#uncomfortable emotions

[safe-haven-safe-place]

[unwelcome-ozian]

[emmaliee]

Echoes of the Heart

Nichole sat in her cozy living room, bathed in the soft glow of the evening sun. Memories of heartache and betrayal flooded her mind, each one a painful reminder of the emotional scars she carried from her past.

She had loved before, with a depth that had left her shattered and broken. But then she met Kenny – a whirlwind romance that ended in tears and anguish. In the aftermath of their separation, Nichole had vowed never to let anyone hurt her like that again. She built walls around her heart, brick by brick, to shield herself from further pain.

And then she met Andrew – a breath of fresh air in the midst of her distress. Their connection was instant, their passion intense. For a fleeting moment, Nichole allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, she had found her perfect match.

But their relationship was short-lived, ending amicably as they both moved on to new chapters in their lives. Andrew had never hurt Nichole – he had been everything she had ever wanted, everything she had ever dreamed of. But still, she couldn't shake the ghosts of her past.

And then, out of the blue, Kenny resurfaced – a blast from the past that sent shockwaves through Nichole's carefully constructed defenses. As he attempted to reenter her life, Nichole grappled with a difficult decision. If she had to choose between Andrew, the perfect man she had recently met, and Kenny, the man who had hurt her, who would she pick?

Instantly, her mind betrayed her, choosing Kenny without hesitation. It was a truth she didn't want to accept, a painful reminder of the lingering hold he still had on her heart. It was a hard pill to swallow, a truth she didn't want to believe – but deep down, she knew it was the reality she had to face.

Summoning all her courage, Nichole decided to confront Kenny once and for all. She expressed the wall she had built around her heart, brick by brick, to guard herself from further pain. She spoke of the betrayal she had felt, the trust that had been shattered time and time again.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she confessed her fear of letting her wall down, of risking her heart for a love that may never be reciprocated. But despite her reservations, Nichole knew that she couldn't ignore the feelings she still harbored for Kenny.

As they sat in silence, Nichole braced herself for Kenny's response, unsure of what the future held. But deep down, she knew that no matter what happened, she had finally found the courage to confront her past and take a step towards healing.

[egophiliac]

Did. Did you see Ortho's Broomquet preview? The fact that his broomquet is mostly white like Kalim's, Rook's and Silver's and that we know by now that Idia's ideal dreamworld involved OG!Ortho being still alive and a student at Royal Sword Academy is killing me. Twst is throwing hints left and right that OG!Ortho was meant to be a light magic user heroic character just to tug further at our heartstrings with his death and IT'S WORKING. I'M IN SHAMBLES.

as much as I am rolling around on the ground waiting for more of Silver and Sebek's Excellent Adventure, I am also SO desperate to see the resolution of Idia's dreamworld and, fingers crossed, more of dream!OG!Ortho. and I don't know how it would be physically possible, but I would LOVE the Orthos to actually meet somehow! bonus points if there's some kind of very confusing confrontation!

but I do really like the three-way contrast between OG!Ortho, what Idia thinks OG!Ortho would have been like, and humanoid!Ortho. especially since Ortho's post-episode 6 arc is all about becoming independent and his own person! I want to see more of it! and I can't really put it into words very well, but, like, I would LOVE this to be the resolution where Idia finally manages to come to terms with OG!Ortho's death -- man heard "niichan" once and immediately ran down a billion flights of stairs to throw himself into Metaphorical Hell, he needs something big like this.

(if the September schedule comes out and there's still no more main story, I am going to be DESPONDENT) (I mean I will be understanding because production takes time, no one should be subjected to crunch to meet arbitrary deadlines, a good product that takes longer >>> a rushed product that is out sooner) (but I shall also be despondent)

[thranduel]

some thoughts about astarion because i'm tired of the internet reducing him to one thing

when bg3 came out in early access, astarion was always seen as the extremely flirty, confident guy who enjoyed sex (or so we thought) and spoke about it like it was his favourite thing. he was also kinda marketed as the “sexy vampire”, so you can understand why many people saw him that way based on the little amount of content we had. even while playing act 1 and act 2, many players still might think of him like that because he does have a very charismatic personality and he asks to sleep with you very early on, so it just automatically makes you think he’s genuinely happy doing that and being totally serious.

BUT!!!!!!! we end up finding out later on that’s NOT the case and it was all part of a plan to seduce us in order for him to gain protection. he opens up about his past and his trauma and how he was forced to use his body to lure people back to cazador. he struggles with intimacy and relationships in general because of this. that’s why i really hope that people stop reducing him to “hot sexy vampire that loves flirting and having sex with everyone” when that is not who he is, he’s literally traumatised because of sex due to being forced into it and he’s slowly trying to heal. he’s also so much more than just “the hot vampire”, ya know? if you actually put in the effort to get to know him, you will see who he truly is underneath and he has many loveable traits to appreciate.

you may not see the “soft” side of him very often because he hides it, but it’s there!! one thing i noticed that really stood out to me was that when i gave food to an orphan in act 3 and he approved. back when you first met him, he probably would’ve done the opposite or had no reaction at all. i also saw a clip of someone trying to romance karlach and astarion and he literally told tav to choose karlach over him because he can see that karlach loves her. he said normally an arrangement would work for him but after everything karlach has been through, he doesn’t want to get in the way or see her hurt. letting tav go is also hard for him as well but he still thought about someone else. he could’ve whined or been possessive or jealous but he didn’t do that at all. where are all those people who reduce astarion to “the guy that flirts and sleeps with everyone” now? seriously. that’s not what he does, and when he was forced into it by cazador, he was trying to survive, he didn’t do it for his own pleasure. it’s not a “hot” personality trait of his, it’s literally trauma. and because he did it so much, he got used to it, and that resulted in him disassociating and feeling empty.

apparently if you ask him to join you and sleep with the drows at the brothel (something i will never make him do in my playthroughs), he only says yes because he struggles to say no. but he disassociates. and if you’re in a high approval relationship with him and he loves you, he will feel safe enough to express his feelings and say he’s not comfortable. this happens before you fight cazador. i’m not sure if he gives the same response after, but either way, if he joins in, he will always disassociate and it’s not something he wants to do despite what he may say.

that being said, it’s obviously still okay to appreciate his beauty and attractiveness, because he is very beautiful. he appreciates it and even likes being called beautiful. calling him “hot” and “sexy” isn’t a bad thing either, we know he can be and i'm sure he knows it too! it’s just annoying when people act like that’s ALL he is and they don’t even mention anything else about his character. the love scenes are beautifully done too (i personally prefer the second one after you’ve stopped him from doing the ritual, because that’s the one where he decided he truly wanted it and felt safe and comfortable because he genuinely loves you), and i actually would’ve been fine if they didn’t have any scenes like that at all because it’s totally understandable and valid if he didn’t feel comfortable, but i just hope that people don’t take things too far and over-sexualise him just because of how he appeared to be in the first half of the game and the way he’s often marketed on social media. and yes i know he’s fictional and nothing on the internet is going to hurt his feelings!!!! it’s more about the fact that he canonically has sexual trauma and many people still say really disturbing stuff even AFTER they find out about that, and it just makes me uncomfortable to think that people are okay with treating someone like a sexual object especially when they've said they're traumatised and it makes them uncomfortable. idk if this makes sense 😭

but yeah he doesn't want to flirt and sleep with everyone as i've seen people claim. and if in an alternate universe he did, and he did it on his OWN terms, and the other people he had relationships with enjoyed it too, then good for them! absolutely nothing wrong with that if there's consent, respect and honesty. however, that's not the case with what happened with astarion, because 1. he was forced into using his body WHEN HE DID NOT WANT TO and 2. he misled people and lured them to a miserable fate. it's so horrible and devastating for everyone involved. sex was never something fun for him, and it certainly isn't a "personality trait" of his. it was a survival tactic. he was forced to. he didn’t want to.

obviously when he becomes more comfortable, then it's totally understandable to get excited when he flirts and shows physical affection. he can be so charming, funny, sweet and romantic and i love that. it’s so beautiful to see him heal, genuinely find comfort in someone for the first time and experience intimacy that he feels ready and comfortable for. he deserves to love and be loved on his own terms instead of being forced. but again, he is so much more than the guy we were introduced to at the beginning. the internet just sees one thing and sticks with it but i really hope people start to actually appreciate him for who he is and the complexity of his character.

aaaaand i just had to leave this here <3

[that-disabled-princess]

I remember seeing a post about how being aromantic is akin to being allergic to corn, and like... yeah. Being romance-repulsed, loveless, and aplatonic in addition to being aromantic is like being allergic to olives and corn. And also their common substitutes. Olive oil and cornstarch are used in everything. There is no escape.

You tell someone you can't have a food because olive oil was used, and it's "oh, but surely you aren't allergic to olive oil! That's not a real thing."

You can't have a food because there's cornstarch in it and it's, "oh, but it's such a small amount of corn, surely you'll be fine. I know you can't have corn, but a tiny amount of cornstarch?"

You tell someone that, actually, you are also allergic to a common substitute, and it's "so you just can't eat at all? that's so sad!" or "then what CAN you eat? it's so sad you have such a dislike for food."

"Surely, you aren't actually repulsed by romance! That's so sad! And also, you made that up!"

"I know you're aromantic, but you can't actually be uncomfortable with people using the word 'love' as a blanket for emotions, can you?"

"So you don't feel love for your friends AT ALL? You just don't feel AT ALL? How sad!"

It's exhausting.

[saccharineomens]

this started out as 'I want to see the group hugging laios like they all hugged senshi in chapter 49' and then it turned into 'what i hope to see happen in the next chapter'. /shrug

[prettyboymeat]

grusha scribbles

[safe-haven-safe-place]

Art by @crazyheadcomics

[hella1975]

‘andrew goes to the roof bc his fear of heights reminds him that he’s Human and Can Feel’ is the most wattpad angst kind of shit and it SHOULD be laughable in the same way ‘neil doesn’t smoke he just lights his cigarette bc the smell reminds him of his dead mother’ is laughable but in all honesty if i think about it for more than 2 seconds i WILL start sobbing violently

[emmaliee]

The Cry of Silence

Amidst the crowd's relentless symphony,

Our silence reigns, a disturbing harmony.

Words aren’t shared, yet stories unfold,

Your hidden anguish, a tale untold.

I inquire softly, "Are you alright?"

You nod, yet unrest clouds your sight,

Unease creeps in, a shadow in the light.

Unspoken whispers flood the air,

Anxiety coils, a lingering snare,

Dread hangs heavy, a burden we share.

Seeking comfort in words unsaid,

But awkward silence fills instead,

Doubts linger, a tangled thread.

Our eyes meet, yet we turn away,

Familiarity lost, in disarray,

A stranger's presence, a heart’s dismay.

This silence, a weight I can't ignore,

Unease settles, an unwelcome chore,

Do you feel it too, deep at our core?

Restless, the quiet consumes my will,

Discomfort rising, time stands still,

Yearning for escape, for a moment's thrill.

In the midst of this bustling crowd,

Our silence resonates a deafening sound.

[periodcostumefantasylover]

The Darkling in every episode 2x05 Shadow and Bone

[daily-hanamura]

[crown-ov-horns]

Me writing gory scenes: blood was everywhere 💖💫🤪 shreds of flesh splattered all over the walls 😈✨🌸 bones sticking out of open wounds

Me writing sentimental scenes: so she like... hugged her daughter? 🙃 you know? 😅

[darlin-djarin]

when artists emote din's helmet... 100000x better than seeing his face tbh