#one in which i succeed

[corntired]

Fanfiction is so goated actually

No monetary incentive, just writing in one's free time. Some incentive for like kudos and comments, because who doesn't want to hear that someone else enjoyed what they wrote. Just writing a story that is good and/or enjoyable, no real-life pressure to keep it going because god forbid you and other people are depending on it financially.

Writing a story because you want to write a good story, so you can write what they want the way you want, at a pace that is realistic for you, with exactly the plot pacing you want there to be.

[brother-emperors]

CAESAR AUGUSTUS AND MARCUS LICINIUS CRASSUS

this is about the spolia opima that crassus was robbed of lmao. like, yeah okay octavian could've asked him not to claim it, but nevertheless. a kind of theft happened there.

Fact and Fiction: Crassus, Augustus, and the Spolia Opima, Catherine McPherson

[elerrinacrownedwithstars]

the reasons I think Fëanorians should not get the Silmarils back

it's a better and more compelling story this way. their fall from grace and the way they corrupt and destroy themselves because of a hopeless quest is peak tragedy, which would be ruined by their success.

it's a justified consequence of the Kinslayings: the right of ownership is not and cannot ever be more important than somebody else's right to live.

it's also a justified consequence of them stealing and destroying someone else's priceless semi-sacred property: Teleri will never get their ships back because Fëanor burned them out of spite, so it's only fair and square that the Silmarils are never returned to him or his heirs. 

if Stuff is so important to you that it causes you to ruin the lives of all your children, losing that Stuff forever is probably just karmic justice. (see also: "if more of us valued food and cheer above hoarded gold...")

And no, nobody else should have the Silmarils either. It's clear that having a Silmaril messes with your brain. At the end of the Silm, they should become public property. I would go even further than this and say that the actual resolution of the Silm, where nobody can have them and the single surviving jewel is carried as a star that everyone can indiscriminately see by a guy who never expressed a desire for it, is probably the only correct one. 

[stuckinapril]

Had a seismic moment today where I completely reframed my outlook on ambition & started looking at it (in the context of seeing it in other people) as admirable rather than opportunistic to a fault

[omegalomania]

i felt you at the beginning but needed you at the end

[shinypiloart]

No cost too great.

[meikiran]

fhjy finale spoilers but

Brennan mentioned that the ritual was different for people who electively chose to participate like Kipperlilly.

Do you think that Kipperlilly was initiated before or after the other team members? Was there something she had to do to prove her loyalty and cause?

Did she have to kill the first member or members of her team so porter would know that she wouldn’t betray him so he didn’t have to kill her himself? Who was the first one to be killed and resurrected again?

If she did, was she thinking about the glory that this would bring to just herself or for her whole team?

Did Porter promise her that he would make her into a legend? Tell her about the potential she has to make a change in the world? Was she only driven by the pure rage she felt?

Did she think that she was going to turn them into heroes?

I’ve been thinking about the complexity of the characters that we didn’t particularly get an answer to all night.

[shadowxamyweek]

Whenever we talk about ShadowxAmy in the context of Shadow's immortality (whatever form that may take), I feel like a lot of autonomy is taken away from Amy.

We always talk about what Shadow would do, how Shadow would feel. We talk about their greif and rage and sorrow. We never talk about how Amy thinks or feels about the situation.

Worst still... there seems to be this general unspoken assumption she'd just... let whatever happen, happen?

Like, do we not think that The Amy Rose, rascal and romantic, would do everything in her power to stick around? To spread love to every corner of the globe, to share that love with her partner- why keep that to a singular lifetime? She's taken her fate into her own hands more than she can count. Why would taking her life in her hands in this way be any different?

Amy Rose wants to live. She wouldn't just let anything stop her.

[inchidentally]

https://x.com/MERCL4REN/status/1743286121973555513?s=20

find the difference level impossible :D but seriously, this tweet gave me a stomachache from laughing so hard.

THERE'S MY TWO CREEPY TOO SIMILAR VESTAL VIRGINS THAT MAKE ALL THE MEN ON THE GRID (except lewis) GO HUUUHHHHH???

[chambers003]

Got a little silly with it.

Etho-themed redraws of ‘Village of the Angels’ (Doctor Who season 13 episode 4) (peak fiction by the way) (best episode of the season)

references and bonus under the cut. Doctor who season 13 spoilers (it’s been out 2 years to the day btw)

And also

[cerise-on-top]

Hiiii how are you doing love bug? I wanted to request something where farah notices spouse readers anxiety is high while there out at a celebration party thingy after a successful mission and helps them calm down

(Sorry if this is badly explained it’s my first time requesting something + I have adhd🫶🏻🫶🏻)

Hello! Don't worry, I got you! I hope this is what you wanted! I don't particularly know how to calm someone down, I can't even calm myself down usually, so I just swallow it all down until it goes away ^^;

Farah Senses Reader’s Anxiety

She would likely sense your anxiety as soon as she looked at you. Your eyes were wider open than usual, you’ve gone quiet, giving the occasional nod and smile and that’s it. Something was up, Farah knew you well enough by then to be able to tell. Yes, she may have been a highly coveted person at parties like these, but she could always make time for you, even while she was in the middle of a conversation with someone. As soon as you don’t seem to be doing well, don’t seem to be having fun anymore, she’ll take you somewhere quieter so she can talk to you and maybe help you calm down a bit.

Truth be told, Farah won’t particularly know what to do with you. Sure, she gets anxious at times as well, she leads an entire force, after all, but she usually calms herself down by taking a deep breath and sweeping all those negative thoughts under the rug. While it would be ridiculous to assume the same thing would work for you, she tries anyway. She may be good at building connections with other people, but she doesn’t particularly know how to calm someone down from severe anxiety. However, she will take your hands gently in hers, if you allow it, and will talk to you in the most tender tone you’ve ever heard from her. Her voice is audible still, but quieter than usual and she requests that you try to tune out everything else and only listen to her. While she won’t know what to say, she tries, talking about anything that comes to mind. The small lizard she saw on her way to the party, how she once was able to pet a bunny when she was small. Nice things that would take your mind off of the party. You will be leaving it soon enough, naturally, but before then, you need to calm down first.

If her distracting you doesn’t help, then she’ll try to breathe with you, gently asking you to breathe in, hold your breath for a few seconds, before breathing out again. This will be repeated a few times. If that doesn’t work either, then she will try the 54321 method. Granted, she doesn’t exactly know how it works and will mess it up. But who knows, maybe that will get you to laugh. Farah asks you to tell her what you’re seeing, hearing, feeling and so on and tries to crack jokes here and there to maybe get you to smile. Her attempt at distracting you from your anxiety still hasn’t ceased. Talks you through it all. However, if that doesn’t help either, then she’ll ask you what the source of your anxiety may be. If it’s the party then you’ll be going home immediately. Or, at the very least, get away from it as far as you can. If it’s something else then she’ll still try to help you somehow, reassuring you that she’ll do whatever she can to assist you. If it’s alright with you, then, after the party, you’ll go stargazing together. The vastness of the universe has always helped her calm down, and maybe she can tell you some stories she’s heard about the different constellations as well. Either way, she’ll be taking care of you as well as she can during the evening, until you calm down. And then you’ll be cuddling the night away, if you’re calm enough to want to be touched. Farah will hold you to her chest, hum a little lullaby and run her fingers through your hair.

[ilynpilled]

Do you think Brienne will also turn really grey in winds too like GRRM alluded?

i dont think brienne is intended to go that dark and i dont think this is the aim of her character thematically to be frank, nor do i think this is what is being set up ig. the one thing that i could imagine that would make her substantially morally darker in winds is if she eventually had to really choose between podrick and jaime in a way where jaime is actually in direct and immediate danger so not entirely like the feast scenario where that is not really the case and she picks jaime

[giantkillerjack]

Uh-oh! You are like, SOOO awkward!!

You're so awkward that it is occasionally mildly uncomfortable for people!

You're so awkward that sometimes people are confused by you and then there are awkward silences!

You're so awkward ...... that ultimately no one is harmed!!

Oh damn!!! What a vile crime you have committed! What an unforgivable thing it is to make a fellow human briefly confused!

Why, if *I* were ever briefly confused and kind of uncomfortable as a result, I'd be devastated.... by the absolute net zero change in my happiness and health! - From which I might never recover!! Yes indeed! No punishment can ever be enough for you!!

So you better absolutely hate yourself for it.

Better be SO MEAN to yourself about every single missed social cue so you don't forget your horrible crime! Meaner than you'd ever dream of being to someone else for the same thing! This is YOUR responsibility!

You need to show the world that you KNOW you are bad by punishing yourself constantly! After all, think of all the people who BENEFIT from you punishing yourself! - No, really! Think about it! Think about who benefits from your pain.

Think of alllllll the definitely-good people that your definitely-necessary self-torment definitely helps! I mean, you can't just cut off their definitely-life-sustaining supply of your suffering, right?? Sure, everyone else has a breaking point, but you're probably the only person in human history who doesn't, right? Best not to question it probably. Sure, it's a symptom that billions of people with trauma have had, but who knows? You could be a one-in-seven-billion exception. Anything's possible!

Instead, better just accept that idea that bullies carry like guns in holsters - the idea that people who have trouble with social cues deserve to suffer. Better carry on the burden they placed on you until you drop. Aid the cause of the callous by enforcing shame and suffering upon yourself extra hard; try your best to do their work for them. They're very busy.

Better not recognize that you need patience and kindness to heal from your trauma. Better not find out that it was trauma rather than personal weakness filling your head with self-hating thoughts. Better not find out it wasn't your fault.

Better not find out that awkwardness is not inherently harmful or unkind, and, in fact, the people who act like it is *are the ones enacting harm and being cruel.*

Better not get righteously angry when you realize just how much unnecessary damage this has done to you. After all, if you get mad, you might realize you deserve better. You might even feel brave enough to DEMAND better! You might build boundaries that keep you safe! You might make other people think they deserve to feel safe too! And we obviously can't be having that, so...

Better not show yourself even a little kindness a little bit at a time.

Better not make a habit out of it after all that practice.

Better not get confident.

Especially if you can't first wipe out every trace of awkward. (And you probably never will. Because people who experience absolute social certainty at all times tend to be insufferable assholes that enforce the status quo. And you just don't have the stock portfolio for that.)

Better not be confident and awkward because then you might confuse and delight people

- you might accidentally end up making other people feel less shame for their social difficulties

- you might make isolated, traumatized, and shy people feel like they deserve to be included in social situations

- you might even make them feel they can be themselves around you

- you might start loving the effect you have on a room

- you might enjoy conversations more

- you might forgive yourself and bounce back from shame more easily and frequently

- you might come to enjoy some of those moments of harmless confusion you cause because NOBODY expects the Confident Awkward, and that can genuinely be an advantage in social situations

- you might stop apologizing so much.

- you might find that socializing is like a video game: it requires practice but also a safe space for it to be fun and positive.

Or if you can't become assertive and confident, better not remain awkward and shy and quiet, and then love and forgive yourself anyway!

Why, it would be carnage!!

In either scenario, you run the risk of finding out that it's not your fault that safe spaces full of kind people can be really hard to find, create, and nurture. You could end up building a skillset that helps you do those things if you're not careful!

If you start giving yourself even the tiniest amount of grace at a time, you will find that you've accessed a gateway drug with extreme long-term side effects:

- You might realize that it was never your fault that it took so long to like yourself.

- You might realize that you were always worth talking to, even when you didn't like yourself and communication felt impossibly difficult.

- You might realize that you'll still be worth talking to even if communication becomes harder as you age and/or experience disability.

- You might come to know that you deserve to be heard even on bad days when words come slow and blurry.

You might discover that you were always deserving of kindness, first and foremost from yourself.

So. As you can see, it's FAR too much of a risk to start granting your awkward self free pardons for your many heinous and harmless crimes. Better to just leave it there.

[thevalleyisjolly]

The biggest source of information that we have about the details of the Prophidian Heresy comes, in-canon, from the book that Jet reads in ACOC when she began researching the Bulb.  In that book, she learns not only about the Prophidian Heresy but also the Ramsian Doctrine.  We also later find out that that’s not the only connection the two philosophies have - Belizabeth Brassica, a champion of the Ramsian Doctrine, was mentored and first ordained by a priest who adhered to (and was executed for) the Prophidian Heresy.

Which led me to think, what is the point of connection?  How do these ideologies relate to each other, apart from being fringe beliefs of the Church?  With what we’ve learned this season about the FDA, who uphold the Prophidian Heresy, the followers of the two beliefs seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum.  The FDA wants to stop the end of the world by filling the world with rot and decay, while Belizabeth wants to bring about the end of the world by ensuring that it is only made out of “healthy” food - hence the attempt to annihilate Candia in ACOC.  On the surface, they appear to be foes, and Raphaniel even promotes the Ramsian Doctrine in an attempt to undermine the FDA.

Then I realized: sugar doesn’t rot.  It can spoil if moisture gets in -Candians are more vulnerable than anyone else in Calorum to watersteel daggers- but sugar acts as a preservative.  And so far, there aren’t any known Candians in the FDA.

It’s not about what they have in common ideologically but rather it’s what stands against them both.  Although they may seem to have opposite goals -the FDA and the Prophidian Heresy want to “save” the world by preventing its destruction while the Ramsian Doctrine headed by Belizabeth wants the end of the world to come- where they are both similar is that there is room in neither philosophy for Candians.  Sugar does not rot, that is a whole part of the world that theoretically remains palatable to the Hungry One.  Sugar is “junk food” (according to the Ramsian Doctrine), the Hungry One will not eat the world so long as it is unhealthy.  The followers of both heresies may be working to different ends but as per the details of their beliefs, neither group can succeed in their desired goals as long as Candians continue to exist.

I don’t know what, if anything, this means for The Ravening War.  We know that the FDA’s plan does not succeed, although we don’t know how it happens.  But I think it’s significant to the worldbuilding of Calorum that the biggest heresies of the Church (that we know of), the heresies which so many prominent Church leaders seem to hold to, are fundamentally hostile to the existence of Candia.  And I think that even if the vast majority of ordinary Bulbians probably consider these beliefs fringe and heretical, it doesn’t mean that the leaders at the top who do adhere to them aren’t using their influence to promote subtler anti-Candian ideologies.

You don’t get to a genocidal crusade from nowhere.  You don’t just declare one day that it’s going to happen, everyone get your armour on and grab a blade and torch, and people just listen to you.  But if you spend years cultivating mystery and fear, spreading rumours but never confirmed facts of strange Candian alchemy, that’s how you start to other Candians so that by the time you get to the point where you’re ready to make a move against them, people perceive them as mysterious heathen others “not like us.”

[wellnoe]

i have written out a post about this like 4 times by now and it always ends up being too embarrassingly long to post but it is so weird to me that bridgerton season 2 just never resolves anthony's distrust of his entire family, because it DOES try to resolve kate's distrust of HER family and because frankly i think it is one of anthony's biggest problems.

[wizardnuke]

i love dnd..i love playing heavy utility/support/backfield and i love having three to six attacks in a turn and an insane ac. at heart im a support player ill get my hands on whatever we're missing in a group