I think Freminet has some of the most interesting dissonance in his self perception of any Genshin character.

Like, of the Hearthlings we know, he's one of the most emotionally mature and intelligent. Lynette might still have him beat, but after playing her hangout... I dunno. I think they're tied. Lyney is Crumbling, Alrecchino is. Well. Arlecchino. Everyone else is a deeply traumatized child or adult and Freminet seems to pretty regularly be people's emotional support. His character stories talk about getting his vision by saving a bunch of other kids on a dive that went bad. The Selkie event literally had him being a therapist for a grownass woman, citing his past experiences with all the other Hearthlings that have died or killed themselves. And he handled that situation WELL. Yeah, he seems to live in a fantasy, but goddamn he's alive and a lot of people in his position aren't so clearly something is working.

Either his or Lyney's character story talks about the time Freminet had reached out to Lyney to try to ease his burdens, which resulted in Lyney blowing up at him. That probably contributed to Freminet thinking he's not good at it, but I think the reason Lyney reacted so badly was BECAUSE Freminet is actually a good support. He can't allow himself that from the little brother he's supposed to protect.

Freminet seems to both cry and dissociate often, but like... Kiddo you are in fact the only person in this family actually processing your emotions. Lynette dissociates 24/7. Arlecchino. Lyney lies and tells everyone he's fine and would literally rather die than admit otherwise. In comparison, Freminet is doing FANTASTIC

Freminet also gets a lot out of helping people! Like anyone, he needs to feel useful and needed. He seems to be an excellent mentor to the younger Hearthlings and perfectly competent on his own, but when you put him in a room with Lyney and Lynette who baby him and insist that THEY take care of HIM, he withdraws into himself.

Like, Freminet by himself feels like a young man and Freminet with the magician twins feels like a teenager. I have no idea how old he actually is. Logically, he would be OLDER than them! He's been with the House much, much longer and his experience shows. I think it's fascinating that they love him SO MUCH and yet, they just Cannot let him help them. Which is hurting him.

(Lynette is much better about not babying him and that is probably why their relationship is so much better than Freminet and Lyney's. Also why she keeps having to mediate between them. Because Lyney charges off trying to Fix Everything and that just makes Freminet feel useless and he doesn't want to get in the way and- you get the point)

Idk. It's hard to tell what things the previous director said to him vs what Arlecchino has said to him. I'm inclined to think our Arlecchino was the one that said he cries too much, but in a "crying in front of your enemies will get you killed" way and she herself is too fucked up to realize how "you cry too much" could be damaging.

Also I try not to consider gameplay stuff when it comes to story, but Freminet also has some of the most BRUTAL animations. He SMASHES HIS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT METAL PENGUIN INTO HIS ENEMY'S FACE. He doesn't think he's the most amazing fighter, and by Fatui standards he probably isn't, but he is winning fights against most grown men.

Tldr Freminet thinks he cries too much and is a burden and isn't good at helping people when he's actually the most mentally stable Hearthling send tweet

At least “the cross guy” got a name upgrade

Best part about writing fiction is when a new character appears. When I sat down this morning, I didn't know this guy. But now he's an integral part of the narrative. Always been there, in fact. I just hadn't met him yet.

i love seeing fan art of tav x astarion because it reminds me that in every universe astarion is loved and cared for. just like he deserves.

I can't stop thinking about the way sutton performs poor thing, especially the "they figured she had to be daft you see/so all of them stood there and laughed you see"... (skip to 12:59)

I've seen/heard several takes on those lines, ranging from gossipy (lansbury) to sympathetic (bonham carter/and I'd argue ashford) to contemptuous (lupone 2001) and dismissive (lupone 2005), but I've never heard angry before. and sutton foster sang those lines angry. and while I think every version of mrs. lovett feels at least a little bit of pity for lucy, I've never heard any of them sound angry on her behalf.

there's something about a version of this character being played in a post "me too movement" world. something about the female rage of it all. the way she practically growls the word "laughed", like...I've never seen an actress approach the song this way. and I love the nuance it creates for the character, who obviously will go on to confirm that sweeney is in fact benjamin barker in approximately 30 seconds and proceed to lie to him about lucy's fate so she can keep him for herself. she's far from a good person and far from a friend to lucy. and yet for just a moment, she shares that collective feeling of anger at the assault of another woman. and like. I felt that.

avatrice + hair intimacy + learning

AND BEATRICE BEING LIKE "it's not horrible... horrible" in her endearing british accent with a bit of a pause as she takes it all in. It's floppy and flimsy at best, but it's Ava, it's so whole heartedly Ava. And how could Beatrice view any extension of Ava in a bad light??? And Ava's pouting, frustration leaking through but Beatrice, oh beatrice just turns to her and gently grabs her hands and guides her back to the beginning over and over until Ava gets lost in it and is just carding her fingers through her hair.

will byers canonically loves mike wheeler

Maybe it’s just me but nothing gets me emotional faster than thinking about where people read fics. Reading before going to bed? The fic is now a bedtime story, and maybe you’ll keep dreaming about it after going to sleep. Reading on the daily commute? Something that should be a boring part of routine is now angsty, fluffy, filled with whatever emotions you wanted that day. Reading under the desk in class? Forbidden, how exiting! Reading while eating by yourself? You’re not alone anymore. 

And you can leave a comment telling you liked something but it doesn’t actually convey the entirety of that it meant to you, in that specific moment, what you were doing and thinking and feeling and why you started reading precisely that at precisely that moment. Maybe someone had been leaving that fic for a moment of rest so they could enjoy it properly or maybe someone somewhere was bummed because they finished it already and there’s still an hour of car ride. I often leave special fics for the ride back home, so I have something to look for at the end of the day, but the writer won’t know unless I tell them. Seventeen kudos is seventeen different people and seventeen reasons and situations and places connected by having read the same story and there’s some poetry in that.

Slowing down the tempo of the silly chase music was a nice touch; really sold Buggy's crushing depression 🤣

i’m obsessed with the fact that ellie compared herself to maeve rojas — if any character karen has ever written gets the mantle of being the next maeve it’s definitely the newest mystery solving younger sister

Thinking about bg3. And the prevalent themes of being taken advantage of by trusted authority figures and stuff. BG3 spoilers ahead.

Nearly every companion in this game is suffering from being taken advantage of, often by someone they trusted. Some, like Karlach with Gortash, Astarion with Cazador, and Wyll with Mizora, feel it keenly, so so keenly. They can't escape from that betrayal and the consequences of said betrayal are ever present and devastating.

Others, like Shadowheart and Lae'zel, have yet to realize the dangerous way they have/are being manipulated, and when we meet them are utterly devoted to Shar and Vlaakith respectively. The nature of these relationships changes depending on the direction of your game.

Then... there's Gale.

Seemingly the odd one out. The Wizard Prodigy with the tragic flaw of hubris, carrying in him a physical, permanent consequence and reminder of his failure. Because what he did was wrong. Right? He tried to please Mystra, his goddess and his lover, by committing something unthinkable, and in his mind he is being rightfully punished for it.

Except. Why was Mystra, the goddess of magic itself, in such a relationship with a mortal in the first place?

Gale's relationship to this concept of being taken advantage of is so interesting to me, because for the most part it is much more subtle compared to some of the other companions, and much of it is left up to to player interpretation. Because, yeah, ultimately it was his mistake, but when you hear him speak it almost sounds like he was *primed* to make such a mistake, to think he could handle something like the Karsite Weave. (He gives me big big "gifted child left with no true support system bc they're seen as being able to handle themselves at too early an age" energy)

He shares in common with Karlach that unlike the other companions, who *are* being taken advantage of, Gale and Karalch *were* taken advantage of. Past tense, over and done. And in both cases, the one with the power in the relationship (Mystra and Gortash) go on their merry way, basically unaffected, while the one without power (Gale and Karlach) are left holding the bag.

Mystra also differs in how she's presented by the game, bc unlike the others mentioned she's presented as neutral to a fault. But she wields her forgiveness like a weapon, and she manipulates Gale to make him fee like *she's* the one who truly suffered for his prideful crime, he *deserves* all the pain that's come from it, and that he *owes* it to her to just die. For her. And for the most part, she isn't *wrong* per say, she just pushes it very far. Farther then someone who had Gale's best interests at heart would.

And I just. I find it interesting.

I've definitely dove too far into picking out tiny details for these movies, but I think it's interesting that Sarah doesn't wear nail polish.

Like, out of the three sisters, Sarah feels like the one who absolutely would wear nail polish. But they don't. And just given everything else about how they are I choose to believe they just hate the feeling of it.

I think Mary and Winnie painted their nails ONCE and they went around the whole day shaking their hands and kind of whining about it. It made them feel like they couldn't do anything properly. It looked pretty, but the way it felt on their nails was awful and they ended up picking at it to try and get it off (which was not any better of a feeling). It was just a sensory nightmare for them.

And Winnie and Mary got mad at them for picking at it and ruining something they had taken time to do, but Sarah promised they'd never make them do it again because THAT was terrible.

Oh no. Drawing Grima is fun actually.

don't even get me started on FEH's bride banner (🤮) but by all means, DO get me started on Lilina and Roy becoming a canon political power couple post-game who would reliably make a scene at the Elibe United Nations conference every year.

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fn.af is the highest grossing horror movie of 2023 domestically