“Though the king did not wish Daemon to succeed him, he remained fond of his younger brother, and was quick to forgive his many offenses.
[…] As for the king’s own views, all the chronicles agree that King Viserys hated dissension. Though far from blind to his brother’s flaws, he cherished his memories of the free-spirited, adventurous boy that Daemon had been. His daughter was his life’s great joy, he often said, but a brother is a brother.” - George R. R. Martin, Fire & Blood
malec scenes that impacted 18 yr old in denial bisexual me a great deal:
(3.10) sometimes we dont say ILY we say LWIHWFM (look what i have waiting for me)
Ah...this scene...the one good thing that happened in ep. 19...
First we start off with Chen Yuzhi greeting Jiang Yuelou as soon as he returns home
To which Jiang Yuelou asks if he’s off of work (domestic much?)
And then Jiang Yuelou suggests eating dinner together
To which Chen Yuzhi agrees to
Bruh, the way Jiang Yuelou turns so fond as he watches Chen Yuzhi eat...
He then goes on to praise Chen Yuzhi for how well they worked together at the charity function (even though the fuction itself turned into a hot fucking mess)
And then Chen Yuzhi goes on to praise Jiang Yuelou right back because if it wasn’t for Jiang Yuelou’s plan, they wouldn’t have succeeded
Jiang Yuelou is a little surprised at the praise given back to him, but he just smiles and agrees that his plan was pretty good
Chen Yuzhi’s fond smile lord send help
He then goes back to eating as Jiang Yuelou takes a second before he looks at him again
Just fucking ask to go to Chen Yuzhi’s house like a normal person, Jiang Yuelou, please
The way Chen Yuzhi replies with a mixture of fondness and exasperation
Again, just ask to go to Chen Yuzhi’s house like a normal person
The way Chen Yuzhi looks at him before he delivers this absolute possessive ass line
Like hello?! Hello?! This fucking line, oh my god...oh my god, I’m...
tbh one of, if not my absolute favorite part about ffxiv, is the small little moments/sections where nothing super big or like. Plot Important happens, but that give both the characters and us, the players, some much appreciated down-time to just. Feel things. And to process what's happened and what's going on or to just. Let us exist, in the moment. In a much more grounded and human way than when there's Big And Important Things happening.
The biggest(imo) and earliest example of this is right after the Waking Sands get raided in ARR, and WoL turns to the church for guidance. The entire section of us helping them gather and bury our fallen comrades, and especially bringing Noraxia home to Little Solace so she can be laid to rest in her homeland, by her own people and in their own cultural ways, was so so important to me.
Because it wasn't just replacable allies cast aside for shock value anymore, it was real. These deaths were real and meant something. I got to actually process what just happened, and I got to watch Banana go through it right with me. And not only did it make it feel real, it also gave me a sense of closure. These people, these friends, are dead, but they also got to be treated with the respect they deserve and laid to rest properly.
And that, more than anything else, made me want to save the world. It's grounded and grounding. This world, and these people, meant something to me, the player.
And there's tons of stuff like that throughout the game, especially in shadowbringers and endwalker.
In shb we have, for example, Lyna venting her anger and frustration after the sin eater attack in Lakeland. She's on her knees yelling on the verge of tears while punching the ground, so furious at her helplessness and powerlessness, at everyone having come so far yet set back because some megalomaniacal tyrant deemed it so.
In ew we have Urianger being approached by Moenbryda's parents, who confront him about not confiding in them about his grief. When Bloewyda starts to scold him, he of course reacts guiltily, believing they blame him, only for him to be completely caught off guard when she instead goes in to hug him, telling him he should have let them grieve with him. And he just. Breaks down. He's been holding these feelings, this grief inside him all this time, and now that he is not only told it's okay to let it out, but by her very own parents at that, he just can't keep it in anymore. He cries for Moenbryda, right then and there, being held lovingly by her family.
And the thing is, these scenes aren't necessary, strictly speaking. The plot at large could go on without them, the events that happen around them are not changed by these moments in any way.
But still, they are so so important, to the world, to the characters, to the players. Everything feels real and impactful now, every death means something, every tragedy, every person, feels real.
And that, to me, is what makes this story so special.
Ok so there’s this fucking parallel/inversion (idk how to call it) that makes me want to hurl :
When Morty confronts Rick about how he carelessly treats others and tries to protect his mother from another heartbreak.
But Beth immediately (IMMEDIATELY) forgives Rick the second he’s back because she couldn’t bear the thought of being abandoned by him (again).
AND THEN
THIS FUCKING SCENE where Beth confronts Rick about how he carelessly treats others and tries to protect her son from another heartbreak. But Morty immediately (IMMEDIATELY) forgives Rick the second he’s back because he couldn’t bear the thought of being abandoned by him (again).
Anyway every time I think abt them I start shaking violently.