is expected of him is really important character growth and a huge thing holding him back in his relationships over the last couple seasons. he’s performing - taking the mask off, finding out that it was a mask all along, is important for him, his relationships (with will and el especially), and us as an audience to forgive him. will obviously dealt with bullying both from lonnie and his pears surrounding his sexuality which makes being Accepted for said sexuality so so important for him, i just don’t know if the Telling People part is as important for his character? telling mike he’s in love with him? yes. absolutely. hes hiding that from him and it affects their every interaction. but i don’t think will is hiding from joyce in this regard - i dont think its important for him to reveal it to her much like it wasn’t necessary to reveal himself to jonathan - they already know - or even if they don’t, they know nothing will ever change the love they feel for Will, they just need to show their love and acceptance. i wouldnt be mad if there was a scene almost identical to will and jonathan’s with joyce and will, at least in sentiment. ik it can be very important to say it out loud but if thats the goal then That should be the goal, not informing joyce. im curious why other people want a joyce and will coming out scene so badly - is it just for the ensured emotionality? is it for will’s agency? is it for the show to say the word gay? what is will’s motivation here and why is his tactic to come out?

[theparadigmshifts]

everyone on the severance subreddit can't fucking shut up about going "helly is pregnant because there's babies in the intro" like if you say that one more time i'm going to level a city block. every motherfucker who goes "haha yeah totally fun plotline" and doesn't consider what a fucking betrayal it would be to put a character whose bodily autonomy has already been violated through something so heinous can taste my blade

[floorpancakes]

this is so funny im sorry doumeki is rizzing him up and he straight up doesnt even realise

meki literally has other scenes too where he's like hey...hey ... wanna come see me shoot....and watanuki will look at him like he's insane. doumeki honey im so sorry that you are in love with the worlds densest wet cat

and for it to be the arrow he won the fucking recital with like......bro is employing all of the rizz in his arsenal and getting paid DUST cause watanuki is so dense fjrjekdkdk if he actually thought about how many times he's been favoured like this by him he would explode