#it’s the worst haha

[kathaynesart]

Out of the frying pan and into the fryer we go.

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Whew, finally done! Sorry it took so long, this is the largest update I've done yet clocking in at about 15 pages (compared to my usual 7-10). Also, congrats to those who guessed Todd for the distraction! Poor guy went through the last of his mystically preserved lemons just for this moment. What a bro.

[vaguely-concerned]

I understand and agree with a lot of the frustrations about the shortcomings of Inquisition as a story. but sometimes when I hear people complain about the chosen one narrative in it I do want to just be like... you know it's a deconstruction of the concept more than anything, right. the inquisitor isn't actually chosen by anything except stumbling into the wrong (right?) room at the right (wrong?) time because they like, heard a noise or whatever. or if you think they are chosen, as many do in-universe, that's something you have to take on faith, the maker-or-whoever moves in mysterious ways indeed-style. the Inquisitor isn't actually a Destined Chosen One, they're a Just Some Guy in a fancy hat, self-delusions of grandeur to taste as you'd prefer.

a running thread that goes through all of the personal quests of the companions is the concept of a comforting lie vs. an uncomfortable truth, upholding old corrupt structures vs. disrupting them, and the role of faith in navigating that. (blackwall the warden vs. thom rainier the liar and murderer. hissrad vs. the iron bull, or is that the other way around? cassandra and the seekers -- do we tell the truth about what we find, even if it means dismantling the old order of the world? and so on.) and your inquisitor IS at the same time a comforting lie (a necessary one, in dark times? the game seems to ask) and an uncomfortable truth (we are the result of random fickle chance, no protective hand is held over the universe, it's on us to make a better world because the maker sure as hell won't lift a divine finger to help anyone, should he against all odds exist). faith wielded for political power... where's the point that it crosses the line into ugliness? is it before it even begins? what's the alternative? will anyone listen to the truth, if you tell it?

interesting how you also get a mix of companion agency in this -- you have characters like dorian who ALWAYS choose one side of the comforting lie vs. uncomfortable truth dichotomy. he will always make up his own mind to go back to tevinter and try to dismantle the corruption of the old system no matter what you say, or how you try to influence him. meanwhile iron bull is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum -- so psychologically trapped and mangled, caught in an impossible spiritual catch-22, that his sense of identity is left entirely to you and your mercy. you cannot change dorian in any way that matters; you can be his friend or not, support him or not, but he is whole no matter what. you are given incredible and potentially destructive-to-him power over bull's soul. it's really cool (and heartbreaking) to think about.

this is a game about how history will eat you even while you're still alive, and shape you into whatever image it pleases to serve it, and for all your incredible power right now you are powerless in the face of the gravitational force of time -- of more than time, of History. you won't recognize yourself in what History will make of you, because you belong to it now. you don't belong to yourself anymore and you never will again. the further you were from what it needs from you to begin with, the more you will find yourself distorted in its funhouse mirror. (why hello there inquisitor ameridan, same hat!)

and to me this is so much the core of what Dragon Age is about right from the Origins days -- how and by whom history gets written, the inherent unreliable narration of it all. I hope you like stories, Inquisitor. You are one now.

I do think it's probably still the weakest of the games narratively, and it's hampered by its structure and bloated systems. but I also find it disingenous to say that there's nothing deeper or actually interesting going on with it, thematically. if you're willing to engage with it there is Some Real Shit going on under the high fantasy-tinted surface.

[batbabydamian]

wondered when exactly Damian started casually chatting with his hallucinations of Alfred in Robin (2021)

figured isolating himself in a dark tower carrying pictures of Alfred and the weight of his death would do the trick! (Detective Comics (2016) #1032)

[rueclfer]

ooo ooo another one just popped up into my head, touya or reader greening out and the other helping them through it Nsbfndhxks 🙏🦇

this is funnier if you imagine dabi coming home to find spinner and shiggy just chilling and gaming and he just smacked tf out of them for leaving the mess (you) for him to deal with

greened out // touya todoroki

-

tag: @moonchild701

[collophora]

More minibatch adventure I need a full show maybe too XD

[unreachedgalaxy]

ohhhhh I just realized the point of the fucking coffee shop AU. like, there's many points to the coffee shop AU. but...harrow in the coffee shop AU proves definitively that she would fall for gideon in any life, regardless of their relationship. no matter the circumstance - harrow would love gideon if she were nobody, if she was nothing more than a cute barista with a flirty smile. gideon, on the other hand, is quite clearly under the impression that harrow only loves her because she is her cavalier. she places being harrow's cavalier as evidence of her importance to harrow. as long as harrow accepts her as her cavalier, then she can never be nothing to harrow, because one flesh, one end.

even as kiriona, she's just waiting for the day she can swear to be harrow's cavalier again (get in line, thou big slut!). but harrow doesn't care if gideon is her cavalier at all - she loves gideon, just gideon.

[cubbihue]

* how would the others react if dev got to chance to become a pixie? (If that makes any sense, very sorry if it doesn’t)

They'd be horrified and won't know how to process the information.

In this grim timeline, CosWan would have to come to terms that their youngest son is a walking death flag, while also embracing their new grandchild as much as they had embraced Timmy. It's a whole new terrifying life to navigate, but they'll do their best to navigate it together as family.

Bitties Series: [Start] > [Previous] > [Next]

[nikysavi]

I understand why they're cutting out fighting in Bachelor's route. But I'll miss it

[wild-magic-oops]

Galemancing!Durge with past durgetash means that Durge never dates below his rank of Chosen (albeit an ex or "disgraced" one)

Only the gods' specialest boys for Durge. Nobody else gets to tap that lmao

[herzspalter]

Nightscream from Beast Machines is one of the ugliest characters ever but I love that, here's a sticker

[radio-zephyr]

orv spoilers (?) ahead-its a small moment

i think genuinely one of the moments in the novel that really stuck to me, was a quiet small moment between kdj, when kdj was talking to lgy about his sponsor and he raises his hand- and lgy flinches. So kdj holds his hand until he stops trembling.

like that moment is just SO TENDER and quietly devastating. Because kdj loves lgy. But he also sees himself in lgy. And he can't love that reflection of himself.

Yet he still does love lgy sm, and when he raises his hand and realizes lgy's fear, he just holds his hand in silent comfort.. and just sits there with him. until he's able to calm down again, kdj just sits with him.

[brainrotcharacters]

"Not talking now, are ya?"

[lady-shadow-and-darkness]

I find it interesting how despite Dazai being the suicidal one, most soukoku fics with the major character death tag have Chuuya die. It's incredibly funny because here we have Dazai, a suicidal character, losing everyone (he loves) but himself to death, which he desperately craves, and also loses his reason to live in the process. Ironic, even.

[adulthoodisokay]

me: so i've gotta do a thing about a book coming out and it's fine but also i asked the author for an advance reader copy of the book since im quoted in it my therapist: wait you're in a book? why? me: oh you know, the whole The Dress thing therapist: ...cates. im sorry, i have to derail this session. you were responsible for The Dress? like, that was you?? your post is the one that went viral??? me: yes? wait. WAIT. have i never mentioned this in the 2.5 years i've been seeing you?? therapist: CATES, NO YOU HAVE NOT. WHAT?? i've got a lot of questions and sorry but this is what we have to talk about right now because while i'm curious it'll also provide, like, SO MUCH context for how you feel about your career and identity of being a Person who Works on the Internet.

[lensdeer]

Rise and shine, Linux user. I see you have already noticed the bomb collar around your neck.

You have a heavily customized desktop environment in front of you. To defuse the bomb, you must describe it without using any racist te-

💥

god fucking damn it. AGAIN?

[yrlocalghost]

sometimes i kind of forget and process again just how heavy the entire story with chara is. like. that is a child that had feelings of wanting nothing to hurt them anymore and died for that. and i feel like this sometimes