Honestly if I were to ever rewrite CRK, first thing I’d do is streamline and solidify the timeline
Because I feel like there’s millennium long gaps in the timeline where nothing much happens, and it’s really vague when certain things happen. And also the lore doesn’t necessarily need to span across several thousands of years. I mean I’m pretty sure actual human civilization hasn’t lasted as long as the lore of the Cookies has, and they had to be made by Witches first
Not only this but as I’ve referred to before, while the Ancients have been established as living for thousands of years, they’re still too young to have witnessed other known important eras in the timeline aside from making their kingdoms and the Dark Flour War (which even some mortals still are around to remember), such as the Beasts or the disappearance of the Witches. Which to me feels like their longevity is mostly inflated to make them sound older, despite it not meaning much in the grand scheme of things
And then there’s the inconsistencies as to when things took place in the timeline. Most famously, the Dark Flour War, since there’s information that tells us it was a very long time ago, but other information that implies that it couldn’t have been that long ago
I also have no clue when the presumed Age of Dragons was, or when it ended. The whole prehistoric era in Ovenbreak confuses me as to its presumed place in the timeline, but considering we’re talking about Kingdom and this was a very recent thing in Ovenbreak, I’m willing to consider that an alternate universe difference. But we know in the Kingdom universe that dragons used to be all over Earthbread but are mostly gone now, so there was an end to their era, but I have no clue when, especially since Tea Knight was there prior to it and was a factor in it. He may be old but as far we know he’s still mortal. Though maybe it’s not established because the dragons aren’t really focused on as their own storyline. Pitaya and the twin dragons have more to do with their respective kingdoms than their relation to dragonkind
I think I’ve rambled on a bit but you get what I’m saying. The timeline is…not great and it needs some work
Personally if I were to do it, I’d streamline the lore to take place over maybe a couple thousand years, and the Ancients are at most 1000 years old. Maybe I’d have them be baked right at the end of the era of Witches, and so their rise to power is like the start of a new era without Witches, where the Cookies pave their own path on Earthbread. Like when the Witches left the Cookie civilization was left floundering somewhat, and so the Ancients stepped up to lead their fellow Cookies. Not entirely sure how to fit in the Beasts and particularly Beast Yeast into this new story, but whatever. Also I’d probably establish the Dark Flour War as happening like, 70 years ago. And subsequently change all the information relating to it to fit in with that time frame. Maybe it could be a bit longer or shorter, but that’s the best time frame I can think of in relation to the Crème Republic elders, since that’s who I tend to base it off of
17 notes
·
View notes
I’ll never forget when I was arguing with a person in favor of total prison abolition and I asked them “what about violent offenders?” And they said “Well, in a world where prisons have been abolished, we’ll have leveled the playing field and everyone will have their basic needs met, and crime won’t be as much of an issue.” And then I was like “okay. But…no. Because rich people also rape and murder, so it isn’t just a poor person thing. So what will we do about that?” And I don’t think they answered me after that. I’m ashamed to say I continued to think that the problem was that I simply didn’t understand prison abolitionists enough and that their point was right in front of me, and it would click once I finally let myself understand it. It took me a long time to realize that if something is going to make sense, it needs to make sense. If you want to turn theory into Praxis (I’m using that word right don’t correct me I’ll vomit) everyone needs to be on board, which mean it all needs to click and it needs to click fast and fucking clear. You need to turn a complex idea into something both digestible and flexible enough to be expanded upon. Every time I ask a prison abolitionist what they actually intend to do about violent crime, I get directed to a summer reading list and a BreadTuber. It’s like a sleight-of-hand trick. Where’s the answer to my question. There it is. No wait, there it is. It’s under this cup. No it isn’t. “There’s theory that can explain this better than I can.” As if most theory isn’t just a collection of essays meant to be absorbed and discussed by academics, not the average skeptic. “Read this book.” And the book won’t even answer the question. The book tells you to go ask someone else. “Oh, watch this so-and-so, she totally explains it better than me.” Why can’t you explain it at all? Why did you even bring it up if you were going to point me to someone else to give me the basics that you should probably already know? Maybe I’m just one of those crazy people who thinks that some people need to be kept away from the public for everyone’s good. Maybe that just makes me insane. Maybe not believing that pervasive systemic misogyny could be solved with a UBI and a prayer circle makes me a bad guy. But it’s not like women’s safety is a priority anyway. It’s not like there is an objective claim to be made that re-releasing violent offenders or simply not locking them up is deadly.
889 notes
·
View notes
Levi is so clingy in the morning-
As soon as you move to get up, or your alarm goes off and you mumble “….time to get up.” Levi’s arms wrap around you tighter and he lets out a huffy little sigh…not actually saying anything, just trying to keep you in bed. You’re so warm and the blankets are so comfy…..he know it's time for you to get up, both of you actually.
But he doesn’t want to lose you, not yet. he knows the second you get out of bed he has to share you for the rest of the day, fighting for your attention.
And it’s just not fair!! He’ll miss your warmth and he always craves your attention, your scent, your touch- just you. Even if he knows he’ll see you later it’s not the same. so every morning he tries to keep you in bed just a little longer…..just keep your attention on him for a few more minutes.
and you know he’ll do it every morning so you just sigh and kiss his forehead, “Come on, guppy….I have to go….”
"No…..not yet….just…just five more minutes… please…”
….well- five more minutes can’t hurt, can it?
1K notes
·
View notes
Spike is the spark that brings Buffy’s fire (her ability to love) back
(stone - a notoriously non flammable material)
Buffy’s love is spoken about in relation to fire but even brighter and more intense
she sings of wanting the fire (her ability to love and feel as deeply as she once did) back - where once was a flame so bright it burned her - now there is nothing but black & cold
spike’s love for Buffy is also equated to fire showing how he matches her intensity with which she loves (love the use of the lighting in this shot he literally looks like he’s sitting back to back with his shadow as he wrestles for a moment of just letting Buffy die before ultimately going to help her) also this line is showing how much loving Buffy has cost him the burdens he’s carried, the pain and sacrifices he’s made and endured - “I have come to redefine the terms pain and suffering since falling in love with you” loving Buffy for Spike is painful AND HE STILL LOVES HER AND KEEPS TRYING TO DO AND BE BETTER FOR HER LITERALLY NO MATTER WHAT 😭🤚🏻
but this line from Giles foreshadows the need for Spike to get his soul (the spark) back in order for Buffy to get her fire back - soulless spike’s love is not enough because of the guilt and shame she feels loving a soulless demon
(thank you @spuffylatino for this spike screen grab)
e voila! Their joint hands burst into flames in the moment Buffy can finally say the words “I love you” which she hasn’t told a romantic partner that since Angel - representing Buffy getting her fire back and that she has found someone who not only won’t pull away from the intensity of her love but can match it
hands ablaze and neither pulls away until forced to by the collapsing hellmouth and Buffy gasps in relief because she did it, she got the fire back and now she can tell him with no fear or shame that she loves him before it’s too late
and after she says it she has sort of this “I know that’s pretty obvious given our joint hands are currently ablaze as our twin flame souls intertwine but you deserve to hear it and I wanted to and now CAN say it” look on her face like she’s really fucking proud of him but also herself that this is how far they’ve come both as individuals and a couple
When I say Spike is the best romantic partner for Buffy it’s not because it’s perfect - it’s because after she dates angel and riley she’s an emotionally devastated, vulnerable, heartbroken, abandoned YET AGAIN mess who can barely hold it together and gets more and more closed off each time. But THIS is the impact Spike has on her. Despite all they go through he is a catalyst for the return of her strength, confidence, healing, and emotional vulnerability. I love the overall impact he has on her as well as her on him!! They change each other for the better!! Through their love!!!! THAT’S AMAZING!!
206 notes
·
View notes
At the end of my latest TLT reread and it’s been physically painful attempting to read the last 40+ pages of Nona. Like, the short shrift that Gideon/Kiriona gets given by the people in the story…the theoretical good guys who honestly only see her as a thing, as a means to an end with an inconvenient dead soul attached to it… It makes me want to rip my own heart out of my chest.
Nobody has cared about Gideon her whole life. Most people, in fact, if they remembered about her at all, went out of their way to tell her how much they wished she didn’t exist. In the final chapters of Gideon, she finally gets the thing she’s been desperate for her whole life: somebody telling her that they need her, they care that she exists, and they badly want her to go on doing it. This allows her to make peace with the prospect that at the ripe old age of 18, she needs to die so that that person can go on living and living and living, using the castrated remnants of her soul as fuel to do so. Not a great way to go, but at least Gideon would get to be useful to somebody, would get to be remembered for something.
And then she wakes up in the wrong body, and finds out that her sacrifice - her attempt to be useful in the most selfless way possible, in that her self will no longer exist - has been rejected. And not only that, but the person she tried to give herself to - the one who was supposed to care about her - went to extreme lengths to make completely sure that she no longer remembered about Gideon.
She literally cut Gideon out of her brain.
And now, drifting along in the worst sort of half life where she’s inhabiting her body but it’s no longer really hers, in very obvious fashion - there’s holes in it, her heart is missing, and it’s got her shitty father’s handprints all over it (not even touching how much of a violation that is), indelibly - she finally meets back up with the small group of people who could theoretically be relied upon to be glad to see her again.
But then the one who was supposed to care about her most tries to kiss her (massively OOC for Harrow), and turns out to not even be there - it’s some weird baby inhabiting her body, and doing a really shit job of it too. The rest of them won’t stop talking about how they need her to break into the Tomb - as if she was just another key, same as the ones they worked together to acquire in Canaan House, just bigger and more inconvenient - and/or how they both fucked and killed her mom, who also (surprise, surprise) wished that Gideon had never existed, but saw her as a thing that needed to be done for the good of the mission.
Ultimately, they all make it abundantly clear - Palamedes, Camilla, Pyrrha, and especially Nona, all these people who are supposed to be kind and good and right - that they would prefer she wasn’t there. That it just be her body, with no Gideon attached - at least not Gideon the way she is now, broken and rejected and miserable. They would all far have preferred that she not have her own inconvenient thoughts and feelings and desires and impulses - that she just be inanimate and let the important people, the grown ups, get things done.
They wish she didn’t exist. Same as everybody else in her life, save one, and now she’s left wondering whether Harrow really meant it at all. Because if she did, she wouldn’t have left Gideon to Kiriona’s fate.
And honestly? Really, truly? I know everybody in the fandom loves Pal and Cam and Nona and Pyrrha, but in the end I couldn’t give less of a shit about them. They are fucking side characters, and as intriguing as Nona has been from a worldbuilding standpoint, I ultimately resent having been forced to read 400+ pages of filler bullshit about fucking side characters. I am a butch, and I’m here for my sarcastic, loving, angry, vulnerable, forgiving, and yes, inconvenient sword butch. I’m here for Gideon. But Gideon has been fridged for the last two books of the series in which she is supposed to be a, if not the, main character.
And it feels like almost nobody else in the fandom feels the same way, which, fine. I’m used to that. I’m also used to being told I’m projecting; and I’m used to being told that I’m inconvenient too, in my thoughts and my opinions and the mere fact of my existence. I spent the first eighteen years of my life being told I was inconvenient. Yet another point of overidentification with Gideon.
But in case anybody still thinks that Nona proves that Gideon was an asshole all along, think about all of the above. Think about how it would make you feel to come back from not just death but from the erasure of your existence, something you chose in order to save the life of someone you loved, and be told that you’re inconvenient. Think about how you’d feel if you’d been told all your life that it would be better for everyone if you didn’t exist. And then tell me that Kiriona isn’t in the right and that I should give a rat’s ass what happens to literally anybody else.
It’s Kiriona Hours up in this House, butches. We’ve spent long enough caring about people who would prefer we weren’t around. For once in our entire lives we were told we were important; we were told we mattered; we were told we were the main character. We were going to, if not get the girl and save the world, at least get to do something real, something important, something like being the hero.
But that’s over now; we’re back to being wrong and bad and inconvenient thanks to the simple fact of our existence. So it’s time to embrace it. Let’s be a little shit. Let’s be kind of a dick. Let’s have our own agenda, let’s play our cards close to our heartless chest, let’s allow our circle of empathy to contract to ourselves and maybe one more person. That’s where I’m at right now. And I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
153 notes
·
View notes